Chapter 22

Ghost's Lair

Vegeta waited as Tojar left the building this night and looked to the wall grate up high upon the steel frame of the building. Pulling out the metal shard he held in his glove, he noted several others watched though he knew they wouldn't say anything. Picking the lock quickly, the Saiyan Prince would open the door and gazed around. Spotting several crates, he shoved them over to the wall and stacked them high.

He would climb up on the crates, balancing in the act as he twisted the screws from their secure holdings. There would be no resting yet as he pulled off the grate and then sat on the edge of the square hole that would provide his temporary freedom. Carefully, he looked across and then finally leapt onto the drainpipe. From there, he again climbed to the rooftop and began to jump again from roof to roof. He hated having the shot that nulled his abilities. Swiftly he would dart for the south wall around the city and then in the shadows of the night, he scaled them and bolted for the Southern Forest.

As he entered the Southern Forest, he looked around in silence at the tall trees. Heavy fog lay upon the ground in a silent cover swirling around his ankles. A purplish hue was given through the massive oaks and pines as the sun filtered through the evening skies. His coal eyes moved about studying the forest around him. As he took in the sights, a shiver ran up his spine as he continued forward. Whether it was from the eerie silence or the cold, was hard to determine.

Glancing backward, he found none other followed him, no hunters, no Free, and not even Kakarrot. He finally took a deep sigh and pressed on alone and his gaze settled upon what appeared to be a deer trail. He took the path and carefully started to make his way through the slender and thorn lined trail. Stopping at a stream, he again began to tend to the wounds of which he had sustained.

Taking off what remained of his tattered blue shirt, he looked to the cloth and then shook his head as he ripped it in long pieces. After doing this, he started washing and wrapping the gashes that blood seeped from. When finished, he gave a bit of a hesitation, his ears and senses open like a radar. Vegeta knew it would only be a matter of time before they started their hunt upon him once more, he had to find shelter and quickly.

Storm clouds again rumbled across a distant horizon as he stood and headed for the unknown parts of the forest. His newly obtained form allowed him more energy to work off of and he was greatful for it. Slowly, he walked looking once more to a large cliff before him. Standing up on a high ledge, he looked down at the deep gaping maw through the mountain range. Treacherously jagged and shrouded in mists, he sucked in a breath and began to make the trek into the valley before him, the gateway to those mountains.

Upon reaching the mountains, he peered up at the rough, sharp rocks jutting upward on the face of the tall peaks before him. Slowly the Saiyan Prince looked around and leaned against the boulder only to be surprised by the sudden shift. Inspecting it a little closer, the Warrior turned and moved inside the cave. It was the same place he had taken his wife. His eyes lowered slightly in thought and then when his head lifted again, grim determination could be seen in the fiery depths of the Saiyan Prince's black eyes.

Entering the Lair once more, he found that the cave had been relatively untouched. Picking up a stone he looked to the far wall, it was ajar. Slowly stepping up to the back wall, he shoved yet another boulder aside and peered beyond. The caverns were dark and silent with the sound of a trickle now and then from above. Feeling the walls of the cave, he ran his hand around the smooth lining of the lair and wonderment took his curiosity further. Flaring into the Super Saiyan form, it served as a perfect light by which to explore with. He just had to make sure he got out before he ran out of energy.

A whisper would come from the caverns, calling his name, he took a step back and then peered around carefully. Vegeta heard it again, softly sounding his name in a gentle manner. Narrowing his eyes, he moved with a great degree of caution and alertness. Soon the entrance disappeared from sight as a rumble could be felt shifting the cave like an earthquake. When he looked back, his exit was blocked by a wall. The maze had shifted as he walked in a certain distance. Looking ahead once more, he had little alternative but to follow the passageways and the whispering voice.

As he walked through the dark caverns, he felt a shift in the air around him, the dampness allowed water to drip down around him. Several drops hit his shoulder and he pressed on even more as the maze seemed to twist and bend. Again he stopped as the maze began to shift. If he wasn't lost then, he was now. Once more the voice whispered to him and he moved on, seeking out the voice as it grew louder.

Finally as he reached the center of this great shifting labrynth, it opened up to a vast cavern, 700 feet tall and 2,000 feet in all directions from where he stood in the center. Then all stopped and he stood there in quiet in the center of the maze. Whispering could be heard coming from all directions as he stood there. Then slowly he gazed upward and that's when he seen a sword of such fine craftsmanship that he stared upon it. There was no way of knowing who it was for but he continued to gaze around taking in the cavern.

A ghost came forward first and he wore the clothing of a Saiyan King. He stepped back a moment to watch this ghost as he otherwise held his ground. Soon, more were approaching from all directions. He quietly stayed still, though he hated crowds no matter if they were ghosts or not. Silently they circled around him as he stood there, as if they were making sure he was the only Saiyan Prince from the Planet Vegeta.

Soon they parted and the Saiyan's gaze looked up to a massive form, again more of them coming forth, blue, red, green, silver, and white dragons now surrounded him. Never before had he seen a dragon and now they were all around him. They again conviened amongst themselves when a gold dragon finally came forth. They were all massive, proud, and he knew they were the voices he had heard. Ghost and dragon were both here and he knew this place was a more sacred place than any other in the Realm.

Finally the golden dragon lowered his head to Vegeta's level, his massive head was nearly as large as the Prince was tall. Eye contact was made and the tendriled dragon appeared wise and noble. He looked at Vegeta for a long time and then once more looked at the other dragons. Then all went silent as he spoke up. "You have been fighting long and hard. We summoned you back here for a special purpose Vegeta. This gathering of the dragon clans is not something that happens often, maybe once in a 1,000 years of a mortal's life."

Vegeta looked at these creatures before him, a look of confusion and question crossed his expression. "Then mind if I asked why you summoned me back here in the maze? It'll be a time trying to get back out."

A red dragon spoke up this time as he gazed fiercely down toward the Saiyan. The dragons had always kept apart from the influences of the Shadow Dragon, Syn, to keep his evil from taking any effect upon them. The dragon spoke at last. "Never has a slave from Jronia found this place twice. However a new rumor has begun flowing through the City. A rumor of a "Ghost" that steals slaves from the people. Theft is not right, but in this case, we have carefully viewed it over and we have summoned the Ancient Saiyan Kings as well, which are the ghosts you have seen."

Vegeta's breath caught in his throat as the other dragons looked at him, the silver now speaking. "Jronia has turned evil through the influence of Syn. He plans on ravaging many more places, though he has set his eye upon you. You are unusual and in that, it has drawn his attention."

As the blue dragon spoke up the other ghosts also appeared and upon hearing of who they were, Vegeta's head lowered, his eyes cast to the ground. Never had he felt such a shame as he did now, standing before them with a collar around his throat. Slowly the blue dragon watched him and then grinned lightly. "You have been forced to your status, it is not who you are. Lift your eyes Vegeta, you have been fighting what most would have been calling an impossible fight. Timid only enough to get what you need to survive, yet wild enough to not submit to them without fight. You are a true neutral in stance and behavior. This Lair is now your safe haven and you will carry the name of Ghost to legend. You should be proud of your accomplishments for none other has been given that title. From here on out, this Lair will be known as the Ghost's Lair."

Vegeta lifted his eyes again and he knew that any who conviened with the Ancient Saiyan Kings was deemed for respect. One of the ghosts lowered the blade down to him and before the Prince it hovered. He grasped the blade and felt a part of his power become sapped as he held it, as though a part of his own self was taken into the sword. He let it go when he could and fell to the floor of the cave. It had taken everything he had left. His strength had been completely drained as he lay barely conscious upon the floor.