Dragon Ball Z: Dynasty
By Feraligreater328
Chapter 25: Ideals
Beneath the waves of the Namekian Sea...
Jeice gargled in pain as another heavy punch smashed into his stomach. Vegeta was smiling like the Devil himself as he terrorized the Number 2 Man, beating the Hell out of Jeice all across the Namekian seabottom. A swift left hook sent Jeice sailing across the ocean floor, kicking up dust as he went. He eventually came to a halt when he smashed into something hard.
Jeice regained his bearings and looked up to see a giant, underwater crab. The beast lunged at the solider with its claws, but Jeice was quick to react. He launched a massive blast at the crab's eyes, piercing through the softer, more sensitive flesh and blowing the crab to pieces from within. The red shorty chuckled, but then got hammered by another kick to the back from Vegeta.
Jeice front-flipped through the water and mentally shouted to himself. "What the bleeding hell is going on?! Where did this monkey get all of this strength from?!"
Jeice stopped himself from tumbling and quickly shifted the frequency of his ki into radiation. He splayed he hands out towards Vegeta and fired a beam of energy from each fingertip. The energy beams snaked through the water rapidly, encircling Vegeta and going towards him in a pincer formation. The Prince blocked, but the guard was ineffectual. The beams pierced into Vegeta, leaving no apparent wounds but shooting right through him and doing internal damage to the Prince's muscles. Vegeta cringed in pain and Jeice used this time to escape back to the surface.
The second-in-command coughed and choked as he was finally able to breathe again. He glared down at the water as he massaged his broken ribs. "Damned ape..."
Jeice raised his hands above his head and summoned a massive ball of radiating heat energy. "I'll boil you alive, you cocky bastard! SCORCHING MAGMA WAVE!"
Jeice flung his arms down towards the water and the heat wave hit. In an instant, the sea beneath him began to sputter and boil, as if on top of a stove. Jeice chuckled as he watched all manner of Namekian sea life rise to the surface, dead as could be. And then he changed the frequency of his energy from radiation to explosive. Jeice raised his hand above his head and summoned a massive, shimmering energy sphere. "This'll finish things! EXPLOSIVE CRUSHER NOVA!"
Jeice went to fling the ball down. But, as he did, an energy blast came from behind him and pierced his attack. The ball blew up right in Jeice's face and the red man was sent tumbling. But he was quickly brought to a halt by something catching onto his hair.
Jeice glared up, through the cracked lens of his Scouter, and saw Vegeta was gripping his hair tight. Jeice sneered at the smiling Prince. "How did you get so strong?! What kind of bullshit, bad dream is this?!"
Vegeta chuckled. "Should have made sure we were dead..."
Jeice snapped at Vegeta. "What?!"
Vegeta said it again. "You should have made sure that we were dead. You idiots let us live to chase the Dragon Balls. Myself, that Bardock bastard, even the brat...you let us live and you're going to pay for it with your lives! And then, so will Frieza..."
Jeice sneered. "You're talking nonsense! Lord Frieza will regret it?! Recoome must've given ya brain damage!"
Vegeta sighed. "Stupid, pathetic Jeice. Of course, a cocky punk like you wouldn't know what a Zenkai boost is. You're so busy looking down upon the Mightiest Race in the Universe that you can't be bothered to know how they grow..."
Jeice was unnerved, but still defiant. "You have to be daft if you think Saiyans are-"
He was quickly cut off by a brutal headbutt to the face, shattering his Scouter into pieces and causing blood to erupt from his nose. Jeice gasped in pain and agony, and then Vegeta did it again. And again, this time taking a tooth with it. And again. And yet again. Blood rained from the sky where the two of them hovered as Vegeta began to beat Jeice absolutely senseless.
A short way away, on a barren stretch of Namekian soil...
Nail and Burter clashed with one another yet again, trading blows and dealing a bit of damage before pushing each other away. The two of them glared at one another, and then they charged again. They didn't realize it, being too focused on one another, but they were easily the most even matchup currently raging on the Namekian battlefield.
Nail was outwardly calm as he faced down his opponent, meeting his shows of force with shows of force and counter-attacking for every attack Burter dished out, but he was panicking on the inside. His worry over the status of Grand Elder Guru was eating him alive and his constant need to keep at least a bit of attention on the Grand Elder's location was distracting him from giving his full attention to the matter directly in front of him.
Nail turned his attention away fully to scan for the location of Frieza, and his distraction was very quickly taken advantage of. "Mach Lariat!"
A massive blue arm smashed into Nail's chest and sent him falling backwards, sliding across the ground and eventually skidding to a halt. Nail stood and brushed himself off. And then he took a fighting stance. However, to his shock, he saw a look of pure rage on Burter's face, an odd thing to see on a member of this goofy troupe's face. Burter snarled at Nail. "Pay attention to the fight insect! You killed off my precious ally, Guldo! I cannot forgive that! And I, at least, expect you to acknowledge the beating you're due as a result!"
This struck a chord within Nail. This interloper had the nerve...THE ABSOLUTE GALL...to act as if Nail had taken something important away from him?! Nail gritted his teeth so hard they felt like they were going to break. He tried to hold it together, but then he noticed that he was free of the judgment from his fellow warriors. And so, Nail snapped. "What a nerve you have! Do you invaders not realize that you have put my race on the brink?! My precious brothers all lie in fields running with purple blood because of you and your disgusting, heartless Frieza Force! Your loss of one ally is NOTHING compared to the rape and pillage you have inflicted onto my people!"
Nail snarled and charged at Burter, full speed. "You think that you have any right to say that you will not forgive me?!"
Burter caught Nail's strike, but was forced into a backwards slide as he did. Nail got nose-to-nose with Burter and hatefully screamed in his face. "You have forced me into a position of never being able to forgive you! You've made me betray the ideals that Grand Elder Guru instilled into all of us! My heart is full of vitriol and hatred...AND IT'S ALL BECAUSE OF YOU PEOPLE!"
Burter flinched and Nail responded with a stiff strike to the face. The snake man recovered and gave back three rapid strikes to the chest. But Nail came back with a massive kick to the side. Burter fell to the ground with a choking cough and Nail hit him again with a clubbing strike to the back of the neck. The Namekian warrior went for a chop, but Burter leapt out of the way. Nail's hand smashed into the ground and split is apart and Burter returned for a flurry of well-placed punches.
Nail went rolling away and stood up. And then he charged at Burter again. The two of them traded blows back and forth, dealing what amounted to even damaging to one another. Burter hit slightly faster, but Nail hit slightly harder. Their back and forth lasted for only a short while before the separated again.
Nail wiped blood from the corner of his mouth and Burter did the same. They stared at one another, Nail's face being totally stricken with rage. Burter, however, was more reserved than before. He breathed in and out and kept his gaze trained on Nail. Nail was shaking with rage. And then, whipping his arms forward, Nail fired a massive ki blast directly at Burter. Burter, in response, grunted and threw his arms in front of his face to guard.
The blast hit and exploded, scorching the land around Burter and leaving a smoking crater where he was standing.
Nail was breathing heavy, hatred pouring from his mouth with every single breath. And then, he waited. The smoke eventually cleared and Burter was revealed to be still standing there. His armor was severely damaged, everything above his stomach being broken off and missing. His Scouter was gone as well. Burter was weary, but he marched forward from the small crater beneath his feet. Various wounds marked his body as he made his way towards Nail.
Burter stopped short of his opponent, glaring into the Namekian's eyes. And then, he gave a heavy sigh. Nail sneered and snapped at the blue, snake man. "What? Has the weight of your wicked actions finally bared down upon you? Is guilt flowing into that blackened husk you call a soul?!"
Burter simply shook his head no. "Absolutely not. I make it a point to never feel guilt for anybody whom I've been tasked to kill. This is just my job, after all. But..."
Nail sneered. "But?"
Burter finished. "But...I must say that I do feel pity. Lots of pity. Every planet I land on and I have to do this...all I feel as I do it is pity."
This made Nail angry. "Pity?!"
Burter nodded. "Yeah. I don't feel guilt, but I am sorry about what happened to your people. It's a waste of life that they forced Lord Frieza's hand. If only that had been able to see that joining with him and submitting would have been better for Planet Namek in the long run, then everything would have been great..."
Nail's eyes widened. "Are...are you genuinely implying that the genocide of my people...is our fault?!"
Burter nodded. "Yes! You fools are too blind to see how much good joining the Frieza Empire could have done you! You would have had to supply able-bodied warriors to join the army, of course. But you would have been provided with protection and safety and access to space travel and advanced technology! Namek could have flourished under Lord Frieza's care!"
Nail could only stammer in disbelief as Burter went on. This invader really did believe in this skewed system that he was promoting. Happy under the slavery that that monster of a boss was offering. Nail's jaw had dropped. "I... how can..."
Burter continued. "But it's more than just protection! King Cold was a great leader, but Lord Frieza is taking things in a bold new direction! The Empire is better than ever under his mighty rule and all of you hanger-ons need to get with the program and sign up before it's too late!"
Burter shrugged. "Hell. Even Lord Cooler, for his maverick ways, is running a tight ship. In our meetings with the Armored Squadron, they've done nothing but praise the direction he's taking the Eastern and Southern Galaxies..."
Burter smiled. "Soon, under their bold leadership...we'll be able to go and overtake the Core World, just like King Cold always wanted to. And then Lord Frieza and his family will be able to control the whole Universe! And everyone will be better off as a result!"
Nail shook his head, regaining some form of his senses. And then he sneered at Burter. "So, you're saying that giving up freedom is an acceptable price for all of this? In exchange for the 'protection' that this Frieza is offering...you're willing to become a murderous slave?"
Burter cocked his head. "Isn't freedom just another form of slavery? Having to deal with the rigors and costs of daily life? Lord Frieza is offering a boon to people, no more roadblocks to a steady existence, you just have to obey."
Nail shook his head. "That's psychotic."
Burter shrugged. "So says you. You just need to look from an alternative view, Namekian."
Nail didn't respond this time. He had heard enough, so he took another fighting stance. Burter smirked and sighed, doing the same. "But, like I said, I am sorry that your people had to die. So, I have chosen to forgive you for Guldo's death to make up for it. Lord Frieza has already promised to return him to life once he has gained immortality anyway..."
Burter's lips cracked into a vicious, predatory smile. He loomed over Nail. "Now, I have a new goal. I'm going to educate you on the proper way of life under Lord Frieza!"
Nail sneered. "And just how do you plan to do that?"
Burter chuckled and then he charged. "Through pain! Just like Mama used to teach me!"
Nail dodged backwards, avoiding a swipe from his opponent. Burter hissed at Nail and swiped at him with his other arm. Nail managed to catch this one and stomped Burter right in the stomach. The blue snake gagged in pain and Nail delivered another heavy kick, bringing him to his knees.
Burter roared and quickly got to his feet, spinning his arm like a windmill and tossing a massive flurry of Mach Punches. Nail managed to dodge three of the eight punches and returned with two punches of his own. But, to his shock, Burter was oddly unfazed.
The blue giant pushed Nail backwards and then lunged at him again. He prepared another round of Mach Punches and threw them at Nail. This time, however, Burter tossed the attack with much more fluidity and grace. In a flash, he landed his attack and Nail only managed to dodge one of them this time.
The Namekian warrior tumbled back across the ground and got back to his feet as Burter lunged again. He was incredibly annoyed. So, as a new counter to Burter's speed, Nail reached into himself and pulled out a special trick: Namekian Lightning!
Sparks sizzled between Nail's antennae and he fired a bolt at his opponent. The lightning bolt hit Burter in his center mass and the blue man paused. He hissed in pain and Nail charged at him, delivering a spinning strike to the back of Burter's head and slamming him to the ground.
Nail moved quickly. He reached down and grabbed the floored Burter by his left leg. And then, the warrior quickly turned and slung Burter over his shoulder, heaving him through the air and slamming him into the ground, back first.
Burter was winded by the slam and Nail leapt back, slinging a ki blast at the blue man. The Namekian warrior glared down at Burter and prepared another blast, but the snake man quickly leapt to his feet. "So, we're using elements, eh?!"
Burter smirked. "Fine! Then let's use elements!"
The tallest Ginyu chuckled and began to spin his forearms as fast as he could. The sheer speed he was producing caused miniature, blue tornadoes of razor wind to swirl around. He charged at Nail at top speed and smashed his fists into the Namekian's chest. The sheer force of the wind shredded through Nail's chest and sent him flying back.
The warrior gasped in pain and landed, but Burter was right on top of him. He smashed his tornado clad arm down onto Nail's back and slammed him into the ground.
Nail shakily got back up and just barely dodged a third crippling blow. He summoned more electricity between his antennae and channeled it into his fingernails. And then he leapt back towards Burter and stretched out his limbs. "Namekian Savage Hunt!"
Nail charged forward and whipped his elastic arms into Burter, slashing his opponent with his claws and shocking the speedster in the process. Burter's skin was buzzing with electricity and he was temporarily paralyzed by the raging current rushing through his nerves. Nail leapt back and then rushed forward, shoulder charging into Burter and sending him flying back.
Nail roared with total ferocity and stretched his arm out, grabbing Burter by the neck to reel him back in. He reared his fist back and slammed it into the snake man's stomach. Burter was winded once more and Nail took the opportunity, he went in for the final blow!
But Burter chuckled. He managed to fake his foe out. As Nail's arm came crashing down, Burter grabbed it and gripped it tight. And then, with a twist, he tore Nail's arm off at the shoulder and tossed it over the horizon. The blue man landed on the ground with a skid and a smirk, Nail landed on an elevated mound and regarded his missing limb.
Burter turned and snorted at Nail. "So, I'd say this fight just got a little lopsided..."
Nail didn't respond. He took a deep breath and then, with a roar, Nail regrew his missing limb with an explosion of green fluid. Burter flinched back. "W-whoa! You can do that?!"
Nail sneered at his foe. "The Namekian people are resilient, cur. You have hurt us, but we will not fall to you."
Burter chuckled and then bent over. "Then I'm just not trying hard enough! Perhaps...an ULTIMATE ATTACK IS IN ORDER!"
Nail flinched as Burter stood up straight, sticking his left leg into the air, and then began to spin. "BLUE HURRICANE!"
Nail watched on, with disdain and anger, as a massive blue storm erupted right in front of him. The howling tube of wind began to suck in all manner of foliage and debris and get bigger. Nail stared at the storm, rage burning in his eyes, and then he thought back to the distant past.
A couple of decades ago...
Young Nail sat with his brothers at the feet of Grand Elder Guru. The mighty, hefty Elder sat peacefully in his chair, underneath the Namekian sun, and shared the knowledge of the past with his children. He had just reached the end of the scariest part of the story, the part about the Great Cataclysm.
Many of the young Namekians shivered in their seats as Lord Guru described the terrors, the mighty storms, the famines and the droughts that followed. All but one. Nail sat there in his seat with a determined look on his face. Once the Grand Elder finished that part of the story, Nail spoke up. The other young Namekians were shocked, but the Grand Elder smiled as Nail spoke his mind. "That will never happen again! I refuse to allow it!"
Lord Guru chuckled. "Oh really. And what if the storms were to return?"
Nail stood. "Then I will stop it myself! I won't let anything like that ravage Namek again! Not as long as I can stand and stop it!"
The older Namekians in the field all chuckled at how impetuous young Nail was. His fellow child peers all marveled at how cool he was. And Lord Guru simply smiled and nodded at him. "Very good, Nail. I would expect no less from such a bright, young son of mine..."
The Elder reached down and placed his hand onto Nail's head. "Just remember, Nail. Face your problems with love and kindness. That is what allowed the Namekian people to survive through the cataclysm. Love..."
To the surprise of everyone present, the Grand Elder let loose a wheezing cough. He cleared his throat and then smiled once more. "Love and Kindness..."
Nail nodded in affirmation of the Grand Elder's words. And then he and his fellow younglings ran off to help in the fields.
Back in the present...
Nail clenched his hand and let loose a cleansing, calming breath. He had made a promise to the Grand Elder. In his position, as the strongest Namekian, he could not allow any cataclysms to overtake his home like they had before. Nail glared at the approaching Blue Hurricane and lifted his hand, pointing it at the approaching storm. "The Namekian people survived the last cataclysm...they shall survive this one as well..."
Nail pulled his arm back as the storm got closer. He focused all of his power into his palm and began to charge it up. Within the hurricane, Burter was shocked by this. Despite being protected by a wall of raging, gusting wind, the blue snake man felt unsafe. Even without his Scouter, he could see just how much power his Namekian foe was gathering.
Nail's entire left side was bursting with yellow energy. He glared at the center of the storm and at his opponent. And then, from the bottom of his heart, Nail shouted at Burter. "I am the defender of Planet Namek! The strongest Namekian! And you demons will bedevil my people no longer!"
Nail launched his hand forward and fired off a truly massive blast. The sheer size of it was enough to instantly engulf the Blue Hurricane. Burter screeched in terror as Nail shouted at the top of his lungs. "GRAND MYSTIC FLASHER!"
Burter was not willing to let this attack beat him. In spite of its power, he resisted the force of the attack. The Blue Hurricane and the Grand Mystic Flasher struggled against one another, neither the attacks or the people launching them daring to budge. It seemed to be a stalemate until, to Burter's shock and horror, his ultimate attack buckled in the center, allowing the blast from the Namekian to breach in and envelop it.
The energy beam not only swallowed up the Blue Hurricane, but it pushed it away. The blast shredded across the Namekian landscape, eventually reaching the ocean. It continued on for just a small while before finally exploding, sending a massive jetstream of water firing into the air.
Nail shielded his face for the aftermath. A flash of light and a sturm of winds rippled across the surrounding area, shoving trees over and creating massive tidal breaches. It was a display worthy of the original Great Cataclysm itself. The force of the explosion sent clouds of dust hurling across the surface of the planet, blinding Nail as they boomed outward.
It was a massive display, but soon the dust settled and Nail descended back to ground level. Nail looked about, and eventually his eyes locked onto Burter. The two of them stared at one another once more and Nail took in the sight of opponent. Burter was shaky, barely standing, as he glared at Nail. The Namekian warrior stared back and, eventually, Burter coughed and chuckled. "D-dammit..."
Nail was unmoved by the sight of Burter in pain. Burter smirked at him. "Well...I guess a pat on the back is...is in order..."
Burter's eyes fell shut and he sighed. "I can only pray at this point that...Lord Frieza is kind and will allow Captain Ginyu to wish me back as well..."
Nail's gaze narrowed at Burter and he raised his hand to summon another blast. This was an assured victory for their side. He summoned the blast to finish Burter off. But, as he was about to fire, Nail faltered. The words of Lord Guru rang through his head. "Love and Kindness..."
Nail cringed as those words echoed through his head. He glared at Burter, his hand shaking as he mulled over his options. He clenched his teeth and then, with a shout, he fired his blast. The dust kicked up where Burter once stood, and then Nail turned and walked the other way.
Once the dust cleared, however, Burter was left standing there with a confused grimace on his face. "Wh-what are you doing?!"
Nail sighed as he marched away. "The Namekian people...my generation of the Namekian people...we were born from a desire for love and peace. The desire of our Grand Elder Guru. So long as...so long as his heart continues to beat, then I must stand for those ideals."
Nail turned and glared at Burter. "Make no mistake, I will fight and kill for that peace should I have to...but I would prefer to avoid senseless slaughter if at all possible..."
Burter was confused as he stared at his opponent. "What is that supposed to mean?!"
Nail shrugged. "I'm not sure someone who would so willingly trade their freedom and compassion would understand."
And then, the Namekian spoke bluntly. "But I encourage you to march forward in this Frieza-ruled Empire of yours and remember this mercy as you go along."
Burter was shaken by this. He watched as Nail summoned a new vest and put it on, and then continued to walk away. The blue snake man snarled and began to yell at his foe again. "Do you really think it's that simple?! The Universe is so much bigger and scarier that you seem to realize! You've been stuck on this hayseed planet for your whole life, I've been traveling this Universe for decades! You need to have a reality check! There is so much more terror out there than you give credit for!"
Nail sighed and turned to speak to his opponent again, but then he was shocked. Coming flying in from out of nowhere, Jeice's bloodied and battered body crashed mere feet from Nail. Nail flinched and then a familiar voice spoke up. "He's right, you know..."
A massive blast quickly followed. Jeice sat up just in time to see it and scream in fear. The blast hit him head on and overtook him. And then, in a flash, Jeice was obliterated. The blast faded away and all that was left where the red man once sat was a burnt slag mark.
Burter was horrified by this. He turned to face the man who had just murdered his best friend, but was met by Vegeta ramming his fist through his back. Burter couldn't speak. He stared down at the bloody hand jutting from his chest and began to choke and gag. Vegeta chuckled, clamping his hand down onto Burter's face. The Prince didn't look at Burter, however. He instead stared over at Nail. "The Universe is a truly scary place, Green Man. Pacifists win nothing, warmongers sit on the throne."
And then, in another flash and scream, Burter's entire upper body was blasted into pieces, leaving only a pair of quivering legs behind.
Nail was stunned. He glared at Vegeta with total disdain. Vegeta glared right back. "What? Have something to say?"
Nail opened his mouth, but Vegeta cut him off. "No. You don't. Let me make one thing clear to you, Namekian: You do NOT spare people. Ever. Burter could have been the impetus to all of our deaths if I had not stepped in. He could have run off and gotten Frieza and that would have been it."
Nail snapped at Vegeta. "Vicious mongrel."
Vegeta shrugged. "I'm still alive, aren't I?"
Nail flinched. He did not have a retort for that. Vegeta chuckled and smirked. "I'm going to join in on the fight with Captain Ginyu. You should make your green ass useful and search Frieza's ship for the Dragon Balls."
Nail sneered at Vegeta, but he didn't have time to rebuke. Vegeta simply took off and flew towards the fight happening on the far side of the ship.
Nail sighed. "Very well then..."
Nail took off, flying to the nearer side of Frieza's ship and blasting himself a door to get in.
Once inside, Nail began to search the various rooms that he found for the sacred Dragon Balls. The entire time, he began to debate in his head the merits of the various lifestyles these intruders to his home had brought.
For a moment, Nail let himself think that Vegeta had a point to his madness. But, as he continued to open and search rooms, Nail pushed that thought from his mind. He couldn't let himself think that. The Grand Elder would be ashamed of those sorts of thoughts. Nail opened yet another door and his mood lifted as he saw a flash of glowing orange.
The warrior stepped into the room and found all seven Dragon Balls laying together in a bunch. "The Dragon Balls..."
He knelt down to regard and checked each ball and then, Nail had a small laugh. "The ultimate sign of love and kindness. The gift from Grand Elder Guru..."
Nail's attention was pulled away from the balls by an explosion rocking outside the ship. "The battle appears to be raging. But I have found the Dragon Balls."
Nail stood up and turned. "I must go and help so that we-"
Upon turning, Nail's gaze fell upon a devastating sight. Piled up on either side of the door, like little more than garbage that was no longer needed, were the bodies of Nail's brothers that had fled with the Dragon Balls. Nail fell to his knees and regarded each of them before his gaze finally fell upon Talus. The top of Talus's head was gone, leaving just a slack, lower jaw to hang open for all eternity.
Nail's heart sank and his arms went limp. And then, as a massive, loud explosion rocked out behind him, Nail let out a massive scream of rage and agony, rendered silent by the war going on outside.
Meanwhile, on the far side of Planet Namek...
From the sky, a large ship descended onto the Namekian landscape. The bright, white sphere sat onto the grassy knolls of Namek and its humming came to a halt. All was silent for a minute, the sun shining off of the hull of the ship. But then, the door opened and a ramp extended out.
And then, four figures emerged from within the ship. Goku, Raditz, Gine, and Chi-Chi all stepped out into the bright, Namekian sunlight. And they all looked determined to face the hardships and battles ahead.
Proofreading: StevenBodner
