Chapter 23
They did just that. Asoret was informed of the battle, and later, everyone decided to go over the plan once more.
"Alright, once we get the Black Relic, we have to go to Sky Dragon Isle and get the White Relic, and I doubt it'll be easy," Vegeta said, following the route they were going to take. "The currents are rather strong this time of year, so it'll take a day or two to get to the isle."
"How long do we still have?" Elvor asked.
"A week and a half," Goku said, having counted the days ever since they'd started.
"Lotta time past, then," Laze said, who had been awake for quite some time, but she hardly had enough strength to stand, let alone sit up.
She leaned against the wall, looking straight ahead.
"You should get some rest, Laze," Asoret said, turning to look at Laze, not noticing the way Kari looked at him from under her eyelashes.
"I'll be fine, thanks anyway," Laze said softly. "Wha are ya guys gonna do when we reach the Dead Sea?"
"Well, we need to get inside for one, which might be a little hard to do. No one's entered that place for decades," Vegeta said, though he knew that was a small piece of info that Laze knew off.
Laze nodded quietly, and turned her head to the window, as if expecting something, or somebody.
Same sat in that very same position again. Floating above the ground in a typical meditation pose, hands resting gently on her knees, and her eyes closed lightly. She was mentally preparing for the battle she was to fight tomorrow. For some reason, it still calmed her, although her true powers were hidden behind a strange veil they couldn't pierce through.
All her friends knew of it too, and they felt it too. It was limiting their powers to what they learned in this world. The Elements were good, but she found it hard to get used to, even after… She opened her eyes momentarily.
"After how long?" she whispered to no one in particularly.
"What do you mean?"
Same looked up, and huffed.
"Oh, it's ye," she mumbled, setting her feet back down on the ground. "I was jus' tryin' ta figure out how long we've been on this God-forsaken place, tha's all."
The white haired Dragon smirked and said: "Lost count?"
"Shut the Bloody Hell up!!"
"Don't you ever stop that!?"
"Don't ye ever stop saying 'Holy Cosmos'?!!?"
Sky growled a little angrily.
"Look, I ain't in the mood for this, alrigh? I gotta fight tamorrow, and I wanna be at least a little calm, not angry and pissed off just because ye decided ta show up here and give me a piece of yer mind, 'cause if tha's wha ya were aiming at, forge' it!"
Sky looked at her with a look of plain astonishment.
"Holy Cosmos!! Stop jamming everything in one sentence already!!"
Same suddenly seemed to notice it herself, and cried out in frustration, raking her hands through her hair and throwing her head back.
"GET OUTTA HERE!!!" she screamed, pointing at the entrance of the cave.
"Alright, alright! I'm going, I'm going!! By Gaia, you're touchy today," Sky mumbled and was about to take off, when Same suddenly said: "Wait!!"
Sky turned to her, and noticed that a chill wind had risen.
"Ah no, don't tell me…"
Laze suddenly shot up, just when she'd lain down, a chill wind blowing through the room. Everyone looked at her, confused, until they heard the wind whistling.
"S… somethin's washed ashore," Laze whispered, staring out the window.
A few confused gazes were exchanged, before everyone but Laze, who was wide-awake but too weak, ran out to the shore.
They weren't the only ones there when they arrived. Mura, Same, and Sky were there as well. Sky was someone they hadn't expected, though for now, it didn't matter. Not at all.
Something had indeed washed ashore, and it was nothing pretty. It was a dead boy, there was a large hole in his abdomen which had been ripped at few places, and rocks had torn apart most of his clothes, making Bulma and Ancha shy away a little, while Kari was rather curious. His skin was a deathly pale, even more than when he'd been alive, and the scars on his body had been torn open again, on purpose by the looks of it.
"What kind of monster would do this to a person?" Mura asked no one particularly.
"Someone who don't like laws, or simply don't like this guy," Same answered, though there was no need.
Sky was examining the body carefully, checking the temperature, as well as the wounds.
"The guy's been dead for quite some time, more than a week and… about, three days."
Elvor suddenly paled.
"Tha… that'd been the time that we…" he stuttered.
"That we went to Water Dragon Isle," Vegeta finished, understanding what he meant.
Sky looked at them for a moment, then turned back to the dead body.
"Only thing else I can say, is that this," he pointed at the wound in his abdomen, "was his cause of death. And, the weapon he was killed with was a dagger."
He looked back up, and Vegeta, Elvor, and Ancha looked up from the dead boy, to Sky, and then each other.
"You don't think that…" Elvor said.
"C'est impossible!!" Ancha added. "She had died yearz ago! Hadn't she?"
Vegeta didn't answer right away.
Sky stood up, and seemed to know what they were talking about.
"Even the dead can be brought back, if not by a natural cause. And natural causes do not include murder. Sadly, we no longer possess the power to awaken those who have passed away. But even if we could, we probably wouldn't use it," he added, making practically all faces fall.
"Why not?" Bulma asked, feeling slightly hurt.
"Dad, what's the deal?!" Asoret demanded. "Why wouldn't you use a power like that if you do have it!?"
"Besides the fact that it could be misused by others, nothing I guess," Mura answered with a shrug.
Same frowned for awhile, and then looked behind her, to the ocean. There was nothing there though, just rippling waves. Same however, scowled at the water for awhile, before turning back.
"Although I find this terrible, don't ya think we shoul' find out where he died?" she asked, folding her arms across her chest.
Sky sighed and said: "I don't do miracles alright?"
"Even small pieces o' the puzzle can be used ta fix it," Same mumbled.
Sky looked at her, and then back at the boy. That's when he noticed the cut across the boy's cheek, and something glistered in it.
"Looks like we found the piece of the puzzle then," he muttered, and carefully pulled out a small piece of rock.
The rock was small, and a light sapphire blue.
"Ch, Divine Dragon Falls," Same said, but a smirk threatened to cross her face.
Sky stood up, holding up the small piece of rock.
"Indeed," he mumbled.
Sky looked at the warriors, whom were still looking at the dead body that had belonged to their friend.
"I'll check out the Divine Dragon Falls for any signs at all. If you so desire, you can give this guy a proper burial. I'm sure he'd appreciate it. Had he been alive."
With that, Sky's wings clapped, and he shot off into the sky, vanishing within a second. Mura and Same watched their fellow-Dragon fly away, then looked at the gang.
Kari sighed, and asked: "Where boy must be buried? Kari learn, bury friends on special place. So, where bury?"
Bulma thought deeply, but she didn't know much about Haelles, and that made it hard for her to find a suitable place.
"I wouldn't know," Vegeta mumbled. "He never did speak that much about what he liked or disliked, not to mention where he'd want to be buried if the occasion asked for it."
"Uh… if I may intervene," Asoret suddenly said, and took two steps forward.
Vegeta looked over, like the others.
"I think I know of a place. Has anyone ever heard of a place called the Isle Of The Damned?"
Mura and Same looked at each other, and Same then turned to Asoret.
"Ya can't be serious! Tha place's as dangerous as can be! Don't tell me ye're planning ta go ta tha island jus' ta bury this guy!!"
Same looked at Haelles' dead body. Vegeta looked at him as well, then looked back up.
"It's the least he deserves!" he finally said.
Elvor looked a little confused, but then scowled.
"I guess that's true," he mumbled.
Kari nodded, and the others agreed as well.
Same shook her head, hands on her hips.
"Crazy, all of ya!" she said. "It takes 3 days ta ge' ta tha island, how d'ya plan ta ge' there and be back in time to ge' the remainin' two relics and head ta the Sea Of Eden?!"
Mura looked at Same.
"Same, mind stopping saying everything in one sentence?"
"Oh shuddap!!" Same mumbled.
"Well, we're going! Haelles deserves a proper burial, just like the rest of us!" Vegeta said, anger starting to boil up.
Same sighed.
"Bloody Hell," she said, and Elvor suddenly felt a block of ice drop in his stomach.
He was starting to recognize that voice.
"Ye humans are really confusin' at some points! But," she said, and suddenly, a reddish-green void opened up behind the gang, sucking them in. "Tha don't mean I won't help," she finished, as the portal closed.
"You know, you could've told me you knew how to do that," Mura said.
"Stop whinin'! And besides, I can only send 'em ta different places bou' 5 days prior, and tha's as far as I'll ge' fer now!"
Mura was silent.
As they all got hurled out of the portal, they noticed they were on a completely different isle. Asoret looked around, and gasped.
"Whoa!! We're on the Isle Of The Damned! How'd we get here?!"
Everyone stood up and looked around.
"Kari no like this place," Kari whimpered, not liking the large amount of bones scattered around the isle.
Actually, the entire isle seemed to be completely made out of bones, or at least… the cave in front of them.
Elvor grabbed Haelles' body, and slung him over his shoulder, then stated: "Let's find a place to bury him, and then get out of here! This place gives me the creeps."
He didn't tell anyone, that he knew this place as well.
"It's surprising that we're not being attacked," Vegeta mumbled as they walked through the cave, the bones cracking loudly as they stepped over them.
"Maybe all monsters fled or something," Bulma offered.
Ancha looked around the cave in awe, and suddenly noticed a cave up ahead. But…
"That's odd, why is that cave glowing so brightly?" Asoret wondered aloud.
A bright red glow was emitted from the cave, and it seemed to dim, then brighten, like a heartbeat. They waited outside the cave, wondering what it could possibly be.
Goku blinked, twice, then asked: "Shouldn't we see if it's someone in distress or something? It could be someone who needs our help."
Ancha looked a little scared at first, but then grabbed some pins.
"Fine, but moi iz not going in wit'out being prepared for ze worzt!"
Bulma grabbed her dagger, and said: "Let's go."
Vegeta nodded, and when everyone had their weapons drawn, they carefully walked into the cave.
The walls were dripping wet, and by the light, it looked like the liquid was of a red color. The walls and ceiling were spiked and had skeletons pinned on them, most of them either green or blue from old age. Bones still littered the ground, and they slowly through the cave, trying not to make them crackle. That was impossible however, as the crackling of the bones sounded rather loud, and the dripping of the strange liquid gave the place an eerie atmosphere. Kari, who defended the rear, kept looking about, keeping her eyes peeled. Vegeta too, kept looking around, though there was nothing to worry about. Hopefully.
What they found, nearly made them topple over in shock. In the way, was a large broadsword, the blade curved on the edges, and painted a deep red with small lines of yellow, while the hilt was of a darker red and the handles curved down to the blade, missing it by an inch, and a strange pommelstone decorated the sword. The stone was a bloody red shade, and it seemed as though there was smoke twirling in the stone. And it was the sword that was glowing brightly, as well as seeming to beat like a heart. Loud banging sounds could be heard, and in a steady rhythm, like a heart beating, going in time with the sword's glow.
"It's a sword?!" Bulma asked, highly confused.
"Funny, I 'ave never zeen a zword like zis before, it'z a ztrange blade indeed," Ancha said, placing a few of her pins in her pouch.
"It looks rather dangerous if you ask me," Asoret said.
Elvor didn't speak. It was so familiar. So much power… in a single blade… oh no! That was impossible.
"What kind of sword is this?" Vegeta mumbled, placing his axe away and walking over.
His hand was inches away, when Elvor suddenly screamed: "VEGETA!!! DON'T TOUCH IT!!!"
But it was too late.
Vegeta's hand grasped the hilt of the sword, and almost instantly, the heartbeats quickened through the cave, and strange energy surged through Vegeta's mind and body. Vegeta's heart shattered on impact as his hand continued to hold the sword, and something in him began to grow. It was his hatred that grew, constantly, until he could no longer control it.
The sword had done its job.
Because the sword that Vegeta was now pulling out of the ground, was not just a sword. No, this was an evil sword. Before, it had been a mystical blade, but now, its mystical powers served evil.
It was the Masamune.
Uh-oh…
Reviews:
cat421: Don't rush me.
cat421: Look, I already told you, don't rush me! Give me some slack!!
Ciria: You'll figure out who that girl was, eventually. Yes, the girl gave that Element to Vegeta. Yeah, it momentarily slipped my mind why I had said eight battles instead of seven. I mean……… [stops to think] Hang on!! NOW I remember! I can't tell though. You'll figure it out. Same's helpfulness will be explained once they reach the Dead Sea, moments after Laze is healed. And all Dragons can change into humans, it's just that they rarely do. Same likes to wander around near humans, and if she was a Dragon, that would attract unwanted attention. [PS: There's going to be a sequel of this story]
Zuzu: I can't tell, yet.
Bulma BriefsYue Lover: You don't, eh? Well, the person I'm talking about, is female, and the person looking for her, is a male. And the reason he keeps searching for her, is because she's related to him.
trunks babe: I'm doing the best I can, alright?
draegonfire: Three! You have to keep watching the schedule! There are eight battles with the Dragons, and 5 of them have been beaten so far.
Hope: Thank you.
cat421: No, because if she were to use two times the usual doses, Laze would die. The medicine is a rather strong potion, and too much could be fatal. Get it?
cat421: No, but I was celebrating Christmas at my grandma's place, and I don't have any of my stories there! GIVE ME SOME SLACK ALREADY!!
shadowmoon: That's okay. If you need any help at all, send me an e-mail or review and I'll answer as best as I can.
Dragon battle schedule [so far]:
1. Earth Dragon Isle - Terra, the Earth Dragon
2. Water Dragon Isle - Douse, the Water Dragon
3. Mt. Pyre - Pyro, the Fire Dragon
4. Gaea's Navel - Flora, the Green Dragon
5. Marbule - Mura, Eldest Black Dragon
6. Marbule - Same, Youngest Black Dragon
7. ????????
8. ????????