Disclaimer: It's in chapter 2. There's a disclaimer in chapter 1, but the one in chapter 2 covers the warnings of content.

I wonder where my other readers went... they must not like the idea of so many damn sequels (don't blame them, rightly). I know, these things have been mostly about Piccolo, and all of the sudden he's only made one appearance in 3 chapters. Changing anytime soon? A bit...

Piccolo was on the road again. He had to make sure that he was only idle on the weekends; otherwise, Neil and Kami-sama would ask questions. On those weekends, he would steal and kill to his hearts content, just as it was advised to him. However, his father, who played adviser, had been away for quite some time. He separated not long after they came to this universe, assuring Piccolo that everything will work out if he follows everything that he said. The only troubling advice was when he questioned where he should go now, the old Daimaou only said, "Follow the direction that your intuition tends for."

He'd been doing so for the past while, and he found that the direction kept changing. It didn't take him long to realize that he was following something (what he was following remains unknown), and whatever he was following was very active and had migration patterns that were quite erratic.

Once again, he must have been gaining on it. It would slow down or stop for a short period of time, but it could easily make up the time later. Piccolo wasn't able to tell that he was closer by feeling or sensing ki, but from the path of destruction that it left behind. It tore apart people, animals, and even plants, normally leaving the throat (or stalk) agape. He ran into these casualties about once every three days, and he managed to convince Kami-sama and Neil that these were just bi-products of the unstable society of the planets that he was on (although, he saw that it was actually quite peaceful and balanced, but he knew how to deceive).

Something was different with the destruction this time; there were survivors. In the past, very little life was left, but this time, he found survivors, men with horrified faces nearby, telling stories about what happened.

"It moved to fast to discern clearly," one particular fellow with a shaky hand said, "But it had to be some sort of monster. I've not seen any alien or animal move like that. It looked nude, and I think that it was bipedal. I don't know if it had skin, or fur, or scales, but to be damn honest, I didn't care. I just wanted to get away. It killed all of the fighters in our group so quickly, ripping through their necks and spraying blood everywhere, then charged off suddenly from view. It was only after them, I guess, but I don't know why..."

Piccolo began to regret what he was getting into. Somehow, the idea that the thing he was following now only killed strong fighters seemed more foreboding than its destruction all life in its path. It seemed to be getting more intelligent; it must have been cutting down who its victims for a purpose.

Farther along, he found himself at a spaceport. The thing that he was following was definitely there, idle and somewhere on the premises. His direction brought him to a ship; it had the symbol of the empire that owned this planet (and the authorities that he'd been swatting around) on its hull. He couldn't read the language printed below the symbol, but he overheard someone in the distance pointing it out as a "Class IV Specimen Vehicle" in conversation.

But Neil and Kami-sama were getting restless.

Apparently, Kami-sama could feel the presence of the monster and continued to mentally probe Piccolo. What is that thing? It's definitely dangerous and... There's so much insane and malevolent nature surrounding it....

Piccolo involuntarily blinked. You can sense it?

Yes. You've been going the same direction as it for a while, haven't you? I wanted to ask why, but you've been ignoring us as much as possible.

That's because you're a couple of morons who can't mind their own business!

You keep insisting that these things do not affect us, Neil grumbled, but they do.

This continued a while. Piccolo could have stood there all day, arguing with his "comrades", but loud groans, hums, and clamor of machinery stole his attention. The ship began to rumble, and he stepped back to watch as it lifted from the ground. It shot into the sky, past the clouds, and disappeared.

Piccolo growled and stomped towards the tower. Now, he had to force the destination of that ship out of the personnel and get another ship to follow.

.--()--.

The trip through the Red Stream was rough. They almost expected another attack, but the forces of the Puroeriun Empire had been more discouraged as of late without their great general. The rest of the trip was uneventful (outside of any Vegita and/or food related skirmishes) and they came to the home planet with relative ease.

Everyone began pouring out of the ship. Rabiori immediately ordered for the surface damage to be repaired, and Arufuredo gathered the reports and logs. They were to be presented to the Queen immediately by the senior officers. The doctor offered to the Earthlings to come and explain the situation of their Namekku-sei-jin friend, but Rabiori immediately got into a fit.

"It is not your place to make such a decision as to who can meet the Queen! I am the leader of this team! I make these decisions!"

"And you fail to recognize that I am actually your superior in rank!" He hissed back. "When we are outside the ship, my orders override yours! If I say that they may join us, they shall."

Rabiori repealed in a disgusted manner. "I can't see how a scientist can outrank a well-decorated general..."

Thus it was decided, and as they went towards the throne room, Arufuredo put the alarmed guards at ease with a wave as the largely alien (in the eyes of a Pasuko-jin, anyway) group passed. The halls were lavish in decoration with sculpture of their mythology carved into the stone walls. The large double door at the end was made of some sort of heavy, grey metal, smithed with depictions of their old gods, standing as if guarding the room. They opened in a slow, fluid-like motion, to a wide room. Its floor rose in steps into a platform that reached either wall, and sitting upon it was Komugiko-joou, just as decrepit looking as in the picture. Her guards came to attention and made room to allow them approach.

The queen looked as if she was sleeping (or dead), her eyes closed and her head lowered. They stood motionless until her eyelids pulled back to show the cold glare and she straightened in her throne. "Doctor, you have the files?"

"Yes, my Empress," he bowed and extended the black booklets forward. She made a motion, and a guard took them and left.

She nodded. "I have another mission for you, but first--" she scanned the Earthlings for a moment, as if trying to decide something about them; "I wish to speak with you, General Rabiori."

He quickly stepped forward and shoved the doctor back, then made an overly-graceful bow. "Yes, my Empress?"

"This concerns your eradication of General Atsarute--" She paused a moment. "I know that you have given me a full report, but we recently found some possible contradictions. Tell me, what is a dead demon called?"

He was puzzled a moment. "A dead demon, my Empress?"

"Yes."

It took a moment to get out of the stupor. "A fiend. That's what the old fairy tales say, anyway."

"And what do you call a demon that has died but its corpse still walks?"

He was clearly getting more nervous. "A-a walking fiend, my Empress."

"Now, you know, in order to be a walking fiend, they have to have a corpse. Your report said that Atsarute was completely vaporized."

"Y-yes..."

"Now, I must tell you, I didn't get a chance to properly reward you for your assessment of the situation. Vaporizing Atsarute kept such a scenario from happening. Step forward, I shall do so now."

Rather surprised by the change of tone in her voice, he quickly did so. Komugiko stood and came closer herself. "And as a reward..." Five spike-like tubes shot from the tank formatted upon her throne into the General. They pulled him up, suspending the screaming man in the air. "Either way, you have failed. I did not order you to take care of Atsarute. If that devil had been completely destroyed, I would not have been able to do this!"

Before the group, Rabiori seemed to shrink under his clothes. The muscle and fat receded as if he was getting sucked dry. When the tank began to bubble and rise in content, they became aware that that was the case. "Atsarute is to be brought to me! I shall suck out every last drop of moisture from that reanimated corpse as well, and gain all that ungodly power for my own world's prosperity!" After his screams had long turned into raspy breaths and then into silence, and the chalky matter left behind crumbled into dust. The tubes receded back into the tank and she sat. "Arufuredo."

He came to attention, sweating from what he had just witnessed. "Yes, my Empress?"

"Atsarute has certainly been killed, but the body is still walking," she said, regaining a calm face, "Luckily, it has recently been quarantined. As you know, there's never been a reliable study on walking fiends, thus there is so much speculation that it is only a myth, so the corpse will be studied before it is brought to me. You shall accompany the transports and the other scientists to ensure that it doesn't escape."

"Yes, my Empress," he bowed. She made a light chuckle. "You're still frightened. I can tell by your sweat. But, I can also tell that you're glad. It warms me that you wish to help me to gain Atsarute's power. Now, tell me, what is the purpose of your guests?"

He rose. "They are acquaintances of the Namekku-sei-jin that you ordered us to find, my Empress."

"Acquaintances, is it? They're rather strong acquaintances. What is their business here exactly?"

Gohan stole himself forward. "Pardon, your highness, but that Namekku-sei-jin, Piccolo, is our friend and fighting comrade back on Earth. He had recently vanished, and we discovered that he came to this universe. Would you perhaps consider that we take him back instead of forcing him to join your army?"

She was rather shocked by his abruptness, and the rest of the Earthlings bit their lips and clasped back, half expecting her to kill him as well. Instead, she laughed and accepted, on the condition that they helped with the other mission and that Piccolo himself did not wish to join her barracks. "Although I'm rather partial to Namekku-sei-jin men, particularly ones like him, they're everywhere. As much as I'd like to have some Namekku-sei-jin fighting by my side, under such conditions of being associated with such a determined group, I shall accept it." She grinned a moment. "However, I will be offering more than a soldier's salary; he may get my most sought treasure after I renounce my unbridled position after I ensure Atsarute's utter destruction."

There's one thing that really sucks about having a lot of work: If I know that you can't spare time to play, I refuse to do so. However, I have more problems getting it done because I haven't properly relaxed, and I can't let myself relax because I have work. Argh!