Chapter Three: A Bittersweet Agreement
Death inched closer and closer to Piccolo, dragging his scythe on the ground creating sparks and a loud grinding sound increasing his intimidation. Despite this, Piccolo held a stern face and stance though his fear was evident by the sweat pouring out. After a few tense moments, Piccolo finally summoned the courage to speak once again to the reaper. "Wait, let's take this fight to the mountains over that way, not put any of the others at risk" Piccolo demanded firmly hoping to take their fight a fair distance away from his friends. Death stopped his advance and shrugged. "Very well, I'll consider it to be your final request" Death complied in a somewhat cocky manner. With Death's approval, Piccolo rocketed off the son family yard and to the most mountainous area in the region. In mere minutes he landed on the tallest snowy peak of the largest mountain. The Namekian quickly noticed that Death wasn't even following him, he was still at the yard. "Hmmm nice spot for your grave, I'll make sure to tell your friends when we're done here" Death's voice rang out behind Piccolo, the Namekian rapidly turning to see Death a few feet away. "Wha?! But-I-your-!" Piccolo stuttered in befuddlement pointing his finger back and forth between the spot Death was standing with him on the mountain and the one where Death or some image of him was still at the son family yard. Back at the son family residence, Death had not moved an inch, but then suddenly vanished not making so much a little whoosh, freaking all those that were left conscious bamboozled. Videl shook it off quickly though as she started carrying Gohan on her shoulders to carry him to the next hospital to deal with the heart virus he'd been infected with. Piccolo was freaked out himself but quickly regained his composure, figuring that Death had pulled off an super advanced version of the afterimage technique, it certainly made sense enough. "Sure let's go with that...heh heh heh for now..." Death taunted Piccolo having read his thoughts and apparently withholding some information. Piccolo growled in anger as he began powering up to his max. Soon after peaking his power, Death came blindly fast swinging his scythe at Piccolo's head, the Namekian barely dodging it. The reaper kept swinging his scythe around trying to hit various parts of Piccolo's body with Piccolo being able to just about avoid or block all of them. After a few traded blows, Piccolo had managed to grab onto one of Death's boney hands and fling the scythe out of it. "Ha! Got you!" Piccolo said triumphantly thinking he had tricked up the reaper. "On the contrary, I have you, right where I want you" Death retorted creepily. Piccolo was about to ask what he meant by that when the hand he had grabbed the reaper with started feeling strange and oddly painful. He looked to his horror to find the hand was changing from its normal healthy green to having growing rashly blotches of sickly red and black, wounds forming and opening widely oozing with blood and puss. His skin was rotting. "Ahhhh!" Piccolo screeched in pain, trying to free his deteriorating hand out of Death's grip but it was no use. The reaper's grasp was too strong and the decomposition was spreading to the rest of his arm, some of his fingers were even starting to fall off. "Flesh eating bacteria is a bitch eh?" Death questioned the suffering Namekian. Running out of options and time, Piccolo took his other arm and chopped his trapped arm off before the flesh eating bacteria could reach the rest of his body. The diseased limb fell onto the snow and melted into a grotesque mess of bodily fluids. Piccolo was left petrified panting heavily stepping further away from Death who was just standing there cross armed with his skull grin. "You ready to give up yet?" Death asked mockingly. Piccolo gritted his teeth with determination and anger at Death's words. "Not quite! Ughhh!" Piccolo grunted as he concentrated all his energy into where his arm used to be and eventually a new one grew and bursted out of the stump in a gooey mess. Quickly refocusing, Piccolo put both his hands on the sides of his face, shut his eyes and shouted "Solar Flare!" Unleashing a powerful flash of sun bright light blinding to even the most resilient warrior's eyes. Piccolo was hoping the flare would temporarily blind Death and give him a chance to make some distance between himself and the reaper so he can think of another strategy. This tactic seemed to have worked as after the light faded Death appeared disoriented and was looking around randomly. Believing his plan to have payed off Piccolo grinned with relief and turned to escape to hopefully a safer place. But when he did, the reaper was right there, blocking his intended path and raised one its boney pointer fingers upwards and waved it back and fourth, silently telling the Namekian, no. "What?!" Piccolo exclaimed in surprise and turned back around and saw Death there too in the same spot he was before only now he wasn't blinded, he was waving his finger just like the one in front of him. "Heh heh you were so sure of yourself and now all that hope is shattered...heh heh that look always gets me" Death chuckled to himself sinisterly belittling Piccolo's efforts. "B-but I-h-how?! Your over there and...and here... I blinded you!" Piccolo screamed out in a mix of burning rage and sheer terror sweating and shaking in fear. "Oh Piccolo... I can't be blinded, I have eyes everywhere, because...I am everywhere!" Death boisterously yelled out. "Wha?! No! You-your bluffing!" Piccolo spat out frightened, hoping he was correct and that the reaper was just trying to mess with his head. "Am I?" Death asked rhetorically smirking. After Death finished speaking, countless copies of him started appearing out of thin air, first on the ground side by side the first reaper, then again with the second, then up in the air blocking the sun and then in all other directions for miles, blowing the Namekian's mind away. Soon Death was beginning to spring up in the area where the rest of the z fighters and Dende were scaring them. "This has got to be some kind of nightmare!" Puar screeched while holding onto Yamcha for protection despite he himself and everyone else being just as if not more terrified than him. The copies were popping up closer and closer to Piccolo who was fearfully backing away. "N-no! These can't all be you! There fakes!" Piccolo claimed masking his apprehension. Piccolo tried to elbow one of the countless clones of Death only for the clone to catch it and push him roughly back. He then fired an energy blast at several clones but seven of them all took out scythes and snuffed it out of existence. "Impossible!" Piccolo exclaimed flabbergasted, Death really was everywhere. "See? I wasn't lying, I really am everywhere..." Death said along with his many clones simultaneously as more continued to appear, now some even popping up in the ground. "Even..."Death started as to Piccolo's already paralyzing horror, another Death clone phased into existence, in the same spot where he was standing at that moment, appearing around and...through him. "Inside you..." the reaper whispered menacingly and Piccolo found the same words and even Death's voice coming out of his mouth as if the essence of Death enveloping him was controlling him. All of what little hope of victory Piccolo had within shattered like glass at that moment and now his mind reeled and his fear utterly consumed his soul. "Ah..no no ahhhhh!" Piccolo panicked like a little kid jumpy rocketing into the air and flying erratically having lost nearly all sense of rationality was fleeing for his life. "Ha ha ha! Run! Run!" Death mockingly encouraged Piccolo finding his breakdown very amusing. Dende along with the remaining guests watched all of this go down and were now extremely worried and anxious about Piccolo and Dende's lives plus there's. "What are we gonna do?! WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO?!?!" Yajirobe asked freaking out about their dire situation. "I wish I knew buddy... I wish I knew..." Krillin glumly said hugging tightly to Marron and Android eighteen. The others were in similar states of despair and negativity. Their three strongest were down for the count and even if they weren't, they clearly couldn't do anything to this unrelenting force of nature. Dende in particular in deep thought and was coming up with a potential solution but one that might leave them and many others out of luck later down the road. Back with Piccolo, he was in a frenzy unlike any he'd ever been in before. He couldn't overpower Death, he couldn't outsmart him, he blind him, hell he couldn't even get away from him. What was he supposed to do? He wondered helplessly in his mind as he panted heavily from stress and strain. Unfortunately for the legendary warrior, it was gonna get worse before it got better. The Namekian's highly sensitive ears perk up as they pick up the sound of what sounds like loud buzzing. He turns around shocked to see a huge swarm of locusts enveloping the forest ground just below him, big and thick enough to look like a living dark cloud. Wherever the locusts swarmed turned dead and decayed after it passed, and it was clearly following him. Realizing this, Piccolo sped up and ascended much higher into the sky, hoping the locusts couldn't survive up at cloud level. This plan might have worked, had Death not appeared in the sky. The entity began twirling its scythe in circles and as it did thick clouds formed the sky darkening until it was as dark as a starless night and the wind began to intensify. In less than a minute an F5 tornado was born. Piccolo was so caught up in panic and despair he succumbed to the tornado's wrath and he was flung around and around several times like a feather. All the while, green lightning flashes randomly within the vortex. Death's laughing skull face could be seen and heard in the vortex as well with every other bolt of lightning. Just when Piccolo began lose all sense of direction, Death floated near him and with a swing of his scythe he generated a powerful burst of wind that shot Piccolo right out of the tornado, and into the smarm of locusts. Piccolo screamed in agony as the locusts bit and tore at his skin, feeling like a a billion tiny knives were stabbing him all over. After many hellish minutes, the locusts finally flew leaving Piccolo with countless ghastly wounds all over his body including one of his eyes punctured to the point it was useless to see with. In immense pain and nearly unconscious, Piccolo dropped out of the air landing on the edge of a cliff. The reprieve wouldn't last long however as lightning struck the weak point of the cliff's edge and Piccolo found himself along with the large cliff debris as it descended town to the deep ravine. Piccolo wakes up after being unconscious for an unknown amount of time. Piccolo found himself half buried in rocks, it was now pouring rain with some lightning still present in. Weakly digging and pulling himself out he stumbled forward very dizzy and exhausted. He was allowed to drudge along for a few seconds before a dark shadow enveloped his very being from the front. Looking up somewhat expectant and defeated Piccolo saw that it was of course Death though now none of his skeleton body was visible like how it was when Death made himself known earlier. "Do you understand now Piccolo? You shouldn't have tampered with my design. I am the end of the line for every soul in every dimension. You can't beat me. All you can do is accept me...or...fight to your last breath. Which is it going to be?" Death stated telling Piccolo his ultimatum. Piccolo stared at Death with his one functioning eye with barely any emotion for a few moments before his expression became as stern and focused as it could in his current state. "Yes... I do understand that now, and... I know that my actions have had consequences on the balance of the universe...but, I will never lay down and die for anyone, not even you! So if you really want my soul! Then come and get it!" Piccolo cried out with all the defiance and courage he could muster, determined to fight to his end getting into another fighter pose. This pose was shaky though as he knew that he was already critically injured and was probably about to die no matter what. Sure enough, Death growing tired of the game, outstretched one of his hands and with it painfully pulled Piccolo towards him with pyrokinesis. Rapidly Death yanked and smacked Piccolo into the ground right in front of him and put one of his boney feet down on Piccolo's throat, pinning the Namekian warrior down. "I've enjoyed the chase Piccolo but it's about time your sins were rectified" Death said in a series deadly tone, clearly done playing around. The reaper drew his scythe slowly once more and raised it up ready to deliver the final fatal blow. Piccolo, accepting that his time was up, closed his eyes and waited for Death to strike him down. "Wait!" A voice called out. Death and Piccolo turned around to see Dende flying and landing a few feet away from them with Bulma riding on his back. "Awww you wanna die with him Dende? That's more than fine with me..." Death asked slyly approving. "No! Please! Don't kill Piccolo! I wanna suggest a compromise" Dende says frantically before finishing more calmly. Death cocks one of his nonexistent eyebrows up and lowers his scythe slightly. "Go on" Death ordered intrigued by Dende's proposal. "Your problem with us is that the dragon balls revive people that are supposed to be dead right? Well what if I make it so that anyone who had one year or more to live is brought back but anyone who has less, will stay dead, also they will no longer be capable of granting eternal life" Dende sorrowfully proposes, very conflicted with what he was saying. Death gained a thoughtful look on his skull face lowering his scythe entirely as he spookily mulled over the bargain. The two Namekians and genius woman look on anxiously at the reaper pondering scared that they would all be reaped on the spot before they even knew it. Finally, Death looks straight at Dende and says, "I will accept your deal" Death agreed politely. Dende and Bulma smile about to celebrate their appeasement when the reaper speaks again, "under one condition" he said raising one of his boney fingers. Dende and Bulma's celebratory mood deflated and switched back to a terrified one. "O-oh ok, wha-what is it?" Bulma asked hesitatingly. "Make it so anyone who has ten years or less can't be revived" Death demanded commandingly. The three mortals gasp at this modification. "What?! But-but that's too short! Most people want their remaining ten years! Do you not realize how many children or grandchildren would be devastated if there grandpas die in another villain attack and we can't bring any of them back?! People that old may be old but if they have a good five or so years left to live comfortably then they should be allowed!" Bulma shrieked in a fury not willing to accept the changes the reaper was desiring. "Death stared coldly at Bulma who's anger quickly froze into stunned terror as she felt Death's literal stare. Death then looks down and sees the dragon radar in her pocket. "Hmmm perhaps I can allow you to revive souls that had one year to live or more" Death seemingly relented. Bulma and Dende grow cheerful again, before Deaths cuts in yet again. "However" Death says abruptly. "Oh come on!" Bulma exclaims annoyed with Death's stubbornness. "I want that radar destroyed, and then I'm gonna wipe away your knowledge and ability to recreate it so that those dragon balls can't be tracked down so easily like you have been doing for two decades now!" Death commanded firmly. "Huh?! But-but-" Bulma stuttered before Death hit the ground with his scythe hard and loud making it shake with a mild earthquake. "That's my final offer, take it or I take all three of you right now and the dragon balls go away completely!" Death threatened harshly raising his scythe halfway back up in preparation for their possible refusal. Piccolo, Dende and Bulma all looked at each other glumly before Piccolo nods to Bulma and Dende silently telling them to just do what the reaper wanted. "Alright, we...accept" Dende said him and Bulma bowing their heads solemnly surrendering to the terms. Death simply nodded then zoomed over to Bulma and tapped his boney pointer finger on Bulma's forehead and in that instant, all her know how about the dragon radar even its name were erased from her mind and Death with a mere glance, turns the existing radar into ashes. Death then levitates away from the three up to halfway the ravine then abruptly paused and turned back around and warned "remember, I'm watching" the reaper said as he finally faded away into the air, disappearing from sight but remaining present all the same. From that moment on, the dragon balls were modified to only bring back those that had one year or more to live but were tougher than ever to find. Worse yet, this meant that any of the z fighters who had died before but were brought back with the Namekian dragon balls couldn't be brought back since their time had already come and gone plus the Namekian dragon balls were no more and the super ones were even harder to obtain than the earth ones without the radar. From now on, the z fighters are just gonna have to try even harder to not let themselves or other innocents die. And if they did, they better pray that they are able to find the balls and that the people who died's time weren't up yet cause if they were, than Death owns them. Death owns everyone in the end, so cherish your life cause he could come at any minute to take it away, for good.