Chapter 018 - Attack on the Namekian Village
The journey away from the ship was slow-paced and taxing. With every passing minute all four were on edge, waiting for the next of the Saiyan-clothed soldiers to appear and try to claim their lives. Krillin led the small group across the hilly ground.
As they walked, Corset looked around at the scenery. It was an unusual place, similar to Earth yet so different. The colours of the sky and grass had swapped and it seemed as if they were surrounded by islands. It felt so alien yet what Gohan had said earlier was true; it seemed similar to the place Piccolo had trained both of them before the Saiyans arrived.
That was right; they were here to bring Piccolo back. This was his home planet, his home planet's Dragonballs they were trying to collect. Corset hoped they could somehow do it...
The grassy bank up ahead of them inclined upwards slightly and led towards a large wall of rock. Corset took her tired mother's hand and pulled her along; her mother sounded out of breath. Corset couldn't help but think she was far too weak and should exercise more, or at least that's what Piccolo would have said!
"Come on you two, we're sitting ducks out here!" Krillin yelled at Corset and Bulma; he was quite a distance ahead of them, Gohan not too far behind him.
"Oh hush up! Some of us can't walk quickly forever like you guys!" Bulma snapped back. "Why can't you guys just fly me?"
"We'd like to but we can't," Corset frowned.
"Yeah, if we did that then we'd have to expend some of our ki; they'd pick us up on their radars for sure and then would come after us again," Gohan explained.
It didn't take much longer before Krillin spoke to them again, this time with better news. "Look Bulma, there's a cave. We'd be hard to find if we set up camp in there," He pointed to a small hole within one of the rocky juts ahead of them. Sure enough it looked as if someone Piccolo's height could easily walk through without crouching.
Bulma glanced up at the cave and sniffed. "... Great... First our ship breaks and now I have to spend my time living in a cave!"
Corset frowned and looked at the ground. Her mother had never been a bare essentials person; living in the wilderness with no electronics had really taught Corset things about life. She'd been born into a world full of man-made devices and had hundreds of different toys, capsules and things to keep her occupied. When Piccolo had taken her and Gohan to that deserted wasteland, she'd initially found it hard to cope because there had been nothing there to entertain her; all the electronics, toys and household items had gone. She'd learnt to deal with that because she hadn't been given a choice. Her mother's current reaction was how Corset'd also felt back then.
Something had caught Gohan's attention. "...Hey Krillin, I'm sensing some ki signals over there," he pointed.
"Yeah, I can sense it too. It feels different from those ones before so this time it might actually be some Namekians." Krillin acknowledged, looking into the distance with a look of concentration.
Corset smiled. "Does that mean we can go back and get the ship and see if they can fix it?" She asked hopefully.
Krillin was about to answer when suddenly his expression changed.
"EVERYONE, GET INSIDE THE CAVE - SOMETHING'S COMING STRAIGHT FOR US!"
Sensing it almost at the same time as when Krillin had yelled Corset acted on instinct, grabbed her mother and leapt through the cave mouth, Krillin and Gohan doing the same.
"Y-You know I've been meaning to ask you just how you guys can tell these things..." Bulma muttered in confusion.
"Shush, they're coming!" Krillin hissed through gritted teeth.
Corset gulped, knowing full well why Krillin was so nervous; these energy signals were all powerful and it felt as if there were about ten or fifteen of them. One in particular was insane compared to the rest; it made Corset's hair stand on end.
Krillin cautiously peered outside of the cave.
"Do you think they spotted us?" Gohan asked quietly.
"I'm not sure," Krillin mumbled, jerking violently back inside when he spotted them on the horizon. "They're here!"
In a flash it all happened. Powerful warriors shot across the entrance from one side to the other, bolting past in the longest few seconds Corset'd ever experienced. Each warrior knocked more breath from her lungs, mentally slapping her and chopping down her hopes.
Within a couple of seconds they'd passed.
She couldn't believe what she'd felt. It was absolutely petrifying! Her feet slipped below her and she sank to the floor, scared and unable to comprehend what she'd felt. She couldn't breathe, as much as she huffed there wasn't enough oxygen in her body, her heart couldn't take it. That one power had knocked all her confidence and senses from her and left her terrified and her resolve broken.
"Gohan, Corset!" Krillin barked.
Corset looked up, out of her trance, before getting to her feet.
"Did either of you two see the guy flying second from the lead?" Krillin asked.
"Yeah," Gohan nodded. "... I felt his power too."
"... His power was huge," Corset shuddered as the fear rebounded throughout her small frame again.
"Yeah, no kidding," Krillin agreed. "The others were strong too but him... If what we've just sensed is any indication, this guy is definitely a lot more powerful than Vegeta!" He clasped his fists in anger. "They've already got four of the Dragonballs. How are we meant to deal with monsters like these?"
"Hold on a second; how can they be stronger than Vegeta?" Bulma asked anxiously.
"I- I don't know... but they just are." Krillin muttered grimly.
"Krillin, they were all wearing the same clothes as dad and those other guys from before," Corset pointed out. "Do you think they're all together?"
"They could well be," Krillin shrugged his shoulders, "I'm not sure what's going on..."
Bulma had looked down at the Dragonball Radar and immediately looked back up worried, "Guys, I'm not sure how but they're heading straight for another Dragonball!" She exclaimed.
Krillin rushed over and glanced at the radar. "... Damn it... They must have radar as well! Bulma, what direction is that in?"
"I'd say about ten kilometres over in that direction," Bulma pointed.
"That's where we felt some Namekians," Gohan realised.
Krillin gulped and stepped forward out of the cave. "... Alright, I'm gonna go and check this out."
"I'm going too!" Gohan was quick to answer.
"What? Are you guys nuts?" Bulma snapped. "You're all saying these guys are stronger than Vegeta and yet you want to go towards them?"
"They've got four of the Dragonballs already and are heading straight for a fifth," Krillin scowled, removing his weighted undershirt. "We might as well see how they operate and try and spot an opening..."
Corset glanced up determined not to show the fear she still felt. "C-Can I go with you, Krillin?"
"WHAT?" Bulma screamed in horror. "You're going as well? Corset I'm not gonna let you go charging off to an early death!"
"It'll be alright though, Mama," Corset frowned pleadingly. "We're not gonna try and fight with them. Please let me go."
"I'll make sure she doesn't get herself into any trouble," Krillin added; his backing making Corset smile in relief.
Bulma closed her eyes and clenched her fists.
"... Please?" Corset frowned, big blue eyes focused directly on her mother.
Bulma took a quick glance at her daughter before turning her glare to Krillin. "...Fine but you'd better keep both of them out of trouble Krillin!"
Corset grinned and cheered happily.
"You guys had better all be careful," Bulma added angrily. "I'm counting on you to defend a fragile lady like myself from the monsters here!"
"No problem," Krillin turned to Gohan and Corset, "Make sure you both keep your ki repressed; we're gonna run all the way there so as they don't sense us coming."
"Ok," Corset gulped.
"Right," Gohan nodded anxiously.
"Let's go!" Krillin charged forwards and leapt at lightning speed; Gohan and Corset right behind his lead.
The blue islands and green waters rushed underneath them like a blur. The warriors continued to run at a reasonable pace, not putting too much effort into running in fear that they would be sensed by their enemies. If it was the case they were in the same group as Vegeta then it would be likely they'd have scouters.
Corset wasn't sure how to feel. On one hand she felt like an explorer in an unknown world, ready to uncover all the hidden secrets waiting to be found. On the other hand she knew where they were going was dangerous and could potentially be their resting place!
Krillin spoke out, "Ok you guys, we're gonna walk the rest of the way."
He landed on a small incline; Gohan and Corset stopping either side of him. "Remember to keep your energy suppressed so they don't sense us here. Keep close to the ground and stay quiet."
Corset looked down at the ground ahead of her nervously. She didn't really like being so close to a terrifyingly powerful bunch of bad guys but she didn't want the others to know she was scared. She chose to be brave like the boys seemed to be, completely unaware that the two themselves were also apprehensive about the idea!
Krillin led them up a small slope to the edge of the cliff, all three practically hugging the ground as they peered over the edge – the three main powerhouses of the group were facing their direction. Krillin gasped and pulled the children back down the small incline. "Trust us to pick the ledge facing them," he muttered terrified. Luckily nothing seemed to be happening; they hadn't been spotted. He ushered the two backwards some more, "Let's try over there."
"Ok," Gohan nodded in a whisper. The trio wandered over to the left around the craterous drop, peering over another ledge, bellies down on the ground.
At least here they weren't directly in the group's eye-line; they were behind their line of vision which was an added bonus.
"... Hey, the buildings down there look a lot like our ship." Gohan mumbled.
"Yeah, you're right," Krillin nodded in a hushed voice.
"So then this definitely is a Namekian village," Corset added. "You were right after all."
"Where are the others who were with those three?" Krillin asked out loud, quickly inhaling fast. "Look! They've got some Dragonballs!"
Corset looked down at the three men below and gasped, spotting the huge orange balls under two of the men's arms. Were they Dragonballs? They were gigantic; a lot bigger than those she'd seen in pictures and the one she'd seen on Gohan's hat.
"I can't believe the size of them!" Krillin exclaimed.
To their horror, one of the men – a stumpy pink man – seemed to look over in their direction! Fearing the worst the trio shot down as close to the ground as they could...
It was a while before they dared to move. Nothing seemed to be happening. Corset slowly breathed out as her body trembled with fear.
"That was too close..." Krillin whispered. Cautiously he peered over the ledge once more, signalling to the others that it was safe to watch again.
Corset watched cautiously as a few more of the men appeared, a couple of them walking out one of the houses.
Some of the men were the spitting image of him!
"They look just like Piccolo," Corset gasped in a hushed voice.
"They must be Namekians," Krillin nodded in shock. "They definitely share a resemblance with Piccolo and Kami."
"I wonder what they're gonna do with the Namekians. Those men are dressed like Saiyans," Gohan whispered. "... You don't think they're all Saiyans?"
"No, they have the same uniforms but they're not Saiyans," Krillin replied. "Vegeta should be the only Saiyan left – besides you two and Goku... Come to think of it, Goku's brother did mention they used to sell planets to clients. I wonder if these guys are in on it too. I can't see Vegeta down there though."
Down below, the five Namekians – three elders and two children – were surrounded by half a dozen soldiers and had been brought forward towards the stronger fighters of the group. For what felt like forever, the two groups spoke, their voices too hushed for Corset to make out what they were saying. She felt anxious; the Namekians seemed to be growing more restless whilst the others seemed to be calm. What was going to happen? Were the Namekians going to be alright?
Suddenly one of the three stronger fighters – the slim, green-haired one – teleported! In the blink of an eye he reappeared and booted one of the elder Namekians in the neck. Corset watched in horror as the old Namekian's ki vanished.
Another elder reacted with fury and tried to blast the fighter – failing and hitting one of the weaker soldiers in the process. The green-haired man had jumped into the air and tossed a hand down, firing down a blast that was more than enough to kill the elder, that of which it did. The other elder fell to the ground, body smoking and charred from the heat of the attack.
That man had just effortlessly killed two of the Namekians with no provocation! Corset couldn't stand it; those Namekians hadn't stood a chance. Yet the power she'd felt from that one fighter... he was more than enough to take her and her friends down and he wasn't even the strongest out of their group! It sent chills through her body.
"How could they? It's horrible!" Krillin snarled in a hushed voice so as not to grab the group's attention.
"How awful..." Gohan glared down at the group below, fists trembling with a mixture of rage and fear. The sheer feel of the fighter's energy in that one split second was far more powerful than anything he'd ever sensed.
Corset clung to the grass as tightly as she could; from what she'd just sensed she knew there was no way any of them would be a match for these guys. She didn't feel particularly safe being here anymore but she didn't want to look like a scaredy-cat in front of the others. Her anger had been overpowered. Fear swept through her body as she tried to restrain herself from running away, heart thumping through her ribcage as if it would explode. "... He killed them..." she trembled. "Is he gonna kill all of them?"
"Don't know," Krillin replied. "Just keep your ki down Corset, it's starting to bubble. Just calm down and concentrate on hiding your ki."
"O-Ok."
The conversation became a little easier to hear as the wind died down and Corset was able to pick out words.
She picked up on what the last elder Namek was saying "... Why do you want the Dragonballs? What will you wish for?"
"Oh, only a small wish," The strongest man had been doing most of the talking. He was in the centre of it all between the two other strong men. Judging by the feel of his power, Corset was confident to hazard a guess that he was the leader.
"I want eternal life."
"That's the same wish as what Vegeta was after." Krillin mumbled.
"... Maybe they're not together after all then..." Gohan suggested uncertain.
"Maybe," Krillin nodded. "I don't know what's going on anymore."
"Be gone," the elder spat, "I cannot give the Dragonballs to a fiend like you even if it means my life."
Corset gulped; those words didn't sound like the smart thing to say but she was glad the Namekians weren't gonna hand over another Dragonball. She did worry for the remaining elder and the children's safety. She couldn't help but have a bad feeling about this.
"The people of this planet sure are a stubborn lot... Tell me though; would you still remain so stubborn even if it meant the lives of those children?"
Corset gasped in horror and disgust. Had she really heard that right? This man was horrible! Would he really go that far to get the Dragonball?
"Those barbarians!" Krillin seemed just as disgusted and far more agitated by it all. His attention quickly turned to the other young fighter beside him. "Gohan, keep your energy down or they'll spot us!"
Corset looked over at Gohan. He did not look happy; his fists were clenched and shaking and she could feel his ki was bubbling slightly. Now she grew worried; what if they sensed him? She felt his pain though; she wished there was something she could do to help the Namekians!