I wish I owned DBZ, but I don't. I own DVD's and tapes, but it just isn't the same. I also don't own the rights to any of the music pieces you see selected, just copies of merchandise, such a shame. The artists that created them are geniuses and we all must bow to them.
Chapter 99: Seeds of Hatred
Verto and Laysh stood at the crumbling cliff exit and stared out at what could only be described as devastation. There was no vegetation or any signs of life for miles around. The rocky terrain was covered in blast craters and deep fissures that appeared to be the result of a recent battle. A smoldering lava field nearby provided a hot breeze and a continuous funnel of ash shot into the sky, forcing a lasting darkness even at high noon. Verto sensed nothing nearby, much like the suppressed 'dead spot' he had just left behind. The grand difference here was that there was no barrier, and there was nothing to sense.
Laysh was first to break the silence, "What is this place? It's like Hell or something."
"No, Hell is livelier than this," Verto replied.
"How would you know?" Laysh asked.
Verto's eyes shifted in slight irritation, "Never mind that. Keep your energy low until further notice. I don't want any potential enemies to know we're here yet."
Laysh put on her determined face, "What enemies, other than this demon and half-Saiyan girl you've spoken of?"
"Let's just say you'll know them if we see them. And I'm concerned about what else we may find here," Verto said.
"Looks like a whole lot of nothing," Laysh muttered.
Verto gazed into the distance as he answered, "For now maybe. Let's fly that way."
The duo took off in that direction, flying low due to the effort of keeping their energy output in check. The ruined terrain below remained lifeless and randomly cluttered with rocky debris the entire time, only making way for larger boulders and scattered crevices. The pair flew silently for a long time, seeing no real change in the environment. It wasn't until they had gone about a hundred miles that they even saw a river. This river however was not filled with sparkling blue water. In actuality, it wasn't filled with water at all, at least none that Verto recognized. In its place was a slow moving black fluid that occasionally bubbled up in spots. It resembled a tar pit, or perhaps an oil flow, but either way it didn't belong.
"What is that?" Laysh asked first. When Verto didn't answer, she stared over at him and let a small gasp slip out. He was trembling uncontrollable and his eyes were dim and blank.
"At last, you've returned! Come to me! Join with me! It is your purpose, your destiny!"
Verto's teeth clenched tightly as he tried to ignore the voice that suddenly invaded his mind, but he knew full well who it belonged too. It's him, the Overmind's presence!
Laysh's brow wrinkled in confusion, "Hey, what's wrong with you?"
"I-I am n-not yours!" Verto stuttered.
Laysh did not yet realize that he was talking to someone else, "What's that supposed to mean?"
"You cannot resist me! Not before, not now! Join with me, or die!"
"Get out of my head!" Verto shouted.
The Overmind's voice didn't abide, "You're mine!" A sudden burst of energy seemed to hit Verto out of nowhere and he began floating towards the river of black, out of apparent control. Laysh stared with concern as she felt another presence driving Verto's energy.
"Yes! Come to me now! Finally I shall be reborn!" Verto's body was rigid as he was literally pulled over the black river, which began to bubble and churn much more rapidly.
"Let me go!" Verto barely managed to say.
"You are MINE!" Verto's aura erupted as smoky waves of blue, green and gold randomly came off him. It was only enough to ripple the river a bit, and his body began to lower towards it.
"What are you doing?" Laysh shouted at him. Her voice echoed in Verto's mind, nearly canceling out the other presence that had taken his attention. The black fluid began to rise out of the river in the form of a large black hand, as if it were trying to grab him. His eyes snapped open just as he transformed to Super Mystic and spread his arms wide. Using the force of his energy, he forced the black blood of the Overmind away, creating gaps in the river's flow. Once it had been shoved further away, Verto flew straight up and away from it. He didn't stop until he was at least a mile away, which didn't take much motivation at this point. Laysh joined him in the sky as he gasped for breath, watching the river reform itself and settle once again.
"So…you mind telling me what that was all about?" Laysh asked.
Verto panted slightly as sweat trickled down his face, "Long story, don't touch that shit if you can help it."
Laysh gazed at the distant river, "Don't have to tell me twice, but what is it?"
Verto stood up straight, "The remains of a very large and powerful creature that could control huge armies both mentally and physically. I'm not sure exactly why so much of its blood could be here, unless it poisoned the water or something…"
Verto then let a gasp slip in realization, The Overmind was big enough to take up miles of space. Even though there would be much more water on Earth, this would be something it's capable of. I can't imagine that it would be difficult for the Zerg to contaminate the water supply, considering some of the things I got to see. And if that's the case, it explains why everything has died off. A poisoned water supply would either kill everything off, or corrupt it. Guess that's why Leira said not to eat or drink anything here, it's probably everywhere. But how can I deal with this?
"You're spacing out again," Laysh said aloud.
Verto scowled at her, "You're one to talk. Anyways we should try to find some sort of life around…"
The words were barely out of his mouth before he was suddenly punched hard by a glowing golden fist from above. Verto crashed into the ground on his back, glaring up at who had just caught his blindside. His jaw slipped a bit in surprise. Vegeta hovered there with his arms crossed, his aura crackling with the lightning of Super Saiyan two. Next to him on the right was Gohan at his equally intense level of Super Mystic. On the left was another Super Saiyan with a red head band tied around his head, which nearly matched Goku's face except for the scar.
Bardock, that figures. Now why in the hell did they attack like this?
"Well well well, look who's back," Vegeta said in all seriousness.
Verto scowled as he got up, "What the hell was that for?"
"The first of many while we send you to hell!" Vegeta shouted back. His palm glowed blue as he aimed for Verto, whose eyes widened when he recognized the stance.
"Big Bang Attack!" Verto flew up at the last second to avoid the blast, which created an absurdly huge explosion. He turned to face his apparent opponents, spotting only Gohan and Vegeta through the smoke as it slowly cleared. Verto sensed the incoming attack a split second before Bardock phased in behind him. He attempted to catch Verto in a strangle hold, only to receive a hard elbow in the chest for his efforts. Bardock was forced back, giving Verto a tad bit of breathing room to collect himself. That didn't last long before a torrent of small but strong ki blasts invaded the sky, courtesy of Vegeta. Verto avoided most of them, deflecting the others when he could. The barrage ended once Vegeta saw that it wasn't doing any good, and the action halted. Verto stared at his opponents equally, though he kept a stern eye on Gohan, who had yet to do anything.
Well, this isn't what I expected. I'll figure out what happened when I can. Judging by the hostility, I'm probably not going to get easy answers. And I'm probably the root of their problems too. Talk about a time that I absolutely need my feedback technique. But I wonder why Gohan hasn't made a move yet? He felt Laysh's fearful energy high above as she quivered slightly in place. He understood why, all these powerful Saiyans nearby made her impressive energy seem nonexistent.
"Alright, I guess I don't have choice but to deal with you first since talking has gone out the window already," Verto stated.
Vegeta smirked, "How right you are boy! Let's see if you're anywhere near as powerful as your counterpart was!"
Verto's head turned a bit, "So you already know that I'm not the Verto you know. Then why attack me?" Gohan suddenly phased out and reappeared a mere dozen feet away from him, but made no further move.
"It's not entirely personal. However, even if the timeline ran somewhat more smoothly for you, you're still capable of the same evil that our Verto was. We've learned that we cannot trust you not to snap on us, even if you're not infested," Gohan explained briefly.
Verto grimaced and looked away, "I understand your position on this. I was infested once and it wasn't a pleasant experience. I won't get in your way or anything. Once I retrieve the people that came here, I'll leave."
"You mean Trunks?" Gohan asked.
Verto paused in surprise, "You already ran into him?"
"He's been here for almost a full month. We were wondering when someone would come for him, and somehow we knew it would be you," Gohan admitted.
Verto sighed, "Another time lag, great. He's only been gone a few days from our point of view, you should have sent him back through as soon as you could. This would have been a lot easier."
"Perhaps, but it wasn't wasted time. Our Trunks had something to teach him first. He can go back at any time now though, we will send him through before the day is over," Gohan offered.
"Thanks, but he's not the only one I'm here for," Verto said.
Gohan's fists bunched up momentarily, "Who?"
"My student Lenz, she's half-Saiyan with violet hair. She also has Psionic powers that could be dangerous if left unchecked. I was training her before all this happened," Verto pointed out.
Gohan let a small smile cross his face, "Ah, her. We don't have any issues with her at this time. She was nice enough to torch some Zerg for us."
Verto's eyebrow went up, "Good to know that some of her power is going to good use. Now there's the matter of your father."
Gohan's smile was quickly gone, "What of him?"
Verto hesitated, "Are you aware of the demon within him?"
Gohan nodded, "Very."
"Well there's no easy way to say this so I'll just say it. The demon has to be dealt with," Verto said uneasily.
"We're well aware of this demon Vang and the threat he brings, we're not stupid. He took over Kakarot's body at a weak moment when his soft heart had finally got the better of him," Vegeta interrupted.
Gohan cast a glare in his direction briefly, "And we all know why that was. The point is, Vang is a problem that we will deal with. We don't want or need your help."
Verto's eyes narrowed, "Whether you do or don't doesn't matter to me. I'll handle it myself if I have to."
Bardock interjected next, "No, you won't. You see, Vang wants us to capture you. He wants your body, not Kakarot's. But we aren't going to do that coward's bidding. So either you leave now, or we will make you."
Verto didn't budge, "What does he want with me?"
Vegeta snorted, "Clearly you're either deaf of just idiotic. He wants your body, I think why is obvious."
"And you attacking me would help him. Maybe you should think about that, assuming you still can," Verto countered.
"Why you…" Vegeta growled back.
Gohan put his hand up in front of Vegeta, "Hold on, he deserves to know exactly why we can't trust him." Vegeta's glare shifted towards his rival's son for a moment before he grunted and turned away.
"Glad to see that one of you is level-headed," Verto muttered.
Gohan frowned at him, "Well don't get the wrong idea. This is only so you know why we don't want you here, and there are multiple reasons for this. The first is obvious, the war with the Zerg didn't go well. The day that they gathered their full force and lost was also the day you were taken and infested. Trunks told us about the other aliens that showed up and helped drive them off your world, but they didn't come here. You killed many of our friends, and then got them infested too, or cloned in some cases. Somewhere along the way, you succumbed to the darkness we all knew you had, and you revolted. You returned, a shell of your former self, and the chaos that you caused on the way out gave us the chance to destroy the Overmind once and for all. Or so we thought…"
Gohan paused a moment to collect his thoughts, prompting Verto to speak, "I take it things didn't end there."
Gohan's fists clenched, "Shut up! You have no idea how badly I want to kill you right now!" Verto stayed quiet, but was still very surprised at the sudden outburst from his long time friend. Gohan shuddered with the intense emotions of both anger and what appeared to be deep sorrow.
"Gohan, do you need me to tell him?" Bardock offered.
Gohan's head turned towards his grandfather, "No! I can handle it. After the other you snapped, you killed most of our family. The evil poured out and caught us by surprise. You forced us to watch you kill Goten, Videl, and my mother. Dad cracked and drove you away, but he was never the same again. You then cut down Piccolo and Dende, taking the Dragon Balls from us too. The three of us fought you tooth and nail, eventually forcing a stalemate at the time. And then you disappeared."
Verto was quite taken aback at the revelation and sighed heavily, "Look I…"
"Don't you say a fucking word until I'm done talking to you!" Gohan shouted, forcing Verto into silence. The look on Gohan's face told the whole story, even if Verto himself hadn't done what he was being accused of, Gohan was still identifying him as the culprit.
Bardock saw that his grandson was having trouble maintaining composure and stepped in to finish, "At some point you also wiped out some of the resurgent Zerg before falling into that black fluid that runs through our rivers. That fluid is the Overmind's legacy. We haven't been able to get rid of it despite our best efforts. Even the air is poisoned by its lingering stench. Anyone who falls into contact with it is infected by its curse. In your case, it completely took over your body and we had to face you again. We eventually won, and you died along with it."
Verto grimaced, "I'm sorry that I, or should I say, the other me, caused you so much trouble. But I'm not him."
Gohan panted a bit from his outburst but appeared to be calming down, "If you don't leave immediately, we'll do to you what we did to the other Verto."
Verto scowled at the threat, "That's sad. You're so burdened and bloodthirsty from revenge that you can't think of any other options. Use that brain for something other than emotional baggage." Gohan gasped at the audacity of Verto's words, as they had clearly stung him.
"You've got some nerve kid, you always were the worst at controlling your emotions," Bardock said as he floated forward.
"It's about the only weakness you really had. Pity you were such a brat that you couldn't see it," Vegeta added as he also came closer.
Verto smirked, "You know, I hear that quite often. And I'll admit that it does cause me some problems from time to time. However…" Verto shifted into his ready stance, signaling what his intentions were. "I've had training that your Verto didn't have. On top of which, I expelled the evil spirit that was within me. Your Verto had it too, so he's the one you should blame, not me. Don't assume to know me at all. The only real thing that we shared is a simple warning: Don't piss me off!"
Bardock was unaffected by Verto's statement, "Is that your final answer then?"
"First, final, and only. You want me to leave? Make me!" Verto dared.
Vegeta scoffed, "What a fool, probably even more so than the other one. Well despite that, we won't go easy on you. This is a fight to the death, I hope you can still understand that."
Verto waved him on, "I have no wish to kill any of you, but I'll do what I have to. Who's first?"
Vegeta laughed, "Ha, you honestly think we will allow you that luxury? You don't deserve the honor of fighting us one by one. Then again, it's not like you will be able to defeat any single one of us. There are still things you haven't seen."
"Like what? The fact that you can go Super Saiyan Three?" Verto asked.
Vegeta gasped in surprise, "How?"
Verto shook his head, "Come on, you were able to do it when we were dealing with Majin Buu. Our worlds aren't that different. Hell it's been long enough, I'll bet Bardock can too." Bardock's surprised face nearly matched Vegeta's, causing Verto to chuckle lightly.
Vegeta's shock faded, "Still, it's foolish for you to think that you can take all three of us. Certainly not all at once."
"So much for your Saiyan honor. Fine, but none of you goes after the girl. She has nothing to do with this," Verto bargained.
"Agreed."
"Hold on Vegeta," Gohan said suddenly as he came forward.
"What is it?"
"I'll fight him alone for now. After all, he isn't the Verto we know," Gohan pointed out.
"Are you sure? He may have the same kind of energy reserves the other one had," Bardock said.
"You forget Grandpa, I beat him before, even when he had the Overmind's help. I should be able to handle another one that doesn't have that advantage. Judging by the energy I'm sensing, he's far below that level," Gohan countered. He then let his power flow freely and began increasing his already high level of strength. Verto followed suit, quickly topping out since he had already transformed himself. Gohan took a bit longer to finish, giving Verto time to analyze the energy he was sensing.
No reason to think he isn't as strong as or stronger than the other Gohan. Plus time has passed differently here as well, so he also has more experience. And then there's the matter of what techniques he's developed. Even if he hasn't come up with any, this won't be easy until he wears down. I've got to be careful. Gohan's power-up stopped sooner than Verto expected, and he quickly sensed that Gohan wasn't at his maximum. He measured the energy he sensed as about even with his own top level, and smelled the deception immediately.
Verto scoffed, "You're going to hold back, against me?"
Gohan smirked, "Maybe, but who says I need to go full power to win? By my calculation, at about eighty percent I can fight on an equal level with you. Then again, it still won't take a minute to beat you. I've had far more time to learn this power than you have."
Verto's eyes narrowed at Gohan's odd confidence, "That's not what I would expect to hear from you. That's something I would usually hear from a true enemy. And if the other Verto was anything near or above my level, you should know that sandbagging will not work against me. What's happened to you?"
Gohan's blue eyes closed for a second, "The time for talk is over." He suddenly phased out, reappearing behind Verto instantly. A bright green sword stopped at this neck just as he moved to attack, halting his motion due to surprise.
Verto held the blade firmly as he cast a glare up at Gohan, "I wouldn't try that again if I were you. You're not the only one I've fought that can use that move."
Gohan was astounded, "You can anticipate that? How?"
"Just knowing that you can do it makes me watch for it. Also, at close range I can sense a very subtle fluctuation in your energy just before you move. After that, it depends on how fast I can react, assuming I can. But trust me, I've had ample practice," Verto warned.
"Kill me now then. That's my best technique to use against you," Gohan suggested.
Verto's eyebrow went up, "Giving up already? That's not like you at all."
Gohan's eyes softened momentarily, "I'm giving you a chance to leave before I have to put you down. If you're so intent to stay, you'll have to kill me now. Do it quickly and do not give me another chance, otherwise…" A very large golden blast suddenly came at them out of nowhere, startling both. They managed to steer clear as it shot into space and eventually out of all sight. Verto and Gohan were well separated by the sudden attack and stared down towards its origin. It appeared to be Bardock's doing as he held his arm out.
"Damn it, it's already started," Gohan muttered.
Verto gazed at him, "What has?"
"Look closely at his eyes," Gohan replied. Verto glanced down and saw that Bardock's teal eyes had vanished. Instead they were filled in with all black.
"Listen, you need to get out of here now, otherwise you'll be killed, or worse. I can only hold out myself for so long before the infection takes over me too," Gohan admitted.
"Hold on, infection? What exactly is going on here?" Verto asked.
Gohan pointed to the distance, "Remember what my grandfather said about that black river?"
"Yeah, he already confirmed that it's the Overmind's blood, isn't it?"
Gohan nodded, "Essentially, though it's all over the world. Most of the rivers, lakes and oceans have at least some of it. It's even in the air we breathe. Can I assume that you know what happens once you have enough of it in your system?"
"Yeah, but I don't know how much it takes…wait, are you saying that you're all infected by it?" Verto asked, realizing the possibility.
"Unfortunately, I take it you have run into this problem before if you know what it is. Trunks said that the Overmind wasn't on Earth when you defeated it," Gohan said.
"Very recently actually. There's a scientist that was messing around with it, trying to attain our level of strength. I don't remember all of it, but I was infected at some point and I went off the handle without realizing it. I felt that thing's presence though, and it did try to take over. For a short time it did from what I heard," Verto explained.
"With us, it doesn't always try to take over, but it does cause us to feel intense anger at times. If we are powered up though, it eventually causes us to lose control for awhile, as it feeds off our energy from within. We can't maintain our maximum power because of that, but at the same time it cannot use it either. And while it may seem like the lights are on with no one home, we're more like puppets on a string until it passes. We'll respond to powerful threats and we can still use most of our techniques as well as energy, we just won't be in full control," Gohan elaborated further. Verto could hear Bardock grunting like a wild beast that was about to attack, drawing his attention momentarily.
Gohan brought it right back, "That's why you must leave now! I can't hold it at bay and fight you and them at the same time!" Verto eyed him carefully before glancing back towards Vegeta, who was remaining very still. He sensed fluctuations in the prince's energy, signaling that he might have been struggling with something.
That explains a lot. It wasn't just their personal feelings towards me, but it does make the effect quite a bit more intense. There's still some sort of compassion there, otherwise they wouldn't care if I lived or died. Never mind if Vang posed a threat or whatever he wants me for. And even if having that shit in their system doesn't make them infested, there's got to be a lingering bit of the Overmind compelling them to attack me so it can take over again. The symptoms are a lot like what the other Gohan described when I was infected. I'm not sure if that Chemical Z crap that Wheelo developed was different or not, but I know it wasn't airborne. And if it was, then the Overmind would not have to wait for when I get near it to attack me, nor anyone else. Then again, it probably doesn't matter if it's in the water supply and has been for awhile.
"Do you get it now?" Gohan asked, interrupting Verto's thoughts.
Verto smiled slightly and shook his head, "Yeah, at least I know why I'm about to get my brains bashed in."
"That's why you have to go, don't be stubborn! In or out of control, you can't beat the three of us! And should I maintain myself through all this, I will make sure you either leave or die! You being here poses too great a risk for more than one reason," Gohan reminded. Verto nudged the small bag of candies in his pocket, making sure he indeed had four of them. Looks like I might be using all of these.
"Do what you think you have to do. But it would be helpful if we could knock one or both of them out first. I don't have time to go and get the cure if I'm dealing with you," Verto said.
Gohan paused, "There's a cure?"
"Use the sacred water from the lookout, it should wipe out all of the infection. Then just find a way to administer it to the whole world," Verto suggested.
"We didn't even consider that since it's in all of the fresh water. Plus we're still having Zerg problems and the lookout was…" Gohan suddenly stopped and coughed heavily. He clutched at his head painfully and screamed instead.
Verto scowled, Damn, bad timing.
Gohan managed to glare up at him as half his eyes had gone black while the other half were bloodshot, "Run! Now!" The words were barely out of his mouth before he rushed forward with all speed. Verto narrowly dodged the punch attempt and kicked hard into Gohan's chest before phasing out to a safer distance. Gohan was stunned, but only enough to stall his wrath for a few seconds before he locked eyes on him and snarled with nothing but bloodthirsty rage.
Now I see why he even bothered to attack so quickly earlier. He was sure he'd win with just Instant Transmission and wanted to force me into leaving before this could happen.
He paused his own thoughts when he sensed Laysh flying in, "I take it your bad negotiation broke down again."
Verto glared at her, "Now isn't a good time for your snide remarks." The pair hovered back to back as Gohan and Bardock flew up and encircled them, randomly grunting at them. Vegeta flew in closer as well, but stayed far enough away that Verto was unable to tell how affected he was at the moment.
Laysh seemed legitimately concerned, "Why did I agree to this again?"
"Beats me, but there's no turning back now. Look at it this way, you'll get to experience Vegeta's real strength," Verto joked.
Laysh eyed the powerful prince in the background, "Can't you take all three? You're the one who talks big all the time."
Verto's eyes shifted between Gohan and Bardock as they stopped on either side of him, "Clearly you haven't been paying attention. Gohan by himself will be all I can handle. And at least one of them will go after you, bank on it!"
Laysh snorted, "So brainiac, what's the plan?"
"Think you can keep those two off of me?" Verto asked.
"You're kidding right? They're both much stronger than me at my maximum power!" Laysh argued.
Verto winced at the volume of her voice next to his ear, "I didn't say you had to beat them, just keep them from jumping in. Use your ice techniques to both distract them and defend yourself. Try not to kill them though."
Verto then floated towards Gohan as Laysh sighed, "Yeah, if they don't kill me first!"
Verto paused and turned, "Your best bet is to catch them in unguarded moments. Since they're mostly focused on me, that should be easy. If you get stuck, do what I do, improvise."
"That's not reassuring!" Laysh shouted at him. Verto smirked before taking off towards Gohan, who was eager to start by the look of it.
As soon as they engaged, a shockwave flurry disturbed the surrounding air, forcing Laysh to back up quickly. She quickly turned towards Bardock, who had moved closer and whose eyes were following the extreme speed in front of him. Laysh saw that he was looking to jump in at any moment, and he was also completely open to attack from the rear.
She quickly prepared her attack and fired, "Koori Kometoo!" The sparkling blue Ice Comet overwhelmed the unaware Bardock before he could even react, and he became covered in thick ice. She channeled the technique further, adding enough layers to fill up an acre of farmland before stopping. No visible response occurred within the newly formed iceberg as it dropped to the ground. Laysh watched as some of it broke apart, but not enough to free the Super Saiyan. She dared to sigh with relief, and then turned right into Vegeta's fist. The impact sent her flying, but Vegeta didn't let her even feel it. He quickly chased her down and added a brutal knee to the stomach. He then grabbed Laysh by her blue hair and threw her aside, briefly watching her fall before turning towards the higher paced action further away. On the ground, Laysh spat up a heavy volume of blood, shocked and painfully shaken by the feeling of the freight train that had just hit her.
So that's what the prince's real power is like. Should have hit him first. Laysh winced painfully as she barely managed to stand, feeling that he had completely broken her nose and several ribs with just two hits. She took in slow painful breaths as she traced his position, quickly seeing him up in the sky and paying her no mind at all.
Just like the kid said, he's completely focused on him and unguarded like the other one. Looks like that infection thing doesn't do much for their intelligence if they only respond to a threat after the fact. Then again, it's not like I'm any match for him. Even if I use my Koori Kometoo from here, he'd have plenty of time to react to it. I'll have to risk getting a lot closer to have a chance. Laysh quickly looked over and saw that the Bardock Iceberg was beginning to glow gold.
Damn it, he's going to be out soon. I'm not going to be able to hold one down without dealing with the other first. I can use that technique that I hate using to injure one of them, but it won't do any good if they sense me coming. That is unless… Laysh stared at Vegeta before holding out her palm and charging it with Psi energy. Vegeta didn't react to this at all, and when a bright explosion went off ahead of him, Laysh dared to fire it. She intentionally missed by dozens of feet, but it told Laysh what she needed to know when he didn't even turn his head.
Laysh grinned, Of course! He's not a member of my clan so he can't use Psionic powers and probably can't sense them either. I can completely suppress my ki and he won't be able to detect my presence without using his other senses. As long as I'm quiet, he won't hear me coming. I'm also downwind, which takes his nose out too. This just might work after all. She carefully regulated her energy before concentrating on her right arm. Ice began to cover it from the mid-forearm all the way past her fingers and extending out about a foot and a half before thickening, forming a small sword made of ice.
Alright, now here comes the hard part. She slowly floated of the ground and made her way towards Vegeta, who had his arms crossed. Laysh made steady progress and pulled her arm back into pre-stabbing position once she was a few feet away. She hesitated for a moment with the unaware prince staying completely motionless before her.
I don't have to go for the kill, I can instantly freeze him once I make contact. Then I'll do the same with the other one and alternate between the two as needed. Laysh pulled back a little more before thrusting forward. Just as her Icy Sword touched Vegeta's armor, he suddenly phased out, causing Laysh to fall forward. A vicious boot kicked her frozen hand, shattering the ice and the bones along with it. Laysh instinctively clutched her wrist, unprepared for the hand coming towards her throat. It stopped there and held her by the neck with a deadly grip that wasn't quite a choke. Laysh dared open her eyes, and then wished she hadn't. Vegeta's eyes were indeed blackened, but the pupils were still a teal color unlike Bardock's.
Vegeta pulled her close enough to almost graze her nose with his own, "Just who do you think you're dealing with, little girl?"
A/n: Whoops, somebody messed up.
WDG: Vegeta? Unguarded? Keep dreaming.
VB: It's been known to happen from time to time. Always due to a cheap trick no doubt…