Age 728
"Is there something wrong?"
King Cold stood across from one of the hospital's lab technicians, the towering frame of his second form only making the five foot tall technician even more nervous. Being the only Frost Demon known to have been born with such a form, King Cold's very being served as a reminder of just how much more powerful he was than the rest of his kind. The technician coughed awkwardly, before making the riskiest choice of his life.
"Uh, well, my king, it, uh...there is something you should know about Prince Cooler."
King Cold looked at him intently, not liking where this was going. "What about him? Have you tested his power level?"
The technician began to sweat profusely. "Um, well, yes, your Highness. We did." He took a deep breath, deciding to go with the good news first. "We have run tests on Prince Cooler's physiology, and what we have found is nothing short of remarkable."
King Cold was slightly confused. It sounded like he was being given good news, and yet, the small man was clearly worried about incurring his wrath. Without having taken the time to see his son's birth for himself, he was clearly at a disadvantage regarding something crucially important. He pressed for more. "Go on."
"From what we have been able to gather, we believe he possesses a second transformation...and more."
This piqued King Cold's interest. "More, you say?"
The technician nodded, a nervous smile forming as he tried to keep King Cold happy as long as he could. "Yes! Based on our data, we hypothesize that he was born naturally assuming a fourth transformation. In time, he will no doubt be able to cultivate his weaker transformations as he gains more control over his power, just as you have cultivated control over your own transformation."
King Cold smiled. "Well...well, that is splendid! I must admit, I'm surprised that the birth went so smoothly. A body such as that must be capable of a great deal more than I could ever hope to manage!"
At this, however, the technician's nervousness came out in full force, and King Cold's expression slowly shifted to a look of apprehension, as if he was expecting a twist to the story.
"...You mentioned you tested his power level," he said roughly, clearly indicating his pending anger. The technician, having no other choice, nodded, to which he harshly responded, "What was it?" For a couple seconds, the technician tried to avert his gaze from the towering ruler, but this only made him angrier. "Answer me!" The technician gulped, saying a silent prayer in his head.
"Our best estimate is...2.64 million. Based on the trends we have observed, his power level in his first form would be roughly ten thousand...only slightly higher than average."
The technician was expecting anger, but instead, King Cold's face fell, as if he'd just experienced a rather heavy loss. He blankly stared off into the distance, while the technician was left unsure of what to do. Eventually, however, King Cold spoke up, before the technician could think of a response.
"I see," he said simply, as if he wasn't sure what else to say. "Thank you for your service. You are dismissed."
The technician was surprised, expecting far worse.
"Uh, of course, my king! I live to serve you!" With this hasty proclamation, the technician made a beeline for the exit, King Cold not even being in the mood to incinerate him with a ki blast on his way out. As if in a drunken stupor, King Cold made his way down the halls and to the royal maternity ward, where he had left his wife behind with their son.
"My son..." he thought to himself, reflecting on the situation. He supposed he should be relieved. After all, his son had achieved physiological transformations which even he was unable to achieve, and he would no doubt grow stronger with time. His son was already stronger than any other mortal being in the universe...but weaker than his parents. His mother could beat him into the dirt with maybe a quarter of her power, and King Cold himself...it wouldn't even be a contest.
As he walked through the spotless corridors, all in differing shades of red and pink, King Cold shook his head in frustration, wrestling with the decision he was considering. If he did what he was thinking about doing, it would stand in defiance of the most significant of his family's traditions. The first child born had always been the one who ascended to head the company, and later the throne, once they had proven themselves stronger than their parents. This tradition had been set firmly in place by Chilled, himself an only child and his mate giving birth to one son shortly after his mysterious demise. This child had proven to be stronger than his father, and in turn bore a daughter stronger than him, and so the cycle went...until now.
There had never been two children born of royalty among the Frost Demons, both before the rise of Chilled and especially after, once the sheer potential their race possessed had been made plain by Chilled's very existence. Even illegitimate children born to concubines and the like, as was common in many other monarchies throughout the universe, were simply unheard of. Having a child with that much raw power unaccounted for was a dangerous prospect, one with global consequences for Planet Chilled or any other world in the empire, in the most literal sense of the term. Similarly, two Frost Demons of royal blood could not be trusted to coexist peacefully. Even with the firstborn tradition in mind, the second child would inevitably seek to kill their sibling and take their place, creating political unrest which would threaten the stability of the empire their ancestors had worked so hard to build. Such a situation was obviously problematic. And yet…
Various staff members of the hospital passed King Cold by as he weighed his options. Too many people knew about his son's birth to successfully cover it up and quietly...dispose of him. At least, not without a lot of work and a lot of death that the empire honestly couldn't afford economically. Besides, his wife Frosta would never forgive him, and as much as he refused to admit it aloud, he did care about what she thought of him. He had asked for the strongest woman in the galaxy, and he had gotten just that, in every sense of the word. No, killing Cooler was simply not an option, and the thought of breaking such a time-honored tradition pained him greatly. Nevertheless, when the choice came down to either accepting the risks of having a second child or leaving his empire to a king weaker than his own grandfather had been...the choice was clear.
The door to the royal maternity ward hissed open, and King Cold found himself looking directly into the eyes of his wife, their son fussing softly in her arms. Although she was incredibly powerful, she did not possess a second form like her husband, and therefore more closely resembled the rest of the population, with a slimmer, shorter build than King Cold himself. Of course, Frost Demon women are, on average, far taller and slightly larger than Frost Demon men, and as such, in spite of King Cold's towering frame, she stood only two and a half feet below him. She had known her husband long enough that she could tell his mood from the briefest glance at his expression, and her lips parted in concern.
"What's wrong? Does Cooler have some kind of abnormality?" she asked worriedly, to which King Cold sighed deeply, pinching his forehead as he figured out how to respond.
"They tell me that his unusual physiology is believed to be due to naturally assuming a fourth transformation." This left his wife surprised, to say the least, and she let out a small gasp.
"A fourth transformation? Is that even possible?" King Cold shrugged.
"The scientists seem to think so, and they know the price for erroneous conclusions." After a spell of silence, King Cold gave in, cracking under his wife's expectant gaze. "They estimate Cooler's power level to be 2.64 million."
Frosta's face fell just as her husband's had done. "2.64...from the two of us?" She simply couldn't believe it. King Cold approached her slowly, resting a hand on her shoulder.
"Do not worry, I'm sure it's some long-buried genetic abnormality, or some other fluctuation. Nothing either of us may have done could result in something like this."
The two shared a look. They both knew what was going on in the other's mind, or at least they thought they did.
"You can't get rid of him," Frosta said firmly. "He's our son. Half the universe knows it, and you know that you will have to kill me if you wish to hurt him."
"I know, my love. I know," King Cold replied soothingly, to which she simply looked at him with reservation, waiting for him to get to the point. "But he cannot be king."
Frosta nodded sadly. "He cannot be king," she agreed solemnly, before worry took hold of her features once more. "But...are you sure having a second child is wise?"
"I fail to see what choice we have. Cooler could never surpass me, no matter how hard he trained. Yes, there are risks, but I'm confident that I will be able to control both of them." Frosta continued looking at him apprehensively, causing him to rest his hands on her shoulders. "Be at peace, my love. Everything will be fine." He chuckled to himself. "If we're lucky, we will both still be alive to witness the day when every planet in the universe is a part of our empire."
Frosta smiled, still a little apprehensive, but ultimately having faith in her husband.
"I desire nothing more than to witness that day with you, my darling."
Age 732
"Lord Cooler?"
A somewhat lanky child with dark purple skin and red eyes sat in a chair at the center of a massive ship's bridge. White, armor-like extensions covered his shoulders, wrists, shins, torso, and cranium, while two swathes of red on the sides of his face accentuated his eyes, which were currently staring out into space. A turquoise skinned alien with blonde hair and a curious accent stood at his left, attempting to get his attention.
"Ugh. Yes, Salza?" Cooler responded, exasperated at his subordinate's pestering.
"Are you feeling well, my lord?"
The young prince scoffed, his tail flicking slightly.
"'Well?' My insufferable brother has just been handed control of the entire empire, and you want to know if I'm feeling 'well?'"
Salza began to sweat slightly. As loyal as he was to Cooler, the fact remained that Frieza was stronger than him. Tolerating Cooler's disrespect towards his brother could result in a stiff punishment upon him...or his planet.
"But, King Cold has granted you control over quite a considerable number of planets, has he not?" Cooler barked out a laugh.
"'Control' is hardly the term I'd use. More like 'temporary ownership.'"
"And...why is that, my lord?"
Cooler sighed. Salza was an excellent soldier, one of the strongest men in the galaxy, but clearly he had much to learn about Frost Demons.
"Isn't it obvious? 'My' planets are as good as Frieza's once Father dies. My brother's fear of displeasing him in spite of his strength is the only thing keeping him from killing me himself."
This was definitely not the kind of talk that should be encouraged. Salza began to panic.
"Lord Cooler, perhaps you should refrain from voicing such, um, hypotheses in such a public setting."
This irritated Cooler even further. "'Public setting?!' We're standing on the bridge of my own damn ship!"
"I'm simply saying, my lord, that you would be wise to take...greater caution..." As Salza spoke, he happened to look to his right, and noticed a rather suspicious detail: a nervous-looking, low-ranking officer standing over a console, going about his work. Wearing an active scouter.
Salza locked eyes with the officer, who immediately froze and cracked under his menacing gaze. He moved to run, only for Cooler to notice where Salza had directed his attention. Without a word, the prince stopped the officer in his tracks with telekinesis, flying up out of his chair and pulling the officer towards him. In less than a second, Cooler's hand was around the officer's throat, leaving him gasping for air in between his pleas for mercy.
"Well, what have we here?" Cooler said, trying and failing to maintain a neutral tone. His gaze remained firmly fixed on the scouter over the officer's right eye, knowing exactly who would be observing him. The officer struggled to defend himself.
"Lord Cooler, please! I-I didn't want to do it! He said he'd kill my family!"
Cooler simply glanced at him. "Is that so? Well, not to worry, officer. I'm far less needlessly cruel than my brother."
The faintest glimmer of hope shone in the officer's eyes. "Really?"
"Of course," Cooler said matter-of-factly. "After all..." His fingers shifted around the officer's throat until he found what he was looking for: a specific vertebrae in the officer's neck. He tapped down on it ever so slightly with his index finger, to confirm its position, before looking right at the officer. "Just killing you will take far less of my time," he said, as casually as he possibly could.
The officer couldn't even get out a sound before Cooler's finger pressed down with just enough force to shatter the vertebrae entirely, killing him instantly. Not even a drop of blood was spilled.
Cooler pressed his face closer to the scouter, which continued transmitting everything it could pick up, and his expression hardened.
"And Frieza, in case you're actually bothering to listen in yourself instead of making one of your soldiers do it for you, can I just say..." Cooler began, his lips forming a sneer as he looked upon the scouter with contempt, "I am dreadfully sorry to hear about what happened at your coronation on Planet Vegeta. I know you wanted it to be perfect." Cooler laughed out loud for a couple seconds before shooting out a blast from his eyes, shattering the scouter beyond repair and leaving the pieces to fall onto the floor. Satisfied, Cooler tossed the corpse aside like a ragdoll, causing two soldiers to recoil from where it landed.
"Have this all cleaned up," Cooler commanded. "I'll be in my quarters."
Salza, not at all shaken up by Cooler's actions, simply nodded, and directed his attention to the rank and file soldiers, intimidating them into compliance.
"Of course, my lord."
"That stuck up, arrogant, pompous brat! Thinks he can make a spy out of one of my own soldiers, does he? Well, I'll show him! I'll find one of his soldiers and...and-!"
"And what?"
The voice, one which Cooler recognized immediately, stopped him right in his tracks just as he was preparing to enter his quarters. Cooler turned towards the source immediately, confirming who the mysterious person was, but not how or why that person was standing right in front of his door.
"Jamba," Cooler said simply, addressing the three-eyed blue alien by name. "To what do I owe this pleasure?" he asked, not at all hiding how he truly felt about his presence. The elite officer simply chuckled.
"Just thought I'd drop by. It's been a long time since we last spoke, after all." He made a show of trying to remember before it came to him. "It was at Frieza's Vash-Tal, if I'm not mistaken."
Cooler rolled his eyes. He remembered Frieza's birth ceremony, all right. Seventeen hours of Frost Demon bureaucrats and Frieza Force elites heaping their blessings and congratulations upon his parents. His mother badgering him into posing with his brother for posterity. People watching in awe as his baby brother flew around the room and tossed things around with telekinesis. Everyone saying things like "I'm sure this boy will make a fine successor!" and "When that boy grows up, the universe will surely be ours." Cooler grimaced as he recalled how eager he had been to gloat about the capture of Kanassa, how he had single-handedly conquered the A-class world, a feat which past rulers of the empire had attempted unsuccessfully for decades. And yet, whenever he had brought it up, he was almost universally met with dismissal. Some were more polite about it than others, but almost everyone left the conversation looking at him rather curiously, giving him the distinct impression he had committed some social error.
It was in this capacity that he had first spoken to Jamba, cutting in on a conversation he was having with a couple of the bureaucrats about the value of Kanassa as an acquisition. He had jumped right into it, going into detail about how he had mowed down battalions of warriors, each individual soldier strong enough to conquer the average empire planet on their own. They had admittedly given him some trouble, what with their telepathic prowess, but after a fierce battle, he had successfully broken down all resistance. When he had finished his story, however, Jamba simply gave him a look which he couldn't decipher, while the people Jamba was talking to laughed in his face.
"Are you serious?! An heir to the empire, stooping to the level of mercenaries?!" one proclaimed in disbelief. Her companion laughed along with her, completely incredulous.
"What is this universe coming to?" they asked, provoking another round of laughter. Jamba's third eye glanced at the pair of them as he drew a long breath.
"I'm afraid this is not the venue for such topics, my lord," he said, the only words he spoke to Cooler before the firstborn prince stomped off in a huff, hardly speaking to anyone else throughout the rest of the ceremony. The message rang loud and clear to him. This was Frieza's day. Frieza's celebration.
Frieza's empire.
Needless to say, Jamba hadn't exactly endeared himself to Cooler, so he was more than a little cross that the three-eyed elite had snuck aboard his ship.
"I see. And just how did you get aboard without me or any of my subordinates knowing about it?"
Jamba chuckled. "Oh, I managed to discreetly book passage. All it took was me telling some officer of yours that Frieza ordered me to do so while the ship was docked on Frieza Planet 273. He didn't even bother to search me."
Cooler sighed, having a good guess of just what officer had been watching the ship at the time.
"Damn him," he muttered, before looking at Jamba. "So, that explains how you're here, but why are you here?"
"Well, at the moment, I'm rather interested in hearing how you were going to get back at Emperor Frieza."
Cooler cringed at the title, one that reminded him of everything he had been denied. He crossed his arms indignantly.
"Why? So one of your copies can go tattle to Father and earn me another stern lecture?"
"Oh, trust me, dear prince, my copies are all far too busy for such a trivial task."
Cooler stood looking at him intently. "And what exactly is this copy doing?"
Jamba smirked. "Offering you an alternative to whatever plans you have for your brother...or lack thereof. But first..." Jamba swept his right arm towards the door, signaling for Cooler to open it. He looked at Jamba for a second before sighing and stepping forward, the fingerprint and retinal scan swiftly opening up the door to Cooler's private quarters. Cooler stepped inside, Jamba trailing after him until the door sealed behind him. Cooler pulled his hoverchair towards him with telekinesis before floating up in order to sit in it, crossing his legs and allowing his tail to swish back and forth. He looked at Jamba expectantly.
"Well? Out with it, triclops."
Jamba seemed slightly bothered by the term, but said nothing, instead pulling out two vials of a bright pink solution, one of which appeared to be far less concentrated than the other.
"These vials contain solutions of a chemical compound extracted from a plant native to the planet Valaris, far outside of the empire's jurisdiction. It's incredibly rare, and only affects a handful of species, but its effects are rather...potent."
Cooler regarded Jamba much as a skeptical customer might regard certain types of street vendors. "Go on," he prompted.
"Once ingested, it gradually disrupts the victim's nervous system, causing muscle spasms, interfering with bodily functions, and severely limiting the amount of ki that they can utilize for combat. The effectiveness may vary depending on the victim's level of power, but with the right concentration...even the mightiest beings in the universe would fall, provided that they were susceptible."
Cooler's eyes widened slightly. This explained why Jamba would go to so much effort to keep his activities a secret. However, it also seemed a little too good to be true.
"And you believe that Frost Demons are susceptible to this poison?" Cooler chuckled. "Our race can survive anything!"
"No one can survive anything," Jamba replied simply. Cooler remained unconvinced.
"You think our rivals haven't tried all manner of chemical compounds to try and kill us over the years? Nothing has worked. I should know: I researched the subject extensively."
"That is precisely why I prepared this," Jamba said, placing the concentrated vial back in his pocket before holding the diluted vial out towards Cooler. "Drink it. You'll get a taste of what the other vial can accomplish, with little risk to your health in the long term."
Cooler laughed. "Do you think I'm that naive? If it does work, what is my guarantee that this concentration isn't enough to kill me? Am I supposed to take you at your word? You, an officer of my father, now fully aware of my desire to murder my brother?"
"And what is the alternative?" Jamba asked pointedly, catching Cooler off guard. "What was your plan to kill Frieza, prince?" When Cooler didn't respond, Jamba pressed on. "Were you hoping that Frieza would die by some random stroke of luck? Or perhaps you were thinking you could train in secret, grow stronger without anyone noticing, until at last you could kill him yourself?" Cooler couldn't answer: Jamba had hit the nail on the head, and he could tell Jamba knew it. Jamba smirked. "So you have no plan whatsoever, is what I'm hearing."
Cooler scoffed. "That still doesn't mean I'm obligated to trust you."
"Nor should you," Jamba replied bluntly. "However, I can assure you that both of us would benefit from this partnership. You seek to kill your father and brother. I seek to kill them as well. You lack the means to kill them, which I possess, and I lack the opportunity to kill them, which you will soon possess."
At this, Cooler paused. "Just what are you talking about?" Jamba chuckled.
"I have it on good authority that your father desires you to attend dinner with your family in celebration of Frieza's coronation." Cooler groaned loudly, but Jamba pressed on. "Trusted as I am, I would never be allowed access to such an event. That's where you come in."
Cooler considered the situation, but needed one last push. "And then what? You'll find a way to have me killed as well, once I've completed your task?" Jamba laughed.
"My, you are rather paranoid, aren't you? Killing you now that you have knowledge of the compound would be exceedingly difficult, and if you think I have any aspirations of ruling the empire, you are mistaken. Besides, even if I did, my power level is unremarkable. Your own people would easily stop me, not to mention the rest of the elites in the Frieza Force."
"Grr-stop it! Stop reminding me of my arrogant brother's power!" Cooler snapped, to which Jamba only laughed more.
"I'm simply stating facts, dear prince. Frieza controls the empire as of today, and he is likely to do so for many, many years to come. And while I'm at it, perhaps you ought to be reminded of another fact which I'm sure you're aware of." Jamba took a step closer to Cooler, staring down at him with all three eyes. "As long as Frieza rules, you're living on borrowed time." Cooler couldn't respond to this, as once again, he knew it to be true. Jamba recognized this, and smiled. "So why not take risks?"
Jamba held out the vial towards Cooler once again, the prince now torn. "If you don't seek to take over the Empire...why are you doing this?"
Jamba placed his free hand on Cooler's shoulder. "Let me answer your question with another question: if that vial works, if it proves that the concentrated vial I have on my person will kill the people you despise and allow you to become ruler of much of the known universe, just as your tradition has always demanded...does it really matter what my motivations are?"
Cooler looked long and hard at the vial in Jamba's hand, weighed with indecision. After what felt like an eternity, he snatched it, unscrewing the cap that Jamba had placed on the vial to prevent it from spilling. It took one more second for Cooler to tilt the vial upwards, another second for the liquid to make its way down his throat...and ten more for the empty vial to shatter in his hand.
"I knew you were the one who paid those assassins."
Frieza sat opposite Cooler at the royal family's extravagantly laid out dining table. Various exotic specimens were available for all four of them to eat, any one of them easily capable of reaching for whatever they wanted with telekinesis. The food available was, admittedly, all protein, with no fruits or vegetables of any kind in sight. Frost Demons were strictly carnivorous by nature, capable of consuming and digesting even the most durable of exoskeletons and other protective structures. As such, some of the specimens laid out for their consumption were soft and worm-like, while others had shells would have been as hard as steel to almost any other species. The sophistication of Frost Demons' physiology also meant that they didn't have to worry about the kinds of diseases normally present in many types of raw meat. For this reason, all of the food they consumed was alive, still slithering and crawling around in a vain attempt to escape. Whenever one of the creatures attempted to exit their specially selected bowl, one of the four would send out a slight kiai, crushing parts of their bodies with telekinesis and leaving them in excruciating pain. As far as they were concerned, the varying degrees of shrieking and growling in the background helped to add to the atmosphere.
The room was fairly small, seeing as it was only meant to accommodate a small number of people, but it nevertheless spared no expense in terms of furnishings. King Cold naturally sat at the head of the table, while his wife sat opposite to him, already worried about another petty dispute forming between the two boys. Cooler smirked in response to Frieza's comment.
"Did you?" he asked, feigning curiosity. "I thought I had covered my tracks fairly well."
"It was obvious that someone had paid them to try and kill me. They're not so stupid as to attempt to kill me without the promise of a reward. Made payable to their families, I'm assuming."
"Oh, yes, they will be well taken care of," Cooler replied smoothly. "Before you erase their entire bloodlines, of course. But oh, goodness, your public approval with the Saiyans is bad enough as is. I might not even need to pay off the next team of assassins."
"Well, I can always threaten another officer of yours."
"And I can always ferret them out sooner or later."
"If you're so worried about me killing you once Father's gone, then perhaps I should just get it over with!"
"Go ahead and try it, you arrogant little-!"
King Cold slammed his hand down on the table, shaking it and causing some of the worms in a nearby bowl to fly out, scattering over the table. "That's enough! Both of you!" he bellowed, causing Frieza to quickly sit down while Cooler remained standing. Just because Frieza sat down doesn't mean he would stop talking, however.
"Father, you heard what he said last week!"
"Oh, of course you showed him the transmission!"
"You gave him 256 planets! Even more than I have! And is he grateful?! No! He needs to have everything!"
"Please, you might as well own those planets already!"
"Don't you start with that again!"
"Cooler, please, just let it go!" Frosta implored, sensing her husband's rising anger.
"No! I will not tolerate this any longer! The three of you have conspired to take away what it rightfully mine!"
"Oh, here we go," Frieza muttered, irritated at his brother's actions as he angrily shoved a crab-like creature into his mouth, chewing through it in one bite.
"Royal tradition from the time of Chilled has always held that it is the first child who will inherit the throne! I have taken those planets and made them generate more profit than anyone had ever expected! And yet, from the moment I was born, I was stripped of my inheritance, stripped of my right to lead the empire, simply because-!"
"Because you aren't strong enough!" King Cold countered sharply, stopping Cooler in his tracks. In his rage, he continued. "Strength is the one thing that has given anyone in our family the right to anything, and in case it wasn't blindingly obvious, you are the weakest member of our family to be born in three generations! Do you honestly think I could leave the empire our family has toiled for so long to build in the hands of someone who could be unseated by the next random mutant to come along?! It would have been madness!"
As King Cold finished his tirade, he suddenly felt himself weakening, as if his energy was being drained out of him. His hands began to shake, his heartbeat became increasingly irregular, and he found it difficult to stand. A quick glance around the table found his wife and son to be in similar condition, struggling to even remain seated while Cooler looked at them all with a sinister grin.
"Well...I suppose we'll find out soon, won't we?"
Without another word, Cooler rapidly fired out finger beams from his index fingers, piercing directly through King Cold's right breast, Frieza's torso, and Frosta's head, causing them all to collapse to the floor. With a massive kiai, Cooler ripped the extravagant table apart, sending shards of broken glass, pieces of wood and fabric, and the remains of their previously living food everywhere as he floated above it all, ready to finish each member of his family off. As King Cold lay on the ground, clutching his bleeding side, he tried desperately to get up, but found that his titanic strength had left him. He was powerless to stop Cooler as he floated above the fallen Frieza, only to be stopped in his tracks at the sound of an alarm. Cooler and King Cold both turned their heads to find that Frosta had managed to turn on the emergency summons, rallying the most elite guards on the planet to come to their aid in moments. King Cold's eyes widened while Cooler rolled his own in exasperation.
"Oh, bother," he said, a split second before firing a second finger beam at Frosta, leaving her to fall to the ground limp. King Cold let out an impotent roar of anger and grief, renewing his efforts to overcome the poison's effects. Cooler glanced at his father and grunted. "Hm. So you actually did care about her. Interesting." The remark, spoken so indifferently, only served to anger King Cold even further. Cooler began charging up a second finger beam, while Frieza feebly tried to charge his own in retaliation, the ki on his finger struggling to retain a coherent form. "Well, Father, you'll be reunited with her in a moment. I just wanted to make sure that this was the last thing you'd ever see." He held out his finger, the beam ready to pierce through his brother's brain and kill him once and for all...which was about as far as he got before he was shoved through the wall.
After hitting perhaps seven different walls in rapid succession, Cooler found himself outside, and swiftly being thrown into a nearby building with enough force to topple the structure completely. Before he could even process what had just happened, King Cold was upon him again, picking Cooler out of the rubble and shoving his face into it as hard as he could.
"WHAT! HAVE! YOU! DONE?!" King Cold screamed, punctuating each word with another impact before tossing him aside, bleeding and bruised. Cooler slowly got up as King Cold stood, blinded by rage and trembling from the effects of the poison, and scowled.
"I'm going to take what is rightfully mine!" Cooler angrily insisted, punctuating that remark with a fierce blow to his father's jaw, leaving it cracked. A few more similarly savage blows followed as Cooler became increasingly enraged as well. "I will grow to surpass both of you! I will be the one to conquer the universe! And I will be the greatest ruler our people have ever known! Do you hear me?!"
Before Cooler could land the finishing blow, he found his hand caught in his father's massive fist, still shaking violently along with other parts of his body.
"Oh yes..." King Cold replied, his earlier explosive rage replaced with a more quietly intense fury. "I hear you." Without another word, he crushed his son's hand, causing him to wince in agony. "I hear the words of a weak, arrogant, precocious child, trying desperately to fill a role that has always been too big for him!" He yanked on Cooler's arm, dislocating it and worsening his son's pain. "A child that I no longer have to indulge."
After releasing him, King Cold rammed his other fist into Cooler's ribs, breaking almost all of them in a single blow. Gasping for air and unable to retaliate, Cooler sunk to his knees clutching his stomach, prompting King Cold to hit him across the face and send him tumbling to the ground. He then followed this up with another blow to the face from the opposite fist, and so it went for some time, each strike becoming more brutal than the last as Cooler feebly tried to defend himself against it. The young prince's cries of pain gradually grew quieter, until at last King Cold could hear no sound coming from his son. Not that that stopped him. He landed a couple more blows before both of his arms suddenly burned with a searing pain, causing him to recoil and fall to the ground as his legs likewise failed him. His heartbeat had only become more irregular over the course of the battle, and his breaths were becoming more and more shallow. As such, he struggled to process much of what happened next.
He saw the Palace Guards, elite Frost Demons tasked with protecting the royal family, fly in first, followed by some of his elite soldiers. He recognized Jamba, hovering over the body of his son to make sure that he was dead. The three eyed warrior checked the boy's pulse, and one look told him that it was nonexistent. King Cold nodded dimly as the Palace Guards swiftly moved to take him away. He vaguely recalled ordering Jamba to dispose of the body, sending it out towards the sun. Jamba simply nodded, and crafted a couple of copies to assist him in the task. This was the last thing King Cold remembered before everything went to black.
When Cooler next awoke, it was underneath a bleak, black sky, obscured by dark clouds and the dim light of a small dwarf star. A preliminary glance at his surroundings told Cooler that he had been moved to an alien planet, and had been lying on the dark, cold rocks of said planet's surface. He didn't see anyone else around him until he deigned to look up, and spotted a familiar figure flying in from somewhere close by.
"Ah, good. You're awake," Jamba remarked. "I was scarcely sure you'd make it."
Cooler began to feel a surge of anger upon looking at Jamba's face, although he was far too disoriented to do much about it.
"The poison, it...it failed."
Jamba pursed his lips. "Yes, Frieza and King Cold's resistance to it was rather surprising. I suppose witnessing the death of his wife and imminent demise of his favorite son spurred King Cold on to push through the poison's effects, while Frieza's own power kept him alive for a few crucial minutes. However...it would have killed them both eventually, if the doctors hadn't managed to get it out of their system. It was a very near thing." Jamba sighed. "Of course, while you were unconscious, King Cold personally destroyed Valaris, and you took the last of the compound which I had prepared. An opportunity like that will never come again."
Cooler slowly sat himself up before falling back down, the residual pain of his healing ribs, fractured arm, and significant concussion proving too much for him. Seeking a compromise, he lifted up his body with telekinesis, using his tail to help support himself as he looked deep into Jamba's eyes.
"You took advantage of the circumstances...in order to fake my death."
Jamba nodded. "I didn't consider your failure to be likely, but I am rather effective at improvisation. The chaos of the situation provided ample cover for my copies to arrange for your escape, by modifying an Attack Ball's tracker to fail precisely when contact with the ship would have been lost as it was entering a star's photosphere. After that, the Attack Ball's autopilot maneuvered it around the star, and it jumped to FTL, leaving no one the wiser."
Cooler floated himself off the ground, contemplating what to do. "And now?"
"Now you are here, on a planet I have selected precisely because no one bothers to monitor it. There's absolutely nothing of value here, and yet, the barren environment will serve as an excellent training ground."
Cooler looked at Jamba skeptically. "You mocked me...for thinking that I could overcome them before."
"Before, you didn't have the advantage of everyone in the universe believing you to be dead," Jamba replied simply. "Now there is nothing stopping you from devoting your entire existence to growing strong enough to surpass your father and brother."
"And if I decided to kill you...as punishment for your failed scheme nearly costing me my life?"
Jamba chuckled. "Feel free, if that is your wish. You know that the death of one copy of mine has no bearing on the lives of the others, outside of perhaps a few recurring nightmares. I give you my word that I will leave you to your own devices and never even mention where you are presently located to King Cold or Frieza. However, as angry as you are...I doubt you're going to kill me right now."
"And why precisely would you think that?"
Jamba smirked. "It's a simple fact: I'm too valuable to you at the moment." Cooler looked at him with a withering gaze, prompting him to continue. "You are alone on an alien planet which you have never visited, while I have, many years ago. You may require knowledge of the events of the outside world, knowledge which my link to my copies allows me to provide to you. You seek to grow stronger, but everyone knows that training is best accomplished with a partner, however weak they may be. And my long life has afforded me the opportunity to send my copies all over the universe, gathering martial arts knowledge and techniques thought to be lost to time. Techniques which will give you a number of advantages against those you seek to overcome. Techniques which only I can teach you. In the end, killing me...will only delay your own revenge."
Cooler regarded Jamba for a moment, incredibly tempted to kill him. The last great idea he had had almost gotten him killed, after all, even if it had been more successful than anything he'd tried up until that point. He could accomplish his goals on his own, couldn't he? He paused, suddenly unsure of the answer to that question. Perhaps, with enough time, he could grow stronger all on his own, strong enough to kill the rest of his family. However, the amount of time such an endeavor would take would no doubt be formidable even with Jamba's assistance, and without it...Cooler sighed. There really wasn't any other choice, was there? As much as he was loathe to admit it...Jamba had once again given him an offer he couldn't refuse. He looked into Jamba's eyes, resolving there and then to hunt down every copy of him in the universe once his family was dead. Aside from them, he thought, this three-eyed man may well lay claim to being the most dangerous person in the empire.
"Then let us get started," Cooler said, the second time he found himself making a deal with the devil.
Age 763
Cooler floated slightly beyond the edge of a tall cliff, a rugged landscape of dark, mountainous spires and other rock formations below him. Hardly anything grew on Forbyss, the name that Jamba had provided when he asked what this desolate planet was called. What animal life did exist on it was small and relatively helpless, providing meager sustenance for Jamba and a frequent annoyance for Cooler, who could go for weeks at a time before requiring meat. The red dwarf star which Forbyss orbited cast the planet in a continuous red daylight which lasted for nearly four years, leaving it in total darkness for the same time interval and making it both difficult to see and incredibly cold. Still, although several of Jamba's copies had perished over the course of their time on the planet, for men such as themselves, it was a suitable enough environment.
He had spent thirty years on this planet. Thirty years spent sparring, learning, and, begrudgingly, meditating, all in the hopes of increasing his power. And increase it most certainly had, simply by the fact that Cooler could measure it on his own. He had heard reports of some species having the natural capacity to sense other life form's energy, of course, but he had been completely unaware of the possibility that such an ability could be taught and developed over time. That had been the first skill Jamba had taught him, alongside the ability to adjust one's level of power in order to avoid detection.
Beyond that, he had also expanded his abilities in the realm of ki manipulation. All Frost Demons were taught basic ki techniques, such as ki blasts, telekinesis, and the power of flight, and many of course developed their own unique attacks. With Jamba's teachings, however, Cooler had learned how to manipulate ki to an extent he hadn't even believed was possible. He had learned how to conserve his stamina when using ki, allowing him to fight for far longer than an inexperienced fighter like Frieza. He had learned techniques which drew upon every last reserve of his power in order to produce attacks stronger than what he could normally manage. He had developed some techniques aimed at misdirection, distracting his enemies and giving him the advantage. And, after decades of intensive training, he had achieved something no one of his species had ever achieved before, honing it and perfecting it until now, after all of this time...he was ready.
So it was that he had come to float above the expanse, one last long look before, hopefully, leaving the bleak planet forever and finally claiming what was rightfully his. He kept his expression neutral as he sensed Jamba flying towards him, turning around to speak to him properly.
"Well?" he asked, to which Jamba simply sighed.
"It wasn't easy, but I managed to discreetly contact Commander Salza."
"And? Did he believe you?"
"I have told him exactly what you had instructed me to tell him, after explaining how I had faked your death. He seems convinced that you were truly alive and giving him instructions through a proxy."
Cooler raised an eyebrow. When he had told Jamba to relate every detail of the conversation he had with Salza shortly after the Armored Squadron was formed, he had been somewhat skeptical that it alone would assure him that he was alive. Nevertheless, if true, it was especially fortuitous.
"Well, then. Can he arrange for a rendezvous?"
"One moment," Jamba said, staying silent as his copy, sitting in modestly furnished quarters on another planet, continued to speak with the commander. When he had gotten his answer, the copy standing before Cooler cleared his throat. "Not at this time. The Armored Squadron has been ordered to a planet called Zoon, in order to confront what are believed to be defecting members of the Ginyu Force."
At this, Cooler raised an eyebrow. "Defecting? The Ginyu Force? I find that hard to believe. Ginyu's loyalty to my father and brother is absolute."
Jamba nodded. "Well, nevertheless, four of the Ginyus' pods were tracked as heading towards that planet. The Armored Squadron will leave to pursue them before the hour is over."
Cooler put a hand on his chin, thinking it over. "Well, then, tell Salza this: if possible, offer them the chance to serve under me. If the Ginyu Force has grown dissatisfied with my brother's leadership, perhaps they will be more receptive to mine."
Jamba looked at the prince skeptically. "I somehow doubt that they would be particularly interested in that offer." Cooler simply shrugged.
"Well, if not, Salza can kill them and be done with it. Whether they accept or not is of little concern, but a few more powerful soldiers under my command would certainly be helpful in establishing my regime."
Jamba smiled. "Of course." After a pause, he decided to ask Cooler a question, in a somewhat amused tone. "May I ask what you're doing up here?"
Cooler's expression was unreadable as he looked down at the sprawling landscape.
"Nothing in particular," he replied simply before getting down to business. "What of the new Attack Balls? Have your copies sent them off?"
Jamba nodded. "It took some doing, but they were launched from Frieza Planet 352 a few hours ago, and will arrive in approximately eight days." Cooler looked at Jamba carefully, searching for signs of dishonesty, but none could be found. "It was the nearest planet from which I could sneak them off," Jamba explained, causing Cooler to sigh, annoyed at the delay.
"If you say so. But we are leaving this planet as soon as those pods arrive. And if they don't...I will find you eventually. Every last one of you. Understood?"
Jamba smiled, wider this time. Cooler had said that on many occasions in all the time he had known the firstborn prince. He seemed to believe he knew when Jamba was lying to him, but the fact that he still made that threat demonstrated how uncertain he was that that was true. It was reasonable when Jamba stopped to consider it. Cooler knew more of Jamba's true capabilities than anyone else in the universe, and after having been weaker than his family for so long, he had been all too aware of how vulnerable he was. And yet, he didn't really have a much better idea of how Jamba operated than King Cold did. Neither of them had been able to figure Jamba out...but Jamba had easily figured them out.
Where King Cold seemed to trust the assumption that Jamba would never even think of betraying him, Cooler seemed to trust the assumption that he, in his infinite intelligence, would be able to anticipate when Jamba would betray him and swiftly prevent it, by drawing off of that same awareness. When he thought about it, both assumptions were rooted in each man's own arrogance and sense of superiority. They both believed that they were simply too powerful or too intelligent to fall victim to betrayal, and thus they invariably ended up missing a crucial detail here and there, while thinking they could see the whole picture. A detail which might have saved their lives, if they'd only had the mindset needed to look for it.
Jamba simply nodded. This left Cooler satisfied for the moment, as confident in the fact that Jamba was planning something as he was that he would be able to overcome whatever plan Jamba devised.
"After all," Cooler thought to himself, "Now...I am the strongest in the universe."
And thus, the Frost Demon Saga begins!
I kinda threw this update together last minute, although the actual content has been done for a while. I was so focused on writing the next few chapters that it completely slipped my mind to get this ready, so, sorry for that. As of this moment, Chapter 27 is finished, and Chapters 28 and 29 are both nearing completion, having been patched together from all the content I've written over the last week or so. They may still be reworked into three chapters instead of two, or certain bits taken out and put into chapters much later. I also did some work on setting up a mini-arc which I will begin publishing following this arc's conclusion. More details will come once this arc is over, but suffice it to say that it's going to be a pretty big departure from what you'd expect from canon. Keep that in mind before you pass judgement.
As I've said before, we're going back to the every other week format, meaning that Chapter 27 is coming on January 12th, 2020. Hope you guys are looking forward to it!
Anyway, we're starting this arc off with a look into the past: specifically, the past of King Cold's first son, Cooler. Meant to inherit the throne, but ultimately replaced by his younger brother Frieza, whose power so vastly exceeded his own that he has made it his mission to kill him by whatever means necessary. He will be one of the antagonists of this arc alongside his father, who has plans of his own concerning the approaching Son Goku. These plans will be expanded upon in the next chapter.
This chapter also introduces us to a supporting antagonist of this arc: Jamba. Just to be clear, Jamba is an OC I created specifically for this arc, from an alien race which Tien is distantly descended from. Yes, I know, I went with the "Tien's an alien" thing. Ultimately, the prospect of a character who can create copies of themselves which exist completely independently of each other, and all the possibilities for intrigue and betrayal using such an ability, in spite of having a low power level, was pretty darn cool, to be honest. Besides, it'd be interesting for Tien to learn a little more about where he came from.
Anyway, as I said, Jamba's main ability is to create copies of himself, using far less ki to do so than Tien's Multi-Form technique does, without the drawback of evenly splitting his power among his copies. Instead, the copies are simply moderately weaker than the original whole, but they can regain their strength with time. They exist independently, die independently, and Jamba operates all of them as a single unified consciousness. He's like a hive mind...of himself. Nobody knows just how many copies of Jamba there are throughout the universe, scattered over the course of almost two centuries of life, although he insists that there is a limit to how many copies he can have running at one time. Then again, everyone is aware of Jamba's penchant for deception, and his aptitude at taking care of many of the pesky problems faced by the empire. He wants King Cold and Frieza dead, but why? And what are his plans at the moment? Yet again, nobody knows for sure, except for Jamba himself, and a certain other character we met not too long ago...
So, with that explanation out of the way, time for responses!
Jokermask18 says:
"Nice :}"
Thank you! =)
Alright, now for power levels!
Cooler(birth): 2.64 million in his fourth transformation.
King Cold: 100 million in his second transformation.
Queen Frosta: 10 million.
Frieza(birth): A little over 100 million in his fourth transformation, when pushed to his absolute limit.
Cooler(age 4): Around 2.75 million.
Frieza(age 2): 105 million maximum, but 463,750 in his first form.
Jamba: Varies by copy, but in this particular case, his power level is around 5,000.
Frieza(weakened): 110,000 in his first form.
Frosta(weakened): A little under a million.
King Cold(weakened): 3 million.
Cooler(post training): 20 million.
Jamba(post-training): 400,000 with that particular copy.
So, with all that said, thank you all for reading, have yourselves a fantastic night, and take care.