The Saiyan Gamer
Chapter 38: Checkmate
"I'm sure you know why you're here."
Azalea stood tall and proud as her eyes bounced lazily between the two men in front of her. To her left stood Wood, dressed in his royal Tuffle garbles. She was never one for the theatrics, and so came to the meeting in her regular casual clothing. Her brother regarded her with a neutral nod before they both turned their attention to the one who called the meeting.
The King, their father, sat opposing Azalea. Where most Kings on other planets would be decorated in gold, he instead sported Durinium, a blood-red metal that was exclusive to Planet Plant. It was incredibly durable but extremely rare, and he was covered in it completely. He glared at her, his piercing red eyes not leaving her for a moment. No matter her age, his stare always made her feel like a child again.
"I have no idea," She lied, raising both eyebrows to feign ignorance. He could see straight through it, they both knew it. "Would you care to explain? I was enjoying an evening nap."
He narrowed his eyes ever so slightly, enough to make her heart skip a beat. She steeled her expression, waiting for his response. After a few seconds of painful silence, he said, "I've heard reports about a secret military operation. Something about jump-starting the Great War."
Azalea opened her mouth to speak, but he raised his palm and her mouth snapped shut with a clap. He inhaled deeply, before continuing. "Surely this must be a mistake. I raised my daughter with enough sense to not launch a plan half-baked. Let alone a treasonous one."
Her heart skipped a beat, and for a second her emotions betrayed her. She drew back in her frown the second that it appeared, before saying, "What have you heard?"
"So you admit to treason?" He asked, tilting his head to the side slightly.
"I didn't admit to anything, I just asked what you heard," She clarified. They stared in silence for a few seconds, before the King turned to Wood and nodded his head.
"Rumor has it that a large-scale army was forming somewhere on the outskirts of our territories. It was extremely covert, but once I got word of it, it didn't take long to figure out what was going on," Her little brother said, and it only took a moment for it to click.
Her eyes narrowed and she frowned deeply, annoyance building in her. "You're not supposed to be reading people's minds without their permission!"
"And you're not supposed to be starting wars!" He snapped back. "What are you thinking?"
"I don't need to be lectured by a child," She spat, fists clenched.
"Perhaps you ought to be!" The Tuffle King's voice filled the room with a boom and both siblings fell silent. Azalea's attention moved back to him, as he scowled at her. "Do you understand what an attack like that would do? How it would affect not just the Saiyans, but the Tuffles too?"
She tried to stay silent, she really did, but she was tired of holding in her opinion. "Of course I have! The morale of our people will be bolstered and they will stand up in arms and demand the extermination of the Saiyans! They won't sit down and wait any longer!"
The King's face grew hot and he scowled. "You would willingly insight an insurrection against me? Your own father?"
"If it means freeing our people from this prison you put us in, then yes! If it means exterminating all of the Saiyans, yes!" She took a step forward, her anger rising equally as fast as her father's. "We've waited too long to finish what they started! And when we were so close, you decide to push it back for a stranger!"
She took another step forward, and to her surprise, the King rose to meet her. She halted in her movement and was forced to look up into his eyes, which held such fierce power that she briefly wondered if she made the right choice going against him. Still, she stood her ground, until he sighed a long breath.
"I'm disappointed in you."
He was in an elevated state of anger, but even still, Azalea knew that he meant it. She steeled her expression despite the turmoil that she felt inside. She didn't trust herself to speak, so she simply continued their staring match.
"You will dismantle your military attack at once and we'll talk about your extremism at a later date. If not, you will be arrested for treason and sentenced accordingly," He ordered her. Their staring match ended with her scowling and looking away. The King turned back to his throne and began walking back, only for her next sentence to freeze him to the spot.
"It's too late," She said through her rising emotion. "I knew what this meeting was about the moment that I was summoned. I sent them ahead of me. With any luck, they'll be finished already."
There was silence, as the Tuffle King and Wood both stared at her in disbelief. Wood recovered first, his staff slamming into his palm and his eyes burning with blue energy. He tapped the ground gently and a pulse of blue magic exploded outward and through the walls, spreading all throughout the Tuffle Kingdom. After a second or two, the energy returned to him and he gasped.
"You really did it," He stared at her in disbelief. Their father turned back around in the blink of an eye, hands balled into fists. Instead of verbally lashing out as she expected, he glared at her with a scowl that could have turned anyone lesser to dust.
"How dare you..." His voice quivered in his anger. "Where did you send them?"
The silence was deafening, and it soon became clear that Azalea wasn't talking. Wood took a deep breath, as azure magic swirled around his entire being for a few seconds. He lifted his staff higher into the air, before slamming it down. A pulse of blue energy expanded outwards again, but this time it didn't stop at that Tuffle territories. When it came back around, Wood's face went pale.
"Omato Village..." He said breathlessly. "What have you done?"
Without any words, the air in the room thickened like soup. Azalea flinched, as anger, unlike anything her Father had expressed before flickered onto his face. Golden energy, his magic, caused his eyes to burn with ethereal light. Just seeing his magic, for the first time in many years, made the princess's heartbeat quicken in her chest.
"You bloodthirsty fool!" The King's voice shook the entirety of the castle. Footsteps could be heard as guards ran down the hallway towards the throne room. When they burst in, they surrounded Azalaea and looked at the King in confusion and worry. The King closed his eyes, took several deep breaths, and when he opened them again, they were normal.
"If he dies..." He said calmly as walked up to his daughter, fury burning behind his calm demeanor. "...So do you."
The message was clear, Before she could protest, he turned to the guards. "Princess Azalea, you are under arrest for treason against the King."
The guards hesitated but obeyed once Azalea put her hands behind her back. She had a blank expression on her face, having expected this outcome. He would have looked weak if he hadn't arrested her for an act of treason. But despite that, she knew that her stay wouldn't be long. Most Tuffles wanted the same thing that she did, and when they learned that she'd given them what they'd been begging for for years, there would be protests for her release. They both knew it.
As they escorted her out, the Tuffle King turned to Wood, who still looked greatly disturbed by the turn of events. He said, "Get Oak and get over there as soon as possible. You've been granted the rank of Admiral."
Wood seemed stunned by the revelation, but quickly straightened his back and bowed his head slightly. The importance of the title was lost to him over the meaning behind it. Quietly, he asked, "Does that mean...?"
The King's jaw tightened as he put his arms behind his back and stared off into the distance. "What your sister has done is irreversible. She didn't just poke the bear, she killed its cubs in front of it. The Saiyans will not take this sitting down, nor will our people allow me to stand by any longer. So to answer your question, yes..."
"The war for Planet Plant has begun."
Sprout POV
Due to Sleeping, Your HP Has Been Restored to 100%!
"Sprout! Sprout!"
I woke up with a start, my eyes snapping open to see Zaria hovering above me. Her eyebrows were furrowed in worry and the moment my eyes opened, she brought me into a deep hug. I allowed the warmth to wash over me until she disengaged.
"How… How long was I asleep?" I asked. I looked around and realized that we were in a building, one that somehow survived the destruction of my battle with Blerry. The sounds from the battle outside seeped in through the walls; overlays of screaming, explosions, and unholy screeching. There were quite a few people standing around anxiously, and I frowned deeply as the memories of the battle came back to me.
"Where's Turles?" I asked before she had a chance to respond.
"He's in one of the rooms," She informed me. "He's alive but he's not looking good."
"Take me to him," I asked of her. Ignoring the numbness still present in my body, I stood up. "Please. I have a Hissuan plant."
She nodded and began leading me away from the crowds of people. As we went, I examined the people in the building with us, recognizing some of them. They were the warriors that had wanted to fight. While I couldn't see her, I could hear Brussel shouting out orders. It was clear by the distraught on their faces that whatever attack that they'd tried to launch had failed.
"Zaria, where's everyone else?" I asked.
"Jitsuki, Leeku and Root are outside trying to keep away the infected and the rest are where we are heading," She explained. I felt a bit of relief hearing that Leeku was fine, but it was buried by my other emotions. "Omato is fighting the female Tuffle with blue armor."
"Okay… He'll be fine," I said slowly. "If he can't win, then none of us can."
Eventually, we got a room and entered it. Rue sat with a blank look in his eyes, staring down at Turles, who was as pale as a corpse. His hands were positioned over his stomach wound, and he was barely conscious, on the verge of passing. Next to him, Kakarot was unresponsive too, but thankfully his health wasn't dropping like Turles.
"S-Sprout?" Turles whispered, and immediately I was at his side.
I nodded my heartbeat quickened. "Don't speak, Turles. It'll be alright soon. I have a Hissuan plant. I'm going to heal yo-"
"N-No…" He breathed out, slowly turning his head. "M-Mom… Is still alive…"
My heart skipped several beats, and slowly, my eyes followed his. Lying in the corner of the room was Gine. I could see her health bar. It was ridiculously low, but it was there. She was still alive, and I could save her. But… My eyes slowly left her body and landed back on Turles, whose eyes had opened slightly.
"I… Turles… I…" My words failed me as a pain in my chest blossomed like a forest fire. My entire body shook violently.
"Spro-"
"Get out," I whispered. My throat felt impossibly tight. "Please… Both of you."
They hesitated, but eventually I heard both Rue and Zaria leave. I'm not sure how long I stared off into empty space, trying to make an impossible decision.
How could I choose between someone I viewed as a brother and someone I viewed as a mother? I couldn't do it. The leaf appeared in my hand, but I held it so tightly that I wondered how it didn't split. I tried to speak but found myself unable to, the burning in my chest only intensifying.
If only I was stronger. This wouldn't have happened if I was strong enough to kill that blue-haired bastard the moment he showed up. Turles' grandfather was right when he said that strength was relative. I'd gotten a hundred times stronger since arriving on the planet, yet I still wasn't strong enough to save the ones I cared about.
But if the Tuffles hadn't invaded, it wouldn't have mattered. This was all their fault. They were forcing me to make this impossible decision. I would kill the ones responsible for this, I swore on it. I'm not sure how long I stared off into nothingness before I felt Turles brush his arm against mine.
"Please, Sprout…" He wheezed, tears streaming down his face. Just before he passed out, he said, "Save her…"
I inhaled deeply, organizing my thoughts and emotions. I'm not sure how long it took, but eventually, I exhaled.
I'd made my choice.
The air was stiff, and the wailing of the infected had stopped, along with the sound of battle. Everyone in the building stirred in uncomfortable silence, unsure of what would come next. I pushed through the crowd, making my way to Brussel who was standing arguing with someone. Upon seeing me, she narrowed her eyes.
"What's up, brat?" She asked, halting her conversation with the man. "I'm honestly surprised that you're talking to me."
"I wouldn't be if I had another choice," I said, although the hatred that I'd felt before wasn't quite there. "They've surrounded us."
"How do you know that?" She asked, raising a critical eyebrow at me. "This place has no windows and the people outside haven't come back in yet."
"It's complicated, just trust me," I said. "We need to get out of this building and do something. If not, who knows what they've got planned. They might just bomb us again."
"Trust? In a situation like this? I can't rely on that," She said, crossing her arms. I stared into her eyes, and a few moments later the door busted open and Root came barreling in. Behind him, Jitsuki and Leeku followed.
"They've got us surrounded!" Root yelled, causing everyone in the room to erupt into chaos. Brussel looked down at me with curious eyes, before she turned to the last of the village.
"LISTEN UP!" She shouted, shutting everyone up. "It seems like we're surrounded from all ends. They haven't blown up the building so I assume that there's something that they want. I will go out to try to negotiate with the Tuffles, but in the event of my death, fight until your last breaths."
"Why negotiate?! Let's fight!"
"Yeah! Fuck them!"
I noticed quickly that the majority of the survivors were young, around my age and below. The oldest seemed to be Brussel, who was only a few years older than me.
"While my Dad is out there fighting, I am the active Chief!" She yelled, shutting them up again. "Wait, and watch! If I see even one of you out there while I'm still alive, I'll fucking kill you!"
They listened to that, sulking back and giving her a path to walk to the door. When she started to walk, I followed, causing her to turn and look down at me, eyebrows narrowed.
"I'm going alone, brat," She growled at me.
"I'm coming with you whether you like it or not," I replied seriously. "I have something that they want."
"How could you have something that the Tuffles want?" She questioned me, but I ignored her. After a few seconds, she nodded her head and we both pushed the door open.
We were surrounded completely and entirely. The infected were standing at the front of their forces, but behind them were hundreds of Tuffles with their guns trailing on us. Above our heads, ships twisted so that their turrets were pointed directly down at us. But directly in front of us, a figure stood.
Bloom, the sister of Blerry. Her cerulean armor was destroyed in places, and she stood with a limp, but she was very much alive. Her right hand held a crystal blue sword that made my eyes widen in anger. That was Omato's Fang of Frost.
"You…" I breathed out, taking a step towards her. "Where is he?"
"He fought well until the end," She replied simply, as she smugly swung around the Fang of Frost. There's no way…
"What do you want?" Brussel asked coldly. "There's a reason that you haven't blown us to bits."
"You will surrender," Bloom demanded, her eyes bouncing from Brussel, to me. I could feel her glare even through her mask. She knew what I did.
"And what if we don't?" Brussel questioned further.
"You Saiyans. Stubborn all the way to death," Bloom shook her head. "If you don't, then you all die, is that what you want?"
"We'd rather die proudly in battle than be led into captivity by the weak," Brussel pressed on.
"Weak?" Bloom laughed as she used the Fang of Frost to point at the army around us. "From my point of view, you're the weak ones."
Brussel growled as the debates fell into silence. Suddenly, a hand grabbed me, yanking me to the side. A powerful force twisted my arm behind my back, and I felt heat wash over my chest. Looking down, I could see a blade made of Ki inches away from my neck.
"Here's a new idea," Brussel said smugly. "You allow us to leave, unharmed, and I don't kill the brat."
And the hatred is back. I growled in anger but didn't resist. She liked me, but Brussel was clearly fucking insane. If it gave her an advantage, I wouldn't put it past her to kill me now.
I expected Bloom to squash the idea immediately, but instead, there was a long silence. What the fuck is going on? Am I that important to the Tuffles that even after killing her brother, she is still considering the trade? I stare in disbelief. Or maybe she just wants to kill me herself.
"Alright…" Bloom said slowly, to my surprise. "I think we have a d-"
A sound only likened to a meteor breaking through the atmosphere echoed above us. All of our heads snapped up in time to see an unbelievable scene occur. Their largest ship lit up in flames, as a figure shrouded in vibrant blue energy smashed right through it like a piece of paper. The figure flew in a blur, slicing through every ship, from small to large, until only scraps remained. Hundreds of lives were snuffed out in seconds.
"I-Is that...?" The fear in Bloom's voice was palpable.
The mystery figure, once he was done with the ships, came barreling down towards the ground, landing in between us and Bloom. Even despite his power, he didn't destroy the ground with his landing.
"Bardock?" I asked as the energy surrounding him settled down. He looked over his shoulder at me, a blank expression on his face as everyone watched on in silence.
"Sprout, where are they?" He broke the silence with perhaps the worst question that he could have asked.
I opened my mouth to respond, but quickly shut it. A few seconds later, his expression grew icy, the message having reached. Slowly, he turned to face Bloom.
"I'm going to say this once," Bardock's voice came out, a low growl that sent a shiver down my spine. "Your ships are destroyed. Your soldiers are ants to me. Turn away now and I won't slaughter you all."
Bloom stared in silence for a few seconds, and her fists clenched tightly. Her eyes bounced from Bardock to me, and Bardock caught on, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"I made a deal with that redhead before… She said we could take the white-haired Saiyan in exchange for their survival…" She tried to negotiate, but as soon as she spoke, Bardock's energy began to swirl around him like a storm.
He put both hands in front of him, and a ball of pure white energy slowly began to form. My eyes were glued to it the moment that it came into existence, like metal to a magnet. I could feel my heartbeat beginning to accelerate as I got lightheaded.
Oozaru Transformation Underway!
"I told you that I'd only say it once," He said as whatever he had planned only continued to grow. His voice quickly became unrecognizable. The only thing I could liken it to was a beast standing before its prey.
"You wouldn't!" Bloom gasped. I could tell that the army behind her recognized Bardock's attack, as they all started to take steps back. "Doing that here… You'd risk destroying the planet!"
"This is your final warning."
The attack grew, and while it did, it felt as if I was growing with it. The stare-off between the two continued until finally Bloom threw her hands up and she turned to face her army.
"Let's get going! Clear a path!" She yelled to her army, who responded all too quickly. Even hiding behind the infected Saiyans, I could see that they didn't want to tussle with Bardock. Slowly, they parted ways, allowing us a pathway to exit through the rubble. Bardock dropped his hands and the ball of white light disappeared.
Transformation Halted!
"Looks like you'll get to live another day," Brussel chuckled, her energy blade retreating from my throat. I growled and tried to elbow her in the stomach, only for her to already be gone.
"Sprout," Bardock said, bringing my attention back to him. "Take me to them."
I nodded my head, Brussel lone forgotten, and a foreboding chill replacing my anger. As we walked back into the building, I explained to him what had happened while he was gone. His face stayed frosty the entire time, which only made my nerves increase. I opened the door to the backroom and let Bardock in, but hesitated in the doorframe.
Sitting up in their bed, Turles stared down at his lap, unblinking. Slowly, his eyes lifted, but not to look at his father. A piercing glare bore into my very soul.
"Get out."
His voice was soft but harsh. I was unable to respond, sharp pain in my chest leaving me breathless. He glared at me now, his teeth grinding against each other.
"I told you to save her… I told you to save HER! Why did you choose me?!" He yelled, stunning me into further silence. Eventually, I managed to open my mouth to speak.
"T-Turles… You're my closest friend… I couldn't lose you…"
Turles stood up from his bed and walked right past Bardock until he was nose to nose with me. With resolve that I'd never seen in him up until that point, he said, "Don't you dare speak to me again."
"What?" I asked. Before I could think any further, a fist crashed through my armor and into my stomach, peeling me over. While I gasped for air, he grabbed me by the edge of my armor, picked me up, and slammed me against the wall behind us.
"You fucking killed her, Sprout. The Tuffle might have stabbed her, but when you chose me over her, you killed her. I will never forgive you for that."
Speechless, I stayed against the wall, even as he returned to the room, collected Kakarot's unconscious body, and walked out. Bardock wasn't far behind with Gine's corpse. Before passing me, he looked down at me, a frown on his face. I couldn't bear to look at him.
"Don't beat yourself up about it. If it weren't for you, they'd have both been dead," He said softly, although I wasn't sure if he meant that completely. I'd just killed his wife, after all. "You made the choice that you thought was right. Turles will come around eventually."
I didn't respond, and he sighed deeply, before putting a hand on my shoulder.
"Let's go."
And that ends the Attack On Omato Village Arc! I hope you're still enjoying the story, it is only going to get better from here on out! Review and let me know your thoughts!
