Nail had arrived at the encampment to find what he had been told was an organized effort to ensure that the Namekian people were protected from Frieza's forces… to be an utterly chaotic mess. Yes, they had worked hard to hide themselves and ensure that no one spotted them but that did no good when everyone was flying in and out, buzzing about like Jitter Flies. Worse, there seemed to be no REASON for it as none of the Namekians he had tried to talk to could agree upon WHY they were panicked.

Some said that Frieza had found out what was happening and was on his way to attack them and it had been decided that they must scatter. Each was to take a Dragon Ball and hide it… and seeing Nail with Lord Guru's Dragon Ball had made them believe that he was preparing to do just that. Which had led to them rushing to grab the Dragon Balls that had been collected (Four of them, surprisingly… which left only one in the wind) only to be met by other Namekians who had declared they were fools and thieves.

These Namekians had said that the new arrivals from… Earth?... were moving to engage Frieza in battle and that they needed to protect the Dragon Balls until they returned. Any attempts to take the ancient relics was to move against Namek, risking them all in their terror.

But that had led to others claiming that wasn't the case at all. That two great warriors were coming and they were going to slaughter Frieza and that tribute was needed for them. One was supposed to be a Saiyan God of some kind, a great beast that was as tall of Lord Guru and was only satisfied with meat, which the Namekians didn't have and were trying to find. The other was a dark mage who had consumed already one planet completely, claiming its lifeforce to fuel his spells and that if they did not offer him a wish upon the Dragon Balls he would demand Namek's lifeforce as well. Of course that had led to further arguments, with some of his brothers claiming that some woman named 'Bulma' was married to the Saiyan God while others said that the sorcerer was from another reality entirely.

Others had more disturbing claims. That the Earthlings didn't want the Dragon Balls at all; they really just wanted the Namekian Children. That a group of Namekians of the Warrior Tribe had betrayed them, falling and becoming part of the Demon Tribe. That they wanted the Dragon Balls themselves to resurrect someone named Piccolo or Kami or Slug.

After one Namekian child had come up to him and desperately asked if Nail could see him since none of the adults seemed to notice him and kept saying 'the children were gone' Nail had bellowed for quiet and demanded answers.

While they might not have respected him as they did Lord Guru they had respected the power he had and all of them had fallen quiet.

That's when one of the new arrivals, along with Elder Mori, had explained what had REALLY happened. And while it had been bad it hadn't been as terrible as they'd all made it out to be.

Children getting out when they shouldn't have, panicked guardians, and a rush to find both groups after they'd run off. It was silly and a needless distraction but at least not as dire as Nail had been told. And there was good news as well. The caves were nearly half dug and apparently very secure and, should things be put to rights, they would be able to get all of the Namekians down there comfortably though some wanted to begin digging tunnels to perhaps make more caves. It was… well, it was a fine idea and one they should consider, in case another disaster struck. The woman, Bulma, had finished creating a device that would keep the Dragon Balls hidden from the machines the invaders were using, so that they could be safely hidden away; she had even offered to allow them, once everything was done with, to keep the device so that if invaders ever came again they'd be safe. And according to a strange robotic creature called 'Isco' there were, in fact, two warriors coming: A Saiyan warrior, father of the lost boy, and a power mage who was 'one of two that will be spared during the Robotic Revolution'.

But it had still meant that there were people running about, causing problems. He wouldn't leave them to their fates, of course, but he also didn't want to waste too much manpower finding them; after all, that would only create MORE chaos if he just allowed everyone to go rushing about without a second thought or a plan in place. It was how they had apparently ended up in the situation they were in now, with the mother of the child (such a strange thing to consider, needing more than one being to create a child) rushing off without even a thought on how to tell the others her child was safe.

Thus Nail had handed off the Dragon Ball he'd brought with him (having been unable to take it to the waterfall first, as his companion had demanded they go to the camp first and Nail had decided, against his better judgment, to simply agree with him rather than get into a petty squabble) to Elders Mori and Sax (who had taken the lead in managing the Namekians there) and headed out on his own. Though not before he had commanded every Namekian there to REMAIN there and continue digging the caverns and, should any return, tell them to do the same. No more buzzing about. No more flying in such a way that would alert all to their location.

In the end if had taken him invoking Lord Guru's name to get them all to obey but they had and Nail had continued on…

…and ended up finding two of the strange new arrivals battling against a pale green bestial creature.

"You… you are… new," the figure before him said, slowly wiping his arm across his mouth, purple blood trickling from his lips. "Stand back. Kill you… next."

"You won't be killing anyone," Nail said as he made sure the female was down next to the downed male, placing himself between them and the alien invader. "Not them. And not me. What you will be doing is leaving right now. Go to whatever ship there is out there waiting for you, get in it, and leave this planet at once."

"Not leaving," the bestial creature said.

"I figured," Nail said dryly before he was suddenly right in front of the bloated figure. To his credit he didn't balk or cringe like most did when Nail did that. "So… I suppose I will just have to make you leave. One way or another."

The monstrous swollen warrior let out a deep croaking laugh at that. "No. I… am… Zarbon. I leave… when I WANT to leave! You leave… when I LET you leave." And with that he lashed out with his arm, moving to grab Nail by the back of the head, most likely, judging by the way he reached out. If Nail had to guess he imagined Zarbon wanted to hold onto him while pounding him hard, bruising and battering him before tossing him away.

That's what he had wanted.

What he received, instead, was a handful of air as Nail easily sidestepped him and moved to stand behind the warrior.

'When I was younger it always amazed me when Lord Guru did this,' Nail thought to himself.

Though it had been decades since the Grand Elder had demonstrated to Nail just what a fully trained Namekian could do he still remembered his shock at the massive Elder suddenly appearing in a completely different place. He had desperately wanted to learn how to do that and his desire had caused such a move to be rather difficult for him. He had kept pushing himself to go faster and all that did was cause him to trip over his own feet and slam into the sparring dummies that Lord Guru created for him.

'Eventually though I realized my mistake. It wasn't just merely forcing my body to go faster… the mind had to be fast as well.' He watched as Zarbon's fingers slowly began to squeeze shut even as his other hand pulled back, millimeter by millimeter, so he might prepare for a pounding punch. 'It is all connected. The body and the mind. If one over thinks a battle they will miss out on what is happening and find themselves making sloppy mistakes. But if one only focuses on striking hard and fast they might as well be randomly flailing their arms about, hoping to hit something. A balance must be struck… that is the only way.'

It had been a hard lesson for him but one he appreciated, as it was aiding him VERY well in that moment. He was able to see just what Zarbon was doing… and see his weak spots.

'Elbow joints are unguarded and have the least amount of fat or muscle on them. Same with the back of his knees. He's over-extended himself... his feet are too small for such a large body, so he's going to be off balance…'

Zarbon's smile had just begun to falter as he realized there was nothing there for him to grab when Nail attacked.

He drove his elbow into the back of Zarbon's neck, causing him to topple forward. He allowed his perception of the world to return to normal and it was only his long training that kept him from physically reacting to that; when he had first managed to speed up his perception of time he had been so giddy… until he had suddenly found himself retching up water as if he had drank from the briniest pool he could find. Lord Guru had tried to warn him to be careful but he had been so excited to try and master the ability and he hadn't listened… and discovered that when you suddenly slowed down your perception your body could react as if you had been hurled by a great force only to hit a cliff face.

But that hadn't happened in years and as such Nail easily was able to duck down, grab onto Zarbon's ankle, and send him toppling even faster to the ground. The moment the bloated warrior's body struck Nail slammed down with his foot upon the inside of his right arm, breaking the elbow completely.

Zarbon screamed in agony and tried to lash out at him but Nail rose in the air several feet, easily avoiding the blow, before he dropped once more hard upon Zarbon, this time grinding his heels into the other elbow until he felt the joints pop.

Satisfied that Zarbon wouldn't be able to use his arms Nail went to attack his legs only for the bloated warrior to suddenly swing his head around and chomp down hard upon Nail's leg. He howled in pain as the multitude of razor sharp teeth that filled Zarbon's mouth pierced his flesh, digging into the muscle and refusing to release. Worse, he felt a burning sensation running through his skin and he dimly realized that Zarbon must have some kind of poison or venom.

'I have to get him off!' Nail thought as he began to violently kick at Zarbon's head but the invader refused to let go, clinging on hard. Worse, even with his arms injured he was still able to use his muscular body to twist and shake Nail, causing him to violently sway until he was sent sprawling onto the ground. His face struck the dirt before Zarbon began to drag him about, sharp stones and the fallen bits of tree branches scraping and scratching his face.

Finally Zarbon let go and Nail hissed as he hurried to get up only to find he couldn't put any weight on his leg. He could see, from the tears and cuts that had been formed during the assault, that his veins were sticking out and had taken on a sickly pink color. And the burning was only getting worse where the teeth marks were; deep pulsing holes that weeped blood.

"You… taste funny," Zarbon said as he spat out a mouthful of blood and saliva. "But I've had worse."

Nail grimaced, slowly rising into the air to keep the pressure off his leg.

"You're… already dead," Zarbon said and even with the swelling that was increasing in his face, making it far more puffed out and bloated that it had been before, so that it began to hide his features, he still managed to smile at him. "When the venom reaches your heart…"

Nail looked down at his leg; he could feel the poison slowly moving along his calf. A touch higher up on his leg he could see through one of the tears 'Damn it… I maybe have 2 or 3 minutes before this gets bad. I can tell he isn't lying… the burning is getting worse.' He narrowed his eyes. 'But I can still stop him before he has a chance to hurt another Namekian! Even if it leaves me crippled… even if it leaves me dead… I will-'

He felt a sudden searing pain that cut through the throbbing agony that had been growing in his leg and then… nothing. Nothing at all. Zarbon let out a roar and Nail saw him clutching his cheek, blood oozing from a thick gash, several other ones on his chest, having cut through his armor. The bits of his body armor that had been chopped away laid on the ground, smoking and sizzling and he could see that the edges of the wounds he bore were already turning black, cooked and charred from the heat of the attack. But Nail looked down and was more focused on his leg.

Or, rather, the stump where much of his leg had been.

"Frypan… Cutter," the female gasped out, hand still extended.

~MC~MC~MC~

Dende came to a stop and gestured at the large Namekian home that sat before them. "There it is… the house of Lord Guru."

"Good, we finally made it!" Gohan declared.

That caused Dende to blink in confusion.

Gohan, clearly sensing that Dende was surprised, turned to him and said, "What's wrong?"

"Oh. Its just… well… I assumed, after all those stories you told me about places on Earth…"

Dende had been rather curious about what Gohan's home was like, considering he'd never been any place else other than Namek. He often had looked at the stars and wondered what else was out there, waiting to be found. So when Gohan and his family had arrived Dende had quietly asked him all about his home and what it was like and what could be found there. It was how they'd ended up becoming fast friends, as Gohan had been just as interested in Namek and what it was like, so that neither felt like they were being nosy nor braggy.

And the stories Gohan had told were… amazing. An island in the middle of the biggest ocean ever that had the biggest buildings… Dende could hardly imagine what it must be like. From the sounds of it the buildings were so huge that everyone on Namek could have stayed inside together and had plenty of room to spare! Underground caverns! Huge forests with towering trees! It… it was all so amazing!

Which was why he'd begun to feel rather subconscious as they'd made their way to Lord Guru's home and Dende realized that that Gohan was going to see the standard Namekian house but… bigger.

"I just…" Dende shrugged weakly. "I thought you'd be upset because it isn't that impressive. I mean… Lord Guru is the Grand Elder and he just lives in that house…"

"My Grandpa Ox is the king of Frypan and he says he likes staying in small houses way more than the big castles. They are too drafty. I bet that's why Lord Guru likes staying here!"

Dende… didn't know how to respond to that. It made sense, he supposed, but…

"Come on, let's go!" Gohan said happily and, after a few moments, Dende followed after him, the two flying right to the house. But when they touched down Dende was concerned.

'This isn't right. This isn't right at all,' He thought.

"What's wrong?" Gohan asked.

"There should be a guard here. Nail… Lord Guru's heir and the next Grand Elder. But he isn't here at all… why would he be gone from his post?"

"Because I asked him to go," a well weathered voice called out from the house, Dende going still while Gohan began to lean in, curious. But Dende grabbed his arm and pulled him back, shaking his head. "I was told that all the other Namekians were gathering in a safe place… why are you here, young ones?"

"We-" Gohan began but Dende shook his head again. "He asked us a question."

"We can't just barge in and talk to him like that! Its not how its done! Not without Nail here to escort us! He has to make sure that its safe."

"Lord Guru might hurt us?" Gohan asked.

"No, we could be a threat to him!"

That though made Gohan laugh. "We aren't a threat to him! We want to help him, Dende."

"You friend is correct, Dende," Lord Guru called out. "Please… come inside. Do not fear me… that is the last thing I would ever wish."

Gohan shook Dende's hand off his arm and continued inside, Dende though needing a moment to work up his nerve before he hurried after. It felt so wrong to be approaching Lord Guru without Nail there… that was how things were done! It was to ensure the Grand Elder was protected!

'But… Gohan is right. We are here to help him. Still, I don't like this. Its not how things are done.' He rang his hands together. 'And yet… nothing about what has happened is like how things are done. Not at all. Everything is wrong and-'

"I am sorry, Dende," Lord Guru said, causing Dende to start.

"Wha… what?" he stammered. He looked up at the Grand Elder, and though he had met the Grand Elder several times he was still shocked. He wasn't struck merely by his size but his power. He could tell at once how mighty he was… how much power he was hiding within himself. He wondered what it would be like for Gohan to look upon him… did he see him as Dende had the very first time he had met the Grand Elder, back when he'd only been a few years old and so nervous that he'd trembled in his brother's arms? Would he only see the size of Lord Guru and not sense the depths of his strength? Power that came not from training but from age and wisdom?

Lord Guru let out a soft sigh. "Clearly… I have failed you if you fear me so much."

"I… no! I don't fear you!" Dende protested.

"And yet you worried about entering here. Why? Am I not a Namekian, same as your brothers? Your other Elders?"

"Yes but… but you are still different! You are the Grand Elder!"

"Yes… which means you should be more comfortable around me, not less. And for that… I am sorry." He dipped his head, much to Dende's horror. "Perhaps I should have remained with the villagers… but I didn't want to honor one over the others. I thought being here would be better."

"Its okay," Gohan said, speaking up. "Everyone makes mistakes. But my daddy says that the important thing is to learn from your mistakes and move on, rather than dwell on them! Learn from them but don't let them dominate everything you do!"

That made Lord Guru chuckle. "Your father is a wise man. Now… please introduce yourself young one."

"I'm Gohan! And Dende and I came to make sure that you were okay, Lord Guru. We also managed to get this." He held up the Dragon Ball he had been carrying the entire time. "We found it buried in the ocean!"

"How curious," Lord Guru murmured. "Why did this ball end up there… rather than in the village where it belonged? Did an invader take it? If so… why leave it?" He raised a large hand and motioned for them to come closer. "To me, children… tell me everything."

Dende swallowed but, after a moment, he joined Gohan in walking up to Lord Guru who, much to Dende's shock, suddenly reached down and lifted them up, settling them on his knee.

After a moment… Dende began to speak. Of everything. At first his voice was shaky but, as he continued on, it grew stronger and calmer.

And he could tell… Lord Guru was pleased.

~MC~MC~MC~

Nail turned and gaped at the female. She… she had cut off his leg! She had just cut it off! Without word or warning she had cut it off and-

"You can regrow your leg!" she shouted. "Better to remove it then let the venom get to your heart! And you can fly!"

"I…" he said only to stop and realize that she kind of had a point. No, not kinda. She had a point. He could regrow his leg… it would hurt a lot and drain him of energy but he could do it. And he didn't actually need his leg in a fight… his balance would be thrown off but he could compensate for that and-

"ATTACK HIM ALREADY!" the female roared and Nail snapped out of his thoughts.

"Right," he said before speeding up his perception of time, rushing Zarbon and driving his fist into his gut, right where the armor had been cracked and broken off. He felt the belly struggle to fight against the strike only to then give way, allowing him to push his fist further and shatter several of the invader's ribs.

"No… no!" Zarbon screamed, trying to grab onto Nail's wrist. But the damage he'd done to his elbow joints caused his arms to spasm and droop when he tried to get them up, the appendages flopping like wet waterweeds even as Nail forced his fist in deeper and deeper…

"Sycamore… Strike!" Nail roared as he unleashed the Ki he had been gathering for much of the fight. It burst out of his fist and right into Zarbon's guts, the beast throwing back his head and shrieking in agony as the blast tore through his organs and out of his back, bits of bone and spine flying through the air behind him. At once his legs gave out and he hung for a moment on Nail's arm before the Namekian gave a slight shake, causing him to slide off and plop down onto the ground.

Nail slowly lowered down to the grassy land below, though he didn't actually touch down due to his missing leg. The female warrior had managed to drag herself over to Nail, staring hard at Zarbon with utter determination. Even with her injuries, which were many, she was defiant as she looked upon the one that had harmed her and her companion so greatly.

"I don't know what awaits you," Nail said as he looked down at the wheezing Zarbon, "If Obo the Dark will greet you or if a Hell of your people will be your final destination… but know that this only came about because you dared to attack the Namekian race. And all your fellow invaders will be following after you soon."

But Zarbon let out a laugh at that. "F…f…fool… you… d-d-don't-"

That was all he got out. All he was able to say. His eyes glassed over and his swollen jaw went lax and… that was it.

"Thank you," the female said in gratitude.

"Hmmm," Nail said before focusing on his leg. "AAAAAARRRGGHHH!" The stump shuddered before, with a wet crack, a new calf and foot burst from his severed leg. He panted for several moments, forcing himself not to sway; that had taken a lot out of him and the pain had been terrible but it was already beginning to fade.

"I… uh… I have your shoe," she said, holding up the footwear while gesturing with her free hand at his bare foot.

"Hmmm," Nails muttered once more, walking over and grabbing the shoe. But after a moment a voice that sounded like Lord Guru began to nag him and he let out a sigh. "Thank you."

"Thank you," the woman said and he had to admit he was startled by how she was acting. She had been so utterly fierce during the battle but now she seemed a touch shy and quiet. It was almost amusing to see. "We would have been in serious trouble if you hadn't arrived." She gave a bow, or at least the best one she could manage half lying on the ground. "I am Chichi of the Son family."

"I am Nail," he responded, "and yes, that creature was rather powerful." He had never had a fight like that before. It had been savage and vicious and a dark part of Nail, one he would never admit to, was a touch disappointed that Zarbon was dead, as it would mean that he would never get to face him again. He'd never been tested like he had been in that moment. "Which is why it was foolish of you to head off like you did," Nail said.

The spark of fury began to grow again in her after that comment. "My son-"

"Is obviously hiding his Ki if you aren't able to find him," Nail commented. "Otherwise I assume you would have noticed him right away." He gave her a cool look and the woman dropped her head at that. Once more Lord Guru's voice chided him and Nail let out a frustrated huff. "I… understand your concern." He really, really didn't. Oh, he wasn't happy that the two youths had gone off on their own. Not in the slightest. It was going to cause a lot of problems. But going off without a plan yourself, just randomly flying about? That was stupidity. "And we will find them. But we must be smart about it. And that starts with getting you back to the caverns."

"No," Chichi said. "I… I have to…" she swooned slightly, shaking her head. "Oh. I think that fight might have…" She reached down and pressed a hand to her side and let out a wince.

"You have several broken bones," Nail commented. "My people can heal you. And then we can begin to discuss the plans to find your son and the Namekian boy. After which we will discuss how we will deal with Frieza… I don't like the idea of us just hiding and hoping he will go away."

"Of course," she said, bowing her head once more. Nail moved to help her up but she shook her head. "No…" and then she let out a sigh before pointing behind her, "Vegeta will need to be carried."

Nail had completely forgotten about the other figure and went over, wincing slightly as he saw how bad of shape he was in. It… well, frankly it looked very bad. "Yes… we'll go slow." He picked Vegeta up before coming back to Chichi, squatting down and allowing her to drape herself over his back. "Come on. Let's go."

And with that they took off, leaving only the body of Zarbon as proof that they had ever been there.

~MC~MC~MC~

Zarbon gasped as he suddenly sat up.

"What?" he said to himself as he looked about. "Where is he? Where is that miserable-"

He blinked.

He was able to speak properly.

He knew that so many believed, when they saw his bestial form and heard it speak, that taking on that form stunted his intelligence. That wasn't the case at all. It was simply a matter that his people hadn't been meant to talk like the rest of the civilized galaxy. Their vocal cords were designed for croaks and bellows, not for finely crafted words. It had taken much effort on Zarbon's part, countless months working to alter his very body, to be able to change his vocal cords so that he could speak properly.

And he was speaking properly now.

"Ah," he said with a slight frown. "I must have reverted back to my perfected form. But… where are those Saiyans and that Namekian?" He looked around but didn't see anyone. And, in fact, it didn't look like he was on Namek anymore. All he saw was sand.

Endless, endless sand.

He reached down to stroke the grains, as if they would offer him an answer. Only to be utterly shocked to find his fingers fat and bloated and warty. He reached up and touched his face and discovered that rather than defined cheekbones and a regal nose it was the puffed up snout that he hated so very much that he felt.

"But… how can this be?!" he exclaimed. "How can I be in this bestial form and talk like a properly educated being?"

"Because both are what you truly are," a raspy dry voice declared.

Zarbon turned and stared at the figure that he KNEW hadn't been there moments earlier. A dark namekian, skin nearly black, which hung from his thin frame like soggy bits of leather left to dry on a rack. He was dressed all in white and was hunched over but still was so tall that Zarbon had to crane his neck to look at him.

"The beast… that pretends it is a cultured thing," the dark Namekian said.

"I… I will show you what kind of beast I am!" Zarbon thrust out his hand and fired off a Ki blast.

It splashed off the dark namekian like water upon a rock.

"Hohohohoho," the Dark Namekian chortled. "You are a bold one. Your companion just ranted and raved when he saw me." He held up his hand. "Still… let's see how long you keep that determination. After all… you have forever."

Zarbon rushed forward. "But you won't!" he roared, leaping forward and punching the Dark Namekian.

He coughed and hacked, rubbing his eyes.

His foe had turned into sand.

"Wha… what?" he stammered before quickly gathering himself, even as the winds began to pick up, swirling the sand around him. "Is this a new trick, Namekian? A transformation of your own? Will you now be a giant made of sand that attacks me?" He began to look rapidly around. "Will you create clones of yourself made of sand, forcing me to-" he spat a little as some sand got in his mouth, "-to fight them all in order to find the real you? Or is there some other trick to this? Some other little scheme that you've come up with in your pathetic attempt to defeat me? Because no matter what it isn't going to work!"

But he got no answer.

"Show yourself!" Zarbon yelled though the words were swallowed up by the sandstorm that was forming. It was getting harder to see and he tried to shield his eyes as the grains struck him. "Annoying little things!" he snarled.

He rose in the air, hoping that maybe doing so would allow him to get out of the storm, but the winds only grew fiercer, picking up more of the sand that struck him harder. It got into his nose and his mouth, making him gag, and then several grains struck his eyes and he cried out, pressing his palms to his eyes in an attempt to get the grains out but that only caused him to grind more and more sand into them. Finally he just shut his eyes and focused on flying higher but that only caused him to get more confused when the winds began to shift and suddenly he slammed hard into something. He coughed and forced his eyes open to find that he was on the ground again, having somehow gotten spun around in his attempt to fly away.

"You think this trick will stop me?" he bellowed. "I am Zarbon! Second in Command of the Frieza Force! This is nothing more than-" He winced as more sand struck him in the face, "-a pathetic showing by a pathetic creature of a pathetic race and I will make sure that when I find you I make you regret ever facing me! And why did you? Why throw your life away for those Saiyans? Do you realize how savage they are? How monstrous? How vile and disgusting and barbaric?"

"And that's why you hate them," the Dark Namekian whispered in his ear and Zarbon whipped around, trying to drive his elbow into his foe's face only to find… nothing. Well, not nothing… he found more sand that struck him right into the face, making him hiss in pain. It was likely sandpaper, grinding against his skin, making it sting and burn. "Because they could be as savage and wild and barbaric as they wished and never get an ounce of pushback from another soul. They loved how they were… and it reminded you of what you truly are."

"I am not a barbarian!" Zarbon roared. "I am-" He gagged as sand got in his mouth. "I…I…" he coughed and he spit.

"You tried to smooth away the imperfections," the Dark Namekian stated. "To buff them away. To… sand them away."

The winds grew harsher and Zarbon cried out as he was hit by the sandstorm's winds. His clothing was becoming torn and ratty, bits flying away into the storm, disappearing into the maelstrom. And with each bit of new flesh exposed Zarbon felt greater pain. He looked down and gasped as he saw one of his warts actually get torn off by the winds, flying off into the air. And the flesh around it was become raw and aching. He felt something burning on his cheek and reached up, horrified as his fingers came back bloody.

He was being sandblasted alive.

"No… not alive," the Dark Namekian hissed once more. "You can't be alive… when you're already dead."

"No… no!" Zarbon screamed but that was all he could say because more sand got in his mouth and it felt like each tiny grain had swords and axes and chisels and were now working to take out hunks of his tongue.

It lasted for DAYS. Agonizing days of him slowly being ground away. Hour by hour more of him was torn apart. He tried to dig in the sands to hide himself but the grains stung the wounds on his hands so fiercely he couldn't continue on; not that it mattered as every time he scooped some sand away more would replace it. He tried to shield himself with his clothes but they were soon reduced to threads and he was left naked in the desert. In the end he just curled in on himself, unable to even weep, and let the sands flay him alive.

And then, when he thought it was over… Zarbon gasped.

He sat up. He was whole. Healthy. No scars or wounds at all. Nothing.

The winds roared and picked up again… and understanding dawned on him of what he had to look forward to.

Forever.

And then he began to scream.