Post by Hikaru on Feb 28, 2019 4:20:41 GMT
Power Level: 14,551
Weighted Power Level: 3,637
The small band of demons cackled as they pillaged the helpless Namekian village. They were small time raiders. There wasn’t much of value to steal in this out of the way village. No, this attack was less about the monetary gains, but for stroking their egos.
They were too weak to strike against the more populated areas. Bands of Namekian warriors were quick to police the various cities and enforce order. So they got their kicks attacking peaceful innocents who hadn’t needed to develop a militia to defend themselves.
“Bang Bang BANG!” a red skinned demon with a nose ring cackled, his ears were huge and bat-like, on either side of his head. He had his hand out, forefinger extended, and shot rapid fire lasers. It was a pathetic imitation of the changeling trademark death beams.
People threw themselves to the ground and covered their heads, desperately just trying to avoid the mad demon’s ki fire. Luckily, Red wasn’t aiming to kill any one. So his wild shots weren’t aimed at anything in particular. He just loved seeing the chaos and destruction he wrought.
“OOORAAA!” A heavyset demon tore an Ajisa tree up by the roots, and swung it like a bat, crushing in the wall of a building. He laughed in a low voice that sounded like two boulders rubbing together.
Through the destroyed wall of the building two small black demons scuttled in cackling and went about looting whatever was inside. There was some zenni to be found in the village, as well as a few valuables that would be worth trading. You just had to know what to look for, and that’s exactly what these two little demons specialized in.
And lastly, these little roving bands of bullies always needed to have a leader. Someone to stand above the weaklings. For this crew it was a pale skinned snake-like demon. They had a lean androgynous build, long white hair that covered half their face, and fell down to their waist. Their lower body was that of a long snake. Its tail a thick ropy mass of muscles, curling around them in several loops.
“Easy there, Red,” they called out, their voice too high to be male, but too low to be female, “We don’t want to kill! We just need to show them it’s pointless to resist. Okay?”
The red demon, who’s name was apparently, well... Red, snorted and put his fists on his hips, “Yeah, yeah, I heard you Blanco.”
The skittering, cackling twin ebony demons tossed the last of the loot into a large sack. Which the huge demon then hefted up over his shoulder.
“All done, boss!” the black demon with one eye called out eagerly.
“Ain’t nothin’ else interesting’,” the little black demon who’s eyes were just small dots hidden in its black fur piped up.
“Good job Jin and Jod,” Blanco called back, then straightened up on their tail, using it to push them up several feet so that they stood over the cowering populace, “We’ll be going now! Don’t try anything stupid like coming after us, hm? We really wouldn’t want to have anything like ‘this’ happening to you. Gurrgle!!”
On the cry of his name, Gurrgle, the large heavy set demon reached down and picked a huge barrel of water up in one big meaty hand. He then clenched it in his fist, causing it to burst, and for the water to explode outward into quite the shower. The namekians closest to the splash flinched and ducked down deeper into the muddied dirt.
“Let’s go, boys!” Blanco cried, and then slithered up Gurrgle’s body. They curled and looped themselves around and around Gurrgle’s neck like a ridiculous scarf, and then flopped over the top of his head.
Jin and Jod followed, skittering up to sit on each of Gurrgle’s shoulders, leaving Red to just float after them.
He turned to look over, wanting to give the village a parting sneer.
Only to get blasted in the face with a ki blast.
Red crashed to the ground with a loud squawk. And quickly pushed himself to his hands and knees. He spluttered and spat out the dirt that had gotten into his mouth thanks to his ungainly face plant.
“Now, who in the fuck-!” Red snarled as he pushed himself to his feet… only to be hit with another ki blast that sent him tumbling backwards, end over end.
He finished the tumble, once more, on his face. He growled, the noise loud in spite of being muffled with dirt. He burst up from the ground ki flaring.
“I’M GOING TO FUCKING KI-”
And once more another ki blast to the face.
At least Red was a little ready this time, his increase in ki causing the blast to deflect a bit. He snarled viciously, finally able to get a bead on where the attacks had been coming from, “NOW CUT THAT OUT!!!”
Standing at the end of the road, behind all the crowds of people, was a human in namekian garb. She had a ki ball floating in her hand casually. She looked straight back at Red, with a simple expression that almost seemed to say ‘who me?’.
A vein popped out on Red’s forehead and he snarled, ki crackling in his hands, “I’m gonna fucking kill you, you human piece of trash!”
Meanwhile, Blanco and crew had stopped to turn and look back at the commotion. The naga-demon blinked in alarm, and covertly reached under their curtain of long hair to click on their scouter, taking a reading.
The numbers clicked across the red glass, finally settling on a reading with a beep.
“NO RED, WAIT!” Blanco cried, but it was too late.
The demon had launched himself at Hikaru with a harsh battle cry. He threw out a punch, charged with ki, and slammed it home into Hikaru, the attack blowing up with a flash, and a huge cloud of dust.
When the dust cleared Hikaru stood there unflinching.
He may as well have just punched a steel wall.
Red’s jaw dropped in shock as he just stood there, fist pressed against the bridge of Hikaru’s nose. Hikaru simply stared back at him, and lifted up the ki ball glowing in her hand. She pressed it against his chest, but did not release it… yet.
“Return everything to these people… and leave,” it was a simple order. There was no malice or threat to her voice. It was almost… conversational.
Beads of cold sweat formed on Red’s face. He didn’t dare look away, he just cried out in a hoarse terrified voice, “B-boss…”
“Hmph!” Blanco uncurled from Gurrgle’s neck and flowed sinuously to the ground, “Come face me, human. Leave Red alone, and come pick on someone your own size.”
Blanco had a confident smirk. With his scouter he saw that Hikaru’s power level was impressive compared to the Namekian average. Astonishing by human levels. But neither Humans nor Namekians could compare to the demon race. Red was barely more than an imp like Jin and Jod. He could hardly compare to Blanco’s strength.
“...”Hikaru closed her fist, the ki light bleeding between the cracks of her fingers before extinguishing into bright embers. She pulled her hand back from Red’s chest, and the demon sank bonelessly to the ground, shaking like a leave.
Hikaru stepped around Red and walked towards Blanco. The demon-naga spread their arms out, as if welcoming her with open arms. Blanco’s ki burst in a flare, the sudden wind pressure blowing Hikaru’s hair back. She raised an arm to block the wind pressure from her face but otherwise remained unphased.
Blanco smirked, they appreciated Hikaru’s cool nature. No wasted words or posturing. She spoke with her actions. They could respect that. Blanco decided to meet her with the same conviction.
Blanco rushed forward, much like Red had done before. But with one key difference. Right before their fist connected, Blanco twisted away. It was a feint. Instead Blanco wrapped around Hikaru in a python’s grasp.
Hikaru had been prepared to block the initial rush, but hadn’t expected Blanco to be so damn fast with that long and heavy snake tail. She just barely managed to get her guard up, arms bent at the elbows in front of her to brace against Blanco’s tail. This bought her a little lee way from the naga’s constricting grapple. Had she not done at least that much he would have already squeezed the breath from her lungs.
But with her guard busy keeping them from constricting around her, that left her open for Blanco’s punches. The demon laughed as they rained blows down around Hikaru’s head and shoulders.
Hikaru bore the brunt of the assault, the slightest of grunts escaping her with each punishing blow.
It was really a pathetic sight after she had humiliated Red so completely. Blanco knew she had more up her sleeve. Her power level was more than capable of taking these attacks. So what was she waiting for? Blanco kept pummeling at her guard, waiting to see how she’d respond.
Hikaru pushed out with her ki in a pressure wave. Her arms thrown out to her sides, blowing Blanco’s tail loose from around her.
He didn’t need to wait long.
Blanco’s grin widened. There it was. Now she would get serious!
Hikaru had taken Blanco’s attacks to get a sense of their strength. She hadn’t needed to for some one like Red. But it was obvious Blanco was a cut above.
Freed from their grip, with room to breath, Hikaru began a barrage of attacks against Blanco. They traded lightning fast strikes back and forth. Blanco’s strikes and movements flowed much like water, or the slither of a snake. Hikaru’s attacks were sharp and compact, no wasted movement. No wasted energy.
Blanco sent a punch to her face, Hikaru hit their wrist with an uppercut palm strike to knock it aside. She then responded with a palm strike to their chest. Blanco easily shifted their chest to the side, her strike passing by.
The demon shifted their weight and brought their arm swinging around in a back fist against Hikaru’s side. She blocked it, drawing her knee up, and her elbow down. Then she brought her other leg up in a jump kick to Blanco’s head. They ducked and her leg went swinging overhead. The air pressure whipping their long white hair to the side.
Before Blanco could respond with another attack, Hikaru rained her own barrage of punches down on them. She let loose her Hammer Fist combo. Blanco tried to dodge the first attack, but the punch clipped their shoulder and threw their momentum off. Hikaru took advantage and slammed her punches home.
Left to the jaw, right to the chest, underhand swing to the gut. Each blow knocked Blanco back. Hikaru pressed forward dictating the pace of the fight.
“ENOUGH OF THIS FOREPLAY,” Blanco cried and threw their arms forward, fingers splayed, and blasted Hikaru point blank with a powerful beam of energy.
Hikaru crossed her arms in front of her and let the beam push her back to give her space from Blanco
Then, with the aid of her own ki to bolster the strength of her arms, she uncrossed her arms, splitting the beam in two and throwing the two halves into the earth. The blasts exploded leaving two large craters on either side of her.
Hikaru turned to the Namekian people that had stood up from their cowering positions. They were gazing wide at the melee between the two warriors in amazement.
“LEAVE,” Hikaru shouted in a single commanding bark. The intensity in her gaze, the strongest its been yet, burning. She couldn’t afford to have these people caught in the crossfire. Blanco wouldn’t care, and might even attack innocents to force Hikaru to protect them, and then open herself up for attacks.
The sudden contrast between Hikaru’s stoic countenance to this sudden roar jolted the villagers to their feet and to quickly scatter. Good. Hikaru gave a small sharp nod. She initiated another melee against the demon.
Hikaru charged forward at Blanco with a roundhouse kick. The demon blocked it with their tail and then retaliated with a backfist. Hikaru ducked underneath and swung a viscious hook into Blanco’s side.
Blanco choked, the wind knocked out of them from the blow. Hikaru kicked upward into Blanco’s chin, sending them skyward.
“KUH!” the demon grunted from the pain, but before they could gather themselves, Hikaru grabbed them by their long snake tail and then spun a quick 360° before flinging Blanco even further away from the village.
“BOSS!” Jin and Jod cried out simultaneously as they saw their leader flying overhead.
Blanco managed to right themselves, recovering from Hikaru’s kick to their jaw. The demon gathered several small orbs of ki in their palm, and then launched them forward at Hikaru. A rapid fire assault of small blasts. They had no such reservations about destroying everything in sight.
Hikaru cursed mentally. There was no way for her to block all of the beams, so she chose instead to blast towards Blanco head on in an attempt to cease their barrage as quickly as possible.
Which is what they wanted.
When Hikaru was just about to reach them, Blanco put on a burst of speed, seeming to disappear, only to reappear above Hikaru.
“Holo-Blast!!” Blanco cried and shot Hikaru point blank in the back with a ki beam of pure white light.
Hikaru was slammed full on by the attack and she was blasted to the earth, crushed against it. When the smoke cleared she was lying in a crater face down, spread eagled.
Blanco smirked down at her, that blast had to have done some serious damage.
Hikaru brought her arms underneath her, moving into push-up position, then tossed herself in a front flip, landing on her feet easily. She tilted her head back, her eyes closed. She took a deep breath, and exhaled.
Hikaru’s eyes snapped open and fixed Blanco with a blank stare.
‘That was nothing.’ Those eyes seemed to say.
Blanco felt a cold bolt of lightning down their spine at that moment… then quickly shook it off. Blanco screamed and shot out blast, after blast, after blast at Hikaru, not intending to give her a chance to get up from that attack.
Hikaru gritted her teeth and activated her ki in a barrier around herself. The rain of ki blasts dissipated harmlessly against her shield, but Blanco kept sending more and more. It became a war of attrition between how many ki blasts Blanco could release versus how long Hikaru could keep her barrier up. Dust was kicked up from the attack, and Hikaru was pushed further and further into the ground. And Blanco still didn’t stop. They refused to let up, partly out of stubborness… partly out of fear.
Hikaru flared her ki higher and then flashed free of the ki blast barrage, disappearing. She appeared in the sky next to Blanco. They gasped and turned to look at her, and the fist she planted into their cheek.
“Kuh!!” Blanco grunted, blue blood bursting in their mouth. They drew their tail up to block against Hikaru’s next attack, and shook their head to clear it. They then whipped their tail out in a long sweeping attack.
Hikaru vaulted up, using her hand to push the tail down under her. The long appendage swung ineffectualy under her and Hikaru slammed her knee up to Blanco’s jaw, causing another burst of blood. She then spun in a front flip to bring about her heel into a devastating axe kick down on Blanco.
Blanco rocketed down to slam into the ground far below, far too rattled by the three hit combo their head to even think. Their mind swirled with nothing but pain and the taste of blood pouring through their mouth.
Hikaru flew down at Blanco, moving so fast the air shrieked from the wind pressure. She hit the ground with a huge explosion of dust and stone.
“Boss!!” Blanco’s crew screamed. Gurrgle trundled over as Jin and Jod hopped off his shoulders to scamper ahead faster. Red had flown over to the rest of the crew to watch the fight in amazement. He followed after Gurrgle and looked down into the deep crater where Hikaru stood over Blanco.
The human stood above Blanco’s prone body, feet planted on the earth on either side of them. She could have easily landed on them, crushing their rib cage beneath her feet, but she hadn’t. Blanco wheezed exhaustedly looking up at Hikaru’s passive expression.
She wasn’t even out of breath.
“Okay,” Blanco swallowed around the blood, “Okay, we’ll give everything back and leave…”
Hikaru nodded approvingly and stepped back. Blanco sat up slowly hissing in pain. Their crew standing on the edge of the crater dumb founded. How had a human beaten Blanco? A freaking human!
Sure there were strong humans, but they were few and far between. If there had been such a stand out human, they would have heard about it and avoided them! But there hadn’t been word of a human woman this strong! Especially not in what was essentially the boondocks of Namek!! Damn, what bad fucking luck…
“G-go!” Blanco waved at their crew, “P-put everything back!!”
The demons swallowed and then scrambled back towards the village to do as commanded. Blanco wiped blood from their face, but stopped when Hikaru spoke.
“Don’t come back here… don’t look for vengeance against these people,” Hikaru looked down at them. Once again there was a lack of malice in her voice. No threats. Just light conversation. Then she flew up out of the crater and towards the village.
Blanco gritted their teeth, then gasped in pain. Too many teeth were knocked loose. They pounded their fist into the ground next to them in frustration. They were glad to be alive, but damnit! They wanted to swear vengeance. To plan for when they’d take down that human down a fucking peg!
But Blanco wasn’t stupid. They were a coward, not stupid. There was no way they would be able take her on. Why else would they pick on little villages far from the large cities? If they had thought they had any chance of getting strong enough to take on types like her… they would have tried by now!!
“Damnit…” Blanco spat one last time before they floated out of the crater, gingerly holding their jaw. They landed on the ground outside and began slithering back towards the town their crew rushed to return everything to. Blanco didn’t have the strength to fly back the rest of the way. So they were forced to take the slither of shame across the blue namekian grass.
They met up with their crew as they exited the village. Blanco slithered back up Gurrgle to rest around his neck and shoulders again. They slumped tiredly against the large demon, and made a vague gesture for him to get moving.
“So what now, boss?” Jin asked.
“Yeah, what now??” Jod followed up.
“We go home,” Blanco grunted.
“And then?” Jin prompted.
“Yeah, what then?” Jod added.
“Then nothing!” Blanco snapped angrily, “I’m fucking tired! I’m going home and passing out!”
The other demons went quiet at that. The looked down like chastised children. They had hoped to hear some grand declaration of vengeance. Or some sort of plan to get back on top. Blanco noted their disappointment and then sighed.
“Gimme a bit, guys. Once my head isn’t spinning from getting my ass kicked, I’ll think of something,” they clenched their fist, “Don’t worry! This isn’t over yet!”
The demon band perked up greatly at this. The crew standing a little straighter.
“Yeah, nothing’ll keep us down,” Red added confidently, “No matter what we’ll just get back up again!”
“That's right, Red,” Blanco smirked a bloody grin, “We’ll get back up again!”
Back at the village Hikaru touched down next to the pile of loot the demons had dumped haphazardly in the middle of town. Hikaru closed her dark red eyes and sent her senses outward. She picked up the energies of the various Namekians, and nodded. Hikaru took to the skies and flew towards them.
Hikaru pulled up short in the sky, and then waved down at the Namekian villagers.
“It’s safe now, you can come back,” Hikaru pointed back to the village.
A group of Namekians nodded and then began ushering the people back home. Hikaru landed on the ground and joined them on the walk back. A wizened Namekian, back stooped, face lined with age, walked beside her, a long walking stick assisting him.
“Thank you, stranger,” the old man said gratefully, “What is your name?”
“ Hikaru,” she replied, “From Tsuno’s Village.”
“Ah!” he nodded his head knowing the area. Tsuno’s village was well known for its warriors but… “You are a long ways from there, Miss Hikaru.”
“Mmm,” Hikaru hummed in agreement, “I was on a training trip… exploring the land.”
“Lucky for use then!” He chortled, “We are the village of Amiji. I can’t thank you enough for your help. Please, stay for a bit. At least rest here for the day. We have no food to offer you as we rarely receive non-namekian guests but…”
“I’ll stay,” Hikaru responded. She had wanted to assist the people in cleaning and rebuilding from the attack. She had enough provisions to stay for a few days, and there were plenty of seafood that she could hunt and catch in the rivers.
“Thank you, Hikaru,” he reached out and grasped her shoulder in gratitude.
Once in Ajisa village Hikaru asked who the main architect was, and asked him for instructions. The Namekian awkwardly tried to tell her not to worry, but Hikaru insisted. He seemed uncomfortable with giving the hero of their village orders, but Hikaru couldn’t be turned down. Eventually he assigned her to a group that were clearing away the rubble.
Hikaru focused on picking up the largest hunks of rubble while a crew busy fashioned sleds to cart away the smaller stones and debris. The young and old who weren’t capable of such harsh labor focused upon returning items to their rightful places and picking up their homes.
At first the crews were uncomfortable with Hikaru. The fact that she had saved them had kept her on a bit of a pedestal. Her stoic nature didn’t help either. But as the day wore on, they grew accustomed to her presence. Hikaru never tired, complained, or seemed displeased with being ordered about. In fact she was quick to find more work, rarely staying idle.
In time the people began see her earnest feelings, in spite of her quiet nature. They saw through her actions and not her lack of words, how genuine and honest she was. The atmosphere around the village quickly picked up.
Soon people were laughing and talking through their work. Children even made games of their tasks. The village was quickly cleaned of the destruction, and reconstruction could begin in earnest. But that would be a task to start fresh tomorrow.
Now people began gathering around with musical instruments. There was no need for a fire in the bright daylight of Namek, so everyone gathered around a huge cauldron-like vat of water. It was clean and crisp. People scooped up drinks with cups, and toasted each other.
Hikaru unpacked food from her rucksack, and had a small picnic of her own, watching the celebrations. They had also given her a cup of the fresh cool water. She pulled some bread free, and some cheese with some slices of cut meat. Hikaru made herself some sandwiches, and had some dried berries set aside.
Some of the younger Namekian children had never seen anyone eat. Hikaru had a small circle of children observing her. They were very curious. Hikaru offered some of the dried berries to the children. Most were shy and kind of shied away.
But there was one child who was more outgoing. He reached out with his small little hands and took the berries from her. He smelled it, and laughed. The child carefully put some in his mouth, and chewed. He wrinkled his nose at such a strange sensation.
Hikaru’s lips twitched in a smile. He had the funniest little face.
The other children gasped and then ran forward in a circle around her and the first boy. That was the first time any of them saw her smile. It changed their impression of her immediately.
Hikaru soon found herself passing dried berries to an entire gaggle of namekian children. True, they didn’t need to eat, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t enjoy the taste of the treats.
“Children, really! Leave our guest in peace!” A rotund Namekian, who Hikaru had noted as the main caretaker of the children, shooed the children away. They scattered in different directions, giggling.
“I’m sorry about that,” the caretaker bowed slightly with the apology.
Hikaru shook her head and waved away the apology, “It’s fine… they’re cute.”
“And they know it,” the caretaker huffed, putting his hands on his hips, “So they like to use it to their advantage!”
Hikaru smiled softly at the disgruntled namekian and then returned to her meal of sliced meats and cheeses. Looking through her rations, Hikaru thought she would be able to stay for three days to assist in the rebuilding. Afterwards, however, she would need to head towards another, larger village, to trade for more food.
“May I join you?” the elder she had spoken with before asked. Hikaru simply nodded and the old man sat down with some effort and a groan.
“How long will you be staying with us, Hikaru?” He asked.
“I can stay for three days,” Hikaru took another bite of her meal, “But then I will need more food.”
“Ah. I’m sorry we do not have more to give you,” the elder apologized, bowing his aged head.
Hikaru shook her head back at him, dismissing the apology wordlessly.
“Hrm,” the elder grunted, still not to be dissuaded,” While we may not have any food, or the common currency of the galactic market… we have been able to find a reward for you.”
Hikaru opened her mouth to protest, but the elder raised his hand to stop her, “No, Hikaru. No matter what you say we must give you something in thanks. The entire village insists.”
Hikaru’s mouth shut with a soft click of teeth meeting teeth.
The elder nodded, glad to see her finally accept. He reached into his vest and pulled a small box from his pocket. It was a long rectangle, about a hand span wide, and a foot long. He held it out to her with an encouraging nod.
Hikaru paused, then set aside her food. She wiped her fingers briefly on a cloth and then took the box from the elder. It was made of a dark wood, and opened on a hinge. Inside was a band of iridescent red cloth. Hikaru blinked and picked up the cloth and cocked her head at the elder.
He grinned and raised up his hand. He pointed to his own wrist where a namekian had naturally occurring red rings of skin. Hikaru took the cloth and wrapped it around her wrist, then tied it tight. It now closely resembled the average Namekian’s wrist.
“There, “ the elder nodded with a smile, “It’s a symbol of friendship. A sign that you have helped the Namekian people. When other villages see that gift, they know that you have done us a service.”
Hikaru looked at her wrist and the band that was now wrapped around it. She tilted and turned her arm, watching the colors shift under the sunlight. What would the others back at Tsuno’s village think?
Hikaru picked her food back up again, “Thank you.”
“Not at all! It’s the best we can do here,” the elder flapped a dismissive hand.
“No.”
Hikaru cut the elder off. Not harshly, but definitely firmly. The Namekian blinked and lowered his hand, caught off guard with Hikaru’s sudden intense gaze fixed on him.
“It is an honor,” Hikaru insisted with quiet conviction, “... thank you.”
The elder slowly gave her a warm smile. Hikaru’s genuine respect for his people was something truly to behold. He had yet to meet an outsider who truly seemed to understand the Namekian. She may not be of their kind, but she could become one of their great warriors.
The elder allowed the conversation to lapse into silence, allowing Hikaru to return to her meal. He looked over the celebrating villagers. At their laughter and conversation. He listened to the sweet songs played and relaxed. Today had gone in a vastly different direction than he had expected, but he wasn’t completely unhappy about it.
“Excuse me,” he grunted quietly as he pushed himself to his feet with the use of his walking stick. Hikaru gave him a nod without looking up.
The elder picked his way over to the vat of water and scooped up a cup. He then went to a tall and lanky namekian, the chief farmer of their Ajisa trees, and greeted him.
“What can I do for you, esteemed elder?” The farmer asked.
“I was thinking,” the elder rubbed his chin, “Perhaps we should begin planting other crops. Vegetables and fruit. Hm?”
The farmer glanced over at Hikaru, then back at the elder, a bright smile widening across his face, “I think that's a grand idea, sir. I’ll look into starting it tomorrow…”
“Hrmm, take your time. We won’t be able to trade of starting crops and seeds for a while yet,” the elder said.
“That is true,” the farmer acknowledge, “But I still am excited to start. The sooner the better, no?”
The elder chuckled, “The sooner the better, I suppose…”
Perhaps by the time Hikaru returned to visit them again, they could welcome her with a proper meal, if not a hero’s feast.
Total Word Count: 5,123
Weighted Power Level: 3,637
The small band of demons cackled as they pillaged the helpless Namekian village. They were small time raiders. There wasn’t much of value to steal in this out of the way village. No, this attack was less about the monetary gains, but for stroking their egos.
They were too weak to strike against the more populated areas. Bands of Namekian warriors were quick to police the various cities and enforce order. So they got their kicks attacking peaceful innocents who hadn’t needed to develop a militia to defend themselves.
“Bang Bang BANG!” a red skinned demon with a nose ring cackled, his ears were huge and bat-like, on either side of his head. He had his hand out, forefinger extended, and shot rapid fire lasers. It was a pathetic imitation of the changeling trademark death beams.
People threw themselves to the ground and covered their heads, desperately just trying to avoid the mad demon’s ki fire. Luckily, Red wasn’t aiming to kill any one. So his wild shots weren’t aimed at anything in particular. He just loved seeing the chaos and destruction he wrought.
“OOORAAA!” A heavyset demon tore an Ajisa tree up by the roots, and swung it like a bat, crushing in the wall of a building. He laughed in a low voice that sounded like two boulders rubbing together.
Through the destroyed wall of the building two small black demons scuttled in cackling and went about looting whatever was inside. There was some zenni to be found in the village, as well as a few valuables that would be worth trading. You just had to know what to look for, and that’s exactly what these two little demons specialized in.
And lastly, these little roving bands of bullies always needed to have a leader. Someone to stand above the weaklings. For this crew it was a pale skinned snake-like demon. They had a lean androgynous build, long white hair that covered half their face, and fell down to their waist. Their lower body was that of a long snake. Its tail a thick ropy mass of muscles, curling around them in several loops.
“Easy there, Red,” they called out, their voice too high to be male, but too low to be female, “We don’t want to kill! We just need to show them it’s pointless to resist. Okay?”
The red demon, who’s name was apparently, well... Red, snorted and put his fists on his hips, “Yeah, yeah, I heard you Blanco.”
The skittering, cackling twin ebony demons tossed the last of the loot into a large sack. Which the huge demon then hefted up over his shoulder.
“All done, boss!” the black demon with one eye called out eagerly.
“Ain’t nothin’ else interesting’,” the little black demon who’s eyes were just small dots hidden in its black fur piped up.
“Good job Jin and Jod,” Blanco called back, then straightened up on their tail, using it to push them up several feet so that they stood over the cowering populace, “We’ll be going now! Don’t try anything stupid like coming after us, hm? We really wouldn’t want to have anything like ‘this’ happening to you. Gurrgle!!”
On the cry of his name, Gurrgle, the large heavy set demon reached down and picked a huge barrel of water up in one big meaty hand. He then clenched it in his fist, causing it to burst, and for the water to explode outward into quite the shower. The namekians closest to the splash flinched and ducked down deeper into the muddied dirt.
“Let’s go, boys!” Blanco cried, and then slithered up Gurrgle’s body. They curled and looped themselves around and around Gurrgle’s neck like a ridiculous scarf, and then flopped over the top of his head.
Jin and Jod followed, skittering up to sit on each of Gurrgle’s shoulders, leaving Red to just float after them.
He turned to look over, wanting to give the village a parting sneer.
Only to get blasted in the face with a ki blast.
Red crashed to the ground with a loud squawk. And quickly pushed himself to his hands and knees. He spluttered and spat out the dirt that had gotten into his mouth thanks to his ungainly face plant.
“Now, who in the fuck-!” Red snarled as he pushed himself to his feet… only to be hit with another ki blast that sent him tumbling backwards, end over end.
He finished the tumble, once more, on his face. He growled, the noise loud in spite of being muffled with dirt. He burst up from the ground ki flaring.
“I’M GOING TO FUCKING KI-”
And once more another ki blast to the face.
At least Red was a little ready this time, his increase in ki causing the blast to deflect a bit. He snarled viciously, finally able to get a bead on where the attacks had been coming from, “NOW CUT THAT OUT!!!”
Standing at the end of the road, behind all the crowds of people, was a human in namekian garb. She had a ki ball floating in her hand casually. She looked straight back at Red, with a simple expression that almost seemed to say ‘who me?’.
A vein popped out on Red’s forehead and he snarled, ki crackling in his hands, “I’m gonna fucking kill you, you human piece of trash!”
Meanwhile, Blanco and crew had stopped to turn and look back at the commotion. The naga-demon blinked in alarm, and covertly reached under their curtain of long hair to click on their scouter, taking a reading.
The numbers clicked across the red glass, finally settling on a reading with a beep.
“NO RED, WAIT!” Blanco cried, but it was too late.
The demon had launched himself at Hikaru with a harsh battle cry. He threw out a punch, charged with ki, and slammed it home into Hikaru, the attack blowing up with a flash, and a huge cloud of dust.
When the dust cleared Hikaru stood there unflinching.
He may as well have just punched a steel wall.
Red’s jaw dropped in shock as he just stood there, fist pressed against the bridge of Hikaru’s nose. Hikaru simply stared back at him, and lifted up the ki ball glowing in her hand. She pressed it against his chest, but did not release it… yet.
“Return everything to these people… and leave,” it was a simple order. There was no malice or threat to her voice. It was almost… conversational.
Beads of cold sweat formed on Red’s face. He didn’t dare look away, he just cried out in a hoarse terrified voice, “B-boss…”
“Hmph!” Blanco uncurled from Gurrgle’s neck and flowed sinuously to the ground, “Come face me, human. Leave Red alone, and come pick on someone your own size.”
Blanco had a confident smirk. With his scouter he saw that Hikaru’s power level was impressive compared to the Namekian average. Astonishing by human levels. But neither Humans nor Namekians could compare to the demon race. Red was barely more than an imp like Jin and Jod. He could hardly compare to Blanco’s strength.
“...”Hikaru closed her fist, the ki light bleeding between the cracks of her fingers before extinguishing into bright embers. She pulled her hand back from Red’s chest, and the demon sank bonelessly to the ground, shaking like a leave.
Hikaru stepped around Red and walked towards Blanco. The demon-naga spread their arms out, as if welcoming her with open arms. Blanco’s ki burst in a flare, the sudden wind pressure blowing Hikaru’s hair back. She raised an arm to block the wind pressure from her face but otherwise remained unphased.
Blanco smirked, they appreciated Hikaru’s cool nature. No wasted words or posturing. She spoke with her actions. They could respect that. Blanco decided to meet her with the same conviction.
Blanco rushed forward, much like Red had done before. But with one key difference. Right before their fist connected, Blanco twisted away. It was a feint. Instead Blanco wrapped around Hikaru in a python’s grasp.
Hikaru had been prepared to block the initial rush, but hadn’t expected Blanco to be so damn fast with that long and heavy snake tail. She just barely managed to get her guard up, arms bent at the elbows in front of her to brace against Blanco’s tail. This bought her a little lee way from the naga’s constricting grapple. Had she not done at least that much he would have already squeezed the breath from her lungs.
But with her guard busy keeping them from constricting around her, that left her open for Blanco’s punches. The demon laughed as they rained blows down around Hikaru’s head and shoulders.
Hikaru bore the brunt of the assault, the slightest of grunts escaping her with each punishing blow.
It was really a pathetic sight after she had humiliated Red so completely. Blanco knew she had more up her sleeve. Her power level was more than capable of taking these attacks. So what was she waiting for? Blanco kept pummeling at her guard, waiting to see how she’d respond.
Hikaru pushed out with her ki in a pressure wave. Her arms thrown out to her sides, blowing Blanco’s tail loose from around her.
He didn’t need to wait long.
Blanco’s grin widened. There it was. Now she would get serious!
Hikaru had taken Blanco’s attacks to get a sense of their strength. She hadn’t needed to for some one like Red. But it was obvious Blanco was a cut above.
Freed from their grip, with room to breath, Hikaru began a barrage of attacks against Blanco. They traded lightning fast strikes back and forth. Blanco’s strikes and movements flowed much like water, or the slither of a snake. Hikaru’s attacks were sharp and compact, no wasted movement. No wasted energy.
Blanco sent a punch to her face, Hikaru hit their wrist with an uppercut palm strike to knock it aside. She then responded with a palm strike to their chest. Blanco easily shifted their chest to the side, her strike passing by.
The demon shifted their weight and brought their arm swinging around in a back fist against Hikaru’s side. She blocked it, drawing her knee up, and her elbow down. Then she brought her other leg up in a jump kick to Blanco’s head. They ducked and her leg went swinging overhead. The air pressure whipping their long white hair to the side.
Before Blanco could respond with another attack, Hikaru rained her own barrage of punches down on them. She let loose her Hammer Fist combo. Blanco tried to dodge the first attack, but the punch clipped their shoulder and threw their momentum off. Hikaru took advantage and slammed her punches home.
Left to the jaw, right to the chest, underhand swing to the gut. Each blow knocked Blanco back. Hikaru pressed forward dictating the pace of the fight.
“ENOUGH OF THIS FOREPLAY,” Blanco cried and threw their arms forward, fingers splayed, and blasted Hikaru point blank with a powerful beam of energy.
Hikaru crossed her arms in front of her and let the beam push her back to give her space from Blanco
Then, with the aid of her own ki to bolster the strength of her arms, she uncrossed her arms, splitting the beam in two and throwing the two halves into the earth. The blasts exploded leaving two large craters on either side of her.
Hikaru turned to the Namekian people that had stood up from their cowering positions. They were gazing wide at the melee between the two warriors in amazement.
“LEAVE,” Hikaru shouted in a single commanding bark. The intensity in her gaze, the strongest its been yet, burning. She couldn’t afford to have these people caught in the crossfire. Blanco wouldn’t care, and might even attack innocents to force Hikaru to protect them, and then open herself up for attacks.
The sudden contrast between Hikaru’s stoic countenance to this sudden roar jolted the villagers to their feet and to quickly scatter. Good. Hikaru gave a small sharp nod. She initiated another melee against the demon.
Hikaru charged forward at Blanco with a roundhouse kick. The demon blocked it with their tail and then retaliated with a backfist. Hikaru ducked underneath and swung a viscious hook into Blanco’s side.
Blanco choked, the wind knocked out of them from the blow. Hikaru kicked upward into Blanco’s chin, sending them skyward.
“KUH!” the demon grunted from the pain, but before they could gather themselves, Hikaru grabbed them by their long snake tail and then spun a quick 360° before flinging Blanco even further away from the village.
“BOSS!” Jin and Jod cried out simultaneously as they saw their leader flying overhead.
Blanco managed to right themselves, recovering from Hikaru’s kick to their jaw. The demon gathered several small orbs of ki in their palm, and then launched them forward at Hikaru. A rapid fire assault of small blasts. They had no such reservations about destroying everything in sight.
Hikaru cursed mentally. There was no way for her to block all of the beams, so she chose instead to blast towards Blanco head on in an attempt to cease their barrage as quickly as possible.
Which is what they wanted.
When Hikaru was just about to reach them, Blanco put on a burst of speed, seeming to disappear, only to reappear above Hikaru.
“Holo-Blast!!” Blanco cried and shot Hikaru point blank in the back with a ki beam of pure white light.
Hikaru was slammed full on by the attack and she was blasted to the earth, crushed against it. When the smoke cleared she was lying in a crater face down, spread eagled.
Blanco smirked down at her, that blast had to have done some serious damage.
Hikaru brought her arms underneath her, moving into push-up position, then tossed herself in a front flip, landing on her feet easily. She tilted her head back, her eyes closed. She took a deep breath, and exhaled.
Hikaru’s eyes snapped open and fixed Blanco with a blank stare.
‘That was nothing.’ Those eyes seemed to say.
Blanco felt a cold bolt of lightning down their spine at that moment… then quickly shook it off. Blanco screamed and shot out blast, after blast, after blast at Hikaru, not intending to give her a chance to get up from that attack.
Hikaru gritted her teeth and activated her ki in a barrier around herself. The rain of ki blasts dissipated harmlessly against her shield, but Blanco kept sending more and more. It became a war of attrition between how many ki blasts Blanco could release versus how long Hikaru could keep her barrier up. Dust was kicked up from the attack, and Hikaru was pushed further and further into the ground. And Blanco still didn’t stop. They refused to let up, partly out of stubborness… partly out of fear.
Hikaru flared her ki higher and then flashed free of the ki blast barrage, disappearing. She appeared in the sky next to Blanco. They gasped and turned to look at her, and the fist she planted into their cheek.
“Kuh!!” Blanco grunted, blue blood bursting in their mouth. They drew their tail up to block against Hikaru’s next attack, and shook their head to clear it. They then whipped their tail out in a long sweeping attack.
Hikaru vaulted up, using her hand to push the tail down under her. The long appendage swung ineffectualy under her and Hikaru slammed her knee up to Blanco’s jaw, causing another burst of blood. She then spun in a front flip to bring about her heel into a devastating axe kick down on Blanco.
Blanco rocketed down to slam into the ground far below, far too rattled by the three hit combo their head to even think. Their mind swirled with nothing but pain and the taste of blood pouring through their mouth.
Hikaru flew down at Blanco, moving so fast the air shrieked from the wind pressure. She hit the ground with a huge explosion of dust and stone.
“Boss!!” Blanco’s crew screamed. Gurrgle trundled over as Jin and Jod hopped off his shoulders to scamper ahead faster. Red had flown over to the rest of the crew to watch the fight in amazement. He followed after Gurrgle and looked down into the deep crater where Hikaru stood over Blanco.
The human stood above Blanco’s prone body, feet planted on the earth on either side of them. She could have easily landed on them, crushing their rib cage beneath her feet, but she hadn’t. Blanco wheezed exhaustedly looking up at Hikaru’s passive expression.
She wasn’t even out of breath.
“Okay,” Blanco swallowed around the blood, “Okay, we’ll give everything back and leave…”
Hikaru nodded approvingly and stepped back. Blanco sat up slowly hissing in pain. Their crew standing on the edge of the crater dumb founded. How had a human beaten Blanco? A freaking human!
Sure there were strong humans, but they were few and far between. If there had been such a stand out human, they would have heard about it and avoided them! But there hadn’t been word of a human woman this strong! Especially not in what was essentially the boondocks of Namek!! Damn, what bad fucking luck…
“G-go!” Blanco waved at their crew, “P-put everything back!!”
The demons swallowed and then scrambled back towards the village to do as commanded. Blanco wiped blood from their face, but stopped when Hikaru spoke.
“Don’t come back here… don’t look for vengeance against these people,” Hikaru looked down at them. Once again there was a lack of malice in her voice. No threats. Just light conversation. Then she flew up out of the crater and towards the village.
Blanco gritted their teeth, then gasped in pain. Too many teeth were knocked loose. They pounded their fist into the ground next to them in frustration. They were glad to be alive, but damnit! They wanted to swear vengeance. To plan for when they’d take down that human down a fucking peg!
But Blanco wasn’t stupid. They were a coward, not stupid. There was no way they would be able take her on. Why else would they pick on little villages far from the large cities? If they had thought they had any chance of getting strong enough to take on types like her… they would have tried by now!!
“Damnit…” Blanco spat one last time before they floated out of the crater, gingerly holding their jaw. They landed on the ground outside and began slithering back towards the town their crew rushed to return everything to. Blanco didn’t have the strength to fly back the rest of the way. So they were forced to take the slither of shame across the blue namekian grass.
They met up with their crew as they exited the village. Blanco slithered back up Gurrgle to rest around his neck and shoulders again. They slumped tiredly against the large demon, and made a vague gesture for him to get moving.
“So what now, boss?” Jin asked.
“Yeah, what now??” Jod followed up.
“We go home,” Blanco grunted.
“And then?” Jin prompted.
“Yeah, what then?” Jod added.
“Then nothing!” Blanco snapped angrily, “I’m fucking tired! I’m going home and passing out!”
The other demons went quiet at that. The looked down like chastised children. They had hoped to hear some grand declaration of vengeance. Or some sort of plan to get back on top. Blanco noted their disappointment and then sighed.
“Gimme a bit, guys. Once my head isn’t spinning from getting my ass kicked, I’ll think of something,” they clenched their fist, “Don’t worry! This isn’t over yet!”
The demon band perked up greatly at this. The crew standing a little straighter.
“Yeah, nothing’ll keep us down,” Red added confidently, “No matter what we’ll just get back up again!”
“That's right, Red,” Blanco smirked a bloody grin, “We’ll get back up again!”
Back at the village Hikaru touched down next to the pile of loot the demons had dumped haphazardly in the middle of town. Hikaru closed her dark red eyes and sent her senses outward. She picked up the energies of the various Namekians, and nodded. Hikaru took to the skies and flew towards them.
Hikaru pulled up short in the sky, and then waved down at the Namekian villagers.
“It’s safe now, you can come back,” Hikaru pointed back to the village.
A group of Namekians nodded and then began ushering the people back home. Hikaru landed on the ground and joined them on the walk back. A wizened Namekian, back stooped, face lined with age, walked beside her, a long walking stick assisting him.
“Thank you, stranger,” the old man said gratefully, “What is your name?”
“ Hikaru,” she replied, “From Tsuno’s Village.”
“Ah!” he nodded his head knowing the area. Tsuno’s village was well known for its warriors but… “You are a long ways from there, Miss Hikaru.”
“Mmm,” Hikaru hummed in agreement, “I was on a training trip… exploring the land.”
“Lucky for use then!” He chortled, “We are the village of Amiji. I can’t thank you enough for your help. Please, stay for a bit. At least rest here for the day. We have no food to offer you as we rarely receive non-namekian guests but…”
“I’ll stay,” Hikaru responded. She had wanted to assist the people in cleaning and rebuilding from the attack. She had enough provisions to stay for a few days, and there were plenty of seafood that she could hunt and catch in the rivers.
“Thank you, Hikaru,” he reached out and grasped her shoulder in gratitude.
Once in Ajisa village Hikaru asked who the main architect was, and asked him for instructions. The Namekian awkwardly tried to tell her not to worry, but Hikaru insisted. He seemed uncomfortable with giving the hero of their village orders, but Hikaru couldn’t be turned down. Eventually he assigned her to a group that were clearing away the rubble.
Hikaru focused on picking up the largest hunks of rubble while a crew busy fashioned sleds to cart away the smaller stones and debris. The young and old who weren’t capable of such harsh labor focused upon returning items to their rightful places and picking up their homes.
At first the crews were uncomfortable with Hikaru. The fact that she had saved them had kept her on a bit of a pedestal. Her stoic nature didn’t help either. But as the day wore on, they grew accustomed to her presence. Hikaru never tired, complained, or seemed displeased with being ordered about. In fact she was quick to find more work, rarely staying idle.
In time the people began see her earnest feelings, in spite of her quiet nature. They saw through her actions and not her lack of words, how genuine and honest she was. The atmosphere around the village quickly picked up.
Soon people were laughing and talking through their work. Children even made games of their tasks. The village was quickly cleaned of the destruction, and reconstruction could begin in earnest. But that would be a task to start fresh tomorrow.
Now people began gathering around with musical instruments. There was no need for a fire in the bright daylight of Namek, so everyone gathered around a huge cauldron-like vat of water. It was clean and crisp. People scooped up drinks with cups, and toasted each other.
Hikaru unpacked food from her rucksack, and had a small picnic of her own, watching the celebrations. They had also given her a cup of the fresh cool water. She pulled some bread free, and some cheese with some slices of cut meat. Hikaru made herself some sandwiches, and had some dried berries set aside.
Some of the younger Namekian children had never seen anyone eat. Hikaru had a small circle of children observing her. They were very curious. Hikaru offered some of the dried berries to the children. Most were shy and kind of shied away.
But there was one child who was more outgoing. He reached out with his small little hands and took the berries from her. He smelled it, and laughed. The child carefully put some in his mouth, and chewed. He wrinkled his nose at such a strange sensation.
Hikaru’s lips twitched in a smile. He had the funniest little face.
The other children gasped and then ran forward in a circle around her and the first boy. That was the first time any of them saw her smile. It changed their impression of her immediately.
Hikaru soon found herself passing dried berries to an entire gaggle of namekian children. True, they didn’t need to eat, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t enjoy the taste of the treats.
“Children, really! Leave our guest in peace!” A rotund Namekian, who Hikaru had noted as the main caretaker of the children, shooed the children away. They scattered in different directions, giggling.
“I’m sorry about that,” the caretaker bowed slightly with the apology.
Hikaru shook her head and waved away the apology, “It’s fine… they’re cute.”
“And they know it,” the caretaker huffed, putting his hands on his hips, “So they like to use it to their advantage!”
Hikaru smiled softly at the disgruntled namekian and then returned to her meal of sliced meats and cheeses. Looking through her rations, Hikaru thought she would be able to stay for three days to assist in the rebuilding. Afterwards, however, she would need to head towards another, larger village, to trade for more food.
“May I join you?” the elder she had spoken with before asked. Hikaru simply nodded and the old man sat down with some effort and a groan.
“How long will you be staying with us, Hikaru?” He asked.
“I can stay for three days,” Hikaru took another bite of her meal, “But then I will need more food.”
“Ah. I’m sorry we do not have more to give you,” the elder apologized, bowing his aged head.
Hikaru shook her head back at him, dismissing the apology wordlessly.
“Hrm,” the elder grunted, still not to be dissuaded,” While we may not have any food, or the common currency of the galactic market… we have been able to find a reward for you.”
Hikaru opened her mouth to protest, but the elder raised his hand to stop her, “No, Hikaru. No matter what you say we must give you something in thanks. The entire village insists.”
Hikaru’s mouth shut with a soft click of teeth meeting teeth.
The elder nodded, glad to see her finally accept. He reached into his vest and pulled a small box from his pocket. It was a long rectangle, about a hand span wide, and a foot long. He held it out to her with an encouraging nod.
Hikaru paused, then set aside her food. She wiped her fingers briefly on a cloth and then took the box from the elder. It was made of a dark wood, and opened on a hinge. Inside was a band of iridescent red cloth. Hikaru blinked and picked up the cloth and cocked her head at the elder.
He grinned and raised up his hand. He pointed to his own wrist where a namekian had naturally occurring red rings of skin. Hikaru took the cloth and wrapped it around her wrist, then tied it tight. It now closely resembled the average Namekian’s wrist.
“There, “ the elder nodded with a smile, “It’s a symbol of friendship. A sign that you have helped the Namekian people. When other villages see that gift, they know that you have done us a service.”
Hikaru looked at her wrist and the band that was now wrapped around it. She tilted and turned her arm, watching the colors shift under the sunlight. What would the others back at Tsuno’s village think?
Hikaru picked her food back up again, “Thank you.”
“Not at all! It’s the best we can do here,” the elder flapped a dismissive hand.
“No.”
Hikaru cut the elder off. Not harshly, but definitely firmly. The Namekian blinked and lowered his hand, caught off guard with Hikaru’s sudden intense gaze fixed on him.
“It is an honor,” Hikaru insisted with quiet conviction, “... thank you.”
The elder slowly gave her a warm smile. Hikaru’s genuine respect for his people was something truly to behold. He had yet to meet an outsider who truly seemed to understand the Namekian. She may not be of their kind, but she could become one of their great warriors.
The elder allowed the conversation to lapse into silence, allowing Hikaru to return to her meal. He looked over the celebrating villagers. At their laughter and conversation. He listened to the sweet songs played and relaxed. Today had gone in a vastly different direction than he had expected, but he wasn’t completely unhappy about it.
“Excuse me,” he grunted quietly as he pushed himself to his feet with the use of his walking stick. Hikaru gave him a nod without looking up.
The elder picked his way over to the vat of water and scooped up a cup. He then went to a tall and lanky namekian, the chief farmer of their Ajisa trees, and greeted him.
“What can I do for you, esteemed elder?” The farmer asked.
“I was thinking,” the elder rubbed his chin, “Perhaps we should begin planting other crops. Vegetables and fruit. Hm?”
The farmer glanced over at Hikaru, then back at the elder, a bright smile widening across his face, “I think that's a grand idea, sir. I’ll look into starting it tomorrow…”
“Hrmm, take your time. We won’t be able to trade of starting crops and seeds for a while yet,” the elder said.
“That is true,” the farmer acknowledge, “But I still am excited to start. The sooner the better, no?”
The elder chuckled, “The sooner the better, I suppose…”
Perhaps by the time Hikaru returned to visit them again, they could welcome her with a proper meal, if not a hero’s feast.
Total Word Count: 5,123
