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Post by Mizuna on Jul 22, 2019 23:47:09 GMT -5
The rich blue sky stretched out as far as the eye could see. The area Dende was dropped off was mostly flat with vast lakes and rivers in all directions. Along the northern horizon a mountain range marred the otherwise perfect skyline. There wasn’t a single cloud in the sky. Coincidently this let the sun’s light to shine down intently. Dende had to shield his eyes with his hand as he looked out across a vast body of water. It wasn’t large enough to be considered an ocean but it was by far larger than any lake could be found on Namek. The lake’s surface was still and the water crystalline surface which allowed Dende to see down to the bottom. Various forms of aquatic life went about their lives none the wiser. Both of his boots lay haphazardly upon the ground nearby. Both of his bare feet dug into the soft soil as water filled in around them. The water was cold against his flesh but he didn’t seem to mind. Standing there like that made Dende feel almost connected to the planet. He let out a low sigh and tilted his head back. The hem of his robe was hiked up far enough to prevent the cloth from getting soaked. Unable to resist he tilted his head back and closed his eyes. The warm light caressed his skin and worked in contrast to the water that enveloped his feet. While his eyes were closed Dende was quite attuned to his surroundings. Both of his ears twitched at the sound of a bird gaining altitude as it adjusted its wings. The feeling of small fish nipping at his toes nearly caused Dende to chuckle. A small canine creature played nearby with its two pups. The young healer was an intruder in this environment yet life went on as if he was no different than a tree or stone. It was a rather curious idea but a sudden distraction served to disrupt the natural harmony Dende was lost in. WC: 339
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Post by Vegeta on Jul 23, 2019 0:38:03 GMT -5
After his little rumble with the bald-headed human at the gym Guldo found himself a wanted man. Sure, it had something to do with the multitude of innocents he'd murdered trying selfishly to keep himself alive, but once the Saiyans on the planet caught wind of his PTO status he became public enemy number one real quick. Sure, he'd managed to put them all on a wild-goose chase for a little while, but have you ever tried being on the run from twenty thousand Saiyans on a foreign planet? It wasn't exactly a recipe for success. When a squad of particularly tough monkey's finally managed to corner him, the long chase left him with only one tool in his arsenal. Only one means of escape.
"Well, guys, I have to say it's been real fun having you and your friends chase me around the last few days," the rotund little warrior said around heavy breathing. As he spoke his mind reached outwards into the cosmos, searching for something that would take him very far from Earth. "Really, it's made my vacation much more entertaining. Whoever said you Saiyans don't know how to have a good time was sorely mistaken." As his would-be captors closed in tighter around him he finally found what he was looking for - a powerlevel high enough for him to use one of his new techniques. "Unfortunately, the fun and games have to end here. I'll be sure to tell all of my PTO friends about you guys! Later!" The saiyans lunged forward but Guldo was too quick, touching two fingers to his forehead. The moment he did his body flickered out of existence, leaving the saiyans grabbing at thin air.
A blink of an eye (or four) later, Guldo appeared on another strange planet. This time, instead of a sprawling cityscape, he found himself looking out across a massive land-locked sea. Compared to the scene he'd just left behind, it was beautiful. Hell, compared to any scene it was beautiful. Turning, the little Galvan warrior laid his eyes on the source of his salvation. To his surprise, it was an adolescent namekian standing before him, his feet planted in a pool of water. He'd fought in some pretty ugly battles on Namek during the last Galactic War, but never had he seen one of the greenie weenies exuding the kind of power this kid was.
"Uh... hey there," Guldo said nervously. Fortunately, this kid wouldn't have any idea of the kind of things he'd done to the Namekian people in the past. If that information slipped out... well, it would be out of the frying pan and into the fire. "The name's Guldo," he continued, gulping.
Words: 451 / 451
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Post by Mizuna on Jul 23, 2019 19:30:02 GMT -5
This place was something else. He could stand there for ages just soaking up the sun like that. Unfortunately newfound peace came to an end in the form of a nervous greeting from somewhere behind Dende. There wasn’t a reaction at first. Perhaps if he didn’t say anything the person would simply go away and he could get lost in the sheer amount of nature on this world. When Dende heard the man’s name spoken aloud it would no longer be that simple. This one seemed intent to spark a conversation. Dende’s posture remained unchanged except for a slight shift of his head. He turned it to the side so Guldo could see the side of his face. One eye opened to reveal his eye. Its deep black pupil was encircled in a rich rose colored iris. Initially the look in his eye was annoyed but friendly. It seemed more like someone intent to relax getting disturbed. That look didn’t remain long. A growing intensity flared within it. If it wasn’t for the armor Guldo may have been mistaken for a child but the armor is what drew Dende’s immediate attention. Dende lowered his arms down by his side as he pivoted on his left heel. Only when he faced Guldo did he offer his name. “ Dende,” he said in a low tone. Both of his eyes were open and focused upon the soldier. His brow was creased as his face bore a guarded expression. Dende tired to subtly look for any signs of weapons and once he felt relatively safe his gaze turned towards their surroundings. His body remained squared off with Guldo and no matter where Dende looked he kept Guldo within his field of view. “ I didn’t know the Planet Trade Organization had a presence on this planet. Am I trespassing?” Dende silently cursed his luck. It was just his luck that he’d be found so soon after landing here. WC: 323 | 662
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Post by Vegeta on Jul 23, 2019 22:09:20 GMT -5
For a moment it seemed like the namekian was going to ignore him. Though the thought peeved the Galvan, it was put to bed quickly. When the slug-like alien finally did turn to face him, Guldo was taken aback by the fierce look in the boy's eyes. Almost immediately the namekian seemed to recognize his armor, his gaze drawn to the insignia on the soldier's breastplate.
"Am I trespassing?" Dende finished, his expression even more dangerous than it had started. As with most namekians, Guldo's initial instinct was to respond sarcastically. He had to steady himself and remember why he'd ended up in front of this particular namekian of all things.
This guy is outrageously strong... I wouldn't even last a second, not even with my time freeze ability... I've got to play this one safe.
"No, no! Of course you aren't! I'm not even part of the PTO!" he exclaimed, walking himself into a lie before he even knew what he'd done. He tripped over his words before thinking about how to continue the front. "Er... I uh... I actually abandoned my post. Yeah, that's what I did. I was tired of the horrible things they tried to make me do. That's how I ended up here!"
The Galvan's mind raced. Though the kid probably wasn't old enough to remember what happened to Namek during the Galactic War, he'd have grown up with his planet under Planet Trade rule. Having a plump little PTO Grunt to beat up on, millions of miles from any form of back up, probably sounded like a dream-come-true. He had to hope that Dende bought his lie - anything else, and he was dead.
"Speaking of here... where exactly is this?" Guldo asked, both trying to change the subject and trying to figure out how far from civilization he really was.
Words: 307 / 758
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Post by Mizuna on Jul 23, 2019 22:35:40 GMT -5
He couldn’t help but be skeptical upon hearing Guldo’s claim of not being part of the PTO. Dende wanted to point out the obvious flaw in that claim but Guldo was quick to elaborate. It stood to reason that not all of the Planet Trade’s soldiers were cold hearted. Some would grow distant and desert without a doubt. The main question that lingered was what atrocities were carried out by Guldo’s hand? Dende would avoid asking that. If he truly felt a need to abandon his post to get away from it then perhaps he also sought redemption. Dende wouldn’t fault him for that. On the contrary he would openly encourage it. When Guldo asked where they were Dende’s skepticism turned to curiosity. Did he truly not know where he was? Dende’s expression softened as he reached down to pick up his boots. If he didn’t know much about their location then maybe the PTO didn’t have a stake in this planet after all. “ I don’t know our exact location but the planet is called DeKalb if memory serves.” The young healer began to slip his boots back on as he spoke. “ I was actually supposed to be meeting someone but someone neglected to tell me where.” Dende sounded rather jaded. “ No matter. I’m sure I will find him soon enough. What about you? Did you come here to hide or are you meeting someone?” Despite the fact that he adopted a non-threatening posture Dende made sure to keep Guldo within his field of vision. Although he chose to believe what Guldo said it didn’t mean he trusted the man. If past experience taught him anything it was that trusting the PTO never ended well. WC: 285 | 947
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Post by Vegeta on Jul 24, 2019 22:18:58 GMT -5
Just when Guldo was sure that he was going to get called out in his lie the namekian's expression changed. If not friendly, it was at least more amicable now. Either way, to the Galvan it was certainly better than the previous look he was getting. DeKalb, Dende said. Whatever that meant. Guldo had never heard of such a planet, but he wasn't going to argue. If the green guy said they were on DeKalb, then by god he was going to be on DeKalb.
When the namekian asked him what his business on the planet was, Guldo stiffened again. How could he spin the truth to match his lie? Admitting that he was wanted on Earth for killing dozens of innocents wasn't going to win him any points, especially while wearing PTO armor. "Saiyans," he began, figuring out his lie as it left his mouth. "I went to Earth first, to hide out, but they saw me. I tried to tell them I was leaving the Planet Trade Organization but they didn't believe me, so I had to flee there too. Your energy signature was the first one I sensed, so here I am."
There, that was easy enough. Sprinkle in a little bit of truth, and any lie becomes believable.
Guldo knew that there was a possibility that the saiyans would be able to track his own energy signature after he teleported away. He didn't know if DeKalb fell anywhere near the regular Saiyan patrols, but if it did then they could be arriving soon to capture him again. Perhaps this strangely powerful Namekian could be his savior?
What a change of pace...
"Being on the run has pretty much exhausted me. I was hoping to get to Kelioux - maybe they would protect me - but I can't jump again just yet. Would you mind if I tagged along with you until then? I promise I won't be any trouble. I could even help you look for this person you were supposed to meet!" Guldo said, all rather excitedly. Having a bodyguard like him around could be the difference in a dead Galvan and a living one.
Words: 365 / 1123
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Post by Mizuna on Jul 24, 2019 22:46:49 GMT -5
Dende’s shoulders tensed when Earth was mentioned. Dende was familiar with the Saiyan presence on Earth and their hard handed approach on enforcing the law. If Guldo attempted to hide out there it was a poor decision. Regardless he was able to escape and hopefully without incident. What was most concerning was how Guldo found his way here. Dende’s ki signature could be sensed all the way from Earth? That didn’t seem right but it reinforced his resolve to learn how to suppress his power as far as it would go. Otherwise he risked inviting unwelcome company. Normally he didn’t begrudge the Saiyans due to their stance against the Planet Trade Organization. That is until innocents got dragged into it. At that point Dende couldn’t turn a blind eye so he hoped that Guldo didn’t allow innocent people to get caught up in his escape. Guldo mentioned he planned to go hide out on Kelioux. That name sounded vaguely familiar. It took a few seconds but suddenly his eyes lit up with recognition. Dende quickly nodded. “ Of course you can travel with me. Besides the guy I am looking for might be able to help you as well.” The name Kelioux was familiar to him because he recalled reading about it in a few books back on Chaos’ ship. There was supposed to be some grand academy and vast library there. This revelation caused Dende to forget his prior apprehension and take a sudden step closer to Guldo. “ But more importantly. Kelioux. Is it true they have a library there with books collected from all over the galaxy?” In that moment Dende’s younger naive side came to the surface. His face was full of excitement at the prospect of so much knowledge stored in one place. What he wouldn’t give for a chance to have a go at that library. WC: 310 | 1257
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Post by Vegeta on Jul 25, 2019 18:30:58 GMT -5
Guldo sighed with relief after Dende agreed to let him stick around. Having a power like the namekian's next to him would definitely make things a lot easier to deal with if any more saiyans - or pretty much anyone for that matter - showed up to mess with him. To his surprise Dende's expression turned to that of a kid in a candy store, excitedly asking him for information about the libraries at Kelioux. The Galvan swallowed hard. He'd never been to Kelioux, but after seeing how ecstatic the young namekian got at the mere mention of the planet he couldn't bear letting him down.
Nodding, he grinned in a friendly manner. "Of course! The Academy on Kelioux boasts the largest collection of books in the entire galaxy - maybe the universe!" he exclaimed. Maybe he hadn't ever seen them in person, but a decade long military career lent itself to hearing many stories. He remembered his fair share of those regarding the libraries of Grandmaster Adel. "I take it you like to read?" he continued, trying to steer the conversation away from himself. The less he had to talk about himself the better. If he had to keep lying at this rate, Dende was bound to catch him in the act eventually. At that point it would be lights out for little Guldo. "Also, if you don't mind, who is it you're looking for? Maybe I can help you."
Words: 239 / 1362
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Post by Mizuna on Jul 27, 2019 14:26:08 GMT -5
Dende’s eyes grew wide with excitement. “ The largest collection of books… in the universe?” His voice came out in barely a whisper but there was a certain fondness to it. Almost like one who spoke of something precious but dared not speak it out loud for fear of it being untrue. This settled it. He had to make his way to Kelioux. When Guldo attempted offered bait to steer the conversation in a different direction Dende fell for it hook, line, and sinker. The young healer smiled sheepishly as he tried to compose himself. “ Well yes,” he said playing coy. “ I mean who doesn’t?” He stood up and cleared his throat. “ After all, he who trains their body but neglects their mind creates a fate full of adversity and defeat.” The phrase wasn’t of Dende’s creation. It was a quote from someone that he held in the highest regard. He smiled as a look of nostalgia flashed across his face until Guldo asked who he was looking for. The idea of having someone to help in his search was tempting. The only question was how would the Emperor react to Dende bringing an outsider to their meeting? He’d just have to cross that bridge when they got there. Now that he thought about it he didn’t actually know what the relations between the Cosmic Empire and the Planet Trade Organization was. Based on the situation on Namek he imagined it was strained at best. Well Guldo did leave the Organization so perhaps it was ok to reveal who he was looking for. Would Guldo be intimidated when he heard who it was that Dende wanted to find? Would it be worse for Guldo to decide not to help Dende or for him to freak out upon meeting the Emperor? “ Who am I meeting?” Dende asked in an attempt to buy himself some time to think. “ I guess you could call him my… employer.” Although Dende wasn’t exactly getting paid. “ Have you heard of the Cosmic Empire? If you have then you may have heard of its Emperor.” WC: 347 | 1604
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Post by Vegeta on Jul 27, 2019 16:02:10 GMT -5
Listening to the young one talk about training his mind and body, as if he had any kind of real battle experience, brought a chuckle out of Guldo's lips. To be fair though, he couldn't entirely disagree. Even if he didn't submit to that same principle - he was more one to train his mind and neglect his body, as evidenced by his rotund shape - he knew the wisdom in it. But he wasn't exactly your average foot soldier, either. There was more than meets the eye for this fat Galvan.
But when you have a gift like me, there's a little more wiggle room for such things.
"Huh... Cosmic Empire you say?" Guldo asked aloud. He couldn't really put a finger on it, but the name did sound familiar. Perhaps it was one of the made-up nations the other children used when they played without him? At any rate, it didn't ring any bells that he thought Dende might actually be referring to. "Actually, no. I've never heard of it before. Should I have?"
The Namekian certainly had his attention. Anyone that could be considered the employer to someone with the kind of fighting power Dende had was someone that Guldo had interest in. Especially if that person could potentially be on the same planet that he currently was. At least with Dende he would know when he saw this 'employer' instead of risking his mouth getting him into trouble with a stranger of immense power.
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Post by Mizuna on Jul 28, 2019 11:23:28 GMT -5
Guldo’s answer came as a slight surprise to the young Healer. If he didn’t know what the Cosmic Empire was then perhaps it meant that it couldn’t be all that bad right? When it came down to it how much did Dende know about the Empire? Not all that much after he thought about it. He took a few moments to process this and came to the decision that regardless of how well known the Cosmic Empire was the power of its Emperor was real enough. “ I guess not,” Dende said at last. There was one thing that Dende didn’t quite understand and that went back to Namek. The Cosmic Empire had seized control of the planet so it was rather odd that a member of the Planet Trade Organization wouldn’t have at least heard about it. It was possible that Guldo fled before that happened. One look at the state of the Galvan’s armor was testament to that. It was in rather poor condition. “ At any rate, I think our best bet would be to seek out some sort of settlement. If the Emperor is here then it's unlikely his presence went unnoticed. If someone saw him then news is bound to spread. Don’t you think?” He turned towards Guldo with an expectant gaze. WC: 215 | 1819
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Post by Vegeta on Jul 28, 2019 11:47:44 GMT -5
"At any rate, I think our best bet would be to seek out some sort of settlement. If the Emperor is here then it's unlikely his presence went unnoticed. If someone saw him then news is bound to spread. Don’t you think?"
Despite the power he clearly held, Guldo was reminded this was a child he was speaking to. The namekian came all the way here to this planet countless miles from his home to meet someone, but now he was unsure of how to proceed and was looking for confirmation, even a little, that he was doing the right thing. The Galvan was reminded of himself when he first joined the PTO - a young buck, unsure of the world and just looking for his place in it.
"Yeah, if you think he's as noticeable as all that, then some kind of civilization is sure to hold a clue. I've never heard of this planet before, though, so I'm not exactly sure what kind of dwelling we can even hope to find. Maybe up this river a'ways? People do need water," the Galvan replied. Finding civilization right now might not actually be in his best interests, but as long as Dende thought he was some kind of reformed man then he figured he'd be alright in the long run.
And besides, I'm kind of curious about this Cosmic Emperor guy...
Word: 231 / 1839
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Post by Mizuna on Jul 28, 2019 16:05:08 GMT -5
Was the Emperor all that noticeable? Dende though so at least even though he’d only been around the man aboard his own ship with a few exceptions. “ He’s stronger than me,” Dende offered with a shrug. “ It’s a reasonable assumption that someone may have noticed his arrival right?” There was an ulterior motive for Dende wanting to go into a city. He was eager to see what kind of life the people of this planet lived. It may have also been true that he was eager to get his hands on some local literature. The best way to learn about a civilization is to read some of its books. As he turned towards the south his gaze became unfocused. Even with his sudden inability to sense ki effectively it was clear that the battle was still being waged. “ We could fly around trying to find information but we’d run the risk of being caught in that.” Dende turned to look at Guldo before he nodded in the battle’s general direction. The suggestion to follow the river to locate any local settlements held some merit. In fact it was something Dende had considered suggesting. “ That’s a good idea. Most settlements stay close to water for many reasons. Agriculture being chief among them.” With the matter settled Dende stepped forward and pushed off the ground hard. The energy that coursed through his body shifted and held his body aloft. Dende cast one more glance towards the battle before he started to follow the river north. He sincerely hoped that the Emperor was not near the battle. WC: 264 | 2083
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