Post by Emperor Ninjin Hattori on Sept 17, 2014 16:23:18 GMT -5
[Before the attack on New Vegeta, shortly after Ninjin’s rise to King of the Iblisian people]
“What is it that I’m looking at here?” Ninjin said, arms crossed against his chest as he stared at the pictures and maps spread out in front of him. They were standing in the spaceship that Lilianna owned, the two of them, as well as two Iblisian Generals Ninjin had just met. The King was glad that the female’s ship had a large central area, though the tension in the room was enough to make it feel crowded anyway. The generals were two of the supporters of the Maugh family, the ones that had been the frontrunners for the crown before Ninjin had come along. Thus, they were not pleased now to be revealing all of the information about the military to the new king. Though, they didn’t have a choice. As much as they disliked it he was their king now. They would serve him to the best of their ability, or he would find those that would.
“This here” The one that was tall and lithe said, gesturing to a map. Ninjin had already forgotten his name. His eyes looked sunken in as if he hadn’t slept in years, though this was a common look among Iblisians. “Is the main capital of Iblis. In total five hundred thousand of our people live here. It is heavily fortified and well defended, as it is located inside of a Volcano. The Volcano is no longer active, but the mountain is nonetheless strongly fortified. Years ago we removed the Volcano from our dying home world and fitted it on our new home, the Worldship. The elite of our people live here, and it is the seat of our government. Your castle is located here.” He placed the tip of his thin pointed cane on top of a picture of a black castle carved into the side of the volcano. It looked to be made from volcanic glass.
It was a thing of beauty, and part of Ninjin, he guessed it was the Iblisian blood that ran through his veins, felt like he was looking at home. It was an odd feeling for the king to have, as he had only had that feeling whilst looking at the castle on New Vegeta. It almost made him homesick to see, though he had never been there before. The general then droned on about the various infrastructure of the city. The king was used to hearing about military things, that he liked, that he could handle. Buisness? The King did not have a mind for business. He would leave that for others, still his generals though it important he knew, and thus he relented.
They had already discussed the military might of the Iblisians as it were. It was nothing to sneeze at, but they lacked the numbers to truly have an empire. The majority of their people were spread out about space, the Worldship being the only real central location of their people. The Worldship was highly defended. The next step they said was for Ninjin to see the location himself. Lilianna sighed and rubbed her eyes. This had taken a very long time.
The generals noticed this and bowed out of the room, leaving Ninjin and Lilianna alone. The King sighed and sank further into the plush chair he had been sitting in. They had mutually decided that in order to best run the Iblisian people, She was better being his advisor, and not his romantic interest. As soon as they had decided that they had become better friends, and if anything it seemed to strengthen the bond they had.
“Is it always this boring?” He asked looking up at his friend. She looked back and gave him a smile.
“Not always. You seemed to enjoy yourself in the military section.” She said with a knowing smile. It was true, military facets always fascinated the king. It was the closet they could get to fighting whilst talking. There was also a terrific hunger within the king’s stomach, having not have eaten the entire time the generals were briefing them.
“Let’s go get some food.” He said and they made their way out of the ship. They were on Omega, a place where it was safe for them to meet. The King had used his influence to book a private port, so their meeting would go uninterrupted. Standing at the bottom of the ramp was someone who looked terrifyingly familiar. “Maugh?” The words left the king’s mouth and left him cold all at the same time. How was Maugh standing down the ramp In front of him? It looked exactly like Barren Maugh, but there were slight and subtle differences. He appeared much younger for one, as if a snapshot of Maugh from the past. The man looked down and away when the king said that name, and Ninjin thought he caught a hint of shame on the man’s face.
“Fortunately not my lord. Barren Maugh was my brother. I am Callem Maugh. I am here to beg forgiveness for my brother’s actions, and for my household.” For a moment Ninjin was taken aback and was unsure what to say. Was this boy serious? His words seemed to lack sincerity, though they did seem to be filled with plenty of shame. The Maugh’s had already declared their dislike publicly against the king, their attitude well known before, during, and after the coronation and party that had taken place after Ninjin’s trials. Just thinking about the long time he had spent in the otherworld, and how nothing had changed here in that time, made the Saiyan prince’s head hurt.
It also made his heart ache. He had left and lost friends back in the world of Neapness. Bubebolos most of all. Though he now had his armor to remind him of his friend. So why was Callem Maugh apologizing now, with no witnesses around to see it? Was it a play by the Maugh’s to alleviate their standing in the eyes of the king whilst remaining strong in the eyes of the public? It seemed to be the most likely answer in the King’s mind, and Lilianna whispered something similar in his ear. Callem squirmed under the King’s gaze as his advisor advised. He nodded and then walked down the ramp towards the young vampire.
“I would have words with your parents.” The child seemed surprised, his mouth opening and closing, clearly he had not planned for the possibility that that would be the King’s answer.
“Callem, your King has just made a request.” Lilianna added extra emphasis on the king part, stressing the boy to remember just who it was he was talking to. The boy’s eyes widened and he bowed before Ninjin, shaking his head enthusiastically. He led the King and his advisor to the room that his parents were staying in on Omega and rapped quickly on the door in a peculiar pattern. The Saiyan heard some commotion from inside, and a males voice called through.
“Did that bastard accept the damn apology. I can’t believe we had to do that to that rotten alien half-breed cu-” A large Iblisian man that very much resembled the Maugh’s the King knew opened the door. If it was possible for a pure-blood Iblisian to pale the man did. Ninjin smiled a knowing smile. The man looked from the King to his son, then from his son to the advisor, then back to the king. Each one he looked at his expression changed. His son got wrath, the king got a mix of fear and loathing, and the advisor simply got shock.
“That Bastard is here to talk about the apology. Could the rotten alien half-breed come in?” Wordlessly the man stepped aside and allowed the King into the room. He made to grab his son by the arm roughly, but without turning around to look the King cleared his throat.
“I would have Callem with us. Your whole family if possible.” The man’s surprise seemed to elevate further. He left them in the den and made to summon the rest of the Maugh clan that was gathered. Callem seemed more nervous than anything, as if he had made some terrible mistake. The King told him to relax, but this only seemed to heighten his fear further. Lilianna walked around the room, inspecting the things the Maughs had chosen to display. There was a picture of Ninjin with an arrow sticking out of the forehead. The Saiyan recognized it as coming from an Iblisian crossbow. The boy panicked and leapt up, covering the picture with his body. Ninjin chuckled. The church made the malice that the Maugh clan had towards him seem tame at best.
“I would start by apologizing your highness.” The man from the doorway said cutting the silence. A large group of Iblisians shuffled into the room and took spots. The King noticed none of them had bowed to him. Lilianna cleared her throat menacingly as to remind them who they were in the presence of. Some nodded their heads at this, the weaker willed ones bowed, though many were stubborn and did nothing.
“Save it. We both know you don’t like me, I’m fine with that. I am your king however, and thus I expect your respect, at the very least whilst in my company.” He said, though not harshly or menacingly. It was an olive branch. The patriarch of the Maugh clan nodded, accepting it.
“May I inquire as to why you’re here, your highness? Was my son’s apology not satisfactory?” As he asked it, he cut a menacing look towards Callem.
“Your son did a fine job. I am here on a different matter.” His voice grew solemn and serious. This was a difficult story to tell, though the Saiyan crown prince would power through. He told them then, in its entirety. The story of Barren Maugh. In the end, he had been released from the bond with the demon that he had made. The reaction in the room ran from shocked to disbelieving. Whether they believed it or not didn’t matter to Ninjin, he had fulfilled his duty to the Maughs. The group all stood or sat in silence for a very long moment. Ninjin stood, and Lilianna followed his example.
“That. That was hard to hear.” The patriarch said finally. Ninjin could understand that feeling. “But I don’t believe you your highness. I think what actually happened is you murder Maugh.” He said it with hate.
“You can believe whatever you want.” The king said, turning to leave. The patriarch spat at his back. Ninjin closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. He would let that go. Then he spat in Lilianna’s face. He turned and socked the patriarch in the jaw, sending him cracking into the wall. The entire room gasped. The king and his advisor left.
“He won’t forget that.” Lilianna said as they were walking down the corridor away from the Maugh’s residence.
“Neither will I.” The crown prince said with an air of finality. After they had been walking for a while when Ninjin began to feel as if they were being followed. He glanced behind them, and noticed Callem trailing behind them, though he thought he was hidden by the crowd. Ninjin’s curiosity peaked he walked over to the young Iblisian. Callem nearly shrieked, but quickly covered his mouth. The King held up his hand in a show that he came in peace.
“Why is it that you’ve been following me Callem? Given my history with your family you can understand my concern.” Callem seemed to search for his words through his panic.
“My father means to murder you.” He finally said at last, his eyes filled with panic. Why in the world was he telling Ninjin this?
“Why in the world are you telling me this?” An act of treason was punishable by death. There was nothing else for it. Especially trying to kill the king. Lilianna cleared her throat. In his conversation with the young man he failed to notice that they had been surrounded. The men around them wore black masks, but the King knew who they were. It was the Maugh clan. They meant to do away with the king and his “lies” once and for are.
“I’m sorry it’s come to this.” He said honestly. It was never he that had a problem with their clan, it was they that had a problem with him. They couldn’t move past the fact that he was not full blooded Iblisian. It reminded him too much of the Universal Church of One. Lilianna pulled a dagger from a sheath in the small of her back and held it in front of her ready to fight. Callem flipped over the bench to hide behind it whilst the black masked people closed the circle.
One stood out among the rest, more powerful than the rest. Ninjin knew it was the Patriarch. It was unfortunate that they were on Omega, in a privately rented section of the space station. Ninjin had none of his guards with him, and there would be no one coming to help. Still, that was more for the black masked people than Ninjin, someone would need to carry the injured to the med bay when he was done.
“You have one last chance. Turn around, walk away.” He offered it to them with authority in his voice. He stood tall surrounded by them. Obviously they had expected him to be more fearful than he was. Still, no one left.
Instead one charged, a sloppily thrown punch the king simple let bounce off of him. His fist snaked up and lightly caught the masked figure on the jaw, but it was enough to knock them unconscious. The crumpled to the ground and the others began to fight with more vigor, though not that it would help. Lilianna went to work fighting four of them, leaving the others to attempt to pile onto Ninjin. With realitive ease he threw them off, until a strong fist caught him in the jaw, and it was his turn to stagger. Who had thrown that? Looking up he saw the Patriarch.
“You killed the son I could be proud of. Barren was meant to be king. Not you. You pathetic—“ Ninjin leapt in the air and slammed his knee into the man’s jaw. The other’s piled him once again, attempting to mitigate his strength with their weight, but it was to no avail. The king’s power was too much, even weighted down by his heavy armor he was more than a match for all of them. Except the Patriarch. He seemed strong for even an Iblisian male, his power coming close to Ninjin’s own. With a growl the man slammed into the Saiyan prince and knocked him over the side of the railing. They fell two stories below and slammed into the top of a covered walkway. There were gasps of surprise from those within it. The glass began to crack as the two powerhouses wailed on each other. The people below scattered as the two crashed through the glass and then into and through the floor below. They began to freefall, tangled in each other as they fought. The King headbutted the man and heard the sickening crack of his nose, quickly the man returned the favor, and the king felt his own nose crack against his face. That was the last straw. The king activated his true power right as they smacked into the top of a passing flying truck. They bounced off and continued their free fall, though this time Ninjin had full control. He channeled ki into his fists and began slamming them hard into the side of the chest of the patriarch. Blood began to stream from the patriarch’s mouth. Then they slammed into the ground. The king blacked out for a moment.
When he came too he took in a deep breath and looked around, but the patriarch was nowhere to be found. Had he been killed in the fall and taken away by something? Or had he gotten up and escaped whilst he could? There was an alien creature standing some distance away from him that seemed to be starting holes into the prince. It was an ugly thing, top-heavy with massive muscles in its upper body. Its bottom half was smaller, dragging behind it, seemingly damaged. It began to charge the king and roared.
Then the prince noticed the torn clothes that hung from the body of the thing. Was this the patriarch? What in the universe had happened to it?!
“My son was perfect. The Maugh line long ago sided with demonic forces to better themselves. And you?! You murdered him and took what was rightfully his!” The monster screamed at him. Thankfully they had smashed into an unoccupied area of the space station, as the fight that was about to occur would be dangerous, the king could tell just from their respective power levels. He quickly went back into his true power. There was no way he could fight this thing without it.
“Your son was sick. At the end of his life he begged me to end it, so corrupted was he by the demon, so much pain was he in. He would be disgusted to see you like this.” Ninjin spat at the creature right before they collided. Using his prodigious strength Ninjin grabbed the creature around the waste and flipped it over, bringing it crashing to the ground. They scrambled apart, and then charged once again. They collided once more and once again the Saiyan high-general flipped the patriarch over himself and slammed him into the ground.
The massive arms came up and grabbed Ninjin’s own. The gnashing face came dangerously close to his own. The king did the only thing he could. He smashed his face into the creature’s own, hearing teeth and bone break as he did so, not sure whether it was his own or the creatures. Still the creature staggered as much as he did. It growled with savage rage. They collided for the last time.
The beast fought against him like a wild animal, but Ninjin held the creature by the waist and brought his armor covered knees into its face. After what felt like over a hundred strikes the beast stopped moving. Ninjin rolled the creature off of him and checked himself for injuries. Despite what he had thought before the fight had been relatively quick.
Ninjin rose, panting, and activated his bukujutsu, making to return to where Lilianna may still be fighting the Maugh clan. She was strong enough to hold her own, but the King was worried nonetheless. If any of them had the ability to turn into a beast like the patriarch had… Well that was a different ballgame wasn’t it?
As he rose, something whipped out and wrapped around his leg. Looking down he saw the Patriarch’s tongue wrapped around his leg, with the beast itself climbing steadily up his own muscle. Ninjin scowled. This thing wouldn’t give up. Its face was badly damaged from the many strikes the prince had hit it with, but nonetheless it continued upwards. As it gained the prince began to charge energy into his hand.
“Time to die Hattori.” It said as it grew close. So many had said those words before, and so many had failed. Still with its tongue lashed around his leg and its gnashing teeth drawing close this seemed to be as good a time as any. But he had things to do. Dying was not on that list. As the beast drew close Ninjin released the blast. It careened into the beasts face and exploded, setting off a reaction that cause the rest of the beast to explode violently.
With grime and gunk dripping off of himself he rose through the air and back towards where he had left Lilianna. What he found when he got there took the breath from his lungs. Dozens of those creatures he had just fought were rampaging around. Where was Lilianna? Doing a quick scan of the area with his advanced ki sensing he found her signature, though it was weak. She was buried under a mass of rubble. Quickly he flew over and unearthed her, telling her to get out of there. Nodding, she did as she was told. The monsters were going berserk, though there was no one around to attack. No one but the King.
Ninjin turned to face them. The look on his face was one of pure fury. How selfish could they be? Giving their own souls and people up to acquire the powers of demons? That was low, too low for Ninjin to forgive. They were no better than the church. The prince ran forwards, his fists glowing with ki. Time after time they slammed into the grotesque masses in front of him, splattering their blood along the walls even as they tried to attack him.
When he was done he was panting and tired, but all of the monsters had been dealt with. All but one. An Iblisian was standing there, looking more terrified than ever. Callem.
“I’m sorry you had to see that Callem.” The king said truthfully, sorrow in his eyes. To see your entire family turn into that, and then to be killed… it was not something that Ninjin could imagine. The Iblisian young man looked into the eyes of the king. There was fear and loathing there, and also seemingly… something else.
“Not you too…” The prince frowned sadly as the young man in front of him began to transform. Where the others were disgusting masses of muscle and claws and teeth, Callem was tall and muscular, his skin turned into a deep shade of red. Long horns stretched from the front of his head to the back, curling as they did so.
“Ninjin Hattori. For so long have you been a thorn in the side of the Universal Church of One, of The Maugh family, and of many demons. Many enemies have you made. Too many enemies. It has finally caught up to you.” Its voice sounded like the rumble before a volcano, and his eyes shown much like lava. Any trace of Callem was gone. The only thing left was the demon.
“Many have made that claim demon. Let’s do this.” The king wasted no time and rushed forwards. His fists slammed into the demon’s torso time after time, colliding with great force. The demon stood there as if nothing was happening and then simply backhanded the king away. Ninjin landed hard and rolled coming up on his feet. There were few times in his life when his fist had done nothing. This was one of those times. Scanning the demon, he could see why. His power was far greater than the prince’s own.
“My name is Barakyel. It is not yet time for us to fight Ninjin Hattori. The time will soon come.” [/b] Turning the demon leapt into the air and was gone like that. The king growled. He had met another enemy that day, one that he was going to have to grow much stronger to defeat. After a long moment of thought the prince returned to where Lilianna was. The Maugh clan was gone, replaced by demons and then destroyed. All except for Callem. He filled his advisor in on what had happened. She scowled
“One enemy replaced by another.”
“I have a feeling my life will always be that way.”
Pl please. Heavy weights in effect.
“What is it that I’m looking at here?” Ninjin said, arms crossed against his chest as he stared at the pictures and maps spread out in front of him. They were standing in the spaceship that Lilianna owned, the two of them, as well as two Iblisian Generals Ninjin had just met. The King was glad that the female’s ship had a large central area, though the tension in the room was enough to make it feel crowded anyway. The generals were two of the supporters of the Maugh family, the ones that had been the frontrunners for the crown before Ninjin had come along. Thus, they were not pleased now to be revealing all of the information about the military to the new king. Though, they didn’t have a choice. As much as they disliked it he was their king now. They would serve him to the best of their ability, or he would find those that would.
“This here” The one that was tall and lithe said, gesturing to a map. Ninjin had already forgotten his name. His eyes looked sunken in as if he hadn’t slept in years, though this was a common look among Iblisians. “Is the main capital of Iblis. In total five hundred thousand of our people live here. It is heavily fortified and well defended, as it is located inside of a Volcano. The Volcano is no longer active, but the mountain is nonetheless strongly fortified. Years ago we removed the Volcano from our dying home world and fitted it on our new home, the Worldship. The elite of our people live here, and it is the seat of our government. Your castle is located here.” He placed the tip of his thin pointed cane on top of a picture of a black castle carved into the side of the volcano. It looked to be made from volcanic glass.
It was a thing of beauty, and part of Ninjin, he guessed it was the Iblisian blood that ran through his veins, felt like he was looking at home. It was an odd feeling for the king to have, as he had only had that feeling whilst looking at the castle on New Vegeta. It almost made him homesick to see, though he had never been there before. The general then droned on about the various infrastructure of the city. The king was used to hearing about military things, that he liked, that he could handle. Buisness? The King did not have a mind for business. He would leave that for others, still his generals though it important he knew, and thus he relented.
They had already discussed the military might of the Iblisians as it were. It was nothing to sneeze at, but they lacked the numbers to truly have an empire. The majority of their people were spread out about space, the Worldship being the only real central location of their people. The Worldship was highly defended. The next step they said was for Ninjin to see the location himself. Lilianna sighed and rubbed her eyes. This had taken a very long time.
The generals noticed this and bowed out of the room, leaving Ninjin and Lilianna alone. The King sighed and sank further into the plush chair he had been sitting in. They had mutually decided that in order to best run the Iblisian people, She was better being his advisor, and not his romantic interest. As soon as they had decided that they had become better friends, and if anything it seemed to strengthen the bond they had.
“Is it always this boring?” He asked looking up at his friend. She looked back and gave him a smile.
“Not always. You seemed to enjoy yourself in the military section.” She said with a knowing smile. It was true, military facets always fascinated the king. It was the closet they could get to fighting whilst talking. There was also a terrific hunger within the king’s stomach, having not have eaten the entire time the generals were briefing them.
“Let’s go get some food.” He said and they made their way out of the ship. They were on Omega, a place where it was safe for them to meet. The King had used his influence to book a private port, so their meeting would go uninterrupted. Standing at the bottom of the ramp was someone who looked terrifyingly familiar. “Maugh?” The words left the king’s mouth and left him cold all at the same time. How was Maugh standing down the ramp In front of him? It looked exactly like Barren Maugh, but there were slight and subtle differences. He appeared much younger for one, as if a snapshot of Maugh from the past. The man looked down and away when the king said that name, and Ninjin thought he caught a hint of shame on the man’s face.
“Fortunately not my lord. Barren Maugh was my brother. I am Callem Maugh. I am here to beg forgiveness for my brother’s actions, and for my household.” For a moment Ninjin was taken aback and was unsure what to say. Was this boy serious? His words seemed to lack sincerity, though they did seem to be filled with plenty of shame. The Maugh’s had already declared their dislike publicly against the king, their attitude well known before, during, and after the coronation and party that had taken place after Ninjin’s trials. Just thinking about the long time he had spent in the otherworld, and how nothing had changed here in that time, made the Saiyan prince’s head hurt.
It also made his heart ache. He had left and lost friends back in the world of Neapness. Bubebolos most of all. Though he now had his armor to remind him of his friend. So why was Callem Maugh apologizing now, with no witnesses around to see it? Was it a play by the Maugh’s to alleviate their standing in the eyes of the king whilst remaining strong in the eyes of the public? It seemed to be the most likely answer in the King’s mind, and Lilianna whispered something similar in his ear. Callem squirmed under the King’s gaze as his advisor advised. He nodded and then walked down the ramp towards the young vampire.
“I would have words with your parents.” The child seemed surprised, his mouth opening and closing, clearly he had not planned for the possibility that that would be the King’s answer.
“Callem, your King has just made a request.” Lilianna added extra emphasis on the king part, stressing the boy to remember just who it was he was talking to. The boy’s eyes widened and he bowed before Ninjin, shaking his head enthusiastically. He led the King and his advisor to the room that his parents were staying in on Omega and rapped quickly on the door in a peculiar pattern. The Saiyan heard some commotion from inside, and a males voice called through.
“Did that bastard accept the damn apology. I can’t believe we had to do that to that rotten alien half-breed cu-” A large Iblisian man that very much resembled the Maugh’s the King knew opened the door. If it was possible for a pure-blood Iblisian to pale the man did. Ninjin smiled a knowing smile. The man looked from the King to his son, then from his son to the advisor, then back to the king. Each one he looked at his expression changed. His son got wrath, the king got a mix of fear and loathing, and the advisor simply got shock.
“That Bastard is here to talk about the apology. Could the rotten alien half-breed come in?” Wordlessly the man stepped aside and allowed the King into the room. He made to grab his son by the arm roughly, but without turning around to look the King cleared his throat.
“I would have Callem with us. Your whole family if possible.” The man’s surprise seemed to elevate further. He left them in the den and made to summon the rest of the Maugh clan that was gathered. Callem seemed more nervous than anything, as if he had made some terrible mistake. The King told him to relax, but this only seemed to heighten his fear further. Lilianna walked around the room, inspecting the things the Maughs had chosen to display. There was a picture of Ninjin with an arrow sticking out of the forehead. The Saiyan recognized it as coming from an Iblisian crossbow. The boy panicked and leapt up, covering the picture with his body. Ninjin chuckled. The church made the malice that the Maugh clan had towards him seem tame at best.
“I would start by apologizing your highness.” The man from the doorway said cutting the silence. A large group of Iblisians shuffled into the room and took spots. The King noticed none of them had bowed to him. Lilianna cleared her throat menacingly as to remind them who they were in the presence of. Some nodded their heads at this, the weaker willed ones bowed, though many were stubborn and did nothing.
“Save it. We both know you don’t like me, I’m fine with that. I am your king however, and thus I expect your respect, at the very least whilst in my company.” He said, though not harshly or menacingly. It was an olive branch. The patriarch of the Maugh clan nodded, accepting it.
“May I inquire as to why you’re here, your highness? Was my son’s apology not satisfactory?” As he asked it, he cut a menacing look towards Callem.
“Your son did a fine job. I am here on a different matter.” His voice grew solemn and serious. This was a difficult story to tell, though the Saiyan crown prince would power through. He told them then, in its entirety. The story of Barren Maugh. In the end, he had been released from the bond with the demon that he had made. The reaction in the room ran from shocked to disbelieving. Whether they believed it or not didn’t matter to Ninjin, he had fulfilled his duty to the Maughs. The group all stood or sat in silence for a very long moment. Ninjin stood, and Lilianna followed his example.
“That. That was hard to hear.” The patriarch said finally. Ninjin could understand that feeling. “But I don’t believe you your highness. I think what actually happened is you murder Maugh.” He said it with hate.
“You can believe whatever you want.” The king said, turning to leave. The patriarch spat at his back. Ninjin closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. He would let that go. Then he spat in Lilianna’s face. He turned and socked the patriarch in the jaw, sending him cracking into the wall. The entire room gasped. The king and his advisor left.
“He won’t forget that.” Lilianna said as they were walking down the corridor away from the Maugh’s residence.
“Neither will I.” The crown prince said with an air of finality. After they had been walking for a while when Ninjin began to feel as if they were being followed. He glanced behind them, and noticed Callem trailing behind them, though he thought he was hidden by the crowd. Ninjin’s curiosity peaked he walked over to the young Iblisian. Callem nearly shrieked, but quickly covered his mouth. The King held up his hand in a show that he came in peace.
“Why is it that you’ve been following me Callem? Given my history with your family you can understand my concern.” Callem seemed to search for his words through his panic.
“My father means to murder you.” He finally said at last, his eyes filled with panic. Why in the world was he telling Ninjin this?
“Why in the world are you telling me this?” An act of treason was punishable by death. There was nothing else for it. Especially trying to kill the king. Lilianna cleared her throat. In his conversation with the young man he failed to notice that they had been surrounded. The men around them wore black masks, but the King knew who they were. It was the Maugh clan. They meant to do away with the king and his “lies” once and for are.
“I’m sorry it’s come to this.” He said honestly. It was never he that had a problem with their clan, it was they that had a problem with him. They couldn’t move past the fact that he was not full blooded Iblisian. It reminded him too much of the Universal Church of One. Lilianna pulled a dagger from a sheath in the small of her back and held it in front of her ready to fight. Callem flipped over the bench to hide behind it whilst the black masked people closed the circle.
One stood out among the rest, more powerful than the rest. Ninjin knew it was the Patriarch. It was unfortunate that they were on Omega, in a privately rented section of the space station. Ninjin had none of his guards with him, and there would be no one coming to help. Still, that was more for the black masked people than Ninjin, someone would need to carry the injured to the med bay when he was done.
“You have one last chance. Turn around, walk away.” He offered it to them with authority in his voice. He stood tall surrounded by them. Obviously they had expected him to be more fearful than he was. Still, no one left.
Instead one charged, a sloppily thrown punch the king simple let bounce off of him. His fist snaked up and lightly caught the masked figure on the jaw, but it was enough to knock them unconscious. The crumpled to the ground and the others began to fight with more vigor, though not that it would help. Lilianna went to work fighting four of them, leaving the others to attempt to pile onto Ninjin. With realitive ease he threw them off, until a strong fist caught him in the jaw, and it was his turn to stagger. Who had thrown that? Looking up he saw the Patriarch.
“You killed the son I could be proud of. Barren was meant to be king. Not you. You pathetic—“ Ninjin leapt in the air and slammed his knee into the man’s jaw. The other’s piled him once again, attempting to mitigate his strength with their weight, but it was to no avail. The king’s power was too much, even weighted down by his heavy armor he was more than a match for all of them. Except the Patriarch. He seemed strong for even an Iblisian male, his power coming close to Ninjin’s own. With a growl the man slammed into the Saiyan prince and knocked him over the side of the railing. They fell two stories below and slammed into the top of a covered walkway. There were gasps of surprise from those within it. The glass began to crack as the two powerhouses wailed on each other. The people below scattered as the two crashed through the glass and then into and through the floor below. They began to freefall, tangled in each other as they fought. The King headbutted the man and heard the sickening crack of his nose, quickly the man returned the favor, and the king felt his own nose crack against his face. That was the last straw. The king activated his true power right as they smacked into the top of a passing flying truck. They bounced off and continued their free fall, though this time Ninjin had full control. He channeled ki into his fists and began slamming them hard into the side of the chest of the patriarch. Blood began to stream from the patriarch’s mouth. Then they slammed into the ground. The king blacked out for a moment.
When he came too he took in a deep breath and looked around, but the patriarch was nowhere to be found. Had he been killed in the fall and taken away by something? Or had he gotten up and escaped whilst he could? There was an alien creature standing some distance away from him that seemed to be starting holes into the prince. It was an ugly thing, top-heavy with massive muscles in its upper body. Its bottom half was smaller, dragging behind it, seemingly damaged. It began to charge the king and roared.
Then the prince noticed the torn clothes that hung from the body of the thing. Was this the patriarch? What in the universe had happened to it?!
“My son was perfect. The Maugh line long ago sided with demonic forces to better themselves. And you?! You murdered him and took what was rightfully his!” The monster screamed at him. Thankfully they had smashed into an unoccupied area of the space station, as the fight that was about to occur would be dangerous, the king could tell just from their respective power levels. He quickly went back into his true power. There was no way he could fight this thing without it.
“Your son was sick. At the end of his life he begged me to end it, so corrupted was he by the demon, so much pain was he in. He would be disgusted to see you like this.” Ninjin spat at the creature right before they collided. Using his prodigious strength Ninjin grabbed the creature around the waste and flipped it over, bringing it crashing to the ground. They scrambled apart, and then charged once again. They collided once more and once again the Saiyan high-general flipped the patriarch over himself and slammed him into the ground.
The massive arms came up and grabbed Ninjin’s own. The gnashing face came dangerously close to his own. The king did the only thing he could. He smashed his face into the creature’s own, hearing teeth and bone break as he did so, not sure whether it was his own or the creatures. Still the creature staggered as much as he did. It growled with savage rage. They collided for the last time.
The beast fought against him like a wild animal, but Ninjin held the creature by the waist and brought his armor covered knees into its face. After what felt like over a hundred strikes the beast stopped moving. Ninjin rolled the creature off of him and checked himself for injuries. Despite what he had thought before the fight had been relatively quick.
Ninjin rose, panting, and activated his bukujutsu, making to return to where Lilianna may still be fighting the Maugh clan. She was strong enough to hold her own, but the King was worried nonetheless. If any of them had the ability to turn into a beast like the patriarch had… Well that was a different ballgame wasn’t it?
As he rose, something whipped out and wrapped around his leg. Looking down he saw the Patriarch’s tongue wrapped around his leg, with the beast itself climbing steadily up his own muscle. Ninjin scowled. This thing wouldn’t give up. Its face was badly damaged from the many strikes the prince had hit it with, but nonetheless it continued upwards. As it gained the prince began to charge energy into his hand.
“Time to die Hattori.” It said as it grew close. So many had said those words before, and so many had failed. Still with its tongue lashed around his leg and its gnashing teeth drawing close this seemed to be as good a time as any. But he had things to do. Dying was not on that list. As the beast drew close Ninjin released the blast. It careened into the beasts face and exploded, setting off a reaction that cause the rest of the beast to explode violently.
With grime and gunk dripping off of himself he rose through the air and back towards where he had left Lilianna. What he found when he got there took the breath from his lungs. Dozens of those creatures he had just fought were rampaging around. Where was Lilianna? Doing a quick scan of the area with his advanced ki sensing he found her signature, though it was weak. She was buried under a mass of rubble. Quickly he flew over and unearthed her, telling her to get out of there. Nodding, she did as she was told. The monsters were going berserk, though there was no one around to attack. No one but the King.
Ninjin turned to face them. The look on his face was one of pure fury. How selfish could they be? Giving their own souls and people up to acquire the powers of demons? That was low, too low for Ninjin to forgive. They were no better than the church. The prince ran forwards, his fists glowing with ki. Time after time they slammed into the grotesque masses in front of him, splattering their blood along the walls even as they tried to attack him.
When he was done he was panting and tired, but all of the monsters had been dealt with. All but one. An Iblisian was standing there, looking more terrified than ever. Callem.
“I’m sorry you had to see that Callem.” The king said truthfully, sorrow in his eyes. To see your entire family turn into that, and then to be killed… it was not something that Ninjin could imagine. The Iblisian young man looked into the eyes of the king. There was fear and loathing there, and also seemingly… something else.
“Not you too…” The prince frowned sadly as the young man in front of him began to transform. Where the others were disgusting masses of muscle and claws and teeth, Callem was tall and muscular, his skin turned into a deep shade of red. Long horns stretched from the front of his head to the back, curling as they did so.
“Ninjin Hattori. For so long have you been a thorn in the side of the Universal Church of One, of The Maugh family, and of many demons. Many enemies have you made. Too many enemies. It has finally caught up to you.” Its voice sounded like the rumble before a volcano, and his eyes shown much like lava. Any trace of Callem was gone. The only thing left was the demon.
“Many have made that claim demon. Let’s do this.” The king wasted no time and rushed forwards. His fists slammed into the demon’s torso time after time, colliding with great force. The demon stood there as if nothing was happening and then simply backhanded the king away. Ninjin landed hard and rolled coming up on his feet. There were few times in his life when his fist had done nothing. This was one of those times. Scanning the demon, he could see why. His power was far greater than the prince’s own.
“My name is Barakyel. It is not yet time for us to fight Ninjin Hattori. The time will soon come.” [/b] Turning the demon leapt into the air and was gone like that. The king growled. He had met another enemy that day, one that he was going to have to grow much stronger to defeat. After a long moment of thought the prince returned to where Lilianna was. The Maugh clan was gone, replaced by demons and then destroyed. All except for Callem. He filled his advisor in on what had happened. She scowled
“One enemy replaced by another.”
“I have a feeling my life will always be that way.”
Pl please. Heavy weights in effect.