Post by Piyano on Jan 29, 2017 2:41:07 GMT -5
The beat of heavy drums filled the air throughout the village, a rustic and rhythmic tune as the tribe of Yusicians that comprised Piyano’s surviving family members meted out a musical ritual. One of the most ancient traditions of the Namekian people was the playing of music in both times of celebration, and times of loss. Today the drums beat, and the choir sang for both these causes. A elder of the tribe had passed from the living world the day before, ripe in his age the Namekian had lived a life of nearly four hundred years, he had spawned forth several happy children, and he had been a teacher. The tribe did not mourn for the elder with his death, no claws stole his last breath or KI blast burnt his flesh; he had died in his sleep. Peaceful, like the long road he had walked in life.
Along with the ritual goodbye for the elder, the tribe welcomed two new members to their family, and the pair were strange newcomers at that. The first was a pink haired woman, half her body comprised of the thick coils of a snake, scales gleaming with white and red coloring. Currently she stood by nervously as several Namekians danced and sang and played around her. Xenophobic by nature the woman had been slowly warming up to the tribe and Piyano in particular, saving her life had been a great help in Piyano trying to break down the girls deeply ingrained mistrust of any species that was not her own. A week or two ago the woman, Piper by name, would have never even attended the ceremony. Now though, despite her tension and the way she looked ready to spring away, she was here. Side by side with a people that would cause her no harm, people that were welcoming her into the family.
Unlike Piper, the second individual being welcomed into the Yusician tribe felt no trepidations about joining in on the party. Barely larger than a Namekian child, a saibamen danced in the middle of the pack. Wickedly clawed arms gently holding the soft hands of children and scholars as the dark colored creature sang in its own strange language. Piyano watched it all from the drum line, his palms slapping down in rhythm with the other musicians as he aided in the ceremony as well. A great smile beamed forth from the man as he smacked rawhide in tune with the beat, Piyano had been both the finder and the sponsor of this pair; and to see them both being inducted into the tribe was a happy moment for the tall Namekian. Piper would still need time to adjust he knew, but Piyano felt certain the woman would quickly adjust to life on Namek, he had seen that once the woman got over her initial mistrust of people that her kind soul would shine forth. As for the saibamen, Piyano knew little of the creatures as a whole; but he knew this one seemed to truly despise violence. It was a creature bred to die in battle yet Piyano had watched this one turn from fights, even now he watched it shake with excitement as it danced the day away. Now Piyano just had to find a name for the little guy.
Drums beat long into the day as the ritual went on for hours, even as one sun set, two more rose to take its place in the skies above. It wasn’t until nearly the end of the party that a member of the clan pulled Piyano aside, his face stern with serious business. Sighing the tall Namekian excused himself from the fun, he thought to ask Piper or the saibamen… Gwwa!? To accompany him, instead the Namek decided to let them enjoy their party all the while shaking his head. Gwwa was a terrible name. Following his tribesmen into a dome shaped home the noise died down when he closed the door, the home’s thick walls blocking out the sound. Seeing that Piyano was not alone with the man, as two children sat upon a nearby couch, Piyano’s interest was finally peeked. “What is the meaning of all this Tullosok? Why are there children involved?” Piyano asked his elder, as Tullosok was nearing his second century of life. The stern faced Namekian shot Piyano a grumpy look, but instead of speaking to Piyano, he called forth the two children. The Namekian kids came forth, each holding a small capped jug in their arms, they seemed to be struggling to hold the lids down over their prizes. “We found this we both did, it’s a fancy blue water, but it's thick like that sweet goo the humans brought with them… um… syrup I think it’s called.” said the elder child in a nervous voice, he clearly was leaving out details.
“Where did you find this thick blue water?” Piyano asked curiously, it admittedly was a strange tale, since water on planet Namek was green. Piyano had seen blue oceans upon Earth however, and had heard rumor that other planets in space contained a clear or blue liquid for their water supplies… Namek seemed to be a rare example of a world with green waves. The two children shuffled their feet nervously at Piyano’s question, so much so that the man wasn’t certain they would tell him, until Tullosok snapped at the kids, making them jump in fright. “We was playing up north by the ruins we was!” blurted the younger child, the fear etched on his face hinted that he knew this to be a bad thing to admit. Piyano’s eyes grew wide in surprise upon the admission, mostly because the northern regions of Namek were the most dangerous. It was a miracle these children remained alive. For a moment Piyano thought he had been brought here to punish the children, but Tullosok required no aid for such a task… and the capped jugs the children held had yet to be explained. “May I see this water?” Piyano asked, causing both the children to nod their heads.
Instead of both children handing him their jugs as he had expected, the younger child set his jug on the floor, taking great care to leave his hands pressed down over the cap. “Watch your feet.” the child said as he drew his hands back. For a brief few seconds nothing happened and Piyano felt as if he was being toyed with, until the cap snapped open with a great force! Water surged out from the jug and sloshed along the floor of the home, glistening blue the liquid seemed to move of its own accord. At first it merely escaped its container to puddle upon the floor, but soon enough the mysterious water flowed towards the door, slipped underneath the crack of the jam and disappeared from sight. Not a drop remained within the home for Piyano to see, and his aw hung slack at such a marvel. Looking back to Tullosok and the children it didn’t take a great leap of Piyano’s imagination to guess what was in the other jug. “Before you let that free. How did you find this water?” Piyano asked, which launched the children into a long tale. By the end of it Piyano had learned that the children had been playing by a abandoned tomb in the north, a mausoleum dedicated to the old ways of Piyano’s people. They had found the water as a moving puddle circling the great structure, as if trying to breach within.
Tombs on Namek were much like tombs on Earth, dangerous. Possessed of many grand traps and secret mazes, for upon Namek death was a honor. The natural end of a glorious life, and one’s death should never be disturbed. Yet Piyano was a curious sort, and something deep within him knew he would not simply let this mystery drop just because he was not supposed to enter an old tomb. “Okay, you two are to never play by the tombs again. I am sure Tullosok will make you never wish to do so again anyway.” Piyano said taking the final jug from the elder child. With a nod towards the door Piyano sent the kids outside, their part done in all this. “So you will go and learn of this strange water?” Tullosok asked once the kids were gone, surprisingly Piyano did not hear anger in the man’s voice. “I will, but you knew that already didn’t you?” Piyano replied, looking at the older Namek curiously. “I am two hundred years old next month Piyano. In your thirty something years you have seen sights I have only dreamed of. Maybe I’m just hoping to see what you bring back this time.” Tullosok said as he walked toward the door, leaving Piyano alone with his thoughts.
Unable to contain a grin Piyano walked outside himself, set down the jug and lifted himself into the air. Hovering mere inches off the ground Piyano waited for the water to spring forth, only this time it didn’t escape alone as the Namekian flew after it. The water surged forth quickly, whatever mystical force powering its movement was strong enough to make the puddle of liquid swift. Luckily Piyano was swift himself and managed to follow the puddles speed. The water did not seek to evade him either as it moved in a straight northern path, only changing course when it reached a obstacle it couldn’t pass over like a wave. Soon enough the water hit the banks of the sea and dived in like a fish to its home, the thick blue liquid sat like a membrane upon the green ocean, somehow floating like a lily pad with thought. Instead of being sucked into the tide and the course of the sea the membrane continued to move north, somehow it was faster upon the sea than the land.
After traveling for miles Piyano saw the northern coast rising out of the distance, and he knew he was entering into dangerous lands as he pushed on. The Mazoku clans roamed the northern regions of Namek, their shund teaching still living strongly in the desolate wastes. The north had once been as beautiful as the rest of Namek, until many centuries ago. A ancient enemy that could no longer be named had reduced the lands to ash and dust, leaving little more than death in its wake. Only the tombs of long dead heroes and Guru’s remained, the thick stone of their walls having survived the great purge. Passing over the banks Piyano waited until he spotted the blue slime, it appeared upon the beach and continued with no thought of danger. Why would it Piyano thought as he followed, reducing his KI level in hopes of remaining undetected. Trailing the slime for another hour or so Piyano finally reached a great structure. Clearly a tomb to a man whose name was lost to time the great pyramid was weathered with age, stones once brown had been baked into a pale white by Namek’s three suns, and the ancient glyphs that would have once named the one entombed within had been reduced to faded scratches, barely legible to the naked eye.
The blue water ran up the side of the pyramids stones and Piyano watched from the air as the puddle he followed met up with a second shallow puddle. Most likely the first puddle that had been freed by the boys, the two merged into a singular body of liquid. Together they were nearly a full liter. After their merger however the puddle sat stopped by a wall on the tombs eastern face, it seemed to be pressing itself against the stones, but nothing came from its efforts. Slowly willing himself to land beside the living puddle Piyano touched down beside the strange blue liquid. It seemed to shift in a manner that indicated it was aware of him, but beyond that the liquid continued it’s efforts in vain. Curious to see where all this craziness was leading Piyano began to feel along the wall himself, pushing at intervals. Eventually the puddle slapped itself against a specific section of the wall repeatedly until Piyano took the hint and placed his hand along the wet spot. He realized than that the children had been right, the blue water felt a lot thicker than it should, closer to a slime or ooze than true water. After pushing down hard against the wall a pressure plate sank into the stone, so perfectly fitted had the plate been that Piyano never would have seen the device until it was pressed in. Stone ground against stone as the walls shifted and gears cranked loudly, before long the wall had disappeared entirely, leaving only a empty tunnel that descended into darkness.
Rightly hesitant to enter Piyano stood at the doorway unsure as to which action to take. The ooze at his heel however bolted forward, its blue body faintly glowing with luminescent light as it rushed the shadow. Shamed that a puddle was showing more courage than himself Piyano charged after his little living light source. The insides of the tomb was a maze of etched stone, each slab was beautifully marked and told its own chapter in the story of the tombs owner’s life. Oddly enough Piyano started to notice a pattern in the ancient scripts as he descended down into the depths, he could only vaguely read the ancient inscriptions upon the walls, thanks to his scribes training as a child. From what Piyano could discern this tomb held a hero of the great floods of Old Namek, a man who with the aid of a water goddess had saved many many lives. Yet Piyano found no mention of the ancient Namekian’s name, only hero and water goddess continued to be named from slab to slab. Shrugging at the oddity Piyano continued after the glowing ooze as it crept ever closer towards its strange goals.
Hurrying to keep after the glowing creature it came both as a great shock and as no surprise at all when Piyano felt a stone sink beneath his foot. The floor groaned with noise as ages old machinery was brought back to life. Spears stabbed up from the floor, appearing and disappearing at random intervals. Forced to run for his life Piyano dodged and tossed his body around the hallway as rust covered tips sought his flesh. The age of the weapons meant nothing however as their sharp points bite at Piyano’s clothes, small serrated edges sliced his legs and arms as he used every bit of training he possessed to nimbly and narrowly escape impalement at every turn. A explosion of blue light showered the room in luminescence as a spear ripped the glowing puddle in half scattering water in all directions. The added light however helped Piyano reach the end of the trap, and tumbling out into safety he felt another pressure plate click under his weight. With a heavy thud two items impacted with Piyano’s back, delivering a sharp pain to his shoulder blades that had him cry out in pain. The spears descended back into the floor however, and the dance of death seemed at its end.
Reaching a arm back to yank out the items that had struck him the Namekian observed two small darts that had pierced his flesh. Upon examination though Piyano found that the weapons had once been coated in poison. No longer however as the substance had hardened and flaked away with age. If he had attempted to search this tomb back when it had been made however… Piyano would be dead. Moving to toss the darts away Piyano had a sudden thought and instead pocketed the old weapons. Then the man looked at the widespread splatter of the ooze puddle, the creature had been rained all along the room and was even than running down the walls to pool along the floor. It took Piyano several seconds to realize the ooze wasn’t simply draining, but was in fact reforming. Before long the puddle lived again and continued its trek deeper into the tomb. Now more curious than ever Piyano followed after. Twice more the Namekian had to contend with traps, one a swinging ax blade that he narrowly avoided taking to the gut. The second trap never truly seemed to go off thankfully, the tombs age was working against it as mechanizes never before used rusted in place and failed. After what felt like hours of walking Piyano finally entered into a gigantic chamber, a shire with a raised dias. Upon that dias sat twin statues suspending a large glass container between them.
The glass contain blue water, Piyano and the puddle both surged up the shire to inspect the perfect glass orb. He found no flaw in the smooth crystal however, no opening of any kind. The puddle slapped itself against the glass, only to break apart upon contact with the sphere. Something about the crystal prevented the ooze from maintaining form around it and the puddle was forced to slosh back several feet before it could reform again. The thought of shattering the crystal occurred to Piyano, but such would be a desecration to a holy resting place and the Namekian found it wasn’t so easy for him to cross such a line. So instead the man reached out, not with his fist but with his mind. Thought knew no boundaries and a man as well versed in telepathy as Piyano knew that he could send his thoughts anywhere. So he reached out… and something reached back. “Please… please free me.” came the sensation of thoughts not his own. “Who are you?” Piyano asked in return, needing to unravel the mystery before taking risky action.
“I am Nitei, long ago known as the goddess of tides.” came the reply, its feminine thoughts imparting fear and hope at having someone to speak with.
“How did you come to be here?” Piyano asked.
“I was imprisoned by Mazoku in this mystical glass long ago. They claimed I had to be buried with him, to protect his legacy.”
“Whose legacy?”
“The heroes, we ended the floods after he summoned me from Makai. The required amount of power to stem the floods was beyond me however, so he gave me his life to end the rains. The Mazoku to anger too this and sealed me here.”
“When did this happen?”
“Age 454.”
Piyano nearly lost his mental connection upon hearing the year. This creature had been trapped for over a thousand years! How did it survive? The only answer he could perceive was that the crystal prison not only trapped the creature and prevented her from maintaining any solid shape, but also sustained her life. “If I free you will you die?” he asked with his mind, and several long moments passed before he received a answer. “I don’t know, but I have not lived for a very long time, yet have not been allowed to die. Please… free me, even if it kills me.” came her thoughts and so genuine was the creatures plea that that Piyano found he believed her. “What of this small puddle by my side?” he asked. “It is a manifestation of me, my hand if you will. It was the only part of me to escape incarceration. When I die so will it.” came the reply. With that the connection ended and Piyano was left to think, on some level he knew he should not trust this creature. Too many risks existed with setting her free, but inside her mind Piyano had felt only pain. Pain and the faintest glimmer of hope. Arcing back his arm the Namekian thrust his fist forward into the crystal sphere, whatever magic it possessed was not designed to stop him and so the orb shattered. Glass and ooze rained to the floor below.
The puddle rushed forth to meet itself than, merging into one grand being. Water swirled and began to take form, began to take shape. Out of the ooze grew the slender body of a woman, a blue woman made of water. Her body at once solid and yet… not. Her shape was vaguely that of a Earthen woman, except she lacked hands, and feet. The small detailed features of a solid body simply melted back into her gelatinous form. Nitiei looked around herself in shock, seemingly as if for the first time in generations, than she looked to Piyano… fear returned to her eyes, eyes that weren’t truly there. “What will you do with me now?” she asked, his voice just as feminine as her thoughts though perhaps wetter in tone. “If you will allow me… I will help you.” Piyano said softly as he stood alone before a creature made of water.
Several days later drums beat heavily through the air around Yusician village. This time Piyano did not play the drums himself as he watched Nitiei, Piper, and Sprout… the name he had decided to give to the saibamen, dance with the Namekians of his tribe. Each of the three stuck out like a sore thumb among the Namekians and each one would face hardships one day Piyano knew, but today he was happy to sit back and watch the three smile and laugh together. Tullosok sat beside the man, examining a pair of ancient darts that Piyano had gifted him upon returning to the village. “You live a strange life Piyano, a blessed life sailing through strange waters.” Tullosok said, Piyano could only laugh in reply.
End.
Word Count: 3,640
Zeni please
Along with the ritual goodbye for the elder, the tribe welcomed two new members to their family, and the pair were strange newcomers at that. The first was a pink haired woman, half her body comprised of the thick coils of a snake, scales gleaming with white and red coloring. Currently she stood by nervously as several Namekians danced and sang and played around her. Xenophobic by nature the woman had been slowly warming up to the tribe and Piyano in particular, saving her life had been a great help in Piyano trying to break down the girls deeply ingrained mistrust of any species that was not her own. A week or two ago the woman, Piper by name, would have never even attended the ceremony. Now though, despite her tension and the way she looked ready to spring away, she was here. Side by side with a people that would cause her no harm, people that were welcoming her into the family.
Unlike Piper, the second individual being welcomed into the Yusician tribe felt no trepidations about joining in on the party. Barely larger than a Namekian child, a saibamen danced in the middle of the pack. Wickedly clawed arms gently holding the soft hands of children and scholars as the dark colored creature sang in its own strange language. Piyano watched it all from the drum line, his palms slapping down in rhythm with the other musicians as he aided in the ceremony as well. A great smile beamed forth from the man as he smacked rawhide in tune with the beat, Piyano had been both the finder and the sponsor of this pair; and to see them both being inducted into the tribe was a happy moment for the tall Namekian. Piper would still need time to adjust he knew, but Piyano felt certain the woman would quickly adjust to life on Namek, he had seen that once the woman got over her initial mistrust of people that her kind soul would shine forth. As for the saibamen, Piyano knew little of the creatures as a whole; but he knew this one seemed to truly despise violence. It was a creature bred to die in battle yet Piyano had watched this one turn from fights, even now he watched it shake with excitement as it danced the day away. Now Piyano just had to find a name for the little guy.
Drums beat long into the day as the ritual went on for hours, even as one sun set, two more rose to take its place in the skies above. It wasn’t until nearly the end of the party that a member of the clan pulled Piyano aside, his face stern with serious business. Sighing the tall Namekian excused himself from the fun, he thought to ask Piper or the saibamen… Gwwa!? To accompany him, instead the Namek decided to let them enjoy their party all the while shaking his head. Gwwa was a terrible name. Following his tribesmen into a dome shaped home the noise died down when he closed the door, the home’s thick walls blocking out the sound. Seeing that Piyano was not alone with the man, as two children sat upon a nearby couch, Piyano’s interest was finally peeked. “What is the meaning of all this Tullosok? Why are there children involved?” Piyano asked his elder, as Tullosok was nearing his second century of life. The stern faced Namekian shot Piyano a grumpy look, but instead of speaking to Piyano, he called forth the two children. The Namekian kids came forth, each holding a small capped jug in their arms, they seemed to be struggling to hold the lids down over their prizes. “We found this we both did, it’s a fancy blue water, but it's thick like that sweet goo the humans brought with them… um… syrup I think it’s called.” said the elder child in a nervous voice, he clearly was leaving out details.
“Where did you find this thick blue water?” Piyano asked curiously, it admittedly was a strange tale, since water on planet Namek was green. Piyano had seen blue oceans upon Earth however, and had heard rumor that other planets in space contained a clear or blue liquid for their water supplies… Namek seemed to be a rare example of a world with green waves. The two children shuffled their feet nervously at Piyano’s question, so much so that the man wasn’t certain they would tell him, until Tullosok snapped at the kids, making them jump in fright. “We was playing up north by the ruins we was!” blurted the younger child, the fear etched on his face hinted that he knew this to be a bad thing to admit. Piyano’s eyes grew wide in surprise upon the admission, mostly because the northern regions of Namek were the most dangerous. It was a miracle these children remained alive. For a moment Piyano thought he had been brought here to punish the children, but Tullosok required no aid for such a task… and the capped jugs the children held had yet to be explained. “May I see this water?” Piyano asked, causing both the children to nod their heads.
Instead of both children handing him their jugs as he had expected, the younger child set his jug on the floor, taking great care to leave his hands pressed down over the cap. “Watch your feet.” the child said as he drew his hands back. For a brief few seconds nothing happened and Piyano felt as if he was being toyed with, until the cap snapped open with a great force! Water surged out from the jug and sloshed along the floor of the home, glistening blue the liquid seemed to move of its own accord. At first it merely escaped its container to puddle upon the floor, but soon enough the mysterious water flowed towards the door, slipped underneath the crack of the jam and disappeared from sight. Not a drop remained within the home for Piyano to see, and his aw hung slack at such a marvel. Looking back to Tullosok and the children it didn’t take a great leap of Piyano’s imagination to guess what was in the other jug. “Before you let that free. How did you find this water?” Piyano asked, which launched the children into a long tale. By the end of it Piyano had learned that the children had been playing by a abandoned tomb in the north, a mausoleum dedicated to the old ways of Piyano’s people. They had found the water as a moving puddle circling the great structure, as if trying to breach within.
Tombs on Namek were much like tombs on Earth, dangerous. Possessed of many grand traps and secret mazes, for upon Namek death was a honor. The natural end of a glorious life, and one’s death should never be disturbed. Yet Piyano was a curious sort, and something deep within him knew he would not simply let this mystery drop just because he was not supposed to enter an old tomb. “Okay, you two are to never play by the tombs again. I am sure Tullosok will make you never wish to do so again anyway.” Piyano said taking the final jug from the elder child. With a nod towards the door Piyano sent the kids outside, their part done in all this. “So you will go and learn of this strange water?” Tullosok asked once the kids were gone, surprisingly Piyano did not hear anger in the man’s voice. “I will, but you knew that already didn’t you?” Piyano replied, looking at the older Namek curiously. “I am two hundred years old next month Piyano. In your thirty something years you have seen sights I have only dreamed of. Maybe I’m just hoping to see what you bring back this time.” Tullosok said as he walked toward the door, leaving Piyano alone with his thoughts.
Unable to contain a grin Piyano walked outside himself, set down the jug and lifted himself into the air. Hovering mere inches off the ground Piyano waited for the water to spring forth, only this time it didn’t escape alone as the Namekian flew after it. The water surged forth quickly, whatever mystical force powering its movement was strong enough to make the puddle of liquid swift. Luckily Piyano was swift himself and managed to follow the puddles speed. The water did not seek to evade him either as it moved in a straight northern path, only changing course when it reached a obstacle it couldn’t pass over like a wave. Soon enough the water hit the banks of the sea and dived in like a fish to its home, the thick blue liquid sat like a membrane upon the green ocean, somehow floating like a lily pad with thought. Instead of being sucked into the tide and the course of the sea the membrane continued to move north, somehow it was faster upon the sea than the land.
After traveling for miles Piyano saw the northern coast rising out of the distance, and he knew he was entering into dangerous lands as he pushed on. The Mazoku clans roamed the northern regions of Namek, their shund teaching still living strongly in the desolate wastes. The north had once been as beautiful as the rest of Namek, until many centuries ago. A ancient enemy that could no longer be named had reduced the lands to ash and dust, leaving little more than death in its wake. Only the tombs of long dead heroes and Guru’s remained, the thick stone of their walls having survived the great purge. Passing over the banks Piyano waited until he spotted the blue slime, it appeared upon the beach and continued with no thought of danger. Why would it Piyano thought as he followed, reducing his KI level in hopes of remaining undetected. Trailing the slime for another hour or so Piyano finally reached a great structure. Clearly a tomb to a man whose name was lost to time the great pyramid was weathered with age, stones once brown had been baked into a pale white by Namek’s three suns, and the ancient glyphs that would have once named the one entombed within had been reduced to faded scratches, barely legible to the naked eye.
The blue water ran up the side of the pyramids stones and Piyano watched from the air as the puddle he followed met up with a second shallow puddle. Most likely the first puddle that had been freed by the boys, the two merged into a singular body of liquid. Together they were nearly a full liter. After their merger however the puddle sat stopped by a wall on the tombs eastern face, it seemed to be pressing itself against the stones, but nothing came from its efforts. Slowly willing himself to land beside the living puddle Piyano touched down beside the strange blue liquid. It seemed to shift in a manner that indicated it was aware of him, but beyond that the liquid continued it’s efforts in vain. Curious to see where all this craziness was leading Piyano began to feel along the wall himself, pushing at intervals. Eventually the puddle slapped itself against a specific section of the wall repeatedly until Piyano took the hint and placed his hand along the wet spot. He realized than that the children had been right, the blue water felt a lot thicker than it should, closer to a slime or ooze than true water. After pushing down hard against the wall a pressure plate sank into the stone, so perfectly fitted had the plate been that Piyano never would have seen the device until it was pressed in. Stone ground against stone as the walls shifted and gears cranked loudly, before long the wall had disappeared entirely, leaving only a empty tunnel that descended into darkness.
Rightly hesitant to enter Piyano stood at the doorway unsure as to which action to take. The ooze at his heel however bolted forward, its blue body faintly glowing with luminescent light as it rushed the shadow. Shamed that a puddle was showing more courage than himself Piyano charged after his little living light source. The insides of the tomb was a maze of etched stone, each slab was beautifully marked and told its own chapter in the story of the tombs owner’s life. Oddly enough Piyano started to notice a pattern in the ancient scripts as he descended down into the depths, he could only vaguely read the ancient inscriptions upon the walls, thanks to his scribes training as a child. From what Piyano could discern this tomb held a hero of the great floods of Old Namek, a man who with the aid of a water goddess had saved many many lives. Yet Piyano found no mention of the ancient Namekian’s name, only hero and water goddess continued to be named from slab to slab. Shrugging at the oddity Piyano continued after the glowing ooze as it crept ever closer towards its strange goals.
Hurrying to keep after the glowing creature it came both as a great shock and as no surprise at all when Piyano felt a stone sink beneath his foot. The floor groaned with noise as ages old machinery was brought back to life. Spears stabbed up from the floor, appearing and disappearing at random intervals. Forced to run for his life Piyano dodged and tossed his body around the hallway as rust covered tips sought his flesh. The age of the weapons meant nothing however as their sharp points bite at Piyano’s clothes, small serrated edges sliced his legs and arms as he used every bit of training he possessed to nimbly and narrowly escape impalement at every turn. A explosion of blue light showered the room in luminescence as a spear ripped the glowing puddle in half scattering water in all directions. The added light however helped Piyano reach the end of the trap, and tumbling out into safety he felt another pressure plate click under his weight. With a heavy thud two items impacted with Piyano’s back, delivering a sharp pain to his shoulder blades that had him cry out in pain. The spears descended back into the floor however, and the dance of death seemed at its end.
Reaching a arm back to yank out the items that had struck him the Namekian observed two small darts that had pierced his flesh. Upon examination though Piyano found that the weapons had once been coated in poison. No longer however as the substance had hardened and flaked away with age. If he had attempted to search this tomb back when it had been made however… Piyano would be dead. Moving to toss the darts away Piyano had a sudden thought and instead pocketed the old weapons. Then the man looked at the widespread splatter of the ooze puddle, the creature had been rained all along the room and was even than running down the walls to pool along the floor. It took Piyano several seconds to realize the ooze wasn’t simply draining, but was in fact reforming. Before long the puddle lived again and continued its trek deeper into the tomb. Now more curious than ever Piyano followed after. Twice more the Namekian had to contend with traps, one a swinging ax blade that he narrowly avoided taking to the gut. The second trap never truly seemed to go off thankfully, the tombs age was working against it as mechanizes never before used rusted in place and failed. After what felt like hours of walking Piyano finally entered into a gigantic chamber, a shire with a raised dias. Upon that dias sat twin statues suspending a large glass container between them.
The glass contain blue water, Piyano and the puddle both surged up the shire to inspect the perfect glass orb. He found no flaw in the smooth crystal however, no opening of any kind. The puddle slapped itself against the glass, only to break apart upon contact with the sphere. Something about the crystal prevented the ooze from maintaining form around it and the puddle was forced to slosh back several feet before it could reform again. The thought of shattering the crystal occurred to Piyano, but such would be a desecration to a holy resting place and the Namekian found it wasn’t so easy for him to cross such a line. So instead the man reached out, not with his fist but with his mind. Thought knew no boundaries and a man as well versed in telepathy as Piyano knew that he could send his thoughts anywhere. So he reached out… and something reached back. “Please… please free me.” came the sensation of thoughts not his own. “Who are you?” Piyano asked in return, needing to unravel the mystery before taking risky action.
“I am Nitei, long ago known as the goddess of tides.” came the reply, its feminine thoughts imparting fear and hope at having someone to speak with.
“How did you come to be here?” Piyano asked.
“I was imprisoned by Mazoku in this mystical glass long ago. They claimed I had to be buried with him, to protect his legacy.”
“Whose legacy?”
“The heroes, we ended the floods after he summoned me from Makai. The required amount of power to stem the floods was beyond me however, so he gave me his life to end the rains. The Mazoku to anger too this and sealed me here.”
“When did this happen?”
“Age 454.”
Piyano nearly lost his mental connection upon hearing the year. This creature had been trapped for over a thousand years! How did it survive? The only answer he could perceive was that the crystal prison not only trapped the creature and prevented her from maintaining any solid shape, but also sustained her life. “If I free you will you die?” he asked with his mind, and several long moments passed before he received a answer. “I don’t know, but I have not lived for a very long time, yet have not been allowed to die. Please… free me, even if it kills me.” came her thoughts and so genuine was the creatures plea that that Piyano found he believed her. “What of this small puddle by my side?” he asked. “It is a manifestation of me, my hand if you will. It was the only part of me to escape incarceration. When I die so will it.” came the reply. With that the connection ended and Piyano was left to think, on some level he knew he should not trust this creature. Too many risks existed with setting her free, but inside her mind Piyano had felt only pain. Pain and the faintest glimmer of hope. Arcing back his arm the Namekian thrust his fist forward into the crystal sphere, whatever magic it possessed was not designed to stop him and so the orb shattered. Glass and ooze rained to the floor below.
The puddle rushed forth to meet itself than, merging into one grand being. Water swirled and began to take form, began to take shape. Out of the ooze grew the slender body of a woman, a blue woman made of water. Her body at once solid and yet… not. Her shape was vaguely that of a Earthen woman, except she lacked hands, and feet. The small detailed features of a solid body simply melted back into her gelatinous form. Nitiei looked around herself in shock, seemingly as if for the first time in generations, than she looked to Piyano… fear returned to her eyes, eyes that weren’t truly there. “What will you do with me now?” she asked, his voice just as feminine as her thoughts though perhaps wetter in tone. “If you will allow me… I will help you.” Piyano said softly as he stood alone before a creature made of water.
Several days later drums beat heavily through the air around Yusician village. This time Piyano did not play the drums himself as he watched Nitiei, Piper, and Sprout… the name he had decided to give to the saibamen, dance with the Namekians of his tribe. Each of the three stuck out like a sore thumb among the Namekians and each one would face hardships one day Piyano knew, but today he was happy to sit back and watch the three smile and laugh together. Tullosok sat beside the man, examining a pair of ancient darts that Piyano had gifted him upon returning to the village. “You live a strange life Piyano, a blessed life sailing through strange waters.” Tullosok said, Piyano could only laugh in reply.
End.
Word Count: 3,640
Zeni please