Post by Piyano on Jan 11, 2017 4:19:12 GMT -5
A buzzer echoed loudly throughout the the solitary hallway as steel bars clanged against iron, the barricade door sliding to the side upon its rail to create space enough for a humanoid figure to step out of the prison cell. From the shadows of the small room limped a human dressed in a grey jumpsuit, the half human, half machine man held his arms out for guards to lash shackles to his limbs. When properly secured the man was escorted down the long walk by three guards to a room reserved for prisoners to spend social time with lawyers and visitors. Prisoner D1163 limped along determinedly even as his shackles dragged heavy chains along the floor with a insensate rattle, today was the first day prisoner D1163 had ever had a visitor and the android eagerly hoped the man he had reached out to over the phone had arrived.
Coming into the social area the android noticed the room was separated by a thick wall of specially prepared glass. It was rumored in the prison that this glass had been built to withstand the blows of a Super Saiyan, no one knew for sure if it was true or not but the android knew no one had ever escaped from this prison before and that certainly helped lend weight to the rumors. Taking a heavy seat at a little cubby designed for privacy the android lifted a phone hanging off the divider wall and waited for his visitor to do the same. D1163’s visitor was a large human with thick muscles and blue hair, the man’s huge body was lined with furs and leathers that must be sweltering hot in the temperature controlled prison but the blue haired stranger seemed unbothered by the heat.
As the stranger reached over to lift his own phone to his ear the android caught a glimpse of the man’s eyes. They were stark white without visible pupils or irises, ”Oh my god, your a Wuxjing.” the android said in surprise as realization came to him, for Wuxjings were exceedingly rare. “Glad to see you can point out the obvious. However I am here to learn who your sending me after, not discuss myself.” the Wuxjing replied, his features showing no sign of agitation, but his tone hinting at annoyance from the androids reaction to his species. ”R-right. It's the man responsible for putting me in this hell hole, the Blue Hat that interrupted my gang’s bank robbery.” the half man, half machine android stammered in reply. The criminal’s voice shook with barely contained rage as he spoke, ”He thinks I don’t know who he is, but his disguise slipped during our fight! He is a Namek!” the android said, practically spitting the word Namek from his lips in disgust. The Wuxjing visitor seemed unimpressed or responsive to the android’s anger however and merely nodded his head while the other man spoke.
“That’s all well in good, but finding one Namek on a planet like Earth isn’t exactly easy. Do you got any useful means for me to find him?” The Wuxjing asked calmly. ”I do in fact, my internal scouter caught his energy reading when we came to blows. Just search for a R1873 frequency signal and as long as you're within a hundred miles your scouter should find him.” the android replied with a grin, fully believing this Wuxjing would eliminate his Namek problem for him. The Wuxjing simply nodded again as he logged the frequency into a red lensed scouter at his side. “Just remember the other half of my pay when the job is done, or else I come for you.” The blue haired stranger said darkly into his phone before hanging up and standing to walk away. The Wuxjing didn’t need to wait for a reply from his android business partner because the man cared not what the weakling might say. As long as the man supplied him with his zeni than the Wuxjing would be satisfied.
Watching the large Wuxjing leave him behind the android signaled for a pair of guards to escort him back to his cell, the machine man didn’t seem to mind the weight of his shackles and chains as he walked and when he was finally placed back within his secured bunk the man dropped onto a stiff mattress with a smile. The android was too busy envisioning dreams of a certain dead Namekian to care about anything else.
THREE WEEKS LATER____________________________________________
Wind blew through the Northern Wastelands, its cold touch rustling patches of grass and kicking motes of sand up into the air. An immense presence of solitude loomed over the vast landscape as few structures dotted the horizon and none that did exist were anything more than small forests and steep plateaus. It was deep within the solace of this place that a lone Namekian had secluded himself for weeks, for only in such a empty land could the green alien truly test his boundaries without risking harm to innocent bystanders. Since his arrival on Earth, something that by now felt so long ago, the Namekian Piyano had greatly raised his power. A combination of new experiences, training, and dangerous scenarios had forced the alien beyond his limits and so the man had travelled deep into the Northern Wastes to learn control over his new power. As well as strive to invent new techniques for combat, since the man had been learning first hand that he lacked many important tools for survival in battle.
Floating several feet off the ground in a meditation position Piyano allowed his mental training to empty his thoughts of his surroundings. The wastes were different than the rest of the Cold North, as a deep blanket of snow covered most of the lands. The wastes however chilly however remained free of winter's icy grip, grass still grew and leaves still lined the boughs of trees. If the Namekian recalled the word correctly this land was known as a tundra, a desert of the north. One by one Piyano removed everything from his perceptions as he formulated thoughts and KI into plans and tactics for future battles. The Namekian’s training had faced high points and low points in his weeks confined to the wastes, the man had a much better grasp of his heightened powers. Yet had failed to so far expand upon his development of new techniques. So Piyano sat in meditation for hours as he mentally sparred opponents both imagined and remembered from his recent past.
By the end the Namekian knew it would still take him time to develop further, Piyano had been learning the hard way that training oneself was much more challenging than learning from a true master. At the same time however Piyano knew himself to be close to a breakthrough, he had learned to access the form of the Great Namek in his training, but Piyano was certain he was close to achieving something much greater… the alien just needed a push that he wasn’t certain how to obtain. Finishing this round of mental training with a deep sigh the Namekian stretched his legs before setting himself down from his meditative position. Body sore from the deep physical exercises the man had partaken in before his mental training Piyano worked his muscles through basic motions meant to limber up his body and ease his stress. No longer forcing himself to block out the landscape Piyano stared off into the distance to observe the several forests that filled the wastes, each separated by a stretch of desert sand. Out passed those forests were several small villages that the Namek had visited on a few occasions, whether to purchase water when mother nature wasn’t providing; or to escape the dreadful electrical storms that were commonplace in the wastes. The storms carried a terrible ferocity and power with them, so much so that Piyano had been inspired to create a attack after witnessing his first tempest weeks earlier.
Deciding that a trip to the village would be good to clear head Piyano gathered up his small sack of belongings and took to the sky. Flying west towards the nearest settlement Piyano knew he would be traveling over the largest forest in this immediate area of the wastes. Eyes open and looking downward as the Namekian neared the impressive wood, the green man scanned the tree line for a family of eagles he knew to inhabit the area as he had seen them many times before since his self imposed training had begun. Searching for those birds was the only thing that had saved the Namekian’s life that day. As Piyano neared the forest his eyes caught a glint of light at the tree line just before his senses screamed out at him in warning of a sudden power level.
A scarlet red beam of energy exploded forth from the shadows of the forest below, rocketing into the air with so much speed that it took everything Piyano had to throw his limbs out and twist his body in midair for the beam to pass within inches of his body instead of passing through it. Piyano felt the heat of the surprising energy along his skin as the fully charged beam hurtled past him and into the atmosphere beyond. Warrior’s instincts kicking in Piyano dived as hard and fast as his body could manage from the skies, seeing a crevasse in the earth below Piyano flew into the hole hoping the depression of land would provide him ample cover. Once safely out of danger for the moment the Namekian sucked in a deep supply of air to help him get over his shock.
Minutes passed and no further assault seemed to be incoming, careful to stay low Piyano hovered just at the lip of the crevasse and peaked over the edge to scan the forest only a hundred yards away. The Namekian could see nothing, sensed nothing… but Piyano was sure he had felt a power when the death beam had been flying at him? Thoughts that an android might have launched a attack his way played through Piyano’s head, the alien had recently been meeting many of the mechanical humans in the past few months. Piyano shook his head as he ruled androids out however, the Namekian had yet to encounter a android with such capabilities; plus the alien would not have been able to sense a android’s electrical power source even if one could charge up such a devastating attack as Piyano had just witnessed first hand. Knowing he wasn’t likely to learn anything from his hiding hole Piyano decided he was going to have to make a rush towards the forest.
Tossing his bag of personal effects out of the crevasse to land on the sandy ground behind him Piyano flew out of his hole and circled in a path off to the left of where the beam had originated. Though flying to keep speed Piyano stayed low to the earth this time, hoping to travel unnoticed by his hunter. The Namekian managed to make it halfway to the tree line before his senses screamed in alarm at him again. Three smaller rays of power shot out fast from the brush, a pale pink in color. Each beam was substantially weaker in power than the first, but each flew with incredible speed. Having little time to react Piyano cocked his arm back and punched the ground with all his might, dirt and stone erupted into the air around him in a makeshift wall from the tremendous impact. The wall temporarily blinded Piyano, but it did its job as the three beams struck rock and stone instead of his own body. The pink beams exploded on impact and the resulting shock waves sent Piyano into a flying spin through the air. Unable to control his direction Piyano reached down and pulled forth a burst of speed that had him crash through the tree line of the forest.
Pain lanced through the green man as he shoulder checked a tree at full speed, the thick trunk snapped in half with a sickening pop and the mighty plant fell heavily to the earth. Connecting with the ground in a tumbling roll Piyano bit back his urge to scream at his physical pain and ran deeper into the forest, hoping that by not flying his power signature would be harder to track. Running another hundred yards into the wood Piyano leaped into the branches of a very old and tall tree, hiding among the leaves he kept his eyes open and scanned for any sign of his attack. On the lookout Piyano began replaying events in his head, whoever his attacker was they were extremely good at hiding their KI. The Namekian could only sense a rise in power the very moment before an attack was launched his way. Such an amazing ability was something Piyano decided he would have to learn himself, should he survive long enough to learn.
Piyano sat hidden in his tree for several minutes without any sign of his attacker, the Namekian almost decided to go out and actually search before a sudden spike in power to his right forced the man’s instincts to take over. Diving straight down out of the branches Piyano just managed to escape before a humanoid figure flew into the space his body had just occupied, foot leading in a powerful flying kick. The strangers attack struck the tree trunk instead of the Namekian and with a sound like breaking bones the top half of the old tree snapped clean off its trunk and spun head over heels through the air for dozens of yards until it crashed into the forest below. Spinning from his own evading dive Piyano turned in time to look up at his hunters back, a large blue haired human draped in thick furs and leathers hovered in the air above him. Charging KI into his right palm Piyano launched an invisible wave of energy into his foes back, the blast dragging the fur covered stranger higher into the sky.
Piyano’s Gentle Push technique didn’t hold the man for long however as the blue haired human threw out his arms and a small explosion of KI launched out of his body in all directions. The tactic freed the man from Piyano’s counterattack after only traveling a dozen yards or so and left the large brute looking more irksome than injured. When the big man turned to look down upon Piyano who had landed feet first onto the grass by now, a smile stretched over the stranger's face and a red lensed scouter glinted over the hunters right eye. “Who are you! Why do you attack me so!?!” Piyano yelled up at the strange man, wishing to understand what he had done to warrant such violence against his person. For a long moment the stranger said nothing, than his form began to shimmer and fade away. “I did it for the money.” came a voice directly in front of Piyano, the Namekian looked down from the rapidly dispersing afterimage to see his attacker standing right in front of him.
Before Piyano had any chance to react the human launched a swift uppercut into Piyano’s stomach. Waves of pain from the strike forced the Namekian to lurch forward towards his foe, spit blasting out of his gaping mouth. The blue haired man quickly grabbed Piyano by his shoulders and spun a three sixty degree spin lifting Piyano in his mighty grasp. The move ended with the fur draped man throwing Piyano hard into the forest. The Namekian travelled dozens of yards from the throw, tree limbs caughting his back as they intersected over his path of flight. Each limb Piyano hit snapped free under his weight, carving a jagged path through the woods until the Namekian slammed to a stop against a thick tree trunk. Bleeding all over his back as Piyano used to trunk as support to regain his feet the Namekian was finally done playing around. Honest belief that Piyano now faced a evil man, a killer who took life for zeni. After taking the brunt of this ‘assassin's’ attacks Piyano was confident he was more powerful than the man, as long as he avoided a charged KI beam like the very first blast the stranger had levied Piyano’s way the Namekian was sure he could win.
Waltzing cockily through the broken forest the blue haired man moved towards Piyano slowly, seemingly in no rush to finish his target any time soon. Seeing the man from much closer up this time Piyano took notice of the stranger’s eyes. They were pure white and void of irises or pupils, Piyano was sure that such a thing was not possible for humans, but if his attacker wasn’t human than Piyano knew not which species the man belonged too. In the end Piyano supposed it didn’t truly matter. “I am going to give you one last chance to leave in peace, otherwise you won’t be leaving at all.” Piyano said stepping forward to meet this new enemy, the Namekian’s tone revealing he meant business this time. The Wuxjing only laughed at Piyano’s offering, and with that the two aliens rushed each other. The pair collided in a flurry of fists, feet, and claws; as each fighter’s initial attack patterns were pushed aside or failed to hit the mark their battle turned to one of searching each other for weakness.
The Wuxjing proved to be faster even with his bodies greater mass, the big man hit Piyano more often than the Namekian could strike him in return. Piyano however was stronger, his blows doing more damage than any three hits he received. The pair launched attack after attack only to be countered by their enemy time and time again, until finally the dueling duo pulled free of each other. Both men breathed heavily as they fought for air, tried lungs burning with effort. Piyano could feel his broken nose, and several bruises lined his face and arms, but the Wuxjing came away just as beaten; bleeding from several wounds and a fresh gap in his smile hinting at the loss of a bottom tooth. “Dammit green you sure are hard to put down… but I was paid to kill the Blue Hat, and that’s what I’m going to do.” the Wuxjing said before a sheath of white KI covered his body and the man launched himself high into the air. After such bold words Piyano didn’t trust that his enemy had fled so the Namekian followed suit. A thick aura of KI sprung up around him as Piyano flew into the air in chase.
The clear air gave Piyano all the visibility he needed to spot the blue haired assassin, and the Namekian was surprised to witness the man simply hovering in the sky, seemingly staring into the bright overhead sun. Coming to a stop just several feet beside the man Piyano’s senses pinged inside his mind as he felt his enemy somehow building in strength. “What!?! Five- no, eight times his power?!” Piyano exclaimed as his hunter turned back towards him. The blue haired man’s white eyes slowly filled with a inky black power, their ebony sheen reflecting sunlight into Piyano’s shocked features. “My people believe that a man should know his killer Blue Hat.” the Wuxjing said with a crazed edge to his voice, as if the man could barely contain himself. “My name is Malik! I am the man who took your life!” the blue haired man said before rushing the Namekian with such speed that Piyano didn’t even see the man move.
The next thing Piyano knew he was doubled over in pain, three of his ribs broken as the Wuxjing pulled his fist free from Piyano’s crushed side. The Namekian started to ask how, to voice a grunt of agony. The Wuxjing Malik didn’t let him, fists plowed into the green alien’s face and chest like a expert musician playing the drum. Four hits, eight, ten… Piyano lost count as the blows just rained down upon him, the Namekian completely helpless against such an onslaught. His KI control slipping Piyano began to drop out of the sky, slowly at first; until Malik entwined his fists together and struck Piyano with a sledgehammer blow so hard that the Namek crashed to earth like a comet falling from space. Connecting with the ground Piyano’s body bypassed creating a crater and instead simply punched a outline through the dirt three feet deep in the shape of the alien's body.
Sight hazy with strain and blood Piyano struggled to look into the air after his foe, Malik seemed insane with victory above. Dancing in the sky the blue haired monster didn’t even give chase or move to confirm his kill. Instead the large man hammered his fists against his chest and screamed to the heavens. A thought came to Piyano than, that this man could not control himself in whatever powered state he was currently in. A plan of attack forming in his mind Piyano peeled his body out of its hole and slowly limped into the shade of the forest’s many trees. The Namekian would have loved nothing more than to play dead and let his body regenerate, but he didn’t have the time. Without knowing how long this assassin Malik would be frenzied the Namekian knew he had to take advantage of his enemy now, before he lost the opportunity. Forming a small orb of KI into his hand Piyano tossed a basic KI blast up at the crazed Wuxjing, before he even saw the blast connect Piyano was on the move. Running deep into the woods and away from his last position.
Confirmation that the Namekian had hit Malik came when the ground beneath Piyano’s feet shook from a violent impact. Whether the Wuxjing had fired a blast or merely flied down to slam the earth with his might Piyano knew that the man would now be hunting. Coming upon a dense copse of trees Piyano hide himself within the branches and begun to charge his KI. Energy built slowly within the Namekian’s throat and jaw as Piyano focused on readying his attack, nearby sounds of thunder and angry shouts filled the forest as the Wuxjing rampaged through the woods tearing trunks in half and uprooting whole trees. Piyano knew sooner or later the madman would find him, and the Namekian was gambling his all on tactics over raw might. Sounds of violence and danger drew steadily near as Piyano continued to charge his energy, building up for his strongest possible attack. Luck was with the green man it seemed as Malik was to lost to his rage to utilize his scouter, else Piyano would likely have been killed long before his planning reached fruition. A tree suddenly fell into the copse of trees Piyano hide within, the heavy trunk missed him by only a few feet and the Namekian nearly lost his focus at the thought of being crushed under the ancient wood. Feeling his energy finally reaching its maximum the Namekian began to whistle a soft song of his people. The song was a uplifting tune, a song of families and wonder; but infused with KI as it was the enhanced music was deadly to behold.
A scream of anger and pain signaled to Piyano that his plan had worked as Malik’s rampaging steadily began to slow and his screams began to hasten. Exiting his copse of trees Piyano continued whistling as he limped around to find his foe, eventually following Malik’s trail to just a few yards away. The Wuxjing leaned heavily against a tree as blood streamed from his ears and the mans black eyes held tears. Seeing the whistling Piyano appear before him surged new life into the frenzied Malik and the alien charged Piyano, but the constant whistle slowed the creature enough to rob him of his blinding speed. Watching the Wuxjing run at him Piyano strained his muscles into expanding, the process was surprisingly quick as the Namekian started to grow to greater and greater size. Muscles bulging with power Piyano reached five times his previous height and weight long before Malik ever reached him and with a short skip and kick of his legs Piyano punted the charging assassin high into the air!
Struck square in the chest by Piyano’s giant foot the Wuxjing went soaring right out of the forest. The man traveled in an arc through the sky before crashing into the sands of the wasteland nearly half a mile away. Breathing heavily and letting his powerful whistle die on his lips Piyano dropped to his rump and sat in recovery. Body rapidly reducing back to it’s normal size as well as working to mend the man’s wounds. Completely exhausted from the fully charged KI attack Piyano felt like he could sleep for days and found that moving from his seat in the broken forest would be a challenge he likely couldn’t accomplish for another several minutes. A voice yelling from above told Piyano that he didn’t have a few minutes. “OH BLUE HAT! I am impressed… infuriated, but impressed.” shouted Malik, the Wuxjing hovering dozens of yards in the air above Piyano. The blue haired man clutched his left arm to his side and looked like a banged up mess of a man, but it also seemed he had regained his mind.
“I can’t believe you used my battle rage against me like that… you are certainly the most interesting target I have ever slain.” the Wuxjing said spitting a glob of blood out the side of his mouth. “I’m ending this now however, I think I have more than earned my pay.” Malik finished as he pulled his still good right arm away from his injuries and raised the limb high over his head. Faint scarlet energy began to form and glow along the man’s fingers. Still to exhausted to even move Piyano could only watch as the blue haired hunter charged his attack, a great sadness welling up within Piyano’s chest as he watched the assassin prepare to deliver Piyano into the realms of death.
“I don’t want to die…” the Namekian thought as he looked through blood smeared eyes at Malik. “I shouldn’t have to die… I’m not even on Namek.” the man thought as his sadness turned into anger, turned into disappointment. “No… I’m stronger than this, better than this! I WON”T DIE UNTIL I SEE THE GREEN WATERS OF MY HOMELANDS AGAIN!” his thoughts screamed loudly within his mind. Malik lowered his arm, now brilliant with crimson light down to fire at the helpless Piyano, and suddenly; the Namekian felt the damn break. Power exploded from Piyano in waves and somehow the world just seemed to be moving so slow. No physical change came over Piyano, somehow the man simply knew that he had finally reached the next level. That his mental blocks had come crashing down at the threat of his death.
Piyano’s fingers wrapped around Malik’s wrist, a look of surprise came over the Wuxjing as he had failed to even register Piyano’s movements. The Namekian had traveled from the ground to the man’s side so quickly that Malik hadn’t managed to fire his technique yet. Wrenching the Wuxjing's shining arm back over his head Piyano simply stabbed ahead with his other arm, claws leading the way. A thick red beam of power released from Malik’s upraised palm to shoot harmlessly off into space, though its bright color would surely be seen for miles around. “How-w?” Malik asked with his final breath as Piyano pulled his blood soaked arm clear of the man’s chest, dropping the tattered remains of Malik’s heart to the forest below. “My name is Piyano.” was the only reply the Namekian gave the dying man as life left the Wuxjing’s pure white eyes.
A few days later Piyano returned to the ruined forest with a shovel in hand. The Namekian had been forced to rush himself to the nearest town after his battle with Malik, and it was a good thing he had. Piyano had dropped unconscious for a full thirty hours once he had reached the safety of a village. Now that the Namek was mostly recovered however he had returned to perform an important task. It took several minutes of searching for Piyano to find Malik’s body and nearly an hour for the green man to dig a properly sized grave. Saying a few words of Namekian pray over the deceased assassin Piyano lowered the man into his burial site and put Malik to rest as was proper. “I am sorry you made me take your life, but I live happier knowing your evil will no longer stain this world. Rest well, Malik.” Piyano said to the unmarked grave before he flew away to return the shovel he had borrowed from the human family that had assisted him in recovering his wounds, Malik’s soul would just have to take comfort in knowing Piyano would never forget the man’s name.
End
Power Level: 30,685
Medium Weighted Clothes: (15,342)
Word Count: 4,947
Learned: Power Enhanced Namekian Transformation
Coming into the social area the android noticed the room was separated by a thick wall of specially prepared glass. It was rumored in the prison that this glass had been built to withstand the blows of a Super Saiyan, no one knew for sure if it was true or not but the android knew no one had ever escaped from this prison before and that certainly helped lend weight to the rumors. Taking a heavy seat at a little cubby designed for privacy the android lifted a phone hanging off the divider wall and waited for his visitor to do the same. D1163’s visitor was a large human with thick muscles and blue hair, the man’s huge body was lined with furs and leathers that must be sweltering hot in the temperature controlled prison but the blue haired stranger seemed unbothered by the heat.
As the stranger reached over to lift his own phone to his ear the android caught a glimpse of the man’s eyes. They were stark white without visible pupils or irises, ”Oh my god, your a Wuxjing.” the android said in surprise as realization came to him, for Wuxjings were exceedingly rare. “Glad to see you can point out the obvious. However I am here to learn who your sending me after, not discuss myself.” the Wuxjing replied, his features showing no sign of agitation, but his tone hinting at annoyance from the androids reaction to his species. ”R-right. It's the man responsible for putting me in this hell hole, the Blue Hat that interrupted my gang’s bank robbery.” the half man, half machine android stammered in reply. The criminal’s voice shook with barely contained rage as he spoke, ”He thinks I don’t know who he is, but his disguise slipped during our fight! He is a Namek!” the android said, practically spitting the word Namek from his lips in disgust. The Wuxjing visitor seemed unimpressed or responsive to the android’s anger however and merely nodded his head while the other man spoke.
“That’s all well in good, but finding one Namek on a planet like Earth isn’t exactly easy. Do you got any useful means for me to find him?” The Wuxjing asked calmly. ”I do in fact, my internal scouter caught his energy reading when we came to blows. Just search for a R1873 frequency signal and as long as you're within a hundred miles your scouter should find him.” the android replied with a grin, fully believing this Wuxjing would eliminate his Namek problem for him. The Wuxjing simply nodded again as he logged the frequency into a red lensed scouter at his side. “Just remember the other half of my pay when the job is done, or else I come for you.” The blue haired stranger said darkly into his phone before hanging up and standing to walk away. The Wuxjing didn’t need to wait for a reply from his android business partner because the man cared not what the weakling might say. As long as the man supplied him with his zeni than the Wuxjing would be satisfied.
Watching the large Wuxjing leave him behind the android signaled for a pair of guards to escort him back to his cell, the machine man didn’t seem to mind the weight of his shackles and chains as he walked and when he was finally placed back within his secured bunk the man dropped onto a stiff mattress with a smile. The android was too busy envisioning dreams of a certain dead Namekian to care about anything else.
THREE WEEKS LATER____________________________________________
Wind blew through the Northern Wastelands, its cold touch rustling patches of grass and kicking motes of sand up into the air. An immense presence of solitude loomed over the vast landscape as few structures dotted the horizon and none that did exist were anything more than small forests and steep plateaus. It was deep within the solace of this place that a lone Namekian had secluded himself for weeks, for only in such a empty land could the green alien truly test his boundaries without risking harm to innocent bystanders. Since his arrival on Earth, something that by now felt so long ago, the Namekian Piyano had greatly raised his power. A combination of new experiences, training, and dangerous scenarios had forced the alien beyond his limits and so the man had travelled deep into the Northern Wastes to learn control over his new power. As well as strive to invent new techniques for combat, since the man had been learning first hand that he lacked many important tools for survival in battle.
Floating several feet off the ground in a meditation position Piyano allowed his mental training to empty his thoughts of his surroundings. The wastes were different than the rest of the Cold North, as a deep blanket of snow covered most of the lands. The wastes however chilly however remained free of winter's icy grip, grass still grew and leaves still lined the boughs of trees. If the Namekian recalled the word correctly this land was known as a tundra, a desert of the north. One by one Piyano removed everything from his perceptions as he formulated thoughts and KI into plans and tactics for future battles. The Namekian’s training had faced high points and low points in his weeks confined to the wastes, the man had a much better grasp of his heightened powers. Yet had failed to so far expand upon his development of new techniques. So Piyano sat in meditation for hours as he mentally sparred opponents both imagined and remembered from his recent past.
By the end the Namekian knew it would still take him time to develop further, Piyano had been learning the hard way that training oneself was much more challenging than learning from a true master. At the same time however Piyano knew himself to be close to a breakthrough, he had learned to access the form of the Great Namek in his training, but Piyano was certain he was close to achieving something much greater… the alien just needed a push that he wasn’t certain how to obtain. Finishing this round of mental training with a deep sigh the Namekian stretched his legs before setting himself down from his meditative position. Body sore from the deep physical exercises the man had partaken in before his mental training Piyano worked his muscles through basic motions meant to limber up his body and ease his stress. No longer forcing himself to block out the landscape Piyano stared off into the distance to observe the several forests that filled the wastes, each separated by a stretch of desert sand. Out passed those forests were several small villages that the Namek had visited on a few occasions, whether to purchase water when mother nature wasn’t providing; or to escape the dreadful electrical storms that were commonplace in the wastes. The storms carried a terrible ferocity and power with them, so much so that Piyano had been inspired to create a attack after witnessing his first tempest weeks earlier.
Deciding that a trip to the village would be good to clear head Piyano gathered up his small sack of belongings and took to the sky. Flying west towards the nearest settlement Piyano knew he would be traveling over the largest forest in this immediate area of the wastes. Eyes open and looking downward as the Namekian neared the impressive wood, the green man scanned the tree line for a family of eagles he knew to inhabit the area as he had seen them many times before since his self imposed training had begun. Searching for those birds was the only thing that had saved the Namekian’s life that day. As Piyano neared the forest his eyes caught a glint of light at the tree line just before his senses screamed out at him in warning of a sudden power level.
A scarlet red beam of energy exploded forth from the shadows of the forest below, rocketing into the air with so much speed that it took everything Piyano had to throw his limbs out and twist his body in midair for the beam to pass within inches of his body instead of passing through it. Piyano felt the heat of the surprising energy along his skin as the fully charged beam hurtled past him and into the atmosphere beyond. Warrior’s instincts kicking in Piyano dived as hard and fast as his body could manage from the skies, seeing a crevasse in the earth below Piyano flew into the hole hoping the depression of land would provide him ample cover. Once safely out of danger for the moment the Namekian sucked in a deep supply of air to help him get over his shock.
Minutes passed and no further assault seemed to be incoming, careful to stay low Piyano hovered just at the lip of the crevasse and peaked over the edge to scan the forest only a hundred yards away. The Namekian could see nothing, sensed nothing… but Piyano was sure he had felt a power when the death beam had been flying at him? Thoughts that an android might have launched a attack his way played through Piyano’s head, the alien had recently been meeting many of the mechanical humans in the past few months. Piyano shook his head as he ruled androids out however, the Namekian had yet to encounter a android with such capabilities; plus the alien would not have been able to sense a android’s electrical power source even if one could charge up such a devastating attack as Piyano had just witnessed first hand. Knowing he wasn’t likely to learn anything from his hiding hole Piyano decided he was going to have to make a rush towards the forest.
Tossing his bag of personal effects out of the crevasse to land on the sandy ground behind him Piyano flew out of his hole and circled in a path off to the left of where the beam had originated. Though flying to keep speed Piyano stayed low to the earth this time, hoping to travel unnoticed by his hunter. The Namekian managed to make it halfway to the tree line before his senses screamed in alarm at him again. Three smaller rays of power shot out fast from the brush, a pale pink in color. Each beam was substantially weaker in power than the first, but each flew with incredible speed. Having little time to react Piyano cocked his arm back and punched the ground with all his might, dirt and stone erupted into the air around him in a makeshift wall from the tremendous impact. The wall temporarily blinded Piyano, but it did its job as the three beams struck rock and stone instead of his own body. The pink beams exploded on impact and the resulting shock waves sent Piyano into a flying spin through the air. Unable to control his direction Piyano reached down and pulled forth a burst of speed that had him crash through the tree line of the forest.
Pain lanced through the green man as he shoulder checked a tree at full speed, the thick trunk snapped in half with a sickening pop and the mighty plant fell heavily to the earth. Connecting with the ground in a tumbling roll Piyano bit back his urge to scream at his physical pain and ran deeper into the forest, hoping that by not flying his power signature would be harder to track. Running another hundred yards into the wood Piyano leaped into the branches of a very old and tall tree, hiding among the leaves he kept his eyes open and scanned for any sign of his attack. On the lookout Piyano began replaying events in his head, whoever his attacker was they were extremely good at hiding their KI. The Namekian could only sense a rise in power the very moment before an attack was launched his way. Such an amazing ability was something Piyano decided he would have to learn himself, should he survive long enough to learn.
Piyano sat hidden in his tree for several minutes without any sign of his attacker, the Namekian almost decided to go out and actually search before a sudden spike in power to his right forced the man’s instincts to take over. Diving straight down out of the branches Piyano just managed to escape before a humanoid figure flew into the space his body had just occupied, foot leading in a powerful flying kick. The strangers attack struck the tree trunk instead of the Namekian and with a sound like breaking bones the top half of the old tree snapped clean off its trunk and spun head over heels through the air for dozens of yards until it crashed into the forest below. Spinning from his own evading dive Piyano turned in time to look up at his hunters back, a large blue haired human draped in thick furs and leathers hovered in the air above him. Charging KI into his right palm Piyano launched an invisible wave of energy into his foes back, the blast dragging the fur covered stranger higher into the sky.
Piyano’s Gentle Push technique didn’t hold the man for long however as the blue haired human threw out his arms and a small explosion of KI launched out of his body in all directions. The tactic freed the man from Piyano’s counterattack after only traveling a dozen yards or so and left the large brute looking more irksome than injured. When the big man turned to look down upon Piyano who had landed feet first onto the grass by now, a smile stretched over the stranger's face and a red lensed scouter glinted over the hunters right eye. “Who are you! Why do you attack me so!?!” Piyano yelled up at the strange man, wishing to understand what he had done to warrant such violence against his person. For a long moment the stranger said nothing, than his form began to shimmer and fade away. “I did it for the money.” came a voice directly in front of Piyano, the Namekian looked down from the rapidly dispersing afterimage to see his attacker standing right in front of him.
Before Piyano had any chance to react the human launched a swift uppercut into Piyano’s stomach. Waves of pain from the strike forced the Namekian to lurch forward towards his foe, spit blasting out of his gaping mouth. The blue haired man quickly grabbed Piyano by his shoulders and spun a three sixty degree spin lifting Piyano in his mighty grasp. The move ended with the fur draped man throwing Piyano hard into the forest. The Namekian travelled dozens of yards from the throw, tree limbs caughting his back as they intersected over his path of flight. Each limb Piyano hit snapped free under his weight, carving a jagged path through the woods until the Namekian slammed to a stop against a thick tree trunk. Bleeding all over his back as Piyano used to trunk as support to regain his feet the Namekian was finally done playing around. Honest belief that Piyano now faced a evil man, a killer who took life for zeni. After taking the brunt of this ‘assassin's’ attacks Piyano was confident he was more powerful than the man, as long as he avoided a charged KI beam like the very first blast the stranger had levied Piyano’s way the Namekian was sure he could win.
Waltzing cockily through the broken forest the blue haired man moved towards Piyano slowly, seemingly in no rush to finish his target any time soon. Seeing the man from much closer up this time Piyano took notice of the stranger’s eyes. They were pure white and void of irises or pupils, Piyano was sure that such a thing was not possible for humans, but if his attacker wasn’t human than Piyano knew not which species the man belonged too. In the end Piyano supposed it didn’t truly matter. “I am going to give you one last chance to leave in peace, otherwise you won’t be leaving at all.” Piyano said stepping forward to meet this new enemy, the Namekian’s tone revealing he meant business this time. The Wuxjing only laughed at Piyano’s offering, and with that the two aliens rushed each other. The pair collided in a flurry of fists, feet, and claws; as each fighter’s initial attack patterns were pushed aside or failed to hit the mark their battle turned to one of searching each other for weakness.
The Wuxjing proved to be faster even with his bodies greater mass, the big man hit Piyano more often than the Namekian could strike him in return. Piyano however was stronger, his blows doing more damage than any three hits he received. The pair launched attack after attack only to be countered by their enemy time and time again, until finally the dueling duo pulled free of each other. Both men breathed heavily as they fought for air, tried lungs burning with effort. Piyano could feel his broken nose, and several bruises lined his face and arms, but the Wuxjing came away just as beaten; bleeding from several wounds and a fresh gap in his smile hinting at the loss of a bottom tooth. “Dammit green you sure are hard to put down… but I was paid to kill the Blue Hat, and that’s what I’m going to do.” the Wuxjing said before a sheath of white KI covered his body and the man launched himself high into the air. After such bold words Piyano didn’t trust that his enemy had fled so the Namekian followed suit. A thick aura of KI sprung up around him as Piyano flew into the air in chase.
The clear air gave Piyano all the visibility he needed to spot the blue haired assassin, and the Namekian was surprised to witness the man simply hovering in the sky, seemingly staring into the bright overhead sun. Coming to a stop just several feet beside the man Piyano’s senses pinged inside his mind as he felt his enemy somehow building in strength. “What!?! Five- no, eight times his power?!” Piyano exclaimed as his hunter turned back towards him. The blue haired man’s white eyes slowly filled with a inky black power, their ebony sheen reflecting sunlight into Piyano’s shocked features. “My people believe that a man should know his killer Blue Hat.” the Wuxjing said with a crazed edge to his voice, as if the man could barely contain himself. “My name is Malik! I am the man who took your life!” the blue haired man said before rushing the Namekian with such speed that Piyano didn’t even see the man move.
The next thing Piyano knew he was doubled over in pain, three of his ribs broken as the Wuxjing pulled his fist free from Piyano’s crushed side. The Namekian started to ask how, to voice a grunt of agony. The Wuxjing Malik didn’t let him, fists plowed into the green alien’s face and chest like a expert musician playing the drum. Four hits, eight, ten… Piyano lost count as the blows just rained down upon him, the Namekian completely helpless against such an onslaught. His KI control slipping Piyano began to drop out of the sky, slowly at first; until Malik entwined his fists together and struck Piyano with a sledgehammer blow so hard that the Namek crashed to earth like a comet falling from space. Connecting with the ground Piyano’s body bypassed creating a crater and instead simply punched a outline through the dirt three feet deep in the shape of the alien's body.
Sight hazy with strain and blood Piyano struggled to look into the air after his foe, Malik seemed insane with victory above. Dancing in the sky the blue haired monster didn’t even give chase or move to confirm his kill. Instead the large man hammered his fists against his chest and screamed to the heavens. A thought came to Piyano than, that this man could not control himself in whatever powered state he was currently in. A plan of attack forming in his mind Piyano peeled his body out of its hole and slowly limped into the shade of the forest’s many trees. The Namekian would have loved nothing more than to play dead and let his body regenerate, but he didn’t have the time. Without knowing how long this assassin Malik would be frenzied the Namekian knew he had to take advantage of his enemy now, before he lost the opportunity. Forming a small orb of KI into his hand Piyano tossed a basic KI blast up at the crazed Wuxjing, before he even saw the blast connect Piyano was on the move. Running deep into the woods and away from his last position.
Confirmation that the Namekian had hit Malik came when the ground beneath Piyano’s feet shook from a violent impact. Whether the Wuxjing had fired a blast or merely flied down to slam the earth with his might Piyano knew that the man would now be hunting. Coming upon a dense copse of trees Piyano hide himself within the branches and begun to charge his KI. Energy built slowly within the Namekian’s throat and jaw as Piyano focused on readying his attack, nearby sounds of thunder and angry shouts filled the forest as the Wuxjing rampaged through the woods tearing trunks in half and uprooting whole trees. Piyano knew sooner or later the madman would find him, and the Namekian was gambling his all on tactics over raw might. Sounds of violence and danger drew steadily near as Piyano continued to charge his energy, building up for his strongest possible attack. Luck was with the green man it seemed as Malik was to lost to his rage to utilize his scouter, else Piyano would likely have been killed long before his planning reached fruition. A tree suddenly fell into the copse of trees Piyano hide within, the heavy trunk missed him by only a few feet and the Namekian nearly lost his focus at the thought of being crushed under the ancient wood. Feeling his energy finally reaching its maximum the Namekian began to whistle a soft song of his people. The song was a uplifting tune, a song of families and wonder; but infused with KI as it was the enhanced music was deadly to behold.
A scream of anger and pain signaled to Piyano that his plan had worked as Malik’s rampaging steadily began to slow and his screams began to hasten. Exiting his copse of trees Piyano continued whistling as he limped around to find his foe, eventually following Malik’s trail to just a few yards away. The Wuxjing leaned heavily against a tree as blood streamed from his ears and the mans black eyes held tears. Seeing the whistling Piyano appear before him surged new life into the frenzied Malik and the alien charged Piyano, but the constant whistle slowed the creature enough to rob him of his blinding speed. Watching the Wuxjing run at him Piyano strained his muscles into expanding, the process was surprisingly quick as the Namekian started to grow to greater and greater size. Muscles bulging with power Piyano reached five times his previous height and weight long before Malik ever reached him and with a short skip and kick of his legs Piyano punted the charging assassin high into the air!
Struck square in the chest by Piyano’s giant foot the Wuxjing went soaring right out of the forest. The man traveled in an arc through the sky before crashing into the sands of the wasteland nearly half a mile away. Breathing heavily and letting his powerful whistle die on his lips Piyano dropped to his rump and sat in recovery. Body rapidly reducing back to it’s normal size as well as working to mend the man’s wounds. Completely exhausted from the fully charged KI attack Piyano felt like he could sleep for days and found that moving from his seat in the broken forest would be a challenge he likely couldn’t accomplish for another several minutes. A voice yelling from above told Piyano that he didn’t have a few minutes. “OH BLUE HAT! I am impressed… infuriated, but impressed.” shouted Malik, the Wuxjing hovering dozens of yards in the air above Piyano. The blue haired man clutched his left arm to his side and looked like a banged up mess of a man, but it also seemed he had regained his mind.
“I can’t believe you used my battle rage against me like that… you are certainly the most interesting target I have ever slain.” the Wuxjing said spitting a glob of blood out the side of his mouth. “I’m ending this now however, I think I have more than earned my pay.” Malik finished as he pulled his still good right arm away from his injuries and raised the limb high over his head. Faint scarlet energy began to form and glow along the man’s fingers. Still to exhausted to even move Piyano could only watch as the blue haired hunter charged his attack, a great sadness welling up within Piyano’s chest as he watched the assassin prepare to deliver Piyano into the realms of death.
“I don’t want to die…” the Namekian thought as he looked through blood smeared eyes at Malik. “I shouldn’t have to die… I’m not even on Namek.” the man thought as his sadness turned into anger, turned into disappointment. “No… I’m stronger than this, better than this! I WON”T DIE UNTIL I SEE THE GREEN WATERS OF MY HOMELANDS AGAIN!” his thoughts screamed loudly within his mind. Malik lowered his arm, now brilliant with crimson light down to fire at the helpless Piyano, and suddenly; the Namekian felt the damn break. Power exploded from Piyano in waves and somehow the world just seemed to be moving so slow. No physical change came over Piyano, somehow the man simply knew that he had finally reached the next level. That his mental blocks had come crashing down at the threat of his death.
Piyano’s fingers wrapped around Malik’s wrist, a look of surprise came over the Wuxjing as he had failed to even register Piyano’s movements. The Namekian had traveled from the ground to the man’s side so quickly that Malik hadn’t managed to fire his technique yet. Wrenching the Wuxjing's shining arm back over his head Piyano simply stabbed ahead with his other arm, claws leading the way. A thick red beam of power released from Malik’s upraised palm to shoot harmlessly off into space, though its bright color would surely be seen for miles around. “How-w?” Malik asked with his final breath as Piyano pulled his blood soaked arm clear of the man’s chest, dropping the tattered remains of Malik’s heart to the forest below. “My name is Piyano.” was the only reply the Namekian gave the dying man as life left the Wuxjing’s pure white eyes.
A few days later Piyano returned to the ruined forest with a shovel in hand. The Namekian had been forced to rush himself to the nearest town after his battle with Malik, and it was a good thing he had. Piyano had dropped unconscious for a full thirty hours once he had reached the safety of a village. Now that the Namek was mostly recovered however he had returned to perform an important task. It took several minutes of searching for Piyano to find Malik’s body and nearly an hour for the green man to dig a properly sized grave. Saying a few words of Namekian pray over the deceased assassin Piyano lowered the man into his burial site and put Malik to rest as was proper. “I am sorry you made me take your life, but I live happier knowing your evil will no longer stain this world. Rest well, Malik.” Piyano said to the unmarked grave before he flew away to return the shovel he had borrowed from the human family that had assisted him in recovering his wounds, Malik’s soul would just have to take comfort in knowing Piyano would never forget the man’s name.
End
Power Level: 30,685
Medium Weighted Clothes: (15,342)
Word Count: 4,947
Learned: Power Enhanced Namekian Transformation