Post by Maikeru on Jul 16, 2017 16:57:58 GMT -5
Heavy Weighted Clothing (25% PL at: 12,773) and Mansion bonuses.
Black clouds of smoke billowed into the night sky. The pungent smell of decay swooped over the ruined metropolis as it was carried by the gentle breeze. Brench, now sired as Planet Saiya, was going through a terrible transition. Nasu, self-proclaimed king of all the Saiyans, had lead his forces in a successful invasion against Brench and the natives who lived there. With much fury and power, the mighty tyrant swept through the Brenchian defense forces and overtook the capitol with little resistance.
Within a short time, Nasu had overrun the Brenchians and had seized control of the planet. Once in their clutches, the Saiyans under Nasu’s command had shown no regard for the once proud Brenchians. Their homes, cities and entire way of life had been raped and pillaged under the justification of “spoils of war”.
But there was no great and glorious war.
Only a surprise invasion and the madness that followed at the cost of innocent lives.
Now, most of the surviving Brenchian population has been forced into slavery. Most of their days are spent under heel and whip of the new Saiyan overlords; forced to work under threat of death on various constructions and projects. Whatever the whims of the Saiyans were must been fulfilled one way or another by slave efforts.
When they are not spending their days toiling away, the Brenchians slept in groups; huddled together outdoors underneath ragged tents and ruined buildings. Their previous homes are now occupied by the Saiyans themselves after they were evicted fro---
“WILL YOU SHUT THE HELL UP?!” a nearby Brenchian shouted from the other side of the eroded room. About a dozen of slaves were lying together on the third floor of a broken apartment unit. A small flame burnt crackling embers that gave a gentle flickering of light sat in the center of them. Each Brenchian laided on a tattered mat as a sad excuse for sleeping arrangements.
One of the Brenchians was tossing and turning in his sleep; grunting and sadly moaning as he dreamed. His restless sleep was obviously disturbing the other Brenchians around him.
“I swear, Faizen,” the angered slave shouted as he tossed and turned on his mat. “If that pointy-eared freak of yours doesn’t shut up soon, I am going to bury my shovel in his head!”
Faizen, a female, came crawling over to the Brenchian in distress. She quickly wrapped her arms around him and began to rock back and forth. She could feel his skin was hot to the touch. Beads of sweat slowly trickled down his brow as Faizen cradled him. She would whisper gentle sounds to relax and soothe his thoughts.
“Mai Mai,” Faizen quietly spoke under her breath. Her words caused Maikeru to waken out of his terrible dream. His eyes opened as he gasped for air.
“I had a bad dream again,” Maikeru exhaled to her.
“NO SHIT!” the irritated Brenchian slave shouted from across the room. Faizen shot the angered heckler with a furious glare. Upon seeing her restrained fury he turned away from Maikeru and Faizen and tried to get back to sleep. The woman turned her attention back to the man in her arms.
“What was the dream about?” she asked inquisitively.
“It was strange,” Maikeru sighed. “I was in a strange world. The sky was pink. The ground itself was made out of golden clouds as far as the eye could see. I found myself standing in a great palace with clouds and strange horned people running back and forth. Explosions erupted breaking everything around me. I saw a blaze of light heading towards me. And, before I knew it, a huge red man in strange clothes jumped in the way.
“He shouts at me, but I...I could barely make out what he is saying. All I can see is a concern look on his face as he stared at me. After I couldn’t help but watch as this large giant slowly disappear in a ball of flames. I couldn’t do anything but reach out to him as I screamed. And then I woke up.”
A few nearby Brenchians laugh at the dream.
“Giants and pink skies?!” one Brenchian snickered. “Fai, your handicapped boyfriend must have been dropped on his head harder than you thought!”
They laughed loudly as Faizen continued her attentions.
“But it felt so real,” Maikeru frowned quietly. It was usual for the others in their community to heckle and laugh at him. But, as much as he would have thought to be used to it by name, it continued to trample on his emotions. “It was like I was really there,” he continued.
Faizen brushed her fingers through Maikeru’s white hair in an attempt to calm his nerves. No matter how ridiculous Maikeru’s stories were, she never seemed to laugh at him. Every single far fetched tale of exotic places and monsters in the dark that he managed to drum up in his thoughts, she always listened attentively.
Sunlight began to peer through the cracks along the broken wall. All the Brenchians present, aside from Maikeru and Faizen, expressed heavy feelings of irritation. As the Saiyans’ slaves they only slept for short periods of time before resuming their grueling efforts. But Maikeru’s imagination and apparent brain damage often prevented a decent night's sleep. Faizen had to continually excuse Maikeru, often blaming the stress and injury due to the Saiyans’ invasion as the cause to his current state. Not only did he barely remember who he was or occasionally “remember” some impossible event, but his body constantly trembled. Maikeru could barely function without the use of a long cane or walking stick to help him. But every time he got off the ground to walk his body began to tremble and his muscles felt weak. The other Brenchains knew all of this, but weeks of putting up with it while under the heel of slavery dries up patience far too quick.
Faizen was the only one who would help his every moment. It often puzzled her peers as to why she would consistently take care of such a weak and brain damaged idiot. Often when interrogated as to why, Faizen would seal her and refuse to answer. Her absolute loyalty for a stranger with no family, friends or even memories was an enigma to her peers.
With dawn rising over Planet Saiya, the moment arrived for the Brenchian slaves to return to their work. Each of them dragged themselves out of whatever pathetic excuse for a home they had left. Every bit of spite and anger they had against their oppressors could only be expelled through their toils and work. Tiresome tasks under the Saiyan heel of laying heavy brick and mortar, mining metals and ore, gathering food reserves, and even being used as training dummies for troops. All the while hearing laughs and insults followed by the crack of the whip or burns of an energy blast if the Brenchians did not follow orders. Even when they did, it didn’t stop some of their slave drivers from getting their “entertainment”.
As Maikeru and Faizen made their way to the mining facility, his female companion was quick to remember about certain precautions he had to take. Pulling back Maikeru’s white hair, Faizen grasped his long leather cap and placed it firmly on Maikeru’s head.
“Can’t chance your ears showing, Mai Mai,” she said cautiously. Maikeru smiled gently. He felt mixed emotions about Faizen’s care. He often wondered why she was so avid about taking care of him. Maikeru was grateful of course, but even he could not turn a deaf ear to their peers’ insults and jokes. The last thing he ever wanted was for her to be ostracised because of him, the “long-eared freak”.
Maikeru had incredible trouble moving throughout the quarry. Being frail in comparison to the other Brenchians made him an easy target for the Saiyans’ fury. The blue-skinned Brenchian could only manage to finish one tenth of the work a healthy Brenchian male could managed. Even eating was a chore that Faizen was quick to help him with.
“Alright, you colored maggots!” the Saiyan soldier said has he picked his morning meal out of his teeth. “I better not hear and fuckin’ complaints today or you will end up like this bastard did yesterday!” The Saiyan gestured to a large smear of blood on the wall with scorch marks. The fires of Saiyan rage did not take much to stoke.
The Brenchians grumbled without speaking a single word.
Hours would past by without food or drink. The sun high above would beat down upon them with heavy heat. Only after completed tasks would they be allowed to quench their thirst at the water trough. Usually when doing so the Saiyans would make jokes about blue, red and orange animals and beasts the Brenchians reminded them of.
But today things would be different in the best and worst of ways.
The Saiyan slavedriver holstered his whip before adjusting his ruby-lensed scouter. He had a sharp gaze in his eyes directed at one person specifically. The Saiyan eyed a female Brenchian who was taking care of some handicapped slave. Faizen. From the stone ruin he often watched the slaves from, he jumped down among the Brenchians and began to approach her.
“You there!” he shouted at Faizen. “Come here right now!”
Faizen gently turned and saw the Saiyan shouting at her. She wasn’t sure if his attentions was focused on her, Maikeru or someone else.
“Yes, you, bitch!” the Saiyan reassured. “I am talking to you now get over here right NOW!”
The female Brenchian rested Maikeru down on a nearby stone before making her way to the Saiyan slaver. Faizen kept a brave face on for whatever was going to happen. Would it be a slap to the face today? Or perhaps a punch to the gut? Where am I going to get hurt this time? Or maybe the Saiyan would get a little creative today.
Unfortunately, it was worse than all of those options.
“Brenchian bitch,” the Saiyan shouted with a wicked grin as he grabbed Faizen by the wrist. “You have been bestowed the honor of satisfying a Saiyan elite!” The Saiyan began to pull on her arm to direct her to a nearby spot. Faizen began to struggle and pull against his mighty strength. The Saiyan barely felt her resistance. The Brenchian female tried to swing her fist into the slaver’s gut. A thud rang out as her attack collided with the plating of his armor.
That finally got his attention. His eyes narrowed on her like a hawk aiming on its prey. A moment hung in the air like frozen time. All the Brenchians around them gasped at her attempt to hit him. They all knew that Faizen would be aptly punished for it. The last Brenchian, the one who became a grease spot, was killed because he rolled his eyes at the Saiyan’s remarks. What would he have in mind for Faizen now?
“YOU DARE STRIKE ME?!” he shouted with rage. With a quick movement his tail cracked against Faizen’s face harder than any whip. Her nose began to bleed heavily down her face as she turned limp in his grip. Faizen could feel her body start to give out from the shock. She was hanging off the Saiyan by her arm.
“I was going to at least try to make it a...pleasurable...time for you,” the Saiyan slaver grunted over his breath. “Now when I am done with you I am going to make sure you will never be able to walk again.”
Turning back towards the direction of his “perfect spot”, all that met the Saiyans eyes was a blue blur resembling a fist that collided with his brow. A loud noise erupted as the attack broke the sound barrier and the Saiyan’s face. The Saiyan’s vice grip released Faizen as he fell down. The Saiyan was completely knocked out and bleeding profusely from his mashed face.
Maikeru, exhausted, stood above the Saiyan and Faizen with shaky knees. He looked as his fist with confusion. The sudden surge of power surprised him. Within moments, however, the great strength he managed to summon to protect Faizen faded away. He could feel the strength drain from his bones and muscle returning him to his frail condition. Before long he turned his attention back towards Faizen. The female smiled with tears in her eyes before wrapping her arms around his waist. The blue-skinned Brenchian looked around him at all the other slaves, each of them carried a face of horror.
“Did...did he kill him?” one Brenchian shouted.
“How could that cripple move like that?” another commented.
“Was he faking it the entire time for sympathy?”
“YOU IDIOT!” a Brenchian man ran up to the Saiyan’s body and turned to Maikeru with anger in his eyes. “YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU HAD DONE!”
Maikeru was puzzled. He had just saved Faizen and ended the slaver’s tyranny over the entire community. Why was he being scolded for it? He did the right thing by standing up to their oppressor. Had this man grown accustomed to slavery after all this time?
“What did I do wrong?” Maikeru asked with a weak voice.
“WHAT DID YOU DO WRONG?!” the slave answered sharply. “THEY AREN’T GOING TO LET A SINGLE ONE OF US LIVE AFTER THIS! YOU JUST KILLED US ALL, YOU DUMB BASTARD!”
All the Brenchians around them knew this as the truth. Any attack against a Saiyan usually resulting in death. But now killing one of them? You can make an easy bet that the entire populace would feel the consequences of such “heroics”.
The pointy-eared Brenchian’s eyes widened with fear. He turned towards Faizen with a concerned look.
“I just wanted to keep you safe,” he said with a sincere heart. Faizen grabbed Maikeru by the hands quickly and made him kneel alongside the Saiyan’s unconscious body.
“Hold your hands outward at him, over his face,” Faizen said. “Quickly!”
Maikeru was perplexed by her recommendation but followed her instructions. As he knelt beside the slaver, the Brenchian reached out with open palms over his face.
“Now just concentrate!” she continued to instruct.
“On what?!” Maikeru replied.
“I don’t know,” Faizen retorted in turn. “I...I guess on making him better! Fix his face! Do it!”
Maikeru could feel the panic set in from everyone around him. Some even continued to work desperately trying to stay out of the situation. Others became intrigued at what Faizen wanted Maikeru to do. But the majority of Brenchians began to make a run for it out of the quarry.
The blue-skinned Brenchian sighed as he began to concentrate on “fixing” the Saiyans face. Without warning a warm blue energy ripped out for a moment out of his finger tips.
“Wha--what?!” Maikeru shouted in surprise. “Why?”
“There’s no time,” Faizen continued. “Just...keep doing what you were doing!”
Maikeru could feel his jaw tighten as he focused once more. This time the blue aura began to flow like a gentle river out of his hands and enveloped the Saiyan slaver. It was a bright illumination that filled the entire quarry with a blue light. The remaining Brenchians watched with curiosity at this strange spectacle. Within moments it was plain to see that the Saiyan’s face slowly returned to its previous state of healthiness. It was almost as if he was never struck in the first place.
An older Brenchian slave, one with a full beard and balding head, came sprinting up towards Maikeru and Faizen and grabbed them both by the shoulder.
“We need to get out of here now!” the strange old man told both of them. Maikeru, after being distracted by this newcomer, ended his strange light show. Faizen nodded in agreement and began to pick Maikeru up. Both the old Brenchian and Faizen helped Maikeru scurry away from the incident. Other slaves took heed of the advice and migrated away from the quarry, everyone running in different directions to find shelter, safety and remove themselves from any possible blame or punishment.
_____________
On the other side of the city, a group of Saiyans were relaxing within one of their makeshift outposts that towered over the once-Brenchian capital. They all laughed at jokes, insults and tales of conquered foes while sharing a bottle of Brenchian wine. But before long their scouters lept into action. Each of their head-held devices lit up displaying a high number statistic.
“What the hell?” one of them asked.
“That’s a huge power level coming from the South district! That’s near the Brenchian quarry.”
“It’s almost 115,000?!” (Maikeru’s Heavy Weighted Clothing Power Level x 9 Mach Dash Transformation)
“Who the hell is that powerful over there? It can’t be a Brenchian, can it?”
“No,” one Saiyan spoke up. “We were sure to kill every Brenchian slime who had a power level over 10. There’s no way one of those colored scum could muster strenght that hig---Wait! It’s...it’s gone?”
“Was it a glitch? I can’t be can it?”
“To all of our scouters at the same time? If it was one of us, yeah, I suppose but all of us?”
The Saiyans were intrigued at the random occurrence. One way or another someone was going to find out about this and investigate.
_____________
Maikeru, Faizen and the old man, after thirty or so minutes of escaping through the capital ruins, finally managed to stop. The elder slave quickly lead them to the basement level of this dilapidated ruin. The elder helped Faizen set Maikeru down on a nearby stone. Each of them did their best to regain their breath.
“You two wait right here,” the old Brenchian said. “Give me a minute to get it open.”
“Get what open?” Maikeru asked as he and Faizen both raised an eyebrow. The elder hobbled over to a nearby wall that was littered with dust, debris and old furniture cluttered around it.
“It’s around here somewhere,” the elder grunted as he ran his hands and fingers along the surface of the wall. “It should be right….here.” His finger grazed a hidden panel that popped open at the slightest tug of his aged fingers.
“It’s going to take me a few moments to get this open,” the elder said without even turning back towards Maikeru and Faizen. “It hasn’t been used in over two, maybe three, decades. I will have to do some rough repairs to power it up but it shouldn’t take long.” The elder began to poke and prod at the exposed panel and begun to rewire the console.
Maikeru looked back at Faizen with a concern look on his face. Faizen turned to face him once she felt his stares in the corner of her eye.
“What?” she asked. “What is it?”
“How did you know?” Maikeru’s revealed a voice of concern. “How did you know I could do that? Heal him like I did.”
Faizen’s eyes grew weary as she took a deep breath. She had been holding on to this secret for such a long time. It felt weird and uncomfortable for him to finally ask her about it.
“Because I saw you do it before,” she answered.
Puzzled, Maikeru continued, “What do you mean “before”? I don’t remember ever doi---”
“You don’t remember a lot of things, Mai,” she retorted. “When the Saiyans invaded a few months ago, when everything turned to shit, I was a part of the Brenchian Defense Force. My division was in assigned to protect the capital and our viceroy. When Nasu’s wife, “Queen” Kinoko, assaulted the capital building, I lead a team to escort our leader way from danger.”
“But before we knew it, that Saiyan bitch overwhelmed us and murdered my team and my friends. The hag queen was about kill me until this blue flash of light erupted, much like what happened today. I found myself enveloped in a ball of light protecting me from her. I looked up and saw you, Mai.”
Faizen moved closer to him before continuing. She could see that the elder was listening intently to her story as she spoke.
“You were standing in these beautiful red robes; clothing like I had never seen,” the female Brenchian continue to tell her tale. “I didn’t know who you are but for the first time in my life I felt completely safe. I knew that I would be okay. You gave me the chance to escape. I was ready to die and you gave me another chance. But before I left I saw you go against the queen. You didn’t care if she attacked you. You reached out and used that same blue light on Kinoko and I saw a change in her. I don’t know what but she seemed...healthier...glowing with that golden light.
“Before I could see what had happened next I had to leave. More Saiyan troops began to enter the throne room and I couldn’t let my second chance at life go to waste. I ran, I ran until my legs burned and my feet bled. That was the last time I saw you before the real nightmare began.”
“We lost everything that day,” Faizen looked over at the elder who continued to toil away at the wiring. “Our homes, our food, our freedom. And despite their victory, the Saiyans managed to attack us once more by the biggest explosion ever seen in history. An entire continent disappeared in a flash. Any poor Brenchian who managed to survive was rewarded by becoming a slave to that bastard Nasu. I had given up hope.”
“We all did, lady,” the elder Brenchian muttered without batting an eye away from the panel.
“But then you returned to me,” Faizen said as she placed her hands on Maikeru’s. “One night a few weeks ago the entire sky was filled with a raging storm filled with lightning and thunder. I looked outside in awe of it only to notice you lying in the dirt. All your robes were tattered and torn and you were exhausted. You felt different--cold.”
Faizen reached out and rubbed his ears gently. A gentle smile grew on her face.
“But your ears,” she continued with a tear in her eye. “Your ears reminded me who you were. My hero had returned to me. When you woke up a few days later you could barely remember anything besides your name. Not only was your memory gone, but your muscles, you could barely lift a finger.”
“I don’t know what happened to you, if they did something to you, or who you were, but you need to know that I am indebted to you for saving me from those Saiyan bastards. Well...” thoughts of today’s attack ran through her mind, “...two times now.”
Maikeru couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed by all of this.
“This is,” his eyes widened in deep thought. “This is too much.”
“I know it is a lot to take in, Mai,” Faizen tried to comfort him. “And you must have a million questions right now. I wish I could answer them, I really do. But I swear I will do whatever I can to help you find them.”
Maikeru looked up at Faizen with care in his eyes. Despite how confused he was about everything that had happened, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief.
“I don’t mean to interrupt the sentimental moment between you two,” the elder cut through the mood swiftly. His bone-like hands continued to twist exposed wires together. “But we are just about...done!”
And with a press of a button, the fake wall opened up to reveal a long corridor. Lights that haven’t been used in years began to flicker on. Despite the apparent aging of the hidden rooms inside, it was much more technologically advanced that the basement it was hidden in.
“Quickly,” the elder Brenchian waved them in. “We can’t afford to keep sitting out in the open any longer.” Faizen and Maikeru quickly agreed as they sat up to limp towards the secret passageway. Once inside, the elder pressed another button on the inside closing the door once more, hiding the secret hallway once more.
Maikeru and Faizen followed the strangers lead through the passageway that lead deeper into the ground. They passed by countless rooms filled with beds, supplies, labs, and more. It was an entire facility that laid dormant underneath the ruins of the capital.
“What is this place?” the pointed-ear Brenchian asked.
“This isn’t the first time we Brenchians were slaves. For years we were servants of the Kold Demons and their Planetary Trade Organization; used for foot soldiers and pawns in whatever wars and invasions the Kolds planned to line their pockets with...damned war mongers.
“About forty years ago we had enough. So we began to prepare by building military bases underground such as this one. Locations we could safely train our soldiers and create the weapons and armor we needed in order to fight for our freedom. And with enough time, patience and determination; we defeated those Kold bastards and took back the reins of our destiny.
“But it seems in the decades that followed my, our, people became too weak and too relaxed to be on guard. If these Saiyan-monkeys attacked us thirty years ago, we would have sent them running with their tails between their legs. But now--- now we barely put up a fight. And here we are, not even fifty years later and we are stuck back in the same situation but worse. At least the Kolds treated us with some value. These barbarians now have us locked up in chains and work us until we die or kill ourselves, whichever comes first.
“I would have fought back myself if I was in my youth but,” the elder Brenchian looked at his trembling old hands. “My body just doesn’t have the vigor it used to. I can’t help but stand around and do nothing like the rest of those sheep we call our brothers and sisters. Heck, you saw how they reacted to you out there. They were fearful over what you had done but not what they weren’t doing.”
“Now, I don’t know anything about what the hell your female friend here was talking about,” the elder scratched his chin as he continued to walk them through the old military facility. “But I saw what you did out there today. The way you moved like that, I haven’t seen a Brenchian move that fast in a long time. And apparently you are just a cripple so who knows with the right training how fast you could become.”
Faizen waved to interrupt the old man’s lecture.
“Who exactly are you, old man?” Faizen asked.
“Who am I?” the elder Brenchian asked with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. Opening a large door ahead of them, he flipped a large lever causing the giant room to illuminate revealing a wide assortment of training equipment, weights and combat armor.
“I am Ex-Captain Myld of the Kold Assassination Squad,” he answered. “And I am going to whip your ass in shape so you can save this damned planet.”
_____________________
WC: 4,635
Black clouds of smoke billowed into the night sky. The pungent smell of decay swooped over the ruined metropolis as it was carried by the gentle breeze. Brench, now sired as Planet Saiya, was going through a terrible transition. Nasu, self-proclaimed king of all the Saiyans, had lead his forces in a successful invasion against Brench and the natives who lived there. With much fury and power, the mighty tyrant swept through the Brenchian defense forces and overtook the capitol with little resistance.
Within a short time, Nasu had overrun the Brenchians and had seized control of the planet. Once in their clutches, the Saiyans under Nasu’s command had shown no regard for the once proud Brenchians. Their homes, cities and entire way of life had been raped and pillaged under the justification of “spoils of war”.
But there was no great and glorious war.
Only a surprise invasion and the madness that followed at the cost of innocent lives.
Now, most of the surviving Brenchian population has been forced into slavery. Most of their days are spent under heel and whip of the new Saiyan overlords; forced to work under threat of death on various constructions and projects. Whatever the whims of the Saiyans were must been fulfilled one way or another by slave efforts.
When they are not spending their days toiling away, the Brenchians slept in groups; huddled together outdoors underneath ragged tents and ruined buildings. Their previous homes are now occupied by the Saiyans themselves after they were evicted fro---
“WILL YOU SHUT THE HELL UP?!” a nearby Brenchian shouted from the other side of the eroded room. About a dozen of slaves were lying together on the third floor of a broken apartment unit. A small flame burnt crackling embers that gave a gentle flickering of light sat in the center of them. Each Brenchian laided on a tattered mat as a sad excuse for sleeping arrangements.
One of the Brenchians was tossing and turning in his sleep; grunting and sadly moaning as he dreamed. His restless sleep was obviously disturbing the other Brenchians around him.
“I swear, Faizen,” the angered slave shouted as he tossed and turned on his mat. “If that pointy-eared freak of yours doesn’t shut up soon, I am going to bury my shovel in his head!”
Faizen, a female, came crawling over to the Brenchian in distress. She quickly wrapped her arms around him and began to rock back and forth. She could feel his skin was hot to the touch. Beads of sweat slowly trickled down his brow as Faizen cradled him. She would whisper gentle sounds to relax and soothe his thoughts.
“Mai Mai,” Faizen quietly spoke under her breath. Her words caused Maikeru to waken out of his terrible dream. His eyes opened as he gasped for air.
“I had a bad dream again,” Maikeru exhaled to her.
“NO SHIT!” the irritated Brenchian slave shouted from across the room. Faizen shot the angered heckler with a furious glare. Upon seeing her restrained fury he turned away from Maikeru and Faizen and tried to get back to sleep. The woman turned her attention back to the man in her arms.
“What was the dream about?” she asked inquisitively.
“It was strange,” Maikeru sighed. “I was in a strange world. The sky was pink. The ground itself was made out of golden clouds as far as the eye could see. I found myself standing in a great palace with clouds and strange horned people running back and forth. Explosions erupted breaking everything around me. I saw a blaze of light heading towards me. And, before I knew it, a huge red man in strange clothes jumped in the way.
“He shouts at me, but I...I could barely make out what he is saying. All I can see is a concern look on his face as he stared at me. After I couldn’t help but watch as this large giant slowly disappear in a ball of flames. I couldn’t do anything but reach out to him as I screamed. And then I woke up.”
A few nearby Brenchians laugh at the dream.
“Giants and pink skies?!” one Brenchian snickered. “Fai, your handicapped boyfriend must have been dropped on his head harder than you thought!”
They laughed loudly as Faizen continued her attentions.
“But it felt so real,” Maikeru frowned quietly. It was usual for the others in their community to heckle and laugh at him. But, as much as he would have thought to be used to it by name, it continued to trample on his emotions. “It was like I was really there,” he continued.
Faizen brushed her fingers through Maikeru’s white hair in an attempt to calm his nerves. No matter how ridiculous Maikeru’s stories were, she never seemed to laugh at him. Every single far fetched tale of exotic places and monsters in the dark that he managed to drum up in his thoughts, she always listened attentively.
Sunlight began to peer through the cracks along the broken wall. All the Brenchians present, aside from Maikeru and Faizen, expressed heavy feelings of irritation. As the Saiyans’ slaves they only slept for short periods of time before resuming their grueling efforts. But Maikeru’s imagination and apparent brain damage often prevented a decent night's sleep. Faizen had to continually excuse Maikeru, often blaming the stress and injury due to the Saiyans’ invasion as the cause to his current state. Not only did he barely remember who he was or occasionally “remember” some impossible event, but his body constantly trembled. Maikeru could barely function without the use of a long cane or walking stick to help him. But every time he got off the ground to walk his body began to tremble and his muscles felt weak. The other Brenchains knew all of this, but weeks of putting up with it while under the heel of slavery dries up patience far too quick.
Faizen was the only one who would help his every moment. It often puzzled her peers as to why she would consistently take care of such a weak and brain damaged idiot. Often when interrogated as to why, Faizen would seal her and refuse to answer. Her absolute loyalty for a stranger with no family, friends or even memories was an enigma to her peers.
With dawn rising over Planet Saiya, the moment arrived for the Brenchian slaves to return to their work. Each of them dragged themselves out of whatever pathetic excuse for a home they had left. Every bit of spite and anger they had against their oppressors could only be expelled through their toils and work. Tiresome tasks under the Saiyan heel of laying heavy brick and mortar, mining metals and ore, gathering food reserves, and even being used as training dummies for troops. All the while hearing laughs and insults followed by the crack of the whip or burns of an energy blast if the Brenchians did not follow orders. Even when they did, it didn’t stop some of their slave drivers from getting their “entertainment”.
As Maikeru and Faizen made their way to the mining facility, his female companion was quick to remember about certain precautions he had to take. Pulling back Maikeru’s white hair, Faizen grasped his long leather cap and placed it firmly on Maikeru’s head.
“Can’t chance your ears showing, Mai Mai,” she said cautiously. Maikeru smiled gently. He felt mixed emotions about Faizen’s care. He often wondered why she was so avid about taking care of him. Maikeru was grateful of course, but even he could not turn a deaf ear to their peers’ insults and jokes. The last thing he ever wanted was for her to be ostracised because of him, the “long-eared freak”.
Maikeru had incredible trouble moving throughout the quarry. Being frail in comparison to the other Brenchians made him an easy target for the Saiyans’ fury. The blue-skinned Brenchian could only manage to finish one tenth of the work a healthy Brenchian male could managed. Even eating was a chore that Faizen was quick to help him with.
“Alright, you colored maggots!” the Saiyan soldier said has he picked his morning meal out of his teeth. “I better not hear and fuckin’ complaints today or you will end up like this bastard did yesterday!” The Saiyan gestured to a large smear of blood on the wall with scorch marks. The fires of Saiyan rage did not take much to stoke.
The Brenchians grumbled without speaking a single word.
Hours would past by without food or drink. The sun high above would beat down upon them with heavy heat. Only after completed tasks would they be allowed to quench their thirst at the water trough. Usually when doing so the Saiyans would make jokes about blue, red and orange animals and beasts the Brenchians reminded them of.
But today things would be different in the best and worst of ways.
The Saiyan slavedriver holstered his whip before adjusting his ruby-lensed scouter. He had a sharp gaze in his eyes directed at one person specifically. The Saiyan eyed a female Brenchian who was taking care of some handicapped slave. Faizen. From the stone ruin he often watched the slaves from, he jumped down among the Brenchians and began to approach her.
“You there!” he shouted at Faizen. “Come here right now!”
Faizen gently turned and saw the Saiyan shouting at her. She wasn’t sure if his attentions was focused on her, Maikeru or someone else.
“Yes, you, bitch!” the Saiyan reassured. “I am talking to you now get over here right NOW!”
The female Brenchian rested Maikeru down on a nearby stone before making her way to the Saiyan slaver. Faizen kept a brave face on for whatever was going to happen. Would it be a slap to the face today? Or perhaps a punch to the gut? Where am I going to get hurt this time? Or maybe the Saiyan would get a little creative today.
Unfortunately, it was worse than all of those options.
“Brenchian bitch,” the Saiyan shouted with a wicked grin as he grabbed Faizen by the wrist. “You have been bestowed the honor of satisfying a Saiyan elite!” The Saiyan began to pull on her arm to direct her to a nearby spot. Faizen began to struggle and pull against his mighty strength. The Saiyan barely felt her resistance. The Brenchian female tried to swing her fist into the slaver’s gut. A thud rang out as her attack collided with the plating of his armor.
That finally got his attention. His eyes narrowed on her like a hawk aiming on its prey. A moment hung in the air like frozen time. All the Brenchians around them gasped at her attempt to hit him. They all knew that Faizen would be aptly punished for it. The last Brenchian, the one who became a grease spot, was killed because he rolled his eyes at the Saiyan’s remarks. What would he have in mind for Faizen now?
“YOU DARE STRIKE ME?!” he shouted with rage. With a quick movement his tail cracked against Faizen’s face harder than any whip. Her nose began to bleed heavily down her face as she turned limp in his grip. Faizen could feel her body start to give out from the shock. She was hanging off the Saiyan by her arm.
“I was going to at least try to make it a...pleasurable...time for you,” the Saiyan slaver grunted over his breath. “Now when I am done with you I am going to make sure you will never be able to walk again.”
Turning back towards the direction of his “perfect spot”, all that met the Saiyans eyes was a blue blur resembling a fist that collided with his brow. A loud noise erupted as the attack broke the sound barrier and the Saiyan’s face. The Saiyan’s vice grip released Faizen as he fell down. The Saiyan was completely knocked out and bleeding profusely from his mashed face.
Maikeru, exhausted, stood above the Saiyan and Faizen with shaky knees. He looked as his fist with confusion. The sudden surge of power surprised him. Within moments, however, the great strength he managed to summon to protect Faizen faded away. He could feel the strength drain from his bones and muscle returning him to his frail condition. Before long he turned his attention back towards Faizen. The female smiled with tears in her eyes before wrapping her arms around his waist. The blue-skinned Brenchian looked around him at all the other slaves, each of them carried a face of horror.
“Did...did he kill him?” one Brenchian shouted.
“How could that cripple move like that?” another commented.
“Was he faking it the entire time for sympathy?”
“YOU IDIOT!” a Brenchian man ran up to the Saiyan’s body and turned to Maikeru with anger in his eyes. “YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU HAD DONE!”
Maikeru was puzzled. He had just saved Faizen and ended the slaver’s tyranny over the entire community. Why was he being scolded for it? He did the right thing by standing up to their oppressor. Had this man grown accustomed to slavery after all this time?
“What did I do wrong?” Maikeru asked with a weak voice.
“WHAT DID YOU DO WRONG?!” the slave answered sharply. “THEY AREN’T GOING TO LET A SINGLE ONE OF US LIVE AFTER THIS! YOU JUST KILLED US ALL, YOU DUMB BASTARD!”
All the Brenchians around them knew this as the truth. Any attack against a Saiyan usually resulting in death. But now killing one of them? You can make an easy bet that the entire populace would feel the consequences of such “heroics”.
The pointy-eared Brenchian’s eyes widened with fear. He turned towards Faizen with a concerned look.
“I just wanted to keep you safe,” he said with a sincere heart. Faizen grabbed Maikeru by the hands quickly and made him kneel alongside the Saiyan’s unconscious body.
“Hold your hands outward at him, over his face,” Faizen said. “Quickly!”
Maikeru was perplexed by her recommendation but followed her instructions. As he knelt beside the slaver, the Brenchian reached out with open palms over his face.
“Now just concentrate!” she continued to instruct.
“On what?!” Maikeru replied.
“I don’t know,” Faizen retorted in turn. “I...I guess on making him better! Fix his face! Do it!”
Maikeru could feel the panic set in from everyone around him. Some even continued to work desperately trying to stay out of the situation. Others became intrigued at what Faizen wanted Maikeru to do. But the majority of Brenchians began to make a run for it out of the quarry.
The blue-skinned Brenchian sighed as he began to concentrate on “fixing” the Saiyans face. Without warning a warm blue energy ripped out for a moment out of his finger tips.
“Wha--what?!” Maikeru shouted in surprise. “Why?”
“There’s no time,” Faizen continued. “Just...keep doing what you were doing!”
Maikeru could feel his jaw tighten as he focused once more. This time the blue aura began to flow like a gentle river out of his hands and enveloped the Saiyan slaver. It was a bright illumination that filled the entire quarry with a blue light. The remaining Brenchians watched with curiosity at this strange spectacle. Within moments it was plain to see that the Saiyan’s face slowly returned to its previous state of healthiness. It was almost as if he was never struck in the first place.
An older Brenchian slave, one with a full beard and balding head, came sprinting up towards Maikeru and Faizen and grabbed them both by the shoulder.
“We need to get out of here now!” the strange old man told both of them. Maikeru, after being distracted by this newcomer, ended his strange light show. Faizen nodded in agreement and began to pick Maikeru up. Both the old Brenchian and Faizen helped Maikeru scurry away from the incident. Other slaves took heed of the advice and migrated away from the quarry, everyone running in different directions to find shelter, safety and remove themselves from any possible blame or punishment.
_____________
On the other side of the city, a group of Saiyans were relaxing within one of their makeshift outposts that towered over the once-Brenchian capital. They all laughed at jokes, insults and tales of conquered foes while sharing a bottle of Brenchian wine. But before long their scouters lept into action. Each of their head-held devices lit up displaying a high number statistic.
“What the hell?” one of them asked.
“That’s a huge power level coming from the South district! That’s near the Brenchian quarry.”
“It’s almost 115,000?!” (Maikeru’s Heavy Weighted Clothing Power Level x 9 Mach Dash Transformation)
“Who the hell is that powerful over there? It can’t be a Brenchian, can it?”
“No,” one Saiyan spoke up. “We were sure to kill every Brenchian slime who had a power level over 10. There’s no way one of those colored scum could muster strenght that hig---Wait! It’s...it’s gone?”
“Was it a glitch? I can’t be can it?”
“To all of our scouters at the same time? If it was one of us, yeah, I suppose but all of us?”
The Saiyans were intrigued at the random occurrence. One way or another someone was going to find out about this and investigate.
_____________
Maikeru, Faizen and the old man, after thirty or so minutes of escaping through the capital ruins, finally managed to stop. The elder slave quickly lead them to the basement level of this dilapidated ruin. The elder helped Faizen set Maikeru down on a nearby stone. Each of them did their best to regain their breath.
“You two wait right here,” the old Brenchian said. “Give me a minute to get it open.”
“Get what open?” Maikeru asked as he and Faizen both raised an eyebrow. The elder hobbled over to a nearby wall that was littered with dust, debris and old furniture cluttered around it.
“It’s around here somewhere,” the elder grunted as he ran his hands and fingers along the surface of the wall. “It should be right….here.” His finger grazed a hidden panel that popped open at the slightest tug of his aged fingers.
“It’s going to take me a few moments to get this open,” the elder said without even turning back towards Maikeru and Faizen. “It hasn’t been used in over two, maybe three, decades. I will have to do some rough repairs to power it up but it shouldn’t take long.” The elder began to poke and prod at the exposed panel and begun to rewire the console.
Maikeru looked back at Faizen with a concern look on his face. Faizen turned to face him once she felt his stares in the corner of her eye.
“What?” she asked. “What is it?”
“How did you know?” Maikeru’s revealed a voice of concern. “How did you know I could do that? Heal him like I did.”
Faizen’s eyes grew weary as she took a deep breath. She had been holding on to this secret for such a long time. It felt weird and uncomfortable for him to finally ask her about it.
“Because I saw you do it before,” she answered.
Puzzled, Maikeru continued, “What do you mean “before”? I don’t remember ever doi---”
“You don’t remember a lot of things, Mai,” she retorted. “When the Saiyans invaded a few months ago, when everything turned to shit, I was a part of the Brenchian Defense Force. My division was in assigned to protect the capital and our viceroy. When Nasu’s wife, “Queen” Kinoko, assaulted the capital building, I lead a team to escort our leader way from danger.”
“But before we knew it, that Saiyan bitch overwhelmed us and murdered my team and my friends. The hag queen was about kill me until this blue flash of light erupted, much like what happened today. I found myself enveloped in a ball of light protecting me from her. I looked up and saw you, Mai.”
Faizen moved closer to him before continuing. She could see that the elder was listening intently to her story as she spoke.
“You were standing in these beautiful red robes; clothing like I had never seen,” the female Brenchian continue to tell her tale. “I didn’t know who you are but for the first time in my life I felt completely safe. I knew that I would be okay. You gave me the chance to escape. I was ready to die and you gave me another chance. But before I left I saw you go against the queen. You didn’t care if she attacked you. You reached out and used that same blue light on Kinoko and I saw a change in her. I don’t know what but she seemed...healthier...glowing with that golden light.
“Before I could see what had happened next I had to leave. More Saiyan troops began to enter the throne room and I couldn’t let my second chance at life go to waste. I ran, I ran until my legs burned and my feet bled. That was the last time I saw you before the real nightmare began.”
“We lost everything that day,” Faizen looked over at the elder who continued to toil away at the wiring. “Our homes, our food, our freedom. And despite their victory, the Saiyans managed to attack us once more by the biggest explosion ever seen in history. An entire continent disappeared in a flash. Any poor Brenchian who managed to survive was rewarded by becoming a slave to that bastard Nasu. I had given up hope.”
“We all did, lady,” the elder Brenchian muttered without batting an eye away from the panel.
“But then you returned to me,” Faizen said as she placed her hands on Maikeru’s. “One night a few weeks ago the entire sky was filled with a raging storm filled with lightning and thunder. I looked outside in awe of it only to notice you lying in the dirt. All your robes were tattered and torn and you were exhausted. You felt different--cold.”
Faizen reached out and rubbed his ears gently. A gentle smile grew on her face.
“But your ears,” she continued with a tear in her eye. “Your ears reminded me who you were. My hero had returned to me. When you woke up a few days later you could barely remember anything besides your name. Not only was your memory gone, but your muscles, you could barely lift a finger.”
“I don’t know what happened to you, if they did something to you, or who you were, but you need to know that I am indebted to you for saving me from those Saiyan bastards. Well...” thoughts of today’s attack ran through her mind, “...two times now.”
Maikeru couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed by all of this.
“This is,” his eyes widened in deep thought. “This is too much.”
“I know it is a lot to take in, Mai,” Faizen tried to comfort him. “And you must have a million questions right now. I wish I could answer them, I really do. But I swear I will do whatever I can to help you find them.”
Maikeru looked up at Faizen with care in his eyes. Despite how confused he was about everything that had happened, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief.
“I don’t mean to interrupt the sentimental moment between you two,” the elder cut through the mood swiftly. His bone-like hands continued to twist exposed wires together. “But we are just about...done!”
And with a press of a button, the fake wall opened up to reveal a long corridor. Lights that haven’t been used in years began to flicker on. Despite the apparent aging of the hidden rooms inside, it was much more technologically advanced that the basement it was hidden in.
“Quickly,” the elder Brenchian waved them in. “We can’t afford to keep sitting out in the open any longer.” Faizen and Maikeru quickly agreed as they sat up to limp towards the secret passageway. Once inside, the elder pressed another button on the inside closing the door once more, hiding the secret hallway once more.
Maikeru and Faizen followed the strangers lead through the passageway that lead deeper into the ground. They passed by countless rooms filled with beds, supplies, labs, and more. It was an entire facility that laid dormant underneath the ruins of the capital.
“What is this place?” the pointed-ear Brenchian asked.
“This isn’t the first time we Brenchians were slaves. For years we were servants of the Kold Demons and their Planetary Trade Organization; used for foot soldiers and pawns in whatever wars and invasions the Kolds planned to line their pockets with...damned war mongers.
“About forty years ago we had enough. So we began to prepare by building military bases underground such as this one. Locations we could safely train our soldiers and create the weapons and armor we needed in order to fight for our freedom. And with enough time, patience and determination; we defeated those Kold bastards and took back the reins of our destiny.
“But it seems in the decades that followed my, our, people became too weak and too relaxed to be on guard. If these Saiyan-monkeys attacked us thirty years ago, we would have sent them running with their tails between their legs. But now--- now we barely put up a fight. And here we are, not even fifty years later and we are stuck back in the same situation but worse. At least the Kolds treated us with some value. These barbarians now have us locked up in chains and work us until we die or kill ourselves, whichever comes first.
“I would have fought back myself if I was in my youth but,” the elder Brenchian looked at his trembling old hands. “My body just doesn’t have the vigor it used to. I can’t help but stand around and do nothing like the rest of those sheep we call our brothers and sisters. Heck, you saw how they reacted to you out there. They were fearful over what you had done but not what they weren’t doing.”
“Now, I don’t know anything about what the hell your female friend here was talking about,” the elder scratched his chin as he continued to walk them through the old military facility. “But I saw what you did out there today. The way you moved like that, I haven’t seen a Brenchian move that fast in a long time. And apparently you are just a cripple so who knows with the right training how fast you could become.”
Faizen waved to interrupt the old man’s lecture.
“Who exactly are you, old man?” Faizen asked.
“Who am I?” the elder Brenchian asked with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. Opening a large door ahead of them, he flipped a large lever causing the giant room to illuminate revealing a wide assortment of training equipment, weights and combat armor.
“I am Ex-Captain Myld of the Kold Assassination Squad,” he answered. “And I am going to whip your ass in shape so you can save this damned planet.”
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WC: 4,635