The New Age Empire v2: Book 2

You know how I always spelled saiyan and various other names. It's habit from when I used to be a poor, subtitless dubbie back in the day. Now I'm going to try and get into the habit of spelling them right unless I believe the word, or name, should stay the current way for some reason.

~Chapter 16: Mission to Hell~

They found Vegeta with his hands around Ankan's blade, holding him away.

"I gave you a warning. This is your own damn fault!"

Ankan's eyes were wide as he looked at Vegeta. "Who are you? *What* are you?"

The other man released him and pushed him away. Then he bowed. "Demi-saiya-jin at your service. The name's Vegeta, son of Vegeta."

"I don't deal with saiya-jin. I learned my lesson long ago."

"Good! I'm glad you finally see the light. Anyway, it's been nice fighting with you we have a job to do."

About one-hundred feet down the hall the rift existed like a scar. Everyone there could see straight through to what they thought was Hell. Goku began nodding slowly and he walked forward to stick his hand inside.

"It's cool in this temple because of all of the stone but inside this rift it has to be at least one-hundred degrees Fahrenheit. Are you sure everyone wants to go inside?"

"Get back, little girls." Ankan smirked. "Let me show you how real men behave."

"Um, sir," one thief said, "if I admit that I'm not a real man, do I still have to come along?"

His leader growled and grabbed him by the collar. "You are coming or I will gut you right here. That goes for the rest of you!" Suddenly there was a stampede and all of Ankan's men disappeared into the rift. He paused to salute Vegeta before he followed, a half-smirk still on his face. Rolling his eyes, Vegeta started to step through but Jas yanked him back.

"The spirits are coming!"

The spirits were like phantoms, visible but not touchable. Some were as solid as the day they had died but most were semi-transparent. Vegeta and the rest of the saiya-jin gawked in amazement just as Taura looked at them as if he had just seen them for the first time. Jas' face was grim but he did not cover his ears as the spirits descended upon Ankan and his men and devoured them whole.

The pirates' deaths were not quiet. All of them, even Ankan, screamed in unbelievable pain as first their souls were torn apart. Next went their bodies but even souless they kept mindlessly screaming. It was their bodies' lingering memory of self that kept up the pitiful wail now. Even when Taura and the others finally covered their ears to block out the screams lest they drive them mad, Jas stood, listening. He filed away just how long it took the tortured souls to die, from beginning to end, and stored it away in his memory for later use. It might be needed just in case the spirits decided that they all were to go the way of the pirates.

The screaming slowly died away as the last pirate passed on and was stuck in Hell. They never made it to any afterlife since without a soul you can not become a spirit. The soul is all that's left after the body gives its final breath.

"Is it over?" Goten asked while tentatively removing his hands from his ears. Bob flitted around his head as if nervous to what came next. Goten grabbed the little Keekle and held him close. "It's okay, Bob-chan. I won't let those mean spirits destroy your soul." Bob shivered at his words and started to whimper softly.

"Goten you're scaring the crap out of him!" Vegeta scolded.

"He's scaring the crap out of me too." Kallen stared at the rift, her eyes wide, as if doing so would make it look differently. "I *do not* want to go in there."

"We're not doing this for ourselves," Goten said. "We're doing this for a friend. It's what friends do -- risk their lives for each other I mean."

A hot wind blew from the other plane, ruffling the hair of everyone standing before it. Finally there was a collective sigh and they all walked forward, deciding to brave it in Hell.

Ten minutes of walking on the cracked red ground Vegeta broke the silence with a suggestion. It wasn't a very good one as suggestions go but it was something.

"How about we sing a song? It'll help to pass the time."

"A Christmas song?" Taura asked with a smile.

"Sure, why not. Goten, Goku, and I will start and you can join in when you think you have the words. The chorus will probably be what you pick up first. Okay here we go!"

"Dashing through the snow, in a once horse open sleigh."

This is where Goten and Goku joined in. "O'er the fields we go, laughing all the way. Bells on bobtail ring, making spirits bright. What fun it is to ride and sing a sleighing song tonight. Oh jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way. Oh what fun it is to ride in a once horse open sleigh. Hey! Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way. Oh what fun it is to ride in a once horse open sleigh."

All three of them paused and looked at each other then. "Does anyone know the rest of it?" Vegeta asked.

"I do, I think." Goten said. "But we should sing the first part over until the others get it."

"Okay. Dashing through the snow..."

Soon the black towers of a gothic looking black fortress moved into their view. It took them twenty minutes to reach the actual structure but it was definitely worth it. The ogres there were the first living people they had seen since they stepped into the rift. Everyone stopped singing and was looking around in curiosity. About eight ogres were patroling on the battlements and all snapped to attention at the sight of them.

The ogres were blue creatures with horns that Enma-sama employed for various reasons. Some guarded Hell, some cleansed souls, and still others directed the good souls to their respective afterlife. It wasn't an unusual sight to see them carefully guarding a fortress in the middle of Hell.

"Who are you?" A short, stocky one asked. It seemed that this was a cue of some sort because the other ones trained bows on their group. Taura's eyes widened in fear but Kallen was already preparing a defense shield spell that would disintergrate the arows upon impact. This was another one she hadn't used before.

"Guys, don't you remember me?" Goku asked with a slightly hurt look on his face. The stocky ogre peered at him but his face shown no recognition.

"No, I don't. Would you mind telling us what you're doing here in the middle of nowhere?"

"I'm Son Goku! From the north section of the universe. Enma-sama sent me to Kaio-sama for training!"

"Son Goku?" A thinner ogre whispered something to him and he nodded. "You're Goku!" He disappeared from their view and soon the heavy wooden gate was rising slowly and he was running under. "Thank kami *someone* has arrived! I sent the request to Enma-sama ages ago! I am Enon and welcome to the Outpost." He motioned them quickly inside and the doors were shut tightly behind them. All of the saiya-jin had a feeling of entrapment that they just couldn't shake.

There looked to be only a few jobs in the Outpost. If you weren't on watch then you were preparing weapons for potential battles, taking care of the sick and injured, or just helping out wherever you were needed. The ogres that approached them then were all of that latter job description. Most were all over thirty but some were very young, almost children. Goku frowned at the sight of ogres hard a work and turned towards Enon with a question in his eyes. The short ogre sighed and led them over to where a small group of wore wooden crates stood and took a seat on one of them. The rest of them quickly followed suit.

"We have been here for longer than any of us can remember. As you know, Goku, time does not pass in Hell as it does in the living realm."

"Yes I do," Goku said quietly. "Time seems to stand still here as if nothing matters besides what you are doing in the present."

"First there were only a few evil spirits who's souls had not been cleansed before coming here. I have no idea what went wrong exactly. All I know is that they corrupted the other, less violent, spirits and then they began to tear holes in the thin fabric of time that separate this plane from the one of the living and they went through. Many innocent people have died far before their time because of these spirits and we can not figure out a way to stop them."

"Can you tell us anything about them?" Jas asked in his dead voice. There was a new fire in his eyes, though, one no one had seen there before save Taura. It was one of determination and righteousness. He would seek justice for the wrongs that had been committed against innocents -- children and adults alike -- and neither fear nor death nor hellfire would stop him. Enon saw this fire and allowed it warm his soul, to allay any worries he had, and fill him with a sense of peace for the first time in a long time.

"I have suspicions that the corruptors are evil beings the universe has had a difficult time dealing with. In fact, I'm almost sure that they are. I don't know if these names with ring a bell but they're a start." He cleared his throat and read from memory. "Furiza, Kold-oui, Koola, and Cell. The Ginyu may or may not be in on the entire thing."

Goku's face darkened like a heavily populated city in a blackout. "I had a feeling it was them. True evil never really dies, it only festers. Where are they now?"

"There is a Saiya-jin village within Hell that they have taken over. The Saiya-jin themselves have been locked inside a cell and have been there for nigh on twenty-three years. That is a really unique form of torture."

"I know," Goku said. "People of saiya-jin blood can't stand to be put into enclosed spaces for too long. We need room to move around, to fight. My heart goes out to them. I wouldn't be able to stand it in that cell for more than a week or so without losing my mind."

"You are kind, Goku. Most wouldn't care whether a saiya-jin's mind made it through such an experience intact."

He smiled but it was not full of happiness. "I am one of them whether I like it or not. Their pain is my pain. Their suffering is my suffering."

"What do we have to do to help?" Vegeta was already mentally preparing himself for the battle ahead. If they took out the head spirits then maybe they could recover Jas' soul. It was a shot anyway.

"You must travel to the colony west of here. The trip will not take you long if you fly. In fact that recommend that you do. The spirits can not attack those in the air." He moved suddenly for a squat building in the distance and they all quickly moved to follow. "I will give you a map for your journey and of course some supplies. Being alive you will need them."

"A map isn't necessary. I can sense them." Goku frowned even fiercer. "At first I wasn't sure who it was. Saiya-jin had never felt like this back on Chikyuu. But now that I know the situation, I can figure out who those kis belong to. Their spirits are weakened, on the verge of breaking all-together. I have to get to them before that happens."

As he loaded up two packs with supplies, Enon began to talk. "I just want to say that I admire you, Goku. If everyone in the universe has just a small fraction of the goodness that you possess, we would all be better for it."

"No one owes me any thanks." His face smoothed over a bit but there was still a very unGoku-like crease between his brows. "I do it because I want to. I protect the things and the people that I love. I protect the innocent people that can't protect themselves. I am no one important, just doing a small part to make the universe a better place." A small smile tugged at his lips. "Besides, it looks good on any résumé." That last comment was so unexpected that it left them all stunned for a moment.

"Uh, hai." Enon said with a small sweatdrop on his forehead. "I guess it does."

A few minutes later they were once again on their way to complete the first task, this time by way of air. The trip did not take nearly as long as the one to the Outpost, only about ten minutes according to Vegeta's watch. Various scattered, rundown looking buildings came into view as they slowly began to descend.

"It looks completely deserted," Goten whispered to the group. Bob remained close by his body as if seeking protection. Shading his eyes from the harsh glare that came from whatever gave Hell light, he started to step forward and explore. Before his foot had even come down upon the ground, his father's hand was on his arm, yanking him back.

"You may not see them but I sense them." All who could sense ki felt Goku's begin to rise. "Their kis are familiar to me."

A cold laugh rang out over the deserted village and all eyes were drawn to the small figure that stood above them on the roof of a building. Furiza, still in his fourth form, stood there with his arms folded and a evil little smirk on his face. He looked exactly how Goku had last seen him. Only the golden halo and the fact that his body parts were still attached ruined the effect. He hopped down to the ground, tail extended behind him, and approached Goku on his small, four-toed feet.

"Why hello, monkey. Long time no see. You look... well."

"Unfortunately I can say the same about you." Goku stared hard into the gleaming red eyes of his enemy. At first he had no doubts that he could defeat him but now, as he stood before Furiza, and let the feel of his ki wash over him, there was a tiny one. There haven't been many enemies Goku admitted to not being able to defeat and Furiza was not about to be the first. Walking forward he forced Furiza to take several steps backward. Tensions were rising as the two warriors stared each other down. That was when Furiza's father decided to make an appearance.

"My dear son, what seems to be going on here?" Kold asked in his best haughty tone. "We send you out to greet our guests and you decide to take forever in doing so."

"Forgive me, Otousan." Furiza said while continuing to glare at Goku. "This is nothing."

"What do you mean, nothing?" Goten asked him. "You were insulting my tousan even though it didn't seem like it. The atmosphere is so thick I would need Trunks' sword to cut through it."

"How many hours of therapy did you need to recover from our battle?" Goku asked in an almost amused tone. "I heard from the others that the mere sight of Mirai Trunks transforming into a super saiya-jin almost sent you off the deep-end."

Furiza, shaking in rage, hissed his next words through clenched teeth. "That is none of your concern!"

"You wanted to kill my friends and family before I arrived home, Furiza. That is unacceptable!"

"Do you think I care, monkey?!" Furiza was livid, now, his entire body shaking in an anger not unlike what he felt after his precious dragonballs were used. "You hurt me! No one has ever hurt me before! You were the first to ever injure me so therefore you had to be the last!"

"Furiza!" Kold roared over his son's words. It took the smaller changeling a short time to regain control of himself but soon he was making his way over to where his otousan stood leaning against the worn bricks of someone's house. Flinching at what was to come, Furiza cowered before his otousan. What had once been the scourge of the universe was now only a pitiful memory of what he had been.

"You have something that belongs to us," Taura said in a meek tone. Although he was eager to get the whole mission over with, he was also terrified of huge Kold-oui in his second form. "My friend's soul was stolen a while ago by one of your spirits on Tale-sei."

The black, painted lips pursed in thought. "Ah yes. Tale-sei. It's such a difficult planet to destroy. Wouldn't you say so, Otousan?"

"Yes, my son. It has special defenders."

"What do you do with the souls once you have them?"

"They are our source of power." The black lips curled into a smile. "That spirit devoured it. It is now lost to time."

Stricken looks came over the saiya-jin's faces as well as Kallen's. Though Jas' face was perfectly blank, he surprised them all but running at Furiza with obvious murderous intent. He might even had succeeded if the job hadn't already been completed by Mirai Trunks. As it were, Furiza batted him away like a fly and turned, irritated, toward his otousan.

"I hate days like this," he sighed in mock exasperation, "Annoying little pests buzzing about and me, bereft of a fly swatter." While he was busy being his standard obnoxious self, he didn't see Goku's hands until it was much too late.

"Give me the location of that spirit!" He growled as his hands tightened around his neck. He knew that killing him a second time was impossible but Furiza could still feel pain. "Or I will tear out your spine and show it to you."

"That's a really good threat," Vegeta commented, clearly impressed. Goku had just proved that he was a real saiya-jin in his eyes. "I'll have to use it sometime."

"Uck," Furiza croaked out. No one had any idea what he said but it might as well had been 'otousan' because Kold was right there in an instant to aid his poor son.

"Let him go this instant!" Kold demanded, attempting to use his physical size and impressive demeanor to get what he wanted. He was so used to it working that when Goku ignored him he appeared shocked to the core of his being.

"Tell me now Furiza," he loosened his hands enough so that he could speak. "Tell me now!"

"You can't kill the spirit, monkey. It's already dead!" Now smirking once again, he spat into Goku's face. "I've finally done it! I've done something that really ticks you off! I knew you couldn't stay in control forever, I knew that someday you would lose it and act just as uncivilized as the rest of those saiya-jin."

As if just remembering what was happening to his people, Goku's aura flared up gold and he transformed into super saiya-jin. Before anyone could react, Furiza was knocked at least five-hundred feet backward by a ki blast.

"Tousan you can't do that to him! You're not Vegeta!" Goten ran after Goku who was slowly advancing on the prone Changeling. Transforming himself he grabbed onto his arm in an attempt to stop him. Goku merely moved up to level two.

"I have no idea what's going on here but this can't be good." Kallen, though very sensitive to magical energy, could not sense spiritual energy at all. She would just have to make Goten teach her later on.

"Vegeta are you just gonna stand there or are you gonna help me?!" A fierce wind had sprang up around the two saiya-jin, blowing dust up into the air. Goten knew that it was only a matter of time until his father won the power struggle. He outranked him in that area. Going up another level, he tried to talk some sense into his tousan as Vegeta ran over to help.

"You're sinking to his level, tousan. Remember all of the people he's hurt and/or killed. You don't want to be like that. It's not necessary that you hurt him now. We came here to find Jas' soul and to help the other saiya-jin remember?"

"I remember," he forced out with considerable effort. Then he slowly began to power down, dropping out of super saiya-jin completely. Vegeta and Goten did the same. "This is not over, Furiza." His eyes were cold and hard as ice even though a smirk came to his lips. "Not by a long-shot."

"My tousan has officially lost his mind," Goten mumbled as he stepped away. "Either that or Vegeta's rubbed off on him." He looked up to see Goku's hand cut through the air with a 'come on' gesture. He then began walking in the direction of a stone well that wouldn't have been out of place anywhere on Chikyuu. The thing is they were all on a plane full of dead people. What did dead people need with fresh water? If they had their bodies there was still a need to eat, drink, sleep, and breathe but besides that there was no use for it. Goku peered inside of the well then bent down and lifted the stones completely free of the ground. Furiza shrieked and ran over to stop him.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"I'm rescuing my people. What does it look like I'm doing?"

"How did you know they were down there?" He stomped his foot like a child. "That was a great hiding place!"

"I can sense them," Goku then jumped into the hole and lowered himself into the darkness below.

"Should we go down there too?" Taura questioned with a scared look on his face. "It's dark, damp, and there are probably rats...."

"And you're supposed to be half-saiya-jin." Vegeta said in disgust as he jumped into the well after Goku. With barely a thought Goten picked up Kallen and vanished into the darkness.

Kold-oui had departed some time ago but Furiza was still there. Although quite scared of Goku's super saiya-jin level two form, he was also angry that the saiya-jin had dared to attack him. For the first time in his life common sense prevailed and he quickly ran off to find his father and older brother.

"I'll just wait here," Taura said as he took a seat cross-legged on the ground. "Maybe meditate or something."

"I will stand watch. The spirits will not harm you."

Taura's eyes opened partially and he smiled. "Thanks Jas."

"Not a problem."