#mundokuul

[duhragonball]

[FIC] Luffa: The Legendary Super Saiyan (108/?)

Disclaimer: This story features characters and concepts based on Dragon Ball, which is a trademark of Bird Studio/Shueisha and Toei Animation.   This is an unauthorized work, and no profit is being made on this work by me. This story is copyright of me. Download if you like, but please don’t archive it without my permission. Don’t be shy.

Continuity Note: About 1000 years before the events of Dragon Ball Z.

Previous Chapters conveniently available here.

[20 February 233 Before Age.   Mundokuul.]

Guwar had never heard of Planet Mundokuul until Salziff warned him never to go there.    According to Salziff, Mundokuul had been the first step on his path to ruination.   The young Saiyan had sought the secret to increasing his already incredible strength, and so he had discovered the mythical technique known only as Jindan.    Guwar and his comrades wanted the same power, and so they had journeyed to Mundokuul to retrace Salziff's steps, despite the fact that Salziff had practically begged them not to repeat his mistake.  

In light of this, Guwar had expected Mundokuul to be a grim and harrowing place.    The Jindan cult was actually located on some other world, one Salziff couldn't identify, so Guwar half-suspected that they would be met by mysterious agents, who would give them encrypted coordinates that would reveal the way to their lair.

Endive, one of the two Saiyan women who had recruited him on this quest, had a different idea.   "We'll probably get there and find an empty planet with a single occupant," she had said one night before they had embarked on this next leg of their journey.   "The cult would naturally blind him and cut out his tongue to ensure that he never betrays their secrets.    When we arrive, he'll hear our footsteps and activate some mystic gateway leading to their inner sanctum.   And from there?   Who can say?   We shall either grow stronger or we shall die."

Guwar usually admired Endive's flair for storytelling, but not when he was one of the characters she was threatening to kill off.    

Lesseri, the strongest and unofficial leader of their group, had a more minimalist attitude about it.    "The 'cult' angle is just to frighten people off," she had said.   "Everything about this Jindan business has been an IQ test.  You have to do all this legwork just to find the right place to go, and the only catch to joining up is that you have to follow orders.    They're just some group looking for worthy henchman, and that's fine.   As long as they hold up their end, I'll do whatever they want.   You ask me, Mundokuul's just another hoop we have to jump through to prove we can follow instructions without losing our nerve."

None of this answered Guwar's question to Lesseri about what she expected to find on Mundokuul when they arrived.    Lesseri simply didn't care what the planet was like, or how many sapients lived there, or whether they would be greeted by gloomy thunderstorms to suit the ominous mood of their search.   To her, it was all an abstraction; the only reality was what she had to do to get stronger, and what she would do with that power once she had it.    

Treekul, on the other hand, had no desire to visit Mundokuul at all.   The rumors about Jindan only promised power for Saiyans, and Treekul was no Saiyan.    Her only interest in this venture was a chance to investigate the possibility that Jindan was an application of alchemical techniques for *ki* manipulation.   She was no warrior, just a historian with an interest in mystic secrets and ancient scholars.

"The fact is," she told him, "I don't even know why you three brought me along.   Mundokuul's the next-to-last step in your search, and according to Salziff, you'll find out what to do when you get there.    You don't need me to lead the way."

"Let's just say we don't trust Salziff," Guwar said.    "He told us where to go, and then he warned us not to go there.   So maybe he was lying about Mundokuul.   Maybe there's nothing there.  Or maybe there really is, but he didn't tell us everything we need to know because he's afraid that we'll succeed where he failed.    You're our insurance.   If anything goes wrong, you can use that geomantic compass of yours to tell us if we're going to the right place.    If not, you can sniff out a new lead."

"The cult might not see if that way," Treekul said.  "They only want Saiyans, so if they see me hanging around, they might take it the wrong way.     They might even punish you three by association."

"We'll deal with that when the time comes," Guwar assured her.   "Hey, don't be so glum.    Think of this as a research expedition."

Treekul seemed to find little solace in this.    

When they finally reached the planet, however, they were all surprised by what they found.   Though isolated from the rest of galactic civilization, Mundokuul appeared to resemble a vacation resort.   The planet was tidally locked with its star, with one hemisphere continuously bathed in sunlight, while the other was hidden in permanent shadow.    As such, the only population centers were located on the dark side of the planet, since the day side was too hot for most organic life forms.  Somehow, the weather patterns on Mundokuul allowed the night side to have temperate climate, despite the absence of direct sunlight.  It was a mystery that might have fascinated meteorologists, but the Saiyans and Treekul were only interested in the cult.

Lesseri led the group into what appeared to be the planet's capital, and they found only night clubs, lounges, and other entertainment establishments.   Neon lights flashed and blinked at them from every available surface, while fog machines and argon-ion lasers were found in almost every building they entered.  Electronic music and enthusiastic party-goers could be heard no matter where they went.

"All right, let's try to reason this out," Guwar suggested as they sought refuge in one of the quieter clubs.   It was a burlesque, but the tables furthest from the stage offered a semblance of tranquility.   "Does anyone sense *anything* Saiyan about this place?"

Lesseri shook her head.   "The only Saiyans on this planet are the ones sitting at this table," she grumbled.   A cheerful robot tried to recite the appetizer menu to her, and she swatted it away like a fly.   Everyone else in the building was too focused on the show to notice.  

Endive rested her elbows on the table and steepled her fingers.   "Perhaps this is Luffa's doing," she suggested.   "That Saiyan on Quadzityz who attacked Luffa might have possessed the Jindan secret.   Luffa could have overpowered him, forced him to reveal the same information we obtained from Salziff, and she shut down the Jindan cult before we arrived."

"But there's been no fighting here," Treekul said.   "I don't know much about the Super Saiyan, but from what you've told me, she's not exactly subtle."

"What if Salziff was lying to us from the start?" Guwar suggested.   "He told us to go to Mundokuul because he figured he'd be dead by the time we found out it was a trick."

"No, he warned us *not* to go," Endive reminded him.   "He expected to die soon anyway.   Why would he want to trick us?"

"I don't know," Guwar admitted.   "But it sure looks like he lied to us, doesn't it?"

"Forget Salziff," Lesseri said.   "You're right about one thing, Guwar.   He probably is dead by now, so it doesn't really matter if he was trying to trick us or not.  And while we're at it, let's forget about Luffa too.    If Supe really did knock off the Jindan cult, then whatever they could have taught us would be worthless, wouldn't it?"

"What are you saying?" Endive asked.  

"I don't know," Lesseri muttered.    "I guess my point is that if this is a dead end, so be it, but let's make sure it's really a dead end before we decide where to go next.  The last thing I want to do is find out later that we had the right place after all, and have to double back."

"We could start wrecking the place," Guwar suggested.   "Blow up a few of these clubs, shake some of the tourists down, that's bound to get someone's attention.

"Probably Luffa's," Lesseri said.   "No, the cult's managed to stay under the radar for a while now.   We're not going to get anywhere with brute force."

Guwar couldn't dispute the logic of that.   "Okay, the opposite, then.   Maybe we just settle in and spend a few weeks here.    Let them find us."

"If they want us," Endive said.  "It's possible that they might have no interest in three Saiyans with our power levels.   We've made tremendous progress so far.   Let's not back off now."

"What about Treekul's geomantic calculations?" Guwar suggested.    "Now that we're here, she might be able to narrow down our search."

"Might be worth a try," Lesseri said, "but Salziff didn't have a geomantic compass, and he still found his way.   I feel like there's something obvious here that we're missing."

For the next several minutes, they sulked at their table, indifferent to the merriment and debauchery around them.    Then a waitress approached the table and began setting out food.

"We didn't order anything," Endive said.

"Compliments of the management," the waitress said.    She paid little attention to them as she laid out napkins and utensils.   "It's against the law to waste food on Mundokuul.    So at the end of every shift, we serve all the leftovers to whoever is in the house, free of charge."

"That seems like a crappy way to stay in business," Lesseri said under her breath.  

"Well, most folks come here for the talent," the waitress said, pointing at the stage.   "And we find that the free samples encourage customers to pay for more later in the day.    If you're new to Mundokuul, you should really try the mollusk medley.    Oh, and if you want any liquor, there's a robot around here who can help..."  

As she said this, she noticed the broken machine lying on the floor behind Lesseri's chair.   "Ah. Well I see you've met the robot.   Well, I'll be back later if you decide you want anything else."

"Hold on," Guwar said just as she turned to leave.   "You said it's against the law to waste food.  Whose law?   We've been all over this city and it's all casinos and dance halls.   Where are your leaders?"

"What, you mean the governor?" the waitress asked.    

"Yeah, I guess," Guwar shrugged.    

She smiled and pointed back at the stage.  "He's not due to perform here until next month, but I'm sure there's a concierge who could look up his bookings for you."

"Never mind," Guwar said.  He joined the others in staring down at their plates as the waitress dragged the robot back to the kitchen.  At last, Guwar picked up his fork and began eating.   The women stared at him quizzically until he said: "Hey, we're going to be here a while longer, right?   No sense thinking on an empty stomach."  

"Maybe we need to be thinking about the dayside of the planet," Treekul offered.   "I mean, if I was running a secret organization, where better to hide it than an uninhabited wasteland?"

"It wouldn't take long to make certain," Endive said.   She picked up a shellfish and cracked it open with her bare hands.     "We could take the ship into orbit and run a full scan of the planet.   Honestly, we should have done that before we landed, but who would have expected it to be like this?"

Lesseri's meal included a meatloaf-style dish, which she scooped up and ate from her hand like a piece of fruit.    "Gotta admit, this stuff isn't half-bad," she said.  

"We might try searching the area around the planet's magnetic poles," Treekul added.    She popped an appetizer in her mouth and nodded with approval at the taste.    "The planet's ley lines would converge there, and it might be a suitable spot for a base."

For the next two hours, they discussed possible ideas and courses of action.    Then, Guwar heard a strange noise, and he felt sick to his stomach.  He tried to get to his feet, but fell out of his chair instead.   As he struggled to stand up, he noticed that Lesseri and Endive were having the same problem.  

"Guwar?" Treekul asked.   She appeared to be unaffected.   "Hey, what's wrong with you guys?"

He tried to speak, but found that he couldn't make his voice work.    At last, he collapsed onto the floor, and the last thing he saw before he blacked out was the shoes of their waitress as she ran over to respond to Treekul's call for help.    

*******

[21 February, 233 Before Age.  Nagaoka.]

Guwar awoke to find himself in an unfamiliar place.   He could tell it wasn't Mundokuul, because he could sense that the gravitational force was slightly higher.  He looked up and saw the ceiling of a cavern, illuminated by a series of torches.   He looked around for his companions, and found only Lesseri and Endive, lying unconscious beside him.   Looking down on them were a group of humanoids wearing scarlet robes, their faces obscured by hoods.   Each of them carried a spear in their right hand.    

"You are Saiyans," one of the robed ones said in an ominous voice.    "Have you come seeking power?"

"Y-yes," Guwar said.   "Are you...?  Is this...?"

"Silence," the speaker commanded.   He turned to one of his fellows.   "Bring the alien."

Guwar slowly rose to his feet.   His best guess at this point was that there was something about the food on Mundokuul.   Perhaps it was drugged, and only a Saiyan appetite could ingest enough to take a sufficient dose.   He didn't feel any lingering side effects, but then he would have had no idea what to expect.    Maybe it wasn't a drug.  Maybe there was some other trick to it, a trick that only worked on Saiyans.    Once they were rendered unconscious, someone connected to the cult could collect the new recruits and transport them to... wherever they were now.  

As the robed figures shuffled around and made preparations, Guwar said nothing.   There was no point in asking questions now.   These people would give him whatever answers they saw fit, on their own terms.   All he could do was wait patiently and take in his surroundings.

He noticed that there were glyphs and other markings on the walls of the cavern.   It was difficult to make them out in the torchlight, but he thought he recognized a few of them as alchemical symbols from Treekul's notes.    Among these, the most prominent was an arc, which represented a moon in its crescent phase; a circle with a dot in the center, which symbolized a star; and a cross, which was often used to represent a habitable planet.  

Once, Treekul had lectured him for over an hour on the multitude of interpretations of the cross symbol: the four cardinal directions, a small plant sprouting from the ground, the tetravalence of a carbon atom, a chromosome, a four-armed sea creature revered as a symbol of life and prosperity, and so on.   Guwar had been especially bored that day on the ship, but Treekul's enthusiasm about certain subjects was a passable form of entertainment.

A pair of cultists approached and collected Lesseri and Endive from the floor.    As they took them, he looked down and saw that he was surrounded by a shallow trench that formed a perfect circle around him.   Another pair of robed figures brought clay jars filled with some liquid, which they then poured into the trench until it was full.   For a moment, Guwar wondered if it was blood, but the smell of it was all wrong.   He could only be sure that it was definitely not water.  

Guwar then noticed that they were chaining the women to a set of wooden posts.   This made no sense to him, as any Saiyan would be more than strong enough to break free of such a crude pillory.   Was it a ceremonial humiliation?   Were they going to do something similar to him?     Were there different initiation rituals for men and women?   Or had he been chosen in favor of them?

Then, at last, another acolyte entered, carrying a prisoner in his arms.   It was Treekul.    The alien woman seemed to be wide awake, though she appeared to be exhausted from her captivity.   Guwar noticed that her dark green hair, which she normally kept trimmed to a thin layer of stubble on her scalp, had grown at least a quarter-inch since he had last seen her.   How long had they been here?   Treekul's clothes--a maroon romper with black leggings and white boots--had been brand new on Mundokuul.   Now, they showed signs of wear, and there were holes in the seams of the fabric.    His own leotard and body armor looked to be in decent shape, as did Lesseri's singlet and Endive's skirt and chestplate.  

As he struggled to make sense of this puzzle, a man approached him and presented him with a ceremonial dagger.   The gilded handle was crafted to resemble the head and neck of a serpent, with rubies serving as its eyes.   Guwar couldn't be sure of the blade's composition, though the moon symbols engraved upon it suggested silver, which Treekul had told him was a chemical element closely associated with moons in alchemical tradition.

"You hold the sun and the moon," the man said, his lips barely visible from within the shadows of his hood.  He was pointing at the knife as he spoke, and then he directed Guwar's attention to the posts.    Treekul was being chained to the third one, between Endive and Lesseri.    She struggled in vain, and tried to talk to her captors, as though she could somehow negotiate or charm her way out of this.    Yet, she never begged for mercy, which Guwar found rather impressive for an alien.   He wondered if he was starting to fall in love with the girl, but he had more immediate concerns at the moment.

"Now you must complete the circle by drawing the blood of the world," the man continued.    "The world gives life, and you must return that life to the world.   Stain the sun and the moon, and cross the river.   Put the knife into the world, and you will know the power of Jindan."

"Blood?" Guwar asked.    "You mean my own blood or...?"

"Strength must come at a price," the man said.   "Life is built upon death, and so must strength be bought by sacrificing weakness."   He pointed to the three women.    "You must choose, brother.   Which will you sacrifice for your own empowerment?    Choose wisely, and prosper.    Choose poorly, and die."

Guwar was beginning to get the idea.   For a moment, he considered that it might be a trick question.    Perhaps he was supposed to kill all three, but that seemed excessive.   If "all of the above" were an option, then why bother presenting it as a choice?   Likewise, choosing to kill none of them was out of the question.    The cultist specifically called for death in exchange for power.   It wouldn't be enough to wound one of them, and apparently only one of them would be deemed an appropriate sacrifice.  

Guwar was a mathematician, which was something of a rarity among Saiyans, but he had a talent for it, and his alma mater had been too frightened of his power to turn him away.   They probably would have awarded him a diploma just to be rid of him, but he earned his degree, and he had proven it on any number of consultation jobs.   For him, this initiation was simply another puzzle to be solved, another abstract conjecture to be falsified or proven out.   The cultist had told him to choose wisely.   Guwar knew no other way.

Superficially, Treekul seemed to be the logical choice.    If only one sacrifice was correct,  the answer couldn't be to kill a Saiyan, since there were two Saiyans in the set of available options.   In most respects, Treekul was unique.   To kill Endive would beg the question of why one *wouldn't* kill Lesseri, and vice-versa.

But the obvious choice wasn't always the correct one.   Treekul's uniqueness implied that he ought to consider factors that made the others unique as well.   Lesseri was the stronger of the two Saiyans, so perhaps that made her a better sacrifice.   If one of them was to be the price for Guwar's own empowerment, then Lesseri's life seemed like a greater payment, which would suggest that Guwar would receive a richer reward.  

On the other hand, perhaps the price to be paid was simply one life, any life, no matter how great or small.   In this model, sacrificing Lesseri's enormous power would be like putting a ten-credit coin into a vending machine that didn't dispense exact change.   You would get your five-credit snack, but it would still be a waste of money.   That suggested Treekul was the correct choice, as her death would be like tricking a vending machine with a slug.  

The dilemma between Treekul and Lesseri forced him to consider Endive's qualities now.    Factually, he could think of nothing that made her stand out.   She was the best pilot of the three, and a cunning tactician, but these didn't seem important enough to make her a worthier sacrifice.    The more he thought about it, the more he searched for a logical answer, the more his mind kept drifting back to the answer that made the least sense of all.    Of the three of them, Guwar found Endive to be the most attractive.   Her figure, the shape of her face, the cold, inquisitive look in her citrine eyes, the scent of her hair, all of it appealed to him in a way he was far too embarrassed to admit.    But the cult had no way of knowing this, and besides, it was purely a matter of opinion.    

He wondered, then, if that might have been the point all along.  Was the quality of his sacrifice a matter of what he, Guwar, was personally willing to give up?    If that were true, how could the cultists possibly know his feelings towards these three?   Then again, they seemed to know his name, and Treekul's condition suggested that they had been held here for some time, even if Guwar couldn't remember it.   Had the cult interrogated them, only to use some strange power to erase Guwar's memory of it?    There were stories about Luffa having the power to read minds.   What if the Jindan cult had discovered the same ability?    

He approached the three women, making sure to step over the trench filled with unknown liquid, and looked them over more closely as he considered his personal feelings towards them.    Killing Lesseri would be the most satisfying choice for him.    She was an arrogant bully, who only invited him on this quest because she needed an extra set of hands and few other candidates.   He fully expected her to turn against him whenever it suited her purposes.    Surrendering his body and soul to the Jindan cult was one thing, but joining it alongside Lesseri annoyed him to no end.   How much easier his life would be, he thought, if he could use this initiation to put her out of his misery once and for all.    He doubted that he would ever get a chance like this again.    The Jindan cult had presented her to him on a silver platter.

As he looked at Lesseri's unconscious body, he had to admit that he feared her.   Even now, helpless and chained to a post, she still towered over him.    The torchlight danced across her dark brown skin, making her impressive musculature look even more dangerous.   Part of him was tempted to kill her on sheer impulse, and let the chips fall where they may.   If the cult killed him for making the wrong choice, then he would at least die knowing she would precede him into hell.  Instead, he stayed his hand.   The cult clearly had no need for Lesseri, or else they wouldn't risk her life on Guwar's decision.   There was no need to take reckless chances when it was possible the cult might dispose of Lesseri for him.  

He looked at Treekul, and she looked back at him.   At some point, the cultists had put a gag in her mouth, and now her eyes silently pleaded with him to spare her.   She was afraid, and he couldn't blame her for being afraid.   Even if he spared her, there was no guarantee that the cultists would allow her to live.   She wasn't as pretty as Endive, of course.  Treekul's incessant hair growth disgusted him, and the way she constantly trimmed it reminded him of a landscaper mowing grass.   Her scent had a sort of garlicky, metallic quality to it, another reminder that she was no Saiyan, no matter how similar their anatomies were.    Still, she was attractive in her own right, and something about her lavender skin and green hair appealed to him.    And she was easy to talk to.    She actually enjoyed hearing him talk shop about mathematics, which was a rare pleasure for him.   Nor could he deny the emotional impact of her being aware of what was happening.   If he chose to kill her, she would see him take the knife and plunge it into her heart.   It would be no simple matter.   Perhaps that was what the cult was looking for.   They were waiting to see if he could cast aside sentiment in favor of power.   He believed that he could, though he had to admit that it wouldn't be as easy as he once thought.    

That brought him back to Endive.   Ravishing as she was, Guwar doubted that she had any interest in him.    He had seen calculators with more personable than Endive.   She could be social, yes, even cheerful, but he had come to realize that she cared very little for anyone or anything but herself.    She had approached him once, seeking an alliance to betray Lesseri, and he quickly recognized that she would betray him as well, if it suited her purposes.  Now he was in a position to betray her, and he couldn't help but appreciate the irony of it.    If he killed her, it would save him from having to look over his shoulder for her in the future.    If he spared her-- and if the cult deemed to let her live-- then she would be in his debt.   If he could convince the cult to grant her admittance as well, then... well she would be even deeper in his debt, wouldn't she?    That appealed to him greatly.   At least then, she would have to feel something towards him, even if it was resentment or obligation.  

Minutes passed, and the robed figures stood silent, waiting for his answer.    The only sounds were the crackle of the torches, and Treekul's muffled whimpers.   At last, Guwar made up his mind.  He selected his victim, raised the knife to her chest, and with a single, unwavering motion, he thrust the silver blade deep into her heart.   He waited before removing the knife, both to reflect upon the moment, and to allow her blood to spill out of the wound until both the knife and his forearm were coated in scarlet.   When he was satisfied that she was dead, he withdrew the knife, and walked back to the circle where the test had begun.   He knelt down, and noticed a crack in the cavern floor.   He wedged the knife into this space, and watched the blood drip down into it.    He never looked back at the three women.    Instead, he raised his head to the man who had given him the knife.  

"Excellent, Brother Guwar," the man said.   He pulled back his hood to reveal his face.   There was some grey in his hair and mustache, and some wrinkles in his brown skin, which would make him at least seventy years old for a Saiyan.  "Rise, and be welcomed."

Guwar stood up, and the old Saiyan clasped him on the shoulder.    "Tell me," the robed Saiyan asked.  "How did you reach your decision?"

At last, Guwar looked back at his handiwork.   The other cultists were already removing Treekul's body from the post.    "It was simple," he said.    "At first, I thought it was a test of what I was willing to give up, so I thought about what I wanted from them.   Then I realized that once I passed the test, my own wants would be secondary.   From here on, it's what *all of you* want.  That's what comes first.    And I don't know much, but I do know that you want Saiyans, and you want secrecy.   Treekul is no Saiyan, and her skills could be used to expose you.    She had to die.   There was no choice at all."

"Well said, Brother Guwar," the old Saiyan replied.   "The Jindan power shall be yours."

"Great," Guwar said.   He turned back to the old man and pointed his thumb back at Lesseri and Endive.    "What happens to them?"

"You'll find that out," the old man said, "after you wake up."

“Wake up?”

*******

Guwar's eyes went wide as he realized he was lying down.   He sat up as quickly as he could, and saw that he was still in a cavern, just not the same one he had seen only moments earlier.   There were torches, but they were arranged in a different fashion.   The walls had been hewn to make the cave more closely resemble an artificial enclosure.   The symbols inscribed on the walls were still there, though the arrangements were different.   There was a robed man there to greet him, an old Saiyan with grey hairs and wrinkles in his dark brown skin, but he was not the same one Guwar had seen before.   His face was narrower, and his nose was shaped a bit differently, and his hairline was further back on his forehead.  

"Where am I?" Guwar asked.   He finally registered that he was wearing a red costume of his own, not too dissimilar from the black attire he had worn until Mundokuul.   He was sitting in a cot, and next to him were Lesseri and Endive, both clad in matching garb.   They had also awakened, and as they looked around the room, he suspected that they shared many of his questions.

"It was all a dream?!" Lesseri blurted out.    

"In a manner of speaking," said the robed Saiyan.   "Our master, the holy Trismegistus, devised an elixir which induces a vision of his own design.    I administered this elixir to you once you arrived from Mundokuul."

"Then the test...!    Everything that happened," Lesseri said as she struggled to put it together.    "None of it was real?"

"The test was real enough," he said.    "Had you chosen poorly, you would have remained in that vision.    Trismegistus sees fit to animate those who fail the test.   They roam our caverns as sleepwalkers, believing they are in the waking world, when they are truly prisoners in their own minds.    We use them as menial servants."

Guwar took a deep breath as he considered the implications of such a fate.  

Lesseri seemed even more relieved.   "Then my mother," she said.   "She didn’t survive the bomb I put on her ship.   She's not the founder of your order at all, is she?"

The old Saiyan chuckled.   "The elixir produces a different reality for all who drink it," he explained.    "Some visions can be very... unsettling.    But to answer your question, no mere woman could aspire to the glory of Trismegistus.    Our Saiyan pride is not lost by devoting ourselves to him, for there is no shame in abasing oneself to the almighty thrice-blessed."

"Whatever you say," Lesseri said with a profound sigh of relief.    "As long as that old hag stays dead... and as long as we get the power we were promised."

"Naturally," the robed Saiyan said with a smile.   "Our master knows the way of the Saiyan heart.    He will not forsake your fondest desire.  You will be strong, Sister Lesseri.   Stronger than you could have ever been.   Now, if you have all gathered your wits, let us proceed to the assembly.    There, you shall reap the rewards for your search."

The three of them stood up to follow him out of the room.    Guwar hung back for a moment, as he noticed Endive had finally turned to face him.  

"Guwar..." she said with some surprise in her voice.  

"Yeah?" he asked.    

"Nothing," she said.    "It's just... good to see you are still alive after all."

She hurried after the others, and Guwar followed her.    Unless he was mistaken, Endive's words suggested that she had faced a similar challenge to his own.    In that vision, she had been the one with the knife, and he had been her chosen victim.     He wasn't sure whether that was a good sign or not.

NEXT: Reply Hazy.

#dragon ball #fanfiction #lssjluffafic #guwar #endive #lesseri #treekul #mundokuul #nagaoka