Dragon Ball Z: The Beast Within - CH28

[Escarot POV]

I kept my stance loose, breathing steady as Okara circled me for another attempt.

We’d been sparring for a while. Long enough that sweat coated her forehead, even with the cold air. Not bad. Her ki control was improving.

Still had a long way to go though.

She lunged again, fast and loud. I ducked under her punch, I really loved that I had learned to sense ki, I still couldn’t get over how cool it was, I mean, I didn’t even need to look to know where she was, how awesome was that?!

My body just moved.

That’s what sensing ki was supposed to be like. Natural. Reflexive. Not forced.

But Okara? She still had that delay. But she would get there, I knew it.

I sidestepped her next kick and tapped the back of her armor with two fingers.

“You are improving, but damn… are you predictable,” I chuckled. “You keep trying the same things, over and over again. That’s where you’re losing.”

She spun on her heel, face scrunched up. “Yeah? Well maybe my stuff would work if sensing ki wasn’t so damn vague!”

“It’s not supposed to be something you try to do,” I replied, hands casually behind my back now. “It’s like breathing. You don’t think about it. You just do it.”

“Oh, that’s real helpful, teacher of the year,” she snapped. “Just do it, huh? Should I close my eyes and believe in the heart of the energy too?”

Was… was that an unintended Yu-Gi-Oh reference?

I grinned. “Wouldn’t hurt, Yugi.”

She growled under her breath and launched another flurry of strikes—tighter, angrier. Sloppier. I didn’t even have to try to dodge anymore.

But even while sparring, I kept one eye; figuratively; on the horizon.

Or rather, on the ki signatures moving around it.

They’d been inching closer for a while. Slowly. Steady pace. Almost like they were scouting, not charging in. That was good. It meant intelligence. Hopefully patience too.

And then—

I felt them arrive.

A few dozen meters out.

They didn’t flare their power. They didn’t raise a hand or shout. But they stopped moving.

They were watching.

Waiting for something.

I said nothing. Let them announce themselves first. Peacefully or otherwise.

Then, mid-combo, Okara’s nose wrinkled. She froze mid-swing and sniffed the air.

“I smell something… off,” she muttered.

Then louder, she barked, “Who’s there!? Show yourself, or perish alongside this miserable planet!”

Ah. Saiyan diplomacy.

I lowered her fist with a flick of my tail. “Don’t mind her,” I called out to the dark. “She once threatened to kill her pillow for not being soft enough. Don’t take it personally.”

“That’s the point of threats!” Okara snapped back. “To be taken personally!”

There was a long silence.

Then a voice. Male, cautious. A little rough around the edges. “We apologize for… spying on you, strangers. We mean you no harm. It’s the first time in fifty years anyone has come to our planet… Not since that wizard ruined it out of spite.”

That got my attention.

I tilted my head. “Wizard?”

Magic was a tricky thing in this universe. I had to thread carefully.

“Yes,” the voice said. “A sorcerer; powerful, cruel. He came looking for our servitude, long ago. When we refused to help him... he cursed the sky. Took the light away. Sealed the sun’s gift from reaching our ground.”

Behind me, Okara lowered her stance slightly, glancing toward the direction of the voice.

“That’s what this is?” she asked. “Some magical sun-block?”

“There were once five golden suns,” another voice, older and deeper, chimed in. “Now… they shine only above the clouds. We survive on energy harvested beneath the ground. But it’s not enough. It never is.”

So that explains it.

The cold. The dark. The weird feeling in the air.

A cursed planet.

No wonder the place felt like a horror film setting.

I took a step forward. “How many of you are there?”

“Not many,” the first one replied. “A few hundred. Maybe less. We’ve spread underground. There are caves… networks we dug over decades.”

“And you’re not hostile?”

“No,” the older voice said. “We’re… desperate. Not foolish.”

Good, I didn’t feel like killing the already terminally ill-puppy.

Behind me, I heard Okara exhale, like she was slightly disappointed she didn’t get to throw someone into a cliff.

I crossed my arms. “Alright. You’ve introduced yourselves. Come out.”

There was some shuffling. Then three figures stepped into the faint light of Okara’s ki orb. Humanoid. Pale gray skin, glowing eyes, big frames, they kind of reminded me of the tire mascot whose brand I can't remember, Michelle? Micheton?. Anyway, they didn’t look like warriors.

If anything, they looked like civilians. Survivors.

The leader stepped forward, bowing slightly. “My name is Iro. This is my father, Motei. And this is Rala.”

Rala, the third, was silent but nodded.

“I’m Escarot,” I said. “She’s Okara.”

“Why do you guys look like you are made out of mud,” Okara muttered, still sizing them up.

“That’s how our kind looks,” Motei replied, tilting his head. “Why do you guys have tails?”

“Because we are awesome,” Okara replied proudly.

“Why are you guys here?” Rala, the quiet one, asked, looking at me.

“To train,” I answered.

“You came here to train?” Iro asked.

I nodded. “Didn’t expect the climate.”

“We can offer shelter,” Motei said. “At least for rest. Our homes are dark, but warmer than this surface. You may train here as long as you need.”

I raised a brow. “That’s… generous.”

“You’re the strongest beings this planet has seen in a lifetime,” Iro replied. “If you wanted to take our world, you already would have. Not that there’s much to take.”

Fair enough.

…

……

………

We stood in that weird, silent moment after introductions, the three locals staring at us like we were gods… or maybe monsters. Hard to tell in the dark.

Then the youngest one; Rala, stepped forward, eyes wide, almost hopeful. “Is there something you could do about the curse?”

I blinked.

“The curse?” I repeated, frowning. “Look, sorry to disappoint, but I’m no wizard. I don’t do magic. I punch things, I punch things very hard. Unless I can physically hit this ‘curse’ until it explodes, I don’t think I’m your guy.”

Behind him, the older one—Motei—snapped, “Rala!”

The kid flinched. “But it’s the first time anyone strong enough to challenge him has ever come here!” His voice cracked halfway through the sentence. “You don’t understand, Father! This might be our only real chance!”

Did they say there’s someone who is punching material in this planet?

I crossed my arms, tilting my head slightly. “Who’s ‘him’?”

Rala swallowed. “The malevolent king.”

Ok, they have my attention.

Okara tilted her head. “That’s a real subtle title.”

“Shut up,” I muttered at her. Then I looked at the older one. “Please, continue.”

Motei sighed, slowly stepping forward. “A long time ago, before the darkness, our king, Generik the Third. He ruled with strength, yes, but with wisdom and care. He was… a true protector of our people.”

“Alright,” I said. “So what happened?”

“Then the wizard came,” Motei continued. “He demanded our people’s servitude. He claimed we had energy he could use, that our connection to the suns was unique.”

Rala added, “We refused. Generik told him to leave.”

Motei’s eyes darkened. “The sorcerer cursed our sky… and something else. He placed a spell upon our king, twisting him. Turning him into something else. Something stronger. Something cruel. Cold. We tried to fight him. We lost. Destroying our armies before he vanished into the tower.”

“The tower of darkness,” Rala said, nodding quickly. “It’s the structure that absorbs the sunlight. Or blocks it. We don’t know how. But it didn’t exist before the wizard arrived.”

Okara looked at me. “So let me get this straight. Your king got corrupted by some random lame wizard, took over a tower, and now he’s just… sitting there, being spooky in the dark?”

Motei stiffened, clearly not a fan of her tone.

“Shut it,” I said, looking at Okara.

She backed off, arms crossed but silent.

I turned my attention back to them. “So what’s the deal with this tower? You just let him hang out up there? No offense, but… sounds like a problem that should’ve been dealt with a long time ago.”

Unless the King was now immesively powerful.

Hopefully he was.

“We’ve tried,” Motei said. “Many times. Generik’s power is beyond ours now. And no one who enters the tower ever returns.”

I rubbed my chin. “And this tower is the source of the curse?”

“Yes,” Motei replied. “That much we know. It drains the light from the suns. You destroy the tower, maybe we get our sky back.”

“So destroy the tower,” I said, like it was the simplest thing in the world, because it was. “Sounds easy enough.”

“It’s not that simple,” Rala said. “The tower is protected. Generik is no longer the man he was. He’s… a monster. He’s ten times stronger than any other warrior, but if you could beat him—”

Ten times stronger, not bad— wait a minute. These guys feel pretty weak, and ten times nothing is…. Still nothing.

“Are there any warriors still alive… and if so, are any of them hiding their power?” I asked.

“I am the last warrior of my people,” Motei replied. “And… Yes, I am hiding my power.”

“Show me your full power,” I said, crossing my arms.

Motei nodded once and stepped forward. His boots scraped against the black stone, his face tightening in focus.

Then, he roared.

His body tensed, muscles expanding slightly under his cloak as a faint flicker of energy began to rise from his frame. The ground beneath him cracked a little, dust floating upward as his power began to build.

Rala stepped back, eyes wide. “I haven’t seen him do this in years…”

Iro looked stunned. “It’s brighter than I remember… the pride of our people”

Okara was squinting beside me, trying to see the actual energy output through the gloom.

Then Motei screamed again, throwing his arms out as a burst of light surged around him.

And then…

That was it.

I blinked.

Okara blinked.

The energy faded into a low, almost laughable hum, maybe two notches above what you'd expect from a mid-tier fighter on Planet Vegeta. And that was being generous.

Motei exhaled hard, sweat on his brow, chest heaving like he’d just pushed past every limit he had. His aura flickered once, then vanished.

He looked… proud.

Rala looked like he was about to cry from awe.

Iro gave a solemn nod, like he had just witnessed something deeply moving.

Meanwhile, Okara slowly turned to me, her face deadpan.

I tilted my head. “That… was it?”

Motei nodded, still panting. “Yes. I have not used my full strength in years. But now, you see… the fire of our people still burns.”

I scratched my head. “Is… your evil king much stronger than you? Like… by A LOOOOOOOT?”

“Yes,” he replied with complete sincerity. “At least ten times stronger. Maybe more. He’s the strongest creature on this planet.”

There was a long pause.

A very long pause.

Okara muttered, “This planet must suck.”

“I know we are asking you to risk your life,” Motei continued, completely unaware of how underwhelming his display had been, “but if we work together… if we fight as one, we could bring this era of darkness to an end.”

I deadpanned. “Nah, don’t worry about it.”

I turned to Okara, pointing at her like a dad assigning chores. “The malevolent disappointment is yours to fight.”

“What?!” she barked, tail bristling. “Why do I get the weak ones to fight?! It’s not fair!”

“You’ll live,” I replied. “We are certain of it...”

“Weak?” the elder, Iro, muttered, glancing between us like we’d just insulted the gods.

“No offense to your people’s plight,” I said, “but if your math is correct… your evil king is about as threatening as a puppy.”

Rala blinked. “A puppy? …What’s a puppy? Are they dangerous?”

“No,” I muttered. “They’re small. Loud. Lick your face a lot. Cute, but not known for their planetary domination skills.”

“Oh,” he said quietly. “Then… I understand.”

Do you? Really?

Motei looked… confused. A little insulted. But also kind of relieved, which was funny.

“I thought you would be frightened,” he admitted. “The tower is steeped in death. Many have tried.”

“Yeah, well,” I said, “I’m not losing any sleep over it.”

Rala’s jaw dropped a little. “You mean… you’re not scared?”

Okara let out a sharp laugh. “Scared? Of what? Tripping on a rock while we walk there? Please.”

“I’ve fought people thousands of times stronger than your king,” I said. “Hell, she’s fought tougher opponents than that during a training session. Trust me, we’ve got this.”

Motei looked at me with something between reverence and confusion. “Then… you’ll help?”

“I mean, sure,” I shrugged. “Like I said, Okara’s got it.”

Okara groaned. “Fine. FINE. But you owe me.”

“Yeah, yeah,” I said, waving her off.

“No, not ‘yeah, yeah’... I want FOOD. COOKED BY YOU.”

“You drive a hard bargain,” I replied.

“Damn right I do.”

I looked back at the locals. “Tell us where this tower is. And we’ll do what needs to be done, and by we, I mean her.”

Motei nodded slowly. “It lies beyond the northern ridge. The path is jagged, dangerous—”

“We’ll fly,” I interrupted.

“…Oh.”

There was another beat of awkward silence as the three of them realized just how absurdly out of their league we were.

I turned to Okara, stretching my arms behind my head. “You can finish warming up with this ‘malevolent king’ of theirs. I’ll have something ready when you get back.”

She scoffed. “I swear, if he doesn’t at least throw a good punch, I’m punching the pride of your people.”

“Why me?” Motei muttered.

Rala looked between us in awe. “You guys are amazing.”