Campaign: Plots of Light (Sairai and Game Master)

Sairai smiled at Mr. Popo with a strange look in his eyes. “I have a feeling I already know what this is about,” he said, fishing a small orange orb out of a desk in the corner. “It’s this, isn’t it? A Dragon Ball... I’d heard from Korin that they were created by Kami... I see now that you two have been keeping an eye on the situation, or am I completely off base?”

Without waiting for an answer, he looked up at the screen overhead, which had a metallicized version of his own face upon it. “Big Gete Star. Is the analyzation of the Dragon Ball complete?”

The face on the screen frowned and shook its head. “I’m afraid not, sir. There’s a lot of data to sift through, and except for the force known as ki, I do not have anything in my databanks to compare to the data I’m gaining off of these... things, whatever they are. I can only tell you this, there is a massive untapped potential within them, as if they’re waiting for someone to take their power and use it, for what I have not the slightest clue.”

It was Sairai’s turn to frown. “Magic... I’ll never understand it. How such limitless power can be cramped in such a small space,” he said, a rubbing his eyes with a free hand. “Then again, perhaps I’m simply overanalyzing.”

He turned to Mr. Popo and held up his other hand. “Well, we’ve nothing to gain by wasting time, Mr. Popo. Please, let us return to Kami at once. I am eager to hear what he has to tell me.”

WC: 274

Heavy winds buffeted Kami's Lookout as Big Gete Star's sleek form came to a gliding stop above it, casting a dark shadow. Kami leaned on his staff, his robes flapping wildly around him. It was big and gray, much like some sort of mechanical storm cloud hovering above. Except, aboard it was his life long friend Mr. Popo and Sairai, one of Earth's biggest hopes.

Mr. Popo was the first to arrive, sailing down to the footstep of Kami's Palace on his magic carpet. As he dismounted, the carpet immediately rolled up and landed on the ground at his feet. It then began to fold in on itself, flopping about like a fish out of water. After a few seconds it was no bigger than a handkerchief. Mr. Popo bent over, picked it up and stuffed into his pocket.

The Guardian of Earth rested his hand on Mr. Popo's shoulder and smiled. “Thank you old friend.”

The white form of Sairai glided down, barely stirring the atmosphere as he set down gently on the marble tiles.

“Sairai,” Kami said. “I appreciate you coming at such short notice. But, I think you know better than anyone that we have a crisis on your hands. I am sorry about what happened in East City, I witnessed it. You did well, the best you could with the sort of fiend you faced.”

Kami entered his palace. It was dim inside, lit only by orange by flames in the wall sconces. His throne sat at the end of the room, but he did not take Sairai in that direction. Instead, he led him down a long narrow hallway. Depicted on the walls in bronze were all sorts of ancient pictographs—images of Earth throughout the ages. Towards the end of the hall the images changed to the plight of human kind and upon a huge stone door was a final story, that of Kami's arrival and his struggle with his inner demon.

The door opened without Kami having to move a muscle, as if it were an automated door in a grocery store. It slid back, the heavy stone grinding against the groove it sat in.

Kami tapped his staff on the tile floor and torches flickered to life all around the room. It was a library containing rows upon rows of dusty tomes and vellum scrolls. Being so high up in the sky, away from Earth's fauna, there were no cobwebs or spiders, but there was a good amount of dust coating everything.

“Oh Kami,” Mr. Popo said. “I wish you would let me clean this wretched mess.”

Kami waved his faithful servant off. “Nonsense Mr. Popo; as I've said, I quite enjoy it this way—it lends to the atmosphere.”

Towards the heart of the library was an old stone chest sitting on an elevated platform. It was inlaid with gold swirls. Some of the swirls turned in on themselves to look like dragonballs, with twinkling ruby stars in the centers. Kami touched his hand to the stone and muttered an incantation. The heavy stop of the chest slid back.

“As you may know, the dragonballs were created to grant wishes. My original intention for creating them was that those who had the dedication to collect them all would eventually be able to get the one thing they wanted. There have been hundreds of struggles over them, even entire wars fought for those who wish to possess them. Some have sat in the personal collections of Kings and religious leaders,” Kami said as he pulled out a long scroll in a hard leather case.

“The wishes are appealing, but for those who know anything of ancient magic, there is something far more powerful about them. Each one is a beacon of nearly endless energy and potential. They were created with seals and protective magic, so that they cannot be readily tapped. Despite the temptation no sorcerer or witch has ever been able to break these seals. Then again, none have gathered all the dragonballs. For each one is a piece of a whole, of the great dragon Shenron. The magic cannot be awakened if all are not present.”

Kami opened the case and pulled out the scroll, using the top of the chest as a table. He set it down and gently began to unravel it. The angular characters making up the script were foreign to any eyes but Kami's. It was ancient Namekian, a language long forgotten, even to those native of Namek.

“In many ways, this raw magic is more dangerous than any wish that can be made with the dragonballs. If this mysterious group can gather them, we might all be doomed.” He ran his wrinkly fingers over the scroll, reading the text he had written in his youth. “My memory has faded over the long ages. I am but half a being, as I separated my evil half to earn my place as the Guardian. The mind can get foggy in old age, as you might know, but it grows worse when you aren't even your full self,” Kami said, squinting as he continued to read.

He slammed his hand on the top of the chest in frustration. “No! I was hoping there was a simple way. I was hoping I could deactivate the dragonballs and release their magic safely. But, I cannot. There is only one way to shut them down, and that is for me to... die.”

“But Kami, there must be another way? Perhaps the evil men trying to get the dragonballs can be defeated?”

“I have sensed the Death God's power. It is great and he unrivaled in his skill,” Kami and closed his eyes and slumped visibly, just barely holding onto his staff. “I knew I should have trained an apprentice long ago. Never the less, Sairai, I need you to kill me."

WC: 983

Sairai landed on the lookout and saw Kami. While he appeared outwardly calm, Sairai could tell from his ki signature that there was something amiss. He seemed excited, almost frightened. As he welcomed Sairai and thanked him, the Changeling bowed. “It is no trouble at all, Lord Kami. I would never keep you waiting if I could help it.”

When Kami mentioned the battle with Balzar, the demon that had destroyed East City, Sairai let a small sigh escape his lips. “There’s nothing I could have done, you say, but I feel there was... Perhaps I could have led him away from the city and then taken the Dragon Ball another time...” He felt the wise, searching eyes of the Guardian upon him and sighed. “You’re right... I did the best I could with what I had. I just wish I could have done more.”

Kami motioned for him to follow, and he walked with the older man into the palace in the center of the floating lookout. “These murals are beautiful,” he said in awe as he passed them. The one depicting Kami splitting into his two selves was interesting, though Sairai figured it was more allegorical than actual truth. Then, he saw the murals depicting King Piccolo. “That’s... your dark half?” Sairai asked, appalled by what he saw.

The thing spit up eggs and created monsters that tormented the world around them. Ones with wings, and then there was a picture of him summoning what the Changeling could only guess was Shenron, and becoming young again, from which point he caused even more terror until some young child speared through him with a punch like a bullet.

It then showed him creating a last child, one that looked nearly identical to him, carried his soul, and was even more powerful than he’d been in life.

“Interesting...” was all that escaped his lips. It seemed as though there were many things about this planet Earth that he did not know, many hidden secrets, things he would want to know if he were to become a Guardian of Earth similar to Kami.

Sairai looked around the room as Kami showed him around. It was quite a majestic room. Tomes of ancient power lay all around him, but there was something about the room that made him uneasy. There was an atmosphere of despair centered around Kami. “Yes, I’d heard you were the one who made the Dragon Balls, but to think that they could be tapped into for an even greater power... For one person to control that kind of might is unthinkable!”

While Sairai understood the reasoning behind wanting to destroy the Dragon Balls, he did not agree that there was a need for it. “Kami... I’m sorry, but I cannot kill you,” he said matter of factly.

“Despite my upbringing, I’m not the kind of person who would kill another, not even to protect an entire planet. I’m sorry, but you’ll have to find someone else to do that. On the other hand,” he said, holding up the Three Star Dragon Ball with one hand, “I killed the demon called Balzar... Oroki can’t be that much more powerful, and with this new transformed state...” Sairai cracked his neck and flared out his ki to merely half of his full power.

“Trust me, I don’t think there’s a chance that anyone will be able to take this Dragon Ball from me. You have at least one that is safe, and if Broly, that... monstrously powerful being has one, there’s no chance this Organization will be able to take them.”

The Changeling looked at Kami with a mixture of concern and compassion. “My master, there is no way I’ll ever forgive myself if something were to make you think suicide was the only option. I doubt Mr. Popo would appreciate it, either. After all, you’ve been Guardian of Earth for such a long time. I couldn’t think of anyone taking your place, let alone doing well at the job.”

Sairai floated up into the air and sat cross legged, supported by a cushion of ki. “Lord Kami, I would not do anything to harm you, nor would I let this world come under threat from any source, internal or external. Of that you have my solemn word. However, I will not assist you in this mad scheme you have to die. There are other avenues open to us,” Sairai said.

“I’ll make a deal with you. If there is no other alternative after everything else has been tried... I will do as you wish. Does that sound fair?” he asked, a small frown upon his lips, hoping against hope that Kami would not ask him to do it at any time.

“Until that time comes, I will defend this planet against any who threaten her. You have my word, and I will call others to the cause. It is the least I can do for the planet that accepted me when I had nowhere else to go.”

WC: 839
TWC: 1,113

Kami sighed and began to roll up the scroll. Sairai had turned him down; not that he blamed the young warrior. The Guardian had created the dragonablls long ago, and his mindset had been different then. He often regretted putting such powerful objects into existence, especially when so many lives had been cost by them. The easiest way to end the whole ordeal was to die.

However, taking one's life was no simple task. Kami didn't particularly want to die. Despite his great age, he was a Namek, and still had many more years ahead of him. He often longed for the days of his youth, when he had been much stronger and far more determined. But, throughout his life, he had learned many hard lessons that he would never choose to forget. Thus he often reminded himself that his age wasn't always such detriment.

“I see,” he said and set the scroll within the chest. It slid shut on its own, kicking up a great deal of dust. After a short coughing fit, the Guardian began to walk again through the library rows, heading deeper into the chamber. “Then it will be a battle. I know you are prepared Sairai, but I think it would be essential that we know our enemy.”

The row of shelves gave way to an empty portion of the wall. Small hexagonal tiles lined the wall in a sort of mosaic, organized into the shape of a map of the Earth. Greens, browns, and yellows made up the land masses, and blues made up the seas and rivers.

“I acquired a little information from the warrior Yamcha about who our enemy is and what their goals are. They serve a dark being who is not of our realm. I have a good feeling they wish to summon him into our world. My assumption is they wish to use that great magic of the dragonballs to open some sort of gateway. But, where? That is what we need to know, because that will probably be their base of operations. I know there are few spots on the Earth that would serve as a conduit for magical power.”

Kami waved his hands. Three tiles lit up a shimmering yellow gold on the map. The first tile was in the far north, among a few white tiles, indicating snow and glaicers. The second was in the heart of the central continent in a largely uninhabited forest region. The final tile that lit up was in the middle of the ocean to the east of East City.

“These are points where the flow of spiritual energy is the strongest; a leyline crossing. I am thinking they would need to use one of these intersecting points to gather enough energy to hold the portal open. The dragonballs will serve the fuel for the initial opening, but to sustain it they will need this power.”

WC: 1,471

Sairai looked at the map with what appeared to be mild interest. However, the information that Kami had just revealed was work more to him than the Namekian could possibly have imagined. Sairai had been long considering tracking these people to the source, to wipe them all out with a single swipe of his hand. Such a thing would bring him great pleasure, and there was a chance he could find out the locations of the remaining Dragon Balls, or at least beat it out of whoever it was that he found there.

“Ley lines, huh?” he asked, his eyes never leaving the mural map of the Earth. “The major energetic vortices of the planet... This isn’t good. Anyone who knows these also know the major weak points of the planet. If any hostiles to this planet were to find these areas and attack them all at once, the Earth would crumple in under itself. It would be a catastrophe of apocalyptic proportions.”

A small smile crept across his face as he turned toward Kami and Mr. Popo. “Well, I think I’ve got the information that I need to proceed, though I doubt they’d keep any of their captured Dragon Balls on site. The one I had was in a vault in East City. The rest... are likely in similar locations across the planet.”

Sairai pondered what he was going to do in relation to this threat to the world. Balzar, this God of Death... And others. I know they have a master in another world, as you’ve said, but...” Sairai looked back at the map, allowing his eyes to rest for only a couple of seconds on each of the three locations on the map.

“Something seems off. They need to have someone who knows magic on their side in order to make this work the way they desire... someone powerful... Someone...” Sairai dropped his gaze to the floor, counting the number of cracks in the floor with a solemn expression. “Someone like my grandmother.”

Immediately the answer hit him like a bolt out of the blue. He looked at Kami, then thought of his grandmother. “Whoever’s the one able to work magic, he or she... they cannot be of this world. They have to be from another corner of the galaxy, like you are.”

“Damn... I’ll be fighting a Xeno, perhaps even a member of my own race. If I can neutralize their sorcerer, no matter how many Dragon Balls they gather... they won’t be able to use them to open a gate.”

A plan was finally taking shape. Now that he had some idea what they were going to do, thanks to Kami’s information, he could finally see that things were starting to look. He had the information he needed to face them. Now, the only question was...

“Where do I go from here?”

WC: 485
TWC: 1,598

“Where do I go from here?” Sairai said.

Kami sighed and leaned forward, glaring at the map mosaic. He touched his finger to the shimmering tile in the center of the forest.

He never liked dictating one's fate. It wasn't his place. He was a Guardian, a silent watcher. But, often times, he had used champions to defeat enemies he could not. He was old now, far too old to fight as he did in his youth. He had to entrust this mission to Sairai.

He's a valiant young being, but not from this world. He takes this burden on. In many ways, he reminds me of myself. I think someday, he might make a great replacement for me. Perhaps I can mold him into the next Guardian, one powerful enough to actually defend the Earth against dark threats such as these.

Closing his eyes, Kami searched out across the Earth, letting himself be a conduit to the spiritual energy of others. The human dwellings, cities and towns, sparkled in his mind's eye. They were like millions of little fireflies, all moving about. He sought any power signatures in that region, in the heart of the leyline crossing, but felt nothing. There was emptiness there—a virtual void.

How can this be?

“I feel nothing,” Kami said. “If there's anyone at that leyline, I'm not able to sense them. There's something there, something strange. It seems to be voiding all sense. I've never encountered anything like this before.”

Mr. Popo let out a concerned whimper. “What does this mean, Kami?”

“Sairai. You must travel there, but with caution. I don't know what strange sorcery blocks my spiritual senses, but I fear it may not be good.”

The group made their way out of the library, passing through the halls of the temple, and stepping out into the dim light. The Big Gete Star still hung over the lookout, casting a long shadow. Kami enjoyed the shade, as usually there was no reprieve from the burning rays of the sun.

A gust of wind caught his robes, causing them to flutter wildly. He clapped Sairai on the shoulder and looked him in the dead eyes.

“Be careful my student,” he said. There was so much he wanted to say, but the words would not flow. “Fight valiantly, and save this Earth. You are our very hope."

WC: 398
TWC: 1,869