King Cold Wants You! (Complete)

King Cold Wants You!

Easy Quest

Requirements: None

Reward: 1,000 Zeni and PTO Insignia.

The PTO is always looking for rough and tough warriors to do their bidding. You saw a sign that says "King Cold Wants You!" and head to the recruiter. The recruiter calculates your power level and is surprised that you're not just some rat from the streets. But, the test is whether or not you can fight. Defeat two of his soldiers and prove yourself.

PTO Insignia - You are considered among the ranks of the PTO.

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A cool breeze blew through the empty halls of the Cold Palace, playing a hollow tune through the lifeless capital. The many Xeno that once lined the corridor now littered the palace exterior, their corpses unceremoniously piled up on top of one another. The recent Saiyan rebellion had been successfully quashed but at the cost of countless Xeno lives.

Frieza drifted into his domain, his black throne emitting a gentle hum that echoed through the vacant corridors. He longed for the sound of his followers, their fearful awes the fuel for his monumental ego.

The cold devil let out a gentle sigh as he continued down the long hallway, slowly taking in the starkness of it all.

"Come on, hurry it up!" A voice suddenly called out from beyond Frieza's sight, "We've still got five hundred more of these to hang up before the end of the day!"

Frieza couldn't place the voice but it seemed subservient enough to belong in his dwelling. Curious as to what was transpiring just around the corner, Frieza set off to intercept.

"There's no one here to even see it." A second voice spoke, the source still escaping Frieza's crimson gaze.

"There's one rule to surviving around here: Do what the giant alien devil tells you to do. Now stop complaining and get that sign up!"

Frieza's loyal mount crept along the wall, revealing two men to the Changeling rider. Frieza scanned them, trying to place their species. As he peered through their drab clothing he noticed their alien features. One was reptilian, complete with a tail flicking unconsciously behind him. The other looked relatively human, his true origin betrayed by his bright blue complexion.

The men appeared to be hanging up a large sign on the palace wall, or at least trying to. Frieza watched as they set up the poster, instantly recognizing the rather garish image of his father staring back at him. A slight hint of disapproval flashed across the Changeling's face, and after a few seconds of looking at it, found himself unwilling to tolerate the eyesore any longer.

"Ahem!" Frieza announced, revealing his presence to the Xeno.

The two alien men turned to see their younger master, the recently arrived Lord Frieza, approach. They both quickly bowed, hanging their heads in welcome.

"You're back my Lord!" The reptilian Xeno cried, forcing as much surprised admiration into his voice as he could.

"Indeed." Frieza replied, rather indifferent to the man's rather obvious tactic.

"Is there something we can do for you, master?" The sky faced man asked, hoping to win some easy favour.

"Yes," Frieza spoke as he looked over the sign reaching from ceiling to floor, "Tell me, just what is this?"

"It's a recruitment sign, my Lord," The blue Xeno replied, "King Cold's offering a rare opportunity for membership in the Planetary Trade Organisation. Any one can join up."

Frieza nodded as his eyes trailed down to the red font sitting at the bottom of the sign.

King Cold Wants You!

"There have been several tryouts already but not many get through. King Cold seems to want only the best." The reptilian added.

Frieza smiled as he slowly traced his fingers over the poster's small print.

"So, he's making up for lost numbers, hmm?" The Changeling asked, more so to himself than the two accompanying him.

The Xeno said nothing. They knew it wasn't their place to talk about such matters.

"I have an idea." Frieza said as he clicked his fingers.

"Yes sire?" The reptile asked, breaking his momentary silence.

A mischievous grin spread across the Changeling's face as he looked toward the Xeno standing before him.

"Give me your clothes."

---

Word Count: 614

A small, cloaked figure pushed through double doors, his feeble arms just barely able to exert the necessary force. As the meek creature slowly entered the small rectangular room, he found himself deafened by the beings already inside.

Hundreds of voices filled the air, all struggling to be heard over their combined white noise. Every word was thrown with a reckless abandon, every one of their claims dripping with a false confidence. Their bloated boasts filled the tiny confines, threatening to bring the whole thing down around them. Only a single man stood above it all. He had entered the room much like the brown cloaked figure, unheard and unseen by the many chattering Xeno. This man, however, was prepared to bring order to the chaos.

"Everyone!" The man barked, instantly silencing the room, "This... is the Planet Trade Organisation try outs."

The grey haired man stepped confidently out of the shadows and into the light, entering the Xeno's collective gaze. His many war medals shined valiantly under the single bulb hanging in the centre of the depressingly unfurnished room.

"Now, I'm sure try outs aren't new to some of the more mammalian species among us. You all finished in first place at one point or another," The officer spoke as he looked upon the possible new recruits, "But what will soon transpire today will follow you for the rest of your lives, however long or short you choose to make them."

The many odd-shaped Xeno hopefuls tracked the man as he walked slowly towards them. His authority was palpable.

"What I have here..." The officer spoke as he placed two fingers to the green tinted device hung upon his left ear, "...is a scouter. I will be using it as a means to gauge your fighting potential. Anyone who fails to meet my predetermined standard will be asked to kindly leave the room the way you entered. Those who do not immediately obey..."

The grey haired man paused as he brought up his other hand.

"...Will be killed by this. This is an arm blaster," The man said as he turned the cannon around for all to see, "Now, some of you may be confused by the device's name. I am obliged to tell you that, yes, it can blast an arm clean off. But the more intelligent among you will understand that the name simply comes from the placement of the device on the body, along with the weapon's firing mode."

A guffaw flew from the mouth of a pink skinned Xeno, landing him firmly in the Cold officer's sights.

"You're first bubblegum. Get down here now." The man spoke, pointing first to the pointy headed Xeno and then to the spot just in front of his feet.

The great pink giant took a few steps forward, lumbering past the small hooded creature hiding in the crowd.

"Ha ha. I already knew all that about the arm blaster. That's why I laughed." Uttered the pink brute as he reached his designated position, his words teeming with childlike stupidity.

"Of course you did," The officer replied, humoring the muscled blob, "Okay, let's get a reading of your power level. Don't move now."

A confident smile spread across the pink giant's face as the scouter burst to life. The officer's stern expression remained as beeps began to tally up his target's power. The recruiter's cold and rigid stare sent a chill down the flushed warrior's spine, making him suddenly question his own sense of worth. He had worked hard all of his life, toiling in the most toxic of mines. He only had this one chance to escape and make something of himself.

"Here it comes..." The officer spoke as the scouter reached its final conclusion.

"Did I... Did I make it in? Am I in the Planet Trade Organisation now?" The gum man asked with hope filled words.

"I'm afraid not, champ. Better luck next time." The mustached officer replied before wiping away the scouter's power level reading.

A look of despair crept upon the flushed Xeno's face, followed quickly by a rising anger. The pink alien began to breath in rapid bursts and his eyes took on a red sheen. His insane panting could be heard throughout the room, with every eye set upon his raging form. He was overcome by emotion, leading to an outburst foreseen by even the rats under the floorboards.

"I-I want to be a Lord! I want to be like Lord Frieza! You can't send me away! I'm too powerful to be measured!"

"Calm down..." The recruiter spoke, honestly hoping he wouldn't have to kill the lumbering brute.

"Check my power now! It's too much for you! I'm too much for all of you!" The pink Xeno continued, his ranting beginning to unnerve some of the other applicants.

The enraged blob threw his fists into the air and let out a mighty roar. He'd failed the only test that ever mattered to him but he refused to go home empty handed.

"Leave now or I will kill you!" The Cold officer yelled, trying to get through to the failed applicant.

"No!" The pink Xeno cried back, his furious eyes set firmly upon the recruiter standing below him, "I will kill you!"

The pink Xeno brought his spiked arm down through the air, sending enough force behind it to cut the recruiter in half. The battle hardened warrior standing below had no choice but to retaliate.

"You idiot!" The recruiter yelled as a beam of golden energy shot out from his blaster. The line passed straight through the pink Xeno's chest, instantly freezing the behemoth in place.

"I-I'm not good enough?" The pink Xeno asked, his fury burnt away along with a big piece of his torso.

His hulking arm dropped to the side as life gradually left him. His knees grew weak, slowly failing in their duties. The bubble gum man collapsed to the floor with an almighty thud, his lifeless body visible for all to see.

The recruiter was visibly dismayed, his uncaring front nowhere to be seen. He shook his head in sorrow as he looked at the poor beast resting at his feet.

Without warning, two Cold officers burst into the room and took positions above and below the dead behemoth. They grabbed hold of his legs and arms and tried their best to lift him from the blood stained floor. After they'd acclimatized themselves to the great weight, they slowly moved the pink man's body across the room and into the shadows.

"Ha! Serves him right!" An effeminate voice called out from among the Xeno crowd, "The Planet Trade Organisation is no place for soggy brained weaklings. Good riddance!"

The Cold recruiter let loose an angry snort before turning back to the Xeno crowd. His trained senses scouted the area, looking for the being capable of spouting such callous words. Without an order, several Xeno stepped away, revealing a small cloaked being standing innocently in the center of the room.

"Was it y-" The recruiter began.

"Yes, it was me." The small being replied, cutting down the man's sentence.

The recruiter paused for a moment as he let out a troubled breath.

"Those were some big words, little man," The officer said to the cloaked being, "Come down here so we can see what you're really made of."

The cloaked figure stood still for a moment, seemingly contemplating the action.

"Yeah, that's what I thought." The recruiter called out, smiling as his lips drew closed.

A boot fell into sight, peeking out from beneath the cloaked figure's loose garments. The tiny footstep echoed through the room, instantly dismissing the Cold officer's grin. Several more steps quickly followed, each heard against a dead silence. As the small steps reached a grand tally, the waist high creature finally made his way forward, coming to a halt where the pink Xeno once stood.

"So, let's see just how strong you really are." The recruiter said to the diminutive being in front of him.

The officer pressed a finger to the scouter, setting it off once more in a series of high beeps. The man grumbled as the number rose, passing each level of expectation. It was still far from reaching his desired requirement but it showed no sign of slowing any time soon.

"So, you're stronger than you look," The man said as he looked down on the concealed being, "But I doubt you'll be leaving here with a PTO insignia."

The number still continued to rise, moving somewhat slower than usual but increasing at a steady pace.

Deep red eyes stared out from beneath the cloaked figure's hood, suddenly startling the recruiter. He tried not to show it but he was visibly shocked by the vicious little glare hidden under the layers of clothing. The two pools of red seemed to go on forever, plunging into depths no man should ever see.

"Alright... It seems to be leveling off now..." The man spoke, glad there was something else he could focus on.

"I'm shaking with anticipation," The small figure spoke, his smothering robes doing nothing to back up his claim, "So, tell me, am I worthy of joining this most illustrious organisation?"

The recruiter watched as the scouter came to a stand still, revealing the hidden entity's true power.

"Your power level seems to suggest you'd be most welcome here," The recruiter began, waving his hand in the air before continuing, "But this is just the first stage."

A door creaked open at the back of the room, showering light through the small opening.

"You'll face the second stage once you go through there," The man spoke, pointing into the new room, "I don't want to give anything away, but I do suggest losing the baggy clothing."

The small creature stood stoically, silently refusing to reveal its inner form.

"Hmph. It's your choice," The Cold man spoke before moving out of the small being's path, "Now get on in there."

The hidden figure walked casually past the grey haired recruiter, making his way towards the next stage. He took no time at all reaching the open door, throwing the recruiter a confident glance before stepping into the new light.

As the figure disappeared, the door shut closed and the officer was set to begin the recruitment process once more.

"Alright! This pale guy with the white hair, you're up ne-" The officer began, only to be cut off by an unusual noise coming from the room behind him.

Sickening splatters crept their way through the back wall, quickly followed by a bloodcurdling scream. A large explosion then rocked the entire room, filling the air with a high pitched ring. A few seconds passed and the back room was silent once more.

"Well, I guess we know who failed the second part of our test. I never did like that guy anyway." The recruiter spoke, smirking quickly after.

A long creak gained the officer's attention, drawing him away from his duties and towards the door slowly opening behind him.

"Two of your men were in that room, but don't worry... they're gone now." The cloaked figure stated before stepping out of the light.

A cold chill blew past the recruiter as he looked to the back room. The door was slowly creeping shut but he could still make out the corpse lying on the floor, his body battered beyond recognition.

"Now, I may have gone a little overboard," The cloaked figure spoke, a black horn peeking through his torn head wear, "I blame myself really. I never should have lowered my power level so much to begin with. I became... uncomfortable."

The recruiter could only look on as the stench of blood began to waft over from the back of the room.

"I believe you have something for me." The horned being said, now upon the recruiter.

"I-I... Yes," The man spoke as a horror crept up inside of him, "You'll want your insignia..."

"Hmm, yes, very well then." The cloaked creature said, not entirely focused on the final prize.

The recruiter reached to his pocket and, with shaking hands, produced a small metal badge etched with the PTO insignia. He held it in his palm, stretching it out for the tiny beast to take.

"This will make a fine replacement. I... lost my other one." The creature spoke, his previous insignia having been vapourised by rebellious Saiyans.

The small metal passed hands and the recruitment process was over.

"Well, this sure has been enlightening. Catch you later, chief." The cloaked being said before turning to the Xeno crowd.

As the hidden emperor walked steadily forward, the Xenos quickly parted. An impressed huff escaped the short Changeling before he moved swiftly on.

As he exited the room he removed his torn garments and threw them to the floor. He threw his hands to the air in a grand stretch, finally able to move again. His tail swung freely behind him, equally pleased with its new-found freedom.

Ahh. Living as a commoner. Now that was quite an idea. Frieza thought.

The cold devil looked at the small medal in his hands, barely recognising it. He'd owned one since early childhood and yet he struggled to recall even the shape or the feel of it. Not that such things mattered.

"Such a day. I wonder what other matters require my attention." The Changeling Lord said to himself as he took a new step down the Cold palace corridors.

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WC: 2,254
Total Word Count: 2,868