Valley of the Warrior

Valley of the Warrior

Medium Quest

Requirement: Must have Completed Blood on Your Hands

Reward: 2,000 zeni

You’re something special, kid. I haven’t seen somebody this promising since… Well, you get the idea. Think up of a name you would like to be called by the masses. It should strike terror into your opponent’s heart. Then, go to the Valley of the Warrior. It’s time you become one with the Gladiator within. I don’t know what happens there, but I do know this: Some people never return from that place. Be careful.

Mello stood somewhere above the Coliseum- somewhere far, far above, staring down at body after body. Hulking bugs lay in wasted cities, blood and spittle fully visible from their massive mouths. Arlians lay across the floor of the Coliseum, slouched over in their seats, foam and organs pouring from their mouths. Just past the Coliseum stood a large, cold city, full of slow, dull movement. Rain fell on this city- bloody rain. The crimson liquid poured over the beaten, broken Arlians, over Xenos holding guns aimed at them, and, notably, over Matt. The city seemed like something Mello would have constructed in boredom brought to life- and he knew right away he had to of been involved in the building of the dystopia.

He turned, looking directly below himself at a city he'd once called home- West City. He watched closely as some kind of blast tore through Capsule Corp., not to mention over half of the city itself. A muscular being exploded from the smoke, its screams of glee spreading as high as Mello's invisible perch. The Construct raised a brow- wondering for a moment if this was him, but quickly deciding the thing was too large. It rushed through a sky scraper, knocking the building down in a single fell swoop. It turned, just to unleash a weaker blast that decimated the lower half of the building, while the upper half crashed down, destroying the ground below. The beast's rampage continued through the city, through the world, through the Universe, and through, perhaps, an entire Mutliverse. Mello worried for a moment that this beast might notice and attack him, but decided quickly it was of no concern to him. Whatever that thing was up to wouldn't reach him for years to come, if it was going planet by planet.

He moved his eyes to the world on level with himself- suddenly exploring a world of collapsed cities, like the ones below, deathly looking beings dragging their feet, all staring up at his slightly elevated position with spite, sorrow, or helplessness. To his left was a petite woman who seemed to have empty eyes- to his right, none other than Matt, looking like he was about to become king of everything. The Construct stared down at himself, adorned in bloody red and silver, a heavy weight on his head. He reached up and drug his pale fingers across the object, tracing the shape with his suddenly scratched and bloody fingers. He brought his hand back down, seeing that the crown on his head had sliced them open...Yet he felt no pain, as if he wasn't even alive. The Construct lowered his hand back to his side, turning around and facing the much lower-leveled world behind him. A crowd of much healthier looking people cheered- yet all of them seemed to be cowering at the exact same time. Perplexed, Mello went to question one of the two beside him- but no noise came out.

Matt grinned, and Mello realized his hand was rising to shoulder level, filling with his dark blue energy. He felt fear form in his eyes, yet had no control over any of his movements anymore. At the same time, the crowd let loose a wild cheer, as if they wanted to be destroyed. Frantically, Mello looked across the small field of vision his eyes still offered, seeing statues of not only himself, but also Matt, Gero, the girl next to him, and other androids he couldn't name. The louder the crowd cheered, the more energy he put into the blast, while Matt seemed to begin chuckling. What was this!? What kind of King murdered his own servants- and beyond that, what kind of creature enjoyed the privilege of death? What creature, mortal or otherwise, thought dying would be a fun experience!? The thought disgusted Mello's still-human self, creating a disgust, a rage, a burning desire to end this putrid act as swiftly as possible. He'd self destruct if he had to, because Mello, no matter how ruthless, refused to take an innocent life. He'd killed criminals and other Gladiators- but the criminals surely deserved to die, and the Gladiators, they certainly were prisoners themselves; he'd killed them based on that preface, as that knowledge, that data, was the same data he'd taken from his ship before destroying it.

So why was this happening?

Mello felt the maximum possible energy his arm could withstand finish loading into the attack, resulting in almost liquid-like white fire to skid across the ground, practically flowing from his now hidden arm. The wind had picked up, though it seemed that was due to a storm, not his own power...which was tremendous, as compared to the last time he'd actually used the Big Bang Cannon. It seemed that, somehow, his strength had been increasing- or the attack itself had- as it was by far more powerful than when he'd used it to clear away the beasts and Arlians some time ago. He stared, almost in shock, at his attack, and felt the fear in him wiped away by curiosity. What if he could equal the blast that that beast below had unleashed? What if he could take out an entire city block, or the entire city? What if he was somehow capable of destroying not only the sadistically suicidal crowd before him, but also the menacing statues, and his surely demonic self? The Construct almost grinned at the prospect of wiping out all of the evil minds gathered, his self included...Or was that this twisted version of him, basking in the glee of murdering innocents? Sparks shot across his body as the crowd unleashed another huge cheer- was that to him? It must have been, because just before they'd shouted their joy, the wind had picked up even more, responding to the insane power Mello was wielding.

And then the world went quiet as Mello's signature attack- seemingly multiplied by ten fold- erupted forth, lighting the dark gathering place in devastatingly, white hot, blinding light. Matt shielded his eyes with a hand, the girl staring on, smiling dumbly, which might have explained why she had no pupils. The crowd seemed to be losing it, cheering, excited, as if this very white light was the passage from Earth to Heaven...And maybe it was. Maybe Mello had, somehow, become a god. Maybe they'd all created a religion over him, and he had finally become what he'd been built to be...The herald of a new age, an age in which Constructs ruled and humans groveled at their feet. As the Big Bang Cannon impacted, it reverted to the dark blue color of his natural energy, tearing through the cement, skin, bones...Everything. As the smoke cleared, Mello, the girl, and Matt joined in a chorus of laughter. That was the first of them.

The first of the humans who had broken and given in, finally begun to worship the Constructs as what they were. Immortals...Heroes...Gods.

But why was Mello feeling a cold sweat break out? Suddenly he regained control, realized what he'd just done. His eyes were open, yet he felt them open again, and suddenly was staring at a locked door with florescent lights blazing through a curtain.

In other words, it was midnight on Arlia, and a certain robotic gladiator needed a drink.

Manik grinned, a bit of blood dripping down his lip, onto his caramel skin. His charcoal eyes locked onto the pathetic excuse for a Saiyan standing before him, beaten, bloody, and missing three of his five fingers from the left hand. The Saiyan took a step back, obviously appalled by what this monstrous character had just done. Slowly, Leaf tried to back away, tried to plot a way out of this hellish place; but there was none. Manik chewed a bit more, like the appendage in his mouth was gum, then spit the bone and cartilage to the coliseum floor eight feet below him, swallowing. As he opened his mouth, Leaf was able to make out his blood, his skin stuck to the creature's teeth, and was forced to stop moving, to fight down vomit. Manik spoke in a twisted, gruff, raspy voice, his chest heaving with laughter as he did. "You can keep the bones, servant boy. Maybe your King will see them as a trophy when he finds out you were executed, eh?" Leaf, now horrified and offended, did his best to put on an air of confidence. There was a chance he could be spared, of King Maoy just might spare him. And that would allow him as a Saiyan to regain his health and increase in power, and eventually murder Manik for what he'd done here today. All he had to do was survive and look tough...

"What's wrong, Low Class? Have you seen the error of coming to this planet yet? This is no place for a childish Saiyan; even the weakest creature here has a power level of two thousand! And you? Well, Saiyan Boy, you feel less than half of that," Manik said, licking the blood from his lips as he finished. The gruff being took a step forward, casting his shadow over Leaf, who took a step back himself. He'd been able to read Manik's power level a few weeks before, and it had been just over three thousand. Just moments ago- before his Scouter had exploded- Leaf had gotten a reading of nigh on six thousand, nearly double that of which he used to brutally murder two of the strongest Arlians he'd seen in nearly two months on Arlia. Was this the brute's limit, or did it get higher? It was obvious to Leaf that Manik was just showing off, as two thousand was far more than enough to handle him...But why? Had it not been for the Coliseum's structure, it would have likely collapsed under the pressure of this immense power. Leaf took another step back, then ignited a white aura and rocketed as far away from Manik as possible. He risked a back flip, landing halfway across the arena. There, he began charging energy into either arm, preparing the only attack he had that might slow Manik down- and would have killed him, had he not been given a chance to power up.

"This...Is all of my power! See it here, Manik! See your killer's soul as it envelopes your whole! I learned this from Haruko-sama of the West Coliseum; now I pass it on to you! Burst...Of Pride!" Leaf shoved either arm forward, cupping his hands together as they reached the maximum extension. Energy crackled up his legs to join the rigid, sparking power in his hands. A massive beam that looked like a weakened Big Bang Cannon fired towards Manik, wavering in the air briefly before speeding up. The Brute stared down with a grin on his face, enjoying the light that was glinting off his gold and silver armor. He cocked his head to the left slightly, black hair and beard waving in the gradually increasing wind. With virtually no effort, he swung his club up, swatting the "Burst of Pride" back at Leaf, who stood dumb founded. The crowd roared as Leaf's own attack rammed into his upper abdomen, erupting in smoke and flame. The impact of the explosion sent Leaf two feet back and onto his back, a hole in his already weakened armor and third degree burns spanning his chest and stomach. He blinked a few times, relieved to be alive, but disturbed at how his own attack was so...weak. Even against himself...

Then he noticed the energy sinking into Manik's club, and the faint white glow flowing from the weapon into the Brute's body. He'd taken away a chunk of the attack's force, adding it to Manik's own power. Unnerved, the tanned Saiyan warrior propped himself up on his elbows, rolling over to his hands, then rising to his knees, then, finally, his feet. He kept his left arm over the burns, ready to protect against further damage to the area, and held his right arm at his hip. His blue-black eyes locked with Manik's charcoal ones, and they both knew this fight was over, one way or another. Either Leaf was about to die, or Manik was going to allow him to live. Either way, Manik won. The Saiyan boy refused to plea, though. He kept confidence in his eyes, and kept them as open as possible, even when the wind blew sand and black bangs into them. He felt his tail unwrap as a primal force was awakened, as a subconscious decision fueled his best option. In his right hand, Leaf began to form a ball of white energy- a ball which would allow him to multiply his meager 1,600 by ten, and maybe, just maybe, defeat Manik. He felt that the pseudo moon was ready, and prepared to throw it into the sky...

But then Manik faltered, an ever so slight lick of fear becoming evident in his eyes. The black things darted down to his leather belt...Which seemed to be, ever so slightly, twitching, as if something were under it. The brute took a step back, then raised his non-weapon wielding hand. "That will not be necessary, Low Class. I'm satisfied with allowing you to live. But if you dishonor your race any further, I will find and eat you alive."

Leaf blinked once, then twice, and quickly drew the Ki into his body. Warily and wearily, he withdrew to the slowly opening exit to the Coliseum, dragging himself down the hall, verbally begging for medical attention. At the same time, Manik stomped off, visibly shaken.

Meanwhile...

"Valley...Of the Warrior?," Mello asked, growing thoroughly intrigued. Haruko perched on the edge of a stool next to him, sipping from a cup of decaf coffee. She'd been speaking of a place where the gravity was double that which it was on Arlia on a normal day- quadruple that of Earth's gravity- and was brimming of wild creatures, Hermits, demons, and multiple other paranormal beings. It was a place where, in secret, many up-and-coming Gladiators went to hone their skills, and where most of said Gladiators vanished permanently.

"It would be perfect for someone who...Say...Had a match with a literal giant who had an unparalleled amount of power hidden away...I'd wager that person could gain quite a bit of power just by walking down a well-trodden path through that particular wilderness and met with an old codger of a man named Gemini and had him share the secrets behind the Surging Punch, you just might be able to use it to damage that Giant's armor enough to pierce it with a freshly powered up Big Bang Cannon...Hm?"

Mello had to smirk, because for the first time since he'd been offered this chance at virtual immortality, he was about to get a chance to drastically increase his overall power, his overall chance at survival. They'd been at the Midnight Crawler for hours discussing Mello's chances against Manik, and about how Haruko's second of her three total pupils was supposed to be facing the bastard of a man today. That pupil- Leaf, a Saiyan who'd been trapped on Arlia for months now- had been offered a chance to go to the Valley of the Warrior just a week before, but an unscheduled series of fights had thrown it off...Meaning it was possible Manik would have been defeated today, if not for that annoying outcome. Mello was sure that if this Leaf guy survived, he'd be in medicare for the next couple of months...Meaning it was all up to him.

"When do I leave?"

"That depends. If Leaf does survive, and he heals fast enough, you'll both be departing tomorrow. If it's evident the wait would be too risky, you leave the day after with my oldest pupil, Avlon. She's not exactly a Gladiator, but she does need some training...I feel she's gotten a bit...Lazy, you could say."

Mello nodded, downing the remainder of his greenish drink and shoving the remainder of his fries into his mouth. Using the bionic jaws he'd acquired by becoming a construct, he downed the handful and rose to his full height, looking down at Haruko. "I'd best go pack then. Any chance you know some kind of magic trick so that I can just shove my crap in another dimension or something?"

"No...But Avlon is a bit of a beast tamer; odds are there will be more than a few creatures to speak of. At least one of them should be a luggage carrier, hmm?"

Again the Construct nodded, taking his leave from the neon-lit bar. He wouldn't sleep tonight, in hopes of evading the nightmares from before. With luck, he'd have enough energy to avoid sleep tomorrow as well, lest he become insane before he got a chance to live.

Haruko followed after him, perhaps ten minutes behind, in order to keep a watchful eye over the fake human. It was true, Mello didn't actually know that she knew his secret race, but he seemed okay with that fact. So she'd never bring it up, and she figured he wouldn't either. But that wasn't why she'd taken to the boy...No; she saw a hero in him, somewhere deep down, and she knew that there was a way to bring that hero out. Even though, from what the Xeno could tell, Mello was designed with some kind of intent to kill, Haruko intended fully to alter this path for the better.

With a slight breath into her frail body, Haruko seemed to vanish, appearing briefly on a sign hanging in the underground walkway, then vanished again, repeating this process as she raced after Mello, towards home. Beyond all of her motives, there was another reason for her to have left the bar...And that was the disgusting public restrooms Arlia had to offer. Growing a tad bit frantic, she continued picking up the pace, eventually passing Mello to get to the door to her living quarters- and more importantly, her personal restroom. A mere purple blur in the vast underground city, Haruko was surely one of the most peculiar beings on the planet...But she was Mello's peculiar teacher.

TWC: 3,063