Guardain's Trial

He followed behind Mr. Popo at a respectable distance, not because he was afraid of him, but because he did not want him to hear how heavily he was actually breathing. After their little 'skirmish', the black hued genie seemed to be no worse for wear. He had no indication of physical damage, exhaustion, or perhaps even the faintest ruffle of his clothes to suggest he had done anything of great physical demand. Although he managed to pass the genie's little test, he was not by any means proud of his performance, in fact, he was embarrassed by it. He thought he had gotten a lot stronger, and quite frankly, could go toe to toe with just about anyone after drinking the sacred water. What a harsh wake up call.

It was clear now that he probably didn't know the meaning of true power, and that he had found himself over confident in his own abilities due to such ignorance. For his prides sake he would try to do the best he could to act like he wasn't as tired as he really was. If this Kami guy found that he was spent after only managing to graze his assistant, there was a good chance he could be turned away on the count of his own weakness. Besides, there was no telling what this chosen guardian had up his sleeve as far as training methods to help him get stronger. Considering how difficult and challenging Mr. Popo's task for him was, he probably could not dream of conquering anything Kami sent his way. However, there was no time to back out now, he was in too deep. Before long he and Mr. Popo had made it to the white and yellow three domed compound, the pearly white pillars and sleek architecture simply beautiful to look at.

As he looked ahead, towards the front steps of the buildings entrance, he noticed a green humanoid figure standing just off to the side. His skin was wrinkled and he had slug like characteristics, which most notably, were the two antennae hanging from the sides of his forehead. He was dressed in a white sheet from chest to toe with the only feature upon it being a large red encircled kanji symbol that was placed in the upper center of his torso. From his shoulders up to his neck was a thick blue wrap that circled around like a large scarf. The young warrior froze up a bit, he had never seen anyone who was green before. It was clear that this figure was not human, or like any type of person he had ever seen before. This figure was a true alien.

“That there is Kami, you may approach him and introduce yourself.” Mr. Popo stated to the young warrior as he turned his head up and over to him.

“So that green alien guy, is Kami?” He uttered in thought with a confused tone, wondering how an alien from obviously another world could be the sole guardian of all humans. It was indeed an odd concept, but one he would have to contemplate later as he noticed Kami pick his head up and peer his eyes over at him. As much as he wanted to keep his distance from the strange alien, he wanted even more the possibility of training with the great guardian. So slowly he approached, stopping just a few feet shy of the alien protector.

“My name is Arlan. I was sent up here by Korin, he told me if I found you that you may have some tasks I can complete to help further my training.” He said after clasping his ankles together and giving a light bow, uncertain of the proper way to interact with an alien slash supreme guardian of the earth. The old green alien looked the young warrior over before etching a step closer, putting his staff down before advancing his feet.

“Yes, there is no mistaking it now. You are the owner of the ki signature I sensed spiking upward from his tower. I assume you probably earned some of Korin's sacred water, no?” Kami inquired almost rhetorically, as if he was not able to see what had taken place down below.

“Yes, I did earn a sip of the sacred water, but I am here to try and unlock more of my potential.” He responded, looking Kami back into his eyes with a fiery determination in his expression.

“Indeed, I gathered as much. I have no doubt that you, by making it all the way up here and achieving the feat of standing before me, that you are more than worthy of my training. If you will follow me, we can get started immediately.” Kami added while slowly turning about face, using his staff as a walking stick to climb the stairs of the compound and towards the large entrance door that laid ajar.

Without hesitation, the young warrior nodded and proceeded behind Kami, anxious and actually quite nervous to see what the seasoned old guardian had in store. It was a relief off of his shoulders knowing that the great guardian did not perceive him as weak, and possibly even hinted toward a good impression as far as his new found power was concerned. This was good, as by this time his breathing had returned to normal, and like Mr. Popo, had no physical signs of prior strenuous activity.

He followed the old green alien through the entrance door of the compound where they then hung a quick left, proceeding all the way down the hall until coming upon a square door that was embedded into the white tiled floor itself. With a heavy tap of his brown wooden staff, the floor door slowly raised open, retracting all the way before thumping on the ground behind it, subsequently revealing a dimly lit staircase that led down below the complex. He followed Kami down the dark and winding descent of stairs modestly lit by torch light before they finally came to their destination which proved to be nothing more than a dark dank chamber, absent of virtually any light at all.


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WC: 1,029

“What is this place?” He inquired to the elite guardian as he twisted and turned his head, peering around at all angles. Given the fact that it was barely a step above pitch black darkness, he could not gather much from his surroundings. It seemed to be no more than it appeared, a dark dungeon esque space with seemingly no functionality at all save the very creepy vibe of being underground in total darkness.

“I personally refer to it as the astral chamber.” Kami replied as he turned his head towards the young warrior, acknowledging him with his body language as well as his words.

“The astral chamber? Why do you call it that?” He inquired curiously for a couple of reasons. The first being he had no idea what he meant by 'astral', and the second, because he also could not understand how such a simple chamber had any other function besides being a dark space.

“I refer to this place as the astral chamber because the properties of light in this space have the ability to transport one to the astral realm. The astral realm is a place that only ones non physical self can enter, and additionally, in this realm there are many hostile spirits that wish to do battle with those who visit. In my opinion, it is an ideal way to train by encountering multiple real battles without actually having left or accumulating any real conflict.” Kami replied informatively, as he then began to proceed further into the dark chambers space.

“In here there are four unlit torches, one in each corner of this chamber. By lighting a torch, you will be automatically pulled into the astral realm where you will be confronted by a single spirit against whom you must battle and defeat in order to be transported back. Each torch symbolizes a particular spirit, and like any fighter, they each have their own strengths and weaknesses. Your task is to defeat in total, all four spirits in the astral realm. If you can accomplish this, you will prove to me you are worthy of further training. I shall wait for you at the exit above, good luck.” And with that, the old slug like alien ascended back up the winding stair case, disappearing within moments under the darkness.

Taking a deep breath, the young warrior looked around again, it seemed he was left to his own devices. It was dark and hard to see, but Kami had told him that each torch was placed in a corner, so all he would have to do is trace the walls to find them.

“I wonder what this astral realm is going to be like? More importantly though, what happens if I can't manage to be beat any of these so called spirits? Is it a possibility that I could die there or perhaps become eternally trapped in that realm, locked into a fight that could last forever!?” His mind had raced with a bunch of burning yet legitimate questions concerning his upcoming endeavor as he began walking, sliding his hand against the wall, waiting until he ran into the first corner.

It wasn't long before he came up on the first unlit torch that was mounted in between the initial corner. Upon his arrival he quickly realized he had nothing to light the torch with. Resourcefully he shrugged his shoulders and outstretched his palm, charging a ball of ki and slowly placing over the torches fuse. The heat from the energy quickly caught hold, and in the next moments, the torch was completely lit. Simultaneously, the young warrior was whisked away, reappearing a strange place that seemed to be the outskirts of space itself. Around him were billions of stars in all directions, the sight quite daunting and otherwise breathtaking.

“You there intruder, prepare for battle!” A deep bellowing voice called out with a tone of seriousness and impatience. Swinging himself around with help of the low gravity environment, the young warriors eyes quickly fellow upon a rather robust looking man with fair white skin. He was nearly seven feet tall and was adorned with a bright yellow energy. Everything from his long shoulder length hair, beard, toga, and boots were made up of this aforementioned yellow energy. His eyes however, as dull and as contradictory as possible.

“Wait, just who are you exactly?”

“I am Gomo, guardian of this realm, and you are unwelcome. Prepare yourself!” The large spirit replied as he outstretched both of his palms and began blasting a barrage of yellow ki blasts at the dark haired warrior. Instinctively, the young warrior began to maneuver around evasively, dodging the dense balls of energy as he gritted his teeth, reflecting how challenging his efforts were.

“I suppose there is no way around it, I guess I'll have to fight!” He exclaimed in thought as he outstretched his left arm after evading the hectic barrage of ki blasts and fired a purple ki wave at Gomo, aimed straight for his midsection. The large zeus like spirit then performed a dodge of his own, side stepping the beam and swooping straight down towards his young target, baring down on him with his large fist. As the punch came, Gomo's fist missed short of the warriors face by nearly a mile, but that did not seem to be an error on the spirits part. No, instead a barrage of ki blasts materialized in the after current of his strike, pummeling the young warrior in the chest and sending him flying backward, the surprise unorthodox attack effectively catching him off guard.

“This is the end intruder! Huuuaaaaaahhhh!” Gomo exclaimed as he clinched his fists and began powering up while simultaneously thrusting his arms forward with vertical open palms. An orb of ki began to form between the two of them, much bigger than the ki balls he had shot earlier. It seemed Gomo was ready to try and finish things with a large blast. After regaining his balance and halting his backward gain, he quickly grabbed his chest, wincing at the pain of the attack he just suffered. No sooner than this did he gaze up a growing orb of ki being charged in Gomo's hands.

“Fine! If that’s the way you want to do it, I'm game! Haaaaaaaaa!” Arlan replied as he powered up, letting his strength and ki elevate in his purple aura as he kept his eyes locked on his opponent. Simultaneously, he then brought both his hands together, outstretched up over his chest. It was time to for the finale.

“Maximum Buster!”

“Tsuihikidan!”

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WC: 1,102
Total WC: 2,131

The last thing he remembered was a brilliant flash of white light, although he did not feel any pain, it had all happened so fast that it was possible for him to have either survived or perished. Slowly, his hearing began to pick up as well as his sense of being, the faint sound of his heavy breathing becoming as audible as ever. The beads of sweat that dropped from his brow nearly echoed as they hit the ground of the dark and silent chamber, he was back. Apparently, given the fact that he had been transported, meant that he successfully negated that Gomo spirits attack, effectively defeating him in the rather dramatic beam struggle that had ensued between them.

A hefty part of him wanted to take a moment and savor his victory. Going in he had no idea if he would have been strong enough to deal with any of the spirits behind these torches, and his win only helped to bolster his confidence going forward. Sadly though, he figured it best not to celebrate only part way out of the lions mouth. He needed to press on while he was still in a combative rhythm. After tracing the walls, finding, and finally lighting the second torch, he was whisked away again to the astral realm. The surroundings of deep and infinite space remained consistent as his eyes fell upon a short yet stocky individual with large muscles, orange skin, and a pair of short and pointy horns protruding out from either side of his head.

“I am Shoru, guardian of this space. My senses indicate that you have slain my brethren Gomo. Expect no mercy from me!” The white robed and black booted spirit exclaimed as he outstretched his index finger and began charging forward towards the adolescent warrior in a white aura power flight. Shoru initiated contact by landing a shoulder bash rush attack into the warriors cross guard that protected his chest, absorbing a majority of the brunt but still pushing him back with a moderate sting. After about ten yards he finally found some traction in the air with his ki and slid his body to a stop. However, once he recovered, he quickly spotted Shoru directly above him with the bottom of his heel baring down towards his head.

The power of the harsh downward kick knocked the saliva out of the young warriors mouth as he was sent spiraling downward in a violent motion. Shoru then quickly initiated another power flight, following up behind his damaged prey.

“This guy is keen on physical attacks, keeping the pressure on me with his speed to try and prevent ranged attacks. That must be for good reason.” He quickly gathered in thought as he regained his bearings. There was no time for a good charge up blast, but he figured simple beam would do the trick.

Haaaa!” The young warrior shouted as he outstretched a single arm as he continued falling downward, launching a purple beam of ki at the very last moment directly into the face of the charging spirit from the palm of his right hand. The close proximity created a mutual shock wave that seemed to end in his favor yet again as he found his adrenaline pumping long after he found himself within the confines of the chamber once more. It seemed though that his quick thoughtful deduction was correct, and as a result, Shoru had left himself unguarded for anything more than a physical attack.

After catching his breath from the close call of the second battle, he quickly shuffled over to the third and lit it with his ki, same as he had with its two predecessors. Though once he did so, nothing happened. He was not whisked away and pulled back into the astral realm.

“Perhaps this one's faulty.” He stated aloud as he shuffled over to the final corner and lit the fourth torch with his ki, wondering if this one was going to give him a hassle as well. Once lit, both the third and fourth torches shot bright lights, pulling and whisking him in unison to a central plane in the astral realm. The surroundings were still that of deep space, consistent with what he had encountered thus far, but something was very different. Standing before him, as oppose to one spirit, there were two, beaming at him with angry and familiar eyes.

“What!? No way!” Arlan cried out as he gritted his teeth with frustration and confusion, balling his fists with a deep urge that wanted to cry in unfairness. Standing before him were both Gomo and Shoru with large smirks plastered upon their faces.

“How are you both still alive!? I-I, defeated you both!” He exclaimed as he thrusted his arm forward, pointing at the both of them with his right index and middle fingers.

“You have proven that you can beat the both of us. Me the master of ki.”

“And me, the master of hand to hand.”

“So now, your final challenge...”

“...Is to see if you can beat us both using the knowledge of our weakness.”

“But be warned, because together, we make up the complete and ultimate fighter!”

It was an interesting turn of events no doubt, but still perilously unfair. He had beaten both of them by the skin of his teeth, and now he was expected to do battle with them both at the same time? In all reality such a thing was damn near suicidal, but in his mind he felt as though he understood the angle. By combining two great focusers into one, the true test would begin, seeing if he could hold his own against essentially 'one opponent' who was a master in both main aspects of combat.

The battle begun with a flurry of ki blasts from Gomo with which he dodged most of and ended up having to block the residual. Immediately behind the wave of yellow ki balls came a barrage of orange fists that further tested the limits of his cross guard. The consistent and incessant blows eventually wore down the young warriors forearms and broke his defense, causing him to be punished with a few heavy blows to the middle of his chest. Determined to will his way through, the warrior halted any backward advancement with his flight of ki and made it a point to try and come away with some damage of his own from the exchange.

Gritting his teeth he jutted towards Shoru strategically, arriving before the orange horned spirit could retreat from melee range, initiating a pummel that ensued for a few brief moments. Many punches and kicks were thrown, but only one such knee landed, and that was the young warriors, catching Shoru under the chin and sending him flying upward. But before he could of even think about capitalizing, he was hit from the side with a volley of ki blasts that totally caught him off guard, lighting him up like an expensive firecracker.

Needless to say he was pounded into a forced descent, and by the time he realized what had happened, he caught an elbow to his lower back from Shoru, who found himself with plenty of time to wait for his falling opponent and capitalize off of his partners surprise attack. The force of the blow lofted the warrior up a bit, and in that same moment, he was hit in the side with a follow up round house kick from the same culprit, forcing his body hard left.

“Darn it! I can't get any leverage, they both keeping covering for one another. I need a plan, I can't fight both of them at the same time.” And then it him, not quite as hard as the last kick he suffered, but the plan sure did thump his brain with a good smack. Clinching his fists he rounded off his momentum and burst into an aura of purple ki, subsequently starting a charged flight toward Shoru, who in turn with a smirk, came charging back towards him in the same fashion.

“Fool, your wide open!” Gomo exclaimed as he shot a blast wave from both palms down at the young warrior who was seemingly aimed for his counterpart. Without a second to spare the young warrior disappeared in a speed burst, catching both spirits off guard, which caused some unintentional friendly fire as the charging Shoru was nicked with the blast which was in his opponents prior proximity.

“Haaa!” Appearing below Gomo, the dark haired warrior flew upward and unleashed a pummel on the underdeveloped hand to hand spirit, rocking him with a half dozen punches to the body before sending him flying with a combo finishing heel kick to the head. As expected, the persistent Shoru was not far out of the picture, found in the corner of his eye advancing rapidly with an irked expression upon his face.

“Tsuihikidan!” The keen warrior exclaimed as he thrust forward both his palms and let out a large purple ki wave that caught the head on charging spirit in the gut, pushing him backwards in a controlled arch. Pulling his beam, he utilized its seeking capabilities, rounding it off in the distance and picking off the descending Gomo as well. The two spirits shrieked in panic as they both found themselves on the same wrong end of a strong wave of ki. Moments later, their cries were muffled whole by the following explosion, destroying them both in the same unison with they both screamed for their lives.

For the final time he was transported back, finding himself back in the dark chamber, which now was not so dark, as all four lit torches brightened up the underground space. He never thought he would be so happy to arrive in a creepy chamber, but here he was, with a triumphant grin and clinched fists darting up the winding stair case with proud excitement. Upon emerging from the underground stairs, he quickly noticed Kami standing adjacent to him with a proud look of his own.

“Ah, you have returned. It seems you do show great promise, and for this, you have earned my respect as a true warrior. If you are still willing to continue, I can provide you with further training.”

[Quest Complete]

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WC: 1,721
Total WC: 3,852