Five days passed. Torta had rested for a day after the attack of the Silico Androids, and then went back to his usual training. On the third night, Svenex emerged from Puttee and Gaita’s home to put up a tent in the middle of the adjoining yard. She refused to go to Torta’s house, and followed her own training regimen separately from him.
Before they came home, Puttee asked Torta, Svenex, and Gaita to pile in as many Android parts into the vane as they could so she could repurpose them; Gaita flew ahead of the vane to make room. For the past five days, Puttee had been studying them and their materials. Gaita, partly to get away from the Android death collage, spent a lot of that time wandering around the island, taking in life.
Of course, Torta, Svenex, and Gaita had read the letters Joma gave them. The letter said they were to travel to the South Pole, where they would find the Temple of the Kami deep within a harsh landscape. They had been called there to help prevent a great evil from overtaking the planet, like nothing the Earth had seen for centuries. A certain island was marked as their starting point, and that’s where the group had to gather in a few days if they decided to take up this charge.
Torta took to the yard that morning to continue with his training. Svenex cooked a campfire breakfast. With little money and none of her former possessions, she had bought a small collection of track pants, tank tops, and other such athletic wear to compliment her new lifestyle. As the eggs sizzled, she watched Torta go through his morning stretches. Not that she would say it, but Torta had become a sight to behold, and she wasn’t complaining. “All you ever do is work out,” she said to him.
“And that’s why I beat you in that sparring match the other day,” he responded. Svenex growled. “You know, I still have the spare bed. It has to be better than roughing it out here.”
Svenex looked away. “I couldn’t accept.”
“Then you should move in with Puttee and Gaita again. It’ll only be a couple more days.”
“Yeah, no, I can’t do that, either. Puttee has no sense of cleanliness or privacy, she’s always so loud with her research all through the night, and she keeps flirting with me really awkwardly. Like, she’s so bad at it. It’s so obvious she hasn’t shared her space with anyone else since before puberty. She’s not ready to start.”
“I coulda warned ya.”
“Like you’d be any better.”
Gaita returned home, flying down to her friends. “Hey there!” Svenex said in greeting.
“Where have you been?” Torta asked.
“I was gazing at the stars all night,” Gaita said with a dreamy smile. “The world is a truly beautiful place. Despite everything that happened a few days ago, I really am happy to be here. I can start fresh, with that business behind me. With that in mind, I want to go see the Kami. Whatever’s down there at the South Pole, I want to experience it, especially if it helps keep this place safe.” Svenex was proud to hear such conviction. Torta nodded, staring. Gaita went inside to tell Puttee her decision.
“Why were you staring at her?” Svenex asked.
“Oh,” said Torta, embarrassed. “It’s just, Gaita looks a lot like Puttee, right? And I just noticed that Gaita is so pretty, and now I’m wondering if Puttee is pretty, too. It hadn’t occurred to me before.”
Svenex raised an eyebrow at Torta, a teenage boy who seemed to like girls and said that about a cute girl his age he spent time with every day for six years. She started to wonder if it actually would be ok to bunk with him.
“Anyway, I want to see the Kami, too,” Torta said. “Whatever this is, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance. Joma hasn’t given us a reason to distrust her.”
“I’d say there’s something fishy about a ‘guardian deity’ who stays secret,” said Svenex. “This Kami could have intervened when the Silico army attacked, for one thing.”
“That’s conjecture.”
They both felt the presence at the same time, and exchanged glances to confirm. Looking to the northern sky, they awaited an unexpected and familiar pair of chi. They were soon rewarded with the arrival of Regal and the Grand Elder of Namek.
“Welcome!” Torta called out to them with a smile.
“It’s great to see you!” said Svenex. She turned to Puttee’s house. “Hey, you two! The aliens showed up! Come on out!”
“It is good to see you,” said Regal. “The Grand Elder wishes to see the Kami, so I have elected to accept Joma’s invitation.”
“She wants to see the Kami, too, mind you,” said the Grand Elder. Puttee and Gaita ran out of the house, waving at the Namekians.
“What’s your interest with the Kami?” Svenex asked.
“I get the feeling that the Kami is my equivalent on Earth, so I thought it would be a good idea for us to meet,” the Grand Elder said. “Some guardians of worlds choose to stay hidden from their people.” Svenex raised an eyebrow.
“Me and Gaita want to go, too,” Torta said.
“I think I’ll go, too, then,” said Svenex, considering the Grand Elder’s words. “I wouldn’t want to be left behind.”
“Great!” said Puttee, clapping. “Let’s all just hang out here for the next couple days, then, and we can head out on my deep sea salvaging ship. Regal, Grand Elder, you’re free to stay with us!”
“Or, if you want somewhere quiet and clean, you can stay with me,” said Torta.
“I think I’ll take up your offer, then, Torta,” the Grand Elder said.
“Hmph,” snorted Regal. “Living in the wilderness is part of my training.”
“Might as well plop down next to my tent, then,” said Svenex.
For the next couple days, before they had to head to the island, Torta and Regal became training partners. Seeing them work together reminded Svenex how she and Torta used to be in the dojo, and she joined them. Gaita had long conversations with the Grand Elder while Puttee remained glued to her workshop, harvesting specialty parts she couldn’t get in the scrapyard.
On the fateful morning, the group gathered, their bags packed for the unknown and extreme cold. As their instructions said, the four chosen warriors put on the charms that came with their letters, a simple bracelet with a bell. Puttee pulled around her salvaging boat and got them all on board. Their destination was an island named the Point of All Hope due to its importance in old naval exploration.
The trip took until the early afternoon to complete. The waves got rougher and the winds colder the farther south they ventured. It was a stretch of ocean Puttee’s ship simply wasn’t cut out to travel through. With luck, they made landfall on the small, rocky island, barely three hundred feet across. Through the fog, they saw Joma. “Thank you all for taking up the calling,” the old witch said.
“Is it ok for me to come along?” Puttee asked.
“The selected warriors are allowed guests,” Joma said. “Just be sure to survive the journey.” Joma pointed to the southernmost point of the island. “There, you will find a boat that will tak you to the starting point of your journey.” She then turned to leave, moving further into the fog. Torta stepped forward to ask her more about their journey, but found she was already gone.
Though confused by her mode of transport, the group moved to the southern shore. The boat was where Joma said it would be, though it looked like an ancient, hand-carved river craft, not something to take through the most fearsome seas on the planet. “Maybe we should just fly instead?” Torta suggested.
“No, we can’t,” said Svenex. “We’d lose sight of land and get lost on the open ocean.”
“See?” said Puttee, showing Torta her compass, its needle spinning wildly.
“The Kami would not offer this craft in vain,” said the Grand Elder. “Let’s trust it.”
Reluctantly, the group piled into the crowded dinghy. Once they were inside, it began moving on its own, pulled by some unknown force. Weighed down by the group, the boat tilted and took on water as it cut through the ocean. After two hours of this unsettling ride, the boat finally landed on a ramped floe of ice at the edge of the icy Southern Continent. At the top of the hill, a pair of red lamps was seen burning. The group disembarked.
Once they got to the top, a very tall bear appeared, wearing armor adorned with the mark of the Kami. “Hi,” the grizzly said. “My name is Poboy, and I’m the Kami’s apprentice. I’m here to lead you through the Trials fo Kamiland. If you make it through, you get an audience with the Kami.”
Svenex furrowed her brow and showed her bell. “We were all given a signed invitation,” she said. “Why is a meeting conditional?”
“Sorry, sorry,” said Poboy with an embarrassed grin. “It’s just that there’s no other way for you to get to the Temple. There are no paved roads to a divine house. Anyway, the first trial is simple: Walk to the end of the road. I’ll see you later, then.” He then disappeared into the blinding winds, just as Joma had.
Puttee shivered in her heavy parka. “What road was he talking about?” she asked. “It’s all ice!”
“That,” Svenex said, pointing ahead. Faintly, in the distance, was another set of red torches.
“Oh, yeah,” said Torta, squinting. Regal and Gaita also studied the distant torches.
“What are you all looking at?” Puttee asked.
“Just follow me,” said Torta. Bundling their jackets closer, the group headed for the next checkpoint.
This continued for hours. They passed by dozens of checkpoints, each spaced a hundred yards apart. By their clocks, it was well into the night, though with a sky that clouded and angry, time was impossible to tell. Puttee and the Grand Elder had the hardest time of it. Torta, Regal, and Svenex shared their chi to keep them warm. Gaita was happy her parka matched Puttee’s.
Finally, after their hundredth checkpoint, they found an archway standing in the snow. “Finally!” Puttee cheered, shivering heavily. Though this was the symbolic end, it looked like the future was still freezing.
“I’ll go first,” Torta said. “I’ll let you know if it’s dangerous.” He peeked his head inside the archway and gasped dramatically. He pulled his head out. “Walk through immediately!”
The group walked through the archway. On the other side, instead of the continued barren icescape they saw outside, was a lush tropical jungle. Torta was the first to remove his arctic parka and enjoy the warmth of the air.
Svenex was incredulous. “How is this possible?” she asked.
Puttee stripped all the way down to her bra. “I don’t care as long as I’m not a popsicle!” she said, basking in the sun.
Poboy appeared again, emerging from the brush. “Congratulations on getting through the first trial!” he said cheerily. He looked at Puttee. “You should really cover up more, what with the bugs in this place. Anyway, the next trial requires a volunteer. You have to find the loveliest flower in the jungle, and bring it to the next gate.”
“Where is the next gate?” Torta asked.
Poboy looked around, confused. He removed an almanac from his pack and checked the sky. With little confidence, he pointed to a spot on the horizon. Svenex and Puttee despaired.
“I’ll volunteer!” Gaita happily declared.
“Wait, wait, wait,” Svenex protested. “This seems like a trial for someone with more life experience.”
“It’s already locked in,” said Poboy.
“Don’t worry,” said Gaita. “I’ll find the most amazing flower ever!”
Puttee patted Gaita on the back. “This girl is gonna win this thing!” she declared.
“I’ll await you at the next trial site,” Poboy said. He then disappeared behind a tree.
Svenex sighed. “Well,” she said, “if it helps speed up the process, we should split into teams and bring Gaita flowers to judge.”
“You can do that if you want,” said Regal. “I’m more worried about finding this exit. I’ll head out where Poboy suggested and wait for you to find the flower. I’ll fire a chi blast when I find the exit, and once you have the flower, fire a blast, as well. We can use that to signal to each other until we all meet up at the exit.”
“Sounds good!” said Torta. “I’ll go with Gaita and help her out.”
“Me, too,” said Svenex.
“I’m going with Regal,” said Puttee. “I assume you’re coming as well, right, Grand Elder?”
“Of course,” the Grand Elder replied.
“Not really much of a time frame for this,” Torta remarked. “Good luck with food and shelter!”
Regal’s team took three days to locate the exit. Poboy had not been far off from his prediction, after all. A victorious chi blast signaled their success. The gate itself was a somewhat plain stone arch with a glass-like door. Puttee proved to be the biggest challenge for Regal, as she was the one who needed food so often and would not stop complaining about boredom and the lack of modern comforts. The Grand Elder tried leading the scientific genius through meditation, but it didn’t take.
Gaita led her helpers through random, aimless wandering as she took in everything the jungle had to offer. Torta and Svenex did what they could to help, plucking and showing off several specimens a day, but Gaita turned down everything. In fact, it started to seem like Gaita was trying to leave her friends behind, alone.
During their travels, the explorers noted that, besides being a tropical locale in the arctic, the forest was an unusual place. The towering trees were hard like steel, and the overlarge animals a challenge even for the likes of the “chosen heroes.” One way it was similar to the arctic was the endless daytime, which further scrambled everyone’s sense of time. Several days in that forest was a death sentence.
A week later, Gaita was still as fresh and perky as ever, cataloging every flower she found. “If I realize we found the right flower earlier,” she said, as she often did this past week, “we can just go back and pick it.”
The increasingly worn down humans started to glare harder and harder at their mechanical compatriot. Each day they found fewer flowers and more reasons to ditch Gaita.
That afternoon, the flower hunting group heard a loud roar. They ignored this at first, since massive roars were a common occurrence in the arena of death that was the jungle. Then the ground began to shake. Svenex was the first to look up. “Torta! Gaita! Look!”
The two looked and saw a large T-Rex charging at them, a look of total fury in its eyes.
“Let’s fight it!” Gaita suggested.
“No!” said Torta. “I’m far too tired to fight a Kamiland dinosaur!”
Torta and Svenex bolted as fast as they could, and the dinosaur followed their scent. The chase led them between trees, into gullies, and over ravines, and no matter how fast they ran, the dino kept gaining ground.
Torta looked over and saw an out on the path, which he hoped would be too sudden a turn for the dino. He pushed Svenex into it and then jumped behind her, landing nearby.
Svenex recovered. “What the heck, dude!” she yelled at him.
“I figure it can’t—” Torta started.
Svenex kicked him hard, sending him flying. Flying into the side of the dinosaur as it passed that hollow. The dinosaur fell over, hitting his head against a stone, falling unconscious. Svenex stared a moment, her mouth agape. Torta started laughing, and Svenex joined in. They laughed harder and harder, more than they had the entire week. Svenex approached Torta and helped him up. To their side was a flower, perhaps a common one but still beautiful, and they both reached for it at the same time. They blushed as their hands touched.
“Yes!” Gaita cheered, jolting her friends. She picked the flower. “This is the loveliest flower I’ve ever seen!”
“Wait, seriously?” Torta and Svenex asked simultaneously.
“Yes, seriously,” Gaita said. “I’ll be happy to take this to the gate.” She winked. “Guess this was all worth it after all?”
“Yeah, I guess so!” said Torta, not following.
“Have you been trying to force us to be alone all week?” Svenex asked with a scowl.
“O-oh, no!” Gaita said nervously. “I just wanted you two to have fun, what with Puttee trying to mess with Torta by having Svenex live with her.”
“Puttee wasn’t just being nice?” Torta asked.
Svenex glared at Gaita, who turned away quickly and fired a volley of energy blasts in the air to signal their success.
The rest of the day was a series of back and forth blasts from Gaita and Regal to punctuate hours of hiking through the jungle. It was a rough, but much more hopeful journey, knowing the end was in sight. When they arrived, Regal, Puttee, and the Grand Elder waved at the retuning group. “Looks like Poboy was way off in his directions,” Svenex said.
Puttee and Gaita excitedly ran to each other and embraced. “It’s so good to see you!” Puttee said. “I don’t have any computers here, the door kept moving, and Regal refused to get me all the samples of animal tissue and plant leaves I wanted!”
“You didn’t bring enough specimen jars!” Regal roared at this now-familiar complaint.
“Wait, what was that about the door?” Torta asked.
“The gate moves a little bit all the time,” said the Grand Elder. “We have moved two miles the past few days.”
Without further ado, Gaita presented the flower she selected to the gate. “This is the loveliest flower in the jungle,” she declared.
“Really, that one?” Regal asked. Torta and Svenex glared daggers at Regal.
The gate began to glow a moment later, and then the door melted away. Without hesitation, the group entered the gate, and now found themselves standing in the middle of an abandoned city from centuries ago. Poboy stood beside a light post near them. “Congratulations on passing the second trial!” he said. “Most people spend a lot longer in the jungle before they realize what the loveliest flower is.”
“What’s the next trial?” asked Puttee, already without patience for this charade.
Poboy gave her a canteen of water. “Hey, it’ll be alright,” he said. “The next trial is not that bad. You just need another volunteer to present their greatest joy in life.”
“I volunteer,” Regal said very quickly. Everyone else was shocked. “I already have this won. My greatest joy in life is the Grand Elder. As long as she’s safe, my life is complete.”
Poboy sighed. “Look, it’s unorthodox for me to give advice, but I’m not the one who needs to hear this. So I’ll tell it to you straight: That isn’t your greatest joy. I can see it in your heart. But you are the volunteer here, so find the right answer and tell it to the gate on the opposite edge of town.” Poboy then entered a building, and was gone.
Everyone stared at Regal, who looked shocked beyond belief. “I guess this is gonna be another long haul,” Torta said.
“Let’s start raiding the buildings for supplies,” Svenex said.
The Grand Elder patted Regal on the back. “Explore the town, find some trinket or activity that makes you happy.”
Regal stood there as everyone else departed.
For most, the arrival at this town realm was a godsend. There was a large amount of proper, civilized food, working plumbing, and featherbeds to spare. The Grand Elder picked a nice rooftop from which to look over the town and meditate. Gaita kept suggesting Torta and Svenex pick a cottage to share, while Puttee kept insisting the girls should all room together.
Regal took to her task as best she could. There were shops filled with toys, a recital hall packed with musical instruments, and studios loaded with art supplies all over the town. There were animals in the surrounding woods to hunt, all sorts of plants to study, and books to delve into. The Grand Elder sat contentedly on a clocktower, free from all known dangers. With nothing else to do but this task, Regal confronted for the first time that she’d never felt like she had nothing else to do.
Days passed. Torta kept bugging Svenex and Gaita to spar with him. Puttee found journals and started filling them with notes on the unearthly stone and glass used in the construction of the buildings. The Grand Elder reached out to the edges of this unusual realm with her mind.
Svenex and Gaita played chess at a table from an outdoor café in the town square, where Torta was benching a wagon piled high with marble. Puttee plopped into a chair next to them. “I’m tired,” she said. She gave Svenex a sly look. “Maybe you can give me a shoulder rub?”
Svenex sighed. Torta put down the wagon and joined them for a break. Glancing over at him, Svenex said, “You know, Puttee, you look especially pretty today.”
Torta twitched at the mention. Puttee put a hand on her cheek. “Thank you!” she said. “No one’s told me that since I was a little girl!”
Svenex looked over at Torta. “No one.”
Gaita giggled.
Regal watched all this from across the way, in the depths of her growing ennui. Those humans had learned to find joy in mundanity, an accomplishment she was convinced was beyond her. Her mother birthed her, another true warrior, to carry out the mission. Nothing else mattered in her life. This town made her imagine a world she now realized she never wanted to enter: One where the Grand Elder was safe, and she herself had no purpose.
She returned to her impossible task, which at this time consisted of woodcarving. Regal did enjoy using the knife, at least. Gaita approached her, quietly watching Regal work. Though she was an Android without chi, Regal could feel Gaita’s presence like an enormous weight.
“Can I help you with anything?” Regal asked, turning to her onlooker.
“I just wanted to see what you’d carve,” Gaita said.
“It’s an ajisa tree, from Namek,” Regal said.
“You ever think about going back there?”
“I’d like to, but it will be a long time until I can.”
“Maybe you should carve something from Earth. You only find joy in the moment, you know!” She patted Regal on the back and left.
Regal slumped her head in shame at the thought of enjoying a life outside her duty.
The next day, Torta found Regal lying in the street, at her wit’s end. He nudged her with his foot. “Hurry up already,” Torta said.
Suddenly angry, Regal shot up. “You have no clue what I’ve been up to, playing around like a child!” she yelled. “I’ve done every little activity this town has to offer, and nothing makes me happy!”
“You done? Cuz I’d like to spar.”
“I have to keep trying so we can leave as soon as possible.”
“Yeah, so you can get back to training, because the past few days have made you soft.”
Enraged, Regal punched Torta in the gut, slinging him down the road. He got up and smiled. Regal charged in at him, eager to beat that smile off his face. The two clashed wildly, their battle zipping down every lane and over the rooftops. Regal, properly motivated, was going all out, forcing Torta to respond in kind.
The fight took them to the opposite edge of town, where Regal slammed Torta into the Earth. She rushed down to continue the assault, but Torta responded in time, jumping back to his feet. He was still smiling, and he even laughed. Regal knocked him away, and he kept laughing. “I’m so glad I have a rival like you!” he said. “Across the stars, we happened upon each other. The fact I can’t beat you in a fight makes me so happy, because it gives me a reason to keep training. It’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
Regal paused when she found herself smiling as well. She chuckled, looking down at her fists. That righteous anger she felt when the fight began was the most enjoyable thing in the world, and this time it was triggered by nothing more than pride. Maybe she and Torta weren’t entirely the same, but Regal realized her pursuit of martial arts greatness could be for other causes, after all.
Turning to her side, Regal saw that she was standing next to the exit gate. She held her fist up to the door. “This is my greatest joy,” she said. The door began to glow and melt away. “Get the others ready for the next challenge.”
On the clocktower, the Grand Elder smiled.
Once everyone was gathered, they went through the gate and found themselves standing at the foothills of a great mountain range, the peaks disappearing in the clouds. Poboy was there to greet them. “I’m so glad you found the right answer, Regal,” he said. “Next, I need a volunteer to confront their greatest fear.”
Svenex raised her hand. “I don’t want the rest of you to go through something that harrowing,” she said. Puttee cooed.
“You don’t have to confront the fear at the gate,” Poboy explained. “Once you have, though, go to the gate, and it’ll open. It’s on the other side of the mountains.” Poboy then disappeared behind some bushes.
“Should I look for a snake or spider?” Torta asked, trying to be helpful.
Svenex shoved him. “I’m not that childish! I also volunteered because I already have a good idea what my greatest fear is. I’m just going to have to figure out how to confront it here. And before you ask, no, I’m not telling you what it is. Just go find the exit, and I’ll take care of the rest.”
“If you say so,” said Torta. Gaita picked up Puttee, and Regal the Grand Elder, and they all flew off.
Once everyone had flown over the visible portion of the mountain, Svenex took a deep breath and sat down. Her greatest fear, she reckoned, was war. When she was a child, she lost her mother in one of the more recent wars with Silico, as the front lines swept through her home town. The sight of that carnage remained forever in her mind and motivated her to join the intelligence agency, despite her reservations.
Without open warfare in the immediate vicinity, Svenex set herself to confront this fear psychologically. Closing her eyes, she imagined a war in Knuckle. The Silico Androids sprung to mind as aggressors. She was just one pawn in a vast group of martial artists resisting the robotic enemy. Buildings were toppled, people were crushed and slaughtered. Behind the Androids came human soldiers, carrying their plasma rifles, and Svenex had to cut through them, as well. She had to follow orders.
She opened her eyes. Her shoulders were a bit tense, but the fantasy was not as nightmarish as she thought it would be. She had trained hard to end wars before they started, to stay out of that battlefield. Ultimately, Svenex had already prepared for the idea of taking lives if it meant saving others. War was a much larger scale, but killing people didn’t hold the same terror it once did for her.
And yet, war was all she could think about when she thought of fear. Svenex laid back on the grass and stared at the sky. She spent hours going through various terrible and anxiety-inducing memories, determined to find her greatest fear, no matter what.
She became annoyed with a recurring flash of memory from the fight in Silico. Torta had decided teamwork was required to defeat the improved Androids and partnered with Regal, even though Svenex was closer. She dismissed this as an errant thought and kept going through other memories, but it didn’t stop coming to mind.
“ARGH!” Svenex screamed out into the air. She admitted to herself that Torta meant a lot to her, but she wasn’t in love with him, and she knew better than anyone why it was dumb to be scared Regal would take him away. He was just some jerk whose parents took him out of the country, leaving Svenex without friends in the dojo. Where she had to go home to a father who threw himself into work and never spent time with her. After her mother was suddenly ripped out of her life by war. She was never even bullied by the mean kids. No one took time for Svenex, who focused on the only thing she was good at and followed it somewhere it would be valued. A place she, herself, chose to abandon.
Svenex looked around and saw that she was completely alone. Her entire body was a bundle of nervous energy, but she was too frozen to excise it. Sweat covered every inch of her skin, such that the gentle wind chilled her to the bone. Tears rolled out of her eyes as she wished someone would talk to her.
After a large gust, Svenex managed to force herself to move and wiped her eyes. With a deep breath, she stood and took flight, soaring higher until she surmounted the mountains. Down below, she could feel the familiar and comforting chi of her friends, and she rushed towards it as fast as she could.
On the ground, she quickly gave Torta and Puttee a hug, squeezing them tight. “Whoa!” Torta said. “What’s wrong?”
“We’ll always be friends, right?” Svenex asked.
Torta smiled. “Yes, no matter what,” he said. “I missed you a lot in those years after I left home, too.”
“So, have you confronted your greatest fear?” Regal asked.
Pulling away from the two, Svenex looked around at everyone, and then landed her gaze on the gate. She cleared her throat. “Yes, yes I have,” she said. Svenex took a few steps towards the gate, and it melted away in a bath of light.
Before the group could walk through the gate, Poboy appeared from behind them. “Hi again,” he said to get their attention. They all turned to face him. “I do hope that realization helps you in life, Svenex. Moving on, since Torta hasn’t done a trial yet, he has to take this last one. All you have to do is go through that gate, into the hall of darkness. Walk through it on one breath, making no sounds and thinking no thoughts. If you succeed, you’ll find yourselves standing in the Temple of the Kami.”
“What happens if I fail?” Torta asked. Poboy, though, was already leaving, disappearing by the foothills.
Regal slapped Torta’s back. “We’re all counting on you.”
“You got this in the bag!” Gaita cheered.
Svenex laughed. “A challenge where you don’t have to think is perfect for you.”
Puttee felt a little left out that there was no challenge for her to do.
Taking a deep breath, Torta entered the gate. On the other side was a place of total darkness. He felt a floor under his foot, and there was a faint point of light in the distance. Unfortunately, he thought about those observations, and his next step was on the grass behind his friends.
With the basics out of the way, Torta stepped into the gate again, clearing his mind. A dozen steps in, he wobbled and panicked, so he fell on the grass outside. He tried again, but partway through he remembered the feeling of Svenex clutching him to her breast like the dearest treasure in the world and stumbled over a tree root outside.
Regal, Svenex, Gaita, Puttee, and the Grand Elder took to facing away from the gate, awaiting Torta’s next arrival. “It’s weird, right?” Puttee said. “It’s like, you can’t really tell when he appears there.”
He did keep appearing there, though, over and over. After another failed attempt, Torta said, “You know, all of you watching like this makes it harder for me to succeed.”
After a few dozen tries, Torta sat in resignation. Regal scoffed. “You should have meditated more,” she said.
Torta gasped, having remembered advice he got long ago, when his dojo master tried teaching him meditation. Thoughts weren’t thinking, but trying to force silence in the mind was. What he needed was a calm spirit and focus.
Getting up again, Torta took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He walked straight forward, going through the gate. His mind was filled with all sorts of thoughts, but this time, he didn’t engage with any of them. He didn’t even keep aware of his footsteps, location, or the sensation of suffocating in his chest. His focus was on seeing the Kami, and nothing else.
A minute later, Torta bumped into a pillar. Letting out a ragged breath and looking around in surprise, he found himself standing in front of his friends in a large, dome-roofed chamber. Standing before him was Poboy, Joma, and a handsome old man in flowing white robes. The man approached the group. “Congratulations on passing the trials,” he said. “My name is Okome, and I am the Kami.”
Everyone had questions to ask Okome, but he quieted them. “I’ll answer all your questions in due time, but first I need to discuss why I summoned you all here,” he said. “Everything that’s happened these past few years has led to a great and terrible threat, which will rise against the Earth. I need you all to stop it, so I’ve called you here for special training.”
“What kind of threat?” Torta asked.
“It’s actually related to the first wish made on the Dragon Balls on Earth,” Okome said. “A man named Dr. Munster got ahold of…certain knowledge, which he then used to make the wish. His wish released a horrible monster that Kamis of old had sealed away many years ago. This monster is called a genmajin. I managed to reseal the genmajin after the wish was made, but before I did, Munster had gained insight into making more monsters like it, and he would unleash these on the world.”
“Yes,” said Joma. “I foresaw it as soon as the genmajin was unsealed.”
“I am sorry for bringing the Dragon Balls to Earth,” said the Grand Elder.
“It’s fine,” said Okome with a kind smile. “It was not you who left Namek in ruin. Now, you chosen four must decide if you will take up this offer for training.”
While the fighters convened, the Grand Elder and Okome spoke privately; it was so rare in their line of work to meet a peer. “I’m on board,” said Torta. “I just want to take on this ‘special training’ of his.”
“I, too, will stay,” said Regal. “If there are monsters to fight here, they’ll help prepare me to fight the demons I hunt.”
“I’ll stay,” said Svenex. “I’m still not sure if we can trust Joma and the Kami, but I’d rather be safe than sorry when it comes to Munster. I’ve heard the name before.”
“I can’t go on with you,” said Gaita, looking dejected. “I’m an Android. This training does nothing for me. I’d like to help, but you all will keep getting stronger, and I’ll remain where I’m at. It’s probably for the best that Puttee and I go home.”
“No, there is a way for you to stay,” said Puttee. Before anyone could ask what she meant, Puttee got up and approached Okome. “Hey, are there nearby deposits of that strange mineral I found all throughout this weird space? I’d like to dig some up.”
Okome smiled. “The Temple is surrounded by all the Earth’s most precious natural resources, including that mineral,” said Okome. “Kamis for ages have used it to produce all sorts of tools to benefit humanity. It’s not an easy mineral to mine, so I could make digging it up a part of their training. I suspect you wish to use this to upgrade your Android friend?” Gaita sprang up and hugged her sister. “So, does this mean you’ll all accept my offer?” Okome asked.
“Yeah!” Torta said.
“Great!” Poboy cheered. “I’ll be undergoing this training with you all, so I’m happy for the company!”
“Please, come to the dining hall,” Okome beckoned. “I have a feast prepared for you all as welcome.”
All original story, all original characters! Check out Dragon Ball ‘Redux’!
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Life in the Gutters 