A Debt To Your Ancestors

[Illidan Stormrage]

The warm, tropical winds of the savannah scored Orion's skin as he passed through the portal. The clouds gathered and rumbled overhead, the promise of a storm to come. He walked, crunching the drying grass beneath his boots. The last time he was here, he was beset by a gang of hunters. They made little resistance, and their campfire made for a good meal. His lip twitched. That was the first time he knew something was different; no, wrong, with him. Energy blasts didn't vaporise them in one swift action; they injured, they killed, but with such little of the potency they once had. Orion swallowed, teeth clenched.

The road to Carrefore was short, or at least it felt it. Orion arose from the depths of his mind as the township's sign stuck out abruptly on the side of the road. He didn't spend much time here last time, but there was no pressing need to pass through quickly. An elite warrior he may have no longer been, but he was still a full blooded saiyan. His feet shuffled towards the bar.

The swinging doors yielded to his body as Orion pressed against them. They flipped noisily as he walked through, providing the only sound in an almost empty building. He trudged to the bar and collapsed on the dirtied seat cushion. The barkeeper turned at the sound of the air whooshing from the seat and met Orion, eyes wilted.

"Welcome back," he said, face flat. "Find what you were lookin' for?"

Orion narrowed his eye. "No. I found something else."

The barkeeper inclined his head. "Unpleasant, I take it." When Orion didn't respond, he humphed. "That's probably why you're here. What'll you have?"

Orion drew in a breath, chest puffing out, and let it jet from his nose as he took the first swig of beer. Warm, just like last time. He spun from the bar, staring at the light filtering through the slits in the door. Dust particles floated through, disappearing as they left the rays.

This was his new home. A sordid, filthy bar. A life free of struggle, of battle, of conflict. The fire in his saiyan blood was strong, but alcohol was a powerful anti-flammable. He looked into the bottom of his mug, remembering all of the reprehensible saiyans on Vegeta who had thrown away their careers to become professional drunkards. Seeing the world from their point of view, he couldn't bring himself to despise them any longer. They had simply reached a point in life's journey that he hadn't understood until now.

Orion drained the remainder of his drink. He spun back to the bar and motioned to the barkeeper. "Another."

As the beer sloshed and foamed into his mug, a loud bang filled the room. Orion glanced over his shoulder.

Two men strode into the bar, the swinging doors slammed hard against the wall. Wrapped in beige rags, including their faces, they stood at the entrance. Their eyes, visible through a gap in the rags, scanned the room. A rowdy discussion echoed into the bar from outside, as did the revving of engines. Orion sized them up. Bandits, or scavengers perhaps. He turned back to his drink.

A heavy hand thumped on Orion's shoulder. "Hey, buddy. You're in my seat."

[Illidan Stormrage]

Orion's fingers curled about the mug's handle. "Hmph. Better luck next time."

The hand on his shoulder gripped tightly. "That's the wrong answer. The correct answer is -"

Orion spun with beer in hand. "Yeah, I know what you wanted to hear. But you're not going to hear it, dick."

As the anger rose in the scavenger's eyes, Orion felt a thrill rise up in his chest. He'd picked a fight without even intending to, and his genetics awoke his mind. He felt the pull of his ancestry, urging him to punch the prick in the face.

Instead, he took a sip of his beer. He wasn't a warrior anymore. He had given it all away. Professional drunk was what he now aspired to. He would never battle again, as long as -

The scavenger slapped the mug from Orion's grip, shattering it against the old, stained floorboards.

"Oh, you did not just break my beer!"

Orion's fist flew before he recognised that he'd thrown it. The scavenger copped the hit on the cheek and stumbled backwards. The saiyan leaped to his feet, hands balled.

The second bandit charged at Orion, tackling him into a nearby table and snapping it in two. Orion thrust his knees into his aggressor, pushed him out of arm's reach, and fired a ki blast directly into his face. The bandit lurched backwards awkwardly, smoke pouring from his head. Orion leaned back into a handstand and hopped back to his feet.

The first scavenger whipped out a small baton and flicked it, extending its length twofold. His thumb held down a red button, causing sparks to jitter from its metal end. Behind him, his accomplice was rising to his feet, rubbing at the soot on his rag-mask.

The scavenger jabbed at Orion with electric baton. The saiyan kept on the back foot, stepping away from each strike. His foe grew increasingly agitated and moved forward with large strides, sweeping and stabbing in ever aggressive moves.

Orion's back slammed against a wall. The baton wielding scavenger's eyes smiled. His friend held a large, triangular shard of glass, still dripping with the saiyan's wasted booze.

As one, they charged.

Orion took a step toward the electric prod and dodged the incoming jab. He grabbed the scavenger's arm, and using his momentum, spun him around in a semi-circle and thrust. The glass wielding bandit caught the sparking rod directly in the chest, setting his body into an involuntary fit. His glass shard fell to the ground, and a moment later, so did he.

Before his last enemy had a chance to react, Orion kneed him in the gut and slammed his clasped hands over the back of his foe's skull. They slumped together on the ground, the sparks on the electric rod ceasing.

"Hey!"

Orion looked up. Another bandit stood at the doorway, his frame dwarfing even Orion's. He wore the same sand coloured shift and rags as the men on the floor.

"Did you do this?"