12-28-2017, 07:48 AM
Droplets of purple blood congealed on the underside of the branches, fattening until they couldn’t cling to the bark any longer and freefell to the forest floor far below. Cell watched with heavy eyelids, each globule plummeting into obscurity as the mottled shade of the trees swayed over the leaf strewn loam. His tail sagged, dangling in the breeze like a listless vine.
He dabbed at his chest with his fingers and brought the tips to his eyes. His thumb polished the light purple discharge from them. Cell forced his limp body up and sat on the branch, his legs swinging over the edge, and thumped his chin into his chest. The crusted wound had thinned, almost to the point of closing up altogether. He brushed his palm over the dried, flaky residue that coated his abdomen and shed it free like spores.
The breeze, smooth and cool, slipped over his shoulders like a jacket. Cell blinked, finding a surge of energy rising in his mind and spilling through his body. He pushed himself off the branch and plunged, adeptly bouncing off others as he descended, until he landed with the crunching of leaves beneath his feet.
Rising from a crouch, Cell moved his eyes from one hand to the other, flexing his fingers. I feel … restored. Have Piccolo’s cells finally awoken? No, the wound would be completely healed if that was true.
The bio-android stared at the scenery around him. Tightly packed trees huddled together, their adjoining leaves and branches meshing to create an emerald roof above his head that rocked gently in the wind. His feet stirred the thin layer of leaves that had floated to the ground, revealing a winding dirt track that weaved through the trees.
This could be a good place to rest. Until Cell understood what was going on and he had his strength back, he needed somewhere where he could hide. The tall trees and his emerald skin meant he could blend in with his surroundings easily … unless this realm had scouters, or the inhabitants knew how to sense ki.
Cell shot up through the trees and burst out of the leafy canopy, scanning the horizon. Green greeted his eyes wherever he looked. Mountains hugged the horizon, faded blue in the distance, while a monstrous castle jutted out of the earth far away from him. The roads within his sight were either empty of travelers or sparsely filled. If he squinted, Cell could make out thin curls of smoke snaking towards the sky. They weren’t thick enough to be a forest fire – maybe a simple fireplace?
Had Cell gone backwards through time again? Nothing looked modern; much of the landscape reminded him of feudal human society. That would explain the knight who was taking his duties so seriously.
“There!”
A human voice echoed over the landscape, redirecting Cell’s gaze. A knight in the distance pointed at the floating bio-android and a gang of two other humans snapped their heads in the same direction. Cell strained his sight and realized the knight leading the group was the same one that almost ended him a few hours ago.
Cell dipped back into the leafy branches and from their view. Boots trampled the road that led to the forest, each footfall growing louder as Cell weaved through the trees.
He weighed up his options as the humans entered the forest, their feet crumpling the dry leaves along the beaten path. If one human in a suit of armour was enough to almost fatally wound him, how would he be able to kill a whole vengeful squadron of them? But he was Cell! If he ran, he had to have a plan in place. He couldn’t stand being so weak. If he did not stand and fight, his next move had to lead to him growing more powerful.
“Monster!” the knight yelled, swiveling around to address the trees around him. “I assumed you would die from your injury, but I gathered a party together to ensure your demise. When we found no corpse, I believed you may have eluded death. And I was right to be thorough. We will not abide the presence of a murderous bug-man in Camelot! Fall from the trees, surrender to us, and we will endeavour to make your death painless. If you make this difficult for us, we will make your end torturous.”
Cell’s fingers squeezed the branches he clung to. Where did a medieval human get off talking to the perfect being like that?
Yet it occurred to him that the knight spun and craned his neck upwards to scour the boughs of the trees because he didn’t know where the bio-android was. The thick branches and generous foliage along with Cell’s natural shade of green disguised his presence excellently, and since the humans had not located him yet, it made sense to presume they couldn’t detect his ki.
A devious grin crawled onto Cell’s face.
He clambered through the branches like a cat, stalking his prey silently, staring down on them. They walked back-to-back, perhaps afraid of the inevitable ambush that Cell was planning. A tree up ahead bore a wedge removed near its base as if a lumberjack had given up halfway through his job.
Cell conjured a ball of ki in his hand and flung it at the ground. The explosion kicked up a cloud of dirt and burning leaves. The humans fell or shouted at the surprise boom, and Cell pounced from the branches. He landed on one human’s back, slamming them to the ground, and wrapped his tail around their body. Flying, Cell vanished into the heights of the trees once more as a hail of arrows thudded into the trunk.
Cell unwrapped his meal and slapped his palm over the human’s mouth. “No screaming now. We wouldn’t want to give away my position.”
The barb of the bio-android’s tail stabbed the human’s neck. He struggled and moaned but it was for nothing. Slowly his body siphoned through his skin and up Cell’s tail. As his muscles were liquefied and consumed, the skin deflated and clung to the bones like wet newspaper. In time, the bones turned to paste and were sucked up through the tail, as was the ghastly skin, looking like a disgusting human body suit. Once the bio-android had finished feeding, all that was left were the clothes of his victim.
Cell threw them to the ground, further terrifying his prey.
“W-what did he do to Lance?!” the other human quavered.
“Steady,” the knight said, drawing his sword and shield. “The beast is trying to make us uneasy. Do not give it the satisfaction.”
Cell breathed out as the human’s nutrients thrummed within his body. Instantly he felt revitalised. The energy he bled out had been restored.
I wonder how I would feel if I absorbed all of them …
As they approached the chopped tree, Cell scampered down its length and pushed against it. A loud crack signaled the loss of the tree’s integrity and over it went.
“Look out!” the knight said.
The two humans dived either side of the collapsing log. Cell bounded onto the unarmoured human and absconded with him back into the trees. More screaming and slurping shivered through the forest as Cell consumed his next meal, tossing the empty garments to the earth like his last. Again, he felt a surge of strength spawning in his muscles.
“Come out and fight me like a man!” the knight said.
Cell crept through the foliage, grinning at the human’s agitation. How could he forget his love for stealthily tracking a target before pouncing and devouring them? When he drained the lives of so many previously, he was doing so to match Piccolo while he himself was being hunted. The situation was more dire and stressful, but there was no doubt that Cell took great enjoyment in it. This time, however, he was in complete control.
The bio-android plummeted from the trees and bent his legs on impact. The knight stumbled back, raising his shield and sword.
“Why would I do that?” Cell said, straightening. “I’m not a man.”
“You killed them!” the knight said, pointing the tip of his blade at Cell.
“Yes, but now they’re part of something greater than themselves. And soon you will be too.”
“Not if I kill you first!”
The cells of the great warriors of his dimension that he was comprised of read the movements. The charge was rushed and fueled by emotion, as was the battle cry that flew from his gaping mouth. The sword rose above the knight’s shoulder at an angle, indicating he was planning to slice diagonally, and probably quite sloppily. In his haste or rage to attack, he threw his left arm to the side, the shield no longer protecting his torso.
Child’s play.
The sword cleaved through the air at an angle. Cell hopped out of the way. The momentum of the miss carried the knight forward a few haphazard steps. Cell’s tail cracked like a whip against the knight’s hand, dislodging the sword from his fingers. It spun past the bio-android and clanged against a tree behind him.
The writhing appendage snapped back and lurched, tightening around the knight’s neck and lifting him from the leaf strewn earth. The human hurled the shield away and scratched at the green coil restricting his airway.
“It seems I got to you, human,” Cell said, smiling. “You weren’t nearly this unfocused when you carved a nice, bleeding line across my chest.”
“Mmpfh!”
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to kill you,” Cell lied. “We’re going to have a little chat first.”
Cell tossed the armoured knight against a tree trunk, sending a shiver up the bark and sending a cascade of leaves around the human.
“You’re going to talk. And if I don’t like what you have to say … you can be one with perfection as well.”
He dabbed at his chest with his fingers and brought the tips to his eyes. His thumb polished the light purple discharge from them. Cell forced his limp body up and sat on the branch, his legs swinging over the edge, and thumped his chin into his chest. The crusted wound had thinned, almost to the point of closing up altogether. He brushed his palm over the dried, flaky residue that coated his abdomen and shed it free like spores.
The breeze, smooth and cool, slipped over his shoulders like a jacket. Cell blinked, finding a surge of energy rising in his mind and spilling through his body. He pushed himself off the branch and plunged, adeptly bouncing off others as he descended, until he landed with the crunching of leaves beneath his feet.
Rising from a crouch, Cell moved his eyes from one hand to the other, flexing his fingers. I feel … restored. Have Piccolo’s cells finally awoken? No, the wound would be completely healed if that was true.
The bio-android stared at the scenery around him. Tightly packed trees huddled together, their adjoining leaves and branches meshing to create an emerald roof above his head that rocked gently in the wind. His feet stirred the thin layer of leaves that had floated to the ground, revealing a winding dirt track that weaved through the trees.
This could be a good place to rest. Until Cell understood what was going on and he had his strength back, he needed somewhere where he could hide. The tall trees and his emerald skin meant he could blend in with his surroundings easily … unless this realm had scouters, or the inhabitants knew how to sense ki.
Cell shot up through the trees and burst out of the leafy canopy, scanning the horizon. Green greeted his eyes wherever he looked. Mountains hugged the horizon, faded blue in the distance, while a monstrous castle jutted out of the earth far away from him. The roads within his sight were either empty of travelers or sparsely filled. If he squinted, Cell could make out thin curls of smoke snaking towards the sky. They weren’t thick enough to be a forest fire – maybe a simple fireplace?
Had Cell gone backwards through time again? Nothing looked modern; much of the landscape reminded him of feudal human society. That would explain the knight who was taking his duties so seriously.
“There!”
A human voice echoed over the landscape, redirecting Cell’s gaze. A knight in the distance pointed at the floating bio-android and a gang of two other humans snapped their heads in the same direction. Cell strained his sight and realized the knight leading the group was the same one that almost ended him a few hours ago.
Cell dipped back into the leafy branches and from their view. Boots trampled the road that led to the forest, each footfall growing louder as Cell weaved through the trees.
He weighed up his options as the humans entered the forest, their feet crumpling the dry leaves along the beaten path. If one human in a suit of armour was enough to almost fatally wound him, how would he be able to kill a whole vengeful squadron of them? But he was Cell! If he ran, he had to have a plan in place. He couldn’t stand being so weak. If he did not stand and fight, his next move had to lead to him growing more powerful.
“Monster!” the knight yelled, swiveling around to address the trees around him. “I assumed you would die from your injury, but I gathered a party together to ensure your demise. When we found no corpse, I believed you may have eluded death. And I was right to be thorough. We will not abide the presence of a murderous bug-man in Camelot! Fall from the trees, surrender to us, and we will endeavour to make your death painless. If you make this difficult for us, we will make your end torturous.”
Cell’s fingers squeezed the branches he clung to. Where did a medieval human get off talking to the perfect being like that?
Yet it occurred to him that the knight spun and craned his neck upwards to scour the boughs of the trees because he didn’t know where the bio-android was. The thick branches and generous foliage along with Cell’s natural shade of green disguised his presence excellently, and since the humans had not located him yet, it made sense to presume they couldn’t detect his ki.
A devious grin crawled onto Cell’s face.
He clambered through the branches like a cat, stalking his prey silently, staring down on them. They walked back-to-back, perhaps afraid of the inevitable ambush that Cell was planning. A tree up ahead bore a wedge removed near its base as if a lumberjack had given up halfway through his job.
Cell conjured a ball of ki in his hand and flung it at the ground. The explosion kicked up a cloud of dirt and burning leaves. The humans fell or shouted at the surprise boom, and Cell pounced from the branches. He landed on one human’s back, slamming them to the ground, and wrapped his tail around their body. Flying, Cell vanished into the heights of the trees once more as a hail of arrows thudded into the trunk.
Cell unwrapped his meal and slapped his palm over the human’s mouth. “No screaming now. We wouldn’t want to give away my position.”
The barb of the bio-android’s tail stabbed the human’s neck. He struggled and moaned but it was for nothing. Slowly his body siphoned through his skin and up Cell’s tail. As his muscles were liquefied and consumed, the skin deflated and clung to the bones like wet newspaper. In time, the bones turned to paste and were sucked up through the tail, as was the ghastly skin, looking like a disgusting human body suit. Once the bio-android had finished feeding, all that was left were the clothes of his victim.
Cell threw them to the ground, further terrifying his prey.
“W-what did he do to Lance?!” the other human quavered.
“Steady,” the knight said, drawing his sword and shield. “The beast is trying to make us uneasy. Do not give it the satisfaction.”
Cell breathed out as the human’s nutrients thrummed within his body. Instantly he felt revitalised. The energy he bled out had been restored.
I wonder how I would feel if I absorbed all of them …
As they approached the chopped tree, Cell scampered down its length and pushed against it. A loud crack signaled the loss of the tree’s integrity and over it went.
“Look out!” the knight said.
The two humans dived either side of the collapsing log. Cell bounded onto the unarmoured human and absconded with him back into the trees. More screaming and slurping shivered through the forest as Cell consumed his next meal, tossing the empty garments to the earth like his last. Again, he felt a surge of strength spawning in his muscles.
“Come out and fight me like a man!” the knight said.
Cell crept through the foliage, grinning at the human’s agitation. How could he forget his love for stealthily tracking a target before pouncing and devouring them? When he drained the lives of so many previously, he was doing so to match Piccolo while he himself was being hunted. The situation was more dire and stressful, but there was no doubt that Cell took great enjoyment in it. This time, however, he was in complete control.
The bio-android plummeted from the trees and bent his legs on impact. The knight stumbled back, raising his shield and sword.
“Why would I do that?” Cell said, straightening. “I’m not a man.”
“You killed them!” the knight said, pointing the tip of his blade at Cell.
“Yes, but now they’re part of something greater than themselves. And soon you will be too.”
“Not if I kill you first!”
The cells of the great warriors of his dimension that he was comprised of read the movements. The charge was rushed and fueled by emotion, as was the battle cry that flew from his gaping mouth. The sword rose above the knight’s shoulder at an angle, indicating he was planning to slice diagonally, and probably quite sloppily. In his haste or rage to attack, he threw his left arm to the side, the shield no longer protecting his torso.
Child’s play.
The sword cleaved through the air at an angle. Cell hopped out of the way. The momentum of the miss carried the knight forward a few haphazard steps. Cell’s tail cracked like a whip against the knight’s hand, dislodging the sword from his fingers. It spun past the bio-android and clanged against a tree behind him.
The writhing appendage snapped back and lurched, tightening around the knight’s neck and lifting him from the leaf strewn earth. The human hurled the shield away and scratched at the green coil restricting his airway.
“It seems I got to you, human,” Cell said, smiling. “You weren’t nearly this unfocused when you carved a nice, bleeding line across my chest.”
“Mmpfh!”
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to kill you,” Cell lied. “We’re going to have a little chat first.”
Cell tossed the armoured knight against a tree trunk, sending a shiver up the bark and sending a cascade of leaves around the human.
“You’re going to talk. And if I don’t like what you have to say … you can be one with perfection as well.”