Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Broken Seal ❯ Broken ( Chapter 7 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

It was vast, reaching hundreds of meters away from where Krillin stood. The cavern sprawled outwards, and towered upwards, its unbelievable scale dwarfing all that it contained. Arcing passageways were carved at regular intervals around its wall, much the same as that through which he had entered. Looming metal frames supporting massive arrays of floodlights stood around the edge of the site, casting a brilliant gaze down upon the busy scene below. However, even their dazzling illumination could not penetrate the darkness that hung above. So tall was the cave that the roof lay hidden from view, veiled by a threatening gloom that rested upon supports of light like a grim fresco.

Across the far-reaching floor of this great, subterranean hall, an industrious population of demons of various forms and dress went about their business. From labourers in orange overalls and hard-hats, to supervisors with suits and clipboards, some on foot, and others operating small carts or mechanised leviathans, all seemed to have their own vital tasks to which they must attend.

However, the true subject of Krillin's astounded utterance, and the likely focus of the ocean of activity, was located at the far side of the cavern. In the distant face of the furthermost wall there was a gaping fissure. A good two hundred meters in width, its gently curving boundaries reached up from the ground and faded into the darkness above. At the heart of the pitch black void was suspended a huge golden dragons head, itself measuring at least fifty metres in diameter. The fearsome sculpture was frozen in the act of a horrifying roar, baring rows of dagger-like teeth. The eyes of the auric beast were crafted from flawless, fire-red rubies that blazed in the brilliant artificial light with every bit as much fury as eyes of the eternal dragon itself.

The substantial mass of the sculpture appeared to be supported by tendrils of lightning that that arced between it and the periphery of the fissure. Tethered to the statue at one end the streams of power whipped and thrashed continuously, their extremities tracing around the edge of the void.

The magnificent sculpture reminded Krillin of the ornate button that was set into the wall near the service desk of the office building. As he beheld the astonishing spectacle, he pondered the significance of all of this.

There was a metallic wailing as King Yemma made a bid to dislodge himself from his under sized vehicle. The sound was a sharp reminder to Krillin that he was now out in the open. Ducking back behind the car, the fighter kept a watchful eye on the ogre as he struggled to free himself. With his hands grasping either door, Yemma wriggled his gargantuan rump to-and-fro. The towering pink wall that was the King's back squirmed from side to side as he attempted to pull himself out of the driving position as if trying to remove a tight fitting item of clothing. The vehicle itself rocked from side to side as King Yemma shifted his weight about. With a grunt of effort, Yemma finally liberated himself, then reached his right leg over the door and disembarked.

Now standing along side the vehicle, he brought both of his huge hands up to his chest and beat the dust from his garments. He then turned and leaned over the door of the car and out of Krillin's view. There followed a short period of rustling as the ogre searched for some anonymous object.

"Where is that damn. . ." Yemma muttered, ".ah ha!"

The ogre then emerged grasping a small yellow object in his right hand, which he then raised towards his head. It was a hardhat. The ogre raised the hat and placed it delicately on his head, in between his two protruding horns. Though it would have made for a roomy fit on an average human, the hardhat did little to shield King Yemma's massive cranium.

Guess they don't make 'em in his size; Krilllin thought to himself as he watched the ogre carefully balancing the hat on his head, then remembering the inadequate size of the car, he added; Guess they don't make a lot of stuff in his size.

With the hardhat now perched precariously on the crown of his head, King Yemma began to amble away from the car. A few tens of meters away in the direction he was headed stood a large metal staircase bolted to the side of the cavern wall. The stairs ran parallel to the wall and culminated in a square metal platform that lay at the foot of a door.

As Yemma walked towards the staircase, the door at the top swung inwards and a human sized demon emerged into the cavern. The creature was dressed identically to those Krillin had scene at the offices of King Yemma, except that it was sporting a yellow hardhat.

With King Yemma walking with his back turned, the fighter took the opportunity to slink around to the far side of the ogre's car.

The demon stepped out of the doorway and up to the railing that ran around the platform and down the side of the staircase. Resting his hands on the rail, he surveyed the busy work site below. Scanning the cavern floor, he spotted King Yemma's approach, and proceeded to run down the stairs to meet his superior. Reaching the ground, the demon began to trot across the cave floor in an urgent half-run-half-walk. He bore an expression of seriousness that was tempered by raised eyebrows, taking some of the edge of the otherwise concerned facial cast.

The two strange individuals met around half way between the car and the stairs and exchanged greetings. They then became immersed in a conversation over matters that, from the expressions of the two, Krillin guessed were of significant gravity.

Krillin strained his ears in an effort to eves drop on the exchange. The fighter had little luck however, as the creatures' words were totally lost amid a bustling throng of sounds that mixed and mingled throughout the volume of the cave. Realising that his attempts to glean information were in vain, he turned his attention back to the remarkable spectacle that lay at the far end of the cave.

The magnificent dragon's head was not standing as a sentry across the face of the yawning opening alone. At the foot of the fissure stood a towering scaffold that reached upwards towards the glistening statue, its very tip falling agonisingly short of the figure's splendour as the hand of humanity reaching for the unattainable goal of divinity. Atop the temporary structure stood a handful of tiny figures, almost too distant to resolve. The figures shifted about on the dizzying platform, apparently attending to some sort of maintenance of the statue.

Krillin's curiosity was becoming unbearable. He had to know what this object was and what was its significance. Turning slowly, he scanned the cave for any clues as to its purpose. All manner of objects and individuals fell within his view, but the same cryptic theme seemed to run throughout the site. From the bright orange overalls of the labouring demons that roamed the cave, to the grubby yellow carapaces of the hulking machinery that toiled beneath the unnatural glare of the floodlights, all bore the same crest. A two-dimensional representation of the dragon's head, printed in jet black, adorned almost all objects and persons.

Krillin continued to scour the area. As his search brought him around through one hundred and eighty degrees, he began to loose hope of ever finding out what was going on around him. Just as he was about to surrender the hunt, his eyes fell across something of interest. A large, white, rectangular sign was nailed to the wall next to the opening through which he had entered the cave earlier. The sign also bore the fearsome dragon emblem and below this, printed in black, were a greeting and a set of regulations.

Welcome To The Seal Chamber Please observe the following rules

Hardhat to be worn at all times No smoking No running No littering Ball games are strictly prohibited

"The seal." Krillin muttered under his breath.

He then swung around, and looked to the distant Dragon's head once more.

That must be the seal. what ever that is; he thought.

Indeed, the artefact did appear to be the focus of the chamber. But still, what was this object sealing? And how was it connected to the strange happenings above ground? A number of questions still remained.

There was a muffled chattering from beyond the car. King Yemma and his companion were heading back in Krillin's direction. As they approached, their raised voices began to surface above the maelstrom of ambient sounds. Krillin listened closely for further information.

"I'm sorry it's taking so long, but it can't be helped." Yemma's voice boomed over the din, "We've got the tech guys working on a new one around the clock, but its gonna be a while yet before it's done."

"I know." The demon replied, his less powerful tones struggling to stay afloat in the sea of noise, "But it's getting pretty desperate around here. The thing could go at any time."

Krillin wasted little time in realising that the subject of their conversation was the seal.

"Right, I'll see if I can't get the tech guys to speed things up." Yemma shouted, "You guys keep up the good work, for now. The last thing we need is more escapes."

Escapes?; The gears and wheels of Krillin's mind were turning, processing the information they had been fed.

The bad guys in his yard, the police pick up, the deserted fields, the delays at the check in station, all these things seemed to come back to the seal. And escapes. What was the meaning of Yemma's words? The ogres voice arose once again.

"I mean if that thing breaks, then all hell will break loose. literally."

There was Krillin's answer. He looked back at the imposing darkness that menaced from beyond the golden brilliance of the seal, and a chill raced the length of his spine. He was looking into hell. It made sense. The fighters that he had seen that day must have escaped due to whatever problems were plaguing the seal, which was apparently some mystical icon that was charged with the inconceivable task of containing the countless dark souls that inhabited the underworld.

Faced with the chilling reality of what stood before him, the fighter's first instinct was to back off. Without thinking, Krillin began to edge backwards, away from the gates of hell and out of his hiding place.

"Hey you! Where's your hard hat?!" the demon barked on spotting Krillin, apparently unaware that the fighter was not meant to be there.

Krillin looked to the demon in horror. His gaze fell upon the creature and King Yemma just as the ogre looked up to see for himself the source of his subordinate's chagrin. On seeing the startled warrior, he craned his neck forwards and squinted slightly as he sifted through his vast memory banks in an effort to put a name to the face.

"I know you." He stated, "You're the Earth-man, Krillin. What the hell do you think your doing here?! This place is strictly off limits to all but afterlife personnel!"

Krillin floundered in the face of the harsh scolding he was receiving from the already intimidating Yemma.

"Ahh! I, er, I was just." Krillin hesitated as he hastily gathered the words he required, "Well, there were these guys near my house fighting, then the police came and-and they said to go and see you, but then you weren't there and."

The fighter's garbled explanation was cut short. From the far end of the cave came a resounding crash. The sound resonated throughout the cavern like the powerful crack of lightning going to ground.

Krillin flicked his head to his left, where he again beheld the seal. There was something different about it. A brilliant white scar that ran diagonally across the seal's fearful countenance now marred what was once a flawlessly crafted example of metalwork. The figures that had been working at the base of the Seal were now beginning to descend down ladders that leaned upon the scaffold, and the vehicles, machinery and labourers that had toiled at its foot were now draining away.

"O-o-o-h. I was afraid of this." The demon fretted upon seeing the cracking seal.

"What's going on?! What's happening?!" Yemma shouted.

"It's the seal. It's been so heavily patched up that it's become too weak to cope with the stress." The demon replied, "We're going to have to evacuate the chamber."

There was a second crack, not quite as loud as the first. This time, Krillin watched in horror as the single crack blossomed into a sprawling tree of fissures that blighted all of the dragon's once exquisite features.

The fracturing of the seal triggered a response from all over surrounding cave. The floodlights that had so dazzling illuminated the area began to dim, causing the darkness above to fall inwards towards the multitudes below. Moments later, ranks of sombre red lights were activated in a chain all around the wall of the cave. The crimson sentinels were acting as a monochromatic warning that was quickly seconded by a voice that spoke out over the PA.

"Situation is red. Repeat: situation is red." The voice stated, "Will all personnel please leave the chamber in an orderly manner via the nearest exit."

The work force began to leave their tasks and tools, and filter out of the cavern through the numerous tunnels that conjoined with the chamber, goaded onwards by the repeating message from the PA system.

"Damn it!" King Yemma snarled, baring an impressive array of teeth, "We have to do something! That seal mustn't be allowed to break!"

"I'm sorry sir, the situations irretrievable." The demon replied, "We should leave now."

"But we can't just let them. . . spill out all over the place!" the ogre roared, his panic widened eyes still trained on the rapidly deteriorating seal.

"Sir, It's no good! The best we can hope for is to get out and get ready to control the situation from above ground." The demon said, becoming frustrated with his stubborn superior.

There was a tense rift in the exchange, filled only by the rumbling of King Yemma's quickened breath.

"Agh! Very well!" Yemma submitted.

He then turned to Krillin,

"You! With me!" He shouted, still unhappy at the fighter's presence.

With that, Yemma began to stride back towards his car.

"Uh, right." Krillin agreed.

The fighter then hopped back onto the bumper that had played host to him during his journey.

The demon made his way back to his office, doubtless to an alternative route of escape. Yemma bounded up to the vehicle and hastily hoisted his giant left leg over the side. As he did, a new sound emerged above the urgent babbling of the departing crowds. An electrical crackling bounced from the walls of the cave. Krillin peered around the side of the car to ascertain the source of the sound.

Once more, it was the seal that was producing the noises. The brilliant tendrils of lightening that had been supporting the seal at the heart of the opening in the wall were beginning to falter. In so doing, they produced a chorus of snapping and buzzing that rang out around the cavern. A sustained fizz followed, then the lightening failed.

"Oh man, that can't be good." Krillin whined.

The next few instants passed slowly. The seal, bathed in a blood red light, began to lean forwards, the enormous head bowing solemnly as if mourning its own end. The sculpture then kissed the top of the scaffold. It took a moment for the sound to reach Krillin after the meeting of the two. The cavern was then filled with the chilling wail of warping metal, which was joined by the cry of the planks and rods colliding with one another as the seal ploughed downwards through the structure. Debris from the buckling scaffold burst outwards under the pressure, and was strewn across the floor of the chamber in a violent precipitation. Then, with a terrible finality, the seal struck the ground amid a hail of steel and wood. However, rather than striking with a thunderous crash, the seal simply shattered. The breaking was almost silent, lost in the commotion of the collapsing scaffold. A mist of tiny golden shards burst from the point of impact. The fragments danced in the dim light for a few fleeting seconds, then faded away. The gates were open.

A horrid feeling of anticipation hung over the cavern. Due to King Yemma's difficulties boarding his car, he and Krillin were among the few people remaining in the chamber. The fighter hopped anxiously from foot to foot willing the ogre's bulk into the driving seat.

At first it was almost inaudible. A sound, rising gradually in volume, emanated from the darkness. Distant and wavering, it carried across the cool subterranean air like the tones of some far off choir.

The sound triggered a reaction from Yemma. Krillin could he him almost whine with dread on hearing it, and his effort to wedge himself into the car was given fresh impetus. His accelerated endeavour caused the car to rock even more wildly than before, nearly throwing Krillin to the ground.

The tones that were emerging from the gloom were now growing exponentially in volume. From the distant song of despair it evolved into a discordant chorus of tormented howls. It arose inexorably in intensity, building up to a soul freezing, ear splitting crescendo of voices that reached to every extreme of pitch. Though each of these voices lamented there own tale of eternal misery, all sang the same dark hymn of countless days spent in the ultimate darkness.

The heinous song was mesmerising. Krillin ceased his fidgeting, and stared deeply into the depths of Hades. At the heart of the darkness, a point of light materialised. The tiny apparition began to expand. The fighter watched the star as it waxed, losing all perspective on the world around. All there were was the darkness, and the light.

Krillin shook his head, breaking the spell that the rapidly expanding point had cast upon him. He then beheld the light once more, this time with a fresh, objective eye. It was then that he realised that what he was seeing was not a small object getting larger, but a distant object getting closer. Clambering onto the treacherous surface of the car's rear bodywork, he reached up and quite forcefully patted King Yemma on the back.

"Hey!" He yelled over the still increasing din in an effort to obtain Yemma's attention.

The ogre, still concentrating on the task of applying his ample frame to the car's interior, cast a sparing glance to the fighter.

"What!" he bellowed in reply, his annoyance at Krillin still evident from his expression.

Krillin leaned around the hulk, and pointed his left index finger towards the light at the centre of the void. Taking a breath, he prepared to ask a question to which, though he dared not admit it to himself, he knew the answer.

"What's that?!"

Yemma frowned, at least more so than usual, and cast his gaze along the line of Krillin's pointing. There was a short pause.

"Holy sh." Yemma's cry of horror was lost amid the dreadful strains that now threaten to dismantle the very chamber itself.

The light now filled half the area of the fissure, and was expanding fast. Without bothering to force the remainder of his rear into the seat, King Yemma started the vehicle's engine. Krillin slid back down onto the bumper, and braced himself for the escape.

There was a roar that resonated through the car as it was awakened from its slumber. It turned over loudly as Yemma applied the maximum possible power in order to raise the car from the ground. It thundered with effort as it levitated, shouting its own strong desire to escape from harm's way.

Krillin was hard pushed to maintain his grip as Yemma threw the car into an about face. He then gorged the engine with gas one last time. As he did this, Krillin took a glance over his shoulder. He wished he hadn't. The entire void was now alight with a brilliant glare. In an instant, the wall of light burst through the gates.

Taking the form of a colossal jet of white flames, the light gushed forth from the opening in the chamber wall. The towering tsunami of souls surged across the cave, consuming the abandoned machinery as lunged hungrily towards the petrified fighter.

With a mighty roar and a violent kick, the car flew into motion. It raced through the opening and swung through the turn, barely missing the far wall of the tunnel as it did. The vehicle then tore off down the tunnel, churning up a trail of dust in its haste.

Krillin turned to see if they were still being pursued. He looked towards the receding end of the tunnel to see a shaft of light pouring through the exit on the left. There was a gust of warm air, as even the atmosphere seemed to want to flee the oncoming flood, then a plume of blazing white essence erupted into the tunnel. The torrent of spirits crashed against the opposite wall, and then turned its attention back towards the retreating car. Relentlessly the flood of souls rushed through the passage, devouring the walls and light fittings in its tireless pursuit.

"C'mon! C'mon! It's gaining on us!" Krillin shouted, but his warning was quelled easily by the shrieking of the rapidly closing souls.

Realising that his words were not reaching the equally distressed King Yemma, the fighter gritted his teeth and reluctantly resolved to put his faith in the ogre's prowess behind the wheel.

As he watched the raging white-water of the spirits drawing ever nearer, Krillin wished dearly for the slightest bit of extra speed that might hasten their escape. It was then that he realised something.

What the heck am I doing?; he thought; I'm faster than any car;

Invigorated by his realisation, he raised himself from his seat and drew up all the ki he could muster. The very atmosphere around the fighter ignited, and he took the air.

Manoeuvring himself behind the car, he placed his hands against the cold chrome bumper.

"Hold on to your horns!" Krillin yelled to Yemma, unlikely though it was that he would hear.

He then summoned all the energy he could possibly spare, and surged forwards, forcing the car along with him.

Krillin supercharged the car's escape for some seconds before he could muster the courage to peer back over his shoulder. Swallowing hard, he peeked behind. However, his fears were confirmed as he saw that, though his donation of speed had slowed the advance of the spirits, they were still making up ground.

Turning back to the rear of the car, Krillin dropped his sweat-drenched head and poured every ounce of strength he had into driving the vehicle forwards. So intense were his efforts that the fighter felt the uncontrollable urge to scream at the very top of his lungs. Alas, just as his lament was effortlessly consumed by the pandemonium that churned behind him, so too did Krillin's superhuman effort prove futile. His muscles burned, his head throbbed, and his heart was beating so fast that it seemed as if it might burst. Every inch and ounce of his being was fraught with fatigue. Everything he had, he had already given. There was nothing left.

Krillin could feel the heated air washing over him as his hands slipped from the fender of the car. Though the temperature of the atmosphere was raised by the presence of the blazing souls, the spirits themselves seemed to radiate a strange coldness. It was this coldness that the fighter felt as the ravenous deluge consumed him.

Within the essence was a churning whirlpool of pure emotion and undiluted thought. Krillin's mind was overrun by the vast array of feelings and contemplation. All the fear, hate, anger and malice of the ages bore down upon the fortifications of the fighter's mind until his own thoughts and those of the damned became indistinguishable. Finally, the fighter's consciousness surrendered, and sank into the seething caldron of malevolence.

It was so cold. . .

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Don't touch that remote! More 'Broken Seal' coming soon. . .