Saiba-Kaiju (ASBMF-Quest) (Graded)

It didn't take Jhelks long to learn why all the other caravaners had refused to to take the invoice to Dr. Speck. The old Tuffle wasn't exactly a bad man, what he was in spades however was talkative. Instead of spending five minutes getting the doctor to sign the form, Jhelks had instead just finished undergoing a lengthy tour of the Tuffle's laboratory. The old man had talked the Namekian's green ears into drooping and the warrior couldn't have been happier as he finally departed the doctor's science center with a signature on his invoice. "How does one old man talk so much?" he muttered to himself in question as he made his way back to the meeting point for his Dark Clan brothers.

Dr. Speck had gone on at such length that Jhelks now knew not only what happened within the main center, but also what each building's work staff was tasked with designing all about the farm. One barn in the south constructed android prototypes, another just up ahead of him was tasked with designing energy weapons for the PTO's ground forces. Jhelks couldn't believe the old Tuffle was a spy with the way he just tossed information and secrets around at anyone who would talk to him. So tired was Jhelks from the 'tour' that he no longer even possessed the desire to inspect the Saibamen fields, the Namekian simply wanted to go home.

Turning around the corner of a small hut Jhelks caught sight of three of his dark clan brothers, they were gathered beside one of the hovercrafts talking among themselves. One noticed Jhelks approaching and waved him towards them. "How was meeting the old man?" the Namekian said with a knowing grin, Jhelks had to stop himself from reaching over and slapping the smile off his brother's face. "Lets just say I have never known more about Speck Gardens than I do now." Jhelks replied which made his three brothers burst with laughter. It was only than that Jhelks noticed his group was still down a member. "Where is Tc'cha?" he asked, causing all three of his brothers to point towards a set of vehicles and workers still making a ruckus a little ways off. "They are having trouble unloading some of his cargo, should be ready to go in a few minutes."

Jhelks was far from happy to learn of the delay, but there was little he could do about it. The warrior leaned heavily against the hovercraft as he settled in to wait, but before he could close his eyes a series of screams rang out from the workers. A resounding crash erupted from the loading site and even as Jhelks and his brothers turned to run towards the commotion they were blasted off their feet as an explosion cut through the farm! Forced to rub his sore eyes to clear his vision from the dazzling light of the explosion, Jhelks was second to his feet of his brothers. Looking out over the wreckage caused by the blast Jhelks could see twisted metal and charred corpses in the blackened dirt.

More terrifying than the carnage however was the swirling pillar of smoke that rose into the sky. Spawned from the mixed chemicals that had caused the blast, the smoke pooled in the atmosphere and was even now swiftly turning into sickening looking clouds of dark green. "What the hell could that be?" said a voice that only barely contained it's fear to Jhelks's side. The Namekian looked to his right to see several farmhands who had come to investigate the explosion, but no one was brave enough to approach the swirling pillar of smoke. "It must have been some kind of accident." Jhelks replied to no one in particular as he and the crowd watched the clouds expand.

Blue light flashed within the green clouds and the booming rumble of thunder sounded throughout the farm as the clouds grew thick and heavy. "GET INSIDE!" came an old crooked voice from behind, Jhelks turning to see Dr. Speck shuffling along as fast as he could, his maid aiding him to stay upright. "DON'T LET THE RAIN TOUCH YOU!" Dr. Speck shouted again, even as the light patter of rainfall began to sound. The rain was light, barely a drizzle in intensity as it struck the grass and dirt and rend steel of the blast zone. The clouds slowly expanded over the entire farm however and the crowd learned first hand to heed Dr. Speck.

Cold drops landed on Jhelks as he hand others stood about in confusion, but only moments after the first touch Jhelks felt his skin roll and boil! The rain was a toxic acid, and it ate away at the flesh of those it enveloped. The crowd broke in a screaming mass! Everyone scrambling in all directions to seek the shelter of whatever building was closest to them. Jhelks and his brothers were the first to reach the weapons development center, shouldering through the door with a hearty crash to reach the safety of a solid roof. Many others followed suit, but where Jhelks could regenerate from his burns and scars the many farmhands weren't so lucky. The slowest among the farm hands did not manage to escape to shelter as the rain increased in severity, their shrill screams hauntingly sounding as they were reduced to pools of wasting flesh.

From his position at the shelter door Jhelks watched the steady rainfall, his clothes were oddly unmarred and no structures or buildings in sight seemed damaged at all. "What kind of acid only burns flesh and nothing else?" he pondered aloud. It was impossible for Jhelks to know how many had survived the accident throughout the farm, and until the rain ended he knew he was trapped in Speck Gardens. Turning away from the door Jhelks counted those who had managed to follow him into the weapons center. His three brothers, Dr. Speck and his Maid, and three other farmhands. Counting himself they totaled nine, Jhelks could only hope other survivors had escaped into other facilities about the farm.

---

WC: 1,019
Total WC: 2,097
Weighted PL: 15,327

Thunder peeled outside the weapons center as Jhelks now sat in a chair well within the safety of the building, he still watched the rain fall and lightning flash through the smashed in front door but in the hour since he had been dragged out into the melting downpour no one had gone within so much as ten feet of the exposed entry way. The warrior's mind still reeled over the thought of living grass and plant life plotting murder, he also felt shame at having nearly succumbed to such a meekly powered foe. No matter how he felt on the matter however Jhelks was forced to admit the danger and the truth of the situation he now found himself in.

About the room the other survivors seemed to be sleeping, whether on desks, in corners, or under tables. Any spot that offered safety or solitude enough for them all to find comfort. After his latest brush with death Jhelks found that he envied the others ability to sleep, as he would not be sleeping again for some time. The only saving grace of the whole scenario was that as long as they stayed inside the grass couldn't reach them and the rain wouldn't harm them. Even so Jhelks simply couldn't shake a feeling that something was happening beyond his sight, a danger that lurked behind the scene.

Another peel of thunder sounded and the flash of brilliant lightning lit the ground outside with enough light to see by, a rarity with the dark clouds blocking out Namek's three suns. Something moved out there in the distance, a shambling, hunched mess that Jhelks had been unable to see in the darkness. The brief flash of light wasn't enough for the warrior to identify whatever he had seen skulking out in the storm, but he was certain that anything which could survive the burning water was to dangerous to be ignored. "Everyone wake up! Somethings moving outside." Jhelks shouted as he stood up from his chair and kicked the piece of furniture into a corner to clear up some space.

His yell woke everyone in the room with a start, especially his three brothers whom came awake ready for a fight. As all the survivors stirred Jhelks waited and watched, hoping for another flash of thunder... just to catch a glimpse. "What did you see? was it another survivor?" asked one of his brothers as the three came to Jhelks's side. The farmhands, Maid, and Dr. Speck staying well out of their way in the back of the room. "I don't know for sure." Jhelks replied, his grim tone suggesting he did not suspect the shape in the darkness to be anything so benevolent.

Suddenly blue light flared as thunder cracked outside! Yet outside there was nothing, whatever Jhelks had seen was no longer there. The warrior could only sigh at the emptiness, perhaps he was starting to lose it? "I'm sorry everyone. It must have been my imagination." Jhelks said to everyone's collective relief. "It's fine brother. Better there is nothing am I right?" said a Namekian as he moved over to a nearby window, seemingly to stare out at the storm. Glass blew inwards with a crash as thick tendrils of green vegetation snapped forth like whips, three tendrils as thick as anaconda wrapped around Jhelks's unfortunate brother and tightened like a vice! Bones snapped and sundered as an arm, a leg, and several ribs instantly collapsed under those vines and the Namekian screamed in horror as he was swiftly pulled out the shattered window into the boiling rain.

Everything happened to fast Jhelks and his two remaining brothers had almost no time to react. They raised their arms and pelted yellow beams of ki out the window into the stormy night. The sound of wet slapping like mashing potatoes in a basin of water and the dying screams of their brother was all anyone could hear. The light of their combined ki blasts had allowed Jhelks to see however, a massive orange squash with dozens of thick tentacles writhing about it's hulking form strangling his clan brother even as he melted to slime in the rain.

Enraged Jhelks walked forward and sent a blazing beam of energy right through the monstrous vegetable, pieces of the squash blasted free in huge chunks from his assault. The squash hardly seemed to notice however as it's tendrils whipped and mashed his brother's bones into pulp, the mutant vegetation felt no pain. Jhelks continued to pepper the monster with energy, but no matter how many holes he blasted through it the creature did not stop. Even the pieces that came free still wiggled and squirmed with grotesque life. A tentacle coiled and sprang forth like a viper through the shattered window, Jhelks dropping to his back to avoid the blood soaked appendage as it passed above him.

One of the other Namekian's raked the tentacle with his claws, cleaving the massive limb free from it's host. Yet even as the tentacle fell to the floor at the Namekian's feet, it wrapped around his leg and pulled him to the floor! Jumping away from the window as more tendrils wildly flailed through the shattered glass, Jhelks was forced to focus on dodging the dangerous plants while his two brothers set upon the one tentacle entrapping one of them with their claws.

Vanishing from place to place leaving shadow images in his stead Jhelks racked his brain to think of a way to destroy this creature. A massive blast could surely do the job, but than the whole weapons center would go up and the rain would melt them all to paste. A tendril suddenly caught Jhelks in the shoulder, whipping him hard into the floor! The warrior suspected death would soon follow, but instead of a skull crushing blow the Namekian saw only streaks of red light and the clang of rapid blaster fire. Where red energy struck a tendril the plant monster burnt to ash! The farmhands each emerged from a back room with fancy white rifles in hand, the advanced blasters making short work of the squash monster where ki energy and physical assault had fail.

The trio rushed the broken window and stuck the muzzle of their rifles into the night as they peppered the monster with shot after shot. Jhelks was soon at the trio's side, watching the monster be atomized into ashes and dust.

Turning away from the window Jhelks found that the severed tentacle had been sliced to ribbons so thin it could no longer harm anything. Sadly he also saw another of his brothers had been slain by the creature, his neck crushed so fully that his head had popped free of his shoulders.

"That's some rifle you got there." Jhelks said to the Geck farmhand as tension began to easy throughout the room. The small Geck could only look back at him and say, "Weapons Center... who knew right?" Jhelks could only grimly furrow his brow.

---

WC: 1,171
Total WC: 4,352
Weighted PL: 15,327

Peering out from the hole that had been bashed through the wall of the weapons center, Jhelks watched as the dark green clouds cleared from the sun lit skies of Namek. With the acidic rain finally gone and Namek's three suns blazing overhead it finally felt a little like the nightmare that had gripped Speck Gardens was coming to a end. Still wary of attack Jhelks lead his group of survivors out from the weapons center with rifles poised at the ready. At first the group moved slowly, especially with the danger of the grass. The blades did not grow or grab or try to ensnare them however. Seemingly the coming of the sun had quelled the demonic possession of Namek's plant life.

All across the farm's fields Jhelks could see the rapidly withering remains of vegetation monsters. Bombastic Pumpkins that had grown the size of houses, fang filled corn stalks with cobs of spikes and thorns, and twist Asiji trees that sprouted nettles sharp enough to puncture steel. Not only were there the corpses of monsters, but also the rubble of destruction. Buildings all throughout the farm lay pulverized, pools of melted flesh showed where other survivors had been dragged or thrown out into the rain to slowly sizzle.

Whatever chemicals Jhelks and his crew had transported for Dr. Speck held the potential for untold devastation, the plant monsters did not eat their victims. The monsters existed only to kill, combined with the acid rain and it was a nearly flawless biological weapon. Jhelks's group had been lucky to take shelter in a building with weaponry, many other farmers and scientists hadn't shared such advantage. "Spread out, search for survivors." Jhelks ordered once it became apparent their was nothing left to attack them. The dark clan Namekian and the Saiyan went off without question, the Tatsujin however seemed reluctant.

"There won't be any survivors. You saw how ki and physical assault did nothing. No other building had weapons like these either. It's just us." she said before storming off, her blood stained maid outfit adding a unreal sense of humor to her actions that simply didn't belong. The woman's outburst was strange to Jhelks, she had barely spoken throughout the whole ideal yet at this she balked? The Namekian could only shrug as he went his own way to a nearby series of sheds. Several of the small buildings had been flattened by some giant creature, but Jhelks checked the few that remained just in case. He found a dead body in one, and nothing in most others. One shed however burst open before he could open the door himself.

A pitchfork was leveled his way by a adult Tuffle woman, behind her two human looking children trembled. Jhelks had never thought of himself as a savior or a peacemaker, but upon noticing that he was Namekian and not some giant walking grape-vine the three survivors burst into tears of joy. By the time Jhelks brought the three back to his own group a small gathering of other survivors awaited them. Found mine in a basement beneath a storehouse." said Jhelks's clan brother. "Yeah I found these five hiding in the cupboards of the mess hall." said the Saiyan farmer. Between them a total of fourteen had survived the disaster, a slim few compared to the four hundred workers that had been employed by Speck Gardens.

Jhelks noticed something than as he took inventory of those around him. "Wait... wheres the maid?" he said to a bunch of shrugs and hunched shoulders. A suspicion grew within him in that moment and Jhelks quietly excused himself from the small group. Heading towards the main science center that had housed Dr. Speck's personal experiments. The building was surprisingly intact with little damage done to it. Pushing against the front door Jhelks found the entrance locked. "Oh I'm in no mood for this." he muttered as he raised a boot and kicked in the door with almost no effort.

It didn't take him long to explore the halls and labs to find that much of Speck's experiments he had seen earlier in the day were no where to be seen. The whole place had practically been ransacked. A small clatter from down the hall caught the Namekian's sharp ears and Jhelks followed the noise to find the Tatsujin maid in a fine bed chamber. Her pink hair was wet and hanging about her shoulders as a towel was wrapped about her slender body. The woman looked at Jhelks as he entered the room, but made no effort to change what she was doing as she shuffled through hanging outfits in the room's closet.

"Found time to take a shower? Pick out a outfit huh?" Jhelks said sarcastically as the woman finally found something she liked and pulled it off the hook. "Barely actually. You and your friends made things challenging for me." she replied dropping her towel to the floor as she began putting on the new outfit. If her naked body had been meant to distract Jhelks in some way, than the tactic had failed as Jhelks didn't seem phased in the slightest.

"Thanks to you it took forever for the old Tuffle to die. Plus there were survivors, this turned into such a sloppy job." she went on to explain as she dressed in tight leathers and a slew of fancy oddities. By the time she had finished dressing Jhelks could tell the woman was a pirate by trade. "Hell the drug I used to keep him unbalanced almost wore off with how long things took. The only upside was your group bought my associates enough time to steal all the doctor's projects instead of just the one we came for." the Tatsujin finished as she turned to Jhelks with her hands raised in mock surrender.

"Your damned heist almost got me killed, and did kill members of my clan. Tell me why I shouldn't kill you?" Jhelks said raising his rifle to threaten the woman, but she hardly looked concerned. Instead she merely laughed, sending her pink curls bouncing about her shoulders. Than she pointed out the window of the bedroom to the farming fields. Turning his head Jhelks looked through the tinted glass, the view showcased the Saibamen fields. They were swarming with hundreds of the monsters. Instead of rampaging however the Saibamen seemed to be devouring each other in mass.

"What the hell?" Jhelks asked aloud, before turning back towards the Tatsujin. Except the woman was gone? Somehow she had vanished without a trace. The Namekian silently cursed as he wondered how the woman had pulled that trick off, but he knew he had no time to ponder as something much more pressing called for action. Blasting the window to pieces Jhelks jumped out and flew back to the gathered survivors, landing hard next to his clan brother. "Get everyone out of here right now. Something is happening with the Saibamen." Jhelks ordered. His clan brother looked confused, but Jhelks stern features would allow no argument and the survivors quickly began to gather what little they had.

"What will you do brother?" the Namekian asked him as the group began to load into a undamaged hovercraft. "Honestly. I'm going to blow this whole place right off the face of Namek." Jhelks said as he flew away from the group and towards the Saibamen fields.

Landing upon the roof of a barn overlooking the fields Jhelks noticed that the Saibamen hoard had reduced in number from hundreds to dozens. It was little comfort however as those that remained were the size of tractors. Even now the giant Saibamen set upon each other in frenzy, as one consumed another the victor would nearly double in size! Knowing he could not allow such a monstrosity to roam Namek, Jhelks knew he had only one option. He would need to create a blast large enough to engulf the entirety of Speck Gardens. It irked him to know that destroying the farm would help cover up the deeds of the pirate Tatsujin, but the Namekian had little choice. Jhelks would just have to make the woman pay one day.

Centering all his ki deep within himself Jhelks crossed his arms before his waist at the wrists and began building his power. Charging his energy had never been a particularly challenging task, but Jhelks didn't enjoy feeling vulnerable. To reach the level of power he would need the Namekian knew he would not be able to move, or defend himself for several minutes. Meaning all he could do was watch in horror as the dozens became less, as the giants became titans. Eventually there remained only two Saibamen, their footsteps threatened to shake the barn Jhelks stood upon to the point of collapse.

They battled heatedly with tooth and claw, and through it all Jhelks built his power to levels he had never before charged levels he never knew he could reach. Finally the two Saibamen became one, a monster so large that Jhelks could not accurately describe it's mass. As it took notice of him and turned his way it's breath twisted and flung his clothes from his body, it's screech shattered his eardrums and collapsed several sheds to either side of him. Through it all Jhelks barely noticed the pain or the danger any longer as his body glowed with scarcely contained power. The Saibamen barely managed to reach towards him before Jhelks threw his arms high into the air and released all the energy he had contained within.

No sound rose up from the explosion, at least none that Jhelks's shattered ears could hear. All the warrior knew was that white light eclipsed everything around him including the Saiba-Kaiju. It glowed brighter and brighter until there was eventually nothing but white, and than Jhelks knew only darkness.

Days later the Namekian awoke in a heal tank, the warm liquids that repaired his body tickled his skin and made his eyes itch. Outside the glass of his pod Jhelks saw his clan brother sitting in a chair asleep. The man must have been watching over him a long time. When Jhelks was finally fully healed up he learned that the PTO had sent investigators to inspect what had happened to their outpost. The incident had been labeled as an accident, but the namekian knew better. Jhelks kept the Tatsujin pirate a secret however, not wanting anyone else to end the woman's life but him.

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END

WC: 1,753
Total WC: 7,450
Weighted PL: 15,327
Light Weights ON