Post by Articho Reville on Jul 25, 2016 14:12:05 GMT
Articho floated slowly through a large open field full of nothing but green grass and wildflowers, King Yemma's palace slowly shrinking behind him in the distance. A long winding path curved its way through the meadow, with a other ghosts peppered around the area, mostly in groups. For a bunch of dead people, they all seemed very content. The hybrid could easily understand why: Heaven, with the sweet smell of flowers and clean air, seemed to exude an aura of happiness. It almost made him want to lie down on the grass and just let his worries go. Take a nice, long nap and never leave. Articho smiled slightly at the thought, feeling his eyes get heavy for a moment before snapping them back open and giving himself a hard slap across his own face. No time for daydreaming right now.
Articho had to remind himself that he had a mission: get back to Earth, get back at Walker, and warn everyone else. His mistrust of the overgrown weed hadn't been unfounded and he hoped that others had had his same suspicions. By killing Articho, Walker had to have crossed some new line that he hadn't reached yet. Genociding the Saiyans was very, very wrong, but they were Earth's invaders and Bing's killers. The enemy. The bad guys. Articho was a hero, a good guy by some definition, even if he was a bit of an asshole. And that wasn't much of a motive to justify killing someone. The hybrid could tell Walker was going down a very dangerous path, possibly proving an even greater threat than the Saiyans. But Walker was strong, far stronger than Articho, and who knew what other allies he had other than Presto. That brought him to the next step: getting his body and figuring out who the hell this "King Kai" was.
That's why he found himself in this field. He hadn't the slightest clue on how to get his body back. The Oni that had led him towards Snake Way hadn't been much help, either. The red skinned being had brought him up to the giant, snake-head shaped hate that lead to the giant, winding road and simply told him to start running, to which Articho replied by looking down towards his ghost tail.
"Easier said than done," he had replied. "Any idea where I can get myself a set of legs?"
"For that, you'd need your physical body back," the Oni answered cheerfully, still gesturing towards the aptly named road.
"And how do I do that?" Articho asked.
"Oh, I'm sure you'll figure it out," the Oni said. "You're a smart kid. Now, run along. King Kai is waiting!"
"Riiiiiiight," the hybrid said unsurely, craning his neck to peer at the seemingly never ending road. He looked back at the Oni who was smiling brightly at him. "And there are no bathrooms or vending machines along the way?"
The Oni's smile shifted to a look of frustrated confusion, his brow knitted in confusion. "Well, no..." he answered.
"Well, you can't expect me to run so long without going to the bathroom or getting a snack, now can you?"
"I suppose not."
"Be right back, then," Articho said with a cheeky grin and a wink before floating away before the Oni got smart. As far as he knew, ghosts needed neither of those things, but the Oni didn't need to know that.
Sadly, Articho found himself no closer to actually getting his body after getting away from the Oni. So, he floated along the path, occasionally asking nearby ghosts if they had any idea how to get a body. Most ignored him or said that they didn't, leaving Articho more and more frustrated. He would have kicked at the dirt, but not having legs stopped that and ultimately, made him more frustrated. The young hybrid sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets when he heard the sound of cackling nearby. Articho raised an eyebrow and looked in the direction the noise was coming from to see the ghost of an old man looking at him and laughing.
"Something funny?" Articho asked, glaring at the old man.
"Just your frustration, sonny," the old man croaked with another chuckle. "I've been watching you. You're wanting your body back, yes?"
"That would be preferable," Articho answered. "You know how to get bodies back?"
"Maybe I do and maybe I don't. It all depends on what you're going to do for me," the old man replied with a sly smile.
"Isn't heaven supposed to be full of good, helpful people?"
"Now, now. You don't buy a burger without paying for it do you? Consider this a fee for my services."
"I guess that makes sense. What do you want?"
The old man's eyes lit up and a small trickle of blood slid out of his nose. "Babes! Smokin' hot babes! Bring me a few of them and I'll tell you everything you need to know."
Articho stared at the old man in bewilderment for a moment. "And what woman in their right mind would want to hang out with some crusty old man?"
"That's for you to figure out, of course!" the old man cackled. "No babes, no body!"
Articho was about to tell the old man he could shove his perverted thoughts right where the sun don't shine, but he decided against it. He turned and stormed off as best he could without legs, grumbling under his breath. He floated through the grass, looking around for a group of girls he could ask for help from. He didn't have much to offer and he just had to hope that being in heaven might make them more helpful people by default. Or, at least more helpful than the pervy old man.
Articho spotted a group of about five or six girls sitting underneath a large tree, chatting. Perfect. He floated over to them and, as he grew closer, he could see a few of the girls had spotted him and pointed him out to their friends. By the time he got there, he already had all of their attentions.
"Hi there. Name's Articho," he said with a wave and a bright smile. He could see the girls giving him quick up and down glances, sizing him up and trying to determine what kind of person he was. "Sorry if I interuppted anything important, but I was wondering if you could do me one, small favor."
"Depends on the favor, because there's a few I could think of right now~," one girl, a brunette, replied. Articho felt his cheeks grow hot as her friends giggled and swatted at her.
"Don't mind her. She's always been a flirt," another replied, this time a blonde. "What can we do for you?"
"An old man asked me if I could find him some girls for him to, I don't know, fondle or whatever," he answered. Disgust founds its way onto every single girl's face and Articho quickly continued, deciding that the truth was the best way to go. "He said it was the only way he'd tell me how to get my body back so I can go train with King Kai and get back to Earth to warn my friends about someone terrible. I'm not asking you to stay with him, but could you just stay there long enough for him to tell me? As soon as he says it, you can go right on your way."
The girls pondered his proposal for a moment before they all slowly nodded in agreement.
"We'll help," the blond said as she stood up (Can you stand when you don't have legs?). The rest joined her as she smiled brightly at the young hybrid. "There's not much to do around here anyway and messing with some old perv sounds like fun. Lead the way."
Articho thanked the girls and beginning floating back in the direction of the old man. It didn't take long for him to hear the old man before he saw him as a great, whooping cheer rang through the mostly quiet field. Soon after, the hybrid saw the old man where he'd been before, smiling brightly with blood still dripping from your nose. The girls behind him let out a collective "Ooooh," before swarming the old man, fawning over him and struggling with each other to get as close as possible. Never let it be said that they weren't good actors, even if they were dead. The old man himself looked like he had died and gone to heaven a second time. The look of absolute bliss on his face was on a whole nother level.
"Alright, you've got your girls," Articho shouted over the giggling and cooing. "Now how do I get my body back?"
"I could sense the strength in you, sonny. You know about ki manipulation, don't you?" the old man said, looking towards a red head's chest instead of Articho.
"Yeah, I do."
"It's a lot like that. In the afterlife, you can build up an energy called shoki and you can manipulate it just like ki," the old man replied, reaching a hand towards the same red head before she slapped it away with a giggle. "You condense it down and wham, you've got yourself a brand spanking new body. You can also use it as a sort of currency with some people, make of that what you will."
"If that's all there is to it, then I'll take my leave," Articho said, glancing at the blonde. She winked at him, then looked at the other girls with a nod. Slowly, they began edging the old man back towards a pond, he still in a blissful ignorance. Articho did his best to surpress his laughter as he watched the girls lift the old man up and toss him into the pond with a loud splash. The girls ran off, laughing, as the old man was left sputtering and floundering in the pond. Articho turned and floated back in the direction of Snake Way, laughing as he did. He got what he needed, which meant it was time to face the very long and very literal road ahead to returning to the land of the living.
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Shoki please! If it's enough by this point, just take 3000 in exchange for a body!
Articho had to remind himself that he had a mission: get back to Earth, get back at Walker, and warn everyone else. His mistrust of the overgrown weed hadn't been unfounded and he hoped that others had had his same suspicions. By killing Articho, Walker had to have crossed some new line that he hadn't reached yet. Genociding the Saiyans was very, very wrong, but they were Earth's invaders and Bing's killers. The enemy. The bad guys. Articho was a hero, a good guy by some definition, even if he was a bit of an asshole. And that wasn't much of a motive to justify killing someone. The hybrid could tell Walker was going down a very dangerous path, possibly proving an even greater threat than the Saiyans. But Walker was strong, far stronger than Articho, and who knew what other allies he had other than Presto. That brought him to the next step: getting his body and figuring out who the hell this "King Kai" was.
That's why he found himself in this field. He hadn't the slightest clue on how to get his body back. The Oni that had led him towards Snake Way hadn't been much help, either. The red skinned being had brought him up to the giant, snake-head shaped hate that lead to the giant, winding road and simply told him to start running, to which Articho replied by looking down towards his ghost tail.
"Easier said than done," he had replied. "Any idea where I can get myself a set of legs?"
"For that, you'd need your physical body back," the Oni answered cheerfully, still gesturing towards the aptly named road.
"And how do I do that?" Articho asked.
"Oh, I'm sure you'll figure it out," the Oni said. "You're a smart kid. Now, run along. King Kai is waiting!"
"Riiiiiiight," the hybrid said unsurely, craning his neck to peer at the seemingly never ending road. He looked back at the Oni who was smiling brightly at him. "And there are no bathrooms or vending machines along the way?"
The Oni's smile shifted to a look of frustrated confusion, his brow knitted in confusion. "Well, no..." he answered.
"Well, you can't expect me to run so long without going to the bathroom or getting a snack, now can you?"
"I suppose not."
"Be right back, then," Articho said with a cheeky grin and a wink before floating away before the Oni got smart. As far as he knew, ghosts needed neither of those things, but the Oni didn't need to know that.
Sadly, Articho found himself no closer to actually getting his body after getting away from the Oni. So, he floated along the path, occasionally asking nearby ghosts if they had any idea how to get a body. Most ignored him or said that they didn't, leaving Articho more and more frustrated. He would have kicked at the dirt, but not having legs stopped that and ultimately, made him more frustrated. The young hybrid sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets when he heard the sound of cackling nearby. Articho raised an eyebrow and looked in the direction the noise was coming from to see the ghost of an old man looking at him and laughing.
"Something funny?" Articho asked, glaring at the old man.
"Just your frustration, sonny," the old man croaked with another chuckle. "I've been watching you. You're wanting your body back, yes?"
"That would be preferable," Articho answered. "You know how to get bodies back?"
"Maybe I do and maybe I don't. It all depends on what you're going to do for me," the old man replied with a sly smile.
"Isn't heaven supposed to be full of good, helpful people?"
"Now, now. You don't buy a burger without paying for it do you? Consider this a fee for my services."
"I guess that makes sense. What do you want?"
The old man's eyes lit up and a small trickle of blood slid out of his nose. "Babes! Smokin' hot babes! Bring me a few of them and I'll tell you everything you need to know."
Articho stared at the old man in bewilderment for a moment. "And what woman in their right mind would want to hang out with some crusty old man?"
"That's for you to figure out, of course!" the old man cackled. "No babes, no body!"
Articho was about to tell the old man he could shove his perverted thoughts right where the sun don't shine, but he decided against it. He turned and stormed off as best he could without legs, grumbling under his breath. He floated through the grass, looking around for a group of girls he could ask for help from. He didn't have much to offer and he just had to hope that being in heaven might make them more helpful people by default. Or, at least more helpful than the pervy old man.
Articho spotted a group of about five or six girls sitting underneath a large tree, chatting. Perfect. He floated over to them and, as he grew closer, he could see a few of the girls had spotted him and pointed him out to their friends. By the time he got there, he already had all of their attentions.
"Hi there. Name's Articho," he said with a wave and a bright smile. He could see the girls giving him quick up and down glances, sizing him up and trying to determine what kind of person he was. "Sorry if I interuppted anything important, but I was wondering if you could do me one, small favor."
"Depends on the favor, because there's a few I could think of right now~," one girl, a brunette, replied. Articho felt his cheeks grow hot as her friends giggled and swatted at her.
"Don't mind her. She's always been a flirt," another replied, this time a blonde. "What can we do for you?"
"An old man asked me if I could find him some girls for him to, I don't know, fondle or whatever," he answered. Disgust founds its way onto every single girl's face and Articho quickly continued, deciding that the truth was the best way to go. "He said it was the only way he'd tell me how to get my body back so I can go train with King Kai and get back to Earth to warn my friends about someone terrible. I'm not asking you to stay with him, but could you just stay there long enough for him to tell me? As soon as he says it, you can go right on your way."
The girls pondered his proposal for a moment before they all slowly nodded in agreement.
"We'll help," the blond said as she stood up (Can you stand when you don't have legs?). The rest joined her as she smiled brightly at the young hybrid. "There's not much to do around here anyway and messing with some old perv sounds like fun. Lead the way."
Articho thanked the girls and beginning floating back in the direction of the old man. It didn't take long for him to hear the old man before he saw him as a great, whooping cheer rang through the mostly quiet field. Soon after, the hybrid saw the old man where he'd been before, smiling brightly with blood still dripping from your nose. The girls behind him let out a collective "Ooooh," before swarming the old man, fawning over him and struggling with each other to get as close as possible. Never let it be said that they weren't good actors, even if they were dead. The old man himself looked like he had died and gone to heaven a second time. The look of absolute bliss on his face was on a whole nother level.
"Alright, you've got your girls," Articho shouted over the giggling and cooing. "Now how do I get my body back?"
"I could sense the strength in you, sonny. You know about ki manipulation, don't you?" the old man said, looking towards a red head's chest instead of Articho.
"Yeah, I do."
"It's a lot like that. In the afterlife, you can build up an energy called shoki and you can manipulate it just like ki," the old man replied, reaching a hand towards the same red head before she slapped it away with a giggle. "You condense it down and wham, you've got yourself a brand spanking new body. You can also use it as a sort of currency with some people, make of that what you will."
"If that's all there is to it, then I'll take my leave," Articho said, glancing at the blonde. She winked at him, then looked at the other girls with a nod. Slowly, they began edging the old man back towards a pond, he still in a blissful ignorance. Articho did his best to surpress his laughter as he watched the girls lift the old man up and toss him into the pond with a loud splash. The girls ran off, laughing, as the old man was left sputtering and floundering in the pond. Articho turned and floated back in the direction of Snake Way, laughing as he did. He got what he needed, which meant it was time to face the very long and very literal road ahead to returning to the land of the living.
------------
Shoki please! If it's enough by this point, just take 3000 in exchange for a body!