Chapter 3:
Escape

      He was awestruck. He couldn't explain it, and he anlmost didn't wan't to. There
aren't supposed to be females! thought Piccolo Uhhhh... maybe it's empty, but ready
just in case. That was a feasable explanation. But, there was only one way to find out
for sure.
      Piccolo walked up to the door and found it's little eye-slot and opened it. Peering
inside, he could see nothing but shadows. But just then he heard a rustling sound coming
from within. Then, a dark figure, curled up in the corner, turned it's head.
      "What... what are you staring at?" Came a childish voice, "aren't you going to feed
me?"
      "Uhh, ummm... n, no. I'm... not a guard," Piccolo answered the voice.
      The voice lightened up, "Really? Who are you then?"
      "I'm..." Piccolo cleared his throat and straightened himself out, "I'm here to get
you out!"
      "WHAT?!" the voice exclaimed. The figure jumped up. It was somewhat slim an a bit
frizzy at the top. "Your skin... it's green. Are you..."
      "I'm a Namek"
      "Alright! Open the door!"
      Piccolo didn't hesitate. The curiousity was killing him. He undid the latch on the
door and opened it.
      The figure, jumping up and down in delight, pranced out. Piccolo moved out of the way
to see the most amazing thing come out of the cell. It's skin was green, and it was garbed
in a somewhat tattered cloak. It had long, pink, unkept hair with two antenne protruding
from the forehead area. And it did, indeed, resemble what Piccolo had seen in many
different races, and especially in the human race. It resembled a female. With the
hourglass shape and all the attributes that he'd seen so many times in Roshi's porn
collection. (Piccolo had thumbed through an article or two of it out of curiosity one day)
      "By the gods..." he gasped.
      She turned and smiled at him and clasped her hands together,
"Thankyouthankyouthankyou!!!!" she gleefuly exclaimed.
      "Uh..." Piccolo cocked his head, "you're welcome."
      Then he got serious. He wanted an explanation desperatly, but there was more
important buisness right now. "Look, we have to get out of here before something else
happens. Come on!" He ran by her, thinking she would follow. But she didn't.
      "Hey. you never told me your name." Piccolo stopped in his tracks and turned to face
her.
      "Hmmm... I'm Piccolo."
      She smiled again. "Great! I'm Viola."
      "Ok. Nice to meet you. Can we get going now?" Piccolo turned and began to run again.
      "Uhh... so much for being thankful," then she smiled to herself, "but I'll make it up
to him later!" She dashed off after him.
      They both went up the stairs, but they didn't find themselves in the same castle.
When they reached the top of the stairs, they were in a large hall with brownish-colored
stone pillars and grey stone walls. It was all dimly lit with ornate black metal torches.
Before them was a large fancy stairway of more brown stone. This place had a rather gothic
feeling.
      The moment Piccolo thought that, Viola said, "Gothic... kinda scary. What happened to
the gold and silver?"
      "I don't know. This place is giving me the creeps." Piccolo looked around. "This
way." He said as they went up the stairs.
      They reached the top to find themselves in the throne room staring down the shafts of
four spears. Four fish guards in spikey black armor barred their passage. A voice rang out
in the great hall.
      "And where do you think you're going?" demanded Di'jon as he materialized behind the
four warriors. "Did you think escaping would be that easy? Hm?" He laughed. "Meet my four
finest warriors. I'm sure they'll put you in your place." He laughed again as he
dematerialized.
      Piccolo got into a defensive stance. "Can you fight?"
      Viola looked at him. "I... haven't in a while. I was taken down by these four guys.
I'm not sure if I'll be much help."
      "Well, the odds are better now. You take the two on the right!" and Piccolo sprang
into action.
      He bounded into the air over their heads. One of the warriors addressed two of the
others. "Keep on her! We'll take on him!" Then two of them turned and charged Piccolo, who
quickly blurred out of the way and re-appeared hovering behind them. He charged ki in both
hands and let them have it. Direct hit! But when the smoke cleared, they weren't there.
They had appeared on both sides of Piccolo and charged him again. Too easy he
thought. Piccolo went up and smashed through the roof. The warriors were crafty, though,
and veered up as well before running into each other and chased him out the hole.
      The two other warriors, back in the hall, eyed Viola. "Should be easy, eh Maio?" one
said.
      The other chuckled, "You bet, Musta."
      Viola, flustered, stepped back a bit. Then she leaned foreward, and dissapeared,
along with Maio's spear. "What the hell? Did you see that?"
      "No, I didn't! How'd she do that?" cried Musta. Those were his last words then, for
he was knocked cold by a flying kick to the back of the head.
      Maio screamed.
      Piccolo was having a time with the other two warriors. He had disarmed one, and that
one was attacking with quick punches and kicks. The other attacked with a series of spear
thrusts and sweeps. Piccolo readily avoided it all. He grabbed the spear and did a backflip
with it that jarred the owner loose and sent him flying into the ground, which was covered
with weeds and wilting flowers. Piccolo then hit that one with a ki blast large enough to
do him in. He then whirled around to send of volley of lightning-quick punches twards the
other warrior, chatching him in the stomach, and then the nose, knocking him out.
      Piccolo "hmm"ed just as another spear-weilding figure emerged from the hole in the
throne room ceiling. Piccolo whirled about, finding it only to be Viola. The spear was
blood-soaked. "Whoa... did you just kill them?"
      "Yeah." She answered, "I didn't tell you... when they captured me, I was unarmed. I'm
very good with weapons."
       A cracked voice rumbled their ear drums. "DAMN YOU!!!" Di'jon appeared floating
before them, no longer garbed in a cloak, but in a skin-tight battle-suit. His forearms and
shins were exposed, and he wore no helmet. "You will pay DEARLY for this
insubordination!!!" He threw his right hand up in the air. "AAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGH!!!" he
screamed in a primal rage. Suddenly, rainbow-colored fins opened like sails on his
forearms, shins, and three on top of his head. A burst of red light leaped out of his
raised hand, forming into a red, curved sword that had a blade that redembled coral. A
Coral Sword.
      Waves of energy blasted forth from it, knocking the two Nameks back, and destroying
what was left of the already battered castle. all that was left was a large grey flat rock
with a few weeds protruding from it.
      The king groweled. "Prepare to die, green ones!!" He flew insanely at them. They both
instantly dispersed themselves to opposite sides of the rock. Piccolo shot off several ki
blasts at him, and to his surprise, Di'jon reflected them all back at him with a few quick
movements of his sword. Di'jon then flew behind the blasts, and after Piccolo avoided them
all, he had him tho contend with. The king slashed at him with surprising speed, and
Piccolo had a hard time avoiding everything. He knew a single slice could be enough to send
him to The Great Beyond the Great Beyond, so he backed off and blurred out of view and
returned behind Di'jon to deliver a flying kick to his spine... only to lose a leg as the
king whirled around and disconnected it from his hip.
      Piccolo's eyes widened and cocked. "Gyyyaaaaaaaa..." he groaned as dark liquid dipped
slowly from the great contusion. He heard Viola shreik in horror. Piccolo, though, simply
regrouped his thoughts and energies and backed away quickly. After getting to a safe
distance, Piccolo hunched over and glared evily at Di'jon. "Hehehehe... that's only a flesh
wound," he said in a mocking tone. Di'jon's look of triumph faded at hearing that.
      "Grrr... I'll take your head next!!" raged Di'jon.
      "Hmmm... I know I've heard that one somewhere before." Piccolo sneered.
      Before either of them knew it, Viloa had charged at the king and had attacked him
with outrageous spear attacks as she whirled it about like a helicopter propeller. The two
locked into battle as they used their weapons and avoided eached other's attacks. Piccolo
could follow them, but they were rather quick.
      Piccolo decided to charge up one of his more powerful attacks. He put his fore and
middle fingers to his forehead and began to charge Makankosappo.
      Viola, in the heat of battle, noticed this while Di'jon didn't. After about a half a
minute, (Piccolo's extensive meditating allowed him to charge his attacks much faster)
Piccolo yelled at Viola to get out of the way. She backed off quickly. Di'jon was about to
follow when he noticed Piccolo with a ball of light at his forehead. "Huh?"
      Piccolo let loose with the concentrated beam of ki, which struck Di'jon directly in
the chest. Bullseye! But, his body-suit proved to be strong, as it was destroyed in place
of him.
      Di'jon, though still alive, was now unprotected and very weakened. He was just about
out of energy, and couldn't seem to fly very well. He let himself fall in a daze, not
realizing he wasn't over his rock. Too late, for he couldn't regain his balance. He
screamed as he fell and disappeared into the red clouds, his voice disappearing with him.
      Viola, knowing they probly wouldn't see him again, turned here attention to Piccolo.
"Gods! Your leg was cut off!"
      "No shit." Said Piccolo. He examined the wound. Then he addressed Viloa. "You might
like to look away for a second."
      "Why... uh?" She qucily learned why, for out of Piccolos stump-for-a-leg came small
black greasy tendrils that grew out and whipped about a bit before forming into the vague
shape of a leg, making for a rather gross sight. The shape then slowly became a full
replica of his former leg, and turned green with the normal red pads.
      "Hmmm... gonna have to get a new pair of pants now!" he chuckled.
      Viola was astonished. "How did you do that?" she asked in wonder.
      "Just a trick I learned." he simply stated. He looked off into the horizon. "Now,
lets get away from this dusty rock." He was about to fly off, when she stopped him.
      "Hey!" She yelled. She seemed angry. "There are people still in all theose cells! We
can't just leave them there! That would be cruel." She looked sad. "C'mon! YOu can't be
that mean."
      Piccolo sighed. "Alright. Whatever. Come on." They both went back down into the
dungeon for the rather hefty task at hand.