[04] Search For The Booty!

[Kill Town]

Search For The Booty!

Description: Contestants competing in this event are dropped onto a island in the middle of nowhere with a meager amount of rations and water and one other important thing...a treasure map! X marks the spot in this adventure as the goal of this game is to find where the treasure is hidden and claim it for yourself. But beware! Redbeard is protective of his treasure. The menacing pirate and his crew will do anything to keep you away from it. If you are the one who is so fortunate as to find the treasure, you get whatever is in the treasure chest.

Note: You guys are tied together by a magnetic device. If you guys stray too far from one another, you’ll be pulled back towards one another. There’s plenty of animosity here, but the goal is to work together. A scuffle is okay, but killing each other is not. xD

Participants: Szar, Orion

[Szar]

Szar eyed Mixie incredulously. They'd been wandering for at least a half an hour, and they'd played several games along the way. And Szar had yet to win at any of them. If he didn't know better, he would have guessed she'd been cheating. But the way her eyes lit up after each victory told the Icer that she wasn't. She seemed so engaged in whatever they were doing, her concentration couldn't be broken. Szar had even tried to distract her a few times with clever jokes, but she never paid them any heed. So, several defeats later, the Changeling decided to take a break and find himself something to eat. Deciding that he wanted meat, he looked around for the nearest Hot Dog or Hamburger stand.

Seeing one at the far end of the strip, he grabbed Mixie's free hand--her other hand was laden with various prizes she had won--and they set off towards the food. She stumbled along after him, trying to juggle the pile of stuffed animals she'd collected. Szar had offered to carry them for her, as it was the gentlemanly thing to do, but she had politely refused, joking that he just wanted the dolls for himself. For the first time in a long time, Iceman felt completely relaxed. They made it to the stand, and Szar ordered two cheeseburgers and a large basket of fries. Mixie had turned down food when he offered to get her something, saying that she wasn't hungry.

After his food had been cooked and paid for, the pair found a table close by and sat down. All semblance of etiquette abandoned him and he tore into the food with a frenzy. Mixie watched on politely, electing not to tell Szar that he had food on the corners of his mouth. He'd seemed so gruff when she'd first read his dossier, but Mixie found that he was actually quite nice. She didn't have the heart to tell him that the girl he'd been courting around this entire time wasn't real. That she was a program of Gamer's design, her purpose being to keep tabs on the contestants, keep them playing.

"So, what are you doing working for Gamer, anyway?" Szar asked Mixie between mouthfulls of food, "you don't seem like type."

She craned her head to the side cutely, like a puppy does when it sees something curious. "Type?"

Szar gulped down his water, sighing contently. "Yeah. The type to work with a megalomaniacal nerd who captures people and forces them to compete in bizarre events for his own amusement."

Mixie frowned. She didn't blame Szar--or any of the contestants, really--for their obvious hatred of her master. The idea had seemed harmless enough when he'd created her. He'd told her that he was going to bring in people from all walks of life and have them compete in games, the winner receiving a fabulous prize. What he hadn't told her was that the losers ended up in prison or worse, and that the fabulous prize was something they'd already had to begin with: their freedom. However, she wasn't able to go against her programming, as much as she wanted to.

Szar was still waiting for an answer when his pager went off. Checking it, he saw that it was time for his next event.

"Search for the Booty." he said, reading the name of his event aloud. "Doesn't sound that bad..."

Mixie was grateful for the interruption as a portal opened up next to Szar and he stood to enter it.

"I expect an answer when I get back." he told her, and he stepped fearlessly into the void.

"If you make it back, maybe you'll get it." Mixie whispered as the gateway blinked away.

*****
Stepping out of the portal, Szar took a moment to let the innertia subside. His stomach hadn't acustomed to traveling via these gateways yet, and he always felt nauseous for the first few minutes after coming through. While the Changeling was trying to survey his surroundings, another wormhole opened up in front of him, and an unwelcome figure stepped out. The six feet three inch Orion rolled his shoulders as he looked around. Szar half-humored the idea of trying to hide. It would be difficult to finish the event if the saiyan killed him. He wondered if it were even possible for someone who was on temporary leave from Hell to die again. It seemed the Icer would get his answer as the one eyed saiyan's gaze locked in on him, his expression going from disinterested to absolute rage.

With a bellow he surged forward, striking Szar with a devastating kick before the Changeling could even brace himself. Flipping in mid-air, Szar regained his footing. In an instant Orion was on him again, this time burying his fist in the Icer's abdomen. Szar buckled over, the contents of his stomach spilling out onto the sand. The saiyan, blinded by fury, moved to hit him again, when a shrill whistle sounded around them. Orion stopped mid-swing, shielding his ears from the noise.

"No, no, no!" a voice wheezed, "You're not allowed to kill each other!"

Szar tried to pinpoint the voice's source, but there was no one else around. That meant one thing.

"As much fun as it would be to watch you two go at it, that's not what you're going to do. You're going to work -together- to find the pirate Redbeard's treasure!"

Orion scoffed, looking at Szar with disgust. "There's no way I'll work with a slimy lizard towards anything. You put him and I together once before, and I restrained myself from tearing his head off. You will not stop me twice."

Szar narrowed his eyes as he stood up straight, staring into Orion's good eye.

"Stop it right now!" Gamer ordered, his voice cracking. "This is my game and I make the rules!"

The saiyan warrior shrugged, looking defeated. "Fine. I won't kill him, but you can't force me to work with him."

"That's where you're wrong, Orion! Like I said, I make the rules! I've already put something in place to ensure your cooperation."

Szar rolled his eyes. "If he doesn't want to work with me, that's fine. I don't want to help someone who wants to kill me. Just tell us what we have to do and we'll do it, just not together."

"Aren't you listening?!" Gamer screamed, "This is MY game. I am in charge! You are going to do what I tell you, and you're going to do it as a team! If you don't, you can both kiss your lives goodbye."

Szar groaned and Orion spat on the ground. Neither of them wanted to die, even if it meant having to deal with the other. "That's better." Gamer said smugly, "Now you're going to find Redbeard's treasure. The map showing you the way is in the pack just over there."

In a flash, a backpack materialized at the feet of Orion and Szar. They both reached for it at once. Orion pulled his hand away instantly. "You can carry it, lizard." he spat angrily, turning around and crossing his arms like a pouting child. Szar felt anger swelling up in him, but he swallowed it. Stooping down he picked up the pack, pulling back the flap. A bottle of water, some food, and a rolled up parchment were all that he found inside. Reaching in, he drew out the map, laying it out in the sand. It appeared that they had a ways to go before they found the treasure. The treasure was on the opposite side of the island.

"You couldn't make it easy, could you?" Szar asked aloud, knowing Gamer was still listening.

"It's not fun if it's easy! Now you'd best get going before the pirates find you! I hear they can be pretty nasty to trespassers..." Gamer laughed again, a nasally laugh that grated at Szar's last nerve. He couldn't wait to throttle the stupid boy for putting him through all of this.

Up ahead of them a dense forest lay. According to the map they would have to pass through it to reach the treasure. Rolling the map back up he put it back in the bag. Without a word he pushed past Orion and into the woods. The saiyan followed silently, dreaming of all the painful things he would do to the Icer once they were out of the game.

[Orion]

Steady, Orion placated himself, control yourself.

It was like an automatic instinct. A changeling walks into his field of vision and something snaps in the back of his mind. It didn't assist him that deep down, he knew every lizard hailed from the same gene pool as the tyrannical Frost and his "regal" bloodline, if "regal" was a euphemism for "demonically strong". Seemed to Orion that Frost and his family simply steamrolled through the galaxy, declaring themselves as the emperors due only to the fact that no one alive or dead had the ungodly capacity to slay any of them. One day, he hoped to return to Vegeta-sei and level as much of the changeling occupation as he could, just to show them how much stronger he was now. That was a little dream that had to wait until he was alive again, however.

Szar eyed Orion suspiciously, and for good reason. The feral saiyan, although calm now, was prone to explosive bouts of rage around him simply because he was a changeling. The one eyed warrior wasn't paying him attention at the moment, looking somewhat lost in thought, or perhaps just moping because he didn't get his way. In any case, Szar wasn't interested in provoking the rageaholic, but he wasn't about to succumb to the saiyan's oppression. If he attacked them again, he was sure that Gamer would step in, however annoyingly, and settle the dispute before it got too heated. Hopefully if shit hit the fan again, the nerdy overlord would move before Orion delivered several blunt blows.

Orion grunted. "Stop."

Szar looked over his shoulder. "What?"

"Give me the map," he said in monotone.

The changeling obeyed, if only to avoid another schizophrenic frenzy. He reached into the backpack and extracted the item, handing it to Orion. The saiyan dusted it off, as if Szar had contaminated it somehow, and unfurled it. His single eye moved back and forth as he scanned the map, coming to the same conclusion that Szar had. They had to venture through the island jungle to arrive at the giant X.

"Hmph. Just checking that you weren't luring me to my death," Orion murmured as he shoved the rolled map into Szar's chest. "But if you don't mind, I'd rather do this on my own."

Szar rolled his eyes. "By all means."

Orion didn't need the provisions that were contained within the satchel on the lizard's back; besides, he wouldn't want it, now that changeling scales had made contact with the fabric. If Szar was going to survive, he would need every advantage he could get. Sitting around stuffing their corpulence while sending the saiyan people to their deaths ruined whatever survival instincts that endured after massive destruction and genocide. There was a likely chance that the lizard would be a decomposing carcass the next time he saw him. That made Orion smirk just a little as he walked away from Szar.

Suddenly, the saiyan felt a force pulling him backwards as he tried to move forward. It was steady, but it revealed little strength. It was probably the changeling, begging Orion not to leave him alone in the dark, scary jungle. Pathetic, but it amused him. Saiyans were superior to their shapeshifting "masters", so it was pleasant to see one of the almighty bow like a lowly peasant for his help.

As Orion was indulging in his fantasy, the reactionary force strengthened. He tried taking a step forward, but he was being dragged backwards, his heels leaving trails in the sand. Orion turned around, confident that his original presumption was entirely inaccurate. Szar was approaching him in much the same manner; his back turned and unwillingly. Their tails met, and the clank of metal resounded.

"What the hell is this?!" Orion bellowed.

Szar yanked himself free of the grip with persistent pressure on his leading foot. He examined his tail, noticing a metallic bracelet around its middle. "A magnet?"

Orion unhinged the golden chain of his robe and removed it, exposing his sleeveless ebony chest plate and the one identifiable racial trait, his tail. He ran his fingers over it, locating the cold steel device. "This is ridiculous. I'm finding the treasure by myself. I don't want to pull you along the entire way."

Szar attempted to pry the device free with his nails, but found it hardy and unbreakable. "I don't think these are going to come off any time soon."

"The hell they're not!" Orion roared. A navy aura consumed his body, blowing waves of sand outwards. "I'm no damn joke to anyone, I don't care who they think they are!"

Like a phosphorous rescue flare ascending in the night sky, Orion exploded upwards. A diminishing trail of light was left in his wake as he continued to garner altitude. The plan was simple; propel himself with enough velocity to break the magnetic bond between the two unlikely contestants and off he went to his treasure chest and to victory, leaving Szar wallowing on the beach front. It was win-win.

Orion's accelerating comet of a form abruptly joined with another equally powerful force urging him to return to the sand. The saiyan grimaced, funnelling more ki into his escape, brightening like a coalescing star. His added fervor failed to assist against the magnetic ordinance, abating his augmented speed. Not one to submit without a struggle, Orion pressed on, burning more energy to combat the unbreakable pull. He quickly realised that he was fighting a losing battle; all the ki he was expending was utterly useless against the force of nature continuing to grow in intensity.

With a defeated yell, Orion was catapulted towards the earth like he was launched from an oversided rubber band. Szar watched his aura dissipate from the ground, convinced that the saiyan warrior somehow managed to sever their magnetic connection. That was until he spotted the one eyed veteran hurtling towards the beach. Towards him.

"Oh shit!" Szar cried, turning and sprinting away from danger. Orion's trajectory altered with Szar's movements, changing angles to align again with the magnetic bracelet on his tail. There was no escaping it.

"Damn you Gamer!"

Orion collided with Szar, shielded amongst a cylindrical wall of sand that erupted from the very ground. It cascaded back to the ground, filling in the massive indentation in the beach. Both participants of Gamer's tournament lay stunned in the pit's centre. Szar was the first to find his voice.

"Great idea, there," he groaned sarcastically, floating out of the hole.

Orion grunted, clearing the cusp of the pit with a single bound. "Got any better ones?"

"We'll just have to go through the jungle together," Szar stated, brushing off the sticky granules from his forearms.

"Ugh. I guess there is no choice," Orion complained. "But try anything funny, lizard, and it'll be the last thing you do. Understand?"

"Whatever," Szar returned apathetically. The saiyan's bravado was getting tiresome.

Orion took an arrogant step in front of the changeling. "I'll lead the way."

[Orion]

Everything seemed so real. It fascinated Orion, to a certain extent. He knew that he was plugged into a virtual reality, a coded program dictating his senses through a cloud of ones and zeros, but without prior knowledge that he was in fact part of the computer application, he couldn't tell the difference. Everything held the same weight as its real world counterpart; his boots required the same amount of leg muscles to lift, his robe was still as light as a feather when he removed it earlier, the sunlight that kissed his skin was just as warm as a normal star, and the sand still stuck to his body in the most inappropriate places just by sitting in it for a moment. Gamer could accomplish greater feats than some childish competition if he put his mind to it. A copy of this program, slightly tweaked, could prove to be a brilliant combat simulator. Of course, Cabbis would have found this utterly spellbinding. Orion hoped he was still out there somewhere.

The saiyan leader brushed through the intersecting leaves of two overgrown ferns covering the sandy path through the island forest. Normally such a clear cut passage wouldn't exist in an uninhabited tropical island, but as he reminded himself, this was an artificial replica. The imitated calls of bird life mingled with the high pitched chirping of the insects. Adding in the humid air and constant awareness that they could be set upon at any moment, it was as close to a real island as Orion knew them. At least Gamer placed them during daylight, although that could alter at his whim. For now, visibility was great, lowering the chance of a sudden attack. The crunchy forest floor composed of fallen leaves and twigs would make any potential approach unambiguous.

Orion turned a furtive eye over his shoulder. Szar was still faithfully following, no doubt cooking up some nefarious scheme to end him when the right opportunity presented itself. Filthy lizard scum. Utterly untrustworthy, the entire cast of their misbegotten race. Admittedly Szar hadn't given Orion much reason to project the changeling stereotype onto him; in fact, he hadn't so much as missed a "God bless you" when someone sneezed. To Orion, however, that only made him stand out of the crowd, as if something were abnormal about him. The only logical conclusion the saiyan could come to while blinded by his racism was that Szar was putting on a convincing farce. No one else may have seen it, but Orion knew the truth.

"You really don't trust me, do you?" Szar said all of the sudden.

Orion answered without turning around. "I thought I had made that abundantly clear."

"Look, I know you won't believe a word I say, and I'll probably regret saying this, but for what it's worth ..."

The saiyan didn't show it, but Szar had his full attention.

"I'm ... sorry. About ... about your people."

Orion stopped dead in his tracks without turning around. Szar waited behind him, expecting some sort of furious overreaction to his apology. A tense moment passed, but the veteran warrior merely stood in the path, unmoving. Szar felt uneasy; Orion was unusually unresponsive to the apology. What was he doing?

"You're ... sorry ... for my people?" Orion repeated so softly that Szar almost failed to hear him.

"I'm ... not like those who enslaved yo-"

Like a jack-in-the-box, Orion burst from his standing position and body slammed Szar into the nearest palm tree. His hand aggressively clamped around the changeling's neck, much like the beginning of their altercation in Wonderland, and held him above the ground. Szar struggled against the hold, despite the saiyan's strange disinclination to choke him. He merely held him off the island floor, staring at him with his single, penetrating eye. Judging by Orion's actions, he wasn't intending to harm him. Not yet, anyway.

"Do ... you understand what your people have done ... what they still do to my people?" Orion asked point-blank, his emotionless countenance eerily out of place for such a question. Szar was afraid to answer. He shouldn't have even offered an apology. It wasn't his place to ask forgiveness for the crimes of his people; he didn't even share in their malicious deeds. He wanted to disprove the ignorant belief that all changelings were monsters, because Szar knew he wasn't like them.

If Orion's steely gaze were a laser, Szar was certain there would be a charred hole through his face. He just wished he would do something.

"Why don't you struggle?" he phrased suddenly.

"Struggle? I ..."

"I haven't attempted you harm, yet you continue to let me hold you here. Why?" Szar was about to reply, but Orion cut him off. "You even dared to apologise to me for something you didn't do. I ..."

Orion abruptly released Szar, allowing him to plop onto the ground gracefully.

"I find all lizards repugnant," Orion added, turning his back on Szar. "I can't tell if you're acting or not, but I ... "

A silence ensued. Szar nodded. "Let's keep going, shall we?"

Orion cleared his throat. "Yes. We must find the treasure before the sun goes down. Come."

Locked inside his mind, Orion was thrown around in a tempest of conflicting thoughts. Szar was infuriating him more than any other changeling he had ever known. It was easier with them; they fit the description of the megalomaniacal tyrants and he could simply write them off as the cancer of the universe. Szar, however, struggled to detach himself from that stereotype. Even his basic movements and sentence structure suggested his alignment against the changeling spirit. He had the audacity to say sorry for the crimes against the saiyans, even though he wasn't in an authoratitve position to take the blame for them. Every fibre of Orion's being convulsed at his exterior, but beneath his purple and white skin, there was an individual, a member of the lizards that didn't follow the pack. The one eyed warmonger had more trouble digesting this sudden realisation more than anything else.

Could Szar be trusted? To any real extent, Orion was still iffy. Szar was proving himself to be everything the changelings he knew were not. What he could do to earn the old fighter's appraisal was unknown even to him, but he had an opportunity, and that was saying something for a lizard. Orion knew all too well what it was like to be condemned simply for existing within a certain caste of the universe's multitude of lifeforms. If Szar was the real deal, he would discern it for himself. He chuckled to himself. He was sympathising with a lizard? Would wonders never cease?

He refused to accept his apology, however. Szar's offer displayed the quality of his soul, but it didn't satiate the justice in Orion's heart. The changeling overlords, at the very least, owed him and his people a blood debt. Before this tournament, every one of their kin required to be erased from the galaxy before Orion would be truly content, but ... maybe there were ones out there missing the marauding gene that was so prevalent in their leaders.

Orion decided that their union in partnership was acceptable for now. If the earlier events were any gauge, they would need to work in tandem to accomplish their goal. Cautious trust would be afforded to Szar, but ultimately if they found the treasure and it's contents were valuable, Orion would claim them without question. It was the best the changeling could hope for with him, not that he knew exactly what was transpiring in the saiyan's mind.

He had an inkling, however. Orion's reactions were highly unorthodox, considering their previous meeting. Perhaps he finally reached him? He couldn't make that sort of firm conjecture and rely on it, however. The one eyed warrior was still cordoned off and prone to fits of anger, but this was a good sign. Szar dared to be hopeful.

The two unlikely partners made it to the end of the jungle. Peering through a dense shrub, they saw the beach sprawled out before them. Funnily enough, just like on Szar's map, a huge red X was painted across the sands, and right on the shore, an impressive pirate ship was docked. Members of the crew hung about the zone, brandishing cutlasses in one hand and an amber bottle of rum in the other. Although they appeared gangly and malnourished, neither of the duo had any doubts as to their strength. Gamer was nothing if not a predictable arsehole, and the perceived weakness of the pirate crew was almost certainly a devious trap.

"We've got our work cut out for us," Szar mentioned.

"Any plans?" Orion asked. A faint glow caressed a ready fist. "And remember, no funny business."

[Szar]

Szar looked to the beach, making a mental note of the number of pirates and their positions in relation to the treasure. They were heavily concentrated around the red X, which only made sense. The treasure was theirs and they were going to protect it. There were at least 25 men on the beach that Szar counted, and their ship was anchored just off shore. Judging from its size it could likely hold up to 200 men. That meant that a direct assault on their camp might prove successful at first, though they would likely be overrun before they managed to make off with their prize.

The rum bottles they all seemed to be glued to made things quite a bit simpler. 200 sober pirates against the Saiyan and the Icer; hardly favorable odds. If they were intoxicated, however, that made the pair's job significantly easier. Alcohol lowered the ability to reason properly, as well as perform basic motor functions if enough was consumed. Szar didn't know from first hand experience what being drunk was like, but he had known plenty of alcoholics in his life.

"If not for these magnets," Szar complained, eying the metal band locked around his tail, "I'd suggest that one of us act as a decoy."

Orion shook his head, disappointed. "That's the best you could come up with? Leave it to a lizard to not be able to come up with a plan." Orion cracked his knuckles, smiling as he stared down at the crew. His hand was still glowing with energy when he stood up, striding confidently down towards the mass of pirates. Szar would have argued but the magnet forced him to comply, and he followed the one-eyed saiyan straight into the lion's den.

The men, who were gathered around a campfire, laughing and telling stories, abruptly stopped their revelry as the unfamiliar duo approached them. A few of them brandished their blades, encircling Orion and Szar. The saiyan stood tall, unafraid in the face of the numbers. Szar tried his best to look unafraid, but while he was confident in his martial skill he didn't anticipate him lasting too long against these odds. His mind wandered back to the first round of this game, when he had been overwhelmed by the card-men in the Queen's service. And this time, they wouldn't be locked up in a dungeon. The pirates would kill them without a second thought.

"Look'it this one, boys." one of the pirates said, a balding man whose teeth were black and falling out. "He's purple."

"He's got horns, too! What the hell are ya'?" said another, taking a deep swig of his rum.

"What a freak! I bet we could lock 'em up and sell 'em to McCready. Put him on display at one of his shows, I bet, and get us a pretty penny, too!"

"He's like a walking purple lizard! Is that what you are, boy? A lizard?" the first man was in Szar's face, then, his face hot and reeking of alcohol. He and his friends shared a laugh at the Icer's expense. Orion simply stood there, letting the pirates have their fun.

Szar let all the anger he'd been repressing out in a single punch. The man's jaw snapped and his neck craned around, his eyes rolling back in his head as he collapsed. The laughter stopped at once, a deathly silence covering the beach. Orion smirked, glad to see that Szar wasn't willing to let himself be walked over. Following Iceman's lead, Orion sent a pirate soaring with a ki-charged uppercut. The crew was in an uproar, then, drawing their blades and setting down their bottles. Their circle tightened, leaving Szar and Orion surrounded by a sizable force of very angry pirates. Out of the corner of his eye, before all hell broke loose, Szar could have sworn Orion looked happy.

In an instant a wave of men surged in from every direction, slashing wildly with blades, proper and improvised, some choosing to come in bare handed. Szar and Orion took one last glance at one another before they both vanished impressively. The pirates stood their ground, dumbfounded. Some even looked to their bottles questioningly. Reappearing at either side of the pack, Orion and Szar took to hit-and-run tactics, striking down one or two pirates before blinking away. The beach was lost to chaos as the less brave of the pirate crew scrambled back toward the ship, abandoning their friends who choose to stay to a timely end at the hands of the Saiyan and the Icer. In a few minute's span, the entire beach party either dead on the sand. Those that chose to run were climbing over each other, trying to find refuge on their ship.

Reaching down for one of the bottles the pirates had abandoned, Szar took a large gulp, offering it to the saiyan. "A good start, I think. I was wondering what you were planning by walking right into the thick of things."

Orion took the offered drink without his usual reserve, and he downed the rest of the strong liquor. "I was half-thinking about just flying away and leaving you there, lizard."

Szar felt his stomach clench, but he relaxed when he looked to Orion and saw that he was smirking. Maybe Szar's apology had gotten through after all? Ever since he'd said it, the saiyan's demeanor had changed. It was too early to tell, but it was a welcome improvement nonetheless. "Enough stalling, let's get that treasure and get out of here."

The two found the X easily enough, and the shovels were close by. After a few minutes silent digging, their shovels clanged as they reverberated off the chest's lid. Brushing away the last layer of sand, the one-eyed saiyan and his Icer companion heaved the massive chest out of the hole. At the same time, the gangplank of the ship lowered into the water, and waves of pirates began to flood the beach. By the time they had reached the spot where the treasure had been, all that remained was an empty hole and two sets of footprints leaving the camp, disappearing back into the forest.

----

"...Captain, you have to wake up!"

Redbeard eased open his good eye. Above him hovered the face of his first mate, Largos, lined with sweat and creased with worry.

"...Sure is gone! They took it!"

Reaching towards his nightstand, the Captain of the Azure Flame pulled open the table's drawer, drawing out an iron flask. Twisting off the top he grimaced as the foul-tasting brew hit his taste buds. Setting the flask down on his nightstand, he sat up in bed. His first mate stood trembling in front of him, wringing his hat in his hands.

Crack

The sound of flesh meeting flesh sounded through the cabin as the Captain back-handed Largos. No matter the emergency, the Captain had gave explicit orders that he was not to be disturbed. On his ship not following orders meant being punished, and that slap was just the beginning. After the mate told Redbeard his message, he would likely have him locked up overnight. Weeks of kitchen duty would come afterward, with perhaps a few night in the crow's nest.

"All right, what was it you were saying?" Redbeard said calmly as he plucked his captain's jacket from the hook on the wall.

His first mate scrambled forward, blubbering apologetically. "They took it, sir! It's gone!"

Redbeard sighed as he clipped his belt. "What did they steal? And who is they?"

"There was two of them! One looked normal enough, tall, black hair and beard, eye-patch. I thought he was one of the new guys at first. Then there was the other one, he was weird, sir! He stood as tall as a man, with purple skin and horns!"

Digging through a pile of papers on his desk, Redbeard tried to pay attention to Largos' tale as he searched for his favorite ring. "And what did they steal?"

The mate's face lost its color, then. "They took the treasure, sir." he blanched.

Redbeard froze. His hand went to the key he wore on the chain around his neck. Reassurance set in instantly. "Don't worry, they'll be back."

"Sir?" the mate asked, confused. "How do you know that?"

The pirate captain pulled the chain from around his neck, holding the key up to his first mate. "There is but one key to open that box, and I have it. I had a witch cast a spell on that chest when we were docked in that little village just north of here, you see, a bit of a precaution but I always thought that witchcraft was a fascinating art and....well, I digress. This key is the only way they'll be getting into that chest. Rally the men, double the watch, and have parties sent out to patrol the forest. I want these thieves found and brought to me by nightfall."

Redbeard's first mate nodded, turning to leave.

"Oh, and one more thing."

Largos froze in place, his hand gripping the door handle. "Cap'n?"

"You'd best find them, and soon. Remember what happened to Barthos?"

Largos nodded. Barthos had been the first mate to Captain Redbeard before Largos, and he'd disagreed with the Captain on how things on the ship were to be run. In the end, Barthos was executed for mutiny and his body sent to the lowest depths of Davy Jone's locker.

"That is nothing like what will happen to you if you don't return MY treasure." Redbeard said cryptically, winking with his good eye. Largos swallowed hard, racing out of the Captain's quarters without a word.

----

"What the hell is with this thing?!" Orion raged, kicking the heavy chest. They'd left the camp behind them, disappearing into the woods. The pirates would likely burn the forest down around them if it meant getting their treasure back. Yet, despite their best efforts, they could not manage to get the box open. Szar was merely irritated with the delay, but the saiyan was beside himself.

"Why won't this stupid thing open?!" he fumed, pacing back and forth, glaring hard at the chest.

"We don't have the key. It's probably something Gamer put in place to make things harder for us." Szar said, trying to pacify the saiyan's foul temper.

"Well damn him and damn this stupid box!" Orion roared, kicking the box again.

"Just shut up and try to get some sleep." Szar barked, the saiyan's tantrum was quickly growing stale.

"Why the hell would I sleep, lizard?!" Orion snapped.

"Because," Szar muttered, trying to keep his voice low, "We'll be going back tonight, and we'll want to be rested up if we're to deal with the rest of them."

"Fine," Orion relented, sitting down at the base of a tree. "You can have first watch, then, Szar."

Iceman didn't reply, his mind was too busy reeling after Orion used his name. It was the first time he'd called him something other than 'lizard'. And while Orion slipped into slumber, Szar relished in the small comfort that fact brought him.

[Orion]

Old habits died hard, it seemed. Orion failed to get any good sleep. He tried his best, but knowing that a changeling was "protecting" him while he rested made him feel uneasy. Sure, he afforded some weak level of trust to Szar, but his old racist attitude wouldn't leave him alone. It was hard enough to mete out any form of companionship to him, even though he was shakily confident in it. Years of biased hatred bred an interminable aversion to his new quasi-friendship.

Orion eventually awoke, unable to sleep any longer. What little shut eye he got was broken and restless anyway, so he may have well let Szar take a break.

"I'm up," the saiyan announced redundantly, rising to his feet. "I'll take watch."

"Did you rest well?" Szar asked.

"Just lie down," Orion stated.

Szar did as he was instructed, taking up a relaxed position by the base of the same tree as Orion had. The saiyan walked over to the treasure chest and gave it a sturdy kick. It still refused to budge. Blasted Gamer and his ridiculous hijinx. Orion sat upon the chest, surveying the jungle for signs of any pirates scouting the area. He expected some sort of rabble while he slept; after all, they plucked their prized treasure right in front of them. Why wouldn't they send out a search party for something so valuable? Maybe they were just unlucky, investigating in the wrong sections of the jungle. If that were the case, then by process of elimination they would locate them soon.

Several hours drifted by. Orion's presumption was wrong. He sat alone amidst the cool ocean breeze, keeping his senses alert in the event that the pirates found them. It was seeming less and less likely for now, but his seasoned experience with tense cat and mouse games was to never let down his guard. Despite that forged instinct, he realised just how bored he was. The pirates they battled earlier were pushovers. Who cared if they got the jump on them? Orion wasn't a simple drunken brawler like those nomadic sailors. He was an accomplished warrior and tactician. Let them come, he mused.

"Argh! Enough of this!" Orion finally announced. He leapt off the treasure chest and turned around to face it. A condensed sphere of energy pooled in his open hand. No pathetic wooden box would defy his desires; he required the chest's contents, and he was going to have it. He clasped the chest with one hand and hurled it into the sky, punching through the leafy canopy of the jungle. Orion too quick aim and fired the energy bolt he collected, watching the chest disappear within an expanding cloud of fire. He smirked. There was no way the chest could endure such an explosion.

He couldn't have been more wrong. The chest, blackened and singed, dropped like a stone and slammed into the jungle floor, right where from where Orion had picked it up. It sat there, brazenly mocking him as wafts of steam rose from its lid. He groaned. There really was no way to shatter the case without the key.

It was then that the saiyan recalled the purchase he put through before the start of the round. Juno alerted him to the badges system that the game had in place to become the victor. Since Orion's only goal was to survive and tear out Gamer's larynx, he had little desire to purchase these badges, instead becoming intrigued by the enigmatic "mystery items" that were available. After sinking all of his monies into the purchase, he stuffed the capsules into his pockets and forgot all about them. He sunk his hands into his robe and withdrew a handful of tiny balls. Clicking the activation lever, he tossed all seven items onto the ground, creating a plume of smoke before unveiling his prizes.

Amongst some additions and subtractions to his badge score, he was left with only two physical objects; a small, furry rodent in a spherical enclosure, and a paperback tome called "Twilight: A New Moon." What worth either of this objects had was unknown, but his boredom led him to explore. He picked up the pet in the ball. An inscription on its rotund side read "Space Hamster". Orion was clueless as to what a space hamster was. Was it a variation of an earthling animal? He stared into the ball, inspecting the creature's movements.

The hamster turned its twitchy nose left and right before it realised the huge saiyan staring it down. It seemed surprised for a moment but then settle down, standing on its two hind legs. After a moment of contemplation, it lifted a paw and covered its left eye, returning the inquisitive glare of the saiyan.

Orion furrowed his brow. Was this space hamster imitating him?

He rubbed his forehead with two fingers. The space hamster mimicked, scratching the tuft of fur above its eyes with its surprisingly dexterous claws. Orion wasn't enjoying being mocked by a rodent capable of being crushed in his meaty hand.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Orion demanded of the hamster.

The furry mammal opened its buck toothed mouth and squeaked in tone with the saiyan's question before biting the base of its spherical prison and gnawing a hole through it. Before Orion could hurl the pint sized pantomime into the ocean, it hopped onto Orion's lap and stopped. From behind it's back, it extracted a garish top hat and placed atop its head before whipping out a diamond studded cane.

"Why, the fresh sea air is doing wonders for my coat, what," the space hamster stated in a sophisticated British accent.

Orion wrenched his face. "What the hell?!"

"Thank you ever so much for freeing me from that cursed capsule," the rodent continued, affixing a monocle to one of its beady eyes.

"How ... are you talking? You just sounded like a damn rat before."

"Oh, yes, that. You see old chap, that infernal bubble was filled with helium, what. Makes my voice as high pitched as the missus' when she finds out I've been banging that delightful bird in the next door neighbour's hutch. Oh, blimey, the noise she makes."

"I see," Orion said. Maybe a feeble minded human would be taken aback by a talking gerbil, but the saiyan had seen far stranger events in his long life. "So ... what do you do?"

"Why, old chap, I'm here to assist, what!"

"Do you have a name?"

"Hmm ... I guess Sprinkles will suffice."

"Sprinkles?" Orion returned incredulously. "Ahem, that's fine. So if you're here to assist me, you can start by chewing through this damn treasure chest." Sprinkles scurried up the saiyan's arm as he stood off the chest and showed it to him. "I'm getting ready to destroy it if I can't get it open."

"Ah, quite the pickle there, gov'ner. You'll need Redbeard's key to unlock that, what."

"How do you know that? And who's Redbeard?" Orion questioned.

"Why, I'm quite a knowledgable chap, old boy. True as steak and kidney pie. Redbeard is the jolly leader of those ragamuffin pirates. You'll need to speak to him to get the key from him, what. I don't think he'll hand it over willingly, mind you." Sprinkles wriggled his nose.

"That doesn't sound too difficult," Orion commented. "His cronies were pretty weak."

"Don't be fooled, old ... spice," the posh hamster informed. "His crew might be as easily licked as a popsicle but he's no dandy. If you wish to obtain the key, you best be ready."

"I guess that's our next course of action, then," the saiyan affirmed. "Szar! Wake up!"

The changeling officer startled back to consciousness. "What? What is it?"

"My furry friend here let me know about the possessor of the chest's key." Orion hoisted the chest, still heated from the ki blast, onto his shoulder. Sprinkles hastily scampered to the other shoulder. "Let's go get the key."

[Kill Town]

Winner: Orion

Szar will wake up in the prison.

Great job, guys. Both of you.

The ending will be up soon.