Area C: Day Four

[Bardock]

Swiftly and silently, a shadow leapt from tree base to tree base in the dark timbers of Area C. A gloom permeated the atmosphere so thickly that it depressed the very soul. The very earth on which you stood was soft and plotted with hazardous quagmires. A forbidding nature skulked around every bush, every tree, every lurking corner of the morose woodland. It was as if a living putrescence had integrated itself into the insentient backdrop. By comparison, Area D was its extreme contrast. A barren wasteland could hardly correlate with a dense forest. Even the heat was different. While the sun blazed onto the dry earth of D, a humid, muggy atmosphere hung thickly in the air of C, exacerbating the rate of fatigue. In summation, the forest exuded pure evil.

In fact, it was this dastardly thicket that had grounded Bardock in the first place, not only barring his flight pattern indefinitely but preventing him from seeing below the consolidated canopy that acted as umbrella to the moor. The Saiya-jin did not fear the gloom. No, that was not it at all. It presented a feeling of unease. He supposed that was what made fighting more interesting. Not only were they up against one another, they were pitted against nature itself. As foreigners, they weren't harmonic with Dante's symbiosis, increasing their odds of disfavor on the hostile planet.

A decaying branch cracked free from its trunk, the dry bark splintering lustily. Out of pure instinct, Bardock raised a well-muscled arm and opened his palm, unleashing a hasty blast of constructed Ki at the source of the discord. The entire upper half of the timber was shattered into fragments, leaving nothing it its wake but a charred stump of smoking, jagged lumber. Strangely, no birds flocked, nor did any woodland creatures scatter. The sound had gone unheard, unnoticed, or unheeded. The black-haired brawler cursed himself for being so anxious. It was difficult to remain calm in an inhospitable environment. Without further ado, the Saiyan moved on as quickly and silently as possible. Stealth and concentration were of the utmost importance.

Still nothing. No woman. No mysterious fighter without a powerlevel. Nothing. Not a soul existed, save for the blurring shadow that sprinted through the lonely darkness. It wasn't until Bardock happened upon some bipeds in uniform that he realized he wasn't alone.

Synex soldiers.

Their sole purpose in life was to hunt down and kill any stray combatants left in the tournament. Using a trick he had picked up on Earth, the evolved ape pushed down his Ki output, making him more difficult to track on radar. He was unaware of any innate energy sensing skills, and thought it best to continue. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. In this case, there was nothing to be gained at all. He would not be paid or rewarded for killing these buffoons. Bardock craved a bigger prize. Slipping past them did not prove to be difficult; the proficiency of these soldiers was preposterous. As he continued to skirt the Synex garrison, the environment slowly became more swamplike.

Within no time at all, Bardock happened upon a bunker. The walls were covered in foliage that oozed slime. It looked like it hadn't been used in decades. The man hadn't entered an outpost for the day, and figured that now would be a good time to get a quick fix for the collar. Bardock pressed his back up against a nearby tree. His scouter read no human danger, but that didn't exclude the possibility that there weren't mechanical means of defense.

Flash!

One second the warrior was behind the tree, and the next he was within the confines of the safehouse. The collar was mollified for another twenty-four hours. Everything was copacetic. Bardock was in no need of rest, food, or medical supplies as of yet, so he was there and gone, in search of his ever-elusive quarry.


OOC: Bardock has entered and exited the southwestern bunker of Area C, and in hot pursuit of Selipa.