Day One: Early Morning

[Bardock]

“Don’t follow me,” Reijin warned. “Or I’ll kill you.”

The words hung on the air, an idle threat in the proud saiya-jin’s weakened condition. His promise was good enough, but the delivery was somewhat lacking now. Bardock’s face shook with frustration. He could have finished him off, man-to-man, during the perfect opportunity. The bronze bruiser cursed himself under his breath as Reijin’s shadowy figure slipped off into the darkness, tactically retreating while he had the chance.

The remaining saiyan angrily swung his axe through the empty air and moved towards the edge of the cliff. Violet’s dangling body was illuminated under the light of the moon. She winced, forming a sheepish smile on her face.

“Uh…little help here?” she asked.

Bardock crouched down on his haunches, noticing the stray nail gun just above her lone handhold. He picked it up with his free hand and examined it. Didn’t his son have one of these a couple years ago? They were nasty little things. He tossed it behind his shoulder, and then focused his attention on the purple-haired woman suspended precariously on the rim of the rock face. One of her arms hung limply at her side, and she was holding on for dear life with a single hand. Bardock rubbed his chin thoughtfully, his brows deeply furrowed. The possibility that maybe he wasn’t going to pull her up flashed in her eyes, but they were quickly replaced by shock as she felt the rock loosen from the earthy wall and her grip gave way. She uttered a startled cry and her gaze shot downward, waiting for the ground below to loom closer and closer until it claimed her. Instead, Violet felt a firm hand grasp her forearm, and she looked up. Bardock was leaned forward, axe plunged into the earth behind him, anchoring him down. The woman breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn’t going to let her fall. Her fingers tightly grasped his wrist, and he smoothly hauled her up, pulling her away from the precipice.

In the moonlight, Violet could see blood steadily flowing from the side of his face. “Oh my god…your ear…” she said, reaching to touch him. Her hand hesitated, then withdrew, as if she’d thought the better of it.

“It’s nothing,” he grunted, reaching down to pick up his axe. The saiya-jin frowned and clenched his teeth, making his way back to where he’d dropped his bag. Bardock’s dark eyes glittered in the direction Reijin had exited, the possibilities of what could have been still fresh in his mind. As the hunter slung the duffel back over his shoulder, he heard an audible “thanks” from the female. Nothing was said in response. Bar could still feel the intoxicating effects of the adrenaline still pumping steadily throughout his being. Draw or not, that fight was incredible. No one could have been a more perfect match for the old soldier than the young raven-haired saiyan. They both were in prime form. Not a single thing could have made it better, except for Bardock executing the killing blow.

He began to trek forward, this time at a slower pace than his previous leg-burning strides. Noticing that he did not hear any footsteps behind him, he called back over his shoulder, “Are you coming or not?”

The rustling of the nail gun and the light treading quickly gave him his answer.

“Where are we headed?” the femme fatale inquired.

“To find water,” Bardock answered distractedly, having his scouter zoom in on the nearest source of it. The terrain upon which they found themselves had better use as a campsite than most, as the wide sweeping view was advantageous, but it had proved dangerous to battle in without the use of flight.

The pair plodded along the charted course until they reached a small creek running through the bottom of a ridge. Bardock set down his supplies and approached the bank, splashing the cold liquid against the side of his marred head. It stung a little as the now-dried blood was cleansed away. He gingerly rubbed where his ear should have been, realizing in irritation that his hearing was a touch distorted without the bowl of flesh to catch the sound. Other than that, it was just a chunk of missing tissue and cartilage. With a steady hand, he felt around the edges where it had been torn off. The open lesions would clot soon enough, so there was no need for cauterizing.

After he was done with that, he made a quick fire pit with his pyrokinesis and sat down, keeping his axe close by. Bardock ran a hand through his hair, and as per usual habit, rested his elbows on his knees.

“You find anyone else but us?” Bardock wondered.

“No. Just you,” Violet responded, examining her injured shoulder.

That meant she hadn’t collected anything to offer. Bardock inwardly shook his head. He hadn’t asked for her to step in. He could have finished Reijin off on his own, even despite being pinned to the ground by a pitchfork. Even so, this early, if it was his time to die, it was his time to die. The woman hissed in pain as she touched the tender area.

“The nail’s in pretty deep,” Bardock surveyed. “You need to keep from using that arm as much as possible and save it for the fights.”

All he offered was his opinion. He’d played the survival game last year. His companion was going to have to be able to hold her own, because there was only so much he could do, or was willing to do.

The saiyan’s knee bounced lightly. One competitor was down, although not necessarily out. And there was still plenty more to go around.