#i didn't think i'd get sick of typing 'f-tunnel' but i thought the same thing about 'bigreen' and 'tikosi' so i'm not too surprised

[novelmonger]

Ooh, we have a clear winner this time!

Final Fantasy II - While not my favorite Final Fantasy by any means, I remember having fun with this one. It tried out some rather revolutionary things for its time, and introduced some staples of the Final Fantasy franchise. I was surprised to discover it was this game that introduced chocobos; they're such a fixture, I would have expected them to have been in the first game too. Also, this game taught me the word "doppelganger" - the battle against which was one of the more memorable ones, I think.

Oregon Trail II - I didn't play this game as much as the first one, but I remember it was a lot easier. I probably only made it to Willamette Valley twice in the first one, but I could get to the end of Oregon Trail II most times I actually played it all the way through. I also remember the buffalo moved waaaaaay faster in the second game, so it was a lot harder to shoot them. It's like they were on roller skates or something, scooting back and forth in front of you.

Stairs - Not surprised at all nobody voted for this. Very obscure indie horror game that unfortunately I remember most for giving me motion sickness ^^' The ending was really scary, but mostly I found it kind of forgettable.

Another Code: Two Memories - An underrated gem of an adventure game for the DS. I was mostly interested in it because it was made by the same people who made Hotel Dusk, which was basically the whole reason I got a DS in the first place. It's definitely not as good as Hotel Dusk, but I liked it. I should probably play it again sometime, because I don't remember the story very well at all.

Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars - This adventure game will live forever in infamy with me and my siblings because of its weird voice acting. Some lovely examples we still quote to each other, some fifteen years later: "The door. Was locked." "It didn't work." "Hi! I'm George Stobbart." It was kind of like a lower-quality Last Express to me, and the mechanics could be really clunky. But that might have been because I played the Wii port, so maybe it would have been fine if I'd been using a mouse instead of a Wiimote.

F-Zero X - Classic racing game. So many good memories of playing this with my siblings. While racing games are usually not my style, we had lots of fun with it. I still distinctly remember the first time we played the Sand Ocean level, where you can go spinning around and around through the tunnel and go flying through the air if you pop out while still on the ceiling, and we were all whooping for the sheer joy of it ^_^ (But Mute City will always have the best F-Zero music <3)

Five Nights at Freddy's 3 - In my opinion, the weakest of the series. For one thing, it's not set at an actual Freddy's location, but a recreated "haunted house" type attraction, so most of the spooky stuff there is supposed to look spooky and, ironically, ends up less so :/ As soon as you figure out the gimmick of the game, which I did on Night 2, the tension and creep factor goes way down. I was about as bored as you can possibly be when winding up a music box and fixing faulty wiring to keep a mangy, haunted animatronic from coming and eating your face :P

I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream - I was really surprised to see that this one won! I thought for sure it would be too old and obscure for anyone to have even heard of it, let alone played it. I haven't read the short story it's based on, but it certainly made for a trippy (and kind of depressing) post-apocalyptic game! @_@ What I find most fascinating is that Harlan Ellison wrote the dialogue for the game and did the voice acting for the computer AM, even though he said he hated video games. Maybe he just wanted to make sure they did it right...? In any case, I'm sure that's why the game's dialogue is so good, even if the voice acting is a bit meh.

Arbitrarily-Chosen Video Game Tournament, Round 1.2

Welcome to the Arbitrarily-Chosen Video Game Tournament, where we will find out which of the games I've played is the best game of all time!

Why? Don't ask. Just vote and reblog!

[duhragonball]

[FIC] Luffa: The Legendary Super Saiyan (43/?)

Disclaimer: This story features characters and concepts based on Dragon Ball, which is a trademark of Bird Studio/Shueisha and Toei Animation.   This is an unauthorized work, and no profit is being made on this work by me. This story is copyright of me. Download if you like, but please don’t archive it without my permission. Don’t be shy.

Continuity Note: About 1000 years before the events of Dragon Ball Z.

Previous Chapters conveniently available here

[16 May 236 Before Age.  Extraliga]

"Long story short," Luffa said, "We kicked their asses."

From the bridge of Luffa’s star yacht, Keda sat in the captain’s chair and watched the viewscreen intently as the Saiyan filled her in on what had been going on these past few days.  They had contacted her from the "F-Tunnel", the wormhole dimension Planet Wist had used to deploy its invasion forces.  Keda wasn't sure how she was getting such good reception from another dimension, but this was the least of her worries at the moment.

"Look, I haven’t heard from either of you in almost a week, okay?" Keda said, trying to keep an even tone.  "The last I knew Luffa was heading into a trap and Zatte was rushing into enemy camps all by herself.  Now you’re in some kind of hotel room together wearing silk togas, and it sounds like... Is that a party outside?  I think I need a few gaps filled in, if that’s okay."

Luffa was too busy gnawing on what looked like an enormous hambone, so Zatte answered instead.  "Keda, I’m fine," she said.   "The mission was a cakewalk, honestly."

"Then what’s with that bandage on your arm?" Keda asked skeptically.

Zatte glanced down at the wound as though she had forgotten it, and smiled nervously.  "One of the Wist soldiers came at me with a knife," she explained.

"A knife?!  Are you okay?!" Keda gasped.

"Of course she is, kid!" Luffa growled.  "That chump had to use a knife because Zatte shut off the power to their firearms.  Yeah, he got in a decent hit, but he had to get in close to do it, and in the time it took to do that--!"

"The program I uploaded into the Undeletor finally kicked in," Zatte finished.  "Like we figured, the Wistian soldiers were just projected copies of real people.  The Undeletor machine could recreate them as they were killed, but once I sabotaged it, the projections all shut down."

"Hell of a scrap," Luffa said with her mouth full.  "One minute she was surrounded by guards, and then poof!  They all vanished.  Good thing, too.  Another second, that guy with the knife would have gutted you like a--"

"Anyway... I came to the F-Tunnel after securing the Undeletor," Zatte broke in.  "And Dr. Topsas has already taken care of my wound.  It’ll be fine.  I promise."

"Well, okay," Keda said.  "What about the prisoners, then?"

"They’re all accounted for," Luffa said.  "Argon was using faeries to keep them magically trapped in this place."  She was holding her food in one hand and Zatte in the other.  For a moment she had to decide which one to let go, then she finally laid down the shank and picked up a small round stone, which she held up for Keda to see.

"Take a look at this," Luffa said.

"What is it?" Keda asked.

"I don’t know exactly, but the Wistians used it to make the faeries do what they want.  As long as Argon had it, none of us were getting out of here.  But I’ve got it now, and I’m having the faeries undo all their spells so we can leave."

Keda knew Luffa well enough not to bother asking how she took such an important talisman from an enemy.  She assumed the struggle was violent and bloody, and the less said, the better.

"Okay... so where do we go from here?" Keda asked.  "It sounds pretty festive for a prison camp."

"The faerie folk couldn’t just cancel the spells that keep us here," Luffa explained.  "Something about the balance of magic, kind of like how you have to cool down after a workout, instead of just stopping altogether.  They fed us enchanted food to trap us, so now they have to do the same thing to let us go.  And things have been pretty tense around here for the last few days, so a festival seemed like a good idea."

Zatte picked up a goblet and drank from it.  "I wanted to leave early, so Luffa took me back here," she said. "Apparently this used to be Argon’s private barracks."

"Tomorrow morning, I’m sending Zatte and Doc back to Extraliga with the first group of prisoners," Luffa said.  "Keda, you're in charge of seeing that Doc gets back home safely.  That should keep you busy until I'm done."

"Sure, Luffa," Keda said.  "What about you?"

"I'll be leaving the F-Tunnel from the other side," she said with a vicious look in her eye.   "It’s past time I took the fight to Planet Wist.  Zatte’ll fill you in on the details later."

Zatte nodded and waved happily, and after a few words of farewell, Keda closed the transmission.  She sent orders to the service robot, PB-2, to tidy up the guest quarters Zatte and Topsas had been using while on board, then started a diagnostic check of ship’s major systems.    After that, she stared at the blank viewscreen and steepled her hands.

She was happy for Luffa and Zatte, she really was.  They had suffered through so much, and it made all the sense in the world that they should find some solace in one another.  They were uneasy with public displays of affection, and they tried to play it cool in front of others, but somehow that just made it more obvious how much they enjoyed each other’s company.

But Keda couldn’t ignore how much Zatte had changed.  She had survived this time, but what about the next?  And there would be a next time, another opportunity to risk life and limb on Luffa’s behalf, another chance to throw caution to the wind.  And for what?

Something had to be done.  She supposed it would have to wait until Zatte was back aboard the ship.  They could talk this out Dorlun-to-Dorlun, and hopefully set things straight.  

But until then, Keda could only wait, and worry.

*******

[16 May 236 Before Age.  The F-Tunnel.]

"You didn’t have to frighten her like that,"  Zatte said after Luffa shut off the comm drone in Argon’s quarters.

"Who?  Keda?" Luffa asked.  She picked up the large bone and ripped a hunk of meat from it with her teeth.

"You said that guard would have gutted me if I hadn’t defeated them in time," Zatte reminded her.  "She was worried about me before I even started that mission.  This scratch on my arm was bad enough for her without your embellishment."

"I'm a Saiyan," Luffa said with a shrug.  "I gotta exaggerate.  Besides, the kid’s a rock, Zattie," Luffa said.  "She’s seen worse.  This guy named Hamey tried to stab her to death back on Bigreen.  She just shrugged it off and kept going.  She's ironclad, just like you."

"Stabbed her?  No, forget I asked.  Look, I appreciate what you're saying, but--"

"And what I said was true, wasn’t it?" Luffa challenged.  "I fought those Wist goons too, you know, and they don’t fool around.  They weren't in my league, but they were more than enough trouble for you.  Another minute or two and you might have been in serious trouble."

"I... well, yes, but..."

Luffa pulled her closer with her other arm.  "I know you Dorluns are survivalists, not warriors, but sometimes it’s easy for me to think of you and Keda as funny-looking Saiyans."

"Really?"  Zatte asked.

"No offense," Luffa said.  "It’s kind of a backhanded compliment.  But I really appreciate what you did out there.  Took out a whole army of immortal soldiers, and all they could do was cut your arm."

"It was nothing, Luffa," Zatte said.  "Really, I--"

She tossed the meat aside and began stroking Zatte’s crimson hair.  "I wish you would have let me tell the Extraligan troops here about it," Luffa said.  "They were pretty fired up when I told them the Wistians were gone, but they don't know who to thank.  They just assumed I did it somehow."

Zatte smiled at her.  "Thanks for not mentioning me."

"Why though?  You ought to get a medal for this.  Might look nice on that suit I bought you."

"A medal?" Zatte gasped.  "For me?"

"Damn straight.  You earned one, if I have anything to say about it," Luffa said.  "When all this is over, I can tallk to Marshall Booth and we can hold a ceremony.  I'm sure he'll want to meet you."

"That’s just it," Zatte said.  "My people keep a low profile.  It’s safer that way.  Booth might be our ally for now, but he’s powerful and ambitious.  The less a he knows about me, the better I like it."

"Hah.  If he even thought about messing with your people, I’d tear him in half," Luffa harrumphed.

"Well, this way you won't have to," Zatte said.  "Besides, you’re in no shape to bisect anyone, from what the doctor tells me."

She reached behind Luffa’s back and grabbed hold of her tail.  Luffa tried to pull it free, but couldn’t.

"The fae are weak to Saiyan ki," Luffa said.  "I can still power up, but if I do, even a little, they’ll all die.  I have to suppress my power while I'm here, so... uh, maybe you could let go of that..."

"How’d you beat Argon without hurting any of them?" Zatte asked.

"It wasn’t easy," Luffa admitted.  "Satisfying, though.  Look, could you...?"

"You know, this could be kind of fun," Zatte said.  "I’m not used to being the stronger one, and-- Are you okay?"

Luffa was starting to sweat.  "That kind of hurts, Zattie."

She released the tail immediately.  "Sorry."

"Nah, it’s fine.  It’s just that it’s been a struggle holding back like this for so long.  I thought it’d get easier with Argon out of the way, but I still have to be careful."

"You really care about these faeries, don’t you?" Zatte asked.

"They’re good people, basically," Luffa said.

They walked over to a balcony and took in the view of the city of Nhh-r-cooh below.

"The Dorlun legends always made them out to be horrible monsters," Zatte said.  "Always lying in wait for an unsuspecting traveler to make a fatal mistake.  Normally I’d feel pretty stupid spending the night in the middle of their own lair, but seeing you with all this power over them... They seem almost ordinary now."

"They won't hurt you," Luffa assured her.  "I wouldn't let them, but it won't come to that.  They learned their lesson a long time ago.  That’s why I have to hold my power in.  If I slip up, they’ll die thinking Saiyans are as petty and capricious as they used to be."

"Well, I know you can handle it," Zatte said.  "You’re pretty conscientious when you want to be."

"Who, me?"

Zatte put embraced her and patted her on the back.  "Sometimes, it’s easy for me to think of you as a funny-looking Dorlun.  No offense."

Luffa kissed her on the cheek.  "I’ve been called a lot worse.  From what I’ve seen, the Dorluns are pretty good folks.  I just wish you’d let me tell everyone else.  You helped out a lot of people, Zattie.  They should know what you did for them."

"You know, Luffa," Zatte said.  "That’s good enough for me."

*******

[16 May 236 Before Age.  Planet Wist.]

"ARGON... IS DEAD."

In the great hall of Goldwall Fortress, the Shockmaster loomed over his remaining chiefs of staff and crossed his arms over his massive chest.  Though his features were obscured by his glittering silver helmet, his displeasure was palpable to all in the room.  Communications with the F-Tunnel had been lost, and all attemps to open the wormhole from the Wist side had failed, suggesting that the controls on the Extraligan side had fallen into enemy hands.  

"But what happened?" asked the Kami.  

"The Super Saiyan happened," Kandai snarled.  "I warned you, Shockmaster!  That fool Argon was never going to stop Luffa, and now that we've drawn her ire, she'll come here!  She'll find me and then--!"

"Oh, hush," Calgon said.  "You think the Partner hasn't prepared for this possibility?"  She looked up at the Shockmaster with an eager expression.  "You have prepared for this, haven't you, Partner?"

"DON'T TRY ME, CALGON," the Shockmaster warned.  "I HAVE PLANS FOR EXTRALIGA, AND NO ONE WILL STOP ME."

"But without the wormhole, it will take weeks to reach the Extraliga System by ship," the Kami observed.  "By the time we arrive, they will be ready and waiting for us."

"YOU UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF WIST, KAMI.  RETURN TO YOUR DUTIES.   I'LL CONSULT THE REVERIE."

"You're going to meditate!?" Kandai asked.  "At a time like this?!  Don't you realize the danger we're in?!  If she--"

Before he could say another word, the Shockmaster had grabbed him by the throat.  He raised him high over his head and stared into Kandai's horrified eyes.  

"YOU WANT A PIECE OF ME, KANDAI?" he asked.  He tossed him to the ground and laughed.  "YOU CAME TO ME FOR PROTECTION, KANDAI.  YOU CAME TO WIST.  IF YOU WANT THAT PROTECTION, YOU'LL DO AS YOU'RE TOLD.  HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Calgon knelt down to help Kandai up, but he brushed her aside.  "O-of course, Partner," he said.  "Forgive me."

"YOU HAVE YOUR ASSIGNMENTS," the Shockmaster bellowed.  "I'LL SUMMON YOU WHEN I'M READY."

The three of them left the hall.  As soon as Kandai and Calgon were alone, he shoved her against the wall of the corridor they were in.  

"What do you think you're doing?!" he asked with a scowl.  

"Me?" Calgon asked innocently.  "You're the one he assaulted."

"We'll be vulnerable while he's in the Reverie, you little idiot!" Kandai seethed.  "And yet you keep daring him to press on with this idiotic war!"

"He's already made up his mind on Extraliga, Kandai," Calgon said.  She made a token effort to squirm beneath his hands, but the smile on her face showed she didn't particularly mind.  "I just want to know how determined he really is.   And maybe while he's busy bragging about his precious Wist, he'll let slip a few more secrets in the process, hm?"

"That's... absurd!" Kandai growled.  "Do you have any idea how strong he is?  And yet you insist on trying to manipulate him!"

"Poor Kandai," Calgon said.  "You're not used to being in a position of weakness, are you?   You have to be flexible, you see.  You don't swim against the current, you swim at an angle to use the current to your advantage.  It takes longer, but in the end..."  She looked up at him and grinned.  "You usually get what you want."

His face turned red with anger, but at last he leaned in and kissed her.  Minutes later, when they had found a secluded part of the fortress, the two of them did a great deal more than that.  He didn't know why he tolerated her endless scheming.  It certainly wasn't because he trusted her.  Maybe he found her recklessness exciting.  Maybe, after being so desperate and afraid for so long, he admired her easy confidence, even if it was all a facade.

Mostly, though, she made him feel like he had some control over his fate, if only for a moment.  

*******

[17 May 236 Before Age.  The F-Tunnel.]

During her stay in the F-Tunnel, Luffa had gotten along rather well with the population.   The native faeries were indebted to her, of course.  The civilian prisoners represented a variety of different species, and they appreciated Luffa for being as much an outsider as themselves.

That left the entire Extraligan military, who were taken captive in the first minutes of the invasion.  Officially, Luffa was their commander in chief, but as fellow prisoners in the struggle against Wist, formality had fallen by the wayside.

"Attention on deck!" one of them shouted as she entered the bridge of the airship.  As one, they all dropped what they were doing and rose to their feet.

"What are you all standing around for?" Luffa said with a smirk.    "I thought you guys were busy."

They all laughed and returned to their stations.  One of them whistled as Luffa passed by, and another started chanting her name.

"Madam Federatrix, will you marry me?" called one of the soldiers.

"Get in line!" Luffa called back.  The entire bridge roared with laughter.  She walked to one of the consoles where an Extraligan woman was reviewing sensor data.  "How do you put up with these geeks, Corporal?"

"I tell ’em you’ll knock some sense into them, sir," she replied.  "That usually straightens them out."

"Well, normally, I’d love to roughhouse with these guys for a while," Luffa said, but I’m saving that for Wist.  How about it, folks, anyone wanna come along?"

They all started cheering and shouting various slogans.  One of them screamed "You gonna give ’em the Vengeance Cannon, sir!?"

"Uh... Damn right I will!" Luffa shouted back.  

The Vengeance Cannon was supposed to be Luffa’s signature attack, at least according to the unauthorized, grossly inaccurate feature film that was made about her.  No one ever seemed to question the fact that the real Luffa didn’t look or talk much like the one in the movie, but they all seemed convinced that the ki techniques were wholly authentic.  She had long since given up on correcting people.  Instead, she was seriously thinking about inventing an attack to play along with the hype.

"Leave a few of ’em for us, sweetheart!" one of the soldiers cried.

"All right, let’s settle down, people."  The lone voice of reason in the room was Major Tedirv, the senior officer of the airship’s crew.    As they crossed the deck, the Major saluted Luffa, then offered their hand.

"Welcome aboard, sir," the Major said.  "I would have preferred a little more discipline in the ranks before a mission like this, but it is what it is."

"Doesn’t bother me any, Major," Luffa said as she shook their hand.    "Everyone in the whole Extraligan military’s been stuck cooling their heels, watching me fight the battle for them.    General Gordhowe told me damn near all of you volunteered to come along."

"Honored to be here, sir," Tedirv said.

"And I’m honored to have you. If it was up to me, I’d be taking the entire military with me to Wist’s doorstep," Luffa said.    "But this blimp was the only aircraft the fae folk had that could still fly, and there’s only room for fifty, so there we are.  They did show you guys how to fly this thing, right?"

"Queen Phenylal’s people were very thorough," Tedirv said.  "And we Extraligans are fast learners."

"Good," Luffa said.  "I guess it’s dumb of me to ask when we’re already a mile up in the air, but I’m used to handling my own transportation."

"We may be a little overeager," Tedirv said, glancing at their crew, "but we’ll get you where you you’re going.  I assume you’ve eaten."

"Luffa patted her stomach and smiled.  "Just came from the galley.  I would have come up to see you sooner, but those faeries make some fantastic sandwiches."

"Good, then I just need to give you this, and we’ll be all set."

Tedirv gestured to one of the crew, who ducked behind a console and returned with a large scythe.  He handed it to his commanding officer, who then presented it to Luffa.

"The hell is this?" Luffa asked.

"The fae told me it was customary for their ancient warmasters to carry one of these when they rode into battle," Tedirv said.  "You find that kind of tradition in a lot of cultures.  One of my instructors at the academy owned a cavalry sabre that his great-great grandfather carried while he captained an aircraft carrier."

"Huh," Luffa said.  She took the long handle and examined the craftsmanship.  It was longer than she was tall, and the blade curved out from one end like a talon torn from the foot of some immense bird-of-prey.

"Queen Phenylal thought you should have it," Tedirv said, "since one of your ancestors would have held something similar on an old airship like this one."

"Huh... okay," Luffa said.  Her eyes lit up as the weapon’s significance began to sink in.  She  planted the end of the scythe on the deck and struck a triumphant pose, looking up at the blade as if it were a strange metal flag.

"It suits you," called another voice.  Luffa turned and saw M’ranga entering through the hatch from the deck below.  Other than Luffa, she was the only non-Extraligan aboard.  This would have made her conspicuous enough, but her tricolor costume only made her stand out even more.

"Still with us, Ensign?" Luffa asked jokingly.  "There’s still time to head back if you want to go to Extraliga with the other prisoners."

She smiled and shook her head.  "I’ve got comrades back on Wist," she said.  "And when I left, there were plenty of good, honest people who need the services of Ensign Liberty.    I’m betting that hasn’t changed."

"Glad to have you along," Luffa said.  "But tone down the inspirational speeches, would you?  I don’t want to make these clowns any rowdier than they already are."

M’ranga looked around at the crew and smiled warmly.  "You’ve given these soldiers all the hope and confidence they need, Luffa," she said.  "I doubt I could say anything to improve morale further."

"Approaching the terminus point," announced the pilot."

"Wormhole is scheduled to open in thirty seconds," said a man at a communications station.

"Full speed ahead," Tedirv commanded.  "We’ll be an easy target until we clear the portal.  Let’s make it as brief as we can."

"Aye, sir."

"Keep an eye on the aft sensors," Tedirv said.  "I’ll want to know as soon as the portal closes behind us."  They looked at Luffa expectantly.  "Once that happens, I assume it will be safe to use your full strength."

"That’s the plan," Luffa said.  She laid the scythe across her shoulders and draped her hands over  the handle on either side.  The blade hung down from one end on her left, and she stared at the forward viewscreen with relish.

"One question," M’ranga said.  "Did the Extraligans all molt last night?  I don’t remember you all having the same bright yellow crest-feathers."

Luffa glanced at her and raised her eyebrow.   "You know, I was wondering about that myself, Ensign.  How about it, Major?"

Tedirv shrugged.  "We, er, had a little briefing last night.  One of the sergeants asked the faeries for some dye, and well, one thing led to another..."

"Ah," Luffa said.  She looked back at M’ranga.  "Show of solidarity.  Good luck before a big scrap.  I like it."

"I see," M’ranga.  She ran her hand through her own dark hair.  "I wish someone had told me.   I could have joined in."

"Yeah, that kind of bugs me too, come to think of it," Luffa said.  "Major, I’m in charge of this little shindig.    I hope you saved some dye for me."

There was a rumble of laughter on the bridge as Luffa glared at Tedirv.

"Begging the Federatrix’s pardon," Tedirv said, "but General Gordhowe informed me that you were already prepared on that matter."

The crew laughed again.

"Five seconds to Wist," announced the pilot.

"Well that’s just great," Luffa said in mock indignation.  "We’re about to go into battle, and everyone in my unit’s got bright yellow scalps except me.  All because of a communication breakdown in the brass!  Typical army..."

"Ma’am, I’ll still marry you if it’s any consolation!" one of the men cried out.

"Passing through the wormhole now!"  called the pilot.

"No, it’s okay," Luffa said.  "I’ll just have to muddle through.  She took a deep breath and tensed up.

"Clear of the portal!  Wormhole is closed!  Repeat, wormhole is closed."

Luffa tightened her grip on the scythe.  Her eyes widened.  "It’s okay, Major.  It's not your fault."

She clenched her teeth and made a loud grunt, and suddenly she was engulfed in a gleaming, golden aura.  M’ranga took a step back and nearly stumbled over.  The bridge crew cheered in unison as her hair glowed in a shade of yellow very close to their own.

"I'll just have to make do on my own!" Luffa shouted.

NEXT:  The Battle of Wist.