Chapter Text
The humid air of the high mountains wafted steadily through the exposed cockpit of her capsule vehicle. Folding through the open windows like a blanket. Her brow precipitated sweat beads like a summer storm. She swept a leather gloves hand across her face, just below the tassels of her lavender bangs. No environmental pressures would disrupt her goals. Her curiosity would not be dissuaded. That was never how things worked for her. By halfway through her fifteenth year, she had already put her mind and heart to designing a device that would allow her to detect the signature of these relics which had long been dismissed as fantasy.
That was never how things worked for her. In only a few months time, she had mastered a technology unachievable by any previous generation or mind. The device that would prove her young, romantic mind right once and for all, and lay the skepticism to rest. And yet she did it. All on her own. A feat that even her brilliant father couldn’t hope to achieve. And she pulled it together in only a year. A fraction of the time it took for him to achieve the innovation that made him a massive fortune. And it was clear to her, this would not be her greatest achievement. Not by a long shot. To prove an ancient legend true, this was a minor excursion in the life of a gorgeous girl genius such as herself. One day, the entire world would know the name Bulma Briefs.
Still, she had to stay in the moment if she ever planned to make it that far. The slightest wrong move could make the difference between the magnificent future she imagined for herself, and her name and image being the subject of an international search. Thousands scouring the globe to locate her final resting place. She had no illusions that this would be an easy journey for her. At any junction, her tire could strike an odd piece of debris, and send her careening over the rock face. She was prepared for that. A pterodactyl could select her as a worthy meal for her hatchlings, and scoop her entire vehicle into its leathery maw. She was prepared for that. A reprobate band of criminals could be hiding around the bend to ambush her and hold her for ransom, or worse. She was prepared for that.
That wasn’t the way things worked for her. She wasn’t the kind of girl who’d simply hurl herself into danger without taking precautions. Though she conducted herself caviler, she had not come this far to let her journey end at the whims of something as random as landscape, as arbitrary as group of common lowlifes. She controlled her own destiny, and it would be just as glorious as she had planned it. She scanned her eyes across the terrain to capture the scene. Not for the beauty, though it was there. The foliage that jutted from the cool grey rock face, like a soft, verdant pillow. The mist that effervesced from the wide canyon, infinite meters below, and the majestic, foamy waterfalls that expelled their contents into the chasm beneath. This could’ve been a romantic moment. Something special to remember for the rest of her life. But this wasn’t the time for that. Everything of significance could surely be found in the moments to come. The spectacular events that were still waiting beyond the horizon.
A gargantuan skull lay in the road ahead. One almost human in structure, but for a few key features. The slight protrusion of the muzzle. The elongation of canine teeth. The scope of the cranium in general. This was nearly human, whatever it was. But it came just shy. Bulma veered right to the margin of this mountain road, allowing herself clearance. Just by a measure of one meter. But her vehicles was able to keep ground, while avoiding the the plummet that was threatened to ensue. Another, much smaller skeleton lay among the debris. This one smaller, and much more distinctly human. Certainly, a great struggle took place between these two fallen warriors. One which would be lost among the sands of time. This wasn’t something Bulma could afford to become affixed on. Her vehicle pulled her further up the mountain.
That wasn’t the way things worked for her. She climbed that mountain to its very peak. The only thing that mattered to her was the tiny green light that appeared on her little monitor. The signal that assured her that he quest wasn’t in vain. The beacon that guided her onward. Just to reach the goal. To attain the confirmation that had been burning a hole in her psyche since the day she found out. Was it true? Was it just a romantic fable? What did it all mean? If it wasn’t the truth, then what was it she was actually tracking? Would it be a worthwhile discovery? Something she could submit to the literature? Or a complete mockery of everything that she ventured out to prove. This wasn’t an option for her. No matter what she found, she’d find a way to spin it in her favor.
A small pagoda began to emerge, right on her field of vision. It appeared that her first stop. Possibly her last. It all depended on what she found here. She began applying her foot to the break, hearing her vehicle resist beneath her. The building grew moderately larger and larger as she approached. The very peak of Mt. Paozu. Not that any of that meant anything to the mission. All that mattered was whether the small shrine before her held the object that she sought. This was the difference between pass and fail.
She exited her small vehicle. Pushed the button on the side panel. It vanished in a puff of dust, leaving only a tiny capsule, small enough to fit between her finger tips. She placed it in the carrier case in her backpack, and stowed it away. With any good fortune, it would soon be resting up next to a far more valuable prize. She scanned the area for signs of distress. Nothing moved. No natural barrier so far as she could see. She examined her person with care. Assuring nothing had latched on to her pink, monogram dress during the trip. Scanning the exposed skin of her arms and legs, making sure no damage had escaped from her attention during her relentless journey. Everything looked as flawless as she expected. She checked the sub-machine-gun at her side. Removed the magazine and inspected it to make sure it would be ready should she need it. She was ready.
Entering the tiny hut, she felt a pant of nauseous guilt crawl through her body. Some part of her agitated against the notion of trespassing. But trespassing against who? There was no sign of current residence to be found. The main chamber was scattered with dust. An old wooden bucket sat derelict in the corner, swollen from the small pool of reeking, stagnant water it still held. Tiny, repulsive insects scattered about the ground, attempting to take what nutrients they still could, from this long abandoned dwelling. Surely, any retrieval of artifacts that could be made from this place could only be considered recuperation. Not thievery.
As she swept her flashlight beam through the condemned shack, suddenly a curious glimmer could be distinguished. She focused her light on the area where she first say the glimmer, and began to make out a spherical shadow behind it. Could this be? She rushed toward the shadow to be certain. Sure enough, upon the dust covered shrine, an orange orb sat before her, glimmering in the artificial light source. She started to make out stars within the body of the globe. Two... three... four. Four stars! Surely this was the prize that she had sought. The contraption that she engineered had done its job perfectly, and she knew she could depend on it now. She scooped the ball up in her hand, and pivoted on her heel, evacuating this bleak abodeas quickly as possible.
Bulma held the orb up to the sunlight, marveling at its golden glow. The glistening yellow stars within. This was definitely a major discovery for anyone, and she’d accomplished it at only 16.
”Dragon Ball!” She cooed to herself, before tucking the tiny sphere into her backpack, and retrieving her capsule case.
She’d received her first evidence of the legend’s truth, but this was no time to celebrate. There were still six more of these out there in the world. And she’d have to gather them all together, if she ever hoped to receive a confirmation. But that was exactly what she’d do, because she was born to make great discoveries. She was bound for glory and for happiness. She had hear the legends of many who came before her, attempting the same quest. Dying horribly. Like those skeletons on the road that she passed by. Undoubtedly, this was the goal that they sought as well. But she succeeded where they had failed. She wouldn’t be another nameless pile of bones on the road. Another footnote in treasure hunting history. She was Bulma Briefs, and that was not the way things worked for her!
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In a distant land, thousands of miles away, a similar story was also unfolding, under very different circumstances. Two shadowy figures slunk stealthily down a dank and dusty corridor within a long abandoned palace. One, a tall, thin woman, with straight, jet black hair which reached the middle of her back. Her eyes, a striking, cool azure, adorned with shocking crimson eyeshadow. A steel blue gabardine military great coat draped over her body, tied neatly at the waist. Her belt hung with an array of storage pockets. Her hands encased in thick, black, leather gloves. The other, a short, bipedal canine creature, dressed head to toe in deep aubergine tactical clothing. A garb of a forgone era, from the form fitting hood which left the impression of his pointed ears, all the way down to his straw sandals. The two gave each other a determined glance, as they each hugged an opposite side of the wall from one another.
The two had been as quiet and light footed as they could be, which was admittedly a great undertaking for the young woman in her massive brown all terrain galoshes, but she managed to make it work. She was clever, and light of foot. She had to be, or she never would’ve survived childhood. Her compatriot was not so lucky, however. At least a hundred times, she’d had to keep him safe from his own carelessness in basic training. In this outing alone, he had triggered no less than five booby traps that the two had just narrowly evaded with their lives. The beheading blades that missed them by a millimeter at the main entrance. The bamboo spike pit that they avoided impalement in only by a split second. Things had not been going smoothly, but she decided long ago that that didn’t matter.
Things had never gone smoothly for Mai. Given over to the army by her parents at three years, she had no recollection of what comfort or security was. Being the only girl in her unit and not being accepted by her male counterparts, she’d never known comradery. Not until Shu was introduced to her unit as a pup. And standing up for him in spite of his incompetence certainly didn’t score her any credibility points with her squad. But she never received any validation from them regardless. No matter how much better she performed, or how much she excelled in her training, she would always be treated as a failure, so it was only natural for her to find solace in defending him and insuring their mutual success, whatever that looked like.
Success just looked like survival at this point. She wasn’t even sure if she was following something real. The book said it was real, but anyone can write a book. This could have all just been a big coincidence. The signal she was chasing… who knows what it actually was. But they had come to far not to at least follow it to its source. What would it mean, anyway, if it weren’t real? Another in a string of disappointments in her life. So be it.
From the edge of hearing, Mai made out a distinct sliding sound. In the moment, she glanced across the hall to spot Shu’s sandaled foot lift up across a downward sliding stone tile. Another trap activated. That was par for the course. Shu’s eyes widened, and Mai noticed the panic begin to set in. She scanned her crystal blue eyes in every direction, looking for the source and the nature of their next catastrophe to avoid. A rumble began to clatter further down the hall in the direction that they had entered. What could it be? At once she and Shu both fixated on the goings on behind them. The very stone that composed the corridor in which they stood was beginning to come apart.
Mai snagged Shu in her arms and began to barrel forward, ahead of the collapsing passageway. Not looking behind, as the dust from the debris grew thick, she reached into a pouch hoisted on her belt to procure a gas mask, which she has to afixed to her face. She felt Shu clumsily squirm through his belongings, fumbling to do the same. She couldn’t be bothered to monitor his progress. She needed to focus on the path to salvation. Sprinting furiously, she felt the impacts on the ground behind her, threatening to end not only their quest, but their whole story. Suddenly, she saw a glimpse of hope. An open courtyard showed itself through the horizon of her line of sight. She pushed her legs as fast as they would carry her, serpentining through the corridor to avoid falling stones as she saw them. Every fraction of a second was vital. She couldn’t waste a single move. It didn’t matter if the outcome was going to turn out as she hoped. This simply wasn’t where her story could end. Clenching her teeth, she rolled as she saw a stone dislodge right before her, missing the monolith by only centimeters. Wasting no time, she pulled straight back to her feet, and continued to make her way forward.
“We’ll never make it, Mai!” Her colleague shouted through the muffle of his gas mask.
She couldn’t afford to listen to his complaints right now. It was enough to have to carry his pudgy little frame through the collapsing rubble, the chain event that he had carelessly set into motion. But she wasn’t about to start blaming him either. For better or worse, they were together in this. Though he had caused so much unintended struggle with his clumsy maneuvering, he was the only person in the world who had been through what she had been through, and there was no way she was going to exclude him from the prize, or let him come to harm. A good soldier never left their compatriot behind, and he was her only true companion. She felt her breath grow rapid as she forced herself to continue down the hallway, making sure not to let her partner come to any harm. Still, as she pushed on, the exit of the hallway felt ever further ahead. It was a task that seemed to have no end, even as she knew it couldn’t be too much further. She leapt right , avoiding another stone by just a hair. She could feel Shu point out in front of him.
”The doorway’s gonna cave before we get through! We’re not gonna make it!”
Indeed, the archway only a few meters ahead, she could make out the keystones beginning to buckle. How could this be? How could this be it? She blinked her eyes in a moment, which felt like it lasted forever. She saw her mother’s raven hair, when she was in her crib as an infant. She saw herself reaching out her hand to her mother and father, as they sold her off to soldiers at four years old. The last time she’d ever see them. She saw the boys in her squad mocking her, as she apt on her birthday. She saw herself assembling a machine gun at the age of five, yet it was completely ignored by the Sargent. She saw herself punching the face of a boy who caused Shu to fall from a rope ladder during basic training. She saw herself and Shu, spying on the colonel, as he read the ancient manuscript that he had spent her squadron’s upkeep funds to procure. She saw herself assembling a modified radar at age 13. Stealing the manuscript with Shu and going AWOL at 14. She saw herself salvaging parts for years, scavenging for food in the streets. Assembling the gear she needed. As she snapped back to reality, ignoring the warm tears that streaked down her cheeks, she felt a determined urge within her. She refused to let this be the end of her story.
Quickly reaching into the back pocket of her gabardine coat, she produced a small, round, metallic object, and in a fluid motion, tossed it behind herself. This was the moment of truth. In an instant, a rush of blue, gel like fluid began to flow from behind, forming a mint blue foam as it made contact with the walls. The two were jetted forward on the wave of cyan goo, as it hurled them through the doorway like a bullet from a gun. The collapsing stones from above were pushed effortlessly to the side by the foam like substance. In a matter of moments, the two were bracing for impact on the ground below, grateful to feel open air above their heads. The landing was rough, to be certain, but the foam mist had not only pushed them through the dangerously unstable terrain, but managed to break their fall as well. Mai hadn’t been certain of the usefulness of the foam grenade when she constructed it, but it certainly did come through in this instance. She brushed the powdery residue off of her clothes as she came to her feet, and removed her gas mask.
”We have to be more careful, Shu! No more foolish steps! This entire palace was rigged to kill anyone who attempted to get ahold of the emperor’s treasure, and they’re clearly all still operational. From now on, I’ll take the lead!” Mai scolded. The clumsy dog adapted a serious expression, as he pulled his own mask off, with some obligatory struggle. He exaggeratedly saluted.
“Yes ma’am!” He barked. Little did he notice the soft patch of ground that he had just put his foot through. A split second later, the tiny dog had disappeared down a hole in the ground.
”Shu!” Mai shouted desperately. Could they