Dragonball M, Chapter 1: Silent Menace Aproaches!

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

As soon as the snow took her under, Ochazuke started for a moment, but relented and resumed his stance.

Calm down. To act hastily may put her in worse danger, to say nothing of the rest of them.

He inhaled deeply the frozen air, a pillar of calm as the snow on the canopies fell and the ground shifted. Concentrating his ki, he slowly spread it around the area where Sarada had been taken, searching to discern the true nature of the beast; its shape, its form, and if any luck, a weakness in these structures.

Seeing it still gripping her ankles and no longer hiding its presence as it grows into a vaguely humanoid shaped creature of snow and cold, you know that this thing is no human, no beast, and seems to be made up of the element itself.

[The Dog]

More help arrives in the form of two new strangers, and now the robbers are in real trouble. Midori melts the knife and the taller stranger melts the assault rifles alongside Shiro.

The now disarmed and mildly burned bandits (around their hands) huddle backwards. Even the, seeming, boss backs up.

Then, on the faint wind, you all hear something incoming. The sound of rocket engines blasting towards the scene as an unmarked hover begins coming in hot.

Midori moves to continue the attack, but stops suddenly as the sound of an unmarked hover rockets toward them going way too fast in her opinion. Turning just enough to get sight of Shiro while keeping her opponent in view, her older 'sister' gives the slightest of nods toward her. Returning it with one of her own, Midori reengages her opponent with a powerful right cross to the jaw.

Shiro rushes toward the incoming hover, and placing herself in its path, throws up the largest barrier she can muster in an attempt to keep it from plowing into the battlefield and harming anyone, eyes focused and teeth gritted as she tried making it as strong as possible to complete the mission.

[Ptrvc]

As Meagan disappears, looking for Rose and the other missing people, something shifts under the snow and Sarada finds her ankles grabbed and pulled out from under her, causing her to face plant into the snow. As this happens, a being made up of, seemingly, the snow begins to emerge from under her, still gripping her ankles.

Jack had been standing next to Sarada when she had been grapped. Acting on pure instinct he lashed out with a kick to the wrist, or at least where a wrist would be on a human, of the creature in an attempt to get it to drop the Saiyan.

"Hell is this thing?"

[Yun Lao]

The shadowed man, having just dealt a palm strike against the white haired young boy, turns towards her.

It has no face.

Despite this, as if sensing an unknown threat, it raises it's flute and a bolt of dark energy the size of a baseball flies out of it towards Asha'rah.

Or would have, had Charco not bounded in and delivered a punch that sent the no-face spinning, the dark orb sputtering out before it finished forming at the flute's end. Recovering, it turns and "looks" at Charco, and then lunges forwrad fluidly, attempting to grab his head in one overly long fingered hand while the other brings the flute back up to play again.

"Charco, if you remember one thing from these lessons then it should be this: the foundation of combat isn't in the length of your legs or the size of your muscles, its all about your footwork. This is where we'll begin your training. You'll relearn how to crawl, walk, stand, run in order to maximize your movements and in return, it won't be you who moves across the earth, but rather the earth that carries you. In some circles, this technique is called the "half-step", but our style takes it a step further. Instead, we follow the example of the Carnotaurus, who doesn't have the luxury of claws or wings. All it has its legs, so it puts everything into its movements, as should we. When we move, it should be without doubt or hesitation, driven by a will of iron. That is the philsophy behind the Carnotaurus Charge."

It felt good to send that freak spinning with the first hit, but it didn't take long for it to recover and reach out, seeking to grab Charco with spidery-fingers.

If you want to get closer, I'll gladly oblige.

With an unnatural burst of speed, Charco charged forward passed the grasp of the piper and with a twist of his waist, the youth drove his elbow towards its abdominal section.

[grampagen]

Seeing it still gripping her ankles and no longer hiding its presence as it grows into a vaguely humanoid shaped creature of snow and cold, you know that this thing is no human, no beast, and seems to be made up of the element itself.

He straightened up and withdrew from the throes of his battle meditation. Whatever information a sixth sense would reveal was of little use to him, and he cursed the limits of his insight.

Could this be the creature behind the disappearances?

"It seems to be made out of the ice snow itself," he relayed to his companions, "and it is very much alive."

The threat spurred instinct, and ki welled hot beneath his frozen flesh as a different awareness took him over. He rolled up his sleeves, clasped his left hand over his right, and extended his index finger at one of the creature's knees.

DODONPA!

The ki beam ripped through the air in a flash hoping to piece its target.

[Lord Falcon]

The shadowed man, having just dealt a palm strike against the white haired young boy, turns towards her.

It has no face.

Despite this, as if sensing an unknown threat, it raises it's flute and a bolt of dark energy the size of a baseball flies out of it towards Asha'rah.

Or would have, had Charco not bounded in and delivered a punch that sent the no-face spinning, the dark orb sputtering out before it finished forming at the flute's end. Recovering, it turns and "looks" at Charco, and then lunges forwrad fluidly, attempting to grab his head in one overly long fingered hand while the other brings the flute back up to play again.

Without hesitation, the being aimed the flute at her like a blowpipe, and dark energy bloomed within. Asha'rah raised her remaining orbs defensively, instinctively sensing what was coming. But it never came, as a second member of the group she had spotted earlier intervened. This time it was an Asian man, solidly built with especially broad shoulders. He cocked his fist back as he dashed forward, delivering a hard hitting punch into the being's chest, sending it spinning. Asha'rah slapped each child lightly across the head with a stinging metal palm. Sadly, there was no time to be gentle at this point. These glassy-eyed children needed to come to their senses if they were to get to safety.

"Wake up, children. You'll want to get to cover."

[Noldere]

The three inside get out and start targeting Shiro, the civilians, and Kai with their guns now.

No, none of that.

Contemplating the options available, Kai decides on creating barriers between the gunmen and the civilians in case they managed to get a few rounds out.

More help arrives in the form of two new strangers, and now the robbers are in real trouble. Midori melts the knife and the taller stranger melts the assault rifles alongside Shiro.

The now disarmed and mildly burned bandits (around their hands) huddle backwards. Even the, seeming, boss backs up.

"At this point, I would personally recommend you and your boss surrender," Kai spoke for the first time since arriving on the scene, mid-statement vanishing from where he was to behind the three disarmed and mildly burned gunmen, a half-step or so back from melee range. The three would begin to feel a firm... pressure of sorts against them, acting to restrict their movements. "The only thing further resistance now will do is make your prison sentences worse."

Then, on the faint wind, you all hear something incoming. The sound of rocket engines blasting towards the scene as an unmarked hover begins coming in hot.

Reinforcements?

Kai doubles down both on the barriers and the pressure on the gunmen as he looks toward the newest entrant to the scene.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

At a moment's notice, he noticed the feral girl - from space as she proclaimed - turn her attention towards their environment. The peculiar lensed instument upon her face began to beep and click.

Danger, it seems, had found their hunter party of strangers.



"If we're going to work together, then it also behooves us to make ourselves named acquaintances," he said.

"Jack, you've made yourself known. I am Ochazuke. Offworlders?"

He bit his teeth together in the briefest grimace.

"You get stronger, provided your trial doesn't kill you," he said, "there's always somebody else searching to make you their mark."

And without a further noise, the pointy-eared one had erased her presence. Shame, that. He'd brushed her off earlier, but the sincerity of the way she spoke to her intention would be a waste to lose in this world.

One less gathered in the band of wanderers. Silently he crouched and settled into a guard.

As Meagan disappears, looking for Rose and the other missing people, something shifts under the snow and Sarada finds her ankles grabbed and pulled out from under her, causing her to face plant into the snow. As this happens, a being made up of, seemingly, the snow begins to emerge from under her, still gripping her ankles.

Sarada was about to offer her name after the man, Ochazuke, offered his. "Sar–" was all she managed before her ankle was suddenly grabbed, forcing her downward face first into the snowy ground.

Her first instinct was that she had tripped over something, but she distinctly felt something grab around her ankle before she fell. Her second instinct proved true when the culprit began to take shape under her.

A being made if snow! Some kind of elemental creature.

"Hey, let go, you coward!" She violently thrashed her leg, hoping to rip it free from her captor's icy grip.

[Miburo]

As he speaks, the ship rocks again and Jinzi curses. Looking back at Held, he gestuures towards the door.

"Fine, if you can help, do it ,and you'll be rewarded. Escort me back to the hover deck so I can deploy my plane and get out of here. She should follow me and leave the ship alone if I do so."

"We have an accord, then." Held replied, his face impassive as stone. Inside, he was smirking.

I guess I should be thankful he has such woman problems...It's not often I get to have a guy of his stature owe me one...

Still....

He found himself slightly apprehensive about the entire thing. What on earth was so formidable that one of the worlds foremost billionaires found himself desperately retreating from?

Or rather, who.

Apparently a single female was causing such havoc on the ship, just to get to this man. Given that he had apparently just touched down, Held idly wondered if the reason the well-known recluse had taken the unexpected trip aboard the cruise in the first place, was to escape whatever was tormenting him.

Not that it mattered. A deal was a deal. As far as Held was concerned, he had gotten the better bargain of the two.

He thumbed at the capsule on the side of his shorts, half considering changing into something more appropriate for battle; or at the very least, pondering if his two companions would be needed.

After a moments contemplation, he declined, heading towards the door with his patron.

He was on vacation, after all. There was no need to take a bit of turbulence so seriously.

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

As he gets closer, the shadowed man darts toward Ajna and palm strikes him in the chest, knocking him backwards away from the kids.

Ishtar eyed all of this with a curiosity that had been previous lacking.

This ... thing, reminded her of someone. What's more, it seemed the embodiment of something even more familiar. Druj, but that could not be right... The Oni shook her head, and watched then as Ajna was sent flying backwards by a palm strike. Perhaps she had not been so far off the mark.

Before she had a chance to properly respond however, there was another addition to this timeline.

"Greetings, friends. I confess I am new to this land. You are the first souls I have met since entering this fair city. Do you know where the others have gone?"

"Not as of yet, more pressing matters before us now." Ishtar commented, simply. A moment later, an exchange was made between Charco and this entity, Druj, and the new entity was off to assist the hypnotized children. Which gave her time to think. This thing was far swifter than she expected, and it continued- despite being assaulted- to continue playing perchance that might work to her advantage.

Behind Charco, Asha'rah, and Ajna would hear the Oni begin to speak.

"By fire you will know the truth of my intent...", and then Ishtar's horns caught fire.

[KingofPie]

More help arrives in the form of two new strangers, and now the robbers are in real trouble. Midori melts the knife and the taller stranger melts the assault rifles alongside Shiro.

The now disarmed and mildly burned bandits (around their hands) huddle backwards. Even the, seeming, boss backs up.

Then, on the faint wind, you all hear something incoming. The sound of rocket engines blasting towards the scene as an unmarked hover begins coming in hot.

Sasheem wasn't entirely concerned with the incoming sound just yet. The losers of the fight had been determined. They tried to kill a lot of people on the town so as far as Sasheem was concerned no one there would miss a handful of assailants if they turned into steaks.

Or a milkshake.

Or french fries.

Some waffles maybe?

Shit, this was the truly difficult part. Deciding on what to eat when there were so many options on the table. Sasheem seemed to sink underneath the ground, only to pop back up a moment later near the fallen bandits.

"At this point, I would personally recommend you and your boss surrender," Kai spoke for the first time since arriving on the scene, mid-statement vanishing from where he was to behind the three disarmed and mildly burned gunmen, a half-step or so back from melee range. The three would begin to feel a firm... pressure of sorts against them, acting to restrict their movements. "The only thing further resistance now will do is make your prison sentences worse."



Reinforcements?

Kai doubles down both on the barriers and the pressure on the gunmen as he looks toward the newest entrant to the scene.

But some fool had put a barrier in the way! No! Sasheem furrowed his brow, and hopped up to the stranger and pointing to one of the bank robbers stuck inside the barrier.

"Let go...." he managed to stammer put through indecipherable hate filled growls. "Waaaffflle...." he insisted, hoping the barrier deploying stranger would understand. If he didn't, Sasheem's already irritable demeanor would only worsten.

[KamenRaida]

North Continent

Cold.

Koorimaru liked the cold.

It wasn't out of any sentimental attachment to the concept's associations with his race's name; it wasn't even a name his people used to call themselves.

Nor was it out of the fact that the harsh winds and freezing buffets moved him so little; extreme climates rarely proved themselves more than a passing nuisance to his people after all.

He enjoyed the cold because, at the very least, it wasn't warmth.

Warmth was piercing, all-consuming, devouring what it could without prejudice.

Warmth was hair glowing like fire, and green eyes flecked with black patterns that spun slowly in a wheel.

Warmth was the rounds of his eyes narrowing as the burning sensation of all his power, all his hard-earned bounties evaporating from him, sublimated into steam while dancing away from his grasp.

In the cold, Koorimaru could sometimes forget the humiliation the Saiyan had put him through, but often, that only made him more painfully aware of how little he had now.

He'd only been on Earth for near a quarter of their days, and already he was wondering if his decision had been the right one.

Pitiful as their people were, the planet was home to an eclectic range of techniques, and some even said that the gods of this world were privy to a means of bending space and time, allowing the most earnest of fighters ample opportunity to hone their abilities.

Perhaps that was how he would find the means to achieve the power that the Saiyan had used to demolish him. Perhaps this was where he would take the first steps to attaining his revenge.

Or so he hoped.

But those hopes were placed to the side the moment the sound of battle caught his attention.

He strained his eyes, thanking the gods that whatever sorcery the Saiyan had used to damage them had only been cosmetic in their foulness while doing nothing to debilitate their efficacy.

He caught sight of moving figures. Three of them - no - four. The big one had another in its grasp.

They were no more than two miles away from him, and his elevation over them gave him a better view of their situation than they certainly did of his, if not because of how the yellow-white of his skin meshed with his surroundings, then only because of how preoccupied they were with their quarrel.

He could hardly make out just who the smaller ones were, but the big one certainly was something new. Experience had taught him that while most beings often had at least something to offer his thirst for knowledge, it was the large, taciturn ones that were rarely capable - or willing - of satisfying his needs.

Still, it wouldn't do to announce himself so suddenly into the conflict. Frayed tempers rarely made room for open discussions. Still, that hardly meant he was without means of engaging with them while keeping himself concealed.

His eyes narrowed as the space immediately behind the snow-monster's knees shimmered oh so slightly, visible to none but the most astute of observers. He raised a finger, feeling cold ki pulsing through it, and waited.

He saw one of the figures extend a hand aimed towards the monster, making clear his intentions.

Since the transgressions done upon Koorimaru, he'd often wondered what the precise effects were of two beams of ki clashing together, when one of said beams originated from the empty space of his Void Tunnels. Such things had happened before of course, but it was odd how little attention he paid to them when he had so many more abilities to refine and experiment.

Perhaps now would be his opportunity to satiate this minor curiosity.

As the figure shouted out something, Koorimaru responded as his Death Beam sprung from his Void Tunnel towards the back of the monster's knees, just as the other man's own blast of ki glided towards the front of the monster's knees.

[IGee]

The person pauses, then the hood falls back and reveals.......


Darkness.

Shaped like a human being, with arms and legs and a head, the person shape was all black. No eyes, no mouth, no discerning feature at all. Yet, when the flute was put to its lips, sound was made.

Whatever it was, it was not good, however, as ill intent seems to roll off of it. Ajna's empathetic powers let him feel nothing but ill will towards them, and an unhealthy desire to take the children and go somewhere. To it's master?

The children are surrounded by a hypnotic feeling coming from the person, so Ajna's powers tell him.


As he gets closer, the shadowed man darts toward Ajna and palm strikes him in the chest, knocking him backwards away from the kids.

The impact Ajna felt most was the feedback through his sixth sense and not the palm shoved into his chest as whatever that thing was intercepted him. His mind caught up in that wave of feelings, his training took over, instinctively turning his chest so the strike landed off center, losing most of its force. Even then Ajna didn't bother resisting as he was flung to the side, sent spinning through the air. Ajna passed a brief flash that turned out to be Charco, who had responded quickly and taken his place.

Yeah, this about played out like he had feared, however, the sight of the piper striking Ajna brought some relief to the teenager. He might not have understood what was going on, but he definitely understood what to do when fists flew. Stuffing his ear buds back into his ears, the sounds of conflict faded away and Charco was greeted by familar fast beats and thunderous bass.

He quickly filled in the gap left by Ajna by lunging forth, launching a superman punch towards the piper's center mass.

Ajna hit the ground in a short slide to bleed the rest of the momentum. Steadying himself with a hand as he came to a stop, he briefly noted the arrival of another individual, some sort of tin man arrived. At the moment they seemed to be on the same side, though, as it was not long before it, too, lended its aid.

Oh dear. The person playing the flute was even darker skinned than the young man. Asha'rah couldn't tell where his, her, their? eyes were, or nose for that matter. She hoped she wasn't being racist. Then the dark musician struck without warning, charging forward and delivering a strike at the grim young man. Asha'rah would rather not assume villainy, but in any case she would prefer the children not get caught in the crossfire. Five orbs flew forth from her defensive ring as she a hand into a meditative stance, sharpening her focus. Four went to the children, scooping them up out of harms way and bringing them to Asha'rah's side while the musician was recovering their balance. The fifth stayed in place, spinning rapidly as a defensive ward between Asha'rah and the musician.

The shadowed man, having just dealt a palm strike against the white haired young boy, turns towards her.

It has no face.

Despite this, as if sensing an unknown threat, it raises it's flute and a bolt of dark energy the size of a baseball flies out of it towards Asha'rah.

Or would have, had Charco not bounded in and delivered a punch that sent the no-face spinning, the dark orb sputtering out before it finished forming at the flute's end. Recovering, it turns and "looks" at Charco, and then lunges forwrad fluidly, attempting to grab his head in one overly long fingered hand while the other brings the flute back up to play again.

Behind Charco, Asha'rah, and Ajna would hear the Oni begin to speak.

"By fire you will know the truth of my intent...", and then Ishtar's horns caught fire.

Things were happening very fast now with every one joined the fray. Having been burned already by his first instinct, Ajna instead took the time not only to gather information about their enemy and these new allies as well, watching closely as events unfolded. Not only that, but Ajna turned his eyes away from them as well, scanning their surroundings for other enemies or, if possible, something to aid them. Taking the flute seems like the hard and fast way to break the spell over the kids. But that is easier said than done. Speaking of, Ajna made sure to keep an eye on them as well.

At the moment, he didn't have time to react to all the strange things. Women with horns catching fire, strange mechanical men... Wondering about all that is just gonna have to wait.

[Noldere]

But some fool had put a barrier in the way! No! Sasheem furrowed his brow, and hopped up to the stranger and pointing to one of the bank robbers stuck inside the barrier.

"Let go...." he managed to stammer put through indecipherable hate filled growls. "Waaaffflle...." he insisted, hoping the barrier deploying stranger would understand. If he didn't, Sasheem's already irritable demeanor would only worsten.

Waffle? Wait... what?

Attention all but spent split among the incoming hover, the current captive thieves, and deployed barriers, Kai didn't notice the fish...person(?) until he was literally upon him. The creature, for some reason stuck in a toilet (How does that even...), was quite obviously angry at him for holding one of the thieves inside captive. Did that thief owe the man a waffle? Or was the thief his friend, named Waffle? Whichever it was, the fishman would have to wait for the police to do what they needed to do before he'd have his chance.

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Kai said as he shook his head. "The police would probably not appreciate one of their most likely suspects simply being let go. Waffle here is going to have to wait."

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

No, none of that.

Contemplating the options available, Kai decides on creating barriers between the gunmen and the civilians in case they managed to get a few rounds out.



"At this point, I would personally recommend you and your boss surrender," Kai spoke for the first time since arriving on the scene, mid-statement vanishing from where he was to behind the three disarmed and mildly burned gunmen, a half-step or so back from melee range. The three would begin to feel a firm... pressure of sorts against them, acting to restrict their movements. "The only thing further resistance now will do is make your prison sentences worse."



Reinforcements?

Kai doubles down both on the barriers and the pressure on the gunmen as he looks toward the newest entrant to the scene.

Midori moves to continue the attack, but stops suddenly as the sound of an unmarked hover rockets toward them going way too fast in her opinion. Turning just enough to get sight of Shiro while keeping her opponent in view, her older 'sister' gives the slightest of nods toward her. Returning it with one of her own, Midori reengages her opponent with a powerful right cross to the jaw.

Shiro rushes toward the incoming hover, and placing herself in its path, throws up the largest barrier she can muster in an attempt to keep it from plowing into the battlefield and harming anyone, eyes focused and teeth gritted as she tried making it as strong as possible to complete the mission.

With the boss knocked out and the others restrained, the multiple layers of barriers are thrown up in time as the ship begins raking the ground and surrounding area with heavy fire from twin mounted heavy cannon.

Sasheem wasn't entirely concerned with the incoming sound just yet. The losers of the fight had been determined. They tried to kill a lot of people on the town so as far as Sasheem was concerned no one there would miss a handful of assailants if they turned into steaks.

Or a milkshake.

Or french fries.

Some waffles maybe?

Shit, this was the truly difficult part. Deciding on what to eat when there were so many options on the table. Sasheem seemed to sink underneath the ground, only to pop back up a moment later near the fallen bandits.



But some fool had put a barrier in the way! No! Sasheem furrowed his brow, and hopped up to the stranger and pointing to one of the bank robbers stuck inside the barrier.

"Let go...." he managed to stammer put through indecipherable hate filled growls. "Waaaffflle...." he insisted, hoping the barrier deploying stranger would understand. If he didn't, Sasheem's already irritable demeanor would only worsten.

Waffle? Wait... what?

Attention all but spent split among the incoming hover, the current captive thieves, and deployed barriers, Kai didn't notice the fish...person(?) until he was literally upon him. The creature, for some reason stuck in a toilet (How does that even...), was quite obviously angry at him for holding one of the thieves inside captive. Did that thief owe the man a waffle? Or was the thief his friend, named Waffle? Whichever it was, the fishman would have to wait for the police to do what they needed to do before he'd have his chance.

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Kai said as he shook his head. "The police would probably not appreciate one of their most likely suspects simply being let go. Waffle here is going to have to wait."

A hail of auto-gunfire from the hover strikes near Kai and Sasheem, throwing up debris and bits of concrete.