Dragonball M, Chapter 1: Silent Menace Aproaches!

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

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?"

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.

Between her thrashing and Jack's kick, the grip on her ankles lessens enough for her to scramble away

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.

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.

Two beams strike the creature at the knee, one from the front and one from the back (the second seemingly coming from directly behind it somehow).

A swirl of the two different colors of energy flash, and then there is an odd whomping sound, as if something imploded, as the creature ceases to exist.

After a few silent moments, Sarada's scouter beeps again and again and again, as three more forms start emerging from the ground.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

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.

The blow lands, and once again, the form staggers backwards. With no lungs to cause it's chest to rise, no mouth to gasp, Charco cannot tell how much it was hurt. It simply straightens up and begins pointing it's flute at him now.

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."

The two children, after a moment, gasp and their eyes clear. They turn and look at her, fear at her sudden appearance almost overcoming them. The older, a boy of eleven or so, stops his sister from running and bravely steps in front of her, between you and her.

"What's going on?" he says, voice quivering a touch.

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.



"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.

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.



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.

Ajna, now close to Ishtar, hears her words.

So does the dark man.

It turns it's flute towards her in a rapid move, targeting the now fire emitting Oni. A sphere of dark energy, baseball sized, shoots towards Ishtar.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

"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.

Jinzi nods and Held follows after him, as they quickly begin making their way to the open space so Jinzi can deploy his hover.

Held will notice that despite the billionaire being here, his security detail was not. This only furthers Held's thought that Jinzi was running, and had been running, for some time from this attacking person.

Reaching the upper deck and turning, Held can see a large red aircraft dropping a few people as it then turns and starts blasting the cruise ships engines.

[KamenRaida]

Two beams strike the creature at the knee, one from the front and one from the back (the second seemingly coming from directly behind it somehow).

A swirl of the two different colors of energy flash, and then there is an odd whomping sound, as if something imploded, as the creature ceases to exist.

After a few silent moments, Sarada's scouter beeps again and again and again, as three more forms start emerging from the ground.

Ah, so that's what happens.

His curiosity satiated, Koorimaru begun pondering the finer points as to whether an entrance would be appropriate at this point.

Certainly, he was certain that his aid would be quite enough to ingratiate himself to the group of three, although his means of assistance certainly didn't provide anything in the way of solid evidence that he had indeed assisted them.

That, and the matter of the considerable distance between them could lend itself to potential misunderstandings. Months ago, he could have merely flown himself over to them but with that ability stripped from him (along with so many others, he bitterly reminded himself), he had no recourse but to cross the distance to meet them.

Even then, there was no guarantee they would not mistake his approach for that of a clumsy assault by another foe, although at this stage, he had little other recourse. Besides, the threat was eliminated. As far as he could see, there were no further threats.

What further harm could there be?, Koorimaru thought as he began taking his first steps to the group.

[Ptrvc]

Between her thrashing and Jack's kick, the grip on her ankles lessens enough for her to scramble away

Two beams strike the creature at the knee, one from the front and one from the back (the second seemingly coming from directly behind it somehow).

A swirl of the two different colors of energy flash, and then there is an odd whomping sound, as if something imploded, as the creature ceases to exist.

After a few silent moments, Sarada's scouter beeps again and again and again, as three more forms start emerging from the ground.

Two Beams?

As the three creatures begun to emerge from the snow Jack took a moment to take aim at the one nearest him circling to get into position. Before the thing had fully emerged he rushed forward and delivered a brutal blow blow to the back of its neck with his fist.

"Blackjack Bushwack!" He shouted.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Ah, so that's what happens.

His curiosity satiated, Koorimaru begun pondering the finer points as to whether an entrance would be appropriate at this point.

Certainly, he was certain that his aid would be quite enough to ingratiate himself to the group of three, although his means of assistance certainly didn't provide anything in the way of solid evidence that he had indeed assisted them.

That, and the matter of the considerable distance between them could lend itself to potential misunderstandings. Months ago, he could have merely flown himself over to them but with that ability stripped from him (along with so many others, he bitterly reminded himself), he had no recourse but to cross the distance to meet them.

Even then, there was no guarantee they would not mistake his approach for that of a clumsy assault by another foe, although at this stage, he had little other recourse. Besides, the threat was eliminated. As far as he could see, there were no further threats.

What further harm could there be?, Koorimaru thought as he began taking his first steps to the group.

Roughly, it will take him five minutes to get there.

OT: Fastest two mile run by a human is under 10 minutes. Figure an Olympian only has about a PL of 15, so someone with 50, even over rough terrain, could do it in five or under if you want to run.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Two Beams?

As the three creatures begun to emerge from the snow Jack took a moment to take aim at the one nearest him circling to get into position. Before the thing had fully emerged he rushed forward and delivered a brutal blow blow to the back of its neck with his fist.

"Blackjack Bushwack!" He shouted.

The blow smashes part of the head apart, but it slowly starts reforming.

[KamenRaida]

Two Beams?

As the three creatures begun to emerge from the snow Jack took a moment to take aim at the one nearest him circling to get into position. Before the thing had fully emerged he rushed forward and delivered a brutal blow blow to the back of its neck with his fist.

"Blackjack Bushwack!" He shouted.

Roughly, it will take him five minutes to get there.

It was only when one of the other figures in the distance shouted that Koorimaru took notice of the three emerging silhouettes from the snowbanks.

My, my, the dregs of this planet certainly come in high numbers, don't they?

Far as he was from the field of battle, and no longer in possession of quite as advantageous a vantage point as he previously had, it was difficult for him to make out the positions of the group's enemies.

Were he in a better position, it would be a simple matter to place the Void Tunnel in a position where all three of the snow-monsters were lined up and send a Death Beam piercing through the lot.

But with his line of vision so compromised, and worse with one of the figures having decided to go up front and personal with one of the monsters, he was more liable to do harm to the smaller Earthling than the monsters.

And I'm not quite prepared to have all my earlier hard work go to waste, Koorimaru silently confirmed to himself.

Deciding it would be in his better interests to simply pick the closest one available, Koorimaru set his eyes above one of the monsters. Once again a faint nigh-invisible rippled danced in the ether, as yet another beam of red dropped onto the snow-monster beneath it.

[Sion Reaver]

The blow smashes part of the head apart, but it slowly starts reforming.

Karine had arrived to see the bizarre sight of a few people fighting some elemental creatures from the looks of it; she couldn't be certain of their origin. Since her energy sense was naturally more intuned with magical and supernatural energies, perhaps it may tell her some things normal Ki sense couldn't. Regardless, it was about time for her to act.

She felt magical energy surge within her being as the familar power was summoned a dark lance to toss at one of the unaware enemies that wasn't too close to anyone since she wanted to avoid friendly fire. If it connected, it would impale and explode on contact. She had no idea if her attack would be more successful magical or not but it should at least keep them slightly distracted.

I'd kill for a fire elemental magic attack about now.

[Ptrvc]

The blow smashes part of the head apart, but it slowly starts reforming.

"Ah, snake eyes," Jack swore at the monster as it started to reform. He began to square off with the thing, hoping that his allies, and wherever the mysterious beam of mystery was coming from, to be able to handle the other two newcomers.

Jack fell into a fighting stance through a few probing jabs at the snow monster, trying to assess just how capable it was.

[KingofPie]

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."

This fool! Take away food fron him, will he?

"Noooo!" Sasheem snarled rabidly. "Wafffle...." he spat, fangs bared as his antennae and whiskers spasmed violently and his pores opened up around his head to puff out steam.

He was willing to fight over this. And angry enough to not care if his skills weren't as polished as they once were.

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

"Uwooo?!" Sasheem uttered in surprise, his tunnel vision concentration on his food making him unaware of the oncoming vehicle until now. He dives out of the way, wondering why his sudden string of good luck had suddenly gotten so rotten.

[MrSandman]

Etrina had stumbled across, what she could only guess at first glance, some sort of street fight between costumed stage performers. Fairly badly choreographed fighting for that matter. Was this what people did after hours in Dusk City? Perhaps the dust from that mineral was getting into the air and making people a little nutty in the head.

She noted the thought for future experimentation.

Still, this was not a local custom she wanted a active part in. Only barbarians jump into a random brawl in the middle of the street they just happen to...

A feeling of familiar dread washed over her like all the other times she had a similar thought about something similarly stupid only for history to repeat....and sure enough...

A rabid howl behind Etrina was all the forewarning she needed to slide out of the way before a white form on all fours barreled past her. Grinning from ear to ear with a demonic needle-like grin, the little albino girl ignored the yell of her master from the rear and charged the closest one in the fray...which just happened to be Asha'rah and the kids. Letting out what amounted to a gleeful cry and she pounced at him.

[Cyke]

Jinzi nods and Held follows after him, as they quickly begin making their way to the open space so Jinzi can deploy his hover.

Held will notice that despite the billionaire being here, his security detail was not. This only furthers Held's thought that Jinzi was running, and had been running, for some time from this attacking person.

Reaching the upper deck and turning, Held can see a large red aircraft dropping a few people as it then turns and starts blasting the cruise ships engines.

Large chunks of engine debris hurl through the air and over the portside, aimed right at the scattered passengers and crew, ready to crush them in a split second.

When, seemingly out of thin air, Zaofan fades onto the deck. Quickly assessing the situation, he throws a capsule into the air. "BOOOJACK!"

The capsule disappears in a cloud of smoke, which clears and out pops Zaofan's trusty Katchin bo-staff, the Bojack. Grabbing with one hand, Zaofan springs into action, hopping from person to person and batting away each piece of debris with his staff.

When the passengers and crew scurry away, Zaofan catches sight of Jinzi in the distance running from his left to right, but just further still, a tall man with brown, tied-up hair. He looked powerful. But another explosion rocked the ship, bringing Zaofan back to attention.

"Some things are just too good to be true!" Zaofan thought. "Just what is going on here?!"

[The Chou Lives]

“ Damnit!” As he reaches the top saw figures drop from red ship, obviously the bad guys. Dodging debris and going to attack with opportunity. Did not believe in announcing himself, that’s stupid.:

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Between Jack’s punches, a beam of energy appearing out of nowhere again, and a sudden intrusion of a dark lance that impales one and then explodes, two more of the elemental beasts disappear.