Dragonball M, Chapter 1: Silent Menace Aproaches!

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

"Oh? And where iz that?"

Kabuto considered the rest of her sentence.

"Wait, how do you know my name? I didn't even know I was already famouz here!"


So that explained it. He frowned. No, wait, it didn't. Even assuming his reputation preceded him to the point where the guard lady or whatever of a planet wanted to hire him, that hardly explained how they would contrive to ensure he was in this particular city. After all, his appearance here was mostly random chance.

Or was it?

"What are you talking about? Guardian of Earth? Iz that like a military leader or something? What you're saying makez no sense, I'm here by accident."

Incredible power came off in waves from the entity, but for some reason, he didn't feel threatened by it. Her intentions were likewise, non threatening.

He crossed his arms.

"Also, if you know why I'm here, then you know my assistance is hardly free. But go on, if you're offering a job, I might be willing to listen."

"I am aware. Capital City is the largest city on planet, and the best technical geniuses and mechanics tend to live there. One, Jinzi Pantaloon, will aid you if you go there. As to payment....."


She pauses a moment as the second child, the older boy, comes down into the pit. He too has the same aura as the girl. When the boy walks over, in his hands is an orange sphere wit ha single blood red star floating in it. When he hands it to his 'sister', the boy walks back a bit, sits down on the ground and seems to go to sleep as the aura leaves him.


"There are seven dragonball on Earth, much like upon Namek. Gather all seven, two wishes can be used. The former Kami of this planet, a sick and vile creature responsible for awakening the Vitalmancer here and other threats, is seeking them out. I would request you all protect this orb, and find the others, to thwart his plans. Three other small groups are in the process of doing this as well across the world as well, and twoo f them have recovered a dragonball each. Beyond the former Kami, the Red Raiders is also seeking them out. Neither can be allowed to obtain them all."

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Totoma nodded and without another word, was out the door. It didn't take him that long to make it to his mother's hideout at full sprint... well, almost full sprint. Going full bore on ice and snow, he suspected, wasn't a good idea.

In a whirlwind of activity, he got his things together--his mother's recordings, a suit of Saiyan Armor she'd made (?) for him, some weighted training gear, and, of course, the meat he was going to drop off at the village--and was out the door, making sure to stop at the little shrine he'd made for one last good-bye.

Within minutes, he had returned to the village and given the meat to the... well, first people he'd run into. Villages like this often pooled their resources, so giving it to one family was tantamount to giving it to the entire village, he figured.

He came to a screeching halt in front of Kami.

"Alright, ready when you are, miss Kami."

"Very well."

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Did she say Kame?

Seemed awfully cruel for someone to name their kid "Turtle", or so he thought at first, but after a few moments, Charco realized that this entity speaking to them was Kami, as in, the Kami.

Granted, he had never met Kami before, but his grandmother and master often spoke of the earth's guardian, although he was never sure if she had actually knew her either.

Either way, it made his misunderstanding feel real awkward. He was just glad he hadn't said any of that out loud.

"Why hide yourself until now?" He asked the guardian, "I'm sure all...well..maybe most of us, would have happily helped out if you had asked outright."

"I could not. My power is great, but finite, and the rules of my position can only be bent so far. Plus, with the Vitalmancer out of the urn, I could not penetrate the miasma of his power without alerting Old Kami about my intentions towards you and your group."

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Asha'rah could not help but chuckle. Etrina had obviously had a long-suffering relationship with Erosa, trying to keep her familiar's base urges pointed in the right direction. Erosa certainly sounded like a handful, more akin to an unruly pet than a personal assistant.





Etrina's caution was wise. The child speaking to them was obviously not herself, and while Asha'rah sensed a different presence within her than the malignant miasma of the mage in the urn, that revealed nothing of the being's intentions. If the being wanted to show up out of the blue and claim custody of such a dangerous prisoner, it should have to show more.





A woman's image manifested over the girl, and she declared herself to be Kami. It was a tall claim, but the happenings in this city - the release of the city-draining mage, the seemingly fortuitous gathering of outsiders capable of combating him at the opportune time - lent her plausibility.

"What do you ask of us, young one?"

Young one? Asha'rah chided herself. She must have been still focused on the form of the possessed young girl. That must have been it.

The young girl smiles, and for a second, gives a tip of the head to Asha'rah, acknowledging what she said about the age differences.

She repeats what she has already said about the Old Kami returning to seek power and darkness.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Once the temporary lull came into things as the group resigned themselves to their fates, some more unwillingly then others an uneasy calm settled in for the moment. After the clash with Ochazuke and Koorimaru the two's tenseness towards the each other was more then obvious. Once more she was reminded of besides Totoma, how very little she knew of these people, who they really were, their desires or motives. She didn't trust anyone fully besides Totoma here, not really. Even Kami was still regarded with a healthy dose of skepticism; her main reason for following was the protection of her loved ones.

She was mixed about making a wish, more out of cultural taboo then anything else. Bringing the dead back to life always came with a nasty cost in the old stories and legends as far as old magic went. You may have been able to bring them back, but the creature or thing you did bring back to this mortal coil was something else wearing your loved ones face. Of course those had just been at the time stories but with this new knowledge she had to wonder what else in legends were true?

And considering this Kami character hasn't seem to done research of the people involved in depth before this gathering, I'm not exactly inspired with confidence. At least she seems to mean well. If nothing else, Karine knew she had her share of faults and stumbling along so until she really knew them she had to withhold judgement.

Another thing she was reminded of but seemed to have at least partially forgotten was the mask everyone wore. This was a lesson everyone who hadn't lived under a rock and wasn't completely socially indept learned. In her case it had been more then a coming of wisdom but a necessity when her family had less then nothing to their name and only a few to trust. The person who smiled and showed their teeth could be the cruel one. Someone who appeared grumpy and overall rough around the edges could be the most dependbale and loyal people you could meet.

In some respects, she supposed she had gotten soft since the harsh streets seemed such a long time ago. But was it a bad thing? She didn't think so. Like with pretty much all things with life, the proper thing was finding a balance.

Karine just had to keep her father's words in mind: 'Everyone can play the saint when they're comfortable, displease them and its harder to find the uglier aspects of their personality.'



Karine seemed to be thinking of something, of what was unknown before speaking up once again. "I have an question. If you had to make an educated guess of how powerful this enemy is going by the number system on scouters, what would you give this opponent?"

"Currently? Several hundred to maybe a thousand. Previously, when I last fought him at full power? Far higher."

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Ishtar smiled softly. "Your measured approach to life is offset by her chaotic existence; it's rather beautiful really. Someday soon I hope to learn of how you found her, and I suspect, how she found you." The Android approached her then, and Ishtar nodded in greeting.



Asha.

The word lit a flame in Ishtar's belly, and for the longest time the Oni merely stared and blinked at Asha'rah. Only two- she had been told- lived, knowing of what it meant. Not what the word meant, no. The possibilities were few, but the difference between each was as night and day. The Truth. Righteousness. Existence. What did this mean, and what did it mean to the android ? When finally, she pulled herself from her contemplation she looked at Asha'rah then, really looked at her. She bore the scars of time, and she resembled nothing similar to the things Ishtar herself had been familiarized with on Earth. What was she, then. Another lesson, from her former teacher ?

Perhaps. Perhaps.

Ignoring the fact that her named had been asked for, Ishtar locked eyes- or rather focused on where the eyes should have been- with Asha'rah.

"Your name, how did you come by it ? Are you familiar with it's meaning ? What meaning does it have to you ? Do you know the Truth ?"

One question could not suffice.



Such a strange day this had turned into. Ishtar turned to address the girl, and the woman who possessed her.

"Kami ? The matter must be of singular importance if you are both possessing a child to speak with us, after altering our timelines so severely ... I assume it is not a matter you can handle yourself?"

"I cannot. Due to....circumstances...regarding my taking over of the title of Kami, I am more bound to the role than most have been. As such, the limitations of what I can and cannot do is stricter. Even my being here like this is...difficult. The Old Kami, not so much."

Again, she repeats what she said about what is happening.

[Ptrvc]

With his free arm Jack wrapped around Sarada's own neck and toss her forward, but her grip was far to tight and one limb was not going to overpower five, especially considering he was weakening as the oxygen flow was cut off. ...Alright...I walked into this one... Jack thought as he stumbled forward, his lungs deprived of precious life-giving air. Maybe if I didn't smoke all those cigarettes I'd have more...more....m....

Jack fell on one knee, blue in the face. He looking up, he saw a deep snowdrift, and with his last bit of effort launched both himself, and Sarada toward it, hoping being surrounded by snow and sudden cold might get her to loosen her grip, if only for an instant.

[KamenRaida]

"We all have to put our faith into something. Mine is in your group. In Ochazuke being willing to die to protect that orb.

She looks at Koorimaru and speaks again in a whisper.

"And in you willing to stop him from doing something too drastic."

Koorimaru blinked, as if uncertain that of what he'd heard before allowing himself a soft chuckle.

"Well, despite the difficulties I had with handling him earlier, far be it for me to question so astute a judgement from a god. After all," Koorimaru briefly glanced to Ochazuke, "I would have done exactly as you asked even without your saying so."

As Totoma returned from his brief sojourn, while Kami regaled the distressing matter of her predecessor's full power, Koorimaru coughed lightly.

"I believe that if we have no other purpose here, we should make our leave to Capital City at once. As much as we appreciate your presence, Kami, I fear if it is as draining for you as you say, we had better give you the opportunity to recover your strength as soon as possible. If our enemy is as strong as you say, I fear your full power will not only be a valuable asset, but a necessary one."

[Sub-Zero MKA]

With his free arm Jack wrapped around Sarada's own neck and toss her forward, but her grip was far to tight and one limb was not going to overpower five, especially considering he was weakening as the oxygen flow was cut off. ...Alright...I walked into this one... Jack thought as he stumbled forward, his lungs deprived of precious life-giving air. Maybe if I didn't smoke all those cigarettes I'd have more...more....m....

Jack fell on one knee, blue in the face. He looking up, he saw a deep snowdrift, and with his last bit of effort launched both himself, and Sarada toward it, hoping being surrounded by snow and sudden cold might get her to loosen her grip, if only for an instant.

The moment her bare skin touched the icy ground and snow, a chill jolted through her entire body again. The brief paralysis loosened her grip for just a second.

[KingofPie]

The blast lands, the barrier slides in place just in time to protect Slak, and when the energy explosion dies down......

The old Namekian is still standing, completely unfazed by Slak's attack right to the head.

"You act as if you have a choice. Be warned, little brother: Stand in my way again and I'll absorb you for your insolence, willing or not."

He drops Slak's staff head and just turns and starts walking away.

Sasheem is slumped onto the ground outside, seemingly having lost consciousness. Drooling into the cracks in the concrete below he had begun to store loudly, a snot bubble growing from his seemingly non-existance nose. Tossing around a bit, surprisingly sound for what just happened to him, the bubble grew larger the louder he snored until it was about the size of his body.

"B...boom! Heheh...Umi...bazooka..." Sasheem uttered in his sleep, having pleasant dreams of rampant and wanton mayhem. The giant snot bubble freed itself from his nostrils as it made its way over towards the old Namekian as he was exiting the bank and pop with explosive force.

[Tami]

The moment her bare skin touched the icy ground and snow, a chill jolted through her entire body again. The brief paralysis loosened her grip for just a second.

Meagan, watching them, called out, "Have you finished your courtship ritual yet?" smirking as she spoke.

[Cyke]

Flipping through a few medical texts, Chuan briefly kept an eye on the spar. He wasn't about to get involved, but he did prepare himself to treat the two if they got a little out of hand with the training. In the meantime, he would go back to looking at the illustrations to make sure he wasn't making any mistakes.

While Zaofan and Chou analyzed and calculated each other while remaining still, Zaofan noticed Chuan sitting back, scanning page after page as a scholar should.

Zaofan tilted his head so that he could see past Chou. "Healer, there's always room for one more in this session," Zaofan said directly to Chuan. "The cabin's no arena, but I'm sure we can make do."

[Sol_M]

"I am aware. Capital City is the largest city on planet, and the best technical geniuses and mechanics tend to live there. One, Jinzi Pantaloon, will aid you if you go there. As to payment....."


She pauses a moment as the second child, the older boy, comes down into the pit. He too has the same aura as the girl. When the boy walks over, in his hands is an orange sphere wit ha single blood red star floating in it. When he hands it to his 'sister', the boy walks back a bit, sits down on the ground and seems to go to sleep as the aura leaves him.


"There are seven dragonball on Earth, much like upon Namek. Gather all seven, two wishes can be used. The former Kami of this planet, a sick and vile creature responsible for awakening the Vitalmancer here and other threats, is seeking them out. I would request you all protect this orb, and find the others, to thwart his plans. Three other small groups are in the process of doing this as well across the world as well, and twoo f them have recovered a dragonball each. Beyond the former Kami, the Red Raiders is also seeking them out. Neither can be allowed to obtain them all."

Kabuto held up a hand.

"I'd consider a fixed ship payment enough for dealing with the...vitalmancer as you call him. Az for the rest...

...I know some of these namez. I still don't fully understand all of what you said but since you seem to have thiz whole exposition thing going on, let me see if I can summarize the gist of it."

He started pacing the area slowly. From the comments of the rest of the group, this Kami of Earth was some kind of powerful role, like a deity. He didn't know if deities were truly real up until this point. That would explain the feats she was performing or claiming to be able to perform.

"You want uz, and a bunch of other people to go and save some...dragon genitalia...from what soundz like a former god gone bad and a terrorist group?", he said, his voice laced with sarcasm. "When all the ballz are collected we will get two wishez - probably from the ever grateful eunuch dragonz in return for getting their ballz back, yez? Iz that about right?"

He stopped pacing and stared at the orange fiery orb in the Kami's hands.

"Oh, and that iz one of these dragon ballz? They look pretty magical, I'll give you that. Heh. Hehehe."

The armored figure quivered with laughter.

"Ahhh...listen, I'm not sure whether to be disgusted or amused, but even assuming that getting seven of these in one place will let you grant wishez, I'm only in if you can actually guarantee that I will get something out of it. Now, I'm no expert on these grozz fairytale magic granting ballz, but two wishez aren't enough to satisfy all the people standing here, let alone all the other people you mentioned. Besides, you're asking me to take a really big leap of faith here, don'tya think?"

No expression escaped the opaqueness of his visor, but all his attention was focused on Kami now.

"I'm not...unreasonable. You're powerful, influential, probably quite rich. If you can't guarantee that I'll personally get a wish, how about you just hire me at a hundred timez my regular rate first and we can work out the details on the wishes later, what do you say?"

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Meagan, watching them, called out, "Have you finished your courtship ritual yet?" smirking as she spoke.

"Huh?"

In the haze of battle, a voice pierced the veil and got her attention. She hazarded a single glance and found Meagan watching them from a far. Why? Did she want next?

Oh.

She just wanted to know if they had finished their courtship yet. Sarada wasn't old enough to be interested in making right then. Infants were a hassle and a nuisance.

"I'm not interested in mating yet," she answered. "You want next?"

[Tami]

"Huh?"

In the haze of battle, a voice pierced the veil and got her attention. She hazarded a single glance and found Meagan watching them from a far. Why? Did she want next?

Oh.

She just wanted to know if they had finished their courtship yet. Sarada wasn't old enough to be interested in making right then. Infants were a hassle and a nuisance.

"I'm not interested in mating yet," she answered. "You want next?"

"No thanks, he's not my type. But if you don't hurry, you'll be left behind." Meagan then walked back inside to wait for their new mission to begin.