Dragonball M, Chapter 1: Silent Menace Aproaches!

[Sub-Zero MKA]

"Maybe you will, maybe you won't," said Tasure. "But if I had to guess... at your current rate... hm..."

She rubbed her chin, thinking. "...I'd say it would take you about five and a half years to reach my current level, give or take a half-year. 'course, that's not taking into account tougher training than you've gotten or particularly grueling battles, so... we'll see?"

She assumed her level was about the same -- around 7,000 -- as it was when she died ten years ago. Though, if she had been training at all since she had been brought back to life, then it was undoubtedly higher. Still, given what she knew of her own rate of progression, five hundred in just a few days, five years was high-balling it by a lot.

Still, she nodded and smirked under the guise of determination. "You're on! Though, I should warn you, I had a power level of only 50 like five days ago."

"Ah...." Meagan hesitated in thought, "well, someday. Might take a awhile. My people are sort of involved in something right now, so it's not quite ready yet for tourists. When that day comes, I'll find a way to contact you and invite you over to visit."

Their tails wagged excitedly through the air. "Wow! You really mean it?"

Given by their barely restrained excitement, they could hardly wait to visit Meagan's homeworld. "Maybe you can come visit Vocado some time soon," Rutaba suggested.

"Just stay away from the old Saiyans if you do," Pinach warned with a solemn nod. "Their heads are shoved too far up their own asses to know how awesome aliens are. Oh yeah, and stay away from the Meat Market, too. The people there probably can't hurt you, but they're a bunch of creeps."

"Yeah. They'll make you listen to their terrible music."

"If any of them asks you to listen to their 'mixtape', just say no and run away."

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

"Mm."

If Maiz was disturbed at hearing of her ward teasing and kissing this woman, she didn't show it. Then again, this was old news dating back years.

"Likewise, Ishtar. I must admit to being… surprised at my ward's choices in bedmates. An Earther man and a woman whose apparent age skews far higher than what I've determined her tastes to be."

If Maiz new that Ishtar was far older than she was, then she decided to not to say. Though, it was obvious that she knew there was much more to the blue woman than was outwardly evident.

Ishtar blinked for the second time.

"I uh ... yea, when one looks at it from the perspective of time. Perhaps it is not ... uh ..." the Oni trailed off, somewhat at a loss. Though Ishtar herself found it strange that such a thing would be an issue, as old as she was, relative to those shackled by the confines of mortality, it was perhaps of note. "In any event ... I cannot speak to the choices of Sarada myself, for I do not fully know her mind ... yet she initiated, and I accepted. That we have uh ... 'sparred' twice, and nearly killed the other as a result, is perhaps a contributing factor ?" The golden-eyed Oni offered then, before sighing.

"That she is, despite her outward appearances ... a caring soul ... I will admit I did not expect to find myself drawn to another. Perhaps that is strange, of itself ?"

Ishtar scratched the back of her head then.

"Forgive me though ... you speak of her as you would a mother, yet you refer to yourself as only a ward ... is there a reason why such a distinction matters ?"

Tasure listened to Ishtar, wearing the trademark Saiyan poker face. This oni claimed to be different from the Oni she'd become familiar with in the afterlife, and from the faint... something... bubbling beneath the surface that Tasure could feel, she was inclined to believe her.

When she described the... training she'd given her boy, Tasure felt slightly dismayed. Sure, Totoma was a quick study--especially under pressure--but hearing the 'or die' part still didn't sit well with her, as a mother. Still, Totoma was alive, and apparently had internalized the lesson on how to... not eat as much? Or at all?

...

"I see. Hm, well, for the males, it's usually fighting, then eating, and then, a distant, distant third... mating. For female... 'bout even, I'd say. Depends on the individual. For Toto..."

She glanced over at Totoma, who wasn't paying attention at all and instead was back to stealing glances at his mate, with his tail doing that metronome-wag. "...well, now it's just mating and fighting."

"And... Ochazuke, is it? Relationship advice and punching... on Vacado, those might as well be one and the same," said Tasure, with a wry smirk. "I'm glad he's found mentors, though. Especially in his relationships. Can you believe he and Karine haven't mated yet? I... I just don't get it."

Ishtar shrugged.

"The last time I appraised your collective species, you were little more than brutes ... and that was, I believe ... back when the institution known as the Coliseum was still in operation." Ishtar offered, with a shrug.

It had never been the Oni's task to learn of the development of the species she was tasked to watch. Only to witness their inevitable decline. Though in learning that the females tended to be the more aggressive of the sexes when it came to sex was ... explanatory in way. At the least it explained in part Sarada's nature.

"In any event, the boy was mentally crippled at the loss of his mother- you- until roughly two days prior. That he has not mated with Karine, is not much of a surprise. Though given his glancing and fidgeting, he is attempting to make up for the ten years lost in his own sorrow."

Which was well enough, everyone deserved time to live after what had transpired this day.

"So perhaps, in light of all that has transpired; perhaps a measure of ... I believe it is said 'slack', is owed ? At least for the next day."

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Ishtar blinked for the second time.

"I uh ... yea, when one looks at it from the perspective of time. Perhaps it is not ... uh ..." the Oni trailed off, somewhat at a loss. Though Ishtar herself found it strange that such a thing would be an issue, as old as she was, relative to those shackled by the confines of mortality, it was perhaps of note. "In any event ... I cannot speak to the choices of Sarada myself, for I do not fully know her mind ... yet she initiated, and I accepted. That we have uh ... 'sparred' twice, and nearly killed the other as a result, is perhaps a contributing factor ?" The golden-eyed Oni offered then, before sighing.

"That she is, despite her outward appearances ... a caring soul ... I will admit I did not expect to find myself drawn to another. Perhaps that is strange, of itself ?"

Ishtar scratched the back of her head then.

"Forgive me though ... you speak of her as you would a mother, yet you refer to yourself as only a ward ... is there a reason why such a distinction matters ?"

True. Sarada's choices were her own, and Maiz neither held the position nor the desire to question the girl. Still, it was a bit odd; though, looking at the azure woman's figure, it was easy to see what attracted her to her in the first place. I guess in the end, it didn't really matter how old she is.

With a shake of her head, she let the subject drop, though not before addressing one thing. "Yes, she is much more caring than she's willing to let on. I think you'll find a lot of us are like that. We just aren't so up front about it."

Now with that settled, she moved on to the matter of why she referred to the girl as a mother would her own daughter. "She is my daughter in many ways except the one that matters to some. On Vocado, Saiyans are usually either too busy or too unwilling to care for their children. I realized this about, oh, forty years ago, so I started a nursery where I and several other women care for Saiyan children. Those two," she gestured toward Pinach and Rutaba, "as well as Sarada are just a few of my wards. I've had several dozen over the years, including her oldest sister and the current king of our planet. It's a provision that's allowed me to instill at least some of the values that I've determined were best for a child's development. That you noticed she's a caring person deep down shows that she's listened to at least some of what I've said."

[Lord Falcon]

At some point after Asha'rah wakes up

Asha'rah found Midori at the top of the Lookout. The setting sun rested upon voluminous clouds, its rays breaking into reds and blues and purples, and a golden orange most of all. As befitting its title, the Lookout's views were breathtaking. In ancient times, Asha'rah had intended it to come and go from the mists of the sky, a mythical city to inspire awe and hope, but not reliance. Of course, by now the floating island had seen better days, having been the site of numerous high-powered sparring sessions and two pitched battles. She let her aura flow into a pothole as she passed, forming stone tiles to replace what had been shattered to dust.

There were challenges ahead. Arthur remained missing, and something continued to scare the former Kamis into hiding. But for now, it was time to recover, time to grow.

She had guided Midori briefly during training. They had sparred, and challenged each other to greater heights in the process. It had ended with an accidental discovery of Midori's fetish, but before then Asha'rah had questioned the green robot girl about her dependence on her sister-bot, Shiro. From what Asha'rah had observed, Shiro was an incredibly supportive partner to her more rambunctious sister, perhaps too supportive. When Midori had asked Asha'rah for further guidance, she had suggested to Midori to spend a bit of time with Ochazuke first instead. The man was better at telling unforgiving truths, and Asha'rah sensed Midori was mentally tough enough to handle it despite her innocence.

They had not had much time to speak since, and Asha'rah wondered at Midori's progress.

"Greetings Midori. A lot happened during the final battle. How did you fare?"

[grampagen]

"Yeah..." The word lingered in the air as he was unable to add much more to that. Ochazuke's words were true, for the group had been reckless fools; he included. The next few moments of awkward silence were spent watching the other punch the air, each time gathering more and more information on how to better throw the next one. Again, it was something he was used to from his own training.

But learning how to punch wasn't the reason he came here.

"I was a reckless fool today... even more so than usual." He admitted, figuring there was no use in sugar coating things around Ochazuke, "I went beyond the limits this time, and found myself in a place I shouldn't have wandered into so aimlessly."

Even now he was uncertain if he had fallen unconscious during that time, or if he had truly died in that moment.

"That place I wandered into is one you and Jack are more familiar with. While Jack's Dead Hand, as he calls it, drives him to an early grave with each use, you navigate the line between life and death more efficiency. That is why I wish to ask for your advice on the matter."

Finishing the throw of one last punch, Ochazuke's fist, telegraphed from his about-face turn, was near-motionless from chambering to extension. Prepared to fix a gambit in life or death, it would find the opponent and end them before they could see it coming.

"I'd advise you to be mindful," he said. "Your skills are formidable, enough to give a man like Battersea pause. Why shouldn't that be enough?"

He stood tall and folded his hands before him, a subtle tension fixed in his torso as he exhaled in the finish.

"You and Jack are young. An abundance of years to come isn't something to be taken for granted and forsaken for the grave."

Ochazuke took a deep inhale, affixing his mind to the matter before him.

"What burns brighter becomes ash in a shorter span. Some things, once lost, can never be reclaimed, Charco."

[The Dog]

At some point after Asha'rah wakes up

Asha'rah found Midori at the top of the Lookout. The setting sun rested upon voluminous clouds, its rays breaking into reds and blues and purples, and a golden orange most of all. As befitting its title, the Lookout's views were breathtaking. In ancient times, Asha'rah had intended it to come and go from the mists of the sky, a mythical city to inspire awe and hope, but not reliance. Of course, by now the floating island had seen better days, having been the site of numerous high-powered sparring sessions and two pitched battles. She let her aura flow into a pothole as she passed, forming stone tiles to replace what had been shattered to dust.

There were challenges ahead. Arthur remained missing, and something continued to scare the former Kamis into hiding. But for now, it was time to recover, time to grow.

She had guided Midori briefly during training. They had sparred, and challenged each other to greater heights in the process. It had ended with an accidental discovery of Midori's fetish, but before then Asha'rah had questioned the green robot girl about her dependence on her sister-bot, Shiro. From what Asha'rah had observed, Shiro was an incredibly supportive partner to her more rambunctious sister, perhaps too supportive. When Midori had asked Asha'rah for further guidance, she had suggested to Midori to spend a bit of time with Ochazuke first instead. The man was better at telling unforgiving truths, and Asha'rah sensed Midori was mentally tough enough to handle it despite her innocence.

They had not had much time to speak since, and Asha'rah wondered at Midori's progress.

"Greetings Midori. A lot happened during the final battle. How did you fare?"

Midori turned to Asha'rah and gave a tired sigh as she said "Not great. I tried everything I could do to make a difference, even almost killed myself, and I barely managed to put a scratch on any of our opponents."

Deciding to change topics, Midori asked "How did you fare, Asha'rah?"

[Yun Lao]

Finishing the throw of one last punch, Ochazuke's fist, telegraphed from his about-face turn, was near-motionless from chambering to extension. Prepared to fix a gambit in life or death, it would find the opponent and end them before they could see it coming.

"I'd advise you to be mindful," he said. "Your skills are formidable, enough to give a man like Battersea pause. Why shouldn't that be enough?"

He stood tall and folded his hands before him, a subtle tension fixed in his torso as he exhaled in the finish.

"You and Jack are young. An abundance of years to come isn't something to be taken for granted and forsaken for the grave."

Ochazuke took a deep inhale, affixing his mind to the matter before him.

"What burns brighter becomes ash in a shorter span. Some things, once lost, can never be reclaimed, Charco."

"it's... it's not like that. I don't intend to dance the line like that. I just don't want to end up like I did last time."

Charco wasn't sure he could answer Ochazuke's question of his skills, or at least, he wasn't sure if the other would believe him. Battersea was a distant memory now, overshadowed by more fearsome threats.

"I want to understand my limits. Is it not normal for someone to seek the horizon so they may know the distance of their journey?" The boy asked, not wanting to get philosophical about the issue, but it was the only way he could properly relay his thoughts.

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

True. Sarada's choices were her own, and Maiz neither held the position nor the desire to question the girl. Still, it was a bit odd; though, looking at the azure woman's figure, it was easy to see what attracted her to her in the first place. I guess in the end, it didn't really matter how old she is.

With a shake of her head, she let the subject drop, though not before addressing one thing. "Yes, she is much more caring than she's willing to let on. I think you'll find a lot of us are like that. We just aren't so up front about it."

Now with that settled, she moved on to the matter of why she referred to the girl as a mother would her own daughter. "She is my daughter in many ways except the one that matters to some. On Vocado, Saiyans are usually either too busy or too unwilling to care for their children. I realized this about, oh, forty years ago, so I started a nursery where I and several other women care for Saiyan children. Those two," she gestured toward Pinach and Rutaba, "as well as Sarada are just a few of my wards. I've had several dozen over the years, including her oldest sister and the current king of our planet. It's a provision that's allowed me to instill at least some of the values that I've determined were best for a child's development. That you noticed she's a caring person deep down shows that she's listened to at least some of what I've said."

Ishtar smiled softly, at Maiz's confirmation, and without speaking offered words that were not registered by the Oni herself:

"In truth, I do not care for the others. Only Sarada."

That the girl was indeed caring, despite her embarrassment- and faux anger- at such a trivial thing as a hug was indeed one of the reasons Sarada's offerings of both simply cuddling, and of training; were accepted without a slightest hesitation. That the training itself was something Ishtar believed was needed being the only other. To also hear that it was not solely a trait reserved for Sarada herself was ... slightly heartening.

So when Maiz moved past the top of mating with her ward- thankfully- and addressed the question of parentage, the golden-eyed Oni listened with rapt attention.

And the information that was offered was indeed interesting.

The woman, despite the trappings of her species, decided that caring for the Saiyans to come, was of greater importance than seemingly all else. Of itself, that was commendable. To hear that she had been doing this for four decades, and had even learned the current ruler of their kind in the ways to walk and conduct himself was also proof that the Saiyans as a race were beginning to transcend their bestial nature. And while the effect of it was perhaps muted, given that Ishtar knew well that in time regardless, their civilization would die out ... it was a delightful thing to hear all the same.

"I do not believe I have met the young ones you speak of, save Sarada, yet hearing you now ... I do not think they could be in better hands." The golden-eyed Oni offered then, with a smile. "And in the end it sounds like a large portion of the progress that has been mentioned for Saiyans as a whole ... is the result of you, and yours. And in truth, I feel that ... even though you did not birth Sarada yourself; you are the mother she deserved."

The Oni paused a moment, offering the older Saiyan a small smile as she took the time to steady herself; muscles still somewhat sore.

"I must apologize if what is said is perhaps ... too much ? The talk of mating with Sarada, and of my thoughts about your role in her upbringing ... I am incapable of lying ... and given my state I am too tired to attempt circumnavigating the truth."

After another pause, the Oni cracked another smile, before chuckling.

"It does not help perhaps, that you are attractive."

[Ptrvc]

All was silent in the glen, save the river rushing ever southward. There were no bird songs, no beasts crawling through the brush. No insects buzzing from plant to plant, hoping for one last feast before winter came and with it death as swift as a chilling wind.

There were no black berries on the bushes.

Jack walked slowly up the river. It looked...strange to him now. Perhaps the river had shifted in the time since he had been here last, or maybe the river had shifted in his mind. It had seemed so much bigger when he was younger, swift moving and dangerous. Now...it seemed like molasses, flowing lethargically. Jack dipped his hand in and the water broke on impact, droplets scattering everywhere.

Jack pushed a few droplets away as the neared him, before catching one with an outstretched finger tip. With a quick motion, he flicked the droplet towards his mouth and tasted it.

Familiar. It was the same river. Jack was the one who had changed.

The cabin would be closed by.

...

Even before he had reached it. Jack could tell that his childhood home had been long abandoned. There was no life energy up here, nothing human anyways. Just the trees that surrounded all around, granting the structure some small measure of reprieve from the full unrelenting fury of the north.

Even so, the windows were all smashed to shards, the little garden completely desiccated from neglect, and covered in native weeds. The door hung open, and loose, with only one hinge keeping it on the building at all. Jack felt that if he even so much as sneezed in the general direction of the building the whole thing might fall down.

Thirty feet away from the cabin there stood two small cairns, each only three feet or so high. Jack knew what was buried under them.

"Should of guessed you wouldn't be here now. Not like you two were about to start doing me favors at this point right?" Jack followed this statement with a harsh bark of laughter. "Suppose my brothers were the ones to bury you, though they don't seem to have stuck around. Did they know what you did to me? Did you tell them? Did they care? Did you?..." Jack shook his head, "Dammit Manco, now you got me thinking I can talk to any old stinking corpse I find lying around."

Jack starred at the cairns a bit longer, "I ended up helping to save the world you know. Not sure if you heard all that up here yet, but I did. You left me to die, and I didn't, and in the end I actually did something that mattered, while you two just fucking died in the cold anyway! Getting rid of one mouth didn't change that!"

"WHATDOYOUKNOW!" Jack raised a hand, and prepared to blast the graves into smithereens, energy coursing through his body. Why stop there? He could level this whole damn place with little effort. He could....

Jack let his head down, and the energy dissipated.

"Well...so much for closure," he grumbled as he turned around and headed back towards the car, and eventually back towards the Lookout, "Guess I should have expected as much."

[grampagen]

"it's... it's not like that. I don't intend to dance the line like that. I just don't want to end up like I did last time."

Charco wasn't sure he could answer Ochazuke's question of his skills, or at least, he wasn't sure if the other would believe him. Battersea was a distant memory now, overshadowed by more fearsome threats.

"I want to understand my limits. Is it not normal for someone to seek the horizon so they may know the distance of their journey?" The boy asked, not wanting to get philosophical about the issue, but it was the only way he could properly relay his thoughts.

He studied his face as he made his request. Ochazuke sensed the boy's insatiable appetite for challenge had been stoked by curiosity, but what's more there was something hidden in the subtlety of his question. Why should one who sought to test his might so fervently be afraid? He had never known Charco to know fear before, or if he did it was struck aside by the focus of his ferocity.

You're still searching for your limit, he thought, a small chuckle escaping him before his face set itself back to its usual grave expression.

It was a dangerous course. Striving to be the best, one accepted no limitation as limitation. He'd seen quite a few lose sight of what that really meant, and so he'd resolved to set Charco straight on this matter.

"At this level of martial practice, you are well familiar with ki. Generated by the body and shaped by will and intent, what we call ki is a surplus of energy."

Words wasted on a patronizing retread of things well known, but if he was determined to seek control, he would have to understand the logic of it from the start.

"When you had nothing left in the sky over the ruin of Turtle Island, you felt it, didn't you? There is another source of energy beneath it," he said, "What did you find when you drew upon it there?"

[Yun Lao]

He studied his face as he made his request. Ochazuke sensed the boy's insatiable appetite for challenge had been stoked by curiosity, but what's more there was something hidden in the subtlety of his question. Why should one who sought to test his might so fervently be afraid? He had never known Charco to know fear before, or if he did it was struck aside by the focus of his ferocity.

You're still searching for your limit, he thought, a small chuckle escaping him before his face set itself back to its usual grave expression.

It was a dangerous course. Striving to be the best, one accepted no limitation as limitation. He'd seen quite a few lose sight of what that really meant, and so he'd resolved to set Charco straight on this matter.

"At this level of martial practice, you are well familiar with ki. Generated by the body and shaped by will and intent, what we call ki is a surplus of energy."

Words wasted on a patronizing retread of things well known, but if he was determined to seek control, he would have to understand the logic of it from the start.

"When you had nothing left in the sky over the ruin of Turtle Island, you felt it, didn't you? There is another source of energy beneath it," he said, "What did you find when you drew upon it there?"

"When I drew upon it, I felt a sense of wrongness. Like every alarm in my head was going off." He confessed, "After that... I'm not certain. My memory from the last few battles is a mess. I'm not certain what was dream or reality." To acknowledge the 'dream' he had was to acknowledge he had died and that a beast of darkness had dragged him back to the world of the living.

"Although I could sense it was dangerous to use, I am surprised at how much I was able to draw out."

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Ishtar smiled softly, at Maiz's confirmation, and without speaking offered words that were not registered by the Oni herself:

"In truth, I do not care for the others. Only Sarada."

That the girl was indeed caring, despite her embarrassment- and faux anger- at such a trivial thing as a hug was indeed one of the reasons Sarada's offerings of both simply cuddling, and of training; were accepted without a slightest hesitation. That the training itself was something Ishtar believed was needed being the only other. To also hear that it was not solely a trait reserved for Sarada herself was ... slightly heartening.

So when Maiz moved past the top of mating with her ward- thankfully- and addressed the question of parentage, the golden-eyed Oni listened with rapt attention.

And the information that was offered was indeed interesting.

The woman, despite the trappings of her species, decided that caring for the Saiyans to come, was of greater importance than seemingly all else. Of itself, that was commendable. To hear that she had been doing this for four decades, and had even learned the current ruler of their kind in the ways to walk and conduct himself was also proof that the Saiyans as a race were beginning to transcend their bestial nature. And while the effect of it was perhaps muted, given that Ishtar knew well that in time regardless, their civilization would die out ... it was a delightful thing to hear all the same.

"I do not believe I have met the young ones you speak of, save Sarada, yet hearing you now ... I do not think they could be in better hands." The golden-eyed Oni offered then, with a smile. "And in the end it sounds like a large portion of the progress that has been mentioned for Saiyans as a whole ... is the result of you, and yours. And in truth, I feel that ... even though you did not birth Sarada yourself; you are the mother she deserved."

The Oni paused a moment, offering the older Saiyan a small smile as she took the time to steady herself; muscles still somewhat sore.

"I must apologize if what is said is perhaps ... too much ? The talk of mating with Sarada, and of my thoughts about your role in her upbringing ... I am incapable of lying ... and given my state I am too tired to attempt circumnavigating the truth."

After another pause, the Oni cracked another smile, before chuckling.

"It does not help perhaps, that you are attractive."

"Well, thank you," Maiz replied with a warm smile. "I..." she sighed and paused for a moment. "I'll admit that I find myself feeling more fondness for Sarada than anyone else. She's been through a lot when she was a child. I don't suppose she's told you about that, since you two are so close." She doubted it. That was her most guarded secret. Not even Maiz knew the entire story of what happened those days in the Meat Market. Only four -- Sarada, whoever the bastard was, Sarada's best friend, and Parsley -- knew. The three she had ready access to weren't talking, much to her annoyance.

When Ishtar apologized for perhaps not having as stingy a filter as she normally would have, Maiz waved her off. "Think nothing of it. I've heard so much of Sarada's exploits that I've learned to just tune it out. Besides, at my age, I'll probably forget it in an hour." However, the humored smile she had been wearing vanished when Ishtar commented on her outward appearance. Namely that she, at her advanced age, was attractive. "I..."

Was she really?

Back in her heyday, she was quite the looker, if she said so herself. Certainly enough to distract her future life-mate away from his spar the first time they laid eyes on one another. Doing so ended with him being knocked clean unconscious by a right hook to the chin.

Hmph.

Good times, those days were. Life wasn't simpler, but it sure was easier.

"Well, I guess if you look past all the wrinkles. Thank you, Ishtar. And I suppose I would be lying if I didn't say the same in your behalf."

She wasn't attracted to women much anymore, but she still could appreciate beauty when she saw it.

-----------

Sarada was within listening distance and had to take a deep breath to keep from projectile vomiting all over the Lookout.

[grampagen]

"When I drew upon it, I felt a sense of wrongness. Like every alarm in my head was going off." He confessed, "After that... I'm not certain. My memory from the last few battles is a mess. I'm not certain what was dream or reality." To acknowledge the 'dream' he had was to acknowledge he had died and that a beast of darkness had dragged him back to the world of the living.

"Although I could sense it was dangerous to use, I am surprised at how much I was able to draw out."

Ochazuke had spent much of the battle with Fife aiding another brave, young fool who was willing to chip away at her life and throw the future away, all to stand fast in another desperate moment.

How fortunate then that he's not as heedless of the consequences as Aiko.

Still, Charco had intuitively understood that drawing on this source of energy was not a task to be done so brazenly.

"What you've grasped there on your own is the foundation of many forbidden techniques. This is a power reserved for those who can control it," he said, the slow crawl of words punctuating the severity of the subject. "Drawn from that hidden reserve must have felt like it was endless during your execution, until you stopped."

He'd been there before, staring one death in the face only to draw upon another to neutralize it. The fire of the soul, stoked by breath, molded to will, gave him the strength to press onward in the face of the most severe obstacles striking from the darkness of this world.

How many times had it been? Every time the moment came, the will to move on cast all superfluous doubts from his mind; with everything to lose, he'd pushed forward and accepted the consequences. The enemy would smash though his flesh, he would trade blows to end his life and be the one to see tomorrow. Did Charco see it the same way?

"That's the toll exacted on the body. Understand me, that is a price that is paid for in time, that's something you can't get back," he said, "It fashions a great yield, but used foolishly the sacrifice is not enough to offset what is lost."

[Miburo]

“Trust me, I don’t mind. In fact, if you need to you can stay at Capsule Corp for the duration if you’d like. I’ve got plenty of room.”

Held paused for a moment, contemplating Jinzi's kind offer.

"Well, if it's no problem." He said at last with a smile, "It'll be a nice change of pace from my normal accommodations."

It'll also give me more time to figure out what to do when I get back home....I hope all my stuff is still the---Who am I kidding. Grasp probably ransacked the area the second he was sure I wasn't going to be around to complain.

"I'll try not to be too much of a bother, then."

[Lord Falcon]

Midori turned to Asha'rah and gave a tired sigh as she said "Not great. I tried everything I could do to make a difference, even almost killed myself, and I barely managed to put a scratch on any of our opponents."

Deciding to change topics, Midori asked "How did you fare, Asha'rah?"

"With the help of Ishtar, Kai and eventually Evangeline, I recruited Shimmer and crushed Kevi's soul." In a more literal sense than most.

"Then I...cheated. I asked Evangeline for some of her ki, that I might delay Fife. It was a temporary boost, but it was enough of a bluff to keep Fife away while you all killed Battersea. I was left refreshed and able to join the fight."

"Have you spoken with Ochazuke since we sparred?"