Dragonball M, Chapter 2: Lighthouse! Across the Shores of Shattered Time!

[Cyke]

"Chez Apocalypse! Once you eat here its all over!" Erosa shouted while smirking.

Blue Etrina was quiet however, giving careful consideration to Zaofan as he changed the direction of his questions to her. "Well....Regarding who I am. I am Etrina...would be the simplest answer for you. I actually do not have a name so to speak. My existence is as an extension of my master.....a Foci. If you wish to designate to me a formal title I suppose I would allow it given your position. I was created from a shard of magicite, a catalyst used in summoning magic...a sort of memory crystal. To explain the finer points would require several decades and an audience with a advanced understanding of magic principle.

Blue Etrina gives a bow. "Does my explanation help, father?"

It doesn't help that Zaofan is drinking water. So, there's only one answer he can provide:

SPIT TAKE

Two dozen of these mechanical flying entities swoop down and begin firing lancing beams of energy at those right outside the base.

The base rumbles from the force of the energy beams. Zaofan wipes his mouth and his face grins a little. "Oh thank Kam-- wait, I mean, What the hell...?!"

Turning to Blue Etrina, he motions. "We gotta check that out!" But after taking a few steps, he turns right back around and raise a finger at Blue Etrina. "But after this, we're going to have a talk!"

Before Sarada could respond to Nevanlinna, a flock of some kind of mechanical creatures swooped in from above and started firing on them. She drove out of the way and quickly flew for cover. "Dammit! Why can't people follow simple instructions?!"

Using ki was probably a bad idea, so she had to improvise. She activated Reflexive Evasion, then dashed into the air. Wielding both katchin knives, she weaved and dodged around the beams cutting through the air and tried to slash the things out of the air.

The flying robots are swift, piloting around their attackers with ease. Several of the potent lasers have struck home, and most are sporting scorch marks and bad burns.

"Ah! God dammit!" Sarada had been hit several times by the quick and nimble robots. She was covered with burns and scorchmarks.

She descended quickly and landed behind a clump of trees for cover. "I swear to Kami, I'm going to find out who attracted those goddamn robots and I'm going to shove my entire goddamn leg up their stupid ass!"

Up close melee only succeeded in nearly getting her turned into swiss cheese. She had to change up her approach or these things weren't going to go away anytime soon. At least while they were still alive.

"There has to be something I can do."

Zaofan emerges out of a door and rushes to Sarada, seeing her burn marks. "What's happening? What's going on?"

Then looking up, he sees:



"Ah, kami-dammit."

After a few moments of searching, Parsley sighed and decided to take a rifle with her outside. She had no idea how to use it, but it couldn't have been that hard. All she needed to do was point it at the flying robots, aim for where they were going to be the next moment, then pull the trigger.

Simple.

She picked up another rifle and handed it to Sarada just as she was sprinting through the doorway. "Try not to shoot your eye out."

The Saiyan sisters hurried outside, then took up positions in opposite sides of the area. "Let's give this a try. Ready." Parsley readied the rifle in a way that made shooting comfortable - though it wasn't the conventional way to hold a rifle.

"Aim." She chose a target, then tracked its movement until she could predict where it was going to be when she pulled the trigger.

"Fire." She fired a bullet.

Zaofan sits behind cover, hunched over with gritted teeth, raising his cape above his own head. "Okay, think think think. Ki is no good here, unless we want to make problems worse."

He lowers the cape to get a good look at the swooping attackers. He looks up and sees Parsley firing. Then it occurs. "Luckily for me, I've more than just simple ki. Bojack!" His trusty katchin staff materializes. Waiting several, precious seconds to denote their flight paths and attack patterns, Zaofan counts down. "3...2...1. MARK."

Limited Wushu Levitation. The ability to perform an amazing leap, and hover back down like a feather, was a skill he had used often when he first met the group, when ki levels were much more precious and in short supply. The advantage of Wushu Levitation was that it could perform an amazing physical feat but cost very little ki. Heck, at his powerlevels now, he probably would use a much smaller percentage of ki than when he was a rookie. The only reason why Zaofan used it less often was because actual flight, courtesy of Meagan, eventually rendered it obsolete.

Except for now. Using a combination of his mighty leg muscles and Wushu Levitation, he leaps high up into the air, and above a swooping fighter. Reversing course and coming straight down, he swings the katchin staff Bojack down like an overhead axe swing -- "KIIIYAAAH!" -- right down on top of the mechanical entity.

[Tami]

Landing back on the ground, Meagan calls to her apprentices, "Dash, Cyanna, go back inside and bring out some weapons. You'll find them in that room I was taking you to."

Without a word, the two ran back inside and straight of the armory.

They returned with two rifles, a sword, and one other wepon that looked more powerful than a rifle.

Taking the more powerful rifle, Meagan got into position, aimed, and fired.

Dash took a rifle and also took aim, firing the rifle over and over as quickly as she could.

Cyanna picked up the third rifle and also started firing at the creatures.

[bruceleegreyhulk]

They returned with two rifles, a sword, and one other wepon that looked more powerful than a rifle.

Taking the more powerful rifle, Meagan got into position, aimed, and fired.

Dash took a rifle and also took aim, firing the rifle over and over as quickly as she could.

Cyanna picked up the third rifle and also started firing at the creatures.

Praxat just takes a peek outside her skin still Banana yellow with black spots and sees mechanical pterosaurs saying " okay scary giant mechanical birds." Praxat then calms down and her skin turns back to it's usual color as she says " wait if there Mechanical that must me they most likely run on electricity!" " I could use my Tongue electrocution in hopes that it will fry their circuits thus shutting them down." " wait put I don't know how much electric current those things can handle."


" are what there compose of." " for I know their interior might be a insulator instead of a conductor." " there also the fact that I need to surge Ki through my tongue in order to do the move ." " it's most likely they could sense that." " wait that's it since those things are mechanical than maybe they can be taking out by a electromagnetic pulse!"


" my master once talk about such things like electromagnetic pulse." " everything I know about electricity I learn from my master." Praxat then looks at the Armory behind her saying " hmm maybe there's something I can use there something that can create a electromagnetic pulse." Praxat looks at Megan , Dash and Cyanna saying " hey you three I'm going to close this door now and head for that armory ."


" I'm going to be search it for a weapon, a weapon that can generate a electromagnetic pulse!" " since those things are mechanical I'm thinking that a strong enough Electromagnetic pulse might work on them."


Praxat closes the door and heads for the armory.

[KingofPie]

Someone (Parsely) appeared to have left some food behind so Sasheem was quick to devour some of it as quickly as possible before returning to the battle at hand.

Most had taken to using the for arms provided to attack their robotic attackers, but Sasheem had no interest in them. Instead he shifted into his Katchin mode, an ability with technological origins. He then stretched his arms up in the air and grabbed two of the machines, with the intent of slamming them forcefully upon the ground.

[grampagen]

"I did some reading before we all went our separate ways, not to long after Eva died." the Nevadian replied with a wry smile, "It was a book called 'the power of positive thinking.'"

He shrugged slightly, before taking the seat nearest to the crane practitioner.

"If nothing else, it sure as hell beats spending the whole of our time here wondering what else is going to try and emerge from this place to try and eat our entrails, yeah?"

Ochazuke closed his eyes, falling his head forward shortly as he shook his head, shoulders rocking briefly with basso laughter. "'Within crisis lays opportunity,' is that it?"

Under the circumstances, where the single man that walked this world survived on the bounties of a single untainted spring to reach from one sleepless night to another, Held's response sounded little more than a dark joke. Of course, it was also Held who had led the operation to break the Raiders' power-base nearly a year ago, and made off with a fortune in the middle of an impossible situation.

"For all their storied history, there are very few answers about the Cairns. To the ancestors of this world, they simply were," he replied. "They had the will to seize them to this purpose, but perhaps they are more than a mere weapon and a sleeping source of power."

After about twenty to thirty minutes of driving, Wilhelm pulls the Jeep over at the edge of the Cairn Yard.

OT: Cairn team, presume Asha’rah came with you all.

Ishtar is quick to slip from the vehicle, and without a word begins scanning the area to search for the closest magic ward, while on the lookout for the undead.

When Ishtar and Asha'rah moved to the sleeping obelisks, the two swiftly fell deep into silent study. Walking about the arrangement of these ancient standing stones, Ochazuke surveyed their arrangement in the field as he moved about their perimeter.

There must be more to these than markers for what lies beneath, he contemplated. But for the immediate danger all around, he would not risk summoning his meditation field, but the subtle sense he had cultivated may yet pick up something there what images and facsimile data could not provide. What made the First flee and the Threshling bow?

[bruceleegreyhulk]

Praxat searches the Armory than looks at something in the corner saying and picks it up saying " hmm I wonder what this does?" she tests it out after she fires it her skin changes to Teal with Black spots saying " okay this will do nicely." "her skin then turns light green with black spots as she says " okay let's see how those flying bastards like the taste of this puppy." later Praxat heads out said and looks at Megan Dash and Cyanna as she is use her tongue to carry what appears to be large high tech Railgun that dwarfs her .

she puts it on the ground and looks up at the flying giant mechanical birds shouting " hey you flying bastards meet Betsy!" Praxat charges the Railgun and fires it the blast sends out a powerful electromagnetic pulse wave at the flying giant mechanical bird saying " Yeah take that you freaking flying mechanical nightmares !" " you're not eating this Toadian today." " I'll be damn if I'm on a bird's menu, never again!"

Praxat color as she is saying those things her skin color constantly change from green to yellow.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

The mechanical flyers quickly fall to the guns, the sky eerily quiet now. Most of you are burned and scorched, but alive.




————

Ishtar, you recognize the power because it is similar to Asha’rah’s.

Someone with Creational energy made the first ward stones.

[KingofPie]

The mechanical flyers quickly fall to the guns, the sky eerily quiet now. Most of you are burned and scorched, but alive.

Sasheem walked over to the machine's husks and attempted to rip one open to see what it was made of. In Katchin mode to be safe.

[Miburo]

Ochazuke closed his eyes, falling his head forward shortly as he shook his head, shoulders rocking briefly with basso laughter. "'Within crisis lays opportunity,' is that it?"

Under the circumstances, where the single man that walked this world survived on the bounties of a single untainted spring to reach from one sleepless night to another, Held's response sounded little more than a dark joke. Of course, it was also Held who had led the operation to break the Raiders' power-base nearly a year ago, and made off with a fortune in the middle of an impossible situation.

"For all their storied history, there are very few answers about the Cairns. To the ancestors of this world, they simply were," he replied. "They had the will to seize them to this purpose, but perhaps they are more than a mere weapon and a sleeping source of power."
[/I]

"The greater the risk, the greater the reward, as they say." Held replied, nodding in affirmation. "Admittedly, I try to take risks within reason. But if nothing else, traveling with this group has all but destroyed how I tend to scale that sort of thing."

He turned his head, scanning the perimeter as he walked in unison with the others. "But, it's worked out so far, so I keep the concerns to myself."

Still, the stakes seem to get crazier and crazier with each passing day. Just when I thought the day might have turned out okay with Jagam, we find ourselves on a world where even using our true might makes us a target....

Held paused for a moment, reflecting on his comrades thoughts on the myth of the Cairns.

"I wouldn't be surprised." Held replied, smirking slightly, "I'm not too fond of taking secondhand information that was thousands of years out of date too closely. But, I like to think that even if it doesn't live up to the legend, it might be something worth...."

He looked over the world and it's endless desolation.

"Well, whatever this is."

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

Ishtar, you recognize the power because it is similar to Asha’rah’s.

Someone with Creational energy made the first ward stones.

When Ishtar realized why the energy within the ancient ward was familiar, she offered the nearby Asha'rah a momentary glance. It was the energy of Creation, from another God or Goddess ... and yet so similar to the fallen one who was lost to her own investigations not twenty metres away. Yet who was it ? The Oni could not help but wonder a moment.

Shek'hinah ? Someone else ?

It was hard for Ishtar to know, herself, though in the moment.

It does not matter.

Turning to her own work once more, Ishtar sighed.

Not possessing the spark of creation, herself, she was not sure if she would be capable of recreating the ward as it was. At the least however she knew it would be possible to reinvigorate the ward with her own offering should such be necessary.

For now at least ...

"Prepare yourselves." Ishtar said solemnly.

Turning away from the ward, then, the Oni attempted to locate one of the sealed away dead.

[bruceleegreyhulk]

The mechanical flyers quickly fall to the guns, the sky eerily quiet now. Most of you are burned and scorched, but alive.




————

Ishtar, you recognize the power because it is similar to Asha’rah’s.

Someone with Creational energy made the first ward stones.

Praxat walks over to mechanical birds that fallen and just kicks it repeatedly saying " yeah take that you freaking flying mechanical nightmares." " freaking birds always trying to eat me." " this Toadian is no damn bird's dinner." "why did these freaking things just have to look like birds?"

" I freaking hate birds."

[Sub-Zero MKA]

"Alright," Sarada spoke once the mechanical birds were destroyed, "which one of you dumbasses powered up earlier? I felt a spike in someone's ki, and that's the only reason those things were coming after us."

[bruceleegreyhulk]

Praxat walks over to mechanical birds that fallen and just kicks it repeatedly saying " yeah take that you freaking flying mechanical nightmares." " freaking birds always trying to eat me." " this Toadian is no damn bird's dinner." "why did these freaking things just have to look like birds?"

" I freaking hate birds."

Praxat doesn't answer and just keeps kicking the mechanical bird and then stops saying " I would so examine these things to see what their made of and how they work if they didn't look like damn freaking birds." " anyways for combat purposes I might be able to use stuff in the armory and other gear around here to whip us up a badass mech." " all that's require is of course parts , weapons , a control system, a radar guiding system, a interface, a lock on system for homing capabilities, a defense system , a power core , and wings & jet boosters for flight capabilities."

[grampagen]

"The greater the risk, the greater the reward, as they say." Held replied, nodding in affirmation. "Admittedly, I try to take risks within reason. But if nothing else, traveling with this group has all but destroyed how I tend to scale that sort of thing."

He turned his head, scanning the perimeter as he walked in unison with the others. "But, it's worked out so far, so I keep the concerns to myself."

Still, the stakes seem to get crazier and crazier with each passing day. Just when I thought the day might have turned out okay with Jagam, we find ourselves on a world where even using our true might makes us a target....

"Seldom is the occasion that a man should ever part with reason," Ochazuke replied, examining the cairns as they walked upon the ancient field of blooded clay. "The blight of such limited vision makes even the noble spheres of the greater universe so prey to desperation and animal fear departed from purpose."

Hours had passed since the battle, and ever since they had arrived every moment played back in his mind. Jagam the Threshling Hand had fallen from the sky loudly proclaiming death and judgement as willed from some far-off hidden sphere. The first time he fell was to broker a bid for power, the second time he gasped desperately there on his knees until the Witch woke the full potential of his breeding. When he neared the fiend as he cut through his manifest spirit, Ochazuke saw it then in that fanatic's eyes that there remained little wit for even the smallest words, but for the smallest echo of fear reciprocated by the ones he'd sought to end.

"Fortune, of late has not been our lot," he said. "Choice fickle thing, and wholly unreliable."

Held paused for a moment, reflecting on his comrades thoughts on the myth of the Cairns.

"I wouldn't be surprised." Held replied, smirking slightly, "I'm not too fond of taking secondhand information that was thousands of years out of date too closely. But, I like to think that even if it doesn't live up to the legend, it might be something worth...."

He looked over the world and it's endless desolation.

"Well, whatever this is."

Examining the shape of Cairns and the patterned array where they stood, Ochazuke surveyed the silent standing stones, observing the low ebb of the verdant green etched in the runes.

"Shaped by fearful intent, it would appear to be little more than what it is." Approaching one of the stones, he stood before its otherworldly glow and examined the length and course of its energy.

"A reckoning."

[Tami]

"Alright," Sarada spoke once the mechanical birds were destroyed, "which one of you dumbasses powered up earlier? I felt a spike in someone's ki, and that's the only reason those things were coming after us."

Dash stepped forward, "It was my fault." dropping her weapon onto the ground.