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

[Sub-Zero MKA]

"Should be easy enough ... I am sure Meagan, and the remaining Priestess do not wish to have their temple defiled." Ishtar commented with a chuckle, before being pulled into the dining area.

Allowing Sarada to do the talking -- and decide what would be eaten -- Ishtar settled into the chair and watched as the food and drink was brought forward. Letting her love then get what she wished to eat, before deciding herself, the golden-eyed Oni chuckled as Sarada pointed out just how strange this day had become and as she considered her response, Ishtar plucked the leg from one of the birds and considered it silently before popping it into her mouth.

"Yes it has been a ... mmm."

The Oni fell silent so she could finish her food.

"I like this ... erm. Bird. Where was I ? Right." The date situation. "I cannot say I am upset ... in some respects this is an almost perfect day for you, despite the circumstances ... a fight, food ... the ... dessert."

The Sisters left the two alone to enjoy their meal. The smaller, dark blue haired woman returned with chilled wine and glasses for them. She then politely retreated. The room was quiet, save for a low hum in the background, low enough not to be annoying. A large picture window looked out onto the canyon beyond the Temple.

The ambiance was entrancing, nearly as much as the view of the canyon outside. Even while eating, Sarada kept finding herself glancing out the window and getting lost in the expansiveness of Chroma's natural beauty.

Then, she turned her attention in front of her and witness the beauty of the Oni sitting across from her. Sarada beheld how the slightly dimmed lights reflected off her still damp two-toned hair, giving her a radiance that could only be matched by the breathtaking beauty of fresh dew radiating in the light of the morning sunrise. She gave ear to how her voice raised in pitch slightly when she talked about something she was particularly fond of - in this case, the fowl on her plate. She was just talking about food and how the day had gone as perfectly for Sarada as any day could, and the young Saiyan found herself willing to listen to her talk about anything and everything for the rest of her life. It didn't even have to be anything particularly important.

This was it.

They weren't having sex, kissing each other, or doing anything out of the ordinary; just two people sharing an impromptu meal together after fighting several elementals on an alien world. Yet, Sarada begged secretly that this moment not end. It wasn't the food, or the wine, or the buildup of anticipation to what they were to enjoy later that night.

It was just her and Ishtar, together. And it was in this moment, this very second, that she realized fully how in love she was.

She smiled affectionately and reached over to grab her hand. "I love you," she stated, which made her smile widen.

[MrSandman]

"Understood. I suppose this means that I need to broaden my horizons if I'm to make it out here, huh? Try to open up my mind to possibilities I would never consider, or even know if they were there."

As they stop at the crossroads, Zaofan looks in all the other directions, attempting to see what would pass as the preferred path. "Etrina and I are in a relationship. We've been together for over a year, but we barely see each other, unfortunately."

He continues scanning the paths. "Which way do we choose? How do you all tell directions in a place like this, for that matter?"

"Its easy once you've been here long enough....well, for me. I'm the only one who bothers to come out here by myself. I keep....thinking today will be the day when mom and dad come. I mean my real mom and dad...." Elisa pointed in a direction. "So I can aplolgize for making them cry....this way..."

They continued onwards a little further before Elisa continued. "........A long time ago, something icky and black bit my foot while I was in the garden....it hurt...a lot. I remember hearing dad and mom call my name....there was some weird people and clouds trying to judge me. But before they could...something pulled me back. But I couldn't talk to them anymore.....somebody was talking to them for me."

"When I asked her name....she said she didn't have one. She was living in my body because mom tried to bring me back with magic...and the spell did something to my dad, but she wouldn't tell me what. She was....a nice person, but I always felt like she was hurting all the time. Mom was so happy that I was back....at first. We even took turns taking care of her....but I think...I think she thought that something was wrong with me. Maybe she say her more then she did me. One day, Fate told me mom had went away.....she was sad, very very sad."

"After that.....she brought me here and told me I'd be safe here. Sooner after that she brought some more people here that were part of my family."

Elisa turned one final corner, and the hedge maze opened to a garden...with a home just beyond it.

"....Etrina should be in the manor. I...I guess we should put off seeing the guardians...it might take too long and I get the feeling you want don't want the complications......you ok from here?"

[Yun Lao]

"Are you insane?!" Sarada demanded before realizing who she was up against. "Of course you are." This was, step for step, very par for the course when it came to Charco. He had always been the type to put himself and others in grave danger by doing crazy **** like this.

At least he was up against the right person, who could actually benefit from being blown up.

As Charco grabbed onto her energy blast and pumped more and more of his ki into her own blast to not only strengthen it but destabilize it, she quickly realized the kind of situation she was in. The blast was still attached to her hand, meaning that when it blew, she was going to be down a hand in all likelihood.

Heh. What a crazy bastard.

Well, two could play at this game!

Both his hands were busy holding onto one of hers, meaning hers was free to grab onto the sleeve of Charco's shirt. With Cardinal Touch, she infused his shirt with some of her own ki, to the point that when she let go, it was going to explode.

Oh, and look. Hers was about to blow in both their faces. "Hehehehe," she chuckled as both her blast and his shirt, exploded simultaneously.

"...."

Taking an explosion to the face wasn't the best idea, but when one was fighting Ogatan Charco, any idea was a good idea. He was the type of person who threw everything he had into any kind of conflict, even the friendly spars that helped them hone their skills for when the fighting was real and the stakes were high. Expecting him to hold back for her sake was a mistake.

Sarada was in freefall toward the Lookout plaza. It was a good thing she took the fight up into the air, or perhaps the entire place would have gone up in flames. Instead, only herself and Charco were the badly injured ones. She wasn't exactly sure how hurt she was since she was blinded from the explosion, but the fact that she couldn't feel her hand wasn't good.

"You're welcome, by the way!"

He was well aware that Sarada would probably be getting the very slightly better end of the stick of this thanks to her zenkai. As for him... well... pain had become something of a running theme in his life. When his techniques weren't erupting within his body, he often found himself in situations where pain was the only thing needed to progress. Probably the reason why most of his body looked like it had been crudely stitched back together by this point.

This did not mean that he was used to it, or had developed some masochistic sort of immunity to it. Despite this, Charco chose to up the ante, pouring more ki into his own clusterfuck of a tactic if only to ensure that the Saiyan Royalty would remember this. He began to laugh alongside Sarada as they sealed their mutually assured destruction.

It took some time for the pain to hit him, whether it was the adrenaline, the sensory overload, or his nerves being fried from the explosion. For the most part, he could tell he was in a free fall and the sight of the Lookout passing him in the distance by told him that his body had been launched a good bit away from it.

Then it came like an old friend, the pain and agony that came when someone weaponized your shirt and you stupidly stood next to another explosion at chest level. The rushing air across his scorched flesh didn't help matters either. Obviously, his shirt was gone and while he had a vague sense of his belt still bound around his waist, his jeans were most likely in shreds. Trying to investigate his status any further proved difficult as pain dominated a good portion of his conscious mind. The realization that he needed to address landing came to mind and Charco looked below, only to see sky?

Wait, no, that was water.

[Lord Falcon]

Immediately Asha'rah would feel his head clear, tiny puppet strings visible only to him burning away to nothing.

Etrina paused at the bolt hitting the floor at her feet, for a moment she looked as if she was about to feign some sort of surprise....but slowly her face returned to a neutral, then annoyed expression...and finally settled on quiet amusement.

".......Hmmm.......oh what is this stinging commentary. Have you no manners to show.....Oh, of course.....Zurvan doesn't teach manners." Etrina? Chuckled and stepped over the hole from the lightning impact. "But I suppose this is what counts for charms from my niece....such a tomboy. A little birdy told me you'd be coming so I wanted to see how far I could go with my impression......well? On a scale from one to ten?"

"If you seek a fair appraisal, do not try to cloud the mind of your judge."

She launched a horde of illusory ki blasts, mixing a few real ones into the mix once Ishtar's 'aunt' realized they weren't real.

Asha'rah knew this doppledanger not to be her target. But until Parsic and Chrona made their presence known there was little reason not to try to isolate this foe and neutralise her quickly.

Or, at the least, pressure her enough while being ready to punish Parsic when she came out of hiding. Her orbs hung loose, ready to strike at a moment's notice.

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

Immediately Asha'rah would feel his head clear, tiny puppet strings visible only to him burning away to nothing.

Etrina paused at the bolt hitting the floor at her feet, for a moment she looked as if she was about to feign some sort of surprise....but slowly her face returned to a neutral, then annoyed expression...and finally settled on quiet amusement.

".......Hmmm.......oh what is this stinging commentary. Have you no manners to show.....Oh, of course.....Zurvan doesn't teach manners." Etrina? Chuckled and stepped over the hole from the lightning impact. "But I suppose this is what counts for charms from my niece....such a tomboy. A little birdy told me you'd be coming so I wanted to see how far I could go with my impression......well? On a scale from one to ten?"

Ishtar chuckled.

"One. Etrina may share some similarities, yet she is not so utterly ... self absorbed." The Oni commented, as she looked around. "The gaudy display, the manner of dress ... the wording ..." All of it was simply too far over the line, for even an Etrina at her most dominating.

Yet standing around discussing how well one assumed the guise of another wasn't why Ishtar was there ... though at the least, the comments made concerning Zurvan were amusing.

Ishtar cracked a smile.

"You have neither earned my charm, nor my manners ... nor do you understand at all what Zurvan taught; caught up in your puppet play." It seemed about this time too, that Asha'rah was shaking off the haze of seduction Fate-Etrina seemed to exude as well ... well enough for now. So for her own part, Ishtar exhaled slow, and allowed her power level to plummet to a single digit (1).

"You sent your pets after me, Chrona ... Parsic; and while I did not lift a hand against my step-sister, I consumed the spark that made Parsic ... unique not an hour ago. So do you really think I am here for pleasantries, dear Aunt ?"

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

She... wished to slay Auroc? For most Threshling, such an utterance would be blasphemous. For Nevanlinna, who's observance of Threshling religion had been... suspect at the best of time, it was a laughable proposition, given the difference in power, but she took no real offense.

"I see. You do realize that, with how interwoven Auroc is into the fabric of Threshling society, such an action, in the vanishingly small chance you succeed, would throw my world into turmoil?" She paused for a moment. "Well, no, by now I realize that you don't care about those consequences, but preferably I would have you wait until there is something that could fill the void. If nothing else, an ideal my people can latch onto... or perhaps an alternate deity."

Ishtar nodded.

"Anula was all the proof I needed, to see how blinded the Threshling are by this Charlatan God." She replied swiftly. "Once she was freed from his influence, and was stripped of all memory of him ... she is little more than a young woman, in need of friendship. So for now she is my ward ... " Along with Ereshkigal, though given that Evangeline and Nunlil took care of them while she was away ... a thing to fix, surely.

"Slaying him will not be hard. In speaking with my ... er ... uncles; it was pointed out he is little more than a Proto-Majin. A precursor to a species of creature that are effectively sapient chaos, one of which you already know: Sasheem." That Sarada then pointed out how much of a 'bitch' Auroc was, also drove the point through that he was certainly not immortal as well. So springboarding off of that she continued.

"I have also received some ... assistance, as far as ensuring his fall. As for an ideal ... yes ... " Ishtar nodded.

It was a fair point. Simply ripping the world out from under someone rarely ended well. Stripping the Threshling from their God without a fallback would be ... catastrophic. Though perhaps an old addage might prove useful in finding another pathway.

"Nevanlinna ... how powerful is your mother ?"

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

Before Ishtar walks away from the collected heroes, Zaofan summons his strength from a place of vulnerability, and honesty, to show them exactly why he asked them to come closer in the first place.

With his eyes closed and with gentle speed, he wraps his arms around the combined Sarada, Ishtar, Held, Ochazuke, and even Sasheem. Especially Sasheem, considering he bent closer than everyone save for Sarada. A deep group hug as best as his limited wingspan would allow. Whatever grudges, whatever hesitance from the others, Zaofan didn't mind.

"My friends! My friends..." he maintains the embrace with all warmth and sincerity. "I know it's been months since we've last been together like this, since we went our separate ways, but... the first time I fought Shingen, he beat me badly and captured me in darkness. The second time, right here on the Lookout, when I fought him by myself, I became convinced that I would die alone. Shingen was one of the greatest monsters of my youth. I never thought he could be overcome. And then each of you showed up. You gave me hope. So believe me when I say that -- it is so very good to see you. My friends."

He finally manages to let go, even if Sasheem would resist the hug in the first place. He places fist to palm, and bows respectfully. "Thank you."

Ishtar moved closer as she was bade to, by Zaofan, only to find herself wrapped up and pulled into a hug.

"Humphh-"

How strange.

Yet as the young cook explained how much of a restless ghost, Shingen had been, it seemed to make some sense; and in many ways paralleled her own specters. So when the hug finally broke, Ishtar simply cleared her throat and offered the young man a small smile.

"Think nothing of it Zaofan ... even if we were not friends; that you provide food for everyone, especially Sarada, would have been more than enough to earn my respect. That we are friends, and that you have helped fight to protect what little I old dear ? All the more reason to assist."

The Oni paused.

"Though ... he is not dead. A thing that could be remidied fairly swiftly," she added, holding up the scrap of cloak.

"Shingen, and his ... daemonic friend are not ... the most intelligent."

[Tami]

It was several weeks after returning from the Bear Shrine, and Dash was getting restless. It was then that she received a phone call from her cousins, asking that she meet with them in Capital City.

The chosen place was a picnic table, in a wooded area of a park, near the outskirts of the city.

Landing in an open area about a half mile from the location, Dash walked the rest of the way along a tree lined path. Soon she saw the picnic area, and sitting at one table, back and arms resting against the table, was Jackie. Standing not far away was her other cousin, Mac. A tall, lean yet muscular man, his dark hair cut short.

The use of the word Cousin is common within the Horse Clan. Approximately 50%, perhaps as much as 65% of those who live in the twin villages are related by blood, even if distantly. Jackie was Dash's mother's Cousin's Daughter.

Mac was related to Dash in a similar way. His father and Dash's mother were 2nd cousins.

Yet the details of that did not matter. They grew up together, they trained together, they went to school together, they are family even if they didn't always get along.

As Dash walked up, the two turned to look at her. She smiled and waved, "Hey, Cuz's, long time no see. So, what's up?"

Jackie stood up, then leaned against the table, "Well it's 'bout time." She then walked over to her, looking her up and down, "Ah heard you can fly now, figgered you'd forget how to walk. Don't look like it though."

Mac then ambles up, wraps his arms around Dash and gives her a bear hug, lifting her off her feet. "Hey!" Dash exclaimed in surprise as he put her back down, "My little Cuz finally did it." As he stepped back, standing next to Jackie as the two faced her. "You're the talk of both villages, some god, some griping, but ah never listen to the negative nobodies."

Dash shuffled a little at Mac's words, looking a bit embarrassed, "Ah, it's nothing really. Just a whole lot of hard work." She then gives them a questioning look, "What brings you two all the way here? It can't be to just see me."

Jackie walks back to the table and picks up a large envelope. Bringing it back to Dash, she holds it out, "We're supposed to give this to you. Elder Camaro told us to go an find you, and give this to you."

Mac then adds, "We had another reason for comin' here. The Elder asked us to take this to you since were were in the area."

Smirking slightly, Jackie added, "Yeah, Mac got himself married already. An outsider, a city girl. Her folks still live here, that's' why we're here."

Dash blinked in surprise, "An you didn't invite me to the wedding?"

Sounding flustered, "We tried to find you, but we couldn't." Mac's distress was eased when Dash laughed, "Ah just joshing you. Congrats, Mac. Ah hope she is gonna take good care of you. Lord knows you need looking out for."

Jackie laughed too, "Yeah, she'll take care of him just fine. She ain't no fighter, but she's pretty darn smart. Came to the Villages a few years back as the new school teacher. It we'ren't long before she and Mac were making loovey doovey eyes at one another."

"Well ah am glad to hear it. Ah'll try to keep in touch more often, though I get dragged away to deal with one brush fire after another." Dash then looked at the envelope in her hand.

"We'd better get going, and you'd better come back to visit." Jackie then bumped Mac with her hip to snap him out of his wandering thoughts, "Come on before Alissa thinsk you gone a run off without her."

Dash gives them both quick hugs, "Give everyone my regards." then lifts off the ground, flying back to the Lookout.

As she did, Jackie looks up and swears, "Damn, she really can fly. Ah gotta get her to teach me that trick."

[Tami]

Back at the Lookout, sitting at a table in the library, Dash finally opens up the envelope and pulls out the contents. laying down the envelope, she goes through the papers within. The top item is a letter addressed to her, from Elder Camaro. The next item was a map with hand drawn markings on it, along with notes. The paper looked very old, and the markings were faded yet still legible. The final items were four pages, each one hand drawn images of, what she was sure. They almost looked human, but they also didn't. The strange looking creatures seemed familiar though only in the way you might remember something you read or heard in your childhood.

The letter it's self was written by the elder who sent her these items.

[Monstrous Bird of Qin, Ou Ki]

Ishtar nodded.

"Anula was all the proof I needed, to see how blinded the Threshling are by this Charlatan God." She replied swiftly. "Once she was freed from his influence, and was stripped of all memory of him ... she is little more than a young woman, in need of friendship. So for now she is my ward ... " Along with Ereshkigal, though given that Evangeline and Nunlil took care of them while she was away ... a thing to fix, surely.

"Slaying him will not be hard. In speaking with my ... er ... uncles; it was pointed out he is little more than a Proto-Majin. A precursor to a species of creature that are effectively sapient chaos, one of which you already know: Sasheem." That Sarada then pointed out how much of a 'bitch' Auroc was, also drove the point through that he was certainly not immortal as well. So springboarding off of that she continued.

"I have also received some ... assistance, as far as ensuring his fall. As for an ideal ... yes ... " Ishtar nodded.

It was a fair point. Simply ripping the world out from under someone rarely ended well. Stripping the Threshling from their God without a fallback would be ... catastrophic. Though perhaps an old addage might prove useful in finding another pathway.

"Nevanlinna ... how powerful is your mother ?"

Nevanlinna was not particularly familiar with this Sasheem, save for the fact that the others seemingly despised it, and yet kept it around. Why, she could only guess... perhaps out of pragmatism? To hear that Auroc was a creature like this... lacking in faith or not, that was not something she could believe without proof.

"Forgive me, but I will require more concrete proof than your word to believe... that. While you have claimed that your kind cannot lie, as I recall, that does not mean that you cannot be mistaken about something, if provided with faulty information," said Nevanlinna. "As for my mother, she is unimaginably powerful, but all I can offer is comparisons."

She tapped her chin. "The absolute dregs of our knightly orders--the elites--would be... hm, I would say around three million. The strongest are far beyond that... and my mother fills even those with fear at the mere prospect of angering her. My siblings... vary considerably, though I was the least powerful, largely because I lacked the impetus to train."

Glancing off into the blue sky, she sighed. "Though there is a small chance she may be deposed soon, if my brother's play for power--which I played right into--is successful. He is less powerful than her, to be sure, but even the mightiest can be felled by a blade hidden by a smile."

[MrSandman]

Ishtar chuckled.

"One. Etrina may share some similarities, yet she is not so utterly ... self absorbed." The Oni commented, as she looked around. "The gaudy display, the manner of dress ... the wording ..." All of it was simply too far over the line, for even an Etrina at her most dominating.

Yet standing around discussing how well one assumed the guise of another wasn't why Ishtar was there ... though at the least, the comments made concerning Zurvan were amusing.

Ishtar cracked a smile.

"You have neither earned my charm, nor my manners ... nor do you understand at all what Zurvan taught; caught up in your puppet play." It seemed about this time too, that Asha'rah was shaking off the haze of seduction Fate-Etrina seemed to exude as well ... well enough for now. So for her own part, Ishtar exhaled slow, and allowed her power level to plummet to a single digit (1).

"You sent your pets after me, Chrona ... Parsic; and while I did not lift a hand against my step-sister, I consumed the spark that made Parsic ... unique not an hour ago. So do you really think I am here for pleasantries, dear Aunt ?"

"Hmm....I had assumed you weren't foolish enough to come here for any other reason. As for what did to Parsic...let me be the first to expression how revolted I am with what my niece opted to put in her mouth. Do you throw anything with a magic flavor down your gullet.....actually don't answer that, I'm sure its a cesspool down there."

Fate put her fingers to the side of her head and sighed. "...No matter.........this body is mine, I've granted its former occupant an eternal life of luxury and happiness.....and as my niece I don't have any particular hatred for you. Why not give up on this notion....I can promise you much the same. How would like that Ishtar? I could strip that fate Zurvan burdened you with.....no longer would the mantle of destruction need be on your shoulders. You could life a life free from the hopeless machinations of uncontrolled fate....with that saiyan girl you love so much. I'd take care of everything for my sweet little niece."

Fate smiled, almost genuinely. ".....Well? I'd hate for this to get vio.."

"If you seek a fair appraisal, do not try to cloud the mind of your judge."

She launched a horde of illusory ki blasts, mixing a few real ones into the mix once Ishtar's 'aunt' realized they weren't real.

Asha'rah knew this doppledanger not to be her target. But until Parsic and Chrona made their presence known there was little reason not to try to isolate this foe and neutralise her quickly.

Or, at the least, pressure her enough while being ready to punish Parsic when she came out of hiding. Her orbs hung loose, ready to strike at a moment's notice.

"......." Etrina gave Asha'rahs assault only the barest amount of attention, seemingly entirely aware of what was real or fake as she stepped around and stayed still as was needed ".........Humm........Honestly, a dog has better manners. I suppose you can play with mine while I talk with my niece. Come back when you've learned some manners Asha'rah...or not at all, either is fine."

Asha'rahs next wave of projectiles, illusions and all, were frozen in a field of locked time....followed quickly by Chrona appearing between Asha'rah and the two, bandishing her rainbow colored sword. "Yo.......Hey Boss, do you really have to refer to me as a dog...in front of the creation god..."

"Oh I'm so sorry....do you job and I'll give you extra puppy treats afterwards." Fate answered with a disgusted face.

".......Heh.....you'd be surprised but this is how she shows affection....actually I suppose you wouldn't. Anyways..." Chrona vanished, accelerating her time via time dilation and body checking the goddess with the hilt of her sword, ramming her through multiple bookshelf and a fair distance across the cavern.....and more importantly, out of the sight range of the two remaining.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

"You're welcome, by the way!"

He was well aware that Sarada would probably be getting the very slightly better end of the stick of this thanks to her zenkai. As for him... well... pain had become something of a running theme in his life. When his techniques weren't erupting within his body, he often found himself in situations where pain was the only thing needed to progress. Probably the reason why most of his body looked like it had been crudely stitched back together by this point.

This did not mean that he was used to it, or had developed some masochistic sort of immunity to it. Despite this, Charco chose to up the ante, pouring more ki into his own clusterfuck of a tactic if only to ensure that the Saiyan Royalty would remember this. He began to laugh alongside Sarada as they sealed their mutually assured destruction.



It took some time for the pain to hit him, whether it was the adrenaline, the sensory overload, or his nerves being fried from the explosion. For the most part, he could tell he was in a free fall and the sight of the Lookout passing him in the distance by told him that his body had been launched a good bit away from it.

Then it came like an old friend, the pain and agony that came when someone weaponized your shirt and you stupidly stood next to another explosion at chest level. The rushing air across his scorched flesh didn't help matters either. Obviously, his shirt was gone and while he had a vague sense of his belt still bound around his waist, his jeans were most likely in shreds. Trying to investigate his status any further proved difficult as pain dominated a good portion of his conscious mind. The realization that he needed to address landing came to mind and Charco looked below, only to see sky?

Wait, no, that was water.

Sarada was the first to hit the water. However high up the Lookout was made for enough distance for her to hit terminal velocity by the time she landed. She was durable enough to survive the landing, but it still stung like a mother.

Okay, not my finest moment. Taking not one but two explosions... this is gonna give me a hell of a zenkai!

Of course, that wasn't the reason why she did it, though she knew that in the end, she was going to be the one to benefit from the mutually destructive maneuvers. The reason was simple: if she was going to fight Charco, she couldn't hold back, because he sure as hell wasn't. Besides, she had to bring everything she had to the table since she, technically, was the one who initiated the conflict.

In hindsight, she didn't regret anything. Why? It wasn't like either of them were dead, and it probably made for a hell of a spectacle for anyone who was watching from the Lookout.

Probably not Ishtar. The dual explosions hurt like a ************ for Sarada, so it had to hurt at least half as badly for Ishtar. Ah, well; by this point, she was probably used to pain.

****. I need air, but my body won't move. Wait! Her tail unwrapped from her waist and started to rotate like a propelling, propelling her upward to the surface. "Gah!" she gasped the moment she reached the water's surface. "Probably shouldn't do that again. Heh."

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

"Hmm....I had assumed you weren't foolish enough to come here for any other reason. As for what did to Parsic...let me be the first to expression how revolted I am with what my niece opted to put in her mouth. Do you throw anything with a magic flavor down your gullet.....actually don't answer that, I'm sure its a cesspool down there."

Fate put her fingers to the side of her head and sighed. "...No matter.........this body is mine, I've granted its former occupant an eternal life of luxury and happiness.....and as my niece I don't have any particular hatred for you. Why not give up on this notion....I can promise you much the same. How would like that Ishtar? I could strip that fate Zurvan burdened you with.....no longer would the mantle of destruction need be on your shoulders. You could life a life free from the hopeless machinations of uncontrolled fate....with that saiyan girl you love so much. I'd take care of everything for my sweet little niece."

Fate smiled, almost genuinely. ".....Well? I'd hate for this to get vio.."

Ishtar cracked a smile.

"Eternal life ... happiness ? You and I both know I would not be here, if you were not lying." That where Etrina's soul was currently was undoubtedly a simulacrum of such; but to say that it was a true statement, or really anything more than a cruel twist of ...

Ishtar blinked, as Fate offered her ... 'bargain'.

Give up on this notion ? Well the Oni certainly wasn't going to do that. Especially not now. Nor was she going to give the power over -- if she knew how -- to her psychotic aunt. Not to mention...

Wait.

Was that a threat ?

"What did you just say ?"

Before an answer might be made however, Asha'rah acted, and Chrona was forced to play her hand.

"......." Etrina gave Asha'rahs assault only the barest amount of attention, seemingly entirely aware of what was real or fake as she stepped around and stayed still as was needed ".........Humm........Honestly, a dog has better manners. I suppose you can play with mine while I talk with my niece. Come back when you've learned some manners Asha'rah...or not at all, either is fine."

Asha'rahs next wave of projectiles, illusions and all, were frozen in a field of locked time....followed quickly by Chrona appearing between Asha'rah and the two, bandishing her rainbow colored sword. "Yo.......Hey Boss, do you really have to refer to me as a dog...in front of the creation god..."

"Oh I'm so sorry....do you job and I'll give you extra puppy treats afterwards." Fate answered with a disgusted face.

".......Heh.....you'd be surprised but this is how she shows affection....actually I suppose you wouldn't. Anyways..." Chrona vanished, accelerating her time via time dilation and body checking the goddess with the hilt of her sword, ramming her through multiple bookshelf and a fair distance across the cavern.....and more importantly, out of the sight range of the two remaining.

Fate-Etrina, would find, after Chrona had whisked Asha'rah away, a rather ... irate Oni, standing no more than a few inches away.

"This is going to get violent."

Then a fist sent the 'young' Aspect, flying.

[MrSandman]

Fate-Etrina, would find, after Chrona had whisked Asha'rah away, a rather ... irate Oni, standing no more than a few inches away.

"This is going to get violent."

Then a fist sent the 'young' Aspect, flying.

Even as she was turning back, her hand instinctively raised itself to intercept the blow....yet only blunted the blow from hitting anything important, the force behind it set her skidding backwards almost the floor before bumping into the back of her throne with a grunt.

"Good grief.....fine....Have it your way." Fate sighed with annoyance, brushing off her clothes......then she spread her arms and flexed her fingers.

Immediately something thin and strong, like piano wire, snagged around the onis neck, arms and legs. So thin she could barely see the lines in the light reflected haze of the chamber. With the barest motion of her hands the lines drew taunt and immediate pain sprung as the threads cuts into the onis skin...the one around her neck strangling her as it yanked the oni straight upwards with force no normal line could withstand.

Now free of the earth, Ishtar found her arms and legs being pulled in a maronette style as the fate goddess danced her against her will...even as the wire cut her breath from reaching her lungs.

"Its too late to surrender.....I think I'll let you suffer a bit. Think of it as the lesson your father should have gave you."

[Yun Lao]

The impact was jarring, about the same as if he had fallen onto a concrete slab. The water was unforgiving and drew him into its depths before he could fully recover from it all. The salty water burned his wounds, little more of an annoyance compared to everything else he had accrued so far.

Still, despite the pain, he couldn't help but feel a certain sense of serenity as he slipped further beneath the waves. It was comforting, enough for him to close his eyes and... Realizing his situation, his eyes snapped open, yet as soon as he sought to fight back to the surface, he was swept aside by a massive, dark being.

Had Sarada recovered already? It was hard to tell from the blur of bubbles that filled his vision. This all culminated in his sudden upheaval from the water where he would harmlessly plop across the soft sands of a beach.

"Ugh... thanks, Sara--"

Looking up, he had expected to see the Saiyan there, but instead found himself with a curious sight; a mermaid rippling with muscles.


"Oh oh ho! You're quite welcome, young man! That was quite a fall. Good thing I was patrolling this part of the ocean at the time."

Why the mermaid was flexing, however, was a mystery Charco had no interest in discovering.

"You friend managed to make it to the surface, so no need to worry about her!"

And with that, the mysterious mermaid delved back into the water, leaving a confused Charco alone on the shore.