Original join date: 11/23/2004
Eclectic Connoisseur of all things written, drawn, or imaginatively created.
"We do not share mutual affection, so I am not your friend. You are still alive, so I am not your foe. Therefore....I am something else. But what?" The Voidling posed this to Meagan as if it were as curious about the answer as she was. "What an interesting mindset your kind seems to have.....the concept of trust is almost paradoxical. Something that can only be traded, yet its value and the value of what can be given in return is determined entirely by the owner. Not even the inventor has deemed me worthy of it...and I have made multiple offers to soothe his mind."
Turning to the visitor, "Not traded, earned. Trust is something that comes from mutual understanding, as well as from shared self interests. Warriors who fight together over time learn to trust one another as they share a common goal and have proven themselves to each other. It is not to be bartered, traded, or sold. To earn our trust, you must first prove that you are deserving of it."
Original join date: 11/23/2004
Eclectic Connoisseur of all things written, drawn, or imaginatively created.
After a while, the Majin had stood to his feet, completely regenerated. Sasheem stretched and cracked his neck a bit, as he sarcastically spouted, "Thanks for the save, team. Really appreciated the help! Sasheem'll be sure to return the favor one day...by kicking your collective candy asses." The Majin grumbled a bit more as he grabbed the backpack full of books, which was remarkably still intact.
He then took a seat on the lookout, drew out one book, and began to peruse it's contents. " 'The Legend of the Five Schools'," he read. "...Legend?! Aint this history?" He questioned as he began to flip through several index pages. "Guess anyone can write a book after all...still can't hurt to see if it's got any useful information, though."
"Hence, the Paradox. I have provided the mutual understanding.....you do not wish to cease, and I do not wish this sphere to cease. By that same logic I have provided a shared interest, the continued existence of this sphere. You state that trust cannot be traded, yet you then state that one must spend time and effort towards a cause to be granted trust. Our existences are too incompatible to create the trust you desire....so you may either make due with our agreement as it stands or not."
The voidling smiled that empty soulless smile.
later after the talk Praxat shows up at Capsule Corp with saying " there's only one year to prepare to take on Killrog!" " I need the aid of the Galaxy Police and I need warriors willing to lend me their aid." "hmm there seem to be strange visitor here looking at the Voiding. " " is it a threat?"
"well I don't care about that all I care about right now is prepping to take on Killrog and free my people from his clutches!" " that is the only thing on my mind right now." ( since Megan and the others are here I better ask them where I can find the Galaxy Police ? ) Praxat turns to address Megan , Eva and everyone who is at Capsule Corp saying " yeah I can see our strange visitor but I have important matters of my own to deal with .
" so Megan or Eva can one of you tell me where some members of the Galaxy Police are right now?" "it is urgent that I speak to them." " oh and I left Qaztoh with Kai back at the Lookout for meditation lessons and thanks for fix her of her Juppter addiction Eva." " one more thing I'm also here to applied for a job."
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Characters: Cyber Samurai, Wilima Stonewall, Red Oni, Jaakobah , Giduiz Mazi, Midas Goldsteel
Gambit: Gambit see your bet and raise it, because the cards always be in my favor.
"For that information, I am appreciative. Exchanging of information does not require trust, only a willingness to examine the information before acting on it." Meagan felt like she was talking to a child about now, but she remained patient, "It is the act of making deals that require a certain level of trust. Unlike some, I do not jump at every offer of a deal without full disclosure of the nature of the deal."
Original join date: 11/23/2004
Eclectic Connoisseur of all things written, drawn, or imaginatively created.
for Kingofpie
Later Lieutenant Stratovarius puts the crystalize Toadian in his space ship and sets a course to earth . then he contacts Galaxy Police headquarters again saying " this is Lieutenant Stratovarius calling in again. "I'm head to Earth right now." " I have the crystalize alien on board and I be taking it to Capsule Corp to see if there's anyway undo the crystallization. " " odd thing is the alien seems to have what appears to be some sort of crown on their head."
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Characters: Cyber Samurai, Wilima Stonewall, Red Oni, Jaakobah , Giduiz Mazi, Midas Goldsteel
Gambit: Gambit see your bet and raise it, because the cards always be in my favor.
"Have I not provided the information you seek? The terms of the deal have been made quite clear.....I will explain again for your benefit. I will provide you with information on a threat to your sphere, and assist you in preparing you adequately. You will in turn subdue the threat, and provide me with knowledge to sake my curiosity. If trust is insufficient to appease you....then we are at an impasse, barring you provide me with the means the increase that trust. Perhaps even explain how much trust is required........there is a measurement for trust correct? A quantifiable scale?"
The slate-grey Oni had jumped from one solar system to the next, blinking in only long enough to search for his blue-skinned cousin, before blinking out just as quickly as he had arrived; and only twice did he tarry. The first time to slow the incessant prattling of the voices with which he was losing control ... and the second to consume the life that persisted on a moon near where he had arrived, the citizens never even realizing the Oni-turned-God was upon them before The End rode swiftly to meet them ...
And for the first time in as many days, the voices fell away to distant murmuring.
Which was good, so veryveryVERY good.
Even better still, the hunger that had plagued him so was somewhat diminished ... it would be at least several hours, before it came trickling back in; and by then he would have found who he hoped to find. In the end however, the search did not take overlong.
After a few hours, Nergal found his cousin -- and quarry -- Ishtar, not soon after his last stop.
In the Milky Way Galaxy, no less. A span of stars that was young compared to the tapestry that it was woven into, and for some reason this seemed ... wrong. What would his cousin be doing here, in such an insignificant portion of space ? For there was, truly, nothing particularly noteworthy about this solar system. The worlds were largely void of light, and life ... and the power he felt here was middling. Almost not good enough to bother consuming, even ... save a few flickering signatures that were in close proximity to hers.
Hm ...
Surely there was a reason. A thing she saw, she knew ... perhaps even felt. A question among many, he would learn the answers to, this day. But first ... The broken-horn Oni glimmered, shimmered, and vanished.
Yeah, but if you... man, we're getting into weird analogy territory, like if you disintegrated Superman's arms he wouldn't be able to go "fool! Little did you know that my arms and I are one and can be remade from me!" and will his arms back into being from pure nothingness. - Pendaran
Arx Inosaan
After finishing both her conversation -- and first meeting -- with Cthylla, Ishtar left Capsule Corp, and it was as she made ready to head to the Lookout; when a brief telepathic communique from Sarada came through.
Knowing this meant that her love would be gone before she returned to the Lookout, all the golden-eyed Oni could do was offer a nod -- to the air, more than anything -- before responding back quickly with:Originally Posted by Sub-Zero MKA
'I understand ... I will get there when I can.'
Sarada after all, had a handy teleportation device ... and while Ishtar could make the jump herself, as strong as she had become; it would take some time. So with that knowledge, the glowing-horn Oni headed off to tidy up a few things, before her own departure. Arriving first on the surface of the Lookout, she made her way quickly to check in on Ereshkigal, and Nunlil.
Both seemed well enough, the former being bounced upon the knee of the latter as 'Nuni' -- as Eresh had taken to calling her -- told her stories about her life as a Bounty Hunter ... and really, compared to how the pink-skinned Oni was, when they first met ... it certainly was something to see. Informing both that something ... troubling had come up, Ishtar offered her assurances that she would return soon; and perhaps they could make a point of moving the two to Dusk City. A thing that went over well enough in Eresh's case, though it seemed as if Nunlil preferred the Lookout.
Finished there, the Oni also looked in on Anula, and while the woman was still perhaps a concern -- though much less of one, now that the taint of Auroc did not cling to her-- given her former life ... she seemed comfortable enough in the care of Kai, and Evangeline. Ensuring that it would be fine for the Threshling to remain at the lookout, under supervision and the care necessary to restore her mind, Ishtar departed then quickly and blinked to Dusk City.
The Oni took even less time here, simply ensuring that affairs were in order -- and confirming the safe storage of the HIFL Fruit -- before gathering what little she needed, as she built the energy to teleport to Vocado ...
Only to find herself, upon stepping out of her house, face to face with someone she had not expected -- or really, hoped -- to see, standing in front of her Dusk City home.
"Nergal ?" Ishtar muttered, eyes wide.
The Oni who forsook his nature -- at the offer of power beyond his station -- who had sundered worlds, and wiped entire systems from the cosmic tapestry; now stood before her ... on Earth. Yet beyond that simple, startled question, she remained silent.
"Cousin." The slate-grey Oni replied, glancing about his surroundings before returning his gaze to the woman he had waited so long to see.
The golden-eyed Oni simply continued to stare. From what she recalled, this was not supposed to be ... possible. Or at the very least, she had hoped it would take longer. Gelia had fragmented his power, and sealed him away after all; and the Witch had been one of some renown. Yet ...
"Here I stand," Nergal stated then, breaking the silence and ripping Ishtar from her thoughts. "As do you ... and I have hoped for so long, to see you."
The glowing-horn Oni, unsure how to respond, simply bobbed her head weakly, before offering a rather simplistic, "how ?"
The broken-horn Oni nodded, as if somehow expecting this question, and wasted little time explaining how his liberation had come to be. "A rather ... disappointing tale, all things considered; as the millennia continued to trickle by during my ... confinement, I managed to prise myself from that damnable tome at the cost of much of what remained of my former glory." Nergal explained, "and from there I quickly plied my efforts toward restoration. A thing I yet remain in the process of." And as true as an Oni, when Ishtar examined her cousins' power level, it was nowhere near where it was once purported to be ... and yet as it was now ... should it end unpleasantly, Earth would fare poorly, as would the Oni herself.
"... but what of you, Ishtar ?" Nergal asked, again pulling the golden-eyed Oni's attention from her own thoughts, to the imposing figure before her. "How has your last ten-thousand years been spent ?"
"Not as well as I might have planned for, though perhaps better than it could be." Ishtar stated simply, at first.
"It was spent largely, drifting from one place to the next ... Earth was merely the next in a series of many. Though ... I have learned much of myself, in the years spent here." And this was not untrue ... the glowing-horn Oni had learned a great deal in her time here, and had slowly grown into the person she felt she needed to be. "You know though ... I must ask." The Oni stated then, slowly as she sought to find words that would not lead to an ... escalation.
"Why are you here ?"
Nergal blinked, before chuckling -- an ominous thing that set Ishtar on edge -- with eyes twinkling slightly.
"To see if you have transcended, dear cousin ... a thing I have yet to ... and to ask a simple question." The slate-grey Oni responded then, taking an unconscious step toward Ishtar -- who instinctively took a step back -- before continuing. "I have been ... traveling. Searching for shards of a relic that bound my glory and sealed it away ... and I learned that you, dear cousin ... Ishtar; know where a fragment lay hidden." He stated, straightforward and simple in the traditional Oni matter.
And Ishtar knew well what he spoke of.
After all, had not she, and Sarada spent time on Langal -- vacationing and seeing the best of what the Saiyan Empire had on offer -- for the purpose of hiding away that fragment offered by the young Draconian and her mother ? And while Ishtar was not sure how Nergal knew what he knew of this, she was almost positive what his question would be. Which was ... a problem, she could not lie; and given the disparity that lay between them now, refusal to answer would end ... poorly.
Both for herself, and for the Earth and all upon it.
"So I must ask you now, dear cousin mine ..." Nergal offered then, "Where is the Saiyan-girl you traveled with. The one who held the shard ?"
Ishtar's eyes widened -- slightly more than they were already -- and for the moment, she simply stared. This was not the question she had expected ... nor was knowing that he somehow knew of Sarada's part to play. So as Nergal waited, surprisingly patient, the golden-eyed Oni did her best to speak true, without the truth being offered at all.
"I ... know where she is not."
The slate-grey Oni's smile faltered, and took another step forward.
"Come now, cousin. By now you must know how this will end, should you deny me. Tell me what you know, and I will leave you ... and this mudball, be."
Ishtar stepped backward, now in time with Nergal's forward progress, before shaking her head stiffly.
"As I said. I know where she is not ... and this world means little, threatening it serves no purpose." And again, the blue-skinned Oni spoke true. The Earth itself was of little concern, it was the people she had found upon it that mattered ... a thing her Cousin did not need to know. Yet at hearing the repetition of a comment that skirted the boundary of truthfulness and lie, Nergal's smile fell away entirely.
He had come so far, and suffered a slow erosion of himself in the process ... Kin or no, he would not be denied.
"Do not mistake me, cousin mine." The broken-horn Oni offered, his words sickly sweet. "I will prise what you know from your corpse." The sky over Dusk City seemed to darken -- despite being midday -- when he spoke next.
"Now tell me."
Ishtar shook her head.
Even had Sarada's life not been at direct risk, she would refuse much the same. What Nergal was ... what Nergal continued to be, was one of many who stood in opposition to the balance she had long held, would be hers to correct. And now she had accepted such -- and learned it would be hears, almost assuredly -- she would not cow to the will of another. So as Nergal stood, with imposing posture and a building up of fell energy, the golden-eyed Oni stood firm.
"I will not."
(continued below)
Yeah, but if you... man, we're getting into weird analogy territory, like if you disintegrated Superman's arms he wouldn't be able to go "fool! Little did you know that my arms and I are one and can be remade from me!" and will his arms back into being from pure nothingness. - Pendaran
Arx Inosaan
Nergal scowled, the twinkle in his eye now replaced with contempt.
"I had hoped for more, dear cousin. No matter ... "
The slate-Grey Oni stepped forward, and before Ishtar had the sense to retreat, his hand shot forward and clamped down upon her throat, blood welling up around the claws as they pierced the skin and hoisted her up to his eye-level.
"I will have what I came for, one way or another."
Unable to respond, Ishtar simply grasped at the arm holding her as she struggled to find a way out ... and with a faint crackling of energy that traced the curve of her spine, she remembered what she had been about to do minutes before ...
Nergal, too focused on the conquest that would soon be his, did not seem to notice it as the blue-skinned Oni's arms fell away. Instead he merely clamped down tighter.
"The En-"
There was a flash of blue, and with it the Oni that had been grasped so tightly vanished in an instant, leaving behind only empty space and a reminder of what had happened only an hour before, with Aeliana.
To Nergal's credit however, he did not cry out in defeat. She could no longer be sensed on the Earth, surely, but that did not mean that he had lost her, or the information she hoarded so selfishly. After all ... his cousin, like Aeliana, could not have traveled far.
She was weaker yet than the Myrmadaris -- perhaps another disappointment -- and he had her scent now. Even if she managed to perform the same trickery again ... he would simply hunt her down and take what he wished of her by force.
So as Nergal stood there, he began to chuckle, before blinking from the surface of the Earth and back into the inky-black of space.
At least Ishtar would make this ... fun.
Last edited by Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh; 10-21-2018 at 04:48 PM.
Yeah, but if you... man, we're getting into weird analogy territory, like if you disintegrated Superman's arms he wouldn't be able to go "fool! Little did you know that my arms and I are one and can be remade from me!" and will his arms back into being from pure nothingness. - Pendaran
Arx Inosaan
On Evangeline's Lookout...
Lieutenant Blizzar was enjoying an apple from the Lookout's kitchen as he surveyed the Earth below. It was certainly a nice view. The planet was indeed beautiful, an opinion Blizzar was sure many of his peers would share had the Galaxy Police payed this 'insignificant' blue planet any attention. Earth, always playing catch up with the rest of the Universe...Things certainly changed once the Pantaloon family reached prominence.
But tarnishing all the positives of this world, was the looming shadow cast by the man know as Grinthorn. Blizzar has always known such shadows. He's lived in the underbelly of the galaxy, even now as he stands in the light, but when he'd met Grinthorn...it was the first time he'd encountered an evil he did not entirely understand. It was the first time he felt an evil that struck him with crush a soul chilling terror. And all Grinthorn had to do to accomplish this was have a friendly chat. Blizzar took a seat upon the Lookout's edge, crunching on his apple thoughtfully as a voice suddenly shouted in his ear.
"Lieutenant, sir!" N-Ten announced, posing dramatically. "We've got an image sent in from GP HQ, sir!"
"Do we now? What's-" Blizzar attempted to utter, but...
"Lieutenant, sir!" X-Bo joined the conversation, sliding into view as he posed coolly. "It's form Lieutenant Stratovarius, sir!"
"Ah. I don't know him well, but-" Blizzar managed to add, however...
"Lieutenant, sir!" P-Cee spoke up swooping in and standing on her brother's shoulder as she posed exuberantly. "We've done a careful analyses of the picture, but we don't know what to make of it, sir!"
"Alright! Alright!" Blizzar, stated, uncharacteristically losing his cool for a moment, more irritated at his thought being interrupted than anything else, as he stood up to face his current charges. "Just...stop with the incessant battle posing."
"But sir, it helps us stay dynamic!" N-Ten explained.
"JUST...show me the image...if you will," Blizzar sighed, devouring the rest of his apple, tossing the core in the air and catching it with his tail so as not to litter. P-Cee nodded and transferred the image to Blizzar's datapad. Blizzar quickly opened it to see what the cause for such an urgent message was. When he opened the picture, he appeared slightly puzzled. "...It's a frog," he shrugged, looking to the Squadron for clarification.
"Well...no, but I've seen similar frogs out and about on the lookout," X-Bo noted. "I don't think they're native to this planet for what it's worth."
"And something else!" P-Cee raised up her datapad. "I did send some inquiries to GP HQ and their response stated that all further questions on this matter should be addressed to Lieutenant Stratovarius as he's headed to Earth now!"
Blizzar was about to respond until he'd heard a notification go off on his datapad. A notification that confirmed P-Cee's statement. "Indeed, he is," Blizzar nodded. Well...best to patch him through, if he believes this is urgent. My thanks, Squadron"
Blizzar quickly looked up Lieutenant Stratoverius' contact information and contacted him. "This is Lieutenant Blizzar, head of the Galaxy Police Earth HQ. You're heading to Earth bearing a message of urgency, I am to understand?"
"Perhaps trust can be earned simply by explaining the exact nature of the knowledge you wish to acquire and the means by which you wish to obtain it. You need to understand, I have seen knowledge taken in ways that cause harm, even death. My only desire is to protect those under my auspices. I wish to be certain that you're intentions, well meaning as they may be, will not cause harm to anyone."
Original join date: 11/23/2004
Eclectic Connoisseur of all things written, drawn, or imaginatively created.
"'All things strive,' as she is wont to recount." he replied. "There invariably is some truth when a saying becomes rote. It is when insight is unexamined and stagnates to doctrine where there is contention."
Even as he had his back turned to her - he had stood to tend the stove - Ochazuke sensed the air about her, and was acutely aware where Sarada's countenance stiffened somewhat. Some silent matter, clawing beneath that hunger of a consummate challenger. Perhaps a second helping will resolve that quietly, for the moment. Within the great clay vessel, the separation between ingredients slowly began to fade as their colours blanched and melded together, the clarity of the primary stock clouded by the leaching of the meat.
"That is the hegemony of many tyrant lords, little different the aged predator prowling the wilds for carrion." Hot servings were replenished, lined next to tea from the second steep. "Pride of that sort craves the validation of another, even as while it treads upon them, a foothold to reach ever upward. It allows a fool to claim himself Champion."
"Fallibility comes within struggle. If they do not falter, they cannot be proven wrong," he said. "Everybody is prepared to win, to be lauded and accept graces and pleasures, because that is a thin test of will. To accept the way to kill that ambition, for many, is unconscionable."
At the mention of President Grinthorn, Ochazuke's utensils stopped where they stabbed deep into the rice. Steam escaped from the holes like shed blood steaming as it cut through snow. His lips lined with disgust. With a low sigh he took a sip of tea before he continued.A soft smile curled her lips. "Don't mistake the truth for flattery." That was all she had to say about that. She knew that his humility was born from something far more sinister than simple philosophy. How else could one explain his harsh aversion to the pride that plagued all creation? Something happened to him years ago, a secret he kept as closely guarded to his heart as she did her own past. Whatever it was, his reasons for keeping it secret were the same as hers -- those who needed to know did, and those who didn't wouldn't. It was as simple as that.
As he continued, her smile fell away. The threat of those abroad, beyond the stars and shrouded in the blackness of space weighed heavily on them all. But, it was the threats that were nearest that were often the most dangerous. They could sneak up on even the most cautious and kill them with nary a sound or an alarm. That, she knew, was the threat Cohb Grinthorn presented. And Ochazuke, Zaofan, and all the others who called this blue gem home were none the wiser.
"Auroc is a grave threat," she admitted. "One that now threatens everyone Ishtar calls her own. But, don't focus all your attention to the stars. Focus on the shadows that shroud your own home. Tell me, what do you know of the man your world calls President Grinthorn?"
Just saying his name sent a shiver up her spine.
"You may have noticed the Uniformity of that grand Design is in some respects is absent from this world," he said, mulling the words thoughtfully.
"Fighting with this group, there are reasons for our conflicts across the stars. We fought Jagam in a show of support for the Saiyan Cause. Liberated a planet for the Chromakai Cause. Wherever Nevanlinna was ushered by the vision of her foetid god, she likely casts a penitent lot in with the Threshling cause," he continued. "Whole planets aligned to a single vision. There are many borders drawn on the planet below that Grinthorn would meld together into a vision of uniformity. But, uniformity is not unity."
Ochazuke cut a swathe through the rice, chewing a bite thoughtfully before he continued. "Now, you are a newly-crowned Queen. Tell me, how many nations can exist within the borders of an Empire? Answer truthfully."
"Some see the World Government as a monolith created from the flesh of the dead, affixed with blood as its mortar. Still others feel it is better to move forward, to survive with greater the share of ease." His head lowered and his features darkened under such a terrible glower that savory morsels felt like ash in his mouth. "To forget a lived history as if had never been..." the loathing in his restrained tone was palpable, "is to strip away at the soul of a people. It leaves in place of a reason to live a vulnerable hollow that forgives nothing."
He closed his eyes with a low meditative breath.
"For myself, well, there are unique freedoms which exist...for dead men," he said. "Released from the weight of a banner and the binds of promises, when I had nothing I was free to see everything. And so the training I have ahead of me is to slowly claw the pieces of that life back and gain the strength to show them that there is another way."
Ochazuke loosed a short breath between his teeth."Thank you."
It seemed to be ages ago since she foolishly charged into the dank unknown of the Room of Spirit and Time to confront someone she thought had strength to entertain her. Ochazuke claimed he told her sister to speak to her about that, but that conversation never came about. Perhaps Parsley forgot or was saving it for another time when there weren't pressing matters to focus on.
Or, more likely, the latter eventually gave way to the former.
Either way, it wasn't a conversation she felt needed to happen.
To answer his unspoken question, she sighed quietly. "It's in my blood to seek stronger competition," she started. "My race is a naturally aggressive one. We usually exercise that aggression out by finding stronger opponents to fight, to test ourselves against. Such opponents are usually, at least these days, other Saiyans. Sometimes, though, we find unknowns that we can test ourselves against. Like Shek'hinah yesterday." She shrugged. "Sometimes, we get too excited and run in head first without at least taking a look to see if the environment is safe."
She chuckled and stirred her bowl with a spoon slowly. "It's gotten me in trouble more times than I can count. You can count on it persisting until it's beaten out of me."
"When instinct rails against reason, that is cause for concern," he said, "but when your life is no longer belongs to you alone, that is cause for alarm."
He set his utensils down and folded his arms.
"You and Totoma have thrown yourselves into the thick of the fighting, satisfied in the knowledge that if you do not win this time, there will be another time to challenge, and beyond your current limit you will be all the stronger for it," he said. "With all the strength you've gained presently, you would seek to test it, proof you could stand to assert yourself and change the course. If anything should threaten your interests, you will be first on the scene to defend it, damn the circumstances."
"Noble thoughts, but a fool's course. You would have killed yourself and the others to fight Hammer and save Ishtar," he said. "What happens to her people when the Queen falls?"
Last edited by grampagen; 10-21-2018 at 05:41 PM.