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"If memory serves," he replied, "the universe they left behind was in no state to continue."
Of course, his present companion would be remiss to forget this, where the tears of creation created a garden of lament upon the Terra gravestones. With this in mind, his pace towards the assembly at the Lookout's centre quickened over the broken surface of its hallowed, ancient grounds.
When Ochazuke looked upon Jinzi as he turned towards him, the flush of anger seemed to linger in the scientist's face in spite of himself. The scene which unfolded within Zurvan's view past the portal made it clear just what had set him off.Jinzi pauses, composed himself, and looks at Ochazuke.
“How can I help you?”
"With the chaff gone, the Sheriff's estimate is no longer valid." In this battle for Time, their window to act was rapidly closing. "Zaofan said it himself, it was a blindspot that the Doctor used to lock down his targets for the ease of his agents. Now that the Doctor knows what we're doing, he will likely make his move sooner than he thought."
He exchanged a weary glance with Jinzi. The polymath spent much of his time sifting through data, by the interplay of method and knowledge searching by the light of a boundless inquisitive spirit to a harmonic synthesis of ideas that had proven to be just short of miraculous.
Perhaps in some dull way, he could sympathize. Part-and-parcel of the span of deeper vision was the very same thing that left one unable to let go of the moment.
"Those who went through the portal have their part to play. Trust them to do it and leave it be, you have yours to contend with," he said. "How soon until we are able to pursue the Doctor?"
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Jinzi closes his eyes, takes a deep breathe, then nods and adjusts his glasses.
“You’re right, I apologize. Now then.....pursuing The Doctor won’t be easy. All signs point to him being, quite frankly, off the known stellar charts. However, I do have an in at GP headquarters and I know for a fact they are testing a new ship out that’s faster than anything out there. If I can narrow down the spatial coordinates, and we can use that ship, then retaliating at him is feasible.”
He grins.
“The chaff you secured me will be his undoing. I can use it to potentially find similar technology. Using it as a type of resonating beacon. Theoretical, but doable in my estimation.”
Black Knight of SO
Owner/Operator of SO’s Item/Weapon Shop
Claimer of the original Rumbles 2,000,000th post
CBR GM/DM
Somehow, someway, Charco managed to weasel his way out of her blast that was sure to knock him out of the ring if it connected. Lucky bastard; but his luck was about to run out.
Well, not yet.
As she was beginning to advance, Charco beat her to the punch figuratively by catching up to her, and literally by punching her in the face, repeatedly. This wasn't a very desirable circumstance to be in, so she did something about it. She threw her hands up in a defensive stance in front of her to block the punches, and to give her a momentary reprieve so she could get his measure.
Almost...
...almost...
There!
Her fist suddenly blitzed forward and connected with his. Then, her other fist connected with his as it was coming to back its twin up. Kick for kick, punch for punch, Sarada matched Charco blow for blow. Each collision created a small shock-wave that echoed through the arena.
It was about this time that Ishtar, after she had departed from the company of both Karine and Aleka, happened upon Ochazuke and Jinzi, the duo seemingly in the midst of a discussion about what to do now that their being hindered -- and at the same time shielded -- from the Doctor's Chaff had been made nothing; and from the sound, it seemed there was serious consideration being given toward pursuing the man.
How curious.
Approaching then, the Oni made her presence known.
"I would have assumed the idea would be to hold fast, and finish what is required of us. The Doctor is after all, in possession of three of the six of the objects we are required to retrieve." Which by any reasonable metric would make the man, a Jinzi himself and one with nothing to lose, far more dangerous to confront than he would be otherwise. "Objects that give him power to bend space, and time enough to have nearly killed us multiple times now." Glacia, Haru, and Koolard the most recent evidence; the battle with Glacia alone killing one -- were it not for a considerable amount of luck in reviving them -- and injuring several more.
"Though ... one supposes he has merely attacked us by proxy."
Perhaps then, he would not measure up to direct confrontation ? Ishtar sighed. "Much to consider, in so short a time ... Though for now at least I can confirm that your hypothesis has already been proven"
Though with all of that said, there was still a curiosity to be had in Jinzi's own comments about fashioning a tracking device out of the Chaff, and his own technology. So without another word Ishtar produced two capsules and held them out. One contacting Glacia's corpse, the other containing her battered heart.
" ... the heart has been used to locate and converse with ally of the Doctor, already. My kin and kinslayer, Marduk. It should not be difficult then, for you, to pinpoint the location we seek."
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
Black Knight of SO
Owner/Operator of SO’s Item/Weapon Shop
Claimer of the original Rumbles 2,000,000th post
CBR GM/DM
A short distance away, Parsley had been listening to the discussion between Ochazuke, Jinzi, and now Ishtar. From what she could discern, it seemed they now had a means of locating The Doctor. Ishtar even made contact with one of his subordinates, a kinsman of hers named Marduk. A name unfamiliar to her, but familiarity wasn't particularly relevant at the moment.
What was was that their timetable hadn't move one iota. Even if they could accurately ascertain the galactivr coordinates of Jinzi's alter's hideaway, confronting him even right away was suicide.
He still possessed four time stones – though, soon to be three as soon as Sarada and her team returned from the tournament. What that translated to in terms of power and fighting prowess, she wasn't sure, but he could surely pull whatever reinforcements he needed from the remaining timelines.
The real Jinzi's excitement and zeal were admirable, but ultimately shortsighted.
"How long do you think this search will take?" she inquired as she stepped toward them. "We still have three timelines left, so locating him too quickly will ultimately prove useless."
Through a small turn, Ochazuke acknowledged Ishtar's presence when she approached. The wounds of the last battle had been put to mend, though the impassive expression she'd often borne through them made it difficult to discern at a glance, given her blood-blackened frame.
So when the oni advised caution when she spoke, it was something to consider thoroughly.
"That's still three less fragments than there were. The Doctor sought to bleed Time and thought with a wound his victory was all but assured." The dull glow pulsing from that portal viewing the arena a world away showed it was anything but; Zurvan still stood watch.
"He looks down upon the rest of the universe from his cloister," he said, "you heard the Hybrid say it, she and her kin were supposed to end their task. Now that they have failed, now that their father has an unobstructed view of a certain threat, what will stop him from redoubling his efforts?'
From where he stood, when the grisly remains were produced, that same harrowing shock bristled against his senses from where he traced Koolard's source connection before his own heart induced a forest to smoking glass in its wake. This one, torn from the artificial life it once sustained, was inert."Though ... one supposes he has merely attacked us by proxy."
Perhaps then, he would not measure up to direct confrontation ? Ishtar sighed. "Much to consider, in so short a time ... Though for now at least I can confirm that your hypothesis has already been proven"
Though with all of that said, there was still a curiosity to be had in Jinzi's own comments about fashioning a tracking device out of the Chaff, and his own technology. So without another word Ishtar produced two capsules and held them out. One contacting Glacia's corpse, the other containing her battered heart.
" ... the heart has been used to locate and converse with ally of the Doctor, already. My kin and kinslayer, Marduk. It should not be difficult then, for you, to pinpoint the location we seek."
As before, the work was twisted, strange, otherworldly. But now the familiar shape of the sigils, the dead language of the First Race, stood apparent to Ochazuke where it remained etched into the metal, blending its syntax into magical accents, compacted into an engineered shell of mad ambition. Ishtar all but confirmed there were more players unseen in this game that stretched across innumerable eons and countless divergences.
"Your kin...that explains it," Ochazuke replied. "The design is the Doctor's, but the working medium, forcibly twisted, bears the signature of another."
He'd heard the name Marduk among their company. One more licentious actor in pursuit of consolidated power through any means necessary. To get to the Doctor, we must contend with one an Oni that feasts upon other demons...
"So we know he meddles with powers he hardly understands, and while we wait his ranks swell" he reiterated. "If we can strike back and end this now, why not use it? If all we need now is to verify his location, why shouldn't we retaliate?"
"Because that isn't the point," Parsley answered. "The Doctor is not an enemy who fears death, because death wouldn't hinder his endgame. In fact, he anticipates that we will find him and kill him."
She sighed. The others were operating with only half-information at best. The conversation between Alt-Jinzi and herself, Totoma, and Ishtar wasn't broadcast to the others it seemed, contrary to what she had been assuming the last few hours. To someone only seeing the endgame and not the intentions behind that endgame, Ochazuke's question and the reasoning behind that question were both valid. Knowing the location of their fiercest enemy to date would give them an advantage. However, confronting him while he still had the means to accomplish something resembling his goal was to ensure his victory, not theirs.
For that, death or defeat was not a hindrance.
"Jinzi's alter is a man with nothing to lose. His endgame is simple - the resurrection of his wife and son. Even if he dies having accomplished that, he still wins in the end. The only way to ensure he doesn't get what he wants is to wait until all six timelines have been sealed off and secured, thus restoring Zurvan to full power and rendering the time stones inert. Then, once he realizes that all of his sins have been for nothing, we find him and end his life."
There was an unmitigated cruelty in standing in the way of such an altruistic goal. Fortunately, Parsley still had a mote of cruelty left in her otherwise reformed heart, even if that mote was reserved for those deserving of the cruelest fate.
Already this moment's consideration began to swell into a small crowd. Still, if they were to respond to this threat it would be best to try and reach an accord.
After all, they would have only one chance at this.
"He's already located us. Now that the Chaff has fallen he has an unobstructed view. While we mend what he has broken, he will not be idle," Ochazuke replied, "how many others will he forcibly recruit? From how many other divergences? Seized to his control, poised to strike at any moment?"
His right hand trembled at his side, and reflexively Ochazuke drew it into the palm of his other hand. For a brief moment he had borne the weight of a number of unheeded lives upon it, whispering in vain not to be snuffed out; The collected whispers, gathered to one shout, became a proclamation.
Tensely, he knead the knuckles of his fists beneath his fingers silently as he heard Parsley.
"Pithy. The man can break down and recreate life within his cloister, reach across a single nexus point across an endless sea of differential moments, and yet he is too fool to realize this ambition" he spat, "if he is at all still capable of any sort of realization, it is only for visiting cruelty onto others, ."
The lines etched over the corners of his mouth, lips pressed thin. "He controls the technology of the First Race. The ships that spread the Chaff and the countless lives he sent as a diversion are a mere fraction of what he has brought to bear."
Ochazuke then relaid the vision he was drawn into through the smallest parting of the veil to those gathered.
"Sense, reason, these mean little to this fool who stands atop of everything with nearly unlimited resources, including time, while we have everything to lose," he seethed. "If he wishes to die, granting it to him is a small concession to make if it will cease his madness."
Jinzi nods.
“Give me a moment to make contact with the GP. I can get them to back us up and even get some cruisers stationed over Earth just in case.”
Eva pipes up.
“Let us narrow down The Doctor’s windows to rob others from timelines. We must make haste and do so more quickly. Pike has assured me his timeline will be easy. The nexus is on Namek and will be given to us freely. That just leaves two more.”
Zurvan nods.
“One is where Sheriff Zaofan hails from. We shall have allies there to help our cause. The other timeline is...mostly empty. Again, I do not expect great difficulty there acquiring the nexus.”
Black Knight of SO
Owner/Operator of SO’s Item/Weapon Shop
Claimer of the original Rumbles 2,000,000th post
CBR GM/DM
Amidst Charco and Sarada’s fight, a dripping wet Incenio appears.
A very pissed off Incenio.
Sammy, near Meagan, gulps slightly.
“Thought it would take him longer to get back.”
Another Incenio’s energy briefly flares from deep within the casino, the real one most likely, and then disappears to nothing.
Above, the pissed off Incenio scans the crowd, the two fighters, and grits his teeth.
“Fine. It seems I’ll have to reset and rebuild. Perhaps the asteroid cover will work once more. Did you really think you could steal from me and live!?”
Power gathers rapidly at his finger tip as a Death Ball begins to form and the crowd starts panicking. The remaining clone guards fly up to form a ring near Incenio, protecting him.
Black Knight of SO
Owner/Operator of SO’s Item/Weapon Shop
Claimer of the original Rumbles 2,000,000th post
CBR GM/DM
Suddenly, a familiar power flared up, and there, in the stands, was E Bekon, a Kamehameha charging between his cupped hands. "I don't think so. Their fight is more important than your petty concerns. The Emperor bids you to. Sit. Your. Ass.Down!"
And with that, he thrust his hands forward, sending forth a wave of pulsating blue towards Incenio and his little... trollops. Expelling incenio's poison had drained him a bit, but he was still more than ready to throw down.
OOC: He's weakened and in base, so do as you will.
Last edited by Monstrous Bird of Qin, Ou Ki; 04-19-2019 at 06:13 PM.
The poster formerly known as Daiyoukai Ramza.