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  1. #2731
    Invincible Jersey Ninja Tami's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Yun Lao View Post
    The morning had come, but Sheriff Crete's problems were only growing with the rising of the sun. His cruiser's radiator was busted, leaving him stuck with paperwork for the next week while it was being repaired. This, unfortunately, meant that he had to deal with the giant robot currently sitting in one of their holding cells. Thankfully, while the cuffs did little to subdue the visitor, the robot had been quite polite in following the officer's commands. Trying to put this insanity down into writing, on the other hand, was a daunting task, as evident by the growing mound of balled up paper building up in the nearby trash can.

    "All right, let's just go over this again, Mr. Quila." He said, addressing the suspect from its cell, "You're a space doctor?"

    "I am the designated combat medic of the Last Call, but if it makes your report easier, then yes, space doctor it is."

    "And this "Last Call" of yours, if I have this right, is a group of space mercenaries?"

    "That is correct, Sheriff."

    "Okay, that takes care of the easy part. Now, would you kindly re-explain why you're here on Earth? I'm afraid I have to confess that I had difficulties trying to make sense of that for my report."

    "Of course. The simplest explanation is that I was sent to help"

    "Help with what, exactly?"

    "According to the intel gathered by my organization, a dangerous individual is making his way here."

    "Oh, that's that..."Jagam" fellow you mentioned before?" He said, having to look at his earlier notes.

    "Correct."

    "So, who's paying who to do this? You mentioned your group was a mercenary one."

    "No one is paying us. We are repaying a debt to this world."

    The sheriff paused in his questioning, digesting the information as he wrote it all down. If this robot was telling the truth, then keeping it there was clearly wasting everyone's time, but at the last time, it had damaged property and disrupted the peace. He gave a large sigh as he felt as the encroaching pain of a headache.

    "Although I believe there is a misconception over "the one phone call" depicted in your popular culture, I have taken the liberty to do just that. I believe it to be the most beneficial action to this situation."

    "What?" Quickly picking up his phone and, sure enough, a call was the process of being made. According to the outgoing caller ID, it was being made to a private number, but little did he know that it was going to none other than Jinzi Pantaloon.
    Meagan stood up and looked at him, "Jinzi, is that your phone ringing?"
    Original join date: 11/23/2004
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  2. #2732
    Voice of the Authorities Cleric of Hell’s Brigade's Avatar
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    Jinzi pauses, then picks it up and answers.

    “This is Jinzi Pantaloon. May I ask who’s calling?”
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  3. #2733
    This Isn't Home Yun Lao's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cleric of Hell’s Brigade View Post
    Jinzi pauses, then picks it up and answers.

    “This is Jinzi Pantaloon. May I ask who’s calling?”
    A few moments of someone fumbling his words could be heard before a proper response was given, "P-pardon me, Mr. Pantaloon. I'm Sheriff Conner Crete of the Brick City Police Department. Sorry to bother you, but we're currently holding someone here at our station who directly called you. I don't know what its relationship is to your, but it claims to be here to help the..."Jagam" situation. Made a bit of a mess landing here and..."

    For a moment, Jinzi could only hear silence before Conner's voice could be heard in the distance from the phone, "What do you mean, it just vanished?! It's a seven foot tall robot! Surely someone saw it escape!"

    A few more moments passed before the sheriff returned to the line, "Sorry about that, Mr. Pantaloon. We've had some unexpected... inconveniences come up. I'll contact you once we've gotten this sorted out. I apologize once again about disturbing you and I hope you have a good day."

    -------

    Escaping the cell would have been child's play, yet he had already done considerable damage upon his arrival. Best not stick any more additional bills onto Jinzi Pantaloon in the meanwhile. His camouflague active, it was only a matter of waiting for them to open his cell door to investigate the seemingly empty cell before he snuck out and soon enough, the other-worldly visitor was back onto the streets.

    Having used the machines in the fast-food restaurant as components to repair himself, he was ready to return to his objective. All he needed now was to seek out a group of ki signatures well above the planet's average and he should be able to find the location of the Lookout. It didn't take long before he found a reasonable signal and with that, he flew off towards it.

  4. #2734
    Lin Kuei Grandmaster Sub-Zero MKA's Avatar
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    Default Time Skip II -- History Rewritten, Part I

    When Sarada returned home with Ishtar after three months of training on Earth, they were both immediately accosted by her younger brother and cousin. They seemed much more interested in Ishtar than in whatever Sarada had been doing the last few months. The moment they saw the blue Oni walk into the nursery behind Sarada, they flew up to her and started poking and prodding at her horns. While the Saiyan was irritated at their rudeness, she couldn't fault them. This was the first time they had ever seen anything like Ishtar before.

    A stern look from Maiz stymied any further hands-on investigation the two young children may have had in mind. “Sorry,” they said in chorus.

    Sarada shook her head and flopped down on the sofa. “It's been a long few months. I'm finally glad to be home. Nerds, this is my, ah, what was the word... husband? Right. This is my husband, Ishtar. Ishtar, this is my brother and cousin, Pinach and Rutaba. You already know Maiz.”

    “Husband?” Pinach looked like he was on the cusp of asking what happened to her boyfriend when she cut him a dissuading look. “Well, it's nice to meet you, Ishtar.”

    Rutaba ran out of the living room, then returned moments later with a flower necklace, which she handed to the Oni. “Me and my friends make these to give to visitors. We don't get a lot, though.”

    Sarada filled her family in on what all they had been through in the last several months. She left out only the most explicit details of what she and Ishtar did, for the sake of the children. She spoke in detail about the vision she had while in Junjo bondage and how she was the one who offered the killing blow to Jagam. That still gave her confidence, but she wouldn't be supremely so until she trained with Ishtar in the Room of Time and Spirits. Assuming they got much training done. She was sure they were going to spend much of their time together in the bedroom.

    Then again, considering they often left each other bloodied messes after only a few hours, a year's worth of that level of primal mating was sure to give Sarada some kind of zenkai boost.

    She especially enjoyed telling Maiz that she ran into Enoki on the planet they crash-landed on. She recalled the two old bats being close before Enoki left to join the Galaxy Police.

    They spent several hours there resting after their long trip, chatting and catching up with Sarada's family. Maiz was particularly intrigued by how affectionate Sarada was acting with Ishtar. No surprise, as the last time they spoke, the Oni had only said they were going to mate. It was obvious to the elder Saiyan that they had grown far too close to simply be bedmates.

    When the two were alone, she asked her ward of their status. When she said she loved her, it came as little surprise. “Hmph. She's a good woman, that's for sure. And she obviously makes you happy, which is all I can and will ask for. Though, have you given thought to what you will do when the urge to have children hits?”

    Sarada tried to resist. She really did. The mischievous smile on her lips made Maiz immediately regret asking. “She has a—” She was cut off by a raised hand.

    “On second thought, I don't want to know. I'll just let you two figure it out when the time comes.”

    “Aw. Well, I'm glad you're happy for us. I don't know if this will last or not – she's immortal and I'm not – but I'm going to enjoy every second I have with her. Honestly, I don't know where I'd be without her.”

    Maiz smiled and patted her on the shoulder. “You sound like I did when I met my life-mate. I think you two will be just fine. Besides, if you really wanted to, you can just use the dragonballs to wish for immortality.”

    That was a thought she hadn't entertained. She wasn't even sure that was possible. Was it? The balls could resurrect the dead, though obviously with limitations, so why couldn't they grant a person eternal life? It was something to look into, certainly. Though, she'd have to wish for eternal youth also; what good was immortality if she spent the majority of it looking like an old geezer?

    When nighttime fell, Sarada took Ishtar to her apartment so they could get some sleep. Her home was simple. There was some furniture, since she often had friends over, but there wasn't in the way of actual decoration. There weren't any pictures, no plants or flowers, the color scheme was simple, and the furniture was what one would expect of a teenager living on her own.

    The bedroom was the same. The only difference was that there was a single photo on her bedside table: one of her and Avoca from when they were little girls, seven and nine respectively. That it was the only photo she had in her home spoke volumes about the kind of relationship the two shared. Even if they were no longer lovers – confirmed by Parsley stating that she was Avoca's lover now – they were still close friends.

    Sarada kissed Ishtar passionately and pulled her down on the bed on top of her. As the two made love that night, Ishtar would find that Sarada's bed was much sturdier than any other bed they had mated on. It needed to be, otherwise, beds wouldn't last one night on Vocado.

    When they finished, Sarada and Ishtar were absolutely wrecked, covered in blood, sweat, and other body fluids. The bed and the room in general were still intact.

    When dawn rose, Sarada told Ishtar she had something to take care of, and to go to Maiz if she wanted to sight-see. She wasn't sure how the Saiyans in general would react to an Oni, something none of them had ever seen before.

    She felt bad for leaving her lover, but this was something she had to do. She flew up to the summit of Mt. Oozaru. There, atop the snow covered mountain, was the Guardian's Temple, building built directly into the mountain itself. Its door was over four hundred feet high, and nearly impossible to open except for those with a special key or those of sufficient strength to push the door open. She was plenty strong enough, so there was no issue getting inside.

    It had been five hundred years since anyone other than Sarada had been inside this place. It was covered on dust, snow, ice, and enough grime that made touching anything – even by accident – potentially detrimental to her health. I should have brought some kind of breathing mask, she chided herself.

    The interior of the temple was constructed of stone. All stone, as that was the only thing that could support the immense weight of the statue above it without collapsing in on itself. The artificial lights had long stopped working, so Sarada had to use several ki balls to illuminate the corridors as they progressed through the temple.

    She wasn't sure what she was looking for. Perhaps a place where the current guardian could convene with the ghosts of previous guardians, like it was at the Lookout on Earth. She wasn't even sure if such a thing existed in other guardian temples across the cosmos. What she did know was that Vocado needed a guardian again. And she had the perfect candidate.

    Maiz, in her opinion, was perfect for the job. While reading Ceriac's journal, she came to realize that Vocado's guardian's main job was to keep the Saiyan race on the path of peace and dissuade them from giving into their more violent urges. Obviously, once Ceriac disappeared, Otatop IV had the perfect opportunity to do exactly that. This was their chance to really and truly cement them on the path to redemption. There was no one better at bringing out the best in a race of savages than Maiz.

    She realized it was a lot to ask. Just from the tidbits Eva told about her duties, she could tell that being guardian of a planet was an full-time job. Even more so when said planet was inhabited by bloodthirsty fight-junkies like the Saiyans. However, that was why Sarada hoped Maiz would take the position. She was well-respected throughout the Empire for her positive work with the younger generations, plus she and Mato were of one accord. With them both in highly influential positions in the world, the Saiyans as a whole would surely – if not slowly – begin to shift their thinking to be more in line with how they used to be.

    She hoped, anyway.

    The corridors were dank and murky. The red illumination provided by her ki balls gave it an eerie presence, one that gave her a chill up her spine. The only sounds were her footsteps and whatever hushed words she shared with the empty space around her. She tried to keep her voice down out of concern that something would jump out at her. She wasn't afraid, of course, but was concerned.

    Broken statues were lined up along the walls of the corridors, one every few hundred feet or so. They were mostly Saiyans, but she recognized the form of a Namekian among them. “These must be the former Guardians,” she commented in a hushed voice.

    Hm.

    She couldn't help but wonder what would lead Otatop to not only dismantle the guardian system, but also erase any and all mention of it from the history books. Not only that, but he completely changed the perception of Vocado, changing him from what he was – a kind-hearted man who cared deeply about his family, even to the point that he was willing to die just so the Saiyans could escape Glacier – to a bloodthirsty savage who loved fighting and killing.

    It was all to suit the wicked king's ideology, but why go to those lengths? Why damn his entire race to five centuries of bloodshed? Why was he so different from the others?
    DBM | Sarada | Parsley

    ROLL TIDE ROLL!

  5. #2735
    Lin Kuei Grandmaster Sub-Zero MKA's Avatar
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    Default Time Skip II -- History Rewritten, Part II

    There were so many questions and nowhere for Sarada to get answers. It was all so frustrating. It didn't need to be this way. The Saiyans could have been a force of good in the universe, like Vocado intended. Tasure told her all about how Vocado really was. He wanted his race to help people once they learned how to travel space on their own, not harm them. He certainly hated hearing about how they enslaved people. It was a gross slap in his face after nearly giving his life to free them from enslavement.

    “I just wish someone could give me some answers.”

    “Perhaps I can, young one,” replied a mysterious voice.

    Sarada looked up, eyes wide and startled, and flared her aura. “Who's there?! Show yourself, coward!”

    The voice, which sounded distinctly feminine, laughed. “Please child, spare me the bravado. It's been over six hundred years, but it still sounds the same.” With that, the disembodied voice materialized an intangible form.



    Sarada felt her mouth beginning to drop. Not because the woman's face and form were nigh flawless, but because her forehead was massive. She really needed some bangs to mitigate it. She didn't mention that, mainly because it was far too late to do anything about it. Could ghosts even change their hairstyles? A question to consider later; for now... “You know why Otatop changed everything about our culture on a whim?”

    The specter nodded. “I do. It's actually quite simple. You see, in every society, there come along people who run contrary to the established order. Some see the current ways of doing things as unnecessary and outdated. Others simply want to change things to suit their own viewpoint. The latter was Otatop's mindset. From this temple, I saw everything. He was much more violent than the other Saiyans, even as a child. He would provoke others into conflict simply because he was bored and needed a modicum of entertainment. When he was a young adult, he traveled to other worlds and wantonly slaughtered millions, simply because he was bored.

    “After time, he realized that the Saiyans were far more powerful than the other races, so he attempted to mobilize our people for warfare. To do this, he tapped into our inherent need, our love of combat and competition. The prospect of fighting countless warriors as strong or stronger than us was too tempting an offer to ignore, and after years of resisting out of fear of abandoning the principles our first king, Vocado, established, they started to turn his way.

    “The only person standing between Otatop and his dream of galactic domination was Ceriac, the final guardian. I advised him to stand fast between the king and his goal, for I knew well the ramifications of such an action. For many decades, he did. Until...”

    “He left.”

    She nodded.

    Sarada fell silent after that. This was the history of her people, of how one man changed an entire race for the worst. Five hundred years of tyranny, genocide, enslavement, and wanton slaughtering of billions, all because one man was bored. It was unnerving how easy it was for learned behavior to take hold. It was unnerving how easy it was to make an entire planet abandon their principles, established by... “Wait. You said Vocado was our first King?”

    She nodded once.

    “I thought he died fighting Glacier.”

    “Hm. Yes, that was one of the many things Otatop changed about our written history. The truth, as recorded in Vocado's many journals,” she gestured to a chest behind her, “is that he just managed to escape Glacier with his life, then crash-landed on a planet known as Draconia.” She noticed Sarada flinch, but didn't pay it any mind. “After healing and spending some time there, he caught up to the rest of the Saiyans, who had been living on an uninhabited world for the last two years. Because he was easily the strongest out of any of them, they made him king. They had already named the planet after him.”

    Vocado was Vocado's first ruler? It was fitting, certainly, and he was certainly deserving. “I see.”

    “I presume that is not originally why you two have entered this place.”

    “No,” she answered. “We...I want to reestablish the guardian system here. Vocado needs someone to bring us back to the way things used to be before Otatop got his way, and our current king isn't enough. We need a guardian.”

    “You are sure it is safe? Surely, you know of the erosion of the Kami system on other worlds, and the disappearance of countless guardians, including Ceriac?” When Sarada nodded, the specter sighed. “I see. While I agree, it is too dangerous. Still, nothing excites us more than danger. Very well. Bring us a worthy candidate, and we shall appraise that person. Should we accept them, they shall be named the 19th guardian of the planet Vocado.”

    With that, Sarada released the breath she didn't realize she had been holding. The first step was complete. All that was left was convincing Maiz to take the job.

    Sarada bid the spirit of the temple farewell and departed. As she exited the way she came, she stumbled across her statue, complete with a nameplate at the base. “Kail.”
    DBM | Sarada | Parsley

    ROLL TIDE ROLL!

  6. #2736
    Invincible Jersey Ninja Tami's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Yun Lao View Post
    A few moments of someone fumbling his words could be heard before a proper response was given, "P-pardon me, Mr. Pantaloon. I'm Sheriff Conner Crete of the Brick City Police Department. Sorry to bother you, but we're currently holding someone here at our station who directly called you. I don't know what its relationship is to your, but it claims to be here to help the..."Jagam" situation. Made a bit of a mess landing here and..."

    For a moment, Jinzi could only hear silence before Conner's voice could be heard in the distance from the phone, "What do you mean, it just vanished?! It's a seven foot tall robot! Surely someone saw it escape!"

    A few more moments passed before the sheriff returned to the line, "Sorry about that, Mr. Pantaloon. We've had some unexpected... inconveniences come up. I'll contact you once we've gotten this sorted out. I apologize once again about disturbing you and I hope you have a good day."

    -------

    Escaping the cell would have been child's play, yet he had already done considerable damage upon his arrival. Best not stick any more additional bills onto Jinzi Pantaloon in the meanwhile. His camouflague active, it was only a matter of waiting for them to open his cell door to investigate the seemingly empty cell before he snuck out and soon enough, the other-worldly visitor was back onto the streets.

    Having used the machines in the fast-food restaurant as components to repair himself, he was ready to return to his objective. All he needed now was to seek out a group of ki signatures well above the planet's average and he should be able to find the location of the Lookout. It didn't take long before he found a reasonable signal and with that, he flew off towards it.
    Meagan's hearing picked that up as she stood next to Jinzi, "That has me worried."

    She then sent a telepathic message to Kai, "Lord Kai, be on the look out. Something strange is going on."
    Original join date: 11/23/2004
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  7. #2737
    Retired Overlord
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    In the end, Asha'rah and Erosa had spent the night before leaving Chroma together. Erosa had not been overstating what the goddess had brought on herself by choosing to tease an Id, and the ceaseless energy to Id had in her came on full display as the two continued long into the night and only slowed down in the morning.

    With only trace amount of light slipping into the room through the window, Asha'rah had ended up with her head cradled in Erosas arms. The Id looked as if she had spent a great deal of pent up energy, almost to the point one might even think she was content......but they'd immediately realize better. Ids aren't made to be content for long. Eyeing the light coming in, Erosa let out a long sleepy yawn.

    "Ashy...." The Id gave the goddess a light tap on the head. "....Assshy......." The Id looked down at Asha'rah and smiled. "Hey....Remember that time I beat you up in the woods...........things have really changed a lot since then between us, don't you think ero."

  8. #2738
    She/Her Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sub-Zero MKA
    She punched her in the face hard enough to knock out several teeth, then dropped her. “That's enough for now. Get healed up, then we begin for real.”
    After that short confrontation with Parsley that figuratively and literally knocked her from her pedestal, Ishtar's training with Sarada began in earnest; and in many ways it was far different than the training the Oni had undergone after the fall of Battersea.

    The first difference was certainly, the regimen itself ...

    First thing in the morning, the golden-eyed Oni would rise early, and meditate. Then when Sarada had woken up, and finished her breakfast, Ishtar would pit herself against her love, trading blows against the stronger Saiyan until her knuckles bled and she couldn't stand; and when she reached that point, unable to do much more than gasp for air with burning lungs she would force herself to sit, cross-legged, and meditate. Only to rise, and begin again. Then came the afternoon, and with it came two hours of refinement. Of form, of the magic she had woven herself ... anything and everything that Ishtar felt could be improved upon was subject to the highest scrutiny.

    And it was during these periods of refinement too, that Ishtar came to learn a great many things about the changes* she had undergone since this all had begun. One of which, undoubtedly being the 'gifts' that had been given when she- in a moment of curiosity and not being in the right of her mind- had consumed three strange vials that tasted of Fire, and of Ice, and of Mint; the taste of which offered some insight into their origins.

    The first to manifest, had been the Vial of Ice. A prehensile tail that could be called upon at will; and an appendage similar to that of the Frost Demon, Koorimaru, something that had seen to being used- with great effect- both for the purposes of combat, and of love. The second to manifest, had been the Vial of Fire, manifesting in the form of two spike (or horn) tipped wings, that over the course of the three months were helped solve the riddle of flight- and a level of airborne dexterity that itself was quite useful. The only true downside being the resemblance to those wings possessed by Daemonic Race known as 'Devils'. The final manifestation however, the result of the Vial of Mint, was perhaps less ... fantastic however; simply revealing itself to be the ability to increase her height by half of Ishtar's original while also increasing her mass (density) to facilitate such a thing. A thing itself explained- thanks to Slak, during one of the many times the Oni required healing- as an innate trait of the Namekian species.

    After those hours of refinement were ended however, and while the sun was still high and with muscles still burning- and after Parsley's injuries were mended after her training with Sarada- the Oni would force herself to stand ... so that the wounds of the morning could be opened anew as she pit herself against the 'Saiyan Super Elite'. In the end however, this training was the inverse. It was Parsley that split her knuckles, and found herself unable to stand when blow after blow from the stronger Oni struck true. It was Parsley, who forced herself to sit to clear her mind and silence the pain enough to stand, and start again ... the first noticeable commonality between her, and Sarada.

    When that was finished, and Ishtar was wholly exhausted, and bloody; that did not mean her 'training' ended however.

    Thanks to her revealing that she could alter certain aspects of herself, the night brought with it a Fresh- and extremely pleasant- Hell, in the from of a lustful Saiyan. And in this nightly training, what injuries weren't sustained on the battlefield the Lookout was turned into every morning, and afternoon; was offered up in the form of biting and scratching as Sarada taught her how to use that new ... appendage. So by the time the morning came around again, Ishtar was a bloody, and well-battered mess.

    ... and then the process began again.

    Meditate. Fight. Refine. Fight. Mate. Repeat.

    And while there were some days of variation to this training- for purposes as important as the training itself- this was done day in, day out: for three months. And by the end of it, while Ishtar was certainly weaker than her love given her ability to transform and increase her power exponentially ... the golden-eyed Oni could stand beside her for a time, as a peer. And with that realization of strength, the Oni's concern over her own weakness had faded considerably. In time it would even see itself to being made irrelevant entirely. After all, the time to make use of that Room of Spirit and Time, was drawing near; and with it came the opportunity Sarada had agreed to three months prior ... mastering that which was most dangerous to Ishtar's own well being despite being so beneficial a thing: Aēšma.

    Before that however there came, arguably, the most important moment task of Ishtar's life to that point:

    Accompanying her ... 'Husband'- a cute affectation that the Oni chose not to correct- to Vocado.

    After all, this was not simply some short trip that could be forgotten once it was done, no. Ishtar was returning- though it had been some centuries since then- to Vocado. Not to observe, or watch without being noticed; but in step with the love of her life, a Saiyan. Something that had long since been looked upon by the Saiyans of time's past with disgust and even a simmering hatred ... an all too familiar thing. And yet unlike before, on Ilargi, this was in many ways different. The Oni was stronger now, and her love was stronger still. The world she returned to was also, changed, the powers that be attempting to rectify the sins of the past and open themselves up to the experiences offered by other cultures.

    So it was then, when the day finally came around; the golden-eyed Oni was as nervous as she was, excited.

    Quote Originally Posted by Sub-Zero MKA
    “Goodbye, Parsley. I'll see you in a few months.”

    “Oh, you'll be seeing me far sooner than that,” she replied cryptically before entering her pod.

    Well, what an unnecessarily ominous departure.
    Goodbyes with Parsley were brief in the end, the Saiyan still somewhat smug, and arrogant despite the position she had found herself in the past three months. Which was fine, the Oni was confident enough as she was now, that the only things she concerned herself with now; were making a good impression Vocado, and those lingering threats of Jagam, and eventually ... Genesis.

    So as Ishtar made ready her own craft, for departure- a top of the line Capsule Corps Spacecraft- she offered Sarada as deep a kiss could be managed, before they were required to separate; before offering her own goodbye.

    "I will see you soon, Little Love."

    Though as golden-eyed Oni closed the cockpit of her own craft, she couldn't help but mirror Sarada's own thoughts as the Lookout faded from view.

    ... What an ominous thing for Parsley to say.


    ------


    OT: *Adventures to be posted at a later date.
    Last edited by Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh; 07-22-2018 at 04:16 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

  9. #2739
    This Isn't Home Yun Lao's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tami View Post
    Meagan's hearing picked that up as she stood next to Jinzi, "That has me worried."

    She then sent a telepathic message to Kai, "Lord Kai, be on the look out. Something strange is going on."

    It didn't take much effort to find the Lookout.

    In fact, he might have been concerned over just how easy it was, but judging by the battle scars marring its surface, it was safe to say that the Lookout had seen better days. Landing with little fanfare, the robotic visitor surveyed the area, seeking out his objective: the guardian of this world.

  10. #2740

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    Quote Originally Posted by Cleric of Hell’s Brigade View Post
    Kai shakes his head.

    “The last champion was Simon Battersea, who’s dead now for the last six months. Not sure who the new one is as the last tournament was called off due to Battersea and Fife’s involvement.”

    Praxat looks at Kai saying " oh so that's what happen at the last tournament and I was so looking forward to entering that one. " " I been on this planet for awhile now so I actually been in more than one tournament." " the first world martial arts tournament I enter was about I think three years ago I was around 22 years old in earth years at the time. " " I enter the tournament because my master told me it would test and sharpen my skills."


    " come to think of it the guy I saw at my first tournament and the guy I saw at a later tournament ." " the one before the last Tournament probably isn't the same guy." " I do have crazy theory now that the other person might be my master checking in on my progress." " my master does have similar fashion sense."


    " wait but wearing a mask and take part in a Tournament just so he can gauge my progress sounds silly, but I never know what my sensei is thinking." " oh about Simon Battersea I'm sure he was a good person and I would have like to test my skills against his if he was still around. " " funny the only thing I know about my sensei is that his last name is Khan!"
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  11. #2741
    Invincible Jersey Ninja Tami's Avatar
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    Default Time Skip II - Homecoming: Prologue

    The day of leaving came. After spending the night with Jinzi, they spent the day preparing for her trip. Added to the capsule wallet he gave her was the one that contained her personal belongings and weapons, one with food supplies for the trip, and a third that contained spare clothes and her armor.

    After one last meal together, she prepared to board the ship that would take her back to Chroma and in 120 days return her back to Earth. A final kiss goody, and she was soon inside the craft, strapped into the pilot chair and blasting off towards her home planet.

    The trip took less than a week since the cr4aft was small, light and could move much quicker than a larger space ship.

    Once the planet was in sight, she checked the controls and programmed in the coordinates for a landing spot that was both out in the open and devoid of people or obstacles.

    The landing went smooth, with the landing gear extending in time to cushion the impact with the ground. Once all systems reported green, she shut them down, gathered her belongings, and exited the craft. The trip back to her home city would be an hours flight, but it felt good to stretch her wings, in a manner of speaking.

    Taking flight, she orientated herself and headed off, headed back home.
    Last edited by Tami; 07-22-2018 at 08:47 PM.
    Original join date: 11/23/2004
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  12. #2742
    Lin Kuei Grandmaster Sub-Zero MKA's Avatar
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    Default Time Skip II -- The Reluctant Guardian, Part I

    Sarada returned home instead of flying directly to Maiz's from the temple. She knew that what she wanted to ask of her care-nurse was a lot, so she wanted to make sure she had plenty of points in line, as well as rebuttals prepared. She didn't want to come across as though she was trying to force this on her, but she needed her to understand just how important it was that Vocado have a guardian again.

    If all else failed, then she would just take her to the temple and have Kail explain it to her herself. Hearing it from a ghost was likely to be far more convincing than hearing it from a second-hand source, as strange as that sounded. When she was ready, she left as soon as possible.

    The trip to Maiz's nursery was a short one. Sarada wanted to waste little time, even though she knew it was going to take some convincing. She didn't realize just how much, as the elder Saiyan was highly skeptical of the entire thing. It wasn't until Sarada showed her Ceriac's journal that she started to believe.

    “So, all this bullshit is true,” Maiz muttered as she gingerly flipped through the age-worn pages. “And what exactly does this have to do with me, Sarada?”

    She chuckled nervously. “Hehe. I was hoping...”

    “No.”

    “You... you didn't even hear me out!”

    “Don't have to. I already know you want to get me caught up in the nonsense. The answer is no.”

    She knew she'd get turned down, but she thought Maiz would have at least given her a chance to explain her reasoning. She didn't want to come across as desperate or trying to run the woman's life, but seriously. “I thought you'd want to be guardian, Maiz.

    “You thought wrong.” She sighed heavily and sat down slowly. Sarada could hear her bones creaking and popping with every movement, a testament to how quickly a Saiyan's body decays when they finally hit old age. “Listen, I appreciate the duties this Ceriac fellow performed when he was still alive, but those duties don't fit my prerogative. I just want to raise children, not oversee an entire race. That's best left to someone younger than me.”

    She wanted to argue, but hearing Parsley in her head calling her selfish stymied any and all urge to do so. “Okay, I understand. Just... just keep it in mind? This is really something we need and there's no one else here better suited than you.”

    With that, she left it alone.

    Maiz did, however, keep it in mind. After Sarada and Ishtar left, and before she went to bed for the night, Maiz stayed up reading Ceriac's journal. The thoughts of a man long dead had her thoroughly enraptured. It was fascinating to read about Vocado back then through the eyes of a man who held so much importance and influence.

    However, what most attracted her attention was how his journal entries stopped abruptly. Literally, he stopped midword, as if he got up from his table to get something, then never returned. It was odd, but most of all, it was eerie and unnerving.

    While she was curious as to what happened to him, she knew that such an intellectual journey was dangerous, and best left to Sarada and her friends.

    As the children in her care slept, she stepped outside for fresh air to clear her mind. The full moon shined harmlessly, its blutz waves blocked by a transparent dome around the planet. A new, much needed innovation from Turrip. As she breathed in the fresh, clean air, her mind kept replaying what Sarada said to her just before leaving. “There's no one else here better suited than you.” It was pure flattery, but she was damned if it didn't get her thinking.

    Maybe Sarada was right. Maybe she was the perfect person for the job. But, did she even want it? Her life's work was to raise the youth of Vocado with a few others and help them become productive members of Saiyan society. And she felt that her track record was pretty darn good. If she could expand that success to the entire planet, then she could die knowing that she accomplished something worthwhile that benefited everyone, not just children.

    It was an exciting prospect, but not one to be taken so lightly as to be decided one way or the other right away. She needed to sleep on it. When she woke in the morning, she would be able to think more clearly.

    Morning came far sooner than she hoped, and she was no closer to a decision. This didn't seem like a decision that could be made on one night's sleep, that much she realized. While it was important, she didn't want to go into it half-hearted. If she decided to take on the immense responsibility, that was.

    After breakfast, Maiz left for Mt. Oozaru. Her intention was the commune with these so-called spirits that Sarada spoke of that resided in the abandoned temple. If it turned out to be the truth and not Sarada just talking out of her ass, then she would listen to what these specters had to say. If they assuaged her concerns, then she would give it more serious consideration.

    If not, then she would wash her hands of the entire thing and just chalk the whole thing up to a fever dream.

    Hmph. I can't believe I'm actually going to try to talk to a bunch of ghosts. How absurd!

    The door to the temple had been left slightly ajar, more than enough for her to squeeze her way through without too much trouble. It was dark, outside of the small sliver of light provided by the outside sun. Lighting her hand with a thick film of white ki, she moved slowly and carefully through the only recently traversed corridors. She took in all that she could, taking not of the artwork on the stone walls, as well as any sound that may have echoed through the empty space.

    She felt an eerie calm overtake her the further she got from the entrance. It was as if the temple itself was attempting to calm her nerves so she could open her mind. It was strange. It felt like she... was supposed to come to this place?

    How odd a sensation this was.

    Suddenly, the moment she stepped foot into the corridor that housed the statues of former guardians, the entire area became alight with a bright white light. Maiz grunted and covered her eyes to keep from being blinded. “What the hell?”

    “Welcome,” came a sudden voice.

    Maiz's eyes shot open and beheld over a dozen spectral entities floating before her. Seventeen to be precise. A lone Namekian stood at the fore, surrounded by sixteen Saiyans. “Greetings. I am Lord Flute, the very first Kami of this planet. To my right and left are the sixteen Lords and Ladies who have come after me.”

    “We have been expecting one such as yourself to enter this place,” stated Lord Kassaya, seventh Saiyan guardian.

    For the first time in her entire life, Maiz was speechless. For her entire life, she believed that once a person died, that was it. There was no immortal soul that wandered around aimlessly near their place of death. There was no afterlife. There was nothing except ignorant darkness, an eternal slumber. It was cynical, yet also comforting to believe that there was no means of eternal punishment for her past sins. Yet, today, her beliefs were shattered into pieces. Before her stood nearly two dozens spirits of past Saiyans – and one Namekian.

    “Have you nothing to say, young one?” Lady Coriflo, tenth guardian, pondered aloud.

    In an odd sense of amusement, Maiz snorted. “Young one?” She supposed these spirits ranged from five hundred to two thousand years old, and older. A ninety-five year old might as well have been an infant compared to them. She sighed heavily. “Yes, I do have some things to ask you. First, what's this entire 'system' all about? I've never heard of it until last night, so forgive my ignorance.”

    Lady Coriflo flashed a genteel smile, one that Maiz was shocked to see on a Saiyan. “Of course. But first, I would know the name of the woman with whom I am speaking.”

    “Maiz.”

    “Hm, Maiz. The guardian system was established two thousand years ago by Lord Flute at the genesis of the planet Vocado. At the time, it was created in an effort to effect leadership of some kind until Vocado could find his way back to his people and lead them himself. When that took place two years later, it was discussed and decided upon that Flute would remain on Vocado to help King Vocado lead the people.

    “As I'm sure you're very well aware, Saiyans can be quite difficult to keep docile. Our natural inclination for violence and combat, as well as our lust for stronger opponents, makes peace a tentative, oft fleeing ideal. In order to maintain the current course of non-violence, two calming presences were required. Once Flute decided to finally return to his native home with the rest of his people, he chose a successor.”

    “That being me,” spoke Lady Okora. “I was taught everything Flute knew, and was given a portion of his life-energy so that when he died, that energy would manifest into the form you see before you. That form possesses every ounce of knowledge, experience, and wisdom the living Namekian possessed, and was thus able to guide me through any troubles I found myself confronted with.

    “That is the main objective of the guardian of Vocado. The secondary is to be the first line of defense against any and all threats the planet and the people may face. And, there were many. Shortly after I become guardian full-time, Glacier's children arrived to eradicate us as revenge for their father's much deserved death. Vocado and I slaughtered the majority of them and sent the rest fleeing. We felt putting fear into their hearts was enough of a deterrent.”

    “The guardian is tasked with determining the best means of protecting their planet,” continued Lord Lemogras, ninth guardian. “They work closely with the current monarch and often give them insight into how to approach a situation. Often times, they agree. However, there are times when guardian and monarch disagree. Such was the case with Lord Ceriac and King Otatop IV.”
    DBM | Sarada | Parsley

    ROLL TIDE ROLL!

  13. #2743
    Lin Kuei Grandmaster Sub-Zero MKA's Avatar
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    Default Time Skip II -- The Reluctant Guardian, Part II

    Maiz listen silently, taking in all the long-dead spirits had to say. She had read all about Otatop in Ceriac's journal last night and this morning. She knew how doggedly determined he was to turn the Saiyans into a war mongering race. He succeeded only because Ceriac vanished suddenly. “Yes, I am aware of that situation. I must ask why Ceriac left so suddenly.”

    The spirits suddenly grew very reticent. Almost fearful, as if just speaking about it would bring some untold wrath down upon them.

    When no one answered for several moments, Maiz raised an eyebrow. “I'm sorry. Will the answer only come after some kind of initiation? Is it something for me to figure out on my own?”

    “No,” Lady Kail answered softly.

    “I... that is best left to history. It isn't important,” Lemogras insisted.

    It may not have been important to them, but it was to her. If she was going to take this position like Sarada – and part of herself – wanted, then she needed to know all the risks that awaited her.

    It didn't escape her notice that while the Saiyans were shaken, the lone Namekian had disappeared. Her eyes narrowed, but she decided to just drop it. Since it was so important, she knew that the truth would come out eventually. Perhaps they didn't know as much about it as she hoped.

    Regardless, the conversation thus far had given her much to think about. She had a few more questions, but those could wait until another time. This decision wasn't going to be made right away after one discussion. “Well, I suppose it will have to wait. I came here to help myself come to a decision, to gather more information. It has been very worthwhile. Still, I will need time.”

    Kail nodded knowingly. “Understood. This decision is not one to be rushed or poorly considered. It's a life-long commitment. But, please do not feel as though you are obligated to accept. If you have any prior engagements that you find yourself unable or unwilling to separate your attention from, just decline and we will await the next candidate.”

    “However,” Lemogras followed, “should you accept, you will have to abandon every other aspect of your life. This will require your full attention. Any distractions could and will be detrimental to the planet's safety.”

    She swallowed raggedly. Pinach and Rutaba immediately came to mind. They were her main and really only focus in life. She couldn't very well abandon them. They'd be heartbroken. “I will keep that in mind. Goodbye.”

    “Goodbye, Maiz.”

    With a single nod, she turned and walked out. Right before she exited that area, she turned around. It was pitch black again and the spirits were nowhere to be found. A small part of her mind wanted to believe she had slipped, hit her head, and had just hallucinated the entire thing. The larger part of her knew better. There was far more to this life than what she had seen with her own two eyes.

    She had much to think about.

    When she returned home, she found that she had been gone for over six hours. Huh. It didn't seem that long. Sarada and the children were in the living room watching television. Maiz tried to sneak past them, but the oldest of the three noticed her and followed her into the kitchen. “So, you were gone a while,” she stated casually.

    Maiz grunted and opened the refrigerator. She pulled out a bottle of water and started drinking from it.

    “Hum. You're glowing. Like you've achieved enlightenment or some ****.” Her head tilted to the side as she smirked mischievously. “Ah! You went and got some dick, didn't you?! Ah, Maiz, you freaky girl!”

    Maiz's water was sprayed all over the floor and counter.

    Sarada howled with laughter, even as her care-nurse glared menacingly at her. “Come on. What else could you have been doing all this time? It's not like you went to Mt. Oozaru. Right?”

    “Hmph. So what if I did? It changes nothing.”

    “I beg to differ. Kail probably told you a lot more than she told me. So?”

    She sighed and sat down on a stool. “If I take this responsibility, and that's a big if, I'd have to give up managing the nurseries. I'd have to leave your brother and cousin in the care of someone else.” She hated how broken up she sounded at the very prospect of doing either of those, let alone both. “I figure I still have about a hundred years left in me. There's still so much I'd like to do, to see, to experience. I can't do that if I'm stuck here, on that mountain.” She grew quiet. A soft frown furrowed her brow.

    “And yet, there's so much good I'd be able to do. I'd be better able to help Mato reform the planet. It needs serious work, even now. I don't know. I'm glad you think so highly of me.”

    Sarada had grown quiet as well. She sat down next to her and placed her hand on top of hers. “Just give it some thought. It may seem impossible today, but who knows where your head will be next week or next month. No one's expecting you to accept the job tomorrow.”

    She grunted a chuckle and smiled softly. “Well, listen at you. You sound like me.”

    “I haven't ignored everything you've ever said.” She smiled back. "Now then. Tell me all about the hot young stud you fucked when you left Oozaru. Because surely you didn't spend six hours talking with a bunch of dead people."

    Maiz groaned.
    DBM | Sarada | Parsley

    ROLL TIDE ROLL!

  14. #2744

    Default A Lament for Jack, Evangeline, and the Weakness of Humankind

    When Evangeline fell from her station, before she slipped completely into the ether from her wounds she revealed another desperate design. It was the Ronin who had said it, that as ever the steward of this world saw a reverb in the many strings that bound its destiny. It was a fatalistic summons beat by frail butterfly's wings that brought Ochazuke to the Lookout the first time. The same now shuffled the dead Guardian beyond the veil, and after Jack Knave in a journey beyond the darkness.

    He said little as it unfolded and not so much as a breath followed when Kai explained this plot. Rather, he left the observation deck, wordlessly pacing to the inner sanctum of the Lookout's East Wing. Within the respite of the Meditation Chamber he contemplated their mortal dilemma.
    In the space of that moment as his energies twist apart the manifest intent of Chris the Knife, Ochazuke had felt again through the vector of his Meditation Field the effects of the devil Banefire. From the cold, smouldering rot it lay about the divine premises, he saw its shape and form, and little escaped the powers of his insight. A desperate man wielding a little piece of the fallen raised himself up by it. He point it at his fellow man and turned its full wrath on them, and when the cold fire lashed against Jack's flesh and burned the young man's body to white ash, he had directly felt his soul fade to the winds.

    To fell a man is often a surprisingly swift endeavour, and so often had it happened of late that one death is felt as inconsequential as the next. Long had Ochazuke trained the inisght bequeathed to him by the Hermit under the Mountain to cultivate awareness, to discern truth.

    Long ago it was Jack who, at his wit's end before the carnage their group rendered onto itself, had questioned the Guardian. He asked her earnestly why she had to reach beyond her pale, blue sphere for to change the outcome of their home's fate. As ill omens seemed to rise from ancient plots, Evangeline had spoken in no uncertain terms that Earth alone would not be enough.

    Fragile. So fragile.

    Today, as then, Ochazuke gained an awareness of what made made humanity fodder to their own weakness. It was this confrontation with his own mortality that made a man fly brazenly into pursuits of strength, what made him shed his form for fear of the ambitions of another. It was what made a man change his image from some tepid, uniform creature of reason easily destoyed to something simpler to understand. A Knife. A Champion. A Lion.

    Even a Crane.

    They would throw away their humanity to escape that hollow feeling of weakness. To salve their pride and cut short their fear, darker dealings in the pursuit of strength raised them to their station. In the pursuit of power, only those who possess it may decide what is forbidden.

    So concerned with surpassing another, to see humanity stand in solidarity is folly.

    The hundred warring factions on the surface below, each clambering for something to call their own, reached viciously over one another, sacrificing virtue to survive and bringing all to ruin. Yet among the stars it appeared that the galactic culture was very much the same as this primitive Earth. The atavism of countless starving races sought to feed off another, and by force or deception stake their claim through blood or the yoke. Now they turned their maleficent gaze towards the Earth.

    Jack had worried that they were weak at this meagre end of the universe. Even the Guardian for all her hope had little faith in her charge and so bent destiny to compensate for this frail human race, for it hadn't even the strength to save itself.

    What is the true measure of our strength? He stood in the centre of the chamber, shifting turmoil in the imagery of his mind. Memory-echoes of times long past would avail him little, no Old Turtle would reach down to his salvation, no fallen Tiger would gaze back to pull him forward, no Crane, Elder or Fledgling, would ever make their peace at this late hour. What is the worth of my fist?

    A Snake's skin was forever shed. The Dragon's fire embers among the kindling. Everything would be snuffed out when the Guardian's words came to fruition in mere months' time.

    Ochazuke could only wonder why she and Jack faced their deaths with a smile. A myriad of twisted, powerful denizens could with a thought grasp this planet between their fingers. All Jagam had to do was squeeze.

    It was then Ochazuke reached into his coat pocket and held the device that plucked their assembly to the stars in the first place. Folding his fingers about the Neural Stunner pistol, he crushed its magazine matrix, and felt the nullification energy cool the surface of his hand in the interplay of this all-too familiar energy, dissipating shortly as his ki soon righted itself.

    "Cheh."

    Here he left the chamber with a small notion. The gulf between him and the others began to widen, and someday soon the chasm between Humanity and the Universe would stretch insurmountable; but some struggles are not won by simple force, for it is will alone that makes material the immaterial.

  15. #2745

    Default Rewinding and catching up

    The peaceable atmosphere of the Meditation Room was meant to bring thoughts to clarity, but as it was the last time he uncovered the sub-chamber from three-hundred years of neglect, in these warlike times Ochazuke only found a familiar length of uninterrupted, weary thought he'd known before battles to come. There is a common misconception that the practice is meant to snuff out thought, as if that would somehow make purchase of greater powers of focus. That could not be further from the truth; when focus is heightened, so is awareness, and in the wake of silent mourning he was ever mindful of the shortening moments of passing days.

    Totoma had been explicit that ten years ago Jagam was a foe beyond him then, and that even at that level so long ago there was only one-tenth a chance that they could claim victory as they were now. A decade is a long span of time, and if even a partial Saiyan's warrior ethic applied to this one, he would not have been idle. Neither could they afford to be.

    It had been Evangeline's joy - and a muted source of shame for her centuries-spanning neglect - that the annals of Earth's history had been gathered in an exemplary collection on the Lookout. While the forms that guided Ochazuke's hands for years had been his advantage for as long as he had known, to bridge the ten year advantage their opponent had he would have to find another edge. Strength for strength, such a quality would not be cultivated properly in less than a half year's time. He would need to search for his edge elsewhere.

    Quote Originally Posted by Sub-Zero MKA View Post
    Parsley was just about to demand who this man thought he was comparing her to the imbecilic Saiyans of the old generation when she remembered she killed an entire family just an hour ago because they annoyed her. That perhaps would have lessened the impact of her indignity.

    "...very well. I will be on my best behavior while on this... charming world." She gave him her most charming smile, then turned away.Directly into view of her sister and Ishtar embracing one another. If she didn't know any better, she would have thought they hadn't seen each other in years. Oh, she knew exactly why her younger sister clung to the older(?) woman so tightly. For comfort, her naturally calming presence, for help putting on a strong front with which to face the world. It was all very... noteworthy when she remembered back to Sarada insisting that she 'loved' Ishtar with all her heart.

    The display taking place before her gave credence to that claim. Whether it would last or not remained to be seen. Certainly a development Parsley was looking forward to seeing, one way or the other.

    The excitement was over and there was no desire within her at all to speak to any of these people, so she decided to wander about inside this minuscule palace for something worthy of holding her attention. Perhaps even a library, assuming this planet's denizens read anything other than sleazy garbage.
    The ancient doors parted with a heavy creaking, light from the outside flooded the passage until the door reset itself silently. Ochazuke exhaled curtly, straightening the battle-stained white collar of his suit as he approached the stacks in pursuit of a specific set of knowledge. A millenium, maybe more, it was bound to be in here. However, with the Ronin's attention split between attending divine and domestic duties, finding what he wanted would be a trying task. It was as if some violent episode had happened in the heart of the chamber, like somebody had a fight in here.

    Certainly, as soon as he set foot in here, he knew he was not alone.

    "You're a long way from home," he said. The energy signature was distinct, and yet something about this Saiyan stranger was not dissimilar to the ones he'd known. "If you're seeking familiar faces, I doubt you'd find either of them in here."

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