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

[bruceleegreyhulk]

Lufia and Vivian arrived at the Toadian Kingdom and Vivian looks at it saying " so this is the Toadian Kingdom huh wow talk about impressive." suddenly a male Toadian rushes towards Lufia saying " my Queen your back and who is this you bought with you?" Vivian replies to this saying " Yo I'm Vivian Luue!" the Male Toadian who only stands 4'0" and has green skin with black spots replies to this saying " wait you mean to tell me you a member of the Luue Clan?"



" that shouldn't be possible!" " that clan was wipe out long ago." Vivian replies to this saying " well I'm the last living member of my clan." " so you got a name handsome?"

the male Toadian replies to this saying " it's Naustua Oilvibar , and I'm her Highness Royal Advisor." Vivian replies to this saying " wow so you like really important huh?" Naustua replies to this saying " yes I'm highly important and please don't talk so close to me."

" your breath reeks, and you smell like you haven't have a bath in ages." Vivian replies to this saying " well I Have been living in a cave and basically wearing the same clothing for years now." Naustua replies to this as his skin turns blue saying " so it is true there was a Toadian living in the lower swamps and it was you." Naustua replies to this saying " Highness surely you don't think this unhygienic savage will be of any help to the kingdom?"


Lufia replies to this saying " yes I do she's going to help us deal with the beast that have been attacking our life stock." Naustua replies to as his skin turns yellow " your Highness we already have train knights to deal with that." Lufia replies to this saying " yes and yet they have fail at every turn." Naustua replies to this saying " so what your trust a outsider to handle it?"


Lufia replies to this saying " yes, yes I am ." Vivian replies to this saying " well I guess I better get to work on deal with this." " oh your better keep your promise your Highness about giving me a spot in the castle to stay at." Naustua as his skin turns yellow saying" wait you offer her a place in the castle ?"


" what the hell were you thinking?" " some one like that can possible stay in the castle ." " she's uncivilized." " my highness I beg you to not go though with that promise."

Lufia replies to this saying " I made a promise and I tend to keep it Naustua." Vivian replies to this saying " well that's good to hear your highness." Vivian then speaks to Naustua saying " hey there handsome maybe you and me will share a room once I complete my task." Naustua who skin is yellow replies to this saying " the thought of sharing room with you makes my skin crawl."


later Vivian gets to work with dealing with the beast that are attacking the Toadian livestock and citizens of the Toadian Kingdom are watching with one of them a female saying " wow I never seen any Toadian move and fight like that before." " she managed to subdue there's terrible beasts." " not if the Kingdom's Elite knights could do that."


Vivian then hears a scream saying " wait that sounds like the highness she must be in trouble." a moment later Vivian appears just to see a savage beast manhandling a bunch of Knights with one of them saying " damn this monster it's a tough one." " we never face a Xolf with such ferocity." " this must be the alpha of that pack that has been attacking our the life stock.


"not even our best efforts can subdued this beast." Vivian replies to this saying " hmm it seems like you all are in a bit of a jam here." " mind if I help out ?" Elite Toadian Knight replies to this saying " hmm what can you outsider do that we the Elite Knights of the Toadian Kingdom can not?"


Vivian replies to this saying " wow so your this Kingdom's elite knights huh , and here I thought you all were just as bunch of clowns." an Elite Knight skin turns red saying " how dare you mock us outsider." " we knights have train in combat to deal with threats like this." Vivian replies to this saying " train huh then I guess this kingdom's style of combat is lousy ."


elite Knight replies to this saying " watch your tongue outsider." Vivian replies to this as the faces the Alpha Xolf saying " see the problem with your all's combat style is that is not flexible enough." " it's too ridge and uses too many unnecessary movements. " " you all also think to much."




" a true warrior doesn't think they feel." Vivian gets in a stance and Xolf unleash powerful energy beam at Vivian that prowls though a dozen elite knights . however Vivian doesn't move out of the way causing one elite knight to say " is this outsider crazy ?" " she's going to get her self killed if she doesn't move out of the way."

" what in the hell is she thinking?"

Vivian skin turns a bright green indicated confidence and just as the Beam of energy hits Vivian flash of green energy shines over Vivian's body . suddenly the energy beam is set back at Xolf and sends it tumble across the ground. it does enough damage to the Xolf where the Xolf submits in defeat ." elite Knight replies to this saying " what in the hell just happen ?" " how did that outsider reflect that Xolf's attack like that?"

Lufia looks at this saying " you stop it without even lying a single finger and you sent it's own attack back at it." " how the world did you do that?" Vivian replies to this saying " I used my trump card it's call Kamzkoto Maskuito Lazikui Gazikao ( Rebound Flash Boost Counter ) ." " it reverse attacks and sends to back at more than twice their original power."

one hit by it's own attack amplified this Xolf submit knowing it was clearly outmatch know that It was clearly out match." " well I took care of you kingdom's problem so now for your promise of finding me a place in the castle to stay."Naustua who is with the Lufia replies to this saying " yes your combat skills are impressive and graceful for someone who is so uncivilized." " however some one like you doesn't belong in the castle." " we don't need you stink up the place."

Lufia replies to this saying " that's enough Naustua a promise is a promise !" " I can't go back on my word." " Vivian Luue I will grant you a place in my castle." " you can stay in Naustua quarters."

Vivian replies to this saying " hey looks like you and I are going to be roommates handsome." Naustua skin turns yellow at hearing this saying " wait why does she have to share a room with me ?" " please your highness don't go though with this." " I don't want to share my room with someone who is so unhygienic."

" Lufia replies to this saying " I made up my mind Naustua , Vivian will be staying with you." Vivian replies to this saying " come in give me chance who knows this met be the start of a relationship." Naustua replies to this as his skin turns blue " me being in a relationship with someone like you is highly unlikely." after single handily protected the Toadian livestock from Savages.

Vivian became the Kingdom's combat instruct and thought the entire Kingdom her combat style." she also become a royal servant despite Naustua objections. over time Naustua would fall for Vivian and start a relationship with her. the two would eventually have children. as for the nasty Xolves that had been decimated The Toadian Kingdom's livestock.

they would become domestic leading to the Vog . this ends the tale of how the First Toadian Queen Lufia met The Hermit Toadian Vivian Luue.

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

In the moments before Asha'rah fires her "Galick Sun" ...

---

Ishtar found herself now, standing before the Archon of Lasair.

Though despite knowing why she had been ferried here, and understanding what this Elemanti had in store; the golden-eyed Oni could not bring herself to otherwise care. It had been five thousand years, since she brought down Ilargi, and the damage well past done. That it was in some sense justified in its anger mattered little now, and even its siblings -- The Archon of Criostalach, and others -- cared little for the 'reckoning' that now hung unspoken in the silence between them.

Though the silence certainly did not last long.

<Nothing to say, destroyer ?> The Archon crackled, <I had expected something ... more.>

Ishtar offered the Elemanti a shrug.

Annoyed by the silence, it started pacing then, and as the Archon set itself to simmering; the temperature began to increase noticeably ... A feat given their current location.

<Is this really it ? The Breaker of Ilargi, the Ruin of Aka'Tiel ... wounded ... silent ...> It said, muttering even as the temperature around them continued to steadily increase, and the landscape around them -- the magma and plumes of ash and smoke -- replied in kind. Though after a few moments it stopped suddenly, and seeming to have reached a decision the Youngest returned its focus toward Ishtar.

The heat reaching its peak, then, the volcanic eruptions in the distance now brought with them lightning, and a rumbling of thunder ...

<It matters little, this meting of justice has been too long postponed.>

Ishtar shrugged again, causing the Archon to approximate a scowl. Yet before another word could pass between them, there came the far off glow of a second sun, on the horizon ... and not soon after a massive shockwave that kicked up ashen debris and shards of obsidian that buffeted both the Archon, and Ishtar ... and seeing its opening, as the glowing-horn Oni turned her eyes toward the source, the Elemanti began its assault.

With a sneer, the Archon of Lasair closed the distance between them; drawing first blood with a blow that knocked Ishtar through the nearest spire of stone ...

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

Sarada may not have defeated it by her own hands, but she would take this win. She turned to find the other two looking at her passively. Her eyes narrowed as she pointed south-west, toward where Ishtar had last been heading, toward the magma filled mountain range. "Let us pass."

The two Archon -- that remained standing, at least -- regarded Sarada with a look of profound curiosity.

So when she did not attack, and instead pointed towards the south-west they followed her gaze; and though they couldn't understand what it was she said ... they at least understood her meaning. Yet before a response of their own could be offered, Asha'rah -- and the source of the blast that crippled, but did not kill, their sibling -- appeared, pulling their focus for a time.

Asha'rah floated down onto the battlefield to meet her comrades, a dawning realization pricking slight annoyance within her. She had cut short Sarada's battle, intruded unnecessarily upon the Saiyan Queen's own efforts. Asha'rah had acted so to get to rescuing Ishtar as quickly as possible, though she knew not the Oni's condition. How very mortal of her.

"Greetings, Sarada. And my apologies, for both my tardiness and my haste. Your victory over the mountain, and the growth it would bring, should have been yours to claim under most other circumstance."

The Archon of Gaineamh was the first to approach, when Asha'rah touched down and offered her apologies.

It flowed around the Fallen Goddess, the sand of its form plinking against her metallic shell as it seemed to 'feel' her presence. Yet after a few seconds the sand retreated and the creature returned to its 'sibling'; and the Archon of Oighear, for its part, simply appraised the woman with its eyes ... and when the moment passed, and both Elemanti seemed sated, they turned their focus away from Asha'rah -- satisfied she was no immediate threat -- and focused on the Angry One who had pointed toward the south-west.

Sarada set her gaze on the broken mass of rock and glass that was once the elemental behemoth, then to Asha'rah. "I'm not worried about it. There are at least two more of these ******* running around, but I'm more worried about find Ishtar and getting the hell off this rock."

This time however, it was the Archon of Oighear who approached.

She would feel at once that she dwarfed the others, the Archon of Cloche, and Gaineamh only half of her own strength; and yet there was no hostility to be felt, simply a distant -- almost cold -- curiosity. The most 'humanoid' of its siblings as well, it was more easily understood despite the language barrier; and once the feminine figure stopped, roughly a meter from Sarada, it paused for several long seconds before gesturing slowly at Sarada, Meagan, and Asha'rah.

Then it pointed toward the south-west, and a single word resonated clearly in Sarada's head.

"Follow."

Without another word, the Archon of Oighear -- and after a moment the Archon of Gaineamh -- crossed the chasm, and took off toward where Ishtar could be felt.

[Cyke]

Zaofan nudges the door, which swings slowly open.....

...Bright lights, two of them, assault his eyes from the other side...lights increasing in brightness by the moment. He is suddenly aware the floor beneath him is vibrating and a sense of immediate danger takes told.

...and then the passenger train to whom those lights belong smashes through the doorframe, taking the wall with it, as if flies straight into and through the kitchen to a thunderous cacophony of shattering kitchenware and overturned pots.

Zaofan quickly dodges to the other end of the kitchen, only to realize just what had happened to the stove, the oven, the island, essentially anything carrying food at the moment.

"NononononoNOOO!!!"

He stands still and alert as he watches the train go by, only to realize that he had been so panicked by the food that I've forgotten to ask -- DA HELL IS A TRAIN DOING HERE?!

He tries to peek over the side of the wall, the seeming source of the train itself, to see where it is and where it's coming from. "Damnable magic...!"

[Sub-Zero MKA]

The two Archon -- that remained standing, at least -- regarded Sarada with a look of profound curiosity.

So when she did not attack, and instead pointed towards the south-west they followed her gaze; and though they couldn't understand what it was she said ... they at least understood her meaning. Yet before a response of their own could be offered, Asha'rah -- and the source of the blast that crippled, but did not kill, their sibling -- appeared, pulling their focus for a time.



The Archon of Gaineamh was the first to approach, when Asha'rah touched down and offered her apologies.

It flowed around the Fallen Goddess, the sand of its form plinking against her metallic shell as it seemed to 'feel' her presence. Yet after a few seconds the sand retreated and the creature returned to its 'sibling'; and the Archon of Oighear, for its part, simply appraised the woman with its eyes ... and when the moment passed, and both Elemanti seemed sated, they turned their focus away from Asha'rah -- satisfied she was no immediate threat -- and focused on the Angry One who had pointed toward the south-west.



This time however, it was the Archon of Oighear who approached.

She would feel at once that she dwarfed the others, the Archon of Cloche, and Gaineamh only half of her own strength; and yet there was no hostility to be felt, simply a distant -- almost cold -- curiosity. The most 'humanoid' of its siblings as well, it was more easily understood despite the language barrier; and once the feminine figure stopped, roughly a meter from Sarada, it paused for several long seconds before gesturing slowly at Sarada, Meagan, and Asha'rah.

Then it pointed toward the south-west, and a single word resonated clearly in Sarada's head.

"Follow."

Without another word, the Archon of Oighear -- and after a moment the Archon of Gaineamh -- crossed the chasm, and took off toward where Ishtar could be felt.

Sarada let her hand fall to her side, her point sufficiently made. She then stood idle as one elemental intimately assessed Asha'rah before retreating, then she herself was observed more passively by the other. Neither was found threatening, thus no hostile action was taken.

These creatures were beyond foreign, even to one who had learned of and encountered dozens of different races across the stars. That they didn't speak the common language used for intergalactic conversation was near the bottom of the list of oddities about them.

Regardless, their strikingly different culture was irrelevant for the time being. A single word passed from the snowy elemental. Follow.

Good. Enough time had been wasted.

When the icy one departed, Sarada was after her, following as closely as she could manage. I'm almost there, Ishtar. Just hold on a little while longer.

With a sneer, the Archon of Lasair closed the distance between them; drawing first blood with a blow that knocked Ishtar through the nearest spire of stone ...

Then, a pang of pain shot through her torso. This meant two things. One, whatever was interfering with Aka Manah must have had a lesser effect the closer Sarada and Ishtar were to each other. That was good.

Two, Ishtar was fighting someone. That was bad.

The urge to engage Hitozaru and utterly annihilate whoever would dare misplace one hair on her beloved's head was strong, but she resisted. Ishtar could handle whoever it was, and she remembered clearly Tasure's warning about the consequences of relying on the form overmuch.

Still, despite this resolute belief in her love's strength, she started to gather ki in her right hand.

Just in case.

[bruceleegreyhulk]

Qaztoh starts working on creating new software for Mr. Gazakai and adjusted his heat ray. after 2 days have passed Qaztoh looks at her creation Mr. Gazakai saying " Okay I install new uncorrupted software in Mr. Gazakai." " improve his security system and adjust his heat ray." " now for the testing phase."

" first a diagnostics check." Qaztoh does a diagnostics check and is please with the results she gets saying" okay everything seems to be in working order." " now to turn him on." Qaztoh turns on Mr. Gazakai and the first thing he says is " hello there my name is Mr. Gazakai and I'm here to serve."

"tell me what is it that you want me to do for you today?" Qaztoh turns Mr. Gazkai off saying " okay now that's much better." " I didn't make his AI overly complex and I believe that to be a good thing." " I also adjust his heat ray to where it now has variable temperatures."

" so now he can cook and reheat food more proficiently." " okay now on to the mark II version of my teleportation device!" "Qaztoh gets to work on the Mark II version of her Teleportation device."

Qaztoh gets to work on her Mark II version and for the next 4 days she goes through blueprint after blueprint and test after test. until finally 4 weeks later she finalize the Mark II version of her Teleportation device saying " Okay it too awhile but Mark II of Quantum Transmission subspace pocket teleporter watch is complete." " Improvements over the Mark I version include a more efficient CPU with higher processing power." " can teleport a larger group of people instead of being limit to just four."

" has selection for different types of measurements so that use by other aliens not just my own kind." " finally Mark II's Quantum Transmission subspace pocket teleporter watch is dramatically improve compare to that of Mark I version." " well the Mark I version can teleport a person anywhere on single planet. " " Mark II can teleport some one to planet in another galaxy!"


" yes I consider that to be defiantly a vast improvement over Mark I version!" " since it's been weeks now I wonder if my ancestor Althena has been thaw out yet? "

[Tami]

The two Archon -- that remained standing, at least -- regarded Sarada with a look of profound curiosity.

So when she did not attack, and instead pointed towards the south-west they followed her gaze; and though they couldn't understand what it was she said ... they at least understood her meaning. Yet before a response of their own could be offered, Asha'rah -- and the source of the blast that crippled, but did not kill, their sibling -- appeared, pulling their focus for a time.



The Archon of Gaineamh was the first to approach, when Asha'rah touched down and offered her apologies.

It flowed around the Fallen Goddess, the sand of its form plinking against her metallic shell as it seemed to 'feel' her presence. Yet after a few seconds the sand retreated and the creature returned to its 'sibling'; and the Archon of Oighear, for its part, simply appraised the woman with its eyes ... and when the moment passed, and both Elemanti seemed sated, they turned their focus away from Asha'rah -- satisfied she was no immediate threat -- and focused on the Angry One who had pointed toward the south-west.



This time however, it was the Archon of Oighear who approached.

She would feel at once that she dwarfed the others, the Archon of Cloche, and Gaineamh only half of her own strength; and yet there was no hostility to be felt, simply a distant -- almost cold -- curiosity. The most 'humanoid' of its siblings as well, it was more easily understood despite the language barrier; and once the feminine figure stopped, roughly a meter from Sarada, it paused for several long seconds before gesturing slowly at Sarada, Meagan, and Asha'rah.

Then it pointed toward the south-west, and a single word resonated clearly in Sarada's head.

"Follow."

Without another word, the Archon of Oighear -- and after a moment the Archon of Gaineamh -- crossed the chasm, and took off toward where Ishtar could be felt.

Sarada let her hand fall to her side, her point sufficiently made. She then stood idle as one elemental intimately assessed Asha'rah before retreating, then she herself was observed more passively by the other. Neither was found threatening, thus no hostile action was taken.

These creatures were beyond foreign, even to one who had learned of and encountered dozens of different races across the stars. That they didn't speak the common language used for intergalactic conversation was near the bottom of the list of oddities about them.

Regardless, their strikingly different culture was irrelevant for the time being. A single word passed from the snowy elemental. Follow.

Good. Enough time had been wasted.

When the icy one departed, Sarada was after her, following as closely as she could manage. I'm almost there, Ishtar. Just hold on a little while longer.



Then, a pang of pain shot through her torso. This meant two things. One, whatever was interfering with Aka Manah must have had a lesser effect the closer Sarada and Ishtar were to each other. That was good.

Two, Ishtar was fighting someone. That was bad.

The urge to engage Hitozaru and utterly annihilate whoever would dare misplace one hair on her beloved's head was strong, but she resisted. Ishtar could handle whoever it was, and she remembered clearly Tasure's warning about the consequences of relying on the form overmuch.

Still, despite this resolute belief in her love's strength, she started to gather ki in her right hand.

Just in case.

With that, Meagan joined Sarada in following the Ice Elemental. Perhaps Asha'rah's display of power was enough to convince them, or perhaps this is just another trap. Either way, they are now, once again, moving towards Isthar.

Once this is all over, once Isthar is safe and healed if need be, she expects a full accounting of the tale of how this all came to be.

[bruceleegreyhulk]

Qaztoh gets to work on her Mark II version and for the next 4 days she goes through blueprint after blueprint and test after test. until finally 4 weeks later she finalize the Mark II version of her Teleportation device saying " Okay it too awhile but Mark II of Quantum Transmission subspace pocket teleporter watch is complete." " Improvements over the Mark I version include a more efficient CPU with higher processing power." " can teleport a larger group of people instead of being limit to just four."

" has selection for different types of measurements so that use by other aliens not just my own kind." " finally Mark II's Quantum Transmission subspace pocket teleporter watch is dramatically improve compare to that of Mark I version." " well the Mark I version can teleport a person anywhere on single planet. " " Mark II can teleport some one to planet in another galaxy!"


" yes I consider that to be defiantly a vast improvement over Mark I version!" " since it's been weeks now I wonder if my ancestor Althena has been thaw out yet? "

Qaztoh puts on the Mark II version of Quantum Transmission subspace pocket teleporter watch on her right wrist and activates Mr.Gazakai saying " Mr. Gazakai I'll be out for awhile so take care of my stuff while I'm gone okay." Mr. replies in a Robotic tone " order accept Mr. Gazakai is here to serve ." Qaztoh leaves her Lab to go of to find Jinzi to ask him if her ancestor Althena has been thaw out yet saying I can't wait to talk to my ancestor ." " also just like I promise I give donation to the Galaxy Police Reconstruction fund."

" next month I will give another donation of 1,000 Zenny to the Galaxy Police Reconstruction fund. " " now where's Jinzi ?" "really need to ask him if my ancestor Althena has been thaw out safely yet." " I know he said it would take awhile surely several weeks would have been enough time."

" I also wonder Praxat has been up to these past weeks." " I never got the chance to interact with her since I been so busy lately." " I know she's in the mechanical engineering wing, but what has she been doing there?"

[Miburo]

Quick tour down to the red light district could be just the thing you need to help you get over S-

"Check in!" Jack said quickly, trying to shut down anymore of the Spectre's commentary.

His mind registered the clink of the cash a second later. "Lotta cash in there..." he said scratching his chin. "If I was still a bandit, I'd be considering hitting new arrivals, still flush with cash."

Jack pointed to his eyes and then his ears, "Keep them peeled."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As the two exited the Galloping, they were greeted by a robot, it's chassis polished silver with gold accents adorning it. It's face and structure were entirely androgynous, although tapered and elegant, as one would expect.

"Welcome to Space Vegas." The droid said, it's voice deep and smooth, like some manner of lounge singer. "This won't take long. To efficiently facilitate your trip, and it's nature, please answer the following questions so that our shuttle may quickly---"

The voice was cut off as two disheveled, vagabond looking persons were being forcibly pushed from outside a shuttle.

"We won't go back!" The man growled, struggling in vain against three bulky battle droids, each of which wore a black suit and tie. "We can pay what we owe, but not here! The wages are insane, the interest is too high! The--"

"FIST IS IN YOUR FACE, MEATBAG." The leader of the pack replied, crushing the mans nose with a hay maker that caused a sickening crunch.

"Owh gow! MY NOISS" The man shouted in agony, trying to staunch the torrent of blood gushing forth.

"Largo!" The woman shouted, attempting to move towards her mate, only to be intercepted by another suited droid, grabbing her by her long hair, dragging her to the ground.

"This is cutting into your mandated two minute break." The Droid continued, nonchalantly, "If you want to avoid penalties, I suggest you come back quickly."

The woman attempted to meekly protest, as the droid dragged her outside by her hair. "This place is hell....."

"Figitt the powas!" The man shouted, being carried off by another droid, hoisted over its shoulder "Freedom! Attica! Atti---"

"Please note that any blood that drips on my suit will result in a tenfold beating, meatbag." the battlebot calmly informed the man as it stepped through the door.

"AHAHA. PARDON THE MESS." The droid that had welcomed the pair of gamblers had informed them, "Some people just don't want to pay their debts."

It turned to Jack.

"Name? Occupation? Do you know the nature of accommodations you would like? Do you already have funds, or will they be provided for you? We have a wide array of options for you to choose from. Our arrangements are as numerous as stars in the sky."

[Tami]

"There is often a huge difference in controlled an elemental force and generating one via mana. Especially if your attuned to that element. Its one thing to generate a lighting strike via a technique....but when casting a spell your filtering mana through your own ki. Thus, the result will require not expenditure of ki and will be entirely dependent on strength. If you produce a lightning bolt....that bolt is unique to you, and strengthened by your energy....so its not some generic bolt of lightning. Just as...." Etrina opens her hand and a shard of glittering ice forms above her palm. "....This is my ice, made with mana filtered through my ki. If you were unable to guess I have an elemental affinity for Ice....among other things."

The ice breaks apart into a cloud of snow that seems to lazily float around. "With finer control...you can learn you manipulate it long after you cast it. A lightning bolt that follows your commands, moves through conductible materials to strike unseen, split, combine....and so on."

With a nod, Cyanna again tries to do as instructed, tries to access Mana and filter it through her Ki. Holding out her hand, she aims it at Mini-E, speaking under her breath, 'mana through ki, mana through ki'. Her hand then glows, and glows, and glows brighter. With effort she releases the energy in the form of a flash of blinding light.

As she did, she reflexively used her other arm to cover her eyes as she closed them to the light. Once it had faded, she opened her eyes and looked for Mini-E.

[Cyke]

Drip. Drip. Drip. The lonely sound ripples through the dim cavern, quiet enough keep baby spiders asleep but just enough to get Zaofan to open one eye, and then, against resistance, both eyes.

Groggy and finding his wingspan stretched, he looks to both wrists and his ankles, chained by thick tentacles and a foot off the ground, connected to an impenetrable by smooth wall. He can feel the wall writhe and pulsate against his back. Once he realizes it is a mass of flesh, he can't help but gag a little. He looks further ahead, and the drops and puddle are made of blood, dropping from the ceiling of rock.

He looks to his left, and sees that he is not alone. A bearded figure is likewise captured but unconscious. "Toh Magoh!"

Both the Demon Shogun and the Crimson Cloak enter the stage from out of the darkness. The Cloak speaks. "Hm, he's awake as expected. His senses are acute indeed."

Zaofan struggles against the tentacles, but finds their grip consistently tough. "Shingen! What is this place? What do you want from me?"

The armored general mimics, "'Why are you here? Where am I? Who is he?' Not one captive ever asks, 'How are you? How was your day?' Frankly, that stings a little."

Zaofan quits struggling against the tentacles, but he feels a cut within the side of his mouth, with his tongue. "Flippant now, are you? I've never known you to be the joking type. But you want me for a reason. At least give me that much."

"Oh, indeed," the Demon Shogun responds. "We're here because we want to know a few things about you. But, I suppose context is key. You are right, I owe you this much, from one killer to another."

"Killer...?"

The Shogun nods, and continues. "You, Zaofan. You left us. And what did you see? The true work of the Hokuto Shinken? It's understandable if we were not your flavor. But then you fled to the Neo Crane School, and found more of the same, albeit of a lesser pedigree thanks to this poseur Toh Magoh. Really, though, what are the odds that you'd go from one school of assassins to another, if not for your inherent bloodlust? Though, I don't know why you'd ever join a pacifist like Eskramoto and the Turtle School. That's not a great place for killers. The Snake School, though. Ho ho ho, now THERE's a story."

"Why do you keep saying things like I'm a killer--"

The Shogun continues his train of thought, increasing the volume of his first few words and only returning to normal once Zaofan stops talking. "My friend MY FRIEND... and I, we sense magnificent amounts of blood magic and blood energy in your aura. On you. Within you. That is important."

Zaofan's mind races back and forth, his eyes pointed to the ground, moving left and right to process. "Blood magic... blood magic... where have I heard that before...?"

The Shogun tilts his head to the right in curiosity. "You don't know what blood magic is? I find that hard to believe, but your voice rings of genuine truth. Sorceror, perhaps you'd like to introduce yourself."

The Crimson Cloak hovers around the Shogun and straight to Zaofan. "Hm, if I must. I am Shinku no Manto. My home, if you can call it that, is a realm known as the Makai. Your usual hellish domain covered in fire and brimstone and demons that defy the laws of your mortal physics. But I must say, this planet is a sore spot for me. When I visited it many, many moons ago, I liked what I saw; easily frightened humans, superstitions, fear of the unknown, dread of darkness. But then in my travels, I encountered one of your -- blasphemous -- Guardians. The Guardian had the means to undo all my hellish Makai powers. Can you believe that? So, SO annoying. I was defeated in battle, and trapped in a container. Not my finest hour by any means. And then, a few years ago, my bottle was cracked open and destroyed."

The Shogun interjects, "...during one of those rampages by your old friend Simon Battersea. The former champion. Imagine that."

Zaofan's jaw drops. "Battersea...? You knew Battersea?!"

"Hah, no, no. We assassins all had an understanding not to approach that monster, lest we incur his wrath. We kept to ourselves. He did whatever he wanted. Everyone got a piece of the pie. We had a fine arrangement. But I digress. Shinku, continue."

The apparition nods, and goes on. "That Battersea. Such an impressive specimen. In my weakened, non-corporeal form, I found that I could only kill small animals. We Makai, we gain energy present in the blood of fighters and warriors."

"Vampires?" the chef asks. "We have vampires?!"

Shinku looks annoyed. "Feh, nothing so ... plebian or simple. No, those who see battle harness a certain energy within their own blood. An energy of victory and triumph. But when blood is spilled, some of that power transfers over to the victor. Or the survivor, if you will. 'Whatever doesn't kill you, makes you stronger,' I believe you humans like to say. And, there is a certain truth in that. Whether it is described as experience, or knowledge, or what have you, the truth is, your own blood becomes richer and more concentrated. Especially with the more you fight, but much more so with the blood you've spilled. Killing harmless people does nothing. But killing a storied warrior? Oh, prepare to feast. And that power can transfer from killer to killer to killer. And so, it took me quite some time to gather enough blood of simple animals to regain the strength to go after human blood energy."

The Shogun cuts in again. "And that is where Battersea comes in. In his trails of destruction, of all the villages and towns and lives he destroyed, Shinku here would pick up the residual pieces. Battersea killed countless humans, but many of them were fighters of their own accord. Humans in general do not have the ability to draw in this blood energy as efficiently as a Makai, and so -- well, you know what it's like to have a feeding frenzy, traveling chef."

Zaofan squints his eyes in interrogation. "But that doesn't explain how you two met. Or how you got to be so powerful, Shingen."

"That's 'Master' Shingen to you, boy," the general responds. "Just like in the old days. Show some respect."

Zaofan maintains his silents, and looks him dead in the eyes in defiance.

"Oh, there you go. Fine. I took a party of my own pupils to scout after Battersea during one of his rampages. To monitor him and to see how we could take him down. Nature abhors a vacuum, you know, and we would have taken over Turtle Island if we could. Instead, we found a spirit. Shinku No Manto right here. He quickly killed my pupils -- they were acceptable losses, really -- but rather than do battle, I noticed that he absorbed their blood energy. Through magic. Shinku No Manto was attracted to the amount of blood on our hands. We had agreed to a partnership where, in exchange for the blood that my school and I would spill to strengthen Shinku and restore his body, I would be given incredible powers, so that I may bring the Hokuto Shinken to true interdimensional, intergalactic greatness. With myself at the top, of course. My school, my rules. How could I ever say no to that?"

The general paces back and forth through the room. "We set our sights for Battersea. It was only natural, of course. It would be a way to test my powers, and the blood on Battersea's hands would have hastened Shinku's progress towards his goal. Or, moreso, perhaps we could form an alliance with Battersea and eliminate all fighters, starting with his tournament participants, gaining their powers in the process. Did you know he wiped out the Turtle School? All that power would have been delicious."

The general then spins, his cape flapping behind him, as he struts directly to Zaofan. "But no. You and your friends made sure that that would not happen. I had nearly forgotten about you completely, but no, you had to go on international TV and make a fool of yourself. You and your friends had to enter that tournament. You and your friends defeated an army of of the world's best martial artists. You and friends had to kill Battersea. His power was so great that every hit your friends inflicted on him, it gave them a portion of that blood energy, when really it all should have been ours."

Shingen turns back to the Crimson Cloak. "Since then, we've been watching you. We've seen you grow exponentially. But our vigilance is imperfect. There is no way you could have ever gotten to be so strong as to fight Battersea himself, when the entire Turtle School could not. When you abandoned the Hokuto Shinken, you were a mere whelp. And now, here you are, cavorting with Guardians and aliens and space monkeys and magicians. It's impossible."

Zaofan tries to compute all this information in his head, about how far his past has gone, of how it plays into his present. "Oh, yeah. No killing here. I just do push ups, sit ups, and PLENty of juice."

[Cyke]

Shingen tilts his head to the left. "The bravado on you. The false wit masquerading as courage. Do you think you're the first to try that on me? It was quaint years ago, but not anymore. Come now. No, some time ago, we felt a massive surge in the concentration of blood magic on that flying palace of yours. One instant, nothing of any concern. The next instant, and there, the largest concentration we had ever felt, anywhere. Even Shinku hasn't felt anything like that since his arrival on Earth."

The Crimson Cloak then floats back to Zaofan. "My goal was to gather enough energy to return back to Makai. Over there, I am just your average sorceror, just trying to get by on the pains and cries of the damned. But wherever you went, you didn't just kill, you killed legions. You bathed in blood energy. Where ever you went, it was a paradise, a utopia of dread and despair. In Makai, I would just be your typical worker. In wherever it is you went, we could be gods. Our powers would increase at an unthinkable rate. Forget Makai! We want to go there, to your realm!"

Zaofan's mind races back and forth to try to put the pieces together. They're powerful, but not all-knowing. Running on their own assumptions. Giving him too much credit. What is this about? Ah hah!

Blood magic...! The Blood universe! OF COURSE! When we went to that alternate Earth, the one with the cairns! We had to fight off the armies of the dead! We all beat back thousands of them, each! And each one of those skeletons and zombies and giants were soldiers, genuine fighters in their own right! The blood magic they accumulated must have been astronomical! So much of their blood was spilled that we were all covered in blood and guts! We were washed away! And I still can't get the stench out of some of those clothes!

Zaofan finally responds, "No, you got it all wrong! I haven't killed legions! My power doesn't come from blood energy! My friends and I, we were all whisked away to another realm, but we don't know how we got there! We only escaped thanks the blood magic of my friends! But I have no way of getting back there! I don't even remember how we got there in the first place!"

The Crimson Cloak conjures up a viewing screen, replaying images from their fight with Auroc and Anula. "Threshlings. Namekians. Guardians. Gods. You've walked an exciting path, I must say. Someone with your experience would surely know. But you...! We don't just want access to that other world. We want you to join us. Your power, too, would grow at a fantastic rate. You would quickly become more powerful than your contemporaries. The amount of blood you've spilled, well, I can say it takes one to know one."

The Shogun adds, "You know Toh Magoh. You are friends with genocidal maniacs. You have spilled the blood of thousands from other worlds. And you started as my pupil. Not my prized pupil, mind you, but it's never too late. You and I are cut from the same cloth. That's why I prefer you, someone I know, over your friends, even if they are more powerful. Let's face it here. You'll always be in their shadows. As powerful as you yourself are, you are only just a human."

"Yeeeah, tempting, but no." After all, Zaofan still had a flower to catch. "Besides, we only visited that world. We didn't stay there for very long! And we came back so that we could help our two friends!" Ever the humanitarian, Zaofan keeps in mind Wilheim and the Princess.

The Cloak whispers to Shingen. "Five minutes, sir."

Shingen nods, but goes back to Zaofan. "Ah, so there are two natives of that dimension on the floating palace, eh?"

"No, that's not what I said!"

The Crimson Cloak leans over as if to whisper to Shingen, but very consciously keeps his voice audible enough for Zaofan to hear. "Perhaps they know of the way back. And even better, they must be saturated with that blood energy much more than Zaofan ever had, if they lived their whole lives there!"

Zaofan, this time, struggles mightily against the tentacles, but the more he pulls, the tighter the grip, "No! NuuuuhOOOO!"

"Hm. Perhaps now is not the time for the hunt," says the Demon Shogun. "But I would certainly like to meet them. If only your accursed palace didn't travel so much. We can wait. I am patient. My friend here, the Crimson Cloak, finds you oh so fascinating. I tell you, I love it when my old friends meet my new friends. Hah."

The Demon Lord turns dramatically as his cape falls to the floor, walking away from Zaofan and towards the door. "Rest well. When we next find the palace, maybe you can introduce me to your friends, dear boy."

The door slams shut. The Crimson Cloak turns his attention back to Zaofan. And then he smiles.



"Let's play."

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Post Ishtar being rescued:


Ishtar and Asha’rah suddenly find themselves in a familiar waiting room. The room is strangely absent, the Oni secretary not there. Instead, sound can be heard coming from Sihn’s office.

Going in, they are met with a strange scene. Shek’hinah and the secretary are busy taking care of two wounded, badly, deities. Sihn’s left eye is gone, a wound filled with glowing light instead. His left arm hangs useless by his side, a drink in his right hand as he slams it down. Pale blood drips from a dozen wounds.

Leaning heavily against a wall is Zurvan. The aspect is bleeding, something Ishtar didn’t even think was possible, and both hands are badly cut up and bruised. He calmly spits two teeth out as he sees them enter.

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

Post Ishtar being rescued:

Ishtar and Asha’rah suddenly find themselves in a familiar waiting room. The room is strangely absent, the Oni secretary not there. Instead, sound can be heard coming from Sihn’s office.

Going in, they are met with a strange scene. Shek’hinah and the secretary are busy taking care of two wounded, badly, deities. Sihn’s left eye is gone, a wound filled with glowing light instead. His left arm hangs useless by his side, a drink in his right hand as he slams it down. Pale blood drips from a dozen wounds.

Leaning heavily against a wall is Zurvan. The aspect is bleeding, something Ishtar didn’t even think was possible, and both hands are badly cut up and bruised. He calmly spits two teeth out as he sees them enter.

Of all the things Ishtar had been expecting. The God of Time, and the Warden of Universe 15 battered, and gravely wounded, was not one. That Zurvan was injured at all was surprising, given his station ... though given the previous conversation with Sihn ... she could guess the source.

Stepping away from Asha'rah, Ishtar approaches her uncles, and sagging against the closest chair - as injured as she was, it was some feat she was standing - and simply asks;

"Did you kill them ?"

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

As the Archon traveled, Sarada, Meagan, and Asha'rah in tow; the Sand Elemanti was the first to speak between them.

<I must confess this is far more ... interesting than I had hoped. Who would have thought, one such as she might descend ?>

The Archon of Oighear, didn't respond at first, eyes set on the horizon, and only when she was sure of something did she acknowledge it.

<Bound to 'flesh', the same as we. Though far weaker ... yet concern yourself with that more pressing. The Youngest is set to finish what the Oni began ... the Eldest must be made aware.>

The Archon of Gaineamh offered a scoff. Yet, before a response could be made -- no doubt to contest the call for the Eldest -- a massive rift beneath the traveling group, opened up as the world buckled from a blow that parted the volcanic clouds above ...

<I will summon her, the Sand Elemanti responded before asking somewhat curiously, <What will you do, dear sibling ?>

The Archon of Oighear did not respond.

... when it was obvious she would not, at least for some time, the Archon of Gaineahm disappeared and made its way swiftly toward the Crystalline Expanse ... and once it was gone, the Archon of Oighear headed toward the trio following swiftly behind.

Sarada let her hand fall to her side, her point sufficiently made. She then stood idle as one elemental intimately assessed Asha'rah before retreating, then she herself was observed more passively by the other. Neither was found threatening, thus no hostile action was taken.

These creatures were beyond foreign, even to one who had learned of and encountered dozens of different races across the stars. That they didn't speak the common language used for intergalactic conversation was near the bottom of the list of oddities about them.

Regardless, their strikingly different culture was irrelevant for the time being. A single word passed from the snowy elemental. Follow.

Good. Enough time had been wasted.

When the icy one departed, Sarada was after her, following as closely as she could manage. I'm almost there, Ishtar. Just hold on a little while longer.

Then, a pang of pain shot through her torso. This meant two things. One, whatever was interfering with Aka Manah must have had a lesser effect the closer Sarada and Ishtar were to each other. That was good.

Two, Ishtar was fighting someone. That was bad.

The urge to engage Hitozaru and utterly annihilate whoever would dare misplace one hair on her beloved's head was strong, but she resisted. Ishtar could handle whoever it was, and she remembered clearly Tasure's warning about the consequences of relying on the form overmuch.

Still, despite this resolute belief in her love's strength, she started to gather ki in her right hand.

Just in case.

With that, Meagan joined Sarada in following the Ice Elemental. Perhaps Asha'rah's display of power was enough to convince them, or perhaps this is just another trap. Either way, they are now, once again, moving towards Isthar.

Once this is all over, once Isthar is safe and healed if need be, she expects a full accounting of the tale of how this all came to be.

The Archon of Oighear appears before the trío, yet unlike the previous times they had 'met', it does not remain passive long, and gesturing towards where they could feel Ishtar and something ... else ... she points toward herself, and strangely; only Sarada, and Meagan.

Though she offers an explanation shortly, for only Meagan to hear.

<Things have progressed ... for the worse. Intervention, and your presence is perhaps required. As we cannot act against our own 'sibling', without the allowance of the Eldest ...> Pausing a moment, the Archon disappears some distance ahead, before returning, expression grim.

<The Fallen One will survive the heat beyond this point, as will I. Yet you will not. I can assist in this, yet I would not force it ... Will you accept ? Consider quickly, this world will not suffer this abuse, much longer.>