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

[Yun Lao]

Sarada found herself back in the main area after walking absently for the last several minutes. The others were still exploring the temple, so she found a place to sit and folded her arms.

"Who is Nergal?" she muttered to herself. The question just couldn't be shaken from her head. Her main focus was the amulet, but that name was tattooed on her brain.

"Damn it. This is the kind of shit that'll kill me until I find an answer."

"The mighty Sarada, felled by a mere question."

A chuckle proceeded words of jest as Charco approached the confused Saiyan. Granted, he wasn't one to talk when it came to confusion, but he was, at least, comforted by the fact that he wasn't the only one plagued by riddles.

[Tami]

"The mighty Sarada, felled by a mere question."

A chuckle proceeded words of jest as Charco approached the confused Saiyan. Granted, he wasn't one to talk when it came to confusion, but he was, at least, comforted by the fact that he wasn't the only one plagued by riddles.

Cyanna and Dash were walking towards the entrance when they see them, causing Cyanna to pick up the speed, "Hey, Charco!" she smiled, "Find anything intersting? Isn't this place amazing? I've never been here before but everything I've heard about it can't compare to actually being here." She spoke excitedly.

[Yun Lao]

Cyanna and Dash were walking towards the entrance when they see them, causing Cyanna to pick up the speed, "Hey, Charco!" she smiled, "Find anything intersting? Isn't this place amazing? I've never been here before but everything I've heard about it can't compare to actually being here." She spoke excitedly.

"Uh, yeah, actually..."

Reaching into his pocket, he produced the jeweled wheel. "Not entirely sure what it is, but it seems to like me... whatever that's supposed to mean."

[Tami]

"Uh, yeah, actually..."

Reaching into his pocket, he produced the jeweled wheel. "Not entirely sure what it is, but it seems to like me... whatever that's supposed to mean."

As she approached him, her hand started to glow as did his amulet. Puzzled, she turned her hand upward and from it hovered a dark jewel then moved her hand closer to his jewel and an energy seemed to flow between them. Closing her hand again, the dark jewel disappeared, "Huh, now that's strange. Seems like my Cintamani Stone likes that jewel you found."

[Sub-Zero MKA]

"The mighty Sarada, felled by a mere question."

A chuckle proceeded words of jest as Charco approached the confused Saiyan. Granted, he wasn't one to talk when it came to confusion, but he was, at least, comforted by the fact that he wasn't the only one plagued by riddles.

The sudden voice knocked her out of her thoughts. "Huh?" It was only Charco, her cursory glance revealed. "Oh, Charco."

She did looked pretty stumped by a simple three word question. Especially one that likely wasn't pertinent to her more pressing mystery.

"Just a name I saw in Iris' lab. It's bothering me, but not that important. So, what did you find?" Her question came after spying an amulet in his hand.

[MrSandman]

The variable provided by Ishtar would play well against Fate itself- not some concept besides, but an entity ... an Aspect ?- and as such would allow for the breaking of those damnable chains which held Etrina, and Chrona both. A thing that had already been tampered with, from the sounds of it, by Evangeline.

Who was in peril, herself. Or was already gone ...

"What a web that has been woven here," Ishtar offered after her considerations, only to sigh yet again.

"I mean ... I have suffered the hands of Time and Fate, as you know. Yet despite my aversion to such things happening again, I suppose the reason we are here, now; is becuase you knew I could not refuse to stop such things from happening to another.

Ishtar sighed again, before scratching the back of her neck.

"... Or rather, one who I have grown fond of. That it stands to benefit you as well, sister, is surely a ... bonus, yes ?"Giving Chrona a curious look then, Ishtar was silent a moment before relaxing somewhat.

"So what is it you would have me do?"

"Good, you understand then. Well...From this point on it will be fairly straightforward on your end. You need only continue with what you had intended. However.....you cannot speak of anything you heard here. Your fate may be a black box to the enemy, but everyone else is wide open.....like a spiders web, you start poking the threads and you'll draw attention you don't need. Everything has to proceed according to the narrative fate has predetermined until the last possible moment. Only then can we create a dominant timeline where we are free from its machinations. Here...."



Chrona produced a rainbow colored gemstone and held it out for the Oni. "....keep this with you. It's a modified fragment of Magicite infused with a bit of my power. It resonates with specific convergence points in time-space, especially those with heavy fate manipulation." Chrona paused for a moment, then grinned. "Or to make it simpler...it'll alert you when there is a manipulated variable in effect and guide you to the best possible counter. If all else fails, the stone itself will be the counter. Remember...Your playing a game with someone that's played countless beings more powerful then you for generations. Keep your poker face intact, follow the plan....and most importantly.....don't tell Etrina."

The time familiar leaned back, dropping her amused facade for a brief moment. ".........Speaking of which..............How is she doing....she...holding up ok? All things considered I mean..."

[Yun Lao]

As she approached him, her hand started to glow as did his amulet. Puzzled, she turned her hand upward and from it hovered a dark jewel then moved her hand closer to his jewel and an energy seemed to flow between them. Closing her hand again, the dark jewel disappeared, "Huh, now that's strange. Seems like my Cintamani Stone likes that jewel you found."

The sudden voice knocked her out of her thoughts. "Huh?" It was only Charco, her cursory glance revealed. "Oh, Charco."

She did looked pretty stumped by a simple three word question. Especially one that likely wasn't pertinent to her more pressing mystery.

"Just a name I saw in Iris' lab. It's bothering me, but not that important. So, what did you find?" Her question came after spying an amulet in his hand.

"Dunno. Stumbled into some sort of wizard's study and found this." He said, referencing the amulet in his hand, "A nearby book said something about a royal treasure wheel, but didn't really explain much about it in general." After a few moments, he turned back to Cyanna, "So, what is that Cintamani stone, as you called it?"

[rhyvurg]

Nearly all of the devices were originally built at a time when most civilizations were still just discovering what Science is. They have been kept updated and maintained and are still in near perfect working order. Despite their age, the technology far exceeds that of most current civilizations. If it was used on a spaceship, the ship could traverse the Universe in a fraction of the time and with multiples in speed of current space faring technology for one the size of several large cities combined.

Determining the source of the technology, where it originated and who created it proved to be very difficult.

OOC: The rest is up to you.

Adam insinuates itself into the machines, copying their construction into it's memory so it may recreate them later.

[Tami]

"Dunno. Stumbled into some sort of wizard's study and found this." He said, referencing the amulet in his hand, "A nearby book said something about a royal treasure wheel, but didn't really explain much about it in general." After a few moments, he turned back to Cyanna, "So, what is that Cintamani stone, as you called it?"

"Oh, this?" Cyanna turned her hand around but seemed reluctant [for the first time] to talk, until Dash stepped into the conversation, "Just a little something she stole.."

"Dash!" Looking embarrassed and a bit ashamed, "We were on this dull planet and I was bored and this guy looked like he was being sneaky, and there was something in his pocket so I, ah..."

"Be honest now, you picked the guys pocket and now your stuck with that damn thing."

"Sensei nearly had a fit when she found out. You're damn near lucky you didn't end up in jail."

Cyanna started to cry a little, "Dash, I promised I wouldn't do it again and I haven't, stop being so mean."

"Woah now, I ain't trying to be mean, but you can't go around keeping secrets like that from your friends. Now stop your blubbering and be thankful that stone doohickey didn't harm you or nothen."

As Cyanna wiped her eyes, Dash spoke to Charco and Sarada, "It's some ancient jewel or something. Sensei knows more but she ain't telling yet. So far all it's done is make the girl's luck a bit better.'

[MrSandman]

Erosa's pale cheeks blossomed like roses as steam started rising from her body. A blur of emotions seemed to be roiling within her, leaving her at a loss for words beyond her universal language, and even then it came hesitantly. ""G...Ga....Gaaaao......"

In the eons spanning Asha'rah's life, it was the cutest thing the God of Creation had ever seen.

Apparently not sure how to respond, Erosa dropped to all fours, reminiscent of her earlier, even more primal days. She scampered behind the table, mumbling to herself as she tried to make sense of her situation. Asha'rah was not without nervousness herself, truth be told. But she had initiated this, and was prepared to accept responsibility for bringing it forward. Erosa was sincere and full of life's fire, throwing herself into each situation without hesitation and wearing her heart on her metaphorical sleeve. Yet in this instance, from a simple kiss to the forehead, she had grown bashful.

It made Asha'rah feel special in a strange way. She floated over to the side of the table and peeked around slowly, eyes sparkling with warmth and not a little mischief.

"Did you like it?"

As Asha'rahs view came around the corner, she would find.....only the hazy steam dispersing where an Id had been only moments before. Then something invisible wrapped its arms around her waist.

"...h..hey......you shouldn't be teasing an Id........What if I do something we'd regret later" The goddesses would feel something wet nuzzle against her forehead, the id materializing as she returned the favor. "What if I ravaged you here and now....what if I couldn't stop.....would you hate me? Feel disgusted? Shun me? I don't mind if its a kiss on the forehead.....but don't forget what I am."

Pulling back the Id looked down at the ground, but turned the corners of her mouth up slightly. "But yeah....I did like it..."

[MrSandman]

Aside from the letter, there was nothing else significant in or around the desk.

Etrina let out a sigh of disappointment, it seemed if there was a key it wouldn't be so simple to find. Perhaps someone else might have an idea.

While she had been told not to touch anything, retrieving the letter seemed the most prudent course. Once she had it secured and did one last scan of the room she exited and went to find the others.

[Lord Falcon]

Seeing Asha'rah approach, Meagan walks up to her, "It's time we gathered everyone and left. We have a long trip back to Earth and we need to leave soon."

Meagan was ready to leave, and did not appear distressed. Whatever ritual she had needed to do in the temple appeared to have been done. She nodded once, steady and slow.

"You found what you were looking for?"

[KingofPie]

The corridor he took led to a library of massive size.



OOC: Feel free to look at the books, just don't leave it a mess.

"Maybe everyone ended up here...?" P-Sta questioned. "Wherever here is..." P-Sta noted. "Well, clearly it's a library, but..." he looked around. "Quite a grand one, indeed!"

[Sub-Zero MKA]

"Dunno. Stumbled into some sort of wizard's study and found this." He said, referencing the amulet in his hand, "A nearby book said something about a royal treasure wheel, but didn't really explain much about it in general." After a few moments, he turned back to Cyanna, "So, what is that Cintamani stone, as you called it?"

"Oh, this?" Cyanna turned her hand around but seemed reluctant [for the first time] to talk, until Dash stepped into the conversation, "Just a little something she stole.."

"Dash!" Looking embarrassed and a bit ashamed, "We were on this dull planet and I was bored and this guy looked like he was being sneaky, and there was something in his pocket so I, ah..."

"Be honest now, you picked the guys pocket and now your stuck with that damn thing."

"Sensei nearly had a fit when she found out. You're damn near lucky you didn't end up in jail."

Cyanna started to cry a little, "Dash, I promised I wouldn't do it again and I haven't, stop being so mean."

"Woah now, I ain't trying to be mean, but you can't go around keeping secrets like that from your friends. Now stop your blubbering and be thankful that stone doohickey didn't harm you or nothen."

As Cyanna wiped her eyes, Dash spoke to Charco and Sarada, "It's some ancient jewel or something. Sensei knows more but she ain't telling yet. So far all it's done is make the girl's luck a bit better.'

Sarada didn't know which either if these girls were. One looked vaguely familiar from back when they were fighting Battersea, but the other didn't.

Hm.

Now that she was looking at her, she resembled Meagan quite a bit. Likely her sister or something. Anyways, the girls was boo-hooing because she got exposed for being a thief.

She said nothing, but decided that there were worst things in life than relapsing into an old habit. Then again, that depended on what that old habit was. Theft was somewhat harmless – depending on what she stole and white she stole it from. That stone thing she and this Dash person were talking about seemed to be on the beneficial side.

She shrugged.

"Seems we all came across ancient jewelry," she spoke. She pulled out the Cyntosian amulet and held it up for them to see. "This one's five thousand years old. I wish these old geezers would keep better care of their shit. I can't even use the damn thing with all broken like this."

She placed it back in her pocket and turned to Charco. "You said something about a book? Where was it?"

[Sub-Zero MKA]

It was a tempting offer, training with the Saiyan and, more pertinently, Ishtar. The former did have something to offer: she was likely better in hand-to-hand combat, so it was perhaps worthwhile to closely observe her. The latter... well, Ishtar was simply an interesting sort of being to her, and it was rare to meet another outside her race with such a hand for the magical arts. Never mind the repertoire of unique, interesting techniques the Oni seemed to possess.

Yes, it could be a fruitful endeavor...

"Hm. I will give it consideration during this little trip."

Sarada shot her a thumbs up and a grin. "You really should. If you're going to be a part of this group, then we need to bond somehow. And there's no better bonding method than training. Well, that and fighting."

And who knew? Maybe they could learn something from each other. Sarada didn't have much use for magic – and it seemed that Nevanlinna practiced magic – but perhaps there another technique. Maybe her body morphing?

Nah. That seemed inherent to her race. It'd be like Sarada trying to teach someone how to grow antail and transform into a giant ape during a full moon. And biting didn't work. She tried with no success.