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

[Tami]

They found Ishtar locked in mortal kombat with a fire elemental. This in itself was not too surprising, given their encounters thus far with the beings of this planet. One of her arms had been rendered useless, a development as inevitable as the tides where Ishtar was concerned. Yet while the oni was giving almost as good as she got, Asha'rah could sense no power exuding off her form. No great levels of ki or hakai were to be found. Based on supernatural senses alone, Jinzi would have been able to beat Ishtar into a pulp in her current state. Yet their physical senses defied such estimations, showing as plain evidence a battle worthy of Ishtar's customary level.

"Meagan, my eyes and my senses disagree. Ishtar feels like she has the power of an ant, yet she continues to hit like a mountain. Mayhap this be an illusion? What does your third eye see?"

"My eye sees her tapping into a power source that is not her own. It appears to be Ki, but I don't believe that it is her Ki. The only true limit to the power of my Third Eye is my knowledge and experience in using it. What Isthar is doing, I have not come across before either in combat or in study."

Meagan then flared up her own aura, "We must help Sarada, or they both will die." With that, Meagan moved in closer and gathered up the energy she had drained from the Elemental. As she did, she multiplied it by 10x using Kaio-ken, then fired off a massive Chroma Blast at the Fire Lord.

[Cyke]

Left alone by Shinku No Manto in whatever constitutes this dungeon, Zaofan notices a disheveled, heavily bearded, tattered Toh Magoh by his side, still tied by tentacles but slowly regaining consciousness. He's hesitant to call out to his former master, but their options are few. "Toh Magoh! Toh Magoh! Wake up!"

"Mmm. Mmmm...MMMM!" the old, bearded man starts to stir to attention. "MmmmZaaooo...? Zaofan? Is that... is that you?"

"Snap out of it, man!"

"It figures that... that they would get you, too."

"Toh Magoh, listen! We need to escape! I might have a way out!"

"Hah, and I should listen to you?" the old man protests. "The last time we saw each other, you blasted me across the horizon. Excuse me if I don't trust you. Besides... even if I go with you, I am not in any condition to fight my way out. If they beat you, they'll certainly beat me."

Zaofan scoffs dismissively. "Oh, you deserve to get beaten for everything you've done! But not now! I don't have to help you, old man. But I will, because that's what I do. Something that you never taught your students, you fraud."

Toh Magoh challenges Zaofan without moving at all from the fleshy shackles. "Oh, if I had never met you, if I never took you on as a student, I wouldn't be locked up in here with you!"

"Well, I'm sorry that you were targeted for riding MY coat tails, something you've always done your whole life! 'Neo Crane.' Hah!" Zaofan raises his head to look around the room, trying to see any possible avenues to unshackle them. "Why are you even here? Shouldn't you be dead by now? How long have you been down here?"

Toh Magoh takes a deep breath out of his frustration with himself. "I don't know. Days. Weeks. Months. You can't really tell the time down here, you know. There are no windows here. The view is rather terrible. They're keeping me here to draw on my own energy -- they said something about blood energy or some kind of nonsense like that. They said that, because of all the fighters I've killed in my life, my soul is rich in this blood energy that they want. But I overheard them talking to you. They want to make you a partner. They never offered me anything. If you join them, they'll carve me open and absorb all my power. I'm getting weaker by the day, and my internal energy is the only thing staving off total weakness. Soon they'll have no use for me anymore. But they won't stop until they get you, either as a partner or as a source of power. They're just using me to get to better targets."

Zaofan's left eyebrow perks up. "So if I escape and leave you here, there's a good chance they'll let you live a little longer. But if I join them willingly, you're a dead man, huh? That sounds tempting, you know."

"The wizard... the ghost, whatever... Shinku No Manto... the Crimson Cloak. He's probably beginning some kind of ceremony of some kind for you. If you plan to escape, you better do it soon."

"What about Shingen? Where is he?" the chef asks while scanning the room.

"I don't know. Usually Shingen only comes in here when he wants something, or if he wants to interrogate us. He leaves most of the dirty work to the Crimson Cloak. But if he's not here, it's best to take advantage of his absence."

"You never considered the third option of the both of us leaving together? And why is that? Because do you think I would fail? As much as it pains me to say this, you're coming with me, too."

"There's no time for that. C'mon, boy! What have I taught you? A Crane looks for the right opening to strike. Identify the goal, map out the best route to that goal, and STRIKE."

"I believe I will. I just learned from masters better than you," Zaofan retorts. He then focuses to the ceiling, back to the cracks of the dripping red water, and he fires pencil thin optic shots, carving out a circle that expands the dripping into almost like a burst pipe, spraying fluid to the floor.

"What the hell are you doing, boy? Are you trying to drown us? Or are you trying to take the whole place down on top of us?"

With a quickly-growing puddle spreading out throughout the ground, Zaofan shouts out: RUBY TAIYOKEN! The red-tinted solar flare from his eyes reflects off the pool, filling up the entire area with light. Suddenly, a loud screeching fills and penetrates the whole room. The flesh-wall that Zaofan and Toh Magoh are strapped to writhes in pain and pulsates quickly, out of panic. The tentacles loosen their grip, and Zaofan fires a quick Ricochet Optic Blast off the ceiling, nailing his tentacle constructs and releasing his hands. He then fires again, this time directly at the tentacles wrapped around his ankles. Completely free now, he fires at Toh Magoh's own restraints and catches him before he collapses to the floor.

The old man leans against Zaofan weakly, but pleads. "Wait, wait, wait!" Leaning against his body, Toh Magoh vigorously rubs his hands all over his nose. "AAAAAAAAHHHHH GOD!!! DO YOU KNOW HOW IT FEELS TO SCRATCH YOUR NOSE AFTER ALL THIS TIME?! Oh oh oh OOOOOOH"

But just then, the fleshy wall erupts more tentacles, thrashing about back and forth, trying to grab hold of the two. Zaofan fires more flares, this time concentrated at the wall of flesh, keeping the tentacles at bay, as he and Toh Magoh back themselves towards the door, escaping the room. "You're going to need to run from here on out, Toh Magoh."

Before they get very far, however, they see the Crimson Cloak, floating and turning the corner. "Tsk. So much commotion. To think that you could esca---AAAAHHH!!"

The apparition, his words, and his entire being, are enveloped by Zaofan's Ruby Taiyoken. Impressed, Toh Magoh asks, "How did you know that would work back there?" Zaofan quickly recalls how it helped, even marginally, against Auroc. He answers, "These are beings of darkness. Extreme light seems like a natural enemy. If we were in an ice cave, fire would be our way out. It ain't hard, old man." And with that, Zaofan charges at him with the Crimson Dynamite Attack, striking him center in the chest, sending him flying to a wall.

"Rahh! No you don't! TOKKAN!" the Cloak says as he opens his fingers. Zaofan fires an Optic Blast in an effort to blunt the attack, but the explosion is instantaneous, almost as if it teleports onto his chest, hitting him dead on. The majority of the Cloak's body then disappears, leaving just the floating cloak itself. It flies ethereally at Zaofan and wraps his head, completely enveloping it. "Your eye beams are very annoying, I must say. Best to take them out of the equation."

In the darkness, Zaofan can feel the fabric suffocating him, and he senses two spots of the fabric extend outward, and tightening at the tips, ready to stab downward and gouge his eyes. But as he pulls and struggles, he activates the Dragon's Breath, igniting the fabric with a ki fire hotter than almost anything on Earth. The voice of the Cloak erupts in pain, and the fabric releases its grip. Shinku no Manto's body rematerializes in a panic to try to put out the flames, leaving his body open. Zaofan yells out triumphantly. "Toh Magoh! Let me show you what opportunity looks like to a Crane! MEGA OPTIC BLAST!"

The pillar-sized optic blast is aimed upward but completely covers the Cloak's body, as well as drilling a hole overhead. A flood of red water comes rushing down upon the three of them, but whatever pain the Cloak faces is compounded by the confusion. Zaofan ignites his Crimson Dynamite Comet aura, grabs Toh Magoh, and flies straight up through the flood, breaking through bedrock, and finally, after what seems like several minutes, breaks free into open night time air, through the mountains. Hovering in the air, Toh Magoh and Zaofan cough and spit out the red water, with Toh Magoh commenting, "Pchoo! Pchoo! Kaff kaff! Tastes... metallic! Like copper!"

Zaofan likewise spits out before tasting further, floating themselves down to the ground but in a hidden valley between two mountains. "Thicker than water, but not quite congealed. It's... it's blood. Diffused blood, but blood nonetheless, like in soups and stews. Dear Kami, how much have they consumed?" Gah.

They both collapse and lie down in the field under a tree, breathing heavy. Zaofan weakly tells Toh Magoh. "We're not at full strength. Shinku No Manto will be on us any minute now. And there's a chance that Shingen found the Lookout."

"What's a Lookout?" Toh Magoh asks, but is promptly ignored.

"We have to get going, quick--..." With his head still in the grass, he turns to the side and sees some flowers in several shades of red, its stems between some rocks. Even with the moonlight, its petals seem to shine just as well as if it were daytime. He looks around, and there are no other flowers like it. "Wait, what...? It can't be! Is that... "

He carefully plucks it from the ground as Toh Magoh asks. "What? They're just flowers! Let's go!"

"Not just any flowers! I think... I think this is the Crimson Sapphire Flower! Oh, sweet Kami!"

[MrSandman]

Off the corner of his eye, Zaofan can see a flash, but his disorientation is so bad that although he notices it, he can't focus on it. He can barely focus on himself. Flying down from the great heights, he shakes his head clear. "SCARLET SHIELDO!"

Zaofan's body turns from a white comet to a momentary red meteorite that smashes into the ground. Within the crater, Zaofan coughs up and is a bit rattled, but is otherwise okay thanks to the split second protection afforded by his personal force field.

He struggles to his feet, coughing out the dust both from the initial train, and the surrounding dust, as well as the sheer force of impact from his giant foe.

"koff koff KAAFF... Parsic?! HERE?! Butbutbut WHY?!"

The Void Familiar stared down upon the sputtering Zaofan from her rooftop perch, it she took any amusement in his predicament her neutral expression didn't show it. She took a step forward.....and her foot landed on the soft grass near Zaofan. Zaofan didn't detect a spike in ki....and it hadn't seemed like a teleport or a burst of speed. She moved from one point to another with no effort...or rather, it almost seemed as if everything else had moved, Zaofan included.

But that of course....was impossible...?

"Zaofan....Hello.....Its been a.."

"Parsic! My, how you've grown since the last time we've met! But you're looking brutish, too. Tell me, eat any good books lately?"

Parsic blinks her golden eyes in annoyance. "....brutish?" She lets her gaze fall momentarily to her waist.

Zaofan takes up a fighting stance. He quakes a little, trying his best to hide his trepidation. The last time they fought, Parsic had very nearly killed him by sheer madness itself. A purely physical fighter, Zaofan had no defense whatsoever, aside from his willpower.

Remembering that fact, Zaofan instead tries to think positively. His bravado shall be a weapon once more. "Oh, Parsley Parsley Parsley... You've done it now. I've fought giant skeletons, the giant Namekians, an evil beast from my friend Chou, Simon Battersea, and even giant squids and dinosaurs, And ya know what?! I've come to realize that I GREATLY enjoy battling foes that dwarf me. It's harder for my enemies to dodge, and more opportunities for ME to hit. Things. I will dance CIRCLES around you, pal!"

He snaps into a different pose, hands up, legs ready for action.

"Secondly, I spent the better part of a day working on that spread. And it was almost done! Erosa's feast was to be a crowning achievement! And now it's splattered all over the kitchen! Ooooh, now my head's turned into a pressure cooker."

Finally, he snaps into another pose denoting offense, one hand forward and another hand behind him, with his eyes now charging up with energy.

"Third, and so infuriatingly: the last time we fought, you took me to your... realm, your mindscape, what have you. But not only did you ruin Erosa's birthday gift, but you destroyed a kitchen. That is unforgivable! You're on MY TURF NOW, P-Bag!"

"...you don't have to worry........." Parsic smiles, placing her metal hands together while staring calmly and quietly at Zaofan, as if inviting an attack. "....this won't be like the tournament....I'm not here to kill you. I just want to play some more....I liked your reactions and..."

Zaofan optic blasts the portion of the ground on which Parsic is standing with his load-bearing leg, tripping him forward. As his head juts forward, Zaofan fires another optic blast at the center of his forehead, snapping his head back and pointed upward. Using the Crimson Dynamite Comet, he rockets forward a fraction of the second, over his head, and blows into his eyes a cloud of Capsicum chili pepper spice.

Fun fact: This breed of Capsicum Chili, better known as Pepper X, measures 3.18 million units on the Scoville scale. Thus, Pepper X is among the hottest peppers in the world. Zaofan had planned to use this spice on some appetizers until P-Bag ruined the kitchen.

Though all the kitchen ware was scattered or destroyed, Zaofan lifts up a cast-iron pan and a saute pan, holding them in a fighting stance. "You wanna cook? Let's cook. ORDER UP!"

Blasting away the ground beneath her foot, and the combo that follows, seems to do very litter superficial damage...And Parsic seemed entirely too aware of the fact, maintaining her smile even as she took the blast to the head, sending it snapping backwards.

Her golden eyes, wide and bottomless, locked onto the cook as he flew overhead....perhaps that, more then anything, was why the cooks last action had the most effect out of anything he had done up til then. The cloud of chili pepper engulfs her face, and familiars smile twists immediately into a fanged snarl as she lets out a chilling wail, bringing her clawed hands up to her eyes but being unable to wipe the dust away from them. After a moment she then cups her hands over her eyes and pulls them away, an attractive force pulling and gathering the cloud of pepper into a round ball floating above her hands.

Parsic had obviously not been expecting something so....different. The golden hue of her eyes had taken on a more oranage color in addition to burn like scarring around each. Her pupils had contracted to almost pin pricks, and worm like veins were pulsating in each. At least Zao hoped they were veins. "......Every time.....you make things difficult......I won't be satisfied....untilIhaveyouscreaming...."

Parsic blinks a couple times to try and clear her seared vision and then traces her finger to form a little hope in the space in front of her and brings up the condensed orb of pepper before forcefully jamming it into the hold with her finger.

Zaofan, at the ready with his pans, felt a sharp pain in the back of his throat....with a taste of blood and something else hitting him immediately as the familiar pulled the now bloody finger tip from the hole, leaving a disintegrating lump in the back of his throat.

[MrSandman]

Asha'rah did not dignify Chrona with a response. Those who felt they saw every possibility laid bare before them, every possible outcome from every possible moment, were the most prone to tunnel vision. So brightly did fate shine before them that they became blinded to the value of choice, of hope, of the will to strive to make the impossible possible. It was for this reason above all others that she regarded Evangeline in high esteem, even now. The Kami had touched the strings of fate, and come away with her sense of possibility intact.

Chrona, on the other hand, was a curious case. Not wearied to the point of apathy like Zurvan had been till just recently. She was more like...a teenager having learnt half a concept and now felt she knew better than everybody. Asha'rah did not begrudge her such notions too harshly. Such were the passions through which the young experienced the world - spending or misspending their youth, it wasn't always clear.

But what was undeniable now was that Chrona had spirited Erosa away. And that, as much as Asha'rah wished to pursue, the most efficient path and pressing matter lay along the same path before her. She needed Etrina. Oh, and she should probably help Zaofan out too. The man seemed to be particularly conflicted in the moment, terror at facing Parsic again warring with rage at the destruction of kitchen supplies and wastage of his cooking.

Asha'rah brought her hand up slowly, palm outwards, and from the ground two dozen luminiscent forms emerged. They were soft, furry, round, and brimming with the energies of creation. Life's Splendor. These ones lacked the extra instability of an explosive touch, so they would simply fade eventually when their energies were exhausted. But for now, they lived. They strived.

"Go forth and greet Zaofan, little ones."

The small horde of glowing pandas bounded towards the cook with as much haste as clumsiness, bounding and rolling down the landscape and climbing all over the cook to cover him in their warm bulk. One of them licked his face. And then they promptly fell asleep, hugging him like a living blanket of creation energy.

Asha'rah's conflict at facing Parsic was more...philosophical. She came from beyond the universe, in a place that should have been empty. Parsic had no place in the plan of the Great Founding, but yet she still existed in the void between universes. Along with others of her kind. She didn't know precisely how to feel about those who lay beyond. But she have some grasp on familiars, and the fine line they walked between being assistants...or slaves.

"Greetings once again, Parsic. Do you remain miserable in your employ?"

Parsic wasn't going to wait for the cook to recover from her latest attack. She'd snap his limbs like twigs so the man couldn't pull another stunt like the one he did again....THEN, he could take her time playing with him. The man had did her no favors, beating her down during the tournament when she had been for the most part playing around with him.

At least...that had been her plan.

When the march of the glowing pandas began to waddle past her, even the void familiar had to pause....eyes blurrly but transfixed on the points of furry light as they passed by. The energy was creation, she could feel it as each passed by...like an open flame coming too close to her face.

One strayed a little closer then the others, and with a frown Parsic reached up and slammed her palm against the defenseless creature....smashing it against the ground in a violent display, even as it left a burn mark on her palm.

"......What a eyesore.....Asha'rah......" Parsic tilted her head to face the goddess. ".....your here too....have you come to protect the cook....?"

[Tami]

OOC: In case this got lost.

---

After eating with Cyanna the two of them would go their separate ways; she would go to seek out her sister and he remained on Papaya Island. He had recalled Cyanna mentioning this place had hosted the Martial Arts Tournament several times in the past before, making it the perfect place for him to train he had decided. Still, before he could get to his training, he had to take care of some unsettled business.

Sometime later, he would be found seated on the sandy shores of the beach, grains of sand sticking to his damp skin as he stared with anticipation at the fish he was cooking over an open fire. The savory scents of fire-roasted fish and wood smoke paired well with the briny salt of the ocean and along with the gentle sounds of waves lapping the shore, created a sense of peaceful content that threatened to lull him into a slothful state. Reaching out, he grabbed one of the skewers holding one of the fish to the flame and pulled it from the fire and began biting into it without waiting for it to cool. The painful scorching heat reinvigorated his resolve and soldiered through it to sink his teeth into the cook fish's crispy flesh to tear out another mouthful.

He wasn't sure when, but for some time, he had lost something. What exactly that something was, he didn't know. There was only the sensation that he had lost some sort of link between him and the others. The Dino-School of martial arts warned its practitioners that it was often a lonely room, but that sense of 'otherness' he felt around the others had grown far beyond what even he would deem normal. His only saving grace had been in combat but even that was being threatened nowadays. Ever since the fight with Jagam, or rather, the lack of one in his case, Charco had become desperate to train and grow stronger. He couldn't be left behind by the others! Or could he?

The thought genuinely scared him more than any threat of death. Martial arts had saved him and if he couldn't be useful with that, then what good was he? No! It was far too early to be thinking thoughts like that. Taking another bite of fish, his conflicting thoughts waging a war, Charco began to plan out that night's training routine.

As he ate, Charco suddenly sensed someone approaching. Looking down the beach, he saw an older man, deeply tanned, staff in hand, walking along the hot sand barefooted. As he came closer, he paused, then sat down, legs crossed and staff resting on his lap. He then turned to Charco, "Boy, that fish smells real good."

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

“I would imagine she wants to use them somehow. That the only reason I can think of. I clearly wasn’t the target, so I suppose she had no point to kill me. Not that she could have. Maybe to healing Hammer. The staff is a concentrated and concentration item. He can restore it, but it will take time. I’d guess both will lay low for a while. As to finding her, you don’t.”

Sihn looks at her deadly serious.

“This is above your pay grade. Don’t screw with this Genesis.”

Shek’hinah resumes speaking next.

“That was beyond foolish, my daughter. Nergal was far too dangerous. You should have fled and sought help and then taken him on. As is you are lucky he toyed with you for so long. Do not rush so headstrong towards death, Ishtar, please. I have died before. It is not a pleasant experience.”

Listening to Sihn's responses, Ishtar couldn't help but grumble slightly.

It was another 'don't', in the end; and though the other answers were at least helpful, they did display a specific issue. "Whomever developed the systems that govern Creation, and Destruction energy ... certainly did not think it through. At the least however, Stine and Hammer will be removed from for the time ... focuses could be placed elsewhere."

Before she could address the specific point that bothered her so, however, Shek'hinah chimed in ... offering a similar admonition.

Is this what family is for ? ...

"At the least I cannot argue it was ... perhaps not entirely wise." The Oni conceded grudgingly. "Regardless, I did what I felt was necessary ... at a price I was willing to pay. After all, if I cannot stand on my own; how am I to be in time what Sihn, Zurvan ... and this dying Universe have needed for millennia ?" At the comment about dying however, there was an acknowledgement.

"I know what it feels like to die ... I cannot argue that point, either. Still ... Genesis is a threat, whether she means it or not. As is Auroc, and so many others ... am I supposed to hide until they are gone ?"

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

Oh hell yeah.

The elemental was weakened, though not nearly as much as she hoped. It lost about forty percent of its power, which would still put it well about her and Meagan. But, them together with Ishtar and Asha'rah should prove too much for the creature to handle.

"Great job, Meagan," she commended. "Now."

She let loose a primal roar. Hitozaru was an even bigger risk now than it was when it was just her tail at risk. Her power, her techniques being impacted gave what she eat trying to do even greater danger.

Whatever. As long as the fire creature tasted her fist, that was all that mattered!

Scarlet red eyes glared down at the battle below. Surely by now, the creature knew something was up. Knowing the element of surprise would fade into nonexistence in only a few short moments, Sarada fired a seemingly tremendous directly at Ishtar and the creature she was fighting.

When it crossed halfway and seemed likely to engulf the both of them in a wave of destructive power, it detonated, filling the air with a bright red light.

"Now!" she repeated. She charged into the battle, fist cocked back. "Get the **** away from my Oni! CRIMSON FIST!"

Sarada was right in that the Archon of Lasair sensed something amiss; yet so engrossed was it in the reckoning it had simmered five thousand years for, it did not notice the power it lost ... nor did it notice the Saiyan bellowing behind it.

... at least initially.

The explosion at its back caused it to disengage quickly -- by slamming Ishtar into the ground below -- and turn just in time to be struck in its 'jaw', with force enough to knock it some distance away, and into the face of a distant volcano. Before the Archon had a chance to recover however, Meagan offered her own 'welcoming gift' ...

"My eye sees her tapping into a power source that is not her own. It appears to be Ki, but I don't believe that it is her Ki. The only true limit to the power of my Third Eye is my knowledge and experience in using it. What Isthar is doing, I have not come across before either in combat or in study."

Meagan then flared up her own aura, "We must help Sarada, or they both will die." With that, Meagan moved in closer and gathered up the energy she had drained from the Elemental. As she did, she multiplied it by 10x using Kaio-ken, then fired off a massive Chroma Blast at the Fire Lord.

The pilfered energy strengthening her body and allowing to operate well beyond her peak, the massive multi-colored blast discharged from her palms and ripped across the molten landscape; striking Lasair where he had landed:

---

With a moment or two left before the Archon managed to shake off the surprise -- and damage -- so it could return to the fight, they at least now had a moment to prepare for it. Because while it was true it had not noticed them before ... it was certainly aware of them now; and from the distant rumbling that could be heard above its current resting place. It had not taken this intrusion well.

[bruceleegreyhulk]

Jinzi nods.

“Indeed. You can have the honor.”

later in the area that Althena is being kept at Qaztoh looks at her ancestor as her skin turns yellow saying" okay I knew she was big going by my family's historical records but this is absurd. " " never in my life have ever other Toadian who was of such magnitude." "I guess the family records won't kidding when they said she was the strongest queen and that her strength was legendary." it's obvious just by looking at Althena that the ancient Toadian dwarfs both Praxat and Qaztoh in size.


Praxat use the prepare equipment to thawed out Althena. the operation is an success and the first thing Althena says when she opens her eyes is this in the old Toadian " what is this place?" " where in the name of Doxal I'm I?" she says this at 90 decibels making her voice loud and the way she speaks is Varity of croaks that are different then ones Praxat and Qaztoh use.


to her talking at 90 decibels is normal. so her skin turns blue when she sees strange people she's never encounter before cover their ears or put on noise reduction earmuffs expect for the two other Toadians Praxat and Qaztoh. which makes her confusion. Praxat looks at Jinzi saying " I think it's about time we use the universal translators to talk to her."


" first thing we need to do is tell her to tone down the volume of her voice." " also I agreed with Qaztoh her ancestor Althena is gigantic!"

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Sarada was right in that the Archon of Lasair sensed something amiss; yet so engrossed was it in the reckoning it had simmered five thousand years for, it did not notice the power it lost ... nor did it notice the Saiyan bellowing behind it.

... at least initially.

The explosion at its back caused it to disengage quickly -- by slamming Ishtar into the ground below -- and turn just in time to be struck in its 'jaw', with force enough to knock it some distance away, and into the face of a distant volcano. Before the Archon had a chance to recover however, Meagan offered her own 'welcoming gift' ...



The pilfered energy strengthening her body and allowing to operate well beyond her peak, the massive multi-colored blast discharged from her palms and ripped across the molten landscape; striking Lasair where he had landed:

---

With a moment or two left before the Archon managed to shake off the surprise -- and damage -- so it could return to the fight, they at least now had a moment to prepare for it. Because while it was true it had not noticed them before ... it was certainly aware of them now; and from the distant rumbling that could be heard above its current resting place. It had not taken this intrusion well.

Sarada's Crimson Fist connected, catching the creature off guard and sending it flying until it crash landed into the face of a volcano. Not to be outdone, and more than overshadowing her, Meagan followed that up with a tremendous blast that nearly leveled the volcano - and the fire elemental along with it - completely. Given how strong it was, she seriously doubted that would be all it needed to keel over. Still,

"Ahaha! Take that *******!"

She quickly descended and knelt down to turn Ishtar over onto her back. Despite the haze of what was sure to be a hellacious battle already clouding her vision and her sense, she had just enough to sweep the sweat soaked hair from her love's face. Just being so close to her and actually touching her for the first time in weeks lifted the heavy weights that had been weighing her shoulders down ever since she left her on Earth.

In the end, she said nothing. The gestures, and the feelings of anxiety melting away like ice in a boiler, should have conveyed how she felt more than words ever could.

She stood and faced the volcano where her opponent was laying. Not in pieces, and certainly not in peace, if the rumbling emanating from its resting spot was any indication. "The fight's only just begun," she noted, the unmistakable hint of excitement creeping into her voice. Now that Ishtar was safe by her side, there was nothing left but the boundless, overwhelming joy of combat. "And it looks like it's gonna be a good one."

[Yun Lao]

As he ate, Charco suddenly sensed someone approaching. Looking down the beach, he saw an older man, deeply tanned, staff, in hand, walking along the hot sand barefooted. As he came closer, he paused, then sat down, legs crossed and staff resting on his lap. He then turned to Charco, "Boy, that fish smells real good."

Someone was approaching.

Roused from his thoughts, Charco glanced up in mid-bite to see an older man. He hadn't sensed a power level, per se, but the way the man carried himself suggested that they were similar in profession. This conclusion came with its own issues, however, as martial artists tended to have an unpredictable set of morals depending on their character and/or training. Considering the school the boy hailed from, it didn't particularly matter in the long run.

Swallowing his mouthful of fish, he gestured the stranger to one of the numerous skewered fish still held to the flame, "Help yourself," He eventually said aloud, seeing no reason to not share his current wealth of food. Besides, it would be nice to have company while he digested his food.

[Tami]

Someone was approaching.

Roused from his thoughts, Charco glanced up in mid-bite to see an older man. He hadn't sensed a power level, per se, but the way the man carried himself suggested that they were similar in profession. This conclusion came with its own issues, however, as martial artists tended to have an unpredictable set of morals depending on their character and/or training. Considering the school the boy hailed from, it didn't particularly matter in the long run.

Swallowing his mouthful of fish, he gestured the stranger to one of the numerous skewered fish still held to the flame, "Help yourself," He eventually said aloud, seeing no reason to not share his current wealth of food. Besides, it would be nice to have company while he digested his food.

Without a word, the old man reached for one of the skewered fish. As he did, the flame of the fire retreated as if in fear of him. Once he had the food in hand, the flame returned to it's normal flickering cooking of the seafood.

Putting it to his mouth, he took a healthy sized bite, then another, quickly finishing it off. Wiping his mouth with his bare arm, "Very kind of you. This island attracts our kind like flies to a stallion's tail. In my youth the greatest Martial Artists came ot test their skills against each other. Now, it's been tamed with fancy hotels and tourist traps."

[Yun Lao]

Without a word, the old man reached for one of the skewered fish. As he did, the flame of the fire retreated as if in fear of him. Once he had the food in hand, the flame returned to it's normal flickering cooking of the seafood.

Putting it to his mouth, he took a healthy sized bite, then another, quickly finishing it off. Wiping his mouth with his bare arm, "Very kind of you. This island attracts our kind like flies to a stallion's tail. In my youth the greatest Martial Artists came ot test their skills against each other. Now, it's been tamed with fancy hotels and tourist traps."

Taking another bite, Charco glanced to the distance where, sure enough, he could see the lights of a nearby city. "Isn't that just how it works?" The boy said, "Once a place makes a name for itself, others will come to make money from that name until they suck every zeni they can from it." Where he was from, Brick City, had experienced all of those phases and, perhaps in a couple of generations, might end up as a ghost town for all its troubles.

[Tami]

Taking another bite, Charco glanced to the distance where, sure enough, he could see the lights of a nearby city. "Isn't that just how it works?" The boy said, "Once a place makes a name for itself, others will come to make money from that name until they suck every zeni they can from it." Where he was from, Brick City, had experienced all of those phases and, perhaps in a couple of generations, might end up as a ghost town for all its troubles.

"What brings you to this place, boy? Where's your herd? Though a young buck like you probably has a harem by now."

[Yun Lao]

"What brings you to this place, boy? Where's your herd? Though a young buck like you probably has a harem by now."

Herd? Harem?

The terminology was rather jarring and it took him a second to register what the man was talking about. Once again, he was reminded of how different the cultures of martial artists were. He swallowed his mouthful of fish and contemplated for just a few moments on how to tactfully navigate this question. Or... he could do what he always did and bluntfully answer it, regardless of the issues it may stir up.

"I'm here to train," Charco replied, "As for a herd... well... my school doesn't have the very best reputation so being alone tends to be a common result." As for the harem comment, he would leave that alone for now. He had seen and heard enough of that with the others.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

At some point during her otherworldly training, Parsley attempted to contact Shek'hinah. She had a few questions she needed answers to pertaining to that yellow power that she had previously realized was inside her when she resisted Auroc.

If it was the vaunted Super Saiyan, then there was no time to try and harness it, or at least learn how to harnass if than now.

"Shek'hinah, I'd like a word of you're not too busy," she spoke to the empty space around her. She felt like an idiot, but what else could she do?