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

[Sub-Zero MKA]

“Hmm....., I saw Inda’ren transform once. I presume you mean something else though? I was dead longer than 2000 years, my dear.”

Parsley didn't know who Inda'ren was, but given the context of their conversation, she could safely assume he was a Saiyan. Hearing that she hadn't actually witness the initial transformation, though, was disappointing. "I see. Is there anything you can tell me about it? I just need to know what direction I need to go in."

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

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."

Flipped onto her back, Ishtar sputtered a moment before focusing in on the face staring down at her.

Sarada ? How messed up was she ?

Didn't matter. In the end, it felt good to feel her Saiyan so close; and despite the anguish she'd been in since Nergal had appeared, it all seemed to fall away in time with Sarada's own struggles. So instead, after a moment of simply enjoying the first decent moment in nearly a month ... the golden-eyed Oni cracked a bloody smile.

"... Hello."

Sitting up then -- despite the state she seemed to be in -- she also noticed that Meagan, and Asha'rah were nearby. So the Oni turned to Sarada, before nodding. "So ... that is how you got here ... Wel-" the rumbling at her back caused the words to trickle to a stop. In her joy, she had almost forgotten the Archon of Lasair. So with a grunt, she picked herself up.

"Define ... 'good'."

---

The Archon of Lasair struggled to pry itself from the slagged remnants of its current 'resting' place; yet all the while it could not help but note that it had not been expecting ... intervention.

From the way its fire sputtered, and darkled ... it had not been expecting to be blindsided so catastrophically, either.

<No matter. The reckoning is at hand.>

Once freed, the heavens above it trembled slightly. Weakened or not, the Oni and whatever else it was that had come to her aid would not stop it from attaining its deserved recompense.

---

The remains of the Volcano exploded outward, when the Archon of Lasair finally ripped free from its makeshift imprisonment; and with barely a warning returned to the battlefield it had been knocked from. Targeting Sarada first, the Elemanti 'greeted' her, by firing a massive burst of thermal energy toward her; before offering the same 'greeting' to Meagan, and Asha'rah.

[Tami]

Flipped onto her back, Ishtar sputtered a moment before focusing in on the face staring down at her.

Sarada ? How messed up was she ?

Didn't matter. In the end, it felt good to feel her Saiyan so close; and despite the anguish she'd been in since Nergal had appeared, it all seemed to fall away in time with Sarada's own struggles. So instead, after a moment of simply enjoying the first decent moment in nearly a month ... the golden-eyed Oni cracked a bloody smile.

"... Hello."

Sitting up then -- despite the state she seemed to be in -- she also noticed that Meagan, and Asha'rah were nearby. So the Oni turned to Sarada, before nodding. "So ... that is how you got here ... Wel-" the rumbling at her back caused the words to trickle to a stop. In her joy, she had almost forgotten the Archon of Lasair. So with a grunt, she picked herself up.

"Define ... 'good'."

---

The Archon of Lasair struggled to pry itself from the slagged remnants of its current 'resting' place; yet all the while it could not help but note that it had not been expecting ... intervention.

From the way its fire sputtered, and darkled ... it had not been expecting to be blindsided so catastrophically, either.

<No matter. The reckoning is at hand.>

Once freed, the heavens above it trembled slightly. Weakened or not, the Oni and whatever else it was that had come to her aid would not stop it from attaining its deserved recompense.

---

The remains of the Volcano exploded outward, when the Archon of Lasair finally ripped free from its makeshift imprisonment; and with barely a warning returned to the battlefield it had been knocked from. Targeting Sarada first, the Elemanti 'greeted' her, by firing a massive burst of thermal energy toward her; before offering the same 'greeting' to Meagan, and Asha'rah.

Her Guardian's Precog warned her of the attack just before it happened. The blast that approached, it did Meagan no harm, instead she transformed it into Ki and absorbed it within herself. Raising her hand upward, Meagan summoned her Rainbow Kienzan, large enough to shatter mountains. Moving fast, yet graceful, she sent the spinning blade of Ki at Lasair, controlling it's speed and direction to insure that it hits it's target.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Flipped onto her back, Ishtar sputtered a moment before focusing in on the face staring down at her.

Sarada ? How messed up was she ?

Didn't matter. In the end, it felt good to feel her Saiyan so close; and despite the anguish she'd been in since Nergal had appeared, it all seemed to fall away in time with Sarada's own struggles. So instead, after a moment of simply enjoying the first decent moment in nearly a month ... the golden-eyed Oni cracked a bloody smile.

"... Hello."

Sitting up then -- despite the state she seemed to be in -- she also noticed that Meagan, and Asha'rah were nearby. So the Oni turned to Sarada, before nodding. "So ... that is how you got here ... Wel-" the rumbling at her back caused the words to trickle to a stop. In her joy, she had almost forgotten the Archon of Lasair. So with a grunt, she picked herself up.

"Define ... 'good'."

Better than seeing her love was listening to the dulcet tones that was her voice. A simple greeting was all it took to bring a smile to the young monarch's face. "Hello yourself."

As Ishtar rose to a sitting position, she questioned what Sarada meant by good. Really, they should have known each other well enough to know exactly what she meant. "I haven't had a good fight in weeks, and I'm long overdue."

She was likely going to get the **** kicked out of her. Even better if it meant she was going to get stronger after this. "Wanna explain real fast what that thing's beef with you is? It has something to do with Ilargi, right?"

The remains of the Volcano exploded outward, when the Archon of Lasair finally ripped free from its makeshift imprisonment; and with barely a warning returned to the battlefield it had been knocked from. Targeting Sarada first, the Elemanti 'greeted' her, by firing a massive burst of thermal energy toward her; before offering the same 'greeting' to Meagan, and Asha'rah.

As it turned out, there was no time for an explanation.

After, then.

The fire creature exploded out of the volcano and was swift about beginning his counterattack. A blast of pure thermal energy was sent her way, crossing the space between herself and it at an alarming speed. The only tactic was the hastily move out of the way, but the risk of Ishtar getting hit was too great for her to even consider that a viable option.

With no other choice, she crossed her arms over her face and chest and took the brunt of the attack head on, consequences be damned.

[bruceleegreyhulk]

Jinzi shakes his head.

“Technology. Mine, specifically. I own this place, your Highness.”

Althena replies to this in her native tongue saying " so you own this strange place." " hmm look around at you and those another strange creatures this place can't be on Qacriea." " technology huh that term is strange to me, but at the same time intriguing." " I only know of sorcery."

Qaztoh replies to this saying " of course you wouldn't know what technology is ." " you were from a time when science & technology weren't as common as they are now." " since your time our race the Toadians have become a highly advance scientific and technological advance society. " Althena replies to this saying " hmm so my species has progress so far in 2,000 years. "

"it's interesting to know that my own species has come so far." " now I will tell you all my story." " it happen 2,000 years ago back when I was the apprentice to Doxal first Guardian of Qacriea ." " Doxal was my mentor and he had train me to be his replacement. well second mentor before I met Doxal I had another mentor who thought me how to protect myself their name was Sonia Luue ."


" they thought me Mahtoesa Hetto no Hwe-Atkam." " the combat style of the Toadian Kingdom." Qaztoh interrupts Althena saying " was the combat style of the Toadian Kingdom." " it was abolish 1,000 years ago by Zykona because she deem said it was brutal and violent."


Althena replies to this saying " Mahtoesa Hetto no Hwe-Atkam is not brutal or savage." " it is a refine style of combat design for the purpose of protecting ones self , protecting others and to better oneself." " I don't know who this Zykona is but she's wrong about Mahtoesa Hetto no Hwe-Atkam." Qaztoh replies to this saying " she is supposed current Guardian of Qacriea."


Althena replies to this saying " I'll ponder that but for now I'll get back to my story." "so back to my story 2,000 years ago I sent out on an journey to speak with Doxal to see if he could give advice to how to deal with our species rapid growing population problem." " at the time I had no idea that Doxal had just passed away." " when I got to the Gukraimano I was encounter by a demon in Doxal's chambers ."

" that called itself Nya and he was able to speak my language." " before I could even do anything he use magic to imprison me inside a crystalize structure. " " last things I heard before he sent me away was that I was chosen to be Qacriea's new Guardian, and what got from his last words was that he was going to trick some naive being into become a false guardian."


" that's were my tale ends." Praxat replies to this saying " False Guardian, wait 2,000 years ago Zykona became the supposed Guardian of Qacriea!" Althena replies as she cross her arms to this saying " I see so she was the naive being that this demon Nya trick into become a false Guardian." Qaztoh ponders the name Nya saying " Nya , now where have I heard that name before ?"


" I got it I now where I heard that name before." " it was in this ancient old book I read once when I was board the Stratovarius buccaneers." " from what I remember about the name Nya is short for Nyarlathotep!" Praxat replies to this after hearing Althena story saying " that's a interesting story."

she then looks at Jinzi saying " hey Jinzi I been trying to gauge Althena's power level and nothing comes up." " I can't even sense it, but I do feel this strong presence coming from her."

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

Her Guardian's Precog warned her of the attack just before it happened. The blast that approached, it did Meagan no harm, instead she transformed it into Ki and absorbed it within herself. Raising her hand upward, Meagan summoned her Rainbow Kienzan, large enough to shatter mountains. Moving fast, yet graceful, she sent the spinning blade of Ki at Lasair, controlling it's speed and direction to insure that it hits it's target.

Meagan will find that while she can siphon a small portion, draining from the Archon's channeled energies is not the same as draining it while unawares.

Regardless, when she fires her Kienzan, the Elemanti focuses on her -- and it -- long enough to erect a meters-high flaming wall to block the disc; and once the magma consumes the razor-thin disc of energy the wall is launched at speed towards Meagan.

As it turned out, there was no time for an explanation.

After, then.

The fire creature exploded out of the volcano and was swift about beginning his counterattack. A blast of pure thermal energy was sent her way, crossing the space between herself and it at an alarming speed. The only tactic was the hastily move out of the way, but the risk of Ishtar getting hit was too great for her to even consider that a viable option.

With no other choice, she crossed her arms over her face and chest and took the brunt of the attack head on, consequences be damned.

Even weakened, when the beam connects Sarada finds her forearms badly burned, as well as her legs.

By the time she manages to recover however, the Archon has already countered and re-engaged Meagan; and another blast of thermal energy is levied against her. Taking advantage of this, Ishtar grunts and catapults herself toward the Archon, horns catching him in the side with force enough to destabilize the creature. Focus pulled back to its original target then, the Archon renews its struggle with the golden-eyed Oni and affords the trio a moment to catch their breath.

[Tami]

Meagan will find that while she can siphon a small portion, draining from the Archon's channeled energies is not the same as draining it while unawares.

Regardless, when she fires her Kienzan, the Elemanti focuses on her -- and it -- long enough to erect a meters-high flaming wall to block the disc; and once the magma consumes the razor-thin disc of energy the wall is launched at speed towards Meagan.

As the flaming wall approaches her, Meagan's cloak wraps around her, covering her completely. As it passes, the cloth's color is darkened, but otherwise undamaged. Meagan herself is spared the worst of the attack. Needing to recover, the cloak flies off of her shoulders and wraps it's self around her waste.

Even weakened, when the beam connects Sarada finds her forearms badly burned, as well as her legs.

By the time she manages to recover however, the Archon has already countered and re-engaged Meagan; and another blast of thermal energy is levied against her. Taking advantage of this, Ishtar grunts and catapults herself toward the Archon, horns catching him in the side with force enough to destabilize the creature. Focus pulled back to its original target then, the Archon renews its struggle with the golden-eyed Oni and affords the trio a moment to catch their breath.

Dodging the second attack, Meagan prepares one of her her own. As Isthar makes her attack, Meagan goes invisible. Waiting for the moment when the fire lord is distracted, but Isthar is no longer directly engaged, she blitzes the Archon and implants within him an Internal Combustion Blast Grenade, one which packs many times more force than any she has used before. On the downside, doing this has left her hand badly burned, leaving her forced to continue the fight limited until it has time to heal.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Even weakened, when the beam connects Sarada finds her forearms badly burned, as well as her legs.

By the time she manages to recover however, the Archon has already countered and re-engaged Meagan; and another blast of thermal energy is levied against her. Taking advantage of this, Ishtar grunts and catapults herself toward the Archon, horns catching him in the side with force enough to destabilize the creature. Focus pulled back to its original target then, the Archon renews its struggle with the golden-eyed Oni and affords the trio a moment to catch their breath.

"RAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHHH!!!"

Even as "weakened" as the creature was, the thermal blast fucking hurt! Sarada took the full brunt of it for Ishtar's sake, and as a result, was badly burned on her arms and legs. Her armor had melted away, and the skin at the points of impact were badly blackened and peeling away. That the pain only lasted a second before dulling away wasn't a good sign, but it did benefit her for the moment. Nerves must be burned away. ****!

Meagan and Ishtar moved to engage the creature, with the latter headbutting it to give the former and Asha'rah an opening. While they did that, Sarada dropped to her knees. Okay. Taking a blast like that head-on wasn't smart. A thing to remember for next time.

So, she fucked herself up pretty badly there. This wasn't the first time, and honestly, wouldn't be the last either. The last thing she needed to do, though, was wallow in pain while everyone else was getting their ass kicked.

Alright, think. What to do? She'd have to be clever and do something it wouldn't expect.

Which, fortunately, was pretty much anything.

Perfect.

'On my signal, haul ass for cover,' she alert Ishtar and Meagan before moving to prepare.

She moved as swiftly as she could, darting from spot to spot and placing her hand down on the molten ground for only a brief second to charge it with ki. Again and again, dozens of spots were charged with crimson ki left over by Cardinal Touch. She moved around the creature while it was distracted, only moving in close when she was certain she'd be able to get away easily and safely.

Lines of ki interconnected each spot until it all formed a glowing web under Lasair's feet.

Alright, that'll work. Her hands were pulsing with pain. Her gloves had long since burned away from touching the ground, causing her to touch the molten ground with her bare hands. The skin melted and blackened, same as her legs and arms.

She shot into the air and drifted away from what was soon to be ground zero. 'Move your asses now!' The amount of time Ishtar and Meagan would have to move wasn't long. If she lingered too long, Lasair would immediately know something was up. As such, she only gave them a second. Then, the ground under the fire creature decompressed, sinking down like a sinkhole.



Then, a flash of red was all the warning they received.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Parsley didn't know who Inda'ren was, but given the context of their conversation, she could safely assume he was a Saiyan. Hearing that she hadn't actually witness the initial transformation, though, was disappointing. "I see. Is there anything you can tell me about it? I just need to know what direction I need to go in."

She shakes her head.

“I’m sorry, but I’m not even sure it was the same type of transformation you’re talking about. I can ask around, however.”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Althena replies to this in her native tongue saying " so you own this strange place." " hmm look around at you and those another strange creatures this place can't be on Qacriea." " technology huh that term is strange to me, but at the same time intriguing." " I only know of sorcery."

Qaztoh replies to this saying " of course you wouldn't know what technology is ." " you were from a time when science & technology weren't as common as they are now." " since your time our race the Toadians have become a highly advance scientific and technological advance society. " Althena replies to this saying " hmm so my species has progress so far in 2,000 years. "

"it's interesting to know that my own species has come so far." " now I will tell you all my story." " it happen 2,000 years ago back when I was the apprentice to Doxal first Guardian of Qacriea ." " Doxal was my mentor and he had train me to be his replacement. well second mentor before I met Doxal I had another mentor who thought me how to protect myself their name was Sonia Luue ."


" they thought me Mahtoesa Hetto no Hwe-Atkam." " the combat style of the Toadian Kingdom." Qaztoh interrupts Althena saying " was the combat style of the Toadian Kingdom." " it was abolish 1,000 years ago by Zykona because she deem said it was brutal and violent."


Althena replies to this saying " Mahtoesa Hetto no Hwe-Atkam is not brutal or savage." " it is a refine style of combat design for the purpose of protecting ones self , protecting others and to better oneself." " I don't know who this Zykona is but she's wrong about Mahtoesa Hetto no Hwe-Atkam." Qaztoh replies to this saying " she is supposed current Guardian of Qacriea."


Althena replies to this saying " I'll ponder that but for now I'll get back to my story." "so back to my story 2,000 years ago I sent out on an journey to speak with Doxal to see if he could give advice to how to deal with our species rapid growing population problem." " at the time I had no idea that Doxal had just passed away." " when I got to the Gukraimano I was encounter by a demon in Doxal's chambers ."

" that called itself Nya and he was able to speak my language." " before I could even do anything he use magic to imprison me inside a crystalize structure. " " last things I heard before he sent me away was that I was chosen to be Qacriea's new Guardian, and what got from his last words was that he was going to trick some naive being into become a false guardian."


" that's were my tale ends." Praxat replies to this saying " False Guardian, wait 2,000 years ago Zykona became the supposed Guardian of Qacriea!" Althena replies as she cross her arms to this saying " I see so she was the naive being that this demon Nya trick into become a false Guardian." Qaztoh ponders the name Nya saying " Nya , now where have I heard that name before ?"


" I got it I now where I heard that name before." " it was in this ancient old book I read once when I was board the Stratovarius buccaneers." " from what I remember about the name Nya is short for Nyarlathotep!" Praxat replies to this after hearing Althena story saying " that's a interesting story."

she then looks at Jinzi saying " hey Jinzi I been trying to gauge Althena's power level and nothing comes up." " I can't even sense it, but I do feel this strong presence coming from her."

“Curious.”

He runs a scanner over her to detect power.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

She shakes her head.

“I’m sorry, but I’m not even sure it was the same type of transformation you’re talking about. I can ask around, however.”

Not the same? Then what kind was it?

Never mind that.

"Please do. I have a feeling I'll be needing the boost in power in the future." Especially if that future included people like Auroc. "That golden power let me stand up to a god like Auroc, just a taste of it. I can't wait to see what the full thing can do."

[bruceleegreyhulk]

“Curious.”

He runs a scanner over her to detect power.

even though normal Ki isn't detected at all in Althena by Scanner . what is detect though is spark of something that is defiantly divine and the presence of a powerful Ki that's seems to be equal to Praxat's Power Level . However this power also seems to be suppressed and doesn't have even the hint of malevolence . in fact it is rather peaceful.

Althena suddenly gets visions in her head saying " what is this why I'm sense that my race is in turmoil." " I see an Replita and he's sitting on the Toadian Throne." " just who is he and why I'm seeing these awful visions ." " is this what Doxal describe when he talk about a Guardian having Awareness of and limited precognition to existing and impending danger?"

" strange I feel like I can sense my late mentor Qacriea's first Guardian . " " Doxal like he's still here." "it feels like I'm connected to him." " wait is this access to a small spark of Creational Energy that Doxal told me about when he was still alive ?"

Althena looks at Praxat saying " so you can sense Ki and you look like your in great shape." " I can sense Ki as well and what I'm sense is that your power level is equal to my base." " hmm that's strange I can sense your Ki but I can't sense my own odd." also is detect by the scanner from Althena is a high percentage of muscle mass and a high level of muscle density.

the scanner then estimates Althena's base power level to be 40,000. another energy is also detect on that seems to be magical in nature and seems to be masking Althena Ki.

[Lord Falcon]

Flipped onto her back, Ishtar sputtered a moment before focusing in on the face staring down at her.

Sarada ? How messed up was she ?

Didn't matter. In the end, it felt good to feel her Saiyan so close; and despite the anguish she'd been in since Nergal had appeared, it all seemed to fall away in time with Sarada's own struggles. So instead, after a moment of simply enjoying the first decent moment in nearly a month ... the golden-eyed Oni cracked a bloody smile.

"... Hello."

Sitting up then -- despite the state she seemed to be in -- she also noticed that Meagan, and Asha'rah were nearby. So the Oni turned to Sarada, before nodding. "So ... that is how you got here ... Wel-" the rumbling at her back caused the words to trickle to a stop. In her joy, she had almost forgotten the Archon of Lasair. So with a grunt, she picked herself up.

"Define ... 'good'."

---

The Archon of Lasair struggled to pry itself from the slagged remnants of its current 'resting' place; yet all the while it could not help but note that it had not been expecting ... intervention.

From the way its fire sputtered, and darkled ... it had not been expecting to be blindsided so catastrophically, either.

<No matter. The reckoning is at hand.>

Once freed, the heavens above it trembled slightly. Weakened or not, the Oni and whatever else it was that had come to her aid would not stop it from attaining its deserved recompense.

---

The remains of the Volcano exploded outward, when the Archon of Lasair finally ripped free from its makeshift imprisonment; and with barely a warning returned to the battlefield it had been knocked from. Targeting Sarada first, the Elemanti 'greeted' her, by firing a massive burst of thermal energy toward her; before offering the same 'greeting' to Meagan, and Asha'rah.

"RAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHHH!!!"

Even as "weakened" as the creature was, the thermal blast fucking hurt! Sarada took the full brunt of it for Ishtar's sake, and as a result, was badly burned on her arms and legs. Her armor had melted away, and the skin at the points of impact were badly blackened and peeling away. That the pain only lasted a second before dulling away wasn't a good sign, but it did benefit her for the moment. Nerves must be burned away. ****!

Meagan and Ishtar moved to engage the creature, with the latter headbutting it to give the former and Asha'rah an opening. While they did that, Sarada dropped to her knees. Okay. Taking a blast like that head-on wasn't smart. A thing to remember for next time.

So, she fucked herself up pretty badly there. This wasn't the first time, and honestly, wouldn't be the last either. The last thing she needed to do, though, was wallow in pain while everyone else was getting their ass kicked.

Alright, think. What to do? She'd have to be clever and do something it wouldn't expect.

Which, fortunately, was pretty much anything.

Perfect.

'On my signal, haul ass for cover,' she alert Ishtar and Meagan before moving to prepare.

She moved as swiftly as she could, darting from spot to spot and placing her hand down on the molten ground for only a brief second to charge it with ki. Again and again, dozens of spots were charged with crimson ki left over by Cardinal Touch. She moved around the creature while it was distracted, only moving in close when she was certain she'd be able to get away easily and safely.

Lines of ki interconnected each spot until it all formed a glowing web under Lasair's feet.

Alright, that'll work. Her hands were pulsing with pain. Her gloves had long since burned away from touching the ground, causing her to touch the molten ground with her bare hands. The skin melted and blackened, same as her legs and arms.

She shot into the air and drifted away from what was soon to be ground zero. 'Move your asses now!' The amount of time Ishtar and Meagan would have to move wasn't long. If she lingered too long, Lasair would immediately know something was up. As such, she only gave them a second. Then, the ground under the fire creature decompressed, sinking down like a sinkhole.



Then, a flash of red was all the warning they received.

Asha'rah chose to heed Meagan's advice. Whatever source Ishtar was drawing from now, it, and she, were real. The oni's captivating clarity was now directed fully towards a desperate battle for survival, one which it appeared they had arrived just in time to turn the tides for in her favor. However, she pondered a moment longer, allowing the young mortals to render immediate aid while she searched for a point of great leverage. This posture she maintained, even as she summoned the vortex shield Heaven's Gate to parry the energy blast the fire elemental directed her way. She had been designated the third target of separate, identical blasts, giving her more time to optimally position her shield, anticipating the angle of the blast and letting it slide and spin off without allowing the full force to slam into her dead on.

An idea hit her just as Ishtar inspired her, so she acted on both at once. Six of her orbs she sent out to aid the oni, whose horns were now buried deep within the elemental's body. The first four surrounded her neck closely, strengthening her position with a neck brace and preventing the elemental from easily accessing Ishtar's relatively vulnerable azure throat. Those four glowed gold, mending lesser wounds and burns along the oni's body. Ishtar had strengthened her compatibility with hakai considerably since the year before, but her body was still trickier to heal than a normal body. The chemicals Ishtar had ingested to change her body makeup and grow a tail had not made it any easier. Her broken arm would have to wait till later.

The other two orbs found their way into Ishtar's palms, where they began spinning around her as soon as she got a solid grip. Ishtar would find herself twisting her horns within the elemental's body, neckbrace helping her power through the resistance as she impaled deeper areas more quickly and savagely than she might otherwise have managed.

Asha'rah herself floated across the battlefield from the opposite angle, giving her compatriots time and space to bury their attacks into the elemental, or in Sarada's case bury the elemental by exploding the ground itself. When the smoke cleared, she descended, her aura violet and dark. A mild breeze picked up in all directions, flowing towards Asha'rah in all directions but never quite touching her. Annihilation Aura.

Low-level hakai coated Asha'rah like a suit of armor, exuding off her just as ki or the energies of creation normally would. Unlike traditional ki boosting techniques, Annihilation Aura did not allow Asha'rah hit harder than she normally did. Instead, her aura simply began the work of destroying everything it touched. The air around her became as nothing, creating a small vacuum that sucked in more air to fill the gap and continue the cycle. It was good then that Asha'rah did not need to breathe. And as she descended upon the elemental, she focused her aura on destroying another thing: heat. Heat energy emenating from the elemental began to vanish as it touched her, leaving a heat vacuum and creating a convection current that drew heat away from the elemental's body itself. Grabbing the fire elemental by the throat, she pushed it off balance, swept its favored leg out from under it and slammed it into the bottom of Sarada's crater, her aura eating away at its neck.

[Cyke]

Zaofan rockets through the sky at top speed, covered in his white aura and blasting away and carrying Toh Magoh. Behind them is the night time sky, and ahead is the rising sun peeking over the horizon. The old master of the counterfeit Neo Crane holds on for dear life, both to Zaofan and to his own arms: "C-C-Couldn't you... D-d-d-rop to a warm-er alt-ti-tude?"

The chef responds, "No. The higher the atmosphere we are, the less wind resistance. The Lookout is high on up. Better to fly straight there."

"Wh-what's the Lookout? And wh-why are we fl-flying th-there?"

Zaofan answers with grim determination, not missing a beat. "The Lookout is where Lady Evangeline, the Guardian of the Earth, lives. It's where I've been training. But we also have two visitors: Wilheim and the Princess. When my friends and I were whisked away to the Blood universe, we landed in an alternate Earth called Terra. Wilheim and the Princess are native to that world. And Shingen is after them because of my big mouth!"

Toh Magoh reasons his way through the events. "S-so... that blood energy that s-su-surrounds you ..."

"... is residue from that world. I haven't killed legions of fighters for their blood energy. I'm not like that! Shingen is mistaken! But he's aiming for Wilheim and the Princess so that he can find a way to Terra! If my friends and I spent a short time and amassed that much energy just by ourselves, there's no telling how much blood energy is within two natives of that world! And if Shingen and Manto cross over to the other world, there's no telling how powerful they'll become!"

Toh Magoh's teeth continue to chatter. "Bu-but wh-why bring muh-me...?!"

"You know the most about Shingen. You've spent the most time with him. You may be of some use yet, you killer miser!"

Zaofan's mind begins to think. Two former teachers. Two liars and murderers, back in his life. And now he's hot on the tail of one while carrying the other. One teacher -- Toh Magoh -- he's defeated already. The other, Shingen, is one who has repeatedly scared him to the point of trauma and escape. But for once, rather than run away from his problem, he now chases it at full speed.

Zaofan pours on the power, and locks onto two ki signatures over the horizon -- the same ones he sensed, but did not encounter, in his first battle with the Demon Shogun and the Crimson Cloak. "Shingen's sent two agents to the Lookout. Thankfully they're not as fast as me, but they'll still get there before I can overtake them at this speed. But we have to stop them from capturing Wilheim and the Princess at any cost! Toh Magoh, hold on!"

The flying chef fires an Optic Blast and both restrains it while boosting his speed to merge with it, turning himself into a red comet: The Crimson Dynamite Comet, more specifically. By riding the beam, his travel speed increases by a factor of 5. But in the midst of the beam, Zaofan then activates the Wolf's Prowl. Normally this move would increase his speed by a factor of 3, but as time is of the essence, his base speed is increased by a factor of 15 total. Moving at speeds far beyond what he is used to, Zaofan's face begins to distort, but his aim and dedication are true. The same can't be said of Toh Magoh; if it wasn't for the protective field of the Crimson Dynamite Comet, he would be so much ripped confetti.

But even with his vast speed and his inevitable arrival to the Lookout, he's still not fast enough to see the source of a brilliant flash of light in the horizon. He feels a powerful energy signature in the distance, one that tastes like Ryu Shingen, the Demon Lord. But how did he get that far? Did his agents cast a spell or a portal? Nonetheless, he does not let that distract him as he maintains course and speed.

(ooc: the Wolf's Prowl normally lasts 5 posts, but 2 have been used for travel time)

-----

Heavy footsteps land on the pristine floors of the sun-lit Lookout as armored boots make contact. A majestic cape flapping in the wind marks the arrival of Ryu Shingen, the Demon Lord Shogun.



He draws out the Oni Sword, a curved blade forged from the fang of a giant Oni, and he drags the blade across the ground, causing sparks to fly out. He looks around the plaza and crystal blue skies, attempting to lock on to the signatures of the Terra natives.

"!!!"

A momentary glance behind him isn't fast enough to save him from the devastating attack of the Pressure Kicker, hitting at 15 times the speed of a certain flying chef. The Demon Lord Shogun is knocked to the other side of the plaza, but he flips forward and lands on his feet. He sees his opponent Zaofan, dissipating the field but breathing heavily, and also dropping Toh Magoh, dizzy and disoriented from the speeds. Shingen readies his sword into fighting position.

Zaofan takes in large gulps of air, and he steadies his shaky legs. Extending his fist forward, he calls out: "BOOOOOJACK!" His trusty katchin bo staff materializes out of its capsule, and the chef swings and twirls it left, right, above, and then pointed forward. "SHINGEN! You know, normally I like it when my old friends meet my new friends, but I'm afraid I can't let that happen."

The Demon Lord Shogun's echo voice resonates even in the open area of the Lookout. "Your friends are from another place. They're foreigners. They're already more interesting than you, dear boy. And I intend to meet them, thank you very much." He swings his sword expertly, no move wasted, into his fighting stance. And with that, both fighters explode in white auras, and charge each other, the Oni Sword and the Katchin Bo Staff clanging and sparking off each other. Zaofan swings in wide circles and combines swings with leaps, with Shingen blocking and parrying from all angles, on the defense thanks to the Wolf's Prowl. Thus, the battle is joined in earnest.



However, while Zaofan now has the speed to compete with Shingen, he does not have the matching strength. Shingen begins applying more pressure to his blows, and even if Zaofan blocks them, his muscles are strained that much more. Shingen thrusts the blade forward, to which Zaofan tips his torso to the side to dodge it cleanly and slams one end of Bojack into Shingen's armored chest, pushing him back and dragging his feet against the floor. With his left hand, Shingen then swings his blade so that he holds the handle upside down, blade to left forearm. He crosses that forearm and fist up to his chest and parallel to the ground, while his right forearm presses perpendicular to the left, creating a cross, and two of his fingers on his right hand point up. "Chou Ninpo!" His sword blade glows red. He raises the sword overhead, and slashes downward. "SHIPUZAN!"

A red and white energy wave crashes against Bojack. Zaofan swings down to meet it, and though the wave splinters apart from the katchin, an energy shard slices his upper right arm, creating a bloody wound. Shingen extends his left hand and reddish-purplish energy begins to seep from Zaofan's wound -- Blood energy drain at work -- until his hand is shot aside by Zaofan's Optic Blast.

Zaofan holds onto his wound. "You homicidal maniac! That's why I left you in the first place! This world has no place for your style of martial arts and bloodletting!"

Shingen brings his left hand to his face, smelling the residual blood energy through his face plate. "What would I care if this world has a place for it or not? It's served me just fine all this time. There is purity to the blood. To the Hokuto Shinken. It is direct. It is effective. It is most certainly glorious. Deadly? Of course. But efficient nonetheless. That is the path to power. Your path, like your cooking, is destined to burn away, dear chef." He makes a cross with his forearms and his two right fingers extended up again. "CHOU NINPO: DAI HINATAMA!" recoiling his cupped hands backwards and jetting them forward, palms forward and fingers stretched out, a large fireball flies to Zaofan.

"SCARLET SHIELDO!" For a split second, the ruby field flashes in front of his chest, reflecting the fireball back at the Shogun. Unfortunately, the Shogun yells back, "HAKKEI NO HO!" A blood-red field likewise emerges around him, reflecting the fireball once more at Zaofan, detonating on the ground in front of him and sending him flying back and into a wall, covered in smoke.

Toh Magoh peeks out from the Lookout's bushes. I don't know what this place is, or what Zaofan's gotten me mixed up into, but he's still no match for Shingen! What if I find his two friends and deliver them to Shingen?

[Lord Falcon]

It takes a second or two of trying to clear his own throat before Zaofan realizes what's going on. "Hack...HAACK... KOFF KOFFFF"

Suddenly the pain registers, sharp, burning, empty, gasping. A cankersore in the throat is bad enough, but the sting, the inability to breathe, the gag reflex, every nerve in his throat lights on fire, intense pain and burning and nausea, and all with deprivation of breath. Concentration is exceedingly difficult; breathing is almost impossible, and he's running out of precious air, fast.

No! Oh Kami, the pain! She's doing it again! She's terrorizing me! Get it together! Think think think! How long can I hold my breath?

Zaofan has never had to find that out before. Using the remains of his concentration and speed, he zips back to the kitchen, or what's left of it. The train had crashed through the sink, obliterating it and disconnecting it from its pipes, spraying water all over the place.

No! Water is useless! Stay calm. STAY CALM, DAMMIT! Step 1. What is step 1?

Instinctually, he tries to draw breath, but now the lump is seeping into the wound in his throat, now burning even further. A true hell. He tries his best to wrap his mouth around the broken pipe, the force of the water preventing him from creating a perfect seal, but still, against all pain, he tries to swallow as best he can. He will never complain of a sore throat again.

But the influx of water and the ball of pepper in his stomach trigger a violent reaction, causing him to vomit a stomach full of red-tinted water. Thanks to it being water rather than actual food and stomach acid, he coughs up the contents much more easily; for once, he's glad he hasn't had a full meal.

He begins crying again -- the pepper water that shot out of his stomach inevitably drenched his tongue on the way out. At least when the pepper was in the throat, it bypassed his taste buds. Not this time. Now his tongue was covered in the spice, and water only makes it worse, with tears streaming down his eyes and snot flowing out his nose. Keep it... keep it togeth-AAARGH! Bread! Rice! STARCH!

That wasn't even the worst of it -- his lungs still would not get the full breath of air thanks to the cut from Parsic's bloody finger tip. A complete mess, he tries his best to ignore his burning tongue, and he places his finger in his throat to find the wound, overcoming his gag reflex to find it with his index finger. He pulls it out to find his blood on the finger. He looks up in sheer despair and panic, but he knows what he must do. Jamming his finger back down his throat, he activates a flicker of on his finger tip The Dragon's Breath to cauterize the wound, but does not activate the Dragon's Endurance technique that would protect him from the flame. He screams out in agony, and pulls out his finger, throwing up once more. On the plus side, his finger has no more blood on it.




As he collapses to the kitchen floor, he sees glowing pandas walk through the missing wall of the kitchen, coming to him. He turns his head, completely confused, but he is reduced to a mere whisper. "Wha... oh no... the peppers... now I'm definitely ... hallu...sin...ate...ting... but they... feel so nice... so real...!"



Seeing Asha'rah emerge and engage Parsic, Zaofan rests easy, inhaling deep gulfs of breath while surrounded by the pandas. "Oh... good... Asha'rah is... here... everything's going to be... ooooooh-kaayyyyy. I'll stay... here... with the cutie... pa-toot-ee... pandasss..."



Overhearing their exchange, and in particular Parsic's question that Asha'rah has come to protect Zaofan, spurs some grudging motion in him. "Noooo.... too comfy... I must... I must help..." He struggles to turn around and place his hands on the floor, to push himself back up, slowly, painfully. "Jus' need... a minnit..."

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....?"

Parsic squashed one of the glowing pandas, paying no heed to the energies that ate at her large hand. It was a reminder that, harmful or painful though it might be for her to brave the energies of creation, she was still a powerful being from beyond. One could put out a certain amount of fire simply by rolling one's own bulk in it. Asha'rah spared a glance to Zaofan, noting his struggle to recover, and returned her attention to Parsic.

"I have come for a lot of things. First among them a question for you, that I have yet to resolve in all my meditations: You hate the universe and all of creation's fruits, do you not? You think of creation as a cancer upon the void, hurting and displacing the rightful beings who swim beyond. Why then show mercy to Etrina? Why be so quick and defensive to point out that, during her countless attempts to complete the maze, you killed her as painlessly as possible?"