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

[grampagen]

Barlon nods.

“My grandfather told me what had been told by his grand father and on down our line. He told me that Zxu’ro had found something. A power or strength no human had achieved. He saw that it was necessary to reach for it, to seek it out, to secure humanity a peaceful existence. He journeyed to find that power, to obtain it and eventually teach it to his worthy successors.”

"A worthy successor..."

The echoed words left Ochazuke, as if repeating them aloud would somehow reveal something. So captivated by this thought, he cast a look to the woods round him.

Where the ancient trees raised themselves, the closer to the sun they came, so much longer did their shadows trail along the ground. All manner of things were shrouded, and in the frame of these ancient hulks did life manage to persist, free from the scorch and burning.

So long as their protector remained.

The words of the ancient Turtle on the mount echoed in his mind. It was for this reason that the Kamesennin Kuki departed for the abandoned reaches of the world, never to return to a humanity that time and again abandoned itself.

Zxu'ro left, and those among him who chased the power of beasts forgot their compassion. The Master disappeared, his teachings like the rotted logs that were fodder for seedlings.

The simple truth was that the day never came. This realization shook him to the core.

"We are beholden, then, to you, and for the departed, to find the forgotten path," he said. "For the sake of all the Earth."

[bruceleegreyhulk]

Althena replies to this saying " that's good." " Like talk more about me and that Vear after I help it the creature became like a companion to me. " " sometimes it would get lazy and I had to carry it places on Qacriea." " a Vear on average weighs 10 tons and this particular Vear who I befriend weighed 25 tons."

" I did this in my base state use just my own natural physical strength, and I have four power up techniques. " " these four power up techniques are Mahtoesa Hetto no Hwe-Atkam and are listed in the book." " there's even theorized mythical power up called Awaken mode. " " the power up was theorize by Mahtoesa Hetto no Hwe-Atkam Master Mavivan Luue who live 1,000 years before my time."

"Mavivan theorized a power up that heighted reaction time while offering great Ki control and efficiency." " however no one after her include me has ever managed to do it." " leaving her theorize Awaken mode just that a theory."

Althena Pause for a few moments then says " I had these visions when I was at Capsule Corp of my race being enslave and this Replita sitting in on the Toadian throne." " in these visions the Toadians didn't look like they did 2,000 years ago." " the males were scrawny and the females were just flabby with some being even obese." " it was like my race forgotten how to take care of their bodies."


"Toadians during my time would have never allow themselves to get enslave, and they took much better care of their bodies." " which was all thanks to follow the ways of Mahtoesa Hetto no Hwe-Atkam." " that Toadian Praxat is the only modern Toadian I seen who resembles Toadians from my time." " as for the 4 power up techniques are Mahtoesa Hetto no Hwe-Atkam ."

" they're called Efficiency mode , Boost mode ,Power mode and Max mode." " Max mode is the most powerful power up techniques of Mahtoesa Hetto no Hwe-Atkam." " it also happens to be highly Impractical ." " the technique gives a 200x boost in power granting tremendous strength and speed , but at the cost of massive Ki drainage."


" a Toadian such as myself who uses this technique would bulk up considerably in muscle mass as well as gain 30 inches in height." " their body would be surrounding by a red fiery aura and their would be glowing red lines of Ki going across their body with their eyes being completely white." " for a Toadian like me just going into Max Mode is a heavy burden."

[Lord Falcon]

Chrona takes a popcorn, and eats it.

“Tone the rage down a bit chief....that timeline has a pretty bad ending. Erosa is exactly where she needs to be, and if you want to save her and the girl you need to quit giving me trouble.”

Chrona ate another popcorn.

“.....Ugh...quit giving me the death glare. I swear she hasn’t been harmed. All part of the plan.”

The storm did not abate, nor did it advance. Asha'rah's wrath boiled forth from roots deep in her soul. It was no show. Nor was her restraint a show. Chrona was potentially the quickest way to rescue Erosa and Etrina, and her decades among the monks of Kame were not wasted even now. That was the only thing standing between her and Asha'rah's hands around her throat. Memories flashed before her eyes, not of a War in the Heavens or a noble cause, not of eons or the forging of stars. They were memories of a more intimate nature, deeply personal and very...very special.


"Ehhh.....why is metal man asking so many questions........want Erosa to look at stupid ink blot next like....like...." Rather then mentally, Erosa spat every syllable of the next word out of her mouth with all the pent up fury she could muster on the spot. "...psy-co-la-gist!"

She looked Asha'rah up and down again, then her frown vanished back to her toothy smile. "We take break from question time...too much of one thing make Erosa bored. Lets play game now? Fun game to get stronger! You win, Erosa talk some more. Erosa win....Umm......you do something for Erosa. Think of thing later. C'mon....lets play."

"....Metal monk understand now.....?" Erosa whispered weakly, then steam was still being expelled from her body even as Asha'rahs healing took effect. "......Erosa beat on monk and get nothing, then beat on herself and get apology. You understand now? NOT IT pain not always from IT. Watching IT bring suffering to NOT IT worse. Sister no like pain.....Erosa no like watch sister in pain. Makes Erosa sick...and angry....and sad."

Her body began to feel lighter in Ashas arms.

"Gao......Maybe.....Went overboard with game. Been long time since....Erosa burn out like star. Go back to dark place for now....take nap and be back good as new later. But....before erosa go....."

She left her half regenerated stump and pointed with her currently non existent finger. "You still lost game.....do You obey Erosa request. You no tell nobody what happen here. You help sister....light in dark place."

Erosa coughed and smiled as her body dissolved. "....oh wait....that two requests.........I.....goofed up."

...and she was gone.

"NomNomNom...Robo Monk ok?...NomNomNom" Erosa appeared up beside Asha'rah after she had finished her rummaging, chewing something loudly. "Nom....Erosa no find invisible baddy.....but his stink everywhere here. Also find stange meatballs on ground.....bad man steal balls and waste food...NomNomNom....Erosa fix that."

Pushing her way into the room, Erosa let out a low growl. "....Ashy...."

Erosa stuck her head out of a nearby pile, turning her head from side to side, then pulling herself up ".....uughh.......ga~ouch.....Erosas poor head got smacked good.......everyone ok...?"

"An Id." Erosa reconfirmed. "A Magical being that lives in your head....when your hungry, or tired or wanna have fun.....and you get that itch to put something in your mouth, or drop down on a bed or do whatever's on the top of your head. That's an Id Ero!"

Erosa gave the id a toothy smile. "So never ignore your id...even when you grow older, ok?"


Stepped up to the unarmored goddess, Erosa took a moment to examine her from head to toe. "Eheh......Asha...rah!" Spreading her arms wide, the Id leapt forward to wrap them around her.

Two things happened....First, her hands were the size of small armored shovels, so when then grasped Asha'rah it was like getting scooped up by a bulldozer. Secondly....Erosa miscalculated the strength she put into the sudden hug and the forward momentum in the pounce, so the monk turned goddesses head ended up smacking into and bouncing rather dramatically from the ids ample chest even as the two toppled backwards onto the ground.

"Ahahaha....You finally broke out of your shell! Is that what you were doing this whole time? I haven't seen you the whole trip."

"A lot of things happened in the months we were separated." Erosa released her and took a step back. "But....I received something from a friend that let me get stronger, I keep it right here." The Id tapped her chest, and for the briefest of moments Asha'rah felt a bright aura of pure magic radiate from inside. "Its called Magicite. Etrina told me its a extremely rare catalyst crystal that stores magic....it belonged to someone else who...." Erosa paused, suddenly looking slightly uncomfortable. "They're not here anymore. Maybe they're in heaven now.....If I knew you were going I'd have asked you to say thanks for me....but....I'm not sure she would be there....and I don't think Ids get to go to heaven, not the place anyways." There was a mocking tone to her voice, but only to cover over her real feeling on the topic.


"Ashy...you made it...." Erosa eyed the new arrival, even as she stumbled to the base of the cannon. Her suggested idea was definitely a solid one, and blowing something up outside was much preferable to herself blowing up. "Ehehe.......I'd kiss you but it might burn your face a bit.....I need to cool down soon or I'll explode.........eheheh....in that bad way...."

"Don't you know...the reason crones are so calm and wise....is cause Ids always die young." Erosa muttered with a half smile, then closed her eyes and seemed to nod off.

"I missed...." Erosas eyes flicked open. "Feast?"

Immediately springing to a sitting position, Erosa attempted to detangle the blanket from herself while rolling towards the edge of the bed she was on...only succeeding in tangling herself further. For a brief moment she looked like a a cat attempting to escape a blanket, before she finished her roll and went over the side with a loud crash.

"Ashy! You don't joke about food like that!" The Id sputtered, now fully awake, as she finally freed herself by shredding the unfortunate blanket and getting back to her feet. "I didn't realize...*slurp*.....sleeping made you hungry."

Erosa slipped over to the feast and grabbed the roast chicken, the ENTIRE roast chicken mind you, and was fully prepared to shove it into her mouth when her gaze snapped momentarily to Asha'rah.

With a sudden, almost frighteningly unnatural bout of self control compared to her old self, Erosa put the chicken down and settled for pulling the leg pieces off and dropping them on a plate with some other selected pieces which she brought over to Asha'rah.

"........You.....want some too...?" Erosa hesitantly held out the plate.

"........I warned you...." The Id took a step forward and caught the retreating Asha'rah with her outstretched hand, pulling her back. "............Now that I'm feeling this way....I won't let you escape or rest til I'm satisfied. I don't care if it makes things ackward....you asked for this........."

Erosa let her hand float up to Asha'rahs cheeks, then pulled her face in and kissed her. It was long, filled with passion, and for a moment it seemed the id would suffocate before letting it end. But finally she pulled away.

".....If you created it...I'll perfect it.....with you..."

Pushing her weight forward, The Id toppled the goddess onto the floor.

She'd teach her a thing or two about her own creation, among many other things.


In the end, Asha'rah and Erosa had spent the night before leaving Chroma together. Erosa had not been overstating what the goddess had brought on herself by choosing to tease an Id, and the ceaseless energy to Id had in her came on full display as the two continued long into the night and only slowed down in the morning.

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

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


She closed her eyes and breathed deep, one with the moment. When she opened them however, the fire within them was, if anything, blazing even stronger.

"If you are truly as omniscient as you claim, you know where continuing to play games with me will lead. Whatever the timeline, whatever outcome you foresee, know this: In every future, in every present, in everything that is and could be, I strive to get Erosa back. You can either help me to get to her now or be my enemy. Now make your choice, Chrona."

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

"Tomay-toh, tomah-toh, what does it matter as long as I..."

Shingen-1 crosses his forearm to his fist with two extended fingers up. "Chou Ninpo! Hakkei no Hō!" he yells, right when the globules detonate.

---

Shingen-1 yells out in pain as his shield drops. Almost death by a thousand cutting explosions, courtesy of the Saiyan Queen.

Shingen-2 cannot yell, as his jaw clenches, his armor almost fuses to itself, from the steady stream of electricity generated by the Oni.

Both of them nearly collapse as if synchronized, husks of smoke that they are. As they fall to their knees, Shingen-1 collapses first, and Shingen-2 falls on top of him, and the two bodies merge back into one. The one, true Shingen gets up, lifting pressing one hand down on his knee for support as he lifts himself back to a standing position. His armor is alright, the smoke has disappeared, his cape once again flaps in the wind, and he has but just one sword. He is back to full power.

"Tch! Dammit! Well, it appears I've underestimated, well, everyone here. You, blue one, the one who claims to be older than me! So you brought them here, eh? And you, monkey lady, are somehow of small stature but of titanic power? THIS is unexpected indeed! I clearly don't have the power to contain either of you for my needs, but that doesn't mean we can't have some fun." He charges his sword with energy once again. "CHOU NINPO! KAZE NO MAI!"

With his speed greatly increased, he repeatedly flies back and forth with no recoil and slashes Ishtar and Sarada, with no less than twelve passes, each energy slash creating streaks of light.

The move completed, he rushes back to the two of them, his fingertip claws extending, his sword drawn, and he engages both of them in simultaneous melee range, leaping with a mighty sideways slash aimed at the Oni and the Queen.

"You talk far more than you realistically should, in combat." Ishtar replied with a mixture of annoyance and ... almost respect; only to offering a decidedly annoyed grunt when the first few slashes struck true and ruined her top. When the man finished and jumped away however, the glowing-horn Oni offered a, "tch", as the tatters of her shirt fell away; and returning to the ... overflow of words that had been offered prior, simply stated.

"I cannot lie. I am older than you."

Meanwhile, Zaofan's stance grows stronger, refreshed, reinvigorated. "My thanks, Ishtar...!"

Even with the Wolf's Prowl fading away, he summons his own speed and instead activates the Bear's Strength, which increases his physical strength three-fold. He manages to fly into the path of the sword slash with Bojack, holding steady with the block well before it can reach Sarada and Ishtar, forcing both himself and Shingen to apply both arms to their weapons.

Struggling now in a fierce competition of strength, Zaofan turns to face them. "Hello, friends! Be my guest!" He motions with his nose and mouth, pointing at the now-exposed armored torso of Shingen, presenting the opening like a gift.

Before she could say -- or do -- anything further, Zaofan returned to the fight, and with a surprisingly display of strength, the cook managed to block the swing of Shingen's sword ... seeming to open the way for a counter.

"Don't mind if I do, Zaofan!" She grinned savagely and moved in, blurring from where she was standing to between Zaofan and Shingen. Crimson energy wrapped around her fist as it flew forward toward Shingen's unprotected chest. "Crimson Fist!"

A thing her love jumped at swiftly.

"My thanks, Zaofan."

With the cook providing a buffer for attack, and Sarada taking advantage of the opening to strike mid-center then; the golden-eyed Oni considered her own options swiftly before taking another path. Disappearing in a flash, the Oni reappeared behind Shingen, and swung swiftly toward the back of the man's head ... mindful of Ochzauke's own offering so as to not be caught in what had been made known by her to be 'friendly fire', almost two years prior.

[Cyke]

"....Did you learn that splitting ability just so you would have someone who enjoyed hearing you go on, and on, and on?" Held asked, turning to face his opponent, his voice slightly off kilter as he held his nose, "For a guy who attacked me for trying to talk it out, you sure live up to the title of Blabby Lord Shingen."

His voice does more to my head than his attacks do...What nonsense....I don't know what kind of Unicorns reside on this planet, but I can't imagine that this guy has what it takes to even annoy one from Nevada...

"But you certainly know your drink...." Held smirked slightly through dead, tired eyes.

"It was a wild night. You're not helping my hangover, thoug--"

Held paused, realizing something that had occurred before him.

"...Did you really just drink my blood?" Held asked, his face taking up a look of disgust, "I don't even--Why woul--"

Good Grief. This guy really is out there, isn't he?

"Nevermind. If I think about it too much, I'll lose my dinner...."

The Nevadians blood red eyes flashed as his resolve grew, ready to continue the battle.

He's a bit too tricky to attack directly...I might be better off on the counter...But...How do I annoy him enough to...Oh!

"Then again, I felt sick when I saw those 'techniques' of yours." Held said with a sigh, "I certainly hope it was your own design, and not of your clans....They'd get an A for effort, at least."

After the reunification of bodies and the ceasing of the multi-form, Shingen begins to get visibly annoyed. "Oh, I *am* the clan! The Mighty House of the Hokuto Shinken! I'll save you for later...! Best to let the bourbon settle a bit, no?" He then fires a ki blast at Held with almost no finesse whatsoever before turning his attention back to Sarada and Ishtar, a small sign of his growing frustration that he is rapidly losing control of this battle.

What a bunch of losers hahaha!

"You must be desperate if you fused with your own brother," she taunted.

Shingen's body language visibly restrains himself, for once, from explaining the reality, perhaps indicative that the taunting could be making an impact. Instead, he deflects verbally, rather than physically. "Damn! Between the drunkard, the blue devil, this monkey lady, and the insubordinate student, I just cannot get one iota of respect from any of you, can I?"

That was all she managed to get out before he exploded into motion, striking her and Ishtar several times. Damn it! That sword was no joke. Her armor did its work, but paid for it by receiving deep slash marks where the sword connected. The ones that didn't were blocked by the katchin arm bracers she wore under her gloves.

Shingen moved in to slash her and Ishtar with a mighty horizontal slash.



"Don't mind if I do, Zaofan!" She grinned savagely and moved in, blurring from where she was standing to between Zaofan and Shingen. Crimson energy wrapped around her fist as it flew forward toward Shingen's unprotected chest. "Crimson Fist!"

Shingen's hands are occupied by attempting to overpower Zaofan, who had never displayed such strength before, to his knowledge. His eyes then notice the Saiyan Queen's hand bursting with energy, his own eyes widening in terrible realization. "I may have erred..."

The fire burned with a spectral heat that went beyond his old, frail frame, and yet it took from Toh Magoh only the remnants of that wicked shroud that surrounded him with blooded fear; the energy that appeared to manifest itself there on their mutual foe opposite among the Lookout. Next, Ochazuke expanded his field of sense-awareness, and imbuing Toh Magoh and himself heightened focus through Kei'i-ken**, loaning him a portion of resolve to cut through his blubbering.

"You taught him everything he knows? He must have been a poor learner, then," he grunted, "and we both know a poor student reflects worse on his teacher."

He pulled him in close so that they were face-to-face, standing sideways before the battle.

"Zaofan saved you, and you think only to save yourself while he continues to fight, content to rest upon the laurels of others," he said, "You are a man of much stolen valour, but neither sensei, nor Crane, or brother do I see here. So what are you?"

Shifting his weight, Ochazuke twist at the weight and pitched Toh Magoh by the collar straight towards Ryu Shingen.

"Make your choice!"

Toh Magoh's face begins to restore some of its color, rather than the pale white that comes from being imprisoned for so long. His mind regains some clarity and logic. The villain, the coward, the fraud, the old man, looks Ochazuke in the eyes, and for once, the disrespectful elder allows himself the humility to learn from someone decades far younger than he.

"I... I..." Toh Magoh looks around in shame, at the sheer number of warriors who have surpassed his wildest expectations. He notes Zaofan, the one who defeated him earlier, step into the path of a blade. "...am an abject failure. I never dreamed that it would lead to rot and stagnation," he says with heavy shame, shoulders slumped.

He stands there in heavy contemplation, retracing almost 60 years of corruption in his mind, and then finds himself tossed into battle by Ochazuke. "AAAIIIIII!"

When Zaofan braced the opened armor of the Dark Shogun, Ochazuke made his mark. Concealed in the Pretender Crane's trajectory, he threw his right hand forward, carrying upon an iron wind the paired palms of Kongosho that struck at Ryu Shingen's frame, aiming to separate the blood-drunk man from the power of his shadowy patron.

With the cook providing a buffer for attack, and Sarada taking advantage of the opening to strike mid-center then; the golden-eyed Oni considered her own options swiftly before taking another path. Disappearing in a flash, the Oni reappeared behind Shingen, and swung swiftly toward the back of the man's head ... mindful of Ochzauke's own offering so as to not be caught in what had been made known by her to be 'friendly fire', almost two years prior.

Virtually simultaneously, Sarada's Crimson Fist, Ochazuke's Kongosho, Ishtar's Teleport Swing*, and Zaofan's point-blank Optic Blast all slam into Shingen's upper body. The Kongosho disrupts the Demon Lord's ki-powered defenses, enabling the Crimson Fist to shatter the chest armor, and allowing Ishtar's attack to disorient, thus leaving the Optic Blast to nail him in the exposed sternum. The blunt force of three of the attacks sends him flying, and as he flies over Ishtar's head, he is covered by a sequence of three explosions, with a fourth explosion much larger than the three. For Shingen, this teamwork is unprecedented.

Before the explosion can fully dissipate, however, the bright blue sky turns dark, well-past sundown. The large explosion draws itself into an implosion, and explodes again but with large whispy clouds of black smoke. Throughout the area, the voice echoes: CHOU NINPO! KAZE NO MAI HYAKURETSU KEN!

In the near darkness, Shingen sans chest plate, cape in tatters, helmet cracked -- rockets out at superspeed, leaping from warrior to warrior, delivering roughly 20 hits out of his total 100-strike attack to each fighter with the same strength that matched the Bear. In mere moments, Ochazuke, Sarada, Zaofan, Ishtar, and Held are knocked down. He does a double fisted overhead slam to Zaofan to bring him to the ground, and fires an energy sword slash that flies over the chef's head but sends the other four flying to the other side of the Lookout, dazed.

*it didn't have a name, ok?

[Cyke]

With Zaofan still trying to recover, Shingen instead painfully slams and sits on top of his chest, trapping the chef's arms with his own legs, and pummeling his face at superspeed -- and with his superstrength. "THIS?! You left my school to run with THIS crowd? This rag-tag bunch of wannabes and failures?!" Each word is punctuated by punch after punch, quickly sapping away Zaofan's strength. "You could've joined me! You could've been their better! But no, you were the one who got away!"

At this point, Zaofan's eyes are so swollen that an Optic Blast is out of the question. Shingen raises his fist. "I wanted to like you, my boy. I really did. I was hoping that you and I could make each other stronger. Now I'll have to hunt my prey without you."

Shingen is hit in the back by a thin yellow energy beam -- to no effect. He turns to see the old man Toh Magoh in the pose of the Dodonpa. "He left you to be someone better!" the old man yelled back with uncharacteristic courage. Still, he would be no match for Shingen, who simply flicks the empty air with his middle finger against thumb, but with enough force where the gust of wind likewise sends Toh Magoh flying into a tree on the Plaza.

The Demon Lord looks back to the bloody, swollen, and damn near unconscious Zaofan. "Now, where were we? OH YES." He raises his fist, fingers extended to stab, and this time charges it up with energy. With no more interruptions, with the chef completely defenseless, he thrusts his hand downward, right at Zaofan's head...

*FLASH!*

A brief flash of light envelopes Shingen and Zaofan. Suddenly, instead of one armored hand, two fists slam into the ground, flanking but missing Zaofan's head altogether. One fist is human. The other is demonic purple.

The human is a shorter, more normal looking Ryu Shingen in robes and cape, with no armor. The other being is a purple creature of darkness, similar in height to Ryu, with armor similar to the Demon Lord, but much sleeker and thinner. Both look at their hands, their selves, and each other.

The human Ryu, in a standard human voice, yells out in frustration. "NO! Belphegor! Our half hour is up!" The creature likewise responds, "We waited too long with these fools!"

Those with ki senses will find that Ryu and Belphegor are the same powerlevel as an otherwise healthy Zaofan, and thus much weaker than the Demon Lord Shingen they had been fighting this whole time.

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

Sarada knew she would be, but she especially needed to unwind this time. She had been terribly pent up the last several weeks and needed an outlet. 'Good to hear. I'll be doing all the work, so just sit back and enjoy the ride. Heehee.'

Minutes later, her pod drained of the healing fluid and unlocked the hatch. She stepped out and dried off with a towel on the table, then redressed in the clothes provided. "Ah, I feel stronger already!"

She stretched out the kinks and waited for Ishtar to step out.

Sarada seemed all too eager to hop on the chance -- or rather Isthar herself -- and so a telepathic chuckle offered, before an equally eager reply.

'That is fine by me, Little Love'.

--

When Ishtar pulled herself from the Healing Tank after a few minutes; a large portion of the superficial injuries had been tended to. Her arm was still something of a bother, as was a generalized lack of blood ... but not feeling like she was going to keel over immediately was certainly far in excess of how Ishtar had been the weeks prior; so with a stretch and a grunt she slipped into the offered clothing.

Though there was one oddity that seemed to be a newfound affliction, now that she was not alive though sheer force of will.

"I am ... surprisingly hungry."

Oh well.

[Lord Falcon]

Sheki’hinah walks forward and places a hand on Asha’rah’s shoulder.

“A blessing, sister. To stave off death once, for you or another. This boon can only be used once, and it will not stop death a second time, nor restore lost energy.”

Crimson light flows into Asha’rah from her sister, who steps back.

Zurvan lays a similar hand on Ishtar’s shoulder and grey energy flows briefly into her.

“A small bit of compressed, stopped, time, ten seconds worth where only you can move. Only one use. Be careful.”

Sihn nods.

“I’ve already given what I can earlier.”

Asha'rah took Shek'hinah's hand and clasped it in her own. None among the Gods of Creation had a greater gift for tilting the scales between life and death than Shek'hinah. When Asha'rah had brought Ishtar back from the very brink all those months ago, pulling life back into a burnt out husk, it had been an art and a science, a great striving that took everything she had. To Shek'hinah, such a feat was part of who she was.

As her sister's gift descended into her, she squeezed the giving hand in thanks.

"A gift immeasurable in the randomness of life's struggle, Shek'hinah. I will treasure it, just as I treasure your return to the living."

[Sub-Zero MKA]

"What the hell?"

Sarada rose to a sitting position, various parts of her body stinging with pain after being struck innumerable times by an increasingly desperate Shingen. When she was laying on the ground, she witness Zaofan getting his head beaten in by the demonic being, two brothers fused into one body.

She was growing incensed at watching her friend being beaten so savagely. "Why you -" Before she could finish, some old guy interrupted, firing what looked like one of Ovhazuke's techniques at the demon.

To no effect, but he got top marks for effort.

Then, something weird happened.

He defused, turning once again into two people. This time, the twin brothers weren't exactly twins anymore. One looked like a regular human, while the other was purple.

"Man, I'm confused as ****," she mumbled. "Ah, well. That means more asses to kick." She kipped up to her feet and dashed toward the demon Ryu, hands aglow with crimson ki. "And I'll start with you, *******!"

She attacked with renewed vigor, fists blurring as they connected with demonic flesh.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Sarada seemed all too eager to hop on the chance -- or rather Isthar herself -- and so a telepathic chuckle offered, before an equally eager reply.

'That is fine by me, Little Love'.

--

When Ishtar pulled herself from the Healing Tank after a few minutes; a large portion of the superficial injuries had been tended to. Her arm was still something of a bother, as was a generalized lack of blood ... but not feeling like she was going to keel over immediately was certainly far in excess of how Ishtar had been the weeks prior; so with a stretch and a grunt she slipped into the offered clothing.

Though there was one oddity that seemed to be a newfound affliction, now that she was not alive though sheer force of will.

"I am ... surprisingly hungry."

Oh well.

"Hungry, huh?" That was surprising, but not at all unwanted. There was no better way to celebrate a hard earned victory than eating with someone she cared about. "Well, there's an entire kitchen stocked with food back home with our names on it."

She wrapped an arm around Ishtar's waist, but not without giving her backside a nice squeeze. "Let's go find Meagan."

[Cyke]

"What the hell?"

Sarada rose to a sitting position, various parts of her body stinging with pain after being struck innumerable times by an increasingly desperate Shingen. When she was laying on the ground, she witness Zaofan getting his head beaten in by the demonic being, two brothers fused into one body.

She was growing incensed at watching her friend being beaten so savagely. "Why you -" Before she could finish, some old guy interrupted, firing what looked like one of Ovhazuke's techniques at the demon.

To no effect, but he got top marks for effort.

Then, something weird happened.

He defused, turning once again into two people. This time, the twin brothers weren't exactly twins anymore. One looked like a regular human, while the other was purple.

"Man, I'm confused as ****," she mumbled. "Ah, well. That means more asses to kick." She kipped up to her feet and dashed toward the demon Ryu, hands aglow with crimson ki. "And I'll start with you, *******!"

She attacked with renewed vigor, fists blurring as they connected with demonic flesh.

The demon is still disoriented by the time-limit induced de-fusing, when he sees Sarada come right at him.

And he barely has enough time to raise his hands in panic. "NO WAI-"

The demon's head turns left, right, up, down, over and over and over again. Certain punches elicit flickers of flame to shoot out of his eyes, nose, and ears as if they were blood, but there is no defense whatsoever.

Sarada might delight that each punch causes a unique and explosive sound effect thanks to this fire, almost like fireworks with the bass turned up.

---

Watching this savage beating, the human Ryu Shingen, quickly stands, turns, and runs, leaping up to engage in flight. Zaofan, lying bloody and dying on the floor, even with his eyes swollen shut, raises his hand at Ryu, activating the Woven Path, and cutting off Ryu's access to ki-flight. Ryu is essentially grounded on the Lookout, his escape cut off.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Four cleaners, armoured just like the guards for precaution – and budget's - sake moved in for their duty. Cleanup at this hour made every moment over-long, and so they did their best to pass the time with idle talk. This wasn't the first time they'd had an inmate die on them. If public word got out to Grinthorn – or worse, Jinzi Pantaloon – it would be a bad look for the institution, so if they wanted to keep their jobs, the warden said they had to keep this quiet.

“All-in-one device they said. Cuffs and traces and uploads in real time. All I'm saying is, why can't the robots take care of this part too?”

“Golden boy Jinzi got you on the payroll. Beats being on the dole.”

“Says you. If this is government pay I'd rather have the cheque come in the mail.”

The four stood before the door. The man upstairs laid keystrokes into his station and the electromagnetic charge desist. The cell's vault door decompressed, its locks retracted, and slowly opened and cleaners stood quietly as they saw a sunken crown of red hair slumped over hanging shoulders.

“She really didn't even put up a fight this time did she? Was she sick?”

“With a frame like that? You've got to be kidding. Maybe the suppression was cranked too high.”

“Nah, there's a failsafe in place so it doesn't go too low, suck too much out. Besides this is one of the roomier cells, so if anything happened it came from inside. What a way to go, snuffed out without a fight.”

“You're too sentimental,” another sighed. “Get the gurney ready.”

The workers moved clinically about each corner, avoiding the body at the far wall as they bemoaned the complete mess within the cell. Tattered squares of newspaper lined the floor among polyester fluff from the dead and bloodied rag of a mattress in the corner, speared by the twisted metal of the bedframe and shards from the mirror. The team cursed to themselves under their breath, brusquely pulling pieces of mess out and dropping them tactlessly to the ground.

“She took out the camera too? Ugh, they're not going to like this.”

“Bring it up at the next union meeting,” came the reply from another, as they all worked around the tiger seated still in the midst. The worker stepped over her shoulder as he tugged at something in the corner, a worn legal envelope. “Huh, what the hell is this?”

He opened the folio and found crudely rendered ancient drawings that elicit a snort. Crane. Turtle. Dragon. Snake. When he got to the Tiger, he found it saturated with several scrawled notes in every inch of blank space around the margins.

A metallic clink disturbed him from his examination followed by three solid impacts that shook the floor. The cleaner turned around slowly and found his compatriots fallen to heaps. Kenshiko slowly rose from her state of living death. She held the ki suppression collar crumpled in her hand.

“We have a breach in the K-Wing! Lock it down! Repeat! Lock it dow-AAAUUGGH~!”

The sound of stunner fire flood the comms followed by screams of pain before the line went dead.

In the security booth the guard behind the drone slammed his hand on the panel.

__

It all came back to her slowly. Within the deep throes of deepest meditation the heat of her blood gradually returned, and she drew a long, slow, silent breath to clear the darkness of her vision. Through the poise of a snake, stilled to strike, the spark of the fight fell into an idle tinder. The release of energy creeped at first through shackled muscle and bruised bone. At the precise moment, there she found her wings, and when her spirit ignited, the fire that burned within her breast swelled faster than the suppressor could activate. She broke the collar that instant, and the blood coursing from her burning heart lit a familiar inferno within. In an instant, she was soon whole again. The Eight Limbs of the Tiger King moved all by themselves.

Claxxons blared outside and the maser field within the floor of the cell surged, streaks of energy rapidly filled the confines as the vault door began to slowly heave inward on mechanical, automated time. The shock and burning filled her body. Kenshiko took a knee; That would be the last time. She raised her hand up.

Like a crack of lightning the energy coursed through her and shot forward, blasting the door off its hydraulic hinges and sending it careening into the wall on the far side of the prison wing. Shambling out from her cell, Kenshiko began to pace outward where she was greeted by the sight of what seemed like fifty Capsule Drones slipping out of hidden chutes along the walls poised to fire.

“SR-06010! Stand down or we will use lethal force!”

Kenshiko grit her teeth. She'd been held by these WG pigs for over a year. They kept her alive long enough to let her know everything she fought for, everything she was, would be erased. She cocked a fist to her side and golden thunder began to gather within it.

The drones lit up, and in an instant pulse fire filled the room and fell upon her. Blasts shook the room with the crash of impact, and as hit the target as light began to fill an arcing dome around the walkway. Suddenly, the explosions seemed to accumulate, flaring outward, expanding and consuming the front ranks of drones reducing them to heaps of boiling metal. The orbiting drones began to ascend, too late as a sharp bang rocked the prison within its hidden foundation, and Kou-ou Kudaku-Ken burst, showering white-hot slag and silicon shrapnel into every cell door of the K-Wing facility.

Sirens continued to wail, bathing the room in the light of red alerts. She knew the automated facility would be in full-out lockdown soon as the people upstairs scrambled, even at this late hour. In this moment of encroaching chaos, she heard the symphony of battle for the first time, and for a moment the high of a newfound strength she found the world rendered in complete sharpness. Though desperate, through the danger her heart soared and Red Tiger awoke within her once again. Now returned to her full faculties, the dulled senses then reawakened within her. The essence of the hunt, the little heartbeat of potential fodder every living presence in the diminished energy. But among them, she became immediately aware of a cool, diminished essence.

For there was another the world left behind, another who allowed herself to abandon everything she believed in. Nearly a year in solitary and they'd never exchanged so much as a word. Hurling herself off the walkway, Kenshiko landed silently before cell SR–09999, set in the heart of the deepest sub-level of this prison. Her heart beat returned a vigor she hadn't known for a long time as she buckled the reinforced door under her fists, blasting through steely alloys and ripping through the door. She stood before her then, the marked enemy of the people, condemned to die.

Not yet.

“Get up, Colonel. We're getting out of here.”

Willa walks out, her form lean and unkept. Her hair is far longer, her form slightly unstable, but her eyes hold a firm resolve once more.

“About time. Damask messaged me a week ago. Charlie Base is still a go.”

Ki slowly pools in Willa’s hand.

“Time to leave.”

Crimson ki lances oit as she starts blasting her way through the walls.

[bruceleegreyhulk]

Althena Pause for a few moments then says " I had these visions when I was at Capsule Corp of my race being enslave and this Replita sitting in on the Toadian throne." " in these visions the Toadians didn't look like they did 2,000 years ago." " the males were scrawny and the females were just flabby with some being even obese." " it was like my race forgotten how to take care of their bodies."


"Toadians during my time would have never allow themselves to get enslave, and they took much better care of their bodies." " which was all thanks to follow the ways of Mahtoesa Hetto no Hwe-Atkam." " that Toadian Praxat is the only modern Toadian I seen who resembles Toadians from my time." " as for the 4 power up techniques are Mahtoesa Hetto no Hwe-Atkam ."

" they're called Efficiency mode , Boost mode ,Power mode and Max mode." " Max mode is the most powerful power up techniques of Mahtoesa Hetto no Hwe-Atkam." " it also happens to be highly Impractical ." " the technique gives a 200x boost in power granting tremendous strength and speed , but at the cost of massive Ki drainage."


" a Toadian such as myself who uses this technique would bulk up considerably in muscle mass as well as gain 30 inches in height." " their body would be surrounding by a red fiery aura and their would be glowing red lines of Ki going across their body with their eyes being completely white." " for a Toadian like me just going into Max Mode is a heavy burden."

for Cleric


Althena hands Eva the book of Mahtoesa Hetto no Hwe-Atkam saying "if you what to read it you what." " I would also like to demonstrate the power up techniques just to show them off."

[Tami]

"A worthy successor..."

The echoed words left Ochazuke, as if repeating them aloud would somehow reveal something. So captivated by this thought, he cast a look to the woods round him.

Where the ancient trees raised themselves, the closer to the sun they came, so much longer did their shadows trail along the ground. All manner of things were shrouded, and in the frame of these ancient hulks did life manage to persist, free from the scorch and burning.

So long as their protector remained.

The words of the ancient Turtle on the mount echoed in his mind. It was for this reason that the Kamesennin Kuki departed for the abandoned reaches of the world, never to return to a humanity that time and again abandoned itself.

Zxu'ro left, and those among him who chased the power of beasts forgot their compassion. The Master disappeared, his teachings like the rotted logs that were fodder for seedlings.

The simple truth was that the day never came. This realization shook him to the core.

"We are beholden, then, to you, and for the departed, to find the forgotten path," he said. "For the sake of all the Earth."

Dash looked at Ochazuke funny, then smirked, "You know, you ain't impressin' no one, talk'n like an old man with too much education an' not enough drinking buddies."

[Tami]

With a nod, Cyanna once again held out her hand and focused on Mini-E. Repeating what she did before, only this time visualizing lightening, she aimed her 'spell' and released it.



At least there was more 'sparkle' in it this time, even if there wasn't any 'spark'.

Blinking a few times, Cyanna put her hand down slowly, "At least it was pretty, if not pretty useless." She then looked around, "Where did the Pixie go?"