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

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

"If I had known, I would have left Cyanna behind. Dash, I can trust her to take care of herself. This is her world, after all." Meagan then wondered, "If technology based portals don't work, how did the invaders use them? What about magic based portals? Are they blocked as well?"

“If I had to hazard a guess, I would imagine it works on a Stablization theory. It must ‘lock’ local reality, keeping it from being messed with. It’s why I would imagine magic portals don’t work.”

[Tami]

“If I had to hazard a guess, I would imagine it works on a Stablization theory. It must ‘lock’ local reality, keeping it from being messed with. It’s why I would imagine magic portals don’t work.”

"That sounds like something Asha'rah might have some experience with. I'll need to talk to her, as soon as possible, if possible." Meagan looked up at him, "Question is, how much danger are you in? I don't like the idea of leaving you alone. If Grinthorn sees you as a threat, he might come after you. Then again, if he sees me as a means to an end, he might come after me as well. Yet, neither if us can stay holed up down here forever."

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

"That sounds like something Asha'rah might have some experience with. I'll need to talk to her, as soon as possible, if possible." Meagan looked up at him, "Question is, how much danger are you in? I don't like the idea of leaving you alone. If Grinthorn sees you as a threat, he might come after you. Then again, if he sees me as a means to an end, he might come after me as well. Yet, neither if us can stay holed up down here forever."

“He and his people are heading back to their offices. We’re clear for now. As to being targeted, if Grinthorn wanted me dead I’d be dead. I’m useful to him.”

[Tami]

“He and his people are heading back to their offices. We’re clear for now. As to being targeted, if Grinthorn wanted me dead I’d be dead. I’m useful to him.”

"You're more useful to me." Meagan then gave him a kiss on the cheek, "Take your own advice, keep someone you trust with you as much as possible. I need to find my wayward apprentices, as well as a few answers. I'll keep in touch, and as soon as I can, I'll come back to you."

[Sub-Zero MKA]

He smiles.

“Of course. Not a problem, your highness. They’ll be back under your supervision soon, I’m sure. If you’ll excuse me.”

Grinthorn dips his hat and then turns around, leaving.

Sarada narrowed her eyes when he turned around to leave. This man was not to be trusted with anything. She wished there was a way for her to sit in on this examination, but it likely wasn't worth the trouble it would probably cause.

With nothing else left to do, she spent the time gathering the remaining Saiyans in a pile and placing them in a capsule. When she returned to Vocado - whenever such a thing would be possible - she'd give them a proper burial. For them, that would likely take the form of cremating them and spreading their ashes around in the surrounding forests. It wasn't much, but for them, they didn't much. Besides, from the sound of it, they went along with this invasion willingly, so they didn't deserve much more than that.

Sarada bent down to pick the capsule up, then stowed it away in a pouch in her glove. She started to head for the Lookout when a familiar voice attracted her attention.

"My portal isn't working!"

"You mean we're stuck here?

Her eyes narrowed again. Those idiots! What the hell were they even doing here? The last she checked, they were still on Vocado. That was four days ago, but still, she didn't recall them having any plans to travel to Earth again any time soon, so what the hell?

She growled and sped over to them, disappearing then reappearing in front of her younger brother and cousin. "What. The hell. Are you two doing here?"

"Sarada! Ah..." Pinach looked at Rutaba, who looked even more bereft of answers than he was. After a few moments of hemming and hawing, they sighed and decided that the truth wasn't any worse than trying to lie. "We wanted some pizza, so we came here to get some."

"Pizza?" It, at that moment, occurred to her that once again, she had gone a significant amount of time without even thinking about the universe's greatest food, much less tasting it. Her stomach growled with anticipation of the creamy cheese, the delicious tomato sauce, and the meaty meats that she wanted piled up high. Mmmmmm "Fine," she huffed. "I'll overlook this once. But, you two are stuck here until the remainder of the invasion ships are cleared out and we can use portals again. Come on."

She motioned for them, and Seri, to follow her to the Lookout. There, they'd be safe and wouldn't have to worry about being attacked.

That was unless some asshole decided to attack the Lookout again. But, the odds of that happening were... better than she was willing to admit. Damn it. Is there really no safe place on this planet? I really got to get these two home ASAP.

She decided to just ignore the obvious signs of injury these two had littered all over them. It wasn't a question of whether they fought the evil Saiyans or not; rather, how did they survive once their numbers started to drop and the survivors going stronger. It wasn't like they were anywhere close to Seri, who was severely outclassed herself after a certain point.

"We saw Parsley," Rutaba said once they were on the way to the Lookout. "It was weird. She isn't the same as she was before."

By "before", she could only assume she meant as she was on television. To her knowledge, Rutaba hadn't seen Parsley in person since she was a little girl. "Yeah. She's... been through a rough time. It's up to us as her family to help her through it. Okay?"

"Okay."

Sarada didn't know what all would entail helping her through it. There was no doubt that her prolonged torture and eventual death left invisible scars that would likely never heal, no matter how much therapy she received, they wouldn't let her deal with it on her own. She wasn't going to let her sister fall into a hole filled with despair and self-loathing like the one she forced herself to dwell in for so long. The key was letting all those negative emotions, thoughts, and feelings out in the open, no matter how uncomfortable they made her. Being scraped raw meant she would have an easier time healing.

Or, at least Sarada thought so. She wasn't a psychiatrist, obviously; nor did she have any experience with dying, or even coming close to it. But, I know who does. I'll ask Eva to help her. She knows more than any of us except Jack what it's like to come back to life.

That was a plan. A good one even. Whether Parsley went along with it was a different story. Saiyans were notorious for keeping all of that shit bottled up inside, which was not what she needed.

They landed on the Lookout. "You guys go take a bath and wash up. I'll see about getting you something to eat." As they ran off, Sarada just barely caught a glimpse of her sister quickly walking around to the other side of the Plaza, away from the others. She sighed and moved to follow her.

[Cyke]

Meanwhile, Zaofan lands on the Lookout, bringing a big cloth bag draped over his shoulder. He enters the kitchen and releases the contents of the bag: various sources of protein (meats, sausages, hunks of barbecue and things with bones on them, even tofu and vegetable proteins), abundant fruits, tasty cheeses, sweet chocolates, bottles of wine and soft drinks, and more. "Anyone here? I got some goodies! One of grocers down in Capital City insisted on giving us treats!"

He looks around the kitchen, satisfied at being back once again, and he makes his way to the location of the Lookout with the most ki signatures gathered together. Hopefully Kai, Nunlil, or another telepath would be one of them.

[Cyke]

The scene before them, they could be forgiven for not noticing Etrinas body appear on the grass behind them....at least until a not to subtle cough grabbed their attention.

Chrona, her clothes more in line with the future version, sat next to the body. She gave them a smile....and seemed to take a moment to think before pointing to Zaofan. "....Got your girlfriends soul still right? Well....everything is set over here.....you just need to rest that crystal on her and then enchantments will do the rest." The time familiar got up, then chuckled. "Oh....and you'll need to give her a kiss, sleeping beauty rule."

Crouched on the ground, with Etrina's body on top of his bent lap, Zaofan holds her upper body up. "This is madness! Impossible madness! But madness is simply things that aren't explained yet..." he trails off. He gently lowers her body flat to the ground, and then he reaches into his pocket, taking out the soul crystal. He places it on her body as instructed, and then cautiously bends over. "C'mon, Mistress..." he whispers into her lips before taking them in warmly, a gentle press of intimacy.

The familiar waited quietly until the oni had provided her what she needed....the now blueish purple magicite stone, glowing with a faint aura of temporal magic.

"So....How was it? Helped you out when it came to sniffing out Fates machinations right? Of course....she was happy to help too...." Chrona held up the stone and gave it a once over in her hands, seemingly checking its shape and stability. "....Excellent...the heart is stabilized. Soo....I guess an explanation is in order now.....I'll try and make this simple for the less temporally minded..."

Chrona took a deep beath, collecting her thoughts.

"Well....Right after I put the cook into the spire, my future self broke a piece off the magicite spire and passed it too my younger self...who then delivered it to the past where a certain mage could find it, use it to engineer a homunculus and eventually lead to it being assimilated into Erosa as a magicite heart. That attunment is what allowed the little scamp to bypass the field around the spire room so easily." The familiar took another breath, then pointed to Asha'rah. "Then my younger self came back to the present..and played her part with you in keeping Fate distracted until Erosa could blow the spire. Then she got you and the others out....and as a moment around a minute back she us busy gathering up the shards from Erosas broken magicite heart......by the way, it took 2 years to find them all in that mess........your welcome."

Chrona cupped her hands together. "Magicite is a memory crystal....It recorded pretty much everything that made Erosa what she while integrated with her. Once my past self had all the fragments, she just needed to fuse them. So she....by this point I should be saying "I"....I brought the reformed crystal back in time, and waited in a spot I knew our fair lady Ishtar would be passing by......and then the rest....as they say.....is history."

Chrona let the magicite rest in Ishtars hand. "That nagging feeling it would give you whenever fate was doing something nearby? That wasn't some built in function....that was your friend telling you when something was up. Shes been inside you the entire time while the crystal was repairing itself using magic absorbed by you. It'll still be a couple on months before she can take her form again....but once she does, the magicite will be able to sustain her body all by itself. She'll be....an entirely free formed entity.

Chrona took a step back, let out a sigh and fell back onto the grass as if she just dropped the worlds largest load. "...Oh gods I need a nap...."

While Chrona discusses Erosa, Zaofan is too distraught over Etrina to fully react, though he makes sure to keep an ear out on the exchange. His proverbial little sister Erosa is gone as he understands it. His heart heavier than any star's gravity, his ineffectualism in the face of grave danger, his limitations despite his great strength -- the weight of the universe is upon him as he crouches with the love of his life on his lap. And so, he must crack.

"...'a nap?' You need 'a nap?' How are you cracking jokes a time like this?" His head and eyes are still on Etrina. He does not move his head to address Chrona. He is simply there.

There was a moment of tension, before Chrona was released with a clang as the Hakai-filled orbs dropped to the floor. Despite her words, the former Goddess could not follow through on her promise; unshackled as she was by an inability to speak falsely one's intent.

In many ways it was a relief.

The words that bubbled up from Asha'rah's core however, were of a different sort; and while Ishtar could not deny the woman was not wrong ... she misunderstood in a small way, what had been meant. The golden-eyed Oni sighed, before dropping her arm to her side.

"Empathy ?"

The Oni glanced down at the prostrate goddess.

"I know better than anyone present, how you feel in this moment, Asha'rah. All the pain, and helplessness filling you ... now that the light, your light is gone from the world." Ishtar offered, softly, eyes settling on the blood that pooled around the now 'mortal' former goddess. A thing so similar to the blood that had pooled around her own legs, as she held Sekhmet's corpse.

"And it is because I know, and understand this ... that I did not bother with platitudes." The Oni stepped forward and placed an arm on Asha'rah's shoulder. Ishtar glanced at Zaofan, then, the boy himself barely unable to string two words together in the moment; and let slip a soft sigh.

"Erosa strove to save us all, in the end. I spoke as I did to make sure she did not fail in that."

Zaofan holds Etrina even tighter with Ishtar's words. Stuttering at first, he manages to chime in. "Th-th-that she did. Erosa did what she does best. And much to my shame, I couldn't save her."

He flashes back to their first real battle together, perhaps not coincidentally his disastrous first encounter with Parsic as well on Turtle Island. Completely unsuited and outmatched by the entity, Zaofan would be at Parsic's mercy, and indeed would most likely be dead by the hands of eldritch darkness had it not been for the timely intervention of of Erosa. Teaming up together allowed them to beat her back, and since then an unbreakable bond had been forged, a bond born of battle but firm in its love and affection of each other. And since that battle, Zaofan made sure to feed Erosa only the best, to break bread with her, to laugh with her, to share with her, to sing and fight with her, to serve and look after Etrina for her.

"For all my hesitations, for all my insecurities, for all my shortcomings, Erosa would just power through. No qualms, no quarter given. Direct, unwaveringly, with focus. In many ways, she was my better."

Hearing his own reflections of Erosa only makes Zaofan hold Etrina that much tighter. There would not be two losses in one day.

“To eschew empty words is but a part of what I love about you Ishtar. Perhaps you might open with those feelings you voiced next time. Someone in the throes of despair and rage will not care for promises of death. Some may even welcome them.”

The truth of the universe was vast and epic. Mere words, however true, could but hope to express a tiny fraction of that truth. Right now, the truth that dominated Asha’rah’s consciousness above all else was this: Erosa was dead. However true, it was through this lens that her world view was filtered, through this lens that she tried even now to conduct herself as a god should. Because a part of her wanted to vent her rage and grief upon everything around her, damn the consequences, just as a young, innocent Ishtar had all those millennia ago.

Whether Erosa really cared at all for whether Chrona lived or died, well, that was a truth Asha’rah would let lie.

And then came Chrona’s debriefing. To her credit, she had taken the necessary effort to gather the pieces of Erosa’s magicite crystal, reduced almost to sand in her sacrifice. Yet the thought of Erosa being nothing more than memories stored in a crystal…struck a note of caution in Asha’rah. Was the crystal Erosa’s true body, pieced back together? Or were memories all Erosa were?

Asha’rah had much to think about. She reached out to stroke the prone Chrona’s head.

“Thank you for taking the time to gather Erosa’s pieces. I know it could not have been easy.”

She withdrew her hand before continuing, willing to give the aspect the courtesy of enough space before giving her due warning.

“That said, I would advise not trying that again on me. Next time, I will follow my own path. If you stand upon it trying to deflect me to some pre-imagined destiny, I will walk through you on principal.”

His back still turned to the group, his hold still gently rocking Etrina, Zaofan only now slightly tilts his head towards them. "Asha'rah, I cannot begin to say that I am anywhere near close to understanding even a minute fraction of this universe. But I must hold out hope that there is a way to bring back Erosa. She deserves to be with us. And Asha'rah, Ishtar, I ask of you -- if you find a way to do it, then please. Please allow me to help you. It would be the least I can do for her."

[bruceleegreyhulk]

Althena finally steps out of her room and looks at Praxat saying " so what is it that you want me for ?" Praxat replies to this saying " I need you to use your clairvoyance to look into the memories of a Namekian ." " he was one of the beings who invade this planet." Althena replies to this saying " I see than take me to him."

Praxat then shows up where Dash, Charco, , Cyanna and Parsley are . next to Praxat is a massive platinum color Toadian with gold spots and silver eyes standing 7'6" and weigh what has to be 325 pounds of mostly muscle. the Toadian is wearing royal outfit that looks rather primitive that shows off her muscular physique. Praxat then says " this Toadian next to me is ancient Toadian name Althena and he's a ancestor of Qaztoh. "

" she had been frozen for 2,000 years but a GP office found her on a dead planet bought her to earth where she was thawed out at Capsule Corp. " "she is my home world's actual current Guardian and she is here on this planet for Guardian training." " anyways I have ask her to use her power of Clairvoyance to look into the Namekian's memories." Althena speaks and out comes a sweet sounding yet croaky voice one that is surprisingly high pitch for someone of her stature as she says " I can also heal people."

Praxat chips in saying " Althena can use her Clairvoyance to figure out why the invasion happen. "

in case this was missed

[grampagen]

"I was exiled," stated Nevanlinna. "To elaborate, I was exiled due to the machinations of one of my brothers, a man whose faith in Auroc, like most of the nobility, verged well into fanaticism. My mother regrets doing so, but... ultimately, I believe she did it for my own safety, as one such as I, lacking in faith as I was and am, would have been in great danger had I stayed on my homeworld."

She paused to readjusted the output of her healing. "There is a... cold war raging on my homeworld, with Auroc's fanatics on one side, and my Mother and her allies on the other. Sir Luop's loyalty is to my mother, of course, and he was given orders to protect me, should he encounter me. I... believe that his invasion was a ruse meant to test your worth as allies to my mother."

"As for why I chose this planet to reside on during my exile... it has a pleasant, varied climate, good food, and the people are... tolerable," she said. "And, in truth... I had nowhere else to go where I knew anyone in more than passing."

So that was why she had returned. No longer was it a lark of curiosity, but there simply was nowhere else to turn while Auroc was watching.

"How dull it must be to be discarded with the chaff," Ochazuke replied. "To know the faithful who pray without reason are the first to catch the view of that Eye and his loving gaze."

Still, when Nevanlinna spoke to the Threshling designs for this planet, its people, and this group in particular, Ochazuke listened intently. Despite their repeated transgressions to the wider universe from which they sequestered themselves from in seeming mockery, it appeared they only continued to turn their gaze inward.

Reaching out must be inconceivable. How vexing, the Queen's humour sways as swiftly as her daughter's.

"So a faithless copper herald alloys with platinum Royals. If that is the grand design of your homeworld, I suggest you ought to be less wary of how tolerable your company is and how long yours will be tolerated," he said.

When subterfuge becomes the means, secrecy becomes an addiction. Feeling for the sharpness of concealed daggers within offered arms may have calloused and so blunted their sense.

"As far as the isolation of your people has preserved their integrity and kept them pure, perhaps they have forgotten there are other ways of gaining allies than feigning war upon them."

"It wouldn't surprise me at all if he were bloody omnipotent," Blizzar responded with a bitter chuckle. "He knew secrets, names, relationships, and intents of people he's barely met or spoken too. He's more than an enemy to your planet, he's an infection. One that will quickly spread it's influence throughout the universe if not cured.


"Ah, yes, I'd nearly forgotten," Blizzar sighed tiredly. "The supposed mastermind behind this invasion. He said something to her of confronting her in multiple timelines? Or something to that effect. Honestly, the evils that plague your planet have escalated to something far far beyond my meager paygrade," the Arcosian pinched the bridge of his nose. "Far too much is happening far too fast. I'd lobby for an impromptu meeting of sorts...once the rest of your compatriots arrive."

Hearing Blizzar's report, Ochazuke folded his arms before his chest, and lowered his head in contemplation.

"Clearly this is beyond the veneer of diplomatic sophism," he mused, "Perhaps an acquired skill. Of those gathered, what was the factor in common, if any?"

The GP lieutenant called this man an infection, and voiced a fear that his influence could spread.

We removed all other factions in exchange for a wish. It falls to us then.

"More than twenty years unopposed, yet only recently has he made moves to go beyond this planet into the wider universe," he said. "Why? He was not lacking for vision before, only the means to seize it."

He lift his gaze towards the Arcosian's pronged mask. His one good eye widened for a moment, then returned to a softer contemplation.

"Agreed. We will have to piece together what information we have."

Kai moves up.

“She’s occupied for a bit. I can handle the Namekian.”

The Ronin's arrival broke the tension for the moment. While he would have preferred the Acting Guardian's specific insights and skills, under the duress they could not afford to wait.

"Acupressure strikes, to the heart and through the throat to the cervical spine," Ochazuke relayed. "Chuan and Nevanlinna have stabilized him for now, but we need him alive and talking."

He looked to Kai, a steadfast light burning in his eyes. "There are numerous threats converging on the Earth, and we have no idea what they want. This one might be our only link at uncovering this mysterious party."

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

in case this was missed

Kai responds after a minute.

“I just stabilized the Namekian. Both of our captives will survive, but let’s let them wake up and see what they are willing to tell us before we rely on your Clairvoyance. We will give them the chance to tell the truth.”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

After a few laments, both the Fire Elelmental and the Namekian awaken.

The fire elemental says nothing, just looking around, but the Namekian curses and groans.

“He tried to kil me, didn’t he?”

[Tami]

After a few laments, both the Fire Elelmental and the Namekian awaken.

The fire elemental says nothing, just looking around, but the Namekian curses and groans.

“He tried to kil me, didn’t he?”

Dash kneeled down next to her, "Who tried to kill you?"

[grampagen]

After a few laments, both the Fire Elelmental and the Namekian awaken.

The fire elemental says nothing, just looking around, but the Namekian curses and groans.

“He tried to kil me, didn’t he?”

When the two defeated generals awoke, immediately Ochazuke spread the vector of his sense-awareness about the inner sanctum. Knowing that this hidden adversary could strike at any time - and beyond conventional space - he kept his senses alert to ascertain any aberrations.

He moved closer to cover an angle around the Namekian, poised to intercept any other shots that would come.

"He did," he said. "Whoever he may be."

With a subtle crackle, his ki mingled with the ambient energies around the two, kneading to ascertain the hidden truth of these deposed enemies while staying alert to anything that might emerge around them.

"Firstly, I would like to know two things," he said. "Who are you, and what was the purpose of your invasion?"

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

“She can’t talk. Her kind don’t do verbalization. At least....not that I ever heard.”

She shakes her head, holding her shackled wrists up long enough to tap her head.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought. Psychic only.”

The Namekian cracks his neck before continuing.

“My name is Pike. This lovely elemental is Pyrus. The purpose was because the Doctor mad elronises and then told us to atta k. So we did. I was promised a way home and magical secrets. I don’t know what Pyrus was promised beyond a way home as well.”

[Sub-Zero MKA]

After a few laments, both the Fire Elelmental and the Namekian awaken.

The fire elemental says nothing, just looking around, but the Namekian curses and groans.

“He tried to kil me, didn’t he?”

“She can’t talk. Her kind don’t do verbalization. At least....not that I ever heard.”

She shakes her head, holding her shackled wrists up long enough to tap her head.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought. Psychic only.”

The Namekian cracks his neck before continuing.

“My name is Pike. This lovely elemental is Pyrus. The purpose was because the Doctor mad elronises and then told us to atta k. So we did. I was promised a way home and magical secrets. I don’t know what Pyrus was promised beyond a way home as well.”

Sarada heard the two invasion generals stir and awaken, with the Namekian speaking first. "Shit." She wanted to check on Parsley, but... this was more important. In all likelihood, she wouldn't get much except for a half-hearted 'I'm fine' and silence.

Turning on her heels, she returned to where the Namekian was and folded her arms.

Promises. She already knew that from what he told them before he was nearly killed. A way home for the Namekian, plus magical secrets. Presumably a way home for the fire elemental, also. The Saiyans, she knew, were promised loot and a good fight. Frankly, that'd be all it took for her kind.

She tilted her head. "Your master mentioned to one of ours that he has plans for an inventor. When does he plan on making a move on him?"