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

[MrSandman]

Having safely removed themselves from Grinthorns presence, Cthylla led Ishtar to a quiet corner far away from prying eyes and ears...at least as far as a incredibly perceptive voidling could gather.

"...That human, Grinthorn, I suggest you monitor his actions for the foreseeable future. How he was given a position of power eludes me, his guise as a human is paper thin at best....but her true form eludes me." Cthylla seemed to ponder, then turned her attention fully to Ishtar.

"You mentioned that you consumed something of Parsics.....a void fragment? I commend you on surviving an encounter with the enemy but your recklessness is astounding....As your wellbeing is important per our bond, I request you forego any further attempts at self termination." Cthylla stepped up to Ishtar and looked her up and down, focusing on her eyes for a moment.

"......Perhaps an equilibrium of some sort has been achieved within your body....Since you haven't detonated and reduced 76% of this planet to void. Have you experienced anything since ingesting this fragment?"

[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."

As she was about to step away, Meagan paused, "Do you need me to help you with anything before I go?"

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

Having safely removed themselves from Grinthorns presence, Cthylla led Ishtar to a quiet corner far away from prying eyes and ears...at least as far as a incredibly perceptive voidling could gather.

"...That human, Grinthorn, I suggest you monitor his actions for the foreseeable future. How he was given a position of power eludes me, his guise as a human is paper thin at best....but her true form eludes me." Cthylla seemed to ponder, then turned her attention fully to Ishtar.

"You mentioned that you consumed something of Parsics.....a void fragment? I commend you on surviving an encounter with the enemy but your recklessness is astounding....As your wellbeing is important per our bond, I request you forego any further attempts at self termination." Cthylla stepped up to Ishtar and looked her up and down, focusing on her eyes for a moment.

"......Perhaps an equilibrium of some sort has been achieved within your body....Since you haven't detonated and reduced 76% of this planet to void. Have you experienced anything since ingesting this fragment?"

Ishtar chuckled.

"So you noticed it too, then ? That Grinthorn is far less human than he would have everyone assume ... what he is though ... hm. Perhaps something to be discovered, later." The topic they'd separated themselves from the others to discuss came up not soon after, then, and with a slow nod the Oni replied.

"Curiosity is ... innate, for Oni. It is not the first time I have consumed something with unexpected side effects. Though I am immune to most things that might alter my chosen state of being." The golden-eyed Oni shrugged then, and when Parsic asked what she'd experienced injecting it, she nodded slow. "When it first released itself there was a ... voice. It did not tarry long. Spoke words in a tongue I have never heard, yet understood plainly. I manifested briefly, a small ember of energy afterwards."

The Oni stopped to think a moment, before nodding.

"Since then, I have found myself capable of drawing upon more of what I assume is Void Energy." The Oni paused long enough to hold up her arm and coat it in the energy before allowing it to dissipate.

"I have become quite good at it. Thanks in no small part to the whispering."

[grampagen]

Pike grunts.

“Namek ain’t right. Different somehow. No one knew me there. The Doctor said he knew how to make sure I got back home, his words.”

“Not teach me. He said this planet HAD magic secrets. That on top of going home was motivation enough to play nursemaid to the Saiyans.”

Pike shrugs.

“No idea. I was lost, found Namek and it was weird. The Doctor found me and promised to make it right. “

"I see," Ochazuke said. "Then humour me. Tell me of the Namek you are familiar with."

Far be it for him to speak on the matter any more than half-heartedly, but just a glance at Pike, his form was familiar yet stranger to the few he'd known. But the shape of galactic politics might yet affirm a budding suspiscion in his mind.

"A commander of Saiyans. How unusual," he said. "Especially with the recent exposure of the Slave Trade, I'd be more inclined to believe it would be the other way around."

[Lord Falcon]

Asha'rah settled upon the lookout. Strange though President Grinthorn appeared, the political machinations of local leaders were generally not for the gods to interfere with. Self-determinism through selecting their own forms of government was a crucial step for each species to take, for good or ill. Just as she found it...unadvisable for the Saiyans to choose their monarch through gladiatorial combat, so too did she find Grinthorn a strange choice for elected office. But the humans of Earth had a far greater stake in their leadership than Asha'rah ever would. If they cared not to remove Grinthorn, Asha'rah wasn't going to do it for them without further cause.

With the immediate threat to Earth over, she had time to attend to personal business. She made her way to Etrina's room and knocked.

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

After her ... interesting conversation with the young Voidling, Cthylla; Ishtar unfurled her wings -- unable to teleport now in the aftermath of the Doctor's 'Invasion' -- and after a moment to stretch, took flight; making her way slowly but surely to the Lookout.

As she traveled, the Oni took time to consider the events of the past few hours ... starting with her reason for returning to Earth in the first place:

To wish on the Dragonballs.

In the end, it'd been managed without too much pomp, and circumstance, even as out of sorts as she had been ... and with Parsley's return, there could be no doubt that the millions slaughtered by the Tuffles barely one year prior had been reversed. Though with the second wish having been to return them to Vocado ... Ishtar couldn't help but wonder briefly just what kind of chaos had been caused; millions of Saiyans returning to life in the middle of Vocado's streets as those who had spent days, and weeks, and months grieving bore witness. Though after a moment the curiosity faded with a thought.

It is a thing to be learned in time.

There were after all, more pressing matters.

Moving on from there, the fight with Luop replayed briefly behind Ishtar's golden eyes ... and as she remembered the actions taken by herself, and others, along with the pain that had been meted out and received ... she separated those segments of the fight where the error had been hers -- such as being caught off guard by a headbutt, a thing she herself was so fond of ... or how she had found herself nearly bisected -- so that she might improve upon them. Though more important by far, than her actions, was the state of her mind at the onset of the fight. Grief. Pain. Anger ... they had been the emotions of the day as Ishtar basked in her failure and the silent suffering of her dying love; and while such had not driven her to the brink of madness as it had once before, it had certainly had an impact on how she approached the confrontation with the now allied Bronze Knight ...and in the end it was some small mercy, that Sarada had arrived hale and whole. Though how that came to be ... was a thing she had yet to know, and truly; that was fine.

For in the end what the Oni had feared, dreaded even, had not come to pass.

Punching through a small drift of clouds, the Oni moved on from Luop then, and focused in on the Invasion that had appeared without warning.

And much like with that fight between warriors, the Oni focused in on the aspects where her improvement was required ... and while her mental state was not so much an issue at this point -- given that Sarada had been beside her then, healthy and hungry for blood -- nor were there many mistakes to assess ... the realization that she had thoroughly enjoyed dismantling the autonomous ships in the black of space and had enjoyed the rush of adrenaline that had resulted from the surprise attack that had been Beeteoric Annihilation, the Oni could not stare blankly ahead a moment before short chuckle escaped.

Heh ... Sarada has been influencing me more than I might have expected.

Finally however, Ishtar found herself considering both her conversation with the entity known as 'The Doctor' ... and the conversation with the entity known as 'Grinthorn' not soon after; and at the end of the day ... not much was known about either. Based on what was known however, the golden-eyed Oni couldn't help but feel that the gas-mask wearing individual was by far the more dangerous of the two, however ... given that he had orchestrated what had amounted to a 'distraction' as he worked toward some little understood goal that involved Zurvan, and Jinzi Pantaloon. To say nothing of how Ishtar, and this Doctor were acquainted. And yet, while the Doctor flitted about in the shadows of some far off -- and well hidden -- machine room, there stood out in the open an entity that was perhaps, more unsettling.

That smile ...

In the end, Cthylla had confirmed what Ishtar herself had figured quite swiftly: Grinthorn, the Leader of Earth was not human.

His mannerisms had been to swift, his knowledge of things he could not know far too expansive ... and that smile that spread to wide, and exposed teeth far too white ... the man was a predator in the guise of sheep; and more troubling still, was that no one knew just what his aim was. For the moment however, and due to Sarada's agreeing to form a relationship between the Saiyan Empire, and Grinthorn's own, not much could be done beyond watching them 'man'. A thing that would need to be discussed -- as well as the relationship that had been formed between the Galaxy Police, and Grinthorn --with Sarada at a later date. Though the Oni could not help but wonder briefly ... if it would be prudent to kill him. A thing perhaps, to ask Mr. Pantaloons.

With the Lookout appearing in her field of view however, the time for considerations came swiftly to a close ... and with a sound of beating wings, Ishtar touched down on the Lookout's surface.

And upon touching down she found the others already engaged in more question of the Namekian, and ... from the looks of it a Fire Elemental of a kind the Oni had never seen before. Her curiosity was certainly piqued by the latter; and yet as she was now, tired and content to let the others handle the questioning for the moment ... Ishtar found herself drifting away from the others so that she might take some time to simply relax from a day that had been full of uncommon emotions and even stranger events. Though as she wandered the floor of the Lookout's Plaza, she noticed something curious.

Parsley was alone.

That was fine. She didn't deserve anyone else. She didn't even deserve to be alive. She wished Sarada had overlooked her when she made that wish. Let Parsley spend the rest of existence in Purgatory, slowly going insane from boredom. She deserved worse, but she was just good enough to avoid her true fate.

Her cheeks grew wet with tears of self-hatred and the bitter realization that she had been given a second chance she didn't deserve. Over 300M lives were taken by her hand. Hers didn't begin to cover that, but it her death was worth more than anything she could accomplish alive.

"Why am I alive?"

Parsley was alone ... and perhaps not unexpectedly, she seemed melancholic.

"Hm."

Following through on what Sarada had pulled back from some moments before, the golden-eyed Oni was quick to approach the despondent woman ... catching the tail end of a softly muttered sentence that caused her eyebrow to raise in curiosity.

" ... m I alive ?"

How curious. Was she wondering why she was among the living ?

Clearing her throat to announce her presence then, Ishtar waited patiently for Parsley to acknowledge her before lifting her hand in greeting. An awkward moment passing between them before the Oni eschewed the pleasantries. "Hello, Parsley. I noticed you were alone and ... do not look as well as you should, given the fight that just took place." Another moment passed, awkwardly, before the golden-eyed Oni asked then.

"Is something wrong ?"

It was, of course ... that much was clear. A Saiyan after a good fight was hardly ever so downtrodden ... and yet as much as the Oni wished to ask outright, she understood well enough how hard it was for a Saiyan to engage in discussing their feelings. So it seemed only proper to allow Parsley a moment to say what was troubling her, in her own words.

[bruceleegreyhulk]

"An you believed him?" Dash looked at him with disbelief, "Ah may not be as worldly as some, but even I know a thief is more likely to find something lost if he's the one who stole it in the first place."

Cyanna then chimed in, "A huh, that's right. I've stolen many things, watched others run around thinking they lost it, not realizing I took it from them. No way were you lost, that Doctor stole you like a wallet from a pants pocket."

Praxat chips in talking to the Namekian saying " wait so this guy was just call himself the Doctor he didn't give you a name ? " didn't you find that a little bit suspicious?" Praxat then whispers to Dash saying " this doesn't have what where doing right now and and don't tell anyone else this." " the reason for the modern Toadian naming system is well we kind of ran out of names to use."

" don't tell anyone that." " and please don't call me by my full name Praxat Five Hundred and Ninety Third Luue." Althena also chips in saying " This Doctor sound highly suspicious ."

[MrSandman]

Ishtar chuckled.

"So you noticed it too, then ? That Grinthorn is far less human than he would have everyone assume ... what he is though ... hm. Perhaps something to be discovered, later." The topic they'd separated themselves from the others to discuss came up not soon after, then, and with a slow nod the Oni replied.

"Curiosity is ... innate, for Oni. It is not the first time I have consumed something with unexpected side effects. Though I am immune to most things that might alter my chosen state of being." The golden-eyed Oni shrugged then, and when Parsic asked what she'd experienced injecting it, she nodded slow. "When it first released itself there was a ... voice. It did not tarry long. Spoke words in a tongue I have never heard, yet understood plainly. I manifested briefly, a small ember of energy afterwards."

The Oni stopped to think a moment, before nodding.

"Since then, I have found myself capable of drawing upon more of what I assume is Void Energy." The Oni paused long enough to hold up her arm and coat it in the energy before allowing it to dissipate.

"I have become quite good at it. Thanks in no small part to the whispering."

"...........I have reevaluated my previous statement. You are reckless AND gullible." Cthylla stated with not an ounce of hesitation. "I had assumed your judgement of my cause had been made after careful consideration....but now I've come to realize that you simply like to take risk. Know this, bond Ishtar, nothing is given freely and nothing is taken without cost. Keep making pacts with outsiders and you'll find you've no nearly enough soul to satisfy them."

Cthylla broke her neutral expression for a smile. ".......of course I am the exception. You may trust my judgement."

"Now then.....what is done, cannot be undone. Let us see...." Cthylla reached up and cupped the onis cheers in her hands and pulled her face forward as if she was preparing for a kiss.....only to stop short to stare into her eyes. ".....Golden eyes........Eyes are the vortex to the soul. Yes....I can see the fragment here. It has a tie to the void....the whispering you hear is the voice a void being....which one I cannot discern."

Cthylla released her face. "This could present a key in the same way as your pact with the threshing lesser god....hear its whispers but keep wary. Remember...The being on the other end offering power is not your friend."

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Sarada frowned thoughtfully. That wasn't the first time he said Namek was weird. Slak didn't speak much, but she didn't recall him saying that anything was wrong on his homeworld. Unless something changed in the last year. "How long ago did you find Namek? We know a Namekian and haven't heard that anything was wrong there."

“Two years ago or so.”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

"Can you expound a bit on exactly how Namek was...different?" Blizzar asked, curious as to what exactly plagued Namek. He was glad the sorceror brought it up, as he'd nearly forgotten about it. Yet another confounding mystery to go into his report of today's events. "No one knew you? You mean to say none of your family or friends recognized you? How did they treat you?"



The Arcosian gave a heavy sigh. The Doctor wasn't wrong in this regard. If he was from Earth he'd certainly know. Perhaps the mages here among the M-Fighters operate in the same circles this Doctor once had. It was worth investigating. "Did the Doctor ever give much detail on what secrets he promised you would find?"

“Color is wrong. Namek isn’t just an endless green and blue. There are reds, oranges, and not three suns! There are only two, and no my family wasn’t even there. Not my wife, or sons, not anything. He’ll, I didn’t even see any female Namekians while I was there.”

“No, just great Magic’s. Wish granting, prolonged life, elemental enhancements, etc.....”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

"An you believed him?" Dash looked at him with disbelief, "Ah may not be as worldly as some, but even I know a thief is more likely to find something lost if he's the one who stole it in the first place."

Cyanna then chimed in, "A huh, that's right. I've stolen many things, watched others run around thinking they lost it, not realizing I took it from them. No way were you lost, that Doctor stole you like a wallet from a pants pocket."

“Everyone thought I was crazy. The Doctor was the only one who actually said he could help, what was I supposed to do?”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

As she was about to step away, Meagan paused, "Do you need me to help you with anything before I go?"

He smiles warmly.

“No, just stay safe. I’m going to be working on this barrier pretty much night and day.”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

"I see," Ochazuke said. "Then humour me. Tell me of the Namek you are familiar with."

Far be it for him to speak on the matter any more than half-heartedly, but just a glance at Pike, his form was familiar yet stranger to the few he'd known. But the shape of galactic politics might yet affirm a budding suspiscion in his mind.

"A commander of Saiyans. How unusual," he said. "Especially with the recent exposure of the Slave Trade, I'd be more inclined to believe it would be the other way around."

“Namek has two suns, not three. There are more colors then just green and blue, and for magic’s sake, there are female namekians. As to your saiyans, why? The Saiyans are all but gone. Hell, I was surprised to see the Doctor with so many, much less a few on Earth. I thought the species was damn near extinct.”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Pike shakes his head at Praxat’s question.

“No name, just the Doctor.”

[Tami]

He smiles warmly.

“No, just stay safe. I’m going to be working on this barrier pretty much night and day.”

With a nod, Meagan took another step, then turned and quickly moved back, giving him a warm kiss. Pulling back, "You stay safe too. I love you, Jinzi."