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

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Circumstances notwithstanding, Ishtar always felt a certain pleasure when Ahûm-Jaidhi connected.

It was after all, the fruits of many centuries worth of study applied toward the purpose of bridging the gap between physical might, and Magic. Beyond the pride of her accomplishment however, there was an almost primal satisfaction in the way the blow rattled her jaw. Though basking in the moment could wait. Simulated or not, her head was throbbing from the blows she'd sustained earlier, Ahûm-Jaidhi connecting had bought her a few moments. and she needed that time to think of a way to survive this encounter. Though as she considered this -- obscured by the debris that had been kicked up as side-effect of the blow -- a steady presence reminded her that there was really not much she could do.

... and when Glacier appeared and said something she didn't quite catch, before blurring out of focus; Ishtar could only swear as the Arcosian's fist connected with the back of her head.

"Damn."

Of course that hardly softened the impact.

Stunned, and brought to her knees from the hit, there was little then she could do but sputter weakly, as Glacier wrapped his hand around her throat and began squeezing ... a thing itself that managed little -- given Ishtar's ability to go without oxygen for twenty-four hours, comfortably -- but certainly helped frame the situation in a way that was understandable. And despite the threat, Ishtar found herself somewhat amused. Especially when she felt, finally, Parsley's presence at her back; the Saiyan Princess having recovered enough to enter the fray. "You will tire out ... long before you choke me to de- kaff." Again her words fell short, this time the result of Glacier coming dangerously close to crushing her windpipe, and more importantly her spine. "Her name is Parsle-" Though it seemed the Arcosian was easily distracted; opting to comment on Parsley before tossing the Oni unceremoniously toward the inbound Parsley.

Taking advantage of this, Ishtar allowed herself to be hurled past Parsley; opting to strike the ground some distance away and skid to a stop.

Better than being ... punched ... again, the glowing-horn Oni considered silently before slow -- and oh so painfully staggering to her feet -- and turning her eyes, and senses back toward Parsley. After all, it was pretty clear for everyone, the girl was trying for something. Though what that was, was ...

"... something."

In any event, after a short moment of struggling, Ishtar realized -- somewhat fuzzily -- that thanks to Glacier's antics, she'd been successfully flung from immediate combat. Realizing too, that there was likely to be a chance now to attempt something she was otherwise unable to; the Oni took advantage of this by means of the favorable option. So after a moment to target Glacier, the Oni set about to weaving more magic to pin the arrogant Arcosian in place ... hopefully.

"Starapateñti, Paņca."

The same technique that had pinned the then much more powerful Battersea, amplified as it was now beyond Ishtar's current strength, there was a chance -- and more importantly a hope -- that it might stymie Glacier long enough to afford Parsley a larger opening.

OT: 3

The spell succeeded in pinning Glacier in place. He grunted and struggled against the unseen force, and managed to make some small, minuscule movement. For the time being, however, he was trapped.

Parsley sighed in relief. She knew she stood no chance in a fair fight, which was why she didn't plan on fighting fairly. Without wasting a second of the limited amount of time Ishtar afforded her, she dashed toward Glacier, hand outstretched.

"Don't touch me, you animal!" he snarled. He increased his efforts to break free.

Her bared her fangs, lips peeled back in an angered snarl as she touched his shoulders. Ki Nullification and Ki Inhibition did the rest. Such wonderful techniques taught to her by her love, Avoca, that had come through time and time again.

"Garrgh!" he grunted. She smirked. His power was dropping and there was nothing he could do. No only would he be easier to fight, but with his power dropping, it would be easier for Ishtar to hold him still.

"Look at you. Weakened by a monkey," she sneered. Every few seconds, he power dropped sharply. Even if he broke free before she could finish him, there was no way he was going to survive any kind of extended conflict with Vocado. And if the power surge some distance away was any indication, the Saiyan savior had finally come through and was powering up as she spoke. "This is your twilight."

"Me? Killed by an animal? I think not!" Glacier roared in a vain attempt to power free. Nothing happened but him looking incredibly stupid. "What? No!" There was a crack of thunder in the distance, followed very quickly by the tremendous power of a Super Saiyan homing in quickly. It wouldn't be long before Vocado arrived to finish things off. After Parsley had done all the work, mind. Typical. "NO!"

"Hehe." Her mouth was tuned to say more, but the environment shifted once again. Glacier faded away, then exploded past her from behind to meet the incoming Vocado. "Wha-?" The scenario seemed to be resetting. Was their time up. "What's going on?" she asked Ishtar before everything went white.

...

...

...

...

Then, they found themselves in a more familiar environment.



The buildings looked different, but Parsley knew her home planet better than anything.

They were on Vocado, and given the architecture and lacked of civilized cities, it was around 500 years ago. "Oh. Joy." The midday sun shined brightly overhead as she floated over the largest ocean. Dozens of Saiyans flew by them toward what used to be the amphitheater where they met for planet-wide functions. In modern times, it had been turned into a sports arena - one of five.

It didn't seem that anyone noticed them, despite flying right by them.

"...I wonder what His Highness has to say," a man said to his companion.

"Who knows? Hope it's something to do with what happened to Lord Ceriac. The old coot just up and vanished last week."

Oh. That was about to happen.

[bruceleegreyhulk]

" Well if it's my only option I guess I have no choice." The guy's name is the Black Sheep , and he is a seriously dangerous intergalactic Crime boss. I'm talking drug trafficking , illegal arms dealing , poaching of rare and endanger species , alien trafficking , illegal organ harvesting , multiple counts of genocide , Illegal unethical experiments , illegal organ harvesting , and multiple accounts of murder! He's freaking psychopath, he's cold hearted, calculating, and he always has this black mask on so no one can see his face," Turk said .

OOC: for Cleric in case this was missed.

[bruceleegreyhulk]

" that would be nice, and It's funny I'm not really apart of any Martial arts school since Master Khan left his school to develop his own marital arts style which he base off a frog, and I was pretty much his only student, oh I also think once we get back you may want to trade notes with Althena on Toadian combat style Mahtoesa Hetto no Hwe-Atkam," Praxat said.

OOC: for Cyke in case this was missed.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

OOC: for Cleric in case this was missed.

“Contacts, known location of bases, known allies, etc.....”

He tosses a data pad down to him.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

OT: To speed things along. As always you can Time post back to talk to Alt Asha’rah and Pyrus.


IC:

Alt Asha’rah waves as the group disappears and arrives back at the Lookout proper. The doors close, the artifact glows and it’s energy is absorbed into Zurvan, he now looks fine on the outside.

“Welcome back. Forgive me but it will take a few hours to get the next door ready.”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Seeking out Eva, Dash comes across the three of them, "Ah'm looking for Eva. Any of you happen to see her around?"

Jinzi gestures and Dash can see Eva walk up to them.

“Yes?”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Though the orb of creation floating toward Asha'rah seemed to dim all else around them, in that moment facing towards that fixed, shining point, Ochazuke was acutely aware of the shadows around them. For the first time, he saw a phantom of what the Creators did countless eons ago.

The spirit of a boundless potential; everything and more, beyond what seemed possible. Sequestering the Scroll of the Ten, with his free hand he shaded his eyes.

"The pursuit of such power has driven many on their course," he said, "the sacrifices made to acquire it lead to as much temperance as much the jealous urge to guard it for themselves."

Beyond strength, before power, the seed of it all was nestled there in the heart of inspiration. The spirit of an idea through diligence would germinate into hope, create meaning. Yet he had seen the burdensome truth of the matter before. That the hands that push you forward can just as easily weigh you down. He had left the North two years ago to find the strength to bear it and saw the many paths forged before him.

"With the means to depart from the consequences on a whim, there is no telling how much one would be willing to sacrifice if it is immaterial to the end."

At the end Zxu'ro had returned. Zaofan had marveled at how he had so flourished on this world, and part of Ochazuke had as well. Yet there was something else he had felt written in the ashen vapours boiling below them, scattered before they reached up to a crystal blue sky and the precipice of a restored universal order that had never been clearer.

Only unshackled to Earth had the Master of Masters found that higher purpose. If he lived beyond the legacy that guided him, what had kept him from saving their living humanity?

The shape of the paper he held in his right hand had the weight of something yet undiscovered. Without a past to inform it, a future no less fractured - and no less real - than the one that raced mercilessly toward them. Along a mortal span, they had choices to make and burdens to bear. Zxu'ro had made his freely.

One man alone among the cosmos; One root of Ten that bled into countless.

The Creator's mercy that bled to fuel the fire of this planet made it adamantly clear. Nothing came without sacrifice. How much was the Doctor willing to depart with to realize his vision? How much did their figment of Zxu'ro loose from himself there on his path to higher purpose?

"If one rises on the shoulders of other, he would be remiss to forget all that came before."

How ironic then, that he found himself so determined to find that course.

OOC: 4

She nods to his words and steps back.

[Tami]

Jinzi gestures and Dash can see Eva walk up to them.

“Yes?”

"We gotta talk about security." Dash goes over to her and begins speaking to Eva as soon as she is within range, "don'tca think this Lookout of yours stands out like a beacon? You ain't got anyway to hide it. Heck, this place is busier than Grand Central Station in Central City during rush hour. An from space, it's like shooting ducks in a barrel. Ah've spent time at Iris' Temple, and that place stayed hidden from those Nagadarr invaders for a decade or more. Maybe you thought havin' it float around was a good idea at the time, but now anyone with ki sense and a way to fly can find this place easy enough."

It was clear from her tone of voice and posture that Dash was dead serious about this, "There are ways to hide it, ways more better than what you've got goin' on here now. But it's up to you. If you don't, though, this place is gonna eventually be destroyed, along with everyone on it. It's only a matter of time."

[Sub-Zero MKA]

OT: To speed things along. As always you can Time post back to talk to Alt Asha’rah and Pyrus.


IC:

Alt Asha’rah waves as the group disappears and arrives back at the Lookout proper. The doors close, the artifact glows and it’s energy is absorbed into Zurvan, he now looks fine on the outside.

“Welcome back. Forgive me but it will take a few hours to get the next door ready.”

"Well, that was easier than I thought it'd be," Sarada remarked when they returned to the Lookout. "Oh, shit, right!" She broke into sprint and ran toward where she sensed Eva. "Eva! We know where that parasite planet is! You know, the one that killed Fife."

She pulled up the picture she took of the star map that Alt-Asha'rah showed them and showed it to her. "See? It's right here. We just need someone to map out the fastest route from here to there then we can go and kick some ass."

[bruceleegreyhulk]

“Contacts, known location of bases, known allies, etc.....”

He tosses a data pad down to him.

Turk looks at the data pad. " Okay The Black sheep has connections to several crime families ,and as for who he really is well not even I know that. Seriously I only see the guy with this mask on. as for their connection to the Replitas , well he's actually rather tick off that that the Replitas attempt a attack on Namek," Turk said.

[bruceleegreyhulk]

" You're good but being Master of Mahtoesa Hetto no Hwe-Atkam I have more than one stance , in fact Mahtoesa Hetto no Hwe-Atkam has a variety of stances all base off the wildlife of my home planet Qacriea, Now let's see how you counter this!" Althena said Rather than attempt the same move again Althena changes her stance on the fly to a counter stance on instinct as she let's her body and muscle memory do most of the work. So When Meagan throws a attack , Althena's body just snaps into action with minimal movement to preform a counter throw that is harder to evaded than her last move .

The counter stance that Althena uses is a stance that relies on quick reactions and timing to parry a opponent's attack with a counter move. It's specifically design to be use by a large body type that has a lot of physical strength , but slow striking speed . It's not like Althena is slow far from it as she's still faster as her striking speed would still be classified as being faster than a normal human's striking speed, but still slower than Meagan and Praxat 's striking speed . " I can continue using my prefer combat stance, or I could show you more Mahtoesa Hetto no Hwe-Atkam stances if you like Meagan," Althena Said.

The stance that Althena is using excels at defense but it has one major weakness . That weakness is that timing is very crucial part of the stance since it relies heavily on parrying. So Althena on instinct also has to make sure that her timing isn't off even by a little. since timing is very important to the stance Althena is using if a attack is too fast she won't be able to parry it.

now the counter throw that Althena attempts on Meagan is a Geese Howard type counter throw ( the one where Geese Howard says predictable ). To a novice a throw like this might seem to be might be hard to counter , but this throw can in fact be counter even reverse, and it doesn't required the person doing the reversal or counter to be physically stronger than their opponent.

OOC: You can let Althena get a hit in, Meagan can counter or reverse Althena's throw . Your choice Tami I'm cool with whatever choice you pick.

[Tami]

" You're good but being Master of Mahtoesa Hetto no Hwe-Atkam I have more than one stance , in fact Mahtoesa Hetto no Hwe-Atkam has a variety of stances all base off the wildlife of my home planet Qacriea, Now let's see how you counter this!" Althena said Rather than attempt the same move again Althena changes her stance on the fly to a counter stance on instinct as she let's her body and muscle memory do most of the work. So When Meagan throws a attack , Althena's body just snaps into action with minimal movement to preform a counter throw that is harder to evaded than her last move .

The counter stance that Althena uses is a stance that relies on quick reactions and timing to parry a opponent's attack with a counter move. It's specifically design to be use by a large body type that has a lot of physical strength , but slow striking speed . It's not like Althena is slow far from it as she's still faster as her striking speed would still be classified as being faster than a normal human's striking speed, but still slower than Meagan and Praxat 's striking speed . " I can continue using my prefer combat stance, or I could show you more Mahtoesa Hetto no Hwe-Atkam stances if you like Meagan," Althena Said.

The stance that Althena is using excels at defense but it has one major weakness . That weakness is that timing is very crucial part of the stance since it relies heavily on parrying. So Althena on instinct also has to make sure that her timing isn't off even by a little. since timing is very important to the stance Althena is using if a attack is too fast she won't be able to parry it.

now the counter throw that Althena attempts on Meagan is a Geese Howard type counter throw ( the one where Geese Howard says predictable ). To a novice a throw like this might seem to be might be hard to counter , but this throw can in fact be counter even reverse, and it doesn't required the person doing the reversal or counter to be physically stronger than their opponent.

Though attempting to parry the grab, Meagan still missed and found herself flying overhead. Using her ki, she floated above the plaza floor before letting herself down gently.

Once upright again, she nodded, "You have quite a catalog of techniques within Mahtoesa Hetto no Hwe-Atkam. I would welcome a chance to learn more about this style of Martial arts."

OT: To speed things along. As always you can Time post back to talk to Alt Asha’rah and Pyrus.


IC:

Alt Asha’rah waves as the group disappears and arrives back at the Lookout proper. The doors close, the artifact glows and it’s energy is absorbed into Zurvan, he now looks fine on the outside.

“Welcome back. Forgive me but it will take a few hours to get the next door ready.”

Before she could continue, Meagan sensed the return of the others, "Althena, forgive me but the others have returned. I would like to check on my sister and the others. Perhaps we can do this again another time soon."

[Lord Falcon]

Alt Asha’rah smiles a touch sadly.

“Perhaps I also didn’t want to see another path at the time, Ochazuke. I will admit that even I do not know for sure if honeyed words in my ear or my own desire pushed me down the path more. Regardless, the end result was still by my hand.”

She hands him the scroll.

“Forge forward, that is all that can be done. Learn from the past and do not repeat the same mistakes.”

She nods towards the ball of Creational energy.

“With that free portion this Doctor character could potentially use it to create anything. Another path towards his goal of temporal domination didn’t pan out.”

Alt Asha’rah gestures and the sphere raise sup and floats to her counterpart.

“A gift, my doppelgänger. To help you and to protect it from this Doctor.”

The Asha'rah of this time offered her a portion of lost power, both to help her and to protect that power from Jinzi. Asha'rah's first instinct was to refuse. No, that was not right. Her first instinct was to grasp that power, accepting it gratefully as a helping hand towards her return to power. Her second instinct was to reject it. She had held back from querying her counterpart about how her timeline had attained victory over Sakin, about concerns large and small, for it was a slippery path from there to using time to control the outcome of all things, to destroying the sanctity of free choice. If she would not accept information, how could she justify accepting power?

But power alone would not make others' choices for them. Power alone was simply a tool like sagacity or patience. So it was that she allowed the creation energy to enter her...then she surged. Unseen metaphysical gears shifted, invisible walls audibly strained, and for a brief moment rays of golden light poured forth from cracks in her robotic prison. Then the cracks vanished once more, replaced with strained but unbroken seals, then smooth metal. But within, Asha'rah felt...larger, more spiritually free. Her prison had adapted once again, but even it had its limits. She gave her counterpart a nod.

"Thank you, Asha'rah. I will see this through for us both."

[Yun Lao]

The world of elementals had been rather... boring? It was hard for Charco to say. Before he had known it, that toad alien had shoved some gloves on his hands and negated the temperature, so there was that. Aside from that, they just spoked to the alternate Asha'rah for a bit and here they were, back in their own universe.

Taking off the gloves, Charco gently placed them nearby for Praxat to eventually reclaim, "That fire was pretty cool, but a bit too peaceful for my liking." He said aloud to himself.

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

The spell succeeded in pinning Glacier in place. He grunted and struggled against the unseen force, and managed to make some small, minuscule movement. For the time being, however, he was trapped.

Ishtar sighed, and slumped after the spell succeeded.

It wouldn't hold for long, sure, but a few moments was all she needed. After all, Parsley was there, and the Saiyan had a rather useful set of skills that she now had the opportunity to use without too serious a risk.

Parsley sighed in relief. She knew she stood no chance in a fair fight, which was why she didn't plan on fighting fairly. Without wasting a second of the limited amount of time Ishtar afforded her, she dashed toward Glacier, hand outstretched.

"Don't touch me, you animal!" he snarled. He increased his efforts to break free.

Her bared her fangs, lips peeled back in an angered snarl as she touched his shoulders. Ki Nullification and Ki Inhibition did the rest. Such wonderful techniques taught to her by her love, Avoca, that had come through time and time again.

"Garrgh!" he grunted. She smirked. His power was dropping and there was nothing he could do. No only would he be easier to fight, but with his power dropping, it would be easier for Ishtar to hold him still.

"Look at you. Weakened by a monkey," she sneered. Every few seconds, he power dropped sharply. Even if he broke free before she could finish him, there was no way he was going to survive any kind of extended conflict with Vocado. And if the power surge some distance away was any indication, the Saiyan savior had finally come through and was powering up as she spoke. "This is your twilight."

"Me? Killed by an animal? I think not!" Glacier roared in a vain attempt to power free. Nothing happened but him looking incredibly stupid. "What? No!" There was a crack of thunder in the distance, followed very quickly by the tremendous power of a Super Saiyan homing in quickly. It wouldn't be long before Vocado arrived to finish things off. After Parsley had done all the work, mind. Typical. "NO!"

A thing the young Saiyan took to with a particular flourish. A simple touch lacing the Arcosian with Ki Nullification, and Inhibition; the struggling that would have eventually lead to his freedom, now simply serving to drain him more and more further preventing an escape that now ... would never come. Though the best thing to come of this shift in the battle ... was the one-liner.

"This is your twilight."

That was quite good.

Though it seemed before Vocado -- who judging from the energy that had pretty much overwhelmed her senses -- and Parsley could perhaps finalize the coup d'etat, something strange began to happen.

"Hehe." Her mouth was tuned to say more, but the environment shifted once again. Glacier faded away, then exploded past her from behind to meet the incoming Vocado. "Wha-?" The scenario seemed to be resetting. Was their time up. "What's going on?" she asked Ishtar before everything went white.

With a shifting of the environment, the past sought to play out truthfully as it had all those years ago, and with a snarl the once bound and drained Glacier exploded past Parsley hellbent on putting an end to the upstart, Vocado, who surged forward to meet him. Unsurprising given what the White Gold Room was meant to display -- the past, unaltered, for what transpired within the confines of the simulation -- and yet Glacier had interacted with them ...

At the question from Parsley however, only moments before the world was washed away in its entirety ... Ishtar could only offer a simple, "this is new."

And then they were gone to another 'when'.

Then, they found themselves in a more familiar environment.

-Snip-

The buildings looked different, but Parsley knew her home planet better than anything.

They were on Vocado, and given the architecture and lacked of civilized cities, it was around 500 years ago. "Oh. Joy." The midday sun shined brightly overhead as she floated over the largest ocean. Dozens of Saiyans flew by them toward what used to be the amphitheater where they met for planet-wide functions. In modern times, it had been turned into a sports arena - one of five.

It didn't seem that anyone noticed them, despite flying right by them.

"...I wonder what His Highness has to say," a man said to his companion.

"Who knows? Hope it's something to do with what happened to Lord Ceriac. The old coot just up and vanished last week."

Oh. That was about to happen.

And beyond the environment itself, Ishtar found she had no idea where this when, was.

Nor did she realize she was hanging suspended above a shimmering sea, until the saltwater filled her mouth after she plunged down into it. Something quickly rectifed, when her wings unfurled and in a spray of seawater the Oni found herself a few meters from Parsley.

"I suspect you know better where we are, than I." The Oni called out. "One hopes this when is far less ... painful."