Dragonball M, Chapter 3: In Blood, Bone, and Ash! The Way Forward Unlocked!

[bruceleegreyhulk]

Dash raised an eyebrow at the Oni's strange outburst, then she shook her head and said nothing. Dropping her hand from Praxat's shoulder, she returned to the seat by the scanner console.her attention now focused on the controls.

Althena who has been meditating opens her eyes. Praxat is overthinking this. She barely has any information on the threat on hand. Yet she comes up with plan after plan because she fears the unknown," Althena said.

" She has made a simple mistake she wouldn't want to admit to others, because of her own selfishness. In fact it is only now that Praxat admits her mistake. The best thing Praxat can do is not come up with a plan at all, and trust in her allies," Althena said.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

As the others strategized and planned for the coming conflict, Sarada was off by herself in a secluded part of the ship. She had changed into her royal battle armor after boarding. She figured she might as well represent the Saiyan Empire to its fullest, as this may have been the final time she could call herself a Queen before the end of it all.

With it so close at hand, the gravity of the situation finally hit her. If they lost, everything was getting destroyed. She didn't know the kind of damage resetting the time stream would cause, but she did know that she could not allow it to happen. Her race had come so far to becoming the people Vocado freed from enslavement over two thousand, and from freeing themselves from the mental trammels Otatop IV placed on them over four hundred years ago. As their Queen, she couldn't allow all that hard work to fall to the wayside because of one *******.

The Doctor was going to lose. She didn't know how, but she knew he was. He had to. If he won, all was lost.

Sarada wrapped her gloved fingers around her medallion. When she was given it by Mato, she swore to protect the Saiyans from any threat. This was the biggest threat to their existence in their race's history. Everything I've done, the time I've been away from my people, has come to this. I can't lose. She was thankful she wasn't alone. She had Ishtar, Parsley, and all the others by her side. Together, they would prevail. She was certain.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Jinzi’s eyes narrowed slightly and his teeth grit, but he remained silent during Ishtar’s...rant..towards Meagan.

It had taken hours of pleading with her to go back to Chroma. Hours to make her promise that if anything went wrong, she would protect their child. That she would attempt to go to Namek or Earth, gather the dragon balls and wish them all back if possible. Contingencies amidst contingencies.

He grits his teeth harder, an audible sound as his jaw pops. He highly suspected that his own mind was not entirely sound right now. Hours spent pouring over what to do and now only this gamble worth any sort of percentage of success: playing with a technology he couldn’t even fully comprehend.

Well, this and his failsafes: Meagan and the dragon balls, or Adam and The Project.

He casts one last look as Ishtar leaves, shaking his head slightly at her cruel words before his mind goes back to what he told Adam to do if needs be.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Jinzi looks to Held.

“Helm’s yours, hoss. I’ll be back.”

He nods to anyone still there and leaves.


Walking through the ship, he finds himself in the engineering room and quickly pulls out three capsules. Popping them, a small mobile lab, a container of some sort, and a computer pop out. He starts examining the box and logs a few notes.

“Last test: Subject 2 still seems stable. Box integrity is at 80%, still holding to ok parameters. At rate of decay should be at 60% upon arrival, well within working application. Subject 1 is also primed and ready.”

He carefully lifts out a piece of odd Terran tech, green and black lines of power pulsing through the sphere.

“Wilhelm was most serious about its effects, and I’ve taken what few precautions I can. The Null-Energy Matrix is holding and the dispersal unit is ready.”

[Yun Lao]

As he walked, he thought to himself. There had been something nagging at the back of his mind ever since he boarded this ship. Something wasn't right for he felt more irritatable than he should have; a realization that came as he noticed that his hands were balled into fists so tightly that his knuckles were bleached white. It actually took a bit of force to open his hands, only to find that his fingertips were now encased in keratin, ending in sharp points.

"You fucker..."

Perfection takes times, Charco...

BGM: "Shadows Of A Setting Sun"

The emotional divebomb he had taken made sense now. More insidious than the soul erasure was the fact that Rex had begun the takeover while he was unaware, left on the edge of anxiety and despair. Scarily, there was a part of his brain that was relieved with this news, released from the burden of stress from not knowing. A small clattering alerted his gaze to the floor where he would find that the bracelet the Deputy gave him had broken, unable to aid him in his very last moments. Not that it helped in the first place...

The boy began to laugh at himself, wiggling his claw-tipped fingers and watching as scales began to peeked from beneath the surface of his skin. He had0 recalled his childhood wish to become a hero and found the cruelty of fate far exceeded anything the Dino School could have produced as he was being slowly consumed by hatred of a prehistoric grudge. He continued to laugh, tears welling up in his eyes as his mind strained not to tear itself apart at this rate.

No!

He couldn't let it end this way! There was still some time! He could still do some good before--

"Perfection takes time but do not consider yourself safe, little prey..."

Charco could only reel in horror as his mouth moved without his control and Rex spoke in his place. He sought to move, to do anything to assess his loss of control and found that each movement required more willpower than usual and his actions came with a delay and would soon found it took an enormous, mental straining amount of concentration just to focus his senses.

His own mouth cruelly cackled at his plight, "Just what good can you do in this state? In gratitude for all the hard work you have done up until this point, I will spare you a little longer. I do hope you put on a good opening act before I take my rightful place on the stage..."

And like that, Rex's influence was gone but the changes remained. It felt like his soul had been pried away from his body and was held together only by a few strands for it was as if he was in control of a complete stranger. Rex had dealt his mind and soul a deathblow and all that was left was to bleed out.

[bruceleegreyhulk]

"Dash, Althena and Ochazuke are right. I have been acting foolish. I have been coming up with half bake plans base on incomplete information," Praxat said.

" I hate to admit it but I'm as stubborn as a bull. So stubborn in fact that I don't like to admit that I'm wrong in front of people. I made a simple mistake and I have to admit to it," Praxat said.

" Yeah, Althena is right I shouldn't come up with a plan and just trust in my allies. I need to let go of my pride and stubbornness. So I'm not going to come up with a plan to defeat the Doctor, I'm just going to trust in my allies. " Praxat said.

Praxat finally gets the results of the thorough analyzation of the GP Coldlight. She reads the results." Okay, this ship is in excellent condition. It is a marvel of the engineer. I can barely find any flaws in the ship's design," Praxat said.

" Its engine is highly efficient. I doubt it would require much maintenance if at all. This is what I will be focusing on the maintenance of this ship," Praxat said.

" Dash what Ochazuke said about Adam reminds me of a project I'm working on. That's still in the concept phase. It's a robot whose purpose is to act as an energy stabilizer. I call the robot Energinator," Praxat softly whispered.

" It will be a highly advance robot with the ability to stabilized and destabilized energy!" Praxat softly whispered.

( Okay so the Adam nanites can absorb energy, but absorption isn't the same as nullification. So there has to be limit how much energy the nanites can absorb. Well, whatever the others and Jinzi have plan I'm sure they will come through. My focus right now should be on doing maintenance for this ship if it needs it, ) Praxat thought.

[grampagen]

As the Coldlight continue to drift through the silent darkness, pulling past the streaking glimmer of stars, Ochazuke set to his task, remaining vigilant in tracing the Doctor's whereabouts. The faintest pulse drummed within the Black Sphere between his hands, and its source connection reverbed within the depths of his meditational field, cast over and through the GP cruiser's considerable frame.

His silent task was a burdensome one; not only was it a location in space, but the shores of Shattered Time arose from a fixed moment. Were it only so simple a matter of finding the way, that in itself is difficult enough when all things are already in a state of flux.

What is, what was, what shall be; with the way the events over the last few days had unfolded, Ochazuke had come far too close to a decidedly uncomfortable realization. This reality was one of many within this already all-too malleable existence. So much set upon a determined course, by the rise and fall of what he could only see as fortune. For want of illumination and a way out, all of this.

As these thoughts intruded upon his meditation, suddenly the artifact began to weigh heavily in his grasp. Elder Nail had assured them it would not fail, but still the faces of those lives that depended upon it brushed through his memory as he recounted the length of this week's long War for Time.

Pike, Pyrus, the Sheriff. Etrina... When the face of his Double was drawn from the inner recesses of his mind, so did the world that re-emerged from the shadow of inevitability they had all but surrendered to. For want of a future, all was lost; For want of his vision, the Doctor's prey on so many worlds like these.

...the scroll is safe with Balon. The legacy of his alternate might, perhaps, be used to rebuild a world to return to whether or not he or Zaofan returned.

Jinzi looks to Held.

“Helm’s yours, hoss. I’ll be back.”

He nods to anyone still there and leaves.


Walking through the ship, he finds himself in the engineering room and quickly pulls out three capsules. Popping them, a small mobile lab, a container of some sort, and a computer pop out. He starts examining the box and logs a few notes.

“Last test: Subject 2 still seems stable. Box integrity is at 80%, still holding to ok parameters. At rate of decay should be at 60% upon arrival, well within working application. Subject 1 is also primed and ready.”

He carefully lifts out a piece of odd Terran tech, green and black lines of power pulsing through the sphere.

“Wilhelm was most serious about its effects, and I’ve taken what few precautions I can. The Null-Energy Matrix is holding and the dispersal unit is ready.”

In this dire atmosphere he was all-too aware of the need to salve wounds, to restore the fragments left broken among a host of silenced voices screaming to be heard. So much that compelled all too many to act so rashly.

What else remains of our lives but the memories we leave in our wake?

As assuredly as the Doctor was convinced there remained nothing ahead upon his path, there was still something worth fighting for.

To snuff out another to validate oneself. What a waste of a brilliant mind.

[bruceleegreyhulk]

Praxat double and triple checks her results of the thorough analyzation of the GP Coldlight. " Yeah, this is one impressive spacecraft. " Praxat said Praxat using her infrasound to listen to the sound the engine of the spacecraft makes." I know that you Dash and none of you still here besides Althena can hear these sounds, but the engine of this ship is singing a beautiful melody," Praxat said.

" One of the keys to a good engine is how it sounds, and this one is outstanding. I promise that if the ship needs it. I will do maintenance on it. I will not allow this ship's engine to lose that wonderful melody," Praxat said.

Praxat takes out a document from her Jobox and opens it up to a double-wide blank sheet of paper. Then she takes out a pen from her Jobox, and within a split second draws extremely detail schematics of the GP Coldlight base on her thorough analyzation of the ship. She draws so fast that her drawing seems frantic yet she's able to draw in extreme detail .




Praxat looks at the schematics of the GP Coldlight she drew based on her analyzation of the GP Coldlight." Hmm, base on my analyzation these schematics I drew should be identical to the actual schematics of this fine spacecraft, but just to make sure. Dash can you pull up and show me every room on this ship? I want to know their exact positions from each other," Praxat said.

" As for my drawing skills well I'm a fan of this famous Manga artist name Miura. He created this post-apocalyptic horror superhero graphical novel called Termite Man that was a masterpiece. It was extremely dark and extremely violent. The ending of the novel is very bleak," Praxat softly whispered.

" Ever since I saw Miura in person at a manga convention. I base my drawing technique after his. However, I don't think I can draw as fast as Miura does he's a legend. A rumor has it that he was able to draw and ink an entire graphic novel in a span of only a few hours," Praxat softly whispered.

" Some said he did it in just minutes, even seconds," Praxat softly whispered.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Eventually, the time arrives:


“Ok all, we’re dropping speed. We’ve gone as far as my calculations can help, it will be up to Ishtar or Ochazuke to guide us from here.”


The ship slows and the view outside shows a beautiful and stark Nebula.



“It’s hiding in there somewhere, but that Nebula is vast. I hope one of you two can take us in the right direction.”

Ochazuke, Nail’s Artifact is pulsing.

[MrSandman]

As Etrina verbally dissected the author while also expositing on the sheer range of subject matter she held so dear, a small shiver rolled down Zaofan's back. As far as he had gone on this journey, crossing manifestation of Fate and Time to the blood pacts of infernal denizens, he'd sort of blundered into them before. The memory of the Crimson Cloak of Ryuugen Shingen was a matter particularly close to his mind. Of magic and ethical concerns, there was no shortage of ground traveled here.

Still, this had been the first time in a while that the Mistress had invited him to be an insider to he matter. Oh, yes. Learn me. Learn me!

The tome thrust in his arm caused him to tip over further from the seat he was leaning over; to brace himself, the hand that hung over her mage's scholarly shoulders glided swiftly downward, and took hers about the wrist.

"...think I'd prefer to read over your shoulder, ehh-huh," he said, his voice pressed into a whispered guffaw. Clumsily, he guided her hand over the first bookmarked passage as he clumsily dangled, the head of the shuttle seat lodged close in his gut.

With a soft chuckle, the young mage flipped the book open. "Honestly....I suppose it can't be helped. Lets see...."

The first bookmarked entry is a informative piece on the history of the Magi Social Structure. The author explains, in sometimes obsessive detail, the particulars of mage social structure, family importance and history. After a brief glance over it, Etrina begins reading....not word for word persay, but a more reader friendly version for Zaofans sake.

"Unless your have the blood of a mage in your veins, you can't be a mage...weither you can learn magic or not is irrelevant. Its a rather, archaic way of thinking...but nevertheless it was our way for a very long time, and with good reason." Etrina pointed to a diagram of a family tree at the center of the page. "All the Greatest Magi Families are said to have special blood that runs in their veins, descended from chosen mages very long ago. Now...anyone can be taught magic given enough time, I've certainly seen it happen....even you can be taught." Etrina gave Zaofan a loving pat on the head. "....But the ones of the old bloodlines have always had a particularly attuned control over it when compared to your average learner."

Etrina pauses a moment, thinking to herself, then chuckling. "....Heh.....Some mage families are very strict on keeping that bloodline pure. Enforced marriage between families, marriage between close family.....siblings.......magical means...." She muttered the last one with something of a sour note in her voice. "In a perfect mage world there would be no way the two of us would be allowed to have a relationship like this......"

Turning her head to the side, she gives the cook a kiss on the side of his head. "But this isn't a perfect world is it....So I'm included not to bother with that sort of system. Relationships between mages and non mages aren't rare....but the resulting family is often considered a branch family of its root, since the children would be half bloods, part mage blood and part not.........I mean.....if we have one......children I mean....if we......" Etrina started muttered off as she realized what the topic was moving towards and quickly went back on track. "Anyways....Right.....Moving on."

Etrina flipped the page, this one having a full page picture of a woman along with author notes.

"Ahhh....this one is interesting." Etrina suddenly brightened, pointing her finger at the picture. "This is an artistic rendition of a mural that was discovered in some ruins on the northern coast, incredibly well preserved. Nobody was sure exactly who was being depicted....but its thousands, if not tens of thousands of years old." Etrina lowers her finger down to the notes. ".....Helena is convinced that its a depiction of the Mage-Queen of Amdapor, The cradle of Magicraft Civilization.....well.....mythical cradle anyways. The place where all bloodlines converge, the source of magic....where our ancestors were born and trained."

Etrina traced her finger back up to the picture. "They say her name was.....Persephone, Magi-Queen Persephone."

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Eventually, the time arrives:


“Ok all, we’re dropping speed. We’ve gone as far as my calculations can help, it will be up to Ishtar or Ochazuke to guide us from here.”


The ship slows and the view outside shows a beautiful and stark Nebula.



“It’s hiding in there somewhere, but that Nebula is vast. I hope one of you two can take us in the right direction.”

Ochazuke, Nail’s Artifact is pulsing.

Despite her travels through space -- which weren't as numerous as others -- Sarada had never seen a sight like the one outside the window. It was a swirling cornucopia of colors -- violets, blues, greens, oranges. "So, that's a nebula, huh?" she muttered.

It wouldn't be much longer. All they had to do was find The Doctor's hideout. For that, they needed Ochazuke's and Ishtar's guidance. The former had an artifact that would point them in the right direction. The latter, she imagined, had seen it when she conversed with The Doctor a few days ago. Those two combining their efforts would get them right to the *******'s front doorstep. From there, it was only a matter of wading through whatever army he had at his disposal then shoving their collective boots up his ass until he cried for mercy.

She stepped into the bridge for the first time since entering the ship and stood off to the side where she wouldn't get in the way. "So, do we have a plan or is it the same make it up as we go along kinda thing?"

[Miburo]

Eventually, the time arrives:


“Ok all, we’re dropping speed. We’ve gone as far as my calculations can help, it will be up to Ishtar or Ochazuke to guide us from here.”


The ship slows and the view outside shows a beautiful and stark Nebula.



“It’s hiding in there somewhere, but that Nebula is vast. I hope one of you two can take us in the right direction.”

Ochazuke, Nail’s Artifact is pulsing.

"Well, say what you want about Doc Jinz--" Held began, whistling appreciatively, "But he's certainly got good taste, and a flair for the dramatic. I half expected a rusted out space station hidden on the outskirts of a black hole, to better compliment his soul."

Despite her travels through space -- which weren't as numerous as others -- Sarada had never seen a sight like the one outside the window. It was a swirling cornucopia of colors -- violets, blues, greens, oranges. "So, that's a nebula, huh?" she muttered.

It wouldn't be much longer. All they had to do was find The Doctor's hideout. For that, they needed Ochazuke's and Ishtar's guidance. The former had an artifact that would point them in the right direction. The latter, she imagined, had seen it when she conversed with The Doctor a few days ago. Those two combining their efforts would get them right to the *******'s front doorstep. From there, it was only a matter of wading through whatever army he had at his disposal then shoving their collective boots up his ass until he cried for mercy.

She stepped into the bridge for the first time since entering the ship and stood off to the side where she wouldn't get in the way. "So, do we have a plan or is it the same make it up as we go along kinda thing?"

"I was hoping I'd get to stay on the ship and have a few Magiritas while you save the universe." Held replied with a laugh, "So I'd leave the finer details to you lot."

He shrugged, his smile fading.

"Of course, I don't know how this day is going to play out, so I suppose I'll have to stay sober...designated driver and all that."

That, and this is a all-hands on deck kind of day. Jinzi was always prepared and through on a good day...This is an insane version of him that thinks we stand between him and his idea of 'saving' the universe or whatever.

[Tami]

Eventually, the time arrives:


“Ok all, we’re dropping speed. We’ve gone as far as my calculations can help, it will be up to Ishtar or Ochazuke to guide us from here.”


The ship slows and the view outside shows a beautiful and stark Nebula.



“It’s hiding in there somewhere, but that Nebula is vast. I hope one of you two can take us in the right direction.”

Ochazuke, Nail’s Artifact is pulsing.

Dash observed the Nebula from her position at the Scanner Console. Turning her attention to the controls, she used the ships scanners to gather as much information as possible about it and about what might be hiding within. If the scanners report anything significant, she would pass the information on to Jinzi.

[grampagen]

Eventually, the time arrives:


“Ok all, we’re dropping speed. We’ve gone as far as my calculations can help, it will be up to Ishtar or Ochazuke to guide us from here.”


The ship slows and the view outside shows a beautiful and stark Nebula.

*snip*

“It’s hiding in there somewhere, but that Nebula is vast. I hope one of you two can take us in the right direction.”

Ochazuke, Nail’s Artifact is pulsing.

When the Dark Sphere stirred, Ochazuke knew that at last the thing had woken to its singular purpose. Clearly, the catalyst had been the gaseous span of stars that spiralled before them. Under the circumstances here, the ephemeral blue halo cast an eerie glow that was especially pronounced against the dark, starry void. It was as if tendrils of cosmic dust appeared to scab over the edges of an open wound.

Stray threads of Time

Using the subtle sense, Ochazuke poured his efforts into tracing the source connection. Where his Meditation Field ran outside of the Coldlight, a pronounced point of ki was slowly projected over its surface, pulsing in time with the shadow held in his hand. Moving in sync with Nail's Artifact, its tactile information now rendered itself for their pilots to see as a crude navigation star, align some distance from the bridge canopy. Leading the way, it shone toward the enemy deep within that nebula cluster.

Dash observed the Nebula from her position at the Scanner Console. Turning her attention to the controls, she used the ships scanners to gather as much information as possible about it and about what might be hiding within. If the scanners report anything significant, she would pass the information on to Jinzi.

"Our destination lies behind an asteroid field," he offered, "the Doctor's dwelling within an ancient shipyard of the First Race."

[Tami]

When the Dark Sphere stirred, Ochazuke knew that at last the thing had woken to its singular purpose. Clearly, the catalyst had been the gaseous span of stars that spiralled before them. Under the circumstances here, the ephemeral blue halo cast an eerie glow that was especially pronounced against the dark, starry void. It was as if tendrils of cosmic dust appeared to scab over the edges of an open wound.

Stray threads of Time

Using the subtle sense, Ochazuke poured his efforts into tracing the source connection. Where his Meditation Field ran outside of the Coldlight, a pronounced point of ki was slowly projected over its surface, pulsing in time with the shadow held in his hand. Moving in sync with Nail's Artifact, its tactile information now rendered itself for their pilots to see as a crude navigation star, align some distance from the bridge canopy. Leading the way, it shone toward the enemy deep within that nebula cluster.



"Our destination lies behind an asteroid field," he offered, "the Doctor's dwelling within an ancient shipyard of the First Race."

Turning to look at him, she nodded silently, then returned to the controls, making adjustments as best she could. She had been able to grasp the methodology of using the controls well enough, but she knew they had their limits. Still, she tried to extend them as far as they could reach. Her eyes darting over the outputs and data coming from the system.