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

[KingofPie]

And does so, seeing more and more getting of them in that pocket dimension.

Sasheem quickly decided to test the max number of object he could materialize at once. Five seemed about right as he created a set of five toasters and threw them into the taffy currently tying up the golem, all five summoned appliances sticking to the substance...and beginning to detonate within proximity to the golem.

Still Sasheem wasn't sure it would take out any others along the way. And so..."'Member this, you walkin' **** monster?!" Sasheem smirked, flying away, out of the wall as he tossed an Annihilation orb, the violent ball of energy spinning towards the exploding toasters, set to make an even bigger explosion.

Still there was one last thing needed. Some extra stank on it, if you will. Sasheem shot a blast of Venom Mist at the orb, causing the beginnings of a violent eruption...or so he would hope as he swiftly exits the world within the wall and speeds towards the Coldlight.

[Yun Lao]

There is nothing, and the ghost Hakai eats it away until it turns into a puddle that fall onto of Rex as Ochazuke kicks it, forcing it to fall on him while it still has rigidity.

Now Rex is covered in golem goo.

"How pointless..."

A minor burst of energy flung the golem-based goo off of his scaled skin and onto his surroundings.

The fact that Ochazuke had intended to kick the golem at him had not gone unnoticed. A brief glance to the martial artist was given, but the mood had been ruined by the golem's interference.

"What will it be, Ochazuke? Will you also attempt to sacrifice yourself to stop me?" Rex asked, making his way towards the ship. They both knew that the threat of Rex could easily be thwarted now. Weakened by Charco's final act, the void of space would easily take him like any other, but what cost would it take to ensure that? There was also the uncertainty of Charco's life, seemingly gone, but yet his body still lived? Would Ochazuke strike him down when the possibility of Charco's return still remained, albeit a sliver?

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

As far as Rex went, a simple, "Yes," was all Parsley said in reply.

Ishtar's brow furrowed.

"I see."

It seemed several others were at least aware of it -- Parsley, Sarada, Ochazuke -- or had otherwise hastened this ... awakening ? That Cyanna fellow. And while, for the moment at any rate, she seemingly shelved it; Ishtar made a mental note to inquire about the circumstances further.

She rather liked that boy, as little as they had interacted. His style of fighting had been almost as self-destructive as hers.

This... was... not possible. Parsley got nothing from it. No trace, not even a hint of what the process used to create it. Absolutely nothing.

She frowned and rose to her feet. Whatever these creatures were made of, it was all beyond her ability to comprehend.

And she had no time to figure out what or how. They had precious few moments before everything was engulfed in a ball of fire, and she would rather not have been caught in that. She flicked the remnants of the puddle from her finger and turned to board the ship. "Perhaps we'll have to craft them on our own," she told Ishtar. "I could get nothing from it. And now the golems are gone, and the ones that replaced them are not so easily defeated."

It was equally frustrating and curious. Frustrating for obvious reason, but curious as it implied that the First Race possessed a means of creation that was well beyond anything Parsley had ever seen before. Intriguing. She knew she would see more, and looked forward to it. Hopefully, these next ones provided an actual challenge.

"Another note. Remind me to introduce you to Emma Marie," the Oni muttered before disappearing.

If the substance was completely unreadable, even by Parsley's laudable observational skill ... that meant it was most certainly worth 'borrowing'. To say nothing of how they had acquired information on the First Race from Azura. So with a rather focused swiftness, the golden-eyed Oni zipped around the now silent hangar and acquired as much of the liquid remnants as possible ... before shoving it into yet another capsule.

She would have her answers ... one way or another.

The pale white golems all suddenly retreat into the walls. Instead, coming from the walls are the larger four-armed golems without the forehead weakness. One is currently floating in space with Sasheem and another is fighting Rex.

Ten more emerge in the docking bay as Jinzi's voice comms to them all.

“Let’s go folks! Time’s a ticking!”

As would Pantaloons.

Finished with her ... acquisitions, the Oni shot up the ramp and into the Coldlight; and once she made it inside the cabin the first thing out of her mouth was:

"Where is my Little Love ?"

[Monstrous Bird of Qin, Ou Ki]

"If you two are done styling on worthless mooks, can we please go now?" Sarada called out from the ship.

"Sarada, hey Sarada! Look at what I found!" exclaimed Totoma, running towards her with a wide smile on his face. He held up the muffin button and, with an (un?)warranted amount of gravitas, pushed it. A delicious blueberry muffin appeared... and then another... and then another... and so on. Because in his excitement, he was pushing the damned thing over and over and over again, at least until Tasure came up behind him and deliver a swift smack to the back of his head.

"Toto, this is not the time," she said, her tone utterly exasperated.

[Tami]

OT:

Beautifully done.

IC:

With ruby light and flashes of gold, one by one the heart and head were both pierced on each of the golems, until all ten have been silenced and turned into puddles.

And silence reigns within the docking bay.

Inside the ship, Dash can see the destruction of the Golems, viewing it with mixed feelings. Relaxing a little, she turned to see several of the fighters begin to enter the ship. "Ah assume you all had enough exercise for the day."

[Sub-Zero MKA]

"Another note. Remind me to introduce you to Emma Marie," the Oni muttered before disappearing.

If the substance was completely unreadable, even by Parsley's laudable observational skill ... that meant it was most certainly worth 'borrowing'. To say nothing of how they had acquired information on the First Race from Azura. So with a rather focused swiftness, the golden-eyed Oni zipped around the now silent hangar and acquired as much of the liquid remnants as possible ... before shoving it into yet another capsule.

She would have her answers ... one way or another.

Parsley watched as Ishtar zipped through the docks, collecting as much of the mysterious liquid into a capsule. She hummed, knowing exactly where the Oni was thinking. They had more than enough information on the First Race, thanks to Azura downloading all available information.

Then, we'll just have to make our own.

As would Pantaloons.

Finished with her ... acquisitions, the Oni shot up the ramp and into the Coldlight; and once she made it inside the cabin the first thing out of her mouth was:

"Where is my Little Love ?"

Sarada was struggling to strap herself into the seat. She never once realized how difficult it was to do even the simplest things with only one arm. Damn it. She gritted her teeth and fumbled with the straps when her love's voice called out from the cabin entrance. "I'm here," she answered.

The last time she saw Ishtar, she had blown herself up and was deposited at the bottom of a massive hole. The pain was paramount, and her energy had been dangerously low ever since. That she was not only walking, but running was a welcome sign. She sighed and waved for her to come sit next to her.

The second thing she noticed was that Ishtar was naked. Come to think of it, she had been naked ever since they all convened within Midori's lab. Huh. She must have seen the sight so much, it was more common than seeing her with clothes on. "I'm glad to see you're okay now," she commented. "We totally kicked everyone's ass!"

[Sion Reaver]

"Sarada, hey Sarada! Look at what I found!" exclaimed Totoma, running towards her with a wide smile on his face. He held up the muffin button and, with an (un?)warranted amount of gravitas, pushed it. A delicious blueberry muffin appeared... and then another... and then another... and so on. Because in his excitement, he was pushing the damned thing over and over and over again, at least until Tasure came up behind him and deliver a swift smack to the back of his head.

"Toto, this is not the time," she said, her tone utterly exasperated.

The fight with the golems seemed ultimately pointless and a waste of energy, save for self defense. After Jinzi's annoucement it was time to go before they got turned to atoms with the explosion of this First Race base. It was a shame they couldn't keep it around for research purposes or a base of operations, certainly she could-

Karine's thoughts went to a pause at seeing what Totoma was doing, her face blank for a moment. Aleka shrugged, but the surpressed silent mirth and exasperated translated. 'Well you choose him princess."

Totoma could be a idiot, but her was her idiot.

Wordlessly, she urged Totoma along to the ship. Talk could wait, there was a place going to blow up.

[Monstrous Bird of Qin, Ou Ki]

Neva finds scrap components everywhere, a half a ruined crystal (grape size) that once held Temporal powers, and what appears to be a half burned blueprint of some sort.

Indeed, it was certainly a better haul than she'd expected. Scrap components, some sort of... crystal, a half-burned blueprint. Nothing immediately useful, but with the help of the others, perhaps something could be made of it. The Earthling's had a saying... ahh, one man's junk was another man's treasure, was it? Yes, she did believe that was it.

Soon enough, she was at the coldlight, finding the docking bay filled with these... strange... puddles. Hm, curious, but she simply didn't have time to tarry. Without a moment's hesitation, she boarded the ship, letting out a heavy sigh once she was safely on board. "My, that was quite the adventure..."

[Sub-Zero MKA]

"Sarada, hey Sarada! Look at what I found!" exclaimed Totoma, running towards her with a wide smile on his face. He held up the muffin button and, with an (un?)warranted amount of gravitas, pushed it. A delicious blueberry muffin appeared... and then another... and then another... and so on. Because in his excitement, he was pushing the damned thing over and over and over again, at least until Tasure came up behind him and deliver a swift smack to the back of his head.

"Toto, this is not the time," she said, her tone utterly exasperated.

"..."

What?

"..."

Was that...?

"..."

No, it couldn't have been...

She thought it wasn't possible. She recalled, with vivid clarity, asking Jinzi for one and he had yet to make good on that request. She just assumed it was impossible. But this... right in front of her eyes.

She picked up one of the muffins and bit into it. It tasted real. Soft, moist, and buttery, the blueberries were ripe and juicy. "It's real," she whispered.

Inside the ship, Dash can see the destruction of the Golems, viewing it with mixed feelings. Relaxing a little, she turned to see several of the fighters begin to enter the ship. "Ah assume you all had enough exercise for the day."

After calming down from the truth behind the muffin button being revealed to her, Sarada overheard Dash make a comment. She remembered seeing her pass out after fighting one or two of those golems. "Hey, lightweight," she called out. "How many of those golems did you kill before taking a nap?"

[Tami]

"..."

What?

"..."

Was that...?

"..."

No, it couldn't have been...

She thought it wasn't possible. She recalled, with vivid clarity, asking Jinzi for one and he had yet to make good on that request. She just assumed it was impossible. But this... right in front of her eyes.

She picked up one of the muffins and bit into it. It tasted real. Soft, moist, and buttery, the blueberries were ripe and juicy. "It's real," she whispered.



After calming down from the truth behind the muffin button being revealed to her, Sarada overheard Dash make a comment. She remembered seeing her pass out after fighting one or two of those golems. "Hey, lightweight," she called out. "How many of those golems did you kill before taking a nap?"

Scratching her head in thought, "Ah'm not sure, five maybe?" Dash then shrugged, "If ah'd known their weak spot from the get go ah'd have taken out a lot more. An sorry bout the collapse, seemed like ah was fighten those golems on my own forever waitin for someone to show up. Guess ah overdid it."

[grampagen]

"How pointless..."

A minor burst of energy flung the golem-based goo off of his scaled skin and onto his surroundings.

The fact that Ochazuke had intended to kick the golem at him had not gone unnoticed. A brief glance to the martial artist was given, but the mood had been ruined by the golem's interference.

"What will it be, Ochazuke? Will you also attempt to sacrifice yourself to stop me?" Rex asked, making his way towards the ship. They both knew that the threat of Rex could easily be thwarted now. Weakened by Charco's final act, the void of space would easily take him like any other, but what cost would it take to ensure that? There was also the uncertainty of Charco's life, seemingly gone, but yet his body still lived? Would Ochazuke strike him down when the possibility of Charco's return still remained, albeit a sliver?

His eyes lingered on the uncanny creature, his leg still raised in the follow-through. That voice. Every intonation carried upon that cold breath exuded a bottomless hunger. The harrowing signature of Rex's ki was the very same he felt manifest, over the bay of Turtle Island, under the mountain on the outskirts of Capital City.

Famished eyes, watching, waiting. Now, the reptilian eyes gazed back at him from within frame of a familiar facial frame. Slowly contorted, stretched taught with wicked scales. For a moment, Ochazuke was dumbstruck as Rex merely...spoke. His challenge came as a dilemma and a dismissal as he then turned away to assume his place among their number.

BGM - Sign

In the hollows of the First Race's inner chambers, the refutation came in the sound of dense footfall and a sharp metallic clang echoed all around them; While Rex had his back turned, Ochazuke slammed his boot atop of his tail and pound it into the grating.

This ancient beast of all creatures ought to have known that the mantle of The Strongest was a matter of perspective. A title that only had value if the other party respected it.

"You and I both know that will not be enough," his voice, still hoarse from shouting, came as a soft rasp. As he leaned forward, his heel twist into the flesh and bone of that newly sprouted appendage. "That you dare continue to walk in his body is all the proof I need."

Scruffing the scaled hide against the ground, Ochazuke smeared it bloody underfoot as he stepped forward.

"You and the Ogatan. That duality is all this has ever been about, and you call this strength?!"

Squared off, he shift his weight foward and threw a fist into Rex's midsection.

[Miburo]

Sometimes, the things you expect to pair the least are surprisingly complementary. Nobody remembered the first chef who added salt to sugar as a mistake, the combination thereafter only seemed natural. Ever since Zaofan happened upon Held, on the Capsule of the World, they had a tendency to just play things by ear. Some way, some how, things just had a way of working out for them this way.

The path of Held's Shingan became apparent, and the chef had the utmost confidence in him. It was as if they had practiced this maneuver a thousand times; The spear flew true, its gleaming surface like a prism, and as it neared the beam the glow seemed to radiate from the Optic Blast, as if the impact would cut a white light into a spectrum of colours.

But through it all, Zaofan only saw red. And Despite all appearances, this was not light. Sculpt though ki, this was a magnification of force, effort intensified by will and put forward by intention

And when the Golden Spear intersected with the path of the Ruby Ricochet, with a flash it altered its trajectory, picking up greater speed as it ricocheted off of the ricochet. As it struck, something in the technique, from the arc to the spin bent the path of the red beam for continual, successive collisions erupting in repeated impacts over the hangar, until they at last found mutual impact point: dead centre upon one of the Golems.

The effect was concussive force, magnified several times over.

Over and over the Spear and the Blast seemed to find each other, again and again as they repeatedly smashed into one of the ten golems before rocketing to another of each assembly. Every time one shot threatened to clip the walls, it was shot back into the fray; if one ever neared the Coldlight, its counterpart would quickly intercept and send it back to the true targets.

Through it all, Zaofan never budged an inch.

OT:

Beautifully done.

IC:

With ruby light and flashes of gold, one by one the heart and head were both pierced on each of the golems, until all ten have been silenced and turned into puddles.

And silence reigns within the docking bay.

"It's always a pleasure to watch you work, Zaofan." Held said to his friend with a smirk as they dispatched the enemies in a display of precise destruction. "I alm--"

"If you two are done styling on worthless mooks, can we please go now?" Sarada called out from the ship.

"Seriously?" Held said, more to himself than to Zaofan or anyone else.

Everyones a critic...

"I didn't realize we were all in such a hurry." Held replied with a sigh towards his comrades, casually extending his hand outwards as the flashes of crimson and gold ended, their enemies reduced to waste.

A final burst of crimson dissipated as the golden shaft of his spear pierced through the darkness, moving at luminous speed towards the Nevadian, faster than he could throw, perhaps quicker and with more power than he dare try to catch.

"I can't speak for everyone else here, but as far as I'm concerned, we seem to be ahead of schdule..."

The Nevadian shifted to the left, striking the spear downward with a ki enhanced chop, causing the weapon to flip head over heels, careening into the air above him several meters.

"Well, let's get a move on, Zao." Held said with a nod, extending his hand outwards and diagonally above his head, catching the spear as it careened downwards.

Inside the ship, Dash can see the destruction of the Golems, viewing it with mixed feelings. Relaxing a little, she turned to see several of the fighters begin to enter the ship. "Ah assume you all had enough exercise for the day."

Held paused, mulling over the question. "It's certainly less work than I expected it to be considering Midori was apparently behind so many headaches..But it's still quite a sweat, nonetheless."

And considering who we lost, I'd say even with how efficient we were, I can't call this a total victory...

[Sion Reaver]

Ishtar's brow furrowed.

"I see."

It seemed several others were at least aware of it -- Parsley, Sarada, Ochazuke -- or had otherwise hastened this ... awakening ? That Cyanna fellow. And while, for the moment at any rate, she seemingly shelved it; Ishtar made a mental note to inquire about the circumstances further.

She rather liked that boy, as little as they had interacted. His style of fighting had been almost as self-destructive as hers.



"Another note. Remind me to introduce you to Emma Marie," the Oni muttered before disappearing.

If the substance was completely unreadable, even by Parsley's laudable observational skill ... that meant it was most certainly worth 'borrowing'. To say nothing of how they had acquired information on the First Race from Azura. So with a rather focused swiftness, the golden-eyed Oni zipped around the now silent hangar and acquired as much of the liquid remnants as possible ... before shoving it into yet another capsule.

She would have her answers ... one way or another.



As would Pantaloons.

Finished with her ... acquisitions, the Oni shot up the ramp and into the Coldlight; and once she made it inside the cabin the first thing out of her mouth was:

"Where is my Little Love ?"

Parsley watched as Ishtar zipped through the docks, collecting as much of the mysterious liquid into a capsule. She hummed, knowing exactly where the Oni was thinking. They had more than enough information on the First Race, thanks to Azura downloading all available information.

Then, we'll just have to make our own.



Sarada was struggling to strap herself into the seat. She never once realized how difficult it was to do even the simplest things with only one arm. Damn it. She gritted her teeth and fumbled with the straps when her love's voice called out from the cabin entrance. "I'm here," she answered.

The last time she saw Ishtar, she had blown herself up and was deposited at the bottom of a massive hole. The pain was paramount, and her energy had been dangerously low ever since. That she was not only walking, but running was a welcome sign. She sighed and waved for her to come sit next to her.

The second thing she noticed was that Ishtar was naked. Come to think of it, she had been naked ever since they all convened within Midori's lab. Huh. She must have seen the sight so much, it was more common than seeing her with clothes on. "I'm glad to see you're okay now," she commented. "We totally kicked everyone's ass!"

Aleka decided to make herself useful by checking in on the physical stats of those present, she didn't think anyone was any life threatening injurues(despite how banged up some were) however that didn't mean there was some work that couldn't be done here and there. There really weren't that many healers come to think of it involved in the entire group. Then again, me, Karine or Etrina is more like having ability to heal then a dedicated healer.

Poor Sarada was missing a arm but she seemed in good spirits and more so with the muffin button as ridiculous as it was. Ishstar..didn't look as good but judging by the fact her mate wasn't freaking out was a decent sign.

She wasn't sure if she ever get used to how casual the Oni was about giant wounds in various parts of her body.

The nakedness? It didn't bother her; bare skin wasn't going to harm anyone. You came into the world naked and you ended up leaving it the same. Besides, being an Acorian she was more lax about modesty besides common courtesy and consideration of other cultures.

"Hey you two. Do you need some healing done or..?" She let it hang, mostly because as grievous as the wounds looked no one was immediate dying far as she could see.

Karine probably be flustered if she was the one offering to heal, knowing them. She still didn't quite get the young woman's shyness with a clear mate.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Scratching her head in thought, "Ah'm not sure, five maybe?" Dash then shrugged, "If ah'd known their weak spot from the get go ah'd have taken out a lot more. An sorry bout the collapse, seemed like ah was fighten those golems on my own forever waitin for someone to show up. Guess ah overdid it."

"Well, it's a good thing I showed up when I did. **** could have gone a lot worse for you!" She winked and gave Dash a thumbs up.

She decided not to brag about how she killed 16. Not that she was keeping track, but it was pretty easy. One, then five, then ten to finish it off. She could have killed around thirty had she decided to keep going, but then, Zaofan and Held wouldn't have been able to pull off their kick-ass combo. Obviously, her holding back was a sterling display of humility and teamwork.

[Yun Lao]

His eyes lingered on the uncanny creature, his leg still raised in the follow-through. That voice. Every intonation carried upon that cold breath exuded a bottomless hunger. The harrowing signature of Rex's ki was the very same he felt manifest, over the bay of Turtle Island, under the mountain on the outskirts of Capital City.

Famished eyes, watching, waiting. Now, the reptilian eyes gazed back at him from within frame of a familiar facial frame. Slowly contorted, stretched taught with wicked scales. For a moment, Ochazuke was dumbstruck as Rex merely...spoke. His challenge came as a dilemma and a dismissal as he then turned away to assume his place among their number.

BGM - Sign

In the hollows of the First Race's inner chambers, the refutation came in the sound of dense footfall and a sharp metallic clang echoed all around them; While Rex had his back turned, Ochazuke slammed his boot atop of his tail and pound it into the grating.

This ancient beast of all creatures ought to have known that the mantle of The Strongest was a matter of perspective. A title that only had value if the other party respected it.

"You and I both know that will not be enough," his voice, still hoarse from shouting, came as a soft rasp. As he leaned forward, his heel twist into the flesh and bone of that newly sprouted appendage. "That you dare continue to walk in his body is all the proof I need."

Scruffing the scaled hide against the ground, Ochazuke smeared it bloody underfoot as he stepped forward.

"You and the Ogatan. That duality is all this has ever been about, and you call this strength?!"

Squared off, he shift his weight foward and threw a fist into Rex's midsection.

"Oh? You dare approach the Strongest with your head held high? Do you believe yourself the hero destined to slay the wicked beast?!"

That was it! The look he had been wanting to see from Ochazuke ever since he had encountered him through the boy's eyes. That pained look beyond those enraged eyes! It was an extravagant feast!

Ochazuke's fist struck his stomach, but it was not because Ochazuke had surprised him, nor had Rex been lacking in speed. No, they both knew that Rex had allowed him to strike him with no resistance, to show that despite the spite and rage, nothing would change. Rex would not succumb and release Charco back into the arms of his friends.

No, they had squandered every opportunity to prevent this.

And he could only thank them for their service.

Grabbing hold of Ochazuke's wrist, Rex tightened down as he stared the other in the eyes.

"This didn't have to happen this way. Charco only suffered because all of you had poisoned his mind against me."

Quickly turning, Rex flung Ochazuke towards the interior of the Coldlight and quickly followed in pursuit, his ulterior motive for hitching a ride back to Earth revealed.