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

[grampagen]

By his feet, Ochazuke tread near a portion of tomatoes in a foodservice size about the size of a paintcan, one among several others. He picked it up, but rather than hand it off, took the long way around as he seized a kettle to make a boil - and the brew he came in for.

"...anyway...I don't know. I've been thinking, you ever wonder why things are the way they are? Could they have been different somehow if only we decided at one moment to got another way?" The chef spread his hands wide, thin fingers balanced as if to juggle some invisible jellylike thing before he sputtered. "What are we even doing here?"

It hadn't occurred to him until he saw him face to face. His thoughts had been so occupied with the matter of the engineer of the Doctor's instruments - one Dr Char Banner Gero - that it had subsumed their more immediate task.

It was only five days ago, though it seemed far longer than that when this War for Time began.

And of all of their company it would have to be Zaofan to be the first to be brought face-to-face with an alternate version of himself. An uncanny agent of the Doctor sent through the chaff; With a blink, this heartless doppelganger would use the same crimson beam that saw them through so many times to kill this world's Jinzi Pantaloon. A mere thought, and a flash, and it would be over for them all.

"It's funny. You don't really think much of an alternate world until you see yourself in it, you know?" Dabbing the sweat from his forehead, Zaofan stole a glance at Ochazuke's flat expression. He turned back to the task of making tea as the chef wrapped the dishtowel around his wrist and wrung it tightly. "As the saying goes, 'there's no place like home', and...that guy...it was clear he took it to heart."

It was no surprise. After all, why wouldn't Zaofan have gone off to see the Sheriff off? Before they had departed, Zurvan had made mention of a Goddess of Ruination. The matter had been urgent enough to stir Ishtar from ennui to embracing her mantle. Of course, in the face of this threat of a rogue Destroyer, the promise of the fight of their lives had drawn all the Saiyans among them into the fold.

"I've been taking it rather for granted that things are the way they are. Kinda left me free to pass through and experience it all, you know? never thought too much about my place in it."

Ochazuke made the first steep to waken the tea. Silently, he listened.

"The first go 'round...heh, was that really because I wasn't there? I heard it from those kids. Ika and Garnish, I mean."

The leaves in the pot bloomed in maceration. Ochazuke poured out the first, along with the detritus, to help clarify the true flavour as he filled it once more to steep.

"And this last divergence, I really felt out of my depth here," Zaofan sighed. "This is a sort of fight for Super Saiyans...and those who have gone beyond human."

A clink of porcelain cups rattled on the near counter.

"Charco?" In response, Zaofan sucked air through pressed teeth then drew his mouth into a flat frown. "...Etrina."

"Yeah. That...that 'Majin' thing." Zaofan stood up. Head hanging low, he drew it back with a slow shrug as he recounted the episode.

Whatever the alternate Ishtar had done to move the two away had been violent enough to leave a small tear in the fabric of space, nothing that could be noticed normally....but it was there all the same. Etrina floated closer and gave the tear a meticulous examination. The tear would have to link to wherever the destination point of the teleport had been....but in its present state it could not facilitate any form of travel.

She needed something bigger......yes....if she could rip it back open, even in an unstable state it should provide her a path to the destination point.

Etrina steadied herself above the tear and began channeling her magic into her hands, cupping her hands around the tear and letting the energy pour into it. A trickle at first, then a stream.....the a river. More and more, she needed more power...more magic.....every last bit she could pull from herself. Her hair bristled, her eyes flashed, her hands glowed scarlet crackled with dark energy.

More.....More.....

A aura of Condensed Magic formed around her, and as her Power Level Spiked a pink glow coated her skin and her eyes turned to dark pools with a glowing red pupil in each. The void energy within her burned, seethed....like pouring pure alcohol onto a fire, it added to her power in a way that nearly burned too hot for even her transformed body to handle.

Then, finally....at the Apex of her building of energy, she directed into all into the tear with an allmighty scream.

"Now I understand why she did it, but--ehhhh--," Pressing his hands behind his hips, he leaned backwards in a prolonged stretch, "let's just say the transformation was far too close for comfort. And far too near to reminisce" Crossing to the prep station, he laid out a leather satchel and withdrew a paring knife with a dull, black blade. Katchin. He began to pluck at one of a pile of artichokes, the keen timeless edge clipped through leathery flesh as if it were cutting soft clay.

"Of course she didn't even hesitate to seize upon the opportunity. none of them did. After all, who else could've saved Ishtar then," he sighed. "It was almost as if I wasn't even there. I really couldn't do much more than watch. "

Ochazuke poured two cups, and let the astringent vapours waft through the kitchen space. "The problems of the cosmos, the gods and others seem to find ways to cross our path," he replied. "We're no stranger to these things. Neither was the Master, from what we've learned."

"With all we've learned, right..." Spined petals fell away from Zaofan's experienced hands, revealing the pleated heart at the core balanced upon a palm. Sighing, he picked up another prickled sphere and began to strip it bare as he deflowered its stem. "Don't get me wrong, we need fighters and I would do it. It's just..."

The florid, green aroma of the tea soon mingled with the prickly sharpness rising in the kitchen. Wrinkling his nose, Ochazuke silently drained the first cup. It had steeped too long.

"Creators, Destroyers, Super Saiyans," he chuckled, "It's quite a colourful bunch. They're headed down a path I can barely understand or follow. At times like this, I can't help but feel like I'm being left behind," Zaofan continued, hands blurring as he whittled down the layered petals to their core, over and over again. "When it really comes down to it...I don't know, What'll I do to stop the threat? Or could pull her back from the edge...?"

What more was there to say? There was a great escalation, and as soon as there was something to push them far enough, the Saiyans in particular had pushed to a new echelon entirely. Totoma had called it 'going gold,' and as glib as he could be, there was perhaps indeed a new standard among the powers that be. One upon which the axis of this world and several others would be set upon, and tilt still others menacingly toward it.

Hours ago he saw a hint of what Zaofan was talking about. In a bid to find the strength, it was all to easy to succumb to forces that offered power. Not merely to survive, but to avenge oneself, to assert their very right to [be], no price was too high. What were they willing to lose to stand their ground against this tide of callous destruction?

Even in the legacy of Zxu'ro, there is scarcely an answer for that.

"But enough of my...geez, hasn't even been a day, has it? How are you?"

"The President of Earth has seen into the hearts of the people and observed the world had a dream of peace. The Dragon Alakazah, the blood he spills forgotten, shrouded, until the day he may find one to grant him a wish of his own."

With a long blink, Zaofan slowly picked up his tea. "Ah! Well, we intrepid travelers upon the road yet taken! Perhaps that'll make all the difference, no? "

Ochazuke chuckled as he poured himself another cup to raise a silent toast. Leave it to him to keep smiling through it all.

"That pan over there, what's it for?"

Zaofan wheeled his head behind him, and returned with an eager smirk. In a flash he started to move tomato tins about its perimeter with gusto.

"You wanna see? Quarter these artichoke hearts and I'll walk you through it!"

[grampagen]

BGM: Rock to the Rhythm

Hefting the sacks of rice to the perimeter, Ochazuke followed Zaofan around the expansive diameter. Fifteen meters wide of seasoned cast-iron, the chef gripped a handle and shift it around the frame that stood it atop a pile of wood, measuring the distance exactly as the olive oil swirled atop. The glasslike surface shone as if it were an embroidered skywell mirrors that ornamented the ancient temples.

Ochazuke continued to pace as Zaofan took a knee, exhaling a small gout of the Dragon's Fire. With ki burning hotter than what a pilot light could offer, the tinder below ignited in a flash.

Arrayed near them were heaps of seasoned meat and raw vegetable prepared on large metal sheets. "...I hope Kai won't mind the fire pit. Some things need a classical touch." Once things were to his satisfaction, Zaofan stood and grabbed the tool for this occasion, a pair of what looked like flat steel shovels, and tossed one to Ochazuke. "Spread it around the surface, it's got to cook evenly and at the same time."

The martial apostate was dumbstruck as he folded the length of the shovel under the crook of his arm, idly testing its balance. Whatever fear and doubt had blocked the mind of his brother the chef had dissolved. In its place was an exacting focus.

But would be be able to keep up? Though led astray by a False Crane in the past, his brother was as nimble as he was precise, and it showed in his more familiar works.

The hiss of meat and the crackle of oil sounded out as they hit the surface. Zaofan laid the cuts down, and Ochazuke pushed the length of the spatula tip with a familiar movement reserved for something more lethal, cutting a swathe across the cooking surface and laying the substance to brown.

"Hey! You've been keeping up with the bojutsu, I see," Zaofan grinned, spinning the length of the long spatula about his neck. Whirling around, he struck out and a pile of onions and peppers flew upwards. Ochazuke lift upward with a direct motion, intercepting their course with the flat of the utensil, and the long coloured filaments scattered across the centre of the pan.

"The range is indeed effective, though I still disagree on one point." Rolling up his sleeves, he swept the surface as he walked opposite from Zaofan.

"Oh? What's that?" The flat spatula head in the chef's hand moved between each piece, darting round with an agile grace as they turned each perfectly done piece over with exact timing. Ochazuke slid his grip upward about a foot and a half, drawing his far hand in and overhand grip, pushing forward with a dogged persistance toward the centre in rows around his half of the perimeter.

"Leverage," he said. "Anchoring the force is key to control."

When the tomatoes went in, bubbling as they hit the surface, from either end the martial brothers tilt and swirled the pan, gingerly and in concert. Soon they upended the whole vat of soup stock, and drowned what felt like an entire silo's worth of rice. The sputtering, hearty concoction dragged the grains under and slowly coaxed the starch out.

The final touches were Zaofan's. According to him, the little red filaments he held were key - they were also the most expensive spice on Earth, but he would hardly know it the way he scattered the handfuls into the bubbling mixture? "How long do you suppose until the departure?"

"Pantaloon said it'd be soon. I wouldn't go too far, though, considering..."

The smoke from the fire beneath the bubbling pan rose, lingered its aroma with the dull, greasy portion that burned over the cooling stove.

"Oh no, the essence of a Paella is that you give it time to develop its flavour. The burnt stuff, the Socarrat, might not look the best, but I like to think of it as a culmination of everything that went into it."

Lifting the pan from either end, the two shook the ingredients. Short-grain folded in between the bubbling crevices, carrying savoury, sweet, and a bit of smoke. For a moment the two stopped to admire their handiwork, and in no time at all, a golden bloom rose from the blood-red stock.

Their work concluded, Ochazuke let out a contented sigh, made his way to the kitchen door and grabbed his cloak.

"Hey, where you going? The sous-chef ought to get in on it too!"

"I got my tea. There are a few more matters I have to attend to."

"Brother, if you don't act now, the opportunity's gonna disappear," Zaofan replied as he washed his hands. Brushing his hands dry, He spread his hands out by his sides, and Ochazuke hesitated.

"Ahhh--" The chef raised his hand, once, twice, as if feinting a jab. Ochazuke took a step back reflexively and drew up a guard. "Ahhh---! Bring it in!"

[bruceleegreyhulk]

Meanwhile, in her lab at Capsule Corp Praxat goes through several revisions of her back up goggles as she works out the kinks in them until she satisfied with the results. Praxat uses her engineering analysis tools and checks for defects and flaws one last time." Okay, I got 98.05 percent of the kinks ironed out. It's not perfect, but Khan once said that one should not strive for perfection," Praxat said.

"That perfection is an unreachable goal, and thriving towards it would make one go insane. Okay, now I'm finished with my back up goggles I'll head back to the Lookout!" Praxat said.

Praxat grabs her engineering analysis tools and scientific engineering tools and puts them in a sterilization bag. Then she puts the bag in her jobox along with her back up goggles. Praxat closes up her lab and quickly gets dressed in her Aoem combat attire.

She takes her backup goggles out of her jobox and puts them on. Shen then heads off towards the Lookout.

[Yun Lao]

She smiles, touches both, and they reappear in all places, the kitchen on the Lookout beside Ochazuke and Zaofan.

She stumbles and goes down to one knee, sweat on her brow.

“Oh, that banishment spell took...took a lot out of me.”

He offers her his hand to help her back onto her feet once she regained enough energy to do so.

"So what do we do with that?" He asked her, referring to Grinthorn's dragon ball, "He's going to be looking for now that he knows we have it."

A raised eyebrow, followed by a slight smirk, "Why ahm ah not surprised. When Cya wants somethin nothin stands in her way of gettin it. Ah'll let Megan know about it, am sure she won't mind. Thanks." Dash then looks closely, and with concern, at Eva, "Are you alright? You look like you just ran a marathon."

Yes, Cyanna...

To say he had mixed feelings about her after the events that took place at Morgana's was an understatement, "Let's hope she finds what she's looking for there..."

Charco wasn't even certain he would see her again, not before Rex chose to take over completely. He just hoped she didn't get into any trouble out there.

[grampagen]

Lingering a moment more, Ochazuke watched the hiss and crackle below the sputtering surface of the Paella Pan, sitting at its edge with a third cup of tea and the Dark Sphere created by the Namekian Elder Nail. Resonating with the presence of time, like a silent heart it beat in response to Zurvan and the trail he bled out.

Surveying the breadth of the dish, Zaofan nod his head. Some hidden depth to this had developed to his satisfaction, and he crouched beneath. "And with that, I think we can kill the fire, and let the residual heat take care of-"

She smiles, touches both, and they reappear in all places, the kitchen on the Lookout beside Ochazuke and Zaofan.

She stumbles and goes down to one knee, sweat on her brow.

“Oh, that banishment spell took...took a lot out of me.”

With a start, the Chef stood back up. Ochazuke had risen to his feet, and a well of ki rose within his hands...only for the receding flash to reveal Evangeline and Charco.

"Banishment?" He looked between the Guardian and too the boy and his eyes narrow. "Of whom?"

Surveying the hier of Koryu-ryu, to his disappointment, there yet remained a malignant presence. But it seemed that they were accompanied by another sinister essence, one far too familiar to his liking. A hollow chill welled up inside him amid the heat and smoke within the kitchen.

"...what did you find?"

It appeared that a crowd was growing in the kitchen. Parsley didn't wish to linger any longer than she needed to, even though the food Ochazuke and Zaofan had been preparing was making her second guess herself. She stood from her seat, notebook in hand, and approached the growing crowd.

"When you get a moment," she said to Ochazuke, "look over this and add anything that I missed." She handed him the notebook, already opened to the extensive notes she recorded. "We only have a few hours before we leave for The Doctor. I would prefer to bring everyone up to speed and make sure we're all on the same page before then."

With that said, she reached over and grabbed a handful of meats and shoved them into her mouth.

"You sure you won't grab a bite to eat first?" Zaofan called out, before snapping his head towards the sizzling dish for a moment.

ZARK

Swiftly the fire was put out with a finely-turned Optic Blast. "We only just got back, we need to stay in top shape, at least get something to drink" he remarked as he reached towards the handle of the refrigerator.

Surveying Parsley's notes, Ochazuke nodded as he looked over her exacting account of what they saw in that dead world. "Cheh. We've entered the Doctor's endgame now." He spat bitterly. "He's been content to conceal himself, watching his work unfold."

Tossing his neck, cold cracks rang out from side to side. "He believes he can escape the consequences for all he's done."

[grampagen]

“Done...and done. I can send....copies to Jinzi and...anyone else you need. Karis is safely tucked...away for now.”

"Good. He can't keep getting away with it," he said fastidiously curling his fists at his side. "He won't. Not while we have this seed of truth."

Yet the words were shaky, for Ochazuke knew there were others who, though they might not have known exactly what the President of the World was, were woken from the veiled slumber that fell upon them. The last time they rebelled, they were swiftly put down.

The seed of truth, it may not take root, neither in the barren wastes or the tangle of thorns...

All this on the precipice, of what they had yet to do, to settle accounts across the universe...

Moreover, there was another still matter. Wordlessly, he crossed the room. Pulling a sheet of paper from a clipboard of old diagnostics, he took two pens and began scrawling a pattern across a grid.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

"Good. He can't keep getting away with it," he said fastidiously curling his fists at his side. "He won't. Not while we have this seed of truth."

Yet the words were shaky, for Ochazuke knew there were others who, though they might not have known exactly what the President of the World was, were woken from the veiled slumber that fell upon them. The last time they rebelled, they were swiftly put down.

The seed of truth, it may not take root, neither in the barren wastes or the tangle of thorns...

All this on the precipice, of what they had yet to do, to settle accounts across the universe...

Moreover, there was another still matter. Wordlessly, he crossed the room. Pulling a sheet of paper from a clipboard of old diagnostics, he took two pens and began scrawling a pattern across a grid.

“That is...good. I’ll help.....as I can.”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Lingering a moment more, Ochazuke watched the hiss and crackle below the sputtering surface of the Paella Pan, sitting at its edge with a third cup of tea and the Dark Sphere created by the Namekian Elder Nail. Resonating with the presence of time, like a silent heart it beat in response to Zurvan and the trail he bled out.

Surveying the breadth of the dish, Zaofan nod his head. Some hidden depth to this had developed to his satisfaction, and he crouched beneath. "And with that, I think we can kill the fire, and let the residual heat take care of-"



With a start, the Chef stood back up. Ochazuke had risen to his feet, and a well of ki rose within his hands...only for the receding flash to reveal Evangeline and Charco.

"Banishment?" He looked between the Guardian and too the boy and his eyes narrow. "Of whom?"

Surveying the hier of Koryu-ryu, to his disappointment, there yet remained a malignant presence. But it seemed that they were accompanied by another sinister essence, one far too familiar to his liking. A hollow chill welled up inside him amid the heat and smoke within the kitchen.

"...what did you find?"



"You sure you won't grab a bite to eat first?" Zaofan called out, before snapping his head towards the sizzling dish for a moment.

ZARK

Swiftly the fire was put out with a finely-turned Optic Blast. "We only just got back, we need to stay in top shape, at least get something to drink" he remarked as he reached towards the handle of the refrigerator.

Surveying Parsley's notes, Ochazuke nodded as he looked over her exacting account of what they saw in that dead world. "Cheh. We've entered the Doctor's endgame now." He spat bitterly. "He's been content to conceal himself, watching his work unfold."

Tossing his neck, cold cracks rang out from side to side. "He believes he can escape the consequences for all he's done."

Eva smiles shakily.

“A dragon ball. One of Alakazah’s.”

She holds out the blue and green sphere.

“It....called to me. This being here is troubling, but I knew he couldn’t get a hold of it. From my studying and conversation with Zurvan recently, his dragon balls were scattered across existence. When we got this one he appeared. Before he could do something Charco distracted him and.....and I banished him away with a spell. It...it took a lot from me.”

The ball falls from her hand and rolls towards Ochazuke as Eva goes a bit paler, form shaking.

“Perhaps more...than I thought. I have never...used such a spell, and I am not...mage.”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

He offers her his hand to help her back onto her feet once she regained enough energy to do so.

"So what do we do with that?" He asked her, referring to Grinthorn's dragon ball, "He's going to be looking for now that he knows we have it."



Yes, Cyanna...

To say he had mixed feelings about her after the events that took place at Morgana's was an understatement, "Let's hope she finds what she's looking for there..."

Charco wasn't even certain he would see her again, not before Rex chose to take over completely. He just hoped she didn't get into any trouble out there.

She looks at him as he helps her up. She looks pale and shaky.

“Hide it. He can’t come here to the Lookout unannounced anymore. Asha’rah...and Zurvan...and Anula cast wards about the place. Even he cannot come here unless granted permission.”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

A raised eyebrow, followed by a slight smirk, "Why ahm ah not surprised. When Cya wants somethin nothin stands in her way of gettin it. Ah'll let Megan know about it, am sure she won't mind. Thanks." Dash then looks closely, and with concern, at Eva, "Are you alright? You look like you just ran a marathon."

“Just.....just tired.”

A faint smile on her lips belies her pale and shaky form.

[Tami]

“Just.....just tired.”

A faint smile on her lips belies her pale and shaky form.

"How's about ah walk you to your room? Maybe a short rest would help." Dash offered, then to Charco, "You can come too, of course."

[Sub-Zero MKA]

"You sure you won't grab a bite to eat first?" Zaofan called out, before snapping his head towards the sizzling dish for a moment.

ZARK

Swiftly the fire was put out with a finely-turned Optic Blast. "We only just got back, we need to stay in top shape, at least get something to drink" he remarked as he reached towards the handle of the refrigerator.

Surveying Parsley's notes, Ochazuke nodded as he looked over her exacting account of what they saw in that dead world. "Cheh. We've entered the Doctor's endgame now." He spat bitterly. "He's been content to conceal himself, watching his work unfold."

Tossing his neck, cold cracks rang out from side to side. "He believes he can escape the consequences for all he's done."

The gargantuan dish the martial brothers prepared was beyond mesmerizing. The smells emanating from it called to Parsley, inviting her to partake in its goodness and to have her fill before anyone else could. Such a meal wouldn't last very long with three other Saiyans, a Majin, and an Id, all of which with insatiable appetites. If she was to get her fill, she would have to do so before it was too late!

"Very well. I had better eat to build my strength." She had been fighting constantly all day with little time to catch a meal in the last hour or so. She was surprised she was even able to stand, much less concentrate on anything substantial.

As she prepared herself three bowls, she gave thought to Ochazuke's remarks. "He intends to escape by being killed. He fully expects not to survive our conflict. Based on what we have seen from the videos, killing him would be a mercy. Any vestige of Jinzi Pants is gone."

Eva smiles shakily.

“A dragon ball. One of Alakazah’s.”

She holds out the blue and green sphere.

“It....called to me. This being here is troubling, but I knew he couldn’t get a hold of it. From my studying and conversation with Zurvan recently, his dragon balls were scattered across existence. When we got this one he appeared. Before he could do something Charco distracted him and.....and I banished him away with a spell. It...it took a lot from me.”

The ball falls from her hand and rolls towards Ochazuke as Eva goes a bit paler, form shaking.

“Perhaps more...than I thought. I have never...used such a spell, and I am not...mage.”

She looks at him as he helps her up. She looks pale and shaky.

“Hide it. He can’t come here to the Lookout unannounced anymore. Asha’rah...and Zurvan...and Anula cast wards about the place. Even he cannot come here unless granted permission.”

“Just.....just tired.”

A faint smile on her lips belies her pale and shaky form.

Dash offered to tend to Eva, so she didn't bother. Instead, she picked up the dragonball and looked it over. She had never seen a dragonball before, surprisingly. It was smaller than she thought it would be -- par for the course with lewd assumptions.

"So, Alakazah is bound of a set of dragonballs," she murmured. She wondered briefly what would happen if they assembled all seven. "What would happen we assembled all seven? What if we destroyed one?"

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

The gargantuan dish the martial brothers prepared was beyond mesmerizing. The smells emanating from it called to Parsley, inviting her to partake in its goodness and to have her fill before anyone else could. Such a meal wouldn't last very long with three other Saiyans, a Majin, and an Id, all of which with insatiable appetites. If she was to get her fill, she would have to do so before it was too late!

"Very well. I had better eat to build my strength." She had been fighting constantly all day with little time to catch a meal in the last hour or so. She was surprised she was even able to stand, much less concentrate on anything substantial.

As she prepared herself three bowls, she gave thought to Ochazuke's remarks. "He intends to escape by being killed. He fully expects not to survive our conflict. Based on what we have seen from the videos, killing him would be a mercy. Any vestige of Jinzi Pants is gone."







Dash offered to tend to Eva, so she didn't bother. Instead, she picked up the dragonball and looked it over. She had never seen a dragonball before, surprisingly. It was smaller than she thought it would be -- par for the course with lewd assumptions.

"So, Alakazah is bound of a set of dragonballs," she murmured. She wondered briefly what would happen if they assembled all seven. "What would happen we assembled all seven? What if we destroyed one?"

“As any assembled seven, a wish could be made. But any wish made would free Alakazah entirely. Dragons are bound to the spheres normally, but Alakazah is different. He can exist outside the spheres. Being the original proto-dragon has its...perks. As to breaking one.....”

She shakes her head.

“A planet blowing up can’t break one.”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

"How's about ah walk you to your room? Maybe a short rest would help." Dash offered, then to Charco, "You can come too, of course."

She nods.

“Thanks...Dash.”

[Tami]

She nods.

“Thanks...Dash.”

Offering the Guardian her arm and shoulder as support, when she was ready Dash then walked Eva towards her quarters. As they walked, she thought out loud, "So it's true, the Prez is an ancient Dragon. An that was one of his Dragon Balls. Ah don't suppose you know how to find the rest o' them. Or would Jinzi need to make a tracking device."