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

[Yun Lao]

The darkness gave way to the dim glow of the elevator's interior once more. Leaning against the polished steel walls, his body slumped down from exhaustion. Whereas Dieselle's portion had given him a renewed sense of hope at being whole once more, Poepayne's contribution felt heavy as if the weight of the world rested upon his shoulders. Wearily looking to the wall, he found his features had changed yet again; he had a nose now, his hair was much longer and sported a shock of black among its former solidarity of white, and with a closer inspection found those previously blood-red eyes were now maroon in color. Satisfied with noting all of his physical changes, he was simply content to rest his head against the wall, his mind trying to digest these jaded feelings of guilt and self-loathing, and hatred. He could only wonder how the old man had managed to keep his will to live with those feelings, and these were only the fragments of his shadow. It took some time, much longer than he would have liked to admit to getting over wallowing in his irrational self-pity, but eventually, it all subsided.

The scent of flowers greeted him and he found himself in the middle of a grand field of flora.

Rising to his feet, he couldn't help but find his surroundings eery as there was something otherworldly about this place. A thin fog filled the air, yet he could see sparkles from where the sun struck unknown particles amongst it. Trees surrounded the field yet they were too uninformed in their placement to be completely natural. It was there in the distance, filling the horizon almost in the entirety of his field of vision that he saw it.

A mountain of living tissue, humanoid in only the barest guidelines available, seated in what could be construed as the lotus pose.

"Here lies the lonely grave for the one known as ⌈zphuun⌋, locked away in the forgotten fragment of a dead man's memory of the moon..."

The voice was soft, quiet, and familiar enough to where he almost confused it for his own inner voice. It wasn't until the man cut into his peripheral vision that he realized he was not alone. Turning to the host of this memory, the man's appearance struck him strongly; He had known this man, in some shape or fashion.

"It breaks my heart to see you like this..." The man said mournfully, his hand reaching out towards him only to reluctantly stop mid-way, "Had I been just a bit stronger, a bit faster, then none of this would have happened to you. I would still be with my beloved, I would have been see the birth of my daughter, Petra, and I would have been able to be there for you."

The man's hands clenched into fists just moments before he sprung forward, wrapping him into a tight hug, "I am sorry, my child. You shouldn't have to walk this path alone." The hug was warm and comforting; it was as if he had been waiting his entire life for this meeting, "There is nothing I can give you that could right the pain and misery you and our family have gone through from my absence, but it is not too late for me to help you as you are now."

Releasing his embrace, the man took a few steps back, a serene smile on his lips, "I once had dreams of teaching my children the Kyōryū Ryū, so I am happy I can finally fulfill them with my grandson."

They were related?

Yes, that's right. This man was his grandfather... his name... that's right, this was Phospho, his grandfather.

His revelation was disturbed as he felt a movement in the air; something that had been absent in this strange place. It was his only indicator that Phospho had begun his attack. Jerking back, he felt something pass through the locks of his bangs, just mere centimeters from touching him.

"Good, good..." Phospho said with some pride, his attacking limb replaced with a scaly arm ended in three talons.

[bruceleegreyhulk]

Cyanna gets her answers as Althena continues reading the mural." Well onboard are our ship, I had asked Kazoo why he was on Xeniri. Kazoo told me that long ago. He came from a planet called Namek in the Northern Quadrant as an explorer," Althena said.

" He told me that he came to Xeniri to explore it and that he had fallen in love with the people on the planet, and their culture. That he decided to stay on the planet and help one of the people living on the planet. A female Zahea name Roxy raised her children," Althena said.

It wasn't long before I and my allies got into it with the Oustarin Empire. When we went around, preventing them from ravaging planets. Pretty soon, we were wanted by the Oustarin Empire and giving labels by them," Althena said.

" I was giving the label Lust, Vyggen was giving the label Sloth, Ýðreimd the label Greed, Xiflon the label Gluttony, and Kazoo the label Wrath. The worlds we managed to stop Oustarin Empire from ravaging. We helped rebuild," Althena said.

"Helping the beings living on the planets to rebuild their societies. Still, Oustarin Empire left their mark on many planets throughout the Southern Quadrant. When went to other worlds that the Oustarin Empire had ravaged. They turn out to be wastelands almost entirely devoid of life," Althena said.

" It was awful what the Oustarin Empire did to these planets. I worried that Oustarin Empire would come for my homeworld Qacriea, but I calm myself down. Knowing that Oustarin Empire had no idea about my homeworld Qaceria," Althena said.

"Two months later. I and my allies encounter an alien on a planet named Xolmichi that the Oustarin Empire was in the middle of attacking. Like I and my allies, this alien was fighting against the Oustarin Empire. So we decided to help her out," Althena said.

After we drove the Oustarin Empire back. I asked the alien her name. She told me were name was Akrya and that she was a Tuffle who used to belong to a mercenary group that was hired by the Oustarin Empire, to help them in their path which they claim was righteous," Althena said.

Of course, Kazoo wasn't all too pleased with what Akrya said, and I saw him grab her and slam her into the ground. I heard him told Akrya to gave him a reason why he shouldn't kill her and that he remembered her and her fellow mercenaries being there when the Oustarin Empire attacked Xeniri. Akrya told us that she used to work for the Oustarin Empire," Althena said.

" That she thought she was doing something righteous. The Oustarin Empire told her that they wanted to unite all the planets in the Southern Quadrant under one banner. That they were going to make the life throughout the Southern Quadrant better," Althena said.

" That when she worked with the Oustarin Empire, she believed in their cause. That she turned against them when she found out the truth. That the Oustarin Empire's goal wasn't to unite worlds in the Southern Quadrant under one banner. That their true goal was to conquer the entire Southern Quadrant," Althena said.

That the mercenary group, she used to be a part of became corrupted, and turn against her. That now they're going around calling themselves The Great Virtues protectors of justice, and have become The Oustarin Empire's Elite Squad. To hear that this group that Akrya used to be a part of," Althena said.

" Was going around giving themselves such a label while working for a vile empire that was committed atrocious acts. Literally made me sick to my stomach. So much it made me eject my stomach," Althena said.

Akrya was shocked when I did this. At the time, she had never seen any creature throw up an organ before. She found it to be quite disgusting. After I had clean off my stomach and put it back in my body, I told Akrya that she would get used to it," Althena said.

[Twiliteknite06]

"Not so, kid..." Dr. Cast frowned, tapping his cane upon the ground before pointing it forward, causing a screen to project before them, zooming in on Earth, then into Capital City, and lastly towards an unassuming house, that a half-Saiyan a long way from home had made his new place of residence. "Because the suspect in question, is supposed to be an officer of the law, himself..." he finished, pointing directly at a still image of the Time Patrolman known as Hops.

Hops sat in his bed, tired from a day of training. As far as days to himself were concerned, they were few and far between ever since he'd taken up the mantle of a police officer for Capital City during the downtime between Galatic level threats that the M-fighters handled. He stretched and yawned as his feet touched the hardwood floor of his capsule home. He smiled sadly at his Time Patrol equipment resting almost ceremoniously on the dresser against the wall opposite his bed. "Hard to believe it's been two years since I made this place home." His finger traced the Time Patrol logo on his belt before making his way to the kitchen of his home for a snack, as he reached for the handle of the microwave to reheat last nights pizza, the house was filled with the sound of white noise, as all his electronics registered feedback from some unknown source.

Hops looked around, confused before he hesitantly reached into his pocket. The Time Patrol communicator that hadn't worked since his emergence into this timeline, some three or so years ago, (He'd figured out he'd been held captive for a year) began to flicker to life, picking up some garbled message that he couldn't understand. On-screen he could see the face of his captain for an instant before everything froze for a brief moment.

The air was stale and the world was silent as Hops felt time move around him, without him. when everything snapped back into line, the plate he'd held shattered on the floor, phasing through his hand as he'd been removed from time for a brief second. "W-what?" he questioned, his head suddenly throbbing. Something inside told him danger was coming and he reacted as quickly as he could, racing to his room to grab his blaster and rapier. Whatever was coming wanted him removed from existence, and he wouldn't be going down without a fight.

[MrSandman]

Ochazuke said nothing as they continued to forge ahead, his silence heavy in lieu of the many barbs he'd spoken previously. Their ventures into the deep heart of this Sorceror's kingdom had diverted their course from the ancient horror in the midst that they had known, but there had been a thought tah burdened his thoughts. If Rex had finished his ruinous works, why should he return? Perhaps the bridge between that dark history and the ruin he would sow in the present would be first realized from a forsaken place such as this. What did the Strongest leave lingering in this place?

Spreading his focus across the castle grounds above, the web of ki ensnaring the knight's movement he could at last permit to stretch ahead into the long darkness, and slowly a dread sensation seemed to trickle from the walls. Standing an observer at this threshold, he was acutely aware of the multitude of presences that thread the veil.

More than that, two familiar presences stood out within the chamber. Reaching across the abyssal expanse would be to disturb whatever was lying in wait. To get their party back together would require a more mundane solution.

Pressing a finger to the comm in his ear, he hailed Zaofan and Erosa over their shared frequency.

"I'm here, and I've brought Morgan," he said. He then turned to the Familiar herself. "What is the purpose of this machinery? And what lies beneath it?"

"....The tomb.....This machinery is...was a part of its outside structure. As for its function, only the queen had any true knowledge on what it was to be used for." Morgan pulled a fragment of something from the wreakage and examined it closely. "This material is Magic conductive....orichalcum. Its a product of Magicite refinement and was used in craft some of the greatest weapons of my age...."

With a sigh, she turns the piece in her hand. "No energy has passed through here for a long time.....its no wonder the external structure is so badly damaged now. Under the right conditions this material shouldn't be susceptible to damage like this. Though...it makes sense I suppose....Humbert or the others couldn't have left the tomb in the state they were in without some exit..."

Letting the piece fall to the ground, she continued forward...eventually arriving at the pit.

With Erosa's voice breaking the silence, Zaofan felt a bit of warmth within the dark unknown, and as he - albeit reluctantly - peeled his posterior from the Queen's sedan, he was able to focus on the environs. Something's watching...something, or someone. Lifting his gaze towards the statuary in the hall, he studied the faces for a moment. She looks familiar. Certainly prominent, even for these parts-

Suddenly the carved bustier hit the floor and shattered, and he started with a jolt as his heart felt like it would make a hasty exit from the back of his throat.

After a hot minute to catch his breath, leaning on his katchin staff he nodded to Erosa sheepishly. "...I think I'll follow your lead," he said, and as they crossed their way to the deep pit, he quirked a brow as he looked over the cogs and steel. Curious, for what had seemed a place that seemed preserved in the image of castles and gardens. "I don't suppose you can sniff out any Magic or Void down there?"

As they moved along, he reached into his pocket and withdrew a capsule.

"Ero.....Sniff out magic? What am I, a blood gaound." Erosa protested. "Or are you sayin magic smells........ero?" Erosa lifted her arm and sniffed, then sniffed the air around the hole.

"....no smell like magic......But something smells down there. Smell like million year old feet and...*sniff*.......lizard ****......" Erosa peered down. "....*sniff*.......Wait......I smell.....*sniff*.....Huh......." Erosa poked her head down into the darkness and took several long sniffs before pulling it back. "Familiar smell from below....can't put claw on it ero."

"Ahh, what do we have here." Morgans voice came as both her and Ochazuke approached the pit. "This looks like a solid enough entry point.....just a moment please." Morgan said as she continued on and, with an absurd lack of caution, stepped off the edge and let herself drop in...coming to an immediate stop in mid air just below the hole while a bright flash of light erupting from her hand open hands and illuminating what lay underneath. From above, the three could see broken machinery and hollow space leading to another gap the middle some 50 feet below.

Leaving the two conjoured orbs of light in the air, Morgan floats back up on level with the others. "Looks safe to proceed, its damaged...but there isn't any void flowing here. Lord Zaofan, if you would...I shall carry you down." She held out her arms gracefully, making sure to motion with a smile when he didn't get the immediate message.

[grampagen]

"....The tomb.....This machinery is...was a part of its outside structure. As for its function, only the queen had any true knowledge on what it was to be used for." Morgan pulled a fragment of something from the wreakage and examined it closely. "This material is Magic conductive....orichalcum. Its a product of Magicite refinement and was used in craft some of the greatest weapons of my age...."

With a sigh, she turns the piece in her hand. "No energy has passed through here for a long time.....its no wonder the external structure is so badly damaged now. Under the right conditions this material shouldn't be susceptible to damage like this. Though...it makes sense I suppose....Humbert or the others couldn't have left the tomb in the state they were in without some exit..."

Letting the piece fall to the ground, she continued forward...eventually arriving at the pit.

Ochazuke listened intently to Morgan's recollection, and despite the gravity of the situation she described, a small, mirthless chuckle escaped him. The finest minds of the mage's kingdom, craft a shelter to become a tomb. Cresting his hand over the shattered floor that once served as some roofed shell to this mechanism, he pored over and examining the entirety of the structure with Kyokushin Keihatsu.

So aware, it did not escape his attention that Morgan had discarded the Orichalum Shard. Made from the essence of magic itself, it was quite a curiosity, then, that it should have been left in this condition. "Refinement, indeed," he said, "Yet if it would not be so diminished in the ages past from an external threat, the residual menace may yet linger within."

Cresting his meditation field, the breach in the material was by now quite obvious, but this would not satisfy him. Following behind Morgan, he palmed the Orichalum Fragment and held it against Arthur's Ring.

Perhaps within the remainder of the magic imbued within the superstructure, he searched to find the exit point, and any residual trace therein of some foreign essence.

"Ero.....Sniff out magic? What am I, a blood gaound." Erosa protested. "Or are you sayin magic smells........ero?" Erosa lifted her arm and sniffed, then sniffed the air around the hole.

"....no smell like magic......But something smells down there. Smell like million year old feet and...*sniff*.......lizard ****......" Erosa peered down. "....*sniff*.......Wait......I smell.....*sniff*.....Huh......." Erosa poked her head down into the darkness and took several long sniffs before pulling it back. "Familiar smell from below....can't put claw on it ero."

"Ahh, what do we have here." Morgans voice came as both her and Ochazuke approached the pit. "This looks like a solid enough entry point.....just a moment please." Morgan said as she continued on and, with an absurd lack of caution, stepped off the edge and let herself drop in...coming to an immediate stop in mid air just below the hole while a bright flash of light erupting from her hand open hands and illuminating what lay underneath. From above, the three could see broken machinery and hollow space leading to another gap the middle some 50 feet below.

Leaving the two conjoured orbs of light in the air, Morgan floats back up on level with the others. "Looks safe to proceed, its damaged...but there isn't any void flowing here. Lord Zaofan, if you would...I shall carry you down." She held out her arms gracefully, making sure to motion with a smile when he didn't get the immediate message.

Zaofan blinked for a moment, tongue lolling against dry lips as he finally processed the awkwardness of his question.

"Eh-heh...well, you know," he said, rubbing the back of his neck as he shift where he stood, "Guess I kinda figured you'd recognize this sort of thing better than I would...?"

Perhaps we should have waited for Etrina. Then again, with what she did to Midori, that'd take a lot out of even the Mistress.

Millennia of magical history. The information he gleaned through that tome of history she was poring through allowed him some measure of recognition, certainly, but the further they went along, the more out of his depth he felt.

...I should bring her back something nice.

When Morgan made her offer, however, he broke through his momentary embarrassment with a puzzled grin. Lord Zaofan? Standing up tall, let out an obnoxious, bellowing laugh.

"No need to worry on my account, Maid Morgan!" His proclamation was as dodgy as it was loud, echoing in the dead silence. "If it is the Void we move to face, it seems like you have your hands plenty full already!"

Nerves. Frazzled, high-strung nerves. The ancient cogs and the stale air coaxed it out of him.

The sound of a Capsule expansion sounded out around him; combined with the dust from their haphazard entry, it kicked up something of a theatrical vapour around him. Silently, he affixed a white metal circlet over his crown as he leaned over the edge of the pit, and spoke his resolve as he began a steadfast monologue.

"Deep into that darkness, peering-"

"-confidence should be measured, not merely a veneering," Ochazuke interrupted.

"Four of these fellows we must know and own; this thing of darkness I acknowledge mine."

Sucking in his lower lip, a harsh look fell upon Morgan where she stood poised to lead them into a pit...then as Ochazuke snorted with subdued laughter, Zaofan's charade broke as his laughter fell into that fretful abyss.

"Ah...I needed that, thanks," he sighed, leaping into the pit next to Morgan on the walkway. "Shall we?"

[bruceleegreyhulk]

"Two months later. I and my allies encounter an alien on a planet named Xolmichi that the Oustarin Empire was in the middle of attacking. Like I and my allies, this alien was fighting against the Oustarin Empire. So we decided to help her out," Althena said.

After we drove the Oustarin Empire back. I asked the alien her name. She told me were name was Akrya and that she was a Tuffle who used to belong to a mercenary group that was hired by the Oustarin Empire, to help them in their path which they claim was righteous," Althena said.

Of course, Kazoo wasn't all too pleased with what Akrya said, and I saw him grab her and slam her into the ground. I heard him told Akrya to gave him a reason why he shouldn't kill her and that he remembered her and her fellow mercenaries being there when the Oustarin Empire attacked Xeniri. Akrya told us that she used to work for the Oustarin Empire," Althena said.

" That she thought she was doing something righteous. The Oustarin Empire told her that they wanted to unite all the planets in the Southern Quadrant under one banner. That they were going to make the life throughout the Southern Quadrant better," Althena said.

" That when she worked with the Oustarin Empire, she believed in their cause. That she turned against them when she found out the truth. That the Oustarin Empire's goal wasn't to unite worlds in the Southern Quadrant under one banner. That their true goal was to conquer the entire Southern Quadrant," Althena said.

That the mercenary group, she used to be a part of became corrupted, and turn against her. That now they're going around calling themselves The Great Virtues protectors of justice, and have become The Oustarin Empire's Elite Squad. To hear that this group that Akrya used to be a part of," Althena said.

" Was going around giving themselves such a label while working for a vile empire that was committed atrocious acts. Literally made me sick to my stomach. So much it made me eject my stomach," Althena said.

Akrya was shocked when I did this. At the time, she had never seen any creature throw up an organ before. She found it to be quite disgusting. After I had clean off my stomach and put it back in my body, I told Akrya that she would get used to it," Althena said.

Praxat walks up next to Cyanna," I guess this is your first time hearing about the throwing up the stomach thing. Yeah, it's a thing my race does, and it's as super gross as you imagine it is, Cyanna," Praxat said.

[KingofPie]

"W-what?" he questioned, his head suddenly throbbing. Something inside told him danger was coming and he reacted as quickly as he could, racing to his room to grab his blaster and rapier. Whatever was coming wanted him removed from existence, and he wouldn't be going down without a fight.

At first Hops neither heard or saw anything...but he felt a presence in the room with him with his ki sense, darting around nigh undetectable. Fortunately for the Time Patrolman, he didn't have to wait long for the intruder to reveal herself.

What, at first, appeared to be nothing more than a speck of dust flying in the general area of where the ki was being projected soon grew to resemble a small insect and then progressively even larger until that speck was the full sized officer of intergalactic law known as P-Cee. "Hops of the Time Patrol!" she stated, pressing a panel on her glove, which promptly projected a holographic warrant in front of the half-saiyan's face. "You are suspected of breaking no less than five counts of Intergalactic Space-Time Accords. Agitating Chronal Fractures, Impeding the natural flow of time for over five minutes, Storing unauthorized cross-temporal contraband, Timeline Stitching, and Past Alteration. The Galaxy Police would like to take you in for some questioning, so I advise you to come along peacefully or we will be forced to use.....force," P-Cee trailed off, lamely ending her fiery speech.

Hops could feel four other ki signatures pop up, each similar in power to P-Cee, though three were directly outside of his house and the fourth was situated atop a building just across the street. Judging from the green dot that was now trained onto his chest, Hops could assume that it was a sniper

A tense silence permeated the air...only to swiftly be cut by the rhythmic melody of a flushing commode that was heard emitting from Hops' bathroom. Durive, chief of both the Galaxy Police and the Time Patrol, hardily stepped out, content with having stopped up Hops' toilet with copious bundles of toilet paper. The sunglasses resting upon his boxy head were indicstive, at least to him, of the fact that he was the Durive from the future. How he had also gotten himself stranded here was anyone's guess but his own.

Pleased with himself, the diminutive Chief, seemed quite startled as he bore witness to the scene now playing out in front of him between the two officers. Before he could ask any questions, however, his present counterpart suddenly backflipped into the room.

He had a gun.

Future Durive raised his stick-like arms up, a worried expression crossing his face as he wondered how things came to this...

Ten Minutes Earlier...

GP Transport Shuttle

"I can't say I quite buy into this..." P-Sta noted, a puzzled expression crossing his face as he stood at the front of the shuttle. "I don't know this Hops very well, but he is an officer of other law and a man of JUSTICE, I'm certain!" The eldest brother of the Squadron spoke, slamming his fist into his open palm for emphasis.

"The Time Patrol isn't officially recognized as an official branch of any sort of legitimate law enforcement," P-Cee reminded him, sitting calmly at the shuttle's conference table as she awaited their arrival. "At best, they're just a bunch of renegades." She turned and saw Durive peak out of the corner, carrying a bundle of eggs. Turning her nose up, she sneered, "And I don't care who runs it! They're skirting the law as is!" Durive payed her no mind as he snuck across the room, intent on playing his prank.

"But they're like covert ops or...or something! The Secret Brunch Menu to the GP's All-You-Can-Eat Buffet of RIGHTEOUSNESS!" P-Sta countered. "What they're doing is beneficia-'"

P-Cee gave a loud aggravated sigh. "Look, we're not going down there to arrest him neccesarily, right?" she asked. "If he cooperates, we'll just take him back to the base and ask him some questions."

"I'll be honest, I want the guy to be innocent," X-Bo interjected. "...but I hope he doesn't cooperate," the younger brother stated arrogantly, unsheathing his blade and beginning to go through his sword katas. "A half-saiyan should be strong, right? And as a fellow swordsman, I can't wait to test his skill against mine!"

"Don't forget, he's supposed to be a sharpshooter too!" N-Ten clamored excitedly. "But, I bet he's not a sharper shot than me! Psh! Psh!" N-Ten mimes, rolling around the floor and pointing finger guns at various unseen opponents, soon to be joined by Durive who had abandoned his mischievous plot to throw some eggs at the unsuspecting officers in favor of copying her.

"Childishness...typical," P-Cee sighed boredly, taking at seat st the ships table, tapping her fingers impatiently against it.

"I just think it'd be preferable if we were to simply explain the situation to Hops and then put all our noggin together to find out what's really going on," P-Sta shrugged. "It seems reasonable."

"It seems like you're simply going under the assumption that he's innocent based on one minor interaction!" P-Cee raised her voice. "Look, I understand that he's out of his element. Outside his own timeline. Maybe, provided he did commit the crimes he's suspected of, he'll have an understandable motive. But for now we follow procedure."

"Yes, well...perhaps..." P-Sta gave a heavy sigh, scratching the bridge of his nose, heavily contemplating what to say. "Perhaps procedure can sometimes get in the way of dispensing proper justice!"

N-Ten gasped audibly. X-Bo set his sword down and chuckled before punching his brother's shoulder. "Hey bro, can't say I disagree with you on this one! But uh...you alright? You didn't get infected by that parasite from last year, did you?"

"No, but he has been infected by those M-Fighters," P-Cee sneered.

"HEY!" P-Sta shouted, pointing at P-Cee. "I may not agree with all of their methods but the M-Fighters have-!"

"-Valiantly defended Earth time and time again, as you've stated a million times!" P-Cee scoffed.

"Hey, those guys are tried and true heroes!" N-Ten huffed at her older sister. "Why, I've heard they even know.....the Just Saiyan!"

P-Cee rolled her eyes. "Just keep this buffonery up, you three. Soon enough you'll be wanting to blow up every criminal we come across too," she waved her hand dismissively.

"Hmph. If only we could..." X-Bo interjected, folding his arms and turning around to stare out the window.

"It would do well to remember that it was the M-Fighters who ended up fixing most of the time anomalies that have plagued this timeline in the first place!" P-Sta argued. "Furthermore, as the foremost defenders of this planet, of which we are merely visitors of, I'd say they have a bit of leeway, don't you think!" he continued, beginning to wave his arms around. "NOT TO MENTION, that our own superior officer, Lieutenant Blizzar is ostensibly among their number!"

It was P-Cee's turn to fold her arms and turn around this time, a petty look crossing her face as her cheeks puffed up and she began to hold her breath.

Durive hopped on P-Sta's shoulders, beginning to pelt P-Cee with eggs. "AHA, see?! The Chief agrees with me!" P-Sta bragged.

P-Cee continued to hold her ground...and her breath, despite the eggs being flung in her direction.

"Who's acting childish now, huh, P-Cee?" N-Ten sighed, sitting on the floor. Her sister refused to respond.

"No need to worry," X-Bo shook his head, a smirk apparent in his voice. "I know how to cure her of this nonsense. Sheathing his blade, he picked it back up and as P-Cee wasn't looking, he swung it like a baseball bat, directly into her back.

It succeeded in knocking the wind out of her....and riling up her anger as she pointed upon her brother, intent on delivering payback. "Now....now hold on..." P-Sta began, following them and cross the room as he attempted to break them apart.

As he did so he stumbled over N-Ten, who still sat on the floor, dully watching the her siblings bicker. "Would you be so kind as to pick your butt up off of the floor!" P-Sta snapped at her.

"Maybe if you weren't so clumsy!" N-Ten stood up, getting in her oldest brother's face as she and P-Sta began to join in on the ensuing brawl, a cloud of dust(?!) beginning to pick up inside the shuttle, surrounding the four.

Dr. Cast sat st the head of the conference table, calmly sipping a cup of coffee as he watched his team bicker amongst themselves. He chuckled slightly. It wa always that old cliche, with them. They argued constantly, but in the end the four truly cared about one another...in their own way. Truly nostalgic.

However they were nearing their destination and thus had no time for this bullshit. Dr. Cast leaped forward, Coffee still in hand as he jumped above his arguing team, deleting an elbow drop that landed squarely upon all four of them, causing them to fall on the floor.

The elbow in question was also connected to the hand grasping the coffee mug. The burning hot liquid hovered in the air for half a second before gravity caught up to it, causing it to all fall...directly back into the mug. With that same arm, Dr. Cast somehow managed to get all four Katchin Squadron siblings into a headlock.

Taking a sip of coffee, the doctor informed them, "I have my suspicions about these charges too, but for now let's at least take things seriously. There's something amiss here, that's obvious. I simply have to ascertain just what that is. For now...stay focused."

The Present

Hops' residence

The other members of the Katchin Squadron stayed in positiom, with N-Ten as the sniper on the roof, P-Sta and Dr. Cast waiting on opposite sides of the house, and X-Bo covering the front door. All awaiting Hops' next move.

[MrSandman]

Through Kyokushin, Ochazuke made an attempt to learn some hidden meaning to what lay below.....and only met with incomprehensible knowledge. It many ways it was akin to staring at a bizarre jigsaw puzzle....the deep hid layers of machines, the lingering flow of magic, and no obvious reason or purpose in the placement of anything. He could see the picture, and yet lacked the frame of reference to make sense of it.

Yet it was when ring and fragment came together that he learned something of note.

Magic instantly flowed from ring to shard....and with a current flowing through it, the material seemed revitalized in some small capacity....even acting as an extension to the ring, giving off a similar type of energy now that the two were in contact. Pulling the ring away would dim it somewhat, but not completely.

As he investigated further, the group had begun their decent into the depths below.

Conjured light in hand, Morgan took the lead. First though the ruins in the outer layer...and then further inside. Old halls hung heavy with age, and a surreal unnaturalness that felt slightly unnerving. Large chambers filled with strange, broken devices, empty containers...even a few mold colonies formed from rotting materials that could not be identified. Perhaps investigating the mold may have came to the mind of one of the more adventurous members of the group....but when it starting staring at them with multiple eyes, Morgan elected they not stay for a staring contest.

Soon they passed large specimen chambers...alien flora blooming in dilapidated gardens, dinosaur corpses in preserving liquid, not quite dinosaur corpses in preserving liquid.

....and not quite dinosaurs that still had enough life in them to scratch the inside of their containers.....and were still scratching them....

Finally, they came to a bulkhead somewhere deep within the structure. It was still intact, and the only point of access seemed to be a glyphed wall fragment off to one side. Morgan wasted no time in beginning her inspection.

"...." The royal familiar traced her finger along one of the glyphs. "This.....This is it. I think.....Give me a moment, I'm going to try and open this."

As Morgan continues to trace, those in the group not focused on a task could sense an energy moving towards them from the opposite direction. Fairly quickly in fact....the aura of their surrounding making it difficult to get a bead on what exactly. They have a moment to prepare before whatever it is emerges into the hallway.

[MrSandman]

It was difficult to determine the look on Lamoraks face as his query vanished before his eyes and then instantly dug her weapon into his side. A gutteral grunt emerged from the helmed knight, the spears spin coming to a halt as his grip tightened. "What is this......urrrghh..." Letting his hand slip from his spear, he suddenly swing its back....catching Shochu across the side of the head with a vicious armored backhand, while twisting himself away...leaving the weapon embedded in his side. ".....what....was that speed......."He jerks the weapon from his side, gives it a look, and then tosses it the ground. ".....hmm...."

There is a pause, as the knight holds his side with one hand and his spear with the other. The a muffled chuckle fills the air.

".....it seems I have played the fool.....there is more to you then just another wyrm....good.....good....This fight might be worth my time after all."

Lightning crackles up his spear arm and engulfs his body. "You seek to best me in flight....then come....show me what you can.."



Perhaps it was fate....irony, some sort of perverse cosmic sadism. But Lamoraks dreams of a epic duel were postponed, likely indefinitely, by the delivery of a iron toes boot to the head with such force the helm nearly caved in as the knight was sent rolling across the floor and smashing through the nearest wall....leaving only his hind quarters emerging from the hole.

"Ah swear if ah ever get another job it'll be one with insurance included...." A aged accented voice complained with a huff as a tall man stood where the knight had been only moments ago, severally underdressed for the location....and even that was tore up a bit. The man tipped his weathered hat. "....Hmm.....hey, ya look human enough. Mind fillin me in on what a little la..." He paused with a suddenly horrifed memory. "....Young woman like yourself is doing out here."

[Yun Lao]

It was difficult to determine the look on Lamoraks face as his query vanished before his eyes and then instantly dug her weapon into his side. A gutteral grunt emerged from the helmed knight, the spears spin coming to a halt as his grip tightened. "What is this......urrrghh..." Letting his hand slip from his spear, he suddenly swing its back....catching Shochu across the side of the head with a vicious armored backhand, while twisting himself away...leaving the weapon embedded in his side. ".....what....was that speed......."He jerks the weapon from his side, gives it a look, and then tosses it the ground. ".....hmm...."

There is a pause, as the knight holds his side with one hand and his spear with the other. The a muffled chuckle fills the air.

".....it seems I have played the fool.....there is more to you then just another wyrm....good.....good....This fight might be worth my time after all."

Lightning crackles up his spear arm and engulfs his body. "You seek to best me in flight....then come....show me what you can.."



Perhaps it was fate....irony, some sort of perverse cosmic sadism. But Lamoraks dreams of a epic duel were postponed, likely indefinitely, by the delivery of a iron toes boot to the head with such force the helm nearly caved in as the knight was sent rolling across the floor and smashing through the nearest wall....leaving only his hind quarters emerging from the hole.

"Ah swear if ah ever get another job it'll be one with insurance included...." A aged accented voice complained with a huff as a tall man stood where the knight had been only moments ago, severally underdressed for the location....and even that was tore up a bit. The man tipped his weathered hat. "....Hmm.....hey, ya look human enough. Mind fillin me in on what a little la..." He paused with a suddenly horrifed memory. "....Young woman like yourself is doing out here."

Shōchū gave a long sigh as her foe was offed by some random stranger. All of that build-up for nothing except the wasted power of her Chrononaut. Extending her hand out, the discarded Tentsukuroibō flew from the ground and returned to her grasp, the naginata blade retracting back into the staff.

Glancing to the man, he would find that his statement of her being "human" was in fact, false, as the horizontal and vertical lines starting from her irises and dividing the whites of her eyes would be the first indicator of her augmentations, "You should leave," She said, her organic mind irritated that her fight had been interrupted so callously. Looking away, she scanned the distance, trying to find the others before she flew off, hoping she would not fall too far behind.

[MrSandman]

Shōchū gave a long sigh as her foe was offed by some random stranger. All of that build-up for nothing except the wasted power of her Chrononaut. Extending her hand out, the discarded Tentsukuroibō flew from the ground and returned to her grasp, the naginata blade retracting back into the staff.

Glancing to the man, he would find that his statement of her being "human" was in fact, false, as the horizontal and vertical lines starting from her irises and dividing the whites of her eyes would be the first indicator of her augmentations, "You should leave," She said, her organic mind irritated that her fight had been interrupted so callously. Looking away, she scanned the distance, trying to find the others before she flew off, hoping she would not fall too far behind.

"Eh..." The man asked as he watched the girl fly away. ".....wait....HOLD YER HORSES!" With a leap, he took off on foot, following behind and below her while letting out yells that only came to Shochu as squeaks from how high above she was.

[Yun Lao]

"Eh..." The man asked as he watched the girl fly away. ".....wait....HOLD YER HORSES!" With a leap, he took off on foot, following behind and below her while letting out yells that only came to Shochu as squeaks from how high above she was.

She was probably overreacting but didn't feel the need for any form of self-reflection. This whole situation was a mess on its own without bringing in her emotional state. Although she wouldn't descend down to the man, she did grant him the mercy of going just a hair slower than previously in her flight. If he managed to keep up all the way to the others then surely he would worthy enough in her later opinion to get his explanation. Until then, she kept her course, following the energy signatures of the others.

[Tami]

Praxat walks up next to Cyanna," I guess this is your first time hearing about the throwing up the stomach thing. Yeah, it's a thing my race does, and it's as super gross as you imagine it is, Cyanna," Praxat said.

"It's fine, I can deal with it." Cyanna then thought about it, "You know, maybe you could take video images of the mural, recordings and share them with the rest of your people. I'm sure everyone would like to know about this."

[bruceleegreyhulk]

"It's fine, I can deal with it." Cyanna then thought about it, "You know, maybe you could take video images of the mural, recordings and share them with the rest of your people. I'm sure everyone would like to know about this."

" Yeah we should do that," Praxat said.

" I and my allies had encountered these bastards The Great Virtues protectors of justice many times, each time we managed to kick their asses. Then after getting tired of having their asses hand to them so many times. They got an absolute monster to deal with us, "Althena said.

"That monster was a Mokath named Crujax. He was the Oustarin Empire's strongest warrior and the strongest fighter in the Southern Quadrant. The fight with him took place on the home planet of the Mokaths," Althena said.

" I and my allies tried to fight Crujax the best we could, but we were no match for him. After our defeat at the hands of Crujax, we were imprison by Oustarin Empire. We spent an entire year being imprisoned by them, Althena said.

" There we heard from an old alien that the Emperor of the Oustarin Empire wasn't who he seems to be. That there was something ominous about him. One month later. After we were imprisoned," Althena said.

" We managed to escape with the help of Crujax. Who turned against his Empire. Crujax told me and my allies that he discovered that the Emperor of the Oustarin Empire was dead and had been replaced by an imposter," Althena said.

" We confront the Emperor. Even with Crujax's might, he proved to be too much for us. The bastard ended up destroying the Mokaths homeworld Kaphus. Luckily, my allies, Crujax, and I was able to get off the planet before it exploded," Althena said.

"Then we spent fourteen years trying to figure out who this guy really was, and how to beat him. We eventually found out that he was demonic shapeshifting being name Zerxes, and found a way to beat him. My allies and I forged weapons specifically made to combat Zerxes," Althena said.

" The fight with Zerxes and his demonic army, the fight to save the entire Southern Quadrant would happen on my home planet Qacriea," Althena said.

[Tami]

" Yeah we should do that," Praxat said.

" I and my allies had encountered these bastards The Great Virtues protectors of justice many times, each time we managed to kick their asses. Then after getting tired of having their asses hand to them so many times. They got an absolute monster to deal with us, "Althena said.

"That monster was a Mokath named Crujax. He was the Oustarin Empire's strongest warrior and the strongest fighter in the Southern Quadrant. The fight with him took place on the home planet of the Mokaths," Althena said.

" I and my allies tried to fight Crujax the best we could, but we were no match for him. After our defeat at the hands of Crujax, we were imprison by Oustarin Empire. We spent an entire year being imprisoned by them, Althena said.

" There we heard from an old alien that the Emperor of the Oustarin Empire wasn't who he seems to be. That there was something ominous about him. One month later. After we were imprisoned," Althena said.

" We managed to escape with the help of Crujax. Who turned against his Empire. Crujax told me and my allies that he discovered that the Emperor of the Oustarin Empire was dead and had been replaced by an imposter," Althena said.

" We confront the Emperor. Even with Crujax's might, he proved to be too much for us. The bastard ended up destroying the Mokaths homeworld Kaphus. Luckily, my allies, Crujax, and I was able to get off the planet before it exploded," Althena said.

"Then we spent fourteen years trying to figure out who this guy really was, and how to beat him. We eventually found out that he was demonic shapeshifting being name Zerxes, and found a way to beat him. My allies and I forged weapons specifically made to combat Zerxes," Althena said.

" The fight with Zerxes and his demonic army, the fight to save the entire Southern Quadrant would happen on my home planet Qacriea," Althena said.

"That sounds like an epic fight, but no one remembers it? Okay, then what happened next? Did they beat him? Or maybe not."