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

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

What greeted her wasn't a person or enemy, but a laboratory of some sort.

She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. A heavy tremble wracked through her body, nearly causing her to drop Ishtar. She bent down and gently placed the Oni against the wall.

Again, she breathed in deeply. Her steps were unsteady as she moved toward one of the computers and attempted to access what was on it.

As she did, her mind was uncharacteristically unfocused and far afield. Millions of light years away.



Her hands trembled as they struggled to work the keyboard. Damn it, focus!! Now is not the time. The absence of her tail had never been more evident or obvious than it was in that moment, in that place. It took every ounce of strength she had left to keep from breaking down into a panic. Memories that she had successfully shelved thanks to Ishtar were slowly creeping back into her active consciousness.



Focus. Please focus.

The tube seems to hold within a floating mass.

[Tami]

Dash wails on it, again and again she lands hits and drives the thing back. Just as she tears for another, it seemingly fades into the wall and disappears.

It suddenly reappears beside the Coldlight from the ceiling. It seems slower, stiffer, having taken damage from Dash it seems to destroy the Coldlight. It raises its hand to strike the ship.

Turning quickly, Dash races to intercept the hand.As the Giant hand moves downward, Dash is beneath it, using all her strength to stop the hand and push it back upwards.

OOC: Storm Armor: Multiplies Dash's strength x3, her speed by 2x, and boosts her elemental powers over wind, lightening, and thunder significantly.

[Miburo]

“Tall, near six meters or so. Pale, vaguely humanoid. I can’t really see anything else. Dash is...oh, well Dash is blasting it and it’s still up. Get here soon!”

Held, you’ll get there about ten seconds after this message comes through.

"Right." Held replied simply, seeing the opening to the docking bay. It seems he had made it not a moment, too soon.

Dash wails on it, again and again she lands hits and drives the thing back. Just as she tears for another, it seemingly fades into the wall and disappears.

It suddenly reappears beside the Coldlight from the ceiling. It seems slower, stiffer, having taken damage from Dash it seems to destroy the Coldlight. It raises its hand to strike the ship.

Had the Nevadian not been so focused on the task at hand, he would have paused to gawk at the creature, it's form and appearance like nothing he had ever seen before.

There wasn't a moment to spare, as whatever the...creature...planned to do, was unlikely to be good for the state of the ship.

He drew his spear, rearing back to toss it through the air like a javelin.

PIERCING--

Tasure sighed. The battle against the Doctor had ended too soon for her to be of use... of course, it did give her time to recover her energy, so that was a plus. Now, to more pertinent matters, like the newly-arrived enemy and...

...

...WHERE THE **** WAS THAT IDIOT SON OF HERS?!.

Muttering, she closed her eyes and reached out with her senses. Through the kizuna, she could sense him... and he was pretty far away. What in the hell?! He was closer to the docking bay than the damned doctor's room. That... okay, no... no, calm down... there must have been a reason. She'd simply IT to him, punch him in his dumb face, and ask what the hell was up. Putting her fingers to her forehead, her form blurred, and...

...she found herself someplace dark, soft, and oddly delicious-smelling. Okay, what had her boy been up to?! And what was that... was that the sound of someone eating!? Trying, in vain, to make her way to the origin of the sound, tasure eventually lost her temper and, with a great burst of energy, obliterated the... whatever the hell she was buried in.

"Gah, what the hell!?" came her son's voice. He had been knocked against a nearby wall and only now could she see what she'd been buried in. Muffins. Thousands... and thousands... and thousands of delicious muffins.

"...of all things, I didn't expect this. You missed the damn battle!"

Totoma blinked. "****, really? Uh... sorr--" He was interrupted by his mother slugging him in the face.

"More importantly, you didn't say a damn thing about all this delicious food! How thoughtless can you be!?"

Totoma grinned and held up a small button. "Heh... muffin button."

Sighing, Tasure grabbed her son. "Put that somewhere safe." Putting her fingers to her forehead again, she locked onto the closest and most familiar energy that was not her idiot son--she believed it was that Nevadian, Held, who was moving at a rather brisk pace. Good enough. Her form and that of Totoma's blurred...

...appearing right next to Held, their arrival being heralded by an explosion of the muffin pile they'd been standing in. Tasure growled. "This is ridiculous."

"HO--AHRH!

The sudden appearance caught the Nevadian entirely unaware during the Apex of his throw, disrupting his precise aim by scant centimeters as it flew towards the creature. It was impossible for the Nevadian to tell if his aim would still ring true.

Held instinctively jumped back from the sudden energy signature manifesting itself in the form of Tasure, with her son lying on the floor.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?!"

[Sub-Zero MKA]

The tube seems to hold within a floating mass.

As she continued to work the computers, Parsley narrowed her eyes at the floating mass within. In her haggard, addled state of mind, it was more difficult to conjure the focus necessary to determine what it was.

She squeezed her eyes closed and forced herself to focus on the task at hand. Focus. Focus. FOCUS! Her eyes opened, tunnel-narrow attention drawn toward the figure in the tube. Observational Focus What was it? Where did it come from? How long had it been there?

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Holding the vial between his calloused fingers, Ochazuke turned the green liquid over upon itself. By this time he had become intimately familiar with this essence. It had been the larger portion of the energy swirling about Asha'rah, the core of Evangeline and any number of the emergent neophyte guardians. Stirring within the heart of that burning world, and raising life upon the dead one, cradled upon his neck in a Dark Sphere, a portion of it had rendered to reality the impossible.

The Power of Creation. The legacy of the Creator passed down to her charge, a mere spark of it to empower an order over the Cosmos itself. Held in the crest of his palm, Ochazuke was captivated by this doubtlessly ill-gained prize.

For even though the Doctor possessed this, it wasn't enough to slake those mad ambitions, nor power enough to realize the aim of making dominion of time. Little different than our Dragonballs and the madness they inspire among mortal imagination. Shifting in an idle step, a fraction of round-edged glass ground to powder under his heel.

The lives of seven alternate worlds were once contained in the fragments of these baubles, till the rupture consumed their universes. How many others were just like them, who fought and died for this vain conceit? Even the Creator herself was not above caving to such urges. That's when he remembered an ancient name.

Inda'ren, the ancestral God of Destruction. The thought of that primal crime Asha'rah had admitted to days ago, and the enigmatic squabbles of Hammer and Genesis flared against his mind. The power of gods was not imparted so easily while they drew breath. How had fallen to the Doctor, harvested, just to fill a tube?

This is little more than an addict's reserve. The Doctor was no better than that damned Parasite, Ochazuke thought to himself, raising his hand he briefly considered the unconscionable, then ceased. Untethered, it could not be destroyed, all the same he could not leave it here. Just like that long night in Cask, he found he had little recourse but to bear this heinous thing for now. A fixed point in time.

Next he turned his attention to the little green coin, turning it over in his hand. Plots within plots within plots, laying the thing flat in his palm, he concentrated his insight into finding the source connection.

A figure of ancient power lay upon its face. A visage of a djinn.

Perhaps the Doctor thought one could grant a wish for her. Far less powerful than the Eternal Dragons, djinn are tricky creatures who only once can grant a wish.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Turning quickly, Dash races to intercept the hand.As the Giant hand moves downward, Dash is beneath it, using all her strength to stop the hand and push it back upwards.

OOC: Storm Armor: Multiplies Dash's strength x3, her speed by 2x, and boosts her elemental powers over wind, lightening, and thunder significantly.

The being’s hands stop, and at the moment, Dash and it are equal on strength.

Out of the corner of her eye she sees two more giants emerge from far wall and start making their way towards the ship.

[Monstrous Bird of Qin, Ou Ki]

"Right." Held replied simply, seeing the opening to the docking bay. It seems he had made it not a moment, too soon.



Had the Nevadian not been so focused on the task at hand, he would have paused to gawk at the creature, it's form and appearance like nothing he had ever seen before.

There wasn't a moment to spare, as whatever the...creature...planned to do, was unlikely to be good for the state of the ship.

He drew his spear, rearing back to toss it through the air like a javelin.

PIERCING--


"HO--AHRH!

The sudden appearance caught the Nevadian entirely unaware during the Apex of his throw, disrupting his precise aim by scant centimeters as it flew towards the creature. It was impossible for the Nevadian to tell if his aim would still ring true.

Held instinctively jumped back from the sudden energy signature manifesting itself in the form of Tasure, with her son lying on the floor.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?!"

Getting a solid lock in the Nevadian had been a challenge. She was a bit tired--being blown up will do that--annoyed, and things were quickly going to hell in a handbasket. That, and he was remarkably fast for his level of power. Not a good combination.

Shooting him an exasperated look, Tasure sighed and shook her head. "I found my idiot son... indulging in muffins instead of fighting. I need an energy signature to lock onto to teleport, and you, Nevadian, just so happened to be the closest and most distinct. Deal with it."

Totoma stood up, munching on a blueberry muffin and staring at the battle unfolding before him. "...huh, so... what is that thing? Looks tough. And who the heck's fighting it?"

"Hell if I know. One of the humans. Meagan, I think," said Tasure. It would probably be a good idea to learn the names of the rest of the group... eventually.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

As she continued to work the computers, Parsley narrowed her eyes at the floating mass within. In her haggard, addled state of mind, it was more difficult to conjure the focus necessary to determine what it was.

She squeezed her eyes closed and forced herself to focus on the task at hand. Focus. Focus. FOCUS! Her eyes opened, tunnel-narrow attention drawn toward the figure in the tube. Observational Focus What was it? Where did it come from? How long had it been there?

Its a hybrid-clone combination. Midori used her DNA and combined it with trace First Race DNA. It’s still growing, though the computers say the brain function is quite high.

[Tami]

The being’s hands stop, and at the moment, Dash and it are equal on strength.

Out of the corner of her eye she sees two more giants emerge from far wall and start making their way towards the ship.

As she continues to keep the Giantess at bay, she sees two more Giants approaching. Cursing under hre breath, she then calls out, "Anyone, ah could sure use some help here."

[Yun Lao]

The being’s hands stop, and at the moment, Dash and it are equal on strength.

Out of the corner of her eye she sees two more giants emerge from far wall and start making their way towards the ship.

A twinge of power drew Rex's attention, causing the saurian to turn to face it. There were several of them, in fact, their ki signatures were nearly identical.

"Three? Perfect. One for breakfast, lunch, and dinner..."

Energy crackled between his fingers as he raised a hand in the general directions of the giants. It didn't matter if there were walls separating him from them, the Strongest made his own path. Firing a blast of the poisonous ghost hakai, the Tyrant King would be inserting himself into this fight.

"It's time to hunt..."

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Its a hybrid-clone combination. Midori used her DNA and combined it with trace First Race DNA. It’s still growing, though the computers say the brain function is quite high.

What Parsley found out was horrifying. Midori had combined her own DNA with that of the First Race. The result? This... unholy abomination the likes of which dwarfed all the other abominable hybrid travesty she had had the misfortune of encountering during this mission.

She swallowed and stepped away from the computer. What have you done?

"That creature in the tube," she spoke in a shaky voice to Ishtar, "is a combination of Midori's DNA and that of the First Race." The need to hypothesize about how powerful such a being would be was negligible. It wouldn't matter, because she intended on destroying it. "I need to destroy this before it grows to full strength." She walked toward it and placed her hands on the jar. Then, she unleashed a tremendous blast, intent on killing it before it could do any harm.

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

What Parsley found out was horrifying. Midori had combined her own DNA with that of the First Race. The result? This... unholy abomination the likes of which dwarfed all the other abominable hybrid travesty she had had the misfortune of encountering during this mission.

She swallowed and stepped away from the computer. What have you done?

"That creature in the tube," she spoke in a shaky voice to Ishtar, "is a combination of Midori's DNA and that of the First Race." The need to hypothesize about how powerful such a being would be was negligible. It wouldn't matter, because she intended on destroying it. "I need to destroy this before it grows to full strength." She walked toward it and placed her hands on the jar. Then, she unleashed a tremendous blast, intent on killing it before it could do any harm.

Ishtar was trying her best to not focus on the obstruction to the view of the floor. When Parsley told her what she'd found however, the Oni's focus shifted and she let slip a shaky sigh.

"For the ... best."

Assuming it didn't die outright from the attack Ishtar felt not a moment later, a few scribbles on Parsley's back later; and a spell to burn away the target -- which in this case was the clone-hybrid -- was added to the mix.

"I am sorry for ... using your back as a ... canvas."

[KingofPie]

The being’s hands stop, and at the moment, Dash and it are equal on strength.

Out of the corner of her eye she sees two more giants emerge from far wall and start making their way towards the ship.

Sasheem phases through the ship's walls and delivers a diving Katchin headbutt to one.;

[Sub-Zero MKA]

The being’s hands stop, and at the moment, Dash and it are equal on strength.

Out of the corner of her eye she sees two more giants emerge from far wall and start making their way towards the ship.

As she continues to keep the Giantess at bay, she sees two more Giants approaching. Cursing under hre breath, she then calls out, "Anyone, ah could sure use some help here."

Sarada sighed. Is it too much to ask that I can just go home? Vocado was looking very good at the moment. Far better than this dingy, piece of crap shithole Midori called a base. Sighing heavily, Sarada rose to her feet and jabbed Nevanlinna on the arm. "Thanks, for the second time, Neva. Don't know where I'd be without you." With a respectful nod at P-Sta, she quickly transformed into a Super Saiyan and flew at speed to the docks where all the action was.

She arrived quickly and beheld... three giants, one of which was fighting some woman in some kind of armor? "The **** is going on around here?"

Whatever. There were bodies that needed to be bodied and the woman to do it had just hit the scene. She picked a target -- the one that Sasheem didn't attack -- and blitzed toward them at full speed. "Konichiwa, fuckface!" she bellowed as she spiraled up its body, then pelted it with blast after blast once she was above it.

[Tami]

A twinge of power drew Rex's attention, causing the saurian to turn to face it. There were several of them, in fact, their ki signatures were nearly identical.

"Three? Perfect. One for breakfast, lunch, and dinner..."

Energy crackled between his fingers as he raised a hand in the general directions of the giants. It didn't matter if there were walls separating him from them, the Strongest made his own path. Firing a blast of the poisonous ghost hakai, the Tyrant King would be inserting himself into this fight.

"It's time to hunt..."

Sasheem phases through the ship's walls and delivers a diving Katchin headbutt to one.;

Sarada sighed. Is it too much to ask that I can just go home? Vocado was looking very good at the moment. Far better than this dingy, piece of crap shithole Midori called a base. Sighing heavily, Sarada rose to her feet and jabbed Nevanlinna on the arm. "Thanks, for the second time, Neva. Don't know where I'd be without you." With a respectful nod at P-Sta, she quickly transformed into a Super Saiyan and flew at speed to the docks where all the action was.

She arrived quickly and beheld... three giants, one of which was fighting some woman in some kind of armor? "The **** is going on around here?"

Whatever. There were bodies that needed to be bodied and the woman to do it had just hit the scene. She picked a target -- the one that Sasheem didn't attack -- and blitzed toward them at full speed. "Konichiwa, fuckface!" she bellowed as she spiraled up its body, then pelted it with blast after blast once she was above it.

"Four against three, now that's more like it." Dash,relieved at the help, now focused on the Giantess who began this unwanted delay. With her hand planted firmly against the one hand of the Giant lady, she channeled her ki through them. First they glowed, then she pushed the ki outward as a blast, trying to push her away from the Coldlight.