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

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

“Now, some of those abilities will probably fade over the next five to ten years as you are not a proper Order Master like myself. The power boost will remain, as will the psychic control immunity for sure but that’s it unless infused with Order again by myself.”

She smiles and warmly hugs Ishtar, whispering in her ear.

“You could never let me down, Daughter. Never.”

Ishtar nodded, "more manageable than I had originally assumed."

Even still, to be more than one was, even so brief as a span of a decade -- or less -- was something she'd hardly expected in being summoned for this. A challenge to overcome perhaps, an awakening of 'potential' but not a gift of Order; and the strength to see it used. Though when Shek'hinah leaned in for a hug and expressed she could not disappoint, this caused the Oni only to furrow her brow.

"Thank you ... even still the sentiment remains. Yet, before I go ... a question." Ishtar said, after the hug ended. "You said you are unbiased ... balanced in your appraisal. Were I to die, where would I go ?"

OT: What kinda boost are we talking about here, the PL kind ? If so how much ?

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Ishtar nodded, "more manageable than I had originally assumed."

Even still, to be more than one was, even so brief as a span of a decade -- or less -- was something she'd hardly expected in being summoned for this. A challenge to overcome perhaps, an awakening of 'potential' but not a gift of Order; and the strength to see it used. Though when Shek'hinah leaned in for a hug and expressed she could not disappoint, this caused the Oni only to furrow her brow.

"Thank you ... even still the sentiment remains. Yet, before I go ... a question." Ishtar said, after the hug ended. "You said you are unbiased ... balanced in your appraisal. Were I to die, where would I go ?"

OT: What kinda boost are we talking about here, the PL kind ? If so how much ?

OT: One million.

IC:

Shek'hinah looks at her, eyes ghosting here and there, weighing.

“You would come to me. You have sinned, but your efforts in correcting your mistakes have more than made up for past transgressions. If you were to die, and stay dead, you would have the option of working with me or moving on into a next life or living in Otherworld, retaking your body as many warriors do. The choice would be yours.”

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Asha’rah looked at her, a soft voice answering after a moment.

“Have you ever been so sure of something, so absolute in your faith, that to find out it was false is......shattering?”

Parsley knew that feeling exactly. Down to the cold realization that her entire life up to that point had basically been one long puff piece. Everyone telling her she was the strongest, the best, the greatest, that she was heiress apparent for the throne. It wouldn't be long until she could challenge and defeat Mato and become the next Queen of Vocado. All of it made her victory in the Tournament of Destiny all but guaranteed. Yet, Sarada beat her. She left Parsley laying in a pool of her own tears, with nothing but the icy cold hand of humiliation and defeat to comfort her.

In many ways, she wasn't the same person that she was before that moment. One could say she was a better person, but not her. There was an emptiness inside her that had previously been filled with an undeniable truth: that she was the best. Once that was taken from her, she was without merit.

"Yes," she answered simply. "I do."

[Sub-Zero MKA]

She shakes her head.

“Never sparred with either of you. I’d be honored, Princess.”

She says this with a smirk on her face.

Parsley smirked in return. "Perhaps you can teach me a thing or two. Like how to lose with grace."

"I see." Meagan spoke thoughtfully as she considered Parsley's words, "Until I speak with Cyanna, until I meet Morgana and speak with her myself, I can't respond to the why they chose to take that route. However, I think I may know why Cyanna took the gambit that she did."

"Perhaps she intended to speak of this with Charco at a later time, perhaps she though she already had." Meagan then tilted her head more upright as she spoke to Parsley, "When Cyanna was 8 she came down with an uncommon viral infection. During the war, medicine was hard to obtain, especially certain types of medicine. By the time the Sisters managed to find a source of the medicine needed to treat her, she was already deathly ill. She did recover, clearly, but not without complications. The most significant of those complications was that it made her sterile."

A resigned sadness colored her voice, "My little sister, who so desperately wants a family, can never have children of her own. Not with Charco, not with anyone. It is not a topic that is easy for her to discuss, though I am confident she would have confided it to Charco eventually."

Shaking her head slightly, "When I see Cyanna, I will discuss this with her. Seeing as how Morgana, according to Eva, felt the need to sedate her upon sharing teh news about Charco, there is no doubt she is in a lot of pain herself over what happened."

That... was far more than Parsley had anticipated. She didn't have an idea of how Meagan was going to respond, but divulging an incredibly sensitive secret that her sister would very likely prefer remained secret was not it. "Quite the breach of confidence," she remarked frankly. With a shake of her head, she pondered of what she said.

The conclusion she immediately reached was that Cyanna's last ditch effort was destined to fail even more completely than she originally thought. A child was not possible, meaning Charco's life would only be prolonged for a few years at most before Rex lost his patience. "She attempted to tempt Rex with a child that was not even possible. I am unsure how that would have worked out if he had taken her bait, but I think not well."

She paused briefly, then asked, "How old is Cyanna?"

[Tami]

Parsley smirked in return. "Perhaps you can teach me a thing or two. Like how to lose with grace."



That... was far more than Parsley had anticipated. She didn't have an idea of how Meagan was going to respond, but divulging an incredibly sensitive secret that her sister would very likely prefer remained secret was not it. "Quite the breach of confidence," she remarked frankly. With a shake of her head, she pondered of what she said.

The conclusion she immediately reached was that Cyanna's last ditch effort was destined to fail even more completely than she originally thought. A child was not possible, meaning Charco's life would only be prolonged for a few years at most before Rex lost his patience. "She attempted to tempt Rex with a child that was not even possible. I am unsure how that would have worked out if he had taken her bait, but I think not well."

She paused briefly, then asked, "How old is Cyanna?"

"Perhaps, but I felt it was necessary. Cyanna will understand in time why I chose to share it with you. As for her age, she is about the same age as Sarada. When I first met your sister, she reminded me, in some ways, of my own sister. Sarada may have benefited from being on her own for so long. Cyanna has a free spirit, probably why she decide do run off to meet with Charco instead of staying at the Temple like I told her to. I may not have encouraged that free spirit by being overprotective of her. Even when I went to train with Lady Himizu, I worried about her. Still, she is of an age where she can still find herself."

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

OT: One million.

Well alright then >_> Why do I feel like something terrible is going to happen ?

IC:

Shek'hinah looks at her, eyes ghosting here and there, weighing.

“You would come to me. You have sinned, but your efforts in correcting your mistakes have more than made up for past transgressions. If you were to die, and stay dead, you would have the option of working with me or moving on into a next life or living in Otherworld, retaking your body as many warriors do. The choice would be yours.”

Ishtar sighed.

Not all was lost it seemed. Her future -- and perhaps her fate -- not as bleak as one might have rightfully assumed. Even still, it did not sway her, or otherwise shake the decision that she needed time to further make the changes necessary to become who she needed to be. For her sake, for the Universe's sake ... and for Sarada's sake.

Though this hardly meant the news did not make her smile.

"Better than I expected. Two gifts you have given me this day, Mother. Thank you."

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Well alright then >_> Why do I feel like something terrible is going to happen ?



Ishtar sighed.

Not all was lost it seemed. Her future -- and perhaps her fate -- not as bleak as one might have rightfully assumed. Even still, it did not sway her, or otherwise shake the decision that she needed time to further make the changes necessary to become who she needed to be. For her sake, for the Universe's sake ... and for Sarada's sake.

Though this hardly meant the news did not make her smile.

"Better than I expected. Two gifts you have given me this day, Mother. Thank you."

She squeezes her again, then nods and lets her go.

“Be well, Daughter. And when the time comes, for I know it shall,....kick their asses.”

She grins and waves as Ishtar is taken back to the mortal realm.

[Tami]

She pauses, then nods slowly.

“Mother was....was more obsessed with Grandfather than with you, so my knowledge of you is lacking. I would....enjoy spending a day with you, Grandmother.”

Meagan smiled, "I will enjoy that as well. Soon I plan on visiting a woman named Morgana. There you might get to meet your aunt, or maybe it should be great-aunt, Cyanna. Can you fly? if not, I can carry you there."

[Tami]

Asha’rah looked at her, a soft voice answering after a moment.

“Have you ever been so sure of something, so absolute in your faith, that to find out it was false is......shattering?”

Approaching Asha'rah, "It has been a long time since we last spoke." Meagan looked genuinely concerned, "I can tell that you are troubled, if there is anything I can do to help you know I am here for you."

[MrSandman]

It had been so long...

Eternities long felt since the wind had caressed his flesh, eons seemingly passed since he had last smelled the intoxicating scenes of the material world, and for far too long had it been since he tasted of warm blood trickling down his throat. The circumstances surrounding his emergence had distracted his thoughts, but could he truly enjoy life once more. The King of Early Earth had returned and but for a scant few moments did he feel contentment.

That was until he felt the sensation that he was being watched.

He had long since forsaken a life filled with basic pleasures. Never would he truly find happiness settling for anything less than complete power; not since the days as a hatchling, hiding from other predators that sought him out as an easy meal, forced to eat the remains of his slain siblings just to survive. Not even Death would stop his eternal ambitions, so he would certainly not stop now.

Tearing out another mouthful of the bear he had hunted, he could feel his wounds slowly repair themselves with each chew of the meat. The gash the artificial girl had given him would soon be a memory, but Charco...

He could feel the energy from this, his body, smoldering beneath the flesh. Like a curse, the boy's Final Extinction was still in effect and even in its death throes, it would prove to be debilitating to his growth until he managed to snuff it out. Unfortunately, he could just take the energy needed to douse the flame, at least, not in his usual way. He would need to find a hunting ground that the others were unaware of, ancient and powerful.

The realization brought a bloody grin to Rex's face as he recalled just the place. A forgotten civilization he had stomped out; even if it was just a pile of ruins, the magical power it once housed had long since seeped into the grounds, fermenting into an essence that would surely be enough to completely heal him if not more.

"Perhaps it is time I took a stroll down memory lane..."

The journey, specifically for one of his speed and power, was a relatively short one....at least theory.

Eons had come and gone since those days so very long ago, the lands had shifted, cracked, reformed....again and again. Scarred and disfigured by cataclysms too early to be remembered by humans. The paths had long since vanished, leaving only the vaguest sense of where his goal now lay.

To the north, far far to the north. When his brethren held dominion over what remained of the world, the human parasites had saught the hard, barren wastelands as there last refuge. Across the ocean....where none wished to look for them. A cold, harsh tundra of ice and frozen earth. This had been where they chosen to die....alone and freezing, over their fate against his brethren....Or so he had first thought.

Here, somewhere in this land of ice and snow, lay buried one of the greatest testaments to his superiority.....and it was long overdue for the victors triumphant return.

----

Close behind him, Jack followed....keeping pace over hundreds of miles. Soon it became apparently that his destination was somewhere deep in the heart of the northern wastes.

A chill feel over jacks soul.....not an unexpected condition, if but for his present state. One with death, this biting cold was a sign of something far deeper and darker......

On the horizon the sky seemed to darken. Rex was flying straight towards it without slowing....but Jack, now closer to the boundary between worlds, would be given pause. Something hungry lay in that direction. Something beyond him, maybe even beyond Rex.....he could not tell.

Beyond here, there were only monsters.....and if left alone they would consume each other, and perhaps awaken a far worse monster as a result.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Jack frowns, puffing on a cigarette.

He radios in, telling Eva, Jinzi, and whomever else was in comm range where Rex was going and what Jack wa a feeling from the place.

Then, with a shrug, he wrapped his Grave Magic around himself tighter, and slowly walked on into the unknown, following a trail of monsters and madness.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Meagan smiled, "I will enjoy that as well. Soon I plan on visiting a woman named Morgana. There you might get to meet your aunt, or maybe it should be great-aunt, Cyanna. Can you fly? if not, I can carry you there."

She floats off the ground.

“I am adjusting quickly.”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Approaching Asha'rah, "It has been a long time since we last spoke." Meagan looked genuinely concerned, "I can tell that you are troubled, if there is anything I can do to help you know I am here for you."

She shakes her head.

“Perhaps later. Thank you, Guardian.”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Parsley knew that feeling exactly. Down to the cold realization that her entire life up to that point had basically been one long puff piece. Everyone telling her she was the strongest, the best, the greatest, that she was heiress apparent for the throne. It wouldn't be long until she could challenge and defeat Mato and become the next Queen of Vocado. All of it made her victory in the Tournament of Destiny all but guaranteed. Yet, Sarada beat her. She left Parsley laying in a pool of her own tears, with nothing but the icy cold hand of humiliation and defeat to comfort her.

In many ways, she wasn't the same person that she was before that moment. One could say she was a better person, but not her. There was an emptiness inside her that had previously been filled with an undeniable truth: that she was the best. Once that was taken from her, she was without merit.

"Yes," she answered simply. "I do."

“That has happened to myself. Some of what I believed...has been shown false. My own actions, in many ways, were....we’re not what I thought they were.”

[grampagen]

...and yet, what guard was there within the world of dreams to a dreamer.

While her body stood and spoke some equivalent of pleasantries to the Acorian girl, the dreamer....the true essence of Cthylla, passed her long gaze into the realm of dreams, bordering the unconscious minds of all beings. The Voidlings shared a dream all to themselves, and through it they witness both the material and immaterial, communicate with the denizens of the sphere, and craft their own faux world from what they had gathered of the materium.

She need not await his wakening if he did dream, she simply need seek him out within in.....and so she did.

"Just like I told you. Early risers in the cold water." By the break of the dawn light, he could see Kenshiko's flushed face glistening in the cold morning air. Yet she reeled the fishing spear in with scarcely more effort than the roadwork trail. Her breath was just as steady, the pull of her limbs sharp.

The Tiger Master threw the net over the fish where it kicked, bleeding out where she had hit it with the harpoon. White scales seems to break the reflected light into a prismatic halo. Such precise design made upob the mark; such a fond sight, even in death. Ochazuke remembered even as he leaned hard to one side as the boat swayed. She stole a glance over her shoulder at him, past to the lounging drunkard at the foot of the boat, hanging over to one side; her sister Kaibyo, the head of the school, lazily pawed her Masterly hand in the shifting surface under them. The other held the weighted end of the net cast. Her dotted reflection in the opaque green water mixed with blooming swirls of blood.

"Rushing to get there," she groaned between groggy, headachey mutterings, "is pointless."

"You didn't have to come, you know."

"No?" her narrow, glassy eyes reflected a small glow from her hand, the small pulse of Ko-ou Kudaku Ken counterbalancing the boat from capsizing. "Row."

Ochazuke dipped the oars and pulled. The sun woke the birds and hissing insects near the shore, the only noise at this distance besides the sisters.

"Never did before." Bundling the rope over the bow, Kenshiko tied the closed net off and resumed her seat, facing forward. She made it routine for Ochazuke and the others to rise early for a full day. Living at a training camp, every second was dedicated to refining the craft. By contrast, her sister's habit was to stumble out at the crack of noon. Silently they wondered why should this day be any different.

"Because I know you'd both sink without me," came the wobbling reply. Knotted hair peeped under the wide-brimmed hat, Kaibyo's voice ever clear as she spoke through the screen of rattan. "Thought that was worth getting up for."

Kenshiko spread her arms over the frame of their shared vessel. Her head looked straight ahead, but he could see how her limbs trembled. The drunkard's hollow cork pop echoed in a silent toast to herself. Burnt tamarind and macerated vanilla waft behind them over humble bounty of the Devata River. Forked between the ancient wilds and the rapidly developing urban centres on the coast, it was the lifeblood of East Continent. Here at the mouth of the bay was one of the last spots that could be called old country. She wanted to share it with him, teach him their values as they brought back something for the others.

But under Kaibyo's watchful stewardship, that would never happen. Even with all they had in private as master and pupil, she'd never take that chance.

The boat rocked suddenly, a shadow passing beneath the tiny boat.....far to large for any sort of normal sea creature.

Ahead of Ochazukes rowing, a figure emerged from the waters. Floating quietly and observing, the figure struggled neither to stay afloat or against the pull of the water around her. Beneath her the shadow of some large thing spread out, the water too dark or hazy to make out anything beyond the wriggling of some behemoth.

The girl stared at him as the boat approached, then called in a monotone voice.

"Hello....Ochazuke......the water is cold, would you help me?" The girl, Cthylla, offer her two arms up for Ochazuke to grasp and pull.

It was on the downstroke that Ochazuke suddenly noticed the surface of the water had become less pliable, and as he felt the broad ends glide, while he felt the resistance, the sensation of momentum, paradoxically the memory within his dreams hardly moved at all. His seat between the sisters was ever the same, but when he stood to rise, at was as if he too had become affixed the moment. The morning breeze wicked past, but the surface of the water stilled, the sharp scent of the bloody fish spread noxiously.

This is not the way it was.

Then the figure emerged from the depths, and curiously, the shade of darkness seemed to fall upwards from the water beneath them.

Caught in the frame of this suspended moment, she was almost familiar, yet in this dream-state he could not quite place why. Yet when she spoke his name, panic spread through him, as if his motionless company would hear. How does she know?

Without hesitation, Ochazuke lift an oar between two hands and reached over the starboard bow.

"Here!" His tone was a measure less hardened then, but his composure was much the same. "Grab on! I'll pull you to safety!"