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

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

“After what happened, we went home. Some stayed in lose contact.”

He sighs.

“Zxu’ro continued his search for something. A form or power he saw in a vision. One he said his chosen disciples would one day need to know. He vanished after that. Banespell went back to the Darkling homeworld. They are a private race, and he had little wish to remain off planet.”

“Vocado went home and was King of the Saiyans. Cleos went home and passed not long after that. She had been old when she joined our cause, and the strain of what we did ended up being too much. She was a wonderful soul, more our mother than some of our real ones. Kyuubi, like Banespell, went home and never had contact again. From what I understand, she’s more myth than history to her people. As to Durga.....he stayed here a time, then went to a hidden place to guard his dragonball. I and I alone know it’s location. Other than Zxu’ro possibly, he’s the only other Palatine I know is still alive for sure.”

Inanna nodded, after Haden finished his explanation.

"Understandable, I suppose. Though it means at least I've a few leads to follow after finishing here." Kyuubi, and Banespell in particular being of interest considering their departure and almost immediate disappearance into myth and legend. As for Durga ? The woman sighed, before saying simply: "I don't want to know where Durga is, as much as I might like to. Better he remain hidden on the off chance we fail, besides that ... wouldn't do to put all our balls in one basket, so to speak."

Moving on from that though, there was something of a ... dangling thread as it were, when it came to the First Race.

"You said you and yours came to find sanctuary here. Are you all that's left ? Do you know ?"

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Placing her head in his chest, Meagan smiled with a mix of love and relief, "Thank you for coming." She looks up at him, "The doctors say it could happen soon. I'm scared, Jinzi." a tear ran down her cheek, "There is so much that could go wrong."

“Nothing will go wrong, love. You’re strong and the baby is strong.”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Inanna nodded, after Haden finished his explanation.

"Understandable, I suppose. Though it means at least I've a few leads to follow after finishing here." Kyuubi, and Banespell in particular being of interest considering their departure and almost immediate disappearance into myth and legend. As for Durga ? The woman sighed, before saying simply: "I don't want to know where Durga is, as much as I might like to. Better he remain hidden on the off chance we fail, besides that ... wouldn't do to put all our balls in one basket, so to speak."

Moving on from that though, there was something of a ... dangling thread as it were, when it came to the First Race.

"You said you and yours came to find sanctuary here. Are you all that's left ? Do you know ?"

“Only one other place. Where Durga is, actually. A small portion of my people went with him, including his wife.”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Previous Post

-----
Taking her cue from the legends, Dash set out to find the Wild Horses that roamed the plains a few miles past the Great Forest. Once she found them she spent a week trying to learn from them. After seven days she grew impatient. Though it was fun to race them, to watch them, and to try and be like them, there just wasn't much insight comicng from the experience.

It was then that she decided to seek out the Bear Shrine once again.

Taking flight, she surveyed the and below her, then from memory orientated herself and headed to where it was located.

Landing not far away, she walked the rest of the distance through the forest on foot.

Seeing the marking of the Bear shrine, she hesitantly called out, "Um, hello? Anyone here?"

Barlon Bedlam walks out.

“Ho, little horse. What brings you here?”

[bruceleegreyhulk]

Four hours later, Lieutenant Stratovarius arrives at Apox." It looks like the raid on my brother's hideout has already start. That Toadian Qaztoh's intel was right on the money. Hopefully, I can apprehend my brother alive," Earl said.

On the surface of Apox, a battle wages. In the middle of the battlefield is a man covered in flames." As long as I'm still standing. You will never touch my Captain, " Pyrrhos said.

" I'm his shield. The shield that burns brightly. My fire burns brighter than a Supernova!" Pyrrhos said.

" Give me your best shot, Galaxy Police! I will burn you all to ashes!" Pyrrhos said.

Pyrrhos increases the heat of his flames until they turn blue in color.


Battle Damaged Pyrrhos Full power:975,000.


Lieutenant Earl Stratovarius ( Pillows) PL: 20,000

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

“Only one other place. Where Durga is, actually. A small portion of my people went with him, including his wife.”

Inanna nods.

"Then that's where I'll leave them. What about the other faction ? One's that allied with Auroc, or would you not know ?"

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Inanna nods.

"Then that's where I'll leave them. What about the other faction ? One's that allied with Auroc, or would you not know ?"

He shakes his head.

“My colony and Durga’s are the only ones left as far as I know.”

[Tami]

Barlon Bedlam walks out.

“Ho, little horse. What brings you here?”

Dash had to admit, she wasn't sure herself. "Ah'm tryin to learn more about, well you see, it seems my ancestors seem to have summoned four elemental spirits. An now, after all this time, it seems ah may have accidentally summoned them as well. Ah was wondein if you've ever heard of such a thing before? An, ah guess ah'd like to learn more about the Bear Clan, seein as how my ancestors were probably connected to it. Ah mean, if possible an if you don't mind that is."

[grampagen]

"You seem to be cherry pickin' the details to make your argument, you unimaginable doofus," Sasheem pointed out. "But, the bias is obvious. The fact of the matter is this too is a part of Sasheem's training. the training that began when he left the lookout so many weeks ago and sought out to perfect that which was lost."

Sasheem took a seat on the ground, deciding to sit there until thwir next destination was decided. "Just because Sasheem isn't a gibberish jabroni like yourself, don't mistake him for someone who doesn't understand how far he has to go to become the strongest in the universe! Sasheem's pretty certain he can beat you right here and now with no magic...no Katchin Mode."

"It ain't because Sasheem's over confident, he's just stating the facts," the Majin smirked smugly.. "You ain't got **** on the Mightiest Majin."

"Here's another fact." Zaofan replied. "If it wasn't for you, the Snake School never would have been lost in the first place. "

The end of his Katchin staff hit the ground. Thin spiderweb cracks spread instantly through the ancient stone, spirited to dust under his shaking hand where the breeze wicked against it.

"They took you in and that's how you repaid them." For just an instant, all the mirth drained from Zaofan's face. In its place, a frightening intensity overtook his eyes.

"After all Master Balon has gone through, don't think for an instant that you'll get a chance to do the same to him. Ever."

Samson looks at it, frowning.

“Ochazuke.......this...can you add the locations of the Turtle, Snake, Crane, Dragon, and Tiger schools?”

Turning around and noting the looks crossing Ochazuke and Balon's faces, Sasheem chimed in. "So do we not know where it is now or what...?" The Majin asked, before pointing to Coral Canyon' location on the map. "Snake School's over there, if ya don't know..." he yawned.

A token of ki fell upon the place Sasheem indicated. Ochazuke smirked silently to himself and extend the Majin a slight not. He'd volunteered the information freely. Like the remainder of the teachings that lived on only in his killer's memory, there was an unspoken silent trepidation that Sasheem would hold this to ransom as well.

For now he would be thankful it was granted

The stronghold of the Snake School, Coral Canyon lay in the East; In Senbei Archipelago to the South, The Crane School's seat of power, Tanchozurujima; In the West lay Ying-Yai Seua Wat, the Great Tiger Temple in the outskirts just past Ori City; In the North-East cast to ruin was the remains of Turtle Island; and across the arid desert of East Continent, standing upon the Nine Dragon Peak the archive of the ancient world that was once the Dragon School, before the diaspora that befell their warrior-priests like Samson when Simon Battersea sought to plunder it.

Ten cardinal points marked upon the ancient charter. The points marked by Ochazuke's ki fell like some strange constellation. One would have to strain to find some pattern there where each location was revealed. Zaofan, his caution now transformed to curiosity, traced his hand over the pattern.

"Wolf...Spider...Bear...Phoenix...Lion..." he mouthed. A gentle curve across the globe from North to South-West, before he circled his finger back to where Leon's scroll indicated. "Where the Ten started."

Frowning, Zaofan tapped his finger idly. "Nothing we don't already know."

The corner of Ochazuke's lip curled upward. Controlling the vectors of the filaments between each ki point, he traced a second pattern starting from the south, repeating the words Zxu'ro had left them in his initial challenge.

"When the crane flies, the tiger strikes." South. West. "When the turtle crouches, the snake is lost." North-East. East. "Above all, the Dragon is summoned." The points were connected, tracing a familiar shape in parallel to the first. Punctuated with the place they first found evidence of the Chimera School, it soon became apparent where the theory was driving at as he laid the parallel paths upon the Shrine Map.

"The Hidden Hand carries the spirit unseen, but the Five Schools we know bear its legacy in the present," he said.
Indicating a final mark in the centre of the Ten Schools and Two Places of Origin, Ochazuke narrowed the place down to a focal axis point.

"Yin cannot exist without Yang. Likewise, harmony is measured by means of a precarious balance. I imagine that the way to Zxu'ro is not a path forged from the force of conflict alone."

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

"Here's another fact." Zaofan replied. "If it wasn't for you, the Snake School never would have been lost in the first place. "

The end of his Katchin staff hit the ground. Thin spiderweb cracks spread instantly through the ancient stone, spirited to dust under his shaking hand where the breeze wicked against it.

"They took you in and that's how you repaid them." For just an instant, all the mirth drained from Zaofan's face. In its place, a frightening intensity overtook his eyes.

"After all Master Balon has gone through, don't think for an instant that you'll get a chance to do the same to him. Ever."





A token of ki fell upon the place Sasheem indicated. Ochazuke smirked silently to himself and extend the Majin a slight not. He'd volunteered the information freely. Like the remainder of the teachings that lived on only in his killer's memory, there was an unspoken silent trepidation that Sasheem would hold this to ransom as well.

For now he would be thankful it was granted

The stronghold of the Snake School, Coral Canyon lay in the East; In Senbei Archipelago to the South, The Crane School's seat of power, Tanchozurujima; In the West lay Ying-Yai Seua Wat, the Great Tiger Temple in the outskirts just past Ori City; In the North-East cast to ruin was the remains of Turtle Island; and across the arid desert of East Continent, standing upon the Nine Dragon Peak the archive of the ancient world that was once the Dragon School, before the diaspora that befell their warrior-priests like Samson when Simon Battersea sought to plunder it.

Ten cardinal points marked upon the ancient charter. The points marked by Ochazuke's ki fell like some strange constellation. One would have to strain to find some pattern there where each location was revealed. Zaofan, his caution now transformed to curiosity, traced his hand over the pattern.

"Wolf...Spider...Bear...Phoenix...Lion..." he mouthed. A gentle curve across the globe from North to South-West, before he circled his finger back to where Leon's scroll indicated. "Where the Ten started."

Frowning, Zaofan tapped his finger idly. "Nothing we don't already know."

The corner of Ochazuke's lip curled upward. Controlling the vectors of the filaments between each ki point, he traced a second pattern starting from the south, repeating the words Zxu'ro had left them in his initial challenge.

"When the crane flies, the tiger strikes." South. West. "When the turtle crouches, the snake is lost." North-East. East. "Above all, the Dragon is summoned." The points were connected, tracing a familiar shape in parallel to the first. Punctuated with the place they first found evidence of the Chimera School, it soon became apparent where the theory was driving at as he laid the parallel paths upon the Shrine Map.

"The Hidden Hand carries the spirit unseen, but the Five Schools we know bear its legacy in the present," he said.
Indicating a final mark in the centre of the Ten Schools and Two Places of Origin, Ochazuke narrowed the place down to a focal axis point.

"Yin cannot exist without Yang. Likewise, harmony is measured by means of a precarious balance. I imagine that the way to Zxu'ro is not a path forged from the force of conflict alone."

Balon breathes in.

“There is an island. Small, uninhabited. I know it only because my sensei took me there once for a camping trip. Said it was special.”

He traces his fingers over it.

“It’s there. I know it in my soul.”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Dash had to admit, she wasn't sure herself. "Ah'm tryin to learn more about, well you see, it seems my ancestors seem to have summoned four elemental spirits. An now, after all this time, it seems ah may have accidentally summoned them as well. Ah was wondein if you've ever heard of such a thing before? An, ah guess ah'd like to learn more about the Bear Clan, seein as how my ancestors were probably connected to it. Ah mean, if possible an if you don't mind that is."

He nods.

“I have a few books and scrolls. Come, let’s have a meal and we’ll go through them together.”

[KingofPie]

"Here's another fact." Zaofan replied. "If it wasn't for you, the Snake School never would have been lost in the first place. "

The end of his Katchin staff hit the ground. Thin spiderweb cracks spread instantly through the ancient stone, spirited to dust under his shaking hand where the breeze wicked against it.

"They took you in and that's how you repaid them." For just an instant, all the mirth drained from Zaofan's face. In its place, a frightening intensity overtook his eyes.

"After all Master Balon has gone through, don't think for an instant that you'll get a chance to do the same to him. Ever."

Sasheem hopped to his feet, appearing agitated. "Oh yeah? Ya wanna know why Sasheem put an end to the Snake School, genius?!" he asked, raising a fist up in the air at Zaofan.

He sat back down.

"'Cause Sasheem sure doesn't..." he grumbled. "Maybe it was fun at the time, he doesn't know..." the Majin continued. "It isn't like you two and the rest of the phlegm-fighters. Sasheem actually liked them."

"Guess it's just what happens when the purposed try and take tame the purposeless...But what happens when the purposeless gains a wild ambition? You'll all find out soon enough...Hopefully only once it's too late."

A token of ki fell upon the place Sasheem indicated. Ochazuke smirked silently to himself and extend the Majin a slight not. He'd volunteered the information freely. Like the remainder of the teachings that lived on only in his killer's memory, there was an unspoken silent trepidation that Sasheem would hold this to ransom as well.

For now he would be thankful it was granted

The stronghold of the Snake School, Coral Canyon lay in the East; In Senbei Archipelago to the South, The Crane School's seat of power, Tanchozurujima; In the West lay Ying-Yai Seua Wat, the Great Tiger Temple in the outskirts just past Ori City; In the North-East cast to ruin was the remains of Turtle Island; and across the arid desert of East Continent, standing upon the Nine Dragon Peak the archive of the ancient world that was once the Dragon School, before the diaspora that befell their warrior-priests like Samson when Simon Battersea sought to plunder it.

Ten cardinal points marked upon the ancient charter. The points marked by Ochazuke's ki fell like some strange constellation. One would have to strain to find some pattern there where each location was revealed. Zaofan, his caution now transformed to curiosity, traced his hand over the pattern.

"Wolf...Spider...Bear...Phoenix...Lion..." he mouthed. A gentle curve across the globe from North to South-West, before he circled his finger back to where Leon's scroll indicated. "Where the Ten started."

Frowning, Zaofan tapped his finger idly. "Nothing we don't already know."

The corner of Ochazuke's lip curled upward. Controlling the vectors of the filaments between each ki point, he traced a second pattern starting from the south, repeating the words Zxu'ro had left them in his initial challenge.

"When the crane flies, the tiger strikes." South. West. "When the turtle crouches, the snake is lost." North-East. East. "Above all, the Dragon is summoned." The points were connected, tracing a familiar shape in parallel to the first. Punctuated with the place they first found evidence of the Chimera School, it soon became apparent where the theory was driving at as he laid the parallel paths upon the Shrine Map.

"The Hidden Hand carries the spirit unseen, but the Five Schools we know bear its legacy in the present," he said.
Indicating a final mark in the centre of the Ten Schools and Two Places of Origin, Ochazuke narrowed the place down to a focal axis point.

"Yin cannot exist without Yang. Likewise, harmony is measured by means of a precarious balance. I imagine that the way to Zxu'ro is not a path forged from the force of conflict alone."

Sasheem took a mental note of these locations. Even if they all served towards the larger goal now, their individual coordinates were of interest. The Crane School especially. He had heard...interesting things.

Balon breathes in.

“There is an island. Small, uninhabited. I know it only because my sensei took me there once for a camping trip. Said it was special.”

He traces his fingers over it.

“It’s there. I know it in my soul.”

"'Bout time..." Sasheem stood up again. "We all ready to hit the skies, finally?"

[bruceleegreyhulk]

Earl makes a beeline for his brother's hideout. ( I need to avoid Pyrrhos. Even with him battle damage from fighting the Black Sheep's right-hand man Marasito. He's still too strong for me to take down by myself,) Earl thought.

(Luckily, the rest of the Galaxy Police that arrived here is keeping him busy. So I can sneak past Pyrrhos undetected!) Earl thought.

Once inside his brother's base, Earl fights his way through Soanta's crew. However, when he spots a bunch of pirates who look like they're 14 to 17 years old. Earl puts up his gun. ( **** I'm not going to use lethal force on a bunch of kids,")

"Okay kids just turn yourselves in, I don't want to hurt any of you," Earl said.

The teenage pirates attack Earl. Earl uses his Galaxy police training to dodge the pirates' attacks and knocks them out. He then cuffs them," Don't worry, you kids will be sent back to your parents soon," Earl said.

Earl gets to a metal room and blasts it up with his gun. Inside the room is a horde of treasure and artifacts. ( **** there has to be over 500,000,000,000,000 galactic credits worth of stolen goods and artifacts in here,) Earl thought.

A metal boulder rolls towards Earl and starts chasing him around the room. (What the hell? Since when could a boulder change direction?) Earl thought.

" No one will touch the Captain's treasure as long as I'm here," The boulder said.

(Treasure? Those are stolen goods and artifacts. wait, did that boulder just talk?) Earl thought.

Earl makes a beeline for his brother's hideout. ( I need to avoid Pyrrhos. Even with him battle damage from fighting the Black Sheep's right-hand man Marasito. He's still too strong for me to take down by myself,) Earl thought.

(Luckily, the rest of the Galaxy Police that arrived here is keeping him busy. So I can sneak past Pyrrhos undetected!) Earl thought.

Once inside his brother's base, Earl fights his way through Soanta's crew. However, when he spots a bunch of pirates who look like they're 14 to 17 years old. Earl puts up his gun. ( **** I'm not going to use lethal force on a bunch of kids,")

"Okay kids just turn yourselves in, I don't want to hurt any of you," Earl said.

The teenage pirates attack Earl. Earl uses his Galaxy police training to dodge the pirates' attacks and knocks them out. He then cuffs them," Don't worry, you kids will be sent back to your parents soon," Earl said.

Earl gets to a metal room and blasts it up with his gun. Inside the room is a horde of treasure and artifacts. ( **** there has to be over 500,000,000,000,000 galactic credits worth of stolen goods and artifacts in here,) Earl thought.

A metal boulder rolls towards Earl and starts chasing him around the room. (What the hell? Since when could a boulder change direction?) Earl thought.

" No one will touch the Captain's treasure as long as I'm here," The boulder said.

(Treasure? Those are stolen goods and artifacts. wait, did that boulder just talk?) Earl thought.

The boulder then stops and unrolls itself. To reveal that it's actually a teenage Armadillo. ( Dammit, it's another kid and an Armadpoly at that. Armadpolys have the ability to absorb properties from matter even organic,) Earl thought.

( I can't let the kid touch me. He can copy my specter ability and energy by absorbing my organic properties. ) Earl thought.

Clipeum PL: 19,000

[MrSandman]

He noticed the discrepancy in the humans, or rather the consistency in them. The laborers were identical, their names were identical and aside from the one among their numbers, the old man had chosen to relay his orders to, they lived and breathed to serve the elder. The whole thing reeked of magic, but who else other than magicians would be foolish enough to trek to these dead lands?

Then again, these lands weren't as dead as he originally thought. Rex couldn't explain it, other than his predatory senses, but he could feel something in the earth. Whether it was dormant or resting was unknown, but he had a feeling that might change after sunset. From what the old man had told him, these warped raptors had a nest at the base of the mountain and with evening approaching, he had no doubts that he would eat well tonight.

"How many of your Morgans have you lost to the attacks so far?" Rex asked of Engrevain, curious to know of the survivability of the puppet humans.

"About Seven." Engrevain answered. "Four on the first night, three on the second. The beasts attacked under the cover of darkness and we were hard pressed to counter attack without some acceptable losses."

Engrevain motioned to the closest Morgan, who approached immediately. "I suppose you are curious yes? Morgan is a familiar....A Magical being forged by ritual. She has been a part of my family heritage for generations. As long as the template of her still exists, she can duplicate herself as many times as is required....a rather useful skill, and one that has thankfully saved me the trouble of requiring excessive manpower."

"I have served Master Engrevain, his father, his grandfather....and many of his ancestors." Morgan nodded her head. "It is, of course, my honor to serve him....and should you require anything of us, you need only ask."

"She is eager to please....though I suppose she was created that way." Engrevain mused.

~~~

Soon enough the group was moving. Darkness had settled over the landscape, with it came blowing wind and snow. Engrevain chair had a function that, weither magic in nature or otherwise, allowed for easy mobility as long as one of the Morgans was there to push.

Thankfully, it seemed the group at least had some idea where they were headed....A path taking them towards the base of the mountain. Sparse ruins dotted the landscape here and there, but it seemed their path wouldn't do through the ruined city proper......The ziggurats of which Rex could make out further along the south side of the mountain, if only for a odd lights he could see moving among them.

There destination came into view....a small cave opening, wore away with years of weathering. Claw marks along the rim and the approach made it fairly clear that something had been moving in and out of the hole fairly recently.

...and immediately Rex could feel eyes on him, nothing concrete or obvious.....some base primal instinct.

"Sir, no sign of the tracker. The Camp is deserted." Morgan reported. "Looks like there might have been a fight."

"....." Engrevain turned to Rex. "We'd best not stay here in the open too long.....I'll trust you yo lead the way from here, my lord."

[Tami]

He nods.

“I have a few books and scrolls. Come, let’s have a meal and we’ll go through them together.”

"Right, and thanks." Dash then followed him inside, looking forward to both the meal and the chance to look through the books and scrolls. As they entered, she thought of something, "Ah did get a chance to speak with one of my clan's ancestors, but only briefly. It's a long story, but I was told by him that they were mated, husband and wife. Guess that's why the Horse Clan is like it is, where nearly everyone is related to some degree."