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

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

"We were hardly threats. You have helped make us targets." Ishtar stated, before considering something, ultimately shrugging her shoulders as she moved away from Sasheem. "Though not much will be lost, I suppose ... Who will miss you, I wonder ?"

A question to think on, perhaps.



'What will that serve, fleeing ? The Doctor will send her after us all the same. Ishtar sighed. It was already a mess, this. One would hope the attempt to tear her alternate out of the sky might buy them time but ... there was no hope to be had here.

Ah ...

'Just open the portal when the time comes, I will tell you when.' At the least her Father could manage that.

Oh it does.

The ships, lurching forward suddenly by Ishtar’s pull, frantically slam their thrusters backwards, trying to counter her pulling.

Four manage fine, but a fifth one is busy fending off Sasheem and Sarada’s attack and cannot divert power to its thrusters. It crashes with a roar about a mile away.

Zurvan responds.

‘Very well then. Be careful, daughter. She is more powerful, but she is not stronger than you.’

[Yun Lao]

“I am a deputy, and the appearance is a compromise that I both won and lost. My body was altered, but my mind and soul remain my own.”

"You and I are going to have a long talk after this." He said to his alternate self, "For now, we got an Oni to deal with."

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

"You and I are going to have a long talk after this." He said to his alternate self, "For now, we got an Oni to deal with."

Deputy Charco grins.

“Will do.”

He narrows his eyes suddenly, sniffing.

“I smell....magic. Marduk is near by. Be careful.”

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

Oh it does.

The ships, lurching forward suddenly by Ishtar’s pull, frantically slam their thrusters backwards, trying to counter her pulling.

Four manage fine, but a fifth one is busy fending off Sasheem and Sarada’s attack and cannot divert power to its thrusters. It crashes with a roar about a mile away.

Zurvan responds.

‘Very well then. Be careful, daughter. She is more powerful, but she is not stronger than you.’

Ishtar watched the ship fail, and crash, and it was at least something. When Zurvan responded however the Oni found herself somewhat ... well.

... more powerful, but not stronger ?

Those were synonyms.

She shook her head. Certainly not what he meant, surely ? One would hope so.

'The sentiment is appreciated.'

That said, she returned her focus to the ships. Clearly yanking them all out of the sky was partially successful, and yet ... Ishtar set to trying to scout out her alternate's energy signature so she could -- hopefully -- succeed in yanking the Goddess of Ruination through the ship.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Ishtar watched the ship fail, and crash, and it was at least something. When Zurvan responded however the Oni found herself somewhat ... well.

... more powerful, but not stronger ?

Those were synonyms.

She shook her head. Certainly not what he meant, surely ? One would hope so.

'The sentiment is appreciated.'

That said, she returned her focus to the ships. Clearly yanking them all out of the sky was partially successful, and yet ... Ishtar set to trying to scout out her alternate's energy signature so she could -- hopefully -- succeed in yanking the Goddess of Ruination through the ship.

No need.

From the crashed ship a massive flair of power was sensed.

Ishtar.

But wrong. So...very wrong. Tainted, sweet like overripe fruit. Then it disappears.

All around you, Ishtar, the air gets cold. Unbelievable cold.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

“I am a deputy, and the appearance is a compromise that I both won and lost. My body was altered, but my mind and soul remain my own.”

Sarada nodded. "So, it's possible for my Charco to save himself."

Oh it does.

The ships, lurching forward suddenly by Ishtar’s pull, frantically slam their thrusters backwards, trying to counter her pulling.

Four manage fine, but a fifth one is busy fending off Sasheem and Sarada’s attack and cannot divert power to its thrusters. It crashes with a roar about a mile away.

Zurvan responds.

‘Very well then. Be careful, daughter. She is more powerful, but she is not stronger than you.’

She and Sasheem teamed up to attack one of the ships. Their blasts prevented it from diverting power to its thrusters when Ishtar yanked the fleet out of the sky, resulting it a crash that was heard clearly even though it happened a mile or so away.

"That's one down." The other ships were busy trying to counter her pull, meaning they were wide open.

Sarada fired another tremendous blast at one of the ships.

No need.

From the crashed ship a massive flair of power was sensed.

Ishtar.

But wrong. So...very wrong. Tainted, sweet like overripe fruit. Then it disappears.

All around you, Ishtar, the air gets cold. Unbelievable cold.

****, that power. It's her. The Ruination Goddess had made her presence felt for a brief moment before vanishing. That... wasn't good. The good news was that she was on the ship that crashed. The bad news was that meant she was going to be pissed.

"We'll take her together, Ishtar," Sarada declared.

[Tami]

Deputy Charco grins.

“Will do.”

He narrows his eyes suddenly, sniffing.

“I smell....magic. Marduk is near by. Be careful.”

Cyanna senses it as well, then wonders if her Charco can sense the magic. She then tries to recall whatever she can about this Marduk, though the excitment from the impending battle is making it hard for her to concentrate.

She goes into defense mode, waiting for her chance to switch to attack.

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

No need.

From the crashed ship a massive flair of power was sensed.

Ishtar.

But wrong. So...very wrong. Tainted, sweet like overripe fruit. Then it disappears.

All around you, Ishtar, the air gets cold. Unbelievable cold.

When the temperature plummets, Ishtar flares what Ki she has, before funneling it into the planet below. "Cryomancy. Where did she learn that, I wonder ..." As she spoke though, the Ki began to spread and it would allow her to sense if, and when her alternate touched down within range. Though, having introduced herself as she had; Ishtar at least had an understanding of what was coming.

"Parsley, hurry up and find the anomaly."

****, that power. It's her. The Ruination Goddess had made her presence felt for a brief moment before vanishing. That... wasn't good. The good news was that she was on the ship that crashed. The bad news was that meant she was going to be pissed.

"We'll take her together, Ishtar," Sarada declared.

Ishtar frowned. ... Sarada.

Not only the risk of her Saiyan coming to harm ... but the fact that it prevented her from otherwise tapping into what was at this point, her only option, when inevitably forced to. That Saiyan stubbornness however ... that ... was going to cause problems. The Oni sighed, before uncoiling her tail.

" Do not forget why we are here. The anomaly is more important."

[Sub-Zero MKA]

When the temperature plummets, Ishtar flares what Ki she has, before funneling it into the planet below. "Cryomancy. Where did she learn that, I wonder ..." As she spoke though, the Ki began to spread and it would allow her to sense if, and when her alternate touched down within range. Though, having introduced herself as she had; Ishtar at least had an understanding of what was coming.

"Parsley, hurry up and find the anomaly."

Parsley nodded and once again held up the Nexus device to narrow down which ship the Nexus was located on. Her hope was that it was on the fallen ship that Ishtar's alternate was about to depart from. If such was the case, then she and whoever else decided to go with her may have been able to complete the mission quickly.

She already knew something else would go wrong. Something always went wrong and made these missions far more difficult than they needed to be.

Ishtar frowned. ... Sarada.

Not only the risk of her Saiyan coming to harm ... but the fact that it prevented her from otherwise tapping into what was at this point, her only option, when inevitably forced to. That Saiyan stubbornness however ... that ... was going to cause problems. The Oni sighed, before uncoiling her tail.

" Do not forget why we are here. The anomaly is more important."

"I know. I'm... ready to head back the moment Parsley had a the Nexus." That pained her to say. Not only was running away against her very nature as a Saiyan, but it meant she'd be abandoning a once in a lifetime battle with a goddess at the top of her game.

But, if saving the universe meant making such a sacrifice, then so be it. "But, just know that you won't be fighting alone if worst comes to worst."

[KingofPie]

"We were hardly threats. You have helped make us targets." Ishtar stated, before considering something, ultimately shrugging her shoulders as she moved away from Sasheem. "Though not much will be lost, I suppose ... Who will miss you, I wonder ?"

A question to think on, perhaps.

"Pfft..." The Majin snorted. "If anyone was around to miss Sasheem, he'd probably kill them later." An answer oddly tinged with a trace of regret. But...ultimately he didn't care. What was in the past was in the past and as for the present...Well he still had plenty of reasons to live. He didn't plan on dying here. Good thing he was hard to kill.

Oh it does.

The ships, lurching forward suddenly by Ishtar’s pull, frantically slam their thrusters backwards, trying to counter her pulling.

Four manage fine, but a fifth one is busy fending off Sasheem and Sarada’s attack and cannot divert power to its thrusters. It crashes with a roar about a mile away.

She and Sasheem teamed up to attack one of the ships. Their blasts prevented it from diverting power to its thrusters when Ishtar yanked the fleet out of the sky, resulting it a crash that was heard clearly even though it happened a mile or so away.

"That's one down." The other ships were busy trying to counter her pull, meaning they were wide open.

Sarada fired another tremendous blast at one of the ships.

Sasheem followed Sarada's lead (though if you really think about it, she was really following his) and continued to fire at the ships. Instead of a regular blast, he launched his Annihilation Orb at between two of the ships that flew the closest together. The large or of ki stood in place and began to rapidly spin around, lashing out at both vessels.

****, that power. It's her. The Ruination Goddess had made her presence felt for a brief moment before vanishing. That... wasn't good. The good news was that she was on the ship that crashed. The bad news was that meant she was going to be pissed.

"We'll take her together, Ishtar," Sarada declared.

Sasheem silently acknowledged the Saiyan's words to the Oni and their subsequent conversation. A grin never left his face. It was a bit exciting. A real God of Destruction, even if he despised the one who held the moniker, he needed to see one in person if for but a second.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

One of the ships (the third one) above still holds the nexus, apparently. No other attacks punch through their shields however.

Wintery mist and fog permeates the area, the air growing chilled for thousands of feet around the group. Ki senses suddenly turn blind in the cold and mist, sound is displaced, and even magic senses aren’t working well.

A soft, throaty chuckle can be heard all around them.

“My my......how scrumptious you all look. A tasty morsel or two, glorious. The Doctor said you would be knocking upon my door soon, and lo you are here. Some few of you might even last me a night or two.”

Another chuckle. Her voice is seductive, dripping with want and hunger. It’s Ishtar’s voice too, so the dichotomy of the situation is troubling.

The air grows painfully cold, breathing equally painful. Any attempting to fly would find the cold somehow keeping them bound to the ground, not unlike Ochazuke and Zaofan’s Spider technique.

[bruceleegreyhulk]

On the Lookout, Praxat looks at her goggles." Okay, I'm going to start working on making modifications to my goggles, but first I'm going to pay a visit to Capsule Corp. I need to pick up some books there for research," Praxat said.

Praxat puts up her goggles , and heads off to Capsule Corp.

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

"I know. I'm... ready to head back the moment Parsley had a the Nexus." That pained her to say. Not only was running away against her very nature as a Saiyan, but it meant she'd be abandoning a once in a lifetime battle with a goddess at the top of her game.

But, if saving the universe meant making such a sacrifice, then so be it. "But, just know that you won't be fighting alone if worst comes to worst."

The corner of Ishtar's mouth turned up in a smile. "I know."

Wintry mist and fog permeates the area, the air growing chilled for thousands of feet around the group. Ki senses suddenly turn blind in the cold and mist, sound is displaced, and even magic senses aren’t working well.

A soft, throaty chuckle can be heard all around them.

“My my......how scrumptious you all look. A tasty morsel or two, glorious. The Doctor said you would be knocking upon my door soon, and lo you are here. Some few of you might even last me a night or two.”

Another chuckle. Her voice is seductive, dripping with want and hunger. It’s Ishtar’s voice too, so the dichotomy of the situation is troubling.

The air grows painfully cold, breathing equally painful. Any attempting to fly would find the cold somehow keeping them bound to the ground, not unlike Ochazuke and Zaofan’s Spider technique.

Ishtar stood, and stared into the mist.

The cold didn't matter, in the moment ... nor did the fact that her senses were stifled by it. She heard her voice, and what could be felt within it -- lust, and hunger -- was unsettling to say the least; and among other things it spoke to just how 'wrong' this version of herself was. To say nothing, perhaps, of just how out of her depth she was. And for as many times in as many minutes ... Ishtar couldn't help but think that this was not a task that should have been asked of them.

Yet here they were ... here she was, all the same. May as well make the best of it, and hope survival was possible long enough for Parsley and her group to get after what they'd come for.

"We share the same voice ..." the golden-eyed Oni started, slowly. "Is there anything else, I wonder ?"

As Ishtar spoke, the ground rippled beneath her, as she took slow, deliberate 'breaths', the Ki she had been filtering allowing her to map the immediate area even though she could not see it clearly. "Though I suppose the better question to ask would be ... who was it that died. Sekhmet ? Someone else ?" Once a perimeter was established -- hopefully allowing her to sense and react incoming attacks from her Alter at least enough to prevent herself or others dying from Hakai being levied against them -- Ishtar stepped forward slightly into the mist.

"Well ? I am waiting ?"

[Sub-Zero MKA]

The corner of Ishtar's mouth turned up in a smile. "I know."

One of the ships (the third one) above still holds the nexus, apparently. No other attacks punch through their shields however.

Wintery mist and fog permeates the area, the air growing chilled for thousands of feet around the group. Ki senses suddenly turn blind in the cold and mist, sound is displaced, and even magic senses aren’t working well.

A soft, throaty chuckle can be heard all around them.

“My my......how scrumptious you all look. A tasty morsel or two, glorious. The Doctor said you would be knocking upon my door soon, and lo you are here. Some few of you might even last me a night or two.”

Another chuckle. Her voice is seductive, dripping with want and hunger. It’s Ishtar’s voice too, so the dichotomy of the situation is troubling.

The air grows painfully cold, breathing equally painful. Any attempting to fly would find the cold somehow keeping them bound to the ground, not unlike Ochazuke and Zaofan’s Spider technique.

Sarada would have responded, but a bitterly cold fog rolled through. A chill went up her spine, and not because of the mist that suddenly not only stifled her ki sense, but also prevented her from flying. A voice echoed from within the mist; Ishtar's voice. But it sounded wrong, perverted. Lustful and hungry, and not in the ways her Ishtar had been lustful and hungry.

She does know vitalmancy, Sarada realized. She had seen the effect Vitalmancy had on a person first hand, with Etrina's alternate in the very first timeline they traveled to. She was hungry for human energy and didn't care what she had to do to obtain it. That one was stymied by a simple barrier; Ishtar would be much more difficult.

Sarada noticed Ishtar taking a step forward and wanted to back her up. "You'll be going hungry today, Ishtar," Sarada said to the alternate.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

One of the ships (the third one) above still holds the nexus, apparently. No other attacks punch through their shields however.

Wintery mist and fog permeates the area, the air growing chilled for thousands of feet around the group. Ki senses suddenly turn blind in the cold and mist, sound is displaced, and even magic senses aren’t working well.

A soft, throaty chuckle can be heard all around them.

“My my......how scrumptious you all look. A tasty morsel or two, glorious. The Doctor said you would be knocking upon my door soon, and lo you are here. Some few of you might even last me a night or two.”

Another chuckle. Her voice is seductive, dripping with want and hunger. It’s Ishtar’s voice too, so the dichotomy of the situation is troubling.

The air grows painfully cold, breathing equally painful. Any attempting to fly would find the cold somehow keeping them bound to the ground, not unlike Ochazuke and Zaofan’s Spider technique.

Meanwhile, Parsley braved the bitter cold. Breathing was painful, and without the ability to fly or sense ki, she had no way of getting on that ship. It was definitely on one of the ships that was still afloat.

This mist had to go. Before her senses went blank, she tasted magic. She wasn't sure what kind, but if she had to guess, she would posit that it was Cryomancy. Regardless, it was too powerful for her to dispel, and weakening it would only have a negligible effect. She only had one recourse, and she wasn't sure if it was going to work.

Only one way to find out.

She breathed in deeply, which felt like she was sucking down a ball of actual fire, and spread her hands apart. "Za Warudo, she spoke, attempting to reverse the effects of the mist from her and onto Alt Ishtar.