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

[grampagen]

Ro sighs and sits down.

“The Primary Schools: Dragon, Snake, Tiger, Crane, and Turtle are known. You don’t need my help in those techniques or forms. The Lost schools: Lion, Bear, Phoenix, Wolf, and Spider however, you haven’t had much exposure too. If you want I can show you a few things in one of those. Your time here is limited though.”

“As to my Third Technique, it must remain hidden. It’s capability is vast, and at your level now, attempting it would destroy your bodies. I can start training you to eventually attain that level, but to achieve the actual technique, you must train hard and find my real self. My body is currently within a meditative sphere of the Earth’s ki, hidden and protected within the very core itself. From there my body was able to...slowly absorb Earth’s ki to help fuel and learn more of the last technique.”

"Well, if it's a chance to run through the basics, I'd be honoured if you'd show us. But uh, that sounds like a warning. Why is our time limited here, exactly?"

There's no way Ochazuke and Balon would pass up the chance to train hands-on with the Legend, scrolls and relic essence can only communicate so much, he thought to himself, But if this means it's up to me...and Sasheem...to carry this out and pass it on....

To his sensibilities as a chef, the recipe is one thing. A list of components carefully selected and dutifully arranged will yield something quite close to what the author had in mind. But what separated the enthusiast from the master, martial or otherwise, was in the understanding of the method, and that was something that went deeper than the written word.

To reproduce it with fidelity, that required the student to shed their biases, take the thing for what it was. When he came to realize the implications of this, reflexively Zaofan began to roll up his sleeves and knead his fingers.

All this time he'd been searching for a technique, a formula for a silver bullet, as if the answer was something that could be copied in a written word. Knowledge of the martial live, however, was one thing; to make proper use of it, the practitioner had to live it. If the Third Technique was to be rediscovered, then his best bet would be to work towards that with what time they had left.

"Let's get started then."

[KingofPie]

Jack nods slightly.

“Perhaps you’re right. The spirit huh? Hmm.....”

Meanwhile, Damask pauses a moment before answering.

“Yes, I can lead through the leylanic tunnels within the Earth and take you there.”

Blizzar, stuck in his own thoughts for a moment, stirred at this, raising a brow as he inquired, "I'm sorry old....boulder, but you're saying there are what within the Earth?"

It shouldn't surprise him at this point that the planet still had secrets in store, but the frequency at which they were found would forever be mildly alarming at best.

[KingofPie]

Ro sighs and sits down.

“The Primary Schools: Dragon, Snake, Tiger, Crane, and Turtle are known. You don’t need my help in those techniques or forms. The Lost schools: Lion, Bear, Phoenix, Wolf, and Spider however, you haven’t had much exposure too. If you want I can show you a few things in one of those. Your time here is limited though.”

“As to my Third Technique, it must remain hidden. It’s capability is vast, and at your level now, attempting it would destroy your bodies. I can start training you to eventually attain that level, but to achieve the actual technique, you must train hard and find my real self. My body is currently within a meditative sphere of the Earth’s ki, hidden and protected within the very core itself. From there my body was able to...slowly absorb Earth’s ki to help fuel and learn more of the last technique.”

"Well, if it's a chance to run through the basics, I'd be honoured if you'd show us. But uh, that sounds like a warning. Why is our time limited here, exactly?"

There's no way Ochazuke and Balon would pass up the chance to train hands-on with the Legend, scrolls and relic essence can only communicate so much, he thought to himself, But if this means it's up to me...and Sasheem...to carry this out and pass it on....

To his sensibilities as a chef, the recipe is one thing. A list of components carefully selected and dutifully arranged will yield something quite close to what the author had in mind. But what separated the enthusiast from the master, martial or otherwise, was in the understanding of the method, and that was something that went deeper than the written word.

To reproduce it with fidelity, that required the student to shed their biases, take the thing for what it was. When he came to realize the implications of this, reflexively Zaofan began to roll up his sleeves and knead his fingers.

All this time he'd been searching for a technique, a formula for a silver bullet, as if the answer was something that could be copied in a written word. Knowledge of the martial live, however, was one thing; to make proper use of it, the practitioner had to live it. If the Third Technique was to be rediscovered, then his best bet would be to work towards that with what time they had left.

"Let's get started then."

"Lost techniques are cool," Sasheem stated, eventually after mulling it over a bit. "Sasheem always wanted to learn more about the Lost Schools anyway. Maybe something in their teaching can give way to an even better understanding of the Snake. But he has one request...."

The Majin hopped forward, pointing a thumb back at Zaofan. "Make sure to teach Sasheem different techniques than that guy..." he lowers his voice to a whisper. "The better ones. He's a doofus, he won't know the difference."

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

"Well, if it's a chance to run through the basics, I'd be honoured if you'd show us. But uh, that sounds like a warning. Why is our time limited here, exactly?"

There's no way Ochazuke and Balon would pass up the chance to train hands-on with the Legend, scrolls and relic essence can only communicate so much, he thought to himself, But if this means it's up to me...and Sasheem...to carry this out and pass it on....

To his sensibilities as a chef, the recipe is one thing. A list of components carefully selected and dutifully arranged will yield something quite close to what the author had in mind. But what separated the enthusiast from the master, martial or otherwise, was in the understanding of the method, and that was something that went deeper than the written word.

To reproduce it with fidelity, that required the student to shed their biases, take the thing for what it was. When he came to realize the implications of this, reflexively Zaofan began to roll up his sleeves and knead his fingers.

All this time he'd been searching for a technique, a formula for a silver bullet, as if the answer was something that could be copied in a written word. Knowledge of the martial live, however, was one thing; to make proper use of it, the practitioner had to live it. If the Third Technique was to be rediscovered, then his best bet would be to work towards that with what time they had left.

"Let's get started then."

Ro nods.

“A few days at most. This place isn’t technically real in the proper sense. Once reached, it was set to deteriorate and vanish after a while. It was only meant as a stepping stone on your journey.”

“Now, while we train, do you have a preference which style I use?”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Blizzar, stuck in his own thoughts for a moment, stirred at this, raising a brow as he inquired, "I'm sorry old....boulder, but you're saying there are what within the Earth?"

It shouldn't surprise him at this point that the planet still had secrets in store, but the frequency at which they were found would forever be mildly alarming at best.

“I am able to travel through the Earth. Generally I follow ley lines to move faster and easier. Traveling through the Earth without one is harder.”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

"Lost techniques are cool," Sasheem stated, eventually after mulling it over a bit. "Sasheem always wanted to learn more about the Lost Schools anyway. Maybe something in their teaching can give way to an even better understanding of the Snake. But he has one request...."

The Majin hopped forward, pointing a thumb back at Zaofan. "Make sure to teach Sasheem different techniques than that guy..." he lowers his voice to a whisper. "The better ones. He's a doofus, he won't know the difference."

Ro quirks an eyebrow.

“Prove yourself than. Come at me, Sasheem. Let’s see what fits your style.”

[grampagen]

Jack nods slightly.

“Perhaps you’re right. The spirit huh? Hmm.....”

As usual, the conversation broke off, and there the two had found the unspoken understanding they'd established across many battles. There was more to the life of Jack Knave than the seizure of some fleeting prize; All it took was a measure of solidarity for him to see it.

They knew there in the darkness encroaching upon their sphere, slavering eyes stood...watching, waiting. After having seen that side of the universe and all its cold, chaotic demeanour, how could the men of the Earth stand idle while there were still things to do?

"Balon, stay here upon the Lookout. Should the worst happen, then it falls to you to maintain what we have found."

So long as one of the heirs survived, at least part of Zxu'ro's legacy could survive. How fitting it would be the last of the Lost Dragons.

"As for us, we have our work to do."

Meanwhile, Damask pauses a moment before answering.

“Yes, I can lead through the leylanic tunnels within the Earth and take you there.”

Blizzar, stuck in his own thoughts for a moment, stirred at this, raising a brow as he inquired, "I'm sorry old....boulder, but you're saying there are what within the Earth?"

It shouldn't surprise him at this point that the planet still had secrets in store, but the frequency at which they were found would forever be mildly alarming at best.

“I am able to travel through the Earth. Generally I follow ley lines to move faster and easier. Traveling through the Earth without one is harder.”

Fortunately, in the trace of the worldly essence he was able to read, the place to begin could not be more obvious. It had helped open the gate on the other side where he channeled Genki through it.

Descending to the ground below, Ochazuke led the assembly to the edge of Barlon's preserve, the Bear's Forest. Closer to Earth a place in tune with the answers of the natural world. Beneath the shadow of the redwood hulks, the shafts of light filtering through the greenery. The filtered hush over their ancient roots was the foundation for countless living things. The ebb and flow of the natural world, so resplendent, loaned its strength to the very energies in the air from deep root to crawling lichen. and in the refuge of this silent air, the ageless wilds stood as a sylvan cathedral.

It was here that he and Zaofan learned the technique, less an active withdrawal than the capability to still the ego, to truly listen, by which he had cultivated a particular awareness. And of this environment, beneath the foliage that Ochazuke found a geological deposit.

"To access a Leyline, you'll need to first recover your strength and rebuild your form." Life, as it grows, never truly leaves. The imprints of eons past were locked inside the sedimentary shale. Placing the Golem's head upon it, it was here that he returned Damask to the Earth.

"The Golem's body was solid, but also malleable to suit its purpose. In the Geofront he stood great in stature. Hollowed out, he will serve as an adequate carriage to travel through this untrodden path."

[grampagen]

Ro nods.

“A few days at most. This place isn’t technically real in the proper sense. Once reached, it was set to deteriorate and vanish after a while. It was only meant as a stepping stone on your journey.”

“Now, while we train, do you have a preference which style I use?”

"Eh, well, you should know that the Phoenix and the Lion...we actually never seized upon those. In fact, they're quite out of our grasp right now," Zaofan said, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "All the same...a few days won't be enough to master anything."

They'd experienced as much during the training with Balon-Sensei. Even with the aid of the spiritual memory locked within the Jade Dragon Claw, after two and a half years they only got so far.

"But, Master, we're not the only two on this journey. There's a third, in fact he's the one that found our way in," he said with a chuckle. "I trust my Brother will find a way to recover what was missing. Until then, I can't come back to him empty-handed, now can I?"

Ah, but what to learn in the last flickers of a fading dream?

Rich coming from you Zao. You never committed to a system your whole life until now, just picking and choosing the best bits-

And with that, he had it. Young Ro had started by teaching them Fusion, after all. Sometimes you won't have all the ingredients you need to make a dish and you'll have to make do.

"Suppose a survey of all Ten will satisfy me, and I don't mean move-by-move. To get the measure of it, I want to see the synthesis of all brought to one, your own personal blend. Show me how you implemented your work in your own practice!"

Authenticity is one thing, but Essence, that's always evolving to suit pallet and purpose alike. As he put up his guard, Zaofan's stance favoured the legs of the Wolf, the hands of the Turtle, carried upon the coiled structure of the Dragon, and silently carried the energy method of the Crane. This was what he favoured, but he knew that sure as anybody there were holes in his game.

[KingofPie]

Mmm, those orbs smelled good... real good. Totoma reached out as if in a trance, but then stopped. No... this was clearly some sort of trick! And he, the Hero of Capital City, would not fall for it.

Clenching his fists, several Void Lens manifested, most of them engulfing the delicious attacks. The others... concentrated and spat out the ki balls into a thin stream. Round and round they went, entering and exiting his Void Lens, creating a swirling... cheesy ring around Jagam.



"Take this, villain!" he yelled, as the void lens turned towards Jagam and deposited their cheesy payload upon him.

"HA! You seek to turn the cheese against me?! Not smart, whelp!" Bio-Jagam guffawed, powering up and as he did, assimilated the reverberated cheese. "You'll find things won't asiaGO your way!"

The hooded, wheelchaired figure suddenly turned around in shock. "Wait, you idiot! You're pouring out too much chi! It's activated the temporal-"

There was a loud and sudden pop in the air. And suddenly Jagam and Totoma had disappeared....

"Wh...what happened?" P-Sta managed to grunt, his wounds sending a spark of pain throughout his body. "Oof!"

He was answered by a familiar chirping. And a diminutive, box-like figure had approached to Galaxy Police and Time Patrol officer alike. It was Chief Durive! He was sporting a magnet which he had used to pull the drowning Hops out of the pool of cheese Bio-Jagam had arisen from.

The hooded figure monitored this for a moment, before disappearing with a pop himself, taking all his equipment with him. All that remained of he and the revived halfling's presence was a massive crater and several tree sized globs of cheese lying on the ground.

"Chief...just what the hell is going on here?!" X-Bo asked in confusion. Durive's only response was to whistle...calling forth another Durive. The Time Patrol Durive....or perhaps the Galaxy Police Durive. It was difficult to tell. But the second one held a manilla folder in his chopstick arms. A manilla folder labeled...., "The Plan!!!"

[KingofPie]

As usual, the conversation broke off, and there the two had found the unspoken understanding they'd established across many battles. There was more to the life of Jack Knave than the seizure of some fleeting prize; All it took was a measure of solidarity for him to see it.

They knew there in the darkness encroaching upon their sphere, slavering eyes stood...watching, waiting. After having seen that side of the universe and all its cold, chaotic demeanour, how could the men of the Earth stand idle while there were still things to do?

"Balon, stay here upon the Lookout. Should the worst happen, then it falls to you to maintain what we have found."

So long as one of the heirs survived, at least part of Zxu'ro's legacy could survive. How fitting it would be the last of the Lost Dragons.

"As for us, we have our work to do."

Fortunately, in the trace of the worldly essence he was able to read, the place to begin could not be more obvious. It had helped open the gate on the other side where he channeled Genki through it.

Descending to the ground below, Ochazuke led the assembly to the edge of Barlon's preserve, the Bear's Forest. Closer to Earth a place in tune with the answers of the natural world. Beneath the shadow of the redwood hulks, the shafts of light filtering through the greenery. The filtered hush over their ancient roots was the foundation for countless living things. The ebb and flow of the natural world, so resplendent, loaned its strength to the very energies in the air from deep root to crawling lichen. and in the refuge of this silent air, the ageless wilds stood as a sylvan cathedral.

The Arcosian Lieutenant followed the descent towards the ground below, all the while fiddling with a datapad in an attempt to find a way to reboot his planetary security system. To no effect. Hundreds of drones, now lay dormant, their security A.I completely deactivated.

He was grateful that was all the Raiders managed to encrypt...as far as he knew. Any tampering with their propulsion tech and each and every machine could potentually come hurtling down towards the Earth. And what a grizzly AND costly P.R. nightmare thay would be.

It was here that he and Zaofan learned the technique, less an active withdrawal than the capability to still the ego, to truly listen, by which he had cultivated a particular awareness. And of this environment, beneath the foliage that Ochazuke found a geological deposit.

"To access a Leyline, you'll need to first recover your strength and rebuild your form." Life, as it grows, never truly leaves. The imprints of eons past were locked inside the sedimentary shale. Placing the Golem's head upon it, it was here that he returned Damask to the Earth.

"The Golem's body was solid, but also malleable to suit its purpose. In the Geofront he stood great in stature. Hollowed out, he will serve as an adequate carriage to travel through this untrodden path."

"Hitching a ride on a Golem," Blizzar scoffed, amused. "I suppose I can always count on a visit to the Earth to turn a mundane day into something...interesting."

[KingofPie]

Ro quirks an eyebrow.

“Prove yourself than. Come at me, Sasheem. Let’s see what fits your style.”

The Majin cracked his neck. "Alright, round two it is!" He grinned arrogantly, beginning to take a fighting stance.

"Eh, well, you should know that the Phoenix and the Lion...we actually never seized upon those. In fact, they're quite out of our grasp right now," Zaofan said, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "All the same...a few days won't be enough to master anything."

They'd experienced as much during the training with Balon-Sensei. Even with the aid of the spiritual memory locked within the Jade Dragon Claw, after two and a half years they only got so far.

"But, Master, we're not the only two on this journey. There's a third, in fact he's the one that found our way in," he said with a chuckle. "I trust my Brother will find a way to recover what was missing. Until then, I can't come back to him empty-handed, now can I?"

Ah, but what to learn in the last flickers of a fading dream?

Rich coming from you Zao. You never committed to a system your whole life until now, just picking and choosing the best bits-

And with that, he had it. Young Ro had started by teaching them Fusion, after all. Sometimes you won't have all the ingredients you need to make a dish and you'll have to make do.

"Suppose a survey of all Ten will satisfy me, and I don't mean move-by-move. To get the measure of it, I want to see the synthesis of all brought to one, your own personal blend. Show me how you implemented your work in your own practice!"

Authenticity is one thing, but Essence, that's always evolving to suit pallet and purpose alike. As he put up his guard, Zaofan's stance favoured the legs of the Wolf, the hands of the Turtle, carried upon the coiled structure of the Dragon, and silently carried the energy method of the Crane. This was what he favoured, but he knew that sure as anybody there were holes in his game.

"Tch. All these big speeches..." Sasheem rolled his eyes...and then grimaced slightly. In his excitement to fight Zxu'ro once more, he'd forgotten the one blind spot in his learning of the Lost Schools. His two martial 'brothers' hadn't bothered to take him to the Wolf Temple, the bastards. Nevermind that then. What better time to learn then now, though?

Sasheem's own stance, as usual, was centered on the Snake School, with nothing to quite denote he was incorporating any of the other styles he had under his belt just yet. But the wide grin across his face seemed to indicate he had something up his sleeve.

So while Zaofan sought to defend, Sasheem opted to....strike first. His hand stretched and whipped forward towards Zxu'ro, combining his Majin physiology with a tradition Snake School strike!

[Miburo]

Blizzar, stuck in his own thoughts for a moment, stirred at this, raising a brow as he inquired, "I'm sorry old....boulder, but you're saying there are what within the Earth?"

It shouldn't surprise him at this point that the planet still had secrets in store, but the frequency at which they were found would forever be mildly alarming at best.

"....Yeah. I'm afraid I lost the plot as well." Held replied, scratching his head in confusion, "I've been on earth awhile, and this is the first I'm hearing about it...."

“I am able to travel through the Earth. Generally I follow ley lines to move faster and easier. Traveling through the Earth without one is harder.”

"....So, there's a sub-terrain of some sort? So this is basically a grand line throughout the earth, huh?" he replied, nodding his head in vague understanding, "I guess it's like the veins of the planet, or something?"

The Nevadian knew little of ley lines, but he know quite a bit of about circulation, veins, life, and the interconnections of a body. If one thought of the planet as a body, it made some sort of weird sense...Maybe. But the planet didn't exactly have blood, did it? A magma core, perhaps, but that was not anything special.

And so, the analogy was hardly perfect.

Well, this trip is growing more and more interesting by the second....If I can map these routes out for a delivery system with my Shingan, I could probably start a new business....I'll have to ask Jinzi to equip the Great Galloping for sub-terrain travel when I talk to him next...

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Damask’s eyes glow softly, and as Ochazuke place shim on the ground, tendrils of rock start slithering towards the head.

Slowly, after about five minutes, a six foot tall approximation of Damask’s body stood there, it’s head reconnected.

“I am able to travel now. You must stick close to me, however: traveling this way is dangerous if you stray to far.”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Ro bend south of the way of Sasheem’s attack, flowing like a snake himself.

He nods to Zaofan.

“Observe.”

As Sahseem and he continue to spar, the two acolytes would see how Ro’s used the schools teachings.

It was a perfect synthesis. No one form was exactly from one school: instead, Ro would take a stance that held notes of the Lion and Tiger, but would then bend and dodge in the same moment with elements of the Snake and Crane. When he counterattacks, it wasn’t with the strict structure of the Turtle or the Dragon, but with elements of them all. A turned first from the Spider intermingled with a shifted hip from the Phoenix school. A kick angled high like a Wolf, but more forceful like a Bear.

Zaofan and Sasheem can see, as the spar continues, the root of each School and how Zxu’ro took excerpts and pieces of his Chimera School and helped his students found the Ten.

[grampagen]

The Arcosian Lieutenant followed the descent towards the ground below, all the while fiddling with a datapad in an attempt to find a way to reboot his planetary security system. To no effect. Hundreds of drones, now lay dormant, their security A.I completely deactivated.

He was grateful that was all the Raiders managed to encrypt...as far as he knew. Any tampering with their propulsion tech and each and every machine could potentually come hurtling down towards the Earth. And what a grizzly AND costly P.R. nightmare thay would be.

"Hitching a ride on a Golem," Blizzar scoffed, amused. "I suppose I can always count on a visit to the Earth to turn a mundane day into something...interesting."

"....Yeah. I'm afraid I lost the plot as well." Held replied, scratching his head in confusion, "I've been on earth awhile, and this is the first I'm hearing about it...."

"....So, there's a sub-terrain of some sort? So this is basically a grand line throughout the earth, huh?" he replied, nodding his head in vague understanding, "I guess it's like the veins of the planet, or something?"

The Nevadian knew little of ley lines, but he know quite a bit of about circulation, veins, life, and the interconnections of a body. If one thought of the planet as a body, it made some sort of weird sense...Maybe. But the planet didn't exactly have blood, did it? A magma core, perhaps, but that was not anything special.

And so, the analogy was hardly perfect.

Well, this trip is growing more and more interesting by the second....If I can map these routes out for a delivery system with my Shingan, I could probably start a new business....I'll have to ask Jinzi to equip the Great Galloping for sub-terrain travel when I talk to him next...

Damask’s eyes glow softly, and as Ochazuke place shim on the ground, tendrils of rock start slithering towards the head.

Slowly, after about five minutes, a six foot tall approximation of Damask’s body stood there, it’s head reconnected.

“I am able to travel now. You must stick close to me, however: traveling this way is dangerous if you stray to far.”

As Ochazuke had expected, when he returned to the rock and soil Damask was in some fashion able to rejuvenate himself, albeit the current circumstances prevented his complete restoration.

A mighty weapon sheathed in Earth. Look at you now.

The last time they fought in the Geofront, he was far larger then. Sealed for months in a capsule had left him little to draw upon. Now, the substance of his diminished form was drawn from rock peremated by the rigors of life. Withered stone granulated in the grip of iron roots was not the ideal medium. While his head was intact, with what little he'd managed to surround his large visage, though the size of a man, gave his bearing rather a childlike proportion.

Of course, appearances were quite deceiving, and as the golem spoke, the inert dirt and rock beneath its feet began to warp, furrow, and expand.

There was some spectral substance a living energy intertwined with the ground. Soon a hollow radius bore a shallow crater about Damask as he surrounded himself with an aura. The manifestation of the energy was visible, yet if they were to trace the path of this ki, they would find a distinct absence of a focal point.

Drawn from the very planet itself, by the spell that bonded the Golem's consciousness, it was, in a sense, everywhere. A mercurial pathway that coursed intangibly between the poles and the planet core. The Golem, a being synthesized from a oneness with the Earth, carried the power to bridge the physical barrier to allow them access to this hidden road.

Jack, who had been appreciating the natural vista of Barlon's Woods with a quick puff, let the cigarette fall from his mouth and put it out in his palm.

"Ain't that a sight," he muttered, stealing to save the half of the rolled leaf that hadn't gone to ashes. "Well, where to?"

Ochazuke stepped into the arrayed magical aura surrounding the Golem.

"The Kingdom of Vermilion, where it all began," he said.