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

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

"Gaoooooooo!" Erosa let out an audible growl intended to give the crew member a fright before pouncing from her stealth and headbutting the poor sod square in the chest. She held back a little....not wanting to kill him since she might need him for button pushing later.

Assuming that was handled, she would then hop up to the main console and get to work on her master plan of flying the boat....hopefully the controls were easily marked, if not she could always slap a few buttons and see what happens.

He is knocked the hell out.

The controls are surprisingly easy to understand. Shiny button turns engine on. Red button makes go. Wheel changes direction (yes, these odd ships have odd helm designs like nautical ships for some reason).

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

It wasn't the ideal and Aleka had thought there was definitely some ironing out she needed to do if she was going to be more helpful in a fight; but that was for later. When the item was tossed to her, she grabbed it out of the air. "Got it!"

Not having anywhere else to put it, the most practical one was, well between her clevage at the moment. After that she quickly rushed to the room Fife had come out of to absorb the Nexus into the device. While it looked like Parsley had done the deed, she couldn't just assume they were dead knowing her luck.



Karine had been distracted by the minor enemies though she had been worried about anyone who could challenge a Super Sayain considering her lack of boost at the moment. It didn't mean she'd stay idle and let her friends do absolutely everything while she stood at the side lines.

From the corner of her eye, she witnessed the heated battle between her friend and a Oni? They certainly looked and felt like one at any rate. However, something went terribly wrong and not only did she see it, she sensed it. A cold, calculating rage took hold but she didn't let it blind her or it mean getting herself hurt or killed.

Using her Shadow Walk with her stealth, she appeared using the opponents own shadow from behind, while keeping her power hidden. A shadowy lance from her Dark Lancer aimed to pierce their heart and explode from the inside, weaker she may have been, she knew a surprise attack at the right time could hurt a much more powerful opponent. She didn't need to kill them, just badly wound them.

Aleka finds a similar crystal as the one from the Doctor’s timeline floating in a security tube. The crystallized nexus is there. The tube needs to broken or accessed to gain the crystal.

Karine, with Sheriff Zaofan distractingly the Oni amidst a wrestle, your sneak attack goes off without a hitch. The shadow lance punches in and explodes, the left side of the Oni’s chest erupting. Sheriff Zaofan kicks him away, covered in its bright red blood, and the Oni moans in pain, though still alive despite the grievous wound.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Praxat, a figure walks into your lab, looking around for something.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

File staggers back, half his chest blown in and lower jaw gone. Beams of energy spark from his eyes and cut into Parsley's shoulder as the hybrid concentrated and starts regenerating.

Parsley attack struck – it would have been impossible for it not to – but it didn't deal the level of damage she hoped it would. What was worse, File was regenerating. That, combined with his zenkai, was going to make an already difficult opponent impossible for her to fight on her own.

As she recoiled and stumbled back from the beams piercing her shoulder, she noticed Cyanna simply standing there watching. In her hand was an ax. "What the hell are you doing?!" Parsley demanded.

The creature would be whole and stronger soon. There was no time to waste peeling back the layers of this ridiculous mystery.

While he was distracted and disoriented, Parsley flash-stepped in front of Cyanna and took the ax. Without a word, she blurred back to the half-breed and swung the ax, intent on burying it in his spine.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

The Oni chuckles.

“That will not save you.”

Red, angry pain radiates from the severed limb, her blood thundering in her ears as a pulse of something dangerous ripples through her. The Oni moves forward, readying the blade, when Sheriff Zaofan slams into him full tilt.

“Need a hand?” He calls out as he knocks the blade away and starts wrestling the Oni.

Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong. Sarada had thought that chopping her hand off would have ridded her of whatever curse this creature's blade beset upon her, but it did nothing.

She could feel a pulsating power thrumming under her skin. It was a power not her own; it was dangerous. Was it trying to take over her body? She was sure.

Damn it!

Alt-Zaofan and Karine jumped in to pick up her slack against the Oni. Good.

Sarada let her golden power flare in an attempt to fight this... this power. To bring it under control. If it tried to usurp her, she was ready for that.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Parsley attack struck – it would have been impossible for it not to – but it didn't deal the level of damage she hoped it would. What was worse, File was regenerating. That, combined with his zenkai, was going to make an already difficult opponent impossible for her to fight on her own.

As she recoiled and stumbled back from the beams piercing her shoulder, she noticed Cyanna simply standing there watching. In her hand was an ax. "What the hell are you doing?!" Parsley demanded.

The creature would be whole and stronger soon. There was no time to waste peeling back the layers of this ridiculous mystery.

While he was distracted and disoriented, Parsley flash-stepped in front of Cyanna and took the ax. Without a word, she blurred back to the half-breed and swung the ax, intent on burying it in his spine.

The ax feels.....right. It whistles through the air and when it lands, it cuts right into the hybrid like butter. File staggers forward, down to one knee, a startled gasp escaping his ruined mouth. The golden glow starts to fade around his body as he struggles to heal still. The ax is amazingly light in Parsley’s hands, and in her grip is feels like a natural extension of herself.

Like it was made for her.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong. Sarada had thought that chopping her hand off would have ridded her of whatever curse this creature's blade beset upon her, but it did nothing.

She could feel a pulsating power thrumming under her skin. It was a power not her own; it was dangerous. Was it trying to take over her body? She was sure.

Damn it!

Alt-Zaofan and Karine jumped in to pick up her slack against the Oni. Good.

Sarada let her golden power flare in an attempt to fight this... this power. To bring it under control. If it tried to usurp her, she was ready for that.

Indeed.

Something was trying to take her over. A blood curse wriggling within her body, trying to flood into your system and take over.

As it does so flashes of intent and purpose roll through your mind. The Oni wasn’t natural. It...it claimed victims, made them apart of itself through this curse. It would take over the body and become the Oni once the curse was complete.

[Monstrous Bird of Qin, Ou Ki]

Indeed.

Something was trying to take her over. A blood curse wriggling within her body, trying to flood into your system and take over.

As it does so flashes of intent and purpose roll through your mind. The Oni wasn’t natural. It...it claimed victims, made them apart of itself through this curse. It would take over the body and become the Oni once the curse was complete.

Having actually managed to mostly-clear the mist, Nevanlinna took a moment to rest, then headed off towards the nearest battle--which just so happened to be the Saiyan Queen's battle against... some oni. How curious. More importantly, she arrived just in time to see Sarada... lop off her own hand?

Her gaze went back and forth between the hand--which was burned to a crisp--and the Saiyan Queen. Since the Oni was distracted and disabled right now, courtesy of the Sheriff and... someone else, now was as good a time as any to lend her aid.

Striding over to Sarada, she held out her hand towards the saiyan queen, channeling Vaikuntha's restorative energies through her own body. A gentle green glow covered the Saiyan Queen and began to heal her injuries.

While she worked, Nevanlinna focused her senses on the queen, ki and magical alike, trying to discern whether or not she had been inflicted with any curses or other such things--if the Oni was remotely like his kin, he likely had a taste for the magical. While her senses were not nearly the caliber of some of the others, she should be able to pick up any sorcerous influence on the queen.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Indeed.

Something was trying to take her over. A blood curse wriggling within her body, trying to flood into your system and take over.

As it does so flashes of intent and purpose roll through your mind. The Oni wasn’t natural. It...it claimed victims, made them apart of itself through this curse. It would take over the body and become the Oni once the curse was complete.

Blood magic!

Sarada had only seen it in action a few times – once by Jagam, and again by Ishtar. The former had yet to manifest itself, but she was up close and personal for Ishtar's.

Even still, she didn't know how to counteract it. There was a moment when she was interested in learning something about magic, but that fell to the wayside.

She had nothing. Nothing except her pride. "Damn Oni," she snarled. Her only remaining fish clenched. "You won't turn me into a part of you! You can take over my mind and my body, but there's one thing you can never turn! MY PRIDE!!!" She roared, once again letting her power flare. This time, the natural stubbornness that was inherent to all Saiyans aided her efforts. It was her indomitable will versus this creature's damned blood magic. If he wanted a new piece for himself, he was going to have to earn it.

Royal Authority

[KingofPie]

The caster vanishes.

Sasheem can feel something pricking at his neck, and a searing pain lancing through his body.

Sasheem didn't like where this was headed. No matter what magic never led to particularly good results when he had faced it head on. Those were the times when he had to forego traditional stratagem in favor for the unorthodox...or even more unorthodox than usual. As the pain began to slice through his body, Sasheem attempted to isolate it and once he figured out it's trajectory...DA-DOM!

He began to erupt into hundreds of smaller versions of himself, spread across the landscape, though they seemed to split themselves into two groups those that housed the magic induced pain and those that didn't. Both groups of Mini-Sasheems kept quiet and laser focused as they sensed for the spellcaster's energy, while lowering their own into but a blip.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Nevalinna, there is a nasty blood curse in Sarada right now that is slowly working through her system. Sarada’s natural saiyan stubbornness and her Royal Authority is holding it at bay, but not beating it back.

Sarada, Nevalinna is healing you but you can feel that the Oni’ blood magic is very powerful. He’s done this to countless people and each one he’s done this to is another ‘spirit’ that fuels the blood curse’s effects.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Sasheem didn't like where this was headed. No matter what magic never led to particularly good results when he had faced it head on. Those were the times when he had to forego traditional stratagem in favor for the unorthodox...or even more unorthodox than usual. As the pain began to slice through his body, Sasheem attempted to isolate it and once he figured out it's trajectory...DA-DOM!

He began to erupt into hundreds of smaller versions of himself, spread across the landscape, though they seemed to split themselves into two groups those that housed the magic induced pain and those that didn't. Both groups of Mini-Sasheems kept quiet and laser focused as they sensed for the spellcaster's energy, while lowering their own into but a blip.

The spellcasters is about five hundred yards away, invisible, and chanting quietly as he casts spells towards Sasheem.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

The ax feels.....right. It whistles through the air and when it lands, it cuts right into the hybrid like butter. File staggers forward, down to one knee, a startled gasp escaping his ruined mouth. The golden glow starts to fade around his body as he struggles to heal still. The ax is amazingly light in Parsley’s hands, and in her grip is feels like a natural extension of herself.

Like it was made for her.

Parsley smiled.

She, as a pureblooded Saiyan warrior, didn't lend herself toward the use of any weapon outside of her own body. It was considered beneath many.

However, there was something about this ax that felt... natural. Like it was made just for her, and only her. One swing revealed to her the lightness with which she carried it, and the ease she wielded it.

File could attest to its sharpness far better than she could. Even now, his pale golden glow faded from his person, and his healing ability found itself stymied.

She didn't dare gloat or waste time posturing.

She finished it.

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

The attack lands, the world goes white and noisy, and the throne room ripples and shatters.

When the sound and fury dies down, the throne room and mountaintop it resided on is gone. The mountain is gone. High above Ishtar is a beautiful starscape, twin full moons above her.

Cold mist slowly starts coalesces into a panting Ruination Goddess as Vitalmancy pulls at any surrounding life force to restore her body.

Like the many explosions Ishtar had been caught in before, the world around the golden-eyed Oni went white, and with it came the tickle of damage suffered; and flat on her back from it, through the haze of vaporized throne-room, and mountain top she saw ... two moons. A thing perhaps to remember, were she to make it out alive.

As the Oni then struggled through the pain, and forced herself back to standing. She couldn't however shake the feeling that this was ... good. The power. The pain. The ... elation to be had, in cutting loose after running in fear for five-thousand one-hundred and twenty two years. And why shouldn't she be elated ? It was after all not the inevitability she'd feared. Fully conscious of her actions, she wielded the power that had been born into with an almost ... ease. All it took was acceptance. It was a shame she wouldn't survive long enough for it to matter however ...

Looking over at her counterpart however, Ishtar was quick to realize that perhaps ... perhaps there was -- a not-insignificant chance -- provided she didn't allow her to fully recover ...

"Not used to pain ... are you ?" Ishtar asked, as two chains of magical lighting shot across the gap between them in an attempt to ensnare the Goddess of Ruination and yank her forward toward Ishtar's glowing fist. "Yet another difference between us ... for the longest time it was all I was familiar with."

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Like the many explosions Ishtar had been caught in before, the world around the golden-eyed Oni went white, and with it came the tickle of damage suffered; and flat on her back from it, through the haze of vaporized throne-room, and mountain top she saw ... two moons. A thing perhaps to remember, were she to make it out alive.

As the Oni then struggled through the pain, and forced herself back to standing. She couldn't however shake the feeling that this was ... good. The power. The pain. The ... elation to be had, in cutting loose after running in fear for five-thousand one-hundred and twenty two years. And why shouldn't she be elated ? It was after all not the inevitability she'd feared. Fully conscious of her actions, she wielded the power that had been born into with an almost ... ease. All it took was acceptance. It was a shame she wouldn't survive long enough for it to matter however ...

Looking over at her counterpart however, Ishtar was quick to realize that perhaps ... perhaps there was -- a not-insignificant chance -- provided she didn't allow her to fully recover ...

"Not used to pain ... are you ?" Ishtar asked, as two chains of magical lighting shot across the gap between them in an attempt to ensnare the Goddess of Ruination and yank her forward toward Ishtar's glowing fist. "Yet another difference between us ... for the longest time it was all I was familiar with."

A very un-deity like squeak was heard as the Goddess was yanked towards Ishtar.

Ishtar, oddly enough, the Ruination goddess hasn’t transformed. In fact, her use of Hakai has been very...limited.

Stunted even, one might say.