Dragonball M, Chapter 4: Kidnapping! Invasion! A new Threat Strikes First!

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Inanna does so.

As she reaches the half hour, Cleos who had been walking around her the entire time suddenly reaches out and touches Inanna with her golden rod.

Instantly, Inanna feels tired as her ability to summon her Ki seems locked.


“Now then, I have a good estimate of your high and low. You are not one for technique, more a brute strength approach. We need to teach you how to integrate your energy better and how to balance yourself. As you are now you will not survive Lampton’s training. Your energies are balanced precariously within you. As such, we will start from the ground up and teach you control, starting with some basics. Are you ready?”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

"Oh! Sensei!" Zaofan stammered, hastily offering a bow before speeding off to see the Last Dragon, "I don't know how, but we're back ahead of schedule, or maybe a little behind...what day is it?"

A deluge of half-formed thoughts spilled out of him. There was so much he wanted to say, about Reshlan, the Ulthan, and the state of life, the universe, and everything, but a few things were quite clear; chiefly among them, that the battles still wore long on his mind, and it was very much a disorienting thing.

"...and just when did this- all this! When did you get time to build this?! Old Master Eskrimato tried to move the Turtles to the city, but this is something else!"

Balon smiles and bows back. He tells you it’s only been a few days since the main group departed for Reshlan. As to you and Ochazuke, about a year since you left with Held.

“As to the temple, we’ll....it was to be a surprise to you all. Maron and I have been working with Capsule Corp to secure this land to rebuild the Dragon Temple.”

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

As she reaches the half hour, Cleos who had been walking around her the entire time suddenly reaches out and touches Inanna with her golden rod.

Instantly, Inanna feels tired as her ability to summon her Ki seems locked.


“Now then, I have a good estimate of your high and low. You are not one for technique, more a brute strength approach. We need to teach you how to integrate your energy better and how to balance yourself. As you are now you will not survive Lampton’s training. Your energies are balanced precariously within you. As such, we will start from the ground up and teach you control, starting with some basics. Are you ready?”

"That is why I'm here, yes." Inanna said. "Didn't come for a vacation."

[Monstrous Bird of Qin, Ou Ki]

Daroga kept one hand on the still bleeding wound as he watched Tasure teleport here and there. He had to admit, the Saiyans' tenacity was not overstated. Even with one arm and badly injured, she still rose and fought. Normally, he would have been honored to fight such a villain; this time, it was only irritating.

His eyes followed her as she teleported around, but he quickly realized the follow in that tactic. She was leaving behind afterimages; after a while, it was impossible to determine through sight alone where she was. With his ki quickly dropping, he actually had to devote some attention to his ki sense to lock onto her fleeing form.

There!

He found her and just in time. She appeared to be charging some kind of attack. He knew that the girl's attack from before was steadily draining his power somehow, so he was reluctant to get in close. He grunted and opened his mouth. He unleashed a massive omnidirectional sonic attack with the intent of disrupting Tasure's concentration and dispelling her afterimages.

The Dragon's Scream!

Even as he launched his attack, he felt his power drop even more. To his horror, at that point, he was already weaker than Tasure and would soon be weaker than the other one. Damn it all!

As expected, this Daroga seemed to be getting used to her little combo technique. Seeing through it through mere sight would... be difficult for the average warrior, to say the least. A nevadian could probably manage it, but enhanced sight was their bread and butter. Instead, he was using his ki senses to attempt to keep track of her. Still a tall order, but much more viable than most other methods.

Now, what sort of attack would be use to intercept her?

Soon, she received her answer, when he screamed.

"Gah!" Tasure's eardrums popped and the world faded to near-silence... save for an annoying lingering ring. Your stock sound-based attacks were usually not a threat to her--too slow--but this one was different, being enhanced with ki and omnidirectional. As the sound wave hit her, she came to a stop, her afterimages disappearing. Maintaining her full concentration through this would be impossible, but she managed to keep her 'charge', pulling it inside of her body to unleash at a later time. However, to most observers, it would appear that, indeed, the attack she had been charging had fizzled.

Making such an assumption would invite a swift and likely fatal correction.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

As expected, this Daroga seemed to be getting used to her little combo technique. Seeing through it through mere sight would... be difficult for the average warrior, to say the least. A nevadian could probably manage it, but enhanced sight was their bread and butter. Instead, he was using his ki senses to attempt to keep track of her. Still a tall order, but much more viable than most other methods.

Now, what sort of attack would be use to intercept her?

Soon, she received her answer, when he screamed.

"Gah!" Tasure's eardrums popped and the world faded to near-silence... save for an annoying lingering ring. Your stock sound-based attacks were usually not a threat to her--too slow--but this one was different, being enhanced with ki and omnidirectional. As the sound wave hit her, she came to a stop, her afterimages disappearing. Maintaining her full concentration through this would be impossible, but she managed to keep her 'charge', pulling it inside of her body to unleash at a later time. However, to most observers, it would appear that, indeed, the attack she had been charging had fizzled.

Making such an assumption would invite a swift and likely fatal correction.

"Ha!" Daroga's ploy worked. The woman's copies were dissipated, leaving only her by herself. Further, her attack seemed to be snuffed out before she even had the chance to use it. With that done, he had the take advantage. The battle needed to end quickly so he could help Letchee finish off the other Saiyan. With hope, that girl's technique would wear off in time.

With all that in mind, Daroga sped toward Tasure, intent on killing her once and for all.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

"That is why I'm here, yes." Inanna said. "Didn't come for a vacation."

OT: I’ll let you continue on your own. Just a few highlights:

She’ll start you off using only one specific power source, she’ll help you gain better control, then shift to another and work on that before following suite with each of them. She will than get you used to using them together, until eventually all your energies exist within you harmoniously (or as much as possible) and you are better used to summoning them up without damaging yourself so much.

Her Heka Flow healing will be used many times to heal you during this, and you’ll note she gets stronger the more she heals (like Saiyans when they get injured).

In general attitude, she’s quite kind, patient, and understanding. Very motherly (or grandmotherly even) and you will swiftly learn why she was the heart of the Palantine’s of old.

[Monstrous Bird of Qin, Ou Ki]

"Ha!" Daroga's ploy worked. The woman's copies were dissipated, leaving only her by herself. Further, her attack seemed to be snuffed out before she even had the chance to use it. With that done, he had the take advantage. The battle needed to end quickly so he could help Letchee finish off the other Saiyan. With hope, that girl's technique would wear off in time.

With all that in mind, Daroga sped toward Tasure, intent on killing her once and for all.

Direct and to the point. Tasure could respect that--after all, even with Avoca's technique in effect, if she were to face both of these guys... she would in all likelihood die, and Daroga knew that. She herself had to finish this quickly, before she bled out; even with her ki shield acting as a bandage, she was still losing blood.

Tasure shifted her stance, her remaining arm seemingly raised in front of her in what most would assume was a half-hearted, perhaps even panicked, attempt to defend herself. In reality, she was excited--after all, this was the climax to a short, but intense battle! She just needed to wait until the right time...

...and there it is! As Daroga approached, he entered a range that would make dodging all-but-impossible. She dropped out of her "defensive" stance, extending her arm towards Daroga, two fingers extended.

She grinned.

"DIAMOND DRILL CANNON!"

There was a bright flash of light as the hidden charge of ki shot up her arm and into her fingers. Two beams--one spinning, drilling beam, and the other spiraling tightly around the first--burst forth, tearing a path towards Daroga.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Direct and to the point. Tasure could respect that--after all, even with Avoca's technique in effect, if she were to face both of these guys... she would in all likelihood die, and Daroga knew that. She herself had to finish this quickly, before she bled out; even with her ki shield acting as a bandage, she was still losing blood.

Tasure shifted her stance, her remaining arm seemingly raised in front of her in what most would assume was a half-hearted, perhaps even panicked, attempt to defend herself. In reality, she was excited--after all, this was the climax to a short, but intense battle! She just needed to wait until the right time...

...and there it is! As Daroga approached, he entered a range that would make dodging all-but-impossible. She dropped out of her "defensive" stance, extending her arm towards Daroga, two fingers extended.

She grinned.

"DIAMOND DRILL CANNON!"

There was a bright flash of light as the hidden charge of ki shot up her arm and into her fingers. Two beams--one spinning, drilling beam, and the other spiraling tightly around the first--burst forth, tearing a path towards Daroga.

*snip*

Daroga was certain Tasure's offensive prayer had been thwarted. Her falling into a defensive stance spoke to her desperate mindset, in his mind. He had no reason to even consider that it was all a ruse to draw him in. Perhaps that, above all other things committed that day, was his greatest mistake.

His power was quickly dwindling as he approached Tasure with all the speed his body could allow. Murder in his eyes, he sought to end things quickly. In a way, he was right.

The cry from Tasure caught him by surprise. He was too close to her to commit to another action, evasive or otherwise. Not that it would have mattered. All he could do was widen his eyes as the dual-beam shot form her fingers and sliced through the air. "Cannons can't dril-," were the final words he spoke as the energy drill pierced his chest, straight through his heart. A stream of blood erupted form his mouth as he was flung back by the force of the beam.

He fell to the streets below and landed in a heap, limbs twisted in odd angles and blood pouring from the bubbling chest wound and pooling under him.

His energy dropped to nothing.

Daroga, Cleric of Draconia's Hell Brigade and Tundra's right-hand Lieutenant, was dead.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

"Wha-" he managed before getting caught up in her Death Spore Bomb. The initial explosion swept him up like a tidal wave. Smaller blasts broke off when it detonated and spread out like shrapnel. "Argh!" he yelled out as he was engulfed in over a dozen explosions.

"ENOUGH!!!" Letchee erupted, expending a precious bit of his remaining power to push back the ki shrapnel and Avoca. He was breathing heavily, far more heavily than he should have been. It had only been a few minutes, damn it!

He fell to a knee and clutched at his chest. "What.... the hell... is going on?" The girl was far weaker than he was. So was the older Saiyanness. There was no way either of them should have survived the first few seconds, let alone this long! That damned girl and that blast right at the start. He could have avoided it, but it was so weak he never bothered. That was his mistake. If he hadn't been so cocky, then none of this would be happening.

"Da...what?" At that moment, Daroga's signature blinked out of existence. That only meant one thing. Letchee hastily turned around and looked in the last direction he felt him. Sure enough, he saw the Draconian's body on the ground in a pool of his own blood. "IMPOSSIBLE!"

"Hehe," Avoca chuckled as she landed nearby. "Looks like it's just you now, playboy. Tasure had her fun, now it's my turn!" He watched her charge a blast and felt the cold chill of dread settle in his chest.

No. Not just dread. Was it... fear?

"NO NO NOOOOOOO!!!!" He shot into the air. I've had enough of this nonsense. I'm ending this once and for all!!

Theme: Goku Black

When he reached the upper reaches of the lower atmosphere, he stopped and turned around. Six balls of brilliant energy revolve around him like sublime moons around an ancient planet. Even from that distance, Avoca could tell the energy about him wasn't ki. She couldn't sense it, but could still feel it all the same. She couldn't comprehend, though, what she was feeling. The energy felt pure, sacred. Almost holy, like it came from these gods Parsley and Sarada kept going on about. Her eyes widened as she watched what was happening.

Letchee roared and absorbed the spheres into himself, one by one. His body began glowing, a brilliant and blinding silver light that outshined even the sun itself.

Avoca had to cover her eyes to keep from being blinded.

Three pairs of wings manifested around Letchee, one for each Guardian slain by his hand. The wings unfolded and spread out, unleashing a wave of Creation Energy that washed over the entire planet of Ruco. Its progress was unimpeded by even the most powerful of barriers that may have remained standing from the earlier invasion. Then, before the remaining Saiyans' very eyes, the damage done to the world corrected itself. Buildings reassembled, streets smooth themselves out and became like new. Even Tasure's arm reattached and mended itself back together.

Before even a moment had passed, the planet was good as new, as if an invasion hadn't even happened.

Letchee was absolutely gobsmacked. "Wait, what?! No, no! That's not what I wanted at all!!"

Letchee's intention was to destroy. Little did he know, he siphoned the wrong godly energy. All he could do with his current godly power was restore and create.

Unless...

"Very well," he stated. "Goodbye Saiyans!!" He raised his hands in the air and began forming something above him. It was unclear what it was, but it would be evident soon enough.

Next post

[Monstrous Bird of Qin, Ou Ki]

Daroga was certain Tasure's offensive prayer had been thwarted. Her falling into a defensive stance spoke to her desperate mindset, in his mind. He had no reason to even consider that it was all a ruse to draw him in. Perhaps that, above all other things committed that day, was his greatest mistake.

His power was quickly dwindling as he approached Tasure with all the speed his body could allow. Murder in his eyes, he sought to end things quickly. In a way, he was right.

The cry from Tasure caught him by surprise. He was too close to her to commit to another action, evasive or otherwise. Not that it would have mattered. All he could do was widen his eyes as the dual-beam shot form her fingers and sliced through the air. "Cannons can't dril-," were the final words he spoke as the energy drill pierced his chest, straight through his heart. A stream of blood erupted form his mouth as he was flung back by the force of the beam.

He fell to the streets below and landed in a heap, limbs twisted in odd angles and blood pouring from the bubbling chest wound and pooling under him.

His energy dropped to nothing.

Daroga, Cleric of Draconia's Hell Brigade and Tundra's right-hand Lieutenant, was dead.

Heh, a direct hit. Her new attack had drilled right through Daroga, even hitting his heart. She watched as he dropped to the ground and bled out, maintaining her Super Saiyan form just in case he had any more tricks to pull. However, her caution was unfounded, as he soon expired.

Exhaling sharply, Tasure descended to the streets, her hair fading to black as she reverted from her Super Saiyan form. Yeah, she could maintain it damn near effortlessly by now, but she was exhausted. And also starting to get woozy from her blood loss.

Or maybe that was just the post-battle rush?

...probably both.

As her feet touched the ground, she was greeted (and caught, to her chagrin) by a group of saiyan soldiers. Their excitement was palpable, but who could blame them? All saiyans, even the nerdy ones, got at least a bit excited when witnessing powerful fighters going at it... and besides that, she'd just taken down one of the two major obstacles to their victory.

"That. Was. Awesome! I thought your thing was that... uh, compressed Oozaru? When did you become a Super Saiyan?" asked a young female saiyan. Telling an adult Saiyan's age from just appearance was... difficult, but from the way she carried herself and the relative lack of scars, Tasure figured she'd only graduated into the army not too long ago. A year, perhaps.

"Heh, few years back. Been on Earth, so word didn't get around..." She winced as the medic of the group began treating her stump. Of course, that had been an intentional choice on her part. Not only was Earth her home, but broadcasting her true capabilities without a good reason wasn't really her thing. The less potential enemies knew about her, the more of an advantage she'd have.

"Oh... um, will that other Super Saiyan be able to w--"

"Avoca. Her name's Avoca. And yeah, don't worry, she's more than got this... probably wouldn't have been able to kill that guy if not for her, actually." Make no mistake the Diamond Drill Cannon was more than capable of killing someone considerably out of her weight class, but she wouldn't have been able to buy enough time to charge it with Daroga at full power. Too aggressive and straightforward.

Tasure turned her attention to the battle between Letchee and Avoca. The latter seemed to have the former on the rope. Good, this would all be over soon... then they could rest and celebrate.

Tch. If these idiots hadn't been so... focused on the Queen and Princess, this wouldn't have gone as well. Now, she wasn't quite the type to be prepared for every little thing, like Parsley, but even she knew...

Those that failed to prepare are preparing to fail.

And in this case, she'd prepared quite well... and it had given her a chance to train (and eventually, train with) someone she'd had her eye on for quite some time. And once again, her eye for talent hadn't failed her. Avoca was performing splendidly.

"ENOUGH!!!" Letchee erupted, expending a precious bit of his remaining power to push back the ki shrapnel and Avoca. He was breathing heavily, far more heavily than he should have been. It had only been a few minutes, damn it!

He fell to a knee and clutched at his chest. "What.... the hell... is going on?" The girl was far weaker than he was. So was the older Saiyanness. There was no way either of them should have survived the first few seconds, let alone this long! That damned girl and that blast right at the start. He could have avoided it, but it was so weak he never bothered. That was his mistake. If he hadn't been so cocky, then none of this would be happening.

"Da...what?" At that moment, Daroga's signature blinked out of existence. That only meant one thing. Letchee hastily turned around and looked in the last direction he felt him. Sure enough, he saw the Draconian's body on the ground in a pool of his own blood. "IMPOSSIBLE!"

"Hehe," Avoca chuckled as she landed nearby. "Looks like it's just you now, playboy. Tasure had her fun, now it's my turn!" He watched her charge a blast and felt the cold chill of dread settle in his chest.

No. Not just dread. Was it... fear?

"NO NO NOOOOOOO!!!!" He shot into the air. I've had enough of this nonsense. I'm ending this once and for all!!

Theme: Goku Black

Before even a moment had passed, the planet was good as new, as if an invasion hadn't even happened.

Letchee was absolutely gobsmacked. "Wait, what?! No, no! That's not what I wanted at all!!"

Letchee's intention was to destroy. Little did he know, he siphoned the wrong godly energy. All he could do with his current godly power was restore and create.

Unless...

Next post

Tasure watched as Letchee lost what little chill he had and flew into the sky to do... something. Was he going to destroy the planet!? Ah, ****.

Gritting her teeth, Tasure painstakingly got to her feet. However, her condition was such that by the time she'd steadied herself and gotten focus, Letchee had already launched his...

...attack?

She blinked as the damage around her mended itself, buildings quite literally rebuilding themselves. And, beyond that, her arm... quite literally re-attached itself, leaping through the air to do so. Looking around, she noticed that the other saiyans around her had been healed as well.

...further off, she could feel the ki signatures of other saiyans suddenly increase significantly. Her own power had increased, as well. What in the hell sort of strategy was this!?

That idiot had literally just undone all they damage his forces had inflicted, while making many of his enemies stronger. She couldn't read mind, but Tasure was 99.9% certain that this wasn't intentional... unless Letchee had gone insane.

Not implausible, given his circumstances.

Pressing her fingers to her forehead, Tasure locked onto Avoca's ki signature, her form blurring shortly after. And, of course, she re-appeared right next to her. She grinned and chuckled.

"I think you broke him."

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Pressing her fingers to her forehead, Tasure locked onto Avoca's ki signature, her form blurring shortly after. And, of course, she re-appeared right next to her. She grinned and chuckled.

"I think you broke him."

Avoca still wasn't really sure what was going on, but she had a feeling Letchee didn't have the handle over this new kind of energy that he would have her believe. "I..." she started to reply when a bright light shone from above.

Above Letchee's hands was forming what looked like a miniature sun. It had all the heat and power of a real sun, but it was much smaller. Just from the heat alone, the planet threatened to be burned to a crisp, along with everyone on it. If he let it drop, it would destroy Ruco for sure.

However, he would never get the chance.

The thing about Creation Energy was that only a small portion was given to mortal Guardians for a reason. Their relatively frail bodies could only handle so much godly energy without adverse side effects. When Letchee took in the energy from six Guardians, he took in six times what any mortal was supposed to. His body couldn't handle it.

The sun fizzled out like a candle met by a stiff breeze. "Wha-what's happening?" he choked. His body was suddenly overcoming by fierce trembles and an overwhelming pain. He cried out in agony as he doubled over and fell out of the sky. He landed hard on the pavement, wracked by haggard breathing and spasms over the length of his person. "What...in the...."

Avoca blinked. She was completely unsure of what was going on still. Whatever energy he had been wielding was gone, leaving him with only a paltry amount of ki, barely enough to keep him conscious.

She watched him struggle to so much as raise to his knees. He's done. Time to finish this so I can go home.

As she approached, he was muttering softly to himself. Probably the utterings of an arrogant fool who got beat by someone far stronger than himself. He could kick himself over how the battle should have gone in Hell.



The dust settled, revealing that Letchee was no more. With that, and with the generic foot soldiers all dead as well, the planet Ruco was saved.

Avoca let out a relieved sigh and let her power fade away. "It's over." It wasn't as bad as she thought. In fact, it went a lot better that she could have hoped. She grinned and clapped Tasure on the back. "Great job, partner."

The crowd of young soldiers started to crowd in on the two saviors. Avoca wasn't one to bask in adulation or any of that ****. She just to grab a bite to eat and head to whatever world her kids were on. She thought Pinach said they were on Langal, so she would check there first.

Senerg shoved her way through the crowd of cheering Saiyans and approached Avoca and Tasure. "You two did a fine job," she commended, lips barely showing a ghost of a smile. "I intended on asking you two to stick around to help with any stragglers, but I don't think that'll be necessary. Will you at least stay for the celebration feast?"

[Monstrous Bird of Qin, Ou Ki]

Avoca still wasn't really sure what was going on, but she had a feeling Letchee didn't have the handle over this new kind of energy that he would have her believe. "I..." she started to reply when a bright light shone from above.

Above Letchee's hands was forming what looked like a miniature sun. It had all the heat and power of a real sun, but it was much smaller. Just from the heat alone, the planet threatened to be burned to a crisp, along with everyone on it. If he let it drop, it would destroy Ruco for sure.

However, he would never get the chance.

The thing about Creation Energy was that only a small portion was given to mortal Guardians for a reason. Their relatively frail bodies could only handle so much godly energy without adverse side effects. When Letchee took in the energy from six Guardians, he took in six times what any mortal was supposed to. His body couldn't handle it.

The sun fizzled out like a candle met by a stiff breeze. "Wha-what's happening?" he choked. His body was suddenly overcoming by fierce trembles and an overwhelming pain. He cried out in agony as he doubled over and fell out of the sky. He landed hard on the pavement, wracked by haggard breathing and spasms over the length of his person. "What...in the...."

Avoca blinked. She was completely unsure of what was going on still. Whatever energy he had been wielding was gone, leaving him with only a paltry amount of ki, barely enough to keep him conscious.

She watched him struggle to so much as raise to his knees. He's done. Time to finish this so I can go home.

As she approached, he was muttering softly to himself. Probably the utterings of an arrogant fool who got beat by someone far stronger than himself. He could kick himself over how the battle should have gone in Hell.



The dust settled, revealing that Letchee was no more. With that, and with the generic foot soldiers all dead as well, the planet Ruco was saved.

Avoca let out a relieved sigh and let her power fade away. "It's over." It wasn't as bad as she thought. In fact, it went a lot better that she could have hoped. She grinned and clapped Tasure on the back. "Great job, partner."

The crowd of young soldiers started to crowd in on the two saviors. Avoca wasn't one to bask in adulation or any of that ****. She just to grab a bite to eat and head to whatever world her kids were on. She thought Pinach said they were on Langal, so she would check there first.

Senerg shoved her way through the crowd of cheering Saiyans and approached Avoca and Tasure. "You two did a fine job," she commended, lips barely showing a ghost of a smile. "I intended on asking you two to stick around to help with any stragglers, but I don't think that'll be necessary. Will you at least stay for the celebration feast?"

It was over. Letchee died... ignobly, babbling like a madman, after losing control of that odd power he wielded. Good riddance.


Tasure enjoyed praise from others. Not to the extent that she actively sought it out--that sort of behavior reeked of insecurity--but if someone recognized her capabilities, who was she to contradict them? She allowed herself a small grin in this occasion.

Soon enough, Senerg made her appearance. Ah, so she had sensed her energy. Mato had been the only (former) royal she'd interacted with closely, so she didn't know Senerg by anything other than reputation...

...which didn't matter to her right now, because a feast was being offered. A celebratory feast, which was the best kind of feast. There was still work to be done on the other planets, but seeing as she was hungry as hell from the fight, short as it was...

"Can't speak for Avoca here, but I'm famished. Count me in."

[Sub-Zero MKA]

It was over. Letchee died... ignobly, babbling like a madman, after losing control of that odd power he wielded. Good riddance.


Tasure enjoyed praise from others. Not to the extent that she actively sought it out--that sort of behavior reeked of insecurity--but if someone recognized her capabilities, who was she to contradict them? She allowed herself a small grin in this occasion.

Soon enough, Senerg made her appearance. Ah, so she had sensed her energy. Mato had been the only (former) royal she'd interacted with closely, so she didn't know Senerg by anything other than reputation...

...which didn't matter to her right now, because a feast was being offered. A celebratory feast, which was the best kind of feast. There was still work to be done on the other planets, but seeing as she was hungry as hell from the fight, short as it was...

"Can't speak for Avoca here, but I'm famished. Count me in."

Avoca wasn't one to ever turn down free food. "Hell yeah, I'm in!"

"Excellent! I'll have what chefs that are still here get started right away. It won't be a five star buffet like you lot deserve, but it's still something." She gestured for everyone to follow her further in town, where she led them to one of the many dining halls on Ruco.

A slight, calming breeze rolled through. Avoca let out a content sigh and clasped her hands behind her head as she walked. So, this is what it feels like to be a savior. Good ****. She understood right then why Sarada and Parsley went out of their way to help people. It felt good. The soldiers stuck on Ruco were helpless against Letchee and Daroga; they would have been killed, no doubt. Avoca and Tasure saved them, and Ruco as a whole.

It was the right thing to do, but that wasn't going to stop her from basking in this one for a good long while. If it was the last thing she ever did, it was a good way to go out.

"Tch. Comms are still down," she barely heard Senerg say as she and a government official conversed quietly. "I don't indulge in rumors. Keep that to yourself until it gets verified, got it?"

"...yes ma'am."

Whatever that was, it wasn't important. Probably. She hoped not. Training with urgency then jumping right into a fight for the ages on such short notice took a lot out of her mentally. The last thing she wanted to do was fight.

The dining hall they arrived at was a sprawling outdoor patio with hundreds of chairs situated around dozens of tables. A team of ten chefs immediately got to work in the kitchen gathering what rations remained and turning it all into something worth eating. Luckily, Saiyans would eat mostly anything, as long as it was edible and they were hungry enough. Tray after tray of piping hot food was rolled out of the kitchen. Tasure and Avoca, the heroes of the day, were served the choice cuts first, with everyone else taking what was left. Along with ice cold alcohol and joyous laughter, the celebration lasted well into the night, as was often the case every time a feast of any kind was underway.

Avoca didn't know about Tasure, but she was enjoying being the center of attention. She had fallen to the wayside ever since Sarada and Parsley jumped out so far ahead of literally everyone else. She was stronger than them at the moment, and she was going to enjoy that fact for however long it was going to last. Which probably was going to be until the next day when they emerged from that realm they were in. Ah well; as long as she was still comparable, she was glad. If she kept pushing herself to get stronger, then she could keep up with them more easily. She would probably never surpass them, but who gave a ****? There was something special about those two.

"Hey, are you headed back home?" she asked Tasure when the feast was finally winding down. It was getting dark. The sun was only just barely peeking over the horizon by that point. "I was hoping to bum a ride to Langal. I think my kids are there."

------------------------

Harambe awoke several hours later in a daze. He rose to his feet and dusted himelf off. What happened? Oh, right, those Saiyans! Hm, I can't sense Letchee or Daroga anywhere... And the Saiyans are still here! That only meant one thing... they had lost.

"I see. I now know what I must do." His face set into a resolute grimace. "I must reject modernity... and return to Monke." With that, he faded from existence.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

The next day, things started to happen. More shelters were popping up in parks, fighting squares, anywhere were there was any free space. More conventional housing was already completely filled up, and there were countless thousands of refugees who needed somewhere more to lay their head than the hard ground. The portals were to remain deactivated, by order of the Council. There was no way they were going to allow Tundra and the rest of his army free access to the rest of the worlds. The only people still on Ruco were the soldiers. They may have died, but the rest of the race would live on.

Pois looked up at the nighttime sky. A crescent moon shined brightly, surrounded by literally countless twinkling stars. The portals were closed, but there was nothing stopping Tundra's army from arriving via ship, just like they arrived at Vocado. They weren't going to be safe until he was dead. Come on, Sarada. You have to save us.

She was still alive and was training. Pinach told her as much on Ruco. But, there was no telling when her training would be done. It just wasn't possible to gain so much strength in the short amount of time necessary to stop that monster before he wiped them all out.

Or so she thought.

A personal portal opened. When she saw the tear in space appear, her heart stopped. Eyes wide with fright and anxiety, she watched a blonde man walk through the portal with a small baby in his arms. Wha-? Who is that? His energy...it felt familiar. Wait, no... "Prince Pinach?"

"Pois, you're okay!" He ran up to her and gave her a one-armed hug. His grip was so powerful, it felt like he was going to tear her in half. "That guy fired that blast through my portal just as the last refugee went through. Is everyone okay?"

"Um..." She was at a loss for words. She looked up at him and saw a pair of green eyes looking back at her. Combined with the golden hair... "Are you a Super Saiyan?"

He blinked, then started laughing. "Yep, I sure am! Pretty great right?"

She had never been that close to a Super Saiyan before. Well, she had, but Her Highness and Princess Parsley never showed off their golden power in the palace. In fact, they always trained far away from people so no one could see. It really wasn't fair. Additionally, it made her completely unprepared for actually being touched by one. She could feel his massive power thrumming against her, pulsating, radiating such a heat that - Gah! Get a hold of yourself! He's just a kid.

She breathed in and gently pushed herself away. Clearing her throat, she said, "Yes, it's very impressive. Wait, but how? No offense, but you weren't that strong when I saw you yesterday."

"You're right. But I and...um, the Just Saiyan trained in a room called the Room of Spirit and Time, on Earth. It's a room that lets you get an entire year's worth of training in only a day. Avoca and Tasure got in a half-day before us; Avoca's also a Super Saiyan." He closed his eyes and smiled wistfully. "They're going to take care of the guys on Ruco, clean things up there. In fact, they should be about done by now..."

The explanation only raised more questions than it answered. How did they manage to squeeze in a year's worth of training into a single day? Was it safe? How did they finish so quickly? Could his body handle that kind of condensed training? The more she thought about it, the more baffled she became. "I...I see..." He eyes fell from him to the child in his hands. The girl was sleeping, but she could barely see a glimpse of a brown tail sticking out of the blanket she was wrapped in. Surely, it wasn't his child... was it? "What's with the baby?"

"Ah. This is my new baby niece, Kumara. Isn't she just precious?"

He handed her to Pois, who stared at the child with wide eyes. "But...but...Queen Sarada informed me that she was pregnant only a month ago. How...was she premature? Wait, if she was, she would be way smaller than this..."

He chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "Sarada and Parsley were training in that Vaikuntha realm. Time on that Ilargi world moves at the same rate as the RoSaT, so she went the full pregnancy."

"Did she spend the remaining four months in a healing pod?"

"Yes." He gently stroked Kumara's cheek and smiled. "She's a healthy baby girl. Probably'll be hungry in a little."

Ah ****. "Okay. I'll find someone to take care of that." She headed to the shelter where the nursing mothers were. She knew Her Highness would hate that anyone other than her nursed her child, so Pois would have go find another means. She really, really didn't like her options.

An hour later, a government official burst into the room Pois was in just as she was settling the young princess into bed. "I got a message from Queen Sarada!"

"Keep your voice down," she snarled through gritted teeth. The baby started to get fussy, but thankfully didn't start screaming. Pois sighed quietly and ushered herself and the official out of the room. "Okay. What did the message say?"

"Vocado has been destroyed."

Pois' eyes grew to saucers. A fierce tremble shook her entire body like an brief earthquake. I couldn't have heard that right. "Wha...what?"

"It happened a few hours ago," the official explained. Her own voice was steady, but there was a minuscule tremble underlying her words. "Queen Sarada attempted to activate her personal portal to the throneworld when it came up null."

Null meant that the portal node on Vocado wasn't just deactivated, it had been destroyed. Either Tundra destroyed the node, or the entire planet was gone. The former also being the case instilled a small ray of, possibly naive, hope in Pois. "There's still a chance the planet is still there. We won't know until someone checks out the planet."

"That will take weeks." The official sighed and continued. "She also suggested that Tundra is possibly headed to the Saiyan homeworld."

"They'll be slaughtered," she said in a hushed whisper.

"She wants Sellerie to meet her on Earth, along with a pilot for her First Race ship. They'll beat him there by a few days, she says, if they leave as soon as possible."

"Sellerie could be anywhere, and it will take her a while to get to Earth once I do find her." She cursed under her breath. From what she knew of the distance between the throneworld and the homeworld and Arcosian ships, it would take Tundra a few days to reach it. They had some time, but the margin for error wasn't great. Sellerie was a native of Langal, but the only issue was getting to Earth. With the portals down, they could need to send communication to the Council, wherever they were. From what she knew, they were scattered across the Empire, with Senerg being on Ruco. "Damn it. Okay, I'll take care of it. Send a message to Her Highness telling her it will be a while."

"I'm afraid we don't have 'a while'."

"I know, but that's the best I can do. I'll move as fast as I can. Find as many officials as you can to help me. We can't keep Her Grace waiting.

[grampagen]

Balon smiles and bows back. He tells you itÂ’s only been a few days since the main group departed for Reshlan. As to you and Ochazuke, about a year since you left with Held.

“As to the temple, we’ll....it was to be a surprise to you all. Maron and I have been working with Capsule Corp to secure this land to rebuild the Dragon Temple.”

"...a...an entire year..." He'd known it in his gut, but just saying it out loud hit him differently and carried with it a reminder what had happened on Reshlan.

And on Darkle. Everything that dwarf fellow threw at him.

"...wait, Capsule Corp? So does that mean Jinzi Pantaloon's back in town?!"

Panic began to fill in Zaofan's mind. The reason why he'd stayed away for so long was because the President of the World had him tied down. But if they'd managed to pull this move after all this time, something must have gone down. Even if they were some distance from Capital City, there's no way they could have pulled a move like this before.

Ochazuke, sitting quietly in seiza nearby, observed the grounds. In the distant ancestral lands of the dragons where the deserts met the sheer peaks, their treasures had been despoiled by Simon Batterea. He'd seen a vision, guided by the beacons the Old Turtle Hermit had left him, marking the hallowed grounds of the Great Ancestral Masters of the Five Schools. Their path had interesected in the path that formed the fingers of Zxu'ro's Hidden Hand.

Leylines, the lingering memories contained in the spiritual essence of a world. He knew it when he'd gathered the genki across the world to open the Yin and Yang gates the Master had left behind. Upon his return now, he felt it more pronounced than ever.

Slowly he stood to his feet, the Forger's hammer at his side. These training grounds are unused. Perhaps it's finally time...

But though its foundations were strong, and their master more than capable, there was much that remained to be done, and far more he'd left untended.

With Auroc gone, and the Dragon departed...perhaps now I can finally return home to settle things.

"Zaofan~~" Etrina fiddled with her communicator. "Hello...I heard your voice....Zaofan...." She rolled the device around like a rubix cube and frowned. She really needed to perfect those long distant communication spells.....but given how often everyone else employs either psych-mental gymnastics or outright ignoring long ranged communication to just "pop" over....

Perhaps she'd assign a foci exclusively to Zaofan for these situations in the future.

While she waited for some sort of response, she glanced around at the damage the lookout had sustained. It was....regrettable didn't do it justice.

Eve was dead...struck down by a coward. All the strings of fate she had pulled to bring them together and all the trails they went through, for it to end like this.....she could almost here her mothers bitter laugh in the wind whistling through the ruins. Fate is cruel, especially to the ones that try to pull its strings.

In the distance the wails of a Id filled the air.......not as much for eve, though she was certainly sad about her first and foremost.....but because the side of the lookout that had been decimated had the storehouse.

".....Zaofan....I'm at the lookout and its...the lookout is looking....well..." Etrina paused, then sighed. "Where are you.....answer me. Is this thing even on....?"

"...baby!" Zaofan said, suddenly snapping from his conversation with Balon, "I mean...mistress, a-heh..."

The smile swiftly drained rom his face as another sombre reminder of the day's events hit him. "I'm with Ochazuke...and Sasheem. Whatever happened brought us back home, for better or for worse. Just, hang on a bit, we'll be there soon and-"

"We'll make for the Lookout, then," Ochazuke said. "We'll see to those who we lost...find what we can salvage. And then..."

And then what? All he knew was that something was coming. How much time would they have to prepare?