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

[Tami]

edited out per Cleric's clarification

[Sub-Zero MKA]

"So, I'm coming with you, and I'm going to help you make sure Tundra's... put on ice." Hah, puns.

Body... swap...

It sounded like E Bekon, or apparently Rousong, initiated the change. That meant that somehow, someway, he encountered the Letchee of his timeline and managed to reverse the body swap. For herself and Parsley, it required a brain scan and some complicated looking machine to swap their minds into the right bodies.

Regardless of his method for doing so, it had been done. In doing so, it gave Totoma a chance to be useful. He wanted to help her against Tundra. She would have, as he correctly surmised, preferred to fight him alone, but she wasn't so full of herself that she didn't think she needed help. She did. Daroga and Letchee were both far more powerful than her prior to her training, meaning Tundra was that much stronger still. If she was going to not just win, but even survive the fight, she was going to need someone watching her back. The soldiers she requested weren't going to cut it.

"Alright, fine. You can help. But the killing blow belongs to me. He made an attempt on my life years ago, and it was his entire plan with the Tuffles that led to Parsley's death and Turrip's destruction. He dies by my hand."

Pinach was a Super Saiyan now? She intended on stopping by each world to take stock of their conditions herself, so she could speak with him personally later. Still, it was good.

She... was proud of him.

Not that she would ever say that out loud.

She just... decided to pretend that he ever mentioned cheesy-Jagam. She killed him by blasting the moon and that was that.

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

Inanna knew immediately, that there was no winning this on strength alone.

Even bracing herself, throwing all she had into the defense; the collision nearly finished the job the two Lost Elemental had started with their surprise attack. And as she was she was overwhelmed and batted away she couldn't help but chuckle weakly.

So this is what it feels like... I had nearly forgotten.

It was enough to know however that in giving her all, she'd fared slightly better. A blow that had only moments before left her mangled, and barely alive... now merely left her maimed, and reeling. So as she stood shakily, she took to heard the age old saying, offered by the elusive 'they':

Baby steps.

Resetting her jaw, Inanna took pause to adjust her plan, before launching herself forward: using her IT to rapidly re-position herself in a bid to throw off their aim before tackling the Elemental not currently occupied with Criostalach; Neamhní. Successful, the golden-eyed woman locked her arms around the Elemental's waist and began to channel magic. Unfortunately, Neamhní recovered swiftly and the strength disparity between them was staggering.

"To think, we had expected you to flee." It said calmly, before simply balling its fists and bringing them down with the force of a collapsing star; and even with Inanna being prepared for it the blow nearly crumpled her. Inanna held firm, however and through grit teeth attempted to even the odds blood channeled into a spell to siphon away the Elemental's strength.

"Not the first time I've been on the back foot," she grunted. "Won't be the last."

"Perhaps." Neamhní replied, before gripping her by the horns. "Perhaps not."

The response was immediate, and terribly painful. With a wrench, and a snap Neamhní broke off her horns, and attempted to ram them through her skull; causing Inanna to swear in all the languages she knew and release her quarry. Thankfully, this spared her life... barely. A horn tearing a ragged gash in her neck and the other planted in her shoulder. The cost came in the form of her spell, however. The magic had only begun to take hold on the stronger opponent by the time she was forced to terminate, and so the drain was little more than a slow trick. Worst of all: she was still in range.

****.

Sensing what came next, the golden-eyed woman braced herself as Neamhní kicked her away.

While this took place, Criostalach was engaged in combat with Solas.

Unlike the battle between Inanna, and Neamhní, things were going far better for the Archon. As the benefit of being a crystalline entity meant that most attacks from the Light Elemental were simply diffused through Criostalach's prismatic body. Of course Solas was attacking Criostalach less aggressively than it would have Inanna. Composed of light as Solas was however; there was in fact little Criostalach itself could do in a meaningful sense though it was managing to stifle the Light Elemental in assisting its partner.

"Why do you assist the Oni-That-Was?" The Elemental asked, a blast of light striking the Archon only to scatter harmlessly into rainbow. "Why do you seek to unmake her? Criostalach asked in response. "What good would it do, when she has sought forgiveness, and made her amends?"

"The woman is dangerous. Volatile. Now more so than previously." Solas offered. "Are you truly unable to see it? What good she has done, here; will inevitably be undone."

There was a crack, and Inanna rocketed past them, Neamhní trailing not far behind. "It seems my sibling has it well in hand. Though her resilience is... noteworthy. Now..." Solas trailed off, and moving faster than Criostalach expected simply backhanded the Archon down to New Tatenen's surface. A display of just how little the Elemental had been trying, until then. "Do not pursue this. I would not like to cause undue harm to a newborn." proved Criostalach's better- and just how little it had been trying- by simply backhanding the Archon into the planet below before following after Neamhní to assist in finishing Inanna off; which at this point was a sure thing.

As for Inanna herself?

Sprawled out in a crater the size of a city, barely conscious. Her gamble had all but been a failure. All but broken now; the energy she was siphoning from Neamhní was at this point only enough to kick-start her regeneration. The limits of which she was now painfully, almost fatally aware of.

"F... ****."

The golden-eyed woman was at perhaps, her lowest point since consolidation; and even though she could sense them- Solas, and Neamhní- it as they prepared to launch what was to be her the crescendo to her swan song. Only for her vision, blurry as it was, to see a massive slab of stone interwoven with the various elements the assembled Archon had under their control to shield her from the attack; and hold it did. Barely. The Archon managing to hold their stronger elders at bay. Then she heard a familiar crackle as the Archon at her side helped her shakily to her feet.

"Are you good to continue?"

"No..." the golden-eyed woman forced through grit teeth.

"You... you shouldn't be here." Inanna added, knowing as well as they did that if Criostalach was little more than a plaything to these two, that they were less and then some. That they had collectively managed to withstand a single blast from them was commendable; but the absolute limit of their power. Yet even with this understanding between them, the Archon of Flame simply chuckled and released its hold on Inanna once her feet were under her. "Not your choice to make. Criostalach has chosen you, over Solas, and Neamhní... as do we all. Now, hurry." Lasair added, as it turned to rejoin the others. "A few seconds left at most, before they are upon you." With that, the Archon of Flame's power flared and it rocketed toward the barrier to do what it could. A wall of flame further bracing the barrier from behind as Solas, and Neamhní slammed into it the impact alone nearly enough for them to simply barrel through.

Leaving Inanna alone, to think. Do I use it? Lampton's Gift?

And though it was tempting, the golden-eyed woman swiftly decided against, remembering the fact that Lampton implied it might kill her under even the best of circumstances, of which this certainly was not. That she didn't have the time to draw in power from outside sources, or wait for the drain on Neamhní to be meaningful further limited her options... to say nothing of how completely outmatched she was for the moment in a straight up physical confrontation. Unless...

Realizing she needed more time than she had left, but sensing the barrier was going to give way, Inanna acted swiftly to aid the Archon, offering them her Concerto of Blood, to briefly boost their power- and buy her a few more precious seconds- so that she could do something perhaps as dangerous as the transformation. A sacrifice by means of The Myriad. Half of her remaining power flooded from her body, causing her to drop to her knees, as a clone split from her body; and then just as suddenly with a flicker of Katchin the clone dropped to its knees and fell forward, head rolling away from the now fresh corpse.

A Destroyer's 'Death', for a powerful spell... and the result was immediate.

Success.

As the power flooded back in, Inanna's tired and broken body quickly knit itself back together. In that instant, her power matching and then quickly surpassing her previous plateau; time all but stopped as the golden-eyed woman felt something. Nothing more than a flickering echo of what she would become. Is this... what lies in store?

Setting the thought aside for later reflection, Inanna looked up towards the barrier; the Oni-That-Was grit her teeth, and cupped her hands and a small sphere of energy began to form...

"Death..."

[Monstrous Bird of Qin, Ou Ki]

Body... swap...

It sounded like E Bekon, or apparently Rousong, initiated the change. That meant that somehow, someway, he encountered the Letchee of his timeline and managed to reverse the body swap. For herself and Parsley, it required a brain scan and some complicated looking machine to swap their minds into the right bodies.

Regardless of his method for doing so, it had been done. In doing so, it gave Totoma a chance to be useful. He wanted to help her against Tundra. She would have, as he correctly surmised, preferred to fight him alone, but she wasn't so full of herself that she didn't think she needed help. She did. Daroga and Letchee were both far more powerful than her prior to her training, meaning Tundra was that much stronger still. If she was going to not just win, but even survive the fight, she was going to need someone watching her back. The soldiers she requested weren't going to cut it.

"Alright, fine. You can help. But the killing blow belongs to me. He made an attempt on my life years ago, and it was his entire plan with the Tuffles that led to Parsley's death and Turrip's destruction. He dies by my hand."

Pinach was a Super Saiyan now? She intended on stopping by each world to take stock of their conditions herself, so she could speak with him personally later. Still, it was good.

She... was proud of him.

Not that she would ever say that out loud.

She just... decided to pretend that he ever mentioned cheesy-Jagam. She killed him by blasting the moon and that was that.

"Gotcha, you get the kill," said Totoma, giving her a thumbs-up. Made sense... this was not only her duty as Queen, but also personal. And if there was one thing he knew... you did not make things personal with Sarada if you wanted to live peacefully. Or live at all.

...though the same could be said of most Saiyans. She just exemplified it.

He crossed his arms. "Alright, so... where exactly is Tundra? I... didn't sense anyone stronger than the dragon-guy and his buddy on Ruco, so I doubt he was there... especially since his kind tend to have issues with suppressing their power without those transformations of theirs. So I guess he'd... be on Vocado?"

Seemed the most likely place for him to be, what with it being the capital of the saiyan empire.

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

The Archon could sense it, the shift of power. Inanna's once barely senseable energy something they could now simply feel at the core of them; what constituted their souls. Understanding in that moment then, what was about to happen they all immediately stopped what they were doing and fled back to their demesnes so they could brace themselves, their people, and the planet that had only just- by their reckoning- recovered.

Barrier now lacking the persistent reinforcement it once had immediately shattered, Solas, and Neamhní punching through it like tissue as they rocketed towards the now undefended Oni-That-Was. It was only when they were a hairsbreadth from striking her down, that they realized the shift, themselves... and by then it was too late.

"Oh. I see."

Inanna smirked.

"... From the Demon Gate."

Full-Force Kamehameha - DBS: Broly Original Soundtrack

The heavens parted, and New Tatenen buckled; but for the effort of the Archon the planet survived the blast. If only just. Inanna however? Energy now completely spent, swayed in the silence that now permeated the once-battlefield, before collapsing. The wounds that had been mended reopening as the boost from the spell dissipated; leaving her in the same state she had been not a few seconds before.

Thankfully for her, in the aftermath of both her gambits, and the attack that had nearly destroyed Tatenen a second time... there was now no sign of Solas, or Neamhní. Though even understanding that she might have successfully caught them off guard and managed a win- with the help of the Archon- she knew full well that this was not the last she'd see of them. Unlike most, Elementals of the type found on Tatenen were more immortal than most. It might take some time, depending on how badly damaged they were... but they would most certainly be back.

For now however, their absence was enough.

Coughing, Inanna flopped onto her back and allowed her eyes to close as relief washed over her. Before the golden-eyed woman could slip off and embrace unconsciousness however, she felt a familiar energy signature.

Parsley.

Parsley took in the knights and mage assembled before her. An impressive group, traitors to the so-called god of victory and light and pending saviors of the Threshling race. Along with their Princess, they would, without doubt, attract much of the attention when the battle on Reshlan began.

"Excellent. We'll be leaving shortly. If there is a chance your fellows on Reshlan can't be freed from Auroc's control, I trust you all will do what is necessary."

With that said, she turned on her heels and opened the doorway back to the Lookout. Stepping to the side so they could exit, she tried contacting Inanna.

"We're leaving for Reshlan soon. Eva received a vision that prompted her to move our timetable up."

Whether she left with them or not was neither here nor there, so long as she knew where they were. She took her leave as well, closing the doorway behind her.

No time to rest on her laurels, it seemed.

After a moment, the Oni-That-Was simply offered the Saiyan Princess a weak few words. "... be there... shortly." Forcing herself upright then, Inanna borrowed a small sliver of energy from New Tatenen itself to keep herself conscious for the trip back; and after offering a quick telepathic 'thank you' to the Archon- all of them- Inanna left Vaikuntha behind.

Auroc awaited, and she very much meant to end him this time around.

---

Within the Crystalline Throneroom, the Archon were quickly assembling. In the wake of the reemergence, and confrontation with their the Elder Elementals; Inanna had left them with more questions than answers. There was however one question they all found themselves in want of an answer for, and the lack of a suitable one left them all... uncomfortable.

What... was Inanna turning into?

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

It was hard for Praxat not to notice Rousoung's silly poses. However, she doesn't question him about the poses and decides it's best not to get involved with his talk with Sarada. As that was none of her business.

So Praxat turns her attention towards Commissioner Edan Mourn and walks towards him." Commissioner Mourn, may I ask for the schematics and the manual for one of the ships or at least copies of them. I would like to be of service," Praxat said as she takes out her cellphone, and pulls up a digital engineering handbook on it.

Mourn looks her over, eyebrow raised.

“Your qualifications?”

[Sub-Zero MKA]

"Gotcha, you get the kill," said Totoma, giving her a thumbs-up. Made sense... this was not only her duty as Queen, but also personal. And if there was one thing he knew... you did not make things personal with Sarada if you wanted to live peacefully. Or live at all.

...though the same could be said of most Saiyans. She just exemplified it.

He crossed his arms. "Alright, so... where exactly is Tundra? I... didn't sense anyone stronger than the dragon-guy and his buddy on Ruco, so I doubt he was there... especially since his kind tend to have issues with suppressing their power without those transformations of theirs. So I guess he'd... be on Vocado?"

Seemed the most likely place for him to be, what with it being the capital of the saiyan empire.

"He's on the Saiyans homeworld," she answered. She turned to face the edge of the Lookout. "We discovered it a month ago. I sent a team to investigate and they discovered that it's inhabited by at least two tribes if primitive Saiyans."

She frowned deeply. From what she determined from Avoca's report, the Saiyans on that world weren't that strong. Tundra was going to take his time picking them apart limb from limb unless she was there to stop him.

"I sent for one of the scientists who went on the expedition, plus a few soldiers to keep whatever army he may have with him off our backs. As soon as they get here, we're leaving."

[bruceleegreyhulk]

Mourn looks her over, eyebrow raised.

“Your qualifications?”

"I have worked for three years at Capsule Corp as a Mechanical Engineer, and this is my fourth year working them. Before that, I had built my own spaceship. Constructed every part of it, including the control system. I once modified a mech I built into power armor," Praxat said.

" I made these specialized combat googles I'm wearing myself. I even made an X-ray mod for them that uses what I call Luue Rays, which I discovered, to see through objects as an alternative to X-radiation. I used Ultra Katchin for the mod, which was a pain in the ass to work with," Praxat said.

" So I have tons of engineering experience. My first mentor in engineering do I hate to admit it was my awful sociopathic grandmother Araxat McFrog. I used to look up to her as a kid. As a kid growing up, I want to be a great engineer like her," Praxat said.

"May she rot for her heinous crimes, My second was a human named Khan. I also made plenty of inventions. My latest invention is a bracelet that can turn a person invisible," Praxat said.

[Miburo]

Blacktongue let his hands fall to his side, the fingers slowly curling inward in anticipation.

"So you can still move," he noted, his tone still departed and clinical. "Yes, Son of Nevadia, approach if you can."

Held's approach was swift, the Herald presenting his mark unguarded.

Almost.

"Your stubborn resolve will make an excellent addition to Our Devoted."

As the tip of the spear shot forward, the energy manifested of Blacktongue's Decay Field. Constructs like withered black thorns pushing upwards from the floor before the Herald rendered themselves into a barrier, thousands of lancing barbs poised to strike, intent on adding his living energy to the stores pulled out of the multitudes of the native population.

A strange sort of magic twisted out of the dominated wills of their worshipers. Such a concentration of power, it rippled through the space around them and seemed to tear at the very air.

Briefly, Held caught a glimpse of what lay behind the veil. It looked very much similar to the makeup of the room they moved from previously...?

"Consider this your final test, your paltry will against Ours!" Blacktongue threw his palm before him, and in an instant the thorns stretched out to a legion of spears before him. "In the end you will find the Universal Truth is on Our side!"

And just like that, the Nevadian found himself on the backfoot.

The Nevadian had barely come up short before the barrier of thorns and lances shot from the ground beneath their feet, the unnatural teeth conjured poised to rip and tear and the Nevadian's flesh energy and will in a single decaying bite.

In a fluid motion, the Nevadian changed the target of his attack, plunging the tip of the spear into the ground below. The spear bent slightly, almost imperceptible to the naked eye as Held jumped into the air, and the tension of the weapon released itself, propelling him higher into the air towards the roof of the ceiling.

Good Grief...Even the way this guy does battle is condescending to me.

His feet touched the tip of the endless cathedral as he bent his legs, preparing himself for his counter-strike.

From his vantage point high above, one thing became clear to the Nevadian: He had chosen his foe poorly.

To be sure, he was in the right place, and facing the right group, but as he observed the configuration of the room and its conjuring of power, it's focusing of the will of the dedicated and indoctrinated, it became clear that none of that unnatural power, that weaponization of belief, came from the Herald.

He directed it, as if a conductor of a symphony, but he did nothing to generate the music. The entire room flowed with power, a conduit just like the room before it, focusing it's considerable might on weakening, on eradicating the Nevadian and protecting it's conductor.

With a grunt of effort, the Nevadian legs pressed off the ceiling with enough force to shatter stone, the tip of his spear shooting forth towards the floor like a missile.

Fighting the Herald was merely a diversion. Whatever power he held was certainly lesser than the shattering of the hopes of an entire entire planet, and using the ground up bits of dream and drained will as a cudgel. To defeat the room was no doubt the same as defeating Blacktongue.

To the Shingan, the tainted will was manifested itself in the most blatant of terms. The power employed in this room was built on enslavement and subjugation, on the most barbaric of treatment, with the most despicable of goals.

Purifying Aura!

Golden sparks of light glowed into existence around both Nevadian and weapon as they fell in tandem towards their target. Taint was the lifeblood of this cursed temple; purity the euthanizing agent to stop the endless festering of corrupted will, providing peace and respite to the dark temple.

Through destruction.

This spear would act as a needle, plunging the bane of Blacktongues power directly into either Blacktongue, or the ground beneath where his skewered body would be. It made little difference.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

"I have worked for three years at Capsule Corp as a Mechanical Engineer, and this is my fourth year working them. Before that, I had built my own spaceship. Constructed every part of it, including the control system. I once modified a mech I built into power armor," Praxat said.

" I made these specialized combat googles I'm wearing myself. I even made an X-ray mod for them that uses what I call Luue Rays, which I discovered, to see through objects as an alternative to X-radiation. I used Ultra Katchin for the mod, which was a pain in the ass to work with," Praxat said.

" So I have tons of engineering experience. My first mentor in engineering do I hate to admit it was my awful sociopathic grandmother Araxat McFrog. I used to look up to her as a kid. As a kid growing up, I want to be a great engineer like her," Praxat said.

"May she rot for her heinous crimes, My second was a human named Khan. I also made plenty of inventions. My latest invention is a bracelet that can turn a person invisible," Praxat said.

Mourn strokes his beard.

“Jinzi hired you, Hmm? That says something. I’ll think about it.”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Mourn looks around and nods.

“Gather close, all. Time to teleport.”

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

Mourn looks around and nods.

“Gather close, all. Time to teleport.”

Inanna steps out of Vaikuntha, smeared with her own blood; and one of her own horns jutting from her shoulder. Hearing Mourn mention that it was time to teleport... she simply grunts and awaits... well, whatever it was that awaited.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Mourn looks around and nods.

“Gather close, all. Time to teleport.”

"Finally." Parsley dusted her hands off and turned to walk over to Mourn. As she passed her by, she shared one last look with Sarada. Everything that needed to be said between the two had already been said. She trusted her sister to take care of her business, and she knew that same trust had been placed in her.

She stood next to Mourn. "Do you know how to get to Threshling space?"

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Inanna steps out of Vaikuntha, smeared with her own blood; and one of her own horns jutting from her shoulder. Hearing Mourn mention that it was time to teleport... she simply grunts and awaits... well, whatever it was that awaited.

Parsley took one look at the... startling state Inanna found herself in. "What the hell happened to you?"

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Eva hands a bag of five senzu beans over to Inanna, eyes still burning with a strange power.

“Good luck.”

Mourn’s sword glows with eldritch runes as he plunges it into the ground. A web of runes circles around the gathered group, leaving only Eva and her protectors out.

The runes flash and a bubble of blue energy surrounds the group, then it collapses and they are on the deck of a starship.

Mourn sheathes his blade and grins, looking at the gathered Threshlings.

“Coordinates?”

Nei K’lot nods and inputs them in, and Edan Mourn’s smile widens. He has his comm officer transmit the coordinates to all ships.

Surprisingly, to those looking, the fleet is actually thirteen ships. Twelve are Coldlight style state of the art ships, and one is a larger one (the one they are on now).

“Welcome to the Pale Star, my personal GP ship. She’s large, packs a punch, and is as fast as the Coldlight once she gets going. According to telemetry, it should take us only about a day, max, to hit the edge of Threshling space.”