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

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

"That is not terribly informative," Inanna said with a sigh. "I'll be sure to add it to the list of priorities however. Thank you, Hilda."

Ulthan. Ulthan... a word worth ferreting clues over.

"On the topic of stories though... know much about Animancy, or Anima-mancy?"

“Ulthan is an old word. It means ‘Pact’, or ‘Bind’ in the ancient language of mages.”

“As to Soul magic, it is a dangerous process. I know of only a small handful of entities that have wielded it. I know one such entity is known as Night.”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

“A Nevadian ship crashed on my world a some years before the Saiyans destroyed it. We aided the survivor, healing them and helping supply the resources to repair his ship. In exchange, the survivor who was of the Unicorn Clan, said that in exchange for saving his life he would offer a more permanent alliance. One of his clan would marry one of my family, once we had achieved the means of leaving our world. We agreed.”

“Years passed and after my world was destroyed, I was born and studied. I mastered the means to walk sideways and escape the world. I only knew of one other planet than, and knowing the potential Pact between our two groups was still valid, I traveled to Nevada. Held Dabon was not...overly pleased to be told I was his wife to be. Though by my culture we were married already since I had fulfilled the Pact stipulation of leaving my world.”

Her smiles widens.

“He has lead a merry chase, I will admit, leaving before we even slept together. At first it was for duty that I followe him, but as my powers grew and I could do as I needed, I came to observe him and I rather like his....style. And he is ever so adorable when he panics and runs.”

She sips more tea.

“He is currently close to where we are going. I intend on....saving...him and putting him into my debt. And Held is duty bound to pay his debts.”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Praxat walks into the engine room and patiently waits for the conversation to end before introducing herself.

Tanaki pauses and nods.

“Welcome aboard the Pale Star. I’m Special Agent Tanaki.”

[Sub-Zero MKA]

“A Nevadian ship crashed on my world a some years before the Saiyans destroyed it. We aided the survivor, healing them and helping supply the resources to repair his ship. In exchange, the survivor who was of the Unicorn Clan, said that in exchange for saving his life he would offer a more permanent alliance. One of his clan would marry one of my family, once we had achieved the means of leaving our world. We agreed.”

“Years passed and after my world was destroyed, I was born and studied. I mastered the means to walk sideways and escape the world. I only knew of one other planet than, and knowing the potential Pact between our two groups was still valid, I traveled to Nevada. Held Dabon was not...overly pleased to be told I was his wife to be. Though by my culture we were married already since I had fulfilled the Pact stipulation of leaving my world.”

Her smiles widens.

“He has lead a merry chase, I will admit, leaving before we even slept together. At first it was for duty that I followe him, but as my powers grew and I could do as I needed, I came to observe him and I rather like his....style. And he is ever so adorable when he panics and runs.”

She sips more tea.

“He is currently close to where we are going. I intend on....saving...him and putting him into my debt. And Held is duty bound to pay his debts.”

That was not a tale she was expecting. She would have thought Held would have had to partake in a trial by fire or some kind of death match to win the Hilda's hand in marriage. Yet, the truth of it was that Held was nothing more than an unwitting victim of another person's sense of duty. Such a fate would have garnered some measure of sympathy out of Parsley, but eh, she didn't know him well enough to bother feeling sorry for him. Also, knowing that he hadn't even mated with this woman was a travesty.

Hm. I wonder if he's a virgin. How depraved!

"A pity he ran before consummating his duties as husband," she stated. "That, I find, is one of the more enjoyable aspects of married life." That and having a permanent training partner. Sharing food wasn't on that list. "At any rate, I'm certain he'll be thrilled to see you and even more excited to know he's in your debt with only one way to pay it off. At the very least, he should try to provide you with happiness."

The cultural differences that always cropped up from planet to planet were always a pain. They led to confusion and, often times, conflict. No doubt Held felt that he had no obligation to Hilda, but her culture led her to feel different. "Meat-mixing" was all fine and good if the cultures being mixed were compatible. Every time they weren't led to circumstances like this, a woman chasing her mate across the cosmos aboard a... fuckmoon.

...

That sounded like something Sarada would like to have.

[Tami]

Tanaki pauses and nods.

“Welcome aboard the Pale Star. I’m Special Agent Tanaki.”

"Heya, Agent Tanaki. I'm Dash, nice to meet you. Praxat's been itchin to check out your engine room, ain't that right?" She nudges her friend.

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

“Ulthan is an old word. It means ‘Pact’, or ‘Bind’ in the ancient language of mages.”

“As to Soul magic, it is a dangerous process. I know of only a small handful of entities that have wielded it. I know one such entity is known as Night.”

"Yes, Night. We've met." Inanna recalled, with a shudder. "It is of some comfort to know he is not the sole wielder of such energies however."

It had been awhile since she'd been made to feel completely helpless; that Night could with but whistle was... disconcerting. "I saw what was done to a Wish Dragon that failed to uphold a pact with it. I recovered what was left." That she was in the presence of someone with a passing knowledge of just about everything however, Inanna reasoned she may as well simply ask questions as they came.

"What of... a race of Fae lost to known records?"

[Tami]

"Heya, Agent Tanaki. I'm Dash, nice to meet you. Praxat's been itchin to check out your engine room, ain't that right?" She nudges her friend.

While waiting on Praxat, Dash took the time to look around. "Ah heard that Jinzi Pantaloon had a hand making these engines."

[bruceleegreyhulk]

Tanaki pauses and nods.

“Welcome aboard the Pale Star. I’m Special Agent Tanaki.”

"Heya, Agent Tanaki. I'm Dash, nice to meet you. Praxat's been itchin to check out your engine room, ain't that right?" She nudges her friend.

While waiting on Praxat, Dash took the time to look around. "Ah heard that Jinzi Pantaloon had a hand making these engines."

"I'm Praxat, the eldest daughter of Uraxat Luue, the Prime Minister of The Republic of Qacriea. It's nice to meet you, agent Tanaki. Yes, I've been itching to check out this engine room," Praxat said.

" Unfortunately, I'm also the eldest granddaughter of the criminal sociopath mass murderer Araxat McFrog. I'm not proud of that fact," Praxat said.

[grampagen]

I'm really beginning to think that Auroc didn't invest much into the Threshling education system....

Piercing Horn Forest!

The faintest tremor could be felt from their vantage point on the tower, a sleeping power suddenly rumbling to life. From the depths of the Ziggaraut, massive spiked pylons of Ki erupted, skewering the structure from within.

The largest and most sturdy of these branches, built like mighty redwoods erupted in front of Held and his companions, hoping to shield them from the blast as countless smaller branches of pointed thorns jettisoned outwards from within the obelisk.

If Held could see her face through the chaos, he imagined she would be irate. In the span of moments a place of worship was degraded into a pincushion, defiled more and more with each passing millisecond.

They at once served to provide further protection, doing their part dampen the attack while at the same time threatening the priestess, as it was only a matter of time before even her domain was penetrated by the sheer scale and density of the attack.

The Nevadian had considered dispersing the concentration of energy he embedded in the stone floor below, planted like a seed to counter Blacktongue's attack, similar in nature to Held's own.

However, as fate had it, such precautions were unnecessary. He felt it to be more trouble that it was worth dig up the seed, a choice that paid dividends in the moments not long after.

...I guess I should be thankful that Herald was more bark than bite...

The columns of ki tore upwards upon the parapet. Shrieking, twisting metal blast upwards from the roof in an instant, splitting the Priestess's lightning bolt, and the thrashing lances-upon lances granted the trio of warriors cover from the plasma as it washed over them. Ionized energy cut across the sky for miles around, and when the illumination fell, they saw the Threshling Priestess hung in the air limply.

Her limbs were outstretched to her sides, her limps suspended there upon a morbid web where the distal points of Held's thorns lanced through her body, thin fracture lines before the grey storm clouds welling up as her blood wept upon these thin lines.

And yet, despite her body's shudder upon such grisly repose, the Priestess of Baradur uttered not so much as a whimper.

Zaofan peered over the edge of the summoned thorn that deflected the brunt of the blast that had fallen on them, his staff cautiously raised before him.

"...I think that did it," he said, "looks like we've got her pinned down."

Ochazuke's eyes narrowed at her frame as it hung in the air, silent as a low rumbling filled the dark sea of clouds above them.

"If that's the case, then why is she laughing?"

From this distance, Held's eyes would have been the first to notice. Though silent, her lips were moving, mouthing the final words of a spell.

Beneath the faultline where the Piercing Horn Forest had emerged, the effect pronounced itself amid a dull red glow, shifting all the while as the runic circle began to pulse. With a sudden gasp, Ochazuke began to move, rushing forward even before the salvo of thunderbolts fell from the storm. Dashing his hands forward he intercepted the energy before it could fall upon the precipice.

Once more a Threshling Priestess concealed her true intentions under a magical guise. The difference between what had happened with Anula and now was they had developed an eye for such deception woven within their proclamations of truth.

Despite the rupture in the Ziggurat's structure, the engineering had already served its purpose of shunting the diabolical worship to seven fixed points. Now, even as stone and biomechanical metal crumbled, the sigils carved into them remained standing, now rendered in pure energy scribed into the very air itself. They invited an entirely different sort of power, and upon the reveal, they recognized it immediately when the Priestess's blood fell upon the seventh seal.

The Gate of Auroc. The power behind it had been enough to banish their group between worlds with a mere gesture. Focused under the vindictive zeal of his people combating an enemy directly, what fretful deliverance would the Threshling God unleash from it now?

Grappling with the tide of energy falling towards the spell, Ochazuke held the last apparent syllable of this diabolical song from falling into place. Ruby-quartz light shot upward, wreathed in a burning veil, akin to feathers in flight as Zaofan loosed energy from his eyes to further slow its descent as the mass of the falling cascade increased.

"Hear me now, my Lord," the Priestes said, her voice ringing clearly upon the clashing winds amid the energu clash, "Your servant Cin calls to thee now-"

"The seal," Ochazuke grimaced, "Break the seal!"

She threw her head back, her bejeweled veil scattering as she gazed skywards.

"Grant me retribution from these blasphemers! I BELIEVE!"

[Miburo]

The columns of ki tore upwards upon the parapet. Shrieking, twisting metal blast upwards from the roof in an instant, splitting the Priestess's lightning bolt, and the thrashing lances-upon lances granted the trio of warriors cover from the plasma as it washed over them. Ionized energy cut across the sky for miles around, and when the illumination fell, they saw the Threshling Priestess hung in the air limply.

Her limbs were outstretched to her sides, her limps suspended there upon a morbid web where the distal points of Held's thorns lanced through her body, thin fracture lines before the grey storm clouds welling up as her blood wept upon these thin lines.

And yet, despite her body's shudder upon such grisly repose, the Priestess of Baradur uttered not so much as a whimper.

Zaofan peered over the edge of the summoned thorn that deflected the brunt of the blast that had fallen on them, his staff cautiously raised before him.

"...I think that did it," he said, "looks like we've got her pinned down."

Ochazuke's eyes narrowed at her frame as it hung in the air, silent as a low rumbling filled the dark sea of clouds above them.

"If that's the case, then why is she laughing?"

From this distance, Held's eyes would have been the first to notice. Though silent, her lips were moving, mouthing the final words of a spell.

Beneath the faultline where the Piercing Horn Forest had emerged, the effect pronounced itself amid a dull red glow, shifting all the while as the runic circle began to pulse. With a sudden gasp, Ochazuke began to move, rushing forward even before the salvo of thunderbolts fell from the storm. Dashing his hands forward he intercepted the energy before it could fall upon the precipice.

Once more a Threshling Priestess concealed her true intentions under a magical guise. The difference between what had happened with Anula and now was they had developed an eye for such deception woven within their proclamations of truth.

Despite the rupture in the Ziggurat's structure, the engineering had already served its purpose of shunting the diabolical worship to seven fixed points. Now, even as stone and biomechanical metal crumbled, the sigils carved into them remained standing, now rendered in pure energy scribed into the very air itself. They invited an entirely different sort of power, and upon the reveal, they recognized it immediately when the Priestess's blood fell upon the seventh seal.

The ability of Threslings to take punishment was mind-boggling in and of itself. Had the Nevadian not been so taken aback by the depths of their religious fervor, there was no doubt that their ability to simply ignore wounds that would debilitate others in the span of seconds.

The priestess had been skewered like fresh meat over a spit, her body lanced all over, all but crucifying her. And yet, her concentration scarcely faltered, still finding the wherewithal to cast her dreaded spell, glorifying her lord.

It took a moment for the Nevadian to parse the veil of ignorance. He had surmised the entire building to be a trap of sorts, but he had no idea just how correct he was, the magical energies surrounding the building powering the various runic seals, the blood of the priestess being the final catalyst to spring the trap.

The Nevadian cursed under his breath as the spell began to manifest itself.

The Gate of Auroc. The power behind it had been enough to banish their group between worlds with a mere gesture. Focused under the vindictive zeal of his people combating an enemy directly, what fretful deliverance would the Threshling God unleash from it now?

Grappling with the tide of energy falling towards the spell, Ochazuke held the last apparent syllable of this diabolical song from falling into place. Ruby-quartz light shot upward, wreathed in a burning veil, akin to feathers in flight as Zaofan loosed energy from his eyes to further slow its descent as the mass of the falling cascade increased.

"Hear me now, my Lord," the Priestes said, her voice ringing clearly upon the clashing winds amid the energu clash, "Your servant Cin calls to thee now-"

"The seal," Ochazuke grimaced, "Break the seal!"

She threw her head back, her bejeweled veil scattering as she gazed skywards.

"Grant me retribution from these blasphemers! I BELIEVE!"

The Nevadian gave no reply save for the the ball of energy manifesting itself at the tip of his spear, tendrils of energy rotating around the nexus point, quickly growing to a feverish pace. He drew his weapon backwards, preparing a mighty thrust as the energy he put into the attack intensified, the orb and tendrils growing bigger in response.

I can't half ass it....I'm not sure how many shots we'll get if I screw up...


Teeth were grit as the Nevadian funneled energy into the attack. Energy equaled speed, and speed equaled power. The azure orb of Ki was moving at such a speed as to make its rotation all but unseen to untrained eyes, and the tendrils around it blinked in and out of existence, moving from the side of the orb, to the very tip of it, forming a spiral shape in front of it.

Now!

The Nevadian thrust the implement of his will forwards, and from it, beams of dazzling blue light appeared, twisting, wrapping, weaving

Spiraling

Around itself, rotating with such speed and vigor, grinding untouched stone and rubble to dust with the merest hint of its presence. It was poised to utterly penetrate anything unfortunate enough to stand between itself and it's prey, the Gate Of Auroc.

Horn Burst!

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

That was not a tale she was expecting. She would have thought Held would have had to partake in a trial by fire or some kind of death match to win the Hilda's hand in marriage. Yet, the truth of it was that Held was nothing more than an unwitting victim of another person's sense of duty. Such a fate would have garnered some measure of sympathy out of Parsley, but eh, she didn't know him well enough to bother feeling sorry for him. Also, knowing that he hadn't even mated with this woman was a travesty.

Hm. I wonder if he's a virgin. How depraved!

"A pity he ran before consummating his duties as husband," she stated. "That, I find, is one of the more enjoyable aspects of married life." That and having a permanent training partner. Sharing food wasn't on that list. "At any rate, I'm certain he'll be thrilled to see you and even more excited to know he's in your debt with only one way to pay it off. At the very least, he should try to provide you with happiness."

The cultural differences that always cropped up from planet to planet were always a pain. They led to confusion and, often times, conflict. No doubt Held felt that he had no obligation to Hilda, but her culture led her to feel different. "Meat-mixing" was all fine and good if the cultures being mixed were compatible. Every time they weren't led to circumstances like this, a woman chasing her mate across the cosmos aboard a... fuckmoon.

...

That sounded like something Sarada would like to have.

Hilda smiles.

“Yes, it will be good to see him. Especially since he won’t be able to....escape this time.”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

"Heya, Agent Tanaki. I'm Dash, nice to meet you. Praxat's been itchin to check out your engine room, ain't that right?" She nudges her friend.

“A pleasure. Our engines are the finest in the dark.”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

"Yes, Night. We've met." Inanna recalled, with a shudder. "It is of some comfort to know he is not the sole wielder of such energies however."

It had been awhile since she'd been made to feel completely helpless; that Night could with but whistle was... disconcerting. "I saw what was done to a Wish Dragon that failed to uphold a pact with it. I recovered what was left." That she was in the presence of someone with a passing knowledge of just about everything however, Inanna reasoned she may as well simply ask questions as they came.

"What of... a race of Fae lost to known records?"

Hilda frowns, then seems to...flicker. Her gaze turns sideways, and her body almost seems to go partially incorporeal.

Her form fades back to solidity and she looks at Inanna.

“How passing strange. I cannot see them as a whole. I know they do not live in this universe, however.”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

While waiting on Praxat, Dash took the time to look around. "Ah heard that Jinzi Pantaloon had a hand making these engines."

“Indeed. Pantaloon was a head developer and engineer for the Pale Star.”

[Tami]

“A pleasure. Our engines are the finest in the dark.”

"In the dark?" Dash was suddenly very confused, "Is that some kind Police terminology?"

“Indeed. Pantaloon was a head developer and engineer for the Pale Star.”

"Ah figured married life wouldn't keep him away from a big project like this." Next time she sees Jinzi, thinking to herself, she might ask him how much of this technology was inspired by the secrets within the temple and how much was his original design.