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

[bruceleegreyhulk]

"You know Dash, your village elders sound an awful lot like Althena. Okay, Dash let's get going," Praxat said.

[Tami]

OOC: Okay, so there is now a gateway from the Lookout to Baradur or Reshlan or ??? Just want to clear this up.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

OOC: Okay, so there is now a gateway from the Lookout to Baradur or Reshlan or ??? Just want to clear this up.

OOC: Baradur

[Tami]

OOC: Baradur

OOC: Thanks

[Tami]

"You know Dash, your village elders sound an awful lot like Althena. Okay, Dash let's get going," Praxat said.

"Yeah, ah reckon it's time to go, Ready or not." Dash then turned to Eva, "If you hear from Meagan, if she asks, can you tell her ah'm doing alright?" she then smiled, "Ah'll be back before you know it."

With that, she walks with Praxat through the gateway.

[grampagen]

"He chose to invade Vocado while I was present, and made the mistake of attacking my wife." Inanna replied with a smirk. "I sent him back to Reshlan, little more than a corpse."

"A corpse. Cheh."

Ochazuke heard the words. Yet the energy he'd traced toward the Threshling homeworld, so resonant with the fleeting remainder on this colony, was still as vibrant as the figment he'd encountered before.

"How neglectful. For a thing wrought from magic, leaving any remainder would not loose his foothold, least of all for a Majin," he brooded, "But now...you've forced him into a corner, and he has nowhere else to run. Let's bring this to an end, then."

Ah, so they had used the power of 'creation' to light the way. At first, that made little sense to her, but perhaps a looser interpretation was in order. Creating a path where once there was none, perhaps?

...it mattered little, in the end. What mattered was that the way was open.

"Oh, I fully expected to return to Reshlan in this manner, or one very similar. I was never a fanatic, but once I realized just how utterly... detestable Auroc's doctrines and... teachings, if you can call them that, were, I made the decision to topple him," she said. Ripping out the bedrock of Threshling society would probably result in conflict in and of itself, over the short-term, but in the medium and long-term, perhaps a new, better foundation could be laid and built upon.

She sighed. "Though even with all the training opportunities I've been afforded, I feel woefully unprepared." Not just in power, but knowledge, as well. She could sense the Hozon coursing throughout her being, and yet all but the most basic usages eluded her. How... vexing.

Perhaps she had simply been too idle in her efforts--that is to say, perhaps she was better suited to learning through trial in error... battle, in other words.

"A shame many of our most capable allies are occupied with... saiyan business," she said. "Make no mistake, I believe what we have will more than suffice... I would simply enjoy the sight of 'overkill', when it comes to that false god."

"You would know most of all, though if Auroc had been brazen enough to attack a Saiyan world with Sarada seated upon the throne, it may indicate that he has consolidated his power," Ochazuke mused, "Luop brought his desperate tidings three years ago, but I am doubtful the situation is much the same."

He raised an eyebrow, however, at Nevanlinna's admission.

"You would cut a path through your false god and the scores of your own people that worship him,"

'Overkill.' How callous.

"And what happens then?"

Parsley rolled her eyes and shook her head. "You should be more careful. You have a mate to wed and a family to start." Her tail unwrapped from her waist and grabbed a morsel from his plate. "I trust you'll understand if I skip the pleasantries; I'm on a tight schedule. The moment we're done with Auroc, I need to find Koorimaru so I can save my mother before he can use her to unleash some otherworldly creature into the universe. Then, I have to travel to the Saiyan homeworld to help my sister kill another Arcosian hell-bent on genociding my entire race. I have no time to waste."

"Nothing...kaff~! I can't handle,"

The way Parsley laid out the task before them as one in a gauntlet made him cock his head to the side, and the dark circles under his eyes seemed to deepen.

"Wait, wait. So Koorimaru came back after whatever it was he was doing after he got his wish...but there's another Arcosian quarreling with Sarada, and another..."

They'd been chasing after this singular goal for almost a year, that when Parsley described what had passed in their absence, it struck Zaofan all at once just how far he'd gone, and how long ago...that he...

"...wed- oh. Oh no," The sun-ripened chilis seemed to freeze over his tongue.

"...how is...Etrina holding up?"

[Tami]

"A corpse. Cheh."

Ochazuke heard the words. Yet the energy he'd traced toward the Threshling homeworld, so resonant with the fleeting remainder on this colony, was still as vibrant as the figment he'd encountered before.

"How neglectful. For a thing wrought from magic, leaving any remainder would not loose his foothold, least of all for a Majin," he brooded, "But now...you've forced him into a corner, and he has nowhere else to run. Let's bring this to an end, then."



"You would know most of all, though if Auroc had been brazen enough to attack a Saiyan world with Sarada seated upon the throne, it may indicate that he has consolidated his power," Ochazuke mused, "Luop brought his desperate tidings three years ago, but I am doubtful the situation is much the same."

He raised an eyebrow, however, at Nevanlinna's admission.

"You would cut a path through your false god and the scores of your own people that worship him,"

'Overkill.' How callous.

"And what happens then?"



"Nothing...kaff~! I can't handle,"

The way Parsley laid out the task before them as one in a gauntlet made him cock his head to the side, and the dark circles under his eyes seemed to deepen.

"Wait, wait. So Koorimaru came back after whatever it was he was doing after he got his wish...but there's another Arcosian quarreling with Sarada, and another..."

They'd been chasing after this singular goal for almost a year, that when Parsley described what had passed in their absence, it struck Zaofan all at once just how far he'd gone, and how long ago...that he...

"...wed- oh. Oh no," The sun-ripened chilis seemed to freeze over his tongue.

"...how is...Etrina holding up?"

Exiting the gateway, the first thing Dash saw was Parsley talking to Ochazuke and Zaofan. She had to pause for a moment, take a deep breath, before taking a few steps closer to overhear what they were talking about.

She then speaks up, "Hi, long time no see." She gives them a shy smile, then gets more serious, "Uh, where is this place?"

[Sub-Zero MKA]

"Nothing...kaff~! I can't handle,"

The way Parsley laid out the task before them as one in a gauntlet made him cock his head to the side, and the dark circles under his eyes seemed to deepen.

"Wait, wait. So Koorimaru came back after whatever it was he was doing after he got his wish...but there's another Arcosian quarreling with Sarada, and another..."

They'd been chasing after this singular goal for almost a year, that when Parsley described what had passed in their absence, it struck Zaofan all at once just how far he'd gone, and how long ago...that he...

"...wed- oh. Oh no," The sun-ripened chilis seemed to freeze over his tongue.

"...how is...Etrina holding up?"

"Life moves on whether you're present for it or not. Etrina is fine. She should be joining us shortly." There was an entire day's worth of stories to tell that Zaofan and Ocahzuke missed. Not the least of which being Auroc's failed invasion of Earth. She supposed she would only tell the important bits and leave the miscellaneous things for another time.

"To catch you up, Auroc launched two failed invasions of both Vocado and Earth a few days go. For the latter, he was looking to kidnap Sarada so he could use her then unborn daughter as some kind of living weapon, akin to Jagam, I imagine. For the latter, he wanted Pants. Pants is with Meagan, I suppose, so he's safe. Koorimaru attacked the Lookout that same day in an effort to kidnap Eva, but Inanna managed to repel him." She decided to leave out how she managed to do it. It wasn't important at the moment.

"We've spent the last two or so days training. I trust you and Ochazuke have done the same. We'll need every bit of strength we can muster. Auroc isn't alone, so this won't be a quick and easy battle." She smiled. "A good thing. Quick and easy isn't nearly as fun."

[bruceleegreyhulk]

Existing the gateway, Praxat surveys the area and takes in the scenery.

[grampagen]

"Life moves on whether you're present for it or not. Etrina is fine. She should be joining us shortly." There was an entire day's worth of stories to tell that Zaofan and Ocahzuke missed. Not the least of which being Auroc's failed invasion of Earth. She supposed she would only tell the important bits and leave the miscellaneous things for another time.

"To catch you up, Auroc launched two failed invasions of both Vocado and Earth a few days go. For the latter, he was looking to kidnap Sarada so he could use her then unborn daughter as some kind of living weapon, akin to Jagam, I imagine. For the latter, he wanted Pants. Pants is with Meagan, I suppose, so he's safe. Koorimaru attacked the Lookout that same day in an effort to kidnap Eva, but Inanna managed to repel him." She decided to leave out how she managed to do it. It wasn't important at the moment.

"We've spent the last two or so days training. I trust you and Ochazuke have done the same. We'll need every bit of strength we can muster. Auroc isn't alone, so this won't be a quick and easy battle." She smiled. "A good thing. Quick and easy isn't nearly as fun."

"Heh. Suppose it can't be helped," he shrugged, "Just hope she didn't forget about me, ha ha ha~!"

The awkward laughter left him with a strange stammer. Perhaps leaving a week before our anniversary wasn't the smartest move...but it needed to be done.

"Well when you've journeyed through the deserts of Nevada Prime before even beginning to prep for a battle like this, well, frankly, Parsley, it feels like we'd been training for three years nonstop," Zaofan snickered. His brows arched, and for a moment a part of the familiar, jovial light returned to his eyes, like the chef held some secret spice in reserve.

Still, the situation was dire. The fact that the Threshlings had made it to Earth and Vocado at all visibly struck him, as Zaofan blinked a bead of cold sweat out of his eyes.

"Mm...well, our navigator, Captain Ulysses should have the course plotted soon. Problem is, as I understand it, the Nevadian Navigator's Guild only provide exploratory vessels, not warships, and we'd only have one, besides, so we'd be short of backup or a way out once we find the place, which means we've have to take Reshlan head-on."

Leaning forward upon his staff, he chuckled as he looked to the ground.

"...listen to me, plotting to take over a planet," he sighed. "With Koorimaru and Sakin still out there, this isn't even going to be the end of it, either."

[grampagen]

Exiting the gateway, the first thing Dash saw was Parsley talking to Ochazuke and Zaofan. She had to pause for a moment, take a deep breath, before taking a few steps closer to overhear what they were talking about.

She then speaks up, "Hi, long time no see." She gives them a shy smile, then gets more serious, "Uh, where is this place?"

Existing the gateway, Praxat surveys the area and takes in the scenery.

Beyond the boughs of dense jungle foliage and the waves of humidity that exhaled onto the plaza of stone and tile they tread upon, the scent of ash and cold blood surrounded them. Great torches lined stairways of carved stone leading upwards, temples devoted to an otherworldly totem. Yet all stood in the shadow of a large, obsidian ruin. By the look of it, the damage was fresh, and in front of its collapsed entryway lay the crown of a shattered idol; a beady-eyed, dark visage that appeared much like a certain Majin they were familiar with.

Ochazuke regarded Dash for a moment. The victorious natives dressed in plumage and skins eyed the others who joined their liberators, but besides a few stares they passed by with their captured prisoners in tow.

"One ought to be mindful of their immediate destination," he replied. "Particularly if it would be a Threshling Colony."

As they passed by, shambling with their hands bound in rope, they had a certain bearing that was similar to one of their comrades, Nevanlinna, but through their empty eyes they seemed much diminished relative to the Threshling princess. Moreover, their shapes were uncannily uniform, like clones created from some idealized template.

"They were the one people before, until Auroc's Faithful twist their flesh and minds to total devotion," he explained, "This world, Baradur, was one his Eye beheld and remade to suit his vain image."

[Tami]

Beyond the boughs of dense jungle foliage and the waves of humidity that exhaled onto the plaza of stone and tile they tread upon, the scent of ash and cold blood surrounded them. Great torches lined stairways of carved stone leading upwards, temples devoted to an otherworldly totem. Yet all stood in the shadow of a large, obsidian ruin. By the look of it, the damage was fresh, and in front of its collapsed entryway lay the crown of a shattered idol; a beady-eyed, dark visage that appeared much like a certain Majin they were familiar with.

Ochazuke regarded Dash for a moment. The victorious natives dressed in plumage and skins eyed the others who joined their liberators, but besides a few stares they passed by with their captured prisoners in tow.

"One ought to be mindful of their immediate destination," he replied. "Particularly if it would be a Threshling Colony."

As they passed by, shambling with their hands bound in rope, they had a certain bearing that was similar to one of their comrades, Nevanlinna, but through their empty eyes they seemed much diminished relative to the Threshling princess. Moreover, their shapes were uncannily uniform, like clones created from some idealized template.

"They were the one people before, until Auroc's Faithful twist their flesh and minds to total devotion," he explained, "This world, Baradur, was one his Eye beheld and remade to suit his vain image."

"Ah see..." Dash looked around, then back to Ochazuke, "well, it's good that you scouted it out already." It was all she could manage to say while her senses were taking it all in.

[bruceleegreyhulk]

Beyond the boughs of dense jungle foliage and the waves of humidity that exhaled onto the plaza of stone and tile they tread upon, the scent of ash and cold blood surrounded them. Great torches lined stairways of carved stone leading upwards, temples devoted to an otherworldly totem. Yet all stood in the shadow of a large, obsidian ruin. By the look of it, the damage was fresh, and in front of its collapsed entryway lay the crown of a shattered idol; a beady-eyed, dark visage that appeared much like a certain Majin they were familiar with.

Ochazuke regarded Dash for a moment. The victorious natives dressed in plumage and skins eyed the others who joined their liberators, but besides a few stares they passed by with their captured prisoners in tow.

"One ought to be mindful of their immediate destination," he replied. "Particularly if it would be a Threshling Colony."

As they passed by, shambling with their hands bound in rope, they had a certain bearing that was similar to one of their comrades, Nevanlinna, but through their empty eyes they seemed much diminished relative to the Threshling princess. Moreover, their shapes were uncannily uniform, like clones created from some idealized template.

"They were the one people before, until Auroc's Faithful twist their flesh and minds to total devotion," he explained, "This world, Baradur, was one his Eye beheld and remade to suit his vain image."

Praxat doesn't say anything and turns her skin color a deep blue to express sadness at the site she's seeing

[KingofPie]

Beyond the boughs of dense jungle foliage and the waves of humidity that exhaled onto the plaza of stone and tile they tread upon, the scent of ash and cold blood surrounded them. Great torches lined stairways of carved stone leading upwards, temples devoted to an otherworldly totem. Yet all stood in the shadow of a large, obsidian ruin. By the look of it, the damage was fresh, and in front of its collapsed entryway lay the crown of a shattered idol; a beady-eyed, dark visage that appeared much like a certain Majin they were familiar with.

Ochazuke regarded Dash for a moment. The victorious natives dressed in plumage and skins eyed the others who joined their liberators, but besides a few stares they passed by with their captured prisoners in tow.

"One ought to be mindful of their immediate destination," he replied. "Particularly if it would be a Threshling Colony."

As they passed by, shambling with their hands bound in rope, they had a certain bearing that was similar to one of their comrades, Nevanlinna, but through their empty eyes they seemed much diminished relative to the Threshling princess. Moreover, their shapes were uncannily uniform, like clones created from some idealized template.

"They were the one people before, until Auroc's Faithful twist their flesh and minds to total devotion," he explained, "This world, Baradur, was one his Eye beheld and remade to suit his vain image."

"Not sure what's more pathetic; Auroc for loading about, forcing these losers to build him a statues out of 'love's or these morons being weak enough to go along with it," Sasheem sneered. "Seems like a waste of a planet of you ask, Sasheem. No offense to Neva," he ended with an apology.

Which he didn't mean, of course.

[grampagen]

"Ah see..." Dash looked around, then back to Ochazuke, "well, it's good that you scouted it out already." It was all she could manage to say while her senses were taking it all in.

The wide foundation of the Obsidian Ziggurat remained, standing fast to support a tower that was little more than rubble. Even by starlight, its surface shone, enameled in a substance that was unlike the earthenware and carved stone of the local population who seemed quite primitive be comparison.

"More than that. With the help of the Nevadian Federation courtesy of Held, we drove them out of power," Ochazuke said.

Suddenly it was clear, that the face of the fallen idol smote before the ruin was an effigy of the Threshling God, Auroc.

"Though from what I hear, his forces attempted to route the Earth while Zao and I were absent," he added with a stiff chuckle. "If you are here, that means you'd repelled them. Well met."

"Not sure what's more pathetic; Auroc for loading about, forcing these losers to build him a statues out of 'love's or these morons being weak enough to go along with it," Sasheem sneered. "Seems like a waste of a planet of you ask, Sasheem. No offense to Neva," he ended with an apology.

Which he didn't mean, of course.

"And if you are here, Majin, it means Master Balon deemed your condition...suitable." Ochazuke spoke, though he did not so much as move to face the last practitioner of the Snake Style.

Zaofan, however, visibly stirred where he stood before Parsley; a brief gesture from his martial brother, and the chef murmured something under his breath and sighed. The Greater Annihilator survey of the native Baradurians, their forcefully converted kin, did not go unnoticed by the martial artist.

"Yet they never stopped fighting, even while their potential was stifled by such gross limitation," Ochazuke continued, "You of all of us might know something of that, Majin Sasheem."