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

[Tami]

" Yes, I'm aware we are in uncharted space. That's why it should have been impossible for someone to contact me. Yet, someone did," Praxat said.

" If you want to know, Zawk and Vion are two of the four styles of Aoem. The other two being Zhino and Vear. Zawk is very similar to what you know as Muay Thai. Vion is a style that's all about the free of movement," Praxat said.

"It's a style that has no fixed stance. It's about being in constant motion and body motion. Zawk and Vion are very adaptable styles. Due to Aoem's more than 500,000 year history on my homeworld and because of the adaptability of Zawk and Vion," Praxat said.

"There have been so many variations of those two styles. That Zawk and Vion became generic umbrella terms for multiple styles that share basic components. All historical information about Zawk and Vion is written down in the Book of Aoem, which Althena has," Praxat said.

" However, because they have been so many variations of Zawk and Vion. The original two styles could have been lost to history. As for my training, I have been self-training myself in Zawk and Vion for three years now," Praxat said.

Praxat then takes out her phone and attempts to contact the woman who called her. " Okay, Zaofan I'm going to attempt to contact this woman who called me and If the call gets through. I will let you talk to her," Praxat said.

After a few rings a woman's voice answers, "I will accept the call, you may put young Zaofan on if he wishes to speak with me."

[bruceleegreyhulk]

After a few rings a woman's voice answers, "I will accept the call, you may put young Zaofan on if he wishes to speak with me."

" Thank you," Praxat said. Praxat then hands her phone to Zaofan.

[grampagen]

Parsley received the hail from Ochazuke moments after she recovered Sir Kakarot's possessions and placed them in a capsule.

This Koorimaru was following us, hm? And he claims he is attempting to break free from Remnant. Hmph. I will believe that crock when I see him groveling on the floor for mercy. Even then, when they appeared to be at the end of their rope with no recourse left but to beg for their lives, Arcosians couldn't be trusted. They were like roaches, best served smashed under a boot heel until they couldn't move anymore, and then hurled into the sun for good measure. A blight on the universe's ass, they did no good for anyone but themselves. Even the lawman, Blizzar, was a self-serving, materialistic conman whose greed knew absolutely no bounds whatsoever.

"Guardian?" That had to have been Maiz. Frost Demons had no good faith. This was a trap, without doubt. On the other hand, though, Maiz was right there for the taking. It wouldn't take much for her to get in, get Maiz, and get out before Koorimaru's lackeys could so much as set down their glass of red wine.

She burst into motion, quickly homing in on power signatures collected together some distance away.

"I'm going, as well," she stated as soon as she landed. "I don't trust Koorimaru's kind as far as I can spit, but I have to get Maiz back before I return to Earth. That will be one less thing on my sister's mind before she leaves." If she hadn't left already. She would have been surprised if she had, considering in how much disarray the planets were in at the moment. "This is almost certainly a trap. What planet did he say she was on?"

When Parsley spoke up and offered herself up to the task, Ochazuke's brow furrowed. One task at a time.

"It was as you surmised, Maiz of your Vocado. She's being held on Cortis II," Ochazuke said. "Koorimaru recorded his underling doing as much. What doesn't add up, however, is how candidly they would give her up."

He paused for a moment. "Foolish or not, he came to treat with me. I will go to see if his terms are genuine. Rest assured, I will return with your Guardian," he said, then added pointedly, "I can only imagine how you must feel. But there is another matter that might require the power of a Super Saiyan."

"He got what he deserved, as far as I'm concerned." A voice offered, before Inanna appeared in a shimmer, the mention of something relevant to her interests enough to pry her from other affairs. "Toying with things beyond his ken, or means to control... naughty boy, indeed." Though it did little to explain, the woman's jabs so with a sigh she offered enlightenment.

"Remnant is... what a remnant implies: leftovers. As with all things relating to cosmic hierarchy in this Universe, usually are." Inanna smirked.

"Explained simply, the God of Creation's first murder was messy. Asha'rah left behind a fragment of Indar'en's soil... along with the majority of her own. They merged, either through the strength of Indar'en's will or outside influence," not that it mattered, "and it's done nothing but fester in its reliquary since then. Until that fool, Koorimaru, took the reliquary for himself."

Inanna shrugged her shoulders, and offered everyone a grim smile. "There is the silver lining though, Remnant's need for a host. Of course, with sufficient divine energy... that won't remain a silver lining for long."

The grim smile faded, and Inanna set her gaze on Ochazuke.

"Which begs the question of why Koorimaru would offer this. Though... I don't know the man... just the festering soul of a God of Destruction, piloting his body~"

"Asha'rah and Inda'ren. It would be..." The origins of all the strife in the universe had always seemed to come back to this rebellion that shook the universe at its founding. "Koorimaru had descibed some sort of amulet, one he killed many of his own kin for. The rest who survived are probably under his thumb."

Might makes right. How ironic. After all this time, the only thing remaining was the very thing the God of Creation swore to fight against all those eons ago.

"Perhaps Koorimaru relearned rather swiftly what it means to lose his power again, even after all he's been through," he mused.

"...would you like to ask him yourself? The path to Koorimaru and this Remnant is known to us," he said before ceding the floor.

"Etrina?"

[grampagen]

Voyavoda had arrived quite quickly--ma-tobashii ensured that, of course--and listened closely to Ochazuke's words. He drew in breath to ask just who this guardian was, but the Saiyan princess, Parsley, answered for him.

Maiz. A name he had heard before a number of times. She was a saiyan of some fame--a fierce warrior in her youth, she later become one of the drivers behind the cultural change the saiyans had undergone the past few decades. More personally, Tasure had mentioned her numerous times, always--he stressed, always--in glowing terms. And anyone that knew Tasure on more than just a passing basis knew that she rarely offered up praise, let alone glowing praise. And as such...

"Please, count me in. Tasure has always spoken fondly of this Maiz--a rarity for her, as I'm sure some of you are well aware--and it would be a travesty to leave her in the hands of an enemy." He had met one or two relatively... not detestable frost demons in his time, but whether by nature or nurture, the majority were, quite frankly, not to be trusted.

...and this one seemed to be under the sway of something called 'remnant', the pathetic remains of a... god of destruction and god of creation? False gods like auroc were one thing, but now actual gods? Well well, this was interesting... and completely beyond his ken. Not that such a thing had ever stopped him from getting involved in a matter before.

It was interesting and novel, and therefore worth involving himself in.

With a flash of fire, the newer, elder Nevadian made his way to their gathering. He'd had lingering memories from the battle that transpired, particularly where Voyavoda's ability had augmented Sasheem's in peculiar ways.

One look over at the methodology of Ma Tobashii with his own eyes, however, and Ochazuke lowered his head, calculating.

"Your abilities have proven quite formidable," he said, "If we can trust you to watch our backs while dealing with this hostage crisis, so much the better."

There was something restrained in his thoughts as he mulled over the situation, but he held his tongue on this for now.

Besides which, the lion's share of the spacecraft gather here were Nevadian.

"Can you pilot one of these?"

Dash joined the group, then listened to what the others had to say. When he mentioned going to collect a Guardian, she already knew what that meant. "You might need more than a few as backup, not knowing what to expect. Ah'll come along as well."

"I've heard Koorimaru came to Earth with the intent to abduct Evangeline, no doubt for a similar intention," Ochazuke said to Dash. "Perhaps you would like to speak about what you saw there."

[MrSandman]

When Parsley spoke up and offered herself up to the task, Ochazuke's brow furrowed. One task at a time.

"It was as you surmised, Maiz of your Vocado. She's being held on Cortis II," Ochazuke said. "Koorimaru recorded his underling doing as much. What doesn't add up, however, is how candidly they would give her up."

He paused for a moment. "Foolish or not, he came to treat with me. I will go to see if his terms are genuine. Rest assured, I will return with your Guardian," he said, then added pointedly, "I can only imagine how you must feel. But there is another matter that might require the power of a Super Saiyan."



"Asha'rah and Inda'ren. It would be..." The origins of all the strife in the universe had always seemed to come back to this rebellion that shook the universe at its founding. "Koorimaru had descibed some sort of amulet, one he killed many of his own kin for. The rest who survived are probably under his thumb."

Might makes right. How ironic. After all this time, the only thing remaining was the very thing the God of Creation swore to fight against all those eons ago.

"Perhaps Koorimaru relearned rather swiftly what it means to lose his power again, even after all he's been through," he mused.

"...would you like to ask him yourself? The path to Koorimaru and this Remnant is known to us," he said before ceding the floor.

"Etrina?"

"Right...." Etrina gave a curt nod, having been quietly conversing with her two foci while the situation had been explained. "I was able to procure a sample of the energy he used to transport his probe away, and I've since examined it to the point I'm fairly certain I could ritualistically open a similar portal to a location close to or perhaps right on top of where the first one went. So if you all in the mood for YET ANOTHER jaunt to a foreign world thats likely a trap....my all means..."

Etrina made a motion with her hands, summoning up very specific energies and focusing them in the air before them to create a stable vortex.

".....huh.....that worked....." Etrina spoke to nobody in particular. "Never done it before, not intentionally....."

[Sub-Zero MKA]

When Parsley spoke up and offered herself up to the task, Ochazuke's brow furrowed. One task at a time.

"It was as you surmised, Maiz of your Vocado. She's being held on Cortis II," Ochazuke said. "Koorimaru recorded his underling doing as much. What doesn't add up, however, is how candidly they would give her up."

He paused for a moment. "Foolish or not, he came to treat with me. I will go to see if his terms are genuine. Rest assured, I will return with your Guardian," he said, then added pointedly, "I can only imagine how you must feel. But there is another matter that might require the power of a Super Saiyan."

Parsley wanted to argue. Her jaw clenched and her muscles grew taut, signifying the struggle raging within. She knew he was right; she said so herself. It was a trap. If it wasn't, Ochazuke was the most capable of getting her in and out quickly. Yet, she cared about Maiz more than nearly anyone. If anything happened to her while she wasn't there to stop it...

No...no... I have to trust that someone else can save her. She will be fine.

The thought echoed through her head on repeated over and over again until she started to believe it. Doubt still lingered, and right next to it was the belief that she was better suited for this part of their apparent next mission. I guess I won't be able to help Sarada.

Slowly, she relaxed. She sighed tersely and closed her eyes. "She's more than just a Guardian to me," she admitted quietly. "Please, bring her back safe."

[grampagen]

After a few rings a woman's voice answers, "I will accept the call, you may put young Zaofan on if he wishes to speak with me."

" Thank you," Praxat said. Praxat then hands her phone to Zaofan.

Nodding to Praxat, Zaofan took the phone from her, then raised a finger to his lips, indicating for her to be silent...for now.

Laying it screen-side up, he then put the call on Speaker.

"I am curious about the whys and hows, but that doesn't matter anymore. You already have this number, that's the end of it," he said.

"But what bothers me most of all is how convenient all of this is. You see, you obviously know the value of a lost art, the painstaking process of rebuilding it from the ground up, and the frustration of not being able to find that thing that makes it click..."

Once more Zaofan turned to Praxat, a long smile stretching across his face, before downturning into a frown as he got back into character.

"...so you're promising shortcuts out of the ether the moment my friend here confesses that she's feeling a little vulnerable. Which means you're obviously watching us right now."

"What's good?! Why don't you cut the crap, lady, and show yourself?!"

[Tami]

With a flash of fire, the newer, elder Nevadian made his way to their gathering. He'd had lingering memories from the battle that transpired, particularly where Voyavoda's ability had augmented Sasheem's in peculiar ways.

One look over at the methodology of Ma Tobashii with his own eyes, however, and Ochazuke lowered his head, calculating.

"Your abilities have proven quite formidable," he said, "If we can trust you to watch our backs while dealing with this hostage crisis, so much the better."

There was something restrained in his thoughts as he mulled over the situation, but he held his tongue on this for now.

Besides which, the lion's share of the spacecraft gather here were Nevadian.

"Can you pilot one of these?"



"I've heard Koorimaru came to Earth with the intent to abduct Evangeline, no doubt for a similar intention," Ochazuke said to Dash. "Perhaps you would like to speak about what you saw there."

"Ah'm sure there are others here who have better insight. Still, from what ah saw, it was a close call. Eva only managed to save herself though quick thinking and a bit of luck. That amulet of Koorimaru's, it couldn't be taken from him, Inanna would probably know more about that.

"Oh yeah, he did say something, now how did it go...?"

"“Three you will need. One, the warrior: trainer of Kings and Queens. Two, the heretic: one who broke their sacred oaths and suffered for it. Three, the dead yet living: one who has transcended the last barrier. When the three are brought forth, a Sacred and Profane Ritual shall combine their power with my own. The Gate will be open once more.”"

OOC: From earlier in the thread

[Monstrous Bird of Qin, Ou Ki]

With a flash of fire, the newer, elder Nevadian made his way to their gathering. He'd had lingering memories from the battle that transpired, particularly where Voyavoda's ability had augmented Sasheem's in peculiar ways.

One look over at the methodology of Ma Tobashii with his own eyes, however, and Ochazuke lowered his head, calculating.

"Your abilities have proven quite formidable," he said, "If we can trust you to watch our backs while dealing with this hostage crisis, so much the better."

There was something restrained in his thoughts as he mulled over the situation, but he held his tongue on this for now.

Besides which, the lion's share of the spacecraft gather here were Nevadian.

"Can you pilot one of these?"



"I've heard Koorimaru came to Earth with the intent to abduct Evangeline, no doubt for a similar intention," Ochazuke said to Dash. "Perhaps you would like to speak about what you saw there."

Voyavoda nodded. "Of course. No matter the make--Nevadian, Saiyan, even Arcosian, I am quite familiar with how to pilot spacecraft. Hell, I might have even had a hand in designing a few of the Nevadian models..." Not wholesale, of course, but rather in the area of small-to-moderate improvements here and there. Feedback, if you will.

He gave the Earthling a once-over. "...Ochazuke, if I'm not mistaken? Totoma has told me much about you... much, indeed. He... respects you, to put it succinctly. I look forward to seeing what you in action." He, of course, had some idea of what he could do, based on what Totoma had told him and the feats that fusion had performed... but he wanted to see what the man, on his own, could do. The same could be said of Zaofan, though Totoma's description and compliment towards that individual had been of a more... companionable nature.

[Tami]

Nodding to Praxat, Zaofan took the phone from her, then raised a finger to his lips, indicating for her to be silent...for now.

Laying it screen-side up, he then put the call on Speaker.

"I am curious about the whys and hows, but that doesn't matter anymore. You already have this number, that's the end of it," he said.

"But what bothers me most of all is how convenient all of this is. You see, you obviously know the value of a lost art, the painstaking process of rebuilding it from the ground up, and the frustration of not being able to find that thing that makes it click..."

Once more Zaofan turned to Praxat, a long smile stretching across his face, before downturning into a frown as he got back into character.

"...so you're promising shortcuts out of the ether the moment my friend here confesses that she's feeling a little vulnerable. Which means you're obviously watching us right now."

"What's good?! Why don't you cut the crap, lady, and show yourself?!"

Laughter, light laughter could be heard on the other side, "But I have shown myself. Do you not remember the wedding of Meagan and Jinzi? I will admit, once I learned of the little adventure my young student Dash was involved with, and once I heard that troublemaker Auroc's name, I could not resist checking in on her. I have had so few students in my lifetime, maybe I am becoming a bit sentimental in my old age."

"The harshness in your voice is betrayed by the fondness dear Dash feels for you. Still, for her sake I will freely answer a few questions. But only a few."

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

"...would you like to ask him yourself? The path to Koorimaru and this Remnant is known to us," he said before ceding the floor.

"Etrina?"

"Oh, I'll be coming along if possible, Remnant is an amalgamation of two Gods. That is my mess to clean up." As for Koorimaru? Inanna smirked. "As for the Freezy Pop... he dies; I don't care how tragic his backstory."

".....huh.....that worked....." Etrina spoke to nobody in particular. "Never done it before, not intentionally....."

"It's the ears," Inanna said with a smirk.

[grampagen]

Laughter, light laughter could be heard on the other side, "But I have shown myself. Do you not remember the wedding of Meagan and Jinzi? I will admit, once I learned of the little adventure my young student Dash was involved with, and once I heard that troublemaker Auroc's name, I could not resist checking in on her. I have had so few students in my lifetime, maybe I am becoming a bit sentimental in my old age."

"The harshness in your voice is betrayed by the fondness dear Dash feels for you. Still, for her sake I will freely answer a few questions. But only a few."

"You don't listen very well, do you? That doesn't count as a question, by the way, I asked you to show yourself-"

The moment he heard her laughter, Zaofan's smile faded. But the moment she had dismissed Auroc as merely 'troublemaker' after all they had been through...

"Dash's master, huh?" He stammered. The letter she had left him after the incident with Battersea and Fife always struck him as rather odd. But this..."Oh, I remember."

Perhaps it was the long days of fighting, or the ashes of the broken capital they stood upon. Or perhaps it was because for the better part of a year, he had been chasing the after the Threshling God after he had declared war on the Earth so long ago, and the whole time, the whole time-

"And you say that you knew about Auroc this whole time?"

Zaofan curled his fingers on the tables edge, and stainless steel crumpled like tinfoil.

"...so that's your thing, huh? You eavesdrop on people having a rough time, then wait till they're at the end of their rope. Then suddenly when they can't take any more, you suddenly show up, swooping in and promising them miracles."

This was a song and dance he'd heard before. Toh Magoh. Ryu Shingen. Queen Persephone.

"That's enough of a red flag, but what really grinds my gears? You're aware of their plight the entire time and yet you never lift a finger. Sentimental my ass."

"Take a good long look at yourself in the mirror for a change, Reimi. I've heard enough."

And with a small beep, Zaofan hung up and slugged back the rest of his highball. Passing the phone back to Praxat, he let out a long sigh.

[Tami]

"You don't listen very well, do you? That doesn't count as a question, by the way, I asked you to show yourself-"

The moment he heard her laughter, Zaofan's smile faded. But the moment she had dismissed Auroc as merely 'troublemaker' after all they had been through...

"Dash's master, huh?" He stammered. The letter she had left him after the incident with Battersea and Fife always struck him as rather odd. But this..."Oh, I remember."

Perhaps it was the long days of fighting, or the ashes of the broken capital they stood upon. Or perhaps it was because for the better part of a year, he had been chasing the after the Threshling God after he had declared war on the Earth so long ago, and the whole time, the whole time-

"And you say that you knew about Auroc this whole time?"

Zaofan curled his fingers on the tables edge, and stainless steel crumpled like tinfoil.

"...so that's your thing, huh? You eavesdrop on people having a rough time, then wait till they're at the end of their rope. Then suddenly when they can't take any more, you suddenly show up, swooping in and promising them miracles."

This was a song and dance he'd heard before. Toh Magoh. Ryu Shingen. Queen Persephone.

"That's enough of a red flag, but what really grinds my gears? You're aware of their plight the entire time and yet you never lift a finger. Sentimental my ass."

"Take a good long look at yourself in the mirror for a change, Reimi. I've heard enough."

And with a small beep, Zaofan hung up and slugged back the rest of his highball. Passing the phone back to Praxat, he let out a long sigh.

Dash was nearby the whole time, listening, "And if she had stepped in, what then? Do you truly wish for a universe where those with power take care of you like a child? Would that not have made her more like Auroc? Enslaving all of us by becoming dependent on her to solve all of our problems? Asha'rah tried something like that and look where it got her. An yeah, Meagan and Cyanna had both talked ot her about it once before, an ah learned it from them."

[grampagen]

"Ah'm sure there are others here who have better insight. Still, from what ah saw, it was a close call. Eva only managed to save herself though quick thinking and a bit of luck. That amulet of Koorimaru's, it couldn't be taken from him, Inanna would probably know more about that.

"Oh yeah, he did say something, now how did it go...?"

"“Three you will need. One, the warrior: trainer of Kings and Queens. Two, the heretic: one who broke their sacred oaths and suffered for it. Three, the dead yet living: one who has transcended the last barrier. When the three are brought forth, a Sacred and Profane Ritual shall combine their power with my own. The Gate will be open once more.”"

OOC: From earlier in the thread

"Did you fight him?"

Ochazuke considered these words carefully. If they were Koorimaru's own, they seemed uncharacteristically light in his usual sophistry.

"Seems we will attend to this matter shortly if his design for the Guardians is related to some eldritch matter. It goes without saying we cannot let this Gate open."

Nor could they know what it was, or who else had designs on it.

"But if he's truly given up Maiz...then either Koorimaru has spoken truthfully about his resistance to his own possession...or he and the Remnant have found another."

"Oh, I'll be coming along if possible, Remnant is an amalgamation of two Gods. That is my mess to clean up." As for Koorimaru? Inanna smirked. "As for the Freezy Pop... he dies; I don't care how tragic his backstory."

"If he dies, he dies," Ochazuke grunted. "Good."

Voyavoda nodded. "Of course. No matter the make--Nevadian, Saiyan, even Arcosian, I am quite familiar with how to pilot spacecraft. Hell, I might have even had a hand in designing a few of the Nevadian models..." Not wholesale, of course, but rather in the area of small-to-moderate improvements here and there. Feedback, if you will.

He gave the Earthling a once-over. "...Ochazuke, if I'm not mistaken? Totoma has told me much about you... much, indeed. He... respects you, to put it succinctly. I look forward to seeing what you in action." He, of course, had some idea of what he could do, based on what Totoma had told him and the feats that fusion had performed... but he wanted to see what the man, on his own, could do. The same could be said of Zaofan, though Totoma's description and compliment towards that individual had been of a more... companionable nature.

"You're acquainted with Totoma? Heh, were we not so fortunate to have him with us," Ochazuke said. "But if you can get us to Cortis II, so much the better."

And crossing the distance in an instant to catch one of his acolytes...for questioning.

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

"Did you fight him?"

Ochazuke considered these words carefully. If they were Koorimaru's own, they seemed uncharacteristically light in his usual sophistry.

"Seems we will attend to this matter shortly if his design for the Guardians is related to some eldritch matter. It goes without saying we cannot let this Gate open."

Nor could they know what it was, or who else had designs on it.

"But if he's truly given up Maiz...then either Koorimaru has spoken truthfully about his resistance to his own possession...or he and the Remnant have found another."

"I fought Remnant... briefly." Inanna commented off-hand.

"Wouldn't recommend it." After a pause, the woman then added: "Koorimaru was also confident that he, thanks to the power conferred by Remnant, could defeat everyone present on the Lookout at once. Whether or not this was his posturing, remains to be seen... but it does raise questions."