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

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

"Not...what I had in mind, I must say.." Blizzar shook his head, swinging his arm to free it of the book's grasp.

OOC: Can his hand feel anything on the other side?

It’s stuck inside fast.

OT:

A burning sensation, as if his hand was being....eaten or absorbed.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Sarada, by some miracle, was freed from the tendrils. It wasn't her own doing, that much she did know. The incorporeal energies - that probably wasn't the right word, but sue her, she was pissed and preoccupied - she felt right before then felt like Ochazuke. Heh, that human; always fighting from a distance and for maximum efficacy.

Freed, she drew her knife and prepared to move forward. She watched Blizzar's hand vanish into the book and grimaced. Alright, book is a big problem. Tch! She flashed forward, flanking the Gallows' Lord while he and his book were busy with Blizzar. She dipped low, brining her knife to bear and slashing the blade across the tendons in his knees.

The blade bites, but his stalk towards Parsley was just enough to prevent the tendons being cut.

You did make him bleed though.

Growling, he spins and claws Sarada’s chest, drawing blood and sending you to the ground. He pulls out a vial and dips your blood into it before capping it and grinning.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

It seems to unravel as it approaches him, fading into nothingness.

He stalks forward, a red gleam in his eyes and burning white light fills his hands.

Parsley watched helplessly as her attack was reduced to nothing. What is he?

As he stalked toward her, her eyes focused on him and the light in his hands. Observational Focus attempted to peer beyond what her eyes could see and determine what he was and what that energy was.

She shifted into a defensive position. For the time being, she decided that any offensive would be useless. At least for right then.

3

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

Once again, it seems to fight her but slowly, slowly, she absorbs in into herself.

Inanna couldn't help but feel some small measure of concern. It had been far less painful than the incorporation of Ruination... but would it persist? She searched inward for the answer, looking to see, more than anything, if this barely there speckle of Creation energy would take root and become a permanent fixture.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Parsley watched helplessly as her attack was reduced to nothing. What is he?

As he stalked toward her, her eyes focused on him and the light in his hands. Observational Focus attempted to peer beyond what her eyes could see and determine what he was and what that energy was.

She shifted into a defensive position. For the time being, she decided that any offensive would be useless. At least for right then.

3

She sees nothing. She cannot perceive the energy he is using.

She does seem him while on Sarada though.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Inanna couldn't help but feel some small measure of concern. It had been far less painful than the incorporation of Ruination... but would it persist? She searched inward for the answer, looking to see, more than anything, if this barely there speckle of Creation energy would take root and become a permanent fixture.

It can.

But she sees now that unlike Genesis, her body is not naturally meant to house so many different types of energy. The more she takes in, the harder to take root and grow each one will be.

[KingofPie]

It’s stuck inside fast.

OT:

A burning sensation, as if his hand was being....eaten or absorbed.

Sarada, by some miracle, was freed from the tendrils. It wasn't her own doing, that much she did know. The incorporeal energies - that probably wasn't the right word, but sue her, she was pissed and preoccupied - she felt right before then felt like Ochazuke. Heh, that human; always fighting from a distance and for maximum efficacy.

Freed, she drew her knife and prepared to move forward. She watched Blizzar's hand vanish into the book and grimaced. Alright, book is a big problem. Tch! She flashed forward, flanking the Gallows' Lord while he and his book were busy with Blizzar. She dipped low, brining her knife to bear and slashing the blade across the tendons in his knees.

The blade bites, but his stalk towards Parsley was just enough to prevent the tendons being cut.

You did make him bleed though.

Growling, he spins and claws Sarada’s chest, drawing blood and sending you to the ground. He pulls out a vial and dips your blood into it before capping it and grinning.

Blizzar attempted to wrench himself free, gathering ki to in his right hand to launch another Supernova Straight to parry the dark magics away from his fist and with his left, he spun around and swept his tail at the book's wielder.

[Miburo]

Vados claps.

“Excellent! Now then , are you hungry? We were about to have breakfast.”

Held's stomach began to rumble loudly in affirmation, as if it had been politely waiting until addressed to bring the issue to his attention.

"Now that you mention it, it's been....Quite some time since i've stopped to have a good meal."

It's been....What, before the battle against Blacktongue and his group?

His stomach began to rumble even louder, as if reading his thoughts.

[MrSandman]

“The Oracle showed me futures. Specifically, she showed be Genesis, and she showed me Inanna. She showed me the potential damage either unchecked could cause. Universe ending damage.”

He sits down and pours a cup of tea for them both.

“I watched, plotted, and waited. Gathered intel and items and allies. Ishtar was dangerous, but not a threat, but when she became Inanna she no longer had Ishtar’s....restraint. Like Genesis, Inanna acts out of desire without concern for collateral. When Sarada was almost taken by Auroc, Inanna almost blew up the planet.”

He ticks his fingers.

“On Reshlan, she almost did the same. And Parsley was spurned on to do something much the same just recently, almost blowing up Darkle to get at my allies. Millions, billions dead that had no hand in the deaths of your friends.”

He shakes his head.

“What’s worse is Inanna, like Genesis, keeps looking for more: more power, more ways to transcend. Even using a tainted Angel like Lampton to learn how too. And much of this she has withheld from her companions. Night, Remnant, Lampton, and other examples of her seeking power without contemplating the consequences. She’s playing fast and loose and eventually, it will be too much. I even have an example on hand: The Ishtar in my company already fell, and though her potential is less than Inanna’s, she still has the same flaws.”

"Your example only speaks of a potential....temporal theory would imply there are infinite outcomes along infinite timelines, both stable and collapsed. I could just as easily pull forth an Ishtar who never became Inanna and lived a humble existence....had things been but single choice in a different direction."

Etrina spins the tea cup slightly in her hand, allowing the liquid inside to swirl.

"....You fear her potential, am I correct? That is why you still deem to carry that vile rendition of her around on a lease. She's evil, her intent is malicious...but she has no potential, or at least nothing like ours. The potential to keep growing, both in power and ambition....until she passes a point where nothing else will be able to deny her.....and you've seen how that potential can play out through your Oracle."

"....I can't say with absolute certainty that you are wrong, not about Inanna.........but there is one thing I know without a shadow of a doubt. Your methods are fundamentally flawed. You speak of all the collateral damage she has wrought with her power, but what have you and yours done in your quest to stop it...murdered people who had nothing to do with her. What of Held? Was he fated to be some sort of destoryer as well? The ones who summoned the dragonballs? Koorimaru? You have more then enough ability among your group....but it always comes down to kill, kill, kill....and when you knew you couldn't kill her you trapped her in here."

Etrina leaned back in her seat. "Forgive me....but take it from my experience. I've yet to see a single entity that has remained imprisoned forever....even by the gods. They always break out, and they ALWAYS do so in the most destructive way possible. In a few million years when I'm long dead......this shell will crack, weither by fate or time or meddling or just another idiot. Can you imagine what would emerge from here after all that time? Maybe you check back with your oracle on that assuming she isn't pissing her fae pants in fear....pardon my expression."

Etrina sips her tea.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

She sees nothing. She cannot perceive the energy he is using.

She does seem him while on Sarada though.

What? Nothing?

Sarada's sudden appearance bought her some time. Her mind pondered why and how she couldn't detect a single thing about him. With her mind clouded by the disembodied voices running through her head all at once, she needed as much time and concentration as she could get. Perhaps the fact that he was ascended beyond the limits of his race and was technically a god-like being? That was the only valid and plausible reason she could think of.

She looked up and witnessed Sarada attack, only to barely nick his leg and get slashed in return. Her broken teeth gnashed together as he dripped Sarada's blood into a vial. That was never a good thing. However, she noticed that he himself was also bleeding.

She grinned and drew the blood toward herself. The fresh blood of an ascended being would provide much power for a spell. She smeared it on her jawline and cast a quick healing spell to set it back into place.

4

The blade bites, but his stalk towards Parsley was just enough to prevent the tendons being cut.

You did make him bleed though.

Growling, he spins and claws Sarada’s chest, drawing blood and sending you to the ground. He pulls out a vial and dips your blood into it before capping it and grinning.

"AH damn it!" Sarada shouted as she clutched her chest. Deep gashes tore through her flesh, blood bubbling out and staining her armor. "Damn you!" She kipped up to her feet and eyed him carefully. Parsley was there, as well. She actually didn't realize they were fighting the same person. She supposed that once the haze of battle settled in, nothing else mattered. However, there was nothing ordinary about this battle.

I need to calm down.

She breathed in, and held it. The wolf thing was a lot more powerful than she was. She needed to even the odds, and she knew exactly how.

The rage, anguish, sorrow, guilt, and lust for revenge and the blood of her friends' murders faded from her thoughts. Even thoughts of the Gallows Lord drifted away into the endless white ether that was her mind. There was only her and the battle.

Peerless Instinct

Her body acted on its own accord. Her knife twirled in her hands as she moved toward Gallows Lord.

Essential Celerity

Her body moved in a flash of speed, the ultra katchin blade swinging through the air with laser-guided precision in search of his throat.

Peerless Instict Timer: 6 posts remain

[bruceleegreyhulk]

Dash shoots past her and into Totoma’s portal.

Seeing Dash shoot past her, Praxat just slightly waves and then goes back to focus her attention on the Judge, as she lands right next to Totoma with her guard up.

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

It can.

But she sees now that unlike Genesis, her body is not naturally meant to house so many different types of energy. The more she takes in, the harder to take root and grow each one will be.

Bothersome, this knowledge.

To know that even now, after pushing past an already seemingly permanent barrier to potential, she'd find herself hampered ultimately by the fact that she was a flawed vessel. Though one supposed it was fitting. When one added and removed parts- as she did- the lines tended to blur between who you wished to be and how much of who you really were was left.

"Cheh."

It was enough to know that the seed might propagate in time, though; and whether or not she managed to get off this rock she at least knew she'd have the time to see it blossom.

More important than future plans however, was at least attempting to force her way through and out. She had a makeshift bomb, she now had the means to perhaps create a ripple; but where was Etrina? Storing the remains of the arm- simply because it was one of her shiny things- the woman attempted to make her way toward this barrier forged from True Magic... if such was at all possible.

[Monstrous Bird of Qin, Ou Ki]

Blizzar’s fist is stuck in the book right now.

The Wolf God’s left leg strike sour and attempts to kick Voya back through the void lens.

It strikes true and Voyavoda is sent careening backwards, landing roughly and sliding towards the void tunnel, very nearly exiting the very way he'd come. However, he managed to get control of his momentum before that happened... thankfully.

Holding up a hand to his chest, he winced as he felt the dull pain of his bones knitting back together, and soft tissue mending itself. It was a good thing, and something he'd felt countless times before, but he'd never quite gotten used to it. However, the wolf god seemed a bit distracted by the formidable saiyan sisters... excellent.

Dropping back into his fighting stance, Voyavoda shot forth with ma-Tobashii, appearing behind the (hopefully?) distracted Wolf God. His hands shot forth... and under the 'wolf god's' arms, as he attempted to trap him in a hold so that the Saiyan royals could do what saiyans do best--inflict mass amounts of damage.



If nothing else, even if this failed, having to repeatedly swat away the annoying fly that was, well, him, would be distracting. He was nothing if not persistent.

A half broken cybernetic pile is slowly reforming further in the woods. It moves its head to the side and looks at Totoma.

A different gun forms in his hands and fires several shots at Totoma.

There he was. Totoma hyper-focused on the Judge, barely acknowledging Praxat's arrival with a grunt--though that was because the Judge opened fired at him a split-second after. He could try to tank it or dodge. The Just Saiyan quickly decided to test out just how fast this new form was.

As the bullets approached (...with surprising speed, he noted), Totoma attempted to dodge out of the way of the bullets while closing the distance, so he could deliver his own judgement. Using his fists.

His very angry, very strong fists.

[grampagen]

The fires burn the tendrils and the Rings all seems to be melting as well.

Zaofan’s blows shatter the Containment Sphere the Last Daughter was inside with Lady Binder, the only thing that probably saved the Fae’s life. It happened almost too fast to be seen, but instinct and her own super speed gives Binder just enough time to gasp and recoil as the barrier fails.

The Last Daughter lunges and pushes Lady Binder through the portal to safety, taking Zaofan’s blows upon her back and roaring in pain as the human hammers her from behind.

Zaofan reached his fists towards that diminuitive figure and felt them impact some kind of shield. Gradually in the space between seconds, with rapidfire blows from spearing fists filled with hyperfreqency strikes, he'd managed to wear it down, and then he reached for those fluttering wings...only to strike...scale?!

No!

His strikes increased in their intensity as he saw the Binder tear open a portal, trying with all of his might to just get this new enemy out of the way.

First Held was taken from them, but at this moment Zaofan had another realization. Etrina! I can't sense her anywhere!

She and Inanna had gone through first to confront these...these people, and now there were nowhere to be found.

"GET OUT OF MY WAY!" he shouted, "GIVE HER BACK!!!"

If the Last Daughter wouldn't get out of his path, then he'd shoot through and around her with an Optic Blast after the Binder as she retreated through the portal.

[grampagen]

In an instant Totoma's Void portal had become more than a window from which they could view those who schemed in the shadows, for with just a moment's courage it became the means by which the battle had been joined in full. Despite his fervour to strike back, Ochazuke had been among the last to set foot upon this distant world. Creation Energy, in this instance, was hardly a boon, for he very much did not have Evangeline's gift for it.

If the rapidly expanding field of view across the Universal Span from Reshlan to Darkle was disorienting to his mental faculties before, the moment he set foot on the planet itself to experienced the conflict firsthand was completely overwhelming.

Like the first, distant pull through the stars focused the the Black Sphere, the artifact had channeled his focus as a wayfinder as it chased the path of Held's killer...and with it a flood of information of the concurrent world surrounding innumerable stars to the end of this distant portion of space.

Meditation; in perfect stillness, to experience a moment in totality. Right now, here upon this ancient, dark world, Ochazuke experienced the harrowing expanse of the long shadows that stretched all over Darkle, and his senses continued to expand outward to the empty void beneath a canopy of foreign, burning stars.

All of it across this twisting ether, it was notable for its silence next to the rapid escalation of myriad powers and unfathomable energies contained in their current adversaries. Gritting his teeth, he collapsed to a knee as he willed himself to focus.

Beast God. Gallows Lord. Last Daughter. The Judge. There had been traces of two others before. Had it been an illusion? These petty tricks... As he attempted to hone his focus, he'd slowly began to examine the minutae inherent to the natures of every one of them.

Knowledge that had intuitively carried itself across Kizuna and directly to Totoma. Yet something was amiss.

Where is he?

Searching for something to ground the sheer scope of sensation, he reflexively reached into the Genius Loci of the planet, Darkle's Leylines.

Where is the Forger?!