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

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

With practiced ease, she captured the Blood Sarada in a capsule to officially take it out of the fight. She hoped. Nothing had managed to escape one of those things as far as she knew but she was leaving nothing to chance.

With that done, she took a moment to take stock of the situation. Wolf God was continuing his pursuit of Sihn. In the far distance, she noticed a figure that looked like Shek'hinah had arrived and was helping Totoma take care of the souls that had previously been threatened by the cowardly so-called deity. "Tch."

Her nerves had become frazzled and she was sick and tired of the entire ordeal. She didn't know where these beings came from or why they felt they had the right to simply do whatever they wanted, but it was going to stop. She had had enough.

Her teeth gritted. Her aura flared as she lifted off and rocketed down Snake Way toward the battle proper. With the remaining blood from her wounds, she formed another rune. It flashed and activated a petrification spell to turn Wolf God into stone.

It seems to take for just a moment before he shakes out of it and backhands Sihn into you.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

The Nevadians eating slowed considerably as he slumped in his chair.

"...A trainer, huh." He replied gloomily, "You don't say. I'm something of a trainer myself--when the money is right-- I was training someone right before I ended up here."

Despite his sudden change in spirits, he morosely continued eating. "I guess I'm more out of practice than I thought, if she managed to take me out...She's not half bad, don't get me wrong, but she still had a lot to learn..."

He sighed deeply.

"Then again, perhaps so do I, if she managed to put me on ice.....Maybe I just don't have it anymore."



"Well, I certainly had help, and I would be lying if I said they didn't do all the heavy lifting." He replied, his mind still focused on how he was clearly past his glory days. It was only the absolute quality of his food and the joy it produced that kept him from excusing himself, to curl into a ball in the corner of the room and hopefully not weep bitterly at lost potential.

"And If I were to be honest with you, I...Think we were just cleaning up the mess someone left behind."

Even now, the putrid rotting being that was Hammer, apparently on the cusp of dead for ages untold, stuck with the Nevadian. He almost felt pity for the being, were it not clear that such a state was considered an inconvenience to it's greater goals.

"I'm...Not the foremost expert on Namekians or Gods or Destruction, but I don't think 'Walking Corpse' is the default of either..."

Vados nods.

“It’s good knowing he was finally taken care of permanently. Never liked him, and I never saw what Stine saw in him.”

Whis eats another bite before tapping his chin.

“Held, how would you like to train with us a bit? You seem rather down on yourself and I think some training would hit the spot! Besides, as a Unicorn summoner you are practically our distant cousin!”

[Sub-Zero MKA]

It seems to take for just a moment before he shakes out of it and backhands Sihn into you.

Parsley growled. It didn't work?!

She caught Sihn and dropped him behind her. "Get somewhere safe."

Observational Focus zeroed on Wolf God. Why hadn't her spell worked? Was he so strong that he could muscle out of a petrifaction spell?

Whatever the answer, she knew she wasn't going to like it.

[grampagen]

Zaofan, you have managed to stabilize Totoma’s body. It’s up to his soul now.

Exhales left tense Zaofan's tense lips. Gradually, he found some small success, but he couldn't let up now.

Come on, buddy...get up, fight!

Unlike the Dragon's Fire, consuming, destructive, the Phoenix's was almost cold where he held it fast in his rigid palms. With any luck, each small pulse to the rhythm of a heartbeat would guide Totoma back home.

Banespell chuckled sadly a bit.

“I envy you, boy. Your naïvetée. Your hypocrisy. Your very allies just about destroyed my planet just now and the few billion that live on it. Without even a second thought because they were angry. Or Reshlan. Or even the Saiyan homeworld, yet you claim a moral high ground? And I assure you, human, there is far less blood on my hands than Inanna, or your Saiyan friends, or even Blizzar and that Rex fellow.”

He turns and looks at Zaofan, magic in his eyes.

“I know my sins, human. I know the names of those who have died under my authority, and I understand punishment awaits at the end, which is more than I can say about some. But I will protect this universe from the threat Lady Inanna and Genesis both pose, and I will not fail. The havoc both can cause........”

He eyes the Phoenix blood on the ground and shakes his head.

“Pride goeth, boy. Remember that. I hope our paths don’t cross again, for both our sakes. I’d rather not add your name to my list.”

With that, his hand comes up and in a very familiar gesture, places two fingers against his for head and disappears.

"...if you're so concerned about them, then why are you running?"

The words hung in the empty air.

In an instant, the Lord Forger was nowhere to be seen as the planet seemed split with a horrifying crack through its mantle.

...that's all this is, isn't it? All of...this, that's all you can see...

Blinking the sweat out of his eyes, the Martial Chef stood fast by his departed friend through the hell and quake that followed the battle.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Ruination Ishtar’s arm isn’t cut by Sarada’s attack, but the distraction and his parry does leave her open to a sternum punch that bows her over.


And than Inanna slams into her like a thunderbolt from on high and an eruption of energy follows, flinging any nearby away as she planted Ishtar five miles down into Darkle’s crust and into some lava.

Her handle on the blade was sure, and her strength formidable, but he could see it deep within her soul; the sheer power this thing brought to bear she had a small confidence in handling. There was already a tell, and the moment she exploded forth he was already in motion.

Shoshin

The blade flew forward, carried on that arm.

Ishtar's burning sword sought a target right before her. Curious, was this her last natural limb that carried it? A direct strike, yet quite unpracticed.

You never did pay much mind to your surroundings. Not when you could destroy them without consequence.

With the slightest movement, Ochazuke took advantage of that slightest hesitation stepped to the outside to dodged...but only just.

Mushin



The moment Sarada's razor-sharp disk flew in, Ochazuke drew back, wasting no movement as he raised a fist to his side and seized upon the window of time that grew almost imperceptibly wider.

His counter was deceptively simple; A reverse straight punch thrown toward the nearest target as he slipped below the level of Ishtar's smouldering orange eyes and threw his fist into her sternum.

Zanshin.

The first strike was meant to connect, but followed by a Mastered Kiai carrying the Spark of Creation in its wake, at this close a range he sought to snuff out her myriad, layered auras in the blowback.



...and close the maneuver on a decisive pincer attack.

Inanna squinted.

When she'd been imprisoned in an over glorified crystal ball, she hadn't expected to come back to a house on fire and its residents throwing hands.

But in a way, she was glad.

... A chance to vent frustration.

"When in Rome...".

Ochazuke closing from one side, Inanna closed from the other, unsealing her suppressed self mid-flight and turning herself into the equivalent of a planet sundering missile.

"What the ****?!"

Sarada gawped in utter shock when something slammed into Ishtar from behind and drive her miles deep into the planet's mantle.

No, not something. Someone.

She felt it as soon as she returned. Her beloved wife, the root cause of all this bullshit, apparently. These fucks killed so many of her friends because of Inanna. Why, no one had told her. The thought to ask some questions hadn't really crossed her mind, and she doubted these assholes would have said much even if she had.

Sarada started grinding her teeth as she approached the crater the collision of the two time-related goddesses. You knew, didn't you? You knew all this time they were after you and you didn't say a fucking word.

She probably shouldn't have been surprised. That wasn't going to stop her from being absolutely incensed.

Held, dead.

Eva, dead.

Jack, dead.

Totoma, dead.

For what? Inanna? They killed their friends to draw her out, to lure her to them? In an attempt to kill her? trap her? keep her out of the way? All that failed, so her friends, the people she cared, died for nothing. There was no telling when they could be wished back to life. The Namekians were skittish on a good day. Their Elder dying suddenly in front of them had to have spooked them terribly.

"Goddamn fucking it, Inanna."

Had she said something, they could have at least known these new enemies were on the horizon. It wouldn't have helped, but knowing someone wanted to kill her wife would have compelled Sarada to train harder so she could be ready to protect her as best she could. Sarada knew she would have failed, but that wasn't the point. Keeping her in the dark meant Inanna took that chance away from her.

She growled and punched the ground. "Goddamn you."

[Monstrous Bird of Qin, Ou Ki]

Eventually, Totoma manages to block all the blasts heading towards the souls.

Behind him, the tall figure of Sheki’hinah, Inanna’s mother, has been shepherding the souls away and seems to get them out of the Wolf God’s range.

Sihn, however, has not been doing so well. The Wolf god sends the man tricking into Snake Way, cratering it as the beast flies down after him. A bullet of Creational energy shoots out at him and punches him back,, allowing Sihn to get up, but his enemy carries on down to him, howling the entire time.

Alright, all the blasts were taken care of, and he'd managed to make a bit of headway as far as advancing went! Time to go help this Sihn guy...

...who seemed to not be doing so well.

His razorback faded, and his aura burst to life once again as he rocketed towards the Wolf God. As he was passing by Parsley--who'd just had Sihn kicked into her--he felt a curious... pull? And a familiar presence at the edge of his consciousness.

Zaofan?

...

He felt that he could return to his body whenever he wanted, now, and things would be alright, but he was needed more here... probably. Yeah, he didn't know that for sure, but he had faith in his friends. Weird as they were, they'd always come through.

Still, it was nice to know he had a route back to the living world, even if he didn't plan on returning very soon. Not even after this fight was over, actually.

Because what Saiyan would pass up the chance to meet and train with some badasses of the past?

As he neared the Wolf God, he fell into the Boar School fighting stance... a low-to-the... uh... ground?

...well, he was in the air, so it wasn't...

Gah, it was a low stance, like a boar!

And he struck the Wolf God with a quick series of punches to his stomach, followed by a kick.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Parsley growled. It didn't work?!

She caught Sihn and dropped him behind her. "Get somewhere safe."

Observational Focus zeroed on Wolf God. Why hadn't her spell worked? Was he so strong that he could muscle out of a petrifaction spell?

Whatever the answer, she knew she wasn't going to like it.

That is indeed the truth. Under her Observation, Parsley sees the truth: he is vastly stronger. He can just shrug out of it. He is a true God, and that is terrifying.

Sihn reloads his gun and stays with her.

“No thanks. Rather go down swinging than get hunted. Besides....”

Just as Totoma is about to unload on the Wolf God, something happens.

Sihn stops talking as a swirling portal opens up nearby and a single fairy floats through it.

Lady Binder.

She looks around, than her eyes narrow and she points at the Gallows Lord.

“ Shabador un Balac, The Banner of the Crimson Moon, you have broken your Oath.”

Her voice carries, loud and clear and a dreadful pressure builds up suddenly. A pall seems to hang in the air as the Wolf God growls and shakes his head.

“I broke no oath! I was slain! Any oaths are non-binding past that point!”

Lady Binder shakes her head.

“You swore to do Lord Forger’s will and help take Genesis and Lady Inanna down, only than would I show you a means to traverse here to claim your battle against Sihn. Instead, you sought to sate your vengeance by a loophole, ignoring your oath and order to retreat.”

Her eyes flare and more magic than Parsley has ever felt, save from Caliban, roils in the air as mystic chains wrap around the Gallows Lord, binding him. He howls, but the chains just tighten.

“You are an Oathbreaker. You knew the cost, now reap it: Curse of the Oathdamned!”

He screams as the chains glow and his very essence, his soul, is shredded apart. Damned howls rip through the air and shake Otherworld, but Lady Binder ignores it until the Wolf God is no more than a speck of dull dust that she carefully takes ahold of.

She turns, terrifyingly magic swirling around her for a moment before she bows.

“Lord Sihn, my apologies and sincere forgiveness requested from myself, and Lord Oberon and Ladies Titania and Mab. While we had the intention of taking him here eventually, attacking souls as he did was never our intention, merely a clean duel between you two. A gift in recompense shall be given, as is in accordance, to make up for this infraction.”

She bows again, before eyeing Parsley and Totoma.

“Princess, Just Saiyan, well done.”

With that, the portal closes around her and ahe vanishes.


After a moment, Sihn finally breaks the silence.

“The hell just happened!?”

[grampagen]

Ruination Ishtar’s arm isn’t cut by Sarada’s attack, but the distraction and his parry does leave her open to a sternum punch that bows her over.


And than Inanna slams into her like a thunderbolt from on high and an eruption of energy follows, flinging any nearby away as she planted Ishtar five miles down into Darkle’s crust and into some lava.

Following Sarada's setup that blindsided Ishtar, Ochazuke felt his blow strike, but the expression on his face hardly changed as he swiftly threw up his guard and swiftly found himself blown backward.

What fell upon the planet was something uncanny, a Destroyer to match a Destroyer. Their clash would split the planet with as much ease as a sheet of paper.

...not...yet...!

He'd felt it the moment he drew upon the power of the planet's leylines. Though they were not within their line of sight, there upon the dark planet were huddled billions of lives.

It was a struggle, but against the shockwave current he began to return is flight toward the source of the impact, ascertaining the level of damage to the planet before him as he moved.

[Monstrous Bird of Qin, Ou Ki]

That is indeed the truth. Under her Observation, Parsley sees the truth: he is vastly stronger. He can just shrug out of it. He is a true God, and that is terrifying.

Sihn reloads his gun and stays with her.

“No thanks. Rather go down swinging than get hunted. Besides....”

Just as Totoma is about to unload on the Wolf God, something happens.

Sihn stops talking as a swirling portal opens up nearby and a single fairy floats through it.

Lady Binder.

She looks around, than her eyes narrow and she points at the Gallows Lord.

“ Shabador un Balac, The Banner of the Crimson Moon, you have broken your Oath.”

Her voice carries, loud and clear and a dreadful pressure builds up suddenly. A pall seems to hang in the air as the Wolf God growls and shakes his head.

“I broke no oath! I was slain! Any oaths are non-binding past that point!”

Lady Binder shakes her head.

“You swore to do Lord Forger’s will and help take Genesis and Lady Inanna down, only than would I show you a means to traverse here to claim your battle against Sihn. Instead, you sought to sate your vengeance by a loophole, ignoring your oath and order to retreat.”

Her eyes flare and more magic than Parsley has ever felt, save from Caliban, roils in the air as mystic chains wrap around the Gallows Lord, binding him. He howls, but the chains just tighten.

“You are an Oathbreaker. You knew the cost, now reap it: Curse of the Oathdamned!”

He screams as the chains glow and his very essence, his soul, is shredded apart. Damned howls rip through the air and shake Otherworld, but Lady Binder ignores it until the Wolf God is no more than a speck of dull dust that she carefully takes ahold of.

She turns, terrifyingly magic swirling around her for a moment before she bows.

“Lord Sihn, my apologies and sincere forgiveness requested from myself, and Lord Oberon and Ladies Titania and Mab. While we had the intention of taking him here eventually, attacking souls as he did was never our intention, merely a clean duel between you two. A gift in recompense shall be given, as is in accordance, to make up for this infraction.”

She bows again, before eyeing Parsley and Totoma.

“Princess, Just Saiyan, well done.”

With that, the portal closes around her and ahe vanishes.


After a moment, Sihn finally breaks the silence.

“The hell just happened!?”

Totoma stopped his assault as... one of the Ulthan appeared, said some stuff that went completely over his head, and then ripped the Wolf God to shreds with... magic, presumably. And since he was already dead, that meant he was double dead, now.

Holy **** he was confused, and Sihn seemed to be just as confused as he was. The hell just happened, indeed.

"...I, uh... I'm a bit confused here, but I guess... yay?"

He turned to Sihn. "You're Inanna's uncle, right? You OK? Parsley and I came here to help you, but I, er... guess it wasn't really needed?" Well, maybe they provided enough of a distraction to give that fairy enough time to show up and do... whatever she had done, but that was basically it.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Totoma stopped his assault as... one of the Ulthan appeared, said some stuff that went completely over his head, and then ripped the Wolf God to shreds with... magic, presumably. And since he was already dead, that meant he was double dead, now.

Holy **** he was confused, and Sihn seemed to be just as confused as he was. The hell just happened, indeed.

"...I, uh... I'm a bit confused here, but I guess... yay?"

He turned to Sihn. "You're Inanna's uncle, right? You OK? Parsley and I came here to help you, but I, er... guess it wasn't really needed?" Well, maybe they provided enough of a distraction to give that fairy enough time to show up and do... whatever she had done, but that was basically it.

He looks at Totoma and nods, holstering the gun and pulling out a flask and taking a very long drink.

“Without you two I’d be dead, so yeah, I’m good. Just..confused as all hell. Here.”

He offers then flask to either of them.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Parsley saw beyond the veil of what her material eyes could see, and what she saw was terrifying. Wolf God wasn't just an arrogant moniker of a being drunk on his own power. It was the truth.

He was a god. He was a god and he was vastly more powerful than Parsley was. Her magic didn't work because he was too powerful.

She licked her lips careful. All her ideas went out the proverbial window. Nothing she could do could even hope of doing any kind of damage. It was obvious that he truly did allow himself to die at the hands of Sarada and Totoma, instead of taking advantage of it like she first thought. What do I do? Totoma was inbound, but there was precious little either of them could do, outside of taking potshots and try and wear him down.

Then, something happened. The fairy from before appeared, Lady Binder. The oathmaker.

Gallows Lord had broken his oath when he allowed himself to die as a loophole. He was supposed to help dispose of Inanna and... and Genesis? As it stood, he was in violation of his oath and paid the price with his life.

Lady Binder, a fitting name, displayed more magic than Parsley had ever encountered. Only Caliban displayed more, which was disconcerting. Wolf God was gone, vanished with nothing more than the baleful howls of a slain apex predator left to shake the entire afterlife.

Well done? she thought right before Binder left the same way she came. Parsley was taken aback and left speechless.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Following Sarada's setup that blindsided Ishtar, Ochazuke felt his blow strike, but the expression on his face hardly changed as he swiftly threw up his guard and swiftly found himself blown backward.

What fell upon the planet was something uncanny, a Destroyer to match a Destroyer. Their clash would split the planet with as much ease as a sheet of paper.

...not...yet...!

He'd felt it the moment he drew upon the power of the planet's leylines. Though they were not within their line of sight, there upon the dark planet were huddled billions of lives.

It was a struggle, but against the shockwave current he began to return is flight toward the source of the impact, ascertaining the level of damage to the planet before him as he moved.

A figure can be seen nearby, a dwarf in a cap with a cane. The cane is plunged into the earth, and the dwarf can be seen pumping a series of runes into it.

To Ochazuke’s senses, the Lord Forger is pouring that bit of True Magic from his forge into the planet itself, and through the Leylines he can see the damage healing itself, the core stabilizing, the wounds mending. He pours more of his Forge Magic into it as well, the cane becoming a hammer as he strikes runes into the ground to keep the planet stable.

He can also sense Ishtar is badly wounded in the hole Inanna made. The Ruination Goddess is broken in many ways, but still lives and still heals.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Totoma stopped his assault as... one of the Ulthan appeared, said some stuff that went completely over his head, and then ripped the Wolf God to shreds with... magic, presumably. And since he was already dead, that meant he was double dead, now.

Holy **** he was confused, and Sihn seemed to be just as confused as he was. The hell just happened, indeed.

"...I, uh... I'm a bit confused here, but I guess... yay?"

He turned to Sihn. "You're Inanna's uncle, right? You OK? Parsley and I came here to help you, but I, er... guess it wasn't really needed?" Well, maybe they provided enough of a distraction to give that fairy enough time to show up and do... whatever she had done, but that was basically it.

He looks at Totoma and nods, holstering the gun and pulling out a flask and taking a very long drink.

“Without you two I’d be dead, so yeah, I’m good. Just..confused as all hell. Here.”

He offers then flask to either of them.

Parsley wordlessly took the flask and took a very hearty swig before passing it to Totoma. "I don't know what just happened, but I'm glad it did. I thought Wolf God was just a name he gave himself. I didn't realize until just now that he really is a god." He had transcended his race, likely with the ritual Lampton had offered to her. She knew it would make her a god, but the implications of such didn't hit her until right then.

The power was unimaginable.

She shook her head. Her ax disappeared. "At any rate, I'm glad you're alright Sihn. Were any of the souls harmed?"

With Gallows Lord dead for good, that meant the Sarada construct should have been reduced to nothing more than a froze puddle of blood. She took out and opened the capsule it was contained in to confirm.

[Monstrous Bird of Qin, Ou Ki]

He looks at Totoma and nods, holstering the gun and pulling out a flask and taking a very long drink.

“Without you two I’d be dead, so yeah, I’m good. Just..confused as all hell. Here.”

He offers then flask to either of them.

Well, at least the extreme actions they'd taken hadn't been in vain. Hopefully they wouldn't need to do anything that... that completely insane ever again. Of course, knowing how things were these days... they probably would.

Sigh

Totoma took the flask when Parsley offered it to him. He wasn't one for drinking, but today had been really... really... really trying, so a swig or two couldn't hurt. He nodded, then took a drink, handing it back to Sihn.

"There's... so much going on in this universe that I wasn't aware of," he said, sighing. "Plots against my friends, god... stuff. What the heck was up with that Wolf God guy? He seemed to really hate you. Why? And why couldn't I sense his power directly? All I could feel was a... hm, a pressure coming off of him?"

That was the best way he could think of to put it, even if it wasn't quite right. Ki normally had a sort of 'pressure' to it, but this had felt different, and far more... intense. Like standing in front of an insurmountable mountain instead of a person.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Parsley wordlessly took the flask and took a very hearty swig before passing it to Totoma. "I don't know what just happened, but I'm glad it did. I thought Wolf God was just a name he gave himself. I didn't realize until just now that he really is a god." He had transcended his race, likely with the ritual Lampton had offered to her. She knew it would make her a god, but the implications of such didn't hit her until right then.

The power was unimaginable.

She shook her head. Her ax disappeared. "At any rate, I'm glad you're alright Sihn. Were any of the souls harmed?"

With Gallows Lord dead for good, that meant the Sarada construct should have been reduced to nothing more than a froze puddle of blood. She took out and opened the capsule it was contained in to confirm.

“No, Sheki’hinah and your friends Jack and Nunlil helped keep them safe. No souls lost.”