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

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

"Absolute? You're a fucking dumbass."

Sarada shook her head and glared daggers at him. The belief that time was absolute boggled her mind. There were infinite numbers of alternate timelines that proved that it wasn't. There were too many infinitesimally small decisions that could have gone one way or the other. Every decision one way or the other created an alternate timeline. Every choice, no matter how seemingly insignificant it could have been at the time resulted in major consequences at some point down the line.

She knew that first hand because she was living that exact circumstance right then, as she spoke. Zurvan never saw her coming. With all his meticulous manipulations to subtly move Ishtar exactly to where he wanted her to end up, he never foresaw her falling in love with a monkey girl. But she had, and that ruined everything because it changed Ishtar's priorities. And that love was what drove Ishtar to flee to the Archons when she had her severe mental breakdown. Had she stayed, Sarada would have broken right along with her. Instead, she fled and tried to bottle it all down like she did before with Sekhmet. All that resulted was her and Inanna splitting and Inanna being forced to kill Ishtar to save her from herself.

Sarada sighed and took a moment to calm herself down before responding.

"Zurvan never foresaw Ishtar and me falling in love. Or he did and he didn't consider it a big enough threat to his overall plans to bother putting a stop to it. Either way, his meticulously planned and carefully carried out plan was ruined because of me. And know what else? Ishtar already had broke years ago. I know because I felt every last negative emotion she felt during the entire thing. It felt like my heart was swimming in poison. She knew that and she ran off to try and bottle it all down. That's how Inanna is even in existence. So tell me, did your precious Fae's vision tell you that? If she did, you fucked up years ago. You could have prevented all of this from happening by helping Ishtar through her mental breakdown before Inanna even had a chance to step foot outside of her subconscious."

She looked down at him. It was understandable that he would be so spooked by that vision. From the sounds of it, it was harrowing. But this clown had gone about it all wrong. Instead of sneaking through the shadows, he should have come to them and laid it all out on the table years ago. Again, though, that was assuming he even knew of Ishtar's mental breakdown before it happened. If he didn't, then he was full of shit.

"The only way Inanna is going to have a breakdown on the caliber of Ishtar's when Sekhmet died or when she found out she was nothing more but Zurvan's puppet is if something happens to me or our child. That very thing almost happened when your cabal attacked the Lookout. I could have been killed, and you almost fulfilled your own prophecy."

“There are less than a dozen Ishtar’s and Inanna’s in all of time, Queen. Most timelines either fade away, unable to sustain themselves, or merge with other ones eventually. Of the Ishtar’s and Inanna’s I’ve seen.....only three have been benevolent. One gave up her power, and two others fulfilled their roles as Gods of Destruction, but found peace and contentment. So yes, the vision I was given was absolute. I’ve seen the others.”

“Had she remained Ishtar, it would have been fine, given someone had gotten to her in time to help her mentally. But the moment she became Inanna, the limiters were removed. She is no longer bound by anything but her own lusts and curiosity. She has made bargains and deals, dangerous things. Beyond that, while I am sorry you were caught in the crossfire, and I am, Inanna would not have known about it. Time moves faster in the prison, and within only month out here she and I would have been dead from old age, souls forever trapped there so none could free either of us.”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

"Then what was it all about? Other than drawing Inanna into your clutches," Parsley inquired as she folded her arms over her chest. "You killed the Guardians of Earth and Namek... for what? So we couldn't use the dragonballs to free Inanna? We easily could have waited until the Nameks created a new set to do that."

She eyed him curiously. "Your actions and those of The Judge and whoever attacked Earth led to this conflict. If you have been watching us as closely as I imagine you have been, you made a critical error in underestimating our ability to find you so quickly." She sighed and took a look at the destruction that had been wrought upon the planet. She had been unaware that were people on this world. Had she known, she would have been more judicious in her initial volley.

"For what it's worth, I am sorry for my initial attack. I wasn't aware the planet was inhabited."

With that said, she moved on to something more pertinent: Genesis. Banespell mentioned that both Inanna and Genesis were the reasons for his actions. He plan for Inanna had been revealed, but he hadn't been forthcoming with Genesis. She knew that Inanna was one of the few beings in the universe who could fight with Genesis on an even keel at this point. With her trapped, that would have no longer been an option. Then what?

"You fear Genesis, as well. Inanna is one of the few people alive who can combat her somewhat evenly. She and Rex even made her retreat the other day on Reshlan, when they were both much weaker than they likely are even now. So, what was your plan for her? Inanna would have been trapped if you had your way and your Ulthan would have been massacred."

“As I said, before a new set were made she would have passed on in the prison. I will admit I underestimated your capabilities.”

He nods to her somewhat apology.

“As to Genesis, she is not immune to death as Inanna is. Why do you think I sought out three Gods and a Demi-God? Failing that, Lady Binder and I have a.....potential trap to stop her as well, though it is very risky.”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

"What is it, I wonder?" Inanna asked, before dodging the swing and attempting to tear a hole through Ishtar with a blast of Ki.

"What has you so desperate to kill me? Inadequacy, maybe?"

The ki blast is eaten by the her Ruination half.

She swings again, trying to cut Inanna.

“You remind me of my old weaknesses. And your happy.”

[bruceleegreyhulk]

Praxat goes off to search for Totoma.

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

The ki blast is eaten by the her Ruination half.

She swings again, trying to cut Inanna.

“You remind me of my old weaknesses. And your happy.”

"You misunderstand me then," Inanna replied while dodging the swing. "Though that seems to be the case with everyone." Stepping in, the woman coated her fist in Hakai and struck Ishtar in the midsection.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

“There are less than a dozen Ishtar’s and Inanna’s in all of time, Queen. Most timelines either fade away, unable to sustain themselves, or merge with other ones eventually. Of the Ishtar’s and Inanna’s I’ve seen.....only three have been benevolent. One gave up her power, and two others fulfilled their roles as Gods of Destruction, but found peace and contentment. So yes, the vision I was given was absolute. I’ve seen the others.”

“Had she remained Ishtar, it would have been fine, given someone had gotten to her in time to help her mentally. But the moment she became Inanna, the limiters were removed. She is no longer bound by anything but her own lusts and curiosity. She has made bargains and deals, dangerous things. Beyond that, while I am sorry you were caught in the crossfire, and I am, Inanna would not have known about it. Time moves faster in the prison, and within only month out here she and I would have been dead from old age, souls forever trapped there so none could free either of us.”

Sarada could have gotten angry, enraged even. She knew about the stupid deals and bargains Inanna had been making; she had been doing it since she was Ishtar, so that was nothing new. Her curiosity was such that no risk was too great to sate her search for more power. The types of power she pursued made her dangerous, Sarada could admit that. But this Inanna had something that, she assumed, those other Inannas and Ishtars didn't have.

Her.

If she got too far out of line, Sarada was more than willing to knock some sense into her. She had done it plenty of time when she was Ishtar, and that hadn't changed with the change with identity. And if she failed, she had her own trump card in the making. It was going to take a while to come to fruition, but it was there.

In the end, she shrugged. "If she steps too far out of line, I'll stop her. Been slapping sense upside her head when she was Ishtar; that's not going to stop." The only time she failed was at the end of Ishtar's existence. Existential crises were far out of the wheelhouse of a pair of fists to fix. It was her greatest failure, and it compelled her to try even harder this time around.

As for this guy, Banespell apparently, she regarded him with narrowed eyes. "You're apology means nothing. Come for my wife or friends again, and it will be the last thing you ever do." It wasn't an idle threat. There wasn't a planet, realm, or rock floating in outer space where she wouldn't be able to find him. If he crossed her again, she was going to find him and she was going to kill him. He saved the universe from Eldfen, but that meant squat in the face of present day actions.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

“As I said, before a new set were made she would have passed on in the prison. I will admit I underestimated your capabilities.”

He nods to her somewhat apology.

“As to Genesis, she is not immune to death as Inanna is. Why do you think I sought out three Gods and a Demi-God? Failing that, Lady Binder and I have a.....potential trap to stop her as well, though it is very risky.”

"A trap? What kind of trap?" Parsley asked. "I'm assuming it's not the same kind as the one you had setup for Inanna."

Certainly not. A true magic prison for someone who more than likely already had true magic - or would by the time this trap was sprung - was foolish. She was interested, then, in what he had in mind. She had her own ideas; not to say she had the time to give it much thought, but there was one thing that sprang to mind the moment Genesis and secret weapons were brought up.

Whether or not Jinzi was willing to go for it was a different thing entirely.

"I hope you haven't underestimated Genesis the way you underestimated us. That will be the last mistake you make."

[grampagen]

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

His offer of a heart refused--honestly, not surprising, given the day's events--Voyavoda had little to do except smoulder. Quite literally, in this case. Since the chef seemed to have little interest in the Phoenix's blood, he removed it, sat it down somewhere safe, and then sat himself down to watch the chef work.

His means were... interesting. Likely the fruits of an Earth martial art, and yet... there was something more. The mere application of water caused Totoma's body to react, to... heal. In combination with the chef's ministrations, it was enough to heal the boy's broken body to the point it was alive, if only barely.

...how odd. In regards to the water, the chef had done little else but expose it to Totoma, and the rest had been some... automatic reflex engrained into the body. That was not normal, by any means, and it made him curious. He focused his senses as best he could, examining from a fair distance away... and he saw what was happening.

Hozon.

How... interesting. He could not claim to be an expert on that mysterious power, but he did know that, typically, learning how to use it required long years of dedication and ascetic practices. Yes... he had personal experience with that, many millenia ago. Such efforts had engraved in his body a sort of immortality. And yet, somehow, Totoma had managed to engrave something similar, albeit not as potent, into his body to the extent that it could still function after physical death, to some extent.

...that boy was certainly full of surprises.

Temple, maxilla, sphenoid, upper lip...

As much as Zaofan would have liked it to be just a straight infusion of ki, guiding the path of the Phoenix School's Ho-ou Sosei was a rather laborious process. While his Ochazuke - and, ugh, Sasheem...- had focus on the art's formidable applications in energy transmission, using the fire of Zxu'ro's Phoenix in this manner was considerably less intuitive.

Never let it be said that Zaofan neglected any of his knowledge base. His thin fingers actuated select pressure points with a focus he would, but for the morbidity of this situation, have normally reserved for where to make choice cuts.

...navel, core, solar plexus, xyphoid process.

Then as now, he'd leave nothing to waste before the ghost left Totoma completely, and with the regeneration sparked by Haurvatat knitting the frayed tissues together along these meridians, with the simulated pulse induced through his body, somehow the missing heart and chest wall seemed to regrow before his very eyes.

Ha ha! Got it!

Wait. Something was wrong. The ki he'd put into Totoma's body seemed to stabilize his condition, but even as all the wounds faded and the spark within him rekindled, his eyes never opened and his pulse was as dead as a doornail.

Leaning over him, a long frustrated sigh left Zaofan.

"Come on...come on!!!" He crossed one hand over the other and leaned in over the newly regenerated sternum, and desperately pressing down tried to force Totoma's heart to start.

Satisfied that, with time, Totoma would walk among them once again, Voyavoda turned to his own pressing matter. Namely, the fact that he'd interrupted and stalled his own self-resurrection--for nothing, much to his chagrin and, yes, a bit of amusement--and was in uncharted territory. He sent a sidelong glance at the vial of Phoenix blood.

...hm.

This liminal state, cycling between destruction and regeneration, was not a pleasant thing to experience. Yes, it seem that the former was slowly winning, but it was painful. One might not expect it from looking at him, but it certainly was. And yet, he wanted to experiment a bit.

For example, by downing this Phoenix Blood mid-resurrection. That should have some... interesting effects, he figured.

Suppressing his flames and heat as much as possible--no mean feat, you must understand--he grabbed the bottled, popped it open, and down the entire fuckin' thing in one gulp.

It burns in a pleasant way, and you feel your entire body suddenly alight with energy. Flames erupt and consume his body, his ki pool grows deeper, his power higher, and when the flames stop he stands....a middle aged Voyavada. About twenty years younger in appearance than his old form, though clearly still in that body.

And his his hale, while, healthy, and very naked.

...twenty-eight...twenty-nine...thirty~!

Increasingly pressed, Zaofan leaned his ear over. No breath...but a large well of fire shot up in a vortex behind him.

"Hey! Would you keep it down there?!" He snapped as he whipped his head around.

He narrowed his eyes in a flat blink, sighing again after he saw that and, face pale, resigned himself to throwing himself back into his task, one hand folded over the other, putting more ki into his efforts.

One...two...three...

[grampagen]

For the first time, Ochazuke can see a...break..in his manner. A slight slip of the facade, revealing just how much he doesn’t want Inanna and Ishtar both here, and the understanding what that could mean to his people.

“We were retreating. Had the Wolf God not broken his oath, this fight wouldn’t be happening here.”

Under the dark sky, the ground shook as the hand of the Destroyer engaged with the wielder of the Sword of Damocles. Until the fight escalated further, Ochazuke stood near the Forger. Certainly, he did what he could to keep an eye on him, and flanked by the Royal Saiyan Sisters he would be foolhardy to do anything further.

"You speak a great deal about the consequences that may follow, were you not forced to intervene. Doubtless you knew it when you bound your Wolf God to fight for you, to say nothing of the others. Know then that had you not sought a fight, it would not have found you."

He grits his teeth and swings his hammer down.

“I tried to be tactical, to minimize the damage done, because I didn’t want this! I did not want worlds burning, that’s what I tried to stop! My planet is at risk because your allies decided to rip into it with abandon. No tactics, just blow everything up and sort it out in the end. Inanna just punches, the Saiyans just blast, and everything suffers as a result. Even you, Saiyan Princess, would have wiped this planet out wholesale in your opening volley and tried to had we not defended the attacks.”

He spits on the ground, chest heaving, than his shoulders slump a bit.

“None of you understand. You’re too close. She and Genesis, they are worse than Alakazah. They will be the deaths of us all.”

"I understand that you have murdered a Guardian on the cusp of moving out from Alakazah's shadow, then struck a deal as a presumed peer of his, to control his power as your own."

If there was even a morsel of pity in his words, it was sparing. Even so, as this man from Earth fell his gaze upon him, the flow of Genki nonetheless persisted throughout the reaches of Darkle to help the planet to heal itself.

"You've accepted you will commit these atrocities, yet look at you now."

To remove a threat to his world, he had journeyed far from Earth. Even for all the power entrusted to him in Evangeline's last will, only compounded regret remained, for he had been unable to protect his home from all this.

"The compromise and sacrifices necessary for your grateful universe seem quite difficult to accept when they must be yours to bear, aren't they, Banespell?"

“As I said, before a new set were made she would have passed on in the prison. I will admit I underestimated your capabilities.”

He nods to her somewhat apology.

“As to Genesis, she is not immune to death as Inanna is. Why do you think I sought out three Gods and a Demi-God? Failing that, Lady Binder and I have a.....potential trap to stop her as well, though it is very risky.”

"Risk, cheh. Speak again of risk and mercy, Forger. How does it feel to see your future burn away on the whim of another?"

Though Inanna and Ishtar remained locked in combat, this clearly was not what he was talking about. Sarada had already spoken much to the divergent path her more familiar oni had taken, wrestling with causality.

"Your Oracle played you for a fool. Your allies against Genesis are few enough. Do you know where else you have erred.”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

"You misunderstand me then," Inanna replied while dodging the swing. "Though that seems to be the case with everyone." Stepping in, the woman coated her fist in Hakai and struck Ishtar in the midsection.

She twists, the fist going into the half of her that was Ruination, and Inanna feels her hand start to burn badly as it attempts to eat it away.

Ishtar meanwhile head-buts Inanna as hard as she can.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Sarada could have gotten angry, enraged even. She knew about the stupid deals and bargains Inanna had been making; she had been doing it since she was Ishtar, so that was nothing new. Her curiosity was such that no risk was too great to sate her search for more power. The types of power she pursued made her dangerous, Sarada could admit that. But this Inanna had something that, she assumed, those other Inannas and Ishtars didn't have.

Her.

If she got too far out of line, Sarada was more than willing to knock some sense into her. She had done it plenty of time when she was Ishtar, and that hadn't changed with the change with identity. And if she failed, she had her own trump card in the making. It was going to take a while to come to fruition, but it was there.

In the end, she shrugged. "If she steps too far out of line, I'll stop her. Been slapping sense upside her head when she was Ishtar; that's not going to stop." The only time she failed was at the end of Ishtar's existence. Existential crises were far out of the wheelhouse of a pair of fists to fix. It was her greatest failure, and it compelled her to try even harder this time around.

As for this guy, Banespell apparently, she regarded him with narrowed eyes. "You're apology means nothing. Come for my wife or friends again, and it will be the last thing you ever do." It wasn't an idle threat. There wasn't a planet, realm, or rock floating in outer space where she wouldn't be able to find him. If he crossed her again, she was going to find him and she was going to kill him. He saved the universe from Eldfen, but that meant squat in the face of present day actions.

He pauses and looks at her, eyes regarding her deeply. He has old eyes, tired eyes who had seen a bit too much. A bit too much madness and slaughter, a bit too much corruption and death and simply wanted it to stop.

“Maybe you can.”

He looks away and keeps his gaze in the direction of the God fight.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

"A trap? What kind of trap?" Parsley asked. "I'm assuming it's not the same kind as the one you had setup for Inanna."

Certainly not. A true magic prison for someone who more than likely already had true magic - or would by the time this trap was sprung - was foolish. She was interested, then, in what he had in mind. She had her own ideas; not to say she had the time to give it much thought, but there was one thing that sprang to mind the moment Genesis and secret weapons were brought up.

Whether or not Jinzi was willing to go for it was a different thing entirely.

"I hope you haven't underestimated Genesis the way you underestimated us. That will be the last mistake you make."

“Genesis’s Ark. I believe it to be the vessel she awoke in when she first appeared. It has clues to her, and I believe it to hold not only part of her story, but more information about her in general which can aid us. Beyond that, however, Lady Binder and I have devised a means to potentially kill or trap her by Oathbinding her. Failing the Ulthan just outright killing her, of course, which seems somewhat less likely now.”

He taps his hammer absently.

“There is always other options I’ve entertained too: Temporal Annihilation, but that would have massive ripple effects I’d rather not have happen. There was a potential technological means to stop her as well, but the Judge is no longer....available to help. I had also considered either the Candleman or one of the groups in the Cosmic Leylines, but both are.....less attractive ideas. And I would rather not bother Night if I can help it either, so he’s out.”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Temple, maxilla, sphenoid, upper lip...

As much as Zaofan would have liked it to be just a straight infusion of ki, guiding the path of the Phoenix School's Ho-ou Sosei was a rather laborious process. While his Ochazuke - and, ugh, Sasheem...- had focus on the art's formidable applications in energy transmission, using the fire of Zxu'ro's Phoenix in this manner was considerably less intuitive.

Never let it be said that Zaofan neglected any of his knowledge base. His thin fingers actuated select pressure points with a focus he would, but for the morbidity of this situation, have normally reserved for where to make choice cuts.

...navel, core, solar plexus, xyphoid process.

Then as now, he'd leave nothing to waste before the ghost left Totoma completely, and with the regeneration sparked by Haurvatat knitting the frayed tissues together along these meridians, with the simulated pulse induced through his body, somehow the missing heart and chest wall seemed to regrow before his very eyes.

Ha ha! Got it!

Wait. Something was wrong. The ki he'd put into Totoma's body seemed to stabilize his condition, but even as all the wounds faded and the spark within him rekindled, his eyes never opened and his pulse was as dead as a doornail.

Leaning over him, a long frustrated sigh left Zaofan.

"Come on...come on!!!" He crossed one hand over the other and leaned in over the newly regenerated sternum, and desperately pressing down tried to force Totoma's heart to start.





...twenty-eight...twenty-nine...thirty~!

Increasingly pressed, Zaofan leaned his ear over. No breath...but a large well of fire shot up in a vortex behind him.

"Hey! Would you keep it down there?!" He snapped as he whipped his head around.

He narrowed his eyes in a flat blink, sighing again after he saw that and, face pale, resigned himself to throwing himself back into his task, one hand folded over the other, putting more ki into his efforts.

One...two...three...

The body lives and breathes, but the soul remains......absent for the time.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Under the dark sky, the ground shook as the hand of the Destroyer engaged with the wielder of the Sword of Damocles. Until the fight escalated further, Ochazuke stood near the Forger. Certainly, he did what he could to keep an eye on him, and flanked by the Royal Saiyan Sisters he would be foolhardy to do anything further.

"You speak a great deal about the consequences that may follow, were you not forced to intervene. Doubtless you knew it when you bound your Wolf God to fight for you, to say nothing of the others. Know then that had you not sought a fight, it would not have found you."



"I understand that you have murdered a Guardian on the cusp of moving out from Alakazah's shadow, then struck a deal as a presumed peer of his, to control his power as your own."

If there was even a morsel of pity in his words, it was sparing. Even so, as this man from Earth fell his gaze upon him, the flow of Genki nonetheless persisted throughout the reaches of Darkle to help the planet to heal itself.

"You've accepted you will commit these atrocities, yet look at you now."

To remove a threat to his world, he had journeyed far from Earth. Even for all the power entrusted to him in Evangeline's last will, only compounded regret remained, for he had been unable to protect his home from all this.

"The compromise and sacrifices necessary for your grateful universe seem quite difficult to accept when they must be yours to bear, aren't they, Banespell?"



"Risk, cheh. Speak again of risk and mercy, Forger. How does it feel to see your future burn away on the whim of another?"

Though Inanna and Ishtar remained locked in combat, this clearly was not what he was talking about. Sarada had already spoken much to the divergent path her more familiar oni had taken, wrestling with causality.

"Your Oracle played you for a fool. Your allies against Genesis are few enough. Do you know where else you have erred.”

He grits his teeth, then his shoulders sag and his head bows.

“I was ready to sacrifice myself, locked away with Inanna until our deaths, souls forever trapped there in that prison. I am not afraid to bear the consequences, student of Zxu’ro. I just never wanted it to be at the cost of billions, Darkling, Human, or otherwise. That was where I erred: I forgot the universe hardly complies with what we want, and I should have realized that to use disposable monsters like The Wolf God or Ishtar against monsters like Genesis and Inanna, there could and would be a price. Arrogance, on my part, for thinking I could contain it.”

[Sub-Zero MKA]

He pauses and looks at her, eyes regarding her deeply. He has old eyes, tired eyes who had seen a bit too much. A bit too much madness and slaughter, a bit too much corruption and death and simply wanted it to stop.

“Maybe you can.”

He looks away and keeps his gaze in the direction of the God fight.

When she looked in his eyes, Sarada could see the exhaustion in them. How long had he been at this? Planning, sacrificing, slowly eroding his integrity and honor all in the name of bringing to an end Inanna's threat before Inanna even existed? How many lives had been lost up to that point? How many nights of sleep did he lose knowing that his cabal was comprised of monsters who were more harmful than Inanna could ever be?

Inanna didn't give a shit about a lot of things. Certainly not enough to be the absolute dangerous menace that he purported. She could have pointed that out to him, but she already knew the response she would get. His precious vision was absolute; he could never misinterpret the vision and what he saw was for sure going to come true.

Feh!

In the end, she had nothing more to say to him. Nothing either could say was going to change the other's mind, so anything further would have been wasted words and wasted breath. She turned her attention away from him and toward the fight. She could feel every blow that Inanna was suffering. She knew she was going to win, but it was going to be dicey. Ishtar of any timeline wasn't an easy out. Never had been, never would be.

"You'd better win," she muttered as she sat down on the ground.