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

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

The Angel danced.

With a grin wide on his face, Lampton moves. Black blade clanging off hers, the taller figure matches her intricate moves with a trained air that not even the alternate Samson Balon, who was the best fighter skill wise seen so far, could have matched.

The intricate dance goes back and forth, always the hakai and blade just missing or just being blocked.

Eventually, Lampton performs an intricate blade lock and disarms (only her sword, not her arm) Inanna before leaping back.

“Out of practice. Lampton asks your forgiveness.”

He smirks and gestures, her blade flying back to rest in her hand.

“Lampton shall now go on the offensive. Prepare yourself.”

"I'm not the Goddess you ask for that," Inanna responded before taking a defensive stance. Though oddly she simply... planted her feet.

"Come on, then."

[Yun Lao]

He had grown to regret going to those mountains.

It had been a pyrrhic victory for him; he had obtained the power he had desired from the ruined lands of Avalon but had left physically and mentally scarred. It had taken some time for him to regain his senses, his instincts reducing him to a mere beast like many of his former brethren as a response from that. Rex still did not fully understand what had happened, only that it had originated from some gasp of Charco's subconscious and that it had been far too powerful to truly be the boy. All he knew was that it was a threat to his control and that his right arm would never be the same. He had tried severing the affected limb several times, but it still grew back as human.

Ever since his clarity returned, he had gone into hiding. It was not that he feared any other, but rather he had feared the change within himself. Ironic for a beast that had possessed so many humans that the mere thought of the opposite happening had shaken his confidence. He could not, no, he would not allow anyone else to see him in such a vulnerable state. This would pass, as did any other obstacle he'd encounter throughout his long existence, and so it did. Returning to his roots, he had secluded himself deep within nature and resumed his role as an apex predator and with each kill in his hunts, he would grow, both in power and his mental stability.

Three years had passed since he had inhabited this body and aside from his cursed limb, his body had adapted a bit more to his liking. The most noticeable change being his jaw which had expanded outward, creating a snout more reminiscent of his original vessel. That human-like arm, while originally pale green in hue already, had gotten just a slight bit greener, or so he had convinced himself. His need to maintain control could only be supported by such delusions, but they comforted him enough that he was ready to return on his path of ambition. Persephone had not endeared the human race to him; her actions only proving his point that they were, and most likely still, in need of guidance. Truthfully, he had grown weary of his self-imposed responsibility and the thought of merely razing the planet to cinders had developed an appeal. The only thing keeping him from plotting such a thing was the fact that this was his planet. The natural order would be restored once he had gained enough power, power that he would not get by eating wild fauna.

Taking to the skies for the first time in a while, he took in a deep breath and expanded his senses. It didn't take long before he could feel a cluster of powerful ki signatures; no doubt a gathering on the Lookout.

"Time to remind them that the Strongest still lives."

[Monstrous Bird of Qin, Ou Ki]

Oggod hadn't been expecting Totoma to use his subordinates to counter his Federer Ball. When the two opposing forces collided, it created a large explosion and a brilliant light show. The soldiers were immediately vaporized.

"Hm. Clever. Let's see how you handle this!" He waved his hands in a circular motion and created a large open-ended container. A bowl or dish, if you will. Inside that bowl was what looked like water. However, the steam billowing up from it was ominous to say the least. "Now, drink!" Like a geyser, the liquid inside erupted out of the dish and hurtled toward Totoma at speed. One pour soul was caught in its path and was instantly reduced to bone, his skin and flesh melted away like melted butter.

What Totoma did next would appear stupid to anyone watching, given what just happened to the poor sod that just got melted. He charged at the... ki... water... stuff, charging a ki ball in his hand. Just before he would have been melted himself, he threw the ki ball at the ground, which exploded and kicked up a cloud of dust, which, naturally, began disintegrating when the 'water' hit it. Most fighters would expect the saiyan hero to use the cloud as cover for an attack from the sides or above.

Totoma, however, went a different route. Activating his Phantom Body just as the cloud enveloped him, his now intangible body dropped into ground, maintaining its momentum. Passing under and by Oddog, he appeared from the ground behind him, flying up into the air. He cupped his hands and drew them back...

'Kame...'

Ki gathered between his hands.

'Hame...'

The light of hope between his hands grew ever brighter and more furious.

"HAAAAAAA!!"

Physically intoning the last part of his attack, Totoma threw his hands forward, releasing an awesome wave of ki at Oddog below.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

What Totoma did next would appear stupid to anyone watching, given what just happened to the poor sod that just got melted. He charged at the... ki... water... stuff, charging a ki ball in his hand. Just before he would have been melted himself, he threw the ki ball at the ground, which exploded and kicked up a cloud of dust, which, naturally, began disintegrating when the 'water' hit it. Most fighters would expect the saiyan hero to use the cloud as cover for an attack from the sides or above.

Totoma, however, went a different route. Activating his Phantom Body just as the cloud enveloped him, his now intangible body dropped into ground, maintaining its momentum. Passing under and by Oddog, he appeared from the ground behind him, flying up into the air. He cupped his hands and drew them back...

'Kame...'

Ki gathered between his hands.

'Hame...'

The light of hope between his hands grew ever brighter and more furious.

"HAAAAAAA!!"

Physically intoning the last part of his attack, Totoma threw his hands forward, releasing an awesome wave of ki at Oddog below.

Oggod frowned as Totoma did him a confusion and seemingly charged directly into the path of his Acid Wash technique. Then, the young Saiyan hero disappeared in a cloud of dust of his own creation. The Acid Wash emerged from the other side, so Oggod -- unable to sense energy -- could only assume he was melted.

"!!!" The azure beam of legendary fame rained down from above, catching the canine warrior completely off-guard. "I've been bamboozled!" he shouted just before being engulfed within the beam's girth. When it dissipated, there was no sign of him, his energy completely gone.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

"I'm not the Goddess you ask for that," Inanna responded before taking a defensive stance. Though oddly she simply... planted her feet.

"Come on, then."

He was on her in an instant. He stayed at range, yet his arm seemed to be everywhere, blade probing her defenses. A nick here, a poke there, the arm a blur as the rest of him stayed motionless. The blade plunged again and again in a rapid fire beat, and he found cracks in her defenses that he exploited. A small stab and poke to her thigh, her arm, her shoulder. A cut on her cheek, her rib, her foot.

Sheki’hinah grimaced from behind, glaive beating back the whirling dervish that were the other swords. She wove an intricate dance of steel and grace, keeping the storm of swords at bay though only just. Unable to stop her defense for fear of being overwhelmed, she can only watch as Lampton wounds Inanna with seeming impunity.

The Angel nods as the blade continues its attack on Inanna’s defenses.

“Lampton is impressed little Goddess, but truth be told Lampton is getting a bit bored now: Lampton thinks you should submit or die. He might even let you and Lady Death leave here alive, for Lampton is feeling....generous.”

[bruceleegreyhulk]

"That's pretty handy ability to have, only it ain't so useful if you'n a fight with an elemental martial artist like me. If'n you an ah are trainin together, ah could just do to you what ah did to that smoke demon. Not that ah would, way too big a risk. So you might want'a imagine what you'd do if someone tried to freeze you solid durin a fight. You might survive it, if that was all he or she did, but you'd be left open and vulnerable to other attacks."

Dash then mused, "Ah wonder if any of the other fighters ever think about what they'd do if they were in that situation."

"That's because Dash, it's not an ability design for combat it's an ability design for survival during winter. Hibernation would make for a terrible ability in combat. It's something I have to overcome!" Praxat said.

" I think they might be a way for me to truly overcome it. It involves my ability to control my body's own bio-electricity. Right, now the only other two things I can do to combat freezing and keep my body from going into hibernation is to use Boost Mode or Max Mode," Praxat said.

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

He was on her in an instant. He stayed at range, yet his arm seemed to be everywhere, blade probing her defenses. A nick here, a poke there, the arm a blur as the rest of him stayed motionless. The blade plunged again and again in a rapid fire beat, and he found cracks in her defenses that he exploited. A small stab and poke to her thigh, her arm, her shoulder. A cut on her cheek, her rib, her foot.

Sheki’hinah grimaced from behind, glaive beating back the whirling dervish that were the other swords. She wove an intricate dance of steel and grace, keeping the storm of swords at bay though only just. Unable to stop her defense for fear of being overwhelmed, she can only watch as Lampton wounds Inanna with seeming impunity.

The Angel nods as the blade continues its attack on Inanna’s defenses.

“Lampton is impressed little Goddess, but truth be told Lampton is getting a bit bored now: Lampton thinks you should submit or die. He might even let you and Lady Death leave here alive, for Lampton is feeling....generous.”

Inanna impressed herself in the end, with how many blows she managed to block, but there really had been no question as to the outcome in the end. Lampton was simply too much, and as the golden-eyed woman continued to suffer injury- a cut here, and puncture there- her guard began to falter; her ability to regenerate simply being overwhelmed in the moment.

Though such was the gamble one took, when playing Gods, and Devils... and Lampton had no idea who he was dealing with. "Submit?" Inanna asked, managing to laugh through grit teeth. "No. I don't think I will. I have you right where I want you, splattered with my blood."

With a grunt, and a sharp inhale, Inanna was swift.

"Look at the mess you've made..."

Wrenching the blade free, Inanna staggered, and a moment later the spell took hold. Nothing fancy, nothing ornate... the blood that covered Lampton's blade and body simply exploded with as much strength as Inanna herself had in her.

[Tami]

"That's because Dash, it's not an ability design for combat it's an ability design for survival during winter. Hibernation would make for a terrible ability in combat. It's something I have to overcome!" Praxat said.

" I think they might be a way for me to truly overcome it. It involves my ability to control my body's own bio-electricity. Right, now the only other two things I can do to combat freezing and keep my body from going into hibernation is to use Boost Mode or Max Mode," Praxat said.

"Well now, assuming Etrina can do what she says she can, we'll get our turn in the Rose-at room. Once inside we can test this out. Oh, which reminds me, ah ain't so sure that the food an supplies in there are compatible for Toadians. If'n you need something special, you had better get it now."

[bruceleegreyhulk]

"Well now, assuming Etrina can do what she says she can, we'll get our turn in the Rose-at room. Once inside we can test this out. Oh, which reminds me, ah ain't so sure that the food an supplies in there are compatible for Toadians. If'n you need something special, you had better get it now."

Well, I'm not carnivorous like Althena is, so I should be fine on food even if it's plant or meat base. Now does clothing count as supplies, because my clothing has to be very specific. Nearly all clothing on this planet isn't designed for a being who needs to keep their body moist," Praxat said.

" I probably don't need additional clothing, so I'll be just fine with clothing my sister Draxat made for me. Now, as for drinks, I can only have water, and it can't be containment. This makes me very picky about my water sources," Praxat said.

" I have to check stuff like PH levels, and rather or not the water has chlorine and ammonia in it. Chlorinated water is not good for me," Praxat said.

[Monstrous Bird of Qin, Ou Ki]

Avoca had the upperhand initially and took full advantage of it. Her blows probably didn't hurt, but taking so many of them should have been wearing her much more experienced opponent. She attempted to press her advantage, but all good things eventually came to an end. Bidrae had few flaws, but Tasure managed to find one of them. Avoca could be tagged after her made contact. Once she found that out, the fight began anew.

They traded blows. The drain of the technique was quickly taking its toll. She was getting tired, and her focus was starting to slip. "Yeah. He told me this would always happen." She breathed out and let it drop. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She drifted back to put some distance between them. Her head was pounding, a consequence of devoting so much attention to something so energy consuming.

"Parsley told me that improving my baseline would lead to greater overall dividends," she responded. "And that it would make Super Saiyan a lot stronger." Not that she would know for sure, so she just took her word for it.

"She's not wrong," said Tasure. "At first, Super Saiyan didn't even make us as strong as Hitozaru... it was safer, yes, but only half as powerful. Disappointing, to say the least. Now, though, after we've all worked to refine it, the form is superior to Hitozaru in just about every way. It perhaps doesn't quite live up to the legend still, but I feel, in time, it will. Now then..."

Tasure dropped back down into a fighting stance. "You've shown me what Beatz taught you, now it's time for... oh, let's go with Brocado's teachings." With that, Tasure shot at Avoca, aiming a vicious punch at the younger woman's stomach.

She had some idea of what sort of technique Brocado would have passed to Avoca, at least according to how the legends depicted him. It would be something simple, straightforward, yet undeniably effective.

[Tami]

Well, I'm not carnivorous like Althena is, so I should be fine on food even if it's plant or meat base. Now does clothing count as supplies, because my clothing has to be very specific. Nearly all clothing on this planet isn't designed for a being who needs to keep their body moist," Praxat said.

" I probably don't need additional clothing, so I'll be just fine with clothing my sister Draxat made for me. Now, as for drinks, I can only have water, and it can't be containment. This makes me very picky about my water sources," Praxat said.

" I have to check stuff like PH levels, and rather or not the water has chlorine and ammonia in it. Chlorinated water is not good for me," Praxat said.

With a slight smirk, "Ah figgure ah'll have to drink all the beer by myself." Dash suddenly had a thought, "Ah'm gonna find out how long we have before it's our turn. If'n we have the time, ah was thinkin of getting a drink before goin in. Ah know some real nice bars down below. You can come if you like."

With that, Dash headed towards the RoSaT to see if there is a way to tell the how many more hours before its' their turn.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

"She's not wrong," said Tasure. "At first, Super Saiyan didn't even make us as strong as Hitozaru... it was safer, yes, but only half as powerful. Disappointing, to say the least. Now, though, after we've all worked to refine it, the form is superior to Hitozaru in just about every way. It perhaps doesn't quite live up to the legend still, but I feel, in time, it will. Now then..."

Tasure dropped back down into a fighting stance. "You've shown me what Beatz taught you, now it's time for... oh, let's go with Brocado's teachings." With that, Tasure shot at Avoca, aiming a vicious punch at the younger woman's stomach.

She had some idea of what sort of technique Brocado would have passed to Avoca, at least according to how the legends depicted him. It would be something simple, straightforward, yet undeniably effective.

Avoca remembered the endless bitching and moaning coming from Sarada and Parsley about how weak Super Saiyan was. She always figured it would get stronger the stronger they got; the legends may have been exaggerated some, but they weren't just pulled out of someone's ass. There was always some nugget of truth to be found in there.

She had no time to think of a reply before they moved on. She wanted to see Brocado's tech next, declaring as much before immediately trying to gut punch her.

Avoca couldn't even sigh. It was a good thing Brocado's thing was the easiest to pull off. It wasn't like trying to exercise absolute control over her ki or eat a literal ball of fire. All she had to do was flex. Of course, normal flexing wouldn't do it. She had to awaken every muscle in her body, even the ones that most people didn't even know existed. It took such precision that it qualified as a science. Flexology, he called it. It took her an entire day to get it right. There was always one that lagged behind the others and led to her being launched over the horizon because Beatz would then do exactly what Tasure was going to do, sucker punch her to test her physique's integrity.

Hmph.

In the scant moment that it took for Tasure to cross the midway point, she clasped her hands together. With a simple, all-encompassing exertion, her body trembled. Every muscle bulged like balloons nearing the point of over-inflation. Her katchin-hard body shivered slightly from the tension hidden within. Every inch of her figure was flexed to maximum. As a result, she was pretty sure she had grown a few inches. Also, sadly, her butt was three inches smaller.

Parsley hated this technique. She never said why, but it didn't take a genius to figure it out.

---

Parsley shuddered suddenly.

"What's wrong?" Sarada asked.

"Nothing. I just... I felt a disturbance in the air."

---

The Master Flex manifested itself just in time. Tasure's fist met a six-pack that was harder than Sarada's lady-boner. She didn't feel it, but she was still pushed back a few feet. Even though it protected her from injury -- to a point -- the gap in strength between her and Tasure was still there. "Heh. This is it, the Master Flex Brocado taught me. I didn't even fel that!"

[Monstrous Bird of Qin, Ou Ki]

Avoca remembered the endless bitching and moaning coming from Sarada and Parsley about how weak Super Saiyan was. She always figured it would get stronger the stronger they got; the legends may have been exaggerated some, but they weren't just pulled out of someone's ass. There was always some nugget of truth to be found in there.

She had no time to think of a reply before they moved on. She wanted to see Brocado's tech next, declaring as much before immediately trying to gut punch her.

Avoca couldn't even sigh. It was a good thing Brocado's thing was the easiest to pull off. It wasn't like trying to exercise absolute control over her ki or eat a literal ball of fire. All she had to do was flex. Of course, normal flexing wouldn't do it. She had to awaken every muscle in her body, even the ones that most people didn't even know existed. It took such precision that it qualified as a science. Flexology, he called it. It took her an entire day to get it right. There was always one that lagged behind the others and led to her being launched over the horizon because Beatz would then do exactly what Tasure was going to do, sucker punch her to test her physique's integrity.

Hmph.

In the scant moment that it took for Tasure to cross the midway point, she clasped her hands together. With a simple, all-encompassing exertion, her body trembled. Every muscle bulged like balloons nearing the point of over-inflation. Her katchin-hard body shivered slightly from the tension hidden within. Every inch of her figure was flexed to maximum. As a result, she was pretty sure she had grown a few inches. Also, sadly, her butt was three inches smaller.

Parsley hated this technique. She never said why, but it didn't take a genius to figure it out.

---

Parsley shuddered suddenly.

"What's wrong?" Sarada asked.

"Nothing. I just... I felt a disturbance in the air."

---

The Master Flex manifested itself just in time. Tasure's fist met a six-pack that was harder than Sarada's lady-boner. She didn't feel it, but she was still pushed back a few feet. Even though it protected her from injury -- to a point -- the gap in strength between her and Tasure was still there. "Heh. This is it, the Master Flex Brocado taught me. I didn't even fel that!"

Brocado's technique was as she expected. Avoca's muscles tensed and she... seemed to grow considerably in the space of a split-second. When Tasure's strike impacted, it felt like hitting a wall made of Katchin. Avoca was still sent flying, but... damn.

Shaking her hand to clear the numbness, Tasure grinned at Avoca. "Not bad. Not bad at all. Simple, yet effective, as expected." She paced around Avoca to examine her.

It was absurd, but after a bit of examination, Tasure determined that the technique was achieved through... flexing. But not just any sort of flex, but simultaneously flexing seemingly every damn muscle in her body. The amount of practice to synchronize every muscle fiber with such precision... Tasure had to give Avoca props. Although she, herself, would probably opt for a more localized effect, it was still impressive.

"You're clearly more fond of using your ranged techniques, but if an enemy got into hand-to-hand range, this technique would certainly provide a significant advantage," she said, now testing Avoca's katchin-hard body with strikes, trying to probe out any weak points. She found none. "Now imagine if you could concentrate this flex into your fist or leg. Not only would it increase the defensive ability, but your offense, as well."


"Well, next would be Buffet, the Legendary Supper Saiyan's teachings..." Considering the legends, Buffet's technique would probably have something to do with eating. As she contemplated over potential interpretations, an energy ball formed in Tasure's hand, which she played with idly. Once she was a sufficient distance away from Avoca, she decided to simply go through with testing several of her ideas about Buffet's technique... starting with the ki ball.

Spinning around suddenly, she pitched the Ki Ball at Avoca. This wasn't a distinct technique, but rather just your run-of-the-mill ki ball, so it wouldn't hurt her (too much) even if she'd stopped using Brocado's technique. However, one of her ideas for Buffet's technique was 'eating' energy,so this was as good a chance as any to test this.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Brocado's technique was as she expected. Avoca's muscles tensed and she... seemed to grow considerably in the space of a split-second. When Tasure's strike impacted, it felt like hitting a wall made of Katchin. Avoca was still sent flying, but... damn.

Shaking her hand to clear the numbness, Tasure grinned at Avoca. "Not bad. Not bad at all. Simple, yet effective, as expected." She paced around Avoca to examine her.

It was absurd, but after a bit of examination, Tasure determined that the technique was achieved through... flexing. But not just any sort of flex, but simultaneously flexing seemingly every damn muscle in her body. The amount of practice to synchronize every muscle fiber with such precision... Tasure had to give Avoca props. Although she, herself, would probably opt for a more localized effect, it was still impressive.

"You're clearly more fond of using your ranged techniques, but if an enemy got into hand-to-hand range, this technique would certainly provide a significant advantage," she said, now testing Avoca's katchin-hard body with strikes, trying to probe out any weak points. She found none. "Now imagine if you could concentrate this flex into your fist or leg. Not only would it increase the defensive ability, but your offense, as well."


"Well, next would be Buffet, the Legendary Supper Saiyan's teachings..." Considering the legends, Buffet's technique would probably have something to do with eating. As she contemplated over potential interpretations, an energy ball formed in Tasure's hand, which she played with idly. Once she was a sufficient distance away from Avoca, she decided to simply go through with testing several of her ideas about Buffet's technique... starting with the ki ball.

Spinning around suddenly, she pitched the Ki Ball at Avoca. This wasn't a distinct technique, but rather just your run-of-the-mill ki ball, so it wouldn't hurt her (too much) even if she'd stopped using Brocado's technique. However, one of her ideas for Buffet's technique was 'eating' energy,so this was as good a chance as any to test this.

As expected, Avoca's brawny figure impressed her partner. Huge muscle with zero give would impress anyone. Still, as nice as it was to be able to just stand there -- eventually -- and shrug off hit after hit by simply flexing, she preferred her normal figure. Being this beefy was far better suited for men than women in her opinion. So, once Tasure seemed satisfied and started bouncing ideas off her, she breathed out and let her body return to its normal size.

There was a bit of strain and soreness, like she had been exercising for a long time with no breaks. A downside to using it for too long, which was why Brocado didn't just walk around in Super Saiyan Brose all the time.

Next was Buffet's technique. She recalled countless embarrassing times when she tried to pull it off, only for the blast to explode in her face; or worse, in her mouth or throat. One of the main reasons she spent so much time training with them was because she needed time to recover from all those stupid mishaps. When she got it, it was the best feeling ever. So far, she only ever tried it on small blasts, but nothing like beams or giant blasts like Death Balls or anything like that. She was wondering what the limits were. No better place to find out than here and now.

When Tasure fired a generic attack, Avoca opened her mouth and vacuumed it in with ease. "Ah. He calls this Unlimited Eat Works. Basically, I ingest literal ki and can either use it to restore my own stamina or can increase my power with it. Hm. I wonder if I can figure out how to, like, hit someone with the full power of the energy I took from them. I mean, if you fired your strongest attack at me, I might be able to absorb it then hit you with the full brunt of that attack." It was worth a shot, at any rate.

[Tami]

With a slight smirk, "Ah figgure ah'll have to drink all the beer by myself." Dash suddenly had a thought, "Ah'm gonna find out how long we have before it's our turn. If'n we have the time, ah was thinkin of getting a drink before goin in. Ah know some real nice bars down below. You can come if you like."

With that, Dash headed towards the RoSaT to see if there is a way to tell the how many more hours before its' their turn.

Passing by the kitchen area, she stops and looks in. She almost expected to see Zaofan inside cooking up something special. Instead it was quiet and empty. Walking inside, Dash couldn't resist opening up cabinets, the fridge, and simply exploring what was inside. Not that she was hungry, well, maybe a little, but mostly out of a nostalgic sense of curiosity.