Dragonball M, Chapter 5: Clarion’s Call! The Signal! The Fate of the Universes!

[bruceleegreyhulk]

“I’m sorry, no, she didn’t make it Praxat.”

" So, she was still on Qaceria when it got destroyed. We lost a Guardian. I witness the destruction of Qaceria with my electroreception and, knowing that Althena was still on the Qaceria when it was destroyed. Pisses me off even more," Praxat said.

" I pray that my mother Uraxat, sisters Sraxat, Craxat, Nraxat, Draxat, Fraxat, father Zebediah, grandfather Eli, and, Killrog weren't on Qaceria when it was destroyed. Okay, and maybe Qaztoh. Eva, are you the only Guardian left?" Praxat said.

[grampagen]

Your senses, expanded, see through presented images and into the two themselves.

Sakin is a roiling mass of contempt. Of divine order mixed with arrogance and contempt for the universe at large. Beyond that though is a cunning, agile mind. Your see into his nature to have multiple backup plans, to have planned for and ready a multitude of problems once they alight upon his world.

You also get from his nature that he’d prefer everyone, including himself, lose instead of you all winning.

Grinthorn……….is different. Much has changed since you last saw him in person, when you struck the blow and sent fear into the dragon for the first time. Where once there was an arrogance, a knowledge of superiority and untouchableness, now there resides a tired yearning for freedom and a burning need to acquire it.

And fear.

Grinthorn is afraid. You can taste it on your tongue, in the back of your throat like rancid smoke. He fears you and believes he can only be safe if fully himself once more.

And, beneath that, when he said he liked Earth you actually believe him. Of the two, you believe the dragon is more Grinthorn than Alakazah the conqueror now.

She quirked an eyebrow at this response, taking note of the near slip; but made no further response as he challenged the mortals around her and his simulacrum faded from view. At the least, Sakin had given her much food for thought.



As with Sakin, She allowed Eldfen to say his piece, before he too disappeared.

He had given her far more than Sakin to consider, and She found herself more interested in his commentary about his son, and his desire to be unbound; than she had been at the Divine Angel's banal insanity. It helped, too, that Eldfen was- to Her- far more sympathetic as well. An creature of Chaos, arguably the first, it acted on its whims and desires without care or consideration beyond that which was enjoyable in the immediate. Something She was intimately familiar with by virtue of the fragmentary memories she now sifted through, passively, to better help shape her next steps. All that considered, it was also worth noting that, by his very nature, Eldfen gave rise to a curiously visceral response from one who had so far kept his thoughts sequestered, focus unwavering.

The Stoic's booming laugh carrying over the chittering of mortals who had- for seemingly no reason- opted to ignore multiple things in favor of... pleasantries.

"Ah, the Stoic laughs." She said, slowly approaching Ochazuke. "Has that final, taut cord holding fast to your sanity snapped at last? Or was there a joke buried within the confessions of that Old Dragon?"

Standing there as the last reverb shook him, he slowly regarded the Oni-that-was.

"That caustic spite remains upon your tongue from one incarnation to the next. Indeed that proclivity for spotting fracture points on the surface still lingers, even in the pursuit of deeper truth," he said. "But, you are no longer Inanna any more than she was Ishtar, and it remains to be seen if we converge upon the matter."

The laughter ceased as suddenly as it came, replaced with an unsettling, distinctly sharp calm.

"But these wizened ancients profess to much and confess to still more. That was Sakin's divine mission, a pursuit of perfection, a thing so very fleeting. Perhaps that is the conceit of a dull immortality upon a creature that cannot fathom anything greater than what may be wrought from another, as if nature were nothing more fixed quanitities. If power is divinity, divinity in turn the measure by which we measure what is right and just...what it must be to cling to the clout of a shattered godhead and be fastened upon how it was in the beginning, fixated upon that remaining as it had been and ever shall be? With all the powers at his disposal, the Fallen one's most dangerous quality is the fickleness of his hollow heart and the inability to accept change."

For three years, he'd done everything he could to pull Sakin into the light, but the closer they came, the farther the distance. The matter of Eldfen, however...

"But Grinthorn loved the Earth, cheh!"

For the first time, he'd spoken the name without hesitation.

" One hundred thousand years since he fell as a calamity from the stars! Eldfen tread upon my planet, seeding destruction and creating miracles to curry the favor of one tribe as he pit them against another. Once he'd plucked the weeds from his farm, everything Sakin had professed he would do, the Elder Dragon had already done in the guise of That Man. The kingdom of Vermillion had been pushed beneath the continental shelf, Arthur's line extinguished to a single generation. The Palantine who rebelled against him to stop his expansion across the galaxy, he poisoned their souls with vice and malice until their memory was all but forgotten!"

As Ochazuke continued to speak, his thoughts were with the multitudes who placed the belief now carried upon the Heka Flow, carrying with it the echo of those lives that were ended without remorse; the Earth was so far away, yet the memories of the fallen Tiger School Ajarn Kaibyo had grafted upon his heart burned as brightly as they had so long ago.

"Master Zxu'ro's martial line, the legacy of the Ten Schools, they were to serve as the stewards of this world in his stead. In the face of restoring his own power and to avenge himself upon the Master, fearing the extent of human potential, and so he'd preyed upon them and snuffed out the memory of the fallen."

Grand Master Chahan, too, he carried with him, in a living memory that moved his hands still as if he'd never left the dojo of Tanchozurujima. It had served as the foundation to build a new future with Samson Balon, with Kenshiko, Aiko, the Bedlam brothers, a united future that had only started to move out from the shadow of the Dragon and take back what had been stolen from them.

"Aching to be whole, to complete what he once was...only now does he jest about reaching terms? Tell me why, for all his millenia of deceit and ruin, I should grant mercy to one who has spared none in all his solipsistic existence?"

[grampagen]

Evan nods to Zaofan, smiles, than turns and nods to Sarada.

“Didn’t think…I had it in me. I’ll be fine. Just……did something I probably shouldn’t have.”

"You think so, huh? Now all of the Universe knows you're still here. They heard you, Eva, they heard you."

He could feel it as well, in a fashion. As he called upon the Knights of Reshlan, the same phenomenon now ignited across the cosmos with an intensified furor.

"It's not just us. Not anymore."

There was a twinge of guilt in his voice, which would only be pronounced further as he reflected upon what had transpired.

From what Sarada understood from the recounting of the events that followed Auroc’s death, Zaofan had been knighted by Queen Nevin herself. So it was easy to see how and why he was taking the destruction of the capital city so hard. He, and all of them, arrived with the intention of keeping Nevin safe and maintaining Reshlan’s security. They had succeeded in their ultimate goal, but with an incalculable amount of collateral damage as a result. As she let her gaze drift over the destruction, it was heartbreaking.

But there was benefit to be found in even the scorched earth. Eventually, the foliage would return, sprouting from ground that was more fertile than it was before. Reshlan would rise again, larger and grander than it was before.

“A city doesn’t give its people meaning or purpose, it’s the other way around. Buildings can be always be rebuilt. As long as the Threshling people survive, Reshlan will continue unabated, better than it was before.” She smiled and patted him on the shoulder. “We gave them the ability to rebuild. We did good.”

If there was any comfort to be had from these words, Zaofan would not find them, for he had been the one who pulled the fire from the sky and gathered it to that place where it had ignited and flattened the city.

"Did we? We're just tourists around these parts, they're the ones that need to live with it. That's a price they shouldn't have to pay..."

Still looking at Illargi far away, he remembered his last, desperate call, and how they had responded.

"...yet they stood with us anyway. In the end, that's what made all the difference."

As for Inanna, her already somber expression worsened as her hand fell to her side. “As for Inanna, blame me. I was the only one who could have known what she was looking for... and I failed her.” She clenched her teeth, but to no avail as tears feel down her face. “And I will live with that for the rest of my life. How can I even look our... my daughter in the eye and explain what happened to her mother?”

It felt like her heart had torn itself in two all over again. It hurt worse than when she learned that Ishtar was gone forever. At least that time, Inanna had a good reason for it and most likely, her Oni wouldn't have ever been the same had she somehow survived that encounter. This time, there was no good reason and she could have at the very least gotten the talking started sooner. Instead... that happened.

"Why the fuck do I always do this?!" She angrily scrubbed her face dry. “Tch. Damn it.”

Though the joy had long withered, a small chuckle escaped Zaofan.

"A month and a half," he started, wobbling a bit as he kept Evangeline propped up. "That's how long it took before you got the angle of the final posture right in your legs. No matter what Ochazuke or Parsley or I said, you were very insistent you'd extended your rear leg to full."

He sighed, longing for less strenuous times, wondering if he, too, could have done anything differently as far back as then.

"Once you set your mind one way, it's very difficult to pull you out of it. That's always been your most enduring quality. It's true that you'll never give up, but sometimes, when your emotions get the best of you, it's because you listen to half as much as you hear."

"But, just like Ishtar while Inanna's gone, but she hasn't completely left us. So what remains to be done is to prove something to her as well...for what good that will do."

"Scarred though she may be, Reshlan still stands. Her people, their resolve and faith, still stand, unshaken, and it is in no small part due to your meritorious, as always, actions," came Nevanlinna's familiar, if curiously tired voice. She had remained silent during... everything that had transpired just now, as she had nothing to add and she had been, hm, indisposed. It turns out that being violently severed from one's oversoul had repercussions. "We have the means and the will to rebuild and restore... again... and so we shall."

The time she had spent in Vaikuntha--in Illargi's Gravito-temporal distortion well--deciphering the secrets of first race technology had been well-spent, it seems. Reshlan had required a bit of terraforming to get it, mm, to her ancestors' specific liking, so fixing this damage was merely a matter of time and effort. Once Sakin fell, they'd have plenty of both to spare.

She'd wanted to chew out that half-s--Totoma, but she still had some connection to Vaikuntha, to... Narayana's rotting corpse, and things had slowly been trickling in. She understood why it had done what it had done, at least partially, and why it had chosen him to be the vessel of its work. However, the only rationale she could discern for choosing that inopportune moment was either desperation or insanity. Neither of which sat well with her.

"And they stand with you. All of you. If you will have them, I will arrange for a contingent of our most capable knights to join the assault on Sakin's world. They won't be much use against Sakin, Elfden, or Cancer, but based on their performance against SWS' minions today, I believe they will be more than capable of handling any of their lesser servitors." Their performance had been... impressive, actually. There had been casualties, yes, but as far as she knew, they had all been among those limited to the older, Auroc-era armors, while the newer armors she had developed over the past year offered enough of an edge to those that wore them to prevent any casualties for their bearers.

"If you say so, then I suppose I have no choice but to accept it," he smiled, sadly. "It should never have gotten to this point. If anyone's earned their rest, it's the knightly company."

Her gaze turned towards... Inanna? Ishtar? This new being had told them to call her what they wanted until she found a name, but using either of those seemed inappropriate. She would find one, in time, likely of her own choosing, but until then... "It must be tiresome, to have only been... born, in a sense, and to be confronted with the sheer banality of Sakin's desires, I imagine. Elfden, at least, one can sympathize with. I suppose now, since you are the only one who knows where the last key to his freedom is, our task is to debate whether or not it is worth the risk freeing him and in the process, attempt to sway you towards the group's... preferred outcome."

She herself was neutral on the matter--most of the group, in her estimation, seemed to prefer the route of just killing him, but Elfden could be a powerful ally if--if--freeing him engendered a feeling of gratitude in him. Often, even the most chaotic and free-spirited of beings of magical nature still possessed a keen sense of reciprocity. They repaid their debts, whether that debt was positive or negative, in full. But his answer to the half-saiyans question--he didn't know what he'd do with his freedom--was vague and left her wanting.

...likely, in a long enough timespan, the results of said freedom would balance out in terms of help and harm.

"Am I to assume you presently either do not particularly care either way or lean somewhat in favor of freeing him?"

...admittedly, freeing him might be the more, ah, interesting of the options, one might say. She could not deny that sheer curiosity about what, exactly, he would do with his freedom did make a part of her want to loose his bounds...

Immediately Zaofan's expression faded.

"Gee, I don't know, Princess," he interjected, "What would you say to bringing Auroc back on board, we can probably make that happen too if you're feeling up to it."

[MrSandman]

Supporting Evangeline despite his own condition, Zaofan found part of his resolve return when Sakin and Grinthorn had departed. From all appearances it seemed they would both need to lean on each other for the time being, but until then he'd made sure to hold the Guardian up, keeping both of her feet on the ground to preserve her dignity.

"What about me? Whatever I'm thinking doesn't seem matter very much, now does it? Look around you," he said. "The Threshlings were counting on us to save their world, and Inanna, she came to us to find a reason to live. The people barely have a thing to return to, while she, she won't be returning at all."

He looked at Sarada, eyes dull and holding back something deep within them. The flattened plains of what was once the finest city upon all Reshlan were reflected in them before they listlessly turned toward Illargi with his thoughts, still fixated on the people on that distant planet, plucked from Vaikuntha where it had been meant to be their shelter from all of this.

"It's too late, far too late, for anything I can say now to mean anything in the slightest."

"...If you waste your voice on meaningless defeatism, then you will never fail to meet expectations. Nothing is gained in silence or in whimpering." The little foci turned it head to Zaofans ear, eyes aglow. "It's never too late for words to have meaning, that is one of if not the greatest essence of magic..."

The foci stood up, and and turned to Sarada.

From what Sarada understood from the recounting of the events that followed Auroc’s death, Zaofan had been knighted by Queen Nevin herself. So it was easy to see how and why he was taking the destruction of the capital city so hard. He, and all of them, arrived with the intention of keeping Nevin safe and maintaining Reshlan’s security. They had succeeded in their ultimate goal, but with an incalculable amount of collateral damage as a result. As she let her gaze drift over the destruction, it was heartbreaking.

But there was benefit to be found in even the scorched earth. Eventually, the foliage would return, sprouting from ground that was more fertile than it was before. Reshlan would rise again, larger and grander than it was before.

“A city doesn’t give its people meaning or purpose, it’s the other way around. Buildings can be always be rebuilt. As long as the Threshling people survive, Reshlan will continue unabated, better than it was before.” She smiled and patted him on the shoulder. “We gave them the ability to rebuild. We did good.”

As for Inanna, her already somber expression worsened as her hand fell to her side. “As for Inanna, blame me. I was the only one who could have known what she was looking for... and I failed her.” She clenched her teeth, but to no avail as tears feel down her face. “And I will live with that for the rest of my life. How can I even look our... my daughter in the eye and explain what happened to her mother?”

It felt like her heart had torn itself in two all over again. It hurt worse than when she learned that Ishtar was gone forever. At least that time, Inanna had a good reason for it and most likely, her Oni wouldn't have ever been the same had she somehow survived that encounter. This time, there was no good reason and she could have at the very least gotten the talking started sooner. Instead... that happened.

"Why the fuck do I always do this?!" She angrily scrubbed her face dry. “Tch. Damn it.”

"Blame is not for one to shoulder, nor is responsibility. That was our mistake with Ishtar, and our mistake with Inanna. The burden of our mistakes will weight us down individual, and so we must carry them together."

"And they stand with you. All of you. If you will have them, I will arrange for a contingent of our most capable knights to join the assault on Sakin's world. They won't be much use against Sakin, Elfen, or Cancer, but based on their performance against SWS' minions today, I believe they will be more than capable of handling any of their lesser servitors." Their performance had been... impressive, actually. There had been casualties, yes, but as far as she knew, they had all been among those limited to the older, Auroc-era armors, while the newer armors she had developed over the past year offered enough of an edge to those that wore them to prevent any casualties for their bearers.

...of course, even with those armors, the training Knights and their soldiers underwent now was much more strenuous and, mm, complete now than in the past. Less focus on glorious individual combat and more focus on group cohesion and effectiveness. Without those improvements, there would have been far more casualties, both military and civilian. She had both the Saiyans and Nevadians to thank for those particular improvements.

Her gaze turned towards... Inanna? Ishtar? This new being had told them to call her what they wanted until she found a name, but using either of those seemed inappropriate. She would find one, in time, likely of her own choosing, but until then... "It must be tiresome, to have only been... born, in a sense, and to be confronted with the sheer banality of Sakin's desires, I imagine. Elfden, at least, one can sympathize with. I suppose now, since you are the only one who knows where the last key to his freedom is, our task is to debate whether or not it is worth the risk freeing him and in the process, attempt to sway you towards the group's... preferred outcome."

She herself was neutral on the matter--most of the group, in her estimation, seemed to prefer the route of just killing him, but Elfden could be a powerful ally if--if--freeing him engendered a feeling of gratitude in him. Often, even the most chaotic and free-spirited of beings of magical nature still possessed a keen sense of reciprocity. They repaid their debts, whether that debt was positive or negative, in full. But his answer to the half-saiyans question--he didn't know what he'd do with his freedom--was vague and left her wanting.

...likely, in a long enough timespan, the results of said freedom would balance out in terms of help and harm.

"Am I to assume you presently either do not particularly care either way or lean somewhat in favor of freeing him?"

...admittedly, freeing him might be the more, ah, interesting of the options, one might say. She could not deny that sheer curiosity about what, exactly, he would do with his freedom did make a part of her want to loose his bounds...

Rather then turn her attention to Neva, the foci only passed its tiny gaze over her a moment, as if to acknowledge her presence in a particularly way.

"Let me teach you an incantation, An old and powerful incantation....one that you can utter in a time of need, and no matter when or where you will receive a miracle. Even if its too late or hopeless.....ready?" The foci waved its tiny arm in the air.

"Mistress, I need you help." The Foci said, completely unapologetically, and then pointed to Zaofan. "Bonus if you bark like a dog."

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

" So, she was still on Qaceria when it got destroyed. We lost a Guardian. I witness the destruction of Qaceria with my electroreception and, knowing that Althena was still on the Qaceria when it was destroyed. Pisses me off even more," Praxat said.

" I pray that my mother Uraxat, sisters Sraxat, Craxat, Nraxat, Draxat, Fraxat, father Zebediah, grandfather Eli, and, Killrog weren't on Qaceria when it was destroyed. Okay, and maybe Qaztoh. Eva, are you the only Guardian left?" Praxat said.

“No, there are others that remain.”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Eva stands, nods and golden and silver light flare in her eyes as she smiles at Zaofan.

“Thank you for your faith and words, Zao. You helped me find the strength, you and Ochazuke. Thanks you.”

A faint thrumming can be heard in her aura as she gazes back at the new Goddess.

“Goddess.”

She bows her head slightly.

[Monstrous Bird of Qin, Ou Ki]

From what Sarada understood from the recounting of the events that followed Auroc’s death, Zaofan had been knighted by Queen Nevin herself. So it was easy to see how and why he was taking the destruction of the capital city so hard. He, and all of them, arrived with the intention of keeping Nevin safe and maintaining Reshlan’s security. They had succeeded in their ultimate goal, but with an incalculable amount of collateral damage as a result. As she let her gaze drift over the destruction, it was heartbreaking.

But there was benefit to be found in even the scorched earth. Eventually, the foliage would return, sprouting from ground that was more fertile than it was before. Reshlan would rise again, larger and grander than it was before.

“A city doesn’t give its people meaning or purpose, it’s the other way around. Buildings can be always be rebuilt. As long as the Threshling people survive, Reshlan will continue unabated, better than it was before.” She smiled and patted him on the shoulder. “We gave them the ability to rebuild. We did good.”

As for Inanna, her already somber expression worsened as her hand fell to her side. “As for Inanna, blame me. I was the only one who could have known what she was looking for... and I failed her.” She clenched her teeth, but to no avail as tears feel down her face. “And I will live with that for the rest of my life. How can I even look our... my daughter in the eye and explain what happened to her mother?”

It felt like her heart had torn itself in two all over again. It hurt worse than when she learned that Ishtar was gone forever. At least that time, Inanna had a good reason for it and most likely, her Oni wouldn't have ever been the same had she somehow survived that encounter. This time, there was no good reason and she could have at the very least gotten the talking started sooner. Instead... that happened.

"Why the fuck do I always do this?!" She angrily scrubbed her face dry. “Tch. Damn it.”



She sighed heavily and forced a smile on her face, one that barely curled her lips upward. “That thing you shouldn’t have done made Sakin nervous. That makes it worth it. At least for now.” For it to truly mean something, they had to win.

“Do you need to sit down or something until you get your energy back?”



As Neva approached them and spoke to Zaofan, Sarada watched her carefully. She looked and sounded tired, despite not taking part in the recent fight. It then occurred to her that whatever happened with Vaikuntha that caused Inanna to freak out must have had a heavy toll on her. Still, she seemed none the worse for wear.

“Is everything okay with that realm of yours? And is your mother alright?”

"Yes, mother is quite alright, as far as I can tell," she said, turning her gaze to Ilargi for a moment. "As for Vaikuntha, it is... wounded, exhausted, even, and Narayana, the intelligence that pervaded it, is... no more. Troubling, as I am--or was--its avatar and should have died with it, but though the Preserver is gone, I--"

She trailed off. She had not died. Been shocked and wounded, yes, but she yet lived.

"Sorry?" said Totoma, approaching her. "I'm... kind of the one that killed Narayana, so..."

Nevanlinna sighed and sent the half-saiyan a venomous side-glance. "What's done is done, you cretino--" Nevanlinna's barb stopped immediately as she laid her eyes on Totoma. Though fatigue had dulled her senses a bit, she could still see that his hozon had become considerably purer... brighter. Blindingly so. Make no mistake, his hozon had always been strange and he was one of the few she had met that seemed to be able to manipulate in small ways--that technique he used to heal himself with water made use of it, in a small way--but this was...

...

A realization, absurd and potentially horrible, soon dawned upon her. Narayana, the Preserver, had died, but its title, station, and mantle had not. It... had passed to the half-saiyan. Had Narayana granted it to him, or had he somehow usurped it? The nature of hozon made the latter unlikely, but...

"What? Neva, you're staring at me like I have something on my face," said Totoma, rubbing his face in an attempt to get that non-existent 'something' off of it.

Well, he certainly hadn't usurped it. In point of fact, he seemed unaware, as per the usual. But why him? Why not Zaofan or Ochazuke... anyone but this buffoon would have worked better.

Hmph, no matter. "Pay me no mind. It is... nothing."

"...nothing, huh." The half-saiyan hero seemed unconvinced that it was just 'nothing', but did not press the matter. Instead, he simply sighed and sat down on a nearby piece of rubble. He almost seemed... contemplative? No, no, that could not be right. He was simply zoning out, waiting for the next battle to trigger him into action, certainly.

"You think so, huh? Now all of the Universe knows you're still here. They heard you, Eva, they heard you."

He could feel it as well, in a fashion. As he called upon the Knights of Reshlan, the same phenomenon now ignited across the cosmos with an intensified furor.

"It's not just us. Not anymore."

There was a twinge of guilt in his voice, which would only be pronounced further as he reflected upon what had transpired.



If there was any comfort to be had from these words, Zaofan would not find them, for he had been the one who pulled the fire from the sky and gathered it to that place where it had ignited and flattened the city.

"Did we? We're just tourists around these parts, they're the ones that need to live with it. That's a price they shouldn't have to pay..."

Still looking at Illargi far away, he remembered his last, desperate call, and how they had responded.

"...yet they stood with us anyway. In the end, that's what made all the difference."



Though the joy had long withered, a small chuckle escaped Zaofan.

"A month and a half," he started, wobbling a bit as he kept Evangeline propped up. "That's how long it took before you got the angle of the final posture right in your legs. No matter what Ochazuke or Parsley or I said, you were very insistent you'd extended your rear leg to full."

He sighed, longing for less strenuous times, wondering if he, too, could have done anything differently as far back as then.

"Once you set your mind one way, it's very difficult to pull you out of it. That's always been your most enduring quality. It's true that you'll never give up, but sometimes, when your emotions get the best of you, it's because you listen to half as much as you hear."

"But, just like Ishtar while Inanna's gone, but she hasn't completely left us. So what remains to be done is to prove something to her as well...for what good that will do."



"If you say so, then I suppose I have no choice but to accept it," he smiled, sadly. "It should never have gotten to this point. If anyone's earned their rest, it's the knightly company."



Immediately Zaofan's expression faded.

"Gee, I don't know, Princess," he interjected, "What would you say to bringing Auroc back on board, we can probably make that happen too if you're feeling up to it."

Nevanlinna turned her attention to Zaofan. She agreeds that the Knights deserved a rest--they had fought long and hard today, and performed beyond what duty called for--but they also knew the stakes in all this, to some extent. And many, most even, were eager to prove themselves a force for good, after their ignoble introduction to the universe at large during the attack on the Saiyan throneworld. They could handle one final battle.

The interjection, however...

Nevanlinna mulled on it. Yes, she despised Auroc, but at the same time, she considered herself mostly a pragmatic person. "We need all the help we can muster, so if that thing were to show its face and offer its assistance with this matter, I would seriously consider it. I would not necessarily accept it, however." Auroc was deceptive and not to be fully trusted, no matter how sincere he appeared, so she would have to ascertain his exact intentions.

"In a sense, Grinthorn is to Earth as Auroc was to Reshlan. I fully understand your apprehension even at the mere hint of loosing his bounds. I shan't argue against whatever course of action you propose, as it is not place."

[bruceleegreyhulk]

“No, there are others that remain.”

"Witnessing my home planet Qaceria destruction with my electroreception was a haunting and extremely painful experience. I was bleeding from my eyes, nostrils, and ear holes. I felt like I want to die," Paraxt said.

"Well it's a relief that there's still other Guardians left," Praxat said.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

If there was any comfort to be had from these words, Zaofan would not find them, for he had been the one who pulled the fire from the sky and gathered it to that place where it had ignited and flattened the city.

"Did we? We're just tourists around these parts, they're the ones that need to live with it. That's a price they shouldn't have to pay..."

Still looking at Illargi far away, he remembered his last, desperate call, and how they had responded.

"...yet they stood with us anyway. In the end, that's what made all the difference."

“It always seems like the little guys the ones left to pick up most of the pieces, doesn’t it?” Sarada said, a hint of experience in her tone. Even her own people, the ones most famous for stepping on those little guys, had been trampled underfoot. But with that harrowing experience came an even greater experience. She knew that it was possible to rise from the ashes and be stronger for it.

She knew that Zaofan knew that very well.

She sighed. “We did the best we could given the circumstances. Mistakes were made. The best we can do now is move forward and help Reshlan pick up the pieces."

Though the joy had long withered, a small chuckle escaped Zaofan.

"A month and a half," he started, wobbling a bit as he kept Evangeline propped up. "That's how long it took before you got the angle of the final posture right in your legs. No matter what Ochazuke or Parsley or I said, you were very insistent you'd extended your rear leg to full."

He sighed, longing for less strenuous times, wondering if he, too, could have done anything differently as far back as then.

"Once you set your mind one way, it's very difficult to pull you out of it. That's always been your most enduring quality. It's true that you'll never give up, but sometimes, when your emotions get the best of you, it's because you listen to half as much as you hear."

"But, just like Ishtar while Inanna's gone, but she hasn't completely left us. So what remains to be done is to prove something to her as well...for what good that will do."

Sarada couldn’t help but smile at the memory of their Fusion training. At the time, though, it wasn’t very funny. It did remind her of something Ochazuke had told her around that time, repeatedly: ‘Your power lies in your ability to control your emotions. Once someone has command of your inner world, they become your master.’

That was... a work in progress, one that she would likely never achieve completely. She was an emotional person to a fault. It was her greatest strength, but also her greatest weakness. Saiyans derived power from extreme emotion, at least initially, so it wasn’t possible to completely divorce herself from her emotions. Well... it was, but she hadn’t been able to tap into Peerless Instinct ever since she transcended into godhood.

“It really bit me in the ass this time,” she said morosely. Inanna was gone for good, for the most part, and this new Goddess was a complete mystery. She took her eyes from Zaofan and set her gaze upon her. Her questioning of Sakin and Alakazah was rife with the same curiosity that endeared her to Ishtar and Inanna.

There were shades of the women she once loved in there, but they were cloaked around an unfamiliar figure. She had something to prove to her. The only questions were what and when. There was a time and a place for everything. Reshlan right then were neither.

“Maiz always says we have two ears and only one mouth, so we should listen twice as often.” She let out a bitter chuckle. “Wish I had listened to that sooner.”

"Yes, mother is quite alright, as far as I can tell," she said, turning her gaze to Ilargi for a moment. "As for Vaikuntha, it is... wounded, exhausted, even, and Narayana, the intelligence that pervaded it, is... no more. Troubling, as I am--or was--its avatar and should have died with it, but though the Preserver is gone, I--"

She trailed off. She had not died. Been shocked and wounded, yes, but she yet lived.

"Sorry?" said Totoma, approaching her. "I'm... kind of the one that killed Narayana, so..."

Nevanlinna sighed and sent the half-saiyan a venomous side-glance. "What's done is done, you cretino--" Nevanlinna's barb stopped immediately as she laid her eyes on Totoma.

Upon hearing that Nevan was okay, Sarada nodded once. The original mission she had Neva had when they reached Reshlan had been accomplished. Nevan was safe, which would have been one less hostage for Sakin to hold over their heads. It was a moot point since his plans had changed to drastically, but still. “Good. I’ll have to speak with her once this is all over.

Once the conversation shifted toward Vaikuntha, she frowned. She knew nothing of this “Preserver”, “Narayana”, or anything like that. She just assumed it was a funky realm that had some very weird and magical properties, but apparently, it was actually a person? That Totoma killed?

That explained why Inanna freaked out and literally ripped Ilargi out and set it within Reshlan’s orbit. Hence, Sarada’s thoughts immediately went to New Turrip. “There’s a city of Saiyans still in Vaikuntha. Will they be able to leave without hassle?” Or are they trapped forever was left unsaid but strongly implied.

[bruceleegreyhulk]

(Hmm, now I also wondering if Ampeior has been destroyed as well? If it was, I'm not worried about the Intoadians. I gave them a means to get off their planet by building a portal and teleportation systems,) Praxat thought.

( Plus, I gave Jinzi the coordinates to Amperior. So I'm positive that a good number of them, if not most of them would still be alive even if their planet was destroyed. They would have had ample time to leave their planet Amperior from the time I left it,) Praxat thought.

( So if Amperior was destroyed, I'm positive that it would have been a good amount or almost no Intoadian on the planet by then. Of course, if Amperior was destroyed that means a lot of stuff I built there is gone. Plus all that lost technology on Amperior. I won't get the chance to uncover if Amperior is gone,) Praxat thought.

( No planet would mean no ruins to investigate, and no ruins, means no finding lost technology,) Praxat thought.

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

Standing there as the last reverb shook him, he slowly regarded the Oni-that-was.

"That caustic spite remains upon your tongue from one incarnation to the next. Indeed that proclivity for spotting fracture points on the surface still lingers, even in the pursuit of deeper truth," he said. "But, you are no longer Inanna any more than she was Ishtar, and it remains to be seen if we converge upon the matter."

The laughter ceased as suddenly as it came, replaced with an unsettling, distinctly sharp calm.

"But these wizened ancients profess to much and confess to still more. That was Sakin's divine mission, a pursuit of perfection, a thing so very fleeting. Perhaps that is the conceit of a dull immortality upon a creature that cannot fathom anything greater than what may be wrought from another, as if nature were nothing more fixed quanitities. If power is divinity, divinity in turn the measure by which we measure what is right and just...what it must be to cling to the clout of a shattered godhead and be fastened upon how it was in the beginning, fixated upon that remaining as it had been and ever shall be? With all the powers at his disposal, the Fallen one's most dangerous quality is the fickleness of his hollow heart and the inability to accept change."

For three years, he'd done everything he could to pull Sakin into the light, but the closer they came, the farther the distance. The matter of Eldfen, however...

"But Grinthorn loved the Earth, cheh!"

For the first time, he'd spoken the name without hesitation.

" One hundred thousand years since he fell as a calamity from the stars! Eldfen tread upon my planet, seeding destruction and creating miracles to curry the favor of one tribe as he pit them against another. Once he'd plucked the weeds from his farm, everything Sakin had professed he would do, the Elder Dragon had already done in the guise of That Man. The kingdom of Vermillion had been pushed beneath the continental shelf, Arthur's line extinguished to a single generation. The Palantine who rebelled against him to stop his expansion across the galaxy, he poisoned their souls with vice and malice until their memory was all but forgotten!"

As Ochazuke continued to speak, his thoughts were with the multitudes who placed the belief now carried upon the Heka Flow, carrying with it the echo of those lives that were ended without remorse; the Earth was so far away, yet the memories of the fallen Tiger School Ajarn Kaibyo had grafted upon his heart burned as brightly as they had so long ago.

"Master Zxu'ro's martial line, the legacy of the Ten Schools, they were to serve as the stewards of this world in his stead. In the face of restoring his own power and to avenge himself upon the Master, fearing the extent of human potential, and so he'd preyed upon them and snuffed out the memory of the fallen."

Grand Master Chahan, too, he carried with him, in a living memory that moved his hands still as if he'd never left the dojo of Tanchozurujima. It had served as the foundation to build a new future with Samson Balon, with Kenshiko, Aiko, the Bedlam brothers, a united future that had only started to move out from the shadow of the Dragon and take back what had been stolen from them.

"Aching to be whole, to complete what he once was...only now does he jest about reaching terms? Tell me why, for all his millenia of deceit and ruin, I should grant mercy to one who has spared none in all his solipsistic existence?"

She tilted her head at the intitial barb, letting it pass uncontested beyond that as she examined him and listened to his meandering response; tracing the fault lines that divided the mortals of earth and the Old Dragon.

Proving it was jest he'd found in Eldfen's words, and not some final falliling of his sanity. Or exposed that like Sakin, and Asha'rah, he was mad in his own way...

"Spiteful..." she finally mused, aloud.

"And for all that you've said, it seems to me far more relevant that which you haven't. That in end, you feel aggrieved, and take insult that he seeks forgiveness now; after all the pain and suffering." There was a lull, as She glanced at him- and then the Saiyans, Charco-Rex, and the others- before returning her attention to Ochazuke.

"Hypocritical of this group, I should think. To say nothing of this belief of his corruption of the Palatine. After all, of the six, only two were directly affected. The Forger, and his slow corruption, and Zxu'ro, and his warring schools. The others merely faded as all are wont to do; with the inevitable progression of time. Though... What did he do, ultimately, to the Forger, and Martial Chimera, beyond capitalize on the mortal predilection for mistrust, and avarice... and spite? He widened the 'surface fractures' already present to expose the deeper truth, as you yourself said."

She tilited her head.

"Is that why you wish him dead, so fervently?"

[grampagen]

She tilted her head at the intitial barb, letting it pass uncontested beyond that as she examined him and listened to his meandering response; tracing the fault lines that divided the mortals of earth and the Old Dragon.

Proving it was jest he'd found in Eldfen's words, and not some final falliling of his sanity. Or exposed that like Sakin, and Asha'rah, he was mad in his own way...

"Spiteful..." she finally mused, aloud.

"And for all that you've said, it seems to me far more relevant that which you haven't. That in end, you feel aggrieved, and take insult that he seeks forgiveness now; after all the pain and suffering." There was a lull, as She glanced at him- and then the Saiyans, Charco-Rex, and the others- before returning her attention to Ochazuke.

"Hypocritical of this group, I should think. To say nothing of this belief of his corruption of the Palatine. After all, of the six, only two were directly affected. The Forger, and his slow corruption, and Zxu'ro, and his warring schools. The others merely faded as all are wont to do; with the inevitable progression of time. Though... What did he do, ultimately, to the Forger, and Martial Chimera, beyond capitalize on the mortal predilection for mistrust, and avarice... and spite? He widened the 'surface fractures' already present to expose the deeper truth, as you yourself said."

She tilited her head.

"Is that why you wish him dead, so fervently?"

"Do not test me with this trite reductionism again. As before, it grows tiresome, so listen well."

"A fractured soul, chained by division, yearning to be set free. Yet one hundred thousand years upon this world, this creature and all his miracles saw nothing beside his own magnificence but weakness and fodder. For he who could peer into the throughts of another, the only hypocrisy at play here is the Dragon's own."

"Had he even one fraction compassion, manifest but a shard of empathy beside his singular ambition, with all the powers at his disposal he would have set the foundation to build. Instead he chose to destroy, leading by fearful example, climbing upon corpses to reach what he once was, heedless to anything else but for chattle and supplicants."

"Do not speak triflingly of the Palatine. I have seen memory cast within the battlements of Vermillion where Zxu'ro drew upon the leylines to seal his power. I saw what Grinthorn had wrought first-hand through the Forger's eyes, and pulled the very curse apart where it had poisoned his mind. He tried to kill them then and failed, and so he killed the memory thereafter. If he too is a victim of a distorted nature, do not ever forget it was he that caused them to forget themselves and diminish, just like any other inconvenience to his conceited designs."

"What he chose was not some romantic notion of peace from order, but the end of sapience, as if people were nothing more than animate slaves of inherent vice. Yes, there is mistrust where fear takes root, and often a hunger burns in mortal hearts. Many times has this been dismissed as weakness of virtue beside a frailty of spirit. But there is the potential for so much more beyond crude violence pulled from a primitive atavism these would-be masters rear with one hand and reap with the other, and those that are aware can cultivate it."

Ochazuke raised the hammer for a moment. Nested in the gauntleted hand that gripped it was Arthur's ring. For a moment, he looked over to Zaofan. As much as a characteristic brooding fell over his features as he grappled with the nature of the serpent when he'd last examined him, as he saw his martial brother, a sureness filled his eyes as he looked to the Heka Axis as he spoke.

"No matter how long it takes, those who can see the path that does not yet exist will build it."

[Miburo]

Static crackled over the line, the response shaky. It was as if there was a row of interference in the ambient radiation, like a spacefaring vessel drawn too close to a corona event shocking the vital communications from bow to stern.

"--say again, Admiral. Repeat, this is Captain Ulysses of the Navigation Guild hailing from the Big Ghetti Star, are you getting this?"

"Nevada-Prime is gone! When the Merchant Guild went silent we thought they were scuttling their wares before things went to shit, then the Stargate comms went dead! After rerouting we got a visual from the spaceport, it's gone!"

"While we had our eye on the Earth Defense Force as we were containing the situation on the BGS promenade, the Cabal must have made their move. Homeworld and half the fleet-! The rest is scattered on peacekeeping efforts...everyone, your father, the High Dean, they're gone!"

The Nevadian remained silent as the good Captain gave his report. It had been one thing to be informed of the concept of Nevada no longer being in existence. It was disturbing, to be sure. But that paled in comparison to the illustration, the picture, that Ulysses had painted for him. The damage done, the chaos, the confusion, could be heard in a voice of one even as stoic and as consummate a professional as the captain.

.....Damn them. I suppose it should have been expected that there would have been reprisal after we took out She Who Stalks....No. This would have happened regardless. Grinthorns tantrum about those balls would have ensured it.

Then a second surge shocked through the comm, drowning the Captain's voice out, and all the ill-tidings his report brought with it. In its place, the message of a Guardian rang out loud and clear.

Moving swiftly to a window overlooking the Earth, he and several of the denizens of the Big Ghetti Star bore witness to Evangeline's decree and saw the rising stream of light break the stratosphere. Among the offworlders that had settled into this makeshift stellar city, the feed came in from hundreds more worlds that yet lived.

"By the horns of Great Capricorn...!"

From the many jaded years of the Captain's life, he could be regarded as many things. Upon the loss of his eye, a believer would scarcely be among them. But ever since Held had commissioned him and his crew, the shit they'd seen while charting new frontiers had brought even this seasoned navigator who measured the inches between stars and planets to questions. Now...now, he was completely at a loss, but he had a ship, and clearance to patch in to the alliance he'd rushed along with the Crane and the Cook.

"...Admiral, are you still there? What should we do?"

"Affirmative." Held replied in an icy tone. His thoughts ran wild like the heads of a Nevadian Hydra, each disturbed thought done away with found a dozen more in its place. Focusing on his duty helped--If not him, than at least to begin to mitigate the damage done.

"Contact the Saiyans." He began, before sighing slightly, "And the Toadians. They've met with similar circumstances. It's important to stay connected during moments like these. This attack was likely an attempt to scatter the coalition."

And they've done a great job....Half the fleet. Good Grief. We couldn't shake off a blow of that level if we've tried.

"Since Nevada Prime is...." He paused for a moment, "Lost entirely, perhaps it's best to let the lesser Dean's maintain order of their respective planets within the federation....Hopefully that will give us some time to figure out the Chain of Command. Hopefully someone from the Main Cabinet or the great houses can be located."

Damnit....I don't have time to get distracted with this....This is probably want they want. My first impulse is to return home and restore order....But that would only be a stop gap measure as things are.

"Monitor the situation as best you can and keep me informed."

Grinthorn eyes Held, smoke almost….almost too imperceptible to see…curling away from Held’s presence.

“Can’t. Not while Eva so finely banished me from Earth, nor when…..Ochazuke actually managed to injure me.”

He turns and stares at where Eva and Ochazuke are with Zaofan.

“I said I don’t make the same mistake twice. Underestimating people, especially your group, is a death sentence.”

He side eyes Sakin when he says this.

“You seem diametrically opposed to me being unsealed completely, and thus I am left with no option but to aside with Sakin. I help him, he helps me.”

He blows some smoke and his eyes glimmer a moment under his hat.

“Give them to me and I’ll leave this conflict. Don’t, and you leave me no choice. I refuse to be limited any longer.”

"Perhaps you should have made that case before striking at my planet." Held informed the would be dragon, "I tend to be in a better mood to negotiate when I'm not antagonized....Besides, how do you know we didn't place the Dragonballs on Nevada Prime? If you're unhappy now, I can only imagine how you'd feel when you or your...friend. atomize the only means of granting your own desire."

[bruceleegreyhulk]

" I think I should contact and inform my fellow Toadians in the GP of Qaceria's destruction. I could just not tell them or could just lie, but that would just be worse in the end. They should know than to be kept in the dark. That's if they haven't already been informed," Praxat said.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Mato landed in front of what was left of the royal palace after leaving Maiz's temple upon hearing that Sakin had been attacking worlds. One hundred had fallen according to her. There were too many to name, but the ones she did recount to him were discouraging enough. Nevada and Chroma were allies of theirs simply by virtue of Queen Sarada being friends with some of their major players. The others, like Namek, had become allies through diplomatic efforts. Losing them was a great blow to the already tenuous morale that the universe managed to sustain since this "Great Call" began earlier in the day. That was to say nothing of the loss of Langal.

The day had already extracted a heavy toll and there was still so much more to go before they could all finally breathe a sigh of relief and relax. Until then, it was high alert across the board.

He walked into the command room, which had thankfully been spared during Tundra's otherworldly invasion, and was immediately bombarded with the frantic pandemonium of dozens of people talking all at once. Multiple holographic screens were strewn across the air space, each one displaying a different world or person speaking to one of their defense ministry representatives. So many different languages being spoken across the room all at once... it was madness. Mato groaned and rubbed his temple.

In the middle of the chaos was Botarega. He watched the proceedings stoically, his hands pressed firmly on the edge of a metal and glass table. Displayed on the glass were reports from the viceroys of each planet in the Empire. Each planet that remained, that was. Everything seemed to be holding steadily. How long things would remain that way remained to be seen.

"How recent are these reports?" he asked.

"From five minutes ago. I ordered updates every fifteen minutes," he replied. "I fear that may not be frequent enough. Any word from Her Highness or the Princess?"

"No. And don't expect any. We can't afford for them to get distracted with affairs we can handle ourselves on this end." Mato fell into a silence. He knew that the state of her people and her empire weighed heavily on Sarada's mind, even with greater worries fighting for dominion. "A written report sent to her PDD should suffice." He tapped the metal edge of the table, which activated dozens of small pricks of light just under the glass center. Those pricks exploded into beams that formed teal-colored hard-light replicas of the planets that had been added to their list of allies in recent years.

His countenance grew grim as he dimmed the ones that had been destroyed: Nevada Prime, Chroma, Namek, so many others. The vital part of creating alliances was mutual interest. Goodwill was as stable as twine, but mutual interest was stronger than katchin. They had made so many promises that they had every intention of keeping. Many of them they had already began making good on. Seeing them suddenly destroyed hurt him in a way that he didn't think it would.

With the list reorganized - though he feared he would need to reorganize the list again in the very near future - he spoke again. "We need to remain in contact with our remaining allies. Keep the lines of communication open at all times so we're all on the same page."

"For as much good as that will do," he muttered.

Mato heard him but couldn't find it in himself to disagree. The battle was out of their hands and in the hands with the power to act in a more substantial and meaningful way than any of them could. They were bystanders, spectators to the battle of gods and mortals for the fate of everything. If Sarada and her friends failed... that was it.

He didn't like having his fate in another person's hands, even if they had been proven capable. "Until Her Highness returns, I'm assuming command of the Empire. Every piece of new intel we receive is filtered through me."

"Understood. Where's Lady Maiz?"

"Exactly where she needs to be," he answered. He sent a quick message to Pois to go relieve Maiz of babysitting duties. With that done, he moved to an unoccupied space - a rarity with the madness happening around him - and opened lines of communication with the viceroys around the Empire. The first order of business was to make sure everyone was aware of the current situation and who to contact in case of any new developments, good or bad.