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

[Sub-Zero MKA]

"Mercy? For Sakin? Tch."

Sarada eyed Eva but said nothing more than that. Her first thought was that mercy was a dignity that Sakin didn't deserve. How much suffering had he wrought over the last hundred thousand years, either directly or indirectly? How many civilizations had gone awry - her own included - because he had been luring Guardians to his world to kill and drain of their Creation energy? How many lives had he taken when he destroyed a hundred worlds only a few minutes ago? How many survivors felt unneeded grief and guilt that they survived, and their loved ones didn't?

Didn't all those people deserve mercy? The only thing he was going to be given was a death sentence.

Were the situations reversed, he would kill them without hesitation. In fact, he intended on doing exactly that; he said as much. He was at the end of his rope, too deeply entrenched in his own delusions.

She caught a glimpse of Eva's hidden grief and sorrow wrack her body briefly before her form hardened. She felt her brow crease. No one should have wanted him dead more than Eva. He had taken her mentor... no, her friend, killed him, and used his body as a puppet for his own ends to further torment both her and Earth. If she could find it within herself to hand him over to Sihn alive, Sarada supposed she could as well. And knowing that he would have to live the rest of his miserable life as a complete, abject failure was a satisfying prospective end to the entire saga.

"Son of a bitch deserves death, but also deserves to answer for all his bullshit. Guess we'll see when it comes up."

Then a thought occurred to her. "Is it even possible to kill an Angel?"

"Sihn told me that it's not," Parsley said in answer. She then rubbed her chin. "That was then and we're much more powerful and with many more tools at our disposal."

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

“I too would choose a bloodless way if possible.”

Eva steps up and looks between the Goddess and Ochazuke.

“I have reason more than most to hate Sakin and Grinthorn. If the old dragon wants peace……..I would accept it. But he has shown no ounce of trust or faith with us. Instead, he has actively obfuscated us, hindered, and even acted to murder Jinzi’s parents alongside a slew of other crimes.”

Her odd glowing eyes look around the world, than back. She sighs.

“But I don’t want him as an enemy. He abandons the fight, I won’t seek him out. He betrays Sakin, I am willing to let him go in peace. But he must make the first move, Goddess. I am sorry, forgiveness is divine but we have been burned before, and by him especially. As to his true self……….”

She shakes her head slowly.

“A……..negotiation can be had. Maybe. If we all survive this. A pact, an Oath to leave us alone and stop his meddling in our affairs or the affairs of mortals. Then, bound to that………maybe.”

Her eyes harden.

“But Sakin only gets one mercy if he surrenders right now. That is the mercy of capture by Sihn and punishment afterwards. But he won’t surrender, and if stopping him means saving billions………then that is what we must do.”

She cocks her head.

“Do you believe he will stop his pursuits and give himself up? Or do you believe him a zealot to the end?”

Most of what Evangeline had to say was just expounding upon what Ochazuke had alluded to, with his impassioned responses, and so She chose to let Eva's words stand unchallenged. The young Guardian's question did elicit a twinkle in Her eye however. "Sakin? Oh no. He is far beyond the bargaining point. Such that, I suspect, if his success is proven impossible; he would sooner see it all- and you all most assuredly- burn... than allow you all to shape the future of mortals." The twinkle became a smirk.

"So we shall see how it progresses, mm?"

[bruceleegreyhulk]

"Before we departed. I like to say something that was said to me by the people of Amperior when I was there. It's a motto of theirs that I adopted," Praxat said.

"Be like an electron and keep moving, because an electron never stops moving. Or in laymans terms keep moving forward," Praxat said.

[Monstrous Bird of Qin, Ou Ki]

Sarada’s brow furrowed in bewilderment. It sounded like whatever Totoma “needed” to do, he intended on doing it right then and there. Meaning he wanted to leave Reshlan to head back to Earth and use the White/Gold room. Which was completely fine if he didn’t consider the safety of his family and saving the universe from complete annihilation a top priority. And given how Saiyan men were, he probably didn’t.

“Idiot,” she grunted, “where the fuck do you think you’re going? Because if it doesn’t have anything to do with beating Sakin and saving our families, it can wait.”

Sarada's reaction to what he wanted to do was very... Sarada. Brutally blunt. Ultimately, he knew she was correct, but...

"...you're right, but there's something bothering me," he said. "As I said, it probably won't take long, if it even works. Just give me... five minutes, 'kay?"

With time of the essence, even that would probably be too much, but... hm. He'd think of something.

“Good.” It was about time the Turripians rejoined the rest of the Empire anyway. They had been isolated for a few years and had been missing out on pretty much everything. Plus, they could really use whatever innovations and inventions they managed to conjure up in Vaikuntha. “I appreciate it.”

With their release settled, she moved on to Neva’s request. “You want them to defend the planet while we’re gone? I don’t see why not.” In truth, she had no idea how much stronger they were than when they first settled there. She had to assume that at least the Defense Force that fought the Tuffles during their invasion spent much of their time training while the rest did science shit. If that was the case, then they were probably comparable to the Knights, or at least strong enough to not get in the way.

“That’s actually what I wanted to speak with your mother about, forming an alliance. I’ll have to consider what kind of mutual interests we share, but a partnership between our people would be beneficial. This is a great first step.”

Without a God of Destruction, it was going to fall on all of them to keep everything in order once Sakin was dealt with. That could come later, but it was something they were going to have to discuss sooner rather than later. Earth had done a fabulous job of forging the bonds of partnership with much of the universe, they just needed to take it one step further.

"Ah, of course. Mother and I have discussed that matter... recently," said Nevanlinna. "You should find her quite open to the idea. A common defense pact, economic ties... mmm, and one idea of my own. While there are not many Saiyans who can use magic, there are at least a few, but you've no formal schools in which to instruct them. We threshlings, however, do."

...or did. Most of those had been located in the capital, which was now quite destroyed. Outlying towns had... hedge-wizard schools, but, really, when it came to magical instruction, location was immaterial, at least for the basics. Schools were merely a focal point for networking and resources, really.

Eva, before addressing the Goddess, nods and a swirl of silver butterflies reveal a door before Totoma.

“Through there.”

Totoma nodded and stepped through, finding himself in the White-Gold room. To literally no one's surprise, it... looked exactly as it had all those years ago. Well, duh, ancient magic (or whatever) room wasn't going to change in a few years, barring being blown up. He had no time to waste, so he walked to the middle and...

Wait, was the time "spent" in the past 1:1 with the present? He actually had no idea how long this would take, and... okay, yeah, being stuck here for an indeterminate amount of time would kind of be bad? But this 'hanuman' thing, he felt driven to explore it. But he felt just as driven to punch Sakin in the face and rescue his family and friends.

Okay, hm, let's... flex that ol' brain muscle a bit.

He wasn't actually as stupid as he acted, but he did have a tendency of just... acting without thinking. When he actually did stop and think, he was at least OK at it. And he was really good at thinking on his feet.

Ah, maybe...

Totoma spread out his arms and 'reached out' with Kizuna. Not the normal Kizuna he usually busted out to unlock a little bit of everyone's potential temporarily, but something more like what he'd done in Vaikuntha. That is to say... he was attempting to 'connect' with the room itself, so he could, uh... use it remotely? Probably wouldn't be quite as effective, but he'd manage... if it even worked at all. Was worth a try, he figured?

[Yun Lao]

Then a thought occurred to her. "Is it even possible to kill an Angel?"

"Sihn told me that it's not," Parsley said in answer. She then rubbed her chin. "That was then and we're much more powerful and with many more tools at our disposal."

He huffed amusedly, "Considering that there's another angel out for his blood, I would say we have the best shot anyone will ever have at doing it."

[grampagen]

"...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.


"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."

With a small, defeated chuckle, Zaofan shrugged his shoulder to give the little Foci a boost...perhaps to sit on his head, though he offered a cheek or an ear to nuzzle. About the closest thing to a hug I can manage with a Guardian on one arm...

"Maybe, but it's one thing to say the words. I made a promise to them, dear, and I had every intention of keeping them, one way or another."

His white cape had been reduced to tatters during the fight with She Who Stalks, and though the symbol of that duty had been relieved, its weight still remained heavy on him.

"...ah what am I doing? I didn't really know Inanna, I only got a small read on her, and even then I couldn't help myself when I tried to stop her. She came to us and...," he trailed off.

"...well, for better or for worse that was my answer, I can only do what I can. Suppose there's no sense trying to do it over, but part of her is still with us. Let's show her that our way works."

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."

"Wau-wau."

It slipped out entirely on reflex and he could only raise his brows and hastily clear his throat.

"'Mistress, I need your help,'" he repeated. "We all do. It's been too long since we all went off training, I've missed you, but we could all really use some magic right now."

"Besides...for the fight to come, I'm going to be needing my staff."

[bruceleegreyhulk]

"Zaofan are you perhaps in need of healing? I'm examining you and everyone else for injuries using my electroreception," Praxat said.

[grampagen]

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.


"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."

There in the Big Ghetti Star's communications tower, Ulysses Prizzm could only swallow the lump in his throat.

"...alright then, we'll see if anyone's on hand to receive the message. They don't know me though, Admiral, I'm just a freighter. As far as they'll be concerned this message comes from you. Stand by."

Hastily, he stole across the console, patching in through the appropriate channels. Stargate Infrastructure should carry the uplink now. If we compensate for the distance through folding the space across the band...

"Confoundingly wonderous, this Kami of the world,"

Since the Gotengo had parted the R&D launch bay, and it was from here that MCO Spopovich and a number of Capsule Corps engineers working in conjunction with the EDF foreign delegation had finally stirred. Having kept an eye on the sattelite from feed over the entire affair on Reshlan and the eruption of energy that had surrounded the Earth had galvanized the officer...and perhaps the worst of his melodromatic habits.

"Of eyes that vainly crave the light, of the objects mean, of the struggle ever renew’d," he quoted to...himself, "Of the poor results of all, of the plodding and sordid crowds I see around me-"

His words fluttered where his pale, scarred countenance froze.

Across the video line to the Orbital Ring that stood between the planetary shield as the backbone of the blue planet's defense grid, however, things were considerably less well off, and the Commander Kenshiko of the Earth Defense Force was being pushed to her limit.

"Officer, kindly shut the fuck up for a second. Evangeline's disappeared."

"Of the poor results of all, of the plodding and sordid...say again?"

Kenshiko seethed through her fangs, eyebrows scrunched, twitching, as she drew a stray red strand from her face and calmly loosened her uniform's dress tie.

"We were rerouting the power to keep the defenses online, only to discover that we'd been outflanked from the start," she said, "Our defenses were meant for a physical threat, but we're dealing with sons of bitches that cross entire dimensions, they slipped right past them like they weren't even there! The situation on the ground was only barely contained, but when our boys on Reshlan turned the tide and our Guardian said her piece, everything stopped."

She stood there amid pandemonium on the battle-damaged station set in the ringed perimeter of the world. A year ago they'd managed to shore up, bracing themselves for a monsoon; now it was more like stomping out fires wherever they spread, only for new sparks to kick up new ones every time. This time, however, it was a bit different. Although she could not see it, she could feel it, like prickling at the base of her skull.

Is that you, Zosui?

"Hey. Deadeye. Captain Prizzm, I'm talking to you."

Ulysses turned from the console he was seated at, cocking his head toward the view screen where he sat behind Spopovich. The Red Tigress stared daggers in person, and he thought it was a twisted joke that her image stretched even larger across this distance upon this visual.

"Yeah it's me, kind of dealing with a situation with the Federation."

"So same thing happened to the Nevadian system, same as Chroma and Quaceria," she sighed. "Stand by. We'll follow the Guardian's lead and sound off."

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.

A lone Nevadian Stargate perched over empty space, and only found purchase where the sprawling docking station had been set before it. It had been set there a year previously, a monument to the partnership between the Saiyan Empire and Nevadian Federation broken by Earth's diplomatic missions, a vector to connect the three peoples at an instant through folded space. Now this interstellar bridge presided over a solitary, mournful watch, in the aftermath of the heavy blow dealt to each of these civilizations.

Yet there it remained. Its instruments flickered online, and a comm frequency spread far and wide, hailing any receptive in a span, repeating its message.

"...GP, have you affirmed that last transmission, we have a vector to attack? Broadcast coordinates-"

"...have confirmed the worst among hundreds of worlds, this is a call to sound off. You are not alone, the Earth stands with you, please respond-"

"...and we cannot give in yet! Know still, 'That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse*'-"

"...homeworld took the brunt of it and the House of the High Dean. From Held Debon himself, we are calling upon all the forces of the Armada for those that stand at the ready! Repeat, we are prepared-"

Slowly, the voices began to pool behind the first message that carried its divine intonation sweeping across the universe.

On Earth, Kai and Nunlil fall back a step as Eva floats into the sky. Her face is tear streaked, her eyes blazing with silver and gold energy, and an aura of possibility surrounds her. Her body, to Kai’s eyes, resonate with a harmonic chord.

———————-

Maiz, you hear Eva’s voice and can feel that power starting to build in Eva. It’s a strange power, that odd harmonic chord that resounds in your head. Something……..unique, divine.

———————-

The image of Sakin narrows his eyes and his head turns towards where Zaofan and the butterflies are.

“What is that Kami doing?” He hisses out, staff gripped tightly.

———————-

Across the universe, hundreds of butterflies on hundreds of worlds appear, they flutter and float and from each butterfly, Eva’s voice rings out. It is the voice of fate, of resistance, of hope.

“I Remain.”

The butterflies fly out, the voice ringing clearer.

“I REMAIN. I RESIST. I WILL…..NEVER……SURRENDER. I AM GUARDIAN OF EARTH, AND TO THE UNIVERSE……I SAY…..FIGHT! RESIST! WE ARE NOT THE PLAYTHINGS OF FALSE IMMORTALS! EARTH WILL NEVER FALL UNDER THAT TYRANTS SHADOW EVER AGAIN.”

On Earth, as her message spreads across the universe, with a shudder, Eva vanishes into a flurry of ephemeral butterflies, leaving Kai and Nunlil alone on the Lookout.

Silently drifting there, fixed silently, the Stargate shone, and as the Leyline swelled, the message was reiterated. Sakin made his move, and Evangeline had made her rebuttal.

Now, who among the allied peoples of the Known Universe would respond in solidarity?

OOC: *O Me! O Life, Walt Whitman

[grampagen]

"Zaofan are you perhaps in need of healing? I'm examining you and everyone else for injuries using my electroreception," Praxat said.

"You should save your strength. This might be the last time for you to make a recovery as well."

With a click of a capsule, Zaofan put out the very last of the rations he had prepared.



"The last of the annual Senzu Beanharvest...same batch pastry batch as before," he said, "I tried my best to extend them, in the dough, in the filling, so it won't quite substitute for the real thing, but it'll give us that last push."

Far from a stovetop or oven, time had run out, and so had the supplies in his kitchen - thanks to Sasheem and Auroc both. However small it was, however, Zaofan had just enough for everyone to take one now or with them into the battle.

It wasn't much, but even a paltry snack such as this was still Comfort Food, guaranteed to fill the belly and give a boost.

[bruceleegreyhulk]

" Okay then. By the way there's something I want to do if I have time. It's something I want to make more efficient for combat. Turning into pure electromagentic energy to maximize speed and converting back into matter while consevering the momentum from the velocity and adding mass," Paraxt said.

" I attempting once back on Earth against sickle, and threw up my stomach afterwards. I do mean threw up my stomach. I probably don't have time to improve it though," Paraxt said.

[KingofPie]

"You should save your strength. This might be the last time for you to make a recovery as well."

With a click of a capsule, Zaofan put out the very last of the rations he had prepared.



"The last of the annual Senzu Beanharvest...same batch pastry batch as before," he said, "I tried my best to extend them, in the dough, in the filling, so it won't quite substitute for the real thing, but it'll give us that last push."

Far from a stovetop or oven, time had run out, and so had the supplies in his kitchen - thanks to Sasheem and Auroc both. However small it was, however, Zaofan had just enough for everyone to take one now or with them into the battle.

It wasn't much, but even a paltry snack such as this was still Comfort Food, guaranteed to fill the belly and give a boost.

"Sure that's enough for everyone, genius? Don't you see we got Saiyans onboard?!" Sasheem's mocking voice rang out, hovering down with a giant crate carried on his shoulder. "Not that Sasheem's gonna apologize for cleaning out the kitchen before they could, but he had a great plan in the last fight by makin' all these tacos, and by the time Sasheem was done, the fight was over, so..." Sasheem shrugged slamming the massive crate, filled with tacos on the floor. "Dunno how many there are, but it's a lot. Sasheem's got his students carrying more. They also used to be rocks but now they're all flour tortilla and carne asada so nobody can complain!" he smirked. "Should go good with Senzu beans at any rate."

[Sub-Zero MKA]

"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."

Sarada sighed, but listened to what Etrina’s little mini had to say. She knew she was right, but...

The guilt she was feeling right then was only a niggling little pulse in her heart. Every so often, it would flare whenever Inanna’s named was mentioned. The greater threat of universal annihilation was the only thing keeping her from dwelling on it too much. She knew that once everything was over and the universe was safe and she could go back home, that was when it would really begin. There was nothing worse than being alone with her thoughts. She knew the dark places she could go and the things she could do to herself if she focused on the bad things too much.

“Yeah.” The only way to not drown was to let the others in on her pity party. If they all felt guilty, it would be easier to move on. “Just can’t help but feel mostly responsible. I had the bond with her. If I had just... she’d still be here.”

Sarada's reaction to what he wanted to do was very... Sarada. Brutally blunt. Ultimately, he knew she was correct, but...

"...you're right, but there's something bothering me," he said. "As I said, it probably won't take long, if it even works. Just give me... five minutes, 'kay?"

With time of the essence, even that would probably be too much, but... hm. He'd think of something.

Totoma nodded and stepped through

“Motherfucker!” she shouted Totoma walked through the portal Eva created for him. “How can someone be this fucking braindead for so long?!” It went well beyond him just being a male. At least the most mentally stable could focus on the important things, like, oh the universe being in peril. “bUt tHeRe's sOmEtHiNg bOtHeRiNg mE,” she mocked. “The only thing that’ll be bothering him is when I kick him in the taint.”

"Ah, of course. Mother and I have discussed that matter... recently," said Nevanlinna. "You should find her quite open to the idea. A common defense pact, economic ties... mmm, and one idea of my own. While there are not many Saiyans who can use magic, there are at least a few, but you've no formal schools in which to instruct them. We threshlings, however, do."

...or did. Most of those had been located in the capital, which was now quite destroyed. Outlying towns had... hedge-wizard schools, but, really, when it came to magical instruction, location was immaterial, at least for the basics. Schools were merely a focal point for networking and resources, really.

A magic school would be right up Parsley’s alley. Maybe not one of their own since she still wasn’t up to a level where she could reliably teach others how to harness their magic. Teaming up with the Threshling in that regard would be good. Of course, she had to consult with the Council, as well as Nevan to determine what they could offer them in return besides military assistance.

Sarada took a breath to calm herself so she could properly respond to Neva without tearing her head off. “I haven’t looked into it, but I’m pretty sure Parsley is the only Saiyan with any kind of magical aptitude,” she said. “That being said, there are more races in the Empire than just the Saiyans. I’ll have some kind of aptitude tests done on them to see if they have any kind of magic ability.”

He huffed amusedly, "Considering that there's another angel out for his blood, I would say we have the best shot anyone will ever have at doing it."

It was only then, when he actually spoke to her, that she realized that this was the first time she had spoke when Charco in years. Since that bitch cost him his freedom when she stupidly tried to bargain with Rex. Looking at his more reptilian appearance, something must have changed. It was like Deputy Charco from that alternate timeline they encountered way back when.

Regardless of the circumstances, she was thankful and glad to have her friend back. And he felt a shit-ton stronger than he was the last time they fought.

“If there’s an Angel gunning for his head, their ass had better be on that Forsworn World when we show up.” Her face softened a touch. “It’s great to have you back, Charco.”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

A few dozen other Guardians, only a few once part of the Guardian Network, suddenly sound off, echoing Eva’s original statement as their voices echo across the universe in solidarity. At their head is Meagan, her voice strong despite the audible tears in it. Chroma was gone, but she remained. Jinzi’s voice slips in not long after hers.

The Beast God and Last Daughter respond next, anger and determination in their voices.

The GP, in fits and starts, sound off. Miras Thane and Edan’s voices, alongside Dash’s, sound among them.


Distantly, a voice you all recognize as Auroc’s responds as well. The proto-majin, more subdued in tone, sounds off.

A strong voice, calling itself Durga, sounds off as well.


In bits and starts, voices across the universe respond with the same call Eva used: “I REMAIN” and their names fill the universe with defiance. More and more, from distant planets and stars, some you have not even meet yet, call out their will against Sakin.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Parsley feels Caliban poke her.

“You ready missy?”

[Sub-Zero MKA]

"You should save your strength. This might be the last time for you to make a recovery as well."

With a click of a capsule, Zaofan put out the very last of the rations he had prepared.



"The last of the annual Senzu Beanharvest...same batch pastry batch as before," he said, "I tried my best to extend them, in the dough, in the filling, so it won't quite substitute for the real thing, but it'll give us that last push."

Far from a stovetop or oven, time had run out, and so had the supplies in his kitchen - thanks to Sasheem and Auroc both. However small it was, however, Zaofan had just enough for everyone to take one now or with them into the battle.

It wasn't much, but even a paltry snack such as this was still Comfort Food, guaranteed to fill the belly and give a boost.

Parsley took one for herself. "Thank you, Zaofan." Biting into it, she felt an onrush of the energy that had been sapped by Super Saiyan 3 return to her all at once.

"Sure that's enough for everyone, genius? Don't you see we got Saiyans onboard?!" Sasheem's mocking voice rang out, hovering down with a giant crate carried on his shoulder. "Not that Sasheem's gonna apologize for cleaning out the kitchen before they could, but he had a great plan in the last fight by makin' all these tacos, and by the time Sasheem was done, the fight was over, so..." Sasheem shrugged slamming the massive crate, filled with tacos on the floor. "Dunno how many there are, but it's a lot. Sasheem's got his students carrying more. They also used to be rocks but now they're all flour tortilla and carne asada so nobody can complain!" he smirked. "Should go good with Senzu beans at any rate."

"And thank you, Sasheem," she said as she helped herself to six. She had, strangely, never had a taco before despite having encountered them at least once before. She bit into one.

Her eyes widened as dopamine flooded her brain. The clashing textures and flavors and aftertastes assaulted her tongue all at once, an all-out attack on her tastebuds. A line of drool ran down the side of her mouth as the other five quickly vanished from view. She had to resist the overwhelming, nigh irresistible urge to literally dive headfirst into the crate and devour each and every last morsel of delectable "carne asada" - whatever that was. Of course, that would have been selfish and unfair to everyone else who may have wanted something to eat.

Alas, she would have to make do with fondly reminiscing over the recently made memories until such a time came that she could inquire of the ingredients of these tacos and make some for herself.

Just herself.

"Ah, that was delightful," she remarked as she moved to sit down.

"I don't know how exactly Sakin's minions will engage us once we reach his world," she said to the assembled party. "I do know that Cancer will be among them, and Avoca, Sarada, and I all faced her with varying degrees of success." Ranging from absolutely none to becoming a mild nuisance. "Before we leave, I should relay to you what we've learned about her. She's a Vampire, as was noted in Auroc's journal. When she bites you, you become completely paralyzed. And when she consumes your blood, she can completely mimic your very being. Appearance, voice, energy signature; she even has access to your memories."

"She can also cast a crimson moon," Sarada said as she jumped in to add more. "Don't know if it can do more, but it can make anyone caught in its light drowsy. Damn near fell asleep before I cast a shield around the planet to block it. And she has an army of vampire Arcosians at her disposal. They're powerful. They easily outpaced me when I was in my Super Saiyan 3 form." She looked to say more, but paused briefly, as if thinking over something. She then nodded. "But, they're weak to Creation energy. Maiz and Meagan fucked a few of them up that way. Don't know if Cancer is, as well, but it's worth a try if it means knocking off one enemy in short order."

Parsley nodded. "That's about all I can think of. She's a GoD, so danger is always apparent. But her perfected shapeshifting ability makes her incredibly dangerous. Be on your guard until she's off the board."