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

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Cancer... the GoD of Universe 18. She remembered that specifically because Parsley chose when they were enjoying some alone time in U18 to tell her about it. Great timing back then, but it didn't really do her much good right then.

Cancer sunk her teeth into Avoca's leg, near the artery. She knew nothing about vampirism or any of that shit, but she was sure what was happening wasn't a good thing. I don't know if this will work, but it's worth a shot!

She closed her eyes and squeezed hard. Cancer would hear a click, like a light switch being flipped on, right before an inhuman growl rumbled out of Avoca. Her eyes shot open, glowing an ominous red as she began transforming into the once mighty Oozaru.

“Ohh?”

Cancer steps back, releasing her, as Avoca starts to grow. Then she smiles and swiftly rips Avoca’s tail off.

[bruceleegreyhulk]

You manage to fly around it, and you watch as the Gotenga and Coldlight begin to engage it.

( Well, good luck to those guys, I'm heading into Earth's atmosphere,) Praxat thought. Praxat dives the ship into Earth's atmosphere.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

"...typical. You brought her here without a plan and just dropped her on us once she became your problem. What the hell, man?!"

Zaofan crouched over Asha'rah's body, trying to rouse the goddess from whatever stupor she'd fallen into, but she was only ever as Koorimaru had said. Nonresponsive...I can't believe it.

Despite how close she seemed to carry herself among there lot, there'd always been a lot of talk and then division over the matters of gods and mortals, as if the matters that affected them all couldn't be appreciated on some level. Her company, it had been pleasant, sure...but he could never quite shake the feeling that certain parts of that was entirely ceremonial, as if despite floating and meditating there among the kitchens and the fighting sessions, she were somehow above it all.

Now that we need someone that could guide us out of this mess, you check out just like that...

Of course it couldn't have been easy, many lifetimes of trauma carried with the memories of that uneasy truth could not have been anything less than burdensome. And with that, Zaofan began to rummage in his pocket.



And a split second was all he needed. POP!

Asha'rah's inert body was now in a Capsule.

"...ignorance may be blissful, but it's gonna be everyone's problem real soon if we don't do something about it." Standing up with a sigh, today the chef was really feeling his age. He looked up towards the sky for a moment, and as he draped the Bojack Staff over his shoulders, they sagged. Even in the bright of day, the laser fire from the defenses surrounding the Orbital Ring cut down the threats from space, and they burned up to ash that sloughed off of the planetary barrier like burning bugs on a windshield.

"...so they're using that, huh...?" He spun the staff around, and its black surface shone with veins of gold. "Suppose it was only a matter of time...but I know my brother has this well in hand."

With that, Zaofan peered over the edge of the Lookout, trying to determine the shortest path to the nearest emergent battle.

"They're all here for Asha'rah. Allegedly. But I say if Koorimaru's going to make us a target, we can at least make it a moving one."



As the battles raged below, Commander Kenshiko's eyes widened at the emergence of this new thing. Among the personnel of the EDF that stood upon the Ring now, there was nothing more than a resigned fear, but more than that a smouldering, determined fury.

"Well, would you look at this fucking thing. I've seen a handful of Xenos in my time, but this thing is something else."

The relative size of the creature did not go unnoticed. As it passed the moon, the station the Saiyans had handed over lit up and fired a Maser at it.

"To them we are insignificant, lowly things, a novelty for a moment and fodder for their ambitions. They'll try to crush our world before we even notice. That about sums it up."

For a moment, the lasers in the defense grid ceased as the small fry dwindled, impacts rerouting the kinetic energy into its superstructure that had collected the unfiltered energy of the sun outside of an atmosphere for a year.

"Wave Motion Gun primed, Ma'am! Locked on the mark!"

"Brace for fire in Ten, then we'll Torch the bitch."

And closing in from behind, tearing from the bay of the Big Ghetti Star, a more direct challenger beared down upon it.

Ochazuke sat upon the bridge, the Zero System interface wired in upon his helm. As he stretched his meditational field over the machine, so did the data flow from his senses fill the monitors for the bridge crew surrounding him as he surveyed this thing before them. One thing was certain, however; they had an opening move to make.

His thoughts carried swiftly to coordinate the machine and relay the maneuvers towards the operators of the Gotengo.

"Hit it with the artillery. Let's see how it responds."

Zaofan and those on the Lookout can sense…Auroc? And Sasheem next to him. They can sense the Cask battle still ongoing, but lost if the other hotspots seem to be contained. The massive appearance outside of Earth of the creature was daunting, its energy bathing the planet like a foul feeling of unease.

And there was one more feeling. Something sinister lurking below the lookout.

——————

The maser strikes, but no damage seems done. Neither does the main artillery fired upon the massive creature. The Coldlight’s main gun seems to also bounce off it.

The Wave Motion Gun however, does strike and seem to blow through what’s wr barrier it has and stagger the creature.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

The man standing over his steaming cart under the pinstripe blue umbrella tugged at his apron as...something beyond his reckoning seemed to twist in the air, like the winds of ill-omen that filled the dark eyes of this funny looking stranger with a certain menace.

Like he wasn't convinced of the quality of his wares.

It had been a strange morning, filled with hallucinations, and then a strange bit of inspiration, and the hot dog vendor...well, he accepted the challenge and tested his mettle as he plucked a weiner off the roller.

"Ah, tourist huh? Don't blame ya, the real estate in this place is killer. But you've gotta be putting me on, spiced meat with casings on nestled between a sesame bun? They got a lotta names! Frankfurters, Hot Links, Tube Steaks, Weiner Wraps, they come and go, but mine's a cut above."

Like an artisan, he flipped the meat bounds in its casing into a white bun nested in a foil. There was still that strange ominous air around and behind the stranger, but so dedicated to his craft he was, he did not waver once. Hot mustard, the seeds roughly cracked in the vinegar emulsion, slid over the surface, followed by onions steamed so finely they settled like caramelized glass and banana peppers. Glazed with a golden-pink secret sauce, it seemed as if it should have spilled over, but the dressing stayed fixed to where it was.

"The game's not on 'till you got a Capital Dog! I used to run them by the boatload - literally - down on old Turtle Island! This ain't your average snack, it eats like a meal, satisfaction guaranteed and just the way you like it! Even Dixon Gordon Blue gave them his seal of approval!" Then his expression curdled to a frown."...although there was that other guy at the Tournament five years ago, he bought like fifty of them at once...a-anyway, things are in a bit of a rush and I gotta clear my stock, this one's on the house!"

Sasheem blinked in annoyance. Of course he'd have help, the prick. He wasn't too concerned, either way however.










Sasheem idly glanced towards, Auroc. "Oh yeah, you've never been here before. Never had Earth food before, have ya, dumbass? Guess ya didn't know it's the secret to the M-Fighter's power, huh?" As he spoke a pillow appeared in thin air and landed on his head.

Auroc blinks, than reaches down and grabs a hotdog, eating it. The pillow is ignored as the proto-Majin seems…content as he eats the hotdog, going for a second, than a third and fourth. The invisible Maven audibly groans at his antics.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Clone Sarada nodded and saluted him in return. "Thanks again."

When they departed, she tapped her comm to contact the Super Saiyans on other worlds to see how things were going.

"Things are just about wrapped up on Pepa," Rutaba said.

"Same with Callion," Pinach reported.

"I'm done on Ruco. Heading back home, Parsley said.

Sarada waited several moments for Avoca to chime in with her report. Several long moments without a response. She frowned, a mote of concern started to ferment in the pit of her stomach. "Avoca? Come in."

Nothing.

Then, she felt it. Avoca's signature suddenly appeared somewhere in the Palace. Sarada felt a wave of relief, only for that relief to turn to dread when she felt her power skyrocket, then fall off a cliff like a stone in a pond. "Avoca!" Clone Sarada rocketed into the air and made a mad dash for the Palace. "Parsley, hurry up and get over here. I think Avoca's in trouble!"



It didn't take much thought to figure out where things were going. "Wait a second. There's no need to be so hasty!" Tundra said, a desperate edge in his voice. "Surely we can come to some form of agreement, yes?"

As she flies towards the palace, a fell red light begins to fill the air as the sun in the sky starts turning a blood red. The sky darkens, and the visible light casts a dark crimson haze on everything.

————

Sheki’hinah keeps adjusting things, the machine opening up to reveal a person size hollow.

Sihn meanwhile stops spinning the chamber on his gun and looks at him.

“Little late for gang, isn’t it? I mean, you were already planning on escaping Otherworld again weren’t you?”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Totoma's eyes slowly opened, his consciousness slowly emerging from his deep meditation. Warm sunlight, the sound of birds chirping, and a warm breeze greeted him. He had heard Sakin or whoever's proclamation while meditating, but he had been a bit preoccupied, to put it one way. The last couple of months had been, on the whole, unpleasant and just... unfun, ya know? Cut off from everyone, almost dying, having to deal with... personal issues.

Oh god, Zaosan was going to chew him out again, and Karine was going to be so angry at him for disappearing again. Not that he had much of a choice this time. Compared to the Vocado training, this absence had been forced upon him. Nothing like his own past actions coming to bite him in the ass.

Standing up, Totoma braced himself against the Bodhi tree he'd been meditating under, his joints and muscles stiff from so little movement for so long. Still, despite that, he felt good. Like, actually, legitimately right-down-to-his-core good. For a long time, there had been a curious mix of... unsettledness within him, which he had now purged from himself. His mind clear, his body...

...actually, huh, that's right. His body felt... odd? Good odd, but...

Totoma looked around and caught sight of a nearby spring. Making his way over to it, he found that the water was pure and, most importantly, reflective. What greeted him was... unexpected. At first glance, he looked as if he were in Hitozaru, and he felt sort of like he was, but it was different. Setting aside the massive bubbling power--exceeding even Super Saiyan 3--he felt he could draw out, if so desired, its appearance was different. Rather than the brown fur of the hitozaru, his was red, and his hair... black? Weird.

His mind drifted back to a month ago, just before he'd begun his extended meditation.

~~~

The Golden Oozaru roared, as the man inside struggled desperately to untangle himself from its overwhelming rage. This had been a desperate last ploy to survive--his ignorance, rage, and greed in the past had come back to bite him in the ass, and now he found himself in a situation where, effectively... his zhu half was eating his saiyan half. It recognized it as foreign, as a danger, and his own body had turned against him. The pain was unimaginable, unbearable, and yet he had no choice but to bear it. He refused to die.

His ki raged around him, threatening to tear the landscape asunder, and yet... it did not. Despite it all, Totoma kept is restrained, and, over the course of hours, managed to even control it. And, as he consumed himself, buried in unleashed power, rage, and ignorance, his will slowly emerged, regaining dominion over his body. The process took hours, maybe even days. So focused was he on the task that he lost track of time. As he reasserted his control over his very self, his body compressed and stabilized...

In ancient times, Zhu possessed the ability to take on aspects of those they ate, among other abilities. Such an ability was rare these days, emerging only in exceptional individuals. Totoma had thought he'd lacked this ability, but he was wrong--it merely lie dormant, awaiting for the right conditions to awaken. Conditions like those he found himself in.

One half of him consumed the other half and he was changed from the experience. By the end of the ordeal, he had returned...

~~~

--to human form, he had thought, but it seems he had returned to monke, instead.

He tried to revert from Hitozaru or whatever form he was in--nothing.

Next, he tried to transform into Super Saiyan. Nothing. Or rather, he could simply effortlessly draw out all the power super saiyan and hitozaru would have granted him without the need to transform.

It was as if his Potential had been Unleashed.

Huh, what should I call this? Super Hitozaru? Super Saiyan 4? Mystic..?

...

Well, that last one sounds stupid, so nah. I'll figure it out later.

Closing his eyes, he focused his senses on the lookout. Not surprisingly, he could sense a few people already there--Sarada, Zao-san... Charco... and Koorimaru. More surprising was that he could kind of 'see' what was going on there, dimly. At first, he was confused, but he soon realized that this wasn't ki-related, but rather psychic in nature. After all this time, those abilities finally woke back up?

...apparently sorting himself out mentally and spiritually was the cause.

Well, never look a gift horse in the mouth. The image was vague, but might just be good enough for him to...

A pair of void tunnels opened up--one in front of him and one on the lookout. Success! He stepped through.

Totoma stretched and cracked his neck, looking at the others. He must've looked a sight, what with being in Hitozaru and... barely clothed. And yet, compared to before, a certain serenity radiated off of him, a marked change from the barely-controlled rage and aggression the Hitozaru form normally possessed.

"Yo," he said, giving the others his usual two-finger salute. "Now before certain people chew me out, I want to know who the heck this Snackin' guy is and why he seems to have it out for us."

Koorimaru states, runs his eyes, than stares again before he groans and punches the bridge of his nose.

“Great.”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

"All eyes on the cookies, instead of the hand who wields it," Zaofan nodded, his expression settling as if to punctuate the profound matter they, in particular, knew of. "She means something to them, but they don't know a thing about us. Even with all she did, she's still one of us. Besides, I know I can rely on you guys."



"Not a clue. Other than the couple of visions he passed on, and it looks like they might actually be happening."

Suddenly, a great energy manifest itself on one side of the Earth, stalking closer with each passing moment. It seemed to dwarf the other fights on the surface below.

"You can feel it too, can't you? Something dreadful has emerged, just out of our line of sight. The only thing standing between us are the dozen hotspots of enemy activity below, and it's really got me nettled."

And so the Martial Chef posited a stupid little challenge to the two younger M-Fighters. Sarada was a Queen now, and Charco had somehow emerged from Rex to become something more than a man, but he was still the senior here!

...well, Koorimaru was here too, but even so.



And with Totoma's timely arrival, Zaofan threw down the gauntlet.

"Right now, all I know is our home's in danger," he replied, hopping from foot to foot, charging the Pressure Kicker into the Kaiten Aura he'd earlier manifested. The energy coiled within his limbs with each small pounce, and slowly a glimmer of the Heka in his staff resonated. "Race the three of you to the other side of the world! First one to run through the attack waves gets first crack at the big one above!"

Before he can take off, he senses the thing under and below the lookout.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

( Well, good luck to those guys, I'm heading into Earth's atmosphere,) Praxat thought. Praxat dives the ship into Earth's atmosphere.

She manages to land near the GP offices located on Earth.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

“Ohh?”

Cancer steps back, releasing her, as Avoca starts to grow. Then she smiles and swiftly rips Avoca’s tail off.

Avoca was halfway transformed when her tail was torn off. She let out a pained groan as the transformation reversed, returning her back to her normal size. What was worse, what little energy she had left was sapped.

"N...no," she said weakly. Someone... please help me...

Meanwhile, Parsley quickly burst through an Apparatus doorway and touched down on Sarada a mere instant after she was told Avoca was in trouble. "Where is she?!" she said to herself, the burgeoning notes of panic beginning to rise in her voice.

She spread her senses in search of Avoca.

Observational Focus

[Sub-Zero MKA]

As she flies towards the palace, a fell red light begins to fill the air as the sun in the sky starts turning a blood red. The sky darkens, and the visible light casts a dark crimson haze on everything.

"I don't have time for this shit!" Clone Sarada snarled as the sky and sun turned blood red. What was worse, she was only at half power while Prime Sarada was on Earth.

Sheki’hinah keeps adjusting things, the machine opening up to reveal a person size hollow.

Sihn meanwhile stops spinning the chamber on his gun and looks at him.

“Little late for gang, isn’t it? I mean, you were already planning on escaping Otherworld again weren’t you?”

Tundra took one look inside the machine and swallowed raggedly. "No! I was planning on being wished back to life!" He sighed and hung his head. It seemed he had no choice but to come clean. "One of my Lieutenants is a body changer. He used that ability to escape and find a set of these so-called dragonballs to wish myself and another back to life," he explained.

[KingofPie]

Auroc blinks, than reaches down and grabs a hotdog, eating it. The pillow is ignored as the proto-Majin seems…content as he eats the hotdog, going for a second, than a third and fourth. The invisible Maven audibly groans at his antics.

"Yeah, playing' babysitters no fun, huh?" Sasheem inquired, leaning over to where he'd heard the voice sigh. Shaking his head, he let the pillow fall between them. "That's an anti-magic bomb, by the way," he commented casually as the explosion from the pillow reacting with the magic bindings resulted in him being knocked away from Maven.

Not bothering to concern himself with whether she survived or not, Sasheem concentrated on regenerating, hoping the bindings were off.

[KingofPie]

A few Promethean bandits flank what looks like a large reptiloid figure. They turn and fly towards Blizzar, firing blasts at him. Meanwhile, the ships keep after the Katchin Squad’s ships.

"Now now, no need to be so violent, I merely wish to talk!" He commented back handing blasts after blast away with his fist as the matchup lat chin Squad engaged in a dogfight in the background. "The fate of the universe may not be of your concern, but how about the fate of your wallets? Should you complete your pitiable attempt at revenge, I daresay your pockets be as empty as the void of space."

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Avoca was halfway transformed when her tail was torn off. She let out a pained groan as the transformation reversed, returning her back to her normal size. What was worse, what little energy she had left was sapped.

"N...no," she said weakly. Someone... please help me...

Meanwhile, Parsley quickly burst through an Apparatus doorway and touched down on Sarada a mere instant after she was told Avoca was in trouble. "Where is she?!" she said to herself, the burgeoning notes of panic beginning to rise in her voice.

She spread her senses in search of Avoca.

Observational Focus

Cancer smiles and, before Avoca’s eyes, her form…ripples. Hair grows, skin tone changes, fangs shrink and after mere seconds, a perfect replica of Avoca stands before the real one. Cancer smiles down at the bleeding Saiyan.

“And like a cancer, I can grow into anyone. I just need a bit of blood and energy. A prefect duplicate, from your memories, to your energy signal and even down to the genetic level.”

Her grin widens.

“Thank you for the memories by the way. I know exactly where to go.”

She leans in close and whispers into Avoca’s ear.

“It is always easier to turn children than adults, their bodies adjust better, their minds more malleable. When I turn the children, I will remember you fondly. I will remember your taste, autumn dirt mixed with sugar. Thank you.”

She bites once more, laying another paralyzing agent into Avoca, before stepping back and exiting the room, leaving her there to bleed to death, alone and paralyzed with only her thoughts as the blackness starts creeping into the corners of her vision.

——————

Parsley, your find Avoca staggering a bit as she leaves the palace. She looks like she might have been in a fight, some blood around her face and hands. She waves you down.

“I took care of it. Shit, that was close. Sneaky bastard.”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

"I don't have time for this shit!" Clone Sarada snarled as the sky and sun turned blood red. What was worse, she was only at half power while Prime Sarada was on Earth.



Tundra took one look inside the machine and swallowed raggedly. "No! I was planning on being wished back to life!" He sighed and hung his head. It seemed he had no choice but to come clean. "One of my Lieutenants is a body changer. He used that ability to escape and find a set of these so-called dragonballs to wish myself and another back to life," he explained.

The sun turns entire blood red, and from it’s fell light she realizes her energy sensing abilities seem to be on the fritz, as do any magical senses she might possess.

——————

Sihn nods slowly.

“And the name of this person? Their location? Understand something, Tundra, I can tell when I am lied to. If you are dishonest here, I will let Sheki’hinah put you inside that machine. She’s itching to do it.”

[Sub-Zero MKA]

"All eyes on the cookies, instead of the hand who wields it," Zaofan nodded, his expression settling as if to punctuate the profound matter they, in particular, knew of. "She means something to them, but they don't know a thing about us. Even with all she did, she's still one of us. Besides, I know I can rely on you guys."

"Tch. One of us. She's someone who value friendship until that friend stands in her way," Sarada said, a biting edge coloring her words. Friendship was a novel idea to someone so willing to cast aside untold eons of it for the pursuit of a fruitless goal. Asha'rah's win-at-all-cost mindset cost Indar'en his life, the universe its GoD, and mortalkind their chance at a fair shot at a safe existence.

How many problems would have been prevented had she just kept her nose out of her creation's business? More than she could count. She had thought very hard about that over the last few months during her isolation and had no desire to go over the same points again. Her conclusion would have remained the same, anyway.

"If we know Sakin needs her and she's still here, I'm assuming destroying her simply isn't an option." If it wasn't, then taking her with them was the right call. What they decided to do with her after that was up in the air. If it was up to Sarada, she would receive further punishment for her idiocy. It wasn't just a mistake; it was a willful decision that cost untold trillions of people throughout the millennia. That wasn't something she would forgive so easily, nor should anyone else. Being stripped of her station wasn't enough. Not by a long shot.

"Not a clue. Other than the couple of visions he passed on, and it looks like they might actually be happening."

Suddenly, a great energy manifest itself on one side of the Earth, stalking closer with each passing moment. It seemed to dwarf the other fights on the surface below.

"You can feel it too, can't you? Something dreadful has emerged, just out of our line of sight. The only thing standing between us are the dozen hotspots of enemy activity below, and it's really got me nettled."

And so the Martial Chef posited a stupid little challenge to the two younger M-Fighters. Sarada was a Queen now, and Charco had somehow emerged from Rex to become something more than a man, but he was still the senior here!

...well, Koorimaru was here too, but even so.

And with Totoma's timely arrival, Zaofan threw down the gauntlet.

"Right now, all I know is our home's in danger," he replied, hopping from foot to foot, charging the Pressure Kicker into the Kaiten Aura he'd earlier manifested. The energy coiled within his limbs with each small pounce, and slowly a glimmer of the Heka in his staff resonated. "Race the three of you to the other side of the world! First one to run through the attack waves gets first crack at the big one above!"

Zaofan and those on the Lookout can sense…Auroc? And Sasheem next to him. They can sense the Cask battle still ongoing, but lost if the other hotspots seem to be contained. The massive appearance outside of Earth of the creature was daunting, its energy bathing the planet like a foul feeling of unease.

And there was one more feeling. Something sinister lurking below the lookout.

Before Sarada could answer the challenge, something she wasn't really in the mood for, a sinister power crept into her senses. And it was right below them. As in, right under the Lookout! "What the hell?!"

She transformed to Super Saiyan 2 and moved to check out what it was from a safe distance. Goddamn it, now is not the fucking time. As long as my clone is back home, I'm only at half power. Worse, she couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible was happening on Sarada. Damn it, I shouldn't have left. Every fucking time I leave, something goes wrong. By that point, Parsley and Avoca would have likely made their way back. As soon as whatever the threat under the Lookout was taken care of, she needed one of them to give her a status update.