Dragonball M, Chapter 3: In Blood, Bone, and Ash! The Way Forward Unlocked!

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

"Good, good ... Kana." Inanna said with a smile.

"I suppose the main thrust of my questions has to do with Eldfen himself. What was he after, all those years ago ... and how did a group of your composition come to be so opposed ?"

“He seemed to want to rule. To spread his....ideology. His will. And he absolutely wanted to be unbound.”

She sighs and sits mid-aid, hovering.

“As to how we formed a group.....you might want to sit down. It’s...a long tale.”

Kyu hops up and sits in her mother’s lap, smiling at Inanna.

[Twiliteknite06]

At first Hops neither heard or saw anything...but he felt a presence in the room with him with his ki sense, darting around nigh undetectable. Fortunately for the Time Patrolman, he didn't have to wait long for the intruder to reveal herself.

What, at first, appeared to be nothing more than a speck of dust flying in the general area of where the ki was being projected soon grew to resemble a small insect and then progressively even larger until that speck was the full-sized officer of intergalactic law known as P-Cee. "Hops of the Time Patrol!" she stated, pressing a panel on her glove, which promptly projected a holographic warrant in front of the half-Saiyan's face. "You are suspected of breaking no less than five counts of Intergalactic Space-Time Accords. Agitating Chronal Fractures, Impeding the natural flow of time for over five minutes, Storing unauthorized cross-temporal contraband, Timeline Stitching, and Past Alteration. The Galaxy Police would like to take you in for some questioning, so I advise you to come along peacefully or we will be forced to use.....force," P-Cee trailed off, lamely ending her fiery speech.

Hops could feel four other ki signatures pop up, each similar in power to P-Cee, though three were directly outside of his house and the fourth was situated atop a building just across the street. Judging from the green dot that was now trained onto his chest, Hops could assume that it was a sniper

A tense silence permeated the air...only to swiftly be cut by the rhythmic melody of a flushing commode that was heard emitting from Hops' bathroom. Durive, chief of both the Galaxy Police and the Time Patrol, hardily stepped out content with having stopped up Hops' toilet with copious bundles of toilet paper. The sunglasses resting upon his boxy head were indicstive, at least to him, of the fact that he was the Durive from the future. How he had also gotten himself stranded here was anyone's guess but his own.

Pleased with himself, the diminutive Chief, seemed quite startled as he bore witness to the scene now playing out in front of him between the two officers. Before he could ask any questions, however, his present counterpart suddenly backflipped into the room.

He had a gun.

Future Durive raised his stick-like arms up, a worried expression crossing his face as he wondered how things came to this...

The other members of the Katchin Squadron stayed in position, with N-Ten as the sniper on the roof, P-Sta and Dr. Cast waiting on opposite sides of the house, and X-Bo covering the front door. All awaiting Hops' next move.

Hops froze for a second as the green dot hovered over his chest. His mentor, Durive stood with his arms up as a younger, sprier Durive aimed a gun at him. "You've got the wrong guy!" Hops shouted, eyes darting around to the places he could sense the others Ki. "I've been pulled from my own time and wound up here. I was a captive of the Doctor until the M-Fighters found me. He reached for a glass full of juice behind his back and quickly flung it at P-Cee before diving down and making his way to his room for his weapons. He wasn't going to go quietly, and if it was a fight they wanted, it was a fight they'd get!

Jumping out of his bedroom window, he slung his belt over his shoulder and held his pistol at the ready, sword drawn in his left hand. Seeing they hadn't caught up just yet he managed to affix the belt around his waist and began the link between it and his weapons. A quick ki charge and he was ready for the lawmen. His first target, the one who dared to draw a sniper on him. "Come out and fight you, coward!" He shouted, leaping into the air and darting toward the small capsule home across the street. Luckily, his neighbors weren't home, so there was no risk of any civilian injuries! He hoped he could kite the patrol somewhere out of the neighborhood, but right now he had to try and take them one at a time and unlike his experience in the Time Patrol, time was certainly not on his side

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

“He seemed to want to rule. To spread his....ideology. His will. And he absolutely wanted to be unbound.”

She sighs and sits mid-aid, hovering.

“As to how we formed a group.....you might want to sit down. It’s...a long tale.”

Kyu hops up and sits in her mother’s lap, smiling at Inanna.

"Awful lot of that kind of thinking going around." Inanna commented with a sigh. "Story time sounds fun though !" The woman said then, before fashioning a chair for herself out of Katchin, and returning Kyu's smile as she sat Inanna offered Jana a nod.

"Ready~"

[MrSandman]

~Other side of the Tomb~
~15 min prior~

While one group begins their trek into the bowels of madness, another continues his pursuit with entirely different motives.

Rex had left the corpse of his attendant and continued on after the weakening traces of his new prey. The atmosphere had grow increasingly restrictive the deeper he followed...and thought he could still sense them ahead, his limits were being dampened by some trick of the surrounding. What was more aggravating however, was the consistent use of delaying tactics against him. Weither the aid had intended to lead him astray or not....the old man and his maid had no intentions of letting anyone follow.

Shuttered doors barred his path. Explosives, Flash Bangs, Sticky Nets, armed Morgans. None of them were a legitimate threat...persay. But they appeared with such frequency that even the act of going down a single hallway was akin to pulling teeth.

Still.....there was nothing to halt his advance for long......

~~

Yet in the growing annoyance of the pursuit...and the growing suppression of his senses......it had not clicked until he rounded a corner that there were energies ahead that were not his quary.....

.....until the ignition of a blinding red light cast aside the shadows and revealed to Rex what was ahead.

.....a bunch of familiar faces.....and a girl he had never seen before tapping viciously away at something on the wall.......

She took one glance in his direction, turned several shades of blue, and seemed to grow several times more desperate to do whatever she was trying to do.

[bruceleegreyhulk]

" Yeah, it's not needed here. This is the last thing I'm doing because I know I'm going to prison for a long time. I have examined the crossbow, and for my analysis of it," Araxat said.

" I have a theory that it allows arrows to teleport and to bypass force fields via teleportation, and also empowers arrows with the user's energy. base on its name, Wormhole Crossbow," Araxat said.

" Mr.Gazaki has to be going now. Creator left it up to Mr. Gazaki to introduce her serum to the water supply," Mr. Gazaki said. Mr. Gazaki flies off and gets to work.

Introducing Qaztoh's serum to the water supply. Back on top of the Gukraimano, Demjiri looks at her sister." Zykona, where do you want to go? Do you want to go to the homeworld of the Yardrats or Namek?" Demjiri said.

" Let's go to this, Namek it sounds nice," Zykona said.

OOC: For Tami.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

The day flew by quickly. The distance between this mystery planet and Vocado must have been massive if it took this long, even in hyperspace. Avoca was nibbling on a snack – they had to ration their food out or it wouldn't last long between four Saiyans – when Corra brought the ship out of hyperspace. The jostle was noticeable, but no more significant than any other ship any of them had flown in.

“And there it is.”

At her declaration, the others directed their attention to the front window. Before them was the massive planet in the projection.



“Hm,” Corra hummed quietly. “It has rings.” That wasn't too significant, but it was an interesting thing to note.

The ship started to descend. The ship's hull heating up and trembling denoted the presence of an atmosphere, meaning the planet had breathable air of some kind. It obviously did if it had water, Avoca assumed. She didn't really know much about how planets worked other than gravity and that it seemed to rain every time she decided to go to the beach.

The planet was far more picturesque than she would have imagined. The sky was shining a bright blue, the jungle below was vibrant and verdant, almost humming with life and color. There was an ocean on the far right, with clear water than seemed to glisten and glow in the bright sunlight. It was similar to Vocado, but... more pristine. Purer. Untainted by any kind of sapient lifeforms. Yet, Avoca was already sensing literally thousands of powerful energy signatures, so there was some kind of life there. Life that was above the average jungle animal, if the height of power was anything to go by.

Corra landed the ship safely in a clearing. Avoca was the first off the ship, and held a fist up to silently tell the others to stay put until she could check out the immediate area. Both her eyes and her senses didn't detect anything right away, but she could feel the powers further away. They weren't close to being a threat to her, but the others were a different story. “Alright. Coast is clear.”

The three science types filed out, a white drone hovering around Sellerie. “We'll spend the day recording whatever we find, including the locals, then head back home,” she said. Murmurs of agreement sounded from the other three.

Okcho took point, with Avoca bringing up the rear.

“This place is beautiful,” Sellerie muttered. “And peaceful.”

“Tch,” Avoca scoffed. “Peace is overrated. And boring.”

The jungle was serene, but not at all quiet. Exotic birds cried in the distance, creating an indigenous symphony that filled the jungle. The occasional rustle of a leaf here, the snapping of a fallen tree branch there, and the tell-tale growl from just outside their peripheral vision all provided proof that the jungle grounds were just as alive as the canopy.

The drone hovered erratically, taking in as much as it possible could, both for research purposes and personal mementos. It seemed, from just the small sampling they had taken in from an hour of walking, that the planet had been untouched by technology. That meant that if Sarada decided to bring this planet and whatever inhabitants it had into the Empire, there was a decision to make. Either leave them be and trapped in a primitive disposition forever, or go through the lengthy and frustrating task of civilizing them. Both options had their pros and cons.

Avoca was thinking they should just leave the people here be. They had gotten along this long without any kind of technology; no point in ruining that.

Suddenly, the sound of running water attracted their attention. It was loud and bubbly, so perhaps a river or maybe a water fall. Turned out, it was both.



It was a man-made structure, no doubt about that. Sellerie and Okcho hovered over the river and landed on the small patch of grass between it and the wall to take a closer look at the latter. “Hm. This masonry work is... almost sophisticated,” Okcho stated loudly enough for the drone to pick up what he was saying. His fingers traced the cracks in the bricks. “Might be a few hundred years old, but its been maintained recently. Whoever built it cleans it regularly.”

“Hey, look at this.” Sellerie noticed that some of the bricks had some kind of writing on it. “This is ancient Saiyan.”

The Saiyans that lived on this world prior to Glacier's appearance had developed their own written and spoken language. The spoken part was oddly subtly sophisticated, utilizing a wide range of body language and grunts of vary pitch and tone to convey messages. The written word was much simpler and easier to understand. Sellerie found a lexicon within Vocado's writings and taught herself the old tongue based on that. She wasn't fluent, but she wouldn't be completely lost in case they ran into anyone on this world.

“What's it say?” he asked her.

She took a moment to look at the entire writing before answering. “Temple of the Vegeta clan. All intruders will be killed immediately.”

“That's ominous,” Corra commented uneasily. “But, it means we're in the right place! We found our homeworld!”

The scientists were all openly giddy with excitement, but Avoca kept herself restrained. While it was exciting, it wasn't that exciting? It was cool that they found the planet their race originated from, but what was the big deal? Why was Sarada so insistent on finding a dead and abandoned planet? Bringing it into the Empire was fine, but kind of pointless outside of turning it into a tourist attraction. Tacky, but okay. Not really her call to make, but she wouldn't. If anything, she'd annex it just to make sure no one else could take it for themselves.

Maybe that was it.

I should have asked. ****, I'll do it when we get back. ...hey! She saw the three others walking over the bridge and under the arch. She hurried to catch up to them. “Whoa.” The wall, bridge, and arch, as she quickly found, weren't the only things their ancient ancestors had built in their spare time.



This temple was far more unkempt than the bridge, mostly because it was a much larger and more time-consuming task than cleaning off some bricks ever so often. Old statues lined the walls surrounding them. Faces were carved into the walls themselves. Some were Saiyan-like, while others were almost like the hitozaru form Parsley and Sarada used to use before they found out it literally drained years off their lives.

“This place is incredible!” Okcho exclaimed, his barely contained jubilation echoing off the walls like an empty amphitheater. The entire place was covered in the ancient Saiyan tongue, meaning there was history literally written on the walls. It would take them months to get to it all. And assuming there were more temples like this place, that was potentially years worth of research. “Her Highness never gave us a deadline for when to be back.”

Avoca already didn't like where this was going.

“We'd need food,” Corra argued. “And clothes. And a place to sleep. Plus, the three of us wouldn't be much good if only one of us can understand what any of this says.”

“We'd need an entire team,” Sellerie added. “But, I'm the only person who can read and understand ancient Saiyan, so I'd either have to teach others, or just do the translations myself.” It sounded like she wasn't very thrilled about the latter option.

“Maybe not. We can always use computers, right?” Okcho suggested, looking at Corra for confirmation.

She rubbed her chin slowly. “I suppose. Shouldn't be too hard to program a drone to scan and translate these walls. Not this one, sadly.”

“Then it's settled. We'll return home, gather what we need, including a larger team, then return and get started.” With that settled, they split up and started to more closely analyze the temple. The drone slowly strafed from one end to the other, recording the writings on the wall.

“Hm. Seems that this section is a set of laws of some sort,” Sellerie said. “I'm seeing a lot of mentions of combat and punishment for breaking any of the laws.”

Unbeknownst to them, something... or someone... was watching them.

Avoca stayed vigilant. While she was curious about some of this stuff, she didn't want to get caught unaware and let one of these dorks get hurt or even killed. Her senses were spread as far as they could reach without degrading, but nothing of note seemed to trip them. So far, so good as far as she was concerned. Maybe this planet really is abandoned. But she knew she felt tons of large power levels earlier, so there was something powerful there. If those belonged to animals, they were probably in some serious trouble.

There were five corridors that branched off from the main area. Okcho, Sellerie, and Corra each took one, leaving Avoca by herself.

She sighed and shook her head. “Dumbasses.” How was she going to protect them if they didn't stay together? She didn't have a choice but to stay put and keep tabs on the four power levels within.

Wait... four?

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!!!”

[Tami]

" Yeah, it's not needed here. This is the last thing I'm doing because I know I'm going to prison for a long time. I have examined the crossbow, and for my analysis of it," Araxat said.

" I have a theory that it allows arrows to teleport and to bypass force fields via teleportation, and also empowers arrows with the user's energy. base on its name, Wormhole Crossbow," Araxat said.

" Mr.Gazaki has to be going now. Creator left it up to Mr. Gazaki to introduce her serum to the water supply," Mr. Gazaki said. Mr. Gazaki flies off and gets to work.

Introducing Qaztoh's serum to the water supply. Back on top of the Gukraimano, Demjiri looks at her sister." Zykona, where do you want to go? Do you want to go to the homeworld of the Yardrats or Namek?" Demjiri said.

" Let's go to this, Namek it sounds nice," Zykona said.

"Seems like the crisis is settled." Cyanna looked at her gift, then at the others, "Which means my work here is finished, except for Killrog and Praxat's sister, sorry I forgot her name. I'll be heading back to Chroma, so they can come with me. I'll then ask my Sister to help them. After that, I have something I need to take care of on Earth before doing my own training."

Turning to Praxat, "Not sure when I'll see you again, but it's been a wild ride. Thank you for asking for my help. I hope everything works out for you and your people."

[bruceleegreyhulk]

"Seems like the crisis is settled." Cyanna looked at her gift, then at the others, "Which means my work here is finished, except for Killrog and Praxat's sister, sorry I forgot her name. I'll be heading back to Chroma, so they can come with me. I'll then ask my Sister to help them. After that, I have something I need to take care of on Earth before doing my own training."

Turning to Praxat, "Not sure when I'll see you again, but it's been a wild ride. Thank you for asking for my help. I hope everything works out for you and your people."

" Cyanna, before you go. Can you open up a portal to Namek for Zykona and Demjir here? Oh, I want to go with you to Chroma," Praxat said.

" I want to be by my sister Fraxat's side. I know that your people aren't all that comfortable with non-Chromakai living on the planet yet. However, I'm asking you, can I go with Chroma with you?" Praxat said.

" I want to be there for my sister. So that when she wakes up. She will see my face. I want my face to be one of the first things Fraxat sees when she wakes up," Praxat said.

[Tami]

" Cyanna, before you go. Can you open up a portal to Namek for Zykona and Demjir here? Oh, I want to go with you to Chroma," Praxat said.

" I want to be by my sister Fraxat's side. I know that your people aren't all that comfortable with non-Chromakai living on the planet yet. However, I'm asking you, can I go with Chroma with you?" Praxat said.

" I want to be there for my sister. So that when she wakes up. She will see my face. I want my face to be one of the first things Fraxat sees when she wakes up," Praxat said.

Cyanna went quiet for a while before speaking, "Sure, why not. Praxat, you can come to be with Fraxat, I'm sure she'll appreciate having a familiar face by her side. And yes, I can get Zykona and Demjir to Namek. Just don't tell anyone I did this."

Cyanna then held out her hand and a 'key' appeared in it. With the crystal key, she opened up the portal to Chroma. Turning to everyone, "Good bye and thanks, oh and good luck." Then to Praxat, "Get your sister quickly, I can't keep the portal open to long. Those who are coming, be ready to follow me."

[bruceleegreyhulk]

Cyanna went quiet for a while before speaking, "Sure, why not. Praxat, you can come to be with Fraxat, I'm sure she'll appreciate having a familiar face by her side. And yes, I can get Zykona and Demjir to Namek. Just don't tell anyone I did this."

Cyanna then held out her hand and a 'key' appeared in it. With the crystal key, she opened up the portal to Chroma. Turning to everyone, "Good bye and thanks, oh and good luck." Then to Praxat, "Get your sister quickly, I can't keep the portal open to long. Those who are coming, be ready to follow me."

" Here, let me go get Fraxat. After all, I'm the reason Fraxat is in the state she's in. I used my telekinesis to lobotomize her. The least I can do is make up for it," Araxat said.

Araxat quickly teleports to where Fraxat is and reappears. She then hands Fraxat to Praxat. Here I'm sorry for what I did to her," Araxat said.

" Sorry isn't going to cut it, grandmother. I will never forgive you for what you did to Fraxat or for killing many of my siblings. I hope you rot in prison for what you did!" Praxat said as she walks into the portal carrying her sister.

Killrog, Zykona, and Demjir walk into the portal. Althena gives Cyanna a quick hug," Cyanna, I will pay a visit to Meagan on Chroma. When you see Meagan, make sure to tell her to visit me on Qaceria. I'm sure there are things we have to discuss," Althena said.

"I have a feeling that things on this planet are going to turn out alright. We both seen Praxat's mother, Uraxat. I have a feeling that Uraxat will do great things for this planet," Althena said.

[Yun Lao]

Far from the conflict and tragedies befalling the countless M-Fighters, life continued on in its myriad of ways. This was the same for those who lived beneath the twin suns of Namek. Shining down upon the teal planet for their perches in the green skies, the heat of their rays beginning to wane as the harvest season was beginning. While the Namekians had little use for solid foods, they had developed an assortment of crops of juice-filled fruits and roots during their expansive history.

Giving a huff of a sigh, Sitar wiped the sweat from his brow, straightening his aching back as he surveyed the remaining fields that needed to be harvested before the upcoming festival. Despite countless days of backbreaking work, even the remaining 10% that was left felt daunting to the usually sloth-penchant youth. His habit of finding excuses to escape the fields to lounge around had become somewhat legendary in his village, which is usually why he was overseen by his uncle Maracas, yet Sitar suddenly realized that his warden was left... as well as everyone else.

"That's strange..."

Taking off his work gloves, he went to investigate, initially finding nothing. All the adults and children were gone as if they had simply vanished from existence. It was only when his keen sense of hearing picked up the distant sounds of a commotion. Fighting? Concerned, he ran as fast as he could, eventually finding the crowd of his kin packed into their village's center. Pushing his way through, he found his uncle, "What's going on?"

Maracas groaned in annoyance, "That punk Cowbell is trying to start a fight with Ocarin again!"

"Ocarin, the old hermit?" Sitar was baffled since he could count on one hand how many times the hermit had come to the village. He had been told by others that before he was even born, Ocarin had traveled to a distant world called "Urth" and had come back a completely changed person. Keeping to himself, he only came to the village when called by Namek's acting guardian, Hurdy-Gurdy, who was currently standing between the hermit and local village warrior, Cowbell.

"Why do you insist on protecting a worthless old man like him!" He could hear Cowbell shout out, "If he wants to rot by himself, then we should gladly accommodate him, that's what I think!" If the young warrior hoped to egg the old hermit into a fight, he failed as Ocarin kept his gaze to the ground, fueling Cowbell's rage, "SEE, LOOK AT HIM, SO GODDAMN PATHETIC!!"

"That's enough!" Hurdy-Gurdy shouted, his deep voice like the rumbling of thunder on the horizon, cowing the youth into submission while quieting the onlookers, "I will not have you, or any of you harass this man!" He said, shooting a gaze to the crowd, "He earned his place among us through his service to the galaxy and it is only fair that we share our celebration of the harvest season with him." Turning back to Cowbell, he jabbed his finger into the younger man's chest, "Do you understand me?"

"I understand all right..." Cowbell said, stepping back, "I understand that you're gone senile, old man!"

Lunging forth, Hurdy-Gurdy halted him in his place but had forgotten that Cowbell's specialty was his clone technique, evident as two copies of the warrior emerged from each side and bypass the elder. They leapt forth, preparing to beat down the old hermit, yet they would find only air where he stood just mere seconds ago. The sounds of flesh ripping filled the air, causing Sitar's blood to run cold and his stomach to churn. Ocarin now stood before Hurdy-Gurdy when he had been previously behind. Cowbell clones were shredded like pulled meat yet they would simply vanish unlike the original. Cowbell's upper half had been torn from his lower, the former now residing in a nearby hut where he had entered it through the hole in the wall created from the impact.

Gasps and concerned shouts could be heard as the other villagers quickly attended to Cowbell, all the while Ocarin could be seen staring at his bloodied hands in horror, "F-forgive me, Eva..." He uttered, "No matter where I go, I can only bring bloodshed!"

"I think we've seen enough," Maracas said, pulled Sitar away from the grisly scene. It would be some time before he would be able to close his eyes without seeing the sight of the hermit covered in blood and while Cowbell would live thanks to Namekian regeneration, the festival this year would be a much more somber occasion.

[Tami]

" Here, let me go get Fraxat. After all, I'm the reason Fraxat is in the state she's in. I used my telekinesis to lobotomize her. The least I can do is make up for it," Araxat said.

Araxat quickly teleports to where Fraxat is and reappears. She then hands Fraxat to Praxat. Here I'm sorry for what I did to her," Araxat said.

" Sorry isn't going to cut it, grandmother. I will never forgive you for what you did to Fraxat or for killing many of my siblings. I hope you rot in prison for what you did!" Praxat said as she walks into the portal carrying her sister.

Killrog, Zykona, and Demjir walk into the portal. Althena gives Cyanna a quick hug," Cyanna, I will pay a visit to Meagan on Chroma. When you see Meagan, make sure to tell her to visit me on Qaceria. I'm sure there are things we have to discuss," Althena said.

"I have a feeling that things on this planet are going to turn out alright. We both seen Praxat's mother, Uraxat. I have a feeling that Uraxat will do great things for this planet," Althena said.

"I think so too, and I think you'll do just great as Guardian. I'll let Meagan know when I see her. Take care." with that, Cyanna entered the Portal.

Once on the other side, back in the Portal Room on Chroma, She altered teh settings to send Zykona and Demjir to Nemak, with a word of caution, "Seek the Leader of the Nemakians and ask for help. Explain your situation, and good luck." She then waited for the siblings to enter before closing the portal.

Turning to Killrog and Praxat, Fraxat in her arms, "Come, this way. Meagan knows I've returned, so she should be waiting for us upstairs. When we get there, let me do the talking first. It may take some persuasion."

Leading them up through the corridors and stairs, they arrived at the main level. Once there, Meagan greeted them, then listened to Cyanna quickly explain what had happened.

After some discussion, Meagan motioned to the Sister assigned to temple duites that day. Without comment, the young woman walked deeper into the temple to prepare guest rooms for Praxat and the others.

Meagan then went to a nearby telephone to place a call.

In short order, Meagan spoke to them, "You three will be staying here for a while. Four Doctors will be arriving soon to make evaluations of your sister, Praxat. And of you as well, Mister Killrog. After that, they will decide on a course of treatment. Thanks to Iris' Library, the Doctors of Chroma are now among the best in the Galaxy. You are in good hands."

She then turns to Cyanna, "Will you be staying as well?"

Pursing her lips in thought, "Maybe for a few days, but I've got a lot to do. You understand, right Meagan?"

Meagan nods, "Of course. I promised you your freedom, for now. Just don't forget what we talked about."

With a nod, "I won't forget." Cyanna then gave Meagan a hug, before turning to the others, "Come on, I'll take you to your rooms."

[bruceleegreyhulk]

"I think so too, and I think you'll do just great as Guardian. I'll let Meagan know when I see her. Take care." with that, Cyanna entered the Portal.

Once on the other side, back in the Portal Room on Chroma, She altered teh settings to send Zykona and Demjir to Nemak, with a word of caution, "Seek the Leader of the Nemakians and ask for help. Explain your situation, and good luck." She then waited for the siblings to enter before closing the portal.

Turning to Killrog and Praxat, Fraxat in her arms, "Come, this way. Meagan knows I've returned, so she should be waiting for us upstairs. When we get there, let me do the talking first. It may take some persuasion."

Leading them up through the corridors and stairs, they arrived at the main level. Once there, Meagan greeted them, then listened to Cyanna quickly explain what had happened.

After some discussion, Meagan motioned to the Sister assigned to temple duites that day. Without comment, the young woman walked deeper into the temple to prepare guest rooms for Praxat and the others.

Meagan then went to a nearby telephone to place a call.

In short order, Meagan spoke to them, "You three will be staying here for a while. Four Doctors will be arriving soon to make evaluations of your sister, Praxat. And of you as well, Mister Killrog. After that, they will decide on a course of treatment. Thanks to Iris' Library, the Doctors of Chroma are now among the best in the Galaxy. You are in good hands."

She then turns to Cyanna, "Will you be staying as well?"

Pursing her lips in thought, "Maybe for a few days, but I've got a lot to do. You understand, right Meagan?"

Meagan nods, "Of course. I promised you your freedom, for now. Just don't forget what we talked about."

With a nod, "I won't forget." Cyanna then gave Meagan a hug, before turning to the others, "Come on, I'll take you to your rooms."

Killrog and Praxat holding her sister Fraxat go with Cyanna.

[Yun Lao]

The sun was warm and comforting to her old bones. Sitting on her porch, the elderly woman's eyes were affixed on the beach shore, her limited vision content to watch the water roll in over the white sands and slink back to the ocean. Her shriveled hands cradle a glass of ice tea, although she had not yet taken a sip of it for her mind was, as it was most days, lost in the memories of the past. Lately, her thoughts had been of the moon, and the battle that had taken place long ago when she was still just a young woman. In her advanced age, it was difficult to comprehend certain aspects of that event, although she could only wonder if it was just her age that made her thoughts foggy.

They had slain a god-like entity of creation energy and they had all suffered for their deeds; Aycee and Jicama, always at each others throats, had finally settled the score but neither of them would walk away as the victor; Srirach has simply vanished a mystery through and through; Ocarin could no longer sleep without recalling how the Earth was destroyed and while they had wished it back, he could not escape his survivor's guilt; LXXXIV and Saiba, ever the odd pair, had taken to the stars and occasionally would she still receive messages from the former as the Saibaman, intelligent as he was, was born with limited time; her fellow Earthlings, Zippa and Phospho had tied the knot and had a child, but the fact Zippa could never tell her how Phospho died only made her more convinced they had been cursed by killing ⌈zphuun⌋.

As for her?

She had retired as a martial artist after that day, settled down with her boyfriend, had children whose children were now having kids of their own. A rowdy bunch they all are, as even her partial hearing could make out all the arguing, giggling, and boasting among the conversations. Miso Omuri had gotten off light compared to the others, and yet she could never shake the feeling that her own karmic punishment would one day rear its head. They had never figured out what had drawn ⌈zphuun⌋ to Earth, they never took the time to understand its motives, as alien as they might have been. She wondered what it had reached for in its final moments, what had dominated its concerns even to the point that it ignored its impending doom.

"Mom. Mom!" Roused from her thoughts, she turned to see her elder son, Omutako, standing next to her, "Oh! I"m sorry. I was off in my own little world again."

"Lunch is ready Mom, let's go in and eat." Carefully helping her to her feet, Omuri gave one final glance back to the shoreline. Just as the tide rolled out after crashing upon the beach, so did her thoughts of the past as she returned to the present with her family.

[grampagen]

He moved to clash against her, and could sense every minute articulation before it came, and yet it somehow it did not seem to matter. Every time he tried to catch her, Kenshiko slipped out of his grasp with an evasiveness like sand; as he pressed into her, she flowed with him, fluid, uncontrollable, yet reforming in an instant when her solid strikes cut into him down the bone. Her hands still guided his, this time with lethal purpose. The very same that honed those skills, the legs whose balanced strides he sought to follow. Seething, he stubbornly pressed forward, and sacrificed his balance. Kenshiko tore him off centre and tossed him through the ground.

Carving a trench and unearthing the stone from the muddy banks, Ochazuke pressed himself up, his stance shaky. After all this time, was this still the gap between them?

Ochazuke pulled himself up from the wreckage, seething as his limbs quaked. Ashes stung his eyes, the sharp taste of blood flooded his tongue as he spat to the ground and the scent filled his head.

The King's Court that once invited countless nations in a haven for tribute stood smitten with ashes, and roofless now stood exposed to the hellish world outside. The Crane Apostate tread through the field of his sense-awareness, but only found that the aura of the Tiger Master flood every facet of his waking meditation. Everything, from the wreckage wreathed in smoke, heirlooms facsimile and original, to the minutae of cracked pillars eroding to dust kissed by the breeze was revealed to him, but though on some intuitive level he knew he was not alone, where he stood before the last standing shrine wall, with only the sound of his own breathing to accompany him, he could detect no presence.

Where did she go?

It was then he began to notice, not just where his ki reached over the area, but creeping in the very edges of his vision was a fine haze.

"Why did you come back, Ochazuke?"

Her voice was close, yet hollow. Bristling through the shiver in his aching body, it was as if her voice somehow spoke from within him. He could only hear the sound of his own haggard breathing, the firm beat of his heart as his pulse picked up. He found his footing, but all the sensations came at a disconnect from the world, as though everything was numbed by a phantom sensation. He moved his limbs, and though the bones were bruised, found something of a more sinister design; by some means she was scattering the integrity of his ki.

"They're your people. What have you done here?!"

"Are they now? Everyone has their price."

BGM: Knives and Shadows

Behind...!

Guarding his blind side, a heavy kick fell to his right and crumpled his stance inward. It felt as if it might have cut through him if he had not defended, and yet the pain bloomed in his shoulder. He flinched.

Thrown off balance from the force of Kenshiko's strike, combinations struck into the spaces he could not cover. A raw grunt escaped him as a fist stabbed into his chest, and his legs crumpled under their own weight as an elbow cut into his liver. Ducking inward, throwing his left out, he felt something and tried to hold the long guard, yet even as he fought to push her back, she steered his momentum and stuck to him,

Extreme close-quarter. That was always her specialty. Pressed against his guard, a sharp pain flowed through him as she pulled down on his neck.

"My people?" she seethed. "Under the World Government do you think our borders are still sovereign?"

Using Seisui Tensho he could feel her shift forward, the subtle knotting of their limbs collapsing his arms to her control. Gasping for air, he fought not to drown, swimming through the Clinch.

"Would an invader recognize their right to exist or just plow over it? Build on top of them like the Crane did?"

The words were held at the back of his throat, but under the strain of his breath, tensed to guard, they would not come.

They're still here. The knees chipped away at his breath, forcing him to brace his stance to take it. Silent between ragged breaths, his focus was on the tactile sensation, the flow of subtle momentum and the shifts in their frames. I'm still with you His Kru, she was the smaller of the two but at this range meant she had the advantage on the offensive. Through the point of contact in that firmly affixed arm, he felt the weight sink down one side and shifted in. Suddenly it was as if the weight leaning into him suddenly disappeared, until her crown smashed into his brow. He squeezed his eyes shut in vain to keep the violent flash stabbing the sockets at bay, and could feel the heat of her snarling breath upon him in the darkness.

"Uprooted, displaced, where do they go from there? Do you think they had a choice but to abandon their way of life? To sell their souls and take what peace Grinthorn offered them and swallow it whole? "

Balance was the key in this morbid dance. That was what she'd taught him. Even this close he could barely read her as the leverage in Kenshiko's frame disappeared, then the sting fell into the muscles around his hip where she crashed her knee into it.

"Nothing remains from seven years ago, and it's like they don't even want to remember what it was like."

Each blow that landed sharply lingered and sapped his strength. They'd steal more of his breath if he did not brace to take them.

"But you remember don't you? You were by her side the night they took her from us."

So braced, it left his flank and everything below the chest level open to strike. His legs froze as another knee pierced right through him. As Ochazuke fought through the pain, a heaviness welled in the pit of his stomach, cold tremors quaking as the bruises swelled. Tugging on the side of his neck, Kenshiko wrest control of his foundation; His hands sunk inward in the follow through.

"You don't know, do you?" Spittle fell on his neck. He could hear the click of her pressed teeth. "What your Grandmaster did after Kaibyo died?"

What?

"Cut out a nation's soul, it's history, and what's left? Our heritage was worth no more than a piece of paper. It's all gone. They stole the land she was buried in!"

Sinking in, the razor elbow came from below this time, but this time he was ready. Slipping deeper inward, at last he managed to break off and frame a clear shot. He hit her with a left straight and struck her full-on across the jaw. It sent her back quite a ways, and yet she stood firm, the impact falling beyond her and scattering the last columns of the royal chamber to the winds.

Not wasting the opening, he lift his leaden leg, and threw a sidekick. Suddenly shocking pain twist through from socket to knee, and tore through his side. It froze the extension at its apex, delaying the delivery and left his recovery stalled; no doubt she saw this as she countered with a roundhouse to the side. Two of his ribs cracked. As he found his footing, he stopped her movement as he seized on to her leg.

Even in his grasp, she was entirely at ease. All he could do was delay her, but as she shook her head in disdain, he already felt any control slipping from his fingers.

"Look around you, Ochazuke. These were once our initiation grounds, remember?" She sighed and clicked her tongue. She'd do that when she was sussing out deficiencies in technique. "Or haven't you noticed?"

"It was a symbol of hope, if not for us, then for the people." He spoke slowly, the sharp pains in his side rising and falling with the tempo of his breathing. "They couldn't fight, that doesn't mean they don't remember. Would you take that away from them as well-"

A sharp gasp left him as words were cut off by a heel clipping deep into his chest from below. Kenshiko flipped backward with a kick that slashed a wave of ki through him, and when it pushed off his left arm fell where his collarbone split. . As she landed on her feet, he fell to his knees, stunned as his gi tore open, hot blood and cold sweat pressing the remainder to his body. Yet it was something else that beggared belief, for the arcing slash passed through and under him, and in the narrows of his bleary, good eye he could see light floating from the slash in the stone.

What they stood upon this entire time had only been a hollow facade.