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

[bruceleegreyhulk]

Cyanna smiled, then patted Praxat on the back, "Don't underestimate yourself. Better yet, consider this as a chance to stretch your leadership muscles and prove yourself."



"Losing your sight can't be fun. My ancestors barely had any sight, that's why we all have such exceptional hearing. If it wasn't for our Goddess, we'd all be blind, finding our way around by sound only."

" Thanks for the pep talk, Cyanna. Alright, everyone, stay close to me," Praxat said.

" I didn't lose my sight. I was born blind. Imagine what it's like to be born without eyes. To not being able to see anything from the moment your born," Araxat said.

"As a child, before I learn how to use my telekinesis to pick up resonance frequencies. Getting around was a constant struggle for me," Araxat said.

[Tami]

" Thanks for the pep talk, Cyanna. Alright, everyone, stay close to me," Praxat said.

" I didn't lose my sight. I was born blind. Imagine what it's like to be born without eyes. To not being able to see anything from the moment your born," Araxat said.

"As a child, before I learn how to use my telekinesis to pick up resonance frequencies. Getting around was a constant struggle for me," Araxat said.

"You know, those goggles that Praxat uses, maybe they can be modified to give you some semblance of sight." As soon as she said it, Cyanna wondered if it was fair to give her hope, considering what might be in store for her after all this was over. Even if she had been duped, Araxat was responsible for many deaths.

[KingofPie]

To answer this question, well, this certainly was a daunting task. What he held aloft between his outstretched palms was perhaps no larger than a small orange. Much like the Genki Dama, it sculpted from a hundred thousand whispers into a multitudinous a roar to give voice to the voiceless; yet this sphere held no innate power, and flickering in and out of visibility, stood in a liminal state - neither truly existing, but never really diminished. To Zaofan's perception, though it was composed of a refined energy formed by the technique he had experienced once before, he feared it was far more fragile than he knew.

All this he had felt intuitively, but with it came the gulf between his experience...and the words with which to adequately describe such a thing. Despite this, a strange, blissful smile spread on his face, and after swallowing the lump in his throat, he at last replied to his Sensei.

"I thought those ten markers signaled the end of our road," he said, "Of the Five Hidden Hands, we're still missing two."

Hurriedly he paced toward the cave wall, his eyes scarcely leaving the orb, wary it might flicker out for good, The sigil of the Dragon remained alit where Master Balon had cast his Dragon's Fire.

What is the movement, the form? A transcreation of the will, an expression of the soul. The Master had listened to the stirring in the ki of the Earth, and so sought to capture its essence; this fire was only one manifestation, and by now it was evident that Zxu'ro saw it carried and expressed in countless different ways. The ten sigils of the schools stood, each as ferocious as each of the prodigious natural shapes, perhaps in challenge to the warriors who came. But Zaofan understood now that the harmonized intent behind them was an aspect that was as unbound and timeless as the very Universe itself.

That the origin of the Ten Schools was a force manifest from the pure, raw potential drawn from the life of the planet.

Awesome and fearful knowledge await at the precipice. Holding the essence of their martial heritage, Zaofan lift his humble offering.

"But what I do know is that this path needed opening."

Sasheem sat up and grumbled as a familiar enegy cascaded the door, setting every sigil etched in it's stony exterior awash in a warm glow. Almost made him sick...almost. It was the energy from the planet, borrowed and channeled, Zaobland utulizing it just as Oafchazuke had done before. Energy coming from life, harmonized and concentrated into everything that the Majin opposed...only now he was beginning to feel a bit of resistance to its repulsive effects.

He understood it's meaning, it made sense. All the Schools come together for a larger purpose. It wormed well symbolically, but no matter how powerful his "brethren" are, it wasn't a goal she could see them achieving. Even he had to admit, they hadn't done too much of a bad job thus far but it was clear not everyone who fell under the tutelage of these ten beasts felt the same way. Outliers like this Kenshiko and even himself.

The Snake School...they had slithered away from the teachings first because they knew what had to be done. Sasheem could respect that. And the Yamata no Orochi Fist in essence was the anti-thesis of the Chimera. What techniques like the Genki Dama were willingly given, the Orochi violently takes and twists. ...But even afterward, once all was said and done...the Orochi expelled what did not belong, restoring the things to their natural state.

So what was the nature of the Snake in regards to a Chimera ? Simply the tail that lashes out on its own? It too is a part of the whole, was it not? In the same vein wasn't that what he was amongst the M-Fighters? A force in opposition that worked on harmony with other elements. But to what end? Of the Snake lashes put fiercely enough, would that steer the direction of the tide of fate?

The Dragon’s Fire dies out, and in the darkness only the sphere Zaofan offers sheds light.

The door trembles.

A ripple washes over the world, felt by all ki sensitives.

The sphere floats up and touches the door, disappearing into it.

After a moment, each sigil brightens and glows, and once all ten ignite, the glow spreads between the ten to form the symbol of the Chimera School, before the door simply disappears, leaving a staircase heading downward.

"Holy ****!" Sasheem exclaimed in mock surprise. "We opened a fuckin' door, " the Majin uttered in a dull tone shrugging unimpressed as he eyed the stairwell. "All those fancy glow-in-the-dark lights and you'd think it be buildin' up to something a little more flashy."

[grampagen]

With an overdramatic bounce, Erosa was soon taking a place next to Zaofan, bouncing her butt on the seat, a piece of meat flapping half out her mouth. "Nomnomnom...*gulp*....Ero.....Erosa starting to get bored. Hope we get to fight again soon."

Off to the side, Morgan eyes the familiar then lets out a mildly irritated huff for seemingly no reason......Though, practically leaning all over Zaofan may have been a start.

Bunching his knees together as he leaned back on the armrest, Zaofan resigned himself to a good-humoured - and completely oblivious - sigh as bits of juice and gravy flit about a fine spray. With a small laugh, he wrapped an arm over Erosa's shoulder and pat her pale head, tousling her hair.

"Well, if there's anyone besides Etrina who'd know how to deal with Magicite, you'd be the expert," he said, "between you and Morgan I'm sure we've got enough magic know-how our way through this problem for sure!"

Perhaps it was the warmth of the floating carriage-bubble, or the welcoming air of their guide, or simply the closeness of company, new and old, but despite the darkness of the snowstorm, Zaofan began to feel a warmth and ease as they approached the unknown heart of the Kingdom of Ampador.

"....I....I'm sure the Queen is..." Morgan paused, unsure how to even justify such a statement. It had been ages since the time of Avalons Fall, there was no way she could say something so idealistic as "I'm sure she's fine" given all that seemed to have transpired. "....there is no way she would have fallen...noone is more wise in the ways of magic and...."

But then how is one of the Royal Guard now a void infused monster...outside the tomb no less......

"...Perhaps....she already escaped....."

But.....then she would have come for me too.....

Morgan seems to be debating something in her head. "...We...We'll just have to find out......whatever the situation is...."


"....n...No.........There must be some sort of mistake.....your wrong, absolutely wrong!" Morgan suddenly stamped her foot in protest. "My sister was a little serious, yes....but she wasn't some power mad monster, she would have never let such a thing happen....no matter how awful the circumstances. We are extensions of our Queens Will....and her will is to preserve peace and life, that is what Avalon is suppose to be.....a place of safety."

Morgan cast her gaze downwards. ".Or.....it was........its been a long time......perhaps the ones who carry their will now are not even the same bloodline as those who came before.....a lifetime of knowledge refined for peace, picked clean by vultures who just wanted.....more power........."

Slowly, moisture glints at the corners of Morgans eyes. "......I hoped one of the other groups managed to survive, and if there was any one to do it....it was Grey Thorn Morgan. But.....for things to end up like this.....there is no way she would have let them if she were still alive....."

As Morgan grappled with the flood of perhaps thousands of years, Ochazuke tightened the Dragon's bracers. "One wonders to what extent the Queen's will was a literal undertaking."

The old leather set itself over his arms, nestled against the cloth underwraps. ""A place of safety. For who? The picture you've shown us of your kingdom shows it stood quite apart from the rest of the world. In losing something precious, one becomes consumed with that which they have lost. To get it back, there's no telling what people might do in their desperation. From a distance of a thousand years or more, it seems to only fall further away into the dark."

A long blink passed over his face. Ochazuke's breath slowed to a near pause before his eyes snapped open, understated in hardened understanding.

"And yet the power to decide who lives and who dies is not one to be regarded so lightly. If there are answers, we shall soon find them, won't we?"

"Gao.....GAO!" Erosa broke the moment with an excited vocal grunt, pointing to what Zaofan and her were already witnessing ahead of them.





There destination had grown ever closer in the time since they conversed, with only ruins to dot the long since burned plains of snow....but here, at the base of the mountain, stood perhaps the most intact examples of the early Avalonian Civilization. This was the the City of Amdapor, or what remained of it.....fortifications, towers and large stone buildings that seemed, unnaturally untouched by the passage of time and the havoc endured according to history.

And just ahead, the mountain loomed.

Wiping her eyes, Morgan fixed her gaze upon it. Almost......The temple at the base should be the quickest entry point. Once we're close enough I'll find a place to put us down...." She put her hand against the invisible barrier of the craft as the stone towers passed by. ".......I couldn't even begin to describe how this place looked then....compared to what it is now........"

At this range, the feint presence of void Ochazuke felt was growing stronger.....and many sources seemed to be moving in the ruins around them. Perhaps it was just this combined with the ruins, but it felt as though many....many eyes were upon them.

......and then a pair of feet followed.

Something large landed upon the top of the transport, the barrier buckling under the weight and force of impact while the craft was thrown off balance enough to stumble everyone onboard from their feet. In the ensuing chaos, a glimpse would be caught of a monstrous humanoid bulk that stood against the winds outside, barely held aloof by the failing barrier......



...and with effort no more casual then lifting a butterknife, it brandished a massive hammer in one hand and brought it down hard against the side of craft. The impact triggered an explosion of magical energy that, with the force of the blow, threw the craft off course while ejecting their would be attacker from the roof.....still, it was enough to send it flying into one of the ruined fort like structures even.

Crashing through the wall, the barrier magic failed....returning the forces of physics and sending the occupants flying on a variety of unhealthy paths. Ozhazuke and Morgan were thrown from the craft first, next was Shouchu....Erosa and Zaofan however, had managed to stay securely in their seat thanks to a combination personal security barrier and deploy able safety restraints that seemingly came with royal travel chairs.

.....for all the good it did them, since they maintained enough momentum to smash through the opposite wall, the wall behind that....bounce.....then another wall.....before finally emerging from the opposite end of the stone structure and on several hundred foot plummet to the snowy, craggy rocks below.

As soon as the bubble split, Ochazuke threw himself forward, grabbing Morgan and suspending their fall into a flight, throwing his silent aura against the shock of the momentum. Bracing his landing with a technique of a soft stance of Kokaku Sanchin he absorbed the brunt of the force of the impact and redistributed it to the castle grounds where they fell.

Zaofan, meanwhile, held onto his armrests for dear life.

"AHHHHHHHH~!!!!"

And as they smashed through the arrays of ancient stone and were sent plummeting towards certain death...he reflexively opened his eyes.

Firing off an Optic Blast burst, he created a Scarlet Shield before him before really pouring the ki on, creating a wall that redoubled the force as he sent himself and Erosa rocketing back towards the palatial grounds.

[bruceleegreyhulk]

"You know, those goggles that Praxat uses, maybe they can be modified to give you some semblance of sight." As soon as she said it, Cyanna wondered if it was fair to give her hope, considering what might be in store for her after all this was over. Even if she had been duped, Araxat was responsible for many deaths.

"Hmm, would modifying googles like my granddaughter Praxat's even work? I have a complete absence of eye tissue in both sockets, including optic nerves. Yeah, I could modify goggles like hers to see if they would work, but I'm fine with using my Telekinesis to get around," Araxat said.

" Using my Telekinesis to get around carries befits with it that I won't get with I had sight. The downside using it to get around is. I have to use some of my psychic energy constantly," Araxat said.

Killrog grins." Heh, maybe specialize goggles could be made for the entire Toadian race. Don't know about Araxat's subspecies Intoadians. However, I do know that Toadians have horrible vision," Killrog said.

They are nearsighted on land and farsighted underwater. When it comes to sight, my race's vision is superior in that aspect. I'm not saying this to be mean. It's just a fact of nature," Killrog said.

However, I will say this. Toadians have a better hearing on the lower end of the audio spectrum than my race. My kind can't pick sound frequencies as low as the ones Toadians can pick up. To top that off," Killrog said.

" They have their lateral line or water sense if you will, that they can use to detect movement, vibration, and pressure gradients in water. Honestly, I'm quite jealous of their hearing and this extra sense of theirs," Killrog said.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Sarada nodded her thanks and handed the man some money to pay for their drinks and a nice tip. "Let's go, Mais. We have some fighting to watch."

The boy's attention was ripped from the chattering crowd at the very mention of the word fight. "Yeah, let's fight!!" Shooting out of his chair, he barreled through innocent patrons on his way out the door.

Sarada sighed and followed him out, then hurried to unlock the door before he tore it off the frame. "Spill that and you're walking home."

Okay, so maybe this trip should have been less about revenge and more about learning some new grappling techniques. She recalled hearing that Bedlam used to run with Battersea, or ran into him rather. If he held his own and lived to tell about it, then he was good. Even though his power was infantile compared to her now, back then, The Lion was a monster.

Hm. I wonder.

She fired up the engine and headed for Ivory Park. If nothing else, at least she would get some entertainment.

It doesn’t take long to find the Park and Brutus.

The large man stands out as an equally large man wrestles with him, his two sons and his daughter watching intently. Oddly, she cannot sense any ki from them. As she gets closer, she can see each of them is wearing a similar bracket of bronze on their wrists.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Sasheem sat up and grumbled as a familiar enegy cascaded the door, setting every sigil etched in it's stony exterior awash in a warm glow. Almost made him sick...almost. It was the energy from the planet, borrowed and channeled, Zaobland utulizing it just as Oafchazuke had done before. Energy coming from life, harmonized and concentrated into everything that the Majin opposed...only now he was beginning to feel a bit of resistance to its repulsive effects.

He understood it's meaning, it made sense. All the Schools come together for a larger purpose. It wormed well symbolically, but no matter how powerful his "brethren" are, it wasn't a goal she could see them achieving. Even he had to admit, they hadn't done too much of a bad job thus far but it was clear not everyone who fell under the tutelage of these ten beasts felt the same way. Outliers like this Kenshiko and even himself.

The Snake School...they had slithered away from the teachings first because they knew what had to be done. Sasheem could respect that. And the Yamata no Orochi Fist in essence was the anti-thesis of the Chimera. What techniques like the Genki Dama were willingly given, the Orochi violently takes and twists. ...But even afterward, once all was said and done...the Orochi expelled what did not belong, restoring the things to their natural state.

So what was the nature of the Snake in regards to a Chimera ? Simply the tail that lashes out on its own? It too is a part of the whole, was it not? In the same vein wasn't that what he was amongst the M-Fighters? A force in opposition that worked on harmony with other elements. But to what end? Of the Snake lashes put fiercely enough, would that steer the direction of the tide of fate?



"Holy ****!" Sasheem exclaimed in mock surprise. "We opened a fuckin' door, " the Majin uttered in a dull tone shrugging unimpressed as he eyed the stairwell. "All those fancy glow-in-the-dark lights and you'd think it be buildin' up to something a little more flashy."

Samson looks at it, at the impenetrable darkness the stairs lead into. He glances back at the two of them.

“It seems the way is open. Who goes first?”

[Sub-Zero MKA]

It doesn’t take long to find the Park and Brutus.

The large man stands out as an equally large man wrestles with him, his two sons and his daughter watching intently. Oddly, she cannot sense any ki from them. As she gets closer, she can see each of them is wearing a similar bracket of bronze on their wrists.

"Ah, there they are." Brutus was right there in the middle of a park, wrestling and grappling with someone who was every bit as massive as he was. And nearby, watching with intent focus and bated breath, were Brutus' three children. The two big boys had bronze bracelets of some kind on their wrists.

Nothing that Sarada considered out of the ordinary. What caught her attention was that she could sense any ki from any of them. She couldn't remember if that was the case back when she first met this lot years ago, but it was off-putting regardless. Are they androids? Robots? What's their deal? She slowed the car to a slow crawl. Before it could come to a complete stop, Mais jumped out the window and sprinted toward the group at full speed.

"Hey wait! Damn kid."

The small boy slid to a stop in front of Cheesy and watched the two gargantuan men fight. "Hey, can I have a turn?" he asked whoever was listening.

[bruceleegreyhulk]

"Hmm, would modifying googles like my granddaughter Praxat's even work? I have a complete absence of eye tissue in both sockets, including optic nerves. Yeah, I could modify goggles like hers to see if they would work, but I'm fine with using my Telekinesis to get around," Araxat said.

" Using my Telekinesis to get around carries befits with it that I won't get with I had sight. The downside using it to get around is. I have to use some of my psychic energy constantly," Araxat said.

Killrog grins." Heh, maybe specialize goggles could be made for the entire Toadian race. Don't know about Araxat's subspecies Intoadians. However, I do know that Toadians have horrible vision," Killrog said.

They are nearsighted on land and farsighted underwater. When it comes to sight, my race's vision is superior in that aspect. I'm not saying this to be mean. It's just a fact of nature," Killrog said.

However, I will say this. Toadians have a better hearing on the lower end of the audio spectrum than my race. My kind can't pick sound frequencies as low as the ones Toadians can pick up. To top that off," Killrog said.

" They have their lateral line or water sense if you will, that they can use to detect movement, vibration, and pressure gradients in water. Honestly, I'm quite jealous of their hearing and this extra sense of theirs," Killrog said.

Later The group meets up with Praxat inside the tomb, who is looking at a message written on a wall in Toagaria." Grandmother once this is all over, once you re-establish communications. I will contact the GP, and you will be going away for a long time!" Praxat said.

" I know. I'm sorry for what I did, especially to most of your siblings, to most of my granddaughters, Praxat," Araxat said.

"Sorry, it isn't going to cut it. I'm still mad at what you did to most of my siblings. I can never forgive you for that even if you been duped by a shapeshifting parasite. I hope you rot in a cell for what you have done, Praxat said.

Araxat" But Praxy, I'm really am sorry," Araxat said.

" Don't call me that. You don't deserve to call me that. Do not speak to me again. I can't even stand to look at you after what you have done," Praxat said.

" Althena, translate that," Praxat said.

Araxat touches Praxat on the shoulder, and Praxat smacks Araxat's right hand away." It reads beware all trespassers beyond this point," Althena said.

" Great, so this tomb is probably booby trap," Praxat said

" You know, maybe you should forgive your grandmother for her transgressions. Araxat is still a person, and a person makes mistakes. Every person deserves forgiveness, Praxat," Althena said.

" So you just going to forgive her for murdering most of my siblings, for indirectly starting a war that caused many deaths? No, no, she should not be forgiven for any of that!" Praxat said as she goes further into the tomb.

[Tami]

Later The group meets up with Praxat inside the tomb, who is looking at a message written on a wall in Toagaria." Grandmother once this is all over, once you re-establish communications. I will contact the GP, and you will be going away for a long time!" Praxat said.

" I know. I'm sorry for what I did, especially to most of your siblings, to most of my granddaughters, Praxat," Araxat said.

"Sorry, it isn't going to cut it. I'm still mad at what you did to most of my siblings. I can never forgive you for that even if you been duped by a shapeshifting parasite. I hope you rot in a cell for what you have done, Praxat said.

Araxat" But Praxy, I'm really am sorry," Araxat said.

" Don't call me that. You don't deserve to call me that. Do not speak to me again. I can't even stand to look at you after what you have done," Praxat said.

" Althena, translate that," Praxat said.

Araxat touches Praxat on the shoulder, and Praxat smacks Araxat's right hand away." It reads beware all trespassers beyond this point," Althena said.

" Great, so this tomb is probably booby trap," Praxat said

" You know, maybe you should forgive your grandmother for her transgressions. Araxat is still a person, and a person makes mistakes. Every person deserves forgiveness, Praxat," Althena said.

" So you just going to forgive her for murdering most of my siblings, for indirectly starting a war that caused many deaths? No, no, she should not be forgiven for any of that!" Praxat said as she goes further into the tomb.

"I think, Praxat," Cyanna spoke up cautiously, "the question now is whether we can trust her or not. Araxat has to answer for her crimes, but would it be best to take matters into your own hands? Or leave it to a public trial? Perhaps we can find some Dragon Balls to undo some of the damage she has done, though I doubt it could ever be that easy." she then glances at Araxat, drops her head slightly, then looks back over at Praxat, "Either way, it's not going to go well for her. She must know this, yet she is still here with us. You have every right to be angry, I'm angry too, but this may be her last chance to make any kind of amends before judgement is passed."

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

"Ah, there they are." Brutus was right there in the middle of a park, wrestling and grappling with someone who was every bit as massive as he was. And nearby, watching with intent focus and bated breath, were Brutus' three children. The two big boys had bronze bracelets of some kind on their wrists.

Nothing that Sarada considered out of the ordinary. What caught her attention was that she could sense any ki from any of them. She couldn't remember if that was the case back when she first met this lot years ago, but it was off-putting regardless. Are they androids? Robots? What's their deal? She slowed the car to a slow crawl. Before it could come to a complete stop, Mais jumped out the window and sprinted toward the group at full speed.

"Hey wait! Damn kid."

The small boy slid to a stop in front of Cheesy and watched the two gargantuan men fight. "Hey, can I have a turn?" he asked whoever was listening.

Cheesy looks at him in surprise.

“A saiyan huh? Well do you know how to grapple kid?”

Alfredo nods at Sarada.

“Queen Sarada. A pleasure.

Macey says nothing, just keeps watching Barlon and Brutus.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Cheesy looks at him in surprise.

“A saiyan huh? Well do you know how to grapple kid?”

Alfredo nods at Sarada.

“Queen Sarada. A pleasure.

Macey says nothing, just keeps watching Barlon and Brutus.

"Grap...ple?" Mais repeated, sounding the word out until he could say it right. He didn't know what that was, so he shook his head. "What's that?"

Sarada, who had been sprinting after him, slowed to a stop when it was apparent he wasn't disrupting anything. Her gait was casual as she approached the group, her eyes shifting from her nephew to Macey, who appeared too enraptured by the grappling contest to pay attention to anything else.

"Sup?" she greeted Alfredo. "I'm showing my nephew a few things on Earth and figured I visit you and your old man. How's things?"

[bruceleegreyhulk]

"I think, Praxat," Cyanna spoke up cautiously, "the question now is whether we can trust her or not. Araxat has to answer for her crimes, but would it be best to take matters into your own hands? Or leave it to a public trial? Perhaps we can find some Dragon Balls to undo some of the damage she has done, though I doubt it could ever be that easy." she then glances at Araxat, drops her head slightly, then looks back over at Praxat, "Either way, it's not going to go well for her. She must know this, yet she is still here with us. You have every right to be angry, I'm angry too, but this may be her last chance to make any kind of amends before judgement is passed."

" I'll leave my grandmother's judgment up to a public trial," Praxat said.

" Praxat, three years ago, I had a group of pirates called the Stratovarius Buccaneers abducted Princess Qaztoh," Araxat said.

" Oh, so it's your fault that Qaztoh end up being associated with criminals. That's just great, and didn't I tell you not to speak to me!" Praxat said.

" Look, I'm sure you know that I know a lot about Zykona, Praxat. You probably know by now that Zykona had the entire Toadian race under her control. I know how she did it. It was with technology," Araxat said.

" Zykona used nanobots that emitted hypnotic photon signals that affect a Toadian's neural impulses. Basically, she used hypnosis. The nanobots were hidden within books contain her so-called commandments. The Toadians in Lisia are free from Zykona's control, thanks to me," Araxat said.

" However, my action in doing so wasn't for good intentions. Anyways there are still Toadians out there on the Colony continents that are under Zykona's control. I want to free the rest of them from her control, but I want my intentions to be good this time," Araxat said.

Praxat shrugs her shoulders, and turns on her X-ray mod." ****, this entire place is filled with booby traps," Praxat said.

[Yun Lao]

Throughout the ride, Shōchū's organic mind had drifted away from her surroundings, existing in a thoughtless state similar to sleep, all the while her cybernetic mind recorded data for later study. For the others, they would simply see Shōchū staring off into space out the window, her head moving back and forth like a security camera of sorts.

"Gao.....GAO!" Erosa broke the moment with an excited vocal grunt, pointing to what Zaofan and her were already witnessing ahead of them.

There destination had grown ever closer in the time since they conversed, with only ruins to dot the long since burned plains of snow....but here, at the base of the mountain, stood perhaps the most intact examples of the early Avalonian Civilization. This was the the City of Amdapor, or what remained of it.....fortifications, towers and large stone buildings that seemed, unnaturally untouched by the passage of time and the havoc endured according to history.

And just ahead, the mountain loomed.

Wiping her eyes, Morgan fixed her gaze upon it. Almost......The temple at the base should be the quickest entry point. Once we're close enough I'll find a place to put us down...." She put her hand against the invisible barrier of the craft as the stone towers passed by. ".......I couldn't even begin to describe how this place looked then....compared to what it is now........"

At this range, the feint presence of void Ochazuke felt was growing stronger.....and many sources seemed to be moving in the ruins around them. Perhaps it was just this combined with the ruins, but it felt as though many....many eyes were upon them.

......and then a pair of feet followed.

Erosa's gesturing to Zaofan is what brought her mind back into consciousness, the faintest phantom of grogginess draped over her mind. Following the flow of the conversation, her gaze returned outside the window this time her organic mind taking note of the mountain's growing expanse. It was breathtaking, even for one such as her and yet she could not help but dread on what role Rex would play here. She had several hunches, having once been under his possession, but lacked the information regarding the mountain to confirm any of them. Until then, she would have to observe and...

"Something's not right," She declared, but it was far too late.

Something large landed upon the top of the transport, the barrier buckling under the weight and force of impact while the craft was thrown off balance enough to stumble everyone onboard from their feet. In the ensuing chaos, a glimpse would be caught of a monstrous humanoid bulk that stood against the winds outside, barely held aloof by the failing barrier......

...and with effort no more casual then lifting a butterknife, it brandished a massive hammer in one hand and brought it down hard against the side of craft. The impact triggered an explosion of magical energy that, with the force of the blow, threw the craft off course while ejecting their would be attacker from the roof.....still, it was enough to send it flying into one of the ruined fort like structures even.

Crashing through the wall, the barrier magic failed....returning the forces of physics and sending the occupants flying on a variety of unhealthy paths. Ozhazuke and Morgan were thrown from the craft first, next was Shouchu....Erosa and Zaofan however, had managed to stay securely in their seat thanks to a combination personal security barrier and deploy able safety restraints that seemingly came with royal travel chairs.

.....for all the good it did them, since they maintained enough momentum to smash through the opposite wall, the wall behind that....bounce.....then another wall.....before finally emerging from the opposite end of the stone structure and on several hundred foot plummet to the snowy, craggy rocks below.

The world erupted into a shower of magical debris and gravity had lost its hold on her. The air rushed by her with a roar as she plummeted down, her cybernetic mind already in action with her body quickly following in suit. Twisting and turning in the air, the blade of her naginata popped out the head of her staff, Shōchū drove it into the ancient stone of the ruins. Too keen a blade, her first attempt simply resulted in a section of the outer wall being sliced away, while her second drastically decreased her speed, but it was with the third attempt that she came to a halt, hanging from one of the walls.

Quickly taking note of her surrounds, she quickly scanned for her allies and most importantly, their attacker.

[bruceleegreyhulk]

" I'll leave my grandmother's judgment up to a public trial," Praxat said.

" Praxat, three years ago, I had a group of pirates called the Stratovarius Buccaneers abducted Princess Qaztoh," Araxat said.

" Oh, so it's your fault that Qaztoh end up being associated with criminals. That's just great, and didn't I tell you not to speak to me!" Praxat said.

" Look, I'm sure you know that I know a lot about Zykona, Praxat. You probably know by now that Zykona had the entire Toadian race under her control. I know how she did it. It was with technology," Araxat said.

" Zykona used nanobots that emitted hypnotic photon signals that affect a Toadian's neural impulses. Basically, she used hypnosis. The nanobots were hidden within books contain her so-called commandments. The Toadians in Lisia are free from Zykona's control, thanks to me," Araxat said.

" However, my action in doing so wasn't for good intentions. Anyways there are still Toadians out there on the Colony continents that are under Zykona's control. I want to free the rest of them from her control, but I want my intentions to be good this time," Araxat said.

Praxat shrugs her shoulders, and turns on her X-ray mod." ****, this entire place is filled with booby traps," Praxat said.

Using her X-ray mod Praxat examines the traps. " Okay, here are our options. We can either be careful around the traps or just bulldoze our way through them. The traps seem simplistic in nature. So I think we can just bulldoze our way through them," Praxat said.

"I'm put this to a vote. Rise hands, we bulldoze our way through the traps. No rise hands, we take caution around the traps," Praxat said.

Althena doesn't raise one of her hands," We should take caution around the traps," Althena said.