Dragonball M, Chapter 2: Lighthouse! Across the Shores of Shattered Time!

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Chris nods.

“Yeah yeah, I can play nice, Froggy.”

Smirking, he looks over at Held.

“Well, come on. There are three more levels past this one to check out, and I just happen to have swiped me a pass key or three.”

He tosses Held and Althena each one.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

As soon as it seems inevitable that he would be ringed-out, Meagan stops her attack and goes invisible. Spidus would find that, not only is she gone from sight, all traces of her energy, including psychic seem to have vanished.

That is, until 7 identical Meagan's surround him. Are any of them them the real Meg Luna? Are any of them real at all? They seem to be waiting to see what he does next.

Spidus freezes inhumanly, examining each one.

Then is moves ina furious way, arm’s spinning and lashing out at each.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

No!

Sarada threw her arms up to block, but her power was waning, while Balon's increased somehow. That, combined with his speed and skill, had her being pushed back toward the edge of the ring.

I don't understand!

It was obvious that Chris was lying. These techniques... they were the result of the Ten Schools, the same ones that Ochazuke and Zaofan learned during their travels! Meaning there was more where that came from. More importantly, her superior power meant nothing! I'm being pushed back! I'm going to lose!

How? Sure, he was more skilled, but she had every other advantage, right?



Telegraph, how? She didn't give it much thought then, but how? She had gotten away from her hand-to-hand training, sure, but that was because her techniques needed to be honed. Something had to give, right?

It's not that. I'm not rusty, I'm thinking too much. That was it. Against someone this skilled, her strategy needed to be perfect. She needed to map out not just her next move, but the next several after that. And that was the problem. Perhaps unconsciously, her body was giving clues to what she was going to do next in the time it took for her body to get the signal from her brain to move.

Victory or defeat was determined in the fractions of a second it took for her body to react. Too long, and she was going to lose.

As her power slipped away - placing her at a further, clearer disadvantage - it was clear.

The edge of the ring was growing nearer, as was defeat.

Her eyes closed, and she began to meditate. It only took a fraction of a second for the body to act. That fraction was the difference between life and death.

The roar of the crowd faded into silence. The weight of a universe in peril shifted off her shoulders. The worries and concerns of her people went away. Everything faded to nothing until it was her, Balon, and the fight.

Conscious thought was gone. There was only instinct.

Balon's attack continued unabated when she suddenly ducked down in the moment when one fist was drawn back and the other was thrust forward. The space between his legs was enough for her to dash behind him. Her tail wrapped around his leg in an effort to pull him off balance.

OOC: Peerless Instinct is now active; timer: 7 posts. Saiyan Soul PL: 1,687,500 for 4 posts

Samson does fall off balance, but inhumanly quickly, he catches himself on his hands, flips, and rights himself.

He nods and smiles.

“That was a good move, your Highness. How is your ki control?”

Blue and yellow ki begin building in his cuppped hands.

“Kame.......”

[Tami]

Spidus freezes inhumanly, examining each one.

Then is moves ina furious way, arm’s spinning and lashing out at each.

To the silent music of the battle, each Meg Luna danced their way around his moving arms. This continued for several minutes until one was struck down. Stuck, then vanished.

The remaining 6 continued their dance, as one by one each was struck down.

At the vanishing of the last of the 6, the real Meg Luna reappeared. With a flare of Aura, she flew in fast and low at her opponent, striking him hard in his midsection, sending him flying backwards off the ground and towards the edge of the arena.

Her attacks then, once again, came fast, until he was within a hair's breath of a ring out.

[MrSandman]

To the silent music of the battle, each Meg Luna danced their way around his moving arms. This continued for several minutes until one was struck down. Stuck, then vanished.

The remaining 6 continued their dance, as one by one each was struck down.

At the vanishing of the last of the 6, the real Meg Luna reappeared. With a flare of Aura, she flew in fast and low at her opponent, striking him hard in his midsection, sending him flying backwards off the ground and towards the edge of the arena.

Her attacks then, once again, came fast, until he was within a hair's breath of a ring out.

Cthylla observed the battle carefully, but found herself intrigued with Meagans style of combat.

Truly some hidden machinations were in play, for the guardian to seemingly play with her enemy in such a fashion. She had surrendered a chance for victory in favor of this strange spectacle, and Cthylla could only imagine the reasoning to either line up with her own regarding testing herself and her enemy for observations data....or as a mean to tire the enemy before moving in for the kill.

Still....There mission was one of importance, and Cthylla felt the need to reiterate the importance of said mission to Meagan in a way that would garner no ill will.

Thinking back to her observations regarding spectator sports, she reached into her stockpile of food and returned with a red fruit of some kind....and using her void shift she let it fly through a hole, pelting meagan in the back mid rush while following the a nonchalant "get on with it"

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

To the silent music of the battle, each Meg Luna danced their way around his moving arms. This continued for several minutes until one was struck down. Stuck, then vanished.

The remaining 6 continued their dance, as one by one each was struck down.

At the vanishing of the last of the 6, the real Meg Luna reappeared. With a flare of Aura, she flew in fast and low at her opponent, striking him hard in his midsection, sending him flying backwards off the ground and towards the edge of the arena.

Her attacks then, once again, came fast, until he was within a hair's breath of a ring out.

Spidus attempts one last move. He throws a wave of TK at the ground, attempting to take her feet out from under her and then bull rush her.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Samson does fall off balance, but inhumanly quickly, he catches himself on his hands, flips, and rights himself.

He nods and smiles.

“That was a good move, your Highness. How is your ki control?”

Blue and yellow ki begin building in his cuppped hands.

“Kame.......”

A beam attack.

Sarada didn't respond, but fell back until her feet were only an inch from the edge of the ring. Then, she began charging up her own attack.

"Galick Gun."

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

A beam attack.

Sarada didn't respond, but fell back until her feet were only an inch from the edge of the ring. Then, she began charging up her own attack.

"Galick Gun."

“Ha...Dodon......”

The beam separates onto each of his fingers instead of staying cupped in his hands, a combination of the Turtle and Crane Schools techniques.

“Rays!!!!”

Ten rays of spiraling yellow and blue energy lance out towards her.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

“Ha...Dodon......”

The beam separates onto each of his fingers instead of staying cupped in his hands, a combination of the Turtle and Crane Schools techniques.

“Rays!!!!”

Ten rays of spiraling yellow and blue energy lance out towards her.

The beams came. Sarada moved, dashing forward toward the center of the ring.

Several of her own blasts that hadn't been called on earlier we're summoned and moved to intercept the incoming beams. Whether they hit or not was irrelevant; she needed space.

She leaped into the air. "Fire!" The Galick Gun was fired, not at Balon, but at the ring itself. When it hit, and detonated, the explosion and force generated by it spread out like a wave - an unstoppable, omnidirectional attack that was designed to sweep over the ring.

[KingofPie]

Distracted and pissed at the others (blind and uncomfortably hot too) Haru misses as Jack charges up a glowing ball of grey smoke like ki and smirks.

“Aces Wild.”

For a split second, reality shifts and the attack disappears, only to reappear.

Inside Haru’s left eye.

Screaming, the massive wolf beast rears back, clawed hand gripping it’s face as dark green black blood oozes from the wound.

"Bleh..." Sasheem shook his head. "Shoulda quit while you were ahead, mutt..." The Majin shot a small portion of ki, at the howling hybrid while it was too distracted to notice. The first step of his Cobra Curse ability, if it connected.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Across the telepathic network Ishtar had provided, those yet linked to her could feel her anger; and when her voice echoed across the link not a moment later, they'd understand why:

"Erosa lay dying, her soul currently torn between life, and a fate far worth than death ... yet where is Asha'rah ? Her lover, and the woman who only months before threatened the annihilation of my stepsister by means of Hakai, for even the thought of Erosa suffering harm ?

Busy !

Far too concerned with a battle nearly won, that she has left the care and saving of her lover, her lover to those who can for the moment do little more than buy time, all so that she can turn that Hakai once threatened, on yet another foe."

The 'line' fell silent a moment then, as Ishtar fumed and thought of a way to mend Erosa's ruined body, herself ... before a final word was offered those those who remained to share the link.

"... Never forget this.

Never forget the moment when Asha'rah, a Creator God ... set aside love so that she might strive only to destroy; and not only left Creation, her Creation, but her Love ... to the care of others."

A ray of anger passed through the telepathic link. Parsley assumed it had something to do with whatever was going on at the Lookout. She was right, but it wasn't for the reason she thought. She could sense the other enemy was there and the battle raging was a fierce one. She also sensed that someone was dangerously close to dying.

That person, it turned out, was Erosa.

From what Parsley knew, Erosa was a magical being created from Etrina's subconscious. She hadn't given it much thought, so she was likely way off base at this juncture. Regardless, that was all inconsequential. The girl was dying.

This was, understandably, has Ishtar incensed. Yet, that wasn't the reason for the message. The cause of that was the fact that Asha'rah - Erosa supposed lover - failed to even consider doing what she could within her immense and expansive capabilities to help her. Instead, she opted to leave it to others and lend her abilities toward finishing off an enemy who was supposedly at the brink of defeat already. The implication there was that Asha'rah's aid was not needed and thus she would have been better served - and obligated - to do what she could to increase the possibility of saving a person she cared dearly for.

Parsley's initial, impulse reaction was weariness. Perhaps it was simply because she was busy fighting her own fierce battle, but she couldn't find the need or desire to become as worked up as Ishtar obviously was. Perhaps - and more likely - it was because she had zero interaction with Erosa and thus failed to see the need to let her heart swell with righteous indignation at what was perceived as an assailable offense.

Yet, as she devoted spare modicums of thought to it, she began to see why there was so much anger leaking into the telepathic link. And to do so, she merely needed to place herself in that situation. Avoca was laying on the ground, dying from a grievous, fatal injury. The brief, but unmistakable twinge of pain in her chest at the very thought told her all she needed to know about how she would react.

Whether Asha'rah was as close to Erosa as she herself was to Avoca wasn't clear. However, threatening to use Hakai to erase Ishtar's step-sister - whoever that may have been - because of the threat of the Id dying gave clear evidence toward the nature of their bond. The Id did end up dying from that - if she remembered right - yet the step-sister still lived, she assumed. So, what made that any different from this? This, where the enemy was far less personal and the injury far more life-threatening than a thought.

Unless Asha'rah's actions lent toward the battle was the use of her stolen Hakai, Parsley could see no difference, and no reason as to why she would neglect to use her creation powers to mend and heal her lover.

What an enigma the mind of a god was. The higher powers that permeated their band of warriors had proven themselves once again to be no more logical than the mortals that fought shoulder to shoulder to them.

In the end, all Parsley offered was a weighty sigh. The current predicament she found herself in prevented her from offering a response, but she decided she would seek some kind of answer when she returned to the Lookout.

She did, however, off one thing. 'If I may, I would like to know if Avoca and my family are safe.'

Priorities.

Distracted and pissed at the others (blind and uncomfortably hot too) Haru misses as Jack charges up a glowing ball of grey smoke like ki and smirks.

“Aces Wild.”

For a split second, reality shifts and the attack disappears, only to reappear.

Inside Haru’s left eye.

Screaming, the massive wolf beast rears back, clawed hand gripping it’s face as dark green black blood oozes from the wound.

"Bleh..." Sasheem shook his head. "Shoulda quit while you were ahead, mutt..." The Majin shot a small portion of ki, at the howling hybrid while it was too distracted to notice. The first step of his Cobra Curse ability, if it connected.

Parsley saw what Jack did - a teleported attack that struck from the inside. Clever human; she sought to follow suit.

She followed Jack's attack with a Void Beam aimed for the massive beast's open mouth.

If that did anything or not would be icing on the cake for what she had going next. A pair of energy balls began charging in each hand, one green and the other blue. Ki started to cycle through her and into the balls.

OOC: Nullification Effect: -90%

[Monstrous Bird of Qin, Ou Ki]

Parsley saw what Jack did - a teleported attack that struck from the inside. Clever human; she sought to follow suit.

She followed Jack's attack with a Void Beam aimed for the massive beast's open mouth.

If that did anything or not would be icing on the cake for what she had going next. A pair of energy balls began charging in each hand, one green and the other blue. Ki started to cycle through her and into the balls.

OOC: Nullification Effect: -90%

Having recovered well enough from having taken a number of those spines--yeowch!--Totoma decided to add his own attack to this, thrusting his hands forward. Drawing them back, he began chanting that familiar mantra...

"Kame...."

His aura flared green as he began channeling energy into the Full Boar Kamehameha crackling between his palms.

[Tami]

Spidus attempts one last move. He throws a wave of TK at the ground, attempting to take her feet out from under her and then bull rush her.

It does, and it doesn't. Meagan was already in a forward motion when he attacked. The effect could have sent her falling flat on her face, but instead she quickly somersaulted onto her hands. Springing into the air, she put her ki into her legs, aimed, and hit him hard in the gut.

[Tami]

Cthylla observed the battle carefully, but found herself intrigued with Meagans style of combat.

Truly some hidden machinations were in play, for the guardian to seemingly play with her enemy in such a fashion. She had surrendered a chance for victory in favor of this strange spectacle, and Cthylla could only imagine the reasoning to either line up with her own regarding testing herself and her enemy for observations data....or as a mean to tire the enemy before moving in for the kill.

Still....There mission was one of importance, and Cthylla felt the need to reiterate the importance of said mission to Meagan in a way that would garner no ill will.

Thinking back to her observations regarding spectator sports, she reached into her stockpile of food and returned with a red fruit of some kind....and using her void shift she let it fly through a hole, pelting meagan in the back mid rush while following the a nonchalant "get on with it"

OOC: no pleasing some people.

The fruit, aimed at Meagan's back, missed thanks to Spidus' TK attack. Instead, it flew past her and barely missed hitting him. Good thing too or the match might have been called on account of outside interference.

[grampagen]

Glacia, meanwhile, her healing reverted and more wounded then ever, starts laughing. Even as blood gushes from her, curtesy of Ishtar and Etrina, she laughs.


Etrina, you cannot effect the heart. Traces upon its design, and alongside other parts of her, are intricate and complex runes.

Time Lock runes.

Somehow, the Doctor has found a mage of extreme power and has them ensorcell his creations to an extent. The runes are also bolstered by the ring she wears.

In the moment you contemplate this, GlaciaÂ’s tail stabs once, twice, into your thigh and your stomache, then slaps you down to the Lookout floor. Seething, she holds her hand out and grips your throat with TK, applying a terrible crushing force on it.

“You’re going to die, now.”

The decisive turn of a battle, whether through guile, stratagem or sheer force, is never completely set so long as the struggle ensues. The enemy guards and makes elusive their folly, for it is all too readily seized by a choice moment of focus, one precise implementation of will. The path to victory is set to a a moment's vigilance.

Or in many cases, a moment's neglect.

Through her remaining hand, Glacia telegraphed her intent. Having been exposed, her heated focus had fallen solely on returning to Etrina the agony inflicted upon her. Seizing her limblessly, nonetheless it seemed as if she took some twisted glee in putting on the motions from a distance as the cold blood crept and her face screwed in possessed, manic glee.

How utterly Arcosian

Ochazuke - who had been approaching behind Ishtar earlier - flanked her from behind. His rough-hewn hand shot out from the side and seized upon Glacia's in an instant.

"Her magic warding is powered by a ring on her finger.....get your best magic attack ready and wait for my signal to strike, you'll know it when you see it."

___

At that very same moment, the Hybrid felt something clamp down on her ring finger and the digits next to it....intense pressure and sharp, tearing pain.

The Id, Erosa, had stealthfully slipped in while the hybrid had been distracted with the others...and receiving information mentally from Etrina, had moved in to remove the her advantage the most efficient way she knew how.

With her teeth.

The Id bite down harder then imaginable on the hybrids hand, razor sharp teeth working to take the finger and ring off, along with whatever else she could.

The Genki energy flowed through him, and with the gathered energy of the Magicite heart, he followed through on Erosa's last intention in pursuit of a familiar target. Folding the metacarpal bones down the crest of Glacia's hand, Ochazuke pressed down with his thumb, and as the fingers folded in, the tendons twist, the joints popped, and the fingers splay loosely.

Don't lose yourself, he said to Etrina, poring his insight over Glacia's frame where the still-bleeding wounds closed over her mechanical heart. She wasn't willing to die that you would end up like this.

The energy resonating within him carried within it a familiar presence. More than the echo of a hunter's path, as he applied the Woven Path to Glacia and set the hybrid dangling loosely by the wrist where he seized her, the familiar memory-echo pulsed through Ochazuke, the last intentions carried in Erosa's heart, perhaps wordlessly assuring Etrina before he tore Glacia from the Lookout on a rapid ascent upward.

He'd seen the shape of the magic, the intricate lattice-work of spellcraft within the Cyborg where Ishtar and Etrina tore away at her being. But despite the energy gathered within him, the method of the technique, its execution was a thing unpracticed. However...

"Is this the vision the Doctor has for his children? Are you nothing more than a living weapon then?"

As they tore ever upward, his aura seemed to recede, as Banjakuza revealed the inner nature of his target; and through the telepahthic link, the shape of its source could be traced in his thoughts.

Ochazuke's PL: 900k
* Genki Charge: 3; energy gathered for Incomplete Spirit Bomb
**Erosa's PL = 700k
Bequeathed Magicite Charges x5 = 3.5 Mill
***Current PL = ???