Dragonball M, Chapter 4: Kidnapping! Invasion! A new Threat Strikes First!

[MrSandman]

It didn't work. The spell struck, but didn't take effect. In fact, it slid right off him. Interesting. Her eyes narrowed as she cast her magical gaze on him, looking past the cards and on Caliban's person itself.

Toki Yo Tomare

As she was scanning to see what his deal was, he struck again. Another card hit the ground, immediately jump-starting a rainstorm. Normally, it was nothing worth getting alarmed about, but the moment the drops of rain started to hit her, she felt her power dip. Not much, but it wouldn't take long for her and Etrina to feel the effects in full once the rain really started to fall.

Perfect Mockery - Aura of Invincibility

A pair of green barriers, Sarada's own technique, formed around herself and Etrina to protect them from the ki drain. "I'm well-versed in various ki draining techniques. You'll have to do better than that!"

"You're over prepared for these sorts of things...I'll give you that." Etrina stepped close to Parsley as she gave Caliban an impressed side smirk. "....are those anti magic runes...if I didn't know better I'd think were stacking the deck against us."

White flew low and crossed just over the two, the now empty card landing in Etrinas hand. With her index finger she quickly traced a rune upon the now blank surface, triggering a flare of light.

"I've still got a few cards up my sleeve..." Etrina raised the card with a devilish smirk even was White let out a groan as she flew off. The mage spun the card and slapped it(gently) against Parsleys shoulder. "Mystic Talisman"

Like white hot lightening, a surge of energy flowed through Parsleys body. "Your faster then me, so I'll cover you....get that deck away him."

[Sub-Zero MKA]

"You're over prepared for these sorts of things...I'll give you that." Etrina stepped close to Parsley as she gave Caliban an impressed side smirk. "....are those anti magic runes...if I didn't know better I'd think were stacking the deck against us."

White flew low and crossed just over the two, the now empty card landing in Etrinas hand. With her index finger she quickly traced a rune upon the now blank surface, triggering a flare of light.

"I've still got a few cards up my sleeve..." Etrina raised the card with a devilish smirk even was White let out a groan as she flew off. The mage spun the card and slapped it(gently) against Parsleys shoulder. "Mystic Talisman"

Like white hot lightening, a surge of energy flowed through Parsleys body. "Your faster then me, so I'll cover you....get that deck away him."

A surge of energy flowed through her, filling her veins like molten lava. She grunted and pressed her fingers to her forehead. Let's see if this works.

Perfect Mockery: Instant Transmission

She disappeared, then reappeared next to Caliban. She placed her hands on his arm where she noticed the anti-magic rune. An anti-magic rune? I never would have thought of that, but it makes a lot of sense. And seems more effective than the way I've been doing it. She shelved that idea for right then. She cast Tomare Tokio to drain the magic from the run in an effort to shatter it, or at least weaken it so she could cast something else more effective.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Ochazuke met her gaze, listening intently to her reasons. When she snapped the fork in half, however, he was less than impressed.

"What you've heard from Parsley and what you've decided to conclude from this knowledge have nothing to do with the reality of the situation."

Of course, given only three names ever seemed relevant to her in this conversation, he wouldn't have been surprised Parsley had omitted herself in the evaluation of their fused alter-ego's capabilities. Only ever just useful enough to be pilfered or imitated, then discarded.

"Consider that your style was already 'forging forward' when you first landed on this planet over five years ago. And so it remains," he said, "For what it's worth it's served you well for contests of strength and glory...and it's precisely that single-minded nature that will impede you."

He narrowed his eyes as he looked at her arm, her hand. It had only been one year ago that they hadn't been flesh.

"Moreover, the moment you presumed your goal was in reach, you stopped paying attention to anything I've said."

Correspondence to Maiz. The means to gain knowledge of the enemy to come. The moment increasing her personal power entered her thoughts, nothing else seemed to matter to Sarada.

Perhaps I've grown too accustomed to dealing with Nevadians.

"You've become utterly disconnected across the span of a single conversation. Think of what would happen when another's life is in the balance?"

"If you presumed you would understand this technique, what, simply because you wanted it? Will you forge ahead, heedless of your partner, and force another to create the result you desire? This is not what Fusion is about."

She supposed they would have to see. She was still confident in her own ability and those of Parsley to carry them, plus that of whoever decided to go with them. She wasn't sure what his problem was. It wouldn't have been the first time they would have gone up against an enemy they knew nothing about, had no intelligence on, and were completely blind as to their powers and abilities. Yet, they still survived. They found ways to win, and she saw no reason why going up against that Cabal or Dreadnaught would have been any different.

"I adapt when I have to." She had shown flashes of being able to go around a problem, not through it. "What do you want from me? To change my entire personality, my entire outlook on who I am just to fit what you think? I've gotten where I am simply because I am who I am. I'm stubborn and bullheaded, and that's exactly why I'm still alive." She looked down at the table and frowned. "Tundra tore my heart of out my chest and shoved it down my throat. I held on long enough to be healed. Then he speared through a planet, nearly tearing me in half in the process with an energy spear the size of a moon. I lived. Then he shot me through the heart. I lived. Then a planet exploded around me and I was left floating in the vacuum of space with barely enough energy to stay awake. I still held on until Parsley could save me."

She looked at him again. "Yeah, I had a lot of help. The point is having help wouldn't have mattered if I wasn't too stubborn to die. I forge ahead until I can't, then I find a way to sneak around, then I keep moving forward. That's how I've been my entire life. If you think that 'single-minded nature' will impede me, you don't know me at all."

Maiz? Yeah, he did ask about her. But, why? What could he want from her that he can't get from Eva?

Her frown deepened. "What do you need from Maiz?"

"Why is it suddenly what I want? Parsley was the one who told me about it, and she asked you first months ago. Whatever fusion we create is the one we create because we're both willing to at least learn it."

[grampagen]

Even as Zaofan spoke and prepared a beet through near magical means, Kumara wasn't paying attention. Her gaze was completely enraptured by the little person standing on the table. She had never seen a person so small before! She looked up at Sarada and pointed at Green Etrina. "Toy?"

"No, that's not a toy. That's a person." If one of her minis was alive, that meant Etrina was still alive. And apparently studying. And since he seemed to want to send her a message right before Parsley left, that must have meant he hadn't seen her in some time. Possibly since they all went their separate ways after Darkle. And since he was gone for six months before that...

She frowned. "So, you haven't really seen her since before you left to find Reshlan? Sorry to hear that."

"Oh, that's my friend, Little Green," Zaofan beamed. His image seemed to blur for a second before he returned with a mug of Earl Grey. Two clinks and so fell in the cubes of sugar. "Little Mistress, this is Kumara. She's acquired a taste for layer cake in the last few minutes."

At the mention of the real Etrina, Zaofan shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Eh heh...well, we had our anniversary on Reshlan. Problem is, it's hard to catch up when you're hosting a hot lunch for refugees...knighted to the Threshling court...taking all sorts of strange calls," Zaofan suddenly paused, choked up for a moment as he cleared his throat.

"Then Held got shot."

She supposed they would have to see. She was still confident in her own ability and those of Parsley to carry them, plus that of whoever decided to go with them. She wasn't sure what his problem was. It wouldn't have been the first time they would have gone up against an enemy they knew nothing about, had no intelligence on, and were completely blind as to their powers and abilities. Yet, they still survived. They found ways to win, and she saw no reason why going up against that Cabal or Dreadnaught would have been any different.

"I adapt when I have to." She had shown flashes of being able to go around a problem, not through it. "What do you want from me? To change my entire personality, my entire outlook on who I am just to fit what you think? I've gotten where I am simply because I am who I am. I'm stubborn and bullheaded, and that's exactly why I'm still alive." She looked down at the table and frowned. "Tundra tore my heart of out my chest and shoved it down my throat. I held on long enough to be healed. Then he speared through a planet, nearly tearing me in half in the process with an energy spear the size of a moon. I lived. Then he shot me through the heart. I lived. Then a planet exploded around me and I was left floating in the vacuum of space with barely enough energy to stay awake. I still held on until Parsley could save me."

She looked at him again. "Yeah, I had a lot of help. The point is having help wouldn't have mattered if I wasn't too stubborn to die. I forge ahead until I can't, then I find a way to sneak around, then I keep moving forward. That's how I've been my entire life. If you think that 'single-minded nature' will impede me, you don't know me at all."

Ochazuke leaned forward and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Adapt yourself to fit what I think, no. Over the last five years, you've made enough of an impression it would hard to be ignore. But, if you want me to teach you anything, you ought to consider listening to me."

Silence, for a moment, then he poured another cup of tea.

"For starters, you might examine the reasons why you had to adapt, and why you'd refused to. Why you went by yourself to confront an enemy whose strength you knew, despite your sister's presence."

He did not know Tundra, but he did know the depths to which Arcosians were willing to sink to seize their vile ambitions. The way she spoke feat after daring feat was certainly no empty boast, and made it adamantly clear he was not an enemy to be trifled with.

It also spoke loudly to the depths of the problem.

"To a Saiyan Queen or otherwise, I imagine the honours must have been laudable."

Maiz? Yeah, he did ask about her. But, why? What could he want from her that he can't get from Eva?

Her frown deepened. "What do you need from Maiz?"

"We are at war with whole other universes. Prophecies from some ancient design are coming to a head, and remain unknown to our means, save one. Other than this, we are on our own."

More than ever before. Ever since the Oni departed, going through all these cosmic matters had required a great deal of both analysis of materials once held secret and untold efforts of yet unseen labours.*

"It's clear that the gods have abandoned us, and any that were there in the beginning like the Remnant, Sakin, and Asha'rah will hardly have any designs but their own. Reshaping the universe to fit their desires was the start of this whole thing, now they want to draw six others into it."

Apparently Auroc had been writing about it for years, seeing fit to chronicle the last thoughts of a degenerate mind before he went mad in his own attempts to create a perfect race that would grant him the power to shield him from this.

"If there had been any good to come out of their legacy, it would be the spark of Creation held by those ascended to the station of Guardian. Evangeline took her duty to serve her people, Maiz is much the same, and it remains that we have an enemy in kind who we have made only a fractured effort to confront."

One they'd seen little of until just now.

"Sakin has been slowly hunting them down and preying on them Creation energy cultivated, consumed and stored. Unbeknownst to him, however, I've come close to finding his lair, the drifting planet the Forsworn World, but it's not enough. I'll need the aid of Maiz and other Guardians. Alone, they are scores of other Fifes in the making. Should they pool their efforts, however, that will be key to finally finding the Fallen Angel and slaying him where he dwells."

"Why is it suddenly what I want? Parsley was the one who told me about it, and she asked you first months ago. Whatever fusion we create is the one we create because we're both willing to at least learn it."

"She did not ask me. Like you, she demanded to learn the technique for the sake of its power alone, and it was Zaozi who answered her."

Saiyan bluntness would almost be refreshing in the web of deceit that had crept up lately, but for their voracious appetites. Unlike Zaofan who was a gracious host and generous to a fault, Ochazuke was not about to dispense so easily with his life's work, the legacy he'd slowly rebuilt and stewarded, without being extraordinarily selective of the candidates.

This is almost disappointing.

"Again, this is not something that can be learned by observation or taken by force in a clash of wills. But if you're serious about learning, then answer me this. Speak your answer honestly."

His eyes narrowed and fell upon Sarada's face as he examined her.

"Do you truly consider Parsley to be a peer?"

*OOC: Coming soon!

[Sub-Zero MKA]

"Oh, that's my friend, Little Green," Zaofan beamed. His image seemed to blur for a second before he returned with a mug of Earl Grey. Two clinks and so fell in the cubes of sugar. "Little Mistress, this is Kumara. She's acquired a taste for layer cake in the last few minutes."

At the mention of the real Etrina, Zaofan shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Eh heh...well, we had our anniversary on Reshlan. Problem is, it's hard to catch up when you're hosting a hot lunch for refugees...knighted to the Threshling court...taking all sorts of strange calls," Zaofan suddenly paused, choked up for a moment as he cleared his throat.

"Then Held got shot."

"Liddul... Green," the small girl sounded out. She grinned, bearing a set of small fangs, and reached out to pat the mini Etrina on the head. "Liddul Green!"

Sarada smiled, but the moment Zaofan started recounting in brief his interaction with Etrina on Reshlan.

It was a sad point that mirrored her own brief reunion with Inanna. That was merely an argument, hurt feelings, then a short goodbye. Seven months later, she still hadn't heard from her. At least Zaofan's and Etrina's could have been seen as a highlight of their day. Until Held ruined it. How could someone who could see fucking molecules not see a bullet coming from space? How could he even die from a gunshot in the first place? If she was a heartless bitch, she would have blamed everything that happened on Darkle on him. Yet, she knew that he was a lesser man and couldn't help being a disappointment.

"At least you know she'll be back." She grinned and nudged him on the shoulder. "And if she's studying, then she'll be better than ever!"

Ochazuke leaned forward and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Adapt yourself to fit what I think, no. Over the last five years, you've made enough of an impression it would hard to be ignore. But, if you want me to teach you anything, you ought to consider listening to me."

Silence, for a moment, then he poured another cup of tea.

"For starters, you might examine the reasons why you had to adapt, and why you'd refused to. Why you went by yourself to confront an enemy whose strength you knew, despite your sister's presence."

He did not know Tundra, but he did know the depths to which Arcosians were willing to sink to seize their vile ambitions. The way she spoke feat after daring feat was certainly no empty boast, and made it adamantly clear he was not an enemy to be trifled with.

It also spoke loudly to the depths of the problem.

"To a Saiyan Queen or otherwise, I imagine the honours must have been laudable."

"Tch."

As far as why she needed to adapt and why she often refused to, the latter was because her way usually worked. When it didn't, it was because whoever she was fighting was either too strong or up to some kind of fuckery that couldn't be solved by punching. The Archons came to mind, Tundra. However, the second consideration required no thought at all. Why did she fight Tundra by herself?

"In my culture, the mantle of King or Queen isn't something that's passed down to the heir, nor does it signify a person who just sits on a throne and barks out order to their underlings. The King or Queen is the strongest in the entire race, proven through combat. They're rightly expected to be able to protect their people from any threat. Since nearly four years ago, Tundra has: sent an assassin to take my life, and would have succeeded if not for Held just so happening to be in the general vicinity; orchestrated the return of the Tuffles, the leader of whom kidnapped and tortured Parsley to death after they wiped out the entire population of one of own planets; destroyed my homeworld, attacked one of our worlds in an attempt to kill me again while I was recovering from Auroc's attack, which led to Rutaba and another friend of mine being killed; launched a full scale invasion of every planet in the Empire; and he attempted to destroy the Saiyan homeworld, the planet we originally lived on before one of his ancestors captured hundreds of us and made us his slaves."

She paused to give herself time to compose herself.

"My people looked to me to end the threat. Not me and Parsley, me. Their safety is my responsibility, no one else's. I fought Tundra alone because it was my fight. He had been pushing my people toward extinction, and it was up to me to address it. Besides, Parsley's talents were best suited ensuring that the rest of the Empire was safe." That would have been the plan, had they not inexplicably jumped ahead three days. She nearly missed Tundra's arrival on Sadala because of that.

"That may not mean much to you nor do I expect you to understand, but it means everything to me."

"We are at war with whole other universes. Prophecies from some ancient design are coming to a head, and remain unknown to our means, save one. Other than this, we are on our own."

More than ever before. Ever since the Oni departed, going through all these cosmic matters had required a great deal of both analysis of materials once held secret and untold efforts of yet unseen labours.*

"It's clear that the gods have abandoned us, and any that were there in the beginning like the Remnant, Sakin, and Asha'rah will hardly have any designs but their own. Reshaping the universe to fit their desires was the start of this whole thing, now they want to draw six others into it."

Apparently Auroc had been writing about it for years, seeing fit to chronicle the last thoughts of a degenerate mind before he went mad in his own attempts to create a perfect race that would grant him the power to shield him from this.

"If there had been any good to come out of their legacy, it would be the spark of Creation held by those ascended to the station of Guardian. Evangeline took her duty to serve her people, Maiz is much the same, and it remains that we have an enemy in kind who we have made only a fractured effort to confront."

One they'd seen little of until just now.

"Sakin has been slowly hunting them down and preying on them Creation energy cultivated, consumed and stored. Unbeknownst to him, however, I've come close to finding his lair, the drifting planet the Forsworn World, but it's not enough. I'll need the aid of Maiz and other Guardians. Alone, they are scores of other Fifes in the making. Should they pool their efforts, however, that will be key to finally finding the Fallen Angel and slaying him where he dwells."

He... had found Sakin? Sarada remembered Slak making contact with that world years ago, right after they defeated Fife and the parasite that had been infesting him for years. One thing after another after another prevented them from following up on that, but she knew what world he was talking about.

She also knew Sakin had been hunting down Guardians and harvesting their Creation energy. She had been deathly afraid of that happening to Maiz and wanted to deal with Sakin as soon as possible to prevent it from happening. But again, thing after thing kept popping up and Sakin kept getting pushed further and further down the list of priorities until she forgot about him. She supposed that was precisely what he wanted.

Ochazuke wanted Maiz, Eva, and the scores of other Guardians to work in tandem to try and pinpoint Sakin's location so they could kill him once and for all.

She frowned. It could have worked, but she wanted, needed to make sure that there was no way it could have backfired. Still, she supposed it couldn't have hurt to have her at least hear him out to see what his plan was. "Okay. She's been busy helping me with everything I have going on, but I'll make sure she sets some time to talk with you."

"She did not ask me. Like you, she demanded to learn the technique for the sake of its power alone, and it was Zaozi who answered her."

Saiyan bluntness would almost be refreshing in the web of deceit that had crept up lately, but for their voracious appetites. Unlike Zaofan who was a gracious host and generous to a fault, Ochazuke was not about to dispense so easily with his life's work, the legacy he'd slowly rebuilt and stewarded, without being extraordinarily selective of the candidates.

This is almost disappointing.

"Again, this is not something that can be learned by observation or taken by force in a clash of wills. But if you're serious about learning, then answer me this. Speak your answer honestly."

His eyes narrowed and fell upon Sarada's face as he examined her.

"Do you truly consider Parsley to be a peer?"

*OOC: Coming soon!

Sarada's answer came to mind the moment the question left his mouth. It didn't require any thought, certainly not for her to give her honest feelings on the matter.

"She's not just my peer. She's better than me."

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

The form of Caliban blurs as Parsley touches him, and she sees up close that he seems to have about twelve layers of different enchantments on him. The one layer causing the blur vanishes as Caliban suddenly warps behind Parsley (bypassing her barrier) and slaps a card against her back.

“BUNNY!”

And with a surge of magic Parsley turns into a bunny and falls. Her mind remains the same, but she is cut off from her powers suddenly as she falls to the ground.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

The form of Caliban blurs as Parsley touches him, and she sees up close that he seems to have about twelve layers of different enchantments on him. The one layer causing the blur vanishes as Caliban suddenly warps behind Parsley (bypassing her barrier) and slaps a card against her back.

“BUNNY!”

And with a surge of magic Parsley turns into a bunny and falls. Her mind remains the same, but she is cut off from her powers suddenly as she falls to the ground.

"Bun--?" Suddenly, Caliban grew into a giant. Parsley felt tiny as she stood at his feet. The "Bunny" card turned him into a giant? she wondered.

No matter. She was more concerned about the dozen wards he had etched on his person. One went away when he vanished behind her to place... the... card on her back...

A card on her back turned... him into a giant? Wait, was he a giant? Did she shrink?

Wait, why can't I talk? Every time she opened her mouth, nothing but squeaks came out. She looked at her hand. It was small and furry, and missing a thumb.
!!!

Her mind was thrown into a panic as she quickly ran back to Etrina to regroup. Upon reaching her feet, she looked up at her.



Etrina, do something!!!!!!!

"*Squeak* *squeak* *squeak*!!!!!"

[MrSandman]

A surge of energy flowed through her, filling her veins like molten lava. She grunted and pressed her fingers to her forehead. Let's see if this works.

Perfect Mockery: Instant Transmission

She disappeared, then reappeared next to Caliban. She placed her hands on his arm where she noticed the anti-magic rune. An anti-magic rune? I never would have thought of that, but it makes a lot of sense. And seems more effective than the way I've been doing it. She shelved that idea for right then. She cast Tomare Tokio to drain the magic from the run in an effort to shatter it, or at least weaken it so she could cast something else more effective.

The form of Caliban blurs as Parsley touches him, and she sees up close that he seems to have about twelve layers of different enchantments on him. The one layer causing the blur vanishes as Caliban suddenly warps behind Parsley (bypassing her barrier) and slaps a card against her back.

“BUNNY!”

And with a surge of magic Parsley turns into a bunny and falls. Her mind remains the same, but she is cut off from her powers suddenly as she falls to the ground.

Whatever perfect plan, grand strategy or magical trickery Etrina had envisioned to throw upon a distracted Caliban as Parsley begun her attack fell to the wayside as but an after thought before...

Her mind was thrown into a panic as she quickly ran back to Etrina to regroup. Upon reaching her feet, she looked up at her.



Etrina, do something!!!!!!!

"*Squeak* *squeak* *squeak*!!!!!"

.......

Etrina felt a tightness in her chest, followed immediately by a shortness of breath as she started to hyperventilate....for a moment the mage seemed to be in pain, arms clasping over her chest as she started to double over and....



...exploded into uproarious laughter.

"Behold the terrible Bunyan of Vocado...PFFFT AHAHAHAHAHAHA...." Etrina sweeped the bunny parsley up into her arms and squeezed it. "This is the most telerable you've ever been Parsley, maybe you should *snort*....consider sticking with this look Hahahaha!" Etrina squeesed the bunny a bit more, and with her concealed had she weaved a spell along her fur with no obvious immediate result.

"....I have a counterspell primed.....get into a good position and trigger it with your ki, then get that deck away from him" Etrina whispers mentally while she had the parsley rabbit close. "....and for kami sake don't forget your a Saiyan warrior, just because your a rabbit doesn't mean your powerless."

With a mocking gesture she let the bunny parsley hop to the floor and then motioned with her hands...magic crackling up as she prepared

"You'll find I'm not nearly so simple a target...." She conjured forth a swarm of small ice shards and began launching them in quick succession while her foci zoomed across the field and....began gathering the discarded cards.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Caliban nods.

“Perhaps not, girlie. Let’s see what you have.”

He instead draws three cards and looks at her over them.

“A Winning Hand, I’m afraid.”

He tosses the cards down and each glows.

“SUMMON!”

“REVERSE!”

“VERTIGO!”

Suddenly, the cards the foci touch suck them into them instead, trapping them via his Reverse spell. His Vertigo spell causes Etrina and Parsley’ senses to all lurch and suddenly go discombobulated, the world spinning. The Summon spell brings forth this creature:



About a Rhino’s size, it charges towards Etrina.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Whatever perfect plan, grand strategy or magical trickery Etrina had envisioned to throw upon a distracted Caliban as Parsley begun her attack fell to the wayside as but an after thought before...



.......

Etrina felt a tightness in her chest, followed immediately by a shortness of breath as she started to hyperventilate....for a moment the mage seemed to be in pain, arms clasping over her chest as she started to double over and....



...exploded into uproarious laughter.

"Behold the terrible Bunyan of Vocado...PFFFT AHAHAHAHAHAHA...." Etrina sweeped the bunny parsley up into her arms and squeezed it. "This is the most telerable you've ever been Parsley, maybe you should *snort*....consider sticking with this look Hahahaha!" Etrina squeesed the bunny a bit more, and with her concealed had she weaved a spell along her fur with no obvious immediate result.

"....I have a counterspell primed.....get into a good position and trigger it with your ki, then get that deck away from him" Etrina whispers mentally while she had the parsley rabbit close. "....and for kami sake don't forget your a Saiyan warrior, just because your a rabbit doesn't mean your powerless."

With a mocking gesture she let the bunny parsley hop to the floor and then motioned with her hands...magic crackling up as she prepared

"You'll find I'm not nearly so simple a target...." She conjured forth a swarm of small ice shards and began launching them in quick succession while her foci zoomed across the field and....began gathering the discarded cards.

Parsley stomped her hindlegs, as that was the only way to get her annoyance across. She didn't have access to her ki, it seemed, so there was literally no way for her to activate Etrina's stupid counterspell. As Etrina moved to attack, Parsley was left wondering what she could do. I can't even fly, so I can't transform, either. Tch. I'll have to at least try.

She stood up on all fours and tried to power up. If she could do it enough to activate Etrina's spell, then that would be good enough.

[Monstrous Bird of Qin, Ou Ki]

Totoma entered the Dark King's throne room, finding him sitting on his throne, leaning on one of said throne's arms. To the psychic shade, his liege almost looked... bored? Regardless, he knelt.

"So you've come, my young apprentice." The Dark King seemed pleased. Well, of course any sovereign would be pleased at the obedience of his servants.

Totoma nodded. "Yes, my lord. I was told you have need of me?"

"Need of you? Mm, no, not in particular... rather, I wish to reward you." The bit about not being needed... stung, but the mention of a reward piqued Totoma's interest.

"Reward?"

"Yes. You have been working tirelessly to help me achieve my goals, and as such, I have deigned to grant you two boons. First, full knowledge of what, exactly, I seek, and beyond that... a mission, of sorts."

He had some inkling of what the Dark King sought--a 'perfect' world--but didn't know the details.

The Dark King stood, striding down the stairs to Totoma. He loomed over the 'half-saiyan' like a mountain, despite being smaller. "I told you that I want a perfect world, you recall, but what might that entail, you wonder? One might think that a demon such as I seeks a world of slaughter, violence, and mayhem, mm?"

That thought had occurred to him, yes.

A smile split the Dark King's countenance. "Crude stereotypes. I seek... the opposite. A world of peace. Perfect, unchanging peace. Life and existence preserved in all its beauty forever. No pain, no suffering, no war, no hatred and predjudice... no death. I wish a world where all those terrible things that happened to you... being hated for the circumstances of your birth, Jagam, being ripped from your own body and replaced with a double... no so-called gods sacrificing billions or trillions for their own owns... a world preserved against the whims of a capricious child-god. Tell me, does that not sound wonderful?"

It did. The stuff about gods didn't really resonate with him, but his view on things was so limited compared to the Dark King. Still, it sounded great, and it reinforced his willingness to serve the Dark King. Despite his unsettling appearance and sort of underhanded methods, it seemed like he wanted the same thing he did... a world where people didn't have to suffer. "It does, my lord."

The smile deepened. "Excellent, I knew we would be of one mind. Now, as to the matter of your... mission. I wish access to a... certain place. Make no mistake, I am quite capable of accessing it using brute force, but doing so might attract... unwanted attention from some rather troublesome individuals. Individuals that I likely could crush with but the slightest of effort, but I do not wish any more conflict than as necessary, and they have a noted habit of overcoming what should be impossible situations. We must arrange things so that victory is assured--not all-but-assured, but absolutely assured--before we reveal ourselves. am I clear?"

"Crystal. If I may ask... this place you wish to access. What is it?"

The Dark King's gaze flowed from Totoma to the sky. To the half-saiyan, he almost seemed... wistful, nostalgic even. After a moment, he said but one word:

"Vaikuntha."

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Parsley stomped her hindlegs, as that was the only way to get her annoyance across. She didn't have access to her ki, it seemed, so there was literally no way for her to activate Etrina's stupid counterspell. As Etrina moved to attack, Parsley was left wondering what she could do. I can't even fly, so I can't transform, either. Tch. I'll have to at least try.

She stood up on all fours and tried to power up. If she could do it enough to activate Etrina's spell, then that would be good enough.

You manage to turn your fur yellow and you feel ten times more powerful.


As a bunny.

[grampagen]

"Liddul... Green," the small girl sounded out. She grinned, bearing a set of small fangs, and reached out to pat the mini Etrina on the head. "Liddul Green!"

Sarada smiled, but the moment Zaofan started recounting in brief his interaction with Etrina on Reshlan.

It was a sad point that mirrored her own brief reunion with Inanna. That was merely an argument, hurt feelings, then a short goodbye. Seven months later, she still hadn't heard from her. At least Zaofan's and Etrina's could have been seen as a highlight of their day. Until Held ruined it. How could someone who could see fucking molecules not see a bullet coming from space? How could he even die from a gunshot in the first place? If she was a heartless bitch, she would have blamed everything that happened on Darkle on him. Yet, she knew that he was a lesser man and couldn't help being a disappointment.

"At least you know she'll be back." She grinned and nudged him on the shoulder. "And if she's studying, then she'll be better than ever!"

"Hah, well, yes, undoubtably. Did you know she used to coop herself up in the manor so deeply in her studies she'd forget to eat?"

Turning about face as if a timer suddenly went off in his head, Zaofan began toweling off his hands and began rummaging through the refrigerator again. Eggplant, zucchini, celery, onions, rosemary...

"Tch."

As far as why she needed to adapt and why she often refused to, the latter was because her way usually worked. When it didn't, it was because whoever she was fighting was either too strong or up to some kind of fuckery that couldn't be solved by punching. The Archons came to mind, Tundra. However, the second consideration required no thought at all. Why did she fight Tundra by herself?

"In my culture, the mantle of King or Queen isn't something that's passed down to the heir, nor does it signify a person who just sits on a throne and barks out order to their underlings. The King or Queen is the strongest in the entire race, proven through combat. They're rightly expected to be able to protect their people from any threat. Since nearly four years ago, Tundra has: sent an assassin to take my life, and would have succeeded if not for Held just so happening to be in the general vicinity; orchestrated the return of the Tuffles, the leader of whom kidnapped and tortured Parsley to death after they wiped out the entire population of one of own planets; destroyed my homeworld, attacked one of our worlds in an attempt to kill me again while I was recovering from Auroc's attack, which led to Rutaba and another friend of mine being killed; launched a full scale invasion of every planet in the Empire; and he attempted to destroy the Saiyan homeworld, the planet we originally lived on before one of his ancestors captured hundreds of us and made us his slaves."

She paused to give herself time to compose herself.

"My people looked to me to end the threat. Not me and Parsley, me. Their safety is my responsibility, no one else's. I fought Tundra alone because it was my fight. He had been pushing my people toward extinction, and it was up to me to address it. Besides, Parsley's talents were best suited ensuring that the rest of the Empire was safe." That would have been the plan, had they not inexplicably jumped ahead three days. She nearly missed Tundra's arrival on Sadala because of that.

"That may not mean much to you nor do I expect you to understand, but it means everything to me."

"Don't be daft. You are on Earth."

Ochazuke said it simply, and took a long sip of his tea.

He... had found Sakin? Sarada remembered Slak making contact with that world years ago, right after they defeated Fife and the parasite that had been infesting him for years. One thing after another after another prevented them from following up on that, but she knew what world he was talking about.

She also knew Sakin had been hunting down Guardians and harvesting their Creation energy. She had been deathly afraid of that happening to Maiz and wanted to deal with Sakin as soon as possible to prevent it from happening. But again, thing after thing kept popping up and Sakin kept getting pushed further and further down the list of priorities until she forgot about him. She supposed that was precisely what he wanted.

Ochazuke wanted Maiz, Eva, and the scores of other Guardians to work in tandem to try and pinpoint Sakin's location so they could kill him once and for all.

She frowned. It could have worked, but she wanted, needed to make sure that there was no way it could have backfired. Still, she supposed it couldn't have hurt to have her at least hear him out to see what his plan was. "Okay. She's been busy helping me with everything I have going on, but I'll make sure she sets some time to talk with you."

"See it done, then. When the time comes, I'll coordinate an envoy with Pantaloon."

Sarada's answer came to mind the moment the question left his mouth. It didn't require any thought, certainly not for her to give her honest feelings on the matter.

"She's not just my peer. She's better than me."

"Hmm."

Less resistance than I had expected.

"Then when she returns, I will assess her as well." One last contemplative sip, and the cup of tea was swiftly emptied. "Until then, your training will start under him."

Ochazuke turned his head directly toward Zaofan, who mouthed something and point to himself.

"Give her an apron and a knife if you can afford to," Ochazuke continued. Taking a step forward, he leaned over toward the Saiyan Queen. "You've struggled a great deal to assert your place in the cosmos. A stubborn task, certainly. Now you must step outside of yourself."

The chef in his kitchen quirked his eyebrow and whispered something to his martial brother as he passed, and merely got a small pat on the back for it.

"Listen to Zao. Refine your method. Coordinate."

With that, he left for the Lookout Plaza, leaving the chef and the channel focus with Sarada and her toddler. A long bead of sweat rolled down Zaofan's brow.

"...well! Shall we try to solve Kumara's vegetable problem?" He smiled. "I'm thinking aubergine stew!"

[Sub-Zero MKA]

"Hah, well, yes, undoubtably. Did you know she used to coop herself up in the manor so deeply in her studies she'd forget to eat?"

Turning about face as if a timer suddenly went off in his head, Zaofan began toweling off his hands and began rummaging through the refrigerator again. Eggplant, zucchini, celery, onions, rosemary...

Forgot to eat? Sarada supposed nerds like Etrina would forget the more important things in life. Then again, Parsley was also a nerd, but she hadn't missed a meal in her life. "That's shocking. How could she willingly deprive herself of your cooking?" Every word Sarada said sounded like an ancient alien tongue, it was just that incomprehensible.

When Zaofan got up and started to rummage around the refrigerator, Sarada picked up the beet and handed it to Kumara. It was at that exact moment that their noses picked up the scents of the vegetables. While Sarada paid them no mind, the toddler turned her nose up.

"Don't be daft. You are on Earth."

Ochazuke said it simply, and took a long sip of his tea.

"...what?"

"See it done, then. When the time comes, I'll coordinate an envoy with Pantaloon."

Sarada took that mean they were coming to Maiz instead of the other way around. "I'll let you know when she'll be free."

"Hmm."

Less resistance than I had expected.

"Then when she returns, I will assess her as well." One last contemplative sip, and the cup of tea was swiftly emptied. "Until then, your training will start under him."

Ochazuke turned his head directly toward Zaofan, who mouthed something and point to himself.

"Give her an apron and a knife if you can afford to," Ochazuke continued. Taking a step forward, he leaned over toward the Saiyan Queen. "You've struggled a great deal to assert your place in the cosmos. A stubborn task, certainly. Now you must step outside of yourself."

The chef in his kitchen quirked his eyebrow and whispered something to his martial brother as he passed, and merely got a small pat on the back for it.

"Listen to Zao. Refine your method. Coordinate."

With that, he left for the Lookout Plaza, leaving the chef and the channel focus with Sarada and her toddler. A long bead of sweat rolled down Zaofan's brow.

"...well! Shall we try to solve Kumara's vegetable problem?" He smiled. "I'm thinking aubergine stew!"

Sarada blinked after she was given a training assignment. To... cook with Zaofan? It was... something, to be sure. She just wasn't sure what it had to do with fusion.

Well, I suppose cooking a meal together is the best form of coordination. Especially with a picky one year old as the target patron. She glanced back at her daughter and watched her nibble on the beet she gave her before getting up to get started with Zaofan. The girl was already a bottomless pit; she was already dreading what she was going to be like when her appetite really started up. At least she only eats small things, Sarada thought as she tied took off her armor and set it down on in the chair she had been sitting in. She tied the apron around herself.

"Aubergine, huh? Heh, I went to school with a kid named Aubergine. And Auber. And two name Gine." There were only so many permutations of vegetables before things got redundant. "Okay, so what's first!"

[Sub-Zero MKA]

You manage to turn your fur yellow and you feel ten times more powerful.


As a bunny.

To the outside observer, she appeared to be nothing more than a golden bunny rabbit. Yet, beyond the veil of what mundane eyesight could see, she had reached the pinnacle of power. What Caliban failed to realize was that he wasn't dealing with the average bunny anymore. She had risen above the limits of a normal rabbit and into the realm of legend. The legend that Caliban feared. The legend known throughout the entire universe as the most powerful warrior to ever exist!

She, Princess Parsley, had become the legendary Super Bunny!!

With her newfound power, she sprung into action. She hopped at super speed back into the battle; as she did so, she raised her power enough to trigger Etrina's counter-spell. At the same time, she tapped into her own magic.