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

[Lord Falcon]

“Hey, blackmail it is then. Sakin is gone. Hiding and eating Kami. Not even the Grand Priest can find him. Stine, Hammer, who knows. Banefire is dead, most others are dead, Mead is trapped, Cancer and Trauma are on the Frost Demon homeworld, and that’s all you’re getting for now.”

Asha'rah shrugged, "as one of the primary conspirators, your execution is merely delayed. Betray us and you die. String us along and you die. Fail to provide us any useful information and you die. Your life ultimately hinges upon us winning this war. So while we're looking for Cancer and Trauma, you had best be thinking of how else you can be useful to us."

She stepped forward, one foot coming to rest on the floor turned to stone by the demon's spot. For a moment, Daben could see the fire and will of someone crazy enough to challenge Zeno head on. A glow of violet and black glow sprang forth from below, and when she stepped back the stone was gone.

"Your death is itself a boon. Your bargaining position is upon a cliff's edge."

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

Gelia, the witch whose journal Sarada was in possession of, bound much of Nergal's power inside an amulet before shattering said amulet into pieces. Possibly she broke it instead of destroyed it because destroying it would have released the power she had drained from the mad being. In the end, that no one but a handful of people knew what the shards contained, and only two knew where one was, was a benefit. It meant that there was no risk of anyone getting a hold of both or how many ever there were and reuniting them to tap into that monstrous power.

"Then, it's best if we destroy the shard on Langal and end any possibility that anyone can unlock the power." When she mentioned that he may not have been the person she knew before, Sarada quirked an eyebrow briefly. "Was he a cousin? Or a friend?"

"Probably for the best," Ishtar replied simply.

The question of her relationship with Nergal however was an interesting topic, though one that wasn't the hardest to explain.

"He was a cousin, far younger than I was ... though taken up with the same curiosity all Oni tend to suffer from. He crawled into a machine designed to cleans souls; and I think in the end, those souls overshadowed his own."

A shame to be sure, though ...

"I used Hakai on him. Regardless of what Nergal was, in the end, it matters little now."

To hear that Ishtar would strive to be there when Sarada needed her was a great comfort. One that she could only reciprocate. That it took almost three weeks for Sarada to even think to come for her was unacceptable, even if she had more on her plate than she could handle. Silently, she promised to be there when Ishtar needed her. There would not be a repeat of Tatenen if she could help it.

With that, it was settled. There was nothing left to do but heal and bask in the glory of defeating a powerful elemental creature. 'Let's head to Ruco for a week to unwind. It's been a long month for the both of us,' she offered.

At the mention of a vacation, Ishtar took a moment to consider it, before offering simply. 'Ruco sounds nice ... and it should not take much to convince you to wear your' Royal' bathing suit ... I agree.'

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Asha'rah shrugged, "as one of the primary conspirators, your execution is merely delayed. Betray us and you die. String us along and you die. Fail to provide us any useful information and you die. Your life ultimately hinges upon us winning this war. So while we're looking for Cancer and Trauma, you had best be thinking of how else you can be useful to us."

She stepped forward, one foot coming to rest on the floor turned to stone by the demon's spot. For a moment, Daben could see the fire and will of someone crazy enough to challenge Zeno head on. A glow of violet and black glow sprang forth from below, and when she stepped back the stone was gone.

"Your death is itself a boon. Your bargaining position is upon a cliff's edge."

Lord Daben was a demon of high rank. Powerful, wicked, had brought worlds to their knees.

He flees. Under Asah’rah’s terrible gaze, he turns back into the horn and it clatters to the ground. Sihn looks at Asha’rah, impressed, while Sheki smirks.

“Damn. You just made a demon lord piss himself. Badass, Lasy Asha’rah, badass.”

Zurvan simply chuckles from the back.

[Lord Falcon]

Lord Daben was a demon of high rank. Powerful, wicked, had brought worlds to their knees.

He flees. Under Asah’rah’s terrible gaze, he turns back into the horn and it clatters to the ground. Sihn looks at Asha’rah, impressed, while Sheki smirks.

“Damn. You just made a demon lord piss himself. Badass, Lasy Asha’rah, badass.”

Zurvan simply chuckles from the back.

Asha'rah's threat had been a shallow one, truth be told. But it had been tailored to suit a shallow soul. Lord Daben had been as selfish as Hammer before him, seeking power for its own sake. She wanted to believe Sakin had had her reasons for setting both sides of of the War in the Heavens against each other. She wanted to believe that her old friend and adviser had a greater cause she was working towards, some noble ideal she hoped to realize through her betrayal. Like Asha'rah's own betrayal.

But all she had seen from Sakin's co-conspirators was a lust for power for its own sake. And when your goals extended no further than yourself, then your death suddenly became much scarier. You would never lay down your life for a cause greater than yourself, because your cause was yourself.

She smiled in thanks for the compliments, her eyes tinged with sadness.

"I trust this will aid you in your hunt. For our part, we are likely to face Auroc in the near future. He lies outside your original mission, but as I am sure you are aware he's begun making plays for power of his own, both himself and through his Threshlings."

She turned to Ishtar beside her, placing a hand gently upon the mark she had willingly taken on.

"Ishtar has allowed herself to be marked by him, a gambit. Any assistance or guidance you might provide would be appreciated."

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

He flips you off.

“The cloth retracts in combat.”

Lord Daben was a demon of high rank. Powerful, wicked, had brought worlds to their knees.

He flees. Under Asah’rah’s terrible gaze, he turns back into the horn and it clatters to the ground. Sihn looks at Asha’rah, impressed, while Sheki smirks.

“Damn. You just made a demon lord piss himself. Badass, Lasy Asha’rah, badass.”

Zurvan simply chuckles from the back.

"Like your courage, it seems." Ishtar snorted, as Daben fled back into his transformed state; effectively sealing himself away once more.

Turning away from the Demon then, Ishtar offered Zurvan, and Sihn a glance.

"If Sakin had weak-willed halfwits like Daben on his side ... how did he manage to deceive everyone ? Especially the God that made him."

Asha'rah's threat had been a shallow one, truth be told. But it had been tailored to suit a shallow soul. Lord Daben had been as selfish as Hammer before him, seeking power for its own sake. She wanted to believe Sakin had had her reasons for setting both sides of of the War in the Heavens against each other. She wanted to believe that her old friend and adviser had a greater cause she was working towards, some noble ideal she hoped to realize through her betrayal. Like Asha'rah's own betrayal.

But all she had seen from Sakin's co-conspirators was a lust for power for its own sake. And when your goals extended no further than yourself, then your death suddenly became much scarier. You would never lay down your life for a cause greater than yourself, because your cause was yourself.

She smiled in thanks for the compliments, her eyes tinged with sadness.

"I trust this will aid you in your hunt. For our part, we are likely to face Auroc in the near future. He lies outside your original mission, but as I am sure you are aware he's begun making plays for power of his own, both himself and through his Threshlings."

She turned to Ishtar beside her, placing a hand gently upon the mark she had willingly taken on.

"Ishtar has allowed herself to be marked by him, a gambit. Any assistance or guidance you might provide would be appreciated."

"We spoke a month prior," Ishtar offered.

"I was in the process of storing away what aid Sihn had afforded then; before I was ... cornered by Nergal. Golden fruit from the lower Hell. I was also given a means of returning here, should the challenge prove too much ..." The Oni then carefully, produced a bullet from Sihn's Revolver.

"Also this. Much like Genesis herself has taken."

Turning to look at Zurvan, and Sihn however, the golden-eyed Oni flashed a smile.

"I am not above asking for more, however. Nearly dying against Nergal, and being made a damsel in distress on Tatenen has ... changed my perspective somewhat, on the notion."

[Cyke]

"Hey!" Before she could respond to Zaofan, she was suddenly... poked repeatedly in the back. It hurt, in the same way being poked really hard repeatedly should hurt. "Quit poking me, weirdo!"

Mercifully, he stopped before he reached her ticklish spot. "You're damn right I'm strong, and I'm here to help Zaofan beat your ass." Demon Guy and his twin brother circled around her, swords drawn in preparation of a two-on-one assault. Unfair, but not the most unfair odds she had ever faced. All she had to do was keep them in front of her and she would be fine. And it wasn't like she was going to be fighting by herself.



Case in point, Ishtar arrived, much to the Demon's indignation. After spouting off that indignation, he was planted in the same wall as his brother, courtesy of an oddly weak Zaofan. "Eh? Why can you barely stand, Zaofan? Tired already?"

No matter. She and Ishtar could more than handle these two clowns. Plus, there was Held and she believed she sensed Ochazuke nearby. "We got your back, Zao!"

So it has come to this. Zaofan's face, though tired and bloody and bruised, lights up with a smile from the reassurance. The past and the present coming together. My old enemies. My trauma. Here they are, meeting my friends. My hope.

"Don't worry about me," he says while drawing labored breathes. But he fights through his chest pains anyway as he leans on Bojack. "I flew here faster than I ever have before. I've been fighting him for almost a half hour, I think. But above it all... it's just good to see you again, Sarada. It really is."

The two Demon brothers charged her and Ishtar, firing off twin energy blasts after spouting off some nonsense. Sarada let loose a Roar of Defiance to deflect the energy blast, then charged to meet Shingan 1. She engaged him, activating Offensive Intuition to attack his blind spots that opened when he tried to attack her. She was wary of his sword, so she kept an eye on that.

"What's your deal? Why are you attacking the Lookout and my friends?!"

With one armored gauntlet bearing the sword and the other gauntlet ready to strike at a moment's notice, Shingen-1 catches her relatively small fist in the palm of his giant hand, and with the blade between them, he slashes forward against her chest armor. The blade is long -- the tip of it manages to slash Sarada's cheek, but the majority of the blade impacts across the armor causing sparks to fly out and sending her flying from the impact, followed by a dissipating reddish tint of the energized blade's path.

As Sarada flies backwards, Shingen's free hand opens up, pointed at the residual trail of blood in the air from Sarada's cheek. The hand begins to glow reddish-black, absorbing blood energy from each droplet.

"Mmmm, yes, yes. I can taste it. You have a lot of blood on your hands, monkey lady. I sense the blood of ... thousands, at least... on you? As the lovely blue woman over there so accurately pointed out, 'blood magic!' This terrible place of -- ick -- light and life -- houses two natives of that other world, Terra. Their native energies are full of blood energy. Even if they aren't as strong in ki as you and the others, their native blood energy greatly surpasses our own. A pity they never learned blood magic, or they could be among the most powerful of us all! They must have the keys, the proper frequencies, for me to travel to that dark and evil world! Simply put, I want in!"

"Jeez, Zao....I guess when you put it that way, I really do have to take this seriously." Held said with a sigh, pushing back the fatigue that plagued his body as a side effect of being a living being this day. "Bu--"

The Nevadian barely managed to keep down the various fluids that resided within his stomach as Shingen launched his furious assault at him, before launching into the wall with blistering speed, making it even more of a struggle for the Nevadian to maintain himself. He slumped against the wall, fractured from the force of the impact.

...Damn...I got careless. Still...He seems like the real deal.

The Nevadians eyes widened and he grumbled something incoherently as the wave of destruction came barrelling towards him, bearing all manner of pain and suffering. From the look of the attack, The Demon Lord had thrown everything but the kitchen sink at the warrior.

Shaking out the cobwebs, Held rushed forwards to meet the attack, plunging his spear into the ground before him.

Piercing Horn Forest!

An eruption of Ki could be seen as all manner of energy constructs burst from the ground below like a shockwave, spiking and jutting around the Nevadian, varying in size and shape, at once meeting Shingens attack, and serving as a barrier to it, The Nevadian lunged backwards, landing on one branch, and then another, narrowly avoiding the blazing fireballs sent his way, wincing from the immense heat.

The Nevadian growled, his teeth grinding as he glared murderously at the days challenge.

This guy is starting to piss me off...

Shingan!

Held smirked to himself, the Shingens being so distracted by the Oni and Saiyan that they practically turned their backs to the rest of the warriors assembled.

"Care-ful," Zaofan tells Held weakly. "I sensed two of his agents here. But when I arrived, Shingen beat me here. His two agents could be hiding from us... waiting to ambush us! Be on your guard!

Crouching slightly, the Nevadian jumped into the air, leaping several yards above the head of the Shingen targeting Ishtar, his spear pointed downwards, raw energy coursing through it.

Shingen-2 charges at Ishtar with his sword also drawn, but in midflight, he drops the sword and catches the spear by clapping his hands above onto the broadsides of the spear. Getting a firmer grip, he slams the shaft of the spear into Held's nose, drawing blood, and he swings the spear around and around overhead until the raw energy from the spear finally manages to zap some of his armor. This causes his forearms to shake and let go of the spear, sending Held flying. He rubs the energy out of his forearms, as if his wrists were sore and fatigued. "You fight like a unicorn. But I've literally eaten unicorns for breakfast. A little tough, but definitely sweeter compared to most meats."

Shingen-2 then raises his hand at the spiral of blood from Held's nose, and likewise absorbs its blood energy. "Hm. Not as much as the monkey lady there, but tasty nonetheless. With a hint of..." he then audibly smacks his lips together repeatedly. "... is that bourbon?"

[Cyke]

"That's because they're not here....Her Father took her home." Chrona bent forward and gave the cook a tap on his throat, bringing a strange sensation followed by relief from the damage. "Now quit your moaning....If you wanna save her, I got something that needs you and only you....but first you need a connection....So get digging."

Chrona motioned to the nearby rubble.

Zaofan might as well be mumbling under his breath, but still, he says as normally as he can. "Damnable magic."

With the Wolf's Prowl, he begins tossing aside and searching through rubble at 3x his normal speed. "What are we -- I SAID WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR?!"

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

With both Shingens' swords drawn, they begin circling Sarada, ready to engage and cut down front and back, when suddenly...

...one of the Shingens is slammed, flying sideways at painful speeds. The other Shingen left standing turns towards the attacker, and sees the source: none other than Ishtar with her threat:

"What?! HOW? How are you back?!" This Shingen momentarily drops his stance, torso snapping back just a bit with his shoulders tense and arms down, more in outrage than anything towards Ishtar. "And did you just call me 'Boy'? Who the hell do you think you are, youngblood? I come here looking for info, and this is the reception I get?" He points to his other half, trying to peel himself off the wall. "Get back here! You're embarrassing muh-- *"

"I decided Death has no more hold over me, than Time does ... so far it has worked quite well." Ishtar commented. When Shingen began to fume then, however, the glowing-horn Oni simply istened, before wiping the blood from her lip nonchalantly.

"Youngblood ? I am one hundred thousand years old, child."

Katchin flowing down her arm from its resting place then, the metal solidified into the blade she had used to strike down Nergal, its black-edge glinting briefly in the afternoon sun.

"You need to learn how to respect your el-"

Just then, this Shingen is slammed in the chest, off his feet and to the same wall as his copy, courtesy of an Optic Blast. Anyone turning to see the source of the blast will see Zaofan standing weakly, legs and knees somewhat bent inward as he uses Bojack as a cane to bear his weight, as his eyes cackle with energy. "Shingen! You're a disgrace! A warrior bathed in death, coming after warriors of life! Coming after refugees! How DARE you!"

Both Shingens (Shingen-1, Shingen-2) stand up, adjust their armor, and dust themselves off. Then, with swords drawn, one goes after Ishtar and another after Sarada, both firing simultaneously their waves of energy from their swords, ignoring Zaofan, Held, and Sasheem altogether. In unison: "CHOU NINPO! SHIPUZAN!"

"-ders."

The facsimile Shingen batted away by Zaofan, then, the Oni sighed softly before offering the young cook a glance. "He really has upset you, hm ? More so than Sasheem, even."

She chuckled.

"... for once the Majin is not the most annoying creature around."

So it has come to this. Zaofan's face, though tired and bloody and bruised, lights up with a smile from the reassurance. The past and the present coming together. My old enemies. My trauma. Here they are, meeting my friends. My hope.

"Don't worry about me," he says while drawing labored breathes. But he fights through his chest pains anyway as he leans on Bojack. "I flew here faster than I ever have before. I've been fighting him for almost a half hour, I think. But above it all... it's just good to see you again, Sarada. It really is."

A burst of white-hot energy catches Zaofan in the face, and as the nearby planter of shrubs and trees wilts away into nothing Ishtar offers the cook a pat on the back, before she slipped back into the fray.

OT: Zaofan has been restored to 50%, and minor injuries mend immediately.

With one armored gauntlet bearing the sword and the other gauntlet ready to strike at a moment's notice, Shingen-1 catches her relatively small fist in the palm of his giant hand, and with the blade between them, he slashes forward against her chest armor. The blade is long -- the tip of it manages to slash Sarada's cheek, but the majority of the blade impacts across the armor causing sparks to fly out and sending her flying from the impact, followed by a dissipating reddish tint of the energized blade's path.

As Sarada flies backwards, Shingen's free hand opens up, pointed at the residual trail of blood in the air from Sarada's cheek. The hand begins to glow reddish-black, absorbing blood energy from each droplet.

"Mmmm, yes, yes. I can taste it. You have a lot of blood on your hands, monkey lady. I sense the blood of ... thousands, at least... on you? As the lovely blue woman over there so accurately pointed out, 'blood magic!' This terrible place of -- ick -- light and life -- houses two natives of that other world, Terra. Their native energies are full of blood energy. Even if they aren't as strong in ki as you and the others, their native blood energy greatly surpasses our own. A pity they never learned blood magic, or they could be among the most powerful of us all! They must have the keys, the proper frequencies, for me to travel to that dark and evil world! Simply put, I want in!"

Again the Colander Man failed to understand.

What's worse, he injured Sarada. Sure it was nothing more than a simple scrape, all things considered ... but it was, in the end, the principle of the thing. So with a snarl, the Oni teleported in front of Shingen, and with a swift motion, kicked him well away, but not without saying ...

"They did not bring themselves here. I did !"

It was bad enough he was a blowhard, but a blowhard that hurt her friends -- and lover -- AND insulted her ?

Too much.

Shingen-2 charges at Ishtar with his sword also drawn, but in midflight, he drops the sword and catches the spear by clapping his hands above onto the broadsides of the spear. Getting a firmer grip, he slams the shaft of the spear into Held's nose, drawing blood, and he swings the spear around and around overhead until the raw energy from the spear finally manages to zap some of his armor. This causes his forearms to shake and let go of the spear, sending Held flying. He rubs the energy out of his forearms, as if his wrists were sore and fatigued. "You fight like a unicorn. But I've literally eaten unicorns for breakfast. A little tough, but definitely sweeter compared to most meats."

Shingen-2 then raises his hand at the spiral of blood from Held's nose, and likewise absorbs its blood energy. "Hm. Not as much as the monkey lady there, but tasty nonetheless."

Shingen-2 then raises his hand at the spiral of blood from Held's nose, and likewise absorbs its blood energy. "Hm. Not as much as the monkey lady there, but tasty nonetheless. With a hint of..." he then audibly smacks his lips together repeatedly. "... is that bourbon?"

Distracted by her own annoyance, she almost misses the attack from Shingen-2, but thanks to Held's intervention she is afforded a split-second to gather her senses. At which point she turns, and watches the man consume Held's blood. Which itself was ...

"... not even Blood Magic !" The glowing-horn Oni mutters, as she charges up.

"It is Vitalmancy !"

Without warning, then, a massive discharge of electricity is levied at Shingen-2.

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

Zaofan might as well be mumbling under his breath, but still, he says as normally as he can. "Damnable magic."

With the Wolf's Prowl, he begins tossing aside and searching through rubble at 3x his normal speed. "What are we -- I SAID WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR?!"

Ishtar starts flipping over rubble casually, as she responds to the ... oddly high-pitched Zaofan.

"The Foci, find the Foci."

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Sheki’hinah walks forward and places a hand on Asha’rah’s shoulder.

“A blessing, sister. To stave off death once, for you or another. This boon can only be used once, and it will not stop death a second time, nor restore lost energy.”

Crimson light flows into Asha’rah from her sister, who steps back.

Zurvan lays a similar hand on Ishtar’s shoulder and grey energy flows briefly into her.

“A small bit of compressed, stopped, time, ten seconds worth where only you can move. Only one use. Be careful.”

Sihn nods.

“I’ve already given what I can earlier.”

[Sub-Zero MKA]

"Probably for the best," Ishtar replied simply.

The question of her relationship with Nergal however was an interesting topic, though one that wasn't the hardest to explain.

"He was a cousin, far younger than I was ... though taken up with the same curiosity all Oni tend to suffer from. He crawled into a machine designed to cleans souls; and I think in the end, those souls overshadowed his own."

A shame to be sure, though ...

"I used Hakai on him. Regardless of what Nergal was, in the end, it matters little now."

So, he was her cousin. Was being the operative word. Hakai, this destruction energy that Ishtar had coursing through her body, was as permanent as it was absolute. Complete, utter destruction from which there was no return. "Well, you did what you had to do. If Gelia is still alive, she can rest easy knowing that the work she started thousands of years ago is finally complete."

At the mention of a vacation, Ishtar took a moment to consider it, before offering simply. 'Ruco sounds nice ... and it should not take much to convince you to wear your' Royal' bathing suit ... I agree.'

The concept of bathing suits was still foreign to her. The idea of wearing clothes to swim in water, knowing fully that they would get wet, was nonsensical. But, alas, all the beaches on Ruco required by law that all patrons wear at least one article of clothing so she supposed she'd have to get used to it rather quickly.

It was still dumb.

'We're only required to wear one article of clothing on Ruco's beaches, so maybe we can share one. I'll wear the top, you wear the bottom.'

[Sub-Zero MKA]

So it has come to this. Zaofan's face, though tired and bloody and bruised, lights up with a smile from the reassurance. The past and the present coming together. My old enemies. My trauma. Here they are, meeting my friends. My hope.

"Don't worry about me," he says while drawing labored breathes. But he fights through his chest pains anyway as he leans on Bojack. "I flew here faster than I ever have before. I've been fighting him for almost a half hour, I think. But above it all... it's just good to see you again, Sarada. It really is."

"It's good to see you to, Zaofan." Sarada knew that Parsley would have been excited to see her favorite human again. She resisted the sadness that threatened to distract her. "And even better, it's great to fight along side you again!"

With one armored gauntlet bearing the sword and the other gauntlet ready to strike at a moment's notice, Shingen-1 catches her relatively small fist in the palm of his giant hand, and with the blade between them, he slashes forward against her chest armor. The blade is long -- the tip of it manages to slash Sarada's cheek, but the majority of the blade impacts across the armor causing sparks to fly out and sending her flying from the impact, followed by a dissipating reddish tint of the energized blade's path.

As Sarada flies backwards, Shingen's free hand opens up, pointed at the residual trail of blood in the air from Sarada's cheek. The hand begins to glow reddish-black, absorbing blood energy from each droplet.

"Mmmm, yes, yes. I can taste it. You have a lot of blood on your hands, monkey lady. I sense the blood of ... thousands, at least... on you? As the lovely blue woman over there so accurately pointed out, 'blood magic!' This terrible place of -- ick -- light and life -- houses two natives of that other world, Terra. Their native energies are full of blood energy. Even if they aren't as strong in ki as you and the others, their native blood energy greatly surpasses our own. A pity they never learned blood magic, or they could be among the most powerful of us all! They must have the keys, the proper frequencies, for me to travel to that dark and evil world! Simply put, I want in!"

When the sword cut her cheek, she hissed in pain, but otherwise didn't give him the satisfaction of knowing he hurt her. She rolled through the fall and slid to a stop. "Bastard. The only place you're going is hell."

Again the Colander Man failed to understand.

What's worse, he injured Sarada. Sure it was nothing more than a simple scrape, all things considered ... but it was, in the end, the principle of the thing. So with a snarl, the Oni teleported in front of Shingen, and with a swift motion, kicked him well away, but not without saying ...

"They did not bring themselves here. I did !"

It was bad enough he was a blowhard, but a blowhard that hurt her friends -- and lover -- AND insulted her ?

Too much.

Ishtar appeared and kicked Shingen 1 away, irately indignant that she wasn't being given the credit she so rightfully deserved. Sarada grunted and rose to her feet. A large ball of energy formed in her hand, after which she fired it at Demon Guy. "I meant what I said, Demon," she shouted, even as her blast crossed the distance between them. "I'm sending you straight to hell."

The ki blast appeared open to deflection. It wasn't moving particularly fast, and Shingen-1 had proven himself more than speedy enough to react in time. Should he do so, however, he would find that the energy blast would shatter into thousands of tiny globules. He would also find that the globules had stuck to his armor like pollen to a bee's leg. At Sarada's command, the globules charged to full power, then exploded. Thousands of crimson explosions peppered Shingen-1 at point-blank range.

[Cyke]

Again the Colander Man failed to understand.

What's worse, he injured Sarada. Sure it was nothing more than a simple scrape, all things considered ... but it was, in the end, the principle of the thing. So with a snarl, the Oni teleported in front of Shingen, and with a swift motion, kicked him well away, but not without saying ...

"They did not bring themselves here. I did !"

It was bad enough he was a blowhard, but a blowhard that hurt her friends -- and lover -- AND insulted her ?

Too much.
-----


Distracted by her own annoyance, she almost misses the attack from Shingen-2, but thanks to Held's intervention she is afforded a split-second to gather her senses. At which point she turns, and watches the man consume Held's blood. Which itself was ...

"... not even Blood Magic !" The glowing-horn Oni mutters, as she charges up.

"It is Vitalmancy !"

"Tomay-toh, tomah-toh, what does it matter as long as I..."

Without warning, then, a massive discharge of electricity is levied at Shingen-2.

"It's good to see you to, Zaofan." Sarada knew that Parsley would have been excited to see her favorite human again. She resisted the sadness that threatened to distract her. "And even better, it's great to fight along side you again!"



When the sword cut her cheek, she hissed in pain, but otherwise didn't give him the satisfaction of knowing he hurt her. She rolled through the fall and slid to a stop. "Bastard. The only place you're going is hell."



Ishtar appeared and kicked Shingen 1 away, irately indignant that she wasn't being given the credit she so rightfully deserved. Sarada grunted and rose to her feet. A large ball of energy formed in her hand, after which she fired it at Demon Guy. "I meant what I said, Demon," she shouted, even as her blast crossed the distance between them. "I'm sending you straight to hell."

The ki blast appeared open to deflection. It wasn't moving particularly fast, and Shingen-1 had proven himself more than speedy enough to react in time. Should he do so, however, he would find that the energy blast would shatter into thousands of tiny globules. He would also find that the globules had stuck to his armor like pollen to a bee's leg. At Sarada's command, the globules charged to full power, then exploded. Thousands of crimson explosions peppered Shingen-1 at point-blank range.

Shingen-1 crosses his forearm to his fist with two extended fingers up. "Chou Ninpo! Hakkei no Hō!" he yells, right when the globules detonate.

---

Shingen-1 yells out in pain as his shield drops. Almost death by a thousand cutting explosions, courtesy of the Saiyan Queen.

Shingen-2 cannot yell, as his jaw clenches, his armor almost fuses to itself, from the steady stream of electricity generated by the Oni.

Both of them nearly collapse as if synchronized, husks of smoke that they are. As they fall to their knees, Shingen-1 collapses first, and Shingen-2 falls on top of him, and the two bodies merge back into one. The one, true Shingen gets up, lifting pressing one hand down on his knee for support as he lifts himself back to a standing position. His armor is alright, the smoke has disappeared, his cape once again flaps in the wind, and he has but just one sword. He is back to full power.

"Tch! Dammit! Well, it appears I've underestimated, well, everyone here. You, blue one, the one who claims to be older than me! So you brought them here, eh? And you, monkey lady, are somehow of small stature but of titanic power? THIS is unexpected indeed! I clearly don't have the power to contain either of you for my needs, but that doesn't mean we can't have some fun." He charges his sword with energy once again. "CHOU NINPO! KAZE NO MAI!"

With his speed greatly increased, he repeatedly flies back and forth with no recoil and slashes Ishtar and Sarada, with no less than twelve passes, each energy slash creating streaks of light.

The move completed, he rushes back to the two of them, his fingertip claws extending, his sword drawn, and he engages both of them in simultaneous melee range, leaping with a mighty sideways slash aimed at the Oni and the Queen.

A burst of white-hot energy catches Zaofan in the face, and as the nearby planter of shrubs and trees wilts away into nothing Ishtar offers the cook a pat on the back, before she slipped back into the fray.

OT: Zaofan has been restored to 50%, and minor injuries mend immediately.

Meanwhile, Zaofan's stance grows stronger, refreshed, reinvigorated. "My thanks, Ishtar...!"

Even with the Wolf's Prowl fading away, he summons his own speed and instead activates the Bear's Strength, which increases his physical strength three-fold. He manages to fly into the path of the sword slash with Bojack, holding steady with the block well before it can reach Sarada and Ishtar, forcing both himself and Shingen to apply both arms to their weapons.

Struggling now in a fierce competition of strength, Zaofan turns to face them. "Hello, friends! Be my guest!" He motions with his nose and mouth, pointing at the now-exposed armored torso of Shingen, presenting the opening like a gift.

[MrSandman]

A shadow hound, a nightmare stitched from darkness and magic, crept quietly along the hedge path...pausing to sniff the air as it caught the faint whiff of something nearby. It growled, corrosive slobber dipping from its bared fanged...lowering itself was it crept along. Its prey was close, so close it could taste the meat. With deadly grace it turned the corner...

...and it hesitated, for all but a moment, at the creature swiftly and silently moving towards it. For the first and only time in its short existence, surprise and fear gripped its animal heart. Mere moments before a lance of ice penetrated its skull and it toppled over and died.

Etrina paused for breath, glancing down the path the beast had come from to make sure their were no others. This was the fourteenth she had dispatched since starting...At first she had expected the worst of what her father had planned, and in a way she still did. Perhaps this was merely the warm-up before things truely turned nightmarish....or maybe her time with the others, and her training in the fake maze had indeed paid off. Even if she had not been expecting to ever grace this place again...the fact she was able to best it, even in an illusion...filled her with determination.

Again....she rounded the corner, expecting another of the hounds or something worse waiting for her......

~~~

"Daddy....Look at me!" A small dark haired child raced among the tall grasses, arms out as her hair is whipped behind her head. The girl, barely 7 years of age, is watched closely nearby by a smiling father of some worth, if his clothes and cane are of any indication....Perhaps a man of nobility.

"Now, don't run off too far Elisa....your know how worried your mother has been lately. I promised her I'd have you home by noon and not in a mess." The man was stern, but his voice had a playful charm to it. It however, did nothing to draw the overexcited girl away from her rampage through the grasses. The father didn't mind....he was there to protect her, and they were far away from conflict. The current truce between the mage houses was holding for a change...and it lifted his spirits that his child, if only for a day, need not travel outside in fear. His mother had relented, though not without voicing her concerns...and he had promised her nothing would happen in their short excursion.

Truly, there is no more malicious beast in the cosmos then Fate.

A scream erupted, bringing the man from his thoughts.....his daughter had seemingly taken a nasty fall nearby and he could hear the sobbing from where he sat. Quickly picking himself up, he made his way over to check on her.....but not without shifting through his memory for a quick healing incantation just incase a bloody knee was waiting for him.

"...daddy.....it bit me....it hurts..." The girl held her foot tightly with her hands, a sobbing pain obvious on her eyes.

Had it been a snake bite? The father knelt down and examined her foot....two large puncture wounds at on her heel. He glanced around....there were no animals in the area that he could sense. Focusing back onto her foot, he uttered the incanation of healing he had memorized.

.....the light washed over her wound.....but nothing happened. If anything, the girls crying intensified. The father tried again....then once more, to no avail.

The skin around the bite mark had taken on a greenish color, and though the girl crying seem to diminish....her rapidly paling complexion put a fear into the man he had not experienced in a long time. Picking her up, he turned and began carrying her out. "Ophelia?! OPHELIA!!" He called out over the hedge rows, hoping his wife could hear his screams.....but he was too far. He knew the hedgerow around his estate like the back of his hand....but even knowing the path back, it had taken them several minutes to get to where they were now. "OPHELIA! Oh kami......Elisa.....please.....stay awake for daddy....." The man shouted, tears pooling in his eyes as he ran.

Minutes passed, the hedge that had once been so inviting now seemed to impede him at every corner...even knowing the way it was as if the world was conspiring against him.

Left....Right....Right....Straight.....Left....... Left.......Right.....Damnit.....Back.....Left..... ..Left.......straight.....DAMNIT....Back.....

He turned the path, and ahead the opening to the outside and the back entrance to his home could be seen. His wife was looking out from the doorway with a tray of food...on the verge of calling out to them, her eyes fell on the approaching man and the tray clattered to the ground.

She screamed.

"Ophelia! Get the anti-venom....she was.....Elisa....." His gaze dropped downwards. "Elisa.....she..."

In his haste, he had focused on the path ahead of him....never looking down.
As long as he never looked, the was able to fool himself....even when the load in his arms had grown cold....he kept running...
Now he was looking....the illusion shattered....

Fortenz Stoltengarde feel to his knees, his daughter Elisa in his arms. The spark of life she had been so eager to share was gone.

He couldn't take his eyes from her....even as his wife feel upon her as she lay still in his arms, weeping...screaming....

....and when all the tears had left her....her cold eyes stared up at him....accusingly.....

"....You promised....."

~~~

Etrina choked, in the middle of stepping forwards she had.....experienced something akin to a temporal shift. The time axis in the area appeared to be under severe strain....likely from extensive past manipulation. While it didn't take a time mage to figure out why....what she had witnessed still defied what she knew.

Fortenz Stoltengarde.

She wasn't aware of a member of her family with that name....at least not back several generations. Perhaps an earlier one or one that wasn't in the records?

Whatever the case, it held no bearing on the situation....as far as she knew. Still....it gave her pause....

This Hedge maze had seen its share of tragedy long before her. Perhaps suffering would happen here long after she was gone......maybe this place didn't deserve to exist.

Girding herself, she continued onwards.

[MrSandman]

Zaofan might as well be mumbling under his breath, but still, he says as normally as he can. "Damnable magic."

With the Wolf's Prowl, he begins tossing aside and searching through rubble at 3x his normal speed. "What are we -- I SAID WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR?!"

Ishtar starts flipping over rubble casually, as she responds to the ... oddly high-pitched Zaofan.

"The Foci, find the Foci."

Chrona watched quietly as they dig out the rubble.....and at their speed it wasn't long before they bore fruit.

"Gah.....my magicite hip..." Zaofan discovered the White and Red Etrinas under some broken dishware and an overturned shelf. The white one had been pinned between the shelf and the floor while the red had somehow managed to remain completely untouched...as if the house had collapsed around her and not on her.

Ishtar Found the Blue Etrina cowering under a pile of books she had seemingly been reading at the time, and had made a sort of makeshift defense when things started collapsing around her. Not wishing to lose face...the Mini-Blue put an exasperated expression on. "....Well....this is indeed a mess worthy of Erosa...."

The Green Etrina....was already outside and sitting on Chronas Shoulder when they got to turning their attention back to her. Both were eating popcorn and had a general look of being comrades in arms in general laziness.