Dragonball M, Chapter 1: Silent Menace Aproaches!

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Jack fell to the ground, breathing hard. "What the ****....?" Everything since he took that first sip of, whatever that drink was, existing in some kind of haze in his mind. That haze was lifting, and it was quite apparent that the waitress had been trying to eat him.

Weakened and drained Jack began to pool his energy. Between this little episode, and the fight with Kami earlier, he was definitely running on empty. But he was not going to die. No. Not after everything else. Nearly drowned by his mother, the duel with Manco, meeting Sarada, the fight with the Yeti, after all of that, Jack was not going to die to some succubus waitress.

Jack lit another cigarette as the adrenaline began to hit his bloodstream. He had almost died, and now his body was responding, in order to eliminate the threat that stood before him. But he was still, drained, needed time.

Luckily for him, Sarada was there.

Jack could not help but smile in the darkness. "Yeah, kick her ass Sarada!" he cheered.

With the reprieve from being the focus of the Succubus's intentions, Jack began to channel as much remaining ki as he could into his lungs.

Meanwhile, just as Sarada bursts towards Macey, a fist bigger than big slams into her and sends her into the wall near Jack. Brutus stands there, having come out the back door, breathing a bit heavy. He scowls at the situation, then turns to Macey.

“Well girl what you do this time? You draining that boy? What have I told you, Macey Bedlam? Look at him, he’s nearly dry!”

Macey pales and shifts uncomfortably, eyes down.

“Sorry papa. But he was so.....tasty....smelling. His ki, the smoke, the jacket...........”

Brutus shakes his head and looks Sarada and Jack over, standing between them and Macey.

Sarada's battle with Macey was only going to go one way if she had any say in it. And that was with the blonde bitch's head rolling off her shoulders, a result that would ensure that she couldn't even dream of hurting Jack again. Or anyone else for that matter.

Yeah, she couldn't hurt anyone, but mainly Jack.

Sarada closed in, only to be sent flying into the wall. She landed hard with a smack and dropped to the ground a few feet away from Jack. "Huh?"

It didn't hurt, but she was too surprised when she laid eyes on who the culprit was to stand. Whoever he was, he had to be at least seven feet tall; plus, his power level was much higher than anyone else's there, save for her own.

Wait, what the **** did she just call him?? ****, that's her father!

Sarada growled and rose to her feet, eyes still aflame with murderous intent.

Alfredo and Chessy go over to their sister, flanking her as Brutus stands, imposing, between his daughter and danger.

“Well, what’s happening here then? She get ya, boy? S’alrihht, wouldn’t of killed ya. Hurt ya, drained your ki, but ya would of lived.”

Wouldn't have hurt him, they said.

It seemed that this was something that happened before. Absurd! How could they be so nonchalant about her drugging somehow, dragging them away, then draining their ki without their consent?

Who the **** were these people?!

Brutus keeps eyeing Sarada, making sure she won’t attack Macey.

“I prefer not to discuss a family issue in the street. Ya’ll willing we can have a meal in the back and talk this over like civilized people.”

"Well...Yes, it would be nice to deal with something in a civil manner for once." Etrina nodded, but eyed Sarada and Ssaheem. "That includes all of us, right?"

"Yes, Thank you for your forwardness on the matter." Etrina straighten herself out and put on her diplomatic face. "I suppose we should start off with the most pressing topic. That is a very interesting ability your daughter seems to have, draining ki....How did she come to have such an ability? Learned knowledge, perhaps inherited?" she looked over to macey and gave a reassuring smile. "It seems to share common traits with what I've seen regarding Vitamancy...but on a more small scale level. Yet the way you described her actions, it was as if this was something she was abnormally compelled to do."

“My boys are from my wife, see? Good boys, good stock. She sadly passed away and a few years later, me and another lady had...relations. She turned up a few years later with a squalling baby and said this was my daughter. Disappeared right after. Named her, raised her, and found out she needs to eat ki to survive. She can do that the way she was doing it to your boy out there, or just from touching a person’s hand or whatnot and draining a bit. Usually let her take some off me or the boys through hand shakes or holding my head in her hands, Yeah? I take care of my daughter. Only she gets ornery sometimes and likes to eat more.”

He glares at her and Macey just frowns harder and looks away.

Sarada, having calmed down enough to be willing to go along with this foolishness, sat next to Jack, arms folded over her chest. Soup was provided, but she didn't touch it. She was far too disgusted with everything that had happened to eat.

Macey was this Brutus character's daughter and she needed ki to live. A unique predicament if she had ever heard one. It reminded her of the race of beings that needed to feed on blood to live. Likely an offshoot of such a race.

Not that Sarada cared.

All she did while the others spoke was lay a piercing glare on Macey. The kind of eerie, penetrating stare that denoted malintent at the very first opportunity. She hoped that the ki vampire thanked her father tonight, because he was the only reason she was still alive.

"Is feeding on his ki all you planned on doing to my friend?" she asked Macey tersely. Her tail twitched angrily behind her.

[Ptrvc]

Jack ground his teeth. He felt the weight of the daggers hidden in his coat while staring yet sharper implements at Macey, her father brothers and whoever else was in sight.

Drained and nearly killed, completely humiliated, and it was all just an accident? If Sarada had not been there, everything Jack was, all his struggles, all his sins, his very life may have disappeared, devoured.

By some young waitress. Jack was weak, beaten, and humiliated. Worst of all he was vulnerable.

I hate being vulnerable!

So what you gonna do then, boy? A voice came unbidden into Jack's thoughts, Gonna kill her like you killed me? Kill her, kill her father, kill her brothers, take all the money in the till and run into the wastes?

No, I'm not like you! I am gonna be better, I have to be!
Or else.. Or else you killed me for nothing, right?

Jack stared at the table, and took ten long drags off the cigarette.

"Look, Macey," Jack began, "I'm not gonna say what you did was 'no big deal' but I'm willing to look past it. Mostly because I've done a whole hell of a lot worse. I have no right to ask for justice..."

Jack turned to look at Brutus, steadying himself with a hand on Sarada's shoulder, "Punishment, ain't the same thing as compensation however," he scratched his chin, "I think I got an idea of how to make this square. If you're interested."

[Tami]

Before Kami comes to the Old Library

After spending some time reading, Meagan glanced over at Asha'rah who was still deep in meditation, or maybe just tired. "Can someone like Asha'rah actually get tired?" she wondered as she realized she was getting a bit tired herself. Needing something to do to keep herself awake, she decided to practice using her Ki. Seeing Asha'rah's position, she levitated above the floor of the Library, then assumed a similar sitting position in an attempt to see how long she could maintain it while hovering before she lost her balance and crashed back to the floor.

As she sat, Meagan found herself falling asleep. Then she found herself floating alongside Asha'rah in what looked like a battlefield.

Asha'rah could not recall any time she had ever been so overwhelmed in her own mind. Wait, there was that time...no, that was a new memory. Or was it an old one? When was this? Asha'rah found herself even more grateful than she was each day for her time with the Kame monks. Awash as her mind was, decades of mental training compelled her to find her center, to allow her consciousness to rise and fall with the currents while remaining anchored to a fixed point deep in her core. It was easier said than done. Time and again her will broke, and she found herself lost and drowning in memory, losing all sense of past, present and future. Yet she reached out each time, more by instinct than reason, and anchored herself to her own center to keep weathering the storm.

But it wasn't enough to merely go on and pretend as if nothing had happened. Something had changed irrevocably within Asha'rah, and she would have to face it, process it. She picked out a memory, and lived that moment once more. Around Asha'rah and Meagan, the scenery changed. They saw the world through Asha'rah's eyes, as she had experienced them. The sky was black with ash, spewed forth from miles-long rents in the ground. Remains of mountain ranges lay strewn across the landscape. What remained of an ocean boiled into the sky, mixing with the ash to create giant storms of acid rain and thunder. A parting in the clouds, recently made from an energy blast of some sort, revealed shattered celestial bodies across the sky, and the sun wavered and writhed from an unseen mortal wound.

Across the battlefield floated a Saiyan warrior, crackling with strange energies. He was not without injury, but stood resolute in the face of Asha'rah.



"Your rebellion must be punished," He said, his voice reverberating with power, "but I'll say it again. Surrender, and I shall plead to Zeno-sama to show you mercy. Fight on, and only utter Destruction awaits you."

Asha'rah laughed, sorrow and resolve balanced in each note.

"I hoped that you would join me, Indar'en, but I knew that you would not. No matter how far you came, you always remained loyal to power. And who has more power than Zeno? None may stand against him."

The Saiyan spread his arms, exasperated.

"Then why-"

"Because I choose to! Because I allowed Zeno's will to override my own, and laid a deeply flawed foundation that has already inflicted untold death and suffering that never needed to come to pass. How many times have we spoken of this? You know well my discontent."

Asha'rah, the version of her in the vision, raised a shimmering fist, also bearing injury. This fight had already gone on for some time.

"I shall fight for this universe, and perhaps my rebellion will reach Zeno where words alone could not."

Indar'en narrowed his eyes and assumed a fighting stance.

"You will fail, and all shall suffer for your impertinence. To think I once looked up to you."

Indar'en charged forth. Fist met parry, and the sheer force of their strikes split the earth beneath them. The Saiyan charged a sphere of dark energy, shimmering in a spectrum betwen violet and obsidian. Asha'rah met it with an orb of golden light, the meeting of opposing forces stirring up a maelstrom as reality itself bent and twisted around them. They remain deadlocked for several moments. Then a rumbling from beneath them, and as Indar'en turned to look, a blinding light burst from the planet's core, washing away his aura in a wave of seemingly infinite light.

"You bastard, you drew me here!"

Asha'rah reached forth, and stone materialized to entrap her opponent's limbs. She placed a hand on Indar'en's chest.

"I created the very concept of the power which you hold, old friend. I know and respect its potential. To stand any chance in this war, I'll be needing it for myself."

Indar'en looked down, then around at the devastated planet, using his death glare to hide his panic as Asha'rah's light wormed its way through his body like a spider-web, gold and violet mixing in a dance as old as time.

"You created this planet in...how long have you been planning this?!"

Asha'rah took one last look at Indar'en, burning into her soul the gravity of what she was about to do.

"Long enough."

Then she pulled, and Indar'en screamed.

Watching what was unfolding, it was like observing gods fighting. Never in her life had she imagined something like this, it both scared her and fascinated her at the same time.

[MrSandman]

“My boys are from my wife, see? Good boys, good stock. She sadly passed away and a few years later, me and another lady had...relations. She turned up a few years later with a squalling baby and said this was my daughter. Disappeared right after. Named her, raised her, and found out she needs to eat ki to survive. She can do that the way she was doing it to your boy out there, or just from touching a person’s hand or whatnot and draining a bit. Usually let her take some off me or the boys through hand shakes or holding my head in her hands, Yeah? I take care of my daughter. Only she gets ornery sometimes and likes to eat more.”

He glares at her and Macey just frowns harder and looks away.

".....I see. That's....remarkably noble. She should be proud to have a father like you." Etrina nodded sadly. The story hit a little too close to home. "I'm assuming then that it was something passed down from the mother.....strange. Ki is generated by living things naturally, something about her ability to generate that ki must be hampered or absent. I wonder...." Etrina pondered the situation for a moment more, eyeing macey over. "......there are several members of my group who specialize in certain types of healing and ki related techniques....one even knows quite impressive applications for acupuncture. This may be a step beyond your comfort zone....but if you would allow it, I could consult with them in taking a closer look at your daughters condition. Perhaps something could be done to allow her to live a much less ki reliant life?"

[The Chou Lives]

“ So him being undefeated is due to him being friends with Turtle island.. great, just great. Even if we beat him fair and square. Will rig it. Well guess need that backup plan after all.”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Ishtar chuckled.

"At this rate I belive that would consist of ... Myself. Though if you feel it prudent, I see no reason why I would not."

“I was thinking that Fife has got to have something going on. No way he goes all in on the Tournament. I’m worried it’s possible he has another plan in place, and I was wondering if we shouldn’t have a backup team just in case.”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Paid? Why would a legendary killer have to pay someone to help him cheat? Did this mean he wouldn't be able to watch footage of his allies getting the **** kicked out of then in the tournament?! If so...what a disappointment!

"Oyf! Cook!" Sasheem addresses Brutus. "Why....pay? Sea.....weak?"

“Nah, he’s strong. Stronger now too. But back then I was better. He had the long game, but up close he couldn’t match my wrestling skills.”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Sarada's battle with Macey was only going to go one way if she had any say in it. And that was with the blonde bitch's head rolling off her shoulders, a result that would ensure that she couldn't even dream of hurting Jack again. Or anyone else for that matter.

Yeah, she couldn't hurt anyone, but mainly Jack.

Sarada closed in, only to be sent flying into the wall. She landed hard with a smack and dropped to the ground a few feet away from Jack. "Huh?"

It didn't hurt, but she was too surprised when she laid eyes on who the culprit was to stand. Whoever he was, he had to be at least seven feet tall; plus, his power level was much higher than anyone else's there, save for her own.

Wait, what the **** did she just call him?? ****, that's her father!

Sarada growled and rose to her feet, eyes still aflame with murderous intent.



Wouldn't have hurt him, they said.

It seemed that this was something that happened before. Absurd! How could they be so nonchalant about her drugging somehow, dragging them away, then draining their ki without their consent?

Who the **** were these people?!









Sarada, having calmed down enough to be willing to go along with this foolishness, sat next to Jack, arms folded over her chest. Soup was provided, but she didn't touch it. She was far too disgusted with everything that had happened to eat.

Macey was this Brutus character's daughter and she needed ki to live. A unique predicament if she had ever heard one. It reminded her of the race of beings that needed to feed on blood to live. Likely an offshoot of such a race.

Not that Sarada cared.

All she did while the others spoke was lay a piercing glare on Macey. The kind of eerie, penetrating stare that denoted malintent at the very first opportunity. She hoped that the ki vampire thanked her father tonight, because he was the only reason she was still alive.

"Is feeding on his ki all you planned on doing to my friend?" she asked Macey tersely. Her tail twitched angrily behind her.

“Gods, yes!” Macey says, a horrified look on her face at Sarada’s suggestion.

“I swear that’s all. It’s just easier when the person is......pliant, aroused, or drunk. I went with all three. But there is just something in Jack’s ki, I swear I’ve never felt it before. It’s old ki, from a powerful line.”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Jack ground his teeth. He felt the weight of the daggers hidden in his coat while staring yet sharper implements at Macey, her father brothers and whoever else was in sight.

Drained and nearly killed, completely humiliated, and it was all just an accident? If Sarada had not been there, everything Jack was, all his struggles, all his sins, his very life may have disappeared, devoured.

By some young waitress. Jack was weak, beaten, and humiliated. Worst of all he was vulnerable.

I hate being vulnerable!

So what you gonna do then, boy? A voice came unbidden into Jack's thoughts, Gonna kill her like you killed me? Kill her, kill her father, kill her brothers, take all the money in the till and run into the wastes?

No, I'm not like you! I am gonna be better, I have to be!
Or else.. Or else you killed me for nothing, right?

Jack stared at the table, and took ten long drags off the cigarette.

"Look, Macey," Jack began, "I'm not gonna say what you did was 'no big deal' but I'm willing to look past it. Mostly because I've done a whole hell of a lot worse. I have no right to ask for justice..."

Jack turned to look at Brutus, steadying himself with a hand on Sarada's shoulder, "Punishment, ain't the same thing as compensation however," he scratched his chin, "I think I got an idea of how to make this square. If you're interested."

“I have an idea too. What’s yer plan, boy?”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

".....I see. That's....remarkably noble. She should be proud to have a father like you." Etrina nodded sadly. The story hit a little too close to home. "I'm assuming then that it was something passed down from the mother.....strange. Ki is generated by living things naturally, something about her ability to generate that ki must be hampered or absent. I wonder...." Etrina pondered the situation for a moment more, eyeing macey over. "......there are several members of my group who specialize in certain types of healing and ki related techniques....one even knows quite impressive applications for acupuncture. This may be a step beyond your comfort zone....but if you would allow it, I could consult with them in taking a closer look at your daughters condition. Perhaps something could be done to allow her to live a much less ki reliant life?"

“Taken her to healers and witch men and doctors. Never seemed to help before.”

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

“I was thinking that Fife has got to have something going on. No way he goes all in on the Tournament. I’m worried it’s possible he has another plan in place, and I was wondering if we shouldn’t have a backup team just in case.”

Ishtar nodded, this was a fair point. The GeoFront had been believed to be secure, and should Fife attempt to pull the young Kami away from the Lookout once more...

"Then I shall stay behind, and perhaps Nunlil could be persuaded to lend her aid as well."

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Ishtar nodded, this was a fair point. The GeoFront had been believed to be secure, and should Fife attempt to pull the young Kami away from the Lookout once more...

"Then I shall stay behind, and perhaps Nunlil could be persuaded to lend her aid as well."

“Kai too, and maybe one or two others.”

[Sub-Zero MKA]

“Gods, yes!” Macey says, a horrified look on her face at Sarada’s suggestion.

“I swear that’s all. It’s just easier when the person is......pliant, aroused, or drunk. I went with all three. But there is just something in Jack’s ki, I swear I’ve never felt it before. It’s old ki, from a powerful line.”

At hearing that, Sarada could finally relax. She still wasn't happy with what happened, but could and would rest easy knowing that that was all that would have happened. "Okay, then."

Her visage softened a little, if only because her stomach started growling. The soup smelled delicious, and would hopefully settled her stomach. "I'll let what you did to my friend slide, I guess," she said as she gathered some in a bowl and started eating. "But, I will never forgive you for what you did to my pizza. You can rot in hell for that."

[The Chou Lives]

SO Jack was tasty eh? He had five different signatures. He would had fed her just fine, wait. He was easier to induce as he found her attractive and drunk? That made sense.

“ Range game eh? Like what exactly? Only saw clips of him punching people.”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

At hearing that, Sarada could finally relax. She still wasn't happy with what happened, but could and would rest easy knowing that that was all that would have happened. "Okay, then."

Her visage softened a little, if only because her stomach started growling. The soup smelled delicious, and would hopefully settled her stomach. "I'll let what you did to my friend slide, I guess," she said as she gathered some in a bowl and started eating. "But, I will never forgive you for what you did to my pizza. You can rot in hell for that."

Macey winced at that and looked down in shame.