Aranfan
Team Plasma Grunt
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Dragon Ball: After the End
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- Location
- Rockford, USA
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Update from the Discord:
QTesseract — Today at 5:31 PM
@PoptartProdigy does human masques seal away saiyan traits or inhuman traits? Presumably they can do either, since Kakara has a pure saiyan masque, but if she obtained, I dunno, some kind of dragon powers, would that be sealed away in her human masque like her ability to go super saiyan is or no?
Or is this the kind of thing where Kakara doesn't know enough magical theory to say
PoptartProdigy — Today at 6:11 PM
Less her general grounding in theory and more that she doesn't know the specifics well enough to say.
She would guess that it seals away saiyan traits since sealing works tends to need to be specific on what it is sealing, but she could see it working the other way around if somebody had put in enough work.
QTesseract — Today at 6:17 PM
I see, thanks
Deathbybunnies — Today at 6:20 PM
If she thinks it could work the other way after some extra work, it becomes a question of if there's any reason to do that extra work
PoptartProdigy — Today at 6:22 PM
Edge cases.
Sorcerers have had a lot of time with a culturally-enforced very little amount to do, and she knows that Bassoon, at least, sees the Masque as a work of art.
Iterating the Masque is apparently an eternal project even though it works fine as is, so...maybe?
There've been a lot of bored sorcerers over the years.
Also, it's been long enough.
Vote Closed!
Your winner:
[X] Sorcerer Dandelor has a special assignment for this. He's going to be going to Kakara's and Jaron's houses while the fighting is going on, and ransacking them for things he can use for his magic. He's going there because you expect magical traps. You'd be best suited for this because you actually know the buildings and can let him know where to look for things. It would be an impact only you could have, since everybody else who could is assigned elsewhere.
Lotta votes on this one! Good to see!
Update coming some time this week.
QTesseract — Today at 5:31 PM
@PoptartProdigy does human masques seal away saiyan traits or inhuman traits? Presumably they can do either, since Kakara has a pure saiyan masque, but if she obtained, I dunno, some kind of dragon powers, would that be sealed away in her human masque like her ability to go super saiyan is or no?
Or is this the kind of thing where Kakara doesn't know enough magical theory to say
PoptartProdigy — Today at 6:11 PM
Less her general grounding in theory and more that she doesn't know the specifics well enough to say.
She would guess that it seals away saiyan traits since sealing works tends to need to be specific on what it is sealing, but she could see it working the other way around if somebody had put in enough work.
QTesseract — Today at 6:17 PM
I see, thanks
Deathbybunnies — Today at 6:20 PM
If she thinks it could work the other way after some extra work, it becomes a question of if there's any reason to do that extra work
PoptartProdigy — Today at 6:22 PM
Edge cases.
Sorcerers have had a lot of time with a culturally-enforced very little amount to do, and she knows that Bassoon, at least, sees the Masque as a work of art.
Iterating the Masque is apparently an eternal project even though it works fine as is, so...maybe?
There've been a lot of bored sorcerers over the years.
Also, it's been long enough.
Vote Tally : Dragon Ball: After the End Sci-Fi | Page 1531 | Sufficient Velocity [Posts: 38273-38300]
##### NetTally 2.2.4
[X] Sorcerer Dandelor has a special assignment for this. He's going to be going to Kakara's and Jaron's houses while the fighting is going on, and ransacking them for things he can use for his magic. He's going there because you expect magical traps. You'd be best suited for this because you actually know the buildings and can let him know where to look for things. It would be an impact only you could have, since everybody else who could is assigned elsewhere.
No. of Votes: 23
[X] Parzival95
[X] Adnate
[X] Aranfan
[X] Axel Fones
[X] Brutehunter2541
[X] buli-buli
[X] Cariyaga
[X] Daecl
[X] Deathbybunnies
[X] DragonBox9494
[X] Geordiefan
[X] googlyeyesultra
[X] HoratioVonBecker
[X] Jirachi47
[X] KnightDisciple
[X] LeMat
[X] Mizu
[X] nkd1325
[X] OfSpaceandTime
[X] Pathos
[X] Pittauro
[X] PurposefulZephyr
[X] Terrabrand
[X] Dandeer is going to be busy covering up this attack in the aftermath; while the bulk of your fighters are going to be busy engaging Dandeer's entourage, some will be directed to tear up roads and deface buildings in order to make her job harder. Instructions are very clear: no killing, no assaults. Doesn't trouble you. And hey, getting to wreck stuff sounds like a good time.
No. of Votes: 1
[X] QTesseract
Total No. of Voters: 24
##### NetTally 2.2.4
[X] Sorcerer Dandelor has a special assignment for this. He's going to be going to Kakara's and Jaron's houses while the fighting is going on, and ransacking them for things he can use for his magic. He's going there because you expect magical traps. You'd be best suited for this because you actually know the buildings and can let him know where to look for things. It would be an impact only you could have, since everybody else who could is assigned elsewhere.
No. of Votes: 23
[X] Parzival95
[X] Adnate
[X] Aranfan
[X] Axel Fones
[X] Brutehunter2541
[X] buli-buli
[X] Cariyaga
[X] Daecl
[X] Deathbybunnies
[X] DragonBox9494
[X] Geordiefan
[X] googlyeyesultra
[X] HoratioVonBecker
[X] Jirachi47
[X] KnightDisciple
[X] LeMat
[X] Mizu
[X] nkd1325
[X] OfSpaceandTime
[X] Pathos
[X] Pittauro
[X] PurposefulZephyr
[X] Terrabrand
[X] Dandeer is going to be busy covering up this attack in the aftermath; while the bulk of your fighters are going to be busy engaging Dandeer's entourage, some will be directed to tear up roads and deface buildings in order to make her job harder. Instructions are very clear: no killing, no assaults. Doesn't trouble you. And hey, getting to wreck stuff sounds like a good time.
No. of Votes: 1
[X] QTesseract
Total No. of Voters: 24
Vote Closed!
Your winner:
[X] Sorcerer Dandelor has a special assignment for this. He's going to be going to Kakara's and Jaron's houses while the fighting is going on, and ransacking them for things he can use for his magic. He's going there because you expect magical traps. You'd be best suited for this because you actually know the buildings and can let him know where to look for things. It would be an impact only you could have, since everybody else who could is assigned elsewhere.
Lotta votes on this one! Good to see!
Update coming some time this week.
Last edited:
- Location
- Italy
honestly I find it weird that no sorcerer tried to branch out into other schools beyond sealing.
ok, divination is covered by Seers, so that's out..
Healing Magic is basically covered by the Senzu AND Ki Healing...
Elemental magic is sort of useless compared to ki attacks...
Creation magic is not that useful in a technologically advanced society of superhumans, unless you're trying to do some very extreme things like create katchin...
Mind magic would probably be banned very quickly...
Shapeshifting is mostly useless, and the Masque covers the most common case anyway...
...ok, I'm having troubles to find useful magics for the saiyans! 😂
Time magic is probably too advanced for most. Unlocking potential is similarly very difficult and advanced...
ok, divination is covered by Seers, so that's out..
Healing Magic is basically covered by the Senzu AND Ki Healing...
Elemental magic is sort of useless compared to ki attacks...
Creation magic is not that useful in a technologically advanced society of superhumans, unless you're trying to do some very extreme things like create katchin...
Mind magic would probably be banned very quickly...
Shapeshifting is mostly useless, and the Masque covers the most common case anyway...
...ok, I'm having troubles to find useful magics for the saiyans! 😂
Time magic is probably too advanced for most. Unlocking potential is similarly very difficult and advanced...
Defiance
- Location
- Rockford, USA
- Pronouns
- They/Them
[X] Sorcerer Dandelor has a special assignment for this. He's going to be going to Kakara's and Jaron's houses while the fighting is going on, and ransacking them for things he can use for his magic. He's going there because you expect magical traps. You'd be best suited for this because you actually know the buildings and can let him know where to look for things. It would be an impact only you could have, since everybody else who could is assigned elsewhere.
Defiance
You and Dandelor -- he in human guise -- walk through the streets of Horus Bay, surrounded by chattering crowds.
"It's been months since I was out in public," you say, voice subdued as you look around. "It's so loud."
"Just as well," comments Dandelor. "I'd be worried if a city of this size was silent."
You frown, looking up at him. "What do you mean?"
"We didn't know for sure what Dandeer's spell was designed to do," he says. "We knew it was huge, and on a global scale. Presumably, something big enough that she wouldn't have to worry about people seeing her work. Given how she responded to the nuclear attack on Tastreya, we weren't sure that...well..." He gestures around at the crowd around you.
You frown for a moment before your eyes wide. "You thought she killed everybody?"
Dandelor's lips twist bitterly. "Well...it wouldn't exactly be-"
You scowl as he starts babbling about something completely unrelated. "Sorcerer Dandelor?"
He sighs explosively, waving you off with obvious irritation. "Never mind. We thought it believable."
"Why?" you demand. "What did she do about Tastreya?"
"Nothing," snaps Dandelor, glaring back at you. "She did nothing. And she wanted Lord Berra and Scion Kakara to do the same."
You rear back. "Nothing?"
"She showed up just after they blew the last nukes out of sky and chewed them out for intervening. She didn't care about the lives that would have been lost. She thought the risk of exposure was unacceptable." He glances around to check that nobody is listening in. "She doesn't care about humans. I wouldn't think that wiping them all out was her first thought, but if they were going to see the spell, and she couldn't think of anything to hide that straight away...then yes, I could see it."
You swallow, hard. You look around to reassure yourself that there are people here, that what Dandelor is saying didn't happen.
He sighs. "Regardless. It didn't happen." He looks around. "Let's keep moving. I'd like to get this done with as soon as possible." He sets off, and after a long moment, you follow him.
* * *
The two of you come to a halt outside Kakara's old house. Dandelor puts his hand on your shoulder, pulling you to a halt as he looks up. He includes you on the line of telepathy he opens up. 'Head Raditz, we're in position.'
And, just the same, you hear the reply of, 'Good. Set it off, then get started. Everybody is ready to go.'
Dandelor takes a deep breath, twists his hands about in a way that looks deeply uncomfortable, and mutters an incantation under his breath. There's a flash of light; then he looks at you. "Right, let's go." He starts crossing the street at a brisk pace.
You jog to keep up. "What was that? What did you do?"
"We can't fight super saiyans; not unaided," he replies, still walking. So my brother and I came up with something to level the playing field."
Above, you feel the power signatures of the various Senzu fighters lighting up, lunging into the sky. A moment later, you feel the oppressive weight of a pair of super saiyans transforming and closing in to attack. You feel Head Raditz, charging ahead at the edge of the pack. You see Kakara's dad surging ahead to meet him.
A flash of light springs into being at Raditz's back, and he blurs.
With a titanic bang that shatters windows in the city below, the Senzu head catches Berra's blow and stops it flat, a mandala of swirling light hanging onto his back. He strains. An almost imperceptible second later, the impact drives him back, shouting in pain.
But he blocked it.
Vegeta comes to a sudden halt, and for a long moment, Berra and the two Lords face off with one another.
Then they blur into motion again, and the impacts rock the city as blasts begin to fly from the rest of the fighters.
Raditz grins. "It worked."
You gape at him. "What did you do?"
He looks down at you, still smiling. "I built a magical device that lets him absorb the impact of blows directed at him, and release them once it's built up enough. Not perfect, but a lot better than he had. He can hold out. Let's go." He nods to Kakara's home, producing a key. He unlocks the door and leads you inside. You follow, glad to get out of the open, and out from under the titanic clash ongoing overhead.
You immediately bounce off of his back as he comes to a dead halt. "Ow!" you say. "What gives?"
He doesn't look at you. "Kala," he says.
You blink. Kala? Who-?
Then, you pale. Slowly, you peer out from behind his back.
Kakara's mother, in saiyan form, stands there, staring at the two of you. She gives you a pleasant smile. "Jenny! Good to see you again." She nods at Dandelor, the smile fading. "Dandelor."
"We didn't sense you," says Dandelor, his words very carefully level.
Kala simply tilts her head at him. She looks at you and smiles. Your skin crawls. She says, "Karen's been missing you, you know."
You swallow hard, suppressing a shiver. "O- oh. Is she here?"
"No, she's out at the moment," replies Kala. "I can call her back, though, don't worry."
"No you can't," says Dandelor, a note of confidence entering his voice. "I see it now. The house is warded. Nothing in or out. Sloppy. Dandeer left it to some Gokun apprentice, didn't she?"
Kala's smile vanishes entirely. "Fine, Dandelor. Sit down and keep your hands out. I don't know what you're here for, but I'm not letting you have it."
You quail. You have only felt Kakara's mother once, back when-
-well, it has been a few months. But you know she's vastly more powerful than either you or Dandelor. You can't fight her.
Dandelor sighs. "I was hoping you wouldn't be ensorcelled. I want you to know that I respect what you did, Lady Kala. It was very brave." And then, in your head, you hear him say, 'Dodge left. Now.'
You don't question; you hurl yourself to the side-
tsew
-only to see Kakara's mother there in your face, hand outstretched-
-before a light flashes and she goes stiff, thumping to the ground and bouncing once.
Belatedly, you let out a little scream, flinching away. You bounce off the wall and come to a halt in mid-air, your aura flaring around you and wrapping you in the comforting safety of flickering light. "Wh- what?!"
Dandelor lowers his hands, letting out an explosive breath. "I had contingencies," he explains. "I wasn't expecting Lady Kala, but I was prepared." He glances at you. "You did well. Nicely done." He walks over to Kakara's mother and kneels next to her, examining a spot on the back of her neck. "...too complex to undo in the field. We'll take her with us." He lifts her up into his arms. "I need you to sweep through the house, swiftly. Find personal belongings from Lord Berra, Lady Kala, and Scion Kakara. The more meaningful they were to them, the better. If you can get something from the Scion's siblings as well, all the better. Go."
You glance at the stiff figure in his arms. "She mentioned Ka- Karen..."
He grunts, turning to the door. "A meaningful choice of words. Karen. Not Kakara. We don't have to worry about it, though. The house is warded. Still, this is one complication already. Move."
You gulp, nodding, and turn to dash off through the house.
Despite yourself, you can't resist a certain dash of nostalgia as you go through Kakara's home. You slow down, just a bit, taking it in and remembering happier days.
Just off the main door, there is a living room where you all studied together, Kakara's mom hanging around to keep an eye on you. Beyond that, the dining room and kitchen; you remember a lot of evenings spent there, invited to family feasts. It was always so warm. Down the stairs, another common area, where you all would go just to hang out and have fun. Movies, games, just sitting and chatting; you remember more moments of friendship in that room than anywhere else.
You go to that basement room first. In the corner, there's a guitar that Kakara's dad had from long ago. You swipe it up and then dash up two flights of stairs to the bedrooms.
Her brothers' room first. You didn't know them very well, but you know how boys decorate rooms. You find the only spaces to either side that are kept accessible around the messes and swipe the item given pride of place. Then you move onwards. You skip the master bedroom; Mrs. Mars- Lady Goku was wearing her wedding ring. Then...Kakara and her sister's room.
Fasha gives you some trouble, but after a few moments of zipping from place to place, you find a box under her bed with a few personal possessions. You simply snatch them all, bargaining that one of them will be what you need, and Fasha can tell you herself when you get back.
And, at long last, you turn to Kakara's side of the room. By memory, you proceed to a drawer in her dresser and dig underneath the clothes. You pull out a sketched drawing. It shows you; all of you. The six Misfits, sitting around a table. Sophie leaning on Jaron's shoulder, grinning impishly; Jaron, hand on the back of his head and cheeks bright red, grinning awkwardly back as he leaned slightly away. Gemma, scribbling in her notebook off to the side; drawing this very picture, in fact, if you remember right. You, yelling at Sophie about...something, you don't even remember. Maybe the joke she just made. Maya, burying her hands in her face, a smile barely visible. And, in the center, Kakara, eyes closed and smiling wide in contentment.
* * *
Kakara lifts a finger to her lips as she pulls out the piece of paper and slides it into the drawer, tucking it underneath her clothes. "Don't tell Sophie I kept it," she whispers, winking. "I'll never live it down."
You blink. "You want to keep it?" You laugh. "Sophie wanted it burnt when she saw Gemma had drawn it up!"
Kakara huffs out a quiet laugh. "Yeah, well..." she looks at the drawer again, smiling softly. "...it's a good picture."
* * *
You blink, your vision suddenly blurry. A drop of water lands on the picture. You sniff, rubbing at your eyes. Gently, you tuck the picture into your pocket. "But that wasn't everything, was it?" you mutter, voice thick. You sniff again, looking around. You walk over to her dresser and pull it open. With your eyes now enhanced with ki, you don't have any problems seeing the hidden seam. You pull it away, unveiling a short rack with orange-on-blue training gis. You take one out, feeling the fabric. It's soft. Good quality. You look into the compartment again. You reach out to touch the armor there, your stomach feeling like it's full of lead.
There's a whisper of sound behind you, and you feel Dandelor standing there. He touches your shoulder. You don't respond. Dandelor gently tugs the gi out of your hands and puts it away. "Between you and me, I think she hated that armor," he says. "She never really wore it. But that picture, she kept." He tugs on your shoulder. "Come on. We need to get going."
* * *
Dandelor calls somebody over to carry Lady Goku back to the Hall, and you and he fly across the city to reach Jaron's house, subtlety abandoned now that the battle is in full swing.
Above, Senzu and Vegetan warriors clash on the edges of the escalating brawl between Raditz and the Lords, keeping well clear. Your side has the advantage of numbers; Dandeer's fighters are getting pushed back, and you have even more people up above watching, or racing through the city to cause property damage and ensure that she'll be weeks covering this up.
But there are still two Lords up there, and that fight is going less well.
Whatever Dandelor did for his brother, it isn't perfect. He's getting driven further down as time goes on, and you can feel his ki signature flickering. As you watch, one of the Lords darts in-
-and, finally, smashes Raditz down into the ground, slamming into a park you and Dandelor are passing and smothering the air in dust.
Dandelor chokes, flaring his aura to clear some air and patting you on the back as you cough. "Eyes open," he whispers.
Then it feels like a hammer smacks you in the chest, as two golden auras flare and blast the rest of the dust away.
Through watering eyes, you watch as Berra and Vegeta smash Raditz back and forth between them. The mandala on his back flares futilely as they pummel him, only absorbing some of the force of each hit, so that blows which should have spread him across half the city merely tear muscle and bruise flesh.
It's only a few, flickering moments to your eyes before one of them -- Vegeta -- finally smashes Raditz into the ground again. The Head coughs weakly as the Lords advance on him.
"YOU BETRAYED US," says Vegeta, his voice agony to your ears as it thrums with unleashed power.
"I fought for you," rasps Raditz, coming slowly and painfully to his feet. He spits blood and glares at Vegeta. "More than you deserved!"
tsew- WHAM
Berra smashes Raditz to the ground again. "YOUR ACTIONS HAVE DONE MORE HARM TO THE FABRIC OF OUR SOCIETY THAN A THOUSAND LORD ONIS EVER COULD HAVE," he said. "YOU HAVE PERMANENTLY TARNISHED THE LEGITIMACY OF THE LORDS. BY WITHDRAWING AND DEMONSTRATING YOUR ABILITY TO FIGHT US LIKE THIS, YOU HAVE GIVEN EVERY HOUSE THE INKLING THAT THE LAW IS OPTIONAL."
Vegeta stalks forward as Raditz slowly draws himself back to his feet, gasping for breath and hanging his head. "YOUR DEFIANCE HAS CRITICALLY DESTABILIZED THE FOUNDATIONS ON WHICH THE SYSTEM OF LORD RESTS. IT WAVERS, NOW, BECAUSE OF YOU. BECAUSE OF YOUR DEFIANCE, AND YOUR RESISTANCE!"
Raditz's breath catches. He raises his head. "Then it doesn't deserve to stand," he spits. His irises shimmer in a bright, clear blue.
The ground shakes beneath your feet, and the wind picks up, shrieking as it gusts in towards the three men.
Berra's eyes widen, and he-
tsew
-phases forward-
THUMP
-only for Raditz to catch the blow. "You don't deserve to rule," he whispers. He blurs, and Berra-
vip
-transmits away just ahead of the strike, popping back in behind Raditz with his leg pulled back and ready to kick.
Raditz ducks the blow and turns, landing a straight kick into Berra's stomach and knocking him back.
Vegeta charges in. Raditz pivots to face him and blocks the first strike, mandala flaring before he releases that energy in a blow you simply cannot follow; one moment, you're watching the two men face off, and the next, Vegeta is already miles away, hurtling through the sky.
Raditz straightens. "My family does not deserve death for the crime of telling you, 'no,'" he hisses, fury contorting his face.
Berra bounces back upright and charges back in. Raditz rounds on him, and they exchange flickering blows. You feel the shockwaves from several hundred feet away. The glow from Raditz's mandala grows brighter and brighter with every exchange. Then, in between blows, Berra-
vip
-vanishes suddenly-
vip
-reappears with Vegeta in tow, both ready with blasts levelled-
-and Raditz unleashes all of that stored-up power, overwhelming their own blasts and blasting them far up into the sky.
He straightens; he shivers, releasing a shaky breath. The trembling intensifies; you stumble, trying to keep your feet. The ground splits at his feet, and his aura pulses wildly. "I...I won't...." He twitches, muscles spasming. His hair twitches, waving unnaturally even with the crazed rush of wind. He looks up at the two Lords as they stabilize their flight. "I won't let you decide our people's fate." He clenches his fists, throw back his head, and roars.
The world turns gold.
You and Dandelor stare, mouths agape, as Raditz's hair stands on end and washes out gold. His aura burns. Rocks shatter beneath his feet as the Head of House Senzu becomes a super saiyan.
From above, Vegeta and Berra scowl, fury on their faces, and start to fly down.
All around, warriors stall for a moment as they stare.
And Raditz strides forward, dust clouds dispersing as he steps.
"Dandelor, Jenny, keep moving," he says, standing straight and unbowed, injuries healed by the transformation. He halts, staring up at the Lords. "I'll keep this going a while longer."
"You still can't beat us," says Berra, his voice growing more bearable as he takes his power in hand in preparation for the fight.
"You were only barely surviving before this," continues Vegeta, likewise reigning himself in. "This will only delay things."
Raditz scowls. "Maybe. But I think I can buy enough time for us to finish up our work."
Dandelor shakes himself and then tugs on your shoulder. 'Move,' he sends to you. 'We need to get out of here now, before the fight starts up again.'
You shake yourself out of your stupor and nod up at him, and the two of you take off and start flying away.
vip
Berra appears ahead of you, arms folded and eyes locked on Dandelor. "See, now I know that you're up to something big," he says, lunging in with one fist coming up.
tsew
Raditz comes hurtling in from the side and kicks Berra full across the face, sending him flying.
You and Dandelor fly through the space a moment after Raditz flickers away, and Vegeta flashes by overhead, roaring in fury. The entire city shakes as the three super saiyans start their fight in earnest. You and Dandelor fly along as fast as you can, trying to make it to your destination as the battle all around you kicks into high gear.
* * *
The two of you touch down outside Jaron's house and rush to the door. Dandelor pauses a moment, making some gestures while muttering to himself. He scowls. "Trap. Hang on, let me-" His fingers flash with light, and then he simply kicks the door in. "Let's go!" The two of you sprint inside. The feeling of the ongoing battle instantly fades away. Dandelor glances at you. "I'll take the master bedroom, get things for Jaffur and Dilla!"
"I can get something for Jaron, but he and Jaffur are different people, aren't they?" you snap, lifting off and flying up the stairs.
Dandelor grunts in acknowledgement. "True. Try to find something that looks like it was from very early childhood. Jaron didn't exist then." Then he rushes into the master bedroom and starts tearing it apart.
You scowl. "Jaron is important too," you growl, running to Dilla's room. It's an utter catastrophe in there; your mother would kill you if you left your room like this. You look around for jewelry boxes, diaries, or other obvious things; you don't know Jaron's sister all that well. Then you turn and run to Jaron's room.
The first thing you do is follow Dandelor's instruction to look for old things, and there you luck out; there's a really old teddy bear actually sitting out on Jaron's bedspread. You blink, tilting your head. You've never seen that before, and you've been in this room before. You nod to yourself. "Guess he really likes it," you mutter, snatching up the toy.
Then, you start hunting around the room for another, more specific thing. Whether or not the saiyans remember that he's involved in all of this, you knew Jaron before you even knew saiyans existed, and you're grabbing something of his while you're here. You remember Karen talking about it once, telling you, "He really gets attached to that knife," with a troubled scowl on her face.
You swiftly toss the room, and in a minute, you find it, hidden underneath the mattress. A dirty, dulled, chipped old knife in a ratty sheathe. You wrinkle your nose, pulling it out. You squint, seeing some lettering stamped into the side. "Yannic S. Isn't that his Grandpa's Masque name?" you mutter. Then you shake your head, sliding the knife back home and storing it in your bag.
You meet Dandelor on the landing at the top of the stairs. "Do you have everything you need?" he asks.
"I'm good," you say. "You?"
"Fine enough," he mutters, starting down the stairs. "Now, let's get out of here. I want to get back under the Hall's wards."
You nod, and the two of you dart outside the house. You immediately glance up, locking onto Raditz, Vegeta, and Berra's ki signatures, and feeling them fighting high up, miles away-
-and run into Dandelor's back again.
"Ow!" you cry, stumbling back and rubbing at your nose. "Sorcerer, what-?"
"Dandeer."
You freeze. Once again, you peek around his back.
Sure enough, Jaron's mother stands there, her tail lashing behind her as she shakes out her hands. "My wayward apprentice," she remarks, stepping forward.
"I am not your apprentice," he grinds out, fists clenching.
"Invading my home?" she continues, ignoring him. "I don't think I can just set that aside, Dandelor. Hunting for souvenirs?"
"Get out of my way," whispers Dandelor, fists shaking and knuckles white.
Her expression flickers in a frown. "...don't speak to me that way," she says, a muscle in her jaw working.
Dandelor abruptly starts stalking forward, and Dandeer actually takes a step back, despite herself. He closes with her rapidly, fingers twitching. "Get out of my way," he snarls.
Then, in your head, his voice sounds. 'Get clear. This is going to be dangerous.' Then he and Dandeer both blur away, swirling lights appearing around them as they hurl magic at one another.
You swallow, heft your bag, and prepare to lift away-
And suddenly a headache spikes through your brain as white light erupts from behind you.
"Hey, Jenny."
You gulp, frozen still, feeling out the edges of that power signature. "...hey, Dy- Dilla," you say, tripping over her name and hating it a little. "How's it going?" you ask with forced levity as you comprehend that Jaron's little sister has to be at least ten times as powerful as you.
"You should give up and just come with me," she says. She sounds tired, hurt -- honestly a little sad.
None of that registers as a shot of offense runs through you and you stiffen. "You don't know that," you say, scowling. "It's been a few months, I could've trained up-"
pingpingping
"You didn't," she says, now sounding a bit bored. "Just give up, Jenny."
You grind your teeth, and something in your brain snaps. You straighten, rolling your shoulders. "I am getting real tired of saiyans looking down on me," you say, whipping around. Your hair tosses with the motion as you lock eyes with Dilla. She is as she was when you last saw her, but...more saiyan. Brown hair, but now spiked in a wave down to the small of her back. Brown eyes, now sharper and more focused. Almost regal features, baby fat gone, now looking at you with an unmistakable sneer.
Your hair was tossing up from your turn; after a moment, Dilla's expression shifts a bit as the hair doesn't come down, and the wind picks up.
You double over and scream, your aura blasting out around you. Your power climbs. Tens of thousands, hundreds, up and up and up, so much more than before but still not enough you need more you need more you need more more more-
Your skull feeling like it's going to split under the pressure, you straighten, raise your arms up, and then bring them crashing down to either side, shrieking in fury.
Willpower Push [DC 80]: 97. Success.
White light surrounds you a pillar striking up into the sky as your power level explodes, higher than it's ever been, just barely high enough to match Dilla. She stares back, mouth open, one hand shielding her eyes. Then, her face morphs into a grin as that hand's fingers splay and curl into a claw held before her face, and the other rises off to the side, curled into a fist.Your power stabilizes, and you dip down into a stance with your weight forward. One fist held low in front of you, the other high in back with fingers splayed to balance you. Goku style, you've been told.
It suits you.
You kick off into a charge and the ground beneath your feet shatters, pavement for several blocks tearing itself up without you even meaning it. You slam into Dilla and she catches your fist in her upraised hand. For a frozen moment, you two strain against one another. She stares at you with wide eyes at the magnitude of your sudden strength registers. You scowl back and twist, kicking her savagely in the chest and knocking her into the sky. You follow, howling in exultation and fury.
She reorients herself and receives your second charge before darting back. You chase her up, up, up, tearing past other warriors locked in combat as you do. Up, and into the clouds.
Nighttime is falling, now; it's mostly by the light of your auras and the feel of one another's ki that you can find each other now. Dilla finally comes to a halt and meets you, punching; you duck it and keep going, swinging for her midriff. She turns it aside and kicks at your head. You lean back into a kick of your own. She blocks it and punches, and you barely deflect that. Blows flicker back and forth at what you would have considered an impossible speed for you just this morning. And with the gap now closed, you can see it clear as day.
I'm better than you, you realize as the clash grows faster still. I'm better than you!
You bring your arm around and Dilla leaps back; her eyes just barely have enough time as your fingers open on a broad blast. She goes flying, and you pursue.
You can already feel yourself growing tired, even as you tear across the sky with the humans you can see below looking like ants trapped in amber for all they move. You can't sustain this. You need to finish this quickly.
As Dilla rights herself midflight and starts flying away as fast as she can, you raise your arm and start loosing blasts. Immediately, she starts losing speed as she struggles to dodge, and you start to gain. You grit your teeth and pour on the speed, leaving a white trail as you dump ki into the air to fly faster, faster.
Dilla rolls under one blast and glances back at you; her eyes widen as she locks eyes with you less than a yard away, your arm raised to strike. You're over the Bay, now; your blow slams her down into the water, and it blasts away from her aura as she screams and flares to get herself room to fly.
You lunge down and join her there, and the shockwaves coming off of your arms as the two of you clash there keep the water blasted away in a vast crater. You come on like a cyclone, battering aside every block and chasing down every dodge. Dilla hops back, and back, and back, desperately trying to gain space to get away. You chase her, hammering into her guard, making her keep her hands up and leading them further up and away from her center for a frenzied fraction of a second that feels like a minute of hoping she doesn't notice and correct-
Now!
You kick high, knocking her arms up and away, and as your foot comes slamming back down, you root yourself and raise both hands, letting ki come screaming out in a great tide that slams into her and carries her up into the air, hurtling her through the air for miles before finally, all the fight knocked out of her, slamming to the ground.
You don't see it; the second she's airborne, you launch yourself up and away on the fading dregs of your ki and land in an alleyway in the city, half-suppressing your ki and the other half just feeling the rush of energy collapse all at once. You sag against the wall, gasping. Far off, you feel Vegeta's ki signature flare abruptly before going tearing off after his daughter. A moment later, you hear Raditz's voice in your mind, saying, 'Break off. Now is the moment.' His signature flares as he presses himself for one last push, and you feel Senzu warriors all over the city breaking off as ordered.
Trembling, you push yourself away from the wall and fly along the streets, keeping low. You feel more drained than you ever have, right now, and you don't want to risk another fight.
As you make your way along, though, your eyes are bright, and a smile tugs at your lips all the way back to the Hall.
* * *
Back.
* * *
You are Kakara Goku, and you blink fragments of presentsight out of your eyes as the vision comes to an end. You swallow. There's a lot you just learned, and a lot to work through. You'll figure it out later. You sit down, pulls your knees up to your chest, and wrap your arms around your legs. "I'm so proud of you, Jenny," you whisper, tears prickling at your eyes out of grief, guilt, and the slightest prickling of joy.Back.
* * *
They're alright. For now, they're alright.
Gained a glimpse back at goings-on back on Garenhuld. The Senzus are beginning open operations; the Misfits are involved. Jenny has demonstrated quite the proficiency with willpower pushes, and is a gifted fighter, but it seems that there are tensions.
Somehow, your mother was captured (she did something, "very brave,") and your siblings were not; your mother has been retrieved. Dandelor has created a spell to allow a normal saiyan to temporarily survive combat with Lords and for fresh super saiyans to go toe-to-toe with Lords for a short time.
Welcome back, folks! hope you enjoyed the update; these past couple of weeks have been rough for writing, but I finally found the time, and I'm proud of the result! Have fun!
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The Fourth Monado
S U B A R A S H I I
- Location
- Away
Now the real problem with Head Raditz's new transformation is where the heck is he going to develop his Super Saiyan power? Can't exactly use the Hall - ward's too weak.
That being said, that spell that let Raditz survive and counter Super Saiyans is some horseshit, isn't it.
That being said, that spell that let Raditz survive and counter Super Saiyans is some horseshit, isn't it.
Aranfan
Team Plasma Grunt
Damn straight!
Cecylene
Eternal Idea Engine
- Location
- Massachusetts
- Pronouns
- He/They
The first might benefit from skill training, if they have a way to artificially bump power levels for even a short while then it becomes a matter of applying that force at the right places at the right time. Dandeer's control makes the Lords sloppier than normal, that is not to say they're actually sloppy but rather that they're not fighting at where their skill levels would normally put them which is absolutely what's giving Raditz a fighting chance even with spell-support.
And the spell I imagine is one that borrows from Peter to pay back Paul, that energy is coming from somewhere the question is where? My guess is potentially it's one that either effectively increases Ki through-put automatically like Jaffur's techniques or it's effectively charged yb other members of Clan Senzu donating Ki in a way similar to the Spirit bomb but this time collected via sorcery rather than the more pure and nigh-lossless power that Spirit Bomb could gather. Either way it's almost certainly more draining than even normal Super Saiyan but when you only need it for a "brief" fight that's the difference between walking away and becoming Dandeer's puppet.
- Location
- The Great Beyond
the spell is borrowing from the hits themselves the update wasn't even slightly ambigous about that. A conversion of (part of) the attacker's kinetic energy into stored power.
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- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
Well, he'd need a super-saiyan grade ward under the House Senzu manor, I guess? I doubt that's really out of the question for Dandelor, given the bullshit he just demonstrated.
"But I thought you had to have a pure heart to become a super saiyan!"
"His heart is pure. Pure badass."
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- Location
- England, unfortunately.
- Pronouns
- She/They
Ah shit, they even did the pose!
- Location
- Italy
and in the meantime he can still train his base form to the new cap.
It's not much when compared to FPSSJ, but every little bit helps!
but yeah, Dandelor should work on improving the wards... though he might not be able to heavily modify them without first turning them off, which would obviously be a problem with the whole saiyan race searching for them...
Also, Raditz doesn't know the secret of FPSSJ, so we'd have to hope that him or one of his allies finds out, or he'll have to go for ASSJ, which is still better than the regular one, but... well, you hit diminishing returns pretty quickly.
...alternatively, basic ssj + ki overdrive + Dandelor's spell might be enough, though as always every little extra bit help. Untrained ssj is a heavy drain on one's stamina anyway, adding the ki overdrive would likely exhaust him VERY quickly.
...there's also the ki refinement. Kakara's brother, Mato, had begun to research it, right? It's another possible avenue, to add to ki overdrive, conventional training, ssj training, and Dandelor's spells.
...actually, Raditz can probably skip the "normal" base cap training by abusing zenkai and senzu beans if needed, and Dandelor could possibly boost his magic by using the same tactic to quickly raise his power level and so possibly boosting his magic with more raw ki power.
- Location
- The Great Beyond
Given what our Seer abilities are doing, it might be possible for us to contact him from way far away? They certainly weren't being limited to planetary ranges when they made us a Shade way out here, nevermind the fact we can scry back home. Not sure though.
- Location
- Italy
I think that to contact Dandelor (as we can only be seen by sorcerers or seers while in shade form) we'd have to basically leave Bassoon and use present-sight/shade travel to go back to Garenhuld.
Basically, we'd have to actually go back, and that would likely take at least one action to go there, and one to come back. we might just not be able to afford it.
All in all, there's a non-zero chance Raditz might figure out the secret of FPSSJ or at least the ASSJ version, and if he can't he and Dandelor will likely pursue some of the other paths, between spells and techniques.
also... well, while we gave permission to Raditz to pursue the transformation, we never decided what to do about what comes after.
We had a nice conversation about a few potential option, from making the Senzu a third royal house, to possibly relaxing the restrictions on ssj by allowing selected people (knight order style) to pursue the transformation (preferably after being checked by both seers and mind-readers for trustworthiness, just in case), but we can't really decide until that happens, and the stronger Raditz becomes (or the more SSJs he gets under his command) the more difficult the political situation will be.
And then there's even MORE unknown factors, like how to deal with Perika's situation, if we'll be able to unlock ssj2, our connections to Namek...
and now I think I'm rambling a bit too much 😅
Wiadi
Uncompromising Radical Leftist
- Location
- Something Clever
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I mean...
For all that they're being mind-controlled here, Berra & Vegeta aren't exactly wrong. This whole affair has been a pretty damning demonstration of all the flaws and weaknesses of the old system of governance - something Raditz seems to be realizing here, or at any rate fully embracing even if he was previously aware of it to some extent. I don't think changes as minor as "status quo but with another royal house/some individuals permitted to wield greater personal but not political power" are gonna cut it, when all's said and done.
- Location
- Italy
Well, I agree the current system isn't stable. We're lucky in that, once all of this is over, Kakara and Jaffur will likely be the Scion/royals with the BEST public image in Exile history, so EVEN if we relax the restrictions of ssj powers (we still want to at least CHECK those who achieve ssj power with seers/mind readers, but I would definitely like making it more accessible) they likely wouldn't see much opposition from other super saiyans.
Also Kakara and Jaffur have some pretty big advantages anyway, like Spirit Saiyan, Ki refinement, and seer/magic powers...
And who knows... having more ssj around might result in some of them coming around with new, ssj-reliant techniques, or transformation variants.
...of course, the more ssj we have around, the bigger the risk of an unwanted ssj2 transformation happening outside of the wards is...
Bakkasama
There is always a greater fool
- Location
- Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Pronouns
- He/his
I know we gave him permission and the situation was dire enough to need it but I can't but lament the headache it would bring later on and that it might have been avoided if we used our first wish to free our people. As it is, i am more worried about such public and unmasked fights so close to the invasiin.
We really should use our free wish to solve the situation back home and we really should determine what was Dandeer's big spell to make sure it does not mess up with things before that. And we should determine who is leading the namekian invasion so that we could plan accordingly
What I am trying to say is, seer actions are probably best used to gather info instead of helping us train techniques because it gives us a better idea about what we have to do and we have already seen how important that is.
We really should use our free wish to solve the situation back home and we really should determine what was Dandeer's big spell to make sure it does not mess up with things before that. And we should determine who is leading the namekian invasion so that we could plan accordingly
What I am trying to say is, seer actions are probably best used to gather info instead of helping us train techniques because it gives us a better idea about what we have to do and we have already seen how important that is.
- Location
- Italy
about the "use wish to break Dandeer's spell"... are we even sure Porunga CAN do that?
the limits of the wishing dragons have never really been made clear.
Even if we COULD, though... Dandeer likely has other contingencies active, AND if we used a wish that way it would likely result in immediate open conflict. Dandeer might actually be spiteful enough to have prepared things so that if she falls, the Exiles fall with her.
Also Kakara (somewhat naively) doesn't want Dandeer to die, and I very much doubt a free Berra and Jaffur wouldn't go for the killing blow immediately.
About the free wish "beyond usual restrictions"... are we SURE we want to use it on that? wishes are a scarce resource, and a less limited wish than usual is even MORE valuable. Dandeer is a problem, but it won't be the last one. There's the other arcosians, of which the WEAKEST is about as strong as a FPSSJ. There's the fact we STILL don't have a way to train above FPSSJ while masking our ki (except training in heaven, which would only really be an option for Kakara at best). There's the enemy itself.
a few potential wishes:
1)ways to train without being sensed, be it an Hyperbolic Time Chamber or a garenhuld-wide anti-ki-sensing ward.
2)Informations on the Enemy itself
3)..the ssj god ritual? though unless gods are messing with our seer powers we should be able to go back and simply watch Shenron explain it to the z-warriors
4)...maybe making Kakara capable of magic? Not sure if we'd want it, as we already have quite a few things to train and that's kind of Jaffur's thing...
but really, I've wanted that time chamber for SO LONG...
Bakkasama
There is always a greater fool
- Location
- Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Pronouns
- He/his
And won't actually be clearer unless we ask. Saying that it might not be able to is not really a valid reason not to check that it could.
That would be true for any other method and we could actually know if she did if we checked, which we didn't bother doing. Even if she did think of that, rituals and specially big ones take time and resources. Basically, the longer we wait the more likely it is for herto have that and contingencies to block seer powers.
Kakara knows that as a Vegetan Dandeer would be judged by the Vegeta clan. Not much she can do either way about that.
Ignoring a solution to a current problem to save it for something that might be useful down the line is ill adviced. Specially since that current problem is getting worse the more we wait.
Furthermore, solutions to Dandeer are in short supply as well. Unless the plan is to wait until Dandelor finds away to immediately disarm any spells Dandeer might have done; I don't think there are that many magic users that are as good as her, willing to help us, trustworthy enough to keep their existance to themselves and able to mess with a magic system that us3s different concepts than their own.
Do you have any other plan other than the dragon balls to disarm the Dandeer situation? If possible that are applicable before she orders the slaughter of the aliens coming to Garenhuld?
We have a respondability to our people that should supersede the need for shinnies, specially if said shinnies are to unnilaterally decide to throw away our people's policy to limit their power level when we still have other options or information we could get from our ancestors once we breach into heaven.
Cariyaga
Handsome Gentleperson
- Location
- United States
I have serious doubt that current political structures will survive Kakara's return.
- Location
- Italy
mh.. I suppose the only one that comes to mind is "Spirit Saiyan, then boost Dandelor/Jaffur to break Dandeer's spells"
...I'm still a bit annoyed that we didn't use spirit saiyan against Dandeer at the unsealing. It would have COMPLETELY trivialized that confrontation.
...well, unless she had a counter for it, which there was a minor implication she was probably researching...
well, the two royal houses likely would. I'm still expecting that relaxing of ssj limits though. I don't think that law is sustainable long term
Cariyaga
Handsome Gentleperson
- Location
- United States
Only if we let it. We don't have to.
e: The houses, that is. Not the law.
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Wiadi
Uncompromising Radical Leftist
- Location
- Something Clever
- Pronouns
- She/Her
On top of what Cariyaga said, I'd also like to cite again Raditz's discussion with Berra & Vegeta in the last update. The singular power of the royal houses has been irrevocably called into question, as has the wisdom of allowing it. There's every chance of the system not surviving in its current form even without Kakara doing anything to dismantle it.
- Location
- Italy
well, why we could likely remove them, Kakara as a character DOES believe in the system of houses and nobles, at least to an extent.
I suppose she might want to join the two houses... though that kinda implies getting closer to Jaffur.
Still, a bit too soon to decide about that. For all that we don't fully trust their reasoning, we have to acknowledge that we SHOULD consult Yammar, Berra and Apra at the very least. The exile political situation is not exactly easy to fix, and we need to find a balance between a strong central power, strengthening the exiles as a whole, and avoiding constant civil war and upstart super saiyans trying to ruin things.
I DO agree the system is unsustainable.
Just the first problem is that the lords are too busy with micromanaging things, for example.
There's too many houses and saiyans to continue with this system.
I remember that the explanation was that Yammar-Apra were planning to slowly relax the pop limits, as a first step to a mad rush to outscale the enemy, except then Berra-Vegeta fight happened (which we suspect might have been somehow caused by Dandeer).
Once we deal with the current crisis, we WILL have to come up with a way to start scaling up the saiyans strength (research more techniques, unlock transformations, get places to train above the FPSSJ cap, preferably allow other trusted saiyans to go for ssj and above) while still keeping ourselves hidden and our society stable enough.
Bakkasama
There is always a greater fool
- Location
- Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Pronouns
- He/his
That does not mean we should dismiss everything about it, specially in the middle of a crisis. The current system might not be sustainable in the long run but we can't afford the unrest upheaving it would cause while in the middle of repelling an alien invasion and integrating ki use in Garenhuld while still keeping our existence as saiyans secret.