GambolMuse

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

This was turning into a battle what was bound to go nowhere fast. On one hand Viral was quick and could duck in and out to evade blows, yet he couldn't inflict any real damage. And while the god was incredibly durable it was too slow to normally strike him. If nothing changed soon then it would become a contest of endurance, and with the lack of sunlight it wasn't going to be in the Beastman's favor. After missing two successive attacks the creature was becoming a little bit flustered, having difficulty keeping up with his opponents quicker movements. Matters were only further complicated when a sudden and unexpected explosion tore through the roof of the temple, bringing the fight to a temporary pause as everyone looked towards the sound. The female had caused it, though the reason behind her destroying his home he couldn't say. All the creature knew was it was bothersome, and for the moment his violent intentions turned towards Yumi. Like Viral she was too quick, and after missing yet another strike a boulder fell onto the creature's head. It wasn't enough to do damage despite its large size, but big enough at least to confuse it temporarily. That was all the opening that Viral would need.

Still staggering a bit the creature barely had time to register what the Beastman was doing with his energy. When the attack was fired there was no helping it, the blast was going to hit. Taking the shot right in the upper left portion of its chest the creature made another rather loud sound of discomfort. The blast managed to chip away some padding, making it crack and flake off as it fell to the ground in chunks. The blast did not exclusively stay contained on the armor, and as things settled Viral could likely see some singed flesh around the impact zone. Fur had been burnt away to reveal the skin underneath, fair red from the heat of the attack. Lifting its hand to cover the wound for a moment the creature glared at Viral, furious now for being injured, however minutely. It also became precariously aware that it could indeed be injured by this alien, now caution was needed. "A burn... And a few cuts. Is this all you can inflict?" the god chided. Already it had picked up that Viral had a bit of a temper, it could exploit that and perhaps make him make a mistake. Then, without even seeing any hint of it another blast hit the creature, this time in its unprotected lower back. Howling angrily it reached back with its hand again, feeling more charred skin and burnt fur where it had hit. A look back confirmed it was the female once more.

Yumi had taken cover as the roof was collapsing, and with the debris done falling she opted to play more of a part in the fight. Having some sunlight in the room was helping both Viral's power and her nerves, now she felt far more comfortable. Having landed a successful attack too only served to embolden her, though not to the point of foolishness. While she knew this was still Viral's fight she'd only throw in the occasional attack, enough to pretty much be an obnoxious mosquito. This had to be his battle, she'd only intervene if absolutely necessary. This attack had just been for fun.

That girl was definitely a nuisance. but she wasn't the primary threat. Her attack hadn't hurt nearly as much as Viral's had, and she didn't have two swords. Bothersome as she may be she wasn't going to be the target, not yet anyways. Turning back towards Viral the creature moved both hands to the Beastman's side, and dismissing any caution about what it was doing it then tried to clamp both hands around the alien, hoping to crush it in its grasp.

The fighting was effectively over now, and T'charrl had to be seen to then. Takeshi didn't so much have a problem with that as he did with not knowing what to do. A brief flashback of the mention of food gave him an idea, and he promptly retrieved the cart of food for his friend to eat. While it didn't seem to do the trick entirely it calmed the Kaesstrian enough to talk at least, a good start if nothing else. Things like this happened quite a bit in their group, he wasn't truly inexperienced when it came to people sort of... Snapping. Hell, he was guilty of it pretty often himself, it was something he knew all too well. Never was someone happy with themselves after the episode, and sure enough T'charrl stayed true to that form. Takeshi couldn't help but feel sympathetic, it wasn't a very appealing thing to go through. Nor was it helpful to think your power was getting away from you, as his friend seemed to be lamenting over.

"Maybe you shouldn't. I mean it did get away from you after one fight." Takeshi said, crossing his arms before looking at T'charrl sternly. "Or you can call it a fluke and keep going. Things like this happen, and one or two instances don't make you incompetent or unable to keep yourself under control. Until any of us master our power it's going to happen, it's a fact that I've had to accept after doing what you just did gods know how many times." Softening up a little he smiled, dropping his arms and giving T'charrl's shoulder a gentle patting. "I might have saved you this time, sure, but that doesn't mean you'll need saving again. Have more confidence in yourself and you won't need anyone else to help you out if it happens again. I mean come on T'charrl, you're the first of your kind in space. You beat General Yusef, you can fight these creatures. If anyone can get themselves sorted out it's you."

As to where the creature had gone off to Takeshi could only offer a clueless shrug. It wasn't in the den, and as far as he was concerned that was all that mattered. They would find it later at some point, especially if they enlisted the help of others to track it down. The monster's demise wasn't a question of if, but when. Hopefully T'charrl wouldn't beat himself up too much over it escaping then. Seeing as how there was no longer any immediate danger Takeshi went over to the den's entrance, kneeling down and poking his head inside. "Shu? It's safe now, you can bring them out!" he called, his voice echoing through the systems that led inside. Pulling himself out and back to his feet the Saiyan smiled a bit, satisfied with what they did manage to accomplish. One of them was dead anyways, and the other near so. Plus the child was safe now, that was a job well done. What he wasn't so thrilled with however was his performance in that fight, particularly with his sword. Glancing at the hilt sticking over his shoulder he gave it a small nudge, debating on taking it out of the sheath again before dismissing the idea with a sigh. "Why bother...? I can't use it..." he mumbled, dropping his hands into his pockets and scuffing his foot against the dirt. He needed lessons, no doubt about it. The question then was who did he go to; T'charrl, or Viral?

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"That one punch seems to have done the job," the creature replied, picking himself back up and flexing his beefy fingers. "Do not underestimate the power of a single strike. Sometimes that is all it takes." So this one was going to play the bravado card, typical. There had been many like him before, none of which had ever lived to try doing it again. So it would be then this ones fate to join the others in oblivion for his foolishness. Watching curiously as Viral gathered energy in his crest the creature held still, assuming he would have to block an attack once more. As the energy fizzled out instead the mech began to run at him, and of course the god tried to smack away the smaller opponent, wanting to keep him at arm's length. One fist slammed into the ground just to the right, missing as the Beastman swerved. His other hand slammed flat on the ground, missing as well as it smashed through the tiled flooring and stuck in the ground. Sluggish as it was the creature could do little when Viral slipped under him, and a sharp pang along his inner leg told him he had been struck. Grumbling angrily the creature lifted up its hands, lifting a foot and trying unsuccessfully to step on and crush his opponent. Seeing nothing beneath its foot the large being turned itself around, glowering down at Viral. "Stop this nonsense, it's a frugal effort."

Yumi was doing her best to stay out of the way, trying to leave the fighting up to Viral as he wanted. There wasn't nearly as much concern as there had been initially, the 'god' was pretty slow and a big target, so in all it should be a fair easy battle. That one punch did make her worry a little for a moment, yet her friend picked himself right up and got back to the fray, hardly showing signs of slowing down. Indeed she would have well kept out of the matter entirely were it not for the failed attack on Viral's part grabbing her attention. Seeing his crest flicker like it did alerted her to a rather serious problem; sunlight was all but nonexistent in this place. Viral's ability may be new to her, but it was a safe guess it used his energy to maintain it. With no sun to help fuel his powers he'd run out sooner or later, and that mech was probably his ticket to winning. By that end they needed a way to get sunlight into the building, and a lot of it. With the creature's back to her she took the opportunity to fly on up towards the ceiling, looking around for any sign of a skylight or window but finding none. That wasn't such a big problem, they could improvise. Hopefully the structure was going to handle it well.

"All you're doing is bothering me, little one. Can't you see your struggle is fruitless?" The creature took a step towards Viral again, a little bit of blood seeping from its wound as the leg was extended and contorted again. "Spare yourself a painful death and submit. I am merciful, I will make it quick, as I do for all of my sacrifices. You need not suffer if you give in." An arm lifted into the air again, the hand balling into a tight fist that was primed to slam down on Viral again. Before it could so much as move an inch however there was a loud blast that echoed behind the fighting pair, following by the sound of large rocks crumbling and others hitting the floor. Baffled the creature turned its head, surprised to see a gaping hole put into the ceiling of its home. And there, floating in the middle of it, was the female, covered in dirt and dust from the blast. How dare she defile his temple like that, did she have no regard for his position? Deciding she should be dealt with first he turned around once more, swinging out at her angrily. "I'll kill you first... For ruining my home..." His attack missed, and the creature let out a sound of displeasure as a rock fell down, clocking him on the head before tumbling to the ground.

Takeshi was relieved that the creature didn't get into the cave, not entirely sure where it was going otherwise. Perhaps they had managed to scare it off, were they so lucky. Even if that were the case he fully intended on remaining where they were for the time being, just to make sure the natives were going to be safe. Not only that but there was the small matter of T'charrl's transformation to contend with. While it was new to the Saiyan the idea of becoming feral wasn't, he'd plenty of experience between Shu and Viral. So as with them he opted to go for a sort of gentle approach, hoping perhaps to talk down his friend. Making sure not to do anything that would come across as threatening Takeshi gave what reassurance he could, keeping distance enough not to give the wrong impression. Seeing the Kaesstrian struggle to bring himself down from his violent high he tried to come up with a means to help, rubbing at his head thoughtfully. Finally an idea hit him, and with a snap of his fingers the Saiyan smiled brightly.

"Hang on a second! I know what might help!" Recalling what was said earlier Takeshi hurried over to the cart, glad to find it was still untouched despite all the mayhem that had taken place. Grabbing hold of the handles he dragged it back to the entrance of the den, dropping it down before T'charrl and gesturing to it hopefully. He had said food helped him stay calm, so a nice meal should be just the ticket to get him back to himself. "And so the thing got away, no big deal right? It's not attacking the den, so it's not a threat. Besides, I'm sure we'll find it before we leave here, not like a crippled monster can go all that far." Sort of a problem that the thing didn't bleed, that meant no trail to follow. One way or another they'd dig up the creature, perhaps literally, and see it was done in. Couldn't risk it still wandering around after all.

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

Having great size made one an awfully formidable opponent. Not to mention the strength that came with it, and the durability a thick hide and stone-like plating that cover vitals offered. Of course, a downside was the speed, or rather lack thereof. In a universe dominated by individuals that could break the sound barrier the creature was sorely lacking in that department, perhaps traveling as quickly as the speed of molasses on a good day. At least that's hows sluggish its movements seemed compared to the deft ones of Viral and his Enki. Another swipe turned out to go poorly, and as a result the 'god' had the back of his hand stabbed, this being a bit more painful than the Beastman's little daggers. Groaning in discomfort it pulled its hand away, a bit late as Viral was already leaping to a new spot. Glowing eyes trained on his target it immediately recognized where he was going and with no small degree of effort shifted itself, stepping to the side to all but avoid being latched onto again. Seeing his opponent slip by the creature balled its hand into a fist this time, throwing a truck sized punch in his direction to try and squish Viral.

The creature was struggling just to even see, the wide gash being quite inconvenient for such a purpose. Its face felt like it was on fire, and every time it opened its eyes a searing pain washed across its visage. Like its counterpart before it was going to have to sacrifice something to remedy this, and slowly one of its smaller hind legs began to wisp away, leaving it with but three limbs to move on. Able to open its eyes the beast had blurry vision at first, yet it was enough to make out a large figure advancing towards it. Growling throatily it recognized the figure as the dusty one, a bit dejected it wasn't something it could eat. Being a bit immobilized now there wasn't a good chance of fighting them, and this survival instincts kicked in. Rearing back slightly and letting out an angry roar to try and intimidate its opponents it then melted down into the ground, and moving along swiftly in spite of a missing limb then it began to run off. Unbeknownst to either of the fighters it was moving towards the mountain range, the very same that Viral and Yumi had traveled to. If it could get there in time it could heal and perhaps try again, and get a new partner while it was at it.

Takeshi figured they had the thing killed, seeing it blind and limp. Before T'charrl could even get anywhere near it however the monster had vanished, seeping into the ground and going goodness knows where. His first instinct was to go to the den, so forgoing the Kaesstrian briefly he soared down over to the native's home. Touching down on the grass he looked about for any signs of the beast, sword in his hand ready to strike out again. There wasn't a single indication it was over here, and when he poked his head into the tunnel to take a look he couldn't see anything either. Even if that one was gone they couldn't leave, not until they were sure it was safe. That didn't mean there wasn't other matters of business to attend to however. Looking back at T'charrl he smiled sympathetically, for the most part putting together what had happened to his friend. After carefully sheathing his sword Takeshi went over to him, putting his hands up defensively in case things might be a little sketchy right now. "T'charrl? It's gone, we don't have to keep fighting, so you can calm down now," he explained politely, not wanting to give any cause for the Kaesstrian to become angry. "It's like we said, just take control of your power. You control it, it doesn't control you."

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"The sacrifice of one young for my protection of a race, that does not seem unfair to me," the creature replied, waving one of his massive hands. "One life amongst thousands is a small price to pay. They sate my hunger and in turn I deter invaders and aid them with my children. How is that such a poor exchange?" This little one knew nothing by the sounds of it. He couldn't well understand after all, not being from this world. The 'god' was not going to be angry over this, one couldn't be angry over ignorance. He would try to make Viral see it his way, or simply be rid of him, it was that plain in his eyes. "Let's be done with this... I'm still waiting on my meal..." Figuring this alien was a small order he reached out, simply trying to grab hold of Viral and crush him in his grasp. Surprisingly the little thing had fangs, or swords as it were, and knew how to use them. Catching a blade along the palm of the hand the creature grumbled in discomfort, pulling the appendage away and curling it up protectively. Eyes locked on the mech he paid careful mind to it as it jumped into the air, not expecting a rain of knives to come from the alien. The only thing it could well do was lift up an arm, blocking the majority of the projectiles with the plating on said limb. A few got through, piercing his skin along the unprotected bits of his arm as well as his gut. They were so small it was hardly more than a minor nuisance, and quickly enough the god swung out an arm again, trying to catch Viral in mid air.

Takeshi had no clue where his pursuer had gone by now, yet he kept running anyways. Eventually though when all he could hear was his own breathing he stopped, holding his sword at the ready well preparing for an attack. It was a little eerie standing in the grass like this, he couldn't well see anything around him unless it charged directly towards him. It could have slipped off, which would be very worrying. Hopefully T'charrl was ready to fight then, he may be the only thing standing between the monster and the den. While looking around himself the Saiyan frowned hearing a sharp hissing sound, not recognizing it as anything right away. It sounded a ways off, but it was still loud enough to grab his attention. Takeshi rose up out of the grass slowly, looking towards the source of the noise confused. When he spotted T'charrl, hunched over the slowly disappearing remains of a monster his eyes widened in surprise. Something wasn't right, the Kaesstrian didn't look himself. Concerned now the Saiyan began to fly back over, but as he was doing so the second creature finally made itself known. Takeshi didn't even see it jump up, all he felt was a figure slam into him and nearly tear him out of the sky. Half in panic and just trying to stay aloft he pushed on, rising up as he did so while struggling with the sudden added weight. The monster clung onto him around his waist, its claws digging into his side uncomfortably as it tried to hang on.

"Agh...! Let go of me damn it!" Takeshi finally stopped once he was a fair height in the air, glaring down at the creature angrily. Again it tried to pull at him, making him waver in the air and wince at the prodding. It wasn't enough to break the skin, but it was akin to a nasty rug burn, and quite uncomfortable then. Shaking himself a bit to try and break free he finally opted to use the sword, first smashing at the creature's head with the hilt. When that didn't do the trick he adjusted his grip, and with as much force as he could muster he drove the blade down, right in between the eyes of the monster. Emitting a loud roar it finally released him, tumbling towards the ground at great speeds before finally landing a little ways off from T'charrl, knocking up a big plume of dust upon landing. The creatures eyes were both squeezed shut in pain, a horizontal slice nearly reaching both of them. Blindly it got to its feet, sniffing the air for the Saiyan and growling angrily all the while. "T'charrl, careful!"

Far From Home

Suto had a bit of a fun time during Jason's conversation, if only because he enjoyed mocking the English speaker a bit. Normally he would be perfectly polite, but with the stress of what was coming weighing down on him he needed some sort of release. Still, he did it for the most part beneath his breath, whispering to those beside him whenever something that baffled them came up. The translator imbedded into the game was just sad in its effectiveness, it missed an awful lot by the sound of things. They knew a little English, granted, yet hardly enough to keep up with a fluent speaker. Suto was able to follow the gist of the conversation through Nero and Kenshin's remarks, aside from his own quips he remained silent himself. Luna kept quiet too, in part not keen on speaking and the other being simply too nervous. The unsettling nature of combat was still hanging heavily over her. They were about to encounter a boss, or a pseudo-boss, she supposed. A boss meant trouble, and the loss of someone, or perhaps multiple someone's. Needless to say the death of Yari was still effecting her, casting an ominous shadow over the entire group that threatened to engulf each and every one of them were they not at their peaks. Luna silently demanded of herself to make not a single mistake, not a single hair out of line. So long as she could keep to that, and the others as well, they were all going to be fine.

---

The next morning...

---

The battle with the dragon was upon them at last. Collectively everyone had opted to take the evening to recuperate and plan, gather their wits and get a meal in as well. Waking refreshed then the party was as prepared as they could be, and with the dragon's lair before them it was at last time to finish the quest. Inside they were greeted with the sight of an enormous cavern, spires of rock protruding from every which way. Stalagmites and stalactites if Suto remembered rightly, it had been a while since he'd learned of those. He knew the words of course, but not which was which, so he kept his mouth closed to save face. In the center of the room stood the woman they were searching for, unguarded albeit chained up. Everyone knew of course what was going to happen upon her freeing, yet they had to do that in order to initiate the final part of the quest. Kenshin went right on ahead and freed the girl, letting the NPCs comfort one another as the players prepared for the battle that was to come, and it indeed come. The dragon wasted no time on making an entrance, making liberal use of a grandeur fire, its black scaled hide shining like an obelisk, and the white crown gleaming in the artificial light. Mordred, Slayer of Kings. Well, Suto mused, it was a pretty good thing none of them were kings.

The battle began in earnest almost immediately, Kenshin and Alphard leading the charge. Seeing as both of them were lightly armored and more suited for single targets Luna and Suto would play support, switching out when need be in order to relieve the more armored players. When their turns did come each managed to land a succession of quick blows, both with daggers and throwing picks alike, but neither could inflict a lot of harm. Simply put their play-styles made them far better at singular encounters, and not ones against an opponent like this dragon with high defensive stats. Regardless they tried to do their part, hammering Mordred with as many strikes as they could before retreating. This process would repeat for a little while, and slowly but surely they were whittling down Mordred's health. If this kept up they would most certainly triumph. However, this was Sword Art Online, nothing was as easy as it seemed here. One moment you could be on top of the world and the very next it would come crashing down around you, crushing you beneath its enormous girth. This was going to be one such situation.

Things went downhill as soon as Kenshin had switched in with Jason. In spite of having fair full health Jason opted to step back, letting in his counterpart get in a few flourishes. With the dragon's health precariously low surely it would have been fine, they should have been able to land the final blows. A snowballing of disastrous effects began to unfold, and would ultimately lead to the loss of yet another life. In the midst of his overhead, leaping strike Kenshin was knocked aside by the dragon's head, sending him careening away. Normally he would have been fine, having more than enough health and armor to sustain a blow like that. As the game had other plans the player was instead sent the way of a stalagmite, soon finding himself impaled on the formation. All of the armor in the world did him no good then, his health steadily decreasing as he fought to free himself. Never to show mercy the game continued its assault, determined to destroy yet another part of their group. In spite of their efforts to draw Mordred away the dragon insisted on finishing off his prey, a rather uncharacteristic move even for a unique monster. Everyone could only watch as the quest's boss reared his head back, engulfing Kenshin in a disgustingly brilliant flurry of flames. In the brief yet powerful attack their friend was all but melted away, and when the fires subsided sure enough nothing remained, save for a single ring that fell to the floor. While Alphard went into an emotional breakdown the others rallied over their comrade's death, angrily striking at the dragon all at once. The combined efforts proved to do the trick, and in spite of the hits taken the dragon was soon no more. A banner rose into the air congratulating the party on a job well done, and a small fanfare signaled the quest's end. Like the boss before it was a hollow victory, no one cheered or congratulated the other. The room was filled with a heavy atmosphere, no one quite ready to speak or even acknowledge their spoils.

Suto just stood by as the others went around them, staring at the stalagmite which had ultimately ended Kenshin's life. This wasn't fair, that shouldn't have been able to happen. To make their friend be impaled like that just seemed too coincidental, too precise to have randomly happened. He refused to believe it had been a freak accident, it had to have been somehow planned by the game. How in the world were they supposed to compete against something like that? As if the game weren't bad enough already now there were situations that could rend them helpless and as good as dead. Fighting back and dying was one thing, you had a chance then. Kenshin was dead as soon as he was impaled though, that wasn't fair, it wasn't right, and it pissed him off. So intently focused on the spot of their friend's demise he scarcely noticed another person had joined them, only turning when he heard Nero speaking to someone. Staring at the cloaked player curiously he wondered where in the hells she had come from, and why she hadn't helped if she'd been here the whole time. It may have been unfounded, but Suto was directing some of his anguish and anger towards the newcomer, in part blaming her for what had become of Kenshin. With a look of daggers he followed the figure towards the exit with his gaze which promptly widened seeing a familiar face there. He couldn't be mistaken, it was that girl from the other day, the one he had comforted. How in the world was she here, and alone too? Before he could so much as voice a question however both players left, letting the group get back to their misery.

Exhaling heavily under his breath Suto looked over at Alphard who was still grieving, and understandably so. She and Kenshin had been close, that fact hadn't been lost on any of them. In a world where people could literally disappear in a blink of an eye relationships meant everything, more so even than in the real world. So to lose someone that you loved, he couldn't fathom that pain. Sure, he had loved Mizuki, but not in the same context that these two had with one another. Not content with letting anyone bear the agony on their own Suto went to Alphard, kneeling beside her wordlessly for a moment as he stared at the ground. There was nothing that could be said to make this okay and he knew it, but he desperately wanted to say something. All of the death around them, two dead friends now, it was evident that the wear and tear of SAO was getting to them. "He's still with you..." he offered, looking at Alphard with a sad smile as he gestured to the ring. "Keep it with you at all times and you've never completely lost him... He'll be like a guardian angel from now on, you know?" It was a lame attempt at comfort, but he really didn't know what more to say. Regardless Suto remained where he was, willing to offer whatever aid he could.

---

A few hours later...

---

This inn was quickly becoming a place of misery and heartache. Both times they had returned here it had been under grievous circumstances, it was definitely then time for a change of scenery. That was going to have to wait for the time being as Nero had slipped off, and the group wanted to wait for him to return before departing. This time no hollow celebration was going to remedy their moods, and in spite of all their accrued wealth and other spoils there was no satisfaction with what had been accomplished. All for some stupid NPC, Suto remarked bitterly. Sat alone in his own room he had his hands folded in his lap, head hung low as he stared at the floorboards beneath his feet. They had taken on the quest to save an NPC, someone who would respawn if killed. They had lost a friend in the aftermath of the battle, but that damn collection of numbers, she was fine. She would have been fine even if they failed, that wouldn't have changed. Harboring a fair bit of resentment was an understatement, at the moment Suto loathed the game and all it stood for. He wanted to clear it now, if for no reason else other than just to spite it. To show that they were better than it and could triumph even in the face of unjust battles and unorthodox traps. They would survive, and they were going to beat this game, he was certain of it. Come hell or high water he'd drag himself through it, half dead if need be, to see the end. What's more he was determined now to take a burden upon himself, one that perhaps was a bit excessive. He was already a clearer, at the forefront of the battles as it were. Now however Suto had another calling, one that may in fact be his downfall some day. He had survived thus far for a reason, and he had the experience of dangerous battles to keep him that way. Therefore, he reasoned, he should be helping other players in whatever manner he could, that would be his goal from now on. He'd still clear floors, but this would become his ultimate motive for becoming stronger.

Luna on the other hand had no such illustrious or lofty goals for herself. In spite of doing her best in training she wasn't proving to be much of a force in the battles they undertook. Perhaps it was just her class, maybe she should have gone with more of a damage dealer. She had her two handed skill on top of her throwing skill, yet she felt incompetent with a blade. Now she too felt incompetent with throwing items, having not had any sort of impact in their latest encounter. Indeed, useless was probably the best word to define herself right now. She had broken down after Yari's death, done nothing to avenge Kenshin's. Even before that she had nearly died, and constantly needed saving on someone else's behalf. What more was she then other than a liability? She was a clearer, yes, but only because of those who she associated herself with. On her own she'd no doubt be back on Floor 1, living her imprisoned life away amongst those too scared to progress. All of her efforts, her ethic and her tireless hours spent training, what were they for? She was a failure as far as she was concerned, and failure was a terrible thing for her. For anyone really, but particularly for a girl whose parents emphasized success. Failure was the ultimate shortcoming, and she had achieved it and then some. Blinking away tears as they continued to slip down her cheeks Luna pulled her knees tighter, hiding her face against them as she curled up in her bed. Maybe she should just resign from being a Clearer, live away the rest of this game in the safety of a town. Maybe it would be cleared and she would return home, or maybe not. Either way at least then she would be safe and wouldn't have to see her friends die. And someone actually capable could take her place.

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

Yumi was adamant about helping Viral still, regardless of the sheer scale of their foe. Yet the words he had given her, they didn't have the same bite to them as the ones before. He was still in a way telling her to leave this to him, but in a manner that expressed concern even. Really his tone hadn't been much different, but for someone who knew him as well as she did it had been enough. While she wouldn't utterly leave the place still she would give him the space he wanted to battle, for the time being at least. Nodding her head Yumi moved herself over to one of the innermost pillars, leaning against it and trying to relax herself. Just the size difference between the creature and Viral had her all worked up, and they hadn't even seen what it could do just yet. Yumi swallowed back a bit of her nerves, her gaze locked on her friend while he moved back a ways from their opponent. Curiosity spread across her features watching him take on a strange stance, and her eyes widened a bit seeing the glowing energy he gathered. When he disappeared into said energy, and what resulted from it all had her jaw near on the floor in shock. Viral, if this was indeed still the Beastman she knew, was now a giant mech, wielding two blades and sporting a pretty angry face to boot. Since when in the world had he been able to do that?

"Advantage...? I guide them and ask for payment in turn for my services... I see no one taking advantage here," the creature pointed out, speaking in an almost bored monotone. "I must warn you little one, it is not wise to threaten me. I'll not say it again, leave this place now." Quite the boisterous critter this man was turning out to be. What was he supposed to be anyways, the champion of the people? It was amusing in a way how blissfully unaware of the situation he seemed to be, and how determined he was to tackle this battle on his own. Like Yumi he was curious when the Beastman released the energy, watching with an unwavering gaze as the Enki was formed before his very eyes. Now that was an interesting little trick, it earnestly had the 'god' intrigued in his opponent now. Cocking his head to the side a bit when a stance was assumed by Viral the creature sincerely wasn't sure what to make of it. Yes he had gotten bigger, but the creature still wasn't exactly imposing. Letting out a soft sigh he began to reach out with one hand, trying to grab up Viral and simply squash him. "Nevertheless, you're going to die all the same," the creature remarked, "now though however die in a tin coffin."

Were he not trying to not be eaten right now Takeshi may actually have had a moment to enjoy his brief victory. Getting some clearly good strikes with the sword did some good to bolster his confidence with a blade, and maybe he could actually do something with it. Just as he was getting a rhythm going the second monster intervened, and it was all he could do to lie against the injured one to avoid being tackled. With one out of the way for the moment he could focus on the other, at least making it a one on one. Sending a quick look to the nearby den he opted to run off again, this time heading towards the grass. Diving right into the brush he sent a look over his shoulder, bittersweet that his plan was working. Takeshi figured he could try to confuse it in here, perhaps even make it get lost. If he could get the element of surprise then he should be able to slay the creature... Provided his work with the sword hadn't been just a fluke. Hearing the beast's ragged and ferocious breathing behind him he picked up the pace, throwing in a little zig-zag in his step as he tried to throw his chaser off his path.

Back by the den the injured creature was having a difficult time of things. While its kind didn't bleed it could still be injured, and the sword had certainly done the job. Mist was slipping out of its deep wounds now, and it had trouble getting up. That problem was further complicated when a large weight slammed onto its back, knocking it back into the dirt. Now the dusty one was on top of it, and with a near lame arm it could get up properly. Feeling the claws dig into its hide the monster roared angrily, trying to shake its attacker off as best it could to no avail. The gashes were made bigger, and with it more mist escaped from the wounds. The area around the injuries remained intact, but if T'charrl was to look down he'd notice that the hind legs of the beast were beginning to vanish. A curious thing about the monsters and how they worked. If a portion of them was lopped off it vanished, much like on the ship. Now, with a vital area in risk, it could sacrifice other parts of it to protect said areas, in this case a leg. However as the Kaesstrian continued to work it over the monster had to forgo more and more of itself, beginning to whittle away steadily. If this was kept up then pretty soon there would be no more beast.

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

Yumi couldn't believe the sheer size of what they were going up against. It didn't quite look like a person, though it was definitely humanoid in shape. Having two trunk-like legs that had stone plating along the front there were again tufts of green fur sticking out where the cover wasn't, and similar armor plated the creature's feet and waist. Its torso had what looked almost like a medieval styled chest-plate on, though there were intermittent gaps on each side, symmetrical to one another. The beast's hands looked like just two massive globs on the ends of its arms, and when it uncurled its fingers there was a definite grinding sound of rock rubbing against rock, making Yumi cringe uncomfortably. What had her attention most of all was its head though, and those searing yellow eyes that stared down at them. The eyes sat in sunken sockets, and the being's head was fair squarely shaped, having what looked like a crown of stone on its head and small plates on either side of its head as well as one wrapping around its jaw. The armor was curious enough, and the proportions of it all, having a rather large wide torso and shoulders as well as arms told her it was going to be pretty strong. Not an easy fight no doubt, and to make matters worse Viral went right ahead and decided to yell at the thing. Shooting him a look when she was questioned Yumi put a hand on her hip, pointing towards the creature indignantly. "Yes I can still help! You think you're so well suited for fighting a giant rock... Thing?"

The creature wasn't quite sure what to make of this display, though it was a little amusing. These two seemed to be companions of sorts, judging by how they spoke to one another. Fair close too, they seemed, which made it even more curious. The female was awfully fiery, or timid, he couldn't quite tell with her being all over the place, and the male just really sort of seemed like he didn't want to be here. Letting out another loud yawn the creature lifted one of its massive hands, rubbing at its head and squatting down, training its gaze directly on the pair. "Put me down...? Two tiny beings like you...?" he asked, blinking confused. What a silly idea. "Do you not know who I am little one? I cannot be 'put down' as you say. Now... I'm expecting a snack. If you're not it then leave, I've no use of you. Give me reason to further acknowledge you or..." he paused, yawning into his hand, "Or I'm going back to my nap..."

T'charrl at least had training with the sword, he knew what to do with the thing. Having a crazy warrior queen as a mother and a general as a father meant he'd been given tons of practice that would make him a superb swordsman by comparison. Yet the Kaesstrian wanted nothing to do with it, he was still adamant about handing it back. Not exactly keen on accepting the weapon Takeshi ultimately did so, albeit begrudgingly, grabbing the hilt and looking at the blade with a sigh. These things didn't bleed at all, the blade was as clean as it was when he'd gotten it. Undamaged too now that he examined the blade, which meant the metal was pretty tough, having pierced the monster's hides unscathed. "It's mine... But I've got no idea how to use it..." Takeshi admitted, letting out a soft sigh. "Viral was right... I've got absolutely no idea what I'm doing." Now wasn't exactly the time to be trying to learn either, it was definitely an inconvenient time too. Their brief reprieve from the action wasn't going to last much longer, he noticed, looking back at the creatures. With the two of them out of the way the monsters had started to run towards the den, perhaps hoping to slip by.

"No you don't!" Takeshi dashed down after the pair of creatures, speeding along as quick as he could to gain on them. Being a fair deal faster he caught up pretty quickly only to realize per usual he had no real course of action. Cussing under his breath he put together a hasty plan, and perhaps in a flash of foolishness he landed on the back of one of the creatures. Adjusting the sword in his right hand he drove the blade straight down, driving it into the shoulder of the beast. A loud howl was emitted then, making him recoil as his ears were assaulted, though he held firm on his weapon. Yanking it free he drove it down yet again, landing just between the shoulders and inciting another pained cry. Doing his best he ripped it out one last time, this time imbedding it into the neck of the monster. This last blow proved to be particularly effective, and with a few more staggered steps the creature slowed and finally fell onto its front, splayed out and panting tiredly. Takeshi removed his blade from it, lifting it once again to bring it back down. Before he could connect the second creature darted at him, and he narrowly avoided being knocked off as he leaned down, pressing flush against the one below him as the other sailed past. Seeing as how he was the center of attention again the Saiyan jumped off, moving back away from the den to try and make the creatures follow.

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"I'm not telling you how to fight Viral, I just want you to be careful while fighting..." Yumi said, still a fair bit meek in the dark. "There's a difference." She wasn't trying to dictate his every move, or if it came across that way then it wasn't the intent. All she wanted was for him to be safe, that shouldn't be such an absurd request coming from a friend. After the indignant spook from a little rodent she shot Viral a nasty gaze when he poked at her fears, only sticking her tongue out and letting go. She still felt that suffocating sensation that came when being in the dark, but her annoyance overrode that for the most part. Still, she held her own arms again, looking around for some kind of light. "Maybe I did get better eyesight, maybe I just don't know how to use it..." Yumi remarked, shrugging her shoulders. There had to be some kind of light around here, she couldn't stay in the black like this. Holding one hand out then she began to meander around the temple, trying to find a switch, or even a torch to light. Not seeing much made things definitively more difficult, and goodness knows where the torches might even be if there were any.

Yumi kept up her blind escapade, desperate to find a light source. She managed to find an interior pillar more than once, and the wall, but no lights. Using the faint glow of the door as her starting point she opted to travel deeper inside, becoming infinitely more timid the further she went. To Viral who could see in the dark she must look absurd, shuffling about like an old woman as she was. The temple itself was proving to be larger than she thought, and more than once she figured she would have reached the end only to find there was yet more room to go. Eventually she was ready to turn back, figuring this place was most likely abandoned. Before she did her hand finally reached out and touched something she had yet to touch. It was cool to the touch like the stone, but felt a bit more rough, nothing like the polished finish of the structure. Confused she ran her hand along the surface, moving up and down to try and figure out what it was. Eventually her hand slipped off of the rocky surface and found what felt like fur, but that wasn't right. Why would there be fur? As her hand raked across the hairs there was a loud snorting noise that came from directly before her, making her cringe as her sensitive ears were rattled a bit by the sound. With the noise came the lighting of several pyres spread throughout the temple, lighting down in a line from the very back where she stood towards the doors. Once the final one was lit they could see inside almost as plain as day, and she could see what she had been prodding at.

Face to face with what she'd thought to be a wall she soon realized it was a foot, covered in a stone plate with tufts of brownish fur poking out from between it. Moving her gaze up the limb she took a step back, eyes widening seeing a leg, then another. The legs led to a torso, and that to arms and finally a head, with bright yellow eyes, staring directly down at her. Blinking owlishly for a second she finally managed to get her wits, making an indescribable sound of surprise before rushing back towards Viral. Turning herself around she looked at the creature again, astonished at how massive it was. She had been touching that?

The creature wasn't quite sure as to what was going on here. It had been sleeping per usual when something had begun tugging at its foot, rousing it from its slumber. Now that it was awake he was greeted with the sight of two... Well he wasn't sure what they were, but two little peoples staring up at him. Were they his sacrifices? Or maybe a snack? Letting out a bellowing yawn the creature slowly rose up off of his makeshift throne, his head almost reaching the ceiling as he stood at full height. Rubbing at his head he then looked down at the pair again, cocking his head to the side. "And who are you two...? My dinner?"

Takeshi may well have to admit he was a little over his head. First he hadn't been able to finish off one of the monsters despite shoving his sword right into its chest. What should have been a surefire kill only resulted in ticking off the creature, and his partner too. Trying to capitalize on his weapon then he'd gone after the second, only to have the blade lodge into the beast and remain there as he was swatted away. Now here he was, hovering in the air like a dolt with no weapon, and ergo no means of hurting these things. "I didn't mean to let it go! The thing was just stuck!" he whined, gesturing down to his weapon fitfully. Now he had to pull it out, right from the creature's shoulder where he was well in position to be munched on. Oh this really wasn't going to be fun. Takeshi again couldn't understand the degree of respect and value placed in his blade, watching as T'charrl went right after the weapon. Rolling his eyes in exasperation the Saiyan took after him, not wanting to let his friend go it alone.

The creature had turned its head to try and yank the blade free with its teeth, finding having a sword stuck in itself quite annoying. Try as it might its neck simply wasn't long enough, the blade wasn't going anywhere. Diverting his attention then as the dusty one came flying towards it the monster growled lowly, reeling on its hind legs before taking a swipe with its claws. Managing to miss both hits it let out a sharp yelp as the blade was yanked free, causing a deep gash on its shoulder that made it topple over, temporarily though. Fair soon it was back on its feet, only to get knocked down again as the Saiyan rammed into its head, hitting it square with his feet. Dazed it laid down for a moment as its partner went on the attack, growling angrily when their prey took to the air and well out of their reach.

"Ow... Ow... It's like kicking a steel wall..." Takeshi mumbled as he rose up, reaching down and giving his legs a rubbing. These things were solid as heck, that was for sure. At least they had gotten the sword back, that meant they could actually do some damage now. Small problem however, he couldn't well make use of the weapon properly. It was a sorry thing to admit, but he was useless with the sword. "T'charrl...? How about you use that thing from now on?" he called, smiling sheepishly as he scratched at his cheek. "I'm not very good with it... So uh... You attack and I'll help, sound good?"

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"I kind of meant more along the lines of 'You distract it' or 'You switch in when I need a break', but I guess I can play secretary," Yumi remarked, huffing and giving a dramatic roll of her eyes. She'd thought they were past the whole going back to the ship, now that they were here on the supposed battlefield. Apparently not. Too bad for Viral then, she was definitely going to be staying at this point. Figuring she'd lay on her annoyance she looked up at her friend, talking in a mock sweet tone as she waved a hand in the air idly. "Can I get you some coffee too while I'm at it, Mr. Viral? Or maybe a back massage?" Yumi wasn't wanting to get annoyed, but for some reason her friend's remarks struck her as sexist, even when she plainly new they weren't. It had been quite the issue growing up, always being cast aside in sparring matches and fights simply for being a girl. Perhaps it was because this was reminiscent of those cases that she felt annoyed.

Figuring she was probably making feel Viral feel awful now she reeled in her remarks, exhaling to calm herself. "I'm sorry Viral... I just don't want to go back. I'll drop it now." Were they to fight together they couldn't well be arguing, that just bode poorly. Mistakes were made when teammates couldn't cooperate, and considering they were going up against a god-like creature they had to be working in tandem. Further and further up the steps they went until they reached the top, and Yumi took a moment to simply look at the grand structure before them. The temple was awfully ornate for such an empty world, looking like its pillars were carved out of granite, deep indents running along them and apparently painted a darker color. The roof was peaked, and beneath the roof itself was an emblem implanted on the front. It was probably the same one as the banners below, had they checked, some kind of rock or something, she couldn't really make it out. This close to the building Yumi was now able to appreciate both the sheer size of the structure, and the unsettling aura within. Whatever they were going up against wasn't very nice.

"Well... Here goes nothing..." After rolling her neck and cracking her shoulders Yumi made her way towards the entrance, slowing down gradually as she got closer and closer. The insides weren't lit at all by the looks of things, and her vision wasn't adjusting as quickly as she'd like to the dim lighting. What she could make out was an aisle that stretched from the entrance to the back, wherever that might be. It was so dim she couldn't even make out the walls around them. Frowning uncertainly and clamming up a fair bit at being in the dark she reflexively went to Viral's side, clinging onto him and tucking her head down a bit, hoping her eyes would serve her better soon. "Is there... Um... A light in here...?" she asked hopefully, her eyes scanning the darkness. The uneasy feeling and the pitch black had her skin crawling and her nerves on high alert. So when there was a slight rustling she near jumped right onto Viral, giving a loud "eep" and squeezing her eyes shut. When she opened them again she saw a small animal sitting off to the side, watching as it ran off towards the entrance and outside nonchalantly. That was a bit embarrassing Yumi mused, smiling up at Viral sheepishly.

The whole bait plan wasn't exactly Takeshi's normal style, but it wasn't as though he could do a ton else. Blasting these things didn't do any good, and sure he could hit them... If he didn't mind his hands turning into ribbons. Pretty much he was more or less a hapless morsel right now, which at least meant he could keep them away from Shu and the natives. Just to make sure that the monsters didn't bore of him he kept low enough so they might be able to reach him, were they quick enough to catch up. As far as speed went he could outpace them easily, yet he slowed enough just to keep things relatively close. Needless to say the hair on the back of his neck was standing up the entire while, imagining those things breathing down on the back of his neck. This couldn't go on forever and he well knew it, so he opted for the one recourse that they knew worked; T'charrl's energy attacks. Thankfully the Kaesstrian didn't tarry, throwing down a few blasts to disrupt the chase, if only for a moment. One creature had an attack land right under it, and the concussive force made it fly up and flip over, landing awkwardly on its back. The second was blown to the side after a moment too, leaving both dazed. Maybe now he could do something more useful.

"Uh... Right! My sword!" Like it had done a lot of good thus far, yet he was still willing to give it a go. Making sure the monsters were down Takeshi rushed over to where his weapon laid, scooping it up in his hands and going right in for an attack. Figuring he'd tackle the one that was flipped he rose up over it, jumping and bringing the blade down onto the creature to try and stick it. A bit surprisingly it worked, and with a sound that made his stomach churn the blade slid in, the monster's hide apparently not very good with piercing or slashing. Driving about half his blade in the Saiyans stopped only when it wouldn't go in any further. All the while the monster writhed about, snarling and trying to lift its head awkwardly to bite at Takeshi. At the same time the second creature had gotten up and was advancing on him, hoping to take advantage of the chaotic moment. Seeing the other one he quickly tugged the sword out, briefly watching the purple mist spew from the creature before going after the second. Taking a bit more of a calculated swing this time he managed to drive the blade into its shoulder... Where it stuck. In mid air with his hands on the sword awkwardly he blinked in surprise, letting go and blocking quickly as the monster swung its arm around, taking the hit and being knocked away and to the ground. A quick recovery and Takeshi pushed himself off, going up into the safety of the air again, sans his sword. "Well crap... Any other ideas?"

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

Yumi gave the temple a good staring at, trying to figure out just what might be lurking inside. If this wasn't where the god was hiding then they were utterly lost, it looked the part certainly. She was a little skeptical too that this temple was a product of the locals, and Viral sounded like he agreed. Both of them were getting a strange vibe off of the structure, one she couldn't shake no matter how she tried. It felt unnatural, almost like an eerie feeling of something that shouldn't be existing just up the flight of stairs. Reflexively being covered in goosebumps she gave her own arms a rubbing, frowning in displeasure. "You feel it too? Eck... I don't like it..." Yumi mumbled, giving a shake of her head. But they were here, and they had a task to see to. Like it or not then they were going in to face whatever was giving off the unsettling aura. Was this the sort of thing the boys had experienced before on the ship? It could be possible, yet she would think something this nasty would have been felt completely across the vessel. No, this had to be something else she reckoned, something worse than just the creature they had encountered.

"May as well see what's going on. No use in standing around here," Yumi mused, putting on a smile as she began her ascent up the stairs. The closer she got on her approach the more the feeling hit her, it was almost like a noxious odor. Regardless she kept moving up, trying to ready herself to face what lie within the temple. With the feeling of uncertainty came her imagination running wild, trying to picture just what they might be facing off against. A plethora of wild and imaginative creatures all crossed through her mind, albeit she was sure not a single one of them were going to fit this beast. Soon enough they'd find out, and a small part of her she refused to acknowledge was sort of hoping they wouldn't have to. "Tell me what you want me to do in this fight, does that sound fair...?" Yumi asked, looking back at Viral. "I can just support you where you need it, or we can fight right together. I don't want to be stepping on your toes, I just want to be nearby in case something happens, that's all."

Playing cat and mouse was going to get tiresome awfully fast, and it couldn't possibly last. The creature had some tricks up its sleeve apparently, chances were it could catch him if it really wanted to. Plus when the objective was to eliminate the beast just leading it around in a wild goose chase wasn't going to accomplish that, unless maybe it over exerted itself and had a heart attack or something absurd. Deciding then to fight Takeshi skidded to a stop, spinning on his foot to face off against the monster once again. Right as it charged towards him however it was smacked aside by a blast, being knocked a modest distance away and knocked off its feet. He hardly had a chance to enjoy that however seeing the second one now bearing down upon him as well. Again he tried to make use of his sword, rushing forward and bringing it down in an overhead strike, hoping to catch the creature off guard with his sudden attack. Once more it didn't work out, and after missing his attack he was hit in the torso by the monster's head, getting knocked off into the nearby cliff face fair hard, grunting and dropping his sword as a result. Closing his eyes on impact he opened them to see the beast coming at him again, and hastily he rose up into the air, watching in slight amusement as his attacker barreled straight into the cliff, smashing into it and burying its head a little. For good measure he held down one hand, gathering up a fair bit of Ki before firing down, figuring he could do what T'charrl had done. Shockingly however he watched as the Ki hit the monster and just... Was soaked up, or at least that's how it looked like.

"Oh come on, that's not fair!" Takeshi whined, relaxing his arm as he watched the monster pull out of the wall. Again to his alarm he was put on the defensive, this time as the monster fired back at him. Watching its mouth open up to reveal a black abyss his eyes widened when a black and purple orb of energy formed in its mouth before being shot off, speeding right for him. Pushing off the wall he raced away, expecting an explosion to happen behind him. When he glanced over his shoulder though the orb was chasing him, and catching up. Gritting his teeth angrily the Saiyan flipped over in mid flight, firing off a Ki blast to intercept the attack. It wasn't absorbed like when it hit the creature, and even managed to blow it up. As the area was baked in a purplish hue from the blast he shielded his eyes with his arms, keeping that way until the lighting had turned back to normal. Looking down at the ground both creatures were back up, staring in his direction with an unsettling hungry gaze about it. So he was pretty much useless in this fight, but T'charrl thankfully wasn't. "T'charrl...? I'll lead them, try blasting them!" he called, waving in his friend's direction. Takeshi then flew down towards the ground, low enough to make the monsters take a swipe at him before darting away, enticing them to follow as he moved along.