[IC] Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

[Mogtaki]

T’charrl groaned lightly, ending with a sigh. “I should be better than this…I-I mean I can talk to dead people just fine…” he frowned, “I shouldn’t move either…I would have to keep pulling my spirit around to do that…”He was feeling pretty terrible, he wasn’t getting anything yet even as he continued to search and without a connection he was just wasting his energy greatly. He felt like he was failing everyone by having such a terrible grasp on his own powers, he should be able to do better than this and yet he was struggling to find where their energy went through a portal that was essentially made by near mindless beasts. Trying his best to find the connection he frowned deeply, finding that he was struggling to focus to be even more disturbing to him than taking long to find them. Gasping when he felt Vegeta touch his shoulder he looked over to him, his eyes glowing as he continued to use his powers. Slowly looking back again he closed his eyes once more, sighing lightly to try and calm down as Vegeta gave him some Ki. “Thanks…uhh, it’s hard to find something I’m not used to…so it would be really good if you’re able to guide me. It should feel like a, uhh…a stream of energy…like flowing energy…leading somewhere…”

Shu stared up at Takeshi, appearing quite lost in thought as he tried to imagine the scenarios Takeshi was talking about. Those all sounded a mile better than the time he ended up falling out of the sky and ramming the ground at full speed, there was no denying that. Squeaking a sigh, he looked to his hands as he gave a little nod. “Sort of understand…but that sound better than what Shu went through…” It probably would had been different if he didn’t land so violently on his face, but he did and even though he stayed positive after that he still knew he was pretty bad at flying all around. Feeling a little bit better his expression softened from sad to only a little bit sad, his shoulders still raised and the fiddling of his fingers still continuing. “Mountain…lions? B-But, those monsters are strong too! That lucky break time there…got away okay this time. They got big mouths! Big snappy and many teeth! How to stop that from biting head?”

Viral had been reckless and lead everyone to oblivion because he didn’t think that he might have to defend the portal, he even had time before the beast fired upon it to defend it and yet he failed to do just that. The others weren’t at fault, they were being passive because of him not ordering them to fight. He should had done something, not stood around like an idiot when he recognised an attack was coming. Barely looking to Yumi he lowered his head again, raising his paw only slightly towards his face before dropping it again. He didn’t know if he agreed with that, there was always a way to stop these situations from happening if one reacted fast enough. He had managed to fight off the threat but everyone was stuck in this strange world with nothing other than corpses to keep them company. As Yumi decided it was best that he’d sit down he raised a paw to his chest, holding it lightly as he was slowly lowered to the ground. He was in a lot of pain, it wasn’t only Enki’s to bear the burden.

The plan to find the missing villagers wasn’t a longshot, they might still be alive somewhere so it was always worth looking; however, to split everyone for now was rather risky. If they ran into an ambush or was ambushed themselves they might not be able to make it. Feeling way too much stress over everything he was soon developing a headache on top of it all, his desire to just succumb to unconsciousness simply increasing again before he was suddenly hugged by Yumi. Only telling him of her plan after she had accomplished it he looked to her a little before groaning, knowing he didn’t have the strength to pull away unless he wanted to feel a lot of pain. Once he was finally released he looked elsewhere, his gaze low as she spoke before he spoke himself. “I was just…doing my duty…” he muttered, his paw slowly raising to his head, “It wasn’t only me fighting out there. You changed a lot…Orion and Eris changed a lot…all I did was try and take charge. I shouldn’t try and do everything…but there was so much going on. I shouldn’t had put all of you and Enki in so much danger…using Enki as a shield…it was reckless of me…”

[GambolMuse]

"You're right, you're excellent at talking to dead people. Fortunately for us our friends are not dead, though unfortunately that presents a unique challenge for you. One you may or may not be up to, and we won't know unless we try." Vegeta didn't expect it to work on the first try, if it were that easy they would have done it ages ago. Nor did he expect it to work on the second try or even the third, there was nothing to suggest that they themselves could open a door to the other side. Offering to lend a hand Vegeta stepped up alongside the boy and placed a hand on his shoulder, acting as a source of energy if needed and a guide if he could. Opening one eye when Haku moved over and copied his gesture he smiled slightly, trying to focus on any traces of their friends who had passed through. He could sense the brothers easily enough and pinpoint their location, now they simply had to do that for the rest. Trying to search for even the faintest hint of some Ki Vegeta went silent for a good minute before slightly turning his head, brow furrowing as his grip on T'charrl's shoulder tightened slightly. "Just to your left... Feel that...? I don't know if it's residual, but I can sense a bit of Yumi's energy there... Do you feel it?"

"You'll get better the more you do it though, even if you might crash once or twice. Like I said I fell plenty, and that was only flying. You don't even wanna know how bad I was when I tried using blasts," Takeshi recalled with a roll of his eyes. It was a miracle he hadn't ever blown a hand off or something with how dumb he was about it, always trying to make as big a blast as possible. Compared to the stuff was doing even now he was actually leagues better than he'd been when he started. "Wanna know how not to be afraid? I'll tell you. You're fast right? Faster than me, and even I was faster than they were. So all you gotta do is be faster and they can't catch you," Takeshi explained with a smirk, "But... If they do catch you then blast them, you know how to. And if Ki doesn't work then what? Well... Grab their mouth, if they're trying to bite you then you just gotta hold them." Making a gesture with his hands like snapping jaws to drive him his point he then pretended to reach out and grab hold of it. "You kind of push on its jaw, you know? Hold it open so it can't bite down, then give it a blast or a kick to knock it away!"

Eris and Orion should be fine on their own, they had worked together a lot and probably did better without her or Viral tagging along. They would wait here in the meantime, just on the off chance the rift might reopen while they were around. Besides Viral needed someone around right now and she had to be the one to do that, or she felt like it. "No, it wasn't just you. And you're right, you shouldn't have tried to do it all, and what you did was definitely reckless," she agreed with a nod before giving him a patient smile, "But because you did all of that we're all safe. And because of that we might be able to save the people who were taken and get back, with no one being seriously hurt, including you. We wouldn't have been able to do this without your leading us. Heck you almost killed three of the big ones yourself, there's no way we could have done that without getting seriously hurt. Duty or not, I'm really glad you were here. And I know when we see the others they'll be glad for it too."

[Mogtaki]

“Oh…I sure do hope they’re not dead too. That would be awful…” T’charrl frowned, staring down for a moment at the base of the flames. If he couldn’t find them then it might mean that they could be dead, then there was the possibility of finding them too late. He shouldn’t be thinking about this right now, he was not supposed to be thinking about doom and gloom when he was supposed to be finding the other half of their group. Trying to concentrate once more he gasped when he was given another source of power, his glowing eyes going to what turned out to be Haku lending him his energy as well. Quickly looking forward again he smiled a little, feeling better already now that both of them were helping him. Closing his eyes once more he decided to put a little more energy into it he gasped when Vegeta mentioned feeling Yumi’s energy, trying to go back to that again and focus where it had been felt. “I-I…think I do feel it…I think I have it…” he spoke, trying to follow the trail. It was definitely her energy, but now it was his duty to try and pull it to his portal or rather trying to link his portal to its strongest connection. “There must be a link to this path…it must exist. She can’t be too far through the streams…”

Shu waited to see if Takeshi was going to tell him how bad he was at blasts but it didn’t seem as if that was even coming, instead he lowered his gaze again and pressed his fingers together. He was worried over how erratic his energy seemed to be and how little control he had over the output. He could end up destroying a lot in his path to just get one enemy only to miss. He was fairly worried over his destructive possibilities, just like what his father wanted to use him for. Sighing lightly, he stared at the ground before slowly looking up, staring at him as he spoke about how to combat the beasts and not become prey. Frowning when one of the solutions was to grab the biting jaws he frowned deeply, raising his shoulders in a rather strong show of fear over that idea. “Touching the mouth?? Holding the mouth…oh noooo…” he spoke as he grabbed his head, slowly shaking it from side to side, “Miss and hand goes in mouth…bite then hand gone…don’t want to lost hand! Can’t do that…just can’t…”

Viral didn’t know how long it was going to take for him to recover, but he knew he needed to recover soon. He needed to be able to protect Yumi and himself if something was going to ambush them which was highly likely, seeing how they were sitting in the middle of a massacre populated by the monsters that resided here. It was awful too, the smell of blood and flesh was everywhere and while he would normally be able to ignore it, his control over his beast forms was amateurish compared to the new Beastmen. That thought disgusted him, it really made him hate how inferior a creation he was. Feeling ashamed of himself and his actions he kept his eyes off Yumi, sighing. “There are many factors that will prevent that…” he spoke lowly, trying to move but wasn’t having much luck, “We’re…not in our world. We’re in the middle of a battlefield…stranded. You are without Ki here, I see…”

[GambolMuse]

"Yes, I hear death is rather dreadful," Vegeta remarked with the slightest hint of amusement, as if it needed to be said. "I am confident they are alive however, they're perfectly capable and they work well together. It may not be easy, but they will succeed." In what now had become a group effort between himself, Haku and T'charrl they channeled their energies together and began trying to track their friends, or Yumi in particular. When on the same plane as them it was relatively easy to pick out a familiar Ki signature, even from a moderate distance. Having passed into another realm entirely however finding Yumi's energy was proving to be far more difficult but not impossible. The faintest of traces were picked up after long, they were vague but they were there and with luck, traceable. "I hope not. Don't rush into it, follow the stream and see if you can find where it cuts off. If my assumption is correct then that should be where the portal is, as we likely cannot sense them beyond it," Vegeta muttered before frowning, "Or... What we are sensing now is beyond the portal. There's still much we don't know yet..."

Takeshi had always dealt with predators the same way: take away their ability to turn you into a snack and they weren't all that threatening. To him it wasn't a big deal, wild animals were always a thing no matter where he lived and you just got used to it. Shu had always been surrounded by animals too but he didn't appear to have the same kind of resolve his older brother did. "Yeah, that would be bad... Don't want to go losing a limb fighting these things," he agreed with a nod, frowning as he scratched at his head. What else was there then? Shu was faster than the creatures were and much stronger, he just wasn't confident enough to deal with them. "Well... Know what else you can do? They're bigger than you right? And you're quick, so why not duck under them when they try getting you?" Takeshi suggested before smiling hopefully, "Or... Jump over them, or even on them. They don't have hands so they can't grab you, and if you're on their back then they can't bite you, you know? And you could even hit them while you're on their back and there's nothing they can do, that would work."

"So the cards are stacked against us, not the first time it's been that way. We'll get out of here just fine, it just might take a little while longer than we'd hoped," Yumi said with certainty, trying to be a pillar of support for Viral, "And yeah, I... Don't know why it isn't working. I can feel it, but whenever I try using it there's nothing that comes out, it just... Vanishes." She would be fine without it as she'd gone years with no Ki, and while the situation was far different from before she'd learned enough to still be able to fight. "Since there's no door here why don't we go find Orion and Eris? They might need help with the people here and the least we can do is show them there's more fighters to protect them." Grabbing hold of Viral's paw she eased his arm over her shoulder again and placed one around his waist, lifting him to his feet. "This place is beginning to stink anyways, I don't want to sit around here too long."

Orion's and Eris' search had been fruitful and several survivors had been found, nearly two dozen of them. Neither knew how many people were in the village originally but this seemed to be the bulk of them to their relief. Never having seen anyone like them before it took a little convincing to get them to trust the Beastmen, but once Orion managed to earn their trust they could begin leaving. The cave which the villagers had been crammed into was narrow and damp, fighting inside of it would be highly dangerous for risk of a cave in. To be safe Eris had gone on ahead to watch out for any creatures that happened across their path while Orion guided them along. Many seemed exhausted and burned out and he wondered just how long they had been here, and what these creatures planned on doing with them. Something troubled him too, something that wasn't quite adding up about this situation: wild animals didn't keep prisoners, so who was keeping these people here?

[Mogtaki]

T’charrl frowned, disliking how Vegeta put that as if he was an idiot. “Don’t say it like that…don’t do that…” he spoke, wondering if he really meant to say it in that tone, “That’s very insensitive too towards the dead. How do you even know if they’re having a bad time…” Joking over death was hardly funny, especially when he had to deal with it his entire life. Just because Vegeta had an easier time dealing with death because of the fact he could bring people back from it didn’t mean it was something to joke about. Feeling rather muddled after that he tried to calm down again, his emotions hardly being a big deal when it came to the safety of others. He needed to find them through this stream before they got seriously hurt or lost forever if it was possible for Yumi’s connection to the other world to be lost. “Assumption? Like…a guess? But you don’t know what my powers are like to guess what it must be like…” he frowned, trying to find his way along this link of energy, “I have to try and find the source…it shouldn’t cut off. It shouldn’t…a-and if it did, that would mean I would had found her source. I would just have to open up another portal on the other side of it and uhh…hopefully not get Yumi stuck in it…”

Shu didn’t want to be anywhere near the mouth of a monster, especially one with many teeth and its mouth being big enough to fit his whole head in it. Takeshi was really brave compared to him, it wasn’t fair for him to be talking to him like that thinking he was going to be okay with an angry snapping creature trying to tear his face off. Starting to get freaked out about it he squeaked when Takeshi spoke to him again, looking to him with his shoulders raised. He didn’t know if he could do all of that, there was a few factors he was afraid of. “What if they grab my hair? What if they grab my tail? Hair all long…sticky up! Duck and grab and head gone…” he squeaked, holding his arms over his head. “But…you think Shu can do it…? They have sometimes spikes on back so that might be bad…oohhh…not sure about that…”

Viral knew there was more to worry about when it came to their safety, namely if they were going to get stuck here for a while they were going to have to find food and shelter. He hoped it wouldn’t come to that, they needed to get back and not end up stuck in a place like this. Listening to her reasoning and why she couldn’t use Ki he raised his head slightly before looking off elsewhere. “So…you really don’t. I just assumed because you actually did drop into Enki’s hand…” he spoke lowly as if it was both a thought to himself and a way to conserve energy, “…Must be strange to be like me again…or is it just inconvenient…” Looking to her again when she made the decision to get moving on after the Beastmen he winced as he was forced to stand again, his feet trying to find the ground as he was lifted. All this moving around was already too much for him, but it was definitely bad to stay in one place while the smells drove him mad. He needed to be strong for Yumi and the other Beastmen, he couldn’t continue to be the victim. Trying to force strength into his legs he tried to walk with her, forcing his body to follow his will. “It’s more…than just stink…that’s bothering me right now…”

[GambolMuse]

"Er... Sorry, a bit of grim humor. And in all fairness they're likely fighting hordes of those creatures, it's a safe assumption they aren't having a good time," Vegeta pointed out, "But as I said I'm confident they're fine, they're plenty capable and work well together." Chatter aside they still had to try and locate Yumi and the others and thus far only the faintest of traces had been picked up. How detecting energy beyond the rift worked was anyone's guess as they had never done anything like this before, not with a living being. "Well yes, it's a guess. We've never done this before, nothing we're doing right now has any certainty, it's all theory. And you'll do fine, that I am certain of at least. If we can open the portal then everything that follows is easy." There was that factor though, the if: no one knew if they were even capable of opening their own portal to the other side. Given the inevitability of their being unable to then it fell to Yumi, Viral, Eris and Orion to find a means to get themselves back home, in enemy territory and possibly with an entire village to protect. Things did not bode well if they failed.

"We could always cut your hair if you wanted, you know. I was thinking of getting mine cut at some point, it's getting kind of long," Takeshi suggested, glancing up and tugging on one of his bangs with a frown before slicking it back into place, "I know you can do it buddy, and you know why? Because I'm faster than those things too and when we train together you run circles around me. If you can avoid me then you can definitely avoid those things, no problem. And you know... I'm not exactly not afraid of those things, I don't want to be their snack either. But you've gotta fight them you know? I've gotta keep myself safe, I gotta try keeping you safe and I've gotta try keeping my friends safe, and I know they're going to do that for me. I'm kinda used to thinking its just me on the field when we're fighting, and it's all on me, but... You gotta remember other people are there too, right? I don't know, I guess that makes me brave even when I'm scared." Aside from the fiasco with the big bug from before but Takeshi was hoping Shu wouldn't bring that up with him.

Viral likely needed the rest but Yumi couldn't stay here, it stunk too much of blood to be comfortable. Even without her heightened senses it would probably be awful and having sensitive smell made it even worse. Grabbing Viral to lend him support she lifted him to his feet again, trying to lead him in the direction Eris and Orion had traveled in search of villagers. "Yeah, my Ki doesn't work here, I don't get why. And why would it be inconvenient?" she questioned, giving her friend an earnestly perplexed look, "I just said I can fight just fine without it. It's nice to have sometimes but I'll survive without Ki. So it's not inconvenient, in fact I might even prefer it. I get lazy with Ki." It was easy to not have to dodge or fight up close when you could fly and blast away, yet that wasn't all there was to fighting and sooner or later it got up close and personal again. Taking it slow to now push Viral too hard she nodded at his comment about the stench, wrinkling her nose before smiling. "You're probably sore and almost burned out, I am too. My whole body hurts and without Ki I can't avoid having to move, but it's okay because we got through the worst of it," Yumi said as she looked at Viral cheerfully, "And we're all okay, even if we're exhausted."

Pushing through the open land with so many people to protect was a little nerve-wracking, especially after dealing with so many creatures. For extra precautionary measures Orion kept in the lead while Eris went to the back of the group, it being the best they could do between the two of them. Even Eris for all of her usual excitement around battle was being cautious now, not liking the lull that followed such a big fight. Something must have caught wind of what was happening and yet they were utterly alone out here, not a single one of those creatures in sight. Only once they were back in their world would she let her guard down, their job was to protect these people and she wouldn't forget that, not for a second. How did Viral and his people treat failure? With beatings? Days without food? Solitary confinement? She would rather not find out.

[Mogtaki]

“If the portal disappeared then it means that connection was removed and if I can still make some sort of connection here it means something broke it where they’re at”. T’charrl frowned as he looked up at his own portal, trying to guide himself to the largest source of energy without getting lost, “If they’re not fine, everything’s going to be terrible…” They would have to find a way to help them and most likely that was going to be with his ability to heal, but healing used a lot of energy and everyone would just end up drained. He felt like such a leech on everyone’s energy. Now he was just starting to feel depressed again, as if his realisation was all banking on the fact that he was taking more than giving and yet he didn’t have anything to give. Trying to find the portal’s end he frowned slightly, disliking how he was very much having trouble with the connection. “I think I keep trying to find her spirit rather than the realm she’s in. Can you see anything that’s familiar to you…? I’m too used to chasing ghosts rather than live people…”

Shu shook his head, holding it afterward. “Nooo…no want haircut…” he muttered, slowly letting his head go again, “Would look weird when already really hairy…” Despite how he looked Shu was quite self-conscious about it, thinking that he would be seen as less desirable to approach if he looked unusual like having his hair cut short, plus his hair kept his neck and ears warm when it was cold. Sighing, he held his head low as Takeshi tried to reassure him that he was going to be just fine, but he really didn’t know. It was definitely how they looked when they were close to him that agitated him, he felt better when he was with Takeshi fighting off those things. It probably didn’t help that whenever they appeared they were always a large threat, even more so than a Saiyan or their father. “Shu not very good at keeping friends safe when Shu is often the problem as well…” he sighed, raising his shoulders before looking up to Takeshi again, “Just…hard to feel people are safe…around me…”

Viral needed to strengthen himself, he needed to get his feet back on the ground and moving as to not place all the burden on Yumi, even if he was the one in need of help. He couldn’t be weak now while they were having to flee from possible danger, he needed to be able to defend himself and Yumi if they were to be attacked. There was nobody out there for backup, especially with the other two Beastmen being out on their search for the missing village. Forcing weight down on his feet with each step he tried to keep stable, hoping to ease as much weight off Yumi’s shoulders as possible. Groaning at her attempt to brush off Ki like it was nothing he kept his attention elsewhere, finding it somewhat difficult to concentrate on keeping alert and forcing energy where there was essentially none. He was very weak and in a lot of pain, but he needed to be ready and alert for anything that might come. “So you’re saying you are defenceless without your Ki…” he spoke lowly, his eyes to the ground, “There is only security when we’re in a safe place with allies…so we’re always in the worst of it…”

[GambolMuse]

"I see... Well then we'd best pray they're still nearby, otherwise this is going to become far more complicated." Even now Vegeta was thinking, trying to come up with some alternative method of tracking their friends. Without Yumi's Ki signature to follow he didn't know what other means they might have, none of the Beastmen had any energy they could detect and he doubted any of the villagers would either, not that they could recognize them anyways. It was disconcerting, if they couldn't succeed here then it could be some time until they found another option. Furrowing his brow when asked if he noticed anything more Vegeta tried to reach out further, still only managing to find faint traces of Yumi's energy, nothing concrete. Looking even further he still was unable to detect anything, gritting his teeth in frustration before letting out a sigh. "Nothing... There's traces but I can't sense her, no matter how far I dig," he remarked, opening his eyes slightly and glancing towards the energy trail itself, "This is very bothersome..."

"I-I think I found her..." Haku spoke up, eyes still closed and his head turned slightly towards the right now, "It's... Far, but I can kind of sense her... She's moving too..." Could he dig even further than this? Already he was straining just to get the slight sense he had OF HER. When trying to focus more intensely on her he was able to begin and get a picture of her in his mind, and with a bit more effort he even had some kind of sense of the area she was in. Sweat was visibly trickling down his face now as he tried to maintain the image that he had, biting his lip and reflexively tightening his grip a little on T'charrl's shoulders. "I found her, she's t-there..." he mumbled, hoping the others could pick up the Ki like he had, "I t-think that's her..."

"Alright, alright, no haircut buddy, you got it," Takeshi said quickly, putting up his hands with a slight smile, "And I mean... It wouldn't be super weird if you had a little shorter hair, it's not like I wanna shave you bald, you know?" It would certainly make cleaning Shu a lot easier and make his head a LOT less likely to be home for creepy crawlies. Plus he couldn't force the little guy to get one if he didn't want one either much as he might like it to happen. "Oh really? So you keeping Viral from getting even more hurt was... Just an accident then, huh?" Takeshi asked with an arched brow, smirking as he reached over and prodded Shu in the arm, "Or back when we were on New Namek, you didn't help set Viral up to kill that thing, did you? Seems to me like you're way more helpful than you think buddy. And hell I feel safe around you, I wanted you to fight with me didn't I? It's because I know I can trust you and rely on you, and everything worked out just fine. So I don't get what you mean we're not safe around you?"

Yumi had a good idea of how Viral must be feeling right now and was slightly bothered when he tried to walk on his own. He could try and play it off all he wanted but she knew he was worn out and exhausted, the look on his face gave it all away. Why couldn't he just rely on her a little bit? She didn't mind, in fact she minded more that he wasn't letting her help. "Defenseless? When we get home I'll kick your butt without Ki if you want to see how 'defenseless' I really am," Yumi taunted with a wink and smile, becoming a little more serious at Viral's uneasy expression. "There's security as long as you're with friends you can trust. You don't have to worry, if one of those things come after us I'll take care of it." Nothing else was going to harm Viral, she'd tear anything to pieces that tried to so much as lay a claw on him. Just to be sure they weren't being followed she lifted her head and sniffed at the air, smiling when a familiar scent was found nearby. Just around a bend came Orion, followed closely behind by quite a few of the villagers and Eris bringing up the rear. Apparently they hadn't been all that far off at all!

"Ah... And there's our commander and his woman," Orion pointed out with a smile, ignoring the shout of discontent from Eris as he waved to Yumi and Viral. Indeed the villagers hadn't been too far off, merely a moment's walk from the battlefield stashed away in the cave. He wondered if perhaps they had been meant as bait and to lure them into an enclosed space, somewhere that the overwhelming number of beasts they had fought would have been impossible to deal with. Thankfully they had come along before that had happened otherwise they may not be celebrating their victory right now. Stopping before Viral he nodded before gesturing back to the near two dozen villagers they had with them, smiling slightly at their find. "They say only two were killed in a fight when they were taken, otherwise this is everyone. We've good fortune finding so many still alive, have we had any luck on opening the portal?"

[Mogtaki]

Shu stared at Takeshi for a moment, trying to understand what he truly meant by getting his hair cut. Not…not all of it gone? Maybe a little better…” He didn’t want all of his hair to go, otherwise he would probably freeze with how the weather everywhere was so different to what he was used to in the jungle. Feeling pretty lost for thought at the moment he sighed lightly, staring down as Takeshi mentioned being able to help Viral when he was in trouble. He had done a few things, but it was a lot easier than Takeshi thought. “Only because they no look like animals that would eat me…and wasn’t by myself…” he sighed, scratching his chest, “It hard when by myself…” It was hard understanding why they were scary when he was by himself, he was supposed to be tough but it didn’t seem like the others saw him as strong anyway, but mostly because he couldn’t tell if they saw him as strong and were just trying to make him feel better. “Not safe around me because go crazy sometimes! Go crazy and wild and no control! Not safe around me…not at all…”

Viral let out an annoyed sigh, hardly finding amusement in Yumi’s claim. “Is that all you people see me as…just some punching bag to test your strength…?” First Takeshi and now Yumi wanted to beat him up just to show off how strong they were, it frustrated him to no end. It seemed that’s all people wanted to do with him as if it made him feel content with his life. “Trust doesn’t grant barriers or protect others from harm…” Still trying to walk on his own he kept his head down and focused, moving with a few missteps as he essentially nearly blacked out each time. His body was really struggling to keep itself active and functioning, he was very nearly falling all over the place as he tried to stay awake. Continuing along he only looked up when he felt the presence of others, his blurry vision soon giving way to the Beastmen and a fair number of villagers as well. Staring at them for a moment he frowned, not quite seeing the light in their struggles. “There is no portal to open, is the problem…”

T’charrl felt really nervous with a ton of pressure being put on him succeeding, knowing he was going to have to pull through and be successful or everything was lost. He didn’t know if it was fair on him to be feeling this way, it definitely meant he was going to be proving himself with this portal of his. If he failed then he would never be able to live it down. He had to stay positive, he had to try and find her but whenever he got her signature it seemed to move from him, as if he was forgetting what it was like midway to finding its source. “If you think it’s bothersome for you…I’m the one taking from you both with no result…” Feeling like he was going to come out empty no matter what he tried to he twitched when Haku spoke, feeling somewhat surprised that he did. “Really? W-Where…?” Hell-bent on trying even more so now he tried to concentrate hard, listening to Haku as he guided his energy to hers using what he was giving to him. “I-I think…it is her too…” Trying to get to the signal he gasped when he found what Haku was looking for, moving his secondary arms out in front of him as his claws began to glow, “I-I think I might be able to…” Channelling more energy into the portal he tried to use Yumi’s energy to pull it there, trying to get it to open where it ended.

[GambolMuse]

"Yeah, like a trim, you know? Maybe so its short like mine," Takeshi said as he grabbed a lock and pulled it for Shu to see, "I got plenty of hair still, but mine doesn't clump up or get stuff in it like yours." If the little guy was always saying how different he felt then maybe that would make him feel more like them. Then again Aito had said something about making Shu more comfortable and maybe getting his brother to change himself wasn't the way to do that. Damn it, why did this stuff have to be so hard? Problems you could just punch were a lot easier to deal with than this. "Even if you were by yourself you would have helped him, I know you would have buddy. And you know... Maybe after this we can try and work on that? I... Don't know how we're gonna do it yet, but we can give it a shot. That way if you do change it won't be a problem anymore." Takeshi figured he needed to speak to someone else for that, he'd been able to control his Oozaru the one time he'd changed, albeit after a bit of a fit, and now he no longer had a tail to transform with.

Yumi frowned and shook her head, casting her gaze downward with a sigh. "That's not what I meant and you know it. It just annoys me, feeling like I'm somehow inferior to all of you," she explained, "With how amazing you all are it almost feels like all the years I've trained are amounting to nothing. I just wish you wouldn't think of me as some helpless person is all, I'm perfectly capable of fighting too." Suggesting she could spar with Viral was more meant as a compliment to him too, it meant she thought he was strong and hoped to improve by practicing with him. Given how he'd reacted to her idea though Yumi didn't even bother explaining further, not wanting to agitate him any more. Besides Eris and Orion were here now, and with them came quite a few villagers too. That was an awful lot of lives to be responsible for and Yumi felt the pressure of it, not wanting to let even a single one of them be harmed. She'd like to be optimistic that things would work out but, as Viral said, they had no way of getting back still.

Astonishing, it looked like they were actually going to pull this off! Impressive that Haku had managed to track the energy source so keenly and even more impressive was T'charrl's ability to get a rift open. Vegeta watched as the air began to shimmer before there was an audible tearing noise, and what he could only describe as a window to another world began to form. It was small at first, barely a peephole, but soon it had expanded to a size large enough to fit a person. Feeling that more energy was needed he committed even more Ki to the process, watching as the opening grew in size until it was certainly large enough for a few people to fit through. "Great... Fantastic work..." Vegeta panted, smiling through the exertion as he scanned their limited view for any signs of their friends. Unable to spot anything he looked over to Takeshi and Shu for help, calling out for them to come over.

Takeshi wasn't sure what Vegeta wanted until he noticed the portal before them, having wondered what in the world the noise he'd heard had been. So they had really done it huh? And now the guy was wanting him and Shu to head over and help out... Why did he not love that idea? Still their friends needed them and like it or not he and Shu were the only ones not currently tied up with something else. Walking over to the portal he peered into it as if to get a better look, scratching his head as he tried wrapping his mind around how it worked. "So you want us to go get them huh...? I mean sure, no problem as long as you keep the portal open yeah?"

[Mogtaki]

Viral wasn’t having any of this victim complex stuff, he was annoyed with everything else already and aggravating him was everything right now. “Who said anything about you being inferior ever…because that sounds like something you made up yourself…” he grumbled, not hearing such a thing from anyone and yet there Yumi was spouting something like that, “If you keep telling yourself that…you’ll end up like me…” Yumi putting herself down for no reason was just silly and wasn’t solving anything for her, especially when she was more capable than he was. All he was good for was brute strength and when he wasn’t needed for that he was put on watch so he didn’t cause any trouble. For now he really wished he was going to get everyone back somehow all while hoping no ill would come to them or that he might completely collapse.

T’charrl hoped this would work, he had never had to go into another dimension before not to mention it was his first time trying to link to a living person. He probably wouldn’t had been able to find the connection if it wasn’t for Haku’s help, but that kind of stuff would have to wait. He still needed to make the connection stable or it wasn’t going to work at all and would just backfire and close up leaving his soul in a sorry state. Throwing as much power as he could at the portal he kept his eyes shut tight as he continued to concentrate, the tear soon growing larger until it was finally made stable. Letting out a loud sigh he slowly lowered his arms, hanging his head as he tried to breathe. That was the hardest portal he’s ever had to make, even if he only made a few all going to the same realm meaning he was used to it. He was almost completely drained, but it probably didn’t help when his soul was what powered the portal. It wouldn’t shut now unless he fell asleep, but luckily it wasn’t that kind of exhaustion he was feeling right now.

Shu stared at Takeshi’s hair for a moment before frowning, looking at his own long sideburns before pulling at them. “Hair no that messy! Groom every day! But no got someone to help groom or to groom back, so things get in hair…” He missed the social interaction he got with grooming when he was back in the jungle, usually everyone would want to groom him when he saved them from something. That kind of social grooming with him wasn’t really common, but it was nice when it happened. Feeling a little anxious he stared down, his tail lightly flicking at the end as Takeshi spoke about trying to solve his problems. “Ooh, that would be hard…no even sure how do that…” he spoke lowly, trying to figure it out before squeaking when Vegeta called their names, his eyes quickly darting over to him before to the portal. He had seen this thing before when T’charrl made it back on his own world, only that one had been used to talk to Vegeta’s parents. Tilting his head as he walked over he continued his staring at it, frowning at the fact they were supposed to go through that thing from the sounds of it. “Oohh…into strangeness…? For friends…friends stuck…we need to get friends back…”

[GambolMuse]

Yumi felt that way however ridiculous it might be, and how couldn't she? She was traveling with Saiyans, people who aggravatingly were stronger than her naturally, even if not more skilled fighters. Then there was Viral who had both strength and skill on his side and Vegeta as well, not even to mention Eris, Orion and the others who had joined them since this began. Maybe it was an inferiority thing, she'd always been one of the best in her classes and now she felt like she was catching up to everyone else. "So why is it okay for you to think that way?" she pressed, turning the question around on Viral as she frowned at him, "I don't think anyone else could have done what you did today, killing those things. And you were sick for so long and still kept fighting and helping us win, no one else could have managed that either. So I don't get where you think you're inferior from." Shaking her head once Yumi smiled and looked to the villagers, finding a little joy in the fact that despite what they had been through they seemed happier, now that she and the others were here. "Plus look at what we're doing and how many people we're helping. How can you feel bad about that?"

So did Shu want someone grooming him? They had tried it before and Takeshi couldn't quite commit, repulsed by the idea he may be picking bugs out of his brother's hair and subsequently eating them. If he just wanted someone cleaning his hair then... Maybe he could manage? Either way they could sort out their hygiene later, Vegeta was needing them to help out with getting their friends back and that was far more important. Maybe not as important as helping Shu with his problem of changing, but that couldn't be helped either, not right now anyway. Moving closer to the portal he peered through their side of things to try getting an idea of it, finding it looked not unlike the dry deserts of Shaharia. For all his eagerness usually to get into the thick of it Takeshi couldn't say he loved the idea of heading over there, and from the sound of his brother neither could he. Glancing back he put on a smile and extended a hand, nodding his head towards the portal and trying to seem confident for Shu's sake. "Hey you'll be with your big brother, and Yumi and Viral are there too, we'll be fine," he reassured, taking Shu's hand and looking at the portal, "T'charrl, keep the door open will ya? We'll be right back with the others, and when we get back you'd better believe we're celebrating!"

Taking a deep breath Takeshi gave Shu one last nod before stepping into the portal, bracing for who knows what was on the other side. As soon as they were through the first thing he noticed was the hot air, definitely similar to a desert. Taking a breath and almost coughing at how dry it felt the older boy looked around where they had come out, finding themselves on a slight rise above the rest of the otherwise flat ground before them. Quite a lot could be seen from here, they had gotten pretty lucky with where they had been dumped out. "Man... Not even a single tree in sight, what a shitty place," he pointed out as they approached the edge of the rise. Peering down over it they saw it wasn't a huge drop to get down, they could probably jump and be just fine. Scanning the area to check for anything of note Takeshi pulled on Shu's arm when he spotted their friends in the distance, pointing to their small figures a ways off. "Look, you seeing what I'm seeing buddy?" he asked before grinning, trying to take off to go down to them. Nothing happened. Furrowing his brow Takeshi looked at his legs as though they were the problem and even went as far as jumping once to no avail, utterly beside himself why he couldn't take off. "Eh... Shu? Can you fly?"

[Mogtaki]

Yumi had nothing to complain about, humans had always been strong but became dependent on technology so they only appeared weak. She had no reason to compare herself to other natural born warriors, especially when other warrior races relied on humans to become stronger. Even his existence relied on a human, but he was not natural nor had he been born. She had no reason why she should be thinking in that fashion, she had always been an incredible capable fighter. When instead of agreeing or disagreeing she decided to challenge him regarding himself, but all she assured him was she didn’t really listen to him when he spoke about his concerns. His reasoning was much better than Yumi’s, she had a future to look forward to while his always remained uncertain, especially when he killed Vegeta’s parents. “You were born with the ability to be what you want to be…mine was set even before I was made…” he spoke, already getting tired of talking; it was all just a wasted use of energy at this point. Looking to the villagers he stared at them for a moment, knowing this was just the first step of many for the future. He was going to have to do this over again and probably won’t be lucky next time. He knew he wasn’t supposed to be thinking negatively about the future, but seeing it all happen before gave him little hope that he would be able to pull it off again. “I feel bad…because…I can’t always save everyone. I can barely move, I have no energy…we’re stuck in a world of monsters…”

Shu didn’t know if he was cut out to helping the others, he didn’t even know what he was supposed to do on the other side but he was going to go for it. He was certain he would be safe with Takeshi, at least. Feeling a little unsure of himself he looked to his hand when Takeshi took hold of it, his eyes looking up at him as he gave him a long stare. “Um…y-yeah, will be fine!” he squeaked eventually, feeling quite pressured for a moment to think they’ll all be fine when it was possible that bad things could happen. Staring at his friend T’charrl for a moment he smiled, hoping his friend would be okay while they were gone. He knew his friend was often bothered by using his powers but he couldn’t blame him, especially when he was bothered by his own seemingly natural abilities that nobody else knew the solution to. Trying to dismiss all that for now he took a deep breath too after seeing Takeshi do it, bouncing in with his eyes shut tight.

Shu didn’t open his eyes for a short period of time once he was on his feet again after the brief hop, instead remaining still as he felt the heat on his skin before eventually slowly opening his eyes. Slowly looking around, he felt curious about the world they had landed in, finding the sky rather unsettling and his feet slightly hot because of the ground. He didn’t know where he was and even though there was a connection back to the world they were on he felt as though he was completely lost. Feeling slightly curious but also wanting to go back he squeaked when he was pulled along by Takeshi, looking up to him before off in the direction Takeshi instructed him to make a glance towards. “Ooh? Is that them?” he questioned before looking to Takeshi again, curious as to what he was trying to do. Tilting his head, he blinked when he was asked a question he thought was pretty obvious. “No good at flying…” he spoke before looking to the ground himself, having a little bounce on his feet before squeaking, “Ooh! No fly at all! Ooh! What happen? Are we really heavy…?”

[GambolMuse]

Yumi wouldn't venture down that path with Viral again, not now. She'd told him countless times already to no avail that he was able to decide who he wanted to be, many of them had, and it always fell on deaf ears. Not wanting to cause any more grief right now she let it pass, sighing when he instead began feeling sorry for himself. "Well... I feel bad because no matter what we say or do you can never rely on us. It's like you don't trust me or anyone else to help," she replied, frowning as she looked at Viral, "You're tired now after fighting and protecting us, protecting me, so let us have a turn at it. You don't have to do everything yourself, that's why we've got all of our friends to help us." It was why she was here with him, to make sure Viral didn't feel like the entirety of the mission was solely put on his shoulders. They were all capable on their own and when together their chances only became better, Yumi just wished that Viral was better able to appreciate that.

Passing through the portal had been easy and while the air was hot there wasn't much to be worried about. Not until Takeshi tried to take flight that is and found himself utterly unable to get off the ground. Hopping once for good measure the baffled Saiyan turned to Shu for help, even more concerned when it wasn't just him incapable of using Ki. "I don't feel heavy... I mean we can move just fine," he said as he hopped up and down again, feeling slight resistance but nothing so bad to keep them grounded. This was very strange, there had never been a place where their Ki just didn't work. "Well shit... Looks like we're walking, come on buddy!" Testing his footing on the edge of the plateau Takeshi stepped over and began slowly sliding down the decline, taking his time as not to tumble and to make sure Shu was getting down just fine. Once they were at the bottom he smiled and waved his sibling along as they raced over to join the others. Some of the villagers noticed them at first and almost seemed to panic, and Takeshi's waves of reassurance did little to alleviate that. Thankfully Orion spotted them as well and helped things out.

"Ah... You two... How are you here?" Orion asked as his face contorted into utter confusion, "The portal closed... Did you follow us?"

Wait a minute... Was Yumi hearing things or had that been Takeshi's voice? Stopping in her tracks she turned and blinked once seeing the two brothers along the group, looking at Viral puzzled as if she might be hallucinating.

"Nah, T'charrl got open a portal for you guys! We can get you all outta here now!" The villagers let out a collective cheer at that one and Takeshi couldn't help but grin, rubbing at his nose before gesturing to the rise they had come from. "It's just up that way, if we hurry we should get there in just seconds."

Eris was somewhat disappointed they were finished so soon, fighting the creatures had been kind of fun. Figuring their job here was to save these people though she shrugged off her disappointment and looked to the front of the group for Viral, beaming as she approached him. "You're the one in charge, are we going for the portal?" she asked, flexing her hands and cracking her knuckles, "Or do we want to make sure everything is dead? I'll gladly stay here a bit and clean up if you want."

[Mogtaki]

Until there was something in the universe for Viral and somewhere where he would fit, he was going to keep searching for a purpose. The other Beastmen didn’t have the same problem as him, he was still pretty Human after living in their society for so long and unfortunately the Humans had rubbed off him in that regard. He didn’t have the limited lifespan they had, once everyone else was gone just what was he going to do? He wasn’t going to simply roll over and die himself, the Otherworld would toss him into Hell and if something happened to the Earth after he would be blamed. It was certainly a lot of stress and placed him in a roll that would have him waiting for that one threat to come by, the rest of the time he was going t to be alone again. He was going to watch people come and go in his life and there would be nothing he would be able to do about it. He didn’t know how to tell someone about all that properly, but it had gotten to the point where every single time he struggled to explain himself they only grew annoyed at him and told him off. Maybe such a concept was hard for Humans to understand, that such problems were beyond their understanding. That whole thought was further emphasised by Yumi telling him off for ever thinking he had to be the only one protecting the group. “I won’t always have…friends…for assistance. I can’t always be breaking down…”

Shu was quite confused, he didn’t even know what was going on or if he was just not feeling the weight difference if there was high gravity. He was certainly curious but it wasn’t as if he flew much anyway so he probably would had never noticed it. It didn’t feel like a big deal to him because of that, he was fine with being unable to fly. “Ooh! No fly then! Like usual”. Moving after Takeshi he had a peering over the edge of the plateau himself before following after Takeshi, finding it rather sore to do so as a combination of heat and rough rocks got to his feet. “Ooh ooh ooh ooh! Hot! Yow-yow-yow…” Finally getting to the bottom he made a jump and coming to a halt, letting out a sigh before running after Takeshi towards the others. He was pretty happy they weren’t that far to begin with and seeing them all mostly okay was definitely a plus too. They were all here, the villagers too and that was a plus in his books.

Viral wasn’t expecting any of the others to make their way into this world, but he was certainly not excited about it. Of all the people that had to come to their rescue it was Takeshi, and what was worse was he was probably going to gloat about it later. The answer to the other question on his mind came eventually as well as Takeshi told Yumi how him and his brother managed to make it here, how the Kaesstrian had managed to make a gateway. That was the least surprising part even though it was new information, considering he had done something like it before. Staring down at the rough ground for a second before slowly looking up as Eris approached him. Staring at her for a moment he soon growled and tried to straighten himself up, his feet moving to try and get steady. “We need…to retreat to the portal…” he growled lowly, trying to show he was still strong enough to move by himself, “This is their world meaning the only way we can make sure everything is dead is by blowing this world up! We have to retreat…we need these people safe…”

[GambolMuse]

There were probably more of those things around so Eris thought it was best someone hang back a little and deal with any that happened by. Viral's order then to move towards the portal was a little confusing; she wasn't trying to eliminate the entire species, only any in the area that might attack them. If that was what the commander wanted however she'd go along with his wishes. "You heard him Orion, we're getting them out of here!" she shouted back, waving the villagers on and pointing to the portal at the rise, "Nice and easy everyone, no pushing or shoving! We don't want to have to carry anyone through because you got excited and tripped!" People certainly did perk up seeing a means to go home though and if not for Orion's quick snaps they might well have taken off running. Grinning proudly at a job well done she turned back to Viral and moved closer, all but ignoring Yumi as she looked at him happily. "We should celebrate when we get back, don't you think? I can think of a few ways..."

"Let's focus on getting back first before we worry about celebrating," Yumi said through clenched teeth, narrowing her eyes as Eris gave her a pleasant smile. She would sure love to reach out and hit that woman but now wasn't the time to be fighting over something so silly, they still weren't out of this yet. Keeping at Viral's side just to be sure he wasn't going to have any troubles she smiled when they crossed paths with Shu and Takeshi, giving the former a quick little hug and patting his head. "I'm glad you two came, it's nice knowing we have a little extra help," she said before looking to the older boy, "Um... I have to ask... Are you two able to use Ki? Like... At all? I haven't been able to get mine to work since I got here." Was it a result of her becoming more like a Beastman? Yumi could manage without Ki as she had for most of her life but losing it so suddenly was going to be a little shocking.

"Nah, I tried flying right away and couldn't even get off the ground," Takeshi admitted as he looked at his feet, hopping for good measure and shrugging his shoulders, "See? Nothing. I don't know what the deal is but it sucks, having to walk everywhere would get real old, real fast. Er... No offense Viral." Just was nice to have the option to fly sometimes, they had the Ki for it and they may as well use it. The fact that nobody here had access to theirs though was very confusing and he couldn't even pretend to know why it was happening. "We'll have to talk to Vegeta when we get back about this, he'll know what's up. Or... He'll have a better guess than we do." After all that guy was a genius and knew way more about this kind of thing than any of them here, they just used the stuff. Following the villagers back towards the portal Takeshi folded his heads up behind his head, humming thoughtfully for a moment before looking to Viral, noting how run down the guy seemed to be. "So... You guys run into a lot of those things here? Must have sucked fighting in this place, its like a desert in here..."

Ah, so there were the prisoners. He had wondered how they had gotten free from the confines of that cave and now it knew, some meddlesome children from the other side were responsible. Grinning broadly as they went about unawares the hooded figure vanished from his spot, teleporting to a closer place and reaching into his tattered robes. "My my... Barging in here and taking our play things, how very rude..." the being laughed as he took out a book and flipped open its pages, "You children should be taught some manners." Stopping on one page its empty blue eyes scanned over a passage of words in the blink of an eye, reciting them flawlessly in a language utterly alien to anyone present. Even from a ways off as he was an attack was easy, and after raising a hand towards the group it finished its incantation, the ground shaking violently before it began to split, jagged rocks sprouting up from the center of the tear as it raced towards the group.

Things had gone south very quickly as evidenced by the sudden quake that shook the ground. If matters weren't bad enough with that alone the spikes erupting out of the ground looked to be coming after them too, forcing Yumi to grab Viral and jump out of the way as Takeshi did the same for Shu. What in the world had that been? Lifting her head off the ground her eyes widened seeing a robed figure several meters away, his hand glowing blue and pointed in their direction. That wasn't one of the creatures, and it very clearly wasn't a human or anything of the sorts... So what was it? Pushing herself to her feet she gasped when another attack was sent their way, responding by slamming her fist into the ground and breaking up the rock before them, causing the attack to hit her own and shatter at the meeting point, thankfully stopping short of them.

Orion couldn't make heads of what they were seeing either, neither he or Eris had ever seen an enemy quite like that before. It wasn't Ki they were using as he could recognize that, and for that matter he couldn't detect any energy from the being at all. What manner of attacks was he using? The portal was so close for them now and the villagers nearly out, even with this new foe here they had to keep going. "All of you through the portal, now! Once you're through you'll be seen to!" he barked loudly at them, watching as the villagers scrambled up the incline for the rift home. They likely had to fight again here, or he might if another wrench hadn't been thrown in their plans. Racing towards the portal now were another half dozen of the creatures, barreling towards the villagers and likely trying to kill them before they left. Dashing up the incline past them he charged the closest one and grabbed it beneath its head, lifting it high into the air and spinning on his heel before releasing it into another, sending them tumbling away. "Through the rift, NOW! We'll protect you!"

Well Eris had gotten what she'd asked for, it looked like they were going to have a little more fun before going back. Letting Orion take the closest two she kept closer to the group itself, intercepting the first one to reach them. Diving into it with a kick she smashed it in the side of its head and promptly followed up by throwing her body into its own, knocking it away again and causing it to nearly topple over. Snarling she flexed her hands before imbuing them with energy and dashed forward, slashing away at its side in a frenzy that left its torso looking like paper through a shredder. Finally the villagers were beginning to get through but they still had to fight, she and Orion would go until the last creature was dead and then they'd help the commander.

[Mogtaki]

Viral knew the villagers would only die if they got ambushed out here, there were too many factors that would ensure their defeat next time which only ended with the mass killing of the villagers. They needed to get back to their own world safely before anything could possibly sneak up on them and try to destroy them all. If he could do just this one thing he shouldn’t need to worry about anything else, at least not while there were still many capable warriors around that weren’t him. Takeshi and Shu seemed fine, as much as he hated relying on Takeshi for anything important. Staring at Eris as she spoke he soon let out a sigh at the mention of a celebration, finding it to be much too annoying having Eris and Yumi both having a fight over him. He did notice Yumi getting all grouchy whenever Eris mentioned anything and Eris knew she was getting on Yumi’s nerves and loving every second of it.

Shu was happy to see Yumi alive and well but looking at Viral he couldn’t help but feel a little saddened to see him so weak looking. Just what had happened here that they didn’t see? He could smell blood in the air, but he couldn’t tell whether it was the monsters or his friend’s. It was rather upsetting, knowing that they had been struggling while they were away, but hopefully the struggle was over now and they could get back through the portal. Squeaking excitedly when Yumi gave him a hug he returned it with a little squeeze from himself before bouncing on his toes as Yumi gave him a pat, staring up at her happily before she asked a question. Tilting his head, he looked to Takeshi who answered it very quickly before he nodded in response, groaning when it came up that Viral could never fly anyway. “Oooh, I walk nearly everywhere too…”

Viral was already growing annoyed with Takeshi, but he didn’t have to be concerned about that right now. Takeshi would have to wait, just now they needed to focus on getting back. “There was some large beasts and a small army…is it really important to you to know…” Hoping they might be able to put all that behind them for now he was soon left distracted, the feeling of some strange external force in the ground. Looking down at first he turned when it very quickly became a threat before all he could do was watch it erupt from the ground as some form of attack. He didn’t have the energy to move in time nor did he have the ability to block it, he was doomed to hit it. Not knowing how he was going to survive he soon found himself slamming into the ground as Yumi made a mad dash at him, aiding him in his survival. Finding himself collapsed on the ground now he was partially dazed, but soon enough he made his attempts at getting up again that were mostly ending in failure. Just their luck to get ambushed while he was at his weakest, there was no chance for him to try to block such attacks either. “Y-Yumi…! What is going on??”

[GambolMuse]

"I was just wonderin' what you guys fought was all. We didn't really get much on our end," Takeshi answered as he hefted his shoulders, "Nice job though, killing them all. I'm guessing they're dead since there aren't any snooping around." Sure made getting these villagers back home a lot easier, no reason to get everyone to rush. If the place wasn't so damned dry and hot it may even be a nice place to stay for a bit... Provided the door didn't close on them. Giving the portal a look to make sure it was still in fact there he watched as the villagers began climbing up, relieved that part of their job was over and done with. Just when they looked to be in the clear the ground began to abruptly split before them and sharp rocks jutted out like spikes, racing towards them and threatening to skewer them alive. Grabbing hold of Shu, Takeshi jumped to the side to avoid being caught and looked in the direction of where the attack had come, wondering just who in the hell might be here and was attacking them.

"I don't know, where did that even come from?!" Yumi hadn't heard anything or sensed any power and they had nearly been killed for it. Spotting the cloaked figure before them she tried to pick out any kind of energy from him and found none, taking a sniff of the air and almost recoiling at the foul smell he gave off. It was only similar to what she could think of rotting food smelling like, only this was worse. Covering her nose and mouth to prevent a gag she watched as they lifted their hand and it glowed a yellow hue, eyes widening seeing several rocks rise up and hurl themselves at her and Viral. Dropping down to avoid the first rock she then threw a fist and shattered the next, kicking high to destroy another and following up with several quick punches to break the rest. She was already tired from fighting the creatures and now they had... Whatever this was? "Who are you?! What do you want with us?!"

Tilting his head to the side for a moment the hooded figure's face seemed to vanish, nothing but blackness beneath the hood for a moment. "Want... What do I... Want?" a disembodied voice repeated, the face reappearing again with red glowing eyes, its toothy grin spread wide, "I want guests, and you're stealing mine. So I shall make some new guests! Come, play with me! Let your host entertain you!" In his hand the book's pages fluttered on their own and stopped on another long passage, the being reciting them incomprehensibly fast as he lifted a hand skyward. The already red sky turned a darker shade before a clap of thunder shook the area, burning rocks beginning to rain from the sky shortly thereafter.

"You gotta be kidding me!" Takeshi shouted as he looked up, throwing a hand forward to try and blast away the rocks as he momentarily forgot his new handicap. Cursing when no Ki came forth he dashed backwards to avoid a rock that smashed near his feet, dodging again as another hit the ground. Throwing back a look at the villagers he saw Orion and Eris waving the final few in, motioning for them to go through too. Hell they couldn't risk letting more of those creatures get out, and this guy had to be dealt with before they could leave. Hopefully T'charrl could keep the portal up long enough for them. With the villagers out now Takeshi looked back at the man, gritting his teeth and charging across the ground, dodging rocks as he closed the gap between them. "Take this you bastard!" Jumping up into the air he cocked back a fist and threw it down at the man, blinking once as his target vanished suddenly and he punched the ground instead, shattering the rock before him and creating a small crater. Where the hell had he gone?

"So rude! Rude, rude, rude! This won't do..." the cloaked figure said as he reappeared closer to Shu, shaking his head in disapproval. Looking at the young Saiyan he tilted his head to the side curiously, his neck audibly cracking as he reached a hand out towards the boy. "So young... So full of life... Let me have it..." This time his hand and eyes burned a sickly green color as he attempted to reach out and grab hold of Shu, his smile widening the closer he got. Before he got a grip on him however Yumi had dashed in and kicked him square upside the head, not quite knocking him over but causing the figure to bend. When she gave him another kick he went flying off like he was weightless into nearby rocks, smashing through them and remaining motionless as they crumbled around him.

"Don't you dare touch him! I'll kill you!" Yumi snarled, watching as the cloaked figure was buried in the rock. Not liking how silent things grew after that she perked her ears up to try and pick out any sign that he was on the move again, flinching when she heard the rubble move. Seeing a black blur speed from the rocks she tried to chase after it but yelped in pain when something dug into her leg, glancing down and seeing a jagged rock had dug itself into her calf. Gritting her teeth in pain she tried to pull her leg free before kicking back with her other and breaking the rock, stumbling to try and keep her footing. The man was back in the middle of their group again, their eyes locked on each other as she glared at him. Dropping down onto all fours to make up for her leg she snarled as her transformation began to take place again, her anger building as she bolted towards the figure. Leaping at him she swung and managed to tear at some of the cloth but missed otherwise, landing and stumbling a bit as her leg threatened to give out.

[Mogtaki]

Shu didn’t know what had happened or what was happening, all he knew was he was taken away from a danger zone and was now being carried away by his brother. Looking back he saw the destruction that some strange external force had caused, his curiosity turning into alert very quickly when he realised what was happening. Something was attacking them and there was no way they could possibly be ready for something like this. They didn’t have Ki at all and Yumi and Viral were really tired. Looking quickly to Yumi he squeaked when she destroyed the next attack, his arm guarding his face as the debris flew. He didn’t know what was going on but with the portal nearby they might need to protect it until they got through; however, when a strange voice spoke out and its speaker soon appeared he squeaked in fear, his thought process being cut off completely to fear and the need to run away.

Viral was having a hard enough time standing up, nevermind needing to fight once more. He had to get back to his feet, he needed to help. Forcing his strength into his limbs he forced himself to his feet, the strain he was having to go through being almost unbearable as he pushed himself to his feet. With wobbling knees he growled and forced his foot down to stabilise his body, clenching his fists as he fought for strength. There was another one of these creatures, but this one could talk and certainly looked very intelligent; they were in a lot of trouble if they couldn’t fight it off now. Glaring at it as it spoke he looked to the sky as it changed a rather horrific red, the sky suddenly becoming a storm of meteors. Slowly moving back he threw his fist up at the meteors, managing to pulverise them but near enough couldn’t do much else.

Shu didn’t know what was happening but he was suddenly having to jump all out of the way. It was raining rocks after a loud band sounded out the area, a noise he had heard many times before but never associated with rocks, only rain. Panicking, he gasped when he heard the voice right near him, barely managing to turn around fully before Yumi had come flying in and kicked the monster. Immediately taking a brief run away he spun around, feeling awfully frightful which definitely didn’t get better as Yumi was attacked and injured. “Miss Yumi!” Watching as she suddenly tried to fight the monster he quickly ran to Takeshi, pulling at him. “Need to help! Help Miss Yumi!”

Viral was immediately furious when he saw Yumi had been injured and it was definitely one of the worst places to get an injury. He had near to no energy, he shouldn’t even be fighting at this point but with Yumi in trouble he was ready to destroy this creature. Watching as Yumi ultimately missed the creature he slowly moved a foot forward before immediately going for the creature, trying to conjure strength from essentially nothing as he made attempts to bring harm to the creature. “Keep your filthy magic away from her!!”

[GambolMuse]

No Ki to use, Yumi and Viral were already hurt, wasn't exactly the best start to a fight. Letting something like this stay around wasn't an option, if they got through then loads more people were going to get hurt. Getting pulled by Shu wasn't necessary as Takeshi already knew what they had to do, seeing Yumi basically crippled told them as much. Nodding once to Shu the older boy rushed in for an attack, watching as Viral missed when the man simply seemed to vanish again, teleporting away from his assailant. Sliding on his foot to change direction Takeshi growled and threw a kick as soon as he was close enough to strike, annoyed when all he caught was air, the figure warping away again. Spinning around full circle he punched out when the figure reappeared behind him, growing irritated as he simply vanished again. "Stand still and fight damn it!" Leaping after the man as soon as he came back into view Takeshi lifted his hands overhead and smashed down in place, shattering stone in his wake but missing again. He was being messed with wasn't he? Damn him!

"So fragile! So slow... How did you kill my pets? I do not understand..." the robed figure remarked questioningly, reaching into his cloak and rubbing at one could presume to be their head, "No matter... I have more, plenty more. And I will not need them anyways, my guests seem to be rather... Disappointing." The book was brandished again and floated before the man as he channeled the next spell, his hand glowing before the ground erupted in spikes again, directing them towards Takeshi and laughing as he darted about to avoid being caught. "It is fun to play though, it is! We will enjoy our company before they are killed, I am sure!" Seeing Yumi charging him again he cast the same spell again to force her to back off, grinning broadly at how noticeable slower she had become.

As soon as focus was split to Yumi, Takeshi went back in to try and attack again. Gritting his teeth as more spikes were brought up he lowered himself and charged forward, forcing himself to barrel through the rock and suffer a few minor cuts in the process as debris kicked up. With no energy to use and no weapon either he'd have to rely on his fists, but a split second decision gave him a little bit more. Grabbing a sharp piece of stone that had broken free he hurled it at the figure and watched as he vanished, looking around for his next appearance and darting towards him as soon as he'd come back. This time he'd actually managed to land a good punch that knocked the man off his feet, but in mid-air he'd retaliated and leashed some strange blue rope around Takeshi's ankle, lifting him up before throwing him away.