IC Posting Section

[ChoShadow]

Val rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"Fae... You've always been more a "fight first ask later" kind of Saiyan." She said quietly.

"The best way we can learn about what we're dealing with is to observe and study. I never was one for such a tactic before, but this situation really does demand it. We need to watch and wait. If we rush in there's no telling what kind of trouble we can get in. If their leader can do that to Zaero, what could they do to Metahnn?" She asked.

"We can't risk our race for our pride in ourselves. We aren't worth it, even if we are the first Super Saiyans in thousands of years." She said.

She sighed and took a moment to breathe before continuing.

"If we watch from a distance and use what we know of the Darkhood's activities of late, we can try to figure out where they are weakest and go from there. You raised a good point by saying we can focus on strategic strikes, but we need to know where those strategic strikes will come from. So for now I say we use our spy network back on Metahnn to locate recent Darkhood activities and go watch them. We can learn more about their hierarchy, their organization's structure, their relative powers compared to ours. Things like that." She said.

She glanced at Pyro.

"Anything from you Pyro?" She asked.

ChazGhost D. Rex

 

[ChazGhost]

"As I've said we should attack weaker parts of the darkhood and break off supply routes and take out there minor players." Pyro said after listening to Fae and Val for a bit. "While waiting back and having your spies go out and get some information would work, it would take time and time that other people and planet may not have." Pyro continued to say. "Instead of playing the spy game, I'd say we play the hacking game, aka my ship A.I. finds and hacks into the darkhoods network. Once we're in it'll be childs play to find the right targets for us to attack and we can avoided the more god like members." Pyro said finishing his idea.

D. Rex ChoShadow

 

[ChoShadow]

Valkyrie had to concede that he had a point. Hacking their network would be a good way to ensure their path ahead was a safe one.

"You have a point, Pyro. Hacking their network would ensure a safer route forward..." She began.

"But still I must protest one thing. And that's-"

"We're going." Came Era's voice.

Val turned her head to see Era had entered the room. Her face was blank, but there was a subtle rage burning in her eyes.

"... Era. We can't just-"

"I said we're going!" Era barked, a flare of Ki erupting from her and spreading throughout the room.

Luckily nothing was damaged, but it was enough of an emphatic point to show that Era was not in the mood to be argued with.

"The Darkhoods destroyed Elprede and drove Jasmine to suicide." Era said, walking up to Val and putting her face mere inches from Val's.

"They are going to pay for this." She growled through clenched teeth.

Val would have protested, but she couldn't. Era's glare and tone of voice silenced any protests on her part.

"... What do you propose?" Val asked.

"We do exactly as Pyro suggested. We hack their network and use it to locate the weakest teams first. Once we find them, we destroy them. But before we do we steal anything and everything useful to further our knowledge of their organization and power hierarchy. Once we know what we need to know, we're going for the Master to destroy him." Era growled.

Val took a breath.

"Era... We're not Gods. We can't destroy a being like his "Master" who wiped out Zaero. There's just no way." Val said in a quieter voice.

"There is a way, and we will find it!" Era yelled.

Her Ki flared again causing a momentary glitch in the ship's monitors. It corrected itself right away thanks to the AI fixing the surge's effects. But still that was a notice that Era was done talking about this.

"... Very well, Era..." Val replied quietly.

Era gently pushed past Val and approached Pyro.

"Your AI can follow the ion trails from the Master's vessel and lead us to any location they've recently visited. Once we locate a ship it should be easy enough to hack the network and establish a database of information we can use to locate weaker Darkhood forces. The sooner we get on their trail, the sooner we pay them back for what they've done." She said in a low voice.

While not a direct threat, this was a subtle demand that Pyro get to work right away and not waste anymore time.

And throughout the exchange Val kept her eyes on Era.

... She wasn't herself anymore. Something inside her died with Elprede and Jasmine before her explosion of power. But what had she lost? What had she become? What was happening to her?

This wasn't Era. This was an entirely new Saiyan in their group. Vengeful. Determined. Reckless, even.

Era... What happened to you? Val thought to herself.

D. Rex ChazGhost

 

[D. Rex]

Faeora didn't have as much faith in the AI as Pyro did, the skepticism was pretty clear on her face. But it wasn't in that the AI wouldn't be useful... more along the lines of she would be willing to believe that an organization as advanced as the Darkhoods surely knew their way around advanced computer systems which could just as easily be used against the saiyans. Especially if the Darkhoods learn of the strategy.

But, it was mute anyway, as it was still an argument in the same direction. Which was now being backed by Era. But the tone at which she did, Fae found very out of place. It wasn't like Era to be so demanding about things. While she could understand the desire for vengeance, it really did seem like the core of Era was entirely different.

Fae didn't get bent out of shape, since Era was agreeing with them. What did bug her, though, was how reckless the approach seemed. Sure, they were taking a sneaky route, but the way Era put it, this was a hairs breadth away from a head on conflict. And could turn into one easily if they weren't careful.

Fae had no doubt that Era was emotionally compromised. It was clear. But, she didn't expect her friend to be taken by it to this degree. Even if Fae did understand how much she must hate the Darkhoods right now. Era really did seem different.

Era wasn't well. And this behavior would no doubt raise already high tensions. "Then that is what we will do. Captain Pyro, if you please. We got work to do." Fae said, much more directly to the frost demon. Not that she doubted Pyro, but at least making it seem like Fae was giving the demand would direct any stubbornness and command headbutting at her than risking him getting into it with Era. Fae didn't mind taking the heat for this if it meant a chance to keep Era from getting more heated.

ChoShadow ChazGhost

 

[ChoShadow]

Within minutes the ship had departed for uncharted space, following the trails from the Master's ship.

Maintaining a sub-warp speed, they cruised through the unknown before leaving the galaxy they called home. The ion trails began to grow stronger after a few days indicating they were growing closer to the ship responsible for the destruction of Zaero. Slowing their speed, they managed to locate a world with significant power readings and sent a scout pod to scan and record the surface and its inhabitants to see what they were up against.

When the scout pod returned, it brought the resulting data revealing that although the inhabitants were powerful, they weren't in the same league as the group themselves. In fact they were relative peons by comparison. However, a single noteworthy image was brought to their attention: a technological research center. And it was within that research center that the scans revealed a centralized computer with strange electronic patterns being emitted from it.

After deploying another pod, this time one which could interrupt and capture electronic signals before relaying them back to the ship's central AI for analysis and decryption. Once decrypted, they revealed without question that this was part of the Darkhood central network. A small part, but a part nonetheless. Sadly no extremely useful data about their operatives was gleaned, but they got something else which would prove immediately useful.

A single piece of worthwhile information was recovered by the AI leading to another planet where another computer was located, this one with a greater storage of information and more likelihood of providing them with the information they sought.

However, this wasn't enough to satisfy Era. After confirming with the AI that everyone on the planet was a Darkhood, Era departed to the planet's surface and did something she'd never done before.

... She slaughtered Them.

Every... Last... One.

When Era was finished, which only took around two hours, there were no further inhabitants of the planet. It was now devoid of any and all life save the group in their ship just at the edge of the atmosphere. And when she returned to the ship she didn't even bother speaking to anyone who was there to ask what in the Hell she thought she was doing. Yes, they wanted to defeat the Darkhoods, but slaughtering the entire planet on her own out of spite?

That wasn't Era.

Valkyrie's concern for her sister's mental well-being was mounting with each passing day, but the problem was that Era became increasingly distant from all of them to the point where she summoned her own ship all the way from Metahnn on an automatic wormhole trip so she could be by herself. But the Void Room was aboard her vessel, meaning that in order for them to train they'd have to board her ship so they could all make the best use of their time.

Era demanded to be left on this world to wait for her ship, which would only take around eight hours to arrive via the wormhole. Once it was here to pick her up she'd entrust the guidance to the computer to catch up to Pyro's ship and travel on its tail while they led the way to their next destination. The planet they were after was located deeper in the heart of this new and unfamiliar galaxy, and it would be a two-week trip at least giving them all plenty of time to rest, train, and prepare for whatever may be ahead.

Era wasn't happy about letting them on board her ship, even if it was to train, but she relented and let them come aboard. They had two weeks together before reaching the planet, so there was plenty of time within that span to get private training in for each of them. They had four hours each, and a three day recharge period for the Room itself thanks to the recent improvements made by the C'thilians, so it would be easy enough to let everyone get their time and then some.

And thus the two-week trip began with all of them entering the Void Room together to begin the trip... And with Era's change in demeanor it was a very, very tense time.

Valkyrie stood near the entrance looking out into the Void with a somewhat downhearted expression. The tension in the air with Era standing up ahead, arms crossed, and glaring out at nothing as if she saw an invisible enemy was almost too much to bear.

But finally, Valkyrie let out a breath and floated out into the Void.

"Fae, you coming?" She called.

Era was clearly waiting for them all to leave and go out into the Void to do their own thing so she could train here near the entrance by herself, so Val took the hint and invited Fae to come with her to train. They could use some sparring to help cut the tension and get themselves in the mood for something more useful than fretting over Era's change.

D. Rex ChazGhost

 

[ChazGhost]

Pyro happy with how the the talks went had his crew get the ship ready and launch quickly. It didn't take long for them find a planet with a large amounts of power levels. After a scan they found out the inhabitants had large power level, not that powerful compared to Pyro and the other themselves. With another scan and hacking they search the computers to find a small bit of useful information, the location of planet with much more information.

Pyro was about to order the ship to move when Era went down to planet and... well went on a killing spree. Pyro and his crew didn't know what to do or say to this. They may of been pirates but they didn't go around out right slaughtering planets just because they didn't like the people on the planets. Pyro even not knowing Era to well could guess she was not herself. She was far more distant, even having her she come and pick her up. Pyro waited for Era ship to come because leaving her alone didn't feel right. After her ship arrived it was determined it would take two weeks to get to planet the wanted to go to. After a while convincing the rest to group was allowed to go to Era's ship to train.

Pyro enter the void room, followed by his current three students Disco, Jaws, and Alice. As Pyro did so Val flew off with Fae leaving Era at the entrance by herself. Pyro looked over the Era and commented "You know, you could make a fairly good space pirate with how you handle that planet... granted you would need to tone down the destruct a bit, well a lot really." before flying off himself with his small group of students.

A distance away from the entrance Pyro had his group in front of him line up. "Okay so start lets start with some sparring, come at me when your..." Pyro said before Jaws charged at him trying to bite him. Pyro dodge and then slammed Jaws down with his tail. Then the other two joined and the training began.
ChoShadow D. Rex

 

[ChoShadow]

Once Pyro and his crew, as well as Fae and Valkyrie, were gone Era remained at the entrance by herself.

For what seemed like at least an hour Era merely stared out at the horizon of the Void, not moving a muscle. In her mind she was replaying the conversation she'd had with Jasmine on a loop inside her head. Jasmine's final words echoed through her mind, as well as the feeling of the power erupting from her body during her fit of rage.

Despite it being instinctual, she remembered every second of that outburst and the overwhelming power she unleashed in that moment.

It was... Perfect.

That was the only word to describe it. Perfect.

That was the power she needed... That they needed. If she could harness that power again... Oh the damage she could inflict and the pain she could cause them. It would only be a sliver of the pain they'd caused her, but it would be a start.

Era's fists clenched.

She would pay them back for everything they'd done. Everyone they'd taken from her. They'd pay dearly.

Era powered up to her Super Saiyan form and flew out a ways while keeping the entrance in her field of view. She began her private training in an effort to increase her power and her ability to maintain it. She had to get stronger if she was going to pay the Darkhoods back, and it would begin with learning how to harness the incredible power she'd let out during her outburst.

She was angry enough that it would only be a matter of time now. If she could recreate the rage and sorrow, even if only in her mind, she knew she could unleash that power again. And when she did, she would attempt to harness it and use it as a tool to fuel her revenge...

__________________________________________​

Era's training regimen was brutal.

She began by powering down to single digit numbers before beginning a powerful body strengthening routine. The more Ki they were letting flow, the more their bodies had to work to make meaningful gains in natural levels of strength.

It was like earthling weightlifters. The ones who were already huge and pumped had to work a lot harder just to maintain than those who were new and fresh to the gym. Their gains were much greater. Era had a hunch that her Saiyan body was the same. Her greater levels of Ki meant her body had to work for improvement. So if she powered down it followed that she would be able to push her body itself physically much father and faster.

Era began by pushing her body to a limit she'd never done before. With her power levels in single digits, sh tried for 500 push ups. And the scary thing for her?... She couldn't reach that number. When she powered down to single digits, her body was unable to get more than 60 push ups before her muscles gave out.

She stood up and looked angrily down at her hands, clenching them tightly and scowling menacingly at the weakness of her body.

"No wonder I couldn't protect them..." She said.

She had relied on her Ki for so long her body forgot what it meant to work hard... This must have been why Fae was so tough compared to her and Valkyrie despite being weaker from a Ki standpoint. She trained her body like this every time she trained, period. Now it was Era's turn.

She pushed herself until she did 100 push ups in a row without stopping. By the end, she was dripping in sweat and her arms felt like jelly. It was an uncomfortable feeling. However, she found she could get rid of it by flushing her arms with Ki which replenished the muscles stamina. With her arms back in business, she did another 100 push ups straight. Flushed her arms with Ki to rinse the lactic acid buildup and strengthen them for another round. Rinsed, and repeated.

All in all, she did 10 rounds of 100 straight push ups.

Once she was finished, she did the same for sit ups. She then did ten rounds of 5 minute planks, 10 rounds of leg raises, 10 rounds of elevated leg raises, 10 rounds of 5 minute "superman" position, etc.

By the end of the day, Era's body was drained and sore like it had never been before in her entire life. If this was what it felt like to truly push your body, then she didn't like it. But she didn't care. She would do this for as long as she had to in order to build up the power and endurance she needed to allow herself to push the limits consistently and produce the results she wanted.

She would not let Elprede and Jasmine's deaths be for nothing!

D. Rex ChazGhost

 

[D. Rex]

The two super saiyans traded blows. On hand, it was a refreshing change of pace. Fighting each other felt quite different than either of them sparring with Era. It was obvious to Val at how different all three of their styles were. If things were different, she would likely be happy for that. Though despite the aggression that Fae was pushing, her mind kept drifting back to Era. Despite the reality of why, Val tried to convince herself that it was because she was just comparing styles. How different the two of them seemed to fight. Like earth and water. Era's unimaginable grace and fluidity to Fae's solidity and determination. But this only brought to her mind the thought... of what happens to water when it gets cold. Funny how evident it was. In her mind she eye, she could still remember visibly that cold angry stare that she had seen in her sisters eyes. Such coldness could turn the water to ice, solid and resolute and sharp... yet fragile. The prior hunt, Era wiping out the plan-

"Hey!" Faeora snapped angrily. "You are doing it again."

"Huh?" Val blinked, realizing she was just floating there with a hand extended as if about to fire. "What? I was aiming."

Fae frowned. "No you weren't. You weren't even looking at me."

Valkyrie sighed and lowered her hand, "Sorry. I was just-" Val was interrupted, barely having time to block Fae who rushed in with a flurry of blows.

"Talk while you fight! I'm trying to break a sweat here."

Vals face turned sour at Fae's taunt, and floated back quickly. Knowing better to take advantage of an opening Fae presented. Keeping the short saiyan at mid range normally ended in less bruises. Powering up, she let Fae come to her, another tactic she found worked in her favor. Using hit and run tactics to keep Fae from getting into a too much of a rhythm. Obviously it annoyed Fae, but she couldn't complain when a challenge was what she wanted.

"I was just thinking about Era." Val said between blows.

"What about her?"

Swiping Fae to the side, Val pushed Fae back with a quick blast of ki. A look of indignation in her face. "What do you mean what about her? She's obviously going through a very hard time right now." She said in an irritated tone. "She just lost two people she cared deeply about."

"And?"

Val let her guard down in shock at such a callous tone that Fae produced. Which she should have as Fae took full advantage of it, knocking her to the ground.

Val easily recovered via handsprimg, launching herself back into the air as Faeora blasted the ground where she had landed half a moment ago. Val wasn't about to let Fae have the pleasure of a ground fight. "I can't believe you just said that. You are her friend."

"I am. But loss is not something we aren't familiar with." Fae rebuttaled while Valkyrie charged at her. Using her full power, Val threw herself into pushing back Fae's defense.

Nonplussed, Fae continued, "I love Era as much as you do. She's my best friend. Maybe even more than that... but we have all lost people we have loved before. So have many of our brothers and sisters." She said, blocking onslaught of attacks with precision. "It's a risk we all are aware of. And it hurts every time. And it wounds our hearts. And there are only three outcomes. We let it break us. We close off our hearts so we won't hurt again. Or we heal and strengthen our hearts and resolve."

Valkyrie wasn't amused. "And you think that being cold hearted to her plight is going to fix anything? "

"Don't be stupid. I hurt for her just as much as you do. But unless we move forward, how can we expect her to?"

They had both stopped fighting. Just hovering now.

"I want nothing more than to go and hold her right now... to hug her and cry with her. But if anyone knows what anger feels like, it is me. I seem her hate filled eyes. She doesn't want to be consoled. You know as well as I do what will happen if she goes down that path. What happened on that planet... that wasn't Era."

Valkyrie was silent for a while, looking down at the ground. "So what do we do?"

For a few second, Fae didn't respond. Floating there with golden hair moving to a non existent breath. "We need to be strong. Not just emotionally either. Right now, her heart is weak. So we have to be strong for her. We have to show her the way, and do everything we can to keep her from losing herself. We have to be strong so that if she ever does fall off her path, we can reach out and pull her back into it. And we have to be strong enough to keep her from doing things that she will regret."

"We are there for her. And we aren't going anywhere." She continued, "And we need to get strong enough to show her that. She might be a genius prodigy master at all, but she isn't invincible. And no one can harm her more deeply than she can to herself."


"You've thought a lot about this haven't you?" Val grunted.

"Yeah... yeah I have. I know I have never been much help to you all. Nor have I ever been able to do the things you two can't. But the one promise I can make, is that I will help carry any burden that you all find too heavy. Even if only because I refuse to break. I may not have been destined for greatness like two, but I sure as hell won't let either of you fall."

Fae took her stance back up again, "So don't worry, Val. We will make everything right. But it starts here."

Despite Fae's little speech, Valkyrie took up her stance begrudgingly. Part of her knew that Fae was right... but at the same time, she didn't believe that Fae really understood really understood how much it hurt to see Era go through this. Or maybe it was just the fear of losing Era to a broken heart that filled her mind with doubt and indecision. A sentiment that began to show as the two of them began training once more.


________


Still stronger than Fae, technically speaking, it wasn't hard to keep up with Fae's power. Giving herself the complacency to let her mind wander frequently back to Era.

Despite the times during this fight that Fae kept trying to push Valkyrie to give more, it was starting to become more and more evident to Fae that Valkyrie was just going through the motions.

It was until that Valkyrie felt a surge of energy from Era's direction, and turned her head to look in concern, that Faeora finally had enough.

Fae came in with a knee to chest to take advantage of the opening. And Valkyrie blocked it with both hands with ease... only... that wasn't the part that she should have been paying attention to... because as Val raised her eyes to meet Fae's, the irritated saiyans face was blocked by a fist. A rather potent jab to the eye followed by painful left cross to the jaw. To Val, an unnecessarily aggressive attack for a simple sparring session, given that it felt like Fae was actually trying to cause pain with that one.

"Ow! What was that for?" Exclaimed Valkyrie.

"For not paying attention! I'm done. How can I give this my all if you are not even going to take this seriously? It just wasting my time. And your's, because you aren't pushing yourself either."

Frustrated by the accusation, Valkyrie responded in ire,"What do you mean? I have been keeping up with you this entire time. I'm not here to cater to your masochistic tendencies, Fae. "

Fae rolled her eyes, and powered down to her base form, "And I'm not here just to go through the motions. If this is all you have to give, then I have I will make more progress training on my own. I suggest you do the same. If you don't plan to push yourself, then maybe you can at least try to develop your ki techniques. It fruitful than moping."

Valkyrie scowled, "Fine. Do what you want. I had planned to do that anyway." She said spitefully.

"Fine.

"Fine!"

And with that, Fae flew off with a green streak towards the depths of the void. Leaving Valkyrie feeling depressed, agitated, and deflated. Just standing there in silence. She sort of regreted getting angry at Fae for that. She knew she had only been trying to push herself, but she didn't have to be so stubborn about it... "Oh Era..."



____


Faeora felt bad that she had gotten so irritable with Val. She knew that Val was taking what was going on with Era pretty hard too. It was expected that she would show such empathy for her sister. But Fae could not afford to let stagnation take over. She had to push forward. She could feel the need to do so crawling underneath her skin.

As she flew, Fae powered up to super saiyan again. Making the resolution to stay in this form. To spend every waking moment in it. To use it till she collapsed. Super saiyan... so far they had come in such a short time. But Fae knew in the bottom of her heart that there had to be so much more. She could feel it. She had seen it. Not just when Era lost it. But back when Era and Val both taunted her with super saiyan.

Remembering it made her angry... but it also brought straight to mind her declaration that she had no limits. And this was where she intended to prove it beyond a shadow of a doubt.

But it was becoming clear that Fae didn't have to be strong for just Era... Fae knew that she needed to be strong for Valkyrie too. And she fully intended to be. She would carry both of them.

ChoShadow ChazGhost

 

[ChoShadow]

Valkyrie was fuming after her spat with Fae. She could understand where Fae was coming from, but one thing was certain: they'd never see eye to eye about what it meant to be strong for someone else's sake. Fae's preference to drive forward instead of carefully intervene just wasn't in Valkyrie as a Saiyan. Her relationship with Era had developed more than she ever thought possible in the time since they'd been reunited in Commander Korvaiis' group.

Era needed an intervention, but Fae wanted to leave her alone and Pyro wanted to train his crew... So what to do?

While Valkyrie contemplated this, Era continued pushing her body to its absolute limits at next to zero power levels. The sheer ferocity she was putting into it was downright frightening. She would not let a single day pass without doing at least 1,000 of every exercise she knew how to do. And at the end of every day she would force Ki through her body to drive out the lactic acids and help rejuvenate her muscles. But this was dangerous.

Since her body was not going through its natural process, it wasn't properly taking care of itself after her Ki flush. The lactic acid build up had been dispersed, but it hadn't been cleaned properly leaving tiny traces of it behind causing micro build ups in certain places which was now damaging her muscles despite her successfully beginning to build them up. Her progress from a physical standpoint was encouraging her to continue pushing, and by only her third day she was pushing for 1,500 of every exercise.

Drenched in sweat at the end of each day, she did her Ki flush and took a long, hot bath before going straight to bed. She'd wake up in the morning, eat breakfast, train until she dropped, flush her body with Ki, take a bath, go to bed, rinse and repeat. Her fasting during the day after breakfast helped her build more lean muscle definition than before, and her body was indeed becoming stronger. But she knew she needed more.

After flushing her body with Ki, she then began blasting herself with powerful Ki blasts. It took a few tries to get it just right to the point where she could endure the hit while taking enough damage to push her body forward without damaging it too severely. But this became her routine.

Push her body to the limit at next to zero power, flush with Ki, blast herself to near oblivion before taking a bath and going to bed.

And so the days passed within the Void Room...

Valkyrie was too preoccupied with Era to really do much training. In fact she only went through the motions to help herself stay in shape. She did practice her Ki control a little bit, but that was about all. She didn't need to rely on special or signature attacks. She had every confidence in her own combat style just the way it was.

Era continued pushing herself beyond her limits in various ways, always coming up with something new to do to push her body and energy forward. But despite her physical progress, she wasn't making much headway in the raw Ki output department. It was greatly upsetting her that all of this work had seemingly been for next to nothing. This couldn't truly be her limit, could it?

No... She could, and she would go higher. She had tasted the power lying within herself when she learned of Elprede and Jasmine's death, and she would find a way to reach and harness it once more.

She had to...

D. Rex ChazGhost

 

[ChazGhost]

Pyro and his crew finished their beginning sparing in a few minutes. Pyro handled his crew with ease as usual but he saw he crew was improving. So Pyro began training on ki focus and ki manipulation. The training pertained to practicing holding balls of ki of increase size and hold them. Once the ki balls got big enough Pyro started having his members shrink the size of the balls while keeping the same amount of ki in them. This lead to some explosive results, literally. For a few hours Pyro had them repeat this, each time leading to explosions.

After a few hours Pyro had them take a break to recharge their ki and recover from... well explosions hitting them in the face. During this time Pyro continued honing his ability with his ki blade. Once his crew finished resting came another round ki ball expansion, shrinking, and explosion... After a few more days Pyro's students started being able shrink the ki ball to a decent size. At this point Pyro then began teaching them the power these compact ki ball had...
ChoShadow D. Rex

 

[ChoShadow]

On one particularly grueling day...

Era had been pushing herself mind, body, and soul nonstop since arriving in the Void Room.

She had lost weight. Her hair was growing long enough to graze the floor. Her eyes were starting to develop bags from sleep depravation and stress. And her fighting techniques were beginning to grow sloppy and uncoordinated.

She was pushing too hard.

Somewhere deep down she knew she was pushing too hard, but her now unquenchable thirst for revenge was pushing those thoughts to the back of her subconscious where they lay dormant and unrecognized by her conscious mind.

It was about midday, almost time for lunch. Era was in the skies phantom sparring with an invisible enemy of her imagination when she suddenly got light headed and fell gracelessly to the ground below. Landing with a hard thud, Era rolled onto her stomach and tried to push herself up only to slip in the puddle of sweat which was already growing beneath her and face plant into the ground.

There she lay, still and unmoving for several seconds.

Finally her hands flattened out and she pushed herself up onto her knees before sitting back on them and looking at her hands with great frustration.

She was exhausted beyond words.

Her hands and fingers were trembling. She clenched them into fists and still they trembled. She unclenched them and flushed her body with Ki, yet still they trembled. She didn't understand why this was happening. Sure she was breathing hard and she'd been pushing hard, but come on... Surely she had more to give than this!

She stood up and walked to the entry way where she stripped down to her undergarments and stood on a device which measured one's vitals. The device scanned her body up and down before providing her with a readout of her current condition.

She nearly exploded with rage looking at the results.

Almost all of her vitals were reading below average. She was malnourished, dehydrated, and her fatigue levels were off the charts.

She stepped down from the device and launched a Ki blast of pure frustration out into the Void before dropping to her knees from a sudden dizzy spell and punching the ground in rage.

"This can't be my limit!!" She shrieked.

She punched the ground several more times before gently dropping herself down and laying on her side.

She was still out of breath, and the Ki blast and punches to the ground took a lot of energy from her. But how could they? How could such simple things like that take so much energy? Was she really this weak?

That had to be it. She was just weak. It was more proof that she had to keep pushing and getting stronger. Eventually her body would overcome this stress and she would be back to her old self again. She knew it. It had to be this way.

However, she had a feeling that those stress and fatigue levels were a part of it too. So the only smart thing would be to rest for a while.

She stood up and walked into the bathroom to begin taking a shower, her first since she arrived. She washed her hair thoroughly and, after exiting the shower, she cut her hair so her ponytail only reached her waist.

This was the shortest Era's hair had ever been. Even as a newborn infant her hair was full and long reaching down to her knees at least. It had never been cut this short.

But Era wanted it gone. It was getting in the way. She even snipped her bangs so the one which usually hung over her eye was gone and now she could show her entire face to the world.

With the shower over, Era took a long and well deserved nap... But what had originally been meant to be but a brief nap turned into a 32 hour slumber which Valkyrie had no interest in waking her from. She didn't let the others wake her either, not that they tried. Era needed this break, and they all knew it.

But when Era awoke, things weren't much different.

She still bore the same single-minded purpose of eliminating all the Darkhoods from the universe including the so-called "Master." And today, she would take her first step towards doing so. She could feel it in her bones.

She stepped out into the Void and closed her eyes. A moment of inspiration had struck upon her awakening, and she was eager to test it.

She calmed herself with slow, steady breaths and cleared her mind of all irrelevant thoughts. She focused on the image of when she first met Elprede and Jasmine. The subtle arrogance and standoffish nature of the Silver Nephelem tickled her funny bone and made her think of him almost as a spoiled child. But given that he knew his place as the vessel of a God, it wasn't surprising.

Still, remembering their meeting brought a smile to her face... The first smile she'd worn since before they heard the Nephelem S.O.S.

Era then forced herself to relive every moment of the realization that Elprede was dead, and Jasmine's final plea before she disconnected herself from the intergalactic network effectively killing herself. Despite her family's death, she hung on long enough to relay the important information about the Master and his power as one who could defeat a God. And then she was gone.

A single tear ran down Era's cheek, quickly followed by another, and another, and another until they were pouring down like rivers from her eyes. She sobbed and cried there alone in the Void, recalling these bitter moments. Her hands clenched at her sides unconsciously, and her power began to swell. Her hair waved behind her and her body began emitting increasing levels of heat and wind produced by her now expanding power.

She opened her eyes as soon as she felt this change, and focused her power at a much higher level before recalling the feeling of pure and unbridled rage which had overtaken her out in space.

Era shrieked at the top of her lungs as her Ki exploded like never before! The wind produced was beyond hurricane levels and reached out for miles and miles through the Void. Even Valkyrie, who had gone off to train on her own nearly two hundred miles out, was suddenly and violently thrown off balance before she had to transform into a Super Saiyan to stabilize herself against this eruption of energy.

"Era..." She whispered, realizing what she must have been doing to herself.

Era, in the meantime, continued powering up as far as her body would allow. Higher and higher her power climbed before eventually reaching the same level it did when she was out in space. But this time it went even further beyond. She was conscious. She was in control. And she wouldn't let her power stop rising.

It was as if that moment of rage had taken away any thought of a ceiling she'd once held onto, and a new power was being unleashed.

However, a sudden jolt of pain through her head snapped her out of focus and her power instantly halted and dissipated. Her aura disappeared, her Ki plummeted before returning to normal, and she dropped to her knees grabbing her head in pain.

She breathed hard for a few moments before the pain began going away, but that was exactly what she needed.

She smiled, despite herself, and stood up before chuckling a little to herself.

"I knew that wasn't my limit. Now I know I can work even harder and make my power go even higher! If I can harness this anger and the power that comes with it..."

She clenched a fist and looks up to the empty sky.

"I won't let your deaths be in vain. Elprede... Jasmine... I'll avenge you both. I promise you. I will find a way to keep getting stronger, and I will slaughter every last one of them to make it happen!" She yelled.

She then let her hand drop to her side before sitting down.

She'd had a long day, but now she had a renewed vigor to push herself even harder so she could attain that power and, next time, not let it disappear like that. There had to be a way to harness it, and she would find it. Someday...

D. Rex ChazGhost

 

[ChoShadow]

On the day of Era's explosion of power driven by anger, Valkyrie had been going through her paces.

She practiced all of her signature fighting techniques and maneuvers, phantom sparring her mental image of the Darkhood Death who had killed Era before. Even if it was just going through the motions, she could feel very slow and steady progress being made. But she felt that she was coming into a ceiling.

All of them were... At least she thought so.

The power of the Super Saiyan was indeed great, but how could it even begin to approach the power of the Gods? They were Gods for a reason, after all. Their power was literally beyond mortal comprehension.

But then... The Master wasn't a God. He was a hunter of Gods. So he must have been mortal at some point, or perhaps still is mortal. But then how could he harness any level of power anywhere equivalent to that of the Gods?

So many questions... So many distractions.

When Era's outburst came, Valkyrie knew instinctively how Era had found such power. She'd tapped into her anger and relived her farewell to Elprede and Jasmine. She found the power she unleashed that day, but it was just an explosion of anger.

There was no source for it. There was no harnessing it or controlling it. There was only the unreliable and theoretical use of emotion which was fleeting. Era's failure to properly control that explosion of power and the immediate return to normalcy afterwards was proof of that. She'd never harness that explosion of anger because she couldn't keep forcing those emotions at that intensity. Eventually her mind would accept and grow numb to them, and then where would she be?

For the rest of that day, and the day following, Valkyrie continued to go through her paces and keep herself sharp... But it just wasn't the same.

Era's change had thrown the entire dynamic of their group off, and now they were all suffering for it with maybe the exception being Pyro and his crew who could all train together regardless. But for the three Saiyans, a rift had been created which Valkyrie didn't see a bridge across.

What could they do?

D. Rex ChazGhost

 

[D. Rex]

Fae had flown as far out into the void as she dared. Until she had to remain in super saiyan form to resist the gravity, and even then it pressed heavily against her. Finally coming to a stop, she stood there. Looking out to the horizon. Empty and barren in all directions. No longer able to feel the normal power levels of her peers, it felt so alone out here. But it would mean she wouldn't have any distractions. More importantly, no one to tell her to stop.

Faeora removed her armor. Placing it neatly on the ground, pointing in the direction she had came from, just in case. She took a deep breath. So much to do... with no idea in how to accomplish it. No, she did know that the only way was forward.

Firstly, she intended to fully explore the super saiyan form. To make hers. To master it. For it was a wonderful form... and the words of Era and Val rang in her ears. Taunting her and out how wonderful it was that might want to stay in it forever. A taunt... but why couldn't they? What was stopping them? They saw this as a point of end, the pinnacle. Neither seemed too keen to push it and train it. Like there wasn't any bounty need. Or at least that was how it seemed to Fae. But of course Fae believed otherwise. This wasn't a pinnacle. It was just the beginning. A trail to a range of infinitely hieghtening mountains. Faeora resolved herself to do everything from here until the end of the session in the void in super saiyan form.

Secondarily, it had been nagging in her mind when Era had broken her down and made her change into super saiyan. Especially the breaking of her ki anchor and demolition fist. Even if she was vastly overpowered at the time, it was still a knife to what pride she held in them. She needed to make them better. So that not even Era could break them. Era was always one to better herself and overcome her opponents. Fae could play that game too. With this new power, Fae had a lot of revising to do with her techniques and styles. Besides... no longer beimg a Faerari... it was time she started making things her own.

And last but not least... she needed to contemplate on how to help Era and Val. Neither were currently fit for the roles they once held. Emotionally compromised and understandably so. Fae would carry them along, whatever it took. To earn their respect and belief that she could do that. After so long of being out shined by them, Fae could only imagine how they saw her now. Like some little sister, probably... a tagalong. When she was done here... she planned to show them she was equally capable in the role as them.

_____


To label the training as harsh was an understatement. As she pushed herself, forced herself to poke and prod at every limit of herself that she could find. In super saiyan form, of course. Fae, as per her resolve, refused to do anything outside of super saiyan form. She would remain training in that form until she collapsed of exhaustion or she could hold it no more. Where then the gravity would pull her to the ground... and she would lay there immobile. Forcing her to rest. Once doing so, she would transform and get up and continue. Rinse and repeat.

But it wasn't like she was just standing there. No, the entire time she trained. From general exercises to practicing her styles, and even trying new variants of those styles. Ki training was another big thing. With styles much power at her disposal, it was perfect to explore and see how far she could evolve the techniques she already knew. Not to mention the ever important meditation.

Everything she could muster, she would put focus on. Careful not to overdo herself, and being sure to balance what she trained with so as not destroy what small gains she was making. Better two steps forward, one step back than one step forward, two steps back.

Two things, the yoseishin still remained out of her reach in this form. However hard she tried, it ended with the usual explosive results. While she didn't intend to give up on it, her focus was better elsewhere. The other being that it wasnt as easy to do her hard body training. In fact, after a while, Fae could swear her bones began to itch from lack if suitable impact... so maybe Val was right about Masochistic tendencies... in the plus side...Agility training had become much more grueling. And Fae took full advantage of it. Flips, jumps, handsprings, twists, rolls, cartwheels, bobbing, weaving, dodging etc. Making use of the high gravity impacts to what degree she could.

After the more physically intensive workouts, she tended to do ki or style training to give her body a bit of rest.

And speaking of rest... Fae rarely came back to the void camp. Tending to sleep where she lay out in the void. Only a few times a day coming back(in super saiyan form when she came back). Wherein she would eat everything she could get her hands on, take a quick shower, and watch the Era train a bit. Sometimes offering a bit of advice. But stayed silent for the most part. Era didn't seem like she would be very receptive of advice right now, or wanting to hear about Fae.

To be honest, the way she was training seriously concerned Fae. It was very self destructive. But as per her own advice, Fae knew she had to push forward. And fully intended to be strong for her. Even now her heart hurt thinking about how hurt Era still was. And Valkyrie... she seemed to be falling into a bit of depression herself.

At least Pyro seemed to still be of sound mind. Which was good as he and his crew gave a good outlet for some of her training.

In fact, she fully offered herself to help them train a bit during the times she came. Back. Defense training, mostly. All she would do is just defend, minus a harmless throw or kaio shout. She would let them go all out. And they would learn pretty quick that Fae had a pretty solid defense. And even being a super saiyan, she didn't try to outclass them. Lower her power just enough so she could be a major challenge for their attacks, but still able to let them land their blows if they could. It was a nice bit of training.

But soon, as always, she flew back off to the void.

____

As disciplined as Fae could be... she didn't really keep track of the time. Not that she could as often as she passed out or had to nap. How many days had it been? Enough that Fae was beginning to see the fruits of her labor. Small gains in strength were still considered great strided. And as she more explored her new levels of ki, just as with her styles, she was refining them. And most importantly... she had been noticing that the super saiyan form was becoming less arduous and able to maintain it for longer.

With ever passing "day" She grew more and more hopeful that what she wanted was within reach. She could take this further. Could take it beyond. It was something that could be mastered. And... she couldn't wait to share that moment with them when that moment came. Right now, Faeora had hope. Hope that she intended to share with Era and Val.

ChazGhost ChoShadow

 

[ChoShadow]

The days continued to roll onward, and one good thing was coming out of it... Kind of.

Era approached Valkyrie and asked her to train with her in a single all-out sparring match to see how far they'd both come since attaining their Super Saiyan powers. Valkyrie accepted, but she was not exactly excited about this development.

Era invited everyone else to watch them fight, asking Fae and Pyro to observe their battle and give feedback on what they saw.

But in Era's eyes was a darkness which Valkyrie noticed the moment Era approached her. The usual light in her eyes seemed to have disappeared and was replaced by... Something else.

The two of them squared off, staring each other down. Era's face bore an almost murderous glare, and Valkyrie's bore the exact expression one would expect of a concerned older sister. It was plain as day that Valkyrie's heart was not in this from the get-go, and Era seemed to notice that as well.

The one-sided conversation which followed was... Disturbing.

"Val... If you don't give this your all, I'm going to kill you. We cannot afford weakness at a time like this, so if you give me reason to think you'll slow us down or become a detriment to our success I will not hesitate to get rid of you." Era growled.

Era immediately powered up into her Super Saiyan form, taking her stance.

Valkyrie, on the other hand, was left stupefied with her jaw hanging slightly agape and her eyes slightly wider than normal upon hearing Era's threat.

"I-..." She stammered.

Era didn't wait. She rocketed forward and slammed her fist into Valkyrie's stomach knocking the wind from her lungs with ferocious purpose. Valkyrie spat out a rather concerning amount of both saliva and blood before being hurled backwards into the open expanse of the Void. She skidded across the ground across several varying fields of gravitational forces which had an alternating effect on her momentum. Some helping her skim faster, others slowing her down as she skidded across the ground.

Finally her body came to rest and she rolled into a fetal position clutching her stomach and trying desperately to catch her breath as Era floated up into the sky and opened one hand preparing a powerful Ki blast which would indeed be the death of Valkyrie if she didn't get ahold of herself and dodge the blast.

"Final warning Valkyrie! It's time to shape up and give this your all, or die!" She yelled down to Val.

She launched the Ki blast at Valkyrie who had just barely begun to get her breath back as she saw the blast coming. She quickly aimed a Ki blast at the ground which launched her up into the air helping her avoid the incoming attack. However the shockwave, in her weakened state, knocked her farther into the air and wrested control from her. Era took this opportunity to race over to her and slammed her elbow across Val's back sending her sprawling into the ground below.

Val hit the ground hard coughing up more saliva and a tiny spec of blood as once again the wind she fought to regain was knocked from her lungs.

Val crawled up to her hands and knees trying to help open her chest up to breathe, and Era landed nearby as she powered up a bit further.

"Get up Val! I won't say it again!" She yelled.

Valkyrie slowly stood up on shaky legs as she caught her breath and began to sweat. She hadn't even begun fighting, but she was sweating already which wasn't a good sign for her.

Val realized she had no choice but to fight. Era's emotional and mental state had become so warped by her thirst for revenge that she was now seriously threatening Val, and likely would do so to the others before long, if Val didn't manage to set her straight. She had to prove to Era that her emotional rampage wasn't right. Not for her. Not for the group. Not for the memory of Elprede and Jasmine.

Valkyrie wiped the sweat from her brow and stood up straight as her breath returned and her body adjusted to having been hit by Era.

"... Forgive me, Era." She whispered under her breath.

Era was a prodigy capable of adapting to any form of combat she saw. She was the most powerful member of the group right now. And she seemed to have the best working knowledge of the Super Saiyan form. Defeating her would not be easy, but Valkyrie had no choice.

She had to defeat Era now not only for Era's sake, but for the sake of their group and the memory of those Era had sworn to avenge.

Valkyrie powered up to her Super Saiyan form with emotional reluctance, and mentally prepared herself for what would easily be the fight of her life. If Era still meant what she said about killing her, then this was now a life and death struggle against her sister and closest friend.

There could be no greater stakes for Valkyrie now.

The two Super Saiyans stared each other down for several long and uncomfortable seconds before Era disappeared from view. Valkyrie calmly took a breath and closed her eyes, feeling out her sister's movements and searching for her power signature. But by the time she had locked onto Era's power it was too late.

In her usual fashion, Era had predicted how long it would take Valkyrie to find her and used that time to position herself to Valkyrie's left side where her hair often got in her way. Using that little known blind spot in Valkyrie's peripheral vision, Era gained an early advantage and slammed her foot into the back of Valkyrie's skull to slam her downward into the ground headfirst. As she hit the ground she was dazed just long enough for Era to race down and slam her knee into Val's back in the same spot she had before Val transformed.

Val let out a short shout of pain before the air in her lungs escaped once again leaving her breathless and all but helpless as Era grabbed her feet and swung her around before letting go and throwing her up into the air. As Valkyrie went skyward Era raced after her and began a relentless assault of rapid punches and kicks before sending Valkyrie back down to the ground with a vicious follow up kick across the midsection.

Finally, Era backed off and gave Valkyrie a few moments to catch her breath and process what had all happened.

Val was bleeding from the left corner of her mouth, a cut on her forehead just above her left eye, her left shoulder from a massive abrasion caused by her latest fall, and from her right knee.

As Val stared at Era, who at this point had descended only to power up once again as a silent threat to Val, she couldn't help but feel sorry for her sister. She had increased in power since they first came into the Void, more so than Val would have presumed given her self destructive training methods. Evidently there was some truth to pushing themselves harder, but not enough for Val to admit that it was their best option.

Era's face contorted into a deep frown as Valkyrie spat out a small amount of blood and powered up as well, nearly matching Era's power output.

"It's about time you got serious Valkyrie. Now come at me!" Era demanded.

Era powered up a tiny bit further, taking her stance as she awaited Valkyrie's assault. But Val only took her own stance and waited, further angering Era who was dead set on Val making the first move. But Val held her ground and stared Era down much to the latter's irritation.

"I won't say it again Val. Come at me!" Era barked.

Val remained silent and stoic, glaring Era down as the latter's anger began to flare.

"Fine, you coward! Then I'll bring the fight to you!!" She screamed.

Val braced herself for Era's onslaught, and indeed that's what came. Era rocketed forward unleashing a barrage of punches, kicks, elbows, sweeps, knees, and small Ki blasts to try and take Valkyrie down. But for the most part, Val was holding up well against her anger-driven sister. Only a few stray blows managed to sneak past her defenses which, for Era, was unusual. Era almost always used her adaptable knowledge of her opponent's fighting style to take the advantage immediately. So for Val to hold up this long was rather abnormal.

However, things were far from normal here. Era was still displaying a deadly serious desire to hurt Valkyrie which wasn't the point of training at all. Even if Era wanted to push their powers to the limit, she had to know that this was not the way to do it. Somewhere deep down, perhaps, she still did.

But their fight was anything but training. This was a battle in every sense. And sadly, it was one Valkyrie was rapidly losing control of.

Era began taking the advantage as expected, employing her signature techniques to weave in and out of Val's attacks and counters to take full control as she began to overwhelm Valkyrie who still wasn't putting out her full power or using her best moves to keep Era at bay. Something was off about how Val was fighting, and while Era didn't know what it was she didn't really care. If Val wasn't going to fight to her fullest, it made it all the easier to punish her for it.

As Era wrestled full control of the fight from Val, she began giving her sister a merciless beat down of colossal proportions. Each blow could be felt physically even from where Fae and Pyro were standing. And before long, Val was on the ground once more and reverted to normal.

Now helpless against Era's assault, Val lay beaten and bloody on the ground as Era stood over her frowned. Era too powered down to normal and snarled a little.

"Pathetic... Is this really what has become of you?" She asked.

Val didn't answer. She lay there with her eyes closed as she struggled to breathe properly.

"I can't believe this. All of that power as a Super Saiyan, and you barely lasted two minutes against me." She growled.

Val still remained silent.

"Hmph. If that's all you've got Val, then you're useless to us now. And in this battle against the Darkhoods, weakness has only one purpose: to be done away with." She said coldly.

Era opened her hand and pointed it at Valkyrie, powering up to her maximum in her Super Saiyan form. If this blast connected, it was over.

"You may have gotten here first, but you clearly could not understand the depths of the power you wield. If you can't grow anymore than this, we've no use for you anymore... Any last words Val?" Era asked, the Ki blast growing slightly larger.

Val's eyes, previously tightly shut, were now relaxed and her face calm as she opened her eyes and looked at Era.

"You disappoint me, Era." She said.

Era's eye twitched.

"I disappoint you? Who in the Hell do you think you are?" She asked, the Ki blast growing a bit larger.

Val pushed herself up into a seated position.

"I am your elder sister. The one who's been by your side since we were young and didn't even know we were related." Val began.

She slowly got to her feet, while Era continued to aim her Ki blast at her.

"I am the first Super Saiyan in eons. The one who defeated the Darkhood who killed you. The one who desperately fought to bring you back to life an watched over you every second that you were clinging to life." She continued.

Era's eye twitched again, and her frown deepened.

"I am Valkyrie. Your sister. Your family... And I am also the one who sees you now for what you have become." She said with sadness in her voice.

Era smirked.

"And what have I become if not the most powerful Saiyan in history?" Era retorted.

Val regarded her with an ever more growing expression of sorrow.

"You have become what you hate most... A Darkhood." Val said.

Era's Ki blast vanished, and her eyes widened considerably with shock and rage as she raced forward and grabbed Valkyrie by the throat.

"What did you just call me?" She asked in a soft, but more threatening voice than any she'd ever used before.

"You're acting just like a Darkhood, Era. You're obsessed with your own power and lording it over everyone by calling yourself the strongest in history. You challenged me initially as a test of our strength to see how much we've grown, but you almost immediately turned it into a contest of life and death purely because I refused to put my heart into it. Your moral compass has all but vanished, proven by your choice to annihilate every living being on the Darkhood's planet we recently visited... You're driven by rage and hatred... And you've lost the most beautiful part of yourself along the way."

Val's eyes welled up as she spoke, and by the time she reached the end of her statement she was in tears.

"What is that if not the attitude of a Darkhood?" She gasped through her sobs.

Era grit her teeth as Valkyrie spoke, her anger rising further and further until it reached a fever pitch. She began choking Val out completely as her eyes burned intensely with a dark fire never before seen within her.

"You'll regret speaking to me in such a way... How dare you suggest I'm anything
like those monsters?!" She barked, squeezing Val's throat a little bit harder.

"I am nothing like them, and I never will be. Those freaks took two of the people I cared about most away from me, and I will avenge their deaths no matter what it takes." Era growled.

She tossed Val backward onto the ground, hard. But this didn't shake Val's resolve. Through her tears she continued to look at Era.

"And that's what makes you like them, Era. You're Hell bent on accomplishing a goal fueled by hatred and malice, no matter the cost... Even at the cost of the lives of those you still have left to protect." She sobbed.

It was that final sentence which seemed to finally get through to Era as her eyes widened in shock and horror.

Era took a few steps back and powered down to normal as her breathing became irregular and her heart rate began to spike. Her thoughts were racing between the fact that Val was right, and the fact that she hated being compared to those freaks.

But... which thoughts mattered most now?

She had Fae, Pyro and his crew, and all of the Saiyans on Metahnn to protect. And... She had Val to protect. Her sister, who meant more to her than anything. And she threatened her over training. An exercise to test their limits.

What had she become to threaten her sister, whom she loved dearly, over something so... ordinary?

They trained like this all the time. They tested their limits together all the time... Why did it suddenly become something worthy of threatening her life over?

Era collapsed to her knees as the realization sunk in about how her behavior had changed. For the first time she was conscious of it. The things she'd said. The things she'd done. And all in such a short time...

D. Rex ChazGhost

 

[D. Rex]

To be honest, Faeora wasn't all that thrilled to be out here. Not because she didn't like seeing how well they progressed, but rather because she had been woken up to do so. Throwing her out of the little rhythm she had going. In fact, right now she was out of the super saiyan form she had been trying to be in all the time.

However, this wasn't why she was frowning. She sat cross-legged in the air, floating a few feet off the ground. It was easy to feel. In fact, the negativity was palpable. And most of it came from Era, herself.

Not just because of the disgusting speech, talking about Val like an asset. But that Era chose Val for this. Fae knew better than to think that Era wasn't fully aware of Vals lack of motivation. And didn't have the intention of remeding it. No, Era was purposely seeking out something to hurt and lash out at.

This seemed more and more evident from Era's more brutal attacks, as well as her threats and taunts. Valkyrie clearly wasn't going to stand much of a chance against her, especially in that dull mindset she was in. Fae made sure to be all the more wary in case she was needed to step in to keep Era from going to far.

More and more it was seeming like she would have to, as Era's attacks only increased in intensity. Her words did as well. Saying things that Fae did not think Era was even capable of. Words that became more and more venomous and detached from who she was. Already it was being taken too far, and it had clearly turned into something other than training, as Fae expected.

Faeora lowered her feet to the ground, gathering a pool of ki into the ground just in case she needed to get Val out of there in a hurry. She would give Val the chance though. Right now it was her fight.

The words exchanged hurt even Fae. And right now everything seemed to be falling apart. Val, at least, seemed to have managed to get through somehow. And as Era collapsed to her knees, it was more than enough to end this.


Fae floated toward them, landing right in between. More or less a signal that this was over.

First things first, Faeora went over to Valkyrie to help her up, and carry her if her injuries were severe enough. Faeora wasn't a out to just leave Val in the ground, and fully intended to treat her if she wasn't capable of doing herself. Thought that wouldn't stop Fae from checking over her for bad injuries.


Fae looked at Era, "I have heard you say those words before. You said them to me. And they are painfully scarred in my mind. Yet hearing you say that here, I can not help but wonder if you really did mean it when you said it to me..." Fae said, her face relatively neutral and her her voice somewhat soft.

"You really have been changing, Era. And it hasn't been for the better. I really need to have a word with you. In private. Please don't brush me off." Fae tried to ask calmly. But in truth, she was worried. Very worried, not just about Era but also Val. Fae needed to find a way to fix things.

But right now, she needed to get Valkyrie patched up first.

ChoShadow ChazGhost

 

[ChoShadow]

Valkyrie, as Era dropped to her knees in shock, laid her head back and closed her eyes.

Their fight, if you could call it that, had been very brief. But it felt to Valkyrie like it had lasted a lifetime and she was already physically burnt.

When Fae came over to help her up, Val had almost no strength to help out on her end. Fae was supporting almost all of her weight as Val hung off her shoulder like a doll.

"Sorry Fae..." She whispered.

Val passed out not long after Fae took her to the entry way's rest area and laid her out on a bed to rest. Most of her wounds were superficial and would heal in a couple days, save one which was her lower back where Era continuously targeted her. She would likely be off her feet for at least a weeks watching the others train.

In the meantime, Era remained motionless where she fell to her knees thinking about what had transpired recently. Lost in her own thoughts Era was deaf to the world and Fae's earlier statements. Fae would have to physically shake her out of it before trying to say something to her again.

D. Rex ChazGhost

 

[D. Rex]

Fae tried to be gentle as she assured Val that there was nothing to be sorry about. After getting her situated on the rest area, Fae tended to the smaller injuries quickly and get them cleaned up, and did what she could to help position her in a more comfortable position. It probably was best that she did fall asleep pretty quickly. Fae would come back and check on her later, knowing that Val could be quite stubborn, Fae expected she would need to put the redhead in a brace if she didn't agree to bedrest.

Wasn't much more she could do at the moment, so she would leave Val in peace. She hovered back to where she had left Era, sensing that she hadn't moved.

This event was quite the shock. To see how different both the sisters had become. And to think, it wasn't that long and go that they were both talking in unison like twins. The shock of their friends deaths had hit them both incredibly hard. Fae knew and understood that. But she also knew if this kept up, then both would continue to spiral downwards. Fae would not let this happen. Would not let them crash.


Arriving behind Era, Fae spoke. "Era." No response. Faeora repeated herself to the same result.

The short saiyan walked around to the front and kneeled down in front of her friend, in the same level as her. Again, she called out Era's name. But alas, it seemed like Era was dead to the world. Someone else might decide to leave her be and give her some space... but Fae wasn't that type of person.

She took hold of Era's shoulders, and would shake the prodigal saiyan as vigorously as needed. "ERA!" She snapped. Not above slapping her awake if that didn't work.


ChoShadow ChazGhost

 

[ChoShadow]

Era's mind drifted aimlessly through the void of her own thoughts. Memories of all she'd accomplished, all she'd done, and all she'd planned on doing before that fateful day when they received the distress signal from Zaero.

In the back of her mind, she thought she distantly heard her name being called. But it was soft. In the distance. And ultimately she shook it off as she tried to figure out what in the world had happened to her along the way.

Where had she gone wrong?

Her name was called, louder this time.

In her head she wanted to respond to the call, but she still didn't know where it was coming from or from who it was coming.

Then, at last, her body was shaken out of the stupor it was in as Fae grabbed her shoulders and violently shook her back and forth to jolt her awake.

With her thoughts back in the here and now, she took a few deep breaths as she looked up at Fae.

"... How's Valkyrie?" She asked in what was easily the softest voice she'd used in a long, long time.

D. Rex ChazGhost

 

[D. Rex]

Finally getting through to her, she was finally able to look her in the eyes. Her attitude and voice, it wasn't hard to see that she wasn't all that well. Clearly not feeling well about this. But... hearing her soft voice again, Fae hadn't been aware that she had missed it.

"Right now Val is sleeping. I took care of her. I wouldn't let anything bad happen to her on my watch. She is banged up and bruised mostly. She took some trauma to the back that will keep her off her feet for a short while, but nothing permenant." She explained. Deciding to tell her how it is. Fae wasn't going to lie about it. Those sorts of injuries was why Fae never really employed her usually brutal tactics while sparring.

"What about you, Era? Val will recover. But right now we need to talk about how you are feeling right now. Talk to me."

ChoShadow ChazGhost

 

[ChoShadow]

Upon hearing that Val was going to be okay, Era's heart soared and her eyes began welling up. She struggled to hold the tears back, and did a good job to start as Fae asked how she was feeling.

Era took a long time trying to come up with an answer, because she had to say it...

"I-... I don't know, Fae." She admitted.

"I feel so... lost." She said, the tears finally starting to roll.

"When we found Jasmine out in space, clinging onto the Intergalactic Space Network for life support... Part of me wanted to believe we'd made it in time to save Elprede. To save the Nephelem from extinction. But then to hear Jasmine say those words..."

Era had to pause for a moment as her sobs began to increase in intensity.

"It was as if part of my heart was ripped from my chest. I begged her to stay. I begged... I-... But she-..." Era sobbed.

Era finally broke down and started bawling. She leaned down planting her fists into the ground as she put her forehead to the floor and wept bitterly recalling Jasmine's final words, plea, and subsequent suicide.

D. Rex ChazGhost

 

[D. Rex]

Fae was quite patient as she watched Era try to summon the words. Then they came, like a small drip at first. Like the tears she was trying to hold back. And like those tears, more and more began to come.

Fae would let her speak, and watch her cry. Watching and listening until Era was bent over sobbing into the ground. Fae needed to do what she should have done when it happened, however uncharacteristic of her it seemed.

Faeora scooted forward, much closer, putting a hand on Era's cheek, she guided her friends face so that Era's head rested on her lap. With Fae's hand resting on her hair.

"But she decided to leave us behind anyway..." Fae finished.

"I... I don't think it was right that she did that... she had to have been aware of the pain it would cause. I would call it selfish... but...

"... at the same time... I think Elprede really was her world, in more ways than just a metaphor. He was her literal reason to exist. Even though she was an AI, in her code, I think she was also well aware of all the bad things that could happen without him as her anchor. Knowing her, I doubt it was a sudden emotional decision. I am sure that it was something she decided long before the event ever took place."

"And its think it was a testament of how much she cared for you that she managed to hang onto herself that long, long enough to wait for you and give you her final words."


Fae stroked Era's hair. "I thought we would have made it too. We wasted no time. We were ready to help. We all wanted to help. We..."


"We wanted to save them, and the planet. But I think... that in the end... it was he who saved us. I'm sure he knew this towards the end. That if he had stalled for time... we would all be dead, and so too would have been the hope of ending the Darkhoods."

"He saved our lives, and Jasmine was well aware of that. You remember her words. So do i. I also remember that in her voice, there wasn't regret. But hope for us. She trusted us to continue. Not just to defeat the Darkhoods... but to continue to look out for each other. They saved us from sharing their fate. And it is the least we can do to heed her last words, because they gave us the greatest gift they had to offer."

Faeora paused, fighting back her own tears. "...I know... I know it hurts... and I know you feel lost. It feel like someone literally reached into your chest and squeezed your heart. It feels cold and empty. It feels lonely... it feels so so lonely. It hurts. It hurts so bad. It hurts so bad that you want nothing more than to give up just so it stops hurting. So bad that you would do anything to make it stop. Anything at all... even if that means lashing out at those you still have left. Even if it means giving up on everything just so you don't feel anymore... just to get the pain to stop."

Fae sniffled. "It hurts so bad... and even though you have people that you love. People willing to take your pain. People who want to hold you and help you. The pain is so deafening that anything other than that pain is nothing but static. Without an outlet that pain grows. So you latch onto anger, and onto hate. You feed it your pain, giving you the chance to focus on something other than pain. It feels like relief at first... but it acts like a drug. You feed it more and more to keep the ever growing pain away. To the point that you start lashing out at those who love you, because in your mind then, they are just static. In between the pain you feel and the need to feed the anger and hatred. This of course brings even more pain. And sorrow. Compounding on itself. More. More... You feel like you failed... that failed at everything. That it was all your fault. Every bit of it. Like you could have done more. It never ends. It is a cycle that leads to more and more pain and heartache. It doesn't end, because that need to feed the hate and anger grows stronger. Like a fire you feed. It wont stop. Growing hotter and hotter until everything is encompassed in a numb white light. With nothing left... the flame burns out. And everything ends in coldness and darkness. Truly empty..."


A small tear fell into Eras head. "Is that what it feels like? Don't let it feel like that... we know it hurts... I know it hurts. So bad that words I say can't do it justice. But no matter how badly it hurts, we are here. I'm here. I will never let you fall into that sort of spiral. And if you ever did I would reach in and pull you out... I L- we love you. We are here. Give us your pain, so we can hold it for you. Let us share your pain and burden. .. even if I have to carry it all by myself, I will. Because I won't let you fall no matter what."

"You are by far the sweetest of us... you heart is golden and I have seen it bleed even for those who don't deserve it. Please, lean on me and let me keep that heart from growing cold. Let me keep that heart from doing anything other than shine brightly. I know it hurts... and it will for a while yet. Let me share it with you, so at the very least, you don't go through it feeling alone..."

ChoShadow ChazGhost

 

[ChoShadow]

During Fae's speech to her, Era cried softly into Fae's lap. She didn't really register what Fae was doing by letting her rest her head there as she held her and stroked her hair. She only knew that she needed to cry.

Fae's speech did make it through ultimately to her, but in the end Era could not accept all of what Fae was telling her.

She did accept that she wasn't alone. She accepted that she shouldn't let her anger and sadness overcome her. She accepted that the others were there to share her mental and emotional burdens...

But she could not bring herself to accept the idea that Jasmine and Elprede knew that their deaths would be of benefit to the others if they bought the time to ensure they didn't arrive in time to confront The Master.

They should have been there. They should have fought. Even if they'd fought together and died, they would have done so together. They wouldn't have had to suffer this pain in the first place.

But... Era couldn't say that to Fae. Not after what she had done for her and what she was saying now.

As her tears began to come to a halt, Era resolved to tell Fae what she wanted to hear.

"... Thank you Fae." She sobbed.

Her hands found their way to the bottom of Fae's shirt and gripped it softly.

"I will try... I will try to let this go." She said.

She meant it, mostly. But there was that side of her that would never let go of the pain Jasmine had placed on her heart by leaving her in the manner she did. She didn't blame Jasmine for anything. How could she? But that pain was something she'd never be able to let go of or forget.

She let go of Fae's shirt and slowly sat up, smiling at her friend.

"I think I'm going to go take a bath and go to bed... I need some sleep." She said softly.

The smile was genuine for all Fae had done for her, but that was as far as the smile went.

Within Era's heart, another change was on its way. This one... potentially more dangerous than the anger she had displayed previously.

It was the very emptiness Fae had been warning her about.

Within her chest, Era's heart was growing increasingly empty as time passed. The weight of her failure to help her friends. The things she'd said and done to Fae, Val, Pyro, and the others. All of it was piling up inside and slowly suffocating her sense of self worth and pride.

Era was losing herself now more than ever, but she would play along with Fae's wishes and words for the time being. She needed the others to think she was alright, so she resolved to act like her normal self to help get them back on track. Maybe then they'd discover something new and useful in their training. And then, maybe... Just maybe, she'd find something more to fight for. But until then, Era was giving in to this emptiness that was growing inside her.

D. Rex ChazGhost

((At this point Era will fool the others into thinking she's okay. She'll act normal and train like she used to. And she'll also be there to help Val recover by sitting and talking with her like the sister she usually is. And I think this would be a good opportunity for Fae, thinking she's finally done something good for her friends, to push herself with renewed vigor into discovering SS2 whenever you're ready King.))

 

[ChazGhost]

Pyro and student woke up to watch the sparring... well the fight between Era and Val. Pyro instruct them watch the carefully, as he was going to himself. Pyro planned to stop or least try to stop the fight if one them tried to kill the other. Luckily he didn't have but the fight still seemed very brutal compared to the pairs sparring matches before. Pyro watch what seemed to be slaughter by Era and while he enjoy slaughtering himself he found uncomfortable when it happened sister to sister. But happily the fight end without anyone dieing, well Val was out from beating she got but she was still alive. It also seemed that Era was getting back to normal but Pyro was for sure as after the fight ended and Era and Fae went of to talk Pyro had his students start train once again.

Pyro was worried for Val wounds and Era's current mental crisis but Pyro had to focus on his goal of getting stronger and making his crew stronger as well. So with hope Fae could deal with both problem Pyro went back to doing what he did before, putting his student though training hell.
D. Rex ChoShadow
(Sorry it took me awhile to post and for post being short. I've been getting really busy at college recently.)

 

[D. Rex]

How long had it been? Days? Weeks? Months? Years? In the emptiness of the void, it was so hard to even guess. Even during the tines she came back to eat, she never bothered to look at the time.

Having been satisfied by Era's placations, Fae decided to put it behind her. Trusting Era to do what she said she would. And hoping Era would trust her to do the same. It was after this that Faeora fully put her nose to the grindstone. All the time in the void up until now, it would be nothing. Because to Fae, it wasn't just good enough to say she would carry Era... Fae needed to show she had the strength to. She retripled her efforts.

In the coming days, Fae became almost exclusively reclusive. Moreso than she had been before. And what times she did show herself, she was barely awake enough to eat. Or... that's how it was until she found her rhythm. Her focus. She tried everything under the sun and felt out what would work best for what she was trying to do. And for now, that was exploring the super saiyan form. And pushing it. Which thankfully for her arms, meant less hundred thousand pushups, and more focus on other aspects of the training.

From the perspective of the others...however. it really didn't seem like Fae was making that great of strides. She normally had her power supressed, with every few hours having short bits of all out super saiyan energy fits. Nothing to write home about. And not very encouraging. But still, Fae didn't give up on it. They might have thought the base was what was important. It was. But Fae believed there was more.

Oddly enough, though, one change that would be noticed. Is that when Fae did come to eat. She started showing up in super saiyan form. Which was an odd waste of power and stamina. But she normally was gone before anybody could tell her that.

In actuality... Fae was actually starting to forget she was in super saiyan form. Using it so much and so often. Even able to sleep through the night while maintaining it. In fact... it was as if it wasn't even a drain anymore.




So the days slipped by. And it came closer to the end of the session in the void.

Not far from the building, in the safe zone. A bright ki flare was sent high into the sky. A predetermined summoning signal between them.

From where it had shot, Fae was there. In super saiyan form. Yet there did feel something different about it. The way she looked and carried herself seemed so natural. And the super saiyan ki caused nary a disturbance. It was like Fae was just some blond girl stand there grinning... grinning. Yeah. That was also pretty odd. She seemed thoroughly excited about something. Judging from that and her incessently flicking tail.

ChoShadow ChazGhost

 

[ChoShadow]

Era and Valkyrie didn't have any hard feelings over the next several days. If anything, Era's guilt made her realize just how horrible she'd been. She continuously apologized for it even when Val asked her not to blame herself. But over time things seemed to settle back down to normal.

Once Val had recovered, the two went back to business as usual training as they always had. Sometimes with each other, sometimes with Pyro and his crew.

And over the passage of time, Fae's continuous use of the Super Saiyan form did not go unnoticed. Every time she came back from training, she was in Super Saiyan form. When she ate, she was in Super Saiyan form. When she bathed. When she trained. When she rested. Even when she fell asleep... Both Era and Valkyrie were impressed by Fae's ability to hold the form.

Era, being the studious one she was, tried the same thing and encouraged Valkyrie to do the same. They remained in their Super Saiyan forms for as long as possible throughout each day. And over time they managed to reach a point where they felt next to no strain from holding it. Era's previous discovery of using a positive source of Ki to power up helped on its own, but just learning to hold it also was a great benefit.

They wasted next to no energy on the initial transformation and found themselves able to easily focus the energy it would take to push to higher levels and focus it instead on their attacks. They became stronger, faster, their movements flowed much more easily. It was wondrous.

But that was as far as they took it. They continued training as usual despite holding the transformation for extended periods of time. And overall they found that there was very little progress made on the grand scale. They could feel small gains here and there, and the benefit of using the Super Saiyan form for a longer duration was indeed liberating. But their powers weren't increasing all that much.

But then, Fae shot a signal blast into the sky to summon everyone to her.

She had been largely reclusive and isolated, training hard on her own. Every now and then the group felt flares of power from her. But overall she had largely been removed from their company and they had almost given up hope that she would train or interact with them again.

So they flew out to Fae's location, finding her in Super Saiyan form with a much more actively flicking tail and a bright smirk uncharacteristic of her usual persona.

"Fae? What's going on?" Era asked.

"Is everything all right?" Val asked.

D. Rex ChazGhost