IC Posting Section

Era was rubbing her head when she received a notification on her Scouter.


Incoming transmission data received... unidentified vessel releasing unknown persons on the Outpost premises. High power levels detected within. Exercise caution.


Era looked to Valkyrie, and they both nodded.


"Princess, my apologies but we must be leaving." Era said.


"It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance, princess. I'm sure we'll see you again very soon. Please excuse us." Valkyrie added.


Together, they turned and flew away leaving Elprede to his loving fate. They raced to the coordinates where the ship was said to be and found it not long afterwards. They didn't recognize the vessel as belonging to their fleet, so it must have been a foreign vessel. People from the tournament planet were being let off here, which was illegal without representative acceptance of refugees which there had been none as far as they knew. Base Commander Korvaiis had been with them the whole time, so there could not possibly have been any such acceptance of refugees before they parted ways.


The Scouters were picking up power levels that were quite high as well. Nothing Valkyrie couldn't handle for the most part, but there was one power level which was all too familiar. A power level reading approximately 65,000.


Both Era and Valkyrie frowned.


"Era." Valkyrie said.


"Already on it."


Era's Scouter was set to recording mode, sending live video footage of what Era was seeing back to base so they knew what was going on. She turned and looked at Valkyrie so those at Base would know as Valkyrie said this was the Frost Demon's vessel that those on Base would be prepared to handle the situation if need be.


The two women took in a breath each, readying themselves for what they were certain would be a fight.


@ChazGhost @Deathrattle BB
 
Pyro was eating an apple as five other pirates followed behind him as started leaving the ship. "Ok this will be simple catch and grab kidnapping. I'll be deal with any guards or morons trying to protect her while you grab her and take her back to the ship." Pyro said nearing the exit. 


"Yes sir." the pirates said confidently.


"Good now lets go" Pyro said as he walked out of the ship. Then looked to see two sayains, the two annoying ones from his recent tournament. He sighed as he took another bite of his apple. "So what may I ask are you two doing here? We are just simply dropping off some stowaways, that's all." Pyro said not adding the part about them getting ready to kidnap a princess.


"Hey that's the woman who killed raptor... and that other one defeat all those bounty hunters... I hope Pyro won't have us fight them..." the pirates said talking to each other. 


"I can hear you and you will do as I say, or you'll be fighting me instead, got that?" Pyro said turning to his pirates.


@ChoShadow @Deathrattle BB
 
Era and Valkyrie floated silently and watch dPyro and his men gather about the entrance of their ship.


"Frost Demon! Not that it matters to you and your ilk of space pirates, but you are in violation of the intergalactic treaty mandating permission to land on occupied planets. Your disposal of these stowaways and refugees is illegal and won't be tolerated. Return them to your ship and leave at once!" Valkyrie demanded.


Era continued recording on her Scouter, seeing fit to simply observe for the time being.


Back at the Outpost, Base Commander Korvaiis was observing Era's transmission.


"Great... So the Frost Demon saw fit to visit our Outpost and dispose of his unneeded humanoid cargo." He grumbled.


"S-sir, what do we do? Neither Lady Niir'lana nor Lady Valkyrie are prepared to deal with that creature!" A comms assistant whimpered.


"Send word to the Nephelem Princess's vessel. They need to prepare an armed escort immediately in the event those pirates head this way. She could easily escape them with her race's speed if need be. But with the Frost Demon here I'll leave nothing to chance. I don't care if they're here to rest, annoy us, provoke us, or just scratch their asses in the dirt like dogs! Send the transmission at once!" He demanded.


"Y-yes sir! Right away sir!" The comms assistant said.


An emergency transmission was sent to the Nephelem ship to protect the princess and evacuate the planet if need be. Meanwhile, Korvaiis began walking to the exit.


"Sir, wh-where are you going?"


"I'm going to help Lady Valkyrie and Lady Niir'lana. That Frost Demon's power is currently at 65,000, but mine, at its maximum, is 76,000 and I'm not a Base Commander for nothing. If he doesn't get off this world, I'll kill him myself." He said.


"Yes sir. Good luck sir!" The comms assistant said.


With that, Base Commander Korvaiis departed the base and began to race towards Era and Valkyrie. His power level was currently only 25,000 as he was suppressing his power. And he was certain that if the Frost Demon thought his power was only 25,000 he wouldn't bother putting up his guard until Korvaiis had even arrived, thinking him to be just another pest.


But as Korvaiis raced towards the pending battleground, he received another transmission on his Scouter.


Incoming emergency broadcast. Massive unidentified planet-sized vessels inbound. No power readings detected. Ki shielding a likely factor. Evacuate Outpost and return to Metahnn at once.


That was the end of the transmission. It seemed those beings had already caught up with them and were moving through the area. If they had any kind of Ki sensing devices on board those vessels they'd detect the Outpost long before reaching it and likely decide to wipe it out just in case. He couldn't let that happen.


Korvaiis continued racing towards the pending battlefield where Era and Valkyrie were still observing Pyro and his minions as they prepared for whatever it was they were doing.


@ChazGhost @Deathrattle BB
 
Elprede's gaze turned serious underneath the hood, turning to Era and Valkyrie. Someone very strong was nearby, he didn't need Jasmine to tell him that. She was a bit better than him at gauging the exact power levels of others rather than detecting them.


Esperanza, however, simply waved goodbye to them. "Good bye!" She yelled after them happily. She turned to Elprede, spotting his expression and also losing her recent jovial and carefree attitude. "Elprede? What's wrong?"


He didn't respond immediately, tightening his fists. "Jasmine, send a bouncing signal out." He ordered immediately. No use in taking any risks...


Right as he ordered that, a voice came from behind Esperanza. "Why, I wasn't expecting a princess to be in a lowly place like this."


Elprede's eyes widened and he had barely time to look over before Esperanza was grabbed. She didn't even have time to scream; she was unconscious in a heart beat and fallen over--directly into the arms of Sturar. Fortunately, Elprede was faster than that. Everything seemed to go in slow motion for him in that moment and he appeared in front of Sturar, a fist smashing directly into the black fox's stomach. Sturar, for his part, didn't expect such a speedy reaction, coughing up a small bit of blood from the blow of Elprede still being in Primal Form and sent rolling across the crash bay.


Elprede stooped down low and caught the fiery princess before she could hit the ground. His eyes were filled with hatred. A deep growl formed in his throat as Sturar let out a loud laugh, getting back up.


"Why aren't you a protective one!" He shouted out, brushing his clothes off. The recent blow was still sting quite a bit... despite being stronger in every way, Elprede was still much faster than he could even dream of. "I didn't think it was possible. You've gotten much faster than I remember, Elprede... I should've expected, you were always the kind to be constantly getting better. It seems you've changed your looks and doubled your power, as well."


Elprede handed the unconscious princess to her bodyguards, ordering them to take off and get away from the planet as quickly as possible. "Leave the ship behind," he said, still having his hood up somehow. It apparently was sticking to his head. "You'll be faster without it. Keep your Scouters open for transmission, I'll come find you. Just keep moving, they won't be able to keep up."


One of them nodded immediately. "And what of you, Lord Elprede? The Black Shade isn't somebody to be trifled with..."


He waved them away, turning back to Sturar. "Don't question me. Just go, with haste."


They left without another word. Sturar began walking toward Elprede, cracking his knuckles.


"Sir, a massive vessel is approaching the planet!" Jasmine warned. "I've sent notifications to the Outpost and to Lady Niir'lana and Lady Valkyrie."


Good. Activate combat mode, things are about to start exploding.


Elprede and Sturar raced at each other, all Hell breaking lose at the base as he thought those words.


@ChoShadow @ChazGhost
 
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"Your right, it doesn't matter. So I'm going to leave them here and then continue my business here, starting with ripeing you two of the face of this earth." Pyro said smirking. "You guy stay back and watch, this will be quick" Pyro said cracking his knuckles as he started walking to Valkyrie and Era.


"But sir shouldn't we that "thing" as quickly as possible?" one pirate asked talking about kidnapping the princess. "Ya we don't want our payday getting away!" another pirate added.


"As I said this will be quick, beside I still need to pay them back for ruining the tournament." Pyro said taking one last bite of his apple. Then he simple tossed behind him for one of the pirates to catch. Then before it reached their hands Pyro moved quickly behind the two sayains and slammed  his tale into them both.


Meanwhile on board the Vortex the men on the main deck noticed the giant ships coming. "Aren't those the ships from before..." one Pirate said. "yep...' Another answered. "Pyro is not going to be happy about this... Be ready to leave, Pyro is most likely going to order it." The first pirate said. 


"He going to run away again?" a newbie pirate asked.


"No, he'll probably over do it and destroy the planet..."


@ChoShadow @Deathrattle BB
 
Era and Valkyrie weren't expecting Pyro to take to the field so quickly. They figured they could stall a bit longer, as both of them knew from their Scouter transmissions that Base Commander Korvaiis was on the way. If they could stall the Frost Demon long enough, the Commander would send him fleeing with his tail between his legs.


The hit came fast and sent both of them flying. They righted themselves after a moment or two, spinning around to face Pyro. However, rather than try to fight, they continued to float just watching him and recording with their Scouters.


Then, the transmission from Korvaiis himself about the ships being on the way.


Valkyrie looked up and behind her trying to use her Scouter to figure out where the ships were, but there was no other Ki to sense... At least, not towards the skies. Her Scouter, as soon as she looked towards the Outpost, shattered on her face.


"Rrgh... No!" She yelled.


Era looked at her.


"Do NOT look towards the Outpost Era! It's them! They caught up to us! One or more of them are at the Outpost already! We don't have time to stall this freak anymore!" She growled.


Era shut her Scouter off to prevent it from being destroyed like her last one at the tournament, and the two turned around just in time to see Korvaiis arrive on the scene.



"Valkyrie, Era, get back to base at once! This place is dead! One of those things has already managed to land here and from what I'm getting on the Scouter feeds he's in battle with Elprede right now. You two need to get off world at once! Quickly! There's no time to waste! Get moving!" He yelled.


The two women didn't need a second word, they flew away as fast as they could towards the base where their ships waited for them.


Korvaiis, meanwhile, looked to Pyro.


"Frost Demon... While I'd love to watch it happen by my own hand, you will die one way or the other if you remain here. Consider it a mercy that the monsters responsible for destroying the world your tournament was on have arrived and forced me to return to base. I've more important things to deal with now than taking your miserable life, though it would be a simple enough task in your present state. Now begone from this place, or die." He warned.


He then turned and flew after Era and Valkyrie, powering up to his maximum of 76,000 just in case Pyro tried to do anything.


As they flew back to base, Korvaiis was forced to take drastic measures as he received a transmission from base that the ships had exited a wormhole and were now only a few thousand miles out to space.


"Era... Valkyrie... When we return to base, you two need to get off this world with the Nephelem. Take sanctuary at their home planet, and prepare to avenge us all." He said solemnly.


Both women looked back to their Commander with worry and confusion.


"You heard me... This world, and all of us with it... We're dead already, but I will not have the two of you die as well. You'll understand why when you arrive at the Nephelem world, so do not question me. Do you understand!?" He demanded.


The two women nodded uncertainly and shared a look of concern.


"I'm sorry you two. But the Saiyan Race is finished... If those monsters could reach this place this quickly, there's nothing we can do for Metahnn anymore. I had hoped to protect it by sending word fast enough, but it seems that won't be possible given the technology they are working with. All we can do is keep our hope alive by sending our best warriors to the far corners of the galaxy to stay as far away from these beasts as possible to train and grow stronger. Maybe one day you will have the power you need to defeat them... So stay alive, both of you. That's an order. Do you hear me?" He commanded.


Again, they nodded sharing a look of concern and confusion. What was so special about the two of them that Korvaiis would focus on them over everyone else under his command at base? Some kind of secret yet to be revealed when they reached the Nephelem home world? Only time would tell.


Korvaiis activate his Scouter, honing in on Elprede and Jasmine.


"Elprede, this is Base Commander Korvaiis... This planet is dead, and there's little to nothing we can do to save it or ourselves. I want you to break away from the battle and take Era and Valkyrie to your home world. It's the safest place for all of you right now. Call it an aging warrior's hunch, but I have a strong feeling you will not be pursued. The recent movements of the enemy have given me reason to believe that very strongly. Please, make haste in your preparations. There won't be a nanosecond to spare once we arrive." He said into his Scouter.


That was going to be his final message. One way or the other, he and the rest of the Saiyans on this planet were doomed. But at least he could secure Era and Valkyrie's lives by sending them to the Nephelem home world.


@Deathrattle BB @ChazGhost
 
Elprede couldn't remember ever having a fight more intense than this one.


As he had perfectly predicted, explosions were occurring. Oh, many many explosions, indeed. The Outpost was turned into a ruined battleground as Saiyans all around screamed for their lives and Elprede was forced to dodge multiple multi-million power level idiots at the same time. He was hard pressed to keep track of them all at once, barely having the focus to keep his Primal Form up and running. He was extremely lucky that it seemed to have no particular limit on how long he could hold it, otherwise this fight would've most likely ended in his death a long time ago. That would be no good for anybody, he just hoped Esperanza, Era, and Valkyrie were okay.


All thought processes were going towards saving whoever he could. Whenever he was spared the briefest moment, he warned any Saiyan nearby to flee towards the small Nephelem vessel floating just within the planet's atmosphere. Its technology was still far superior to the massive destroyers that these strange people commanded--its shields managing to hold out against the onslaught raiding upon it. He couldn't imagine how long, though, even it had its limits on how much damage the shield could withstand. It wasn't like the massive planetary orbital defense system back on Zaero where every attack that didn't break the shield made it stronger.


Sturar was cackling like a madman, throwing punches, jabs, kicks, anything he could come up with at Elprede with all of his might. Combined with the efforts of the two others by his side, Elprede could barely dodge one attack before moving out of the way of another. He was a pure blur of motion, redirecting, dodging, countering... doing everything within his power to stay alive at this very moment.


I need to get into space. He thought, sidestepping a punch from one of the enemy Saiyans by millimeters. I'm too limited here.


After dodging another kick from Sturar, he threw a punch at maximum speed. It stopped abruptly just before hitting anybody, however, the shock wave of it carried through. As they charged him in unison once more, they were simply blown back by the attack thrown at just under the speed of light. The force was too much for them to batter against. He knew it wouldn't keep them away for very long, but it was very precious time that he needed right that instant. Needed to make a call.


Jasmine, record and transmit to Niir'lana, Valkyrie, and Korvaiis. He ordered. Your ships are destroyed. Saiyan survivors are flying to the princess's vessel--go there and get inside. Order the conductors to prepare warp launch to Zaero in 2 minutes. If they ask any questions, you tell them "shut the fuck up, the Lord ordered it. Shadows reign in the stagnant night." They'll listen then.


He paused to duck underneath a kick and roll across the ground from Sturar lunging at him, planting his foot firmly into the black fox's chest. Sturar's eyes bugged out as he flew away and through one of the already obliterated walls of the Outpost. Korvaiis, you will be remembered as a hero. Your sacrifice won't be in vain, I swear it.


Elprede immediately soared into the sky and shot towards space. He could sense Sturar following him behind. Fury bubbled up within him and he performed a sneaky gesture. He came to a dead halt out in space and whipped around. His fist became an indomitable force as it lunched towards Sturar--he had no time to react to it. His fist just barely missed Sturar's forehead, but the damage was already done. The shock wave smashed directly into Sturar and his brain became liquefied, his skull being crushed underneath the power suddenly exerted upon him.


Sturar's momentum carried him forward and past Elprede, floating out into space. His energy disappeared. Dead. Elprede took a moment to mourn the fallen with closed eyes before he turned and headed for the massive destroyer. He appeared right beside it, holding onto a piece of it as it flew.


"You're not making it out of this unscathed, monsters," he seethed. He threw another one of his annihilating punches, stopping it just before touching the ship, barely an inch apart from it's surface and his fist. The shock wave punched a hole directly through the hard exterior and began spreading out, demolishing the insides and ruining the ship from the inside-out. If it managed to hit anybody below a power level of a million, they were instantly obliterated by such a force of power. He did this three more times, each at key points of the ships structure. When he flew away, it erupted into spectacular fireworks behind him as he away from it.


He repeated this process for the other ships, destroying any he could one by one. They all fell underneath the strength of attacks being thrown much faster than the speed of light. He turned to watch the Nephelem ship open a wormhole, now under far less fire from most of the mysterious enemy's ships being destroyed and disappear through it to Zaero. The wormhole closed directly after and he nodded his head, looking at the planet one last time before rocketing off in the direction of Zaero.


"... Sir?" Jasmine asked tentatively.


Yes, JJ? He sighed.


"I'm sorry."


Don't be. We will avenge the fallen, I swear it.


Jasmine locked onto the coordinates of Esperanza and her body guards. He scrounged them and grabbed them all, taking off towards Zaero at full speed. It would be a few hours before he arrived with them. He had to occasionally moved out of the way of a star or planet as he shot through the universe like an unstoppable bullet.


@ChoShadow @ChazGhost
 
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Era, Valkyrie, and Korvaiis raced through the skies towards the Outpost where Elprede was still in the process of battling the enemy forces. They all received the transmission from Elprede about their ships being destroyed and the Nephelem vessel departing in 2 minutes. It was going to be very, very close.


Korvaiis raced forward, grabbing both women around the waist and rocketing towards the Outpost at top speed. He was much faster than they were and could cover the distance much easier. Another 40 seconds, maybe.


Time seemed to tick by in slow motion for them as he raced through the skies as fast as he could burning all his power on his forward momentum. Finally, it came into sight. The Nephelem vessel was loading the last of its passengers and in the process of closing its bay doors to depart. Korvaiis tossed Era and Valkyrie into the air, knocked them out (since he knew they'd want to stay and die warriors' deaths), and threw them inside as the doors closed.


His face grew a confident and satisfied smile as the ship flew up into the air and disappeared into the void that was the wormhole closed securing their escape.


"Farewell, my friends... I wish we could have enjoyed a few more battles together." He said quietly as a war raged behind him.


He continued watching the point of space where the wormhole had disappeared as the enemy began gathering power to destroy the planet.


"May the sanctity of your bloodline remain pure and full of vitality... And may you both someday realize your birthright." He whispered as he closed his eyes.


Behind him hundreds of energy blasts were fired at the planet, and a second later the sphere of rock and water burst into trillions upon trillions of tons of debris and galactic rubble. Korvaiis and the Outpost planet, as well as all the Saiyans and other beings on it which didn't escape in time, were no more.


With Era and Valkyrie safely unconscious and on board the ship bound for Zaero, time, as well as the the Nephelem Royal Family who shared his knowledge, would reveal the secrets Korvaiis had kept from the pair for all these years.


@Deathrattle BB @ChazGhost (You can land us on Zaero and move us along however you wish deathrattle BB. Era and Val won't wake up until Nephelem Royal Family are all present and accounted for so you have the floor in full.)
 
Pyro watched the saiyans leave with a very annoyed look on his face. "Sir what now?" a pirate asked him.


Pyro looked around, the stowway got on board again. Pyro clenched a fist before saying "We are leaving, ai prefer not deal with those ships until after a little training..." Pyro said before walking on board his ship and heading straight for the gravity chamber again. The other pirate quickly got back on board to.


The ship took off, leaving the war that would soon destroy the planet behind. "...What they after..." Pyro ask himself as he started up the gravity chamber. "How did they get that powerful with any transformations..." He asked himself again as started fighting holograms.


The Vortex headed into space with no clear destination, just moving one way in hopes sto find a planet for the stowways to stay on.
 
The Nephelem vessel sailed through the wormhole. The shook occasionally shook with tremors as it made the journey through the rip in space, rocketing through the hazing mist of multicolored euphoria. Passengers that looked throughout the windows of the ship were in awe at the spectacle of light, seemingly being uplifted by its radiance. Many of the Saiyans had been managed to be saved, Elprede having managed to warn quite a lot of them towards the Nephelem ship. They had no idea who their savior even was still; all they had seen was the spectacular blue streak of energy flash by, telling them where to go to live. It was like an unseen force had protected them that day.


However, friends and family had still been killed. Nephelem and Saiyan alike were in utter silence, mourning over their fallen. Some cried in pain, some quietly suffered alone, others screamed and shouted in anguish and despair. Their home was destroyed. They had no place left to go to, it seemed as if the Saiyan race was dwindling. The air was heavy in the ship, almost seeming like it could crush them all on its own. No inhabitant on the Nephelem warship was spared from this, each one feeling its affects. All of them must continue forward unto the darkness, regardless.


It was several minutes before they exited the wormhole and found themselves beheld in front of the super planet, Zaero. It appeared much like Earth; large, sprawling oceans full of water and life, clouds and storms dancing all throughout the massive atmosphere of the gigantic planet. The land masses were plentiful, green, brown, any number of natural colors vibrant on their surfaces from space. Thousands of tiny streaks of light could be seen moving about on the surface; Nephelem, racing back and forth across the expansive continents of their world. Colorful civilizations and sprawling towns, cities and more could be seen on the planets, visible from outer space.


The massive white energy shield surrounding the planet opened up for the Nephelem spaceship, allowing entry. As soon as it had passed through, the energy field closed right behind them, once more barring access to the beautiful planet. The spacecraft flew down to the surface, flying around the edge of it. It was a flight that took many hours due to the sheer size of the world. Eventually, they came closer and touched down on the technological utopia of the world; Elstro, in the center of Templar City. The bay doors opened up as the warship landed, allowing passengers exit. Nephelem servicemen and women were there and waiting to escort and provide medical attention to the survivors of the Saiyans.


Elprede himself was not far behind with the princess and her few bodyguards. They each held onto each other while two had a hold on Elprede's hands. He slowed down upon approaching Zaero's great planetary shield. Jasmine authenticated with it and a small hole opened up for them. The silver fox shot through it with his passengers, quickly flying about the planet to where the princess's warship had landed. He quickly slowed down his descent and each of them landed softly upon the ground.


Each of them were shaky from moving so quickly with Elprede. It was almost unrealistic at how much faster he was compared to the rest of the Nephelem. Esperanza especially was shaky, being knocked unconscious and moving at something a million times the speed of light had an ill effect on her. She fell over, only to be caught in Elprede's arms, who looked her over in concern.


"Careful," he chided softly, lifting her back up onto her feet. "You need to rest, Espy."


She nodded groggily. "I... yes. Yes, that seems preferable at the moment..." The world was still spinning for her.


He passed her off to her bodyguards and they flew her away back to the great silver, gold, red, and blue palace in the distance, towering over the rest of the city. The Lord's Spire, as he recalled it was named, in honor of the First God and the King and Queens of Zaero.


Elprede made headway to the warship, entering it and looking for Niir'lana and Valkyrie. It didn't take him long to find them, considering he had memorized their Ki signatures by now. Seeing them unconscious but relatively unharmed, he sat down by them, sighing. He imagined things were going to be hard for them whenever they awoke.


@ChoShadow
 
The journey to Zaero was a complete blank for Era and Valkyrie. Both of them were unconscious for the entire trip. Korvaiis had hit them harder than he thought.


When they finally awoke, Elprede was sitting next to them.


Era groggily sat up and shook her head.


"Ugh... What happened?" She asked aloud.


"I think the Commander knocked us out. I know he raced us towards the ship, but as soon as we reached it everything went black." Val added, sitting up just next to Era.


A Nephelem attendant and a few other Saiyans came over.


"Lady Valkyrie. Lady Niir'lana. Are the two of you all right?" One of the Saiyans asked.


"Fine, fine." Valkyrie groaned as she stood up.


"But where are we?" She asked.


"My Lady, we are on Zaero. The Nephelem Home World." The Saiyan said.


Both Valkyrie and Era were somewhat stunned. They'd been out that long? Long enough to reach the Nephelem Home World? But where was Korvaiis? Where were all the other Saiyans who'd previously been attached to the Outpost? Very few actually made it out. Of those who were present, Valkyrie guessed it was less than 15% of the entire Outpost population. Where was Bertholdt? Where was anyone?


"I don't understand? Why would the Commander knock us out and force us to come here?" Val asked.


"I don't know. But I have a feeling we'll find out soon..." Era said, turning to Elprede.


"El? What's going on?" She asked.


@Deathrattle BB
 
Elprede laid his back against the wall, watching Era and Valkyrie as they conversed with the others. He looked as if he had just aged a millennia; heavy bags were under his eyes and he looked just dead tired. His fur didn't appear silver, just a dull gray now. It seemed as though he could barely muster the will to just keep his eyes open. He didn't say anything to her question, only sighing quietly and looking down. The shine within his glowing sapphire eyes was gone.


You answer, Jasmine. I'm tired.


JJ wasn't faring much better than he was. The reduction in bio-electricity being produced also slowed her down, but at the very least, she was still fully functional. He projected her voice to answer. "The Outpost was destroyed, unassumingly along with the Commander. We used warp travel to get to Zaero in only a few short hours. All other passengers have already left the ship besides you two." She said. Her voice had a small bit of white static in it.


Elprede nodded in confirmation of what Jasmine explained. "I wasn't there to see what happened. I was taking out the other ships to let you guys make your escape."


@ChoShadow
 
Era and Val were speechless. The Commander was the 3rd most powerful Saiyan in existence... Was, the 3rd most powerful Saiyan in existence.


"I-..." Era stuttered.


Valkyrie couldn't even say anything. She sat still as stone staring at the floor with an empty gaze.


It was then that blaring horns sounded, heralding the arrival of the Nephelem Royal Family.


@Deathrattle BB
 
Elprede turned his attention to the bay doors, ears twitching at the horns. He slowly got up to his feet, using the wall for support as he did so. He was feeling the full effects of moving so quickly, flying halfway across the universe to Zaero was no easy feat. It wouldn't have been bad if He had not been also using his Ki to protect others during his flight, AND been dragging them along with him. His Ki regeneration was massive, sure, but it also had its limits. Such strenuous tasks would drain him faster than he could regenerate sometimes.


The King and Queen walked through the doors quickly. Both of them were aroused in beautiful clothes fit for a royal. They were both dressed in an array of blue, purple, and silver clothes. Though they weren't quite as magnificent as Elprede's fur itself, their own Phoenix style fur shined like the sun. A warm feeling came off of them as an aura as they approached. However, they both paused and bowed low to Elprede, much to his annoyance. It seemed like he was above them, but for what reason?


"Welcome back, Lord Elprede," the King's deep voice rang out, reverberating throughout the room. "We have been wondering when you would return."


The Queen stood up straight once more. "Indeed, it has been sometime since you left us."


Elprede groaned and pushed himself away from the wall, going over to them and ushering the King to sit back up straight. "Okay, cool--can you not do that here?" He asked. "I'm really not above you guys, you know."


The King opened his mouth. "But, are you not the Fir--" The Queen's hand slapped over his mouth.


"Hush. We have visitors." She chided, approaching Valkyrie and Niir'lana. "Greetings, Lady Niir'lana, Lady Valkyrie. We've been expecting you two. I must apologize for the grim circumstances that pertains to this visit."


Elprede glanced over at Era and Valkyrie after chewing the King out. He knelt down. "How are you two feeling? Don't be afraid to hold back."


@ChoShadow
 
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Valkyrie was still not talking, but Era was somewhat able to find her voice again.


"I've been stationed on that Outpost for the last four years... It was like a second home to me. Now it's gone. There's really no way to describe how that feels." She said quietly, looking somewhat absentmindedly through the Queen rather than at her.


Valkyrie only nodded, as she'd spent more time there than Era had. Eight years that Outpost was home to her. Eight years. The base personnel were like a second family after all that time. She'd come to know the names of almost everyone there as well as by face. Valkyrie wasn't exactly a social butterfly like Era, but she was well familiar with her Saiyan brethren on that Outpost world. Now they were all gone and she was, for arguably the first time in her life, feeling the full effects of sorrow.


As well, Valkyrie was getting used to helplessness. Being an Elite with an easy life handed to her by her parents with money and a high power level being part of her blood, life was never this difficult or out of her control. But now...


"Please do pardon me if I seem rude, my Queen. But are you not being overly formal with the two of us? Our titles are really just the politeness of the Saiyans. We are not actually "Ladies" of any kind of importance." Era observed.


@Deathrattle BB
 
The Queen shook her head with a thoughtful hum. "Of course not, Lady Niir'lana. There is a reason that our Lord here has been calling you by that for the most part--it is the title given to all Nephelem women of any importance to a man. While you are no Nephelem, it is still common courtesy to refer to you as such a title." She explained, her eyes twinkling with playfulness at Elprede's rather comically enraged expression being thrown in her direction.


He gave a stiff cough. "Yes, that is correct... Here, you are Lady Niir'lana and Lady Valkyrie. You're almost equal to being royalty simply due to the fact that you are both friends of mine." Elprede said, rubbing the back of his head. "Whether you wanted it or not, you'll have to get used to everybody referring to you by that title. Some may even call you a Lordess if they are so presumptuous as to believe you are involved in a relationship with me."


He glanced between the two of them. "I'll let you deal with that as you are fit. I'm not going to bother myself with such trivial matters." He turned and started walking towards the exit of the ship. The King and Queen followed after him. "Come along, people. I've got to introduce you to Zaero, more specifically, Templar City of Elstro. We are currently in the capital of the Nephelem empire."


Outside was vibrant and beautiful, a magnificent and brilliant integration of the natural world with technology. Everywhere looked to be as if it was like the world was created that way upon the birth of the planet, so seamlessly molded together that it looked perfect. Nephelem shot back and forth across the city through the air and across land, by train or by foot. They seemed aware of each other at all times. The world was pristine, perfect for the Nephelem. Everything moved quickly and efficiently.


"Welcome to our home."


@ChoShadow
 
Era and Valkyrie heard the Queen tell them of the fact that the Nephelem treated friends of Elprede as if they were important, so they decided it best to get used to the term "Lady." "Lordess" was a bit much, but oh well.


They followed the King and Queen for a moment as they started talking about showing them the capital, but Valkyrie and Era had other plans.


"Please forgive me my Queen, but I do not need a tour. After what we lost, I doubt very much that either Era or myself are in the mood for sightseeing. If it possible, we'd just like to rest and discuss why it was that our Commander forced us to evacuate as he did." Valkyrie said.


"We both feel he's been keeping something from us ever since he ordered us to evacuate at all costs while he stays behind. Why would he risk or sacrifice his life for ours? It doesn't make sense." Era added.


"Please my Queen. If you know of anything, please tell us. We cannot in good conscience accept the loss of our comrades and friends like this unless we know what it was all for." Valkyrie concluded.


@Deathrattle BB
 
Elprede stomped his foot. "We're getting to that, Niir'lana, Valkyrie. It isn't safe to say anything here," he glanced about the area. Nothing seemed out of order. "There are eyes and ears everywhere."


Elprede continued walking forward while the King and Queen stayed a bit behind to accompany Era and Valkyrie. "We apologize for his behavior," the King said, staring at the silver fox's back as he muttered to himself. "We will explain soon, that is a promise. But we must first get to someplace that is safer to speak of such things. Elprede is correct; there is probably somebody eavesdropping on us right now."


The queen spoke up. "Come quickly, now, lest we all fall behind." She muttered, looking at Elprede as he suddenly took to the air and went straight for the huge palace in the distance. She rose up with him. "Just stay right behind us, you'll get hit by somebody if you don't. Nephelem share a hive mind of sorts--we are all aware of each other for the most part. There are few who are exempt from this, those who have been banished." She grimaced. "They typically do not last long, going insane within a week. Its a tragedy."


It wasn't long before they arrived at the great palace, its gates opening automatically for them to enter. They found themselves in a large hallway with a red carpet going down the middle of it. Three stone thrones sat at the end of the room on a stage, two smaller ones on either side and one larger, blue one sitting in between and in the center of the hallway. A small set of stairs led up to the platform. The rest of the huge entrance hall was dead silent, empty and devoid of any life besides for them and the few plants that were in the massive place. It held an eerie echo and the silence was heavy. Everything was immaculate even though nobody had taken residence in the palace for hundreds of years, the marble and stone architecture appearing as though it was only recently constructed, the furnishings just put there. It was as if time was frozen.


"This palace isn't typically used," the King said gloomily, staring around at the walls warily. "It isn't a palace, really. It is more like a maze and a trap. Nobody comes here because nobody needs it, and nobody wants to be here."


The Queen was tense. "Yes, but the answers you seek lie here. This is a vault of secrets, some even the Saiyans should fear."


Elprede continued down the hallway up to the middle throne. He stepped around it to the back and tapped a number of spots on the stone quickly. Some mechanism was activated and the ascended floor underneath the thrones slid backwards with the sounds of moving gears and heavy machinery. Once finished, a dark stairwell leading directly down and somewhere beneath the castle was visible. Elprede hopped over it, gesturing for them all to go down.


"After you." He said tonelessly.


@ChoShadow
 
Era and Valkyrie remained silent as they followed the King, Queen, and Elprede. They took in their surroundings as they went and upon coming to the "palace," they were in relative wonder. They'd never seen a place like this before. For the King, Queen, and Elprede to say "nobody wants to be here" shocked them.


Elprede walked behind the thrones and punched in some kind of combination and a stairway leading down appeared.


"After you," he said.


Valkyrie decided to go first, leading Era behind her followed by the Royals and then Elprede.


But where did this lead and what kinds of secrets were held here that even they should "fear" them?


@Deathrattle BB
 
Elprede followed closely behind the two Saiyans. His pace was slow and methodical, observing them both at a careful distance like they were specimen for a lab experiment. Were they really ready to be told of the secrets that had been kept from them for most of their lives? There was a single test that he had to do to prove that part, he had to make sure they were strong enough to withstand the procedure of having their Genetic Limiters released. He needed to be absolutely certain.


The King and Queen remained relatively silent, their hands behind their back and walking on either side of Elprede, as if they were his bodyguards. It was still uncertain as to what exactly was transpiring between them; in any normal system of government, the King and Queen were the absolute rulers of the nation or empire in general. Such was not the case with the Nephelem; that power resided in the Lord. The true Lord had been absent for some time now, in his place was a fragment of him; Elprede.


The silver Nephelem were regarded as something of a God to the Nephelem. Each of them realized just exactly what each Elprede was, they knew on instinct alone. The remnants of their fabled God, the First God to exist in the universe that they call their home. A being so powerful and deadly before that even time and space bent to his will. This fraction of that power commanded their respect, and nothing but their absolute obedience. If Elprede so wished to command them to kill themselves, none would question him. They would immediately do as they were told.


Eventually, after several minutes of descending the stairs, they came to another huge room. It seemed much, much larger than the last one, however; in fact, it appeared as if it was a battleground. Dust and debris cobbled together and sprawled across the mossy stone that now caked the area. Weapons of many ages lay in the dirt, heavy coats of ash and dust settling upon them. Guns, swords, spears, shields, armaments of all ages sat in the timeless room. At the end of it, a massive gateway with a large blue rune engraved into the middle of it stood. A golden gate, a golden lock underneath the rune. Whatever had transpired here, many had come before them, and what laid beyond that door was yet unknown.


"This is the room where the original Super Saiyan and the First God clashed," Elprede announced, his voice echoing down the hallway. "Both of them had lost that battle. The First God was utterly obliterated and split through the universe, taking the form of different entities. His power can still be felt in the air by us Nephelem." He paused. "The Super Saiyan was frozen in time, petrified for eternity. He is the only being in existence to have gone beyond this room... and nobody knows lies behind the doors. It is said that the original Super Saiyan is behind them, immortalized in time."


The King and Queen were gone. The three of them were alone. The place glowed with a heavenly light, raining down of them and illuminating the area. "You two are special, Niir'lana, Valkyrie. I have known of you for some time now, told to me some 20 years ago by your king. He told me that the time of the Super Saiyan was once again upon us," he sighed, looking down. "That also meant that I wasn't even old enough to understand what I was told at the time. I still do not, not exactly. But I do know this--you are both linked. Your Genetic Limiters are weaker than other Saiyans. Yours can be safely removed from your bodies and passed on to remove such a inhibitor from you. In other words, you both have infinite potential."


His expression hardened. He suddenly disappeared, standing behind them. "This room is a trial. Your worth must be proven. You must do battle with the guardian and be deemed worthy." His blue eyes flashed, a fire deep within them. "Me. I will test you both, and if you are proven ready, your limits will be removed. Fail, and it seems that you two are not quite ready to behold in your birthrights. You see, the First God is still alive... we are immortal." He got into a fighting stance, staring them down. "I am the First God. Show me your strength. Put your spirit on display for us all to see. Attack me when you are ready."


@ChoShadow
 
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Era and Valkyrie were in awe of the room. They didn't need to be told it was a battleground. The state of the room told that tale by itself.


However, what did surprise them was the fact that Elprede announced himself as the First God, and that in order to proceed they had to defeat him in combat.


Valkyrie was not sure about this, but Era was unusually calm about the thought.


"Very well, Elprede." She said, taking her stance.


Valkyrie looked to Era, then to Elprede.


"So you're a God?" She asked.


She looked back to Era, then to Elprede again and she couldn't stop a smile from crossing her face.


"I don't know what all of this is about. Your story reeks of fantasy to my ears. But I never turn down a challenge." She said, taking her own stance.


Era smiled as well.


"I have been looking forward to this kind of a battle with you Elprede. Don't disappoint me." Era said.


She then took to the air, floating slowly into the middle of the room's space and kept her eyes on Elprede. Valkyrie stayed on the ground just beneath her, keeping her eyes on him as well in her own stance and wondering how they were going to be able to take him down.


@Deathrattle BB
 
Elprede donned a smirk of his own. "Yes, well, I cannot help how utterly ridiculous the circumstances are." He said with mirth, seemingly laughing at himself as well.


He started walking slowly towards the two, lowering his guard until he had none at all. He seemed to be completely relaxed as he walked towards them, but any experienced warrior could see what was happening--he was purposefully open. The look in his eyes told that he did, indeed, still have his guard up. It was merely a facade to urge an attack from them, for one of the two to make a mistake. His eyes were sinister and calculating, the adopted look on his face not unlike somebody who knew something they didn't. Of course, he knew much that the two of them didn't, but the fact of the matter remained; he was obviously prepared for an assault.


His steps were careful, going over and around the many timeless artifacts of the ancient battleground. The home of the defeat of both the Super Saiyan and the First God still radiated energy. It could be felt in the air, almost tasted by any who were receptive to it, wild and chaotic. Elprede could be scanned to be much stronger than he was before, sitting at a power level in his base form of 20,000 or more. Whether or not he was hiding even greater power couldn't be certain. What was certain, however, was that he felt different. It seemed as if a massive prescence was coming from him now, enveloping the two Saiyans. Watching them. The combined conscienceness that was the First God was judging them now.


Are you ready for this, Jasmine?


"Sir, we have been ready for a long time." she answered, sounding confident. "Do you think they are?"


Yes, I do. But I need to be sure. They are the ones to make the first move.


He continued his slow pace, waiting for them. He had been waiting a long time now, hopefully he wouldn't need to any longer.


@ChoShadow
 
Era and Valkyrie watched his steps like a pair of wolves, each one eager to see what he would do. When he seemingly lowered his guard and stopped, they were both inwardly a bit perplexed. Clearly he was waiting for them to make a move, but neither woman was willing to get caught up in such an obvious trap.


Valkyrie floated up beside Era, keeping her stance the whole time.


"So, any ideas?" She asked.


Era smirked.


"One." She replied.


"Heh. Well that's one more than I have. Good luck." Valkyrie said.


"Thanks. I'll need it." Era responded.


Era then decided to spring Elprede's trap. She let out a breath, and as the breath escaped her lips she raced forward towards him with Valkyrie coming in behind her about ten feet back. Era needed to see how Elprede would handle this fight before she could be serious about actually pressing forth an attack. So for now, she raced towards him with a mock attack in the form of a chambered leg prepared to kick the side of his head if he didn't dodge her.


@Deathrattle BB
 
Elprede watched silently as they talked among themselves. He was very patient for them to finish, it wasn't as if he was going anywhere anytime soon. This was all about them currently, this was all for them to consider and devise a way to beat him as best they could. There were no intentions of actually doing true harm to them in any way, shape, or form. His ears twitched, picking up their voices quite easily with his enhanced senses. Nephelem, while humanoid still, had the senses of an animal still. Any one of them could hear up to quite far away.


He didn't budge a muscle as she came at him, staring her down unblinkingly. They seemed to be searching for something, analyzing her for whatever reason or another. He was looking for breakthroughs in them, whether or not they could beat the Genetic Limiters themselves. He didn't believe that they actually did. Regardless, he did not move out of the way of her attack until it appeared as if it would surely land. That's when it happened.


Elprede was gone the moment her foot touched the space that he had once previously occupied. He reappeared behind her, dead silent. He jabbed at the pressure point in the middle of her back, holding back enough that it did not produce any effect besides alerting her if it landed. It was to prove a point to her--she was always vulnerable to a Nephelem if she didn't guard and anticipate all points of her body. He disappeared once more, this time directly in front of Valkyrie, his hands in his pockets. If she chose to attack him, he would disappear once more, somewhere out of sight.


He floated high above them both, looking nonchalant. "You both will have to work together if you plan to beat me. Coordinate. Focus." He yelled.


@ChoShadow
 
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Era's foot was on target, but as expected it hit nothing but air. That's when she felt his finger in her back hitting a pressure point. It caused a reaction, but did nothing to hinder her Ki or bodily function. But it sure hurt like Hell.


Valkyrie, meanwhile, saw Elprede appear in front of her and she ducked beneath him to float beside Era. She was no fool. She knew he'd have an attack like that one ready to use on her if she tried anything. She would wait it out a bit longer and follow Era's lead.


However, when Elprede barked at them to focus, Valkyrie frowned.


"Our focus is not the issue here, Nephelem." She said calmly despite her obvious frustration at his seeming words of "wisdom."


"Don't you worry Elprede. You may hold the advantage with your speed, but you're not going to overpower the two of us. Not here." She said.


With that Era activated her secret weapon: Negative Ki.


It was a simple but brand new trick she developed specifically to fight him. Ignoring warnings of conventional wisdom and theoretical problems it could bring in both the here and now as well as the future, Era had discovered a way to tap into negative energy. By using the negative energy as something of a blanket and focusing it in a way similar to her Ki Gradient, she could now contain her own power within her body completely. This meant her Ki was safe from any and all outside senses or sensory devices which relied on her Ki being present in the air around her to detect her presence. Her skin now acted in the same way as the Ki shielding technology which prevented them from detecting the multi-million level powers of the beings who had attacked the tournament and Outpost planets.


He'd still be able to see with his eyes and hear the wind produced by her movement, but that second point was of little concern to her now because of another fact: Valkyrie had since powered up and was releasing a powerful torrent of wind throughout the entire room. Her red aura flared about her like wildfire as she slowly floated up to prepare an attack of her own, but not before Era had disappeared from view.


With her Ki masked from his senses and the sound of her movement masked by Valkyrie's powering up, Elprede would have only his eyes to find her and they too were easily deceived by another technique Era had developed through either a stroke of genius or stupidity depending on the perspective of the observer. She called it The Window.


By using her Ki in a reflective manner, she could bend the image of the world on one side of her and reflect it on the other, essentially making her completely see-through.


Now that Elprede's senses were completely blind to Era and her movements, it was now Valkyrie versus Elprede until Era decided the moment was right to strike.


Valkyrie flew at Elprede despite knowing he would dodge her. The goal here was not to land a blow, but simply to disorient him and make whatever Era was planning easier to accomplish. She kept her aura flared about her to keep the wind going and prevent him from listening to her movements and aimed a punch at his head with a her left leg primed if he decided to try going behind her. The instant he disappeared, she'd throw a kick backwards in anticipation of him trying to do to her what he did to Era.


@Deathrattle BB
 
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