Litmus Test (CONQUEST)

Thread PL: 25,000 (Suppressed to 1.)
Items: Jet Squirrel (The Hunka Junk) | Postboy Shirt

---

Yogu was bored. Bored to death, practically. What sitting on an island for half a year tending bar taught him was that he desperately needed a change of location every few weeks, or he would go insane. It wasn't his fault, he was just born to be a wanderer. So, he closes up shop indefinitely (sorry Dion.) and heads out in search of adventure! It was also a great chance for him to further his training, seeing as how he had plateaued for the most part doing the same thing day-in-day-out. He might've chosen to forget about his responsibilities, but he couldn't forget about his trusty ride, the Hunka Junk. His beat-up Jet Squirrel that dragged its way across the ground and every once in a while tooted out a cloud of exhaust. He spent the remaining Zeni he had on repairs. It was still nowhere close to the glory days it once had, if it ever had any, but it actually hovered now! (I promise this will be important later.)

But where would he go? He considered Central City, it would be nice to head back home. But the more he thought about it the chances of him running into family were too high for his liking. Not to mention the accords which dominated basically anywhere with a meager population. Being out on the road reminded Yogu of why he hid out on Papaya Island to begin with. Those pesky laws about ki-users made things tough. There wasn't really anywhere else for him to go besides more desert and forests without getting harassed by cops.

Yogu thought he was condemned to living on the outskirts of civilization for the rest of his life. But just before he got chased out of West City by their police force, he overheard two muscleheads speaking hushed tones about a mysterious 'Battle Island' where the best of the best trained in secret, free from the Accords holding them back. Well, that sounded right up Yogu's alley! Where else could he go to get some good training in? So he asks around about it to just about every person in every village, town, or city he stops in. It turns out this thing wasn't as underground as he thought, and people could point him in its' direction with relative ease, despite his personal challenges with understanding maps and which direction was north. You'd think getting around would be easy when every major city was named after which direction it was in.

---

After begging a man with a boat in a village to drive him out there, Hunka Junk in tow, he finally arrives at the legendary Battle Island! It was... Not great. Kind of a dump, if he was being honest. The place had clearly not been looked after properly since the accords began, with most employees being gone and only meatheads and martial artists left to take care of it. Most of these guys would be laid out flat in one punch, there wasn't really anything here for him. But it was late and he'd spent a good week getting here, so he might as well try to drink in the rich history and culture of... Battle Island.

It doesn't take long for him to give up. Yogu, being skilled at sleeping in uncomfortable spaces, parks his Jet Squirrel in front of two closed-down concessions stands and takes a nap in the tiny alley between them. Just as he was settling down into sleep, he senses something below him. Something big. Yogu wasn't exactly what you would call intelligent, so he gets up and punts his Hunka Junk until it hums to life and tears off towards what he feels. He rides the bike down several flights of stairs, banging it off everyone and sending spark flying, as well as down a service ladder. That one didn't go so well, but what was important was that he made it to the scene of the crime!

Yogu drifts around the corner, banging hard into a wall and he takes about two seconds to look over the situation. There were dead bodies, a bomb, and... HER?! Yogu wasn't intelligent, but he wasn't exactly stupid either. He could recognize that hair a mile away. He doesn't think, just acclerates.

He screams as the Hunka Junk rockets forward, aiming to hit Marrow in a head-on collision. If he's successful he goes flying off the bike, now completely totaled from the punishment he gave it just to make his entrance. Yogu finds himself upside-down slouched against a wall. Picking himself up and making sure nothing was broken, he stands tall, trying to look somewhat heroic. He stares Marrow down, the shock that she would go this far in her criminal activities clear on his face.

"Ya know, kid, we really gotta stop runnin' into each other like this."

---

He's here, fr. No longer friendly friends that are friendly!!!!!

KP: 6/6
MP: 0/6 -> 1/6
Damage: 0%

Total WC: 811

Matoto had been enjoying his time on battle island, one because it sounded cool as hell, and two because he was getting ready to leave earth. Yet he had only found more disappointment when he discovered it was closed. The saiyan rubbing the back of his head as he stood at the closed entrance in his battle armor with nothing to show for it. His expression showing his disappointment while he paced about trying to decide what to do now. He supposed he could find a hotel to rest in for tonight, but he was running low on funds. 

That was when he heard explosions off to the side of the place, in the distance but clearly audible. At first Matoto ignored them but... it was when a high power level showed up that the saiyan couldn't resist his curiousity. He quickly arrived using flight, coming to a stop mid flight and grinning as he looked between all of them. Marrow had killed people, but they didn't look like civilians. Matoto looked down at the men's bodies before looking to Marrow and eyes narrowed. While he didn't agree with killing people it wasn't his business as long as he wasn't going to be blowing anything up. Unaware of the bomb he couldn't exactly make a judgement call about it.

Instead his eyes turned to the saiyan, having arrived after the asking of the device and brand new to the situation, he was eager to fight Kombu. While he wanted to ask for a fight, he could tell this situation was a bit odd. His eyes didn't leave Marrow as he let his excitement show in his eyes.

"Marrow, I dunno whats going on. Don't much care as long as innocent people aren't involved. But if you let me fight the strong guy, I'll help haha!"

Matoto stated with a hearty laugh, clearly just trying to be a good guy fighting other strong people. He wasn't the brightest, he didn't know what was happening, but he wasn't exactly in the mind to go find out.

A long day of hunting had come to an astounding end, with nil to show for the effort. It would be aggravating to the rather active demon prince now if it weren't for the fact he had been so lucky the past few other days. His strength was returning, his will overshadowing his vessel's to the point of suppressing her for longer and longer hours. At the end of this day though, it was less that the demon was getting fatigued from the searching and more that he just wasn't getting any obvious bites from the people he followed and watched. Nothing out of the ordinary.

"I have nothing but time on this little ball. They'll come to me when it is time."
They murmur to themselves, rocking back and forth in a chair at the manor while they mused. It wasn't a long rest, nothing more than fifteen or so minutes at home before something disturbed his senses. A conglomeration of powers spiking closer north the continent, attracting more to visit it. Those crimson blink as they hone in on such powers, unfamiliar to her senses but nonetheless they piqued her interest. Maybe he wouldn't get a demon soul or trinket tonight, but a reasonably good fight? He was always for that.

This gave him that same rush the cataclysm surrounding the shattered moon gave him. He jumped from the chair and pulled a quick swipe of her hand over her shoulder, yanking her ebony soul blade from the void just above it and arming herself for the occasion. Travel time? Who needed that. he'd just focus on one of their stronger energies and pull a portal open for herself. Tearing it open with a cross slash in the air ahead of her, a deep dark void that was big enough for her to jump into and back out on the other side next to some unsuspecting fool.

---

Battle Island. A few of the monstrous brethren he's met in the past do not give the warrior culture of humans enough credit. There was already a bustling scene that the demon would stumble into by mere coincidence, a portal happening to appear before Kombu just after he'd already been assaulted by a red head. The graceful little woman of only 4'6" hops out from such a portal, a need in their eyes to make an entrance by whipping the flat of the blade at the now tag-teamed Saiyan hero. This deft blow would aim to slap him back down to the ship proper from where they were, the portal vanishing soon after her entrance.

"Finally, some fun. I've been having a boring day, mortals."
She loomed in the air for a moment before frowning, just turning to see this technicolor lady, teal guy, and a proper fit Saiyan. The latter of who now clearly had the better strength. If she had been a little closer and focused, perhaps HE would have been the target instead. The sword was held casual above Usumi's shoulder as she started floating away from Kombu and towards Marci and Matoto. No longer paying him, Dosu, or any of the mortal men killed any mind. Or the other loud bangs, honestly.

"Ohh... Pity, I should have sneaked a fast one on the other little saiyan here. Consider yourself lucky. Say, tell me, what's going on that's making such a fuss? Might be fun to stir the pot, as it were. Don't be mistaken though, I'll be making my own fun out here regardless if I get an answer."
Other than her demeanor, she was hard to read in terms of strength. Only having what that strike did to Kombu to go by, if anything. There were a few of those sneaky types around, apparently. What was she trying to get out of this? Was it really just a little bit of fun?

---

Thread PL: 54,000
Usumi gives a lazy Deft Blow (1KP 20% | 54,000) @ Kombu upon their shadow step into the scene.

Current PL: 270,000 (Usumi x5, Antisense ACTIVE)
KP: 5/6 (-1)
MP: 2/6 (+2)
DAM: 0/250% (+0)
CDN: ANTISENSE

WC: 692

The remaining four gathered enough wits to take action, smartly opting to avoid any dialogue and unleashing a salvo of energy blasts in her general direction. Marrow's hand coated itself in a green-pink paint-like mixture of Ki, the girl lazily swatting away the low-level shots. With a small burst of speed, she'd ram into the closest human, panic etched across his face for a split second before he found himself separated from his right arm, his remaining body flying back as Marrow tossed the severed limb to the ground. A not insignificant amount of blood had started to coat the girl's outfit by now, a splash staining her lower cheek, with Marrow paying no heed to it whatsoever.

It was then that the first intruder appeared, sporting a dangerously high battle power. The girl glanced over at the suited Saiyan as he barked questions, golden eyes glinting. Instead of bothering to answer, she'd fling three liquid knives in a vertical arc, aiming for his upper chest, throat, and forehead. While the attack didn't have the raw power to outright kill someone like Kombu if all struck head-on, the heroic Saiyan would certainly suffer gashes from the surprisingly sharp, colorful ink. Marrow took a moment to pick apart the man's words. He clearly knew about the bomb down below, but either hadn't the method or time to disarm or remove it quite yet. She'd have to stall for time somehow - kiting the stronger warrior around to keep him from attending to the explosive could work. Given his battle power was near double hers at base, and since he was a Saiyan... Marrow could safely say he hadn't reached his maximum yet. An Oozaru would be awkward and risk plunging through the upper decks, but wrathful would do the job just fine.

The sudden juvenile screeching drew her attention, the voice familiar. Without warning, a hoverbike made a direct hit, shattering into a shower of rusted metal, oils, and sparking wires as the teenager looked on at the perpetrator unimpressed. "Mm. I know; what ARE the odds?" She had a distant suspicion that Yogu had SOMEHOW shadowed her after their last meeting in Tropicus, but even Eris wasn't paranoid enough to buy that. The sheer coincidence of multiple high-level warriors being available in the general area on the same day and exact time this attack was taking place was already incredible with just TWO of them. Kais know how Marrow would handle it if more showed up. THIS wild mess of a boy, however, was too discombobulated sorting out his own transportation to be tailing someone competent enough to notice a rookie stalker. "And after ALL you've been through for that bike, THAT'S what you do with it?" Mimicking the speech pattern and cadence of, well, someone who gave a shit came naturally at this point. Eris had encouraged it ever since her test at Baoters, after all.

"I'd ask you to stand down, dude, but..." Her voice shifted to something akin to apathy incarnate, losing its warm and varied tone for one far more underlyingly hostile. "You're going to fight me. Same with this guy." The now THREE low-powered fighters looked much more confident with backup, regrouping to potentially continue their ranged aid. Marrow took a moment to form a finger gun, firing off a quick lob of acidic Ki that threatened to strike one of the men on the head if nobody took action to stop it. Their battle power may have been low enough to be in the death range for the bomb's detonation, but Marrow couldn't wholly rely on it to do all the work. There were likely far more nobodies below deck, and a handful was starting to spill out, attracted by the commotion. There was a high chance it'd act as a high-profile signal flare, attracting (and helpfully distracting) potential responders who were obligated to deal with it. Getting her hands bloody, therefore, would be a nigh inevitability if the second part of her mission was to be completed.

"It seems you've even more company." Eris' partial warning alerted Marrow to another participant interjecting themselves onto the battlefield. Another Earthling combatant, by the looks of things. The girl's fiery red hair and confusing choice to align with Marrow over the current Heroes present was unexpected but not unwelcome. Her battle power wasn't enough to defeat the Hero by any stretch, especially given the girl was an Earthling and likely had a lackluster full power compared to that of a Saiyan. "There are those in this world who may share similar sentiments... or similar enough to collaborate when the die is cast. It is up to your own discretion on who to slay, dear, but I strongly recommend that most of the lowlifes be dealt with."

Marrow considered her guardian's words. She had no strong desire to kill; well, anyone but the perceived need would still lead the teenager towards a path of exterminating the weaker fighters. The powerful Saiyan would be a threat later, The red-hued Earthling seemed to be an ally, and Yogu... hm. Yogu stood in her way. Marrow didn't feel bad about having to injure him, but killing? She was fond of the boy in her own misanthropic way. It mostly came down to a selfish preference - those she personally knew and extracted some minuscule amount of interest or satisfaction from would be safe from immediate persecution... everyone else? They could all die for all Marrow cared.

"The device is being disturbed. Not very effectively, mind, but even broken clocks are right twice a day." The Saiyan must've propagated it somehow. Gathered some of the weaker ones and cleared the path. "You've not the time to go and check, nor devote effort into stopping them. The device will hold for now. Focus on the enemies in front of you." The battle was yet to be truly underway, new arrivals cropped up left and right, and nobody beyond Marrow (who couldn't be sensed regardless) seemed to be operating at their maximum power yet. Marrow would need to proceed carefully if she desired victory. "Do you even 'desire' victory?" Eris mused humorously, the colorful criminal pushing the telepathy aside temporarily. She would need total concentration to effectively eliminate the targets, keep pace with the powerful opposition, and manage the well-being of her easy-win condition. The explosive device wasn't necessary to destroy Battle Island and the aspirants who inhabited it, but it'd make her job SO much easier if it went off.

Marrow's attention drifted to the strange blue-skinned warrior who, though more robust than the nobodies she intended to slaughter en masse, was not exactly a threat either. Seeing as he simply waved a challenge around and didn't jump into either condemnation or fighting as the others had, Marrow opted to leave him be for the time being. The proclamation that this was somehow Dosu island now and he and his paltry power would take challengers amused her. Hopefully, he'd end up tussling with one of the wayward good guys rather than her. It'd be difficult enough to win this with the deck stacked against her, nevermind errant warriors deciding to stick their nose into it.

She spun towards Yogu, having idled long enough in her own thoughts. By now, Kombu was dealing with her salvo of knives, but those wouldn't keep the stronger Saiyan occupied for very long. The girl's hand filled itself automatically with a wicked blade, the edge dripping with corrosive liquid. Still, something had caused her to hesitate on this specific target, the girl grunting. "You're out of your depth. Scram. I won't tell you again." Directed at Yogu, it seemed highly out of character for the normally stoic and ruthless murderer to offer someone amnesty, as fleeting as it was. Eris had nothing to say in response, but the hybrid could still feel the indecipherable gaze of her Shinjin keeper assessing the action. It was a genuine threat that Marrow intended to uphold if Yogu refused to take his one chance at leaving in a single piece, but even the fact that she offered it was a curious action to Eris.

"Matoto," She greeted neutrally, aware of the Saiyan's presence and inevitable appearance on the battlefield. "Innocent? Depends on who you ask." Marrow didn't really care one way or another and never made judgment calls on who was or was not innocent. Eris, however, saw an opportunity and began to whisper advice in the hybrid's head. "The strong guy there is going to say they're all innocent. Mm. They're all fighters, you know, and any civilians on board are getting evacuated as we speak. All five of them." Eris wanted to strike at the potential threats of this world, not the masses. Such thought led to the attack being planned at this time when the number of non-fighters would be at its lowest. As far as Marrow knew, three civilians were janitorial staff staying late, and the other two were non-powered security guards. It was a not-so-subtle attempt to play to the Saiyan's quixotic nature when it came to battle, but Matoto wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer in the first place. "Feel free to fight him to your heart's content." She jabbed a finger at Kombu, who may or may not be in the midst of preparing a counterattack for her now.

Two of the remaining top-deck martial artists were suddenly whisked away, Marrow's head snapping up in hidden irritation as yet another thorn sprouted from this rosebush of a mission. "Please." She sounded offended at the blue-haired man's initial attempts to eject her targets from the battle, Marrow quickly whipping out a startling amount of daggers. The first man flailed through the air as he fell, eyes locking onto the sight of his imminent demise for a short millisecond. The first set of blades pierced his throat, upper chest, and stomach in quick unison - the man crying out in a feeble gurgle and falling limp in the dark waves below. If he wasn't dead on impact and didn't bleed out from the three gaping wounds, drowning in the icy depths would work just as well. By now, it'd become clear that Marrow was going out of her way to target the weaker people in favor of directly confronting those trying to save them.

Russ' second rescuee was slightly more cognizant, throwing up a weak barrier to impede the deadly weapons. Of course, it didn't entirely succeed, and they found themselves critically injured as the weakened daggers scored severe hits. Marrow made a mental note to adjust the power on her weaker attacks, discontent that the second target had survived. Her next target was Russ - an inky multicolored lasso forming on Marrow's arm as she attempted to lash it around the man's foot, yanking backward in her empowered state with enough force to send the Saiyan crashing through the ship's interior. Someone trying to play rescue team when one of the main goals was the direct murder of their intended patients was irritating but not wholly unexpected. Whether that gambit worked or not, Marrow had a backup plan in mind.

Touching her hands to the deck for a good five seconds, a deluge of pinkish-green paint-like energy burrowed through Battle Island, sprouting into spiked waving tentacles around the edges. If any of the weaker nobodies here tried to escape or were thrown as Russ had done the first time, they'd quickly be torn to shreds. It took a considerable chunk of effort to maintain a web of liquid this large, but Marrow's concentration on the task at hand was nigh unwavering. By now, it was likely she had already dealt with retaliatory attacks by Kombu or Yogu in some capacity, Marrow attempting to hop back to assess the situation more closely. This quickly turned into a far larger affair than she had wished for it to be. Certainly, surely, unequivocally, there simply COULDN'T be more strong individuals here. Not in this far northern locale, at this time of day, on this specific faux island. Things had already gone so sideways that the teen had suspected someone had caught wind of their plans somehow, but the only possible people who knew the exact details were Eris and Marrow. The Shinjin may be creative with training, but she'd never throw this much opposition at a mission she had an express interest in succeeding.

Some arbitrary compulsion led Marrow to look back towards Kombu. Just in time for some random nonsense-spouting goth girl to emerge from a portal and attack the Saiyan unprompted. "Mortals?" Eris somehow scoffed despite the thought being a beam of direction information. "And just who do this shortstack think she is!?" They couldn't be sensed, had portals and went around calling others the favorite pet word of the Shinjin. "Doesn't look much the part of a Demon," Her guardian huffed dismissively. "Whatever the case, they appear to be on your side as a matter of common enemy. Do not alienate them!" Right. The swordswoman immediately switched gears, ignoring the man they'd just tried to face smash to the ground in favor of needling Marrow for information. "Destroying this place and destroying the weaker martial artists before they've got the chance to become a real threat." She mumbled lowly, out of earshot of anyone else trying to listen in. Taking a moment to assess Usumi with a keen eye, Marrow simply shook her head as if silently resolving an internal debate. "Do as you will."

Besides, any effort the girl may have put forth into slyly convincing the swords-wielder was immediately set aside as another figure arrived. "Sesame." Marrow was quick to approach, dropping near everything else and only hanging on to her arena trap by a thread. "There's a bounty in this battle, a large sum for each of them." She was quick to point out the likes of Kombu and Russ as they were the most openly heroic with their actions. "I'm good for the payment, you know my occupation. And if I wasn't, nothing stops you from coming to collect later." Keeping her tone as quiet as possible, the goal was to avoid untoward eavesdropping or counter offers by anyone else present. Playing to the whims of a money-focused being was a fickle task. It was possible, if unlikely, that the good guys would have the wherewithal to try and buy out the Demon's services from under her nose. So many people all blending together on this little manmade island all at the same time. Truly, fate was getting quite the kick out of watching them all tangled together. Marrow needed to get a grip on who would be willing to fight who in this situation and quickly; otherwise, her own chances of success would plummet.

It would be far too easy if Kombu were the only being of notable strength to become a part of this encounter. He expected many others to show up. What he could not predict was the alignment of each fighter when they entered the battlefield one by one. The Saiyan was hoping for a memorable battle. However, he wished it could have happened under less-lethal circumstances.

No one potential threat vied to stop his heroic effort, nor two. Instead, there were three combatants, each aiming to take the Saiyan on. Seeing the severity of the masked assailant's assault on the martial artists, who were much weaker than her by a considerable margin, made it easy for Kombu to tap into his rage. Fury was not an emotion to shy away from, especially as a Saiyan. If anything, it stoked the flames of a Saiyan's fighting potential to new heights. However, it was still easy to lose oneself to it when untempered.

Attacks honed in from Kombu on all sides. The first involved ink knives, which sought to become intimate with vital organs of his chest, neck, and skull. The second, while not entirely a threat, came from a female martial artist looking for some fun. And finally, the last attack would come from the rear as another woman seemed to creep from the shadows themselves.

"Damn it...!"

The Saiyan underwent his transformation in a flash! Muscles in his body bulged. His irises turned from a coal black to a wrath-filled yellow. Kombu's canines grew and sharpened akin to the chompers of a gorilla. And, just as his cerulean ki exploded from him like a wildfire, a barrier of the same color encased him for protection and absorbed each of the blows meant for his body.

"You'll all get the fight you desire," Kombu growled as a promise. "But if you don't help me take down that woman with the mask, all hell will break loose. I can feel the power of the device growing below us...I can only assume that it will blow up this island and us with it. We can fight to our heart's content if you help me stop this island's destruction. But ONLY after she and the device are dealt with!"

Kombu momentarily glanced to Yogu. Well, at least one person was at his side against potentially insurmountable odds.

The remark of innocents from Marrow caused Kombu to bare his teeth. "Not everyone on this island is a criminal! There are lives at stake here...You'd waste the lives of many to attack a few? You make me want to vomit!"

Sesame's arrival would, of course, just be the icing on a crap cake for Kombu's day. As if the situation could not become any worse. however, Marrow remained as his current target.

A teal energy ball swirled into existence in the wrathful Kombu's right palm as he pulled it back. The energy he absorbed before was pumped into the growing ki sphere. His target was Marrow, the instigator of all of this, who, even now, continued to slaughter weaker fighters.

"Take this! Super Tsunami CANNON!"

And, with that, a powerful wave of blinding teal power erupted toward the would-be terrorist. He cared not for his own safety. If anything, the Saiyan made a silent vow to stop the bomb and take down Marrow if it meant he would draw his final breath.

---