The Prodigal Son - AT - [CONQUEST]

Shakuhachi mocked them all once more with his incredulous tone – truly bewildered why no one could see his point. Why they would not acquiesce and kneel. He called Tambo a hypocrite for speaking kindly of the Mazoku. While it was – indeed – a strange feeling to be complimented by one of the many who would have hunted his kin down faster than hear them out, Cello would still realize the honor in his spirit to stand by his own personal convictions rather than continue with the same cycle of hate that had perpetuated this very situation. Shakuhachi insulted Geist and Cello barked up.

“I’ve said before and I’ll say again you loony dragon; The actions of the past Mazoku, of nearly one-hundred years ago, are not the actions of the current generation. I will not allow my people to continue suffering under the yolk of those who cannot evolve beyond their petty past hates. If this is your answer, to speak to my allies in such a manner? Then there be nothing more to say to you…”

In that short instance, the battlefield would erupt with activity as all hell broke loose. Shakuhachi had hoped to preempt the song on Cambia’s part by attacking her with a potent stream of energy fired from his mouth. Geist had shifted to a more corporeal state while Tabor leapt to the defense of the ashen skinned female. His weapon moving swiftly to combat the blast while his power surged higher than he’d felt prior. Explosions, all superficial damage hitting buildings and harming innocents. For the first time, these people on the Mainlands felt the sting of such actions.

Tabor’s body seemed thrashed as energy coalesced and passed through his mighty defense – causing him to leap into action, at the same time as Geist it seemed. Many people all aimed their might at the one before them, and in a unified moment it seemed the answer of Namek was unanimous; No. Though, the small boy with many arms – the one with two sets of Namekian arms as well as others – seemed to be impartial, just wanting the fighting to stop. The screaming sound of his voice erupted as he called out to Shakuhachi. The Namekian couldn’t quite hear him with his earplugs in, but he could imagine the anguish one must feel seeing such hard-headed violence erupt before him with no end in sight. A horrific scene for a child.

…And one all too known by the Mazoku. He too wished at one point for peace. He had come to the Mainland, desiring nothing more than a chance to speak for his people – as his master had dictated. Yet – as it had been predicted, the opposition he was met with became far too violent and even now the threat to his people was palpable. Shakuhachi had saw to that. His attack on the Village he’d scrounged together to protect those who couldn’t protect themselves, had saw to that. Though Tabor was doing his best to represent the absolute honest intentions of the Mainland, the Mazoku had only one reason to be here.

It was not justice that drove his actions, though he was indeed vindicated. It was not the salvation of Namek that moved his hands, though it had been a consideration once. It was not the honor of a Namekian whom had wanted more then anything to unify with his people, though that dream had been his for years. It was Vengeance, Anger, Hatred, the intense feelings he held for this Dragon Clansmen that moved his body, thrust him into action. As all the attacks were thrust at the megalomaniac, Cello leapt ahead of them, moving as fast as he could to shift position for the best angle, leaping into the air and entering a corkscrew motion.

Flipping around and finding his angle, he would thrust his hands out to either side of his as brilliant electric like ki exploded out of his body and encapsulated his entire form. He would begin to roar as his battlepower skyrocketed, pushing most of his power into this one attack. He wanted this over with – now. He didn’t wish to hear anymore words from Shakuhachi, he did not wish to have him take the opportunity to spew anymore visceral lies to the people of this land, or the people before him in an attempt to once again turn his people into slaves. Just the mere thought of his intentions for his people made the power gathering take on a more dark and sinister tone as the lightning began to glow red.

“GRAHHHHHH!”

He brought both of his arms at his side as the lightning coalescing around him shrunk around both fists. The gauntlets glowing and humming intensely as the Namekian Forgemaster, Tambo, and his artisanry poured through the weapon magnifying his power more. Gleaming orbs on either side of his shoulder glowing intensely orange. This was his only regret. That he was raising his hands, these weapons, against another Namekian. A Promise he swore to uphold…but he could not bare to wait for such an instance like this. Shakuhachi had gone too far and was planning to eradicate his very heritage. How could he allow for such intolerance to stand idly? He knew, in his heart, the Dragon Forge would forgive him. He’d hope. If not, it was a burden on his soul that Cello was willing to bare.

“NO MORE WORDS SHAKUHACHI! JUST FALL! CARBINE IMPACT!!!”

The Namekian would thrust his left fist forward, the right still gathering energy at an exponential rate. The powerful beam would soar towards the side of Shakuhachi, its black and red hue darkening the sky above him from the angle of attack. While not his most powerful attack, it was indeed one of his signature and strongest moves. The shockwave released caused a buffet of air to release backwards, the lands below being hit with a powerful storm of force. This was not a peaceful land anyfurther – this had become a warzone.

"The likely path is the removal of the weaker of us. This includes me. And him." Geist jabbed a finger at Ollo. He thankfully had joined the fight instead of spouting more useless peace talk at a time like this. Yet that didn't mean the boy was to last long. "Warrior," Geist addressed Tabor who had previously blocked an attack before. "Conserve your power if necessary. Ending Shakuhachi's reign is more important than the wellbeing of myself and the six-armed one." His master Cello was quick to go on the offensive in a raging flurry of fists, no doubt enhanced by the magically bound gauntlets he wore. Geist grumbled, gathering another small orb of cyan energy which he quickly fired off towards Shakuhachi's much larger head.

"If the giant wastes his time on us that leaves you more time to take him down. Seize that chance." The burst of cursed lightning had temporarily cloaked the land in a darker tone of war, and even as it lifted and all present were left standing in the suns of Namek, it was clear nothing would be the same. The shrill sound of the ashen one's Ocarina continued to resound, much to the adverse effect on Shakuhachi. Enough that the Namekian tried to crush her once more. This attack was more desperate and far weaker than the crushing blow sent Ollo's way, so if none others went to save the Konatsian, Geist would intervene with a flying semi-tackle, intent on moving her out of the way without disrupting the music.

Everyone was trying their best to fight against Shakuhachi, ultimately ignoring his words. He still couldn't understand why they didn't listen to him and with combat breaking out, it was impossible for him to dwell on it too much. Even if the others were his "ally" in this fight, he still didn't feel great fighting alongside him when all this violence could be avoided as well. Instead, Ollo was trapped in his emotions alone, as he watched everything erupt into chaos around him. At the very least, he was glad that he wasn't a bystander, which gave him a chance to force the others to hear his voice. Maybe Shakuhachi would be able to stop for a moment and listen to him after he was capable of getting his attention with his own attack. Or at least, that was the idealistic thought he had within his mind as he went charging in.

For a moment, Ollo was confused as to why Shakuhachi didn't react to the attack like he had hoped he would. Jumping back, he went to analyze the damage he did just to make sure he actually hit. His suspicions were confirmed, although he quickly remembered that Namekians also had a strong healing factor just like he did, making things more frustrating. Why did things have to be like this and when did it get so dark all of the sudden? From all the time he's been alive he had never seen the planet get this dark before so something strange must have happened but why was it choosing to happen now? It wasn't long before Ollo got his answer as he witnessed a massive fist coming crashing down at him. There was no way he was going to be able to stop it, and he knew that very well. His mind drifted to the first rule that his mentors taught him as they trained him in martial arts: if one knew he couldn't win a fight it was better to run rather than stand their ground. At the very least, it gave him a chance to escape with his life. 

However, Ollo didn't want to give up on Shakuhachi just yet. Perhaps if he just ran away now he could escape unscathed, but he simply wanted to get one final message to the namekian, even if it mean risking his entire wellbeing. His muscles began to bulk, clearly showing as his body grew slightly larger. With the new strength he desperately launched off, rearing back his right arms for one final punch to get his attention. "Shakuhachi! Stop the violence please! Just talk!" Regardless of whether his fists connected with Shakuhachi, he had to deal with the full brunt of his attack. It was impossible for him to evade it now that he made his choice. 

His fist came crashing down on Ollo's lower body, crushing everything underneath his torso. Pain unlike anything he had ever experienced before filled every nerve in his body. He screamed, one filled with agony from both the physical and mental torment that he had experienced. Even his healing factor couldn't keep up, being utterly suppressed by the force and desperately working to keep him alive at the very least. He just wanted everyone to stop... He wanted there to be peace on Namek. Even despite how much he was suffering right now, the final thoughts that were in his mind wished that his words would reach the great namekian and he would stop and consider it even if it was just for a second.

Unable to take the pain anymore, Ollo lost consciousness, completely unmoving although hanging onto his life just barely

Would feel a bit of confidence return as he saw his impact land home and force the massive behemoth to his knees. At the end of his rotation, the Namekian would land and slide next to Geist. He would nod over to his ally and smile before returning his attention to the giant enemy before them. He noted, with concern, that Tabor was indeed wounded – but soon his body would recover – all Namekians had the capability. Geists words were sharp – pointed but they were honest. The Abyssian was right, they had to focus the strongest of them on the task at hand, taking Shakuhachi down – while the light hitters kept him occupied.

As if to accentuate this point, the behemoth fired a massive attack on the young multi-armed child who was only trying to get everyone to listen. The scene of carnage playing out before them in a manner that made it clear that this was not the place for anyone to be at this moment and time. The poor boy had no chance, his body was ravaged by the attack before being left in a heap on the ground, unconscious, but alive. Barely. The sight was enough to cause the Mazoku to curse beneath his breath.

Bastard! He is going after the weak ones early to focus his attention on us! That means… Cello’s thoughts muddled his concentration for a moment, the Mazoku chancing a glance to Geist. If his thought was correct, that meant that his spiritual partner was soon to be the focus of some tremendous pain. He had to try and mitigate that as best as he could! His eyes snapped over to the woman as Shakuhachi lunged at her, noting that it was on he and she to ensure that the others had time to mount a true counter-offensive.

The shrill sound of the Ocarina filled the air still, and it was by sheer creation magic that his earbuds were still holding position protecting him from the brunt – but even still, the closer he was to her, the harder it was to concentrate – so while she went high, he went low. As Cambia’s body became a blur, moving to run up the large, muscular arms of the Giant Namekian, Cello’s arms would whip and slither outward, squiggling and moving the distance to the behemoth’s feet – wrapping themselves around the large appendages to, if it worked, trip him up.

With a mighty yank, using all the strength he could muster, the Mazoku Namekian would heave and snap the appendages with the motion – causing them to become taut in the attempt to tie up the legs and feet of the megalomaniac in his Giant form, the gauntlet adorned hands seeming to lock into place like grappling hooks. Veins bulged from the large statured Mazoku as he focused all of his might, all of his power into this one move. If there was anything he could do to stop him in his tracks, Cello was willing to do it – and that meant putting his body on the line, right here, right now.

“FALL DAMN YOU! FALL!”

The Warrior had deigned to regenerate his wounds taken in the defense of others, and while it was a reassurance that those who stood against Shakuhachi would not fall so easily, it only reminded the Abyssian that the Tyrant could do the same. With the scaling difference between Shakuhachi and his enemies, the trait of regeneration would be turned against them in short order. At least Tabor would see reason in not wasting his power on protecting those unworthy of the expense. It was a small tragedy that Ollo had to fall victim to such a harsh attack, but at the least, he still drew breath. The boy had made one last attempt to stop the violence... right before the Great Namek's arms cratered him into the ground.

"I don't understand," Geist spoke with genuine frustration lacing each word. "Why? What justifies forcing your own ideals harshly enough onto your unwilling kin to the point where you are willing to crush children?" The fierce battle of ideology was still rather new to the originally tribal Alien. There was conflict of course, sometimes over matters of leadership, but nothing to this degree or scale. Catching the short glance Cello had given him, the Abyssian shook his head slowly. "I can assure you that he can not slay me here and now, not with the binding ritual in place. At worst my form will be dispersed for a short time."

It wasn't like Abyssians had many pain receptors in the first place given their semi-ethereal nature. "Speaking of-" Tremors beneath the ground gave Geist a fair warning on some sort of attack coming from the soil. Shakuhachi had made a slight miscalculation in his efforts, though, and with no energy to forcibly stabilize Geist's form into a state that could be injured his attack would fail. The gigantic finger attempted to wrap around him as a snake would, Geist simply loosening his grip on reality, fading to a strange heavy fog and slipping free. The others, including the ashen one, would have to take care of themselves for the time being. "Who is next?" Geist asked rather calmly despite the situation. "The girl or myself? Take the shot."

As the Mazoku Namekian used the Namekian races absurd ability to stretch their limbs, in an attempt to literally topple Shakuhachi, Cambia couldn't help but think of one singular thought as her feet stepped into air where there should have been Namekian flesh. <I really wish I knew how to fly.> In that moment of free fall, the blonde Konatsian had a great vantage point to see the titanic would be tyrant elongate their neck and rise up with their head like some sort of serpent in an effort to meet her mid-way and... yup, gobble her up! Soon there was nothing but darkness as far as she could see as Shakuhachi closed his maw around her.

Cambia hissed as she was forced to put the Ocarina to one side for the time being on her belt, as she found herself sliding down the Dragon Clan Namekian's tongue, heading straight for his throat and no doubt the eventual stomach that awaited her! Conjuring a pair of short blades into her hands, she tried to stab them into whatever wall of muscle and flesh she could find in an attempt to slow or even stop her descent! As her blades tried to find any kind of purchase, she could feel splatterings here and there of some kind of liquid striking her now and then. Whether it was blood or saliva fluids she couldn't tell in this darkness... nor did she truly care at this point.

Eventually she reached what Cambia could only guess was maybe the halfway mark in this dark and tight tunnel, before her blades finally found purchase and stuck fast into the musculature walls surrounding her. She dangled there for a moment, taking in a few breaths as she then worked to pull herself upwards. She soon enough planted her feet onto the hilts of her blades, using them as makeshift footholds for the time being. She could feel the dull thuds of impacts against Shakuhachi's massive form, and a thought came to her mind... What if he shrunk back down to his original size whilst she was still inside of him?!

Would she be crushed, or would Shakuhachi explode? Or both?! Neither option seemed very ideal to her right now, and she very much doubted that even the rapid and quite frankly insane rate of regeneration that Namekians had would be able to save the Dragon Clan Namekians life from the latter. Taking up her sword the blonde Konatsian would begin to hum at first, before her voice lifted into a full blown aria. Her blade would glow, its light intensifying in strength and brightness the more Cambia sang.

She wondered if the glow of her weapon could be seen from the outside, or if her voice could be heard... But she put those thoughts aside for the moment, raising her blade and thrusting through the musculature wall of the tube she was in! Her condensed energy continued the attack as it sought to burst free of the titanic Dragon Namekian's hide in an attempt to form a hole large enough for her to get free of her flesh borne prison.

Assuming she managed to make it out, she would go to land on the ground below before turning to face Shakuhachi once more. The remnants of her attacks energy wave would filter down through the air like firefly's dancing in the wind, and with a glance from Cambia they would soar towards Tabor to coalesce within his form. The blonde Konatsian looked up at the gigantic Namekian, and lowered her sword. Maybe with a gaping hole in his chest, he'd stop fighting for a while...

"You went to other worlds and learned from them, which led you on this path. You taught me of Namek and your people... Allow me to return the favour, to complete your knowledge and may it grant you wisdoms clarity." Cambia called out, intending for the rest of those in the area to hear this as well. "My world of Konats is much like Namek, in that we don't seek technological advancement. Your people sought spirituality, mine sought song and magic. It had been that way for a while, and it was peaceful." she explained.

"Then came the Kashvar. A diminutive alien race that wielded magic as well as we did. We welcomed them with open arms as brethren, and what did they do in return?" the Konatsian asked, slightly rhetorically. "They sought to exterminate our entire race. Without provocation, without offence given, they simply began to massacre my people in those ancient days. And the reason they did all this? What crime had we committed to warrant genocide?" she asked, almost trying to goad Shakuhachi into answering.

"Because we were different. Because we were not Kashvar." Cambia said, looking towards Cello, then Tabor, then back to Shakuhachi. "The Kashvar conjured forth a terrible monster of a size similar to your own current one... They slaughtered over half our world in that one year with just this one beast and their magics." she recounted to the assembled peoples. She then raised her sword, but not in an aggressive nature, but more one as a beacon or symbol.

"But, the beast was eventually defeated and sealed away, by song and steel it was bested. It's pieces were then scattered to the distant corners of the cosmos where it could never be summoned again, and our people drove the Kashvar away." Cambia declared, lowering her blade once more. "Before we then secluded ourselves from the cosmos for fear of suffering another tragedy like that once more." she said, her eyes looking up towards Shakuhachi's own.

"This is why I fight against your vision Shakuhachi... I cannot stand by, and watch as you repeat my worlds history. I won't allow someone I consider to be my friend to become like the Kashvar." the blonde Konatsian explained, raising her sword once more and pointing it towards Shakuhachi's face.

"It will start with the Mazoku, but how long before you seek to wipe out and restart their successors? Or the Warrior Clan? Or even your own Dragon Clan if it fails to meet with your vision for Namek? For what you consider perfection?" she asked him, almost pleading with him to see reason and understand what he was doing through her eyes.