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Post by Helix Crust on Apr 27, 2017 21:02:32 GMT
Bustling through the short, simplistic, cylindrical dressers that lined the walls of the namekian palace, Helix eventually found what he was looking for. His long green wrist extended slightly as the namekian's fingers plunged into the pile of disorganized clothing, yanking out his prize: a tattered grey cloak. The namekian pulled off his regular guru robes, tossing them haphazardly on top of the dresser as he got naked, pulling on the dark cloak that shrouded his entire body. Later in on in the day, somebody would come by and clean up the messy palace, but whenever they did, they did so in silence. Helix often wished that they would stay and talk for a little longer. As it stood, the palace was cold and quiet. The only bustle breaking the silence was Helix's dressing, his movements too excited to be muffled by the curse of taciturn. Even so, it was as if the noise knew it ought to keep to itself, and so the echoes tapered out before they could reach the edges of the modest domicile. Helix wished he had some way to examine his disguise, but dragon caste houses never came with mirrors, and so he decided this would just have to do. The guru pulled the cloak's hood up over his head marking. Only his antenna and slightly drooping eyes managed to peer out from under the shroud. This would be good enough. But looking the part wasn't enough. Helix had to feel the oldness. While the prophet normally would've teleported anywhere he needed to go, he decided to make the walk this time. Perhaps he would meet an acquaintance along the way..? The elderly namekian didn't realize how badly he longed for that fleeting possibility to reign true. Finally, Helix paced out the door of the palace, the automatic gate sliding shut behind him as he looked down at the village resting below. The stone tower that the lonely house was perched on must've been at least three hundred feet in the air. The prophet paced over to the edge of the plateau and knelt down. Firmly, Helix pressed his fingers into the soil on the edge of the cliff, and then began lowering himself down the side of the platform, using his stretching limb as a rope to descend the tower. When the prophet reached the bottom, he released his fingers and grinned as his elastic arm came lashing down like a whip, thwacking itself back into place under his cloak. Now that he was in the village, it was time to act the part. Helix inhaled a low deep breath before tensing his muscles. In a single vascular implosion, Helix's stretching body shriveled down to a husk, his limbs becoming spindly and weak looking, his face suddenly sagging with age, and his back hunching over at an absurd angle. Conjuring up a wave of energy, Helix fashioned his magic into a short wooden walking stick, and began trekking through the dragon caste village, his ki signature disguised and suppressed. The dragon castes of the village would usually bow respectfully to Helix, or if one was unfamiliar with his hermitish habits, come up to him and ask a question. But disguised as an elderly vagabond, nobody paid the prophet any mind. Even when Helix croaked out at one of his brothers in a ridiculous feeble tone of voice, they replied politely and shortly, trying not to give him any more respect than necessary. Helix's enthusiastic spirits for the trip were quickly being darkened by the attitude of his people. What kind of a leader was he if he couldn't get his own followers to be more than polite? And so the prophet ultimately decided that it was time to move more quickly, and to get out of the small dragon caste village. Helix's pace quickened slightly, although he still moved at a genuine amble, steadily trekking over the smooth plains of his home world. There was no denying that Helix was disappointed with his homecoming, when it first came about. How could he enjoy returning to his planet when his first impression of it was a black sky, dark energy from all sides, and terror and discord in his people's eyes? But it was in moments like these, when he could walk blissfully through the grassy fields, undisturbed by the presence of another soul for miles… The silence of Namek's nature was much different than the silence inside of the guru's personal prison. The silence here was gentle, it was warm. it was laced with the trickle of water, the croak of a far off frog, and the wind scuttling through the underbrush, playfully pushing the grass to and fro. The dragon caste decided that he absolutely ought to take more walks. Eventually, the prophet came to pass Moori Capital. The rebuilding process from Xylo's conquest was still ongoing, and although some of the Mazoku Dominion had volunteered to assist, Helix couldn't help but feel a pang of regret. The prophet's eyes avoided the sight, and his brows curled into an empathetic whimper as he continued to walk past the hub. More proof he needed to get out more: the people in Moori Capital needed him just as much, if not more than the stuffy scholars in his own village. It was impossible to miss the Castle Mazoku if one had any sort of ki sense. The massive energies, both benevolent and wicked (although mostly the latter,) could be felt from another continent of one put their mind to it. But the sight was even more impossible to miss. Helix had surveyed the castle many times from his perch of course, his kami far sight enabled him to look across the surface of Namek with near omniscience. But standing before the castle in person was different. This was the first time the guru had ever been in the presence of the castle… And to be quite honest, it was terrifying. From the various demons Helix had encountered, his impressions of the Mazoku Dominion were fairly awful. The demons had harassed and tormented his people on three separate occasions, taxing them and intimidating them, sometimes at Xylo's personal pleasure. And the saiyan loyal to Xylo, Tomoka, had barged into Helix's own sacred village, demanding information on the dragon balls and harming his people. Tomoka was the picture of everything Helix feared from the Saiyan Solar Empire. But the prophet wasn't sure what was more terrifying. Saiyan supremacists, thirsty for the dragon balls, or Mazoku supremacists, who had no respect for the hard earned knowledge of the dragon caste and were willing to allow demons to torment their own people. Helix hunched over further, disguising his ki as he approached the castle. With each limping step, the beggar drew closer to the colossal structure, each pace forward incrementing the building in front of him higher into the sky, pulling the horizon closer. Eventually, the fully disguised Helix found himself at the massive gates of the castle. The prophet quickly looked to his left and right for guards, contemplating using far sight to scan the surrounding area. The prophet's primary goal here was to test the true cruelty of the Mazoku empire. How would they react to a pathetic vagabond of a dragon caste, who came to teach them about respecting life? If demons arrived, would they be as vicious as the ones striking across the planet? Or would they simply turn him away? "Please—" Helix croaked in a crackling elderly voice, "A cup of tea for a weary traveler?"
Helix arrived at castle mazoku, dressed as a beggar: T4 shop! Lord Xylo
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Post by Lord Xylo on Apr 29, 2017 7:31:47 GMT
[Thread PL: 257,796 | Emperor's Might (x20P) Active! Active PL: 5,155,920!]
The Courtyard of Castle Mazoku was quite empty today. Most days, a few Dragon Clan Mystics would be here tending to the gardens, or at the very least a few Mazoku mercenaries would be laughing and joking at the fountain. Today though, only two people resided here. A Kabochan and a Brenchian. They were on guard duty, or as some might call it, a day-long break. Nobody had ever dared to attack the castle since it was erected, and the only violence that occurred on the planet was outside of the castles walls. Even when Xylo had faced off against one of Earth's legendary heroes, their brawl happened on a hill above the castle. The Brenchian sighed, leaning against the massive metal gate as he spoke to his friend. "Man, this reminds me of that time we ran guard duty on that weird corn planet.""Why?" Inquired the Kabochan, his brow raised. "Because its easy?" "Nah. Cuz it's boring. When I signed up, I thought we'd be shipping out for war like, right away. I guess I forgot how long preparations for this kinda stuff takes..."With a heavy sigh, the Kabochan joined his Brenchian friend in leaning against the gate. His eyes traveled to the green sky, and he smirked. "Eh, it's not so bad. At least we don't have to eat corn for every meal."As Helix approached, the duo snapped out of their bored stupor. The Brench raised his brow at Helix's request, folding his arms across his chest as he spoke. "Look, friend. I don't know if you noticed but we're just a couple of guards. Do you see any tea on us? If you're that thirsty, I'm sure nobody'll mind if you slurp out of that fountain over there."The Brenchian had some other, less savory things to say to Helix, but before he could, a deep rumbling came from inside the castle. -CRACK!-
-BOOM!- The doors of the castle were suddenly forced open by a red-skinned demon smashing right into them! He tumbled to the ground pitifully, muttering incoherently as the world spun in his eyes. He had two horns sticking out of his short, messy hair, but it seemed like one of them had been damaged quite recently. An intimidating figure walked out of the castle next. A familiar scowl was etched onto his face, and an aura of Ki was surrounding him! Helix would recognize the mighty Namekian as his own brother, Lord Xylo. Xylo stood over the demon, gripping the dazed man by the collar of his shirt, and hoisting him into the air. This seemed to break the fool out of his confusion quickly, but it was soon replaced by unending fear. The Mazoku Lord narrowed his eyes as he spoke in a tone of voice that could barely contain its rage. "Next time you want to harm a Namekian on my planet, you'll have more than a bent horn on your list of battle scars, got it?!" All the demon could do was nod feverishly. Xylo grunted, and tossed the man back to the dirt, causing the fellow to quickly scamper away. The guards stood in awe. They'd never seen Xylo mess up one of his own men before. That guy must have done some serious harm if Xylo was upset. Luckily, it seemed that Xylo had gotten his aggression out in that beatdown. His Ki aura died out, and he let out a relieved sigh. He turned to Helix and the two guards, an unimpressed look on his face. "Helix, you do realize that we don't have beggars on Namek, right?" The Namekian made a quick hand motion, informing the guards to open the gates. They did so quickly, allowing Helix entry into Castle Mazoku. "Get in here. We need to talk."
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Post by Helix Crust on Apr 29, 2017 18:01:38 GMT
Helix's hunched over frame paled in comparison to the broad squared shoulders of the guard duo. It seemed that they were victim to the same folly of many of Xylo's cronies: Brought to a planet of peace by a warlord, they had nothing to do in peacetime, and took it out by harassing innocents.
Upon the only mildly rude turn away from the Kabochan, Helix bowed his head, his eyes shrouded by the cloak before the brenchian cracked his knuckles at Helix, preparing something more hard hitting.
But just then, Helix sensed the energy of his brother. His other half's presence would change the situation drastically: he would either be a benevolent lord or a wicked dictator.
The guru's weathered head suddenly jerked back up, giving the brenchian a scraggletoothed grin. "Watch out."
A red skin demon splashed through the castle doors like a bowling ball, knocking the large gates open. The lanky creature tumbled across the ground from the momentum, clearly in the middle of a beating.
And of course, out from the doors emerged the elder and more vindictive brother. Xylo quickly snatched the creature from the ground, warning him of the fate that would befall him should he harass namekians. Helix's brow lowered: this must've been a new policy, for it had not saved the constant harassment of dragon clansmen across the planet thus far.
The guards certainly seemed unprepared for the beating, and the hermit guru judged their expressions, before glancing over at Xylo. By the time Xylo looked over at him impatiently, Helix was already sheepishly grinning, as if he couldn't hold in the joke much longer. "Alright, alright—" Helix broke out into a grin, the elderly croak of his voice gone. "I'm coming!"
Suddenly, Helix's tiny hunchbacked form exploded into growth. Helix's legs jutted upwards first, adding a good three feet of hight, before his arms rolled out lankily, bulging back to their original healthy weight. Finally, the prophet's back cracked upwards from the 90 degree angle to a gentle straightness. Helix really was quite tall, just like his brother.
By this time, the brenchian guard's eyes were so wide they seemed about to bulge out of their sockets. Grabbing one edge of his cloak, Helix almost tore the shroud off, leaving him fully nude, but ultimately decided not to derobe in front of Xylo's terrified goons. And so, the prophet simply tossed his hood back, revealing his full markings.
Xylo obviously knew Helix was there when he arrived. Was he putting on a show for him? Or had he really begun a campaign to get his deplorables in line?
The Mazoku lord gestured to the guards offhandedly, and the gates of the castle creaked open. Helix couldn't help but recall his own impersonally automatic palace door.
After a moment, though, Helix's expression turned serious, far from the embarrassed joking moments earlier. "In all honesty," he began, furrowing his brows and looking over at Xylo as they entered the castle, "I was hoping you would be present."
Gaining confidence from the fact that he knew he spoke the truth, Helix insisted with sturdy assertiveness. "You have some explaining to do, brother."
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Post by Lord Xylo on Apr 30, 2017 5:02:22 GMT
Xylo chuckled to himself as he watched Helix de-shrink himself. It was amusing how awestruck his soldiers were. Clearly they weren't familiar with magic; especially not of the Namekian variety. If things were less serious, he'd most certainly take some time out to further mystify these two soldiers. Perhaps he'd save it for after he'd conquered the Solar Empire, though.
Helix quickly walked over after his transformation completed, his cheery attitude suddenly dissipating in favor of a more serious tone. It seemed the Guru was unhappy with how Xylo was handling some things. The Mazoku Lord nodded, walking back towards the innards of Castle Mazoku as he began speaking. "Trust me, you're not the only one who's unhappy with things; I just got back from a lot of meetings with a lot of different military leaders, and I find out my men have been abusing citizens! I didn't think they'd resort to being so rowdy so quickly... I might need to start shipping off soldiers sooner than I'd have liked."
If Helix hadn't already begun to follow Xylo, the brother would beckon him along, hoping to lead him to the War Room deeper into the castle. "Either way, I think we have more than some restless soldiers to discuss. Like it or not, we need to start working together."
The inside of the castle was a bit brighter than one might expect. Aside from the dark stone lessening the color, there was an abundance of windows in the halls. It seemed the only sections that didn't have windows led below the surface level-- most likely the dungeons, or perhaps a hatching chamber for Mazoku.
"I know you don't like that my Mazoku are in charge, but what's honestly changed? I have done nothing to displace your Mystics, nor the Warrior Clans. The only thing that's really changed is that my people are no longer sleeping in caves, and we're gearing up to give the Saiyan Empire what it deserves." He paused for a moment, an annoyed sigh escaping him. "Not everyone on your end seems to enjoy the way things are. I need you to help me convince your people that unity is our best option. If we're divided, then we won't stand a chance against a single Super Saiyan, let alone an army of them."
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Post by Helix Crust on Apr 30, 2017 5:41:47 GMT
As the guru entered the castle, his countenance took on a much more serious disposition.
As Xylo explained the fact that he'd only just heard of the harassment of Namek's people, Helix's face sharped. Lying was unacceptable. "Xylo, do not play me for a fool! You stood right beside one of your demons as he enforced fear and wickedness," the guru wasn't going to take bending of the truth lightly. "Even if you have not witnessed the outright cruelty, you have been cultivating an environment of abuse."
Helix's eyes wavered into passionate crescents. "The suffering of my people is not a footnote," Helix spoke slowly, before shaking his head, "The conditions are unacceptable and need to be reversed before negotiation can even be considered." How could Xylo brush off the harassment of Namek's people so easily?
"You are leading Namek on a warpath," Helix began, his bare feet used to the cold stone of the castle floors now, "And if the warpath is your only option then you are unfit to rule."
As Xylo embarked on a silver tongued tangent about the changing of hands of power on Namek, Helix bit his lip in frustration. After a moment, the prophet looked over at Xylo with conviction. "The people of this planet are not going to accept a new empire just because a battle was won against an outside invader."
"Namek belongs to her people, the rightful stewards of planetary peace. A battle won between you and the saiyans means nothing, because the saiyans never possessed ownership of Namek. Do you respect the saiyan occupation of Namek more than the word of its own people?"
"Not even to mention that the barrier you've constructed is with the saiyans is artificial," Helix spoke feverishly, "There is no war against saiyans that must be won, you've conjured it up entirely. War is unnecessary and will only bring further suffering to the Namekian!"
Helix narrowed his brows, channeling the thought processes of dragon caste philosophers of the past. "The only group affected by the Saiyan grudge is you and your demons," the guru clenched his fist and looked Xylo in the eye, "And I cannot allow you to take the rest of our people down with you in your quest for war." Helix was quite aware of the Saiyan Solar Empire's attempts at diplomacy in their late occupation. It was only Xylo's reactionary response that made him intollerable; the rest of the planet certainly was not at war with namek in any sense of the word.
"This is the grand illusion of your leadship, brother." Helix would not waver on this point, "We agreed on pushing against the sayians in their unwanted occupation of Namek. And you succeeded in driving them out. But now that the saiyans are gone…"
"You have created a new foreign invader, greater than the saiyan one before it! By bringing demons who harass our people, you have replaced the saiyans as a threat to this planet, and magnified that threat twice fold!"
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Post by Lord Xylo on Apr 30, 2017 8:51:35 GMT
Xylo grunted at his brother, a disappointed look in his eye. While Helix had some points in his claim, the Mazoku wouldn't take the accusations sitting down. "Tch. You call a soldier placing a banner on the floor 'fear and wickedness'? Clearly the only terror you and your shut-ins have ever faced was reading a book with a sad ending if even one of them felt unease in that moment." The Namek turned right at a hallway intersection, hoping his brother would follow. "Just because my men like to show patriotism doesn't mean I should expect they'd devolve into violence so quickly."
The discussion had already turned into a heated one, it seemed. Helix had a bit more than pent-up frustration, and it was quite evident in the way he talked to his brother. "Reversal in what way?" Xylo inquired, his brow-ridge raised. "If you mean I should tear down my castle and disband my army, then I'm afraid your wishes will be unanswered. I can move the main force to the Raiti-Zacro asteroid belt, but my Mazoku aren't moving."
Try as he might to give his brother a chance to speak his mind, it was getting harder to listen. His words began to sound prejudiced; almost as if he didn't consider his brother a true Namekian. "Her people?! So now you call the Mazoku less than your Dragon Clan, eh?! I can hear it in the way you speak-- it's not just the Demons that you're upset with. I understand not wanting the rowdy demons to stay, but I will NOT stand for you trying to wrestle back control of what I defended! If it weren't for me, this place would just be another doormat in the Solar Empire's collection! Do you want our people to be remembered as the fools who laid on their backs and got stepped on?!"
It was at this point that they finally arrived at the War Room. The inside was fairly long, though it featured little besides a large stone table, and a fireplace on the wall. Xylo pushed the doors open roughly, stomping over to the opposite end. He sat at the head of the stone table, which seemed to have a map of the galaxy painstakingly carved into it.
"Do you not know how the Saiyans work? They would never take a loss as heavy as the one against me sitting down. If we don't keep fighting, then we will lose EVERYTHING! They won't stop at me. If I fail, they'll decimate everything on this planet! Nobody will be safe. Not the children, not the elders, and certainly not our proud Guru hiding himself in rags!"
Xylo furrowed his brow-ridge, a disgusted look in his eye at Helix's final, loudest proclamation.
"It doesn't matter how loud you shout, brother. I'm not hard of hearing. We'll move the Demons and all of the other outsiders away. What we need to FOCUS on is the foolish notion that you seem to think that I'll just drop everything I've been working towards. I need your help to keep our people unified in this period of change." Xylo paused, cracking his neck loudly. "It's not like I'm asking you to gear your men up for war. All I ask is that we work together in leading our planet instead of opposing one another. We cannot have our own people at each other's throats. Don't you remember what Father said? We need to work together."
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Post by Helix Crust on Apr 30, 2017 15:53:14 GMT
It seemed that both of the brother's fuses were beginning to shorten, but Helix was doing his best not to devolve into anger. He was passionate, but resentfulness could only worsen their problems. The guru pivoted lightly on his feet, navigating the hallways of the castle in tandem with his companion.
The prophet's face softened considerably when Xylo agreed to move his rowdier soldiers to the asteroid. "That would certainly be a start," Helix sighed with relief, putting a hand on his engraved forehead. "Even some discipline would do. But the attitude of these offworlders as of late makes this whole reign feel like a new occupation."
"The Mazoku need not return to their caves, but war with the Saiyan Empire puts all of Namek at risk." Helix looked over at his brother with heat, trying to quell the temperature of the room. "It is completely unnecessary."
The doors of the war room swung open with a harsh slide, and Helix quickly paced over to the side closest to the door, watching his brother take the other side of the table.
As Xylo continued, outlining the tenants of saiyan pride, Helix countered quickly, noticing his brothers own fervor. "The only target of saiyan pride is your regime, brother. The rest of namek should not have to defend an empire that it does not believe in."
It seemed that the situation of harassment on namek was almost a non-issue to Xylo; he wanted to get it out of the way as quickly as possible. And he reminded Helix of their fathers words.
Helix's voice was suddenly soft. "Are you familiar with Grand Elder Nai?" Helix sat down now in the chair on his end of the table, his shoulders shrinking slightly. The prophet was exhausted. "And the wisdom of our father as well, would be incredibly useful in untangling this mess." The guru's sudden silence would contrast the echoes of the passionate argument before, their words still bouncing off the stone walls of the war room.
The prophet paused, now looking up at his brother and leaving a moment of pregnant taciturn. "You are traveling off planet quite frequently," Helix noted, "Are you on the front lines of this conflict often?"
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Post by Lord Xylo on May 2, 2017 2:15:50 GMT
"War with the Solar Empire may not be necessary in your eyes, but it has to happen. You can think my words to be false, but here is what I believe-- someone has to make them pay for all they've done. They take worlds, enslave countless races, all while their Queen pretends that they're trying to become more peaceful!" He stands from his seat, moving around the table to Helix's side. He points his index finger at the map, specifically Planet Beppa. "You see that planet? It's one of the Arcosian Empire's core worlds. It's been in their Empire almost as long as Arcose itself. Reports are coming in that Queen Habana herself is in the process of ripping it from their control and adding it as yet another bauble in the countless collection of Solar Empire worlds."
There was a small purple stone sitting atop the portion of the map covering Beppa. Each planet owned by the Arcosians had a purple stone, in fact. Xylo knocked the purple stone over Beppa away, before slamming down a deep red one in its place. "Call my methods what you like, but at least I have the decency to be up-front with my methods. Deceit on this grand of a scale will not only ruin this galaxy, but our own home as well." The green stones Xylo had placed over Namek and Raiti-Zacro were moved away as well, being replaced by the Saiyans red. Even the Earth all the way in the corner, with its singular blue stone, was washed away by the deep red.
"Even if they don't kill us, they will use us. Be it for the Dragon Balls, your healing magics, or simply to show us off as their newest catch. If we don't stop them, then one day we'll be shining their shoes and cleaning their toilets. Do you want that for our people?"
He moved away from Helix, returning to his seat as his Brother spoke his piece. The name Nai rang a bell, but not in any good way. "Tch. Nai... He was the Grand Elder when my people first tried to attack over one hundred years ago. He's the one who killed Father. Could have let him go, too." Xylo paused, looking away for a moment. This seemed to be a bit of a hard story to tell.
"Father and I were the last survivors of the assault squad. It was a glorious battle, but in the end, we'd failed. The Grand Elder was deciding what to do with us while we sat on our knees in binds. His advisers all exercised the idea that perhaps exile further into the wastes would be for the best, but your glorious Elder wanted blood. He ordered one of the Warrior Clansmen to pierce Tuner's heart, and once my Father heard that order, he turned around, ripped himself free of his binds, and blasted me away." He chuckled to himself, a hand sliding past the center of his chest where he'd been struck all those years ago. "It was merely for show, but damn did it hurt. The blast shot me through a mountain, and knocked me out cold. When I awoke, hours later, the Mystics were celebrating their victory."
There was another pause. A much longer one. He gave Helix a small chance to digest what he'd heard.
"I stole a ship soon after, and began to travel the stars. That's when I created you. I don't remember what happened after your creation, but once I awoke, there was a missing escape pod. My guess is, in a panic, you ran home. You're lucky you survived the trip home... I guess I'm lucky too."
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Post by Helix Crust on May 2, 2017 3:25:38 GMT
Helix's toes curled at Xylo's words. Their empire hadn't harmed any namekians during their occupation, had they? The only conflict that occurred were those that his brother initiated; the saiyans were an unwanted outside force, but they were not devils. "It is not our responsibility nor our battle to fight," Helix countered, standing to meet his brother as he arrived to Helix's edge of the table, "The minutia of the Saiyan Solar Empire is none of our concern…" There was something Helix wanted to say, but he wasn't sure how to phrase it. In the time that the guru spend contemplating it, Xylo had continued into his next point. The prophet allowed his eyes to follow the gestures of his brother, watching as he explained the saiyan conquest of Beppa, and then swept away namek's own sovereignty, replacing it with saiyan red. He seemed so concerned with the concept of honor: "The question isn't of honesty or pride... It is of conquest, and of our forefathers—"But Xylo was determined to finish. Helix sat back down at the table, staring out across the field of dull red sprawling out in front of him almost blankly. Slowly and deliberately, Helix raised his hands from his sides and set his palms down on the table. And then, with a jolt, Helix channeled telekinetic magic through the table, causing all of the stones to accelerate into a state of low jittering vibration. The prophet sat, watching the stones for a moment. And then, his eyes shifted, and the rocks followed. The multicolored stones shifted from planet to planet, occupation inevitably stepping on each world before sliding off. When it came down to it, was there really a difference? Helix turned to Xylo, his eyes wide and blank; the stones had abruptly levitated into the air. The planets below became completely untouched by the presence of identifying colors. But Xylo needn't have even responded. The guru knew that it was hopeless idealism, he knew it and he could feel it in every look his brother gave him. And yet he clung to it, savoring one more sweet moment of weightlessness, his eyes turning back longingly to the untouched map of the galaxy. Breathe in… ...And out. The rocks clattered back to the surface of map, clumsily crushing back on their respective planets. Helix sighed slowly, and then stood. "But what about this?" with a sudden grimace, the prophet placed a tender hand down on planet namek, "What about the danger that you're putting us in? How can you say you govern for the good of our people when you are headed off to war at a time like this?" Helix rolled the green rock over namek into his palm, clutching it tightly, "We need to be focusing on rebuilding the relationships between our castes, we need to be putting our planet first, not funneling our energy and putting our prosperity at risk to punish an expanding galactic nuisance." Helix shook his head quickly, "Or galactic threat. Call it what you want, but fighting it isn't helping us in the here and now."
As Helix shifted the conversation to the wisdom of their forefathers, Xylo seemed to have his own brand of cynicism about the ancestors of namek as well. But soon, Helix realized that his resentment went much deeper than petty hatred—The relationship that Helix believed Xylo to have with the saiyans—It was rooted in deep pain. The prophet sat back down and shut up quickly. Was his brother telling the truth? He didn't know Xylo to be a liar, but his perspective was often skewed. Helix's hands found themselves wringing together, his mouth dry. Xylo finished telling his story: Helix was entranced. So entranced, that by some miracle of prophesy, by some act of porunga, or by some unconscious desire for ignorance, he was unable to hear the fact espoused about his own birth. His mind was entirely focused on the singularity. Had Nai truly committed such an act of violence? Nai was the paragon of dragon caste ideals, the prophet's second half and mentor, a longtime pacifist and advocate for caste reform. Could he have violently stigmatized Helix's father like that—Was it possible? Everything in the prophet's life was built around the teachings of Grand Elder Nai. There was no way that Xylo's words existed in reality; they had to be smokescreen apparitions, Helix's own mind could not accept them, and thus they were required to be false. What other option was there? What was there left? For a flash of a second, Helix's eyes struck white, his forehead marking illuminating partially before fading away. If one wasn't paying attention, they wouldn't have spotted it. Helix himself didn't notice the moment of change. But he was completely consumed by the strange feeling towards Nai and Xylo inside of him. Emotion made his stomach churn and squelch. The sickness crept up through all of his veins, aching his knuckles and twisting his skull. Xylo could not be telling the truth. Helix remained silent. And his forehead flickered white again.
Sorry for the longpost, Lord Xylo
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Post by Lord Xylo on May 3, 2017 7:16:23 GMT
Xylo's eyes watched carefully as Helix gave his impressive display of telekinesis. Without the stones littering the map, the true craftsmanship shone through. If one looked at it long enough, they might be able to imagine they were actually standing at the edge of the galaxy, getting a beautiful view of the cosmos. The message of the act was clear, but it was obvious that even the Guru was faltering on his ideals by how quickly he stopped.
"If only it were that simple..."
Xylo shared in his brothers momentary pause. It was a calm moment; one of the first Xylo had been graced with in a long while.
Helix moved on to his next point, pressuring Xylo on his rush to crush. The Mazoku Lord rebutted as simply as he could. "As much as I'd like to stay home and fix things, I simply cannot wait. We'd be fixing things while the Saiyans continue to grow. By the time we fix it, we'll have to turn around and kneel. That's why I'm asking you to help me keep things civil until I can at least push them back into their own territory. If I can take Beppa back, and subsequently push them out of Kabocha, then they'll be on the backfoot. We can take that time to recuperate ourselves before launching another assault."
Xylo moved to the window for a moment, his eyes scanning the courtyard across from them. He missed Helix's It was a bit far away, but it wasn't impossible to make out. "Even now, in this time of uneasy peace, the unity we're trying to attain is blooming in its own way. That garden was planted by some of your Dragon Mystics. Sometimes I see one of my Mazoku help tend to it. Over by the training ring, I've seen Warrior and Mazoku clansmen sharing battle strategy." The Mazoku turned back to his brother, narrowly missing the first flash of Helix's tattoo. "The people can accept change, we just need to work together to make it permanent."
Xylo's eyes narrowed curiously. This time he caught the strange flash. It seemed something was wrong with Helix. It wasn't often that Namekian's fell ill; was he experiencing a rare disease of some kind? No, that couldn't be it; his Ki was fluctuating wildly. Something was wrong on an inner level. That story must have struck a cord that was too close to the heart.
"Brother... Are you alright?"
He stepped closer, placing a hand on Helix's shoulder. He'd never shown much concern for his brother before, but now his eyes were filled with worry.
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Post by Helix Crust on May 3, 2017 13:56:42 GMT
The brothers clashed wits like unmoving boulders; each of them was stubborn on their own, but pitted against each other they were entirely unable to budge. Helix mostly remained silent when Xylo rebutted his arguments. He knew that at this point the future was sealed.
"It will always be the day after tomorrow, until total conquest is achieved."
As Helix began his episode, Xylo continued talking, attempting to reassure Helix that he was not neglecting the cultural side of reform. But the prophet had already receded into himself dangerously. By the time his brother noticed the change, Helix's mind was at war with itself.
The prophet's breathing quickened, and he hunched over slightly. Xylo's hand would've felt sweat drenching the prophet's cloak. The dragon caste's pupils dissapeared, and his vision went completely white; A riptide swept across his mind, pulling him out to sea. Helix's physical body stirred, mouth open and eyes terrified, as if an invisible demon stood before him. Helix's fingers reached out, grasping at the air, groaning in fever.
An infinite plane of white poured out one-dimensionally with no indication of a horizon. Helix's naked silhouette withered to his knees like a salted slug. The one hundred and twenty year old namekian pulled his legs to his chest, wrapping his arms around his calves. Xylo's words resonated with him, physically manifesting louder and louder in the pitch white void.
"Your glorious elder wanted blood," mocked the void. The voice grew more and more resonant, echoing through Helix's very being, blurring his perception of his senses and reality.
Abruptly, the voices stopped, and Helix felt the tide recede. He was free to move again. A voice spoke: its tone was kind and slow, each syllable holding more weight then the last.
"It has been quite some time, Helix Crust."
Outside of Helix's mental plane, the guru's head marking and eyes would glow completely white, a blank expression painted coldly across his lips. A gentle ache would tug on Xylo's mind, seemingly linked to the location of his right hand. The closer Xylo moved his hand towards Helix's forehead, the more the pain would intensify.
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Post by Lord Xylo on May 4, 2017 13:03:37 GMT
Xylo's eyes widened as he felt the overwhelming amount of sweat on Helix's skin. This was worse than he imagined. Something must have gone seriously wrong! He considered screaming at him and trying to jostle him about, but he was certain it would do nothing. Judging by the terrified yet blank expression, and sudden grabbing at nothing, this was something entirely spiritual.
There was a moment of tense pause. What could he do? He was no mystic, so he had no way of reaching inside and helping on the spiritual plane... Or so he thought.
He watched his brother tentatively, not even realizing that his hand was moving towards the marks on Helix's forehead. A slight stinging sensation built up inside, though as he grew closer to his destination, the pain rapidly grew. Once his hand made contact, Xylo's vision would blur, before he simply saw white. In the real world, he'd suddenly collapsed, but in Helix's spiritual void, there was a new arrival lying face down.
The Mazoku shot up from where he laid on the eerily white ground, staring down at the infinite abyss that was the spiritual world. If he hadn't already been to Hell, he'd start to wonder if this was where the end for all beings lied. Before he could wonder what he was to do, he heard a voice behind him. It was a sickeningly familiar one. Old and wise, but from a man who bore no true purity in his heart. To Xylo, this man was worse than any Mazoku could be made out to be.
"Not enough time, I say."
His eyes darted between the two other Namekians here with him as he folded his arms across his chest. This was clearly some sort of window into Helix's inner psyche. The only reason Xylo could even enter this place was thanks to his life-link with Helix, so why was Nai present? He'd briefly considered the worst outcome to that question, but quickly dismissed it. Helix would never stoop THAT low.
"I'm assuming this is the real Nai, and not some fantasy you've whipped up. If that's true, then I hope to every deity out there that this doesn't mean we're life-linked with him as well."
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Post by Helix Crust on May 5, 2017 0:53:33 GMT
Helix didn't move an inch, but the world seemed to move around him, leading downstream through the whiteness. Some unknown wind quietly peeled past him, but the more the world moved him to his destination, the tighter he retracted into himself. He didn't want to see what his mind was showing him.
But he had too. And when the blink of green on the horizon faded into the full frame of the massive grand elder, Helix wanted more than anything to be let out of his own mind. But Nai dragged him here, and he evidently did it for a reason. The prophet wanted to look away from his mentor, but he found his gaze fixated on the elderly namekian's wrinkled eyes.
"Please…" Helix whispered softly, lowering his gaze. He tried to turn away from himself, but realized that he could not. Wherever he went, Nai was across from him, in a mirror image.
And suddenly, behind him, the void gave birth to another reflection. At once, Helix felt Nai's tightening tension and Xylo's boiling resentment. He felt them as if they were his own emotions. And stacked on top of his own instability, they were too much to handle.
"Both of you, please—" The guru's eyes squeezed shut as he held back tears. He wanted them to leave so badly, but his voice couldn't articulate words. Helix pushed off from his crouching position into a sprint, but even as he ran with the wind blowing in his face, he didn't seem to move an inch. His brother and mentor remained in place, each one facing towards him and each other perpendicularly.
"This isn't the time, Mazoku." Nai replied softly, speaking for the first time since Helix began his episode. There was no hatred in his tone, but the term came out derogatorily against his will. His voice was trained, and like a skunk, it turned to spray at the sound of an owl.
As Helix attempted to pull himself together in front of two of his most vital relationships, in the real world he would twitch and spark, rising slightly into the air.
The prophet finally stood still, his welling tears suddenly dry, but his palms thick with sweat. He looked from Xylo to Nai, his jaw jutted out, his forehead stained with wrinkles. Every fiber of his being wanted to ask the question, but for some reason, he couldn't articulate it.
But it seemed that in this world, any emotion felt strongly enough was able to affect all three participants. And so, with a desperate stare at Nai, an overwhelming question would fill the mind of the namekians.
Is it true?
Nai was silent for a moment. Be breathed deeply, inflating his chest, and then sighed for a long while. "I never did expect your mind to be painted in such black and white—" Nai whispered softly. Helix hadn't even noticed that suddenly, Nai and Xylo were mere feet away from him, now standing in a triangle. "Let's sit down."
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Post by Lord Xylo on May 5, 2017 9:00:24 GMT
Xylo scoffed at Nai's words. Typically racist; just like a Dragon Mystic as old as him would act. He wanted to insult the man, but now really wasn't the time. Helix was crumbling on himself. His worry for his kin began to overcome his hatred of Nai. He simply stood still, taking deep breaths as Helix tried to get himself together. This place was strangely calming, despite all that was occurring.
Suddenly, Helix was able to speak. Not in any physical way, though. It was a sort of mental message, but it felt more... Personal. It was as if Xylo was the one who thought that question. It was an unsettling feeling.
Nai posed the idea of taking a seat. Xylo did so, only realizing after his legs crossed over one another that he was much closer to these two than he was before. He blinked blankly; he couldn't have forgotten moving that far. This place was confusing him more than being dead did. At least in Hell things were concrete. This place seemed to do whatever it wished whenever.
There was so many things Xylo wanted to say. Hateful things towards Nai, reassuring words towards Helix, even some disappointed quips for both of the men in front of him. He didn't say any of it, though surely one of the other two would hear some of those words in the back of their mind if they focused hard enough. For now, Xylo would stay quiet. Whatever Nai had planned should probably go off without issue if he wanted Helix to stay sane.
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Post by Helix Crust on May 11, 2017 13:43:55 GMT
For a few moments, Helix simply sat in silence. In fact, all three members of the namekian consciousness remained in complete tranquility. He allowed his emotions to radiate outwards.
"I was my fathers first son," Nai began softly, turning to Helix. The prophet did not adjust his posture, but his ears twitched in preparation for the story he knew the elder was about to recount. "And his only dragon caste son. My younger brother was a warrior caste. My father liked warrior castes quite a bit better than dragon castes."
Nai sighed, slumping his mountains of shoulders into a gentle curve. "Your father was my childhood friend. Tuner was a strange young boy, but he was charming. Not even the strictest namekian instructors could get him to shut up during a lesson."
Helix's eyes shut. He was on the brink of shutdown: if Helix's mind caved in now, it could destroy all three consciousnesses in the process. But he remained serene, breathing deeply and focusing his entire mind on Nai's story.
And the minute Helix made the decision to focus on the grand elder, his story suddenly began to bloom to life. When Helix opened his eyes, he found that they were all sitting on blue grass, with a young dragon caste namekian and a snickering mazoku child playing under a tree not twelve feet away.
Nai looked over at the children. They were unaware of their three new visitors. He sighed.
"We were the best of friends. Tuner always had his nose in some trouble, and I was always dragging him out of it." The old man's broad lips moved gently into a smile. "But his parentage was wrought with far more turmoil than my own."
The scene now shifted to a tall aging namekian, hunched over on the ground, convulsing with some dark energy. "My father was a very traditional man. Each small change in namekian society weighed heavily on him." The skinny namekian convulsed one final time, before throwing his head back and screaming, splitting in two. "In a way, Tuner and I were brothers. Our fathers were two halves of the same coin."
"My father held deep, deep resentment for his darker half," Nai spoke slowly, carefully articulating each tone. "And I held unwavering, blind respect for his beliefs." The scene shifted, melting back into the children playing. Suddenly, the dragon caste child flashed into thin air. "When he found out about my friendship with his fission's son, he pulled me away."
"We don't associate with scum" echoed an unfamiliar disembodied voice.
"He took me back to the village and disciplined me harshly. He believed that if he was unrelenting in his lessons, I would take on some of the strength of the warrior caste he held so highly." The world around them shifted once more, and now it was dark. They sat inside a hut, and whip lashes cracked from the corner. "He just wanted me to follow in his own traditions. And after years and years of miseducation, I was so desperate for his approval that I..."
"I accompanied him when he sought out my childhood friend." The flashes blasted through Helix's mental plane now, each depicting a desolate scene from the dragon caste assault on Tuner's lineage.
"My father died a few years later," Nai shook his head in shame. "Only after his passing did I realize the harm we had inflicted on the mazoku. And by then it was too late."
The current guru shuddered quietly, processing his mentor's story. Nai was no longer a perfect paragon. But he was no devil either. But how much of this was true? How much of what Xylo said was true? If this story resolved everything, then why was the tightness in his throat still paralyzing him?
Helix spoke up suddenly. "It was then that the Mazoku began hunting me down." Helix turned to Xylo, his eyes filled with hurt. "As a new prophet, I was far too vocal in my convictions. I began speaking about reform that the Mazoku were not in favor of. And the grudge that was born from the exile of our father was turned on me."
Helix's forehead marking flashed white, and the scene shifted back to blank white, the mental plane restored to its regular state. "I burned at the stake for your sin," Helix spoke softly, turning to Nai, then looking back at Xylo, "I suffered to repent for our great grandfather's wickedness... And from the misguided spite of the Mazoku."
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