Cold Rocks, High in the Sky

 
  


Within the tallest tower of the floating island, a library sat. Within, perched on a large stool, the wooden form of Walker, the Demon Oak sat. He was reading a book, one hand holding the tome, another holding a cup of tea. Two other limbs were sprouting from his shoulders, and he was using them to hold a teapot and a blank journal, which he had been taking notes in. It was a shame he probably wasn't as free to visit the Lookout as he had been before as caretaker, but it wasn't as if he hadn't been preparing in case that might occur.

Suddenly, he glanced to one side. An approaching power level. Nothing especially notable. Foot soldier level, but the fact that they were nearby meant it merited interest. Still sitting in his chair, he reached out one hand, leaving the tea-pot floating in mid-air as his magic held it in place. Running a finger down the air a few feet away, his tail curled around, snagging a chair and placing it across from himself. As the rift opened, Walker calmly took a sip of his tea, speaking telepathically to the newcomer. "Well, hello there. Welcome to the Verdant Cathedral. Please, have a seat."

His deep, cordial voice traveled without sound, but it was far from the oddest thing. The inside of the library was not exactly normal looking. It was as though the laws of gravity and space had decided that they weren't going to test their luck. The shelves and furniture were all floating above the floor, up and down the large cylindrical area. If Raima had been familiar with Alice in Wonderland, she might well have thought of the rabbit-hole. It was also notable that, if she focused it , the Scouter would be able to pick up more power signatures. They were weak, but several were about 5,000, and one was even 65,000. It seemed there were others here who were strong.



Thread PL: 269,415
x33 Permanent: Saint of Destruction

  As the Saiyaness collided with the chair, Walker merely tilted his head slightly, watching with amusement as the Vegeta native wrestled with a piece of furniture. She was sitting on one of the "Floors", a large circular piece of wood with carpet, roughly aligned with one of circles of shelves. He tapped his face with one hand, idly using his magic to fix up the chair. This was certainly turning out to be an interesting incident already. 

 He nodded in response to her aggressive question. "Indeed. This is the Verdant Cathedral, my home. I also created the portal that brought you here. It's a particular skill I developed while in the Otherworld. As for why... I detected you approaching, and wished to greet you. It seems I underestimated your speed of travel."

 Standing up, he gestured, the chair and other items tumbling off through the air to float in their proper places. He floated in the air, legs crossed, and cupped his chin with one hand. Two of the four retracted, and the other slowly traced a circle in the air. 

 "Well now. I confess, it's rather intriguing to see someone of your faction moving about Earth. An SSE Saiyan, correct?" He noted the armor, but she didn't seem hostile. Nor did her aura seem overly evil. It was a sobering reminder that not all of the SSE was as fallen as it's leader. Reaching over, he pulled a tray to them with a beckoning finger. "My name is Walker. Who might you be, and would you like some tea or food?" 

I have received permission to enter this thread via invite from Raima & @tokoz . I apologize for any inconvenience Celmaru's appearance brings.

---

The portal that Walker had created on Konats appeared to have a much more lengthy trip than a certain hybrid expected. Going from a desert-like planet with a potentially unrealistic ruler to an impossibly strange library was a venture that induced slight vertigo. Muffled shouts could be found audible to himself as he traversed the incredibly brief portal pathway; flopping forwards onto whatever section of solid ground he could land face-first upon. Crashing into the library with a classic THUD, the hybrid Celmaru Waterfield had officially returned to Earth. However, there was someone missing, someone akin to seaweed. The hybrid groaned as he picked himself up, eventually shifting himself to sit where he landed.

"Alright...Walker, sir...could you please explain how these portals work before I use them? For next time, if possible."

Pausing to notice the lack of normalcy within the enclosed space, Celmaru could only stare in awe for a moment. This moment of awe was interrupted by the missing woman; a seaweed woman shutting her eyelids tightly together in wait for the brief trip to end. The seaweed woman Phae Waterfield arrived several moments after her husband did, albeit her landing was much more painful; yet not to herself. A firm behind sat atop the hybrid's cranial structure; Celmaru once again face-first upon the library floor. Peeking betwixt her eyelids for a moment, Phae realized her arrival.

"Oh my, that was rather strange..."

"..."

A low, reverberating vibration was audible beneath Phae as she noticed the hybrid's frame. It was only a matter of time before the hybrid began to stand; albeit haphazardly. The hybrid's hastily tucked his legs under his torso as they belonged, eventually bringing himself to stand upright. Phae frantically attempted to balance herself upon her husband's ascending figure, yet to little success. A subtle gasp escaped her lips as Celmaru secured her pregnant frame atop his shoulders, Phae's stomach poking at the hybrid's cranial structure. Now giving his wife a shoulder ride, the hybrid had a distinct red mark enveloping his nose.

It was then that the two notice another within the room. Sporting a tan complexion and pure black locks of hair, Celmaru could only guess something akin to Saiyan, if not a pureblood. Briefly giving her a stiff wave alongside a light grin, the hybrid returned his attention towards Walker. Phae began to rest her head softly atop her husband's own head as he did so.

"So how have you been, Walker? I can see that you have another guest here...er, we could leave if we're interrupting something."

It was then that a few novels within the library's selves caught his eye. A few history books have been lined up together in their respective volumes; beginning with recorded history over eight hundred years ago. The curious hybrid couldn't contain his curiosity over such ancient knowledge. Taking several steps to traverse the room, floating periodically to retain his balance with Phae atop him shoulders; Celmaru pondered on which volume to begin with. One volume began with a more recent era, another with an era long past. Celmaru began to guide his left palm towards one of the novels, yet he paused for a moment. Remembering his manners, the hybrid shifted his gaze towards the tree once more.

"Er...I apologize, I almost took one of your books without asking."

The hybrid's open palm retreated back to its owner, clasping its fingers around Phae's calf to further secure her. Regardless, as of now, Celmaru and Phae have returned from the planet Konats!

---

Celmaru and Phae have dropped in on this parade!

Thread PL: 270,189!
Phae's PL [25% Celmaru]: 67,547!

"Sorcer-, alright I don't even know what the hell that is, but I'ma just roll with it," Raima would say as she would take the cup of tea, and start sniffing it, unsure of what to make of it just from the scent alone.  She held off on drinking it until the wooden man was finished speaking.  Oddly enough, the next matter the wooden man discussed was how he was not human and, something that kind of surprised her, was that humans looked like saiyans without tails.  It was an oddity to the saiyan woman, as she could not imagine living without a tail.  What kind of culture could even survive without having a tail!?  He would go on to explain that he was created, and then became a life force of his own and created others just like him.

Then was the talk about the other world, which was the point where she was forced to raise an eyebrow as it seemed to much to take in all at once.  I mean, the fact that there was a world for people who die, and that people could come back to life from there!?  She had to shake her head and ask, "Alright, I don't know if it is just me or anything, but this afterworld thing seems a bit farfetched.  Well, the places existing is not that far fetched I assure you, but the fact that you returned from there is unfathomable to me.  Death is final, and no one can escape it, ya know?  So are you just messing with me, or are you being for real?"

After saying that tangent, her throat got dry so she took a sip of the tea that she was given.  Her head reeled back as she stared wide eyed at the concoction that she put in her mouth, wondering what she just drank. Before she knew it, she moved her head back along with the drink in her head, gulping down the rest of the cup as she was completely enticed by the drink whose sweetness was just perfect, the drink was the perfect temperature. Although it had a bitter aftertaste, it completely complemented the overall taste to it.

Just as she finished her cup, she smiled and looked up to Walker before saying, "Holy hell this is damn good!" Then with one swift motion, she flicked her wrist downward, sending the cup in her hand to the ground, shattering it completely. Without missing a beat, she would say to him, "Another! I demand another cup of your tea!"

Almost at the same exact time that the cup shattered against the floor, the new comer fell from a portal and crashed against the ground in a comedic fashion.  Raima couldn't help but chuckle a little seeing this happen, but she was not prepared for what was to happen next.  With an even more comedic fashion, a second...  thing fell from the portal and landed on the hybrid who was on the floor, and it was so out of nowhere that Raima could not help but burst out in laughter.

She slowly calmed down as she started to realize the biggest question of the moment for her...  What the hell was that thing that was trying to balance itself on the hybrid's body.  Raima was not the one to be rude enough to ask that out loud, as it would piss off the guy to a huge degree because he seemed close to the green woman.  Maybe she was a namekian, but to her knowledge Namekians do not have actual genders.

Brushing it off for now, she would just remain silent as Walker interacted with this newcomer, and the newcomer grabbing a book.  What caught her attention was that the wooden man pulled out an orange sphere and tossed it to his apparent friend.  Wondering what he was trying to entrust to someone else, Raima would use her flight to float on over to the hybrid and look at what he just caught.

Before she could ask what it was, she was introduced to Celmaru formally by Walker, and there was something very odd that he mentioned in the introduction.  Apparently this Celmaru had the ability to become a super saiyan, which was extremely interesting.  A half-saiyan is able to learn how to use the almighty super saiyan form?  Well, this was the first she has heard of such a phenomenon, and the fact this man knew of this form meant that there was a larger reason to ask a certain question.

"So, why are you entrusting this sphere to this person who supposedly knows the almighty Super Saiyan form.  I mean, it must be important if you are trying to entrust it to him...  So what the hell is this orange ball?"

 "Indeed. It is one of the seven, but without it, the summoning cannot take place." He gestured, and the room seemed to dim. The four of them were standing on a circular platform, 7 orange orbs sitting in the middle. All around them was void, save for a voice calling out. "ETERNAL DRAGON! BY YOUR NAME I SUMMON YOU! REVEAL YOURSELF SO YOU MAY GRANT OUR WISH!" 

 From the orbs rose a light, as the sky went dim, and a massive green shape appeared. "I AM SHENRON, THE ETERNAL DRAGON. YOU WHO HAVE DISTURBED MY SLUMBER, STATE YOUR WISH SO I MAY GRANT IT." Muffled talking could be heard, but the scene was fading away. Strangely, Walker turned away from the incredible sight, looking for a moment to a planter on the edge of the memory slice. It held a darkly hued tree, swaying slightly in the breeze. 

 As the room came back into focus, the tree settled back down into the chair. "That was the purpose. Right now, they will likely be used to fix the results of a recent war. That war was with the SSE, and the Queen of that empire. She drained two planets, and turned a friend of mine into a robotic war machine." 

 Glancing over at Raima, he turned fully to rest one hand on the side of his face. "I am curious, Raima. What drives you? You say you want to join the SSE, but... why?" Holding out a hand, he gave her another cup of the tea, and conjured up a chair for Celmaru, one wide enough that Phae could curl up around him. 

 "I see so many people, acting out the roles they feel they should play, simply because it doesn't occur to them to question it." His mind flashed to those he had met over his short existence. "They do things for no reason, simply because asking what it is had vanished in the wake of petty excuses. I do not accuse you of this, necessarily..."

 Spreading his hands, he looked at her with curiosity. "What is your reason, my friend? I do not judge by factions, merely the actions of those who serve them. Quite honestly... you seem too bright for the darkness the SSE seems inexorably drawn towards." 

(After multiple failed attempts and two weeks, I finally achieve the intended result!  >:3  )

---

The Saiyaness’ response to Phae’s introductory small-talk was impressively upfront, perhaps simply blunt. Mispronouncing the planet’s name, even blatantly stating that this Saiyan has never seen anything akin to Phae. The seaweed woman found an odd amusement out of this, an audible giggle echoed within her throat; the sound never to escape her lips.

“My origin is a rather strange one, my dear~”

“Albeit there are a plethora of stories to tell.”

“So many ancestors, many infants to oversee, from one person to another...leading to what we see today, husband~!”

Phae, guiding her right palm around, as if to wave away the nostalgia and loss that came across her path so long ago, poked the hybrid’s nose from behind. Celmaru blinked upon reacting to this, glancing skyward to see an overhanging face. The couple smiled at one another as Raima exclaimed of what disbelief she had over their marital status. Slipping an index finger betwixt the pages before him, the hybrid twitched his left hand about; a golden ring glinting in what light there was. The hybrid’s ring finger held a somewhat thick band of golden seaweed, that of which was several months old now.

Beyond what Celmaru displayed, he said nothing, returning to the novel he previously acquired. Phae, however, was honestly tempted to inform Raima of what transpired that fateful day, however there was no need in the end. Yet, the rant that the Saiyaness decided to go upon...there was a particularly specific name dwelling with it.


If the hybrid had any sort of eyewear; they would’ve been crushed between his fingers. Celmaru’s brows furrowed, the conclusive words within Raima’s rant failing to register in the hybrid’s cranium.

‘I recommend you move for a few moments.’

‘Oh my, this won’t end well, will it?’

The seaweed woman began to float, her frame moving away from both the bookshelf and her husband. A haphazardly bridled ire was boiling among the hybrid’s blood; unfortunate memories enraging and tormenting Celmaru’s mind. As Raima hastily noted the hybrid’s knowledge of Super Saiyan, the hybrid’s book was slapped shut; a noticeable slam cracked into the atmosphere. Crushing his eyelids together, Celmaru prepared to suppress what violent urges he had against Arias, revealing his dark brown hues a moment later. What remained afterward, however, was a serious, perhaps even cold tone.

“...Don’t you dare...ever...speak of that vile, worthless, and despicable pile of organic waste again. If you saw her on Earth, I recommend that you never take a single step near that insolent wretch again….understood?”

‘She’s beyond saving, much less so to be interacted with. Be thankful you weren’t murdered by her on some sort of whim...as she seems to have some of those.’

The final comment he had on that matter was telepathic...directed purely towards Raima. A purely murderous intent arose behind the hybrid as he spoke, dissipating as he concluded his warning towards the Saiyaness. Flipping open his novel once more, Celmaru made another addition to his speech.

“I thank you for claiming us to be more sensible...albeit any one of us on Earth are compared to her. However...I might find an urge to be blinded by rage if you bother to mention that filthy name. I will warn you of that much, Miss.”

Shutting his eyelids together once more, the hybrid paused for several moments. As the apparition of the eternal dragon Shenron appeared, the hybrid’s ire fading, Celmaru contacted Walker mentally as this occurred, his eyes remaining shut.

‘I’m not going to gaze at that dragon unless its legitimately before me, Walker. I’d prefer to see such a spectacle in-person, rather via your magic. I apologize if you find me wasting your time by doing so...however it seems that your guest is rather taken aback by it all.’

“Hello Shenron~, and goodbye Shenron~!”

The Saiyaness’ comment, including an odd sort of nickname for the tree, urged the hybrid the speak up over it...yet only a mutter escaped his lips.

“He has a name, you know.”

The seaweed woman returned to Celmaru’s side as Raima was questioned over the SSE, and an organism’s “pre-determined roles”. Statements of her childhood and her parents came along, to the dismay of the couple’s ears. It was an unfortunate sort of events to be told of, the seaweed woman even floating towards the Saiyaness to comfort her over it.

“...”

The hybrid, as Raima’s armor began to tear, attempted to take action over the wardrobe “malfunction” later. A story was to be told here, if not for the Saiyaness’ sake; if she were to come across the SSE in the future.

“Let me tell you both a story and a confession. In my childhood...and up until I met Walker here...I hoped to join the ranks of the Saiyan Solar Empire. Despite what a foolish decision that may or may not be, that was what I was previously raised to believe; join the Empire to strengthen its ranks, to secure the Empire’s position as a universal power, etcetera. This was also prior to my Father’s defection against the SSE, as well.”

The hybrid glanced at the tree; as if he almost expected Walker to go exterminate his Father upon the mention of his association. This gaze, despite the potential severity, was mere jest...if Walker were to notice that within his eyes. Celmaru could trust Walker with that much.

“As Walker stated, the Queen had drained two planets, that of which he told me several months ago. The method she had used was the Tree of Might; a malicious item of “nature” that destroys a planet for a bunch of damned fruit. Initially, I didn’t believe such a thing, however that knowledge forced me to reconsider my….well, my life choices, honestly.”

“Being raised to believe that the SSE wasn’t the picture-perfect empire of strength and almighty glory was a lie, instead simply draining away planets for their leader’s benefit...it was a strange day indeed. That day had quite a few...intriguing events. At that point...I could barely muster the strength to scratch Walker in his suppressed state. A mere weakling that believed that a corrupt empire could do anything...I suppose that isn’t entirely incorrect...albeit in a more twisted manner.”

“Heh...could you believe that it was but a few mere weeks ago that I was stronger than Walker? I wonder if anyone could imagine that by now…”

Celmaru gazed upon Walker’s newfound Perfect Form, once again noting the severe gap that’s formed again. Again. The tree-man, of all organisms, made the hybrid feel legitimate Saiyan pride; all because he’s suddenly a lesser warrior in comparison...again. Clearing his throat, shifting his gaze away swiftly, Celmaru concluded his haphazard story-warning.

“Long story short, the SSE isn’t a very preferable choice by many, and as for me...I had a rather rude awakening to that opinion. Earth is much more potent in its warriors and their origins, regardless. You’d likely get a nice story alongside a decent fight. I might be unable to notice since I’ve grown up here...yet I may see to it myself that you find a nice stay here, permanently or not. And no, Walker isn’t likely to have any clothing stores on the Cathedral.”

The hybrid would give Raima a surprisingly warm grin, tugging at his lips to appear akin to a smirk, if not barely. Flipping the tome of history to its close, the hybrid slipped the book betwixt its figurative brothers as he grasped the following volume; returning to his reading.

“Just...er...allow me to refresh my history knowledge first, if you don’t mind.”

“Oh my, what to do with you…”

What remainder of ire that lingered from the mention of Arias’ name had faded. Yet an odd emptiness appeared; his pride prodding at the sight of his physical weakness. What conundrum; for a sentient tree to release what pride this hybrid had to begin with...if only there was a clearer sign on how to ascend beyond a mere Super Saiyan.

---

Resisted the urge to utilize either Trained Potential or Mastered Super Saiyan in that fit of rage! Lucky you, Raima!  owo

@tokoz

Raima would mentally note the fact that she saw some sort of gold circle wrapped around the fingers of both the hybrid and the seaweed woman, wondering what the hell they were.  She did not really see any significance in the fact that both of them were wearing the same piece of apparel, other than to signify that the two were a pair.  The saiyaness knew of the terms of marriage, but did not know the logistics or how one would go about getting married.  Hell, romance was one of the things furthest from her mind at the moment, as she wanted to explore the world in her own kind of way.

Then came the moment that she had mentioned she who should not be named, as the civil aura that Celmaru seemed to exhume dissipated for a good while, replaced by what could be seen by a tension so brittle that he would snap if he was pushed even a centimeter more.  His distaste for this Arias was so great that it felt as if he was going to spit at the floor or bite a wall, just even thinking about this woman.  Raima literally had no idea what was wrong with this woman, as she had not interacted with this Arias character any further than arriving on Earth, but apparently she had done some extremely vile things.  The hybrid added in that the lima bean saiyan was lucky to be alive, as Arias killed on whims, and Raima actually would have put it past her, due to how she snapped over a nickname.

Walker gave his two cents on the Arias situation, explaining that she was the worst example of an SSE member, and listed off several reason as to why she was a despicable warrior this Arias was.  Whatever respect Raima had for this person dissipated as she learned of this woman's true nature of having no actual identity whatsoever.  Wanton murder, changing whatever morals she has at any time to suit the situation and the moments that she is in at the moment, and, worst of all, betrayal.  She would make a mental note to see if she can get more details on this Arias character, and hearing that she is the worst...  Who was the best example of an SSE member?

Raima would notice Phae try to comfort her as she told her own story, chuckling a little as she says, "Heh, thanks, but it's alright.  What happened...  Happened.  If I had the choice, I would've liked to known my mother, but I don't think I won't ever get the chance.  Life works in cruel, yet mysterious ways...  you know?"

The Lima Bean saiyan would remain silent as she would listen to the hybrid's own story, hearing that he was a hybrid that actually was in the Solar Saiyan Empire.  It would have been a shock to Raima if it was not for the fact that she knows at least one or two hybrid saiyans back on Planet Vegeta that she grew up with.  They were just as powerful as normal, average saiyans, but Raima had always assumed that they would never reach the super saiyan levels due to their hybrid natures.  Well, Celmaru pretty much proved her wrong because of his own situation.

And this man used to be in the same situation as Raima, but rather than an abusive piece of shit, this man had a much better father figure.  Although he did not linger too long on the position of this father too long, as he would go into detail on how he felt about the SSE, which is almost like Raima's own standpoint on the entire situation of the SSE, learning the hard way of the cruelties that the Empire has caused.  She would keep his words in her mind, as she starts weighing her own choices of what to do with the future.  Plus it was a fun thing to hear that this hybrid was stronger than this woodman at some point, which begged the question of what this thing did to become much stronger in such a short amount of time.

She then consulted about a clothing store being around, Celmaru saying that there isn't one around, and Walker doing something that scared the living hell out of her.  He held up a hand toward her, and starting some weird magic stuff once again as he did something that she could not explain.  She started glowing as she felt a slight tingle inside of her own cranium, which must be one thing that the magic was doing.  After the tingling had faded away, her clothing aside from her chest armor ripped itself off Raima's body and glowed in a fantastic fashion.  Each article of clothing would morph, stretch, shrink, and reattach to other ripped off pieces as they made new formations on her body.

The pieces of floating fabric covered her glowing body in new places, some pieces of fabric even sliding underneath her saiyan armor to create something underneath the armor.  Raima couldn't stifle a giggle as the new, radiant fabric felt a little ticklish against her scarred skin.  Once the glowing died down, her skin and clothing turned to a normal tone of coloring as she was now wearing entirely new clothes aside from the black, green and gold saiyan armor that was still donning her chest.  One of the first differences was that the gloves, shoes, and body suit that she was wearing were completely gone.  And it felt amazing, feeling the ground with her feet au' natural and the air on her skin.  She made a mental note to not put on shoes and gloves unless she had no other choice.  Now she was wearing green and dark green striped baggy pants, along with a light blue veil and a golden sash that were around her waist.  Her tail actually fit inside the pants without looking too unnatural, so now she could pose a somewhat normal look among humans without any discrimination.

Feeling a slight tightness around her chest, Raima thought it was best to slip off her saiyan chest armor, which revealed chest bandages that covered her entire chest.  It was form fitting around her chest, which made it really comfortable and shown some of the curvature that she had, but the bandaging still pushed down her girly bits so they don't move about to often.  Although a little constricting, this was such a comfortable feel because of the fabric of the fabrics feeling so soft and smooth against her skin.  This new apparel was exactly what she needed.

With a smirk, she gave an approving nod towards Walker and said happily, "Man, I owe you one for this.  I can't even believe at how good this really is.  Hell, I didn't even think about getting clothing like this, and yet it's exactly what I needed.  Thanks Walker."

Then came the woodman's proposition of who Raima would ally with, which was now a question which really posed a big standing on how she would proceed.  She could stay with the SSE, and risk being turned into a corrupt savage just like Arias, but then again Raima herself never really had any true interaction with the best faces of the Solar Saiyan Empire.  Ain't fair to choose when you don't see both sides of the situation after all.  Without much thinking, Raima would answer, "Eh, too much to worry about at the moment.  There's still a whole world to explore, plus I never really heard of these horrid things that the SSE has done myself.  Not like I don't distrust you, but seeing is always believing after all.  Don't mean I'm entirely loyal though..."

With a sigh and a smile, she would continue, "I'll figure it out as it comes.  I came to Earth to become stronger and fight the strong people on this planet.  I mean, everyone who comes to this planet meets the strongest of the universe and, in turn, become insanely strong themselves.  I think I'm going to roam the lands and see whats to see and all, as there really is nothing else I can do.  There's so much to see on this planet that I don't think that I can actually decide on joining any side at all, as of right now that is.  But Walky, you got a friend in me."