IC Posting Section

(Thank you @ChazGhost. Lol)


Valkyrie's gleaming teal eyes were locked onto Death as he floated there with his jaw hanging open. In what felt like an eternity, but had really only been around thirty seconds or so, Valkyrie's power had nearly closed the gap between them and she presented herself in a new light. Literally.


However...


"Amazing." Death said under his breath.


He floated down to be on an even level with Valkyrie as he continued to analyze her, his senses finally confirming for him what he'd been hoping to know.


"Your power is amazing. That's the only word I have for it... Perhaps my superiors were wise to fear your potential after all." He said.


Valkyrie didn't move, and neither did she reply. She only stared at him with wide eyes full of raw, seething hatred as tears streamed down her cheeks.


"But even this amazing power of yours fails to bridge the gap completely. I am still more powerful than you at my fullest. So Saiyan. I ask you the same question I asked the Frost Demon: Do you fear de-"


He was cut off by a sudden and indescribably heavy blow to the stomach. He couldn't even see it happen. Valkyrie had, in the briefest of moments, closed the gap between them and landed the hardest punch she could manage to his stomach which was unguarded and unprepared to take the hit. However, his own high power level prevented it from doing more than knocking the wind from his lungs since his power was still around 150-160 million.


To those with the senses or the technology to measure her power, Valkyrie's Ki had increased by 50x her original level to an unprecedented 225 million. It was just shy of Death's 240, but well within the striking range of feasibility for her victory. And she made it clear with that punch that she intended to introduce death to his would-be namesake.


Valkyrie then unleashed a barrage of heavy attacks against him. One punch after another coupled with kick after kick. She was relentless and giving no quarter. Death couldn't even counter attack or find an opening to power up and stop her. He could only watch helplessly as she unleashed her fury upon him for what he had done before finally sending him flying away with a powerful kick across his lower back.


That kick caused his body to break the sound barrier and skid across the planet for several miles before he finally regained control and used his Ki as a buffer to slow himself to a stop. The sudden stop was followed by a sonic boom causing the land and waters behind him, as he was now near the sea some 15 miles away from the others, to fly up in massive walls before crashing back down to the ocean surface. He righted himself and wasted no time powering up to his maximum of 240 million, and not a moment too soon.


Valkyrie was already on top of him again, but it was clear to him that in her blind rage Valkyrie was not thinking clearly as he was easily able to evade most of her continued assault before returning it in kind. Her motions were somewhat sloppy and rushed, giving away the fact that she was fighting purely on instinct and no longer via conscious intention. A primal desire to kill him had taken hold and replaced the once tactical warrior he had previously humiliated. But he wouldn't find humiliating this newly reborn Saiyan nearly as easy as he had before.


Every punch was accompanied by a powerful burst of concussive force causing the ground to tremble, crack, and the grass and waters to billow about under the sheer pressure of their struggle. Though they weren't Gods, to any lesser being they would seem as such now. Merely throwing a punch to the air caused a small gust of wind to appear. A visible gust of wind.


At last the fight was becoming an even match, and one which could end with either side's victory. But would this miraculous new power of Valkyrie's be enough to win the day? Death didn't think so.


But deep within the recesses of her mind where her consciousness still clung to sanity by the thinnest of threads, Valkyrie knew, she didn't think, she knew, that she would win.


Era's... No. Her sister's death would not be in vain. She would make sure of that at any cost.


Meanwhile, back on Pyro's ship, some of the crew on the bridge managed to get video footage of the battle and were now playing it throughout every available monitor and video screen in the ship.


On the intercom, one of them spoke up.


"Pyro, sir. We have live footage available. It looks like Valkyrie's power is almost on par with that of Death's, sir." He said.


@Deathrattle BB
 
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Pyro was already watching the footage of the battle when heard a crew member said valkyries power was almost on par with death's. "I already know." Pyro said to himself with a sigh. Then he started heading out of the ship. He wasn't planning to just back, expressly when the darkhood ship was all ready to be raided and destroyeditIt would be a good stress reliever and he needed it.


Once he left the ship he flew quickly to were the darkhood ship was. The doors were the troops were coming from were obviously already close. So he of course made his own door by making a constraded ki laser shooting out of his finger and cutting a hole slowly into the ship. Once he finished cutting through the outter skin of the ship he kicked it open and entered the inner wiring inbetween the outter wall and inner wall. "Time for some fun" Pyro said smirking and aiming his palm at the inner wall before fireing a ki blast to create a big hole and make a big entrance.


@Deathrattle BB @ChoShadow
 
The fight between Valkyrie and Death began to escalate.


With each passing minute, though his power level was superior and his techniques sharper and more refined, Valkyrie's wild attacks fueled by blind rage were taking their toll. Every hit that landed from Valkyrie was a hit which felt like he was being struck by one of his superiors, and he didn't like it at all. Every time he powered up to fire a supercharged Ki blast at her, she wouldn't give him the time to gather the energy for it and would be on top of him before he was ready to launch it which forced him to abandon half the Ki blasts he wanted to use.


She was wild. She was relentless. And she seemed to have no end to her stamina. No matter how fast he moved, there she was. No matter how quickly he threw punches, she was prepared despite her seeming blind rage counterattacks.


Just what was she?


Finally, Death caught a lucky break when he dodged an attack by Valkyrie aimed at his chest and managed to slam his heel into her neck causing her to become disoriented. He flew high up into the sky and powered up a Ki blast, one of his signatures, which rapidly grew to almost 50m in circumference before he was ready to launch.


"Dodge this, you crazy bitch!" He yelled.


Valkyrie regained her senses just in time to look towards the sound of his voice and see the Ki blast being fired at her. When the ball raced towards her, she began screaming as her aura once again flared to life like a giant golden inferno around her. As she yelled, her power level began spiking and she put both hands out to prepare herself to catch the blast. And catch it she did. The ball froze on contact with Valkyrie's hands, though it did push her back several feet. But that was all it accomplished.


"What?!" Death yelled.


Valkyrie yelled in effort and anger, and again her power level spiked briefly as she managed to push the Ki blast back towards Death at a slow and steady clip. But that pace began to hasten. Faster and faster she pushed the ball back towards him before pushing it away and kicking it as hard as she could. As she did so, the ball flew at him forcing him to get out of the way as it then disappeared behind him into the vastness of space. As Death watched the ball in amazement, he neglected to remember that Valkyrie was temporarily lost to sanity and driven by blind rage to kill him. By the time he sensed her approach it was too late.


Just like before Valkyrie slammed her fist into his stomach as hard as she could knocking the breath from his lungs before engaging in a relentless assault against him. Once more, despite his power being slightly greater, he found no opening during her assault to counter or take control of the fight. He had to let her finish her assault before he was knocked away a good fifty to sixty feet before he regained control and the fight became more even once again. But he was noticing something worrisome about his situation.


With each blow landed by Valkyrie his power was depleting slightly. Her power, no matter how much he hit her, was remaining constant save for the brief spikes of power she gained when stopping his Ki blast. If he didn't do something about the situation soon, she was going to wear him down and take complete control. If he let that happen, she'd kill him before long. He couldn't let that happen, but if he was going to do anything about this it meant fighting dirty and, despite his lack of respect for his opponents, he didn't enjoy playing dirty against an opponent like this. But if she forced his hand, he knew of the Saiyan's primary weakness.


His eyes kept a close watch on Valkyrie as they fought, but his focus was on something else... Her tail.


@ChazGhost @Deathrattle BB
 
"I wonder whats taking death so long. He should of got bored and killed those..." a darkhood soldier said before he got hit by the wall Pyro blasted off.


"What the..." another said before Pyro rapping his tail around the man's neck.


"If you could take me to were the communicatetoins are sent to the rest of fleet you get to live longer." Pyro said slowly tighting his tail around the darkhoods neck. The darkhood knodded and started pointing Pyro in the right direction. When they ran into other darkhoods Pyro disposed of them quicky with a powerful ki blast splattering them onto a wall. This method of course lead to the alarms going of shortly after he got on the ship. Pyro just sighed deeply as he made it to the communcation bay were the connects to the off ship commucation machines were held. He opened the door to see a bunch of surpirsed darkhoods before aiming his palm and blowing up the room cutting off comuitcations off world.


Darkhoods rushed to the explosion... And then started running away as Pyro started doing his thing, which if you couldn't geuss was slaughtering them and destroying servel parts of the ship as he did. One brave darkhood was brave enough to attack by striking Pyro's back. It hurt like because of huge blast he took from death but it was far from taking him down. Pyro then made sure to teach that darkhood to fear really death before he killed him...


@Deathrattle BB @ChoShadow
 
The fight was not progressing well for Death.


Though Valkyrie's power was lower than his by a small margin, it didn't seem to be decreasing at all. No matter how hard she fought her power level remained consistent. Even when he used his more powerful Ki blasts and aggressive physical techniques, Valkyrie's power barely registered any kind of fluctuation. Death knew he couldn't let this continue. It was dirty and underhanded, but it had to be done. In order for him to win, he had to take advantage of the Saiyan's greatest known weakness.


The moment he had an opening he snatched Valkyrie's tail and squeezed on it for all his worth. The pressure broke several of the small vertebrae and caused Valkyrie intense pain. And just as he had planned, Valkyrie's power began to plummet and her aura disappeared. She went limp as if someone had just grabbed hold of her nervous system and was holding it hostage as he floated there catching his breath.


"... Well... That was more a pain than I thought it would be." He said as he used his free hand to wipe some sweat from his brow.


"So this is the legendary "Super Saiyan," is it?" He asked, holding Valkyrie's limp form up a bit higher to get a good look at her features now that she was finally being still.


"I must say, it's not bad at all." He remarked, letting her drop a little.


"All that rage fueling her power and keeping her consistent when normally that level of output and effort would drain her over time. If I had let that continue, there's no telling what kind of damage she'd do." He said, looking down at her golden tail.


"Hard to believe that something so simple as this could nullify her ability to move or fight back." He said as he observed it twitching in his hand.


"Perhaps I should do her a favor and remove it." He thought aloud.


The tail twitched again, turning and pointing at him. His conscious mind refused to acknowledge the gesture, but without warning a mighty burst of power was unleashed from Valkyrie's body causing him to let go of her tail. With it free from his grasp, Valkyrie began falling. But rapidly her power and consciousness returned to her and she regained control of herself as she slowed to a stop just before touching down gently on the ground below.


But something was different now.


Valkyrie's breathing was slow and deep. Deliberate. In her eyes was a new calmness and sense of clarity, though it was clear she was still driven by the same rage which had fueled her transformation in the first place. She stood up straight and turn her head to look at Death who had composed himself and was cursing under his breath that she'd gotten free of his grasp. But rather than race to assault him, she simply turned his way and glared him down.


"..." 


Death had no words. As he looked at her he could see that what he had done had only served to return her mind to a sense of normalcy. What was once akin to a machine driven by madness was now a level headed warrior with gleaming golden hair and piercing turquoise eyes glaring back at him. He had done this. He had interfered with her blind rage long enough to reset her and return her to the warrior who had refused to back down from before...


"Great." He mumbled.


Valkyrie's eyes were cold and devoid of emotion, save one: anger.


"I told you that you would pay for my sister's death." She said at last.


Those were her first words since transforming, and they couldn't have been more menacing in that moment to Death.


"You may be slightly stronger, but your body is proving less durable than mine. In this war of attrition there can be only one result... your death." She said, emphasizing his namesake.


He took a breath and steeled himself.


"Your body may have evolved for battle and war, but mine is more powerful and I control greater levels of Ki. I don't have to let this wear me down. I can gather all the power I need and use it to crush you in one final assault."


Valkyrie was unmoved.


"Try it." She taunted.


Death smiled.


"Very well, Saiyan. Just remember, you let this happen. Now the death of your sister, the fox, and the Frost Demon... They're all on you!" He proclaimed.


Death then began powering up and in his now open right hand emerged a deep crimson ball of Ki. The ball was no very large, maybe 20" in diameter, but within was packed enough Ki to destroy the planet they were on nearly 20x over. Valkyrie couldn't stop this head on in her current state, but it didn't faze her. She stood calm and firm as she glared up at him while he began ranting about how powerful he was.


"Now Saiyan, behold true power and know despair! Though I am mighty, and I alone will be enough to annihilate you, my power is nothing compared to my superiors! This universe will be subjugated. The First God will be erased from existence entirely with the extinction of the Nephelem race. And there's not a single thing you can do to stop it from happening." He said.


Valkyrie continued to glare up at him.


"Now, Saiyan. Prepare to meet your pathetic sister in the afterlife!" He said, pulling back his hand and preparing to launch the ball of Ki.


At the mention of the words "pathetic" and the phrase "your sister" used in combination, Valkyrie's calm exterior vanished. Her eyes widened considerably and her turquoise eyes dilated, becoming much smaller. Her aura flared to life and her power began rising at a tremendous speed.


The Ki ball was launched from his hand and Valkyrie's power skyrocketed in response to its release cracking the ground beneath her feet for dozens of yards in every direction. Her aura grew in size and ferocity, and then all at once condensed around her forming a concentrated shield of Ki.


It was Era's Ki Gradient.


The once flaming golden aura had condensed around her becoming a rainbow of colors and swirls of energy which formed a near impenetrable barrier around her. The Ki ball struck her body, and another of Era's techniques came into play: the Internal Struggle. But instead of using it on her opponent, Valkyrie was now using it on the Ki ball. By flooding it with her own Ki, she disrupted the natural flow of Ki inherent within the attack causing it to lose power as it fought to stabilize itself. The magnitude of power within diminished rapidly until it was weak enough for her to kick back at Death. He gathered his power and smashed it away towards he sky where it struck the top of a nearby mountain flooding the sky with red light and disintegrating the mountain top and several nearby peaks as well leaving a massive gaping hole in the world's surface where all those mountains used to be. But it was a far cry from what it had been before.


He looked down to Valkyrie in awe.


"What was that?!" He demanded.


Valkyrie smiled.


"A gift to you... from my sister." She said.


"WHAT?!" He growled.


Valkyrie's smile widened.


"That first technique was called the Ki Gradient. By flooding the surface of my body with my Ki and condensing it, I create an impenetrable barrier deflecting anything equal to or weaker than my own power level. The second technique was called the Internal Struggle. Era used it on her opponents to cause internal damage to their bodies by utilizing her Ki as a weapon and her fist as a medium to transfer her Ki inside her enemy. But I used the technique on your attack, destabilizing it and causing it to lose a vast majority of its power as it naturally attempted to stabilize. By the time it did, it was no longer a threat."


"So... Even in death that wretched bitch continues to defy my power?!" He yelled as his power spiked.


Valkyrie took her stance.


"You're done speaking of my sister like that you miserable cretin!" She screamed in response.


Valkyrie's aura erupted to life once more and she raced up towards Death who was now almost as angry as she was, though his anger was due to the fact that Era continued her interference and defiance from beyond the grave. Inspiring and influencing her sister's fighting style, Era was continuing to battle Death in her own way.


But how long could it go on? Death was losing power at a faster clip than Valkyrie, sure, but he was still more powerful than she was.


What else could be done to weaken him enough that Valkyrie could finish this before things got further out of hand?


@ChazGhost @Deathrattle BB
 
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Smoke started flooding out of the ship as Pyro started destroying it from the inside out. Some darkhoods were rushing to the escape pods but when they got there Pyro was already blowing the pods up. The pods jetted out already falling apart and blew up on the planet surface.


As Pyro was destroying the pods some darkhoods manged to open gate that they used before to send army of troops out . Some escaped before Pyro made it over to therw and began destroying the doors hedges and blasted the ceiling to peices. Then he decide it was time to really finish this ship, so he headed to the engine room.


A few brave Darkhoods stood there ground and gaurd the engine in hopes there captain would return soon to save them. But as Pyro turned the corner they knew the end was near. They were able to hold him off for a few minutes but Pyro soon end there lofes and entered the engine room were as you would guess he started breaking everything in it...


@Deathrattle BB @ChoShadow
 
Death and Valkyrie were engaged in a dark and ferocious battle.


Neither was fighting "fair" or "cleanly" anymore. They just wanted each other dead. Death was using his tail to strike from blind spots while Valkyrie used her nails, tail, even her teeth as weapons to damage him in any way she could. Each blow created a shockwave strong enough to blow away the clouds and shake the planet despite their fighting in the air, and before long it became clear that this contest could go on for one time. Death's energy was draining and was now around even with Valkyrie's, but it wasn't going down quickly enough to make enough of a difference for Valkyrie to take full advantage and end the fight as quickly as she had hoped.


Now that she was focused and back on track as opposed to fighting with blind anger, she was hungering to end the fight. But she found no openings to do so. Their powers were equal, but there was one technique which might work. The problem was she couldn't remember how it worked. Of all the times to forget something so important as a technique which could end this fight, it was now in the heat of the battle when her seemingly endless stamina was finally catching up to her.


Back and forth, back and forth, the battle raged with no clear cut winner or advantage. Valkyrie had ascended to a legendary power level, yet Death was still fighting her evenly.


How did it go? She thought.


How did it go?! She thought again.


How did it go? Something about imagining one's Ki flowing free or something like that? Something about it expanding and duplicating like cells or whatnot? Valkyrie couldn't remember. All she remembered was that Era was able to accomplish it a few times which assisted them prior to Death's interference. But if she could pull off that technique now, Death stood no chance and she'd finally be able to put an end to him and tend to Era's body. More than anything, Valkyrie wanted this fight to be over so she could give Era the sendoff that she deserved and to pay her final respects.


"So, Saiyan. Tell me!" He said suddenly.


"Do you fear death?!" He yelled.


His power level suddenly spiked and he took rapid control of their battle as he began pummeling Valkyrie with all of his might. He had found some way of concentrating his power solely into his fists and feet, making them stronger and faster than normal while the rest of his body entered a state of relaxation maximizing the flow of signals from the brain to the body as well as his Ki pathway transference. It was a brutal display and it ended with Valkyrie being thrown down to the planet's surface creating a huge crater upon impact as well as her aura disappearing. She was still in her Super Saiyan state, but her power took a rather sudden and noticeable nose dive.


Death floated in the air panting heavily as he released his Ki to its normal state and straightened himself out.


"I told you, Saiyan, that I would defeat you. That I would reunite you with that wretch of a sister of yours." He said, catching a few more breaths.


"I make good on my promises." He announced.


He could feel her power was only around 2/3 what it was previously following this most recent attack, which was fine by him. It was more than enough of a difference for him to take advantage and put an end to this. To that end, he began charging that same deep crimson Ki ball from before.


"Now, Saiyan. Do you have any final words?" He asked.


Valkyrie made it to her feet and turned to face him. She was upset. Mostly with herself for allowing him to land that first strike and take such quick control of their fight and to knock off so much of her power with it. But what more could she do now? Even with this amazing new transformation she was back where she started: staring down an enemy who now had the power to finish this.


Valkyrie's shoulders relaxed and her posture weakened slightly as she knelt down to one knee and fought to catch her breath as she waited for the end to come.


"So even as a Super Saiyan, my power isn't enough to save anyone..." She thought.


The world suddenly went quiet.


Not a single sound.


No breeze across the land. No charging of Ki. No laughter from Death. No insects or animals... Nothing. 


It was dead silent, save for one sound: Valkyrie's heartbeat.


Her own heart was the only thing she could hear, but it was enough to settle her nerves. And then she noticed something. A tiny hint of power which was very familiar to her. Her eyes opened and she looked towards Pyro's ship where Elprede and Era had been carried off to.


"Era?" She asked, surprised and her eyes welling with tears.


There was no reply. Only a faint spark of energy which carried Era's essence. If it was Era, that meant she was alive and whatever Elprede and the pirates on Pyro's ship had done had revived her. But if it wasn't Era, it meant that it was only what remained of Era's spirit and Ki. Honestly it didn't matter as at this point just feeling Era's presence one last time brought Valkyrie to tears.


"I'm sorry Era. I failed. You gave your all and paid the price, and despite my transformation I still couldn't avenge you or protect anyone... I'm just not like you." She said, dipping her head and letting her tears fall freely.


Outside her mind, Death saw her tears and began laughing maniacally as he chanted down to her about her fear and helplessness as he continued charging his attack. But Valkyrie was still deaf to him.


As Valkyrie wept, that essence began to grow stronger and closer. Valkyrie forced herself to open her eyes, and when she did she felt that sensation of Era's presence growing. She looked to Pyro's ship, and as she did a miasma of red Ki emerged from the ship and began floating towards her.


Only she could see it. Death was blind to it, nor could he apparently sense it. But Valkyrie could. This shimmering miasma of red energy floated towards Valkyrie and engulfed her in its warm embrace... And it felt exactly the same as a certain embrace between the two women had before.


"Era... Forgive me." She said as she closed her eyes again.


But her eyes snapped open upon feeling a new sensation. A hand. She felt a hand against her cheek, but even with her eyes open there was nobody in front of her. But she felt the hand all the same. It was Era's. There was no mistaking it. This miasma of red Ki had to be the last remaining vestiges of Era's spirit, and it was actually strong enough to make physical contact with Valkyrie. But it was what came next which caused Valkyrie's legs to buckle as she dropped to her knees.


"My dear sister," came an oh so welcome and tender voice.


Valkyrie's tears began flowing like rivers once more as she gasped and reached for the invisible hand against her cheek.


"Please, Valkyrie. Do not allow yourself to think of failure. You are a Super Saiyan, and you are one of the most powerful beings in the cosmos. Death is but a puppet. A meaningless servant of evil."


Valkyrie nodded through her tears but could only manage a gasp instead of saying "you're right."


"Valkyrie... You are my sister, and I love you with all my heart. Believe me when I say that you have more than enough power yet to be awakened within you which is waiting to be unleashed upon this foe. Now rise, my sister. Rise and show him the true power of the Saiyan Race! Show him the power of a Super Saiyan!" Era ordered.


It was a gentle order, but full of conviction and heart which was exactly what Valkyrie expected of Era as a smile spread across her lips.


Valkyrie wiped her tears and stood up straight, her eyes closed and her face soft and relaxed. She looked to Pyro's ship once again, and her smile widened slightly. Whether Era was alive or not, she didn't care. Era had finally broken through to her and helped her to forget her fears. Valkyrie was a Super Saiyan. A warrior of legends. She could not fall here. Death was no obstacle. He was nothing. A servant of evil who's purpose in life had been to bring her to this point. His role was over now, and Valkyrie's was just beginning.


She took in a deep breath and began powering up, her aura flaring to life anew as her relaxed smile faded and her facial features took on a much more determined and aggressive appearance. Her eyes snapped open, and as they did her aura suddenly increased in size as her power level began spiking to further and previously untapped heights.


Death could hardly believe what he was sensing.


"What is this?!" He yelled as he sensed her power.


"Two... Three... No!"


Valkyrie had found it. The method of the technique Elprede had tried to teach her and Era before. It was almost unconscious now, but she could still feel Era's spirit giving her strength. It was Era helping her accomplish this. The Mazunokari. Her power was now not twice, not three times, but five times its original level. What was even more amazing was that her Super Saiyan power apparently gave her body a new level of endurance which was more than enough to withstand this awesome and sudden increase of power. But instinctively she didn't go beyond this level. It was more than enough on its own.


"What is this! Saiyans aren't supposed to be able to do this with their power!" He yelled, losing focus and control of his Ki blast as it faded from existence.


Valkyrie shrieked in anger and effort as her power settled at 5x its previous level with her aura raging about her like wildfire.


"It's over, Death!" Valkyrie yelled.


She disappeared and reappeared behind him, and as he turned around he was met with a massive blast of Ki from Valkyrie's hands which was nearly 1/10 the side of the planet they were on now. The energy engulfed him completely and nearly disintegrated him on the spot as it was fired out and away from the planet and into the depths of space. The blast of energy was so immense that Valkyrie had trouble controlling it, but just managed to with Era's help. As the Ki blast faded from her hands, Valkyrie floated in the sky looking to where she had just unleashed it and sensed that Death was indeed no more.


Valkyrie's power dropped instantly back down to its original level as a Super Saiyan, and she floated down to the ground to one knee breathing very deeply.


"... Era," she managed to whisper between breaths.


She felt a new sensation on her cheek. A kiss. A loving kiss from her loving sister as a final farewell before that sensation of Era's presence disappeared leaving Valkyrie alone once more on the charred remains of the battlefield. Valkyrie smiled as a single tear fell down her cheek, and it was then that her golden glow disappeared returning her to her normal state.


Valkyrie then stood up shakily and began walking back to Pyro's ship, content with the fact that Era's death had not been in vain and that even in death her spirit remained long enough to aid Valkyrie in defeating the strongest foe she'd ever encountered.


@ChazGhost @Deathrattle BB
 
On Pyro's ship Era body was in the med bay and was hooked up to several machines designed to keep the brain and other organs stableish. It wasn't exact science but all they could really do in the end was keep her brain from dieing amd stop the rest of her from decaying. They also were getting ready for Valkyrie to return so they get right treat what ever injures she suffered during the battle with death.


Meanwhile other crew members who waiting outside the ships entrance to hel Valkyrie inside if need. "I wonder were Pyro went?" One of them asked.


"I know exactly were he went" the other said.


"How would you..." The firat one said before he noticed the Darkhood ship falling to the ground on fire and as it started exploding in several places. Curretnly Pyro was making sure no one but him was leaving the ship alive as he made is exit, blowing up door ways and hallways. When made near a outwall of the ship he quickly blastee his way through it in the nick of time. Almost as soon as he escaped the the ship it began crashing into the ground breaking it self on half.


"Well that was fun... I hope that monkey took care of death or I'm going to die horribly because of this..." Pyro said to himself before starting to head back to his ship.


@ChoShadow @Deathrattle BB
 
Valkyrie had just about reached Pyro's ship when she heard the sound of the Darkhood ship falling apart and the sounds of explosions rang out in the distance. She looked up to see it breaking apart piece by piece before she saw Pyro escape the side as it hit the ground. She shook her head at the theatrics of it all and continued on board where she was greeted by a handful of Pyro's men asking if she needed assistance.


"I'm fine... Just take me to Era's body." She said.


"Yes, ma'am!" One said.


They led her to the medical bay, which to her was rather strange. Why there, of all places? Era was dead. There was nothing they could do about that, was there?


When she entered the medical bay and saw Era hooked up to who knew how many machines, all of which looked to be fervently working and doing something to her body, she was left wondering just what was going on.


"Anyone care to explain?" She asked.


"We believe we can revitalize Era." Said one.


Valkyrie's gaze shot to the one who spoke.


"How?! She's dead! You don't just come back from that!" She barked, clearly not in the mood for jokes or anyone getting her hopes up.


"I-it's a difficult process to explain!" Another stuttered.


"Then give me the short version!" She demanded.


"W-w-well, miss Valkyrie. Ahem. Death truly occurs when the brain has gone for too long without access to oxygen or proper blood flow. If it remains like that for too long, it begins to decay causing irreparable damage. We are preventing that from happening by attaching numerous electric nodes at key points around her skull to stimulate her brain every 10-15 seconds to trick it into thinking that the body is alive and in need of its communication. That's why you see her fingers and facial muscles twitch every so often."


No sooner had he said that than Era's left cheek twitched.


"There! That twitch was a result of the brain being stimulated and keeping communication with the body in tact. As well, we have her hooked up to an artificial heart which helps pump blood through her system since her own heart is currently unable to do so on its own. This is keeping her body from giving into post mortem degradation. Thanks to the brain stimuli, her body receives an artificial jolt through the nervous system keeping it alive. And thanks to the artificial heart, blood is pumped through her body to keep her organs alive and supplied with fresh blood so they can do their job with every jolt of the brain stimulus."


Valkyrie understood, but she wasn't sure this was fool proof.


"How long can this truly keep her body alive?"


"Well... Not long. Maybe two days at best. But it's all we can do. If we can keep her body alive for the next two days we might figure out a way to revitalize her."


Valkyrie had a thought.


"If Elprede isn't already in the Rejuvenation Chamber, I want him in there now." She demanded.


"He is, ma'am."


"Good. Excuse me." She said.


She made her way to the Rejuvenation Chamber's room, in a separate hall in the Medical Bay, and walked into the room. Thanks to the Super Saiyan transformation a lot of her power had been restored, and to make things even better her base power had increased slightly. She guessed it was around 4.8 million now, as opposed to 4.5. A nice increase. She made her way over to Elprede in the chamber.


"This would all be easier if you were awake... Is Jasmine awake at least?" She asked aloud.


There didn't seem to be any response.


"Okay then... Well this is going to be rather odd, but it's the only thing I can think of." She said.


She extended her arm out and opened her hand. As she did so, she closed her eyes. She knew this wouldn't really help his recovery, but at least it would flood his body with Ki allowing either him or Jasmine to wake up and talk to her about the situation. Maybe they could figure something out to get Elprede back on his feet to make greater use of his Spirit Link with Era to help revitalize her. Two days wasn't a lot of time, but it was time she didn't think she'd have to do anything like this.


She began letting her Ki flow into Elprede through the Chamber, hoping that at least Jasmine would find the energy needed to wake up and have a talk with her about what they might be able to do about Era's situation.


@ChazGhost @Deathrattle BB
 
@ChoShadow


@ChazGhost


Elprede remained completely unresponsive to anything ever since he had been moved to the Rejuvenation Chamber. This was exactly what normally occurred when two partners through the Spirit Link when one of them died, the other was sent into a comatose state. The body was still alive and kicking, however, the brain thought that it was dead. Everything remained functioning correctly but in a strange limbo of nothing really happening. He was at least alive, even if he wasn't quite all there.


Jasmine was at least still operational, using Elprede's spare energy to keep herself running. He was recovering just fine, he just wasn't feeling anything. When she noticed Ki being sent to him, she took a gander and glanced out to the outside world temporarily, using the ship's cameras because Elprede's eyes were not opening.


"Hello, Lady Valkyrie," Jasmine said soberly, though her voice appeared strained. "Is there something you need? Elprede is not handling Era's death very well... I cannot rouse him, and the First God has had no luck even reaching him."


She paused and sighed. "I blame the Spirit Link, it should have been dissolved as soon as he was able to do it without harming Era. His brain believes he died while his body is still fully alive and functional. I suppose he may just need to wake up on his own... whenever he realizes that he is still alive. He currently is not feeling anything."
 
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Valkyrie nodded.


"The doctors say they may have a way to revive Era, but it's a long shot and we only have two days before her death becomes something they cannot reverse." She said, cutting right to the chase.


"If there's any way to force Elprede to wake up, then please tell me. Can you sever his Spirit Link? Being a part of him and all? Or can that only be done by Elprede himself?" She asked.


@Deathrattle BB
 
@ChoShadow


@ChazGhost


Jasmine let out a small sigh. "Of course it requires Elprede being up and awake..." She muttered. Why wouldn't it?


Perhaps she was a little bitter that he kept hurting himself for everybody else. She wasn't quite used to having to deal with Elprede nearly dying every other day, especially when it came to keeping the others alive. Now he had gone unconscious for who knows how long because of his Spirit Link with Era. The stakes just seemed to be getting higher and higher every day and she wasn't ready to lose Elprede.


"No, I cannot sever his Spirit Link to Lady Niir'lana, that is a task that only Elprede himself can do. I don't know the technique, not all knowledge is shared between us." She commented, sounding much more agitated than before. "If you really wish to wake him up, we will need to stimulate his brain with a signal indicating that his body is actually still alive. Running a high circuit of pain through him should do the trick, that is a more intense feeling of the body. I would do it myself but I don't have the power to right now."
 
Valkyrie ceased her giving of energy to Elprede and cracked her neck upon hearing the idea of giving him pain.


"If that's all it should take." She said.


She then clenched her right fist, cracking the knuckles of each finger before pressing the button to drain the healing liquid from the chamber. Once it was down far enough, she opened the door and grabbed Elprede's shoulders and hoisted him partway out of the chamber. She then laid him out on the still partially open door and grabbed his tail. Using her hands to smooth out the fur, she pressed it closer to his skin to make it smaller and raised it up to her now open mouth. With a significant level of effort, she bit down on Elprede's tail sending a loud "CRUNCH" through the room.


If this didn't wake him up, she had one more idea. But biting his tail was one thing. Being so much stronger than him and biting his tail nearly severing it and tasting his blood in her mouth was another.


She let go of his tail and spit out the blood and fur in her mouth before wiping her face off.


Hopefully that would do the trick.


@Deathrattle BB
 
@ChoShadow


@ChazGhost


Jasmine was confused when Valkyrie took Elprede out of the chamber. He hadn't finished recovering yet, what was she doing?


"What are you do--" She started to ask, that's when Valkyrie bit into Elprede's tail.


Elprede's eyes snapped open almost instantly, powering up to a blistering x15 Mazunokari and delivering a kick to Valkyrie's head faster than the naked eye could conceivably see. The blow itself would've been enough to demolish every other object in the room itself, not to mention the damage that would have just caused to Valkyrie due to the fact that she was not in Super Saiyan form.


He caught himself by extending one of his hands to the floor, flipping backward onto his feet, his tail clutched tightly to his chest while distrust and fury burned within him. His glare could kill, its entirety aimed directly at Valkyrie.


"I wasn't expecting to find one of my allies trying to mutilate me when I woke up," he growled, teeth bared in pain, "but apparently I was wrong to trust you. The fuck were you doing to me?"
 
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Valkyrie was just letting go of Elprede's tail when he suddenly jolted to life and kicked her in the head which threw her across the room and into a few of the other medical beds. They were destroyed instantly of course on impact, being bent and broken out of shape as she hit them.


Her head was spinning and the room was spinning even worse. She could barely make out what Elprede had asked of her, but she made out the last part easily enough.


Groggily, she stumbled to one knee.


"Waking you up from a coma. You're welcome." She said as she made it to her feet, rubbing her head where Elprede had kicked her.


The room stopped spinning, but she was still a little light headed.


"We have a chance to save Era's life here, big guy." She said, shaking the last of the effect off and straightening out all the way.


"If you'd stop pretending that everyone is out to get you for a few moments, we can brainstorm how to make it happen." She said, putting her hands on her hips.


"Apparently they are keeping Era's body from entering post mortem decay by stimulating her brain every so often and artificially pumping blood through her body. They estimate that we have two days to figure out how to kick start her brain and body at the same time, otherwise her death will be something they cannot reverse as this process can only prevent it for so long." She said, crossing her arms.


"So, what will it be? Bark at me for waking you up? Or will you help me figure out how to make the most of the time the doctors have given us to bring Era back?" She asked.


@Deathrattle BB
 
Pyro returned to the ship and instantly tevered back to his first form. He growled at his bacl pain. " Did that moron really have to shoot me in the back. It served as a f****** target for his worms." Pyro said himself as one of his crew came up to him.


"Sir I already got a team together to search the wreckage of the darkhood ship. Should I send them out?"  the crew member asked.


"Yes but make sure there carful. I did my beat but there could be survivors of there crew." Pyrp said holding his back. Crew member knodded amd hurried away. Pyro then made his way into the infirmary. He made it in time to see Valkyrie bite down on Elrpede tail and being kicked backed because of it. Pyro just stared confused at this and shool his head. He would just charge them later for the equipment they destroyed.


"Hey doc I need ya to treat my back" Pyro said to the doctor before sitting on one of the beds that were still intact. 


"Of course sir" the doctor said before beganing to bandge of Pyro's back. Pyro listened to Valkyrie and Elprede talk about there options to save Era as he waited for the doc to finish. 


@ChoShadow @Deathrattle BB
 
Elprede's eyes remained wide and full of seething hatred, and even Jasmine was having trouble calming him down.


"Sir, I swear she was only trying to wake you. I was an idiot and told her the best way to do that was to put your body in pain. But I never thought she'd try to bite you!" She pleaded.


Silence!! You know how much I hate other people so much as touching my tail, but biting it? That's going too far and there's nothing that will convince me that she just wanted to wake me up like that!


"You were in a coma. Your brain and body had ceased proper communication, for goodness sake! We had to do something to bring you back to consciousness so that you wouldn't end up the same as Era! But because of your tail being bitten you'll completely disregard that as well as what Valkyrie just said about being able to bring Era back if we are quick about it?!"


How do I know she's telling the truth. I felt Era die, and death isn't something you just come back from! I died with her when it happened, Jasmine. Do you have any idea what that feels like?!


"No sir, I don't! And neither do you! You were not dead! You were in a coma! There is a HUGE difference! The fact that you're awake right now and that I was able to function enough to give Valkyrie the knowledge of how to wake you up are owed to a certain crimson haired Saiyan standing before you. Without her, I wouldn't have come back to functioning capacity, and you would still be in a coma! So will you get over your fucking tail already?! They can't save Era's life without your help!"


Do not think to order me, Jasmine!


"Too bad Elprede! For once I'm not going to coddle you or be nice for your sake to spare your feelings and make you feel like someone cares. Right now it's Era I'm concerned about, and you should be too! I don't care about your tail! I don't care that Valkyrie had to hurt you to wake you up! I care about the fact that we can save Era's life! Now get over it and start thinking about the one comrade you actually care about!!"


Fuck off.


Elprede shut Jasmine out, turning off her communications. But she forced them back on by hijacking his Ki pathways.


"That's not going to work this time Elprede. Remember I'm a part of you! You can't shut me out and expect me to just accept it and roll over! This time, I'm fighting back because you need a wake up call! Now calm down!!"


Just-


Elprede was then slammed in the side of the head with a punch from Valkyrie sending him sprawling into the wall nearby putting a massive dent in it. His head was spinning for several seconds, given the difference in power it was lucky she didn't kill him... again... sort of. But when he recovered he was still seething, and this time it was an unprovoked attack on his person. This, he wouldn't let go.


Elprede powered up the Mazunokari and began blitzing through the room faster than Valkyrie's eyes could see. However she wasn't content to let him get another shot in as before. She powered up as well, but focused a specific technique about her person which prevented Elprede from getting off any successful attacks: The Ki Gradient. Her body shone in a soft rainbow of colors, and every time Elprede attacked her, no matter how high he pushed his Mazunokari, it did nothing. She didn't even flinch.


"You two were bickering out loud in case you didn't know. I heard every word, and I'm sick of your little game of 'Oh woe is my tail! I'm so upset I can't think straight!'" She said, powering up further as she felt Elprede's power rise again to keep him attacking in vain.


"I bit your tail to wake you up. Get over it. Era needs our help, and if you won't help us then I'll just kill you for wasting what precious little time Era has left." She warned.


"You think you can kill me?! How?! You can't even touch me!" He barked.


She frowned.


"We both know that's not true."


Valkyrie then clenched her fists and powered up to her maximum, letting her aura flare throughout the whole ship sending a tremendous concussive wave of pressure through the room. It was more than strong enough to overcome his Mazunokari and send him flying into the nearest wall like her punch did before, and by the time he opened his eyes and shook it off she had already pinned him to the ground, sitting on his chest with one hand over his throat and the other in a clenched fist hovering just above her shoulder.


The room quieted down as she powered down, and she glared down at him.


"I care more about the life of my sister than I ever will about yours, Elprede. To Era, you're a dear friend and a valuable member of our team. To me, you're just an ally, and I won't hesitate to kill you for threatening Era's life like this."


"Me?! I'M the one threatening her life now?! Me?! The one who nearly died with her at the same time she did and who sent my last vestiges of energy to her so she'd live?! I'M THE THREAT!?!?" He screamed.


Valkyrie threw a punch down, hard, and it landed next to his head putting a dent in the floor.


"Yes, you are the threat now. YOU, who won't get over the fact that I bit your tail to wake you up from a comatose state which mimicked death. You didn't die you pathetic whining maggot! Era died! Your brain and body were shocked into ceasing proper communication, but you were NOT dead! So stop pretending you're the victim in all this and start remembering that right now Era is the victim and her body is being kept alive thanks to Pyro's crew! PYRO'S CREW!! NOT YOU!! You giving her energy did NOTHING for her! She died anyway!! Now we have less than two days to figure out how to bring her back before it becomes irreversible, and I won't let you screw that up!!!" She shrieked.


She punched the other side of the floor next to Elprede's head, pulling the fist back to her shoulder and waiting with a savage snarl on her face.


"I want my sister back, and you're our best hope for that since you know more about Ki than anyone else on this vessel... But this is your last warning Elprede! I don't care who you are or what you can do with your Ki! If you keep wasting what little time Era has left because of your ego, I won't hesitate to kill you right here, right now, and find another way. The First God can find another vessel, and Era can find another friend even if your death hurts her for a little while." She growled.


She pulled her fist back a little bit further, the golden aura intensifying.


"You have ten seconds to make up your mind. If you don't speak, you're dead."


As Valkyrie's anger rose with each word as she spoke, and as her anger rose so too did her power level as an aura of golden Ki began to materialize around her raised fist even though she wasn't conscious of it.


Elprede sat there beneath her with a snarl on his face. He could beat her. He knew he could. He just had to power up the Mazunokari again and he'd be able to force her off of him long enough to escape her grasp. That, or he could use a nerve point strike on her arm to paralyze it and get away that way. Most of the force she was pushing on him was through her hand around his throat. She wasn't conscious of her legs right now. She was just sitting with little to no intent of forcing him down with her legs.


"Sir, you know she is right about this. Your tail was bitten, and now your ego and your anger won't let you see reason. You're even denying Era's life is not yet extinguished to satisfy your ego... I am sorry sir, but I cannot be a part of this anymore. I won't be. Valkyrie is in the right, and so is Era... Good bye sir." She said.


She then shut herself off which caused Elprede to be alone underneath Valkyrie who had started counting, and was already up to 3.


As he sat there, he recalled the moment of Era's death and the complete wash he felt inside as he felt her Ki drop to zero and the final breath of air escape her lips. It felt like the death was his, even though it wasn't. It felt like he died with her. But did he? If he was alive now, could he have died with her? They said he was in a coma, and even Jasmine said that his mind and body were alive but not communicating properly. A coma... Was that really all?


Did what felt like death really result in only a coma?


Valkyrie spoke 5.


Valkyrie didn't know what he went through. Neither did Jasmine. She may have understood what happened to his brain and body, but she didn't feel or experience death like he did. What would she know about this? What would either of them know about it?!


Valkyrie spoke 7.


... But Era. She understood. She was dead.


Of course she was. He couldn't stop it from happening. All of his speed, and he couldn't stop her death from happening because he was too scared to get involved due to his own physical weakness and had use this exhaustion as an excuse despite the fact that their arrival gave him time to catch his breath and get his Ki flowing properly again by the time her death took place. He could have done something... He just didn't.


Valkyrie spoke 8.


He'd been able, but unwilling to save her. He was still attached to her via the Spirit Link even though she was dead, and he could still feel that emptiness inside of himself because of it. She wasn't a Nephelem, but she was linked to him all the same which made her both his wife and his partner whether he liked it or not.


Valkyrie spoke 9 and pulled her fist back a little bit further and that golden aura around her fist flared out in preparation.


"... Fine." He said at last.


Valkyrie's fist remained poised and ready with that golden aura flaring about, unconvinced to just let him go.


"You can drop your fist Valkyrie. I will help." He said calmly.


The aura disappeared, but her first remained where it was and she still scowled down at him.


"I want Era back too. She's the only friend I have on this vessel aside from Jasmine. The only one who actually cares to know and understand me from any perspective."


Valkyrie's fist slowly began to lower but she remained wary of him.


"You can get off me now. Let's get to her bedside and see what we can do, if anything." He said.


Valkyrie finally let go of him and stood up, but she didn't offer him a hand up. He could get up on his own. Instead she turned her back on him and walked to the Medical Bay without him.


Elprede didn't really care. She could turn her back. She was nothing to him. It was Era whom he wanted to see. If her body really was being kept alive, maybe he could use the Spirit Link and his Ki to revitalize her... But then again her body was much more powerful than his was. Even if his Ki was constantly regenerating he didn't have enough of it to fill her body all at once. Ki flowing through a dead body dissipated very, very quickly. He was still weak and injured, and his body ached all over. He really wasn't in any condition to do this now, but Valkyrie obviously neglected to account for that or simply didn't care.


Then again, if the situation was reversed, he wouldn't care either.


He limped along the corridor until he reached the Medical Bay where he found Valkyrie and the doctors surrounding Era's bed where her body lay. Her eyes had been closed at some point, likely Valkyrie's doing, and she lay silent and sill on the bed. It was almost peaceful, being in this room all of a sudden. Just seeing Era again had lifted his spirits somewhat. He glanced to the medical equipment and saw the brainwave monitor. Every time a stimulating shock was sent through her brain the brainwave monitor showed a few waves before everything went silent. It meant for those few seconds, her brain was indeed alive and functional even if it wasn't enough to bring her back to consciousness.


The artificial heart was pumping her blood for her via a surgically placed valve that was inserted into her chest just below her ribcage and had been maneuvered carefully into place to surround her heart. Every other second it gave her heart a gentle squeeze, pumping blood and oxygen which was inserted into her bloodstream via four IV's, one for each exterior limb. It was a rather ingenious way to keep oxygen in her system while artificially pumping her heart to keep her organs alive and functioning been in death. He had to admit he didn't expect anyone belonging to Pyro's crew to be capable of this.


But he turned his attention to Era when they all started talking about what could be done. The doctors said that a powerful enough shock at just the right moment could do the trick, but there was no guarantee that it wouldn't just fry her body instead of helping it. Valkyrie suggested a rapid influx of Ki, but there was no way to prove that such a thing would do the trick either. A rapid influx of Ki could just destroy her inactive Ki pathways leaving her completely cut off from any chance of revival which would kill her just as quickly.


Elprede limped over to Era's body and put one hand on her forehead, closing his eyes. As he did so he felt out her Ki pathways. They were all perfectly in tact and prepared for use if she came back, but the problem was indeed what the doctors had described. If Ki was sent through them now, they'd burst because they weren't prepared to handle it with the rest of her body being dead and the fact that her nervous system was shut down. A Saiyan's Ki pathways functioned in unison with their nervous system, whereas Nephelem and other humanoids Ki and nervous systems functioned independently. If the nervous system wasn't alive to guide the Ki, it was no use no matter how much Ki was pumped through her body.


But he had an idea.


"Doctor." He coughed.


"Hm? What is it?" The doctor asked.


"We need to revive her nervous system. Can you do that?" He asked.


"I... I am not sure. Under normal circumstances humanoid nervous systems are dead the moment communication with the brain is permanently severed, and I'm afraid death counts. Right now there is no connection between her brain and nervous system. So I don't know if we can restore it."


"Presuming you can, what would the process involve?" He asked, growing rather irritated at the doctor's cynicism.


"Well... Hmm... I suppose a mild shock applied directly to her nervous system's core at the base of the skull could do the trick. But it's not a guarantee. I'm not very well versed in Saiyan neurology. I mostly just deal with the crew here."


Elprede sighed.


"Fine. Then turn her body and attach a node to her nervous system core. See if you can't get some kind of reaction using a very, very mild shock."


"All right."


Era's body was turned on its side very carefully and the back of her neck was cut open to reveal her now exposed nervous system along the spinal chord. Reaching up slightly, the doctors placed a node on the core at the base of the skull and gently applied mild pressure to keep it in place.


"All right everyone, stand back." He said.


He activated a small discharge, sending a tiny amount of voltage through. But it yielded no reaction.


"Try a higher voltage, doctor." A nurse suggested.


He nodded.


They tried a slightly higher voltage, but it was the same result. They turned it up as high as they could safely turn the voltage, but it still yielded no reaction. The crew were growing disheartened, but Valkyrie had a suggestion.


"Turn down the voltage, but give it a bit of current." She said.


"Huh?" The doctor asked.


"I'm not an expert on much, but I understand the basics of circuitry. Voltage is just one kind of measurement of electric power, but current is much stronger. When you touch an exposed outlet, it's the current which can kill you, not the voltage. So turn down the voltage and add a bit of real current to it and see if that doesn't get a reaction."


The doctor brought in an engineer to help set things up, and once it was ready they tried again.


"Stand back." The doctor said.


A shock was applied, and a tiny blip appeared on the monitor which read her nervous system's reaction to the induced current. But as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone.


"Damn..." The doctor said.


"That worked. Up the current a little bit. I need to feel this out." Elprede said.


He put his hand back on Era's forehead and felt out her Ki pathways. When the doctor ran the current through her body, he took a tiny bit of the shock, but for the briefest of moments he saw her Ki pathways light up. They'd come back to life for a brief moment.


"Yes! It worked!" He said.


They all grew anxious to hear ann explanation.


"Her Ki pathways lit up. That means they were alive and functional for a moment. If we can give her body a rapid influx of Ki at the precise moment that the Ki pathways come back to life, we may just be able to pull this off." He said.


The doctors and nurses shared enthusiastic smiles, but Valkyrie was less enthused.


"What source do you have in mind? I'm still not as powerful as Era was in her base form, and I can't access the Super Saiyan form." She said.


The crew, Elprede included, looked at her in bewilderment.


"What do you mean you can't access the form? You used it to defeat Death!" Elprede barked.


"I've been trying to access it for a while now, but I can't. There must be something about the transformation that goes beyond simply powering up." She said.


Elprede was at a loss. Pyro wasn't going to help. That was certain. He didn't care about Era enough to lend her his energy. He was too arrogant to do that... But maybe.


Recalling the transformation's first signs, Elprede vaguely recalled how Valkyrie had been overcome by grief and anger before the transformation took place.


"Anger." He whispered.


Everyone looked at him.


"Valkyrie, get angry." He said.


"Oh I'm plenty angry as it is, Elprede. I may be calm on the outside but that's only because Era's body is here. But inside you had better believe I haven't calmed down at all since our conversation in the Rejuvenation Chamber's room." She said.


"Then go outside and relive everything that went through your mind when you saw Era die. I know it sucks to relive those moments, but it might be the only hope we have. Your Super Saiyan energy, since it's Saiyan Ki, would be better than anyone else's to revitalize her since it's not foreign."


Valkyrie sighed through her nose and left the room. Walking through the hallways, she walked outside and stood about fifty meters from the ship as she closed her eyes and thought about all of it. Era's valiant last ditch effort to attack Death, perhaps hoping she could find a way to trigger the Super Saiyan transformation herself to help everyone. That would have been so like Era, but then again attacking without any hope at all was just like her as well.


Every time she saw Era being attacked she inwardly flinched as tears started welling in her eyes.


The final attack of blinding light from that flick of his finger, and Era's ascent and descent back to the ground with such pain and sadness in her eyes... Those eyes.


Valkyrie's tears began to fall again.


Era's eyes had been wide with pain. So much pain. Valkyrie had known Era for a very long time, but never had she seen such pain in Era's eyes as in that moment. Everything about that facial expression screamed for desperate relief from the pain she was in, but shortly after it didn't matter. The pain began to fade as her body began to die and she smiled.


"Your smile," Valkyrie whispered.


"It was always your smile, wasn't it?" She whimpered as a gasp escaped her lips.


The ground began to tremble and Valkyrie's fists clenched at her sides.


Era's hand reached out for Valkyrie before falling to the ground, accompanied by a complete relaxation of Era's body and facial expression as she succumbed to death's embrace.


Valkyrie's aura began to slowly emerge as the trembling grew more intense.


Inside the ship, the doctors and nurses struggled to hold the equipment in place while Elprede felt out Valkyrie's Ki.


"Not yet. Keep pushing." He said aloud, though more to himself than anyone else.


Valkyrie recalled her first thoughts of how Era had given too much to die in disgrace and agony. She recalled how she felt that she couldn't let the battle, or their lives, end like this. She couldn't...


No, it was more than that.


Her eyes, still leaking tears, opened.


It wasn't that she couldn't let it end like that. It was because she wouldn't let it end like that.


Valkyrie began shrieking in anger as her eyes turned white and her red aura exploded to life being rapidly replaced by that golden glow as her hair and tail changed colors to match. The ground split beneath her in all directions, nearly tilting the ship onto its side before the transformation had become complete. Valkyrie's body was engulfed in that gleaming golden aura with hair and tail to match and her eyes now a piercing turquoise.


She let out a few breaths to calm herself down, and looked at herself really for the first time since the first transformation. She saw her musculature had slightly increased in size and definition and that her tail was now golden like her hair. She walked back towards the ship and saw her reflection in one of the metal panels along the side, she could hardly believe her eyes.


It was beautiful.


But that was neither here nor there. She needed to get back to the Medical Bay before she lost the transformation. She quickly walked back, and as she powered down a little to conserve energy that golden aura was replaced by a softly flowing glow about her body which only extended out a few inches. The doctors and nurses were both in awe and horror upon seeing Valkyrie enter the room like that. But when Valkyrie told them to stop gawking they quickly composed themselves and focused on their tasks.


"Now what?" She asked Elprede.


"Take my hand. The moment the doctors shock her nervous system to life and her Ki pathways light up again I will use my body as a conduit and transfer your Ki into Era's body to fill her Ki pathways. With any luck, that will bring her body back to life."


Valkyrie nodded, extending her hand out so Elprede could grab hold.


"Ready doctors." He said.


They nodded.


"Stand back!" The doctor said.


He let off a shock, and as Elprede felt out Era's body and Ki pathways time slowed down. He saw the shock traveling along her nervous system like a little electric domino set. Her Ki pathways lit up right behind it, but he saw something rather concerning. Before the nervous system had been fully stimulated, the core lost its stimulation and life, meaning it was dead again before the rest of the body had caught up to it. The Ki pathways were the same, meaning this wouldn't work.


"It's no good." He said.


"What do you mean?" Valkyrie growled, a tiny spark of bio-electricity escaping her body.


"By the time the nervous system had been stimulated all the way down from head to toe, the core lost its light. That means the core was dead again before the lower body completely felt the shock. Her Ki pathways were the same. By the time the lower body was lit up, the area closest to the core was dim again."


"Then increase the current a little bit. See if that helps."


"Too much higher will fry her body." The engineer said.


"She can handle it." Valkyrie barked.


The engineer backed off, and the doctor turned up the current just a tiny bit.


"Okay, here we go again!" He said.


They induced the shock, and Elprede felt it out again. Once more, time slowed still as he watched the flow of the nervous system and the Ki pathways. Both systems were fully lit for a decent amount of time before they faded back to nothing.


"Okay, that will work. One last time, this time with Valkyrie's Ki to fully charge her Ki pathways." He said.


"Going again," the doctor said.


They induced the shock, and Elprede waited patiently for both systems to alight before he let Valkyrie's Ki flood Era's body. He worked as quickly as he could, which to them was all a tiny fraction of  second. But for him it was a race against time to get Valkyrie's Ki throughout Era's entire body before everything went dim again. Faster and faster her let her Ki flood through Era's body, lighting it all up with golden light.


So even inside the Ki pathways turn gold, eh? He thought for a moment.


Soon enough Era's entire Ki pathway system was glowing with golden light, and then it happened... A heartbeat.


*Beep*


*Beep*


*Beep*


Era's heart was beating without the help of the artificial heart, and they quickly and carefully removed it, sewing the incision point shut. As well, the kept her on her side and carefully removed the node from her neck and sewed that shut as well. They laid Era down on her back, and Valkyrie pushed everyone out of the way and put her forehead to Era's. She put one hand on Era's cheek and the other on her left breast to feel for her heartbeat.


Her heartbeat was back. Her flesh was growing warmer. And most importantly she could sense Era's Ki returning as well as the tiniest of breaths against her face.


Valkyrie backed up a tiny bit and saw Era's relaxed face slowly taking in shallow breaths, and she knew her sister was back.


Despite her being a Super Saiyan, and despite everything that happened leading up until this point, Valkyrie dropped to her knees beside Era's bed and openly cried in relief that her sister had come back.


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Elprede watched and felt with his own relief of Era coming back to life from their efforts. He could see her Ki pathways lighting up and begin to create their own energy once more. He probably should have felt happy in that moment, and he was indeed happy that she was alive again. An overwhelming sense of coldness still gripped him inwardly. It was like he was stuck in a spider web and couldn't move.


No matter how glad or happy that he was Era was alive now, maybe he didn't belong here anymore. It was obvious enough that he was losing it entirely from how he had acted earlier, he had never been one to just go into a blind rage like that. He had never really been one to give into his ego like that, either. He may have almost died, and his body simulated that 'death,' but Era had actually died. He had killed precious time that they had for saving her.


But even that was pale in comparison to the fact that, maybe, this was all his fault. He had been the one that had gotten captured, dropped his guard and went out on his own when it was more dangerous than ever before. They had come seeking him. He just couldn't shake the terrible knots in his stomach that she had died in vain, even if he knew that she wasn't dying for him or anything. If anything else, he was fairly certain she died trying to protect Valkyrie. She had died coming after him.


And, well, that didn't sit well with him.


Jasmine had been unusually quiet throughout this entire thing. He imagined that he wasn't going to win any brownie points with her for what he had done earlier as well. He had made a fool of himself. She was sorely disappointed with him and he could understand why she would be. He had been keeping a lot from her lately, and that included feeling what his body was at the moment, and even keeping her from the inner workings of his thoughts for some time. He didn't share everything with her, only anything that he wanted to share with her, and feeling death was not something he was going to scar her with.


Era could get over him being gone, right?


He raised his hand and let his Ki flow for a moment, extending it to the connection between him and the recently dead Saiyan. Two tiny strands of Ki appeared, separately colored from one another, one red and the other purple. His Ki and Era's. The Spirit Link. They were woven together, bound like pieces of braided rope. He grabbed the ends of them gently and pulled apart. He flinched, stopping and letting the strands come back together. He couldn't do it.


"Sir? What are you doing?" Jasmine decided to pop in and ask in that moment, seeing the small light show he had just performed. He sighed, the two strands of Ki disappearing.


Doing what I have to.


"Doing what you have to, or what you think you should?"


Probably the latter.


He quietly sighed and put his hands back in his pockets, turning around and leaving the medical bay. If anybody else asked what he had just done, he didn't answer them besides muttering something about how it was 'his fault.'


However, he paused at the doorway, looking back at Era and Valkyrie. He stared at them searchingly for a moment before nodding and letting a smile come across his face and fully exiting the room.


"What are you doing?" Jasmine asked once more.


He let off another sigh, walking quietly through the ship's halls. What do you think I'm doing, Jasmine? He decided to answer her question with another.


She paused. "You're leaving." She accused. He nodded. "How can you leave? Isn't it obvious that they need you still?"


He bit back a hiss. Need me for what? To get one of them killed--again?  The only one that's going to die from now on because of my uselessness is going to be me.


Jasmine couldn't believe what she was hearing from Elprede. The famous silver Nephelem, Elprede, was just giving up? Just like that?


"I... can't believe you." She whispered. "I can't believe how stupid and foolish you have become now. What happened to the old Elprede that was willing to go to any length to protect somebody he loved? What happened to the Elprede that I had grown up with?" She asked in a hushed voice. "What's happened to you?"


Elprede paused and looked down, bringing his hand up and looking at his palm. Then, he looked at his tail, the appendage bleeding still and matted with blood at this point. What had happened to the old him now? There were some questions that he just couldn't answer.


... I suppose he died, Jasmine. He continued forward again, walking into his room and laying down on his side on his bed, staring at the wall. He tapped something in his ear and Jasmine was turned off against her wishes. A part of him or not, he was still the one in control, not her.


I guess he left when he realized how useless and stupid he was.


For once, he welcomed the solitude with open arms.
 
The doctors and nurses left Valkyrie alone with Era shortly after Elprede left the room.


Valkyrie cried by Era's bed for over an hour before pulling a chair and falling asleep holding Era's hand. Having finally accepted Era as her sister had a big impact on Valkyrie, and because she was slightly older she felt a new sense of familial connection and protectiveness over her little sister. But there was time for the later. Right now, Valkyrie needed to rest. She had come back to her base form after powering down shortly before falling asleep to prevent any undue stress on her body as well.


After Valkyrie was asleep, the doctors and nurses very carefully removed Era from the room and put her in the Rejuvenation Chamber which was freshly vacated by Elprede who elected to remain in his room and recover on his own for the time being.


As Era's body was exposed to the healing liquids, her brain unleashed a rather sudden burst of activity which was monitored closely by the doctors and nurses.


"What's going on doctor? Her brainwaves are going haywire!" A nurse said rather worriedly.


"She's awake! Can you imagine how much pain she's in with a body in that condition?!" The doctor snapped.


"Get the anesthetics! We have to numb her to the pain or she'll begin to hyperventilate and she could suffer a heart attack! If she does, all that work to bring her back will be for nothing!" He said.


The nurses did as ordered and administered anesthetics to knock her out and numb her body to the pain and allow her to rest. When her brainwaves calmed, they all began to ask the same question aloud to each other.


"How can she be awake right now after what she went through?"


That was the question, and it was a good one.


After suffering death and only having just come back to life, Era's mind should be out for the count and for a good long while. For her brain to be awake at this point was medically unprecedented and very, very dangerous. The doctors next administered a few basic pain killers to really dope her up and ensure that if she woke up again she wouldn't feel that kind of pain again.


Meanwhile, Era's body was doped up and numb to the world, but that didn't mean something else wasn't going on inside.


In Era's now fully unconscious mind where her body was not a factor limiting her focus, her brain was forcing her to relive the beating she took from Death. Every punch. Every kick. Every Ki blast. She relived it all in her mind.


But what she relieved the most strongly was the sense of helplessness and fear she felt when she assaulted Death for the last time. Jumping into the fray and attacking like that again with no hope of victory. She'd never been so scared, even though she didn't let the others know or see it. And the pain Death inflicted before Era finally saw the world turn to white had been unimaginable. She cringed inwardly every time she felt another hit.


But again nothing compared to the helplessness and fear she'd felt when she rushed forward to attack him.


Knowing that you were about to die... it was something she'd never experienced before. But if she died, why was she thinking about this and reliving it? Was she dead now? Was she alive and dreaming? Had it all been a dream? Surely not. Pain like that couldn't be felt in one's dreams, could it?


What about Elprede?
 


Was he suffering the same as she was, now numb to the world around him and unconscious and resting it all away?


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Jasmine managed to turn herself back on through cleverly activating the emergency restart procedure before Elprede had turned her off himself. However, whether or not he realized that she was up and running again was up for debate. He didn't make any indication that he knew whether or not she was online, which worried her more than ever. It was like he was just an empty husk that wasn't even living anymore. Something inside Elprede had just... broke. Was it his mind, his body, his spirit, or something else entirely?


That wasn't the worst part, either. The First God's consciousness seemingly disappeared as well. She couldn't feel the ancient being there any longer. Was that the reason Elprede was no longer acting normally? Was that the reason he had given up, did he believe that everybody had just abandoned him?


She tried to talk to him and got nothing. Her thoughts couldn't even reach Elprede, he was actively blocking her off and there was nothing she could do to get around it. These defenses dropped when he drifted off to sleep after some time, but he dreamed of nothing. She couldn't figure this out on her own.


Jasmine looked manipulated his Ki while he was asleep, using it to change the makeup of the Spirit Link temporarily. She did not have the knowledge of how to remove it, but she did know how to manipulate it still. Manipulate it she did, strengthening the Link until she could connect Elprede's mind to Era's.


This was her only shot. Elprede could never find out or... maybe he would abandon her, too.


She projected her thoughts to Era, crying and pleading. If Era couldn't respond even mentally, she feared Elprede was lost. Please, somebody, help...
 
Within the confines of her own mind, Era felt like a prisoner doomed to forever relive the memories of her final moments in life before it all washed to white and then came flooding back from the beginning all over again on a massive time loop.


Then, though it was hazy at first and she had to really focus on it to make it out. But it was unmistakable who it was coming from.


Jasmine? She thought.


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Jasmine nearly short-circuited in relief.


"Era, thank everything above that you're still there," she cried softly. She couldn't put into words at just how glad she was to hear Era's voice.


She pulled Era's mind in, combining the dream realms of both of their minds into one place. It only came out as a strange black void like the Vault that they had been to before. There was nothing there, only the empty abyss. But sometimes that was much better than to the options of what Era was probably experiencing on her end.


What was probably most surprising was that Jasmine had a physical form now. Unsurprisingly or not, she was a fox of a similar body structure to Elprede. Flat-chested but wide-hipped, soft features and bubblegum pink eyes and mint green fur. It probably would've been similar to how Elprede might look if he had been born as a female. She wore a simple, slightly darker green gown.


She waved at Era shyly. "Hello, Lady Niir'lana... how are you?"
 
Era felt her consciousness being transferred, almost as if her mind was transforming or passing through to some other kind of dimension. It was an odd sensation, but the sound of Jasmine's voice was a welcome comfort. But why did she sound so distressed?


When she opened her eyes, Era was standing in a black void in front of a new Nephelem whom she'd never seen before. When the Nephelem spoke, it was Jasmine's voice, and Era was quite surprised to see that she had a physical form. Was this what she really was? Or was this only in the mind?


"Where are we?" She asked as she looked around.


It didn't seem like any world she'd seen before. Even that strange room that Elprede and the First God had taken them to didn't feel quite the same, though there was a similar vibe going on.


"So Jasmine... What exactly happened? All I remember is that I failed to bring Death down, and everything faded to white before I began to suddenly relive the fight over and over again." She said.


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"You're in a dream," Jasmine said simply, waving her hand about the empty space. "I intercepted your dream and pieced it together to Elprede's."


She glanced about, staring in a small bit of wonder at the dreamscape of the world. She decided that it needed a bit of life added to it in that moment. She focused her thoughts and the world around them began to change and morph, They were next in a large open field of vibrant and lively grass and flowers, a place too perfect and good to be true. A lone tree sat off in the distance, a small figure sitting under it, leaned back onto its trunk.


Jasmine began to walk towards it, motioning for Era to follow. "You died. We've only recently managed to bring you back to life." She answered softly. "But I don't think you were the only one to have died in that moment. Your well-being is a bit more important than Elprede's currently, but..."


She paused, stopping in front of the tree. There sat Elprede, sleeping. his body was mangled, many open wounds on him with blood and dirt smeared into them. She frowned, considering she had not imagined this particular bit up. She stooped down and just like a mother, conjured up a wash cloth and began to gingerly tend to Elprede, tending to him.


"... I believe there was something else that broke in that moment." She finished in a murmur. "I... brought you here because I thought you might be the only one that could reach him right now. I think he feels betrayed and guilty." Jasmine glanced up at Era. "Guilty of killing you."
 
Era was rather spellbound by the whole "dream" space. She'd heard of out of body experiences, but this was ridiculous. She was actually in a dream, and Jasmine proved it by changing the very fabric of the world around them to that of a large grassy field with a lone tree in the near distance.


When Jasmine said Era had died, it made sense.


Everything turned to white as she reached for Valkyrie. Was the what death was? Returning all to white and starting over in a new world? A new body? A new soul?


When they came up to Elprede he was in horrible shape, and she hoped that wasn't what had become of his physical body. As Jasmine spoke, Era found herself somewhat confused.


"Why would he believe that he killed me?" She said as she knelt down next to him.


"I'm the one who tracked his position using the Spirit Link with the intention of bringing him home. We didn't count on Death being there or being as powerful as he was. Nobody could have predicted that we'd come across one so powerful so soon." She said, laying a hand on Elprede's forehead.


"Elprede isn't responsible. I made my own choices, and I paid for them because I wasn't strong enough." She whispered.


... Wait.


"Hold on... Jasmine. If I'm here in a dream with you, what became of the others? You said you brought me back. Does that mean everyone survived? How?" She asked.


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