Amatricina had only been on this blue jewel of a planet for a few days, but already she had learned much about this place. Firstly, she detested it utterly. It was a soft world, that bred softer mortals. Bright blue skies and a vibrant yellow sun were the most typical weather she observed, aside from the frigid polar regions in the far north. It was all so paltry compared to her home planet. Where were the vast seas of molten rock, rivers of lava rolling down the slopes of volcanoes that seemed to touch the very sky? Where were the thick plumes of rising black smoke, the clouds of noxious gas that poured down bitter storms of acid rain. Nowhere, that was her answer. This peaceful and idyllic planet stood in stark contrast to her own, even the gravity was an order of magnitude less than her gargantuan home world. It was insulting to the demon, but at least a weak world ensured weak warriors. From what exposure she'd had with the natives... humans they mostly went by, the native populace was predominantly unable to utilize their ki and had abysmally low power levels. The people of this world did have one saving grace, something that Amatricina very much enjoyed.

There was great darkness in the hearts of these mortals. So much sin about them, it hung in the air like a sweet aroma to the demon. The minds of these mortals were so weak, and vulnerable, giving in the slightest temptations and sins. Everywhere she traveled she saw its effects. It seemed these humans were ill prepared to mentally resist the constant gnawing hunger of sin, their resolve far from the iron wills displayed in some of the more... resilient mortal races. Most curious of all, was this cult of personality that appeared to exist around one particular mortal. Amatricina had asked about it among the locals, feigning ignorance in her mortal guise, and had learned enough to formulate judgement of her own. These humans appeared to have a king, though one not chosen by strength and power alone. It was curious to her, as the Demon Realm races only followed a king who proved himself the strongest amongst them, as they had followed Dabura in centuries long passed. This mortal king though, they referred to him as Ches, King of Earth. This Ches appeared to be a divine prophet of sorts, or so he claimed. Amatricina couldn't bother herself with most of the details, but the good king claimed to be reborn in the flesh by a great feat of magic, and was worshiped as a living god for it.

The demoness scoffed at the notion, there was little magic on this world, at least that she had seen. These humans couldn't fire so much as a simple ki blast, what hope did they have to command the powerful magics needed to bring back the dead. True resurrection was perhaps the strongest, and greatest of magics. Even in the Demon Realm its secrets were not known, instead most great sorcerers and warlocks could only master Necromancy, willing false life back into the undead vessels that had once harbored souls. It was a parlor trick compared to the real thing. Part of the demon envied this King Ches, he had through deception and guile seemingly convinced his entire planet both to accept his rule and that he was a divine protector of life. Perhaps the belief he truly could is what kept a powerful warlord from challenging his claim to the throne? Or perhaps these mortals did not have warlords, unlike the many demonic clans that fought endlessly for territory in her realm? It mattered little she supposed. A larger part of Amatricina however, was fast growing to despise the man. His face was plastered on damn near every television broadcast and his followers were like roaches crawling out of every building preaching their false beliefs. It had begun to irritate the demoness to no end. Regardless, it was all ultimately a trivial matter for Amatricina. Her concerns lie on uncovering the secrets behind her five starred gem, not petty mortal politics and their false deities.

Amatricina's wandering quest for knowledge on the truth behind her gem had led her to a place the mortals referred to as "East City." They were as clever at naming their settlements as they were at discerning false gods it would seem. The city itself was rather peaceful, resting on the shores of one of the planet's many coasts. Amatricina could tell immediately it was a hub of trade and commerce, vast docks and ports teeming with seaworthy vessels, and plentiful ground and air traffic moving goods to and from by land and sky. However, some great calamity had befallen the city in recent memory, and large swathes of the city skyline were in varying states of repair. Amatricina did not bother to investigate the cause further, she could inflict far greater damage herself if she desired, and that gave the demon little concern for what tragedy had set itself upon the city. What mattered was this hub of economic and cultural activity was likely to be a great repository of knowledge, with any luck some of that dealt in the mystic and arcane.

Sadly though only hours after arrival it became quite clear the mortals had much greater concerns of their own. A storm was brewing, in this case literal. A great typhoon, not unlike some of the storm systems that ravaged her home planet and neighboring worlds. It was almost refreshing, the closest thing the demoness had to kin on this wayward mortal world. However, the storm sent the local human populace into a panic, barricading storefronts and boarding up windows as they prepared for the storm's onslaught. The demoness could only grimace in discontent, electing to maintain her mortal guise and simply wait out the breeze. As fate would have it, she did not need to. Amatricina's senses were piqued, and she turned her gaze skyward. She felt the presence of numerous power levels, hundreds if not thousands. Each of them many orders of magnitude stronger than a human, and many of them no doubt suppressing their true strength. Invaders? Conquerors? Perhaps the humans that knew how to fight had returned?

The truth was far more disappointing. A ship of the so called "Kabochan Confederacy," whatever that was, had arrived. Some other race of mortals, likely more militant and imperialistic given their stronger power levels. The vessel was gargantuan, its size rivaled even the largest battleships and carriers fielded in her realm. If she had the chance, Amatricina would love to pick the captain's brain on the full capabilities of the vessel, but that was an idle daydream at the moment. The great warship proclaimed itself to be peaceful in intent, come to liberate this city from the looming storm. A part of Amatricina was saddened she did not get to spectate the humans being brutally pacified by a conquering force, but at least the warship held true to its other claim, and did indeed quell the great storm. With the immediate danger removed, the humans began to emerge slowly from their holes. They stood at their windows, stepping out of houses into the streets to look up at the vast battleship that now descended into the ocean like some great leviathan of the sea.

Curiosity had taken root in the demon, and she stood pondering many questions about this vessel and its Kabochan crew. Her search had thus far been fruitless among humans, perhaps these powerful space faring warriors were more knowledgeable in the arcane? The demoness made her way towards the docks, as did thousands of other mortals eager to lay eyes on the enormous ship now resting out in the open harbor. She was one among many in the crowd, and as she walked the demoness was already formulating plans on how best to handle the situation she had been presented with. She knew nothing of the beings on that ship, beyond their statement and their demonstration, but she greatly desired an audience. A sickening thought sent a lump down into her stomach. Was this some diplomatic mission of goodwill, come to meet with that damnable King Ches? How far did his cult of personality extend, had this Confederacy also been enthralled by his obvious ruse?

---

Word Count: 1,404
Cam

The demoness could only watch alongside the crowd of humans as these Kabochans landed their flotilla upon the ocean's waves. The vessels touched down with surprising grace, though the waves displaced by their heavy berth rocked and shook the aquatic vessels moored along the port. Some of the waves whipped heavy enough to send sprays of white sea foam up and over the docks towards the growing crowds. Amatricina smirked as she watched the closest scores of humans to water's edge get drenched by the wave, it amused her greatly. Life was about the simple pleasures after all, like watching a mortal suffer in even the most petty of capacities. Glancing around at the crowd, it was clear to Amatricina just how much of an outsider she was to these people. From the way she stood, to her regal gait, her every movement commanded a sense of purpose and authority beyond that of a simple peon hoping to do nothing but eat, copulate, and die old with their quaint little life. Her's was a higher purpose, and it shown on her face, betraying a kind of deadly seriousness and certainly that many of these mortals so desperately lacked. More important than appearances though, the demon knew all too well there was one aspect of her personage that she could never hide. Her ki, it was the calling-card of a demon not of this realm. As a being of great evil and a black heart, the demonic ki giving off by the fire demon was not vibrant yellow or white like that which most of the mortals possessed. It was a sinister crimson in color, a literal aura of shimmering hellfire that would wreath the demoness until the day she died. Though with her power level suppressed to human levels, she doubted these outsiders would be able to sense her as anything but another face in the crowd.

Amatricina's senses piqued as she felt the throngs of foreign xenos begin to move. Soon a great swarm of them approached from the sea, like locusts descending on a field of wheat. She watched with bated breath as they drew closer, an eyebrow raised in curiosity at the sight. Some flew small space craft, others flew under the power of their own ki or with mechanical assistance via armor or apparatus. Others were packed like sardines into dropships and landing craft, unable or unwilling to fly by some other means. It looked like a galactic menagerie, the kind of diversity of life that exceeded what Amatricina was used to in her realm. Demons tended to follow similar motifs in their appearance, regardless of planet of origin. Most were the magical creations of the original group of powerful beings imprisoned there by the Kais, as was the original origin of her clan. Others were magical experiments gone wrong, or mockeries of mortal creatures and animals, and a small subset were mortal races corrupted utterly by Dark Energy. But these mortals, they followed no apparent rhyme or reason in their appearance. They had endless combinations of color and shape, some small some large, mammal, reptile, and avian all apparent. Some Amatricina could not discern what they were, but she could still sense the darkness in their hearts just as easily as any. It was comforting knowing not matter how much mortals changed, their souls remained fundamentally similar.

One being in particular held supreme interest to the demoness. His power level greatly exceeded that of his companions, and as much as she regretted to admit to herself, her own. This damnable Mortal Realm was void of the Dark Energy that nourished demons with its intoxicating power. For all the strength she possessed in her own home realm, Amatricina was acutely aware her power was only a portion of that strength when she walked among mortals. It was a necessary evil if she were to continue to learn what she could about her orange starred gem. The individual in question held phenomenal power, it eclipsed that of his companions. Amatricina had not felt the ki of a Kabochan before the arrival of this fleet, it was vaguely similar to that of Saiyans, at least the few she had been able to study up close. In truth this particular Kabochan was the strongest mortal the demon had ever felt, it both irritated and concerned her that mortal beings could even become this powerful. She thought back to her late "king", Dabura. She had held no love for the demon, though he had been the strongest of their kind during his reign. His power exceeded by far even this mortal, but what if there were others out there that exceeded even this Kabochan's strength. Suddenly it became much more clear how the last Demon King had likely met his end. The actual circumstances of his demise were an unsolved mystery within the Demon Realm. One day he had left with his damnable wizard Babidi when headed to the mortal realm for some secretive purpose, and that was last either of them had been seen.

The fire demoness listened as the Kabochan leader addressed the crowds as she mused about her revelations. His honeyed words set most of the mortals at ease, alleviating their petty concerns. It was all bread and circuses, though she did not begin to know the true intent of the fleet of foreigners, even the lowliest imp in the Demon Realm knew it does not take a fleet of warships and thousands of soldiers to calm a storm and deliver a few mercantile goods. What game were these Kabochans playing at? She studied the being keenly, concentrating not on their ki but in the darkness that crept in their hearts. No being great or small could ever truly hide the desires that crept in their very soul, the sins that tainted their essence could never be truly washed clean. Amatricina could sense ambition within the Kabochan leader, though that was hardly unexpected given his station. A soft smile crossed the demoness' lips, she could see clearly his soul was far from pure. Beneath the facade being presented to this ignorant humans, there were darker intentions in the man's heart. She could practical taste in upon his very being, even if she was unable to gleam more than intentions.

Amatricina decided she had idly watched from afar long enough. If these Kabochans held any knowledge she sought, she would need to get into their good graces. There was no better way to do so, then to go straight for the proverbial throat. If she could enthrall the head of the beast, the body would quickly fall in line. False blue eyes were locked upon the leader of the fleet, and Amatricina began to move her way through the crowds towards him. The man and his retinue were only a few hundred feet away, but a growing throng of bodies separated them. The demoness moved the crowd deftly as she could, she was not used to being one among the many. It did little to humble her boundless pride regardless. Soon though, she was among the closest of the humans to the Kabochan leader and his personal retainers. The bodyguards, assistants, and whatever else they were all seemed keen on maintaining a modest perimeter around the area. With the amount of ordinance they had flying overhead, and power level they were bolstering, it hardly seemed worth the effort. It was all a great display of dominance in the end, the warships, the storm, the announcements, the soldiers, all of it. This was a power play, likely of political origins. But what relationship these Kabochans had with the planet, Amatricina largely did not care. They were a means to her ends.

The demoness locked her brilliant gaze on the Kabochan leader, trying to entice him towards her with her wanton stare. Her mortal guise was *almost* as alluring as her true demonic visage. Her eyes were a brilliant shade of blue, like the the warm waters of the harbor bay. Long sultry lashes and luscious ruby lips helped accentuate her beauty. She was dressed in a simple red top, one which boasted both a low neckline and exposed her bare midriff. Amatricina wore equally simple leggings, black as coal and figure hugging they flaunted her every ample lower curve. Her demonic crown of four great horns was hidden away, replaced by a simple black band that kept her long mane of fiery red hair in check. The demon's long elfish ears were tapered down to human proportions, and her ostentatious amounts of gold and jewelry was reduced to a pair of ruby earrings and several gold bracelets around her wrists. Even in the guise of a human, Amatricina was far too proud to ever change her true figure, openly flaunting it regardless of her attire.

A soft smile crossed the demon's face, and she began to speak, loud enough she could be heard by the leader over the others among the crowd. "Thank you so much for preventing that storm." Amatricina thanked them, feigning gratitude in spades. "East City has suffered so much, we're so lucky to have good fortunes for once." Her tone was somewhere between elated citizen and sinful temptress, toeing the line between the two as the demoness spoke. "Tell us your name, mighty emissary of the Kabochan Confederacy. Why has your Emperor sent such a powerful force, I'm sure you have so much to do than dispel a storm and barter a few gifts?"

---

Word Count: 1,599
Total Word Count: 3,003
Cam

The demoness listened as the Kabochan spoke more false words, more breadcrumbs for the human masses to choke themselves on. There was no need to bring such a flagship to this world just to barter goods. Hell, their fleet likely burned through more fuel in their expedition than they'd take back in revenue from their goods, depending on how long their journey had been. Though Amatricina did admit she had precious little knowledge of the galactic map of this realm, this Confederacy could be a stone's throw away or from an entirely different quadrant of the universe, she had absolutely no idea which was closer to the truth. When the leader of the Kabochan's introduced himself by name, Amatricina was more than surprised. "Emperor?" She stated in genuine surprise, the demoness instinctively bobbed curtsied before the ruler. A thousand years of political formalities and well practiced traditions did not fade simply before she wore a mortal's guise. "My apologies for not showing you proper respect, mighty Emperor Carambolis. I did not know it was you." Her ignorance of mortal factions and their leader was genuine, as was her surprise that the mortal had even greater reserves of strength within him.

She could taste the envy within his subordinates, this Emperor was the strongest of his kind by an order of magnitude. This was somewhat fortunate news to the demoness, if he had been a mere emissary, some admiral or otherwise, she was cornered what kind of power their actual ruler would hold. If the man before her was the strongest among his kind, it gave her great insight into what to expect from them. It meant the men of his retinue were among his strongest warriors, the behemoth vessel floating off the shore was likely their greatest warship and flagship of their navy, and the soldiers of their fleet were likely the finest of their armies. While this all gave the demon great insight into the strengths of these Kabochans, the limits of that strength were of great concern to her. It made her feel small in a way that she hadn't since the day she had watched a demon even as strong as her father bend the knee to the newly crowned Demon King. Never again did Amatricina wish for her or her clan to be reduced to mere servants to a higher power.

The right hand man of the Emperor, the Saiyan, his heart stunk of envy. She knew they were a prideful race, and the warrior coveted the kind of power his master held, but likely knew there was precious little he could do to obtain it. So he was a dog on a leash, which presented many questions of its own. She could sense the man was as mighty or mightier than the few Saiyans the demon had met over the centuries. They never seemed to be in mass numbers, were they nomadic or simply few in numbers? Did they not have a king, or a home world somewhere? Or perhaps their militant nature simply made them prone to serving as mercenaries in the company of others? Too many questions, no time to seek answers. Her own ignorance at the mortal races was a growing point of weakness for the demoness. She would need rectify that in the near future, lest she be hit with more surprises. The demoness laughed at the Emperor's joke, as did many of the other humans in the crowd. Hers was faked, though she hoped it was at least convincing; she had absolutely no idea what this "Space Vegas" was, or why it was such a lucrative destination. "Ha, of course Emperor, we're so glad to see your fleet again. Though I'm hardly the one you should be talking to. I'm sure our King will love to know about your latest arrival." She tried to deflect the Emperor's concerns towards the human ruler. He and his fleet were Ches' problem, not hers. She couldn't care less if they refueled and then proceeded to obliterate this planet, so long as she had enough time to cleave open a rift in existence and slip back to the Demon Realm first.

A voice rippled through the mind of the fire demon, intruding upon the most sacred of places. It was such a brazen invasion of her most inner sanctum, Amatricina despised psychics who abused their telepathy so blatantly, acting without permission or consent. The more she dwelt on it though, the man was an Emperor, and as such he held what she only could assume was supreme authority over his race. To him, this was no doubt well within his authority, and it was not like he didn't lack the power to back up his intrusion of her mind. She maintained her outwardly pleasant appearances, if only so the humans didn't think something was amiss. With the confides of her mind though, Amatricina's irritation was quite clear. 'Doesn't your kind know its rude to intrude a woman's privacy?' She teased back in mental response. 'The least you could do is take me out to dinner before you put yourself inside of me...' A teasing smile crossed the demon's lips, the Emperor was, if nothing else, rather dashing. And that was not simply the allure of his power calling.

'Who I am is of no concern to you, Emperor.' Her mental tone turned more serious. 'But since it is obvious you have seen through my mortal guise, for clarity's sake I will introduce myself. I am Amatricina, Firstborn Daughter of the late Lord Tartaros, and present Ruler of the Fire Demon Clan. Though I suppose my titles are nothing before an Emperor, wouldn't you agree, Carambolis?' The demoness relaxed her stance, placing one hand on a hip as she inspected the manicured nails on her other. She was used to wearing her armored gauntlets, and it wasn't often she got to idly inspect her nails, mortal guise or otherwise. 'I'll make whatever movements I want, it's quite clear you and your men have no intention of creating an incident here. Whatever lies you've fed these mortals betrays your true intentions. Besides, say I'm foolish enough to blindly attack you or your men; besides the fact my father would roll in his grave at my idiocy, the civilian casualties would be significant given how much these chattel have congregated from your arrival. Something tells me you don't want blood on your hands Emperor, at least... not yet. If you did, you'd have no need for all these false pleasantries.' Amatricina knew she could not match this Carambolis in a fight, and even if she could she did not want her identity revealed to this planet's populace. No, both of them were hiding a great deal from the humans, and she hoped he would appreciate that fact.

With his true strength revealed, Amatricina saw the Kabochan more clearly for what he was. The darkness that tainted his soul was not entirely of his own doing. Vestiges of demonic power wafted from him like the scent of blood off a fresh kill. He had either made a dark pact with some powerful demon, or slain one and absorbed what remained of its power himself. It unnerved her greatly, though she did not let it show. 'I can tell you've met my kind before, but not my kin. There is a great distinction, we demons are as innumerable in factions as you mortals are. My clan honors our pacts, and adheres to the ancient traditions. We are not thieves or mindless beasts who steal or kill as if it was as simple as breathing.' The mental words displayed a haughty irritation, and the demoness ceased inspecting her nails, placing the hand beneath her chin as she suppressed as laugh at the Kabochan's final comment. 'I am always careful in how I act, Emperor. You do not live as long as I have within the Demon Realm by being anything but careful.' Her gaze wandered skyward, to the gunship circling overhead. A paltry craft, part of her wished she could swat it from the sky like a gnat, the sound of its engines and its looming presence was fast growing thin on her nerves. 'As much fun as this little mental chitchat of ours is, I don't suppose you could do me one very small favor?' The demoness asked sweetly, if only because it amused her. 'Could you call off your craft overhead, it is tiresome, and we both know one simple strike craft is insignificant compared to say... a single one of your retainers. That ship is beginning to annoy me as much as these human's king, and his insufferable little cult...'

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Word Count: 1,463
Total Word Count: 4,466
Cam

"But of course, my Emperor." The woman responded verbally to the command, giving a short bow before following along besides the Kabochan. She walked with a kind of regal grace that betrayed her mortal guise, a loving sashay to her every step that flaunted her ample hips and luscious thighs. As she walked the demoness mused further on the man's words. What demons had made pact with his kind? Which clan had they belonged too? There were too many to count, and in truth her home realm was too vast for her to know them all off the top of her head. She had a few hunches though, but kept them to herself. Whichever clan it was, Amatricina wondered how they'd managed to find such a long-term solution to the barrier between mortal and demon realms. Most portals were small and fleeting, larger ones required incredible magics or fantastically powerful power levels to maintain. It was possible these Kabochans had been the ones to open the rift originally, given the strength of their emperor. 'What a gentleman.' She teased through their mental link when the gunship overhead deviated its course. The truth of the matter was she wanted to test to what extent this emperor was willing to accommodate a demon.

Amatricina let out a soft chuckle when the Emperor mused about it being 'always demons.' "Perhaps for your race, but I am the newcomer here. My gaze is focused inward, towards my own kind." This much was simple truth, she did care for these mortals, only their magic artifacts and the knowledge of them they hid. These Kabochans and Humans could kill each other for all she cared, it was dominion of her own realm that the demoness' ruby eyes were set upon. She was listening to him prattle on about the humans more when her heart nearly skipped a beat. Dragon Balls? Wish granting? Bring people back from the dead? He dropped this knowledge so casually, as if it was known by all. Amatricina held her tongue, her mind racing with untold new possibilities. So her gem was a Dragon Ball, and held the power to grant wishes. How many? To whom? Did they need be pure of heart? How powerful could the wish be? How far reaching? Now she knew why Dabura had left their realm on the secretive venture that spelled his doom. He'd cleared learned of these Dragon Balls somehow, likely that wizard Babidi. The two must have been slain by powerful mortals like this Emperor Carambolis who also sought after them. Perhaps that was the origins of his phenomenal strength? Just how much power could these wishes grant? She kept silent as she pondered, she would be sure to safeguard this knowledge with her life. Not even her kin or clan could know.

When at last she'd finally recovered from the revelation dropped upon her, it was to her dismay that the Emperor was still talking about the human king. She spit upon hearing his name, the spittle burned the concrete beneath their feet like it were molten steel. "Ches..." She said the man's name with contempt. "He is no true king. Not in my eyes." The woman turned, looking into Kabochan's amber gaze in an almost lustful manner. "My clan believes only the strongest amongst them is fit to rule. Only the greatest of my clan bears the title of Warlord, and she stands before you." Her gaze turned away, to looking up to one of the towering skyscrapers of the city. King Ches' face was plastered across a large billboard that stood atop the building. Pathetic. "You are a fitting ruler for your people, I have barely met you and I can feel as much. The strongest should claim their throne by might, as I am sure you have. This human king though, he is both a liar and a weakling. Lying I can sympathize with, but weakness is detestable in my eyes. Worse, these mortals follow his every word like chattel. It is pathetic, and I say that as a being who loves corrupting and influencing the weak willed."

The demoness raised a hand to her mouth, letting out a haughty chortle as the Emperor revealed his plans in earnest. "Oh Emperor Carambolis, I knew I could smell the ambition on you. You reek of avarice, and wrath; two of my favorite sins, after pride of course." She smirked, giving the Kabochan a teasing wink. "And we both know one bearing your title knows a skosh about pride. If your intentions are of claiming this planet, I am the last being in the universe to stop you. Frankly I could care less what fate befalls these humans, but since you are strong, and Ches is weak, my position on the matter is obvious." Amatricina threw up her hands, as if the matter was simply out of her hands. She let out another laugh, turning to walk backwards in front of the Kabochan as she eyed him up and down. "Emperor, I do think you're fast becoming my favorite Mortal."

When Carambolis asked about the true nature of Amatricina, her great vanity and pride compelled her to respond honestly. "I am a beautiful woman in every form, my dear Emperor. Why would a demon such as myself ever want to hide that fact away?" Amatricina leapt back a few dozen feet, flexing her muscles as she summoned forth her true form. The first thing to go were her eyes, false sky blue quickly giving way to brilliant burning crimson irises. Demonic hellfire consumed the demon's personage, burning away at her mortal attire before magically reconstructing itself as if it were molten gold. When the pyre had vanished Amatricina stood before the Kabochan in her full demonic visage. Four great black horns wreathed her head in a crown of bone. Crimson and golden armor bedecked her voluptuous figure, armored gauntlets and knee high boots, matched by twin pauldrons that hung from her slender shoulders and a metal brassiere that barely covered the expanse of her bust. The fire demon now sported an exorbitant amount of jewelry. Her armor was inset with large rubies; bracelets and necklaces gracing her porcelain skin, while gold bands were wrapped round her horns. "Do you like what you see?" She teased, her long great cloak unfurling to nearly touch the floor. The demoness dusted herself off, inspecting her appearance and admiring herself in her true form.

"Alright then Carambolis." Amatricina said, deigning to state his title for the first time. "As you said, I'll show you mine, and you show me yours. But know this, I am sapped of vast portions of my strength in this realm. Were I on your home world, I'd have simply cleaved a portal back to my own. Your world is not of my concern." The demoness rolled her neck, listening to it crack and pop before she exhaled sharply, small jets of flame coming from her nostrils as she did. "And we were in the Demon Realm for this bout, things would be far more interesting." The demoness tossed back her ruby mane of hair, blowing her sparring partner a kiss as she did. "One last thing, let's find someplace more... secluded. Can't have these humans catching me out and about like this after all." With that the fire demon summoned her ki, flying off across the oceans surface at supersonic speeds, kicking up a great plume of water and surf as she did. The flew deep out into the coastal waters, well past the prying eyes of East City until she came upon a small island. It looked barren save for the beaches and some palm trees. More important, it was large enough it would do.

The demoness touched down on the center of island. She clenched her fists, roaring loudly as she summoned forth her demonic ki. Her aura flared around her like a cyclone of fire, it charred the grass around her and heated the air as if the island were in an oven. Amatricina drew forth more power, trying to will forth her full strength. But alas, without her precious Dark Energy there was only so much strength she could must in this realm. Still, she hoped it would be enough to keep her pride intact. Her aura flared out to the fullest extent she could muster, as the demoness powered up as best she could manage. Trees shook as if whipped by hurricane winds, and large cracks appeared in the ground beneath her feet. "Alright, Let's Go!" She roared to the heavens, speaking to no one in particular but herself. Her opponent would be here in moments, and Amatricina was ready as she could be. The demon opened her mouth wide, the fires within her rising like an erupting volcano. Then in an instant she fired her blast, an enormous mouth cannon of burning demonic ki that screamed across the skies towards her opponent. Amatricina had no intentions of starting this duel off with anything less than her full might, and had focused every ounce of her wrath into the blast.

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Word Count: 1,533
Total Word Count: 5,999
Cam1d100+45·1d100·1d12+1·1d12+1·1d12+1·1d12+1·1d12+1·1d12+1·1d12+1·1d12+1·1d100k8itewAI

He knew the demon was trying to speak honeyed words to him; after all she admitted she liked to corrupt, to try and steer the course of mortals to ruin, that was simply the nature of demons, though to say he was completely immune to the Amatricina's charm would be a lie. As she took on her true form, Cam's lips parted, before a grin crossed his features, "How regal," he retorted with, "I like your style, if that's what your asking," not trying to give the demoness the satisfaction to admit that she could generate any kind of lust within the man's heart. At her declaration that she was more powerful in her own realm, Cam scoffed, "Well you can here. This is where your power matters." As the demoness demanded a change in locale Cam was happy to oblige. Lifting off the ground the Emperor would follow suit until they landed on the sandy beach of an island.

He always did enjoy visiting other planets--Landing on Kabocha, to a human, was much like walking into a bar where the patrons were still allowed to smoke cigarettes, albeit much brighter, with two suns night was a rarity on his planet, the closest thing often being a deep orange twilight. The atmosphere had only about three quarters of the levels of oxygen earth had and many other gasses that, in the long term were harmful to other species, though Kabochans had evolved in such environments. Being on Earth meant an oxygen rich atmosphere that was a boon to the warrior, he would have to try hard to wind himself on this world, though the gravity wasn't too far off. Kabocha itself was a far more dense planet, despite being about the same size. Gravity made humans sluggish on his planet, though it was still within the perimeters of similarity that a normal human could land on his planet and still be able to move, if not be a little strained by such movements. Here on earth though, lungs almost over-saturated with oxygen he felt almost a giddy high.

Landing about fifty feet off from his opponent, his eyes widened as the Demoness only raised how power higher, the Kabochan giving a slight applause, "Not bad, but, lets get real. You should know what you're dealing with," when the flames spread, Cam felt the singe against his skin but didn't move. Inhaling, he let his unbridled power grow.



it didn't take long, the striping beneath his skin rose to the surface, shifting and churning, red and blue markings crawled over his features, writing in the language of the gods and demons, though the origins of who wrote them was not indicated by the markings. If Amatricina was literate in her own language, which she most likely was, she could see that these markings unlocked any reserves of power within Cam's mortal frame, not only that though, they acted as a conduit, soaking in ambient power from all other life--spirit energy. Cam's corvid black hair shifted in shade into stark a stark opal white contrast, the mother-of-pearl glisten catching against the light of the flames, his eyes went from amber to a stark purple when he tapped into his energy, but when the transformation began to take place they whited out completely, one got the sense he was seeing far, far more than the demoness in front of him, "I'll give you ten seconds of this. Try and hold out, aye?" The pressure from the power that came from him was immense--he was beyond the strength of a super Saiyan, he had been months ago, he didn't need this transformation to defeat such an enemy, he had proven that in a duel long ago, this power merely shifted the odds further in his favor.

As Amatricina's attack closed in, he moved quickly, though it was needed, stepping aside as the beam cut across the ocean, dipping into the waves and exploding. If Amatricina's power was an oven, then the Emperor's was as hot as a strike of lightning--entirely true in this case, his aura heated the silica beneath his him to a point where it melted it into glass. When they were done fighting one might think this island had been a nuclear test sight. With a thrust of his hand, an immense burst of golden ki energy hammered forward at Amatricina, trying to sweep her off her feet. Hand still extended Cam's already fierce, god-like visage twisted into a malevolent snarl.

Lifting off the ground several feet, the Emperor hovered towards Amatricina, the air around him distorted, the heat causing mirage like waves, the effects only growing as Cam's form seemed to waver and shift, his psychic pressure building up, he began to clench a crushing invisible palm around Amatricina's entire body, trying to squeeze the life right out of her before he would point a finger up, then down, and up, then down, trying to crush, then slam the woman into the ground, "Do you understand no why you cannot afford to underestimate us mortals?!" Cam shouted, "Demons and gods--those lines don't matter anymore! They're being blurred! Mortals will taunt down the wrath of the gods, there are those out there already threatening to do as such, when that day comes I will make this galaxy strong enough to survive the greatest war ever fought!" Just what was the Emperor talking about now? What did he know of gods and demons, and a war greater than any other that was apparently, on its way to the mortal realm?

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The Emperor guffawed, "Ten seconds is for your safety demon, but since you're feeling squirrely fine, we'll see how long you last. Tell me, when you look around you, what do you see?" Cam asked, gesturing a hand around, he already knew the answer, "Demons and gods can pierce the veil, but you aren't there yet are you? You can't see what I see, the threads of reality. Let me enlighten you," he gestured a hand around, "Our reality--everything in it, you, me, the ground beneath your feet, the air we breathe. It's all just energy. Slowed down and forced to vibrate within a certain set of confines. I've learned to tap into that energy, I can make it a portion of myself. I don't know if some gods or demons wrote on me, but I stared out into space, into time, I saw unknowable geometry, the laws of physics and time and space, I learned... Perhaps not how to break them, but how to bend them." He explained.

"I can't create life from nothing, but I can take from the entire font of reality. Whether it's the rocks beneath your feet, the blades of grass, the fish in the sea, or the alien warrior two systems away fighting another warrior or even you," he pointed a finger at the demon, "I can tap into it all at once, and draw from it. Make it a portion of myself. I am the universe and the universe is me, that is the only way I know to describe what's going on. It only get stronger each time I enter this form," in truth it was a state of being that Kabochans had been perfectly suited for; his race saw things others simply couldn't. A spectrum of color much wider than most other races, they had thousands of colors they could see that humans nor saiyans nor likely demons didn't have names for, in addition to infrared and microwave, "I can see the energy in your body," Cam explained as he juked his head to one side of the incoming kick, "Even if you execute your attack perfectly with no telegraph, I can still see how the energy moves around inside your body, the synapses firing to tell your legs to kick--fighting me up close is not a good idea, by the by," Cam pushed foward. With one of Amatricina's legs over his shoulder due to the dodged kick, the Emperor would be situating himself directly between the demons legs, "I've been to the other side. Seen the limbos of other world, even fought the serpent queen there. Whatever it is that gods and demons have, I've taken a portion of it as my own," he cranked his head forward, trying to give Amatricina an irish kiss--only if it connected it would hit much, much harder than any mortal should have been able to strike. Psychic energy was easy to use and Cam had learned quickly that he could use it to augment his own body with kinetic energy, thus making his blows all the more powerful and crushing.

Despite how strong Amatricina was, Cam made what he did look easy, one might think he was somehow still holding back, and in truth he was. He wasn't just some thug with a gimmick, he was tried and true warrior, with tactics and stratagems, abilities that only someone who had fought for his life dozens of times would know, "As strong as I am, understand that their are beings with raw power that bests mines, by my count just over ten. Of that handful, I can best most of them with other tricks up my sleeve. There's only one or two I truly worry about."

Closing the distance once more, Cam would use his quick movements to appear behind Amatricina, both his hands knotted together over his head in the formation of a sledgehammer, one might think Cam had struck Amatricina with an actual hammer if the blow landed, it likely would flatten her into the ground, if she was knocked prone the Emperor would wind up a kinetically charged kick and send the demon woman flying, though before he did he would ask, "Tell me, in hell do they know about the Frieza force?"

Cam chortled at that, "You don't get as strong as I do by dying. The truth of the matter to this strength is I don't know who gave it to me. At first I thought it was one of your race trying to exert control, we engaged in a psychic war--one that I won. Whatever occurred after that... Gave me this. It left me marked as I am now before you, with more power than ever and it only keeps on growing. Perhaps its a mystery you can find the answer to, I've been searching for one myself," As Amatricina closed in to attack, the Emperor shifted, once more making his defense look easy and impeccable. His hand charged with psychic energy he spiked Amatricina's attack into the ground, shaking the hand off, "Not bad, still quite warm even when I defend against it. You've got a lot of potential."

It was the fire demon's declaration of wanting to break free that the Emperor sighed, "See? That's exactly what I'm talking about. That process of piercing the veils, that's already beginning. Kais, demons, doesn't matter. Mortals will be caught in the middle, whether we want to be or not. I intend to make this realm as ready for that conflict as it can be." He smiled then, genuinely pleased with himself, "As you can see, I am at least prepared for the conflict, as are a few others. Consider carefully if you want to go to war with everything. That's not a fight you can win, especially if you can't get rid of me. You're right, the lines are being redrawn. What we define as the strongest is changing. You better keep up," the Kabochan taunted before he rapidly closed in.

His fists came up, charged with psychic energy turned kinetic, "I haven't shown you anything yet demon!" And indeed he hadn't. His onslaught of attacks had purely been with his mind, fractional in his energy uses, though he would decide to exert himself this time ever so slightly as he unleashed a flurry of impeccably fast, hard-hitting blows that would have disintegrated anyone else into a fine pink mist the moment his fists touched them, though the fire demon he imagined, was a bit more durable than a few beings of flesh and blood, "You better make it past these attacks! I want to be able to show you the full breadth of what I can do," he kept his taunting up, before when his last blow was thrown he added, "And don't forget, you asked for this," His whited out eyes mere inches from hers as he seemed to be able to see through Amatricina rather than actually looking at her, and that wasn't entirely untrue. He was a man suited to fighting armies, or at least multiple foes. It was so rare he got to concentrate all his power on a singular foe, and Amatricina for better or worse, hadn't entirely taken up all of his concentration, yet.

Amatracina would have to try harder than that if she wanted to land any sort of effective strikes. Her flames managed to singe Cam's armor and some of his hair, though he seemed otherwise intact. As he witnessed the oncoming beam of fire, he smirked, the look on his face even while transformed was one of utter confidence, those marks continuing to creep under his skin. With one hand outstretched, he began to gather the oncoming attack, first it halted mid-air, as if frozen for a second, though his psychic grip extended past the gout of fire to its origins, "We must be respectful, after all, we're only guest," Amatricina was in his clutches, her attack was in his clutches. With a free hand he clenched his fist shut, and the massive sheer that had carved the island in twain, Cam began to, well, undo it. Waves of water were pushed back as the island was knit back together with psychic energy, "Piece of advice, charging a psychic warrior head on is about the worst tactic you can do. They're always stronger than you, even if power levels down show it," he stepped forward towards the demoness as she was still frozen, her eye beams still hovering mid-air, bristling with fiery energy.

The transformed Emperor plucked his scouter from his belt, moving to place it on the Demoness head, not exactly like she could resist at this point. He toggled a few buttons and the heads up display began chirping with data and numbers, it indicated raw numbers of power to the woman, "I know being a demon you can sense my powers just fine, however scouters provide statistics, numbers, all kinds of data beyond, your opponents raw ability," indeed the scouter of today had far more utility than the ones of yore, able to read power levels that were more precise and much higher, but they also recorded data like movement patterns, assisted in spotting telegraphing of the body, and of course acted as a stellar form of communication, right now Amatricina would see that it pegged Cam's power in yellow lettering against the purple lens as: 418,261 as well as tiny lettering that identified him as, "Carambolis - Kabochan (Highly durable, advanced sight) - Class A threat - Strong Psychic and energy abilites, approach with caution!!! Attacks with the mind to cripple his foe before unleashing massive energy attacks. When in melee fights with Frieza elite tactics, expect a combination of heavy, slow strikes paired with quick kicks and jabs." The scouter went on and on, after all it was his own and had learned to predict the fighter. Cam didn't mind, in this case it didn't matter. Even if someone knew what he could do and how he was doing it, resisting it was often nigh impossible.

"That one suits you, you can keep it. Hell, if you need to contact me you can actually use that. They work across vast distances, you'd need to enter another realm for it to not work." He paused, "Or break it I suppose." He grinned again, "Oh, by the by. This is gonna hurt," he then released Amatricina's attack back at her, the fiery eye beams aimed for center of mass. Given she was a fire demon it likely wouldn't do as much, but few warriors knew their own fighting styles and energies well enough to completely negate their own attacks. Releasing his mental hold on Amatracina he followed up such an attack with a quick sky kick, the man flexible enough that he could kick a man in the chin taller than himself, following up said kick with a psychic blast that was meant to send the Demoness sprawling, putting some space between the two fighters, "You're not a fool, you know what I'm telling you. Fight smarter, that's the only way to beat someone with more raw power. It's how I know I can kill so many of those dozen who have so much more raw power than I do. They're simply not prepared to deal with me."

All the while the ground beneath them kept shifting, Cam putting things in order as best he could, though the ocean waters had already cooled much of the magma that had bubbled to the surface as volcanic rock, "I never thought I'd say this to a demon, but I do hope we can be allies as time goes on. If nothing else you can take your fair share of punishment. Most men and women would have died by now, but you," he smiled once more, genuinely surprised, "You just keep holding on. I can respect tenacity. It's a cornerstone of a truly great fighter. It's all I had when I began the journey to... whatever this is." referring to his transformed power. If Amatricina could attain such prowess, indeed she would be able to rival his abilities and then some he imagined.

Indeed he could see a demon's chaotic energies, and indeed he had before. He recalled his fight with a demon and a saiyan in an arena off world--a fight that had been stacked against him as both his foes had been nearly four times his strength in raw power level, though he had bested one and given the other quite a run for his money. He had still lost the fight ultimately to a Saiyan warrior named Taro--one Polaris held a vendetta against, Cam had recovered the footage of said warrior's final moments. He didn't know Taro personally, but it was just another drop in the bucket of his distaste for the Galactic empire: Another honorable warrior killed for petty revenge.

He stared down Amatracina's attack. Cam had rarely won a fight worth winning without having to shed some of his own blood, this fight it appeared, was no different. He saw the incoming flames as he had done so before, once more his guard raised though it was different this time, rather than spiking her attack or gathering it to use against her, he created a thin mesh of ki over his body that acted as a shield, it flickering into existence then flicking out with the oncoming attack. Once more, the Kabochan was unscathed, and if Amatricina was still wearing the scouter Cam had loaned her, it would make her aware of that fact and that he was charging up an impossible to stop beam of energy, "It's so rare I get to make an attack like this. You better have a trick up your sleeve," Cam's voice called out.

For a moment, there was no sound. No noise of any kind, all animals that had been nearby had long since left, but the oceans of earth seemed to stop churning and crashing, the flames that Amatricina had caused along the island's landscape seemed to die, the skies seemed to darken as perched between Cam's palms was an orb of gathered energy that could've killed an entire world, let alone the demoness that stood before him. "Who's power you hold no longer matters--remember, the lines have been redrawn!"

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