The Reality Vortex: Red Reputations

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Vegetto's eyes widened to the brim, suddenly slamming down onto the ground on all fours. He grimaced heavily under the sheer weight of the power behind Lucifer's debilitating move, his fingers shattering the very tile itself as he clenched his fingers tightly in a bid to push back against the weight laid on him. The narrowed glare of the Potara fusion returned, meeting Lucifer's eyes head on throughout the angel's threat and explanation of his take on the robust situation at hand.

The danger and safety to every member of the room, potentially even to the Breakers themseles, proved a damning ambiance. The grave threat seemed in all its strength to be as easy to realize as the angel mentioned; a thought to annihilate everyone. Not unlike moments before, where the looming threat of Vegetto's threat presented doom for Avalon to compromise. In the face of such challenge, Avalon showed loyalty and humility, prepared to swallow his pride to save the ones he cared for in a manner like Lucifer's demand of Vegetto.

In stark contrast, Vegetto's unwavering and narrowed glare spoke volumes of the man's intent. The words and prospect of annihilation, even his own, did little to phase the Potara fusion. His stare held a familiar feel, similar to Gogeta's unwavering confidence on matters he felt prideful on. Yet Gogeta's pride was far meager to the overwhelming ego that dominated Vegetto's mind, and in the glare, Lucifer could see a man willing to let the entire Vortex burn before he submitted under any terms other than his own.

The white fire finally mounted slowly around Vegetto's body, a dramatic rise to fight against the darkness wrought upon his body. In a sudden surge, Vegetto twitched violently, and roared in a violent blast of wind in every direction. Expelling the controlling the minor amount of power used by Lucifer to restrain him, Vegetto rose to his feet and panted heavily; a clear toll taken on his body to simply stand back up to his feet in defiance of the angel. His gloved hands balled immediately into fists, the strong and hateful glare plastered on Vegetto's face in preparing to bring about the doom to everyone promised for the sake of his pride.

Yet, the attempt to strike back at Lucifer never came, Vegetto's eyes turning to the side and glancing around the room. A few of the healing tanks had shattered under the force displayed by both Lucifer and Vegetto, some of the doctors and nurses injured under the falling shards. However, all of the occupants looked on in sheer horror over attending to their wounds, and what managed to finally break through to the Potara fusion was not in their fear of the Breakers or Lucifer this time. Their stares trained heavily onto Vegetto the most; the deathly fear of being crushed by the very person responsible for their safety and home a clear feeling that could be read on their faces. Vegetto's glare only softened in an angry confusion at first, looking around to see the majority of the room terrified mostly by his own actions including some of the Breakers like Beserk. His stare eventually turned to Gogeta who was recovering from the blow, and Cayde. The two closest people that he could call friends looked on with tense and frightened stares. While both clearly focused their preparations to attack Lucifer, the fact of the matter finally broke through to Vegetto in seeing the two men taking precautions not only with Lucifer, but glancing over to size up Vegetto as an instinctive defense tactic.

Vegetto slowly unclenched his fists, letting out a heavy and frustrated sigh. The softened stare remained in looking around, realizing that everyone began to slowly see the dormant monster that still lived within him. Only when his eyes landed back to Lucifer did the glare sharpen once more, and Vegetto met eyes with the angel once again with a smoldering tone behind his dual voice.

"Fine."

Vegetto immediately scoffed; the word alone nearly unleashing his wrath once again as he promptly turned on his heel and strode towards the door leading into the main terrace of the tower. He promptly smashed the door open with a slight flick of his wrist, soon disappearing down the hallway to leave the others behind in the room. After a few moments of silence, Cayde loudly cleared his throat with a mechanical cough, still clutching onto his hand cannon that was drawn from his holster.

"Well...that could've gone better. I'll show you all to your rooms...we should probably do that meal with Brachi."

The android huffed in annoyance with a small frown.

"If you wanted to be wrong and hate ramen, then that's all you had to say...sheesh. No need to threaten everyone's lives over it."
 
Brachi, Bara and Jize all watched the exchange between Lucifer and Vegetto in silence, not sure what to make of it. Upon hearing her name being mentioned, Brachi then turned to Cayde, her voice soft and polite.

"Can you please show me where your kitchen is so I can get to work with it?" She asked with a genuine smile, hoping that the situation was diffused for the time being and that they finally would be able to get some rest, have a meal, and recover their much needed energy.

Perhaps then they would get the means to deal with the situation at hand, dealing with the Red King, resolving their reputation if at all possible, and hopefully find a way to bring everyone else back.

Jize on her turn sighed, turning to Bage.

"I never thought that there could be so much tension within the room with just a few individuals... it must be quite difficult for you to deal with at this time, especially with what had just happened..." She said to the Detective.
 
Berserk let out a small yelp in having Avalon kicked in her direction, barely having enough stamina left just to catch him without tripping over. She opened her mouth in a shocked objection to Lucifer's threat before silencing herself under the pressure emanating from him and Vegetto following. Berserk tensed up as she didn't loosen her grip on Avalon's forearm, almost frozen as she wasn't sure what would happen next. Only when the wind burst around did she shield her face with an arm, nervously shutting her eyes through the next few moments of dangerous silence.

Bernkastel raised her eyebrows as she watched Lucifer counter Vegetto's threatening demeanor with a verbal one of his own. The prospect of getting killed by Lucifer seemed to contradict moves he made to save them in the past, but knowing most of the context for those choices lessened the surprise. What did surprise her was the amount of power left in him after the effects of Roya's spell-- Lucifer was doubtlessly one who could eclipse Vegetto at full power. 

But would that alone be enough to make Vegetto stand down? Surely not; the Witch had seen enough instances from Gogeta to be convinced such things wouldn't sway Vegetto either. She had no energy left in her to sway the situation, so she could do nothing but accept what was to come-- Vegetto clearly had no intention to submit, death would come either way.

Looks like I lost to Vegetto, Bern thought with a dull sense of frustration mixed into resignation. Guess I can think about how I'll get even in the next thousand years...

Such a thing didn't happen though; instead, the fusion stepped down and headed off somewhere-- probably to sulk. Berserk let out a sigh of relief as the tension from Vegetto's side left the room before she grasped at her hair ribbon. "Did you have to double-threaten him like that, dude?! He looked like he was about to take you up on that!" she said, flustered with what Lucifer said.

"I'm surprised he didn't," said Bernkastel. "He looked very sure of himself about going through with fighting Lucifer but something made him change his mind..." her gaze drifted over to Gogeta temporarily before scowling. "... For once, I'm at a loss whether to call that a miracle."

"Well, it would've been nice to know Lucifer could do that before..." Berserk sweated, crossing her arms with a pout. "But it does have an element of surprise. Still, I don't ever wanna end up in that position again!" She turned to Avalon apologetically. "Sorry I acted like a chicken... it wasn't cause I wanted to. Where I'm from, disagreements get settled with a fistfight and nobody complains. But it has to be one on one! He dangled everyone's lives over just you, and that pisses me off." Berserk cracked her knuckles with a scowl-- she couldn't pin down Vegetto as a hero, but she was certain now she greatly disliked him. "He just got lucky, next time he wants a fight, I'll give him one."

"Save your hotheaded retribution for after the Red King is dealt with, please," Bern chimed in before going quiet. "At this rate, we'll be indebted to you forever Lucifer," She sighed. "Not like you were betting on it to go the way it did, I'm sure."

"To think he would be our only rescue of all people... Even with miracles fate enjoys toying with me," Bern mumbled next to Zenta, staring towards Gogeta forlornly before wringing out the water from her dress which was riddled with cuts and holes. With the stress of the King and Cross's departure, at least a change of scenery could cool their heads a bit. "Well then, let's get into something dry and eat. We've all gone days without food."
 
As Avalon awaited for Vegetto's say, he was kicked away by Lucifer. With a heavy grunt, he fell back on Berserk. While Lucifer threatened to kill Vegetto's town, as well as the other Breakers, his glare shifted to the Angel. He did not know who to trust and despite the fact that Vegetto saved them, it left a horrible taste in his mouth. All he felt was shame, humiliation, and pity. He remained silent throughout Lucifer's threat, almost as if accepting whatever Lucifer was going to do to them. His mind was scattered. He did not know what to believe.

This day just keeps crappin' down on us, huh? Even when we try to do the good thing, we get humiliated for it. What's the point of admitting our faults if we have jerks that ride their high horse..? Maybe Cuki was right... However, he remembered Bages's supportive hand on his shoulder as well as Lucifer's weird word choice. ...I guess not everyone is bad. Maybe if we just put our differences aside and start lookin' at what makes us equal... well, who knows?

Once Vegetto left the room, Avalon rose to his feet. He turned to Berserk and listened to her before placing a hand on top of her head, ruffling her wild hair.

"Aww shucks, don't you worry about a thing, Berserk! I wouldn't want you gettin' hurt. To be honest... you knocked some sense into me. I was about to lose it and punch that jerk. I... I forgot about everyone's safety as well as how weak and tired we are," Avalon sighed, his ears slumping to show his fatigue. "Not like I would've done much anyways... I'm... pretty weak."

"I would not downplay your actions, Avalon," Zenta said with a smile. "You have shown to be the bigger person in this situation. Most people in your position would have acted violently. Truthfully, I thought you really were going to lash out at Vegetto, especially given your personality. Of course, since you were put into such a tight corner, you had no choice but to submit. I cannot say this ended nonviolently, but at least the tension was diffused somewhat. Still, I wonder," Zenta said as he fiddled with the afro-puffs on his arms. "What other tricks does our little Lucifer have up his sleeve? Ohoho~"

"When you put it like that, it does sound kinda cool." Avalon worked up the courage to hold a tiny smile but his depression was still deep. All he could remember was the look Berserk had as well as the image of his younger sister behind her. He then looked down at his hand and remembered the energy that surrounded it. What was that energy..? It didn't feel like anythin' I'm used to... Could that be Seilong? Was he... also mad?

The ninja shook his head, focusing on the topic at hand. "But Miss Bernkastel is right! Let's save the talk for after we grab a bite to eat, I'm starving."

"Agreed. I would like my fur to return to its normal state. I look...ridiculous." Zenta's voice lowered, trying to hide his embarrassment. He then turned to Cayde. "I apologize for the trouble we caused, particularly Lucifer. We have been without food and rest for over four days now. To say we are a bit agitated is an understatement." The beast chuckled. "If you could kindly lead us to our rooms or offer us this town's famous ramen, I will be most grateful."

"Yeah, b-but if I have to sleep in the same room as Berserk, I want my own bed!" Avalon's cheeks started to have a light blue tint. "Can't sleep on the same bed with a girl..." He then turned to Lucifer with a sheepish smile. "And, uh... thanks for helpin' me?"
 
The sinister look lingers on in the face of Vegetto rising from the group and stood on his two feet. Indeed, this is not persuaded Lucifer at any way from backing down from his threat. Instead, the angel was practically daring the warrior to make any movement. As Vegetto tightened his fists, Lucifer’s eyes narrowed—waiting for this man, who was considered a hero in certain communities, make his decision. It was an eye that showcase no fear, but morbid curiosity to see if the arrogance was truly so great, he will doom the very lives of others.

Yet, despite some crushed healing tanks that was expelled initially earlier, nothing happened. Instead, Vegetto, angrily, left the room—ending the feud altogether. The angel closed in eyes—it was hard to partake what was Lucifer thinking when Vegetto left: disappointment or satisfaction. Not skipping a beat after the ordeal; however, Lucifer stood up straight and turned his attention towards the others, his sinister look he displayed earlier had vanished. “You shouldn’t be so concern. I’m sure that you’ll survive since you’re just a walking tin can.” Lucifer joked, addressing to Cayde first. “Besides, if everyone dies, then no one would have to lower themselves to eat such bottom-of-the-bottom dish. Oh, how I wish Vegetto did something just so I do not have to eat such a dreaded meal. My taste buds are actually dying just from the mere thought of putting that near my tongue.”

As the wings folded themselves, then receded in his back, Lucifer’s usual look returned; the smugness he constantly held despite literally dangling the lives of the Breakers, and everyone else, in front of Vegetto as if it was no big deal. “It was a gamble, Berserk. I just wanted to see how he would react—and if he would have taken up such offer, well, that is your fates. But he did not, so we get to live another day, again. I say we should celebrate this act. Not every day one escape deaths multiple times in a span of an hour.” Lucifer chuckled.

Yet, when Avalon approached Lucifer to give his thanks, the sinister look returned immediately. Lucifer observed Avalon up and down and show utter disgust. Reaching for his pocket, Lucifer pulled out a drenched handkerchief: drying it out as hard as he could, Lucifer immediately slapped Avalon with it with a good amount of force to leave a mark on his right cheek.

“Please, I advise you to not confused my reasons for stepping in. While I delight in these conversations, I, for one, cannot stand around and bear witness with my own eyes of seeing someone foolishly toss away their will, and willingly be obedient and offer loyalty to anyone. Neither you nor anyone ever do that shameless act again—it is not brave or courageous.” Lucifer scolded Avalon’s actions. Putting away the handkerchief, the sinister looked he held towards the ninja vanished as Lucifer rubbed Avalon’s cheek gently. “Do it again, and I will not hesitate on killing you. Those that toss away their freedom and will, are better off dead.” Lucifer said with the level of smugness on face—but the way he said it was bordering on the line as “jokingly” manner, as he usually does. “Now that you understand, let’s eat shall me?” Lucifer walked away, but then paused for a second as he waited for Cayde to guide them. “Oh, now I really thinking that we should be better off dead to skip that meal.” He placed his right hand on his chin, clearly dreaded on eating ramen.
 
Cayde frowned initially at the sight of Lucifer's behavior, the metal eyebrows narrowing a bit at the direct insult of being called a tin can. He then suddenly softened his stare, letting out a heavy sigh and lowering his pistol back into his holster after seeing Lucifer's demeanor change away from the sinister, threatening stare. He blinked, perking his head a bit at Brachi's question. The android seemed a bit put off by the strange tone presented given the gravity of the situation that just unfolded.

"Uh...yeah...you don't need to try that hard to be nice, dear. We don't have one of those in the tower. The last time we did, there may or may not have been exploding tuna casserole that burned this entire place to the ground."

He cleared his throat, moving towards the smashed door that Vegetto had just exited the room from.

"So since this woman can't cook for us, and that all of you need to be aware that we don't allow tuna casserole here on the tower premises, I guess I'll treat everyone to ramen. Except you-"

Cayde narrowed his eyes slightly at Lucifer, a more sarcastic and pouty tone behind his voice than actual anger.

"You confuse my feelings, and I don't know if I hate you or love you. Either way, I don't think we can see each other because of your hurtful words about my ramen, so you can stay in your room for now."

The android did not wait for a reply, turning his head to the others.

"As for the rest of you, please, follow me."

Cayde promptly departed, guiding the Breakers down the same hallway after carefully pushing open the shattered door that fell onto the floor despite his best efforts. Gogeta rose slowly to his feet, a stare of dejected sorrow on his face at the sight of the display. He was careful to avoid looking at the other Breakers, but his gaze lifted towards Bernkastel after feeling her eyes on him. He frowned, matching her expression with a low sigh, before following after the Breakers at the very back to avoid being near anyone.



Arriving into a narrow pathway like the hallway leading into an old, but well maintained oriental hotel, Cayde moved off to the side and gestured towards the walkway. Doors lined the hallway on each wall, totalling out to eleven individual entryways as Cayde spoke with a confused tone.

"Right, so, you guys can all stay here. We tried to make the rooms in a way that would suit you guys with all your different personalities, but that took too much work and we didn't really care so we stopped trying. You'll find each one's got a shower, a bed, some dressers and basic things that make a room, a room. But that's about it."

He shrugged his shoulders.

"There's seven rooms...I think? I don't know; I didn't build this place so just each of you take a room and whoever wants to share can share. You'll find some dry clothes in there, but I don't know if they're your style so you might actually look good for a change!"

Cayde coughed into his right fist.

"Except for Cross...that guy was already cool looking. He's my favorite...don't tell anyone."

He paused for a moment after his random revelation, speaking up again to continue his obnoxious rant before turning to the others.

"Any questions?"
 
"What the hell..?" Avalon rubbed his cheek when Lucifer slapped him with his handkerchief. With how Lucifer talked, he could never tell if the angel was serious or not. Yet, something in his gut told him to take Lucifer seriously on his threat. Regardless, he made sure to follow Cayde and the others to the hall that contained their rooms.

"Well then, I suppose we should relax a bit before we step out to eat this town's famous ramen with Cayde," Zenta said to the others. "Perhaps a brief moment of rest is what we need..."

"Whatever room Berserk picks, I'll just take the one next to hers," Avalon remarked.

Zenta then turned to Bernkastel and moved to the side, allowing the Witch to pick any room she desired. He bent at the waist, giving Bernkastel a humble bow.

"If you wish for me to accompany you, Lady Bernkastel, I shall. If not, I will stay in a room with Gogeta," He smiled as his tails swayed harmoniously behind him.

"Why would you stay with Gogeta? He could attack you like he did to Spina, y'know." Avalon pouted, crossing his arms. "I wouldn't even give him a room..."

"True, but I have no choice but to accept his actions. I believe he can change if he truly wishes to. Of course, this lies on his shoulders. His path is all but started and he has merely hit a bump in the road. Clearly, I trust him enough to be alone with him, despite the risk he could pose." He let out a gentle chuckle. "Of course, I would love nothing more than to see Lady Bernkastel smile, but alas, being blind has its cons."

"So why don't you stick with Miss Bernkastel?"

"Her mind must be heavy after the events of today and perhaps she wishes to handle manners in her own way. I will always be by her side whenever she needs me, to remind her she is never alone. The same applies to everyone else, even Gogeta. Also, she is a lady and I am a beast. ...I cannot be in the same room while a woman undresses; it is simply not how I was raised." Zenta cleared his throat. "Point is, I believe the two who need a shoulder to lean on are Gogeta and Lady Bernkastel. I will listen to their words as well as offer my own if asked. They also need a little time away from each other, in my opinion, at least until the dust settles between them."

Avalon listened to what Zenta had to say and glanced back at Gogeta for a moment before frowning. In a way, he did feel like there must be a lot on the Fusion's shoulders, but he cannot just forget what he did. He turned back to Zenta and nodded without asking anything else to put Gogeta on the spot again. I guess Zenta's right... I should just leave him alone for now.

"Well, we should dry off and prepare to eat this 'ramen' Cayde is talkin' about. Never had it before, hope it's good!" Avalon then turned to Berserk sticking his tongue out. "Heh, this will be our first date, huh Berserk?"
 
Brachi shrugged in response to Cayde's statement.

"It's your call," She said, "I would have treated you lot on some rather exquisite dishes which I am familiar with provided if the ingredients were there, but ramen is fine with me too. Hunger makes hard beans sweet after all."

Bara remained silent as she followed Brachi, staying a bit behind her bestie as she wasn't exactly comfortable with all the new people around and had to get used to it, while Jize waited for Bage's response while using a piece of cloth to clean her trident with.
 
Before the detective could react, the whole situation was over. He was relieved to see that Vegetto had taken his leave, but also a bit concerned at the power displayed by Lucifer. Just what was he? While Bage did want to think about that whole threatening display further, his mind was exhausted. So he followed Cayde and the others to the hotel silently. It wasn't until the android showed off the rooms did Bage's tired expression switch to one of contained excitement. Finally, the time for rest and relaxation was at hand. "Thank you, Cayde. And... Sorry about that mess back there." He mentioned to the android before addressing the others. 

"Well if you all are fine with getting yourselves situated, I'll leave you to it." With a small smile, Bage was off and down the hallway, ready to claim a room for himself. "I think I'll take this one. I'm not opposed to sharing either if anyone needs me to." He stopped as he placed his hand on the handle. "But try not to take too long deciding, I'm sure we've all worked up quite an appetite." The detective gave a big smile toward the others, before retreating into the room and softly shutting the door behind him. There was only silence after that, even the muffled conversation in the hallway was now snuffed out by the atmosphere of the room. Bage sighed heavily and slowly slid to the ground against the door. Head resting in his hands, while his body was ready for some good relaxation, his mind raced. The Saiyan's gaze remaining on the air in the empty room.

If Detective Goku were here-...! 

How can you call yourself a detective for justice!? 

How unfair. 

He shook his head softly to clear his mind. The Saiyan then rose from the floor and silently prepared for a much-needed shower.
 
“That’s fair.” Lucifer said, offering no objections towards Cayde’s demand on leaving him here. “I’m far more concern of getting into some new clothes.” As Cayde lead them towards their quarters, Lucifer took notice at the passive nature of Gogeta throughout this whole ordeal. Aside from the scuffle with Avalon regarding Cuki, and the incident with Vegetto—he had not said the word.

Turning his attention towards Spina in the healing tank once more, Lucifer made a small statement when he passed Gogeta. Hearing Zenta and Avalon discuss among themselves about the affairs between them prompted the angel to speak out. “I would not try to make assumptions for others. Neither of you can make any judgements on what they are truly thinking about.” Lucifer had a devilish smile on his face. “Besides, it not much to consideration on the potential dangers Spina might be in because of a simple fight. If I recall, Zenta, didn’t you say that if Gogeta intervene once more, you will take care of it? Well, he’s right behind you.”

Not waiting for a reply, Lucifer picked out a room towards the end. “Well then. Do bring me some soft drinks. I am craving for some cranberry juice for some odd reason.” He said to Cayde. “Oh and try not to kill each other. At least, postpone it until tomorrow. I want to have front view when that goes down.” 

Before he enters the room, Lucifer stopped for a moment and turns to Cayde. “Are we allow to explore the city at our leisure?”
 
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