Trip to the Catacombs (Shana and Gosai)

"Well, I guess we should be headed off," Omega grunted, looking generally unhappy. Shana knew why. It wasn't the fact that he had been charged with accompaning the Conclave and its allies into the Catacombs; he had to go back to King Cold empty handed. Strangely though, Blackfire seemed unbothered by it. Hell, so did Tork'thal.

The air on Frieza was much more chillier than it would have been on Earth. But the name of the Changeling's planet should have hinted to the climate. But as they flew through the sky, Tork'thal looked back, a grim look upon his face. "Komand'r," he spoke.

But the Saiyan returned his look. "I know," she said simply. "He's here."

"W-who's here?" Shana asked, flapping the crimson wings on her back to catch up with Blackfire.

"Use your senses!" Blackfire said impatiently. "Surely you can feel that power!" Shana grinned sheepishly before extending her senses. Sure enough, a rather large power was behind them, slowly coming closer.

"Who is that?" Shana asked.

"Vengeance." Tork'thal responded, his voice flat. "He's a Voracious Eater, and a powerful one at that."

"What should we do?" Blackfire asked Tork'thal. "We may be able to fly faster than him, but Shana can't."

"Then we'll have to fight," Tork'thal growled, dropping from the sky like a stone. Blackfire followed suit, leaving Shana little choice but to follow. The group landed on a rocky outcrop overlooking a mighty river. Shana looked at the sky worriedly.

"No heroics," Blackfire glanced at Shana. "Understood."

"But-"

"No! Vengeance would crush you in an instant! He's no pushover! Just leave this to Tork'thal and me, alright?"

Gosai felt himself tense where he hovered. The feeling of this collective of ki, this singular tainted aura washed over him just before Shana had spoken her confusion. He pivoted in mid-air, gazing into the distance, pondering their chances as a unit against the beast.

"We've all dealt with Vengeance at some point or another." Gosai added to Tork'thal's bit of exposition, narrowing his eyes in an attempt to focus on a speck on the horizon. At this rate the Earthen behemoth was right. They'd have no choice but to fight. With a grin, the human dynamo cracked his knuckles.

"I think we can take him. D'you think we can take him?"

He actually heard Blackfire huff behind him, but she sounded vaguely amused as the words left her lips. "You always think 'we can take them'." She pointed out.

"Yes. I do." Gosai agreed.

"Then let's do it." She nodded. "But I want you to keep an eye on Shana."

"Wait, how am I the babysitter here?" The Human martial artist asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Because you aren't a Vessel." Tork'thal explained simply, his muscles expanded with the tension in his body. "It's easier this way."

"...I... have no idea how to feel about that explanation." He sighed. Never the less though, Gosai took up his position protectively in front of Shana's form, drawing out his ki progressively, the wind picking up around him slightly.

"Alrighty, Shana-Chana, you know how to hide in..." The human fighter paused as he glanced around the open air. "...you know how to become invisible, yeah?" He amended his question.

"Wait, what?" That was Shana's reply to Gosai's... well, impossible notion that she should simply vanish in thin air. But with a whoosh of air, a new person had suddenly appeared. The man was in clothes that Shana had only seen in history books. A top hat, diamond tipped cane, and a very fashionable tuxedo with a wilted flower clasped to the front pocket. The man in it, however, was anything but fashionable. His skin was pasty... almost sticky.

Looking closer still, Shana could see purple veins pushing against Vengeance's thin skin. They ran up and down his neck and face. Inwardly, the human shuddered.

"My, my, my..." Vengeance spoke, his voice cold. "What do we have here?" His eyes fell to Blackfire first. "One..." They shifted to Tork'thal. "Two..." They moved to Je'shen. "Three..." Finally, the cold pits of his eyes rested on Shana. The human tried not to shy away as he sneered. Yellow and sharp teeth glinted in the sunlight. "Four Vessels guarding this rock? What an interesting thing to stumble upon. But what would dear Alexstrasza send you all here for, hmmm?"

"You made a mistake coming here in your suppressed form, chum." It was Tork'thal who spoke. His titanic arms were crossed in scorn.

"Yes, I'm inclined to agree..." Blackfire snickered as an amethyst aura exploded from her form. Shana narrowed her eyes. She wasn't ascending? But if Vengeance was as powerful as the Saiyan had led her to believe... wouldn't she need the power?

The Vora only chuckled in response, twirling his cane idly in one hand. "Is that so? But please. You never did answer my question..." Vengeance's form blurred as he shot up into the sky. Although Shana had a tough time tracking the man's movements, Blackfire obviously wasn't. She intercepted him in mid-air. throwing out a violent kick that connected upon the Vora's neck. Instantly, Vengeance was sent spinning out of the air. A splash echoed as his form crashed into the river nestled between the two valleys.

"Well, that was easy enough," Omega droned, narrowing his eyes. "Can we move along now?"

"It's hardly over..." Blackfire replied. As her words left her mouth, a massive green arm shot out from the valley. Shana's eyes widened. What was that?

"Yes! I would say we're only beginning..." It was Vengeance's voice, yet much more sinister. A monster ripped itself free from the valley. It's form was much too big, shown as it's back ripped a gouge in the other cliff's face. Rocks were dislodged, and they fell to a watery grave.

"Oh, shit..." Omega said. Shana shared his feelings. Vengeance's power had ascended to something even higher than Blackfire's energy. But the Saiyan female only narrowed her eyes as her hair turned golden.

"Back me up, Omega," she ordered. The Fleet Master nodded and ascended as well.

"Now then," Vengeance growled, his red eyes flashing with malice. "Shall we dance?"

"You know, this hardly seems like a fair fight." Gosai mused, putting up a confident front towards Vengeance's appearance even in spite of the result of his first encounter with the Voracious Eater. "It almost makes me feel like a bully to have the whole group ganging up on Vengeance."

The Vora snorted, turning his attention briefly to Gosai. "Please, at best you're just a tag-along. Maybe I'll kill you first, just to make that point."

"Better than you have tried and failed." The human dynamo declared, cracking his knuckles. And thus, his ego damaged, he was the first to charge into the fight. The exchange was brief as the powered-down Dynamo engaged the eldritch horror. The first sound to catch ear was Vengeance's cane jabbing forward at Gosai like the point of a rapier and the 'clink' of his artificial eye collapsing on itself. "Sonuvabitch!" He shouted, clasping a hand over the damaged ocular sensor.

"I'll take you apart bit by bit." Vengeance smirked, holding his cane at the ready... until Tork'thal's fist clipped him in the chin. While the Cthonic demi-god engaged the monstrous creature physically it seemed Blackfire had already taken to her preferred range of combat, offering supporting ki-blasts that were continually building up an ashy cloud around the battle.

"Y'know what I don't get..." Gosai mused, still holding his hand over his eye. "Why he calls himself 'vengeance'. He isn't avenging anything, he isn't getting RE-venge... it's pointless. His name makes no sense!"

Isn't it amazing how the mind works under duress?

Shana couldn't help but squirm uncomfortably as both Blackfire and Omega ascended to Super Saiyans. The last time she had seen both of them like that, their fists had been aimed at each other. Tork'thal narrowed his eyes. It seemed that the behemoth of earth still was wrapping his mind around Omega being a Super Saiyan as well. Je'sheln seemed surprised, but said nothing. Vengeance looked first at Blackfire, then Omega.

"My, my..." he growled. You Super Saiyans are becoming as populous as flies. Perhaps it's time somebody extinguishes the nest?" There was a dark and hidden meaning to his words, but Omega seemed to understand him perfectly.

"Don't get all high and mighty!" the Fleet Master roared. "You may be strong, but against the entire might of the Saiyan Empire? You'd crumble!"

"Is that so?" Vengence chuckled, parting his maw to reveal rows upon rows of razor sharp teeth. "You two are the strongest of the Saiyan race. I doubt the rest of your species could even compare."

"You really think that's how it would work?" Blackfire sneered. "The Saiyan Empire doesn't rely on its strongest warrior. Our strength comes from the support of your fellow shield brother. That's just something you wouldn't understand."

It seemed that both Saiyans were finished talking as they took off as one. Twin golden missiles wreathed around Vengence so quickly that Shana could hardly track their movements. It appeared that the mighty Voracious Eater did not have the speed to keep up, either; blow after blow landed on his massive body... but... To Shana, it seemed like it had little effect. Vengence's energy was not going down!

"Perhaps, you fly..." Vengeance snarled. "But we'll see, won't we?" Shana gulped. She remembered Maragai talking about how Vengeance destroyed the Saiyan planet, Vegeta. Was it coming to pass this soon? She felt her legs begin to move. She wanted to get a closer look. Just as she began to scramble over some rocks, Tork'thal called to her.

"What are you doing, Shana? Stay with me."

"I want to get a closer look," Shana complained. "I'm not getting too close!" Tork'thal narrowed his beady eyes, but Je'sheln touched his broad shoulder with a gloved hand.

"Let her go," she said. "Vengeance is occupied enough with those two. She'll be fine." Tork'thal grunted, but didn't protest, letting Shana leave the two Vessels behind.

"Then make a move!" Blackfire challenged, crossing her arms. Her green eyes flashed with fire. "Or should we just kill you here?"

"We both know that you don't have the power to do it, Komand'r... Besides, I have bigger things to concern myself with on this wretched planet. But it would be rude for me to just leave. Perhaps I should leave you something to remember me by..." Shana gulped as Vengeance's eyes suddenly rested on her. "There are a bit too many Vessels here for my taste..."

"Shana!" Tork'thal roared out. "Get your ass over here now!" Shana looked over at Tork'thal in confusion, but the sound of rock crumbling caused the human to whip her head towards Vengeance once more. And the scene was enough to make her heart lurch. The behemoth had launched himself at her! With claws extended and fangs bared, it was fairly obvious at this point that the Voracious Eater was targeting her.

"Idiot!" Blackfire snarled. "You're too slow to try that shit!" The Super Saiyan launched forward in an attempt to intercept the Voracious Eater, but ran face first into some translucent barrier of energy that the monster had erected. Blackfire banged agaisnt it with a fist, but the energy didn't even shudder in response. Omega launched a blast of energy towards it, yet no fruit was born from his labor.

Out of the corner of her eye, Shana could see Tork'thal launching himself forward; however the behemoth of muscle seemed to run into the same problem. Within seconds, the horrifying truth had sunk into Shana's head.

She was alone. Isolated with Vengeance.