Nightmares and Daydreams; Shana v Broly

Broly's eyes surveyed the landscape, which was already a little too surreal for his tastes. Something about the place was just disturbing, or was disturbing too strong a word? It was rather displeasing, at the very least. The environment was almost technicolor, while arcs of light and what looked like energy danced in the skies above. Narrowing both eyes, the warrior glanced down at the crystal he had recently installed in his right wrist guard. It was the only wrist guard he had remaining, so it had obviously been his first choice in gem-installment. Now, he was starting to doubt the use of this...This Astral Crystal. It was, so far, proving little more than bothersome. He could have been out slaughtering, pillaging and proving his might in the field of battle right now. Instead? He was caught underneath some field of rainbows, his attention captured by little more than petty illusions. It was damn near sickening.

Still, what was it the man had told him? Briefly, Broly allowed his mind to wander back to the conversation, searching for the man's exact words. Had he claimed that this would allow him to meet other, more powerful warriors? Warriors from other worlds? Warriors from the Astral Plane...? Some bullshit like that; some kind of crock spiel that he had probably only dished out in order to save his life. Men were willing to give up anything to survive nowadays, but to give Broly some kind of faulty dream-tool? That was simply an insulting offer of tribute. Had he not already blown the man to bits, he'd have gone back and done it again. Some things were more satisfying the second time around regardless; murder was most definitely one of them. Murder and food, were two things he felt fit that category. Unfortunately, only one objective currently lay on his plate, and it wasn't as edible as he'd have hoped.

As he turned his gaze back to the technicolor plane before him, the Legendary Warrior set his attention to seeking out any form of power. Perhaps he merely had to give a little effort, to put forth a bit of thought into finding a strong opponent. After all, his options were more or less exhausted on Earth; there existed only two warriors he fe- no, two warriors he was not yet ready to face. Broly did not feel such emotions as fear; it was simply not one of his abilities. Sure, he'd felt a little dread when he'd encountered the Organization's executioners and lost his arm, but that was long done and gone. Reflexively, he clenched his fists, almost as if checking that his arm was still attached. One never knew with such...paranormal things such as this plane of existence. At least, Broly didn't have much experience with it.

However, he certainly had experience with recognizing power. Shivers had already begun to run up his spine by the time he caught wind of the scent; the distinctive scent of a challenge. His eyes suddenly widened and his body now began feeling restless. This was a power he was not acquainted with; this power he was sensing, was completely foreign in nature. He hadn't ever felt anything like it, which said a lot considering the fact that he was known to devour planets and commence entire genocides on a whim.

Raven hair flapping in the rising breeze, Broly prepared for the arrival of his...Astral opponent, whoever the fuck they happened to be. It did not matter to him; a good fight was a good fight, regardless of whether his opponent was a master swordsman, or a twelve year old girl.

WC: 617

"Well?" Blackfire's voice invaded Shana's ears before the child even had time to open her eyes and wake up in the real world. However, she didn't respond. Instead, she frantically scrambled to dive a hand into her pocket, retrieving her gateway amulet. To her relief, the gem was glowing softly once more.

"It... was interesting," Shana huffed, patting her body briefly with her hands. Whatever injuries she had sustained in her previous encounter didn't seem to follow her into the real realm. No wonder Blackfire had spoken so adamantly about the Astral Realm as a method of training! It had been scary, fun, exciting, and mind blowing. All at the same time!

Blackfire nodded, pivoting on a heel to lean her back against the nanosteel wall of the Saiyan War Ship's interior. "Any questions?"

Shana frowned as she looped her gateway around her neck. "Yeah..." she muttered, adjusting the pendent so that the gem faced outward once more. "I couldn't contact Okibi at all in that realm." The thought of it was troubling. For the first time, Shana realized how heavily she relied upon the spawn of flames to guide her during battle.

Blackfire's brow furrowed in thought before she answered. "I don't know the exact mechanics and magic surrounding the Astral Realm," the Saiyan finally admitted. "But I don't think that the Conclave's gods can enter that realm. It's a realm of dreams, after all. Your body stays here as your mind travels to the Astral Realm." Shana nodded even though the Saiyan's explanation was already making her brain hurt. The ship rocked violently, an an alarm rang briefly. Blackfire frowned, repositioning herself. "I better go check what's going on with Omega on the bridge," she said, excusing herself. Shana watched the Saiyan pad down the hall before she produced the Crystal from her pocket once more.

Shana frowned. The crystal was glowing once again. Someone's in there already? Even though her body had not been in the Astral Realm physically, she did feel a bit drained from her last encounter. Still, the thought of poking her head into the unknown once more held a certain appeal to it. It was almost like reaching into a bag of assorted candies. She never knew what she'd find. Her mind made up, the Vessel of Fire closed her eyes, letting the glow of the crystal intensify. The sensation was not as bad as its predecessor; perhaps the human was getting used to the shift already. But when Shana opened her eyes, she let out an audible gasp.

The scene, though not as breathtaking as the first she had been, was rather beautiful to the girl nonetheless. Rolling plains of green grass that stretched as far as the eye could see. A blue and cloudless sky overhead. The breeze that continuously pushed across the plains made the grass ripple as if it were the surface of the lake. But the details of the scene were forced in the back of Shana's mind as a power tickled her senses. It didn't take long for her brown eyes to find the warrior.

Saiyan? The thought was quite upsetting in itself. That was assuming that the man before her was a Saiyan. But judging by the brown tail, there was a strong possibility... no. She had to let that thought go. But still, one simple fact remained. Aside from this new warrior, Shana had only known two Saiyans. And they had both obtained the legendary status of Super Saiyan.

Word of Shana: 584

As Shana's mind entered the Astral Plane, the landscape suddenly began to shift. Things changed rapidly, shifting from technicolor to a landscape most would consider beautiful; a lakeside forest of some sort, as it appeared. Broly's eyes rolled over the grass as it grew, leading him to the emerging form of some form of human he had never quite seen before. He had seen many children, but he had never seen a human child with such power; she was far more powerful than Ryouji, and she was only halfway materialized. Something about this girl enticed him, as her energy continued to materialize on the Astral Plane, shifting it's very shape to fit her personality. Was she aware of this change, was she shifting the landscape consciously? If so, the Legendary Warrior knew he'd be in for a rather vicious battle.

The warrior's eyes narrowed subconsciously, as her entire body finally came into existence. She could have passed for a Saiyan child, had her face been a little more angry. Her hair was as black as the night, but in her face there lay a hidden kindness, perceivable by both those with the same kindness and those who lacked any whatsoever. Broly of course fit the latter category, and it was for that reason that he considered it a weakness. What good did kindness do you, when you were at the end of a vicious discharge of energy? You could not deflect ki with kindness. You could not survive with such bullshit in your head, especially if you had been raised in the same manner he had. Raised in a world that was always at your throat with some kind of hostility, some kind of knife; that was the reason he was the creature he was today. As the girl's body came into full focus, her eyes locked on the Legendary Warrior with what appeared to be a mixture of reverence and fear.

It forced the Saiyan's face to shift into a scowl; the fact that someone so soft had come to do battle with him. Or had she come to this plane completely unaware of the dangers it held? The latter was likely true, if he was surprised to see a warrior such as himself. Expression still bitter as he stepped forward, Broly locked onto this new arrival as his target. Whether or not she was aware of what she had done, she had come here to do battle with him, and he would not allow that opportunity to pass. She may have been softer than a pillow, but she definitely had a reasonable level of power; it was almost equivalent to his own. He would have to show her exactly how things were done in his tier of strength, exactly how power worked. If she had been unaware before, she would certainly find out now; power was not something the soft were allowed to own or hold.

Power was something reserved for those with the capability to handle it, the ability to actually wield it; he would show her exactly how to use that strength she seemed to wield so haphazardly. Sure, he hadn't really discovered anything about this girl that he could call concrete, but that wasn't going to stop him from tearing his way toward her with lethal intent. His energy was now formulating around him, rising around him like some kind of living, emerald colored fire. Clouds above began to swirl as Broly's power rose to it's maximum height; he would show this little girl the true reaches of power, when applied by those with a firm grip. If she didn't sense hostility in his stride, she would damn sure sense it somewhere. Everything about him seemed to be leaking anger, displeasure, sorrow and general hostility. This meant that, to Broly, only one question remained on his mind; would this be a chase, a murder, or an actual battle?

"You've made a mistake, little girl." Words growled with a feral ferocity often seen in his type, the type to fucking destroy whatever he saw fit.

WC: 687
TWC: 1,304

"You've made a mistake, little girl!" The roar was Shana's only warning as the Saiyan just charged at her like some kind of wild boar. Her brown eyes widened as she took a few steps backwards. Even without Okibi's guidance, (Shana was fairly certain he would of been snarling at her to move) Shana was fairly certain that most of this Saiyan's weight was being carried forward in a bullet-like path.

He's not going to be able to avert his own path easily... Shana thought, leaping up into the air. As she soared upward, she was rewarded with seeing Broly's muscular form cut through the air where she once stood. With a twist of her body the host of flames extended her palm outwards. Shana found it odd that the man hadn't even introduced himself, and hesitated. Closing her eyes briefly, the human dug deep to put her mind into battle-mode. A column of crimson flames extended from her arm, tearing across the grass in its wave of fury. Smoke rose from the air as the grass was incinerated, yet Shana kept her senses true.

Throughout the attack, however, Shana did feel a twinge of fear. This was already becoming more intense than her previous adventure into the Astral Realm. And her opponent was even stronger than she! Then, there was the rage. The rage that Shana had seen in Broly's eyes. She was well aware that Saiyans tapped into rage for fuel. Just what was she up against?

Broly’s eyes didn’t bother to follow the girl as she leapt over him, her ki surging. It was no shocker that she had taken such an easy path, but it was a little disappointing; at his age, he’d have already been prepared to strike at his opponent with all of his might. She was taking the easy way out, evading the chance to counterattack at such a close range. How pathetic. Grinning grimly as the flames licked at the air behind him, the Saiyan continued on his path forward, body lifting upward into the air as her attack began to subside. She really could have taken much more advantage of his charge, but it didn’t appear that she was capable.

Energy amassed in his right hand as he turned, body still flying. Taking a curved course as the ball of emerald light grew, the Saiyan shouted down to his young foe, animosity present in his voice.

”Not the most experienced, are you child?”, spittle flew from his mouth as he shouted to her, the energy pent up in his hand finally flying forward in a basic wave. Thanks to the fact that he was still moving through the air, the angle of his blast would likely appear to be ever changing. It was a trick he had learned from some intelligent warriors who, like most, had fallen before his feet. Fortunately, Broly was powerful enough to capitalize on their intelligence.

WC: 246
TWC: 1,550

It was disappointing that her attack hadn't connected. But without Okibi's help in wielding the element of flames, it was true that Shana did have a difficult time forming the searing element herself. Even without flames, the battle (Shana had already assessed that the spar had escalated past a friendly competition) was quickly heating up. Her heart was pounding; not with terror, but fear. It was hard to describe. The fear wasn't exactly about the Saiyan, but the aura he gave off. It was... malicious. This man was evil; Shana didn't even need Okibi to tell her that. And after the spar she had just had with Ryouji, the parameters of this battle was quite the far cry from what she had been expecting.

”Not the most experienced, are you child?” the man roared. Sealing her lips shut, the tiny host of flames didn't respond. Not only did she need her full concentration to battle someone who seemed to be both faster and stronger than she, Blackfire had told her time and time again about foes who tried to get into the head of their opponents. 'The best defense against your more chatty opponents is silence, Shana,' she would say. 'It's a counter that often pisses them off when they don't get a response.'

But that was the least of her worries. No, the still nameless Saiyan was charging her once more. If it were not for the unnatural green glow in his palm, the girl would have thought he was executing the same attack as before. The energy surged and swelled as it erupted from Broly's outstretched arm. Gritting her teeth, Shana brought her arm up just as she had done against Ryouji's assault only moments before. But as the side of her hand crashed against the wave, she was surprised by both the weight and density of the attack. It would have simply broke through if she didn't put more strength in her swing. After a brief moment, Shana successfully managed to send the beam aside, albeit barely. Instead of going into the air as she had intended, the beam only bent slightly and struck the ground beside her.

The resulting explosion was enough to push Shana into the air. (Thank the heavens she had decided to change into suitable body armor after facing Ryouji; the discharged energy that had enveloped her would have stung a lot more if she hadn't) Still, the feeling was unpleasant nonetheless.

In a single fleeting moment, Shana realized that something had to be done. She couldn't simply avoid the majority of this man's attacks. She had to act. She had to land some kind of decisive blow. Before the smoke had time to dissipate around her, the human flickered out of existence, trying to take Broly by surprise by appearing above him. Although the human was trying to think logically and come up with some strategic attack, she couldn't. In the heat of the moment, her mind was drawing a blank. Whether she would regret it later remained yet to be seen.

With both arms clasped at the fingers drawn above her head, she swung down in an arch, attempting to land a solid hammer blow to the back of Broly's skull.