Chapter 1: Homecoming

Hello everyone.

So, I know that it's been quite some time since I've been on fanfiction, and I am truly sorry about that. However, school has been my priority for the past few months. Thankfully, though, I am currently on a pretty long break, and I really hope I can get a decent amount of writing done before I have to go back.

Some of you may have been hoping that I would immediately jump back into my other stories, such as "Bloodstained Souls" and "Fibers of the Universe." Unfortunately, I am still having a bit of writer's block concerning those fics, so I'm hoping that starting something new will help get my mind back on track to continue my pre-existing stories.

On the topic of this new story, it should be obvious from the tags above that this will be a crossover between Fairy Tail and Dragon Ball Super. Some of you may be asking yourselves: "How on earth does AlucardsBro plan on believably pairing these two series when the characters in them have such wildly different power levels?" Well, without giving anything away just yet, I will go ahead and say that this story will focus mainly on only one character from DBS, with another one popping up further down along the line. And yes, I am fully aware that literally any character from Dragon Ball could crush the entire cast of Fairy Tail characters, save for possibly a few, and I have made sure to take that knowledge into account.

The DBS character I will be focusing on will not face very many true physical challenges until further along in the story. He will also easily be the strongest member of the guild. However, even with that being said, I hope to give the actual story more attention that just constantly crapping out fight scenes. Fight scenes are fun and all, but a story gets boring if they're all you use to comprise the plot. Additionally, keep in mind that pure strength can sometimes be trumped by superior skill and experience. This has been proven time and time again in countless anime series, including Dragon Ball itself.

Now then, on with the show!

I hope you all enjoy, and please feel free to offer any ideas and suggestions you might have for future arcs and plot elements.

AlucardsBro OUT!

(Planet Vegeta; Age 732)

Uncaring of the multiple warriors and servants who attempted to block his path, Paragus pushed past them all angrily and threw open the grand, elaborate doors of the Saiyan throne room.

All conversation within the enormous chamber immediately ground to a halt, and the Generals and Elites gathered by the throne turned away from one another to offer him a collection of scathing looks. Doing his best to reign in his temper, Paragus inhaled a deep breath before dropping to a knee in a show of modest respect. "Please, forgive me for barging in, but I must speak with His Majesty. I…I understand that you intend to send Broly away, and that his pod is destined for an outlying world?"

Sat on his throne at the opposite end of the room, King Vegeta propped his chin up with a hand and let out a careless grunt. "That is correct. A great honor, is it not?"

"And honor…? Please, Sir, that is a fate meant for a lower class warrior, not my son!"

"Oh, on the contrary. What greater way to test your boy and gauge whether or not he is a truly exceptional warrior? If he is able to conquer an unclaimed planet all on his own, then he will be hailed as a hero amongst our ranks. Besides, subjugating other worlds and selling them to the highest bidder is what we Saiyans have always done."

Paragus felt his upper brow twitch. Biting his lower lip, he did his very best to maintain the fragile hold he had on his growing fury. Attempting to calm himself by sucking in a deep breath, the Colonel raised his eyes to meet the King's disinterested gaze. "But his destination is the planetoid Vampa. It's an inhospitable world devoid of any kind of intelligent life. What could we ever hope to gain by selling such a barren and useless planet?"

Vegeta's lips tightened, and his brow drew down ever-so-slightly in apparent annoyance. "The truth of the matter is that your son's latent abilities have proven to be abnormally elevated for someone his age. I might even go far enough as to call him a freak. Someday, that much power might just end up driving him completely insane, and when that time does come, he could prove to not just be a danger to Planet Vegeta, but to the entire universe. Be grateful that I'm merely exiling him to a faraway world instead of outright executing him."

Paragus snarled, rising to his feet in a flash. Several of the warriors behind him stepped forward, preparing to restrain him if things got out of hand. Regardless, he didn't even give their presence a second thought. "No! This…this isn't right! You're jealous, aren't you?!"

"Tread very carefully, Colonel…" Vegeta warned.

"That is it, isn't it? You're jealous that Broly's battle power proved to be higher and more impressive than the prince's! I'm right, aren't I? Aren't I?!"

"It doesn't matter either way; your boy's battle pod is already in-route to Vampa. Now hold your tongue or I shall cut it out myself and execute you publicly. Do I make myself clear?"

Ignoring the King completely, Paragus turned to one of the many stained-glass windows lining the left side of the throne room. Flaring his aura and rising into the air, he propelled himself forward at a blinding speed and through the window itself, sending a shower of broken shards of glass raining down onto the floor, as well as the street outside. Tuning out the numerous orders to halt that barely reached his ears, Paragus put on an extra burst of speed and rocketed away from the palace, towards the military's docking station. The trip took him all of two minutes, which was fairly impressive given the distance between the palace and the hangar. Normally, such a flight took the average Saiyan warrior about ten or so minutes, depending on what the air traffic was like on any given day. Then again, he was flying at speeds that far exceeded what was legally allowed this close to the planet's surface.

Of course, Paragus didn't really care about breaking any more laws at this point. He'd already insulted the King directly to his face and destroyed royal property. If he turned back now, he would likely face immediate death.

When the hangar finally appeared in his line of sight, he slowed his approach and descended towards the massive platform the housed rows after rows of top of the line Saiyan spaceships. Some were crafted as assault crafts, which were intended to assist in the complete decimation of a planet's native population. Other crafts were simply designed with reconnaissance in mind; they were far smaller, and possessed few if any weapons on their outer hull. Deciding that he would likely be better off not attracting any more attention than he already had, Paragus landed outside of an already open scouting ship and ascended the lowered ramp into the craft.

"Hey, you can't go in there!"

Freezing in place, Paragus slowly turned around and fixed the engineer who'd called out to him with the most murderous glare he could muster. The scrawny Saiyan crumpled under the intensity of his gaze almost immediately, and took several fearful steps back. The squirrelly fellow didn't even look like much of a Saiyan to begin with, and Paragus might have mistaken him for a member of another race had he not possessed the unmistakable tail and battle armor. "What did you say?"

"I…I can't allow you to take this ship. I-It's still in the process of receiving proper inspections."

"What is your name?"

"W-What?"

Pargus snarled, taking another threatening step forward. "Your name! What is it?"

"I-I'm Beets."

"Well then, Beets, you're more than welcome to try and stop me. Otherwise, get the hell out of my way; I need to save my son." With that, Paragus turned back around and briskly walked up the ramp and into the main cabin of the ship. The sound of another pair of footsteps reached his ears, alerting him to the fact that Beets had apparently decided to follow him. It didn't matter, though; all that did matter was getting to Vampa and finding Broly.

Settling into the pilot's chair, Paragus pulled the lever to raise the ship's loading ramp before launching into the somewhat complex process of checking the main instruments and starting the engine. Everything needed to be calibrated properly before takeoff, otherwise both he and Beets would likely crash and die in a fiery explosion before they even managed to leave the atmosphere. Speaking of Beets…

"So, are you going to try and stop me?"

"Huh?" the other Saiyan responded, raising a single brow in confusion. "Are you crazy? I don't think I could even if I wanted to…"

"So why tag along?"

"Well, I'm responsible for this ship, so I may as well come with you and make sure nothing happens to it. Once you find your kid, we can all come back and-"

"We won't be coming back," Paragus grunted irritably.

"Wha- why not?!"

"When I say 'we,' I mean Broly and myself. That bastard Vegeta would have us killed as soon as our auras were detected within the upper atmosphere. No, we'll have to find somewhere else to live… you're more than welcome to come back after you drop us off, though."

"Why would His Majesty want to kill you?"

"Let's just say the last thing I said to him was considerably less than respectful, and leave it at that. Am I going to have to worry about you reporting me to the council?"

Beets made an interesting noise that sounded like an awkward combination between an offended gasp, a squawking animal, and an air compressor. "Do you genuinely think I'm that stupid?! Hell, I may not have much experience with the warrior class, but I don't doubt you wouldn't even hesitate to kill me if I tried to go behind your back…"

"Hm. Smart of you."

"See what I mean?! You didn't even deny it!"

In lieu of offering up another reply, Paragus pressed a series of controls on the ship's main console, before grabbing the main steering lever. Pulling back slightly, he felt the craft shift beneath him, rising into the air in accordance with his manual guidance. Before long, the hangar became a speck of grey beneath them, and then the capital city itself was swallowed up by the surrounding landscape only a minute later. Before long, the ship ascended out of Planet Vegeta's breathable atmosphere, and into the space that expanded infinitely beyond.

Countless stars became visible outside of the ship's viewing window, and Beets leaned forward to let out a breath of awe. When he had been assigned his first mission as a young warrior, Paragus had expressed a similar reaction to seeing the void of space for the very first time. It had truly been a beautiful sight, and it still was, but he was mostly indifferent to it now. He'd seen it so many times that the initial effect had long-since worn off. Reaching out to access the on-board navigation system, he quickly typed in the coordinates for Vampa.

To the side, Beets tore his gaze away from the window and turned to look at the computer's holographic display screen. "W-Why the hell are we going to this quadrant? Don't tell me your son was sent out there?! It's in the middle of nowhere, for Yamoshi's sake!"

Paragus snorted. "Broly's pod was programmed to head for the only remotely habitable planetoid in the system. It's called Vampa, and it orbits around Star Ninety-Four."

"I've never heard of it."

"That's no surprise. It doesn't have any intelligent life, and the Planet Trade Organization deemed it monetarily and strategically useless a good number of years ago."

"But then… why would King Vegeta send your kid somewhere that can't be turned for a profit…?"

"Because the fool can't stand that my son is almost the same age as the prince, but has a battle power that far exceeds him. The King's goal isn't to conquer anything in this system, but to instead get rid of my son." Clenching a fist, Paragus leaned back in his seat and let out a ragged, rage-filled breath. "But mark my word, Beets, I'll make sure my son survives, and becomes the most powerful warrior the Saiyan race has ever seen!"

Beets swallowed audibly, taking a subtle step back. "That's messed up…"

"If you're having second thoughts-"

"No, not at all! I want to help you! I know that us Saiyans aren't exactly the most kind-hearted species in the universe, but I still recognize that banishing a defenseless child to a barren world without any proper training is insanely cruel." Clenching his teeth in a surprising show of anger, Beets raised a fist and looked down at Paragus with eyes filled with determination. "I'll help you find your son, don't you worry."

Paragus remained silent for several moments, and merely stared up at his fellow Saiyan with a calculating gaze. It was rare to find such a noble-hearted individual on Planet Vegeta, and although such people were usually mocked and ridiculed by their fellow warriors and citizens, they typically didn't disappoint out in the field. Beets might have been nothing more than an untrained, combat-inept engineer, but Paragus had a feeling he would keep his word to the best of his ability.

Turning his eyes back out towards the void of space, the bulkier Saiyan nodded once and settled down in his chair, content to let the autopilot get them to their destination.

"Alright then. Let's go find Broly."

(Two Days Later; Planetoid Vampa)

"So, this is Vampa, huh?"

Cracking open an eye, Paragus looked out of the ship's window to observe the diminutive, sickly-yellow planetoid occupying the space before them. Sitting up in his seat, he pressed several buttons on the main control panel and resumed manual control of the ship. Pushing forward on the steering lever, he guided the craft towards Vampa and down into its gravitational field. "If my math is correct, and I calculated all of the potential factors properly, then Broly's pod should have landed here approximately two days ago. I hope to the gods that he's still alive…"

Beets rested his hands on his hips, coming to stand next to the pilot's chair. "Is there anything for him to eat or drink down there?"

"I don't know. Given that Vampa is essentially useless to the Planet Trade Organization, no explorative expeditions have ever been made down to its surface. The Saiyan data archives barely even have anything covering it other than the fact that it holds no value. If something is worthless to a Saiyan, then you can bet your ass they won't waste a single moment of their time on it…"

"Hmm… I'll go see if I can try and find something for Broly to eat once we rescue him."

Paragus merely nodded at the offer, not taking his attention away from the scenery outside. The lower he maneuvered the ship towards the surface, the more apparent it became as to why no one had bothered to try conquering it. Everything was a putrid shade of yellowish-green, from the ground below to the very air itself. Thankfully, the weather seemed to be on their side, which made the actual process of landing incredibly easy. Setting down on a rocky outcropping, Paragus engaged the landing mechanisms and powered down the ship.

Rising from chair, the former Colonel immediately turned to make a beeline for the ship's ramp. Unsurprisingly, Beets was already waiting for him there with a ration bar in one hand and a bottle of water in the other.

"You don't know much about babies, do you?" he noted with slight amusement.

The thinner Saiyan frowned, looking down at what he'd managed to collect in evident confusion. "What do you mean? Is this not good enough?"

"Broly was still supposed to be in his nursing capsule for several more weeks before Vegeta sent him away. He needs formula specifically designed to strengthen his muscles and internal organs."

"I… I don't exactly carry that around with me…"

"Neither do I, unfortunately. I would have thought to stop and grab some before we left, but I suppose it slipped my mind in the heat of the moment."

"What're we gonna do, then?"

Paragus raised a hand to press a button on the wall next to the ship's main door. Slowly, and with a metallic hiss, the ramp depressurized and began to slide open, revealing the repugnant wasteland that comprised the entirety of Vampa. "We'll just have to hope that we can find him quickly enough. I know of a few outposts that are fairly close by that should have the supplies we need."

"Are there really worlds this far away from Planet Vegeta that have the proper necessities for caring for a Saiyan baby?"

"Keep in mind that quite a few warriors actually settle down with their families on the worlds they've helped conquer. That being the case, it was only logical to the council to establish outposts in such places to help cater to the Saiyan settlers who don't live on Vegeta."

"That makes sense. I guess…"

Huffing, Paragus shook his head and began to descend the ramp leading to the planet's surface. Almost as soon as his boots touched solid ground, something immediately felt out of place. Frowning, he banished the sensation to the back of his mind and reached down to unclip the scouting scope attached to his belt. Bringing the device up to his right eye, he squinted to look through the miniature display screen, which offered a digitized view of the surrounding environment. There were several blips on the screen, which symbolized the closest living creatures and where they were located in relation to his own position. Unfortunately, none of the signatures were powerful enough to even belong to a premature Saiyan infant.

They were likely just specimens of the local fauna.

"See anything?" Beets asked, coming to stand next to him.

Paragus shook his head. "No not yet, but I didn't expect to find him immediately. We'll just have to keep looking." With that said, he gently rose into the air, being quickly followed by his companion. From what he was able to see as they ascended past the rock formations dominating the landscape, there were quite a few places for a small being the size of a Saiyan infant to hide. A multitude of caves and crevices were visible to the naked eye alone, but there were far too many of them to search one-by-one. Hopefully, the scouting scope would be able to narrow down their field of search by detecting Broly's battle power.

If he was still alive, of course…

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts of such negativities, Paragus flew forward at a moderate pace, continuing to survey the ground below with his scouter. Beets did the same to his immediate left, albeit looking in the opposite direction.

"Hey, what the heck is that?" the engineer suddenly asked.

Paragus turned around, slightly hopeful. "What? What do you see?"

"That thing in the sky. Is it another planet? A satellite…?"

Following his companion's line of sight, Paragus snorted and quickly turned away. "It's a moon, you fool. Don't stare at it too long, or you might become a Great Ape."

"O-Oh! Right!" Beets exclaimed nervously, voice tinged with a detectible hint of embarrassment. "I've never actually turned into a Great Ape before…"

"Yes well, that's probably for the best. You'd likely lose all sense of who or what you are."

"That sounds… incredibly unpleasant."

"It definitely isn't something warriors do just for the fun of it. Its only used as a last resort when our opponents have proven to be either too stubborn or too powerful to conquer under normal circumstances. I've only had to do it a handful of times myself."

Beets nodded, but didn't offer up another vocal response. The two Saiyans continued to fly around for what felt like hours upon hours, without any visible reward for their efforts. Paragus could slowly but surely feel whatever hope he'd possessed slipping away. However, just as he was about to give up entirely, he spotted something through his scouter's viewing screen that gave him on last burst of positivity. Situated randomly across the ground below were circular patches of what appeared to be grassland, which in turn rested within mildly deep craters.

"Let's land there and have a look around," he called out. Without bothering to wait for an agreement from Beets, the former Colonel rocketed through the air and down towards the peculiar formations.

In a matter of moments, his boots touched down upon the grassy earth. Oddly enough, what he was standing on didn't look like any grass he'd ever seen before. It was thick, course, and heavily matted in some areas. It almost reminded him of hair…

Beets landed next to him, panting slightly. "Please don't just take off like that! I don't want to be left alone on this dump of a planet."

"Calm down. We haven't come across anything thus far that could be a potential threat, so I doubt you would have been in much a poor situation. Besides, I don't think I even left your line of sight."

"Well, yeah, but-"

A sudden rumbling cut the engineer off, and both Saiyans looked up at the rocky edge of the crater they were standing in. A chitinous, fang-filled face stared back down at them hungrily.

"What the hell is that?!" Beets shouted in a panic, stumbling backward and falling onto his hind end.

"Keep quiet!" Paragus snapped harshly, reaching for the ray gun strapped to his hip. Aiming it at the insectoid creature peering down at them, he placed his finger over the trigger and prepared to fire a barrage of energy bolts. He didn't want to have to use his own Ki reserves if he could help it. Curiously enough, however, the beast above did little more than growl and hiss at them, even as it was joined by dozens upon dozens of its fellows. It clearly wanted nothing more than to come down and devour them, so why didn't it…?

"Why are they staying up there?"

"I'm sure not complaining!" Beets said, returning to a standing position. "You hear that, you monster? Stay away from us!"

The creatures all hissed in unison, before opening their tooth-filled maws and extending what appeared to be barb-tipped tongues. The pale blue appendages darted forward and sank into the grassy earth, and began to suck up what seemed to be some kind of underground fluid.

"What… what are they doing?"

"I don't know…" Paragus replied tersely, keeping his blaster trained on the first creature that had appeared. "I didn't see any water sources on the way here; maybe these patches of grassland hold the only pockets of water on the planet. It would make sense, given how many of these things have gathered here. One would expect them to be fighting one another for such a valuable resource, but maybe there's actually enough to go around."

"Now isn't the time for a science lesson!" Beets shouted, clearly still quite afraid. "Let's get out of here before they decide we're worth the trouble!"

Nodding, Paragus holstered his weapon and prepared to rise into the air. However, before he could even flex his aura in preparation for takeoff, the ground beneath him and Beets began to shake violently. Whereas the previous rumble heralding the arrival of the insect creatures had been a mild quake at best, this new development nearly had him falling on his ass. Doing his best to balance out, Paragus shot into the air like a rocket, with Beets following almost immediately.

It quickly became apparent that their timing could not have been any better.

The ground they had just been standing on suddenly split open, revealing a monstrously large set of teeth. Red eyes soon followed, which were situated in the middle of a distinctly feline face. This new creature, which looked like a mixture between a serpent and a weasel, opened its maw and let out a bellowing roar, which shook everything in the surrounding area. It then lunged forward, sinking its fangs into the edge of the crater and swallowing a mouthful of the insects in the process.

"I see…" Paragus muttered in mild fascination. "The insects feed off of the bodily fluids of the larger creature, but are in turn used as a food source themselves."

"Ugh, this planet is disgusting," Beets complained, slightly green in the face. "Let's hurry up and find your son so we can get the hell out of here!"

Nodding, Paragus turned away from the scene and flew in an entirely new direction, bringing his scouting scope back up to his eye. His companion was quick to follow. The putrid landscape beneath them didn't change the slightest no matter how far they flew; the only natural formations worth noting were the rocky spires that occasionally rose up into the sky, and the sparse craters that were apparently home to the green-furred alpha predators.

As the two Saiyans continued to fly forward, the sky surrounding them began to grow ever darker. Eventually, all traces of light were gone, save for the menacing moon that shone overhead and the countless stars that accompanied it.

"I… I think I see something!" Beets finally cried out, peering through his own scouter.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes! It looks like some kind of… wait. No… no it can't be!"

"What is it, Beets?" Paragus demanded.

Ignoring his companion completely, Beets blasted forward through the air, while simultaneously descending towards the ground. Narrowing his eyes, Paragus followed. He couldn't imagine what the other man had seen that managed to work him up to such a degree. Raising his scouter back up to his eye, he zoomed in on the direction in which Beets was flying. It took him a minute to spot what the other man was moving towards, but once he did, he felt his stomach drop down into his feet.

"No, no, no, no, no…!" Beets sobbed hysterically, landing on the ground and collapsing to his knees. He beat the earth with a fist, and continued to break down into a fit of inaudible denials.

Paragus landed next to him, and took in the sight before them for a moment before rearing his head back and letting out a rage-filled shout of fury. Their ship was in pieces. Bite marks littered the hull, and the landing equipment was torn off and scattered across the ground several yards away. The main window was cracked, making any kind of survival in the vacuum of space impossible. The thrusters were also mauled beyond repair, which made the idea of takeoff laughable.

"What could have done this?!" Beets cried, tears of panic rolling down his face.

"Isn't it obvious?" Paragus snarled, clenching his fists so tightly that the bones in his hands began to creak and groan in protest. "Those insect creatures must have come across our ship and detected our scent on the inside. They then ripped it apart trying to get to potential prey…"

"We're going to die!"

Given the way things had progressed, that was likely what was going to happen. Other than the creatures they had seen thus far, there didn't appear to be any other source of food on the planet, and there definitely wasn't any water other than the small amount that had been stored in the ship itself. However, there was one more realization that finally had Paragus collapsing to his knees.

They had made a complete circle around the planet.

They had started from their ship, flown in one continuous direction, and had come across the ship once again from behind. They had flown around the entirety of Vampa…

And Broly wasn't anywhere to be found.

(Earth Land; Year X764)

"Keep working!"

A whip cracked hard across Rob's exposed back. The elderly man did his best to hide his pain, even as the weapon's serrated edge cut a violent groove into his skin. Blood was quick to begin flowing, but he knew there was little he could do to dress the wound until work was done for the day. The slave-masters standing guard over him and his fellow prisoners had made it very clear quite some time ago that they didn't care for their captives' well-being or discomfort. Catching his breath, Rob brushed a few long strands of grey hair out of his eyes. Hefting up another large rock, he carried it across the encampment towards the as-of-yet unfinished wall that was being built.

"You see that?" one of the guardsmen chuckled, pointing his magically enhanced spear at the unfortunate man. "That one knows his place. Breaking these bastards is easy, provided you know how to do it."

"Oh, and are you such an expert?" One of the other guards snorted dismissively.

"Course I am! Who do you think taught that old man to mind his manners?"

Letting out a sigh, Rob placed the rock he was carrying into an empty slot in the wall. A bucket of sealant rested at his feet, and he reached down to grasp hold of the trowel next to it to begin the process of securing the piece of stone in place. He had only needed to learn one time that his overseers expected nothing less than absolute perfection. The scar on his temple could attest to that…

Thankfully, it was starting to get dark. Night wasn't the optimal time to be moving around heavy equipment, so the guards allowed most of the prisoners to rest until morning came again. Then, it was straight back to work.

Casting a glance over at the watchmen, Rob noted that they were still heavily engrossed in their discussion. Taking advantage of their brief lapse in supervision, the elderly man gently rested his shoulder against the wall and let out a tired breath. He could feel himself approaching the end of his life, and he was growing more tired with each passing day. However, he couldn't allow himself to succumb to the abyss of death just yet; the youngsters who were imprisoned alongside him still needed someone to help look after them.

He had taken on that responsibility almost as soon as he had arrived in this wretched place, and it was one of the few things that still helped him carry on through each day of work. However, there was another additional thought that always brightened his day every time it passed through his mind. Hopefully, some day, he would be able to see his guild mates once again.

Unfortunately, it was becoming increasingly obvious that that would likely only happen in the world that came after this one…

Closing his eyes, Rob sighed once again. "It's a pity, how old I've become…"

At the edge of his senses, a sudden sound reverberated in his ears. It was distant, but growing increasingly louder, and sounder similar to an extraordinarily loud boom. Screams began to echo across the work camp, and Rob opened his eyes to witness everyone collectively turning their gazes skyward. Looking up as well, the old mage's eyes widened as his vision focused on what appeared to be a bright hot ball of fire falling to earth. It was getting closer and closer, and suddenly a horrifying realization suddenly dawned on him.

Rising to his feet, he waved his arms around franticly to catch the attention of the other slaves. "Get out of the way! Move! It's going to crash right on top of us!"

Panic continued to rise across the camp, and both guards and prisoners alike scrambled over one another in a desperate attempt to get to the edge off the island they were confined on. There was no telling whether or not they would be able to survive given the small amount of distance between the center of the island edge, but it was still better than nothing.

Rob scooped a young girl up in his arms, and joined his companions in their attempt to put as much distance between themselves and the point of impact as possible. The fireball continued to fall towards the earth, screaming through the sky and creating an absolutely soul-shaking sound.

"Get down!"

"Move!"

"Faster!"

"Help me!"

The screams and pleas of the people were drowned out as the fireball finally impacted the ground, generating an ear-rattling boom and kicking up and enormous dust cloud. Debris was thrown through the air, and pieces of construction materials were torn form their places and hurled into the surrounding ocean. Clutching the girl in his arms tightly, Rob ducked behind a large slab of stone just as a shockwave rolled by, sending a good number of unfortunate people screaming into the air. The searing heat was almost unbearable, and Rob did his best to shield the child he was holding. Even so, he could feel small burns blooming across his unclothed back and arms.

Suddenly, almost as soon as the chaos began, it was over.

The world went quiet, and the dust slowly began to settle. Opening his eyes, Rob carefully raised his head and looked around. All over the camp, guards and slaves alike were doing their best to pick themselves up off the ground. Some had very obvious broken bones, while others hand managed to get through with only mild burns.

"What the HELL is going on?!" a feminine voice called out sharply, commanding the attention of every guard and soldier within earshot. They all desperately rose to their feet to give the approaching woman their full attention.

One armored man stepped forward. "Priestess Erina, we-"

"Shut the hell up! You don't speak unless I address you directly!" the dark-skinned woman snarled, slapping her subordinate across his exposed face. The man cowered away, and Erina huffed, brushing a strand of spiky, bright pink hair behind her ear. "Were we attacked?"

The man swallowed hesitantly, and cautiously rose back up to his full height. "W-We aren't sure, Your Grace. One minute, the slaves were working, and then suddenly a ball of fire was falling from the sky. We don't know where it came from."

"Was it one of the slaves?"

"Highly doubtful, ma'am."

Erina scowled, turning briefly to survey the crowd of emerging workers. Her gaze focused on Rob briefly, but he held his ground firmly. Scoffing, she finally turned to look at the new smoldering crater in the middle of the work camp. "Have you investigated?"

"We just managed to get our bearings, Your Grace…"

"Is that what I asked?! Do you want to be the one to explain to our Lord Zeref why his tower has fallen behind schedule? Get your ass moving!"

Obviously in no hurry to incur any more of his mistress' wrath, the guard hurriedly beckoned to several of his fellow soldiers. As a group, they raised their weapons and slowly approached the smoking crater. The edge was still glowing red-hot, but their magically-enhanced boots managed to protect their feet from getting burned. Sliding into the hole, they continued to edge towards the circular object situated in the middle of the crater.

Breaking his gaze from what was unfolding, Rob looked to see that all of his fellow slaves were carefully gathering around to bear witness to what had nearly flattened them. He then turned back to inspect the sphere as well, which, curiously enough, had a sizable dent in its side.

"What is it?" Erina called out in clear irritation.

The main guard poked the metallic sphere with the edge of his spear. When it did nothing, he turned to address his superior. "It appears to be some kind of orb, ma'am. It looks to be mechanical in design as well; it shouldn't be too much trouble for us to open it up and find out what's insi-"

Suddenly, and without warning, the sphere released a pressurized hiss and let out a cloud of hot steam. The guards backed away frantically, and the slaves who had gathered at the edge of the pit also scrambled away in surprise. Part of the sphere slowly began to raise away from the rest of the main shape, revealing a small compartment housed within. And, much to the surprise of everyone present, a small infant lay sleeping in the aforementioned compartment.

"It's… a baby…?

"A baby?"

"What the heck is a baby doing in that thing?"

"SILENCE!" Erina shouted, silencing all of the murmurs that had begun to break out. "You idiots, don't you understand what this is?" When only silence answered her inquiry, she rolled her crimson eyes and continued to speak. "This child is obviously the answer to our prayers! I implored Lord Zeref to provide us with a tool to assist us in constructing the tower; it cannot be a coincidence that this child simply appeared less than a day later."

One of the guards coughed meaningfully. "Ma'am… do you really think that a baby can help us build the tower…?"

Raising a single hand, Erina released a bolt of bright blue magic energy and disintegrated the man who had been foolish enough to question her. "Fools. Given the proper care, a baby can mature into a strong adult. Bring the child to me!"

Hesitantly, another armored man reached into the open pod and pulled the infant into his arms. The child, which had a surprisingly full head of hair for someone his age, squirmed in obvious discomfort and began to scream. As soon as he did so, nearly every magic device in the immediate area glowed brightly before exploding in a shower of sparks.

"You see!" Erina smiled gleefully, holding out her arms to accept the crying boy as her subordinate handed him off. "Only a child, and yet already powerful enough to overload our magic spears with a mere scream. You will grow up to be a devastating servant of Zeref, won't you boy?"

The infant only proceeded to scream louder.

"Now then, who among you has any experience raising children?"

Silence answered her.

"Oh, come now! Surely one of you will be willing to take care of this child? My responsibilities as priestess prevent me from having the adequate time to devote to looking after an infant. I command that one of you step forward!"

None of the guardsmen did as they were instructed.

"I will do it."

Erina blinked, turning towards the group of slaves behind her. Setting down the girl he'd been holding, Rob gently maneuvered to the front of the crowd and straightened his posture. "I will look after the boy," he repeated firmly.

"You?" Erina snorted. "You are an old man nearing the end of your life. Why in the name of Zeref would I ever entrust the care of such a small child to you? Besides, you are nothing but a slave."

"Who better to raise him, My Lady?" Rob replied casually, picking his words carefully. It would be unacceptable for him to allow such a young and innocent soul to be raised by such horrible people, and he was more than willing to do the job himself. What better way to give his life focus than by directing a new one in the right direction? "If you were to give the boy to one of your guards, they would have to devote more time to him instead of keeping an eye on us workers. You wouldn't want that, would you? As you mentioned before, the construction process needs to maintain a steady pace."

Erina still looked quite skeptical, but he could see that she was beginning to give the idea some genuine thought.

"Besides, if the child is one day meant to assist in the construction of your glorious tower, then would it not be best for an older, more experienced worker to instruct him on how to behave properly? As you said, he seems to be quite powerful; you wouldn't want him to grow up thinking he could challenge you, eh?"

The pink-haired priestess hummed lowly, before once again locking her gaze on Rob. "Step forward, slave."

He did as he was instructed.

"What is your name, old man?"

"I am called Rob, My Lady."

"Well then, Rob, I hereby entrust the care of this child to you. You will be the one who receives punishment if he is not properly raised. Is that clear?"

"Of course, ma'am."

Nodding in satisfaction, Erina raised her arms to hand the infant off to his new guardian. Almost as soon as he was in Rob's arms, the baby ceased crying and fell into what seemed to be quite the peaceful sleep. The elderly man chuckled quietly, and began to rock his new charge back and forth with a heavily practiced gentleness.

"You must give him a name, old man," Erina said. Her voice was tinged with irritation, and it was quite obvious that she was envious that she was unable to hold the sleeping boy without making him cry. "What will you call him?"

Turning away slightly, Rob cast a brief glance at the machine the baby had arrived in. A five-letter word was painted in medium-sized green text on the craft's side, and although it was a word he had never heard or seen before, it seemed oddly fitting the more he thought about it.

"Broly. His name is Broly."

(One year later; Year X765)

Even as the days continued to pass, she could hardly believe it.

She was human again.

She had long-since abandoned any hope of returning to her natural form, but a chance encounter in the forest with a certain dark wizard had turned her life around. Unfortunately, as she understood it, her anatomy was still that of a dragon, but her physical appearance had been cast with a charm to appear human.

It didn't exactly equate to actually being human again, but Irene certainly wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Of course, almost as soon as she'd returned to her human form, the swell in her belly had begun to expand rapidly. It seemed as though the centuries upon centuries of being in her draconian form were finally catching up with her. In other words, her baby was more than ready to come out. It finally happened one day while she was kneeling by a pristine lake, examining her unkempt scarlet hair. The contractions had come out of nowhere, and it didn't take her long to realize that she would be giving birth very soon. That guess was proven correct after several hours of excruciating labor, and the new life that had been housed within her for the better part of three-hundred-years finally emerged.

Finally, she could enact her plan to truly regain her humanity…

Her newborn daughter slept peacefully, wrapped in a rose-colored blanket which was laid against the side of a log. Irene cleared her mind, making certain that she had memorized the exact wording that the spell she was about to preform required. If she misspoke in any small way, the results could end up being catastrophically different than what she wanted. If all went according to plan, though, she would be able to switch souls with her daughter, thereby inhabiting her purely human body.

Grinning madly, Irene looked down at herself in the crystal-clear water of the stream she was currently knelt by. Running a hand through her hair, she bit out a snarl and grabbed an angry fistful of the scarlet tresses. "Look at this. This mockery of flesh. Zeref, you're taunting me, aren't you? You say that I'm essentially human, but what I truly want is still out of reach. No longer, though…"

Looking over her shoulder, the former queen rose to her feet and approached her sleeping daughter. Now that she was certain she knew what she was doing, all it would take would be a simple incantation, and she would be human again. True, she would have to grow into an adult over the course of several decades, but that was a price she was completely willing to pay. Raising a hand and summoning a magic circle, Irene opened her mouth and prepared to speak the words that would restore her.

However, as she looked down at her newborn child, those words died in her throat.

"Don't… don't you do that…"

Her daughter shifted slightly in her sleep, cooing softly.

"Stop it!" Irene fell to her knees, feeling the beginnings of tears welling up in her eyes. "Don't smile at me like that!"

The infant merely continued to smile, all the while sleeping peacefully and completely ignorant of the world around her.

Choking out a broken sob, Irene scooted forward and lifted the girl into her arms. What in the name of the gods was wrong with her?! Was she truly willing to condemn the life of an innocent all for the sake of her own personal wishes and desires? Had her mind truly slipped far enough to reflect the monster she had been for the past few hundred years?

She had always prided herself on her ability to think and act rationally, even while cursed in her dragon form. However, it seemed as though her obsessive desire to regain her humanity had finally pushed her to the threshold of doing something unforgivably horrific.

She…she had been about burden her own daughter with her curse…

Her little girl.

Her baby.

The little one she had sworn to love and protect while she was tormented and humiliated for three straight years in her former husband's dungeons.

Breaking down completely, Irene pressed the crown of her daughter's head against her left cheek and continued to sob violently. She could feel the whispers coming back, doing their best to regain control of her mind. They tried to tell her that her continued survival was more important than that some nameless child, who hadn't even begun to truly live yet.

It only made her cry harder.

She knew it would only be a matter of time before her mind was corrupted again by such monstrous thoughts. Before that happened, she needed to ensure her daughter would be safe… especially from herself…

Rising shakily to her feet, Irene cradled her newborn against her chest and stumbled out of the meadow she'd set up camp in. There was a gravel road nearby, and if she remembered correctly, it led to a town that was a relatively short distance away by foot. After a brief walk through a patch of trees, she found the road and began to walk in the direction of the settlement.

She passed several people along the way, all of whom did their best to ignore her despite her pleas for help.

Was it because of her wild appearance? Either way, such things didn't matter. She wouldn't stop until she found someone who was willing to look after her daughter in her stead.

Before long, as she reached the crest of a hill, her line of sight was greeted by the vast expanse of the ocean. And, settled between a few more hills by the shoreline, was a humble little village. It wasn't grand by any means, but it likely had warm beds and the appropriate necessities to care for her daughter. Carefully, Irene continued to walk down the hill towards the town. She paused here and there to fight back the dark voices in her head, but otherwise pushed on determinedly. As she got closer and closer, she was finally able to make out the lettering on a sign that was positioned on the right side of the road.

'Welcome to Rosemary Village.'

First chapter isn't very eventful.

Of course, I hope that is somewhat understandable given that it is merely meant to set the stage of what's to come.

So, some of you might be asking: "Why didn't Broly's pod land on Vampa, like it was supposed to?" Well, I provided a little hint in the scene where he crashed on Earth Land, but there weren't any really specific details, so I understand if you were unable to catch the aforementioned hint. HIs pod was clipped by a tiny asteroid, which in turn created the dent Rob saw on the hull of the ship. The impact also damaged the pod's navigational system, which is why he ended up on Earth Land instead of Vampa. I would have described that scene in detail in the actual story itself, but I hate writing scenes that aren't from a specific character's point of view.

Besides, it isn't like Broly himself would have been able to recognize what was going on in his surroundings. He's still only a small boi.

And yes, I realize having Broly's name painted on the side of his pod might seem like kind of a lazy way to make sure he kept the same name on Earth Land, but I honestly couldn't think of any other way to do it without having someone else arrive alongside him to inform the local inhabitants. And I didn't want to do that. If you genuinely need a reason why his name was painted on the pod, then you can simply go with the idea that all Saiyan warriors have their pods labeled whenever they are sent off world. Technically speaking, this would actually help the military officials back on Planet Vegeta keep track of who is where. I know such a concept isn't canon, but let's just assume it is for the sake of this story. This is a fanfiction, after all.

I know it might not make sense for them to do this with Broly, considering he was doomed to a life of exile, but its whatever. Such a small detail won't have any future impact on the rest of the story.

Anyway, those of you who are Fairy Tail fans are likely already familiar with who Rob is. He wasn't really mentioned in any great detail other than in the first season, but he was the man who took it upon himself to look after Erza during their shared time together on the island where the Tower of Heaven is located. And yes, given that Rob is now Broly's guardian, it will only be a matter of time before Broly and Erza encounter one another.

Will they get along?

Will they get into a fight?

How will the guards keep Broly under control?

How will Rob learn that it's a bad idea to let Broly look at the full moon?

Find out next time in the next exciting installment of "The Legend of Earth Land!"

P.S. Yes, I plan on continuing "Bloodstained Souls" and "Fibers of the Universe" as soon as possible. However, I will only be doing so after I manage to get out a second chapter for this new story. As some of you probably already know, I like to give my new stories more than a single chapter to start out with. It just gives potential readers more to get interested in.

Thanks for reading!

AlucardsBro OUT!