Music To My Pointy Ears
For years now, the Order of Tyboron had been steadily biding its' time. Gathering followers and collecting the sacred artifacts needed for the final ceremony. Now the wait was over. The stars were in alignment. The time was now.
The Order had assembled in an underground chamber for the summoning ceremony. The high priest Abaddon slowly made his way up to the sacrificial altar. Around the stone table, there was a circle of followers. They were all dressed in dark blue cloaks with the hoods pulled up over their heads. As their leader approached the altar and drew a curved dagger, the followers fell down upon their knees and let their foreheads touch the floor.
Upon the sacrificial table, bound by shackles, there lay a teenage boy with brown hair and green eyes. He stared nervously up at the dagger in Abaddon's hand; occasionally glancing at the kneeled figures surrounding him.
The high priest spoke in a loud, commanding voice,
"Brothers, our time has come! Once the words of Tyboron have been seeped in the life's blood of this sacrifice, he shall emerge from the void and grant us limitless power!"
This said; Abaddon turned his attention back to the boy on the altar. He lifted the dagger above his head, ready to plunge it into the teen's chest.
As his arm dropped, a red and yellow-tipped object flew from among the cloaked order. Abaddon let out a cry of pain as it struck his hand, and sent the dagger flying. He, along with the rest of his followers, turned to face the cause of this interruption.
Four of the cloaked figures rose and pulled back their hoods; revealing faces that every citizen of Jump City knew well.
"It's the Titans!" Upon seeing the young heroes, many of the room's occupants tried to run for the exit. But their escape attempt was blocked by a wall of dark energy, courtesy of the lavender haired sorceress Raven.
Upon the altar, the teen who was to have been the Order's sacrifice, raised his head and called out to the Titans,
"Dude, could you have cut that any closer?! I was almost skewered!"
His body then morphed into that of a green octopus. He was now able to slip his tentacles out of the metal shackles with ease. As he did so, something fell off of one of his appendages, and clattered to the floor. It was a silver ring with a blue circle adorning the top. As he took human form again, his appearance had altered greatly. His hair and skin were now green, his ears were pointed and, when he opened his mouth to speak again, fangs could be seen.
"Tell me again why I had to be the dude on the chopping board?!" The Titan Beast Boy said.
"Well, it had to be one of us that got taken. Otherwise we'd have had no way of tracking these guys to this place." Robin, the dark haired leader of the Titans, replied.
"Yeah, BB. Besides, you were saying how you wanted to try out the new holo-ring I made." The mechanized teen Cyborg answered, with a teasing grin.
Abaddon growled with rage at the scene before him. His followers were huddled in a corner; afraid to move for the green eyed alien Starfire was standing in front of them, with a pair of glowing fists.
"Brothers!" He called out, in an attempt to rally them. "Do not let these mere mortals intimidate you! Fight back, so that we may bring forth Tyboron and smite the -"
"Oh, give it a rest, Eugene." Raven cut him off.
Beast Boy looked at the high priest with disbelief etched over his face.
"Eugene? As in, the guy who runs the comic book store, Eugene?" He stomped over to the now sheep-faced man. "I'm your best customer, and you were going to stick a knife into my heart!"
Robin managed to keep his face serious, but in truth he was finding it hard not to laugh.
"Okay team, let's finish up here. Make sure no one moves, while I call the police to come pick these guys up." He took out his communicator and proceeded to do so.
Cyborg walked over to the fallen dagger and picked it up.
"Man, who knew we had some demon worshippers in our very own town." He said.
"They're not demon worshippers." Said Raven.
"How so?"
"Well, for starters, the thing they were trying to summon; Tyboron; it's not a demon. A tyboron is an inter-dimensional creature. About the size of a wolf, scaly, big tusks. They're really just dumb animals that roam around between dimensions." Raven pointed to Eugene and his group. "These braincases were about to release a pack of vicious beasts that would've torn them to shreds."
Eugene's former followers all turned to glare at him.
Cyborg turned the dagger over in his metal fingers, noticing the words written in gold on the blade.
"So, if they're nothing special, why the whole ceremony thing? I mean, this dagger's got all magic words inscribed on it."
"Words? Let me see." Beast Boy took the dagger from Cyborg and sat down on the altar, looking at the inscriptions.
"In ancient times the tyboron could be summoned to be used in battle." Raven said, in reply to Cyborg's question. "However it took powerful magicks to keep them under control. Magicks I'm sure these guys don't possess. Nowadays, if a person knows how to open a book and light a scented candle, they think they're a master of the Dark Arts."
"Well, good thing we stopped the sacrifice then." Said Cyborg.
"Actually, that's another thing these guys messed up on." Said Raven. "While summoning demons does usually require a sacrifice of some kind, bringing forth mere animals like the tyboron is a much simpler process. You just place the dagger; a symbol of malice; on the altar, read the inscription and-"
"Qusarim loctor rectuum. Tenisar oktor tyboron." Raven and Cyborg turned around to see Beast Boy sitting on the altar, reading the words inscribed on the dagger.
"Hey, Raven." The green Titan called over to his wide-eyed team mate. "What do these words mean?"
There was a sound behind him, like the crack of lightning. Turning around slowly, Beast Boy saw a jagged line of light, floating in mid-air. The line then split, so that it resembled a giant tear. Within the tear, he could see the outlines of creatures with glowing eyes and sharp claws.
"Oh. Never mind."
--
Dimension X. The word 'bizarre' didn't nearly do justice to this alien world. It was an insane mix of colour and light; where the laws of physics, such as gravity, distance and even time didn't always apply. This place was home to a host of strange creatures, peculiar plant life, and one blue-clad teenager.
The hooded hero, known as the Herald, sat cross-legged on a large piece of floating landscape. He was watching the shifting "clouds" in the jagged sky. When he'd first arrived in this unique environment, he had found it pretty unsettling. But now, having spent a couple of years as a resident, this dimension was as familiar to him as Earth was. In fact, he had come to consider this place to be his home, even more than the planet of his birth.
A sudden sound interrupted his peaceful musing. It was like the sound of a lightning bolt. Unusual, because Dimension X didn't have lightning storms. Herald moved in the direction the sound had come from, leaping from one landmass to another.
As he landed atop of a rocky outcrop, Herald observed a worrying sight. There were two holes, seemingly floating just above ground level. Out of one, there came a pack of dangerous looking animals. They were four-legged, covered in green scales, with large white eyes and vicious tusks jutting out of their upper jaws. Not creatures native to Dimension X, but Herald had seen quite a few life forms pass through his world, on the way to others.
He landed on the ground behind them, as the first hole closed. The animals ran into the second one; which then sealed up behind them but, before it did, Herald was sure he spotted some familiar looking faces through the opening.
Deciding quickly on his choice of action, Herald reached into an inside pocket and brought out his weapon and tool that had led to his name; the Gabriel's Horn. He put the mouthpiece to his lips and blew.
--
"Beast Boy, I have to ask. Why?"
Raven was using her powers to form a protective barrier in front of herself and the green-skinned changeling. The tyboron were viciously attacking it with their claws and tusks. While most of her concentration was on maintaining the barrier, the cloaked Titan was also berating her younger team mate.
"Why can you never just leave well enough alone? You see a button; you have to push it. You see magical words inscribed on a mystical dagger; you have to read them out!"
"I can't help it! I'm just a curious person." Beast Boy answered. "Is it bad to want to learn new things?"
"When it leads to a pack of mindless, predatory, trans-dimensional animals being released into our world; yes!"
Around the spacious chamber, that the followers of Tyboron had been planning to use that night, the Titans were fighting with said animals. Starfire's role had changed from guarding Eugene's group, to protecting them. She flung starbolts and fired eyebeams at any of the creatures that got near the frightened men. It soon became apparent that the tyboron's scales served as a natural armor. While they did seem to find the starbolts painful, no real damage was being done.
Robin was having similar luck, fighting the beasts with his bo-staff. He leapt back, to avoid being gored by a pair of tusks. As he did so, he threw a pair of explosive disks that hit the animal in the face. It reared back, howling with pain. Robin used this opportunity to charge forward again and slam his staff into the side of its' head. The scaly creature hit the wall and lay stunned, but the Boy Wonder now found his hands full with two more.
Cyborg's sonic cannon seemed to be the most effective weapon against the tyboron. It was damaging their scales, and the beasts seemed to find the sound it made horrible. He blasted away a group that had been converging on Starfire; giving the girl some breathing space.
"They are proving most resilient." The orange-skinned Titan commented as she and Cyborg combined their firepower to keep the snarling creatures at bay.
Robin was on his back, with a tyboron on top of him; his bo-staff being the only thing keeping it from snapping his head off! Fortunately, help came in the form of a green tiger batting the monster away with a massive paw. The Titan's leader got back to his feet, and moved to where Raven was firing beams of black energy at their assailants.
"Raven, do you think you can send these things back to where they came from?" He asked.
"It'd be risky." She answered. "If I used my powers to tear open a dimensional gate down here, it could bring the whole place down on top of us."
The young heroes looked up as an abrupt sound cut through the air. Before they could recall what the familiar noise was, a perfectly circular opening appeared in the same place the tyboron had poured from. Out of it stepped a person the team instantly recognized.
"Herald, what're you doing here?" Raven quickly dispatched another beast with her powers, and then turned back to the honorary Titan. "Not that I'm not glad to see you."
"I saw these things come through my dimension." The boy answered. "When I saw where they were headed, I figured you could use a hand."
"Lucky for us." Said Robin. He then called out to his team, "Titans, we need to get them all grouped together!"
"No problem." Said Beast Boy. He then morphed into a gorilla and ran at the tyboron; swinging his powerful arms and knocking the creatures back.
Robin threw some smoke bombs which sent the animals running away with stinging eyes.
Cyborg continued the barrage with his sonic cannon, while Starfire concentrated her starbolt energy into beams. Together, they were herding the tyboron into a cluster.
Unfortunately, one of the beasts had been over looked. The one that Robin had stunned earlier. As it got back to its' feet, its' attention fell upon the person standing closest to it. Herald heard a loud snarl behind him, and turned to see one of the tyboron lunging at him. He leapt to the side, rolling along the floor, and landed in a kneeled position. But the creature had been quick to strike again; this time with its' tail.
The blow caught Herald in the midsection and knocked him hard against a wall. The tyboron pounced at the downed hero; its' jaws open and ready. Herald quickly brought his horn to his lips and the animal disappeared into a portal that had opened in its' path.
He pulled himself to his feet and aimed the instrument at the other creatures; which the Titans had managed to group together. Another portal opened in front of them. This one created a drag that pulled the tyboron into it. The opening closed behind the last of them and the chamber was silent. At least until Beast Boy spoke up.
"Dude! That horn is so cool!" The green-skinned teen ran up to Herald. "You gotta tell me how it works!"
"Well, it's pretty simple. You just -" Herald lifted his horn to show to Beast Boy, but then let out a pained hiss and put his hand over his ribs.
"Hey, are you okay?" Beast Boy asked; instantly concerned.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just took a knock."
"Oh, that's okay. Raven can heal you up if you're hurt." Beast Boy pointed over his shoulder to the dark empath.
"Hold on. I want to know exactly how much damage we're talking here." Cyborg walked up to Herald and held his arm scanner over his midsection. "Hmm. I think we should get you back to the tower and give you a check up, just in case."
"Whoa, man. I'm sure it's nothing serious. I've taken worse hits than this." Herald put his hands up as he spoke. Starfire crossed her arms and leaned in closer to him.
"I am afraid there is no arguing with Cyborg once he is like this." She said. "You had best just go along with him."
The Titans all turned at the sound of a throat being cleared. Eugene was back on his feet; one hand behind his back, the other just under his chin.
"Well, that was certainly an… enlightening experience. But what's important is that everyone's safe and sound and we can all go on with our lives."
"You're still going to jail, Eugene." Said Raven.
"And that goes for the rest of you too." Robin added, pointing to his followers.
The former Order of Tyboron gave a collective groan.
--
Herald lay on one of the sickbeds in the infirmary of Titan's Tower. He was fighting the urge to drum his fingers on the mattress, as Cyborg was scanning his body with some of their equipment. His blue outfit and gloves, and black undershirt were folded on a small table next to the bed. His horn was next to them. The mask that covered his eyes and the top of his head was still on; tied like a bandana.
Raven stood nearby, while Beast Boy sat on another of the beds; casually swinging his legs over the side.
Finally, Cyborg straightened up.
"Looks like everything's okay." He said. "There's some bruising, but nothing's damaged."
"What'd I tell ya?" Herald sat up and reached for his shirt.
"It's better to be safe than sorry." Cyborg replied as he began putting the equipment away.
"Is he always such a mother hen?" Herald quietly asked Raven.
"You should've seen him when Beast Boy got the flu." She answered. "Of course, Beast Boy was acting like such a baby, I don't think he minded."
"Hey!" Beast Boy had overheard that comment. "Having the flu was horrible! I was all sniffly, I got headaches, and my throat was so sore I couldn't even talk!"
"Yes, that was a good week." Raven replied with a small smile. Beast Boy fumed, while Herald chuckled as he pulled his gloves on.
"Okay, Herald." Cyborg had finished tidying up, and was looking at the teen with a playful grin. "Since there's nothing wrong with you, you've got no excuse not to face me and Robin on the gamestation. And, believe me, you're gonna need medical attention after I'm through with you."
"Is that so?" Herald hopped off the bed and matched Cyborg's grin with his own. "We'll just see about that."
The two of them marched out of the infirmary. Raven walked behind them, muttering something about "boys".
Beast Boy was about to follow too, when he spotted something out of the corner of his eye. Herald had left his horn on the table.
The changeling stood eyeing it for a few seconds.
"I shouldn't." He said to himself. However, his feet seemed to be making their way over to the table.
"I really shouldn't."
He was now looking down at the instrument. Without really realizing it, he reached out and picked it up. He stood a few seconds more, just looking at the horn in his hand.
"I really, really shouldn't."
He put the horn to his mouth and took a deep breath.