Tartarus:
The rescue team is surprised to find themselves seated in a crumbling coliseum made of brown stone, it has evidently seen better days as one side has fallen over, littering part of the arena floor with rubble. Asides from three skeletons and a few other bones they are the only spectators. On the arena floor stands Hades in one end and the small figure of Raven with her hood up in the other and the goddess Dike in the center. The spectators are seated in front of Dike in two rows, with the Amazons in front and the others on the row behind them.
"Umm, where are we?" Beastboy asks, while looking around himself.
"One of Hades' old arenas." Artemis notes.
"Is that a sword?" Nightwing asks as he sports something in Ravens hand.
"It is, where did she get that? And that suit?" Cyborg asks as he focuses his eye zooms in on Raven, spotting the suit under her cloak.
"All is as per the wishes of Olympus." Dike says from the arena floor. "This will be decided by armed contest, as Raven of Themyscira has earned the right to avenge the atrocities heaped upon her by Lord Hades. The rules are as follows; no physical or magical interventions from the spectators are allowed or the match will be forfeited to the opposing party. As the rules of Tartarus stands, the winner will be declared when one party is unable to continue. Leaving the coliseum perimeter will be considered an act of surrender and therefore a forfeit. You may begin." She says before she disappears and reappears next to the spectators, standing with her tilting scales in an outstretched hand.
"Goddess how is this justice? She doesn't stand a chance against him here?" Penelope asks.
"She has more of a chance than you realize young Penelope, watch and you will see." Dike replies without turning. On the arena floor Hades stands immobile with his arms folded across his chest, while Raven slowly walks towards him.
"Dike has sealed your fate by the choice of battleground Trigonian." Hades mocks without moving.
"Or has she sealed yours?" Raven asks feeling strangely confident in the situation and feeling that her anger is slowly rising while at the same time hoping she wasn't fooling herself into believing she could do this.
"I am in the seat of my power, you stand no chance here. Let me demonstrate." He says as he throws a hand into the air, beneath him a piece of rock lifts him into to the air, all around the arena the ground begins to heave and break as pale limbs burst through the ground dragging the bodies after them. "Behold the fate of all heroes!" Hades laughs as the horde of zombies begin shambling towards Raven, who appears unbothered as she continues to stride towards her target.
"Hey that's not fair!" Beastboy yells from his seat. "He's breaking the rules!"
"He is not, those are the corpses of people who have fallen here, they only move because he tells them to." Diana explains. "He pulled the same trick when Faust tried to release him."
On the floor Raven draws her sword back with two hands as the first three zombies come within striking distance. The sword splits the air with a roar as it cleaves the air and the corpses in its path, the bodies tumble to the ground as the first loses its head, the second is cleaved at the chest and the last has its spine severed at the hip. Ravens sword seems to catch fire after the blow, a dark red flame appears at its tip before crawling down the length of the sword, up the pommel and onto Raven herself. The spectators have to restrain themselves from jumping into the arena as Raven's entire person is surrounded by flame and smoke, Raven herself appears unbothered by it as she continues to move forwards striking down any of the zombies that get too close to her while sending rocks the size of mailboxes hurling through the horde and at Hades. While the zombies are torn apart by the stones, Hades casually swipes aside those he doesn't just let bounce off his armor.
"What is going on here?" Artemis asks in disbelief, knowing people don't just burst into flame.
"Justice." Dike replies calmly.
"Is this all you have to offer Hades?" Raven asks without strain in her voice as she cuts down more zombies before blasting a pack to smithereens. "Don't tell me you are this useless in a fight?" She mocks as she crosses the half way mark between her initial position and Hades.
"My dear, by the end of this you will watch as I personally rip your friends apart!" He says before an orange glow appears in the slit of his helmet where is mouth is, Diana recognizes this instantly.
"Raven! Look out!" Diana shouts, but Raven ignores her, actually she picks up the pace as a stream of fire spills from Hades' helmet, incinerating all of the zombies caught in its path, while Raven dives into the sea of flame. The spectators look on in disbelief as they think Raven just shared the fate of the zombies.
The stream of fire is abruptly broken off as a sword roars out of the fire, aiming to take Hades head from his shoulders. He sees it just in time to dodge, as only the left of the curled horns adorning his helmet is severed and the helmet is twisted sideways on his head. As the fire stream is first turned before being shut off, Raven emerges completely unscratched by the attack; she waits for Hades to pull off his helmet, revealing his partially blackened face. His eyes glow with anger as he turns to face her again.
"I can smell the stench of Olympus upon you Trigonian! Does my brother mock me so?" He spits, as his right hand is pushed into a black vortex that appears around it. As he pulls it back out he drags a massive mace of black iron with it, it is covered in baleful glowing runes along the head and shaft. The head is shaped as a huge clenched fist with spikes running along the knuckles. The weapon seems to pulse with a dark aura of its own, as if it is aware of being wielded.
"That is the fabled Grond, isn't it?" Fate asks Dike.
"Indeed it is." Dike replies calmly.
"Dike, she has no chance against him when he wields that thing!" Artemis sounds close to panicking, knowing full well what that weapon is capable of.
"Hush brave Artemis, the Hammer of the Underworld is a mighty weapon indeed, but Raven of Themyscira carries a weapon of power as well." The goddess replies calmly.
"Now, Trigonian I will make you eat your words before I force your intestines down your throat!" Hades warns as he grips the mace with both hands.
"Been there, done that." Raven replies flatly, before stepping aside to avoid the overhead blow Hades aims at her, the ground cracks around the impact spot and the spectators feels it through their seats as the shockwave causes the far part of the arena to collapse. Ravens counter attack is a blurred swing that is avoided, achieving only a slash across the unarmored part of Hades' left arm. The motion has Hades dragging his mace after him as he gets some distance between the two. "Hephaestus wants his armor back by the way." Raven notes off handedly as Hades realizes his opponents weapon can actually harm him.
"The cripple can come retrieve it himself!" Hades replies angrily as he throws his left hand wide, sending Raven flying back into the wall behind her.
"Ow…" Raven says, before noticing Hades rushing her with his mace raised in one hand over his head. "Two can play that game!" She says before Hades is yanked onto his back as if his mace suddenly gained a massive amount of weight. She uses the time gained to recover her sword and leaps at the fallen god, aiming to cleave his skull. As she gets close, Hades hand races out and backhands her, sending her flying away into another part of the wall. "This is getting ridiculous." She manages before quickly sinking into the ground as Grond is hurled towards her, leaving her sword sticking out of the ground while the hammer demolishes the wall and the structure behind it, leaving more than half of the stadium in ruins.
"HA! The vermin flees, I claim victory!" Hades bellows. Unseen by him a figure rises out of the ground behind him, with her hood back and changed shape, Raven appears as black metal demon with red glowing eyes.
"Wanna bet?" She asks before landing a flying kick to Hades' back, sending him crashing into the wall.
"Is that her?" Nightwing asks, surprised at her appearance.
"Dike, what is going on here?" Diana asks equally confused.
"Nothing that has not been blessed by Olympus, Champion. Between the grains of sand running in Chronos' hourglass, Lady Athena held audience with Raven on Olympus and dressed her as you see her now. The sword and armor are gifts from Hephaestus' forge, as you have correctly guessed, specially made for her." Dike explains without turning as Raven takes several swipes at Hades, resulting only in sparks from his armor before she has to leap over him as he tries to land a right hook on her. Turning around they have another go at each other with much the same result, only Raven manages to make a wound on his already wounded arm before he lands a blow in her midsection that sends her flying back. The low is low enough for her to land on her feet, digging her right hand in to the sand to break herself
"Wretched soul, you dare lay hand on me?!" Hades fumes as he stands back up to his full height and summons his weapon from the ruins of the wall. "I will eat your heart!"
"Come and get it then." Raven replies while falling into a ready stance while her eyes locate her sword, how right behind him, Hades growls as he charges her. Raven countercharges; the two rush each other, one with his mace swinging horizontally, and the other dropping at the last moment to slide under the blow and between his legs. The slide ends with a roll that leads her into a run to get her sword, before leaping sideways out of fear Grond would be following her. But she sees he has not yet turned she takes her chance. Not waiting for him to turn she rushes him from behind; Hades however anticipates the attack and turns clockwise while swinging his mace in both hands. Ravens own attack is a mirror of his, a double handed swing aimed at Hades throat.
Time seems to slow as they lock eyes while they swing both seems to realize this is it, so does the spectators, who look on appalled as they see Raven caught inside the swing of the hammers shaft, sending her flying with a pained screech, landing near the center of the arena. Hades himself stumbles away and drops to down on one knee as his right hand moves to cover the bleeding wound that has appeared in his neck, quickly realizing it was not dangerous.
"No! Raven! Get up!" Nightwing yells as Raven doesn't get up, getting out of his seat, getting halted by Diana and Artemis from jumping into the arena. "Let go! She needs help!"
"The match is not yet over." Dike says calmly as Hades stomps over to Raven who is clutching her right arm with the left, picking her up by the throat with one hand.
"Yield now Trigonian and you first death shall be quick, relatively." He growls as he squeezes.
"I'm not finished yet." Raven hisses while wiggling around in his grasp.
"Ha! You have no weapon that can defeat me. This battle was decided before it began!" Hades laughs with a slight gurgling in his voice as he squeezes her neck.
"Oh I have one weapon Hades." Raven growls through the constricting grasp. "It's called…Tartarus." She growls as her eyes blaze with an incredible intensity as she had finally gotten the foothold she needed; Hades having in his arrogance in the face of his victory lowered his mental defenses.
"What?! No! Stay OUT!" He yells while dropping Raven in favor of clutching his head and squeezing his eyes shut in pain. "NNAARRGGG!"
"Remember Hades, you are no true Lord of the Underworld; you are a prisoner here as much as anyone. Athena wanted me to remind you of this fact, and now I ask you if you can stand beneath suffering being endured in your realm, as I am." Hades realizes what this means and rushes towards her prone form as her eyes blaze even brighter with the effort.
"NOOO…!" Hades manages before he lets loose a scream that blasts the arena apart. Throughout the realm of Tartarus all activity ceases as demons stand dumbfounded, in the mortal realm, every magician and magically attuned being feels the tremors of the scream of the fallen god, on Mount Olympus the large pool of water being observed by the assemble of gods explodes like a geyser to the applauding of the observers that had mostly treated the spectacle as a sports match for their entertainment.
The observers in Tartarus pick themselves out of the rubble with ringing ears, having been partially shielded by Dike and Fate. As they help each other up, they peer into the dust clouds that surround them for any sign of the combatants. Dike apparently can't sense anything either, as she floats down from the ruined seats and begins walking towards where the combatants were last seen. With no injuries amongst them the group follows after her with a few coughing in the dust.
"Where are they?" Beastboy asks before coughing into his fist.
"Up ahead." Dike replies, as she speaks, a large shape is appears through the dust, lying on the ground. As they draw closer, the Amazons begin scowling; the shape proves to be Hades. Nightwing checks up on him, confirming there is a pulse and a frantic one, but he expected as much. Hades is curled up in a ball, his eyes are wide and staring, but he is unresponsive, and his teeth are clenched together. All together telling the group his mind is currently overloaded with whatever it was he experienced. "Justice is served." Dike notes as her scales balance themselves out. "My task is done; you will find your friend in that direction, good speed to you." Dike says before vanishing in a flash of light.
"Huh, she didn't even stay to say goodbye to Raven." Beastboy shrugs as Nightwing heads off in the direction indicated.
"Raven?" Nightwing calls as he begins spotting bricks on the ground. "Raven!" He calls again into the mist, but keeps moving. He hears something moving and swiftly heard towards the source, finding a black clawed hand sticking out of a pile of bricks that move a little on. "Over here!" he calls before beginning to removing the bricks, soon joined by the Amazons and in the span of a few seconds, Raven has been excavated.
"Is she all right?" Cyborg asks as Raven moves a bit.
"Mostly." Raven replies groggily as she opens her eyes. "Remind me not to do that again." She gets a few chuckles out of the others as she sits up and shakes her head.
"Well if we knew what you did, maybe we will." Penelope asks with a smirk.
"Uh." Raven replies while putting a hand on her head. "It's one of my least used abilities, one thing is that I am an empath, I can sense others emotions. But what I used was to projecting that empathy, where I force someone to feel something. I made him feel all the suffering going on in Tartarus that I can feel. So in short; I hit him with him with this place."
"I never knew you could do that." Nightwing says as he offers her and hand and pulls her up.
"I never use it if I can avoid it, because I get severe headaches from it as the smallest possible side effect. Also the only time I used it on Azerath I ended up with several bruises for doing so." She remembers that day well; she had tried to get one of the monks to get her some candy, and ended up getting beaten by the other monks for doing it being told that she was never to use her powers like that. "Also right now I am trying to tune out all the emotions I channeled." She explains while having her free arm tossed over Artemis' shoulder for support.
"So you really went to Olympus?" Philipus asks.
"Yeah, she pulled me out just before Dike moved us to the arena." She explains. "Phew, they are shut out now." She sighs in relief that most of the tormentors have also momentarily stopped in their tracks, making it a bit easier for her.
"So what did they do to you up there?" Beastboy asks, poking her shoulder.
"Nothing, other than curing me of the wounds I got here. Besides the headache, I'm fine…it's a suit of armor." She says as he is bold enough to actually knock on her.
"Don't look like it." He continues, Raven sighs before forcing her human side out, turning the armor back to normal.
"Better?"She asks as Io's eyes widen considerably at the sign of the volcano that appears on her chest, having disappeared with the change.
"Oh now I am jealous sister! When we get back I'm gonna knock you on the head and run off with that." Io says as she eyes the armor and the emblem it carries.
"Nice to know you care so much, sister." Raven smirk back as they move back to Fate who is taking the chance to study Hades up close.
"I suggest we make our retreat swiftly, I sense much demonic energy heading in our direction." He says. "And he will not remain down for long." He nods at Hades.
"Agreed, Artemis do you know where the dock is from here?" Diana asks.
"I'm not sure, Hades has a few these and I can't quite remember if I've visited this one." She replies as Raven lets go of her and heads off in one direction, swaying a little as she goes. "Raven? Where are you going?"
"Need to find my sword." Raven calls back as she looks from side to side, before putting two fingers to her head for a second before stretching out the left. Out of nowhere the sword comes flying back to her hand. "Found it." As she comes back, Io's jaw drops at sight of the sword as she recognizes it by its design.
"Did you get Zeus's Thunderbolt while you were up there as well? I can't believe they gave you that!" She exclaims to the wonder of the others who don't know what she is talking about. Fate, Artemis and Philipus have however sensed the tremendous power in the blade.
"Reminds me." Raven says while ignoring Io, holding out her hand something seems to fall into it a second later. "Antiope, here." She says as she walks up the archer and deposits what she had gathered into her hand.
"Hair?" Antiope asks as she looks into her palm.
"Remember you said that you thought you would hear about me bringing back Zeus' beard? Well it's not his, but it is divine." The expression on Antiope's face is priceless as she drops the beard and wipes her hand clean on her pants, knowing who it came from. The other amazons snicker along with Beastboy.
"Didn't know you were such a girl Antiope?" Penelope says with a grin as they step onto Fate's platform, Antiope just grumbles a promise about to get back at Raven.
The Watchtower:
"Still nothing?" Superman asks Batman, who is busy gathering information about the event all the mystics reported about an hour ago. As it is his turn, Batman is working on the League satellite while having monitor duty.
"Nothing certain, but they all agree it was not a happy feeling they had." The man replies without looking up. "I have Jason asking questions to some of the people he knows, in case they know something we don't."
"Do you think it could have something to do with Diana and the others?" Superman continues remembering how events in Tartarus could affect mages.
"Maybe, but if it is, I will take it as a good sign." Superman smirks, a maybe from Batman is worth certain guarantees from almost anyone else.
"I hope they all get back."
"They have Diana and Fate with them; she will make sure they don't leave anyone behind." Batman adds, Superman nods remaining silent for a moment as he leans his arms on the back of the empty chair before asking again.
"Can I ask why you didn't volunteer for the mission?"
"Gotham needs me more than Raven does." Bruce notes the funny look Superman is sending him. "If worst come to worst, she will need her friends more than me. You?"
"I don't do so well with magic, as you know, but I did want to be there." He sighs. "Can't imagine what she may have gone through in there."
"Same, but she is the type that understands. So how's that article coming?" Batman asks as he leans back in his seat while trying to find the pattern in the event.
"Not so well, ever since Raven was lost, I felt like I was writing her obituary whenever I decided to begin." Superman explains, after a moment of silence he decides to play the ball back to Batman. "You know, I noticed neither you nor Nightwing were the least bit surprised when Diana announced having inducted Raven? No facial ticks to convey surprise and no rise in blood pressure in either of you."
"How observant of a Kansas farm boy." Batman smirks in amusement, it was one of the things he liked about Clark; his attention to details. "We found out by accident, after she demonstrated some increased physical abilities to the Birds of Prey and to Nightwing, we asked her for a demonstration and her sleeve slipped up."
"And here I thought you used all your detective skills on her." Superman replies with a smirk, while he also appreciates Bruce's attention to details, he does appreciate the times when he admits it is not always down to skill and experience, but it's only the fewest he will admit it to.
"When Nightwing told me she lifted my bike without straining herself, I suspected, but I couldn't prove anything." Superman huffs in amusement having expected the reply.
"Did J'onn know?" Superman continues, remembering the dinner party Bruce arranged with Diana, guessing they wouldn't have been able to hide it from him.
"Yes. You couldn't see the bracelets?" Batman asks, guessing Superman had used the x-ray vision on her at one point or another, if just to find out if her skull actually grew additional sockets for the extra eyes or not.
"Her clothes are partially magic. Besides it's not like I bathe everyone I see with radiation."
"Unlike your Christmas presents." Batman smirks, getting a chuckle out of Superman.
"Well, my parents compensate for that."
"Rae you ok?" Nightwing asks in concern, noticing Raven has begun swaying a little as she stands.
"Just a little tired, it's nothing." She assures, explaining why she doesn't fly with the others.
"After a fight like that; no wonder." Penelope adds.
"Speaking of that fight; how's the arm?" Shayera asks as she flies closer to the platform, with the outbursts from the others, she had been a bit puzzled by Raven seemingly getting nothing from a hit, but she isn't sure if the shaft was as dangerous as the head. In her experience, magic could be very picky about such things.
"Sore." Raven replies, as if suddenly aware of the injury she rubs the spot where Grond struck her. "It can wait." She continues, noticing the concerned look Cyborg grows, knowing he would want to have a look and treat it if possible.
He shrugs. "Whatever you say Rae."
"I am afraid we will have to walk from here." Artemis replies from up front, having spotted what she was looking for. "We have to go through that cave down there." She says while staring at a small opening in the cavern wall in front of them. Fate guides the platform down, alongside the other flyers.
"Right, so who's the first to go down the creepy hole?" Io asks as they have landed and look into the opening, finishing her question just as Nightwing disappears into the hole. "Oi!" She hollers before jumping after him. Fate forms a glowing ball of light that hovers behind him before entering, followed by the rest with Cyborg's large frame taking up the rear.
Fate has the glowing ball float behind them all so they don't get blinded by it as they stand in the rock corridor. "So I guess this place is not just an empty cave?" Beastboy asks.
"It's a maze further down. I've heard rumors of some kind of creepy crawlies being kept down here, but I haven't seen them." Artemis says.
"So how do we find the exit?" Antiope asks at the mention.
"We walk, I came through here once, but I had an escort with me. Keep close and stay quiet!" Artemis commands before taking the lead, followed in order by; Nightwing, Antiope, Diana, Io, Raven, Cyborg, who dims his own light to save power, Beastboy, Penelope, Shayera, Philipus and Dr. Fate makes up the rear.
They walk for what feels like hours in as much silence as six heavily armored women and Cyborg can manage. Fate has the orb dim its light to so it can only just illuminate Artemis' next step, at first it results in almost total darkness for the group that relies on their eyes, but gradually they begin to see shapes in the dark. At first it is only the rough textures of the walls surrounding them, but after about an hour they feel, rather than see, themselves leave the tunnel and enter a vast cave. The floor besides them falls far into darkness, leaving them to cross the cave by a narrow path that snakes its way up and into the darkness. To their sides they can see the crooked shapes of rocks sticking out of the darkness like icebergs in a still sea.
They have just noticed the other side of the cave coming into view when the sounds of falling rocks are heard by them all, causing them all to freeze. Fate, Philipus and Raven cast glazes around them in hopes their mystic senses will pick up something. Cyborg turns to his scanners, letting them display their finding on the interface in his bionic eye. Beastboy tries turning into first a dog, where he tries to pick up a scent before turning into a bat that flaps around the group for a few seconds before he changes back.
"Pardon the intrusion, but appears we are surrounded." Fate's voice sounds in their heads.
"Run!"Artemis yells. Fate's orb surges with new power, illuminating much of the cave as the group sets into a run. They don't have time to look around them to see their attackers, but they can hear them as they have also given up on sneaking around. To the group it is the sound of innumerable feet and hands making contact against stone before moving on. If they had taken the time and looked, they wouldn't see much other than a living black carpet making its way down the cave walls from above. They don't see the carpet begin leaping from the wall and onto the free standing rocks before moving on to the next or onto the rocky path behind them.
"We should stand and fight!"Shayera grumbles.
"I agree, but not in here." Artemis says.
"I suggest we keep moving."Nightwing adds. "No telling how many there are."
"Running at full speed with a horde on your heels through a maze will get you lost." Artemis replies as she is the first to exit the large cave, followed by the others.
"Hold!" Diana commands, having found what she was looking for in the smaller cave they've entered, the opening behind them will rob the horde following them of its greatest strength; its numbers. "Philipus, Anitope, Fate, Cyborg cover us! Brace yourselves!" They all move to comply, with the ranged forming a line behind the rest who are also forming a line while getting their weapons ready. Fate lets his orb float up to the ceiling so none of them can see it, but lets it light their battleground as they hear the enemy approach with howls and hisses accompanying the patter of hands and feet.
They don't have wait long before the first three pursuers leap through the opening, two getting blasted back by sonic cannon fire and one crumbling on the ground with an arrow in it chest. From what they can tell of the thing, it has a humanoid shape, with long skinny arms and legs and an equally skinny torso, like a person that has not been fed properly for a long time. The scary part about it is that it seems like the top half of its head over its nose has been torn off, leaving a clear view of the bowl where the brain should have been and the nasal cavity. They don't really have time to consider any of this before more of them piles through the opening.
At first the demons are at the ranged attacker's mercy, as the stream of firepower directed at them leaves none to reach the line of waiting fighters. Fate floats a few feet off the ground with two swirling pink and yellow plates at his hands while directing beams of light from his orb that burns neat fist sized holes into the demons. Antiope is a study in precision, each arrow she fires pierces a heart or a throat of the ones trying to avoid the blasts of Philipus and Cyborg. Philipus directs her crackling ball lightning spells at the opening, still remembering the words of Hippolyta about sending them too close to her sisters. Cyborg is trying to remain calm while cycling through four targets at once with his cannons, saving his missiles for later when he won't risk bringing the cave down on them. Raven and Nightwing join in with their own ranged attacks, Nightwing with tiny explosive spheres he usually saves for getting through walls or locked doors or birdarangs that sends a powerful electrical discharge through the target. Raven quickly exhausts the potential ammunition found in the few loose stones in the cave and resorts to use concussive blasts aimed squarely through the opening. The firepower on display leaves Beastboy, Diana, Artemis, Penelope, Shayera and Io standing either waiting anxiously and grimly, for the fight to change.
They don't have to wait long thought before Nightwing runs low on his explosives and joins them in the waiting game. For about a minute the fight seems not to notice he has stopped, but a crumbling sound announces a shift in the tide as the opening is made wider letting more demons through. Seeing this Raven immediately stops her attacks and draws her sword as the front line is engaged by the first demons. Diana, standing in the center scores the first kill in close range as a demon leaping at her is split down the center by her sword. The others soon scores their first kills as well as more demons press through. Ravens screaming sword leaves little of her opponents behind as the fire surrounding her burns her adversaries to ashes in matter of seconds. Beastboy uses the large hands of the gorilla shape he is employing to either swat his targets away or crush them, either by swatting them between his hands or by smashing them into the ground. Each of Penelope's blows crush bone or organs as she lets her Amazon strength hit the most critical parts of her opponents. Io sticks to the same strategy, only she is favoring a heavy one-handed mace that smashes anything she hits while her other hand holds a large shied that keeps her safe. Shayera lays about herself with her crackling mace, rupturing skin and smashing bone as the magic disrupting powers of the N'th metal works on the demons. Artemis swings her long sword in broad arcs in front of her, splitting several demons with each swing. Raven is slightly worried for Nightwing as the first demon reaches him, but her worry is soon dismissed as his two batons leaves each demon screeching and smoldering, her mystic senses detect some type of disruptive coating on them.
But for all their skill and valor, the tide of demons slowly increase in strength as more of the opening is chipped away by the creatures outside. Thus Philipus find herself targeted by several demons that slip past Io and Diana; quickly she redirects her magic and uses it as she strikes the demons down with electrically aided punches and kicks. Philipus' need to defend herself puts more pressure on the three others. Fate tries to cover the absence by raining small burning spheres down onto the demons, but they lack the devastating power Philipus provided with hers as it also forced the demons back out. This reduction in turn puts more pressure on the front line, the fighting soon becomes desperate for the defenders. Beastboy is the first that has to resort to his fall back strategy as he finds himself swarmed by opponents and goes down under them, only to emerge in his were-beast form a second later. Scattering his attackers, he begins rendering and tearing his opponents apart in what Raven can feel is a mix of terrified rage. As the other Titans fear, Beastboy looses himself inside the beast and breaks formation, coming dangerously close to swiping them as well. Diana and Richard have enough presence of mind to notice it is only a matter of time before they are overrun if this continues.
"Fall Back!" Diana yells, they all begin moving backwards towards the exit in the back. "Blow the roof when we are through!" Fate, Cyborg and Raven begin blasting the horde back in front of them, allowing the others to retreat to the opening, Anitope covers them at first when Cyborg pulls back, then Fate and lastly Raven.
"Someone get Beastboy back here!" Nightwing snaps, noticing the changeling still tearing away at the horde. Raven disappears before appearing besides Beastboy and vanishes with him. "Blow it!" Nightwing's command if followed by the shriek of missiles being shot through the air, Fate times it so that his sphere blows the ceiling out as three missiles strike the far wall. The resulting explosion leaves them all in complete darkness as the cave collapses on the horde trapped inside of it.
"That was the kind of fight I was expecting." Shayeara huffs in the dark, Fate lights up another sphere."Hey where's Raven and Beastboy?" She asks, noticing the two are missing, Nightwing immediately worries that they didn't get clear in time. His concern is dismissed when something roars farther down the corridor, after the echo dies down a flat voice answers it.
"Stupid." It sighs before an even louder roar follows it; an audible whimpering sound is heard after the echo fades. The group rushes in the direction of the voice, finding the transformed Raven glaring at the cowering Beastboy in front of her.
"I guess Green Bean got all primal?" Cyborg asks with a smirk at the sight.
"He was." She says flatly.
"Ok, since we are all here. Check for ammunition and injuries." Nightwing says in an authoritative tone, the Titans and Leaguers begin at once, the Amazons after a nod from Diana, all relieved they were safe, at least for a moment.
Authors notes: But are they in the clear yet? Is Raven really all right? And what is it about that sword of hers? Find out in the next chapter of Scars! :)
R&R