Hey there everybody! I hope you guys are all ready for some more epic Teen Titan-ic awesomeness, because here's a brand new chapter! In this epic chapter of the A-LionGleek style Teen Titans Season 6 premiere, the Titans set out in earnest to reach Dante's Isle and stop Savage in time to save the world from undergoing a second apocalypse. Will they be able to stop Savage in time? Even more importantly, is Savage the only obstacle they'll have to worry about on Dante's Isle apart from potential demon visitors? And tremendously more importantly, will the Titans even manage to make it to Dante's Isle in time in the first place? Find out, in this fantastic new chapter!
Again, just so you are all reminded, I do not own Teen Titans, or the DC universe, period. Now, with all that unpleasantness out of the way, onward with the fic!
Chapter 13:
The Road of the Fallen
The very next morning, the Titans all woke up at 6:00 sharp. After Raven had managed to explain how, in spite of Savage having possession of the Infernal Key, they were still on equal footing with the immortal caveman, Robin had decided (partially as a result of the fact that they were more or less evenly matched with Savage in regard to the current situation and partially as a result of how late in the night it was and the Titans being quite tired) for the Titans to go back to the tower and get some much overdue sleep. However, not wanting to waste any time, he'd made sure to drill in the point that they would all need to wake up at 6:00 in the morning at the very latest.
Now they were awake, and were ready to get hard at work in catching up to Savage so they could reclaim the Infernal Key from him and prevent him from opening the alpha Devil's gate and allowing Lucifer's army to overrun the Earth so that they could then work to find a way to release him. They were so focused now on getting to work on this major league important task that they didn't even bother to say a single word as they hurriedly, yet calmly, ate their breakfast that morning. Yet even though Robin was trying his best to remain calm the way his friends were doing, he couldn't help but tense himself up mentally as if dreading the possibility of them being delayed by an emergency alarm for trouble in Jump City the way they'd been so many times the previous day.
But as it soon turned out, Robin's worries would not come to pass, and the Titans managed to both finish their breakfast and head straight back to the computer so that Raven could show them what she'd read the previous night and allow them to get full info on just where they had to go this day without a single alarm going off. But even without any alarms having gone off, Robin continued to remain tense as he and the other Titans quickly perused through the documents from the Brotherhood of Dante's database. With the stakes as high as they currently aware, he was now praying more than he'd ever dared pray before that there would be no delays to the important mission that needed to be completed on that very day.
Upon seeing this, both Starfire and Cyborg placed a hand on Robin's shoulders. Robin looked around at his girlfriend and the half-robot. At the sight of the understanding, but also slightly nervous, looks on their faces, he sheepishly smiled, and made very clear effort to relax his tensed up body. "Sorry," he eventually stated. "I know I really ought to relax right now, but I just keep worrying that we'll be called to handle trouble in the city and be delayed again like we did so many times yesterday.
Cyborg nodded his head up and down. "It's ok man," he said. "I understand perfectly. But just relax, the alarm hasn't gone off yet, and BB and Raven are already hard at work in studying back up on all we need to know about where to find the alpha Devil's Gate. And if the alarm does go off, I'm sure that we could possibly have some of us stay here at the tower while the rest of us take care of whatever mundane trouble just happens to be occurring. There's no need to worry."
"Yes Robin," said Starfire. "Friend Cyborg is right. Though today we indeed risk the end of the world for the second time in our lives, just relax. Everything we'll be fine, and we will not fail this mission when the world truly needs us most."
Robin took a deep breath, sighed, and then said, "I guess you're right. But still, the fact that the alarm still hasn't yet gone off a single time this morning just makes me all the more worried that it will end up going off right as we're about to leave the tower to go after Savage."
"Well in that case, the alarm has very limited time to go off in time to catch us as we're about to depart," said Beast Boy. Robin, Starfire, and Cyborg looked straight towards Beast Boy just in time to see him and Raven turned themselves away from the computer they'd been on so that they could face their three friends.
"I found that one segment I read yesterday right before we left to go to Lucifer's Crypt," said Raven.
"And?" Robin asked.
Raven nodded. "Just like I remembered," she stated. "The Alpha Devil's Gate, Alpha Stairway to Heaven, and Alpha Purgatory Path are all located on a place called Dante's Isle."
Robin raised his right eyebrow. "And that information is helpful how?"
"Patience Robin," Starfire stated.
Raven nodded her head gratefully at the Tamaranean, then looked at Beast Boy, who nodded, and then said, "Dante's Isle is this special hidden island place. The reason it's so special in regard to being an ideal location for those afterlife portals is the fact that it's positioned in an area where the essence energy for all three afterlife realms plus the veil intertwines together, thus allowing for stronger affinity for the portals. In other words, since the veil, realm of the living, and the afterlife are all connected and anchored together in that location, then the Alpha Devil's Gate, Stairway to Heaven, and Purgatory Path are guaranteed to function properly as they should without fail."
"Where is it located?" Cyborg asked.
"Here's the coordinates," Beast Boy stated. He pointed at a picture of a map within the document that had the location of the island clearly marked. "According to this, the coordinates are 42, 7, 65, 13."
"42 degrees, 7 minutes north, 65 degrees, 13 minutes west," Robin stated almost mechanically upon hearing the numbers.
"That's not too far south of Nova Scotia," said Cyborg.
"Please," Starfire stated, "if the coordinates for its location are known, then how is it that this Brotherhood of Dante are the only people alive on Earth who know of its location?"
"God did his work well in guarding the place," Raven replied. "It's heavily warded by a protective energy barrier none too different from a force field."
"And that's not the only thing guarding that island," said Beast Boy. "Apparently, for the sake of adding even more security, the force field is surrounded by massive rings of thick white arctic fog."
"And as if that weren't enough," said Raven. "According to both the Brotherhood's database, and the books I've managed to acquire on the subject, this island can only be accessed on land on the four days in which the Dante's Keys are capable of being used. On those days, it reportedly rises out of the ocean at exactly 12:00 am, the fog then materializes and takes its position around the island, and stays like that for almost the entire day until the island sinks back beneath the waves at exactly 12:00 am the day after with the fog fading into thin air at the exact same time."
Cyborg whistled. "I can certainly give points to the big man upstairs for security."
Robin, however, had more important matters on his mind. "How thick is that fog?"
"According to this," Beast Boy replied, "thick enough to feel as if you're on Jupiter."
At the sound of this, Robin noticeably paled. He remembered from reading in astronomy textbooks while under Batman's tutelage that the gravity on Jupiter was strong enough to crush human beings. And apparently, the arctic fog that surrounded Dante's Isle was thick enough to subject a very similar suffocating effect on anyone or anything that dared try to pass through it. Cyborg seemed likewise horrified by this information. Even Starfire, who was capable of flying through zero gravity environments without getting violently ripped apart by the vacuum effect, looked unnerved by this information.
"And not only is that fog around to discourage manual transport there by air or sea," Raven stated, "but there's also a powerful warding spell woven within the force field that prevents portals from being summoned to reach the island. Not even Lucifer and all three of the remaining archangels are strong enough to override it."
Robin carefully noted all this information in his head. "Well if that's the case, then how is anyone even supposed to get on that island to access the Alpha afterlife portals in the first place? Ask God to help them and hope for the best?"
Beast Boy and Raven shook their heads. "Like I mentioned last night before we returned here from Dragon's Head Valley, there is a tiny window of opportunity in which the island is capable of being accessed by all forms of transport, whether they be magical or manual. As it says in the Brotherhood's database, the island can be accessed at an 11th hour, which in this case, literally means 11:00 in the local time of the area that it's located. Come 11:00 in the morning, and a rift is opened within the fog and the force field. That one opening is just enough to allow for those who are manually traveling there by air or sea to enter, and for portals to the island to be capable of being successfully summoned. However, this window of opportunity only lasts as long as the time remains at exactly 11:00. The instant the time changes to 11:01, the rift closes, and you'll then have to wait until either 11:00 pm that same day at the earliest or the next time a solstice or equinox occurs at the very latest before you get another chance to access the island."
At the sound of all this, Robin thought carefully to himself, noting down all the details and carefully planning things out. He quickly looked at the clock, and saw that it was now 6:20 in the morning. "How long do you think it will take for you guys to get ready?"
"About 10 minutes," said Beast Boy. "Maybe 5."
"And preparing the T-ship for travel will take about 10 to 15 minutes tops," Cyborg added.
Robin considered the information. "Well we'd better make sure that we have both ourselves and the T-ship prepared as quickly as possible. It's 6:20 here in Jump, so that means that it's about 10:20 am in the area where Dante's Isle is located. Therefore, we've got 40 minutes to get to those coordinates in time for the opening that will allow us to access the island. Titans move!" The other Titans did not need to be told twice, and all five of the teenage heroes proceeded to hurriedly run out of the common room to make the preparations they needed. There was now truly no time to waste.
. . . . .
At exactly 6:30, the Titans had gotten themselves prepared and on the T-ship ready for takeoff. At that point, Robin couldn't have felt more determined, yet also relieved and nervous, then he did right then as he sat in his usual compartment at the very front of the T-ship. He now truly felt ready for whatever came this day. Now that the ship was ready and there still hadn't been any interruptions to this important mission, Robin was beginning to noticeably relax. "I guess that sometimes the only way I am able to relax is taking on dangerous missions," he thought to himself.
He activated the com-links for each of the five compartments, and stated, "Titans, you ready?"
"You betcha," said Cyborg.
"Affirmative," Raven stated.
"Ready's my middle name," Beast Boy stated cheekily.
"I am ready Robin," said Starfire.
"Good," Robin stated. He then looked directly ahead, and stated, "Alright team, let's get this started."
He pressed a button, and the ship swiveled around to face the direction that it would need to fly in to reach the coordinates for Dante's Isle. "Main power online," Robin then stated.
"Oxygen tanks at maximum," Starfire stated.
"Defensive systems activated," Raven stated.
"Twin-turbo hyper drive jet engine ready," Cyborg stated.
"Coordinates entered and destination locked," Beast Boy stated.
Robin pulled down a lever, grabbed on tightly to his controls for movement, and yelled, "Titans, launch!"
They launched the ship, and it rose into the air all the way up high enough to be hovering a couple feet or so above the top of Titans tower, and then with a powerful burst of speed, it seemed to vanish into thin air as it began to rocket away at hyper speed towards its destination. The Teen Titans were now truly on their way to save the world.
. . . . .
Ten minutes or so later, in an ocean based area located more than a few miles south of Nova Scotia, the T-Ship seemed to burst out into existence in a flash of light. Having thus come out of hyper drive, the ship proceeded to hover around the area as if carefully searching for something.
"Remain calm," said Robin. "According to the ship's GPS, we should reach the coordinates real soon."
Seconds later, Robin then heard Beast Boy state over the com-link, "Dude, is it ok if I quickly open the window for my compartment?"
Robin raised his left eyebrow. "Why would you want to do that right now?"
"Is there anywhere I can dispose of any garbage that may have accumulated in here over the course of the trip here?"
"What are you . . ." Robin started to ask before he then thought of a very likely reason for Beast Boy's questions. "You threw up on the way here didn't you?"
A long pause ensued in response to Robin's question. "Um . . ." Beast Boy eventually said. "Maybe?"
Cyborg groaned very loudly at the sound of this comment. "Aw come on!" yelled the cybernetic teen. "I just cleaned out the interior, and I still haven't even fixed up the damage you did to the paint job yet! Can you go anywhere in here these days without causing some sort of mess for me to clean up?!"
"Dude," Beast Boy growled. "A: It's not my fault that those loco fan-girls tried to drag me away from the ship while I was in the form of a smilodon, and B: if you didn't want me to throw up in here, then maybe you should have put me through some sort of special training or something so that I'd be less likely to vomit when it went into freaking hyper drive!"
"Of all the times to argue," Raven stated in her usual droll tone.
"Please friends, we mustn't allow for us to fight each other," Starfire pleaded.
"The girls are right," Robin stated. "Right now, we've got more important things to worry about. So for now, I say you wait till tomorrow to argue and devote your full attention for today on making sure that there will actually be a tomorrow. Understood?"
After a brief tense silence, Beast Boy responded, "You're right, I'm sorry. I can wait till after we've prevented the apocalypse."
"Yeah," said Cyborg. "What he said."
"Good," said Robin. "Now let's get back to work. The GPS says that our destination is only a couple feet or two away from us, so pay close attention to the area."
The other Titans mumbled their acknowledgement, and they all began carefully moving the T-Ship around through the air to follow the directions given to them by the GPS. At one point, Robin looked up from his GPS monitor right as the T-Ship came to a stop at an area that the GPS said to be practically inches away from reaching their destination, and saw just the thing he'd needed to see.
"Um . . . Robin . . .," Starfire stated.
"I see it Star," Robin replied. "We've made it."
And indeed the Titans had made it to their destination. Right there in front of the T-Ship was a gigantic billowing mass of thick, snowy white, arctic fog. The Titans had arrived at the boundary for Dante's Isle, and as far as Robin could tell, they still had time to spare before the opportunity came for them to bypass it.
"Cyborg," Robin stated. "What time is it?"
"According to the local area clock, it's 10:45," Cyborg responded.
"Got it," said Robin. "Well team," he then declared into the microphone, "we've got 15 minutes to spare, so I hope you've brought some stuff along to keep yourselves entertained."
The Titans mumbled their acknowledgment and nodded their heads. For exactly one minute, all five of the teenage heroes were silent.
"Hey Robin," Beast Boy stated. "Can I ask you something?"
"Is it important?" Robin responded.
"Well," said Beast Boy. "I was just wondering, have we ever discussed some of our proudest or favorite major moments together? You know . . . like our top favorite battles or anything like that?"
At the sound of this question, all four of the changeling's team mates raised their eyebrows. "Um," said Robin. "I honestly don't really know for sure. Why do you ask?"
"Well," said Beast Boy. "Sometimes I just get the feeling that we've never really gotten that deep before in our discussions as friends you know? And I think that, now, with the current circumstances were in, I just have a feeling that now's as good a time as ever to really open up about all our experiences together as friends and team mates. I mean, surely you guys can all admit that it would really be nice for us to share our proudest moments or favorite battles right?"
The other Titans thought to themselves, and then nodded one by one as they all found themselves agreeing that what Beast Boy had suggested did actually make sense.
"I guess there's no harm in having a friendly chat while we're waiting," said Robin. "As long as we're finished before 11:00 that is. Anything in particular you think we should talk about right now?"
"How about we each state our own personal top 3 favorite battles?" Beast Boy responded almost instantaneously. The other Titans thought to themselves.
"I certainly don't see why not," said Starfire.
"I say we do it," said Cyborg. "I'm definitely game to discuss my favorite butt kicking moments."
"There are worse things we could talk about," Raven stated in agreement.
"I guess it's settled then," said Robin. "I'll go first if that's ok."
"You go on ahead," said Beast Boy.
Robin nodded, thought to himself, and then said, "Well, I'd have to say that number 3 on my list of favorite battles is when I did battle with Professor Chang alongside Red-X."
The other Titans were quite surprised to hear this information. Robin had made it very clear multiple times in the past just how much he hated fighting alongside criminals. "Why would that battle be among your favorites?" Starfire asked.
"Because I learned over the course of that experience that maybe it would be better for me if I opened my mind a little more when it came to the business," Robin responded. "Before that battle, heck before the time that I myself took on the identity of Red-X, I'd always seen the world in black and white. But over the course of both my time as Red-X and our first experiences involving the new current Red-X, I learned that, in reality, life just isn't truly all that simple. And I'll admit, if the situation ever arises, I won't hesitate to make every effort required to bring whoever's currently wearing that mask and outfit to justice; but I can at least be comforted by the fact that while he's still at large, I won't have to worry about him attempting to pull off something that's at the level that Chang was willing to go to, and certainly not the level that Savage is currently attempting." The Titans thought to themselves upon hearing this explanation, and then nodded in understanding and agreement.
"What's your second favorite battle?" Raven asked.
"The time we battled Slade together in the midst of all that nano-probe drama with me as his unwilling apprentice."
The Titans certainly weren't surprised that this battle was on his list, but they were surprised that it was only #2.
"You see," said Robin. "All the times before then, we'd never really been able to really make any headway against him in any of our battles against him. But in that battle, we managed to actually really take the fight to him, and when it was all over, I truly felt that since we'd for once managed to truly really score a true full on victory against him that one time, then maybe we had hope to at some point manage to bring him to justice. Granted, we still haven't yet managed to do so. But hey, as long as we manage to prevent apocalypse take 2 from occurring today, I'm sure there'll be other chances."
"What about your first favorite battle?" Starfire asked.
Robin took a deep breath, exhaled, and then responded, "Our final battle against Daizo in which he transformed into that giant ink monster." At the sound of this, Beast Boy and Cyborg found themselves chuckling quietly to themselves with wide Cheshire cattish grins on their faces. Even Raven smirked slightly as she thought of the very likely reasons behind Robin choosing this battle as his personal all-time favorite.
"Why that battle?" Starfire asked in confusion.
Robin smirked to himself in a mixture of pride and embarrassment. "Do I even need to answer?" he responded.
At the sound of this, Starfire briefly thought to herself in further confusion, and then a lightbulb went off in her head, and she mouthed 'oh' silently to herself as she realized just what Robin was hinting at in regard to why he viewed that particular battle as his number one favorite battle of all time. Beast Boy grinned like a wolf, and gave Robin a thumbs up. Raven shook her head side to side with a knowing look on her face. Cyborg, meanwhile, chuckled loudly, and whispered under his breath, "You got it bad Bird Boy."
"What was that Cyborg?" Robin asked pointedly.
"Nothing," Cyborg hurriedly replied, "I was just saying that I'd like to go next."
Beast Boy chuckled quietly to himself upon hearing Cyborg's hasty cover up. He knew perfectly well what Cyborg had really said thanks to his animalistic sense of hearing. However, for the sake of allowing himself and his friends to continue their moment of true companionship without any dark clouds coming over it, he wisely chose to remain silent on the matter for the current moment.
"Ok then," Robin said slowly as if not entirely certain that Cyborg was telling the truth. But he mercifully chose not to further pursue the matter, and quieted himself down to give Cyborg the proper chance to speak.
"My third favorite battle," the 19 year old half robot began, "was the one at that chemical factory where we battled Plasmus for the first time."
Robin's eyebrows rose at the sound of this. "Why that battle?" he asked. He remembered that battle, and in particular, the major fallout that had occurred between him and Cyborg not too long before it that had ended in Cyborg momentarily quitting the team.
"Because it taught me how truly strong our friendship was," Cyborg responded. "I understand where you're coming from Robin. I remember that little spat we'd had before that battle just as well as you do. But like they always say, true friends always forgive each other no matter what. And the fact that we were able to forgive each other and put our differences aside for the good of everything in time to really make a difference when all seemed lost for you and the others, well that goes to show that, despite our differences, and just how angry we'd gotten as a result of our previous bad timing costing us a battle, we were still true friends through and through in the end."
Beast Boy whistled in admiration at this explanation. "Good answer dude," he stated reverently.
"Thanks," Cyborg stated in response. "My 2nd favorite," he then continued, "was my final battle against Atlas."
The other Titans stayed quiet, eager to hear Cyborg's explanation as to why this battle was among his favorites, particularly considering how tough it had been for him and how they themselves hadn't really done all that much during that particular incident.
"Over the course of that battle, and in fact the entire experience with Atlas, I learned just how powerful I, or in particular my human spirit, could be. Before then, I'd always believed that since I was now half robot, that I would now be incapable of overcoming my natural limits the way I'd used to when I was fully human. But after my second failed battle against Atlas, I listened to my conscience and I learned that the only thing that was truly holding me back in my fights against Atlas was myself, not my robotic half. All I had to do to get the power I needed to beat him, was to just believe like I used to when encountering similar limit breaking situations as a full on human. And so, during my final battle against Atlas, I dared to finally believe in myself and my power once again the way I'd always done before becoming part robot, and it gave me the strength I needed to take him down."
Cyborg then took a deep breath, exhaled, and finished, "And my number one battle of all time . . . well that would have to be my final battle against Brother Blood." Much like when Robin had stated one of his biggest battles against Slade, it proved no surprise to the other Titans that Cyborg had chosen his final battle against his own personal nemesis, Brother Blood, to be among his favorite battles.
"In that particular battle," Cyborg began, "I was able to demonstrate once again just how powerful my human spirit could be. For such a long time before then, Brother Blood was just so obsessed with how I was able to resist his mind control that he was willing to just keep on digging and digging within my mind to try to find out the secret to my immunity. And then, he just reached the point where my human spirit allowed the power I needed to finally defeat him to just erupt from within me and give me a much needed boost in energy, and even regenerated my limbs that he'd torn off to. Needless to say, I just feel really proud of myself for that." After a brief silence, Cyborg asked, "Who's next?"
"I'll go," said Raven, shocking the other Titans. The sorceress took a deep breath, exhaled, and then began by saying, "My third favorite battle would, ironically enough, be that one time we battled Doctor Light and I flew off the handle."
At the sound of this information, Robin and Starfire looked very noticeably worried. Beast Boy and Cyborg, however, had a very good idea as to the reasons behind Raven's choosing this particular battle as one of her favorites, and that the reasons were not in any way of a malicious nature.
Sure enough, just as Beast Boy and Cyborg expected, Raven then said, "Admittedly, it wasn't so much that particular battle itself as it was what happened the day after that made it a personal favorite of mine. The very next day, was the day that I managed to for once actually really have some time of true companionship with Beast Boy and Cyborg. If it hadn't been for what happened during that battle against Doctor Light, I probably would have never managed to become such good friends with you two. And for that, I am thankful." Beast Boy and Cyborg smiled widely as they thought about that day that Raven had now referred to. They certainly knew that it would be a long time yet before they forgot the day that they had gone on a free tour of the innermost areas of Raven's mind and had even helped her fight off and suppress her anger and rage-filled side.
"My second favorite battle would have to be our very first experience with Puppet King," Raven continued. "Over the course of that incident, I managed to develop a stronger friendship with yet another one of you. Just like I'd developed my friendship with Cyborg and Beast Boy over the course of what happened after that one fateful battle against Doctor Light, I managed to further develop my friendship with you, Starfire, over the course of our first encounter with Puppet King. And in the end, the time we spent developing our friendship and getting to know each other better allowed us to finally defeat Puppet King, save the boys, and get ourselves back into our own bodies. And I can definitely admit, it's been quite a bit of fun to have you around to meditate with me every now and then." Starfire giggled after hearing this.
"My absolute favorite battle of all time," Raven then said, "would have to be my final battle against my father. Throughout my entire life before then, I'd always believed that my destiny was just set in stone for me to destroy the world and that the entire story of Earth would just end when my father came there in his demon form. And over the course of all our experiences, I at first just couldn't hope to understand how you could possibly hope so much and put in so much effort at attempting to commit a task that I was so certain would be impossible and a waste of time to even try.
"But then, long after I'd become the portal and then been reduced to a more childlike state, you four continued to fight my father and work to find me and save the world. And then, when Trigon had left all four of you lying still and barely alive, only then did I finally manage to develop the strength, courage, and willpower I needed to finally take a stand and banish him once more back to the limbo he'd been imprisoned in, and thus restore the world back to the way it had been. And since then, while I haven't necessarily shown physical sign of it, I've never felt happier since then. After that final battle, I finally felt free, both from my father's influence and shadow, and to finally really live my life and truly believe that destiny truly didn't necessarily have to be set in stone. And none of that would have happened, if it hadn't been for everything you've done for me; and for that, I thank you, my friends."
"Well said Raven," Robin stated.
"Yes, and you are most welcome," Starfire chimed in.
"Preach," said Cyborg.
"Quoted for truth," Beast Boy said solemnly.
Raven made a slight chuckle, placed her fingers up on her com-link's microphone, and said, "Well Beast Boy, would you like to go ahead and have a turn at this?"
"Gladly Rae," said Beast Boy. Raven was briefly tempted to call him out yet again on the irritating nickname, but then decided against it since she knew that Beast Boy was really enjoying this great moment of companionship he was now in the midst of with her and the others, and that it would be better if she let it continue without any pitfalls.
"Number three on my list," Beast Boy began, "is my final battle against Adonis when we were both in Beast mode." The other Titans were briefly surprised at hearing this information, but they mercifully remained silent so as to allow Beast Boy the chance to properly explain his reasons for this information.
"I'll admit, it used to be one of my absolute all-time lowest points ever. But over time, I've come to appreciate what little good that did manage to come from that experience. For one, I was able to clear my name and avoid getting sent to jail . . ." Beast Boy briefly paused rather pointedly, which did not go unnoticed to Robin, who suddenly found something of great interest in the massive wall of arctic fog before him. Beast Boy continued, "by managing to do battle with Adonis in his own Beast form in front of Robin and Cy. And not only that, but I also managed to defeat him to. And of course, in the end, I managed to have a nice moment of real companionship with you Rae, both as a result of my saving you from that jerk-face and when you talked with me out by the water that same night not too long after my battle against Adonis as Beasts had finally ended; and heck, I never mentioned before now, but it wasn't until our experiences with your father last year that I realized just how much from experience you were speaking when you were comforting me about having that thing inside me." The other Titans, particularly Raven, allowed a few seconds of silence to pass between them. Of course, Beast Boy could have sworn that he at one point managed to hear the Beast chuckle in agreement in his mind.
"My second favorite battle," said Beast Boy, "would have to be our final battle against the Brotherhood, and not the Dante one. You see, for most of my life during my Doom Patrol days, the Brotherhood of Evil was always hovering over my head, sometimes literally. And no matter what I did, it was never good enough for Mento, who wanted so badly to just do anything to eliminate the Brotherhood of Evil entirely. And to put it simply, over the course of that final battle we had against the Brotherhood in their underground Paris fortress, I'd never felt more proud of myself then I did both during and after that battle. For once, I'd managed to win a sound victory against the Brotherhood, and I thought that maybe, for once, Mento would actually have something to be proud of about me." Robin found himself nodding silently in agreement and sympathy, for what Beast Boy had just said now reminded him of a very personal struggle of his own.
"My final battle," Beast Boy then said, "would have to be our battle against Malchior." This statement caused all four of his fellow teenage heroes' eyes to widen in surprise. Even Raven herself looked noticeably shocked. Beast Boy took a deep breath, exhaled, and then explained, "Out of all the villains we've fought, I personally view Malchior to be even worse than both of my most personal nemeses. And the reason behind that is the fact that, while the Brotherhood had been one of my biggest enemies for such a long time even before I became a member of this team, and Adonis just became a really nasty enemy of mine over the course of one of my less flattering moments of my life, Malchior just really made himself unforgivable in my eyes in how he committed an action against Raven that I myself was all too familiar with and would never have wished upon anyone, least of all one of my friends."
Right after he said this, Beast Boy clenched his fists. He didn't know why, but he just always felt so angry when he thought about Malchior and what the dragon had done. The dragon's actions, particularly when compared to his own betrayal, just made his blood boil and the Beast roar incessantly with rage. "And quite honestly, when he was present at the Brotherhood of Evil's fortress, it's probably a good thing that Herald took care of him before I got the chance to battle him. If he hadn't, I probably would have torn his throat out; and I still very much hope to do exactly that if I ever encounter him a third time."
Beast Boy sighed, and then stated, "But in particular, I also view that battle as my number one favorite because of how, not too long afterward, one of my first true moments of actual companionship with Raven since the incident after her flip out against Doctor Light occurred. And I really couldn't feel happier about that; and for that matter, Cyborg . . .," He then paused pointedly. "There is a tiny, and I mean itty-bitty, part of me that still hasn't yet forgiven you for that one inopportune moment you chose to hit me with a stankball." Cyborg gulped, and found himself sheepishly staring out the window of his compartment towards some sea birds flying around nearby.
"So yeah," Beast Boy eventually said. "That's all I have to say. I guess that leaves Starfire?"
"Oh yes, right," Starfire stated as she quickly began to think about which of the battles she and her friends had fought could qualify as her own personal top three favorites. "Well, the third battle that would have to be on my 'list' of sorts, would have to be my fight against Kitten three years ago."
"Isn't that the time when Robin was forced to go to prom with her?" Cyborg asked.
"Yes," Robin groaned, clearly not all that happy about being reminded about that incident.
Starfire chuckled, and then continued, "The reason I view this battle so highly was because of how I feel like it was a true personal victory of mine over her in regard to . . . certain factors."
"I'll bet it will be real priceless to see Kitten's face when she learns about your current status," Beast Boy commented.
"Indeed," said Starfire. "My second favorite battle would have to be when I fought my sister for the throne on Tamaran the year after my battle against Kitten."
"I guess we all agree that our favorite battles have included those against our own personal nemeses," said Cyborg.
"The reason this battle is among my favorites," Starfire continued almost as if she'd completely ignored Cyborg, "is because of how I feel as if it were my very own personal victory over my sister. Throughout our childhood, I remember her always trying to oneup me because of how I'd been named heir by our parents in spite of her being the eldest. And I also remember very much how she'd always claimed to be the stronger, smarter, faster, and all around better of the two of us. And having managed to defeat her in that one particular battle, and doing it thoroughly, I truly feel as if I have finally shown my sister just how truly powerful I am."
"Well said Star," said Robin.
"Thank you," said Starfire. "And as for my final battle to mention at this time, that battle would have to be when we fought the Gordanians four years ago."
"Isn't that the time when we first joined up together and formed the team?" Beast boy asked.
"You would be most correct friend," Starfire responded. "And the reason I view this battle in even higher regard than my last battle against my sister is because of how, on that day, I met the four people who I would come to view, and still view even now, as the greatest friends I ever could have asked for. And for that, I couldn't be more thankful, for in spite of all the heinous crimes the Gordanians have committed across this galaxy, against my home, and against me, some good has still managed to come from their actions by allowing me to meet you."
"Well said Star," said Cyborg.
"I couldn't agree more," said Raven.
"I'll admit," said Robin. "A battle that bears almost sole responsibility for meeting the people who'd become the best friends you've ever had the pleasure of knowing certainly beats a major victory against a personal nemesis."
"That's coming from you?" Beast Boy asked. The other Titans all started laughing, though in Raven's case it was more of a slight chuckle. Beast Boy even grinned upon hearing all this. "Boy if only I could get them to laugh like this all the time," he thought to himself.
When the laughter had finally subsided, Raven then asked, "What time is it?"
Briefly turning white, Robin snapped his head into position to view the clock on his monitor, very audibly sighing in relief when he saw that it had just now reached 10:59. "We're good," he said. "We now have only 50 seconds before we can safely enter."
"Well the time certainly flew," Cyborg stated.
"Pardon me my friend," Starfire said, "but I do not recall seeing any flying time pieces."
"Figure of speech Star," said Beast Boy. "He means that the time seemed to pass very quickly."
"Oh," said Starfire.
"Get ready team," said Robin as he stared intently at the clock as the seconds ticked away. Getting themselves focused back on their mission, the Titans eagerly positioned themselves so that they would be ready to fly the T-Ship straight towards the area where the large wall of arctic fog was located and then land it on the surface of the island that lay beyond.
When the clock reached 17 seconds before 11:00, Robin said, "Any second now." And so, the clock continued to tick away.
When the time finally changed to exactly 11:00, a large glow seemed to seep out from within the fog, and as Robin and the other Titans watched intently, the segment directly in front of them proceeded to practically split in two and move as if it were a pair of curtains drift away to the side. At the same time that the fog wall parted, the Titans briefly saw what appeared to be a massive dome of energy shine very brightly before seemingly vanishing into thin air. And mere seconds after the energy dome vanished, the Titans saw what was very clearly a large island. There was no doubt about it now. They had made it to Dante's Isle.
"Hoowee," said Beast Boy. "That's one swell looking island."
Robin leaned forward intently at his controls. "Alright team, now's our chance! Let's move!"
The other Titans most certainly did not need to be told twice, and all five of the teenage heroes proceeded to move their controllers and send the T-Ship flying forward at a downward slant through the large gap that had now opened up in front of them and towards a large sandy beach area that they could see not too far away from the area where the now opened barrier had originally been barring their way in.
"Come on," Robin stated. "We can make it, we can make it."
And as the ship continued to hover downward towards the large beach, Robin didn't so much as dare to even consider looking away from the area that he and the other Titans were about to land their ship. The last thing he could afford was to see how much time they had left to successfully make it past the island's security and access the island and end up panicking. "We can do this, we can do this, we can do this."
Eventually after what seemed like an eternity, the T-Ship finally reached a sufficient distance from the ground as to trigger the computer monitors into stating, "Landing procedure ready to be triggered."
"Alright team, land now!"
In a flash, the Titans activated the landing gear for the T-Ship, and before long, they had successfully landed the T-Ship on the beach of the island. Upon successfully landing, all five of the teenage heroes took five seconds to catch their breath before they all found themselves smiling proudly. They had made it. They were on the island, and now had more of a fighting chance than ever at catching up to Savage and preventing him from unleashing a second apocalypse upon the world.
"What time is it?" Beast Boy asked.
Robin looked at the clock on his computer monitor just in time to see the last five seconds of their window of opportunity tick away. No sooner had the time on his clock changed to 11:01, when the silence was split with what sounded like a small hiss of gas. All five of the Titans turned their heads to look behind them just in time to see the two thick curtains of arctic fog come plowing back together right at the same time that the energy dome force-field reappeared in a blinding flash of light. For just one second, time seemed to stop afterward. The Titans could see very clearly what had just happened, and they knew all too well just how lucky they were to have successfully reached their current location.
Cyborg eventually managed to say, "Well guys, I guess it's time for us to disembark."
The other Titans simply mumbled in agreement, and all five of the teenage heroes opened up their compartments and exited the ship. For about a minute or two after exiting, the Titans looked around the area, taking in their surroundings.
"I must admit," said Starfire. "This is a most beautiful island."
"You've got that right Star," said Beast Boy. "If it weren't for all the religious elements tied to this place, the presence of those portals, and the fact that it's both mega difficult to enter and only spends four specific days above the ocean's surface, this place would probably make an excellent vacation spot."
"You and your vacations," Raven droned.
Cyborg chuckled at the sight of his green friend's reaction to this statement. Then he looked at Robin and said, "You know Rob. We sure are lucky today."
"You can say that again," Robin responded.
"I'm serious Robin," said Cyborg. "I mean think about it, what really are the odds of us successfully making it here in time without getting waylaid by alerts of trouble back in Jump City or by storms? Seriously man, why do you think we're having such good luck this time compared to yesterday?" Beast Boy and the two girls thought to themselves, and nodded as they too realized how very valid a point Cyborg had brought up. They all looked over at Robin.
"Well," said Robin as he started scratching the back of his head. "Quite honestly, I'm not sure." He then looked up towards the sky. "Though for all I know," he then continued. "Maybe, just maybe, we have help from upstairs."
The boy wonder looked back at his friends. "I mean, think about it. Not once were we called to take care of any trouble back home before we left, or even now. Also, we were able to get to the coordinates for this island without any hyper drive malfunctions that might have occurred from our using the hyper drive function on the T-Ship for the first time, much less encountering any storms. For all I know, that could very likely have been the result of some behind the scenes work from up above. My personal guess now; maybe this is God's personal way of cheering us on. Maybe this time, the angels are actually trying to actively help us prevent the apocalypse."
The other Titans thought to themselves, and then nodded as they agreed that Robin's suggestion did make sense.
"It certainly is a comforting possibility," said Starfire.
"I can't believe I'm saying this," said Raven. "But what you've just now suggested could very well be possible."
"I've never really dared to say it before," said Beast Boy. "But I quite honestly am hoping more than ever that they really are up there helping us."
Cyborg nodded, and then happened to look to his right. However, upon sight of a very tiny detail that lay in that direction, his smile faded, and he said, "Well let's hope they truly do want us to win." He then pointed directly at the detail that had caused him to say this and stated, "Because I highly doubt that those footprints I see heading further into the island belong to any of us."
The other Titans looked towards the area Cyborg had now pointed at, and their eyes widened as they realized the same implications behind the footprints that Cyborg had now thought of. It seemed that despite the fact that they were on the island, Savage was also on the island and had managed to achieve a head start. "He must have portalled his way in while we were flying through the gap," Robin thought to himself. In a flash, he pointed in the direction that the footprints appeared to be heading, and yelled, "Titans go!"
Without hesitation, the five teenage heroes bolted down the trail left by the footprints in the sand, straight towards what appeared to be the entrance of a long canyon like path. They were now truly in a race against time. They knew that if they didn't catch up to Savage and put a stop to him in the very near future, then it would spell curtains for the whole world.
. . . . .
At 12:00 sharp, the Titans were still running through the canyon path that they'd seen Savage's footprints leading into. Well technically Starfire was flying and Raven was levitating, but nonetheless the Titans were hurrying through the path. And they were moving so fast and working themselves so hard that Starfire and Raven were just barely able to stay in the air anymore. Even Cyborg appeared to be panting, and Beast Boy seemed fit to drop as he continued to laboriously dash along behind Robin in his cheetah form. Robin himself could very clearly feel the results of his current physical effort as he panted and grunted. "Good grief," he thought to himself. "How long is this path?"
After a while, Robin decided that it would be wiser for them all to have a quick rest, and they all gratefully halted in their movement.
"Whatever the end result of this mission is," said Beast Boy as he panted and gasped. "It had so better be worth all this exercising."
"Tell me about it," said Cyborg. "If I could still feel my joints, they'd probably be fit to burst by now."
"At the current rate we're going," said Raven, "it will be a miracle if we're still in any shape to fight Savage when we catch up to him."
"Don't lose hope," said Robin. "We can do this."
Seconds later, the Titans all tensed up when they heard what sounded like inhuman snarling coming from somewhere behind them.
"Friends," Starfire stated worriedly. "What is that noise?"
"Beats me," said Cyborg.
"Um," said Beast Boy, "from what I know about animal noises, and considering my sense of hearing, I'd say that sounds an awful lot like a large pack of dogs or wolves."
"I have a bad feeling I know what's behind us then," said Raven.
They then heard a particularly loud snarl from directly behind them. They turned their heads in time to see a massive group of some of the most nightmarish beasts they'd ever seen. The creatures that were now gathered around behind them, snarling and slavering furiously, looked very much like the movie portrayal of the hellhounds from the Percy Jackson series. The only difference between the ones that had been on the screen from The Lightning Thief movie and the ones that were now standing right there before them was the fact that these creatures had three heads each.
"Hell hounds," said Raven. "And these are the ethereal kind from Hell itself."
"There are other types?!" Beast Boy yelped.
"Just one," said Raven. "But unlike its literally Hellish evolutionary relatives that you see here, those ones are more like standard animals, and are also incapable of directly accessing Hell the way these ones are. I'm sure you could very well be potentially capable of turning into the offshoot species."
One particularly large hell hound at the very front of the group, which Robin guessed to very likely be the leader of the pack, crouched down menacingly as if about to pounce, snarling ominously. Not willing to stick around long enough to end up on the wrong end of the creature's teeth, Robin yelled, "Run!" The Titans all hurried away as if they'd been fired from a cannon.
Barking furiously, the alpha male hell hound pounced after the Titans in pursuit, it's equally hungry and angry pack mates following close behind it. The Titans hurried through the path as fast as they could, but the hellhounds continued to remain close behind them. "They're gaining on us!" Cyborg yelled.
"Tell me something I don't know!" Robin hollered back.
Soon after this, the alpha male hell hound snarled, and lunged straight towards Cyborg, its large front claws at the ready to swipe at the bionic teen's back. Cyborg noticed this out of the corner of his eye, turned, and blasted the infernal beast back towards its pack with a burst of sonic energy from his sonic cannon. "Stay away from me you little scoundrel!" he shouted as the creature crashed down in front of its pack mates, briefly hindering the pack's movement as a bunch of them tripped over their momentarily fallen leader's prone form.
Not wanting to allow the beasts any time to catch up, Cyborg yelled, "Come on! Keep moving!" The Titans continued to hurry away, but the hell hounds soon caught up.
Beast Boy saw the hell hounds gaining on them once more, and he hurriedly yelled, "I'll handle this," before he turned into a lion and leaped at the pack of hell hounds, letting out a savage roar of challenge.
The alpha male hell hound had just enough time to briefly try to skid to a halt and for its six eyes to open wide with what could have qualified as shock before Beast Boy sent it flying backward with a swing of his right front paw that he directed at it right as he was about to land. He landed on all four paws as the alpha male hell hound went careening through the air and crash landed hard within the very middle of the pack. Beast Boy the lion crouched down menacingly as if prepared to attack, and roared at the hellhounds as if daring for them to attack him.
The other hell hounds briefly remained at a halt before the ones directly at the front line of the pack snarled at the green lion. With a bark of bloodlust, one hell hound with scars on its middle head that was about a foot shorter than the alpha lunged at Beast Boy, who sent it flying to his right and slamming into the canyon wall with a backhanded swing of his right foreleg. He sent a second hell hound careening into the opposite canyon wall by slamming his head into the creature's side. A third hell hound went down after Beast Boy sliced off its forelegs with an x-shaped slash of his claws and then chopped off all three of its heads with a swing of his right front claws to finish it off.
The sight of their fallen comrades only served to anger the remaining members of the pack, and they all started rushing towards him with enraged barks. Roaring and growling in fury, Beast Boy continued to battle the hellish beasts as best as he could, smacking them away with swings of his front paws, slicing at them with his claws, and even sinking his fangs into those who dared to get close enough to his face.
However, the hell hound with scars on its middle face, which Robin had now guessed to be the pack's beta, managed to get back on its feet and slowly make its way behind Beast Boy. Upon reaching the area directly behind the green lion, it crouched in preparation right as Beast Boy bit yet another one of its subordinates on the base of its middle neck and sent it flying away with a swing of his head. And right as Beast Boy proceeded to pin down another attacking hell hound and start wrestling with it, the scar-faced hell hound pounced on him, tightly gripping onto his back with its claws, and maneuvering its three heads so that it could attempt to bite at his throat.
Beast Boy roared in pain and rage as the hellhound snapped at his mane in a very clear effort to bite through it all the way to his throat, only for the hound to suddenly let go after getting zapped by a black lightning bolt that suddenly struck it from above. The hellhound crumbled into ashes upon landing on the ground, letting off what sounded like a hiss of gas. Beast Boy turned his head in time to see Raven hovering nearby with her hands raised in the air and glowing with her trademark black umbrakinetic energy. The other hell hounds had just enough time to gape at the sorceress in shock before Raven gritted her teeth in an angry snarl and furiously yelled, "AZARATH, METRION, ZINTHOS!"
Beast Boy had just enough time to leap out of the way, before Raven sent a gigantic shockwave of shadowy energy at the hellhounds. All the hellhounds at the front lines of the pack were sent flying by the impact of the massive wall of shadows plowing into them. And the impact from landing afterward was enough to cause at least half of the ones who'd fallen victim to the shockwave to crumble into ashes immediately upon contact with the ground.
However, the ones that didn't die upon landing, as well as the ones who hadn't been struck by the shockwave, were now very angry. And even worse, the alpha male had managed to get back to the front of the pack, and with an angry bark, he charged towards the titans again with his pack mates close behind.
Raven quickly swooped away in time for Starfire to fly over to take her place. Shrieking inarticulately with fury, Starfire sent rapid-fire volleys of her star bolts and eye beams at the hellhounds, killing some of them and sending others flying backwards. However, the alpha had ducked to avoid getting hit by any of them; and during a brief lull in Starfire's onslaught, he barked out a command to his subordinates. In a flash, all the remaining hell hounds lifted their heads so that they were directly facing Starfire, snarled, and sent jets of flame spouting from their jaws at the Tamaranean princess. At the same time that his subordinates shot their fire breath, the alpha hurriedly ran up the wall of the canyon, leaped over Starfire, and sent three orbs of shadow energy flying at her back from his three jaws right as he was directly above her.
Starfire shrieked as both the massive ocean of flames and the three shadow orbs crashed into her simultaneously, and she plummeted back down to the ground when the resulting explosion cleared up. When Starfire landed, the alpha hell hound landed right behind her. Starfire shrieked upon seeing the large black three headed monster standing right behind her at the ready to tear her apart, and the infernal beast roared at her in bloodlust.
However, before the creature could lunge at her, its bloodthirsty roar turned into a surprised yelp of shock and pain as the blade of a sword suddenly jabbed right through its back and clear through the base of its middle neck. A series of blinding red lightning flashes later, the hell hound crumpled to the ground and burst into ashes. Robin drew his sword away from where the hell hound had been standing, extended his hand towards Starfire, and said, "Are you ok?"
Starfire nodded hurriedly in the affirmative, and grasped onto Robin's hand before pulling herself back up to her feet and taking off. "Come on," Robin yelled at the other Titans as he turned to face them. "Get to the top of that slope behind you!"
Without even daring to ask any questions, the Titans all hurried over to the top of the slope like Robin had suggested. No sooner had all five of the teenage heroes reached the top of the slope when Robin turned to face the hellhound pack right as it reached the bottom of the slope, and then jumped before letting out an angry yell and sending a massive volley of his freeze disks towards the slope itself. Within seconds, the entire slope had become covered up by a massive rectangular mountain of ice.
The hellhounds briefly paused, and then snarled. In a flash, the ones at the front lines unleashed their fiery breath upon the icy mass.
"How is that supposed to help?" Cyborg asked.
"Trust me," Robin yelled as he drew out what looked like a small pen-like object, pointed it at the other end of the icy mountain, and pressed on the tip that was facing him. With a bang, a massive jet of flames burst from the other tip of the pen and crashed into the icy mass so hard that it almost instantly melted the ice, resulting in a massive wave of water rumbling down the slope and plowing into the large pack of hellhounds at the bottom. The demonic beasts yelped and whined in surprise as they were swept even further away from their targets by the unexpected flood. When the water finally subsided, the hell hounds were left bedraggled and lying around more than a few feet away from the bottom of the slope.
In a flash, right as the hellhounds were all starting to show signs of preparing to attempt to get back up on their feet, Robin jumped into the air again and sent a volley of his voltage disks at them. The voltage disks all landed on the soaked and soggy ground around the hellhounds without directly hitting any of them. And when the disks exploded and released their electricity, the hell hounds howled in surprise and agony as the electricity engulfed them. Before long, as all five of the teenage heroes watched, the entire remainder of the pack burst into mass clouds of ash and smoke.
Robin smiled at the results. "That should keep them out of commission for the moment," he thought to himself. He turned his head to the other Titans and yelled, "Come on! Let's get moving!" The team instantly began hurrying away from the top of the slope and further down the path. However, they'd only been continuing down the path for about fifteen minutes before they heard the sound of shrill vulture like squawking coming from above them. They all looked up in time to see what looked like a flock of vultures with silvery iron gray feathers, claws on their wings similar to pterosaurs, serrated beaks, blood red eyes, and bone like spikes arranged in mohawk fashion across the tops of their heads zooming down towards them from the sky.
"Harpies!" Raven shouted. She hurriedly positioned herself so that she was directly facing them, and sent orb after orb of her shadowy energy flying at the hideous mythological birds.
The other Titans came to a halt and looked in Raven's direction just in time to see their dark friend desperately blasting away at the massive flock of harpies.
"Titans!" Robin yelled. "Help her!"
The four remaining teenage heroes promptly proceeded to send attacks of their own at the harpies, providing Raven much needed support. Robin hurled his explosive flame disks like there was no tomorrow. Beast Boy turned into a t-rex and proceeded to snap his jaws at individual harpies and unleash ear splitting roars of fury to scare off larger groups that attempted to gang up on him and Raven. Starfire unleashed a blinding storm of star bolts. And of course, Cyborg shamelessly fired off missiles and sonic blasts. But as it later turned out, there were far more harpies in the group then the Titans could hope to vanquish entirely.
Then Cyborg noticed Beast Boy scare off yet another squadron of harpies with a roar, and he came up with an idea. Hurriedly working away at a screen on one of his arms, he yelled, "Cover your ears!"
The other four Titans turned their heads towards Cyborg in confusion just in time to see what looked like two large megaphones rise up from Cyborg's shoulders and point straight upwards at the massive flock of harpies. Eyes widening, Robin and the girls had just managed to put their hands up to their ears and Beast Boy had just managed to turn into a box turtle and curl up into his shell before Cyborg unleashed a piercing shriek of noise come booming out of the two megaphone like objects that had extended from his shoulders.
The noise waves spread across the entire area, and every single one of the harpies that hadn't been killed by the earlier attacks of the five teenage heroes shrieked in agony with their eyes closed before they all turned away and flew back up higher into the sky and out of the Titans' sight.
The other four Titans looked at Cyborg, who smiled, pointed at the now harpy empty sky, and said, "I had a feeling that they weren't big fans of loud noise when I saw how they reacted to BB's roaring. And so I thought that maybe they'd be more than happy to fly the coop if I exposed them to some mega high doses of what Beast Boy was giving them."
"Clever," said Beast Boy.
"Good job Cyborg," Robin said. "Come on team, let's move!" The Titans proceeded to once again hurry down the path. This time, they managed to travel for a full half hour before they then heard another ominous noise that caused them to halt. This time, the noise they'd heard was what appeared to be a snake-like hissing. And even worse, the noise seemed to be coming from above.
Then Beast Boy looked up, and his eyes widened at the sight of what was now leaning over to face them from the tops of the cliff walls to his left and right. "What are those things!?" he yelled as he frantically pointed upward. His friends looked in the direction he was pointing, and their eyes widened at the sight of the terrifying animals that were leaning over the edges of the two cliff walls. The creatures in question appeared to be reptilian in nature. Their bodies and heads looked very much like those of large pythons. Their entire bodies were covered with olive green scales complete with some dark blackish spots. They had forked tongues that sputtered out from their mouths filled with shark-like teeth. They also had small ridge-like spines lining down their backs, frills around their necks much like frilled lizards, and scorpion-like barbs at the tips of their serpentine tails. And to top it off, they each had six scaly leopard-like legs. However, what really made them scary was their ominous blood red eyes that seemed to have almost human-like icy glares of pure hatred and loathing blazing within them.
Second later, the creatures' eyes started glowing with ominous red light, much like the way Starfire's eyes glowed green before she fired her laser blasts. Raven's eyes widened, and she hurriedly yelled, "Basilisks!" No sooner had Raven shouted out what the creatures were when the beasts fired crimson red laser beams from their eyes straight down towards the Titans.
Raven just barely managed to put up a shadowy barrier above herself and her friends, and the beams fired by the basilisks were harmlessly deflected off the shield. About half of the lasers struck the basilisks, and the unlucky beasts roared and hissed in agony before suddenly collapsing on their bellies and convulsing violently before abruptly lying still.
It wasn't long before one particularly large basilisk, apparently the leader, noticed what was happening; and it gave off a series of growling hisses. The message it had now conveyed to its subordinates was clear; "hold your fire!" In a flash, all the basilisks that were still alive ended their rapid fire laser blasts from their eyes. With the laser onslaught from above effectively rendered useless, the basilisks proceeded to crouch down and continue to glare venomously towards their targets down below while Raven continued to maintain the barrier she'd put up, careful to make sure that she didn't allow one second to pass without it placed up above her and her friends.
Cyborg whistled as he stared up through Raven's shield towards the sinister looking reptiles. "And I thought that the kind that ran on water was unusual enough."
"I'd certainly take one of those over this kind of basilisk any day," Beast Boy agreed. "Though still, I certainly wouldn't mind having the ability to turn into both this kind and the kind you just mentioned."
"Bigger things to worry about right now Beast Boy," Robin said. He then turned to Raven and said, "For that matter, what's with those laser beams? I thought all they needed to do was look us in the eye?"
"Those laser beams are the basis for that misconception," Raven growled, trying her hardest to focus on both keeping her shield in place and answering Robin's question at the same time. "Those beams they fire from their eyes are capable of causing the vast majority of animals that they hit to die in agony upon contact. Over time, enough stories were told about them to the point that people started exaggerating the story so that people began to believe that the creatures were able to kill their prey simply like looking them in the eye."
"Wouldn't be the first time a story's been over exaggerated," Beast Boy agreed.
"Are there any parts of the stories that are correct?" Cyborg asked.
"The venom part yes," said Raven. "Their venom is more powerful than almost all venomous snakes and similar venomous creatures combined. And it doesn't have to be ingested in order to kill you either. In fact, according to the legends, a knight on horseback once stabbed one with his lance; and when the venom ended up draining out of the creature and riding out of the basilisk down the lance, it proved powerful enough to not only kill the knight, but also the horse."
"They aren't without their weaknesses though," said Beast Boy. "As has both been told in the legends and now been demonstrated for us, they aren't immune to the effects of their own laser beams."
"Hmm," Robin said as he glared upwards towards the basilisks. "Well it's definitely going to be pretty difficult to get rid of these things. We can't attack them with Raven's shield in the way, and having her put it down would leave us vulnerable to their return fire."
"Not to mention they seem all too aware of how susceptible they are to their own medicine," Cyborg added.
Seconds after Cyborg said this, they all heard Starfire shriek and then yell in panic, "Friends! Behind us!"
The other four Titans turned their heads to see what it was that Starfire had seen, and their eyes widened at the sight of a small group of basilisks standing right there at the entrance to the chasm segment they'd just entered, hissing at them and extending their frills to maximum length. They had just barely noticed this unexpected development when they heard more hissing coming from in front of them, and all five of the teenage heroes turned their heads in time to see yet another small group of basilisks standing at the exit on the opposite end of the chasm acting much the same way as their brethren.
Raven cursed mentally at the sight of this. She'd been so focused on the basilisks watching from above that she hadn't even thought about trying to extend her shield so that it would provide cover for herself and her friends from the sides as well as from the top. Now, with the ground-based basilisks having only just now made their presence known, she would now need a miracle to get the shield extended in time to avoid getting successfully hit by any attacks from the unexpected reinforcements.
The Titans heard hissing coming from above them that sounded very much like a serpentine form of laughter, and they looked up in time to see the basilisks that they'd earlier shielded themselves from hissing and smirking at them. It was clear that they'd been well aware of the trap they'd now placed their prey in.
Seconds later, the Titans heard what sounded like yawning growls coming from behind them, and they looked in that direction in time to see that particular ground-based group of basilisks with their mouths open and filled with what appeared to be rapidly expanding masses of noxious green gas. It was clear that these particular basilisks were about to unleash their virulent poison breath attack.
The Titans then heard the worrisomely distinctive sound of laser beam energy charging from the other end of the chasm, and they looked towards that area in time to see that the other ground-based group of basilisks had their eyes glowing red as they prepared to fire their deadly lasers at them. At that moment, the Titans were very terrified. Would this be the end of everything for them?
Seconds later, Beast Boy's eyes widened as he suddenly remembered an important detail he'd been about to bring up, and he answered that question for the Titans when he hurriedly jumped towards the basilisks that were about to fire their laser beams, did a forward somersault while in the air, and also initiated a transformation. By the time he landed directly in front of the basilisks he'd lunged towards, he'd managed to fully take on the shape of a weasel.
Robin's eyes widened at the sight of what Beast Boy had chosen to transform into. "HOW IS THAT SUPPOSED TO HELP US?!" Robin thought angrily and despairingly to himself.
However, right as the boy wonder was about to shout out to ask Beast Boy whether or not he'd taken leave of his senses, the basilisks directly in front of Beast Boy reared up in shock, frills extended, hissing rapidly in fear, and their faces showing that they were very clearly terrified before they hurriedly turned around and bolted off into the distance, still hissing in fright.
For a few seconds, the Titans stared agape at Beast Boy the weasel. Raven even ended up briefly losing enough focus for the shield she'd put up to dissipate into thin air. The Titans were all brought back down to Earth immediately after this when they heard hissing from above. The basilisks on the cliff edges had now taken advantage of the now absent shield to charge up their laser beams.
Fortunately for his friends, Beast Boy was ready, and he quickly turned into a rooster and unleashed a blaring "Cock a doodle doo!"
The basilisks on the cliff edges above the Titans hissed shrilly in pain with their eyes closed, and shook their heads side to side as if attempting to shake off severe pain, before eventually turning around with facial expressions that made them look as if nearly in tears and running away. The ground-based basilisks directly behind the other Titans were also affected slightly, but they stood their ground and prepared to charge up their laser beams now that both their comrades had gone and they had been interrupted in their charging of their poison breath.
Beast Boy, however, was not going to have any of it, and he hurriedly jumped over to where the remaining basilisks were before letting out another rooster-cry. The basilisks reacted much the same way their comrades had before the majority of them turned around and dashed away. One basilisk, however, was just barely able to stand its ground and open its eyes before roaring in anger and pain at Beast Boy.
Right as the basilisk was roaring at Beast Boy, the green rooster jumped up onto the creature's snout, stared it right in the eyes, and then let out a final piercing "COCK A DOODLE DOO!"
The basilisk hissed in agony, closing its eyes, and trying desperately to shake off the pain before finally finding itself unable to stand it any longer. Beast Boy had just managed to jump off of the basilisk when the creature turned around, reared up, and then dashed away in the direction opposite the one that the Titans had been heading before getting trapped, hissing and howling in agony and despair.
When the last basilisk had finally vanished from their sight-range, the other four Titans gaped at Beast Boy as the verdant green shape shifter reverted back to his human form, stood up straight on his feet, and turned around to look at his friends with a small toothy grin. "I managed to remember from something I read that there were two specific types of animals that these types of basilisks always tried to avoid. Weasels are immune to both their beams and their venom, whereas the call of a rooster is said to cause them to experience violent seizures. And as you can see, I remembered that information just in time."
For a brief moment, Beast Boy's four friends remained lost for words. "Well good thing you know your animals BB," Cyborg eventually managed to say.
Robin shook his head side to side. "Beast Boy," he said. "Remind me to set aside some funds for a moped when we get back home."
Beast Boy's eyes widened at the sound of this. "This has gotta be a dream," he thought to himself.
Robin then clasped his hands together and said, "Come on team, let's move!"
In a flash, the Titans did exactly that, and exactly 20 minutes later, they found themselves entering what appeared to be a large circular valley just in time to see Savage about to exit it from the other end. "Stop!" Robin yelled.
And just like that, another chapter comes to an end! I hope you guys all enjoyed reading it, and that you leave a respectably healthy number of reviews! ^_^ And feel free to comment on/ask about any element within this chapter that you desire! I am perfectly happy to see any comments or questions you have (provided they are respectful and not of a flame-based nature, cuz God do we hate Flames). I especially enjoyed writing this chapter, and I can definitely tell you that I'm also enjoying writing the chapter that comes directly after this one! That being said, I again hope that you all enjoyed this chapter and leave a healthy load of reviews for it! ^_^
Coming up next: The Titans have managed to catch up to Savage, but the immortal caveman isn't about to surrender the Infernal Key that easily, and before long, the Titans find themselves fighting the battle of the ages against both Savage and ALL 5 of the Knights of Hell. However, the end of this battle . . . will come at a tragically high cost. But even with the aftermath to come, will Robin and the other Titans (but particularly Robin) still be able to walk out of it in time to save the world? Find out, on the next epic chapter of Night of the Cursed.