With the room key in hand, I cautiously made my way to the "Open Arms" hotel, as I didn't want anybody, even disguised, to see me go inside. Once inside, the hotel looked just as bad on the outside as it did on the inside. The chairs and seats in the lobby were covered in dust, among other things, and the phone on the far left wall had its cord cut.
"How the Hell is this place still in business", I muttered to myself.
"Hello, and welcome to "Open Arms"", said an unenthusiastic voice from behind the front counter. She hadn't looked up at me yet as her face was buried in a magazine.
Oh no, not her, I thought to myself as the woman at the counter was that same angry Barbie doll blonde I kept bumping into. How and why she landed a job like that, I had no idea. As I walked up to the counter to check in, she puts down her magazine and fires a few more rude words towards me.
"Uh, I know you don't think I'm here for you, Zorro", she said in reference to my getup.
"Don't flatter yourself", I said to her in response, though I altered my voice to avoid being recognized. Since it was obvious that she didn't care to question who walked in and out of the hotel, I made my way upstairs to find my room. I was on the second floor in Room 249. "Guess this is it", I said to myself as I saw my room on the far end of the hallway I was in. As I walked over to the door, the sounds of moaning, slamming furniture, and all kinds of other sexual sounds seeped through the paper thin walls.
Eventually I made my way to my room and opened the door with my key. Inside the room was a single bed with blue sheets. My room in particular had no curtains, no t.v., and the only other pieces of furniture in the room other than the bed were the desk with a lamp, and a single chair in the corner of the room.
"Oh yeah, totally what I had in mind when I pictured my first time", I said to myself as I closed the door behind me. Upon doing so, I noticed a couple of cockroaches on the floor hovered around a rotten apple. "Beat it", I growled at them. In response, the two large insects scampered across the room, disappearing through a hole in the wall leading into the other room. I then walked over to the apple and kicked it off to the side. The very fact that I was in that room was insultingly aggravating.
As I waited in the hotel room for Tasha to show, I found myself pacing back and forth nonstop. I was a nervous wreck. Even though I had no intention of sleeping with whoever the Hell Tasha was, she didn't know that. As far as she knew I was just another "customer" paying to have sex with her. Between that and the fact that I had never been with a woman long enough to even consider having sex with her yet, my anxiety levels were through the roof.
Okay, Fernando, calm down. You're just here to ask some questions, find out some information, and get the fuck outta dodge. Simple right? Then what the Hell am I so nervous for? Okay, maybe I should go over what I learned today. Let's see, there's the Dark Trinity, five trials, and eight pawns. The eight pawns are the True Alpha, Misery, the Soldier, the Wanderer, the Hidden King, the Lost Queen, the Dark Lord, and the Omen. I then randomly found myself fantasizing about seeing Raven naked again, which made the whole situation even worse as I suddenly felt sick to my stomach.
"Dammit, Kendall", I said aloud as if I was expecting her to hear me. Feeling defeated I sit down at the edge of the bed. "This is just perfect. First I'm wanted for murder, then I pretend to be a terrorist, then I get caught in a gun fight, then I nearly drown for the fourth fucking time, then I get sexually harassed by a witch I've known since middle school, I'm now sitting in this shady ass hotel room waiting for a prostitute who several people think I'm paying to have sex with, and to top it all off, now I'm gonna be forever haunted by the image of seeing Raven naked. What the fuck else could happen at this point?
It was at that moment my collar began to beep again. The suddenness of my collar in that filthy, empty room was enough to cause me, already anxious and nervous out of my mind, to yelp as I leapt off the bed, falling onto the floor as I did so.
"Master Wolf. Are you present", asked Fixit from the other end of my collar.
"What is it, Fixit", I asked in a slightly aggressive tone for scaring me half to death.
"Are you alright, Sir", asked Geoffrey. "Sensors are indicating large amounts of cardiac distress."
"What the? Geoffrey? Since when were you on this line?"
"Your cybernetic friend Fixit made contact with the Tower in response to the earthquake." Upon hearing him say that I was reminded about the moths.
"Oh shit, is Lola okay? And what of Nightmare, and Grinder, and—", I began in a panicky tone, still riled up from my nerves.
"The swarm is safe with no injuries to speak of", said Fixit. Upon hearing him say that I let out a huge sigh of relief. "In other news, I feel I should inform you that the starting point of that last magnitude originated somewhere near your current location."
"I know. I'm currently investigating that as we speak. I think I may have I.D.'d the mutant that assisted Red X with Chang's cannon."
"Well done, Master."
"Sir, I also have some news to report", said Geoffrey. "Our sensors also indicate that one of your comrades is approaching your location. We are unable to identify which of the Titans it is, as the signal is being accompanied by large amounts of radiation."
"Radiation", I asked. "Wonder who that could—", I began before trailing off. The lock to the room's door began to turn as somebody from the other side began turning over a key. In response to this I return to sit on the bed, turning off my collar as I did so as I didn't want to risk being heard conversing to the two others on the opposite end. Once the door was unlocked and finally opened, in came Tasha, barefoot and with a white robe on. She also carried a duffle bag with her, with what I assumed was a change of clothes inside.
"Uh, hi", she said nervously. "I'm Tasha, and I'll be, "accompanying" you this evening", she said with a gulp as she forced herself to give me her scripted greeting. It was at that moment that I understood why Tasha's place in the guest book from before was the way it was. It was clearly Tasha's first time being booked for an "appointment", as she was as nervous as I was.
"Hello, Tasha. I'm—", I began. Before I could even give her a fake name, Tasha's nerves got the best of her as she interrupted me.
"Look, can we just get this started? I was told that I should have you, well "finish" as the fireworks started going off", she said as she awkwardly dropped her bag and walked over to meet me on the bed. Again, though I had no intention of having sex with her, the very mentioning of "finishing" with her got me to sweat a little as my heart began to race, though not in a good way.
Come on, you idiot! Say something, I scolded myself in my head. I was completely frozen. I couldn't even move, let alone speak. As I sat there on the bed, unable to move, Tasha made her way over to me and dropped her robe, revealing the lingerie she was wearing underneath.
Again, under normal circumstances, no guy would complain, I mean Tasha was in no way an unattractive young woman. However, I wasn't there for her, I was there for information. Plus, my heart belonged to Raven, and even though she wasn't my mate, it still felt wrong sleeping with another woman. The situation only became more awkward upon my brain punishing me by randomly inserting the image of naked Raven yet again as I awkwardly started to react. There was no way to hide it or cover it up. Tasha saw my erection just as clearly as I saw her in the lingerie she was wearing.
Oh my God, this was a mistake. Get me out of here. To this day I don't know which was more pathetic, the fact that the idea of me having sex with Tasha scared me, or the fact that my reaction to it left me frozen with fear, as Tasha in theory could've had her total way with me at that point due to me being too frightened to move. As I began panicking in my head, Tasha walked over and straddled me just as Kendall had earlier.
"Uh, hi", she said to me. I simply gave an awkward creeper grin in response as I failed to verbally respond. She then positioned herself forward towards me, enough to where myself grazed against herself through my pants. I couldn't even pretend that it didn't happen as she gasped upon feeling it herself. In response to hearing her, my body sort of pulses in a panic as I instinctively fall backwards, bringing Tasha with me as she was now straddled over my torso.
God dammit! Thinking that I was going to go through with it, Tasha then reaches behind her back and starts unhooking her bra. She had just finished pulling it off when someone kicked in the door, scaring the dog shit out of the both of us as Tasha leapt off of me and ran towards the wall to my left by the bathroom. Oh thank God, I thought to myself with my eyes rolled towards the back of my head. The relief alone after all that internal stress felt like its own orgasm. My sudden relief disappeared however upon remembering that somebody had just broken into the room. This caused me to panic for a different reason as the intruder had a very strong chemical-like smell.
"Oh my God, Beast Boy", gasped a startled Tasha as she covered her breasts with her arms. Beast Boy shrieked upon seeing Tasha's breasts as he tried to cover his face, though he instinctively still looked through his fingers.
"Oh my gosh! Terra, I'm so sorry", said a panicky Beast Boy.
"Whoa whoa whoa", I began as I shot up. "You're Terra", I asked to Tasha.
"Huh? Wolfman", asked Beast Boy to me, now with intense anger in his voice. My disguise didn't fool him. "You brought Terra to this place?!"
"Uh-oh", I said to myself as I watched Beast Boy's rage get the better of him as he began to morph. The resulting animal that stood before me and Tasha was a large, canine creature that on two legs stood at approximately thirteen feet tall. However, due to the ceiling of the hotel room not being that tall, the creature was forced to stand on all fours, which ironically made him look even scarier, as he stood at nearly seven feet on all fours, and he had a stance similar to that of an ape, as his arms were longer than his legs.
That said, his hands had tripled in size, and they had long claws at the ends of his fingers. His arms and ribs had a few black stripes across his green fur, and on the back of his neck and tiny head (at least in comparison to the rest of his body) was a long mullet-like mane that stretched all the way back to the bottoms of his shoulder blades. It was also worth pointing out that his mane was kinda weird in that regard as it wasn't connected to the fur on his back, but rather it hung from the back of his head like a freakishly long, ponytail. And once again, he gave off that weird chemically smell that had mixes of canine and primate in it, only now it was clear as to why he had that smell. Though this was the first time I met a member of this breed, it was clear what animal Beast Boy had become. He was a werewolf.
"Well, that explains a lot", I said sarcastically in response to Beast Boy's savage-like behavior earlier that day. Beast Boy responds with a roar, which sounded a little more high-pitched than I expected considering his size, as he lunges forward and slashes at me, leaving the bed sheets in ribbons as I managed to jump out of the way at the last minute as I Changed into my wolf form.
"Beast Boy, stop", screamed Terra as she attempted to calm the green Titan down. Beast Boy, completely ignoring Terra at this point, lunges at me again as I charge forward at him. Taking full advantage of the fact that I was a dwarf compared to him, Beast Boy bulldozes through me as the two of us crash through the window and plummet towards the ground below. Beast Boy fell into the dumpster that waited for us in the alley outside, while I fell onto the fire escape, groaning in pain upon landing.
As I rose onto my paws, Beast Boy leaps out of the dumpster, landing next to it as he turned back and looked up at me. Before I could even say anything to him, Beast Boy then lifts up the dumpster and throws it up towards me, destroying the fire escape as I leapt off of it in my armored form, letting the metal railing fall to the ground.
"Beast Boy", cried Terra from the window, now in her robe.
"Terra, get back", I shouted to her. While I was distracted, Beast Boy leaps off of the brick wall and tackles me out of the air, pinning me onto my back as he bit down on my shoulder. I roared in pain as I began slashing at Beast Boy's abdomen, though he seemed unfazed by it as it only caused him to bite down harder. Upon realizing that I wasn't getting anywhere, I began charging my aura. "Morado Laser", I shouted in pain as I blasted Beast Boy off of me, taking to the air once I was free. The green werewolf then, after flying up into the air a few yards, crashes in the middle of the street as a car screeches to a halt after almost running him over.
Beast Boy was quick to respond as he rises to his hind legs, resting his paw on the hood of the car as he picked himself up. The two skater boys in the car simply screamed in fear upon seeing the giant green monster towering over them. Beast Boy then looks down at the car, and then turns back to me as I came in for a landing a few feet up the street from him. He then looks back down at the car, as he grabs it with his paws.
"Beast Boy, no", I warned him with a growl. Beast Boy then growls in response as he lifts the car over his head, the two passengers still inside. "Don't do it", I warned him again. Ignoring my warnings, Beast Boy hurls the car at me with a mighty roar. I managed to catch the car, but Beast Boy took advantage of the situation by rushing and launching himself at me as I caught it. With no time to think, I swing the car at Beast Boy. The green wolf yelps in pain as I knocked him out of the air with the back of the car I was holding. "Sorry", I said to the two passengers as I placed the car back on the ground before rushing back over to Beast Boy, who was still on the ground recovering from my attack.
Before he had the chance to rise onto his feet, I flew over and bit down onto the mane on the back of his head. I then shot into the air, hoisting Beast Boy by his mane as I did so as I attempted to get him out of the city before he harmed anyone else. I hoped that the pain from hanging by his mane, which in his case was the equivalent of a woman hanging by her hair, would be enough to either calm him down, or keep him immobilized enough for me to take the fight to the forest outside of town, which seemed to work for a few moments. However, I immediately regretted my decision of flying high into the air as a huge, green explosion blasted in front of me, somewhat blinding me as I came to a halt to rub my eyes.
Fuck! I forgot about the fireworks, I thought as I looked down at the city below. Dozens upon dozens of fireworks were all lined up and ready to fire, as they were all in the process of being lit. Oh, fuck me, I thought as I began taking off like a jet in an attempt to outrun the fireworks as they began exploding around us. To make matters worse, Beast Boy hanging by his mane only pissed him off further as he managed to swing from it and land on top of me again. "You are way to big for a piggyback ride", I growled at him as I struggled to fly correctly with him weighing me down.
Beast Boy, still driven by primal rage, ignored the dangerous situation he was in as he continued to slash and bite at me, making it even more difficult to concentrate. His lashing out got so out of control that eventually I was forced to stop in the middle of the midair minefield and try to fight him off of me. As the two of us wrestled with each other in midair, eventually one freakishly huge firework shot up from underneath us and exploded on contact with us. The two of us yelped as we were shot out of the sky, crash-landing somewhere in the forest as we broke every tree branch we came in contact with on the way down.
"Oh, man, that was not fun", I groaned to myself as I shook out my fur, only to be attacked by Beast Boy again as he swatted me across the face with the back of his paw. His attack was powerful enough to send me crashing through a tree as the giant pine fell to the ground. As I rose to my paws, I realized that my two wolf forms weren't going to be enough to take him down. He was far too big to try and outmuscle as a wolf, so I went for something bigger. "Guess this is as good a time as any", I growled as I began to Change again. Gizamon, golden-armor-digivolve to….", I began out loud, as I figured Beast Boy wouldn't care enough to comment on my nerdy reference, "….BeastLobomon", I roared as I revealed my beast form, as in the animal I became was one that resembled the Beast from the respective Disney movie. Though Beast Boy wasn't himself at the time, I found a new sense of hope as I noticed him cock his head upon seeing my beast form, as if he recognized the strange animal that stood in front of him. This let me know that the real Beast Boy was in there struggling to regain control.
However, Beast Boy's moment of confusion was short-lived as he lunges at me again soon after with a roar. Though he was still nearly three feet taller than I was, at a height of ten feet tall, I was in a more capable position to fight back, as I was now able to inflict just as much damage to him as he was to me. Our battle felt like the two of us were in the middle of a war zone, as green fireworks continued to blow up above us as we simultaneously destroyed large portions of the surrounding forest as we fought. Helpless birds and other wildlife scattered for their lives as we knocked over each and every tree unfortunate enough to get in our way. Eventually, after what felt like nearly two hours, our fight finally took a turn as I started noticing Beast Boy was beginning to lose stamina.
"Beast Boy, stop this. Enough is enough", I growled to him in between breaths. The two of us were exhausted as we stood in front of each other, staring each other down. Beast Boy then responded by rushing at me again, which I made quick work of as I used his momentum to throw him into another tree face-first, which of course naturally caused it to knock over. This time however, Beast Boy began whining a canine whine as he rose to his hind paws with a limp. He was seriously hurt, but still wanted to fight. "I am not your enemy, Beast Boy", I said to him as I returned to my human form in an attempt to calm him down. He instead took it as an opportunity to rush at me.
"I don't want to hurt you", I growled to him as I managed to catch his jaws with my hands and was now struggling to keep them open. "Don't make me do something I don't want to", I pleaded. I didn't want to fight anymore. Partially it was because I was exhausted, but it was mostly because Beast Boy was now becoming a danger to himself as well, as his rage was stretching the limits of his body way too thin. Beast Boy then snarls through his open jaws as he pushes back against me, causing me to slide backwards slowly as I struggled to push back against him. "Beast Boy", I shouted to him as I continued to plead to him. I was just about to give up and use my Elemental powers on him when help came in the form of a large boulder as it fell from the sky, landing on top of Beast Boy's head as it split in two. The giant canine whined again as he stumbled around dizzily for a few moments, just before falling onto his back, finally losing consciousness. It was then that I noticed who had saved me.
She wore a long-sleeve black shirt, though it was still short enough to reveal her midriff, and yellow shorts. She also wore a pair of brown army-like boots, brown gloves, and a brown fanny pack-like thing around her waist that she wore like a belt. As her hair blew in the wind, I noticed it shift a tad, which caused her to adjust it onto her head, revealing to me that she was wearing a wig this entire time. I was just about to thank her for her help, but then she turns her back towards me. Her body then becomes encased in her yellow aura as she tears a huge chunk of the earth out of the ground as it levitated in front of her. She then jumps onto it and prepares to fly away.
"Terra, wait", I called to her as I Changed into Gizamon again and flew after her. When she wouldn't slow down or stop I was forced to teleport in front of her. Upon seeing me appear in front of her, Terra hesitated due to be startled, but then lets out a scream as she fires her aura at me, pushing me back a bit as it slammed into me.
"Stay away from me", she said as she tried to fly away again. I responded to this by teleporting again, though this time I reappeared underneath the chunk of earth she was riding on. I then used my werewolf strength to destroy it as I Shadow Punched it into rubble, causing Terra to start falling. Before she has a chance to recover, I fly over and scoop her up as I take her back to the forest where Beast Boy laid unconscious. "Put me down! Let go of me", she demanded as she flailed her fists and legs at me.
"Knock it off! Will you calm down", I asked as I struggled to fly correctly as she struggled. This continued for a few moments until eventually my inability to fly straight caused us to crash into the ground. "I'm getting sick of this", I groaned as I rose onto my feet in my human form.
"Who taught you how to fly, a kamikaze", asked Terra aggressively.
"Hey, you're the one who started going bat-shit insane while I tried to fly", I growled at her. Terra then rises to her feet and makes a break for the city. "Hey, wait", I said as I ran after her. Once I was close enough, I tackled her, causing the two of us to roll over each other as we rolled down a hill. Once we reached the bottom, I managed to use the momentum to pin her on her back as I straddled myself on top of her. I then used my dark powers to keep her from using her powers, much like how I did with Starfire when I first made it to Jump City.
"Get off of me! Let me go!"
"Look, you owe me some answers. And I'm not leaving without 'em."
"Help", shouts Terra as if she was screaming, "rape", which forced me to grow an extra arm as I covered her mouth with it.
"Would you calm the fuck down, please?" I waited until Terra stopped trying to scream before I took her hand away.
"What do you want", she asked with a terrified, yet irritated look in her eye.
"You're not scared of me, are you?"
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"Unbelievable", I began as I rolled my eyes. "You do realize that like ten minutes ago I was about to bang you, right?"
"Gee, do you talk to all the ladies like that", she asked sarcastically as she squinted her eyes at me.
"Only the ones that're working my last nerve", I said as I got in her face and growled.
"If you two kiss, I'm gonna puke", said somebody off to the side of us. The two of us then turned to see that Red X was sitting in a tree, watching the two of us. "Am I interrupting? 'Cause you two look like you need another hotel room." Terra and I then looked at each other awkwardly for a moment, just before scampering away from each other as we tried to play off what we were caught doing.
"What're you doing here", asked Terra to Red X.
"Funny, I was about to ask you the same thing", he replied as he leapt out of the tree and walked over to meet us.
"I have my reasons."
"Well I have mine."
"Well the both of you better start talking, because you both owe me some answers", I said to the two of them.
"Look, Dude, what do you want from us", asked a now irritated Terra.
"Don't play coy with me. I'm here because I know that you two destroyed Chang's cannon last week.
"Oh, so that's the real reason you made an "appointment" with me", asked Terra as if she was offended that I had no initial intentions of sleeping with her.
"Are you seriously offended by that", asked Red X.
"Shut up", retorted Terra. "And at what point were you going to tell me that you weren't there to have sex", she asked to me in reference to the fact that the two of us got so far into the dirty deed that Terra had grinded me and took off her bra before being interrupted by Beast Boy. I stated blushing a little as I had no answer for her question.
"Wait, you were serious? You're a prostitute", asked Red X.
"I said, "shut up"!"
"You'll have to forgive Fernando", said Kendall as she walked over to join us out of seemingly nowhere. She was wearing a long, black dress which honestly made her look like a human's clichéd depiction of what a witch looks like. However, truthfully I was just thankful that she was finally wearing some clothes. "The boy's a bit, inexperienced."
"So, is that why you had to resort to prostitutes", asked X to me.
"Fuck you", I growled.
"Temper, temper. No wonder you've never gone to bed with a woman."
"Oh, like you're "Mr. Popular"", I retorted to him.
"Unlike you, I don't need to pay floozies to sleep with me."
"I'm right here, you know", said an offended Terra. "God, men are such pigs."
"Hey, don't look at me", began Red X, "I'm not the one who tricked you into getting naked for me in a shady hotel room."
"I didn't trick her, you jackass! And I'd like to see how well you can function with a pair of breasts in your face!"
"He's right, you know", began Kendall. "He damn near exploded when I implanted an image of Raven being naked into his mind."
"Not helping, Kendall", I growled at her.
"So what? First it was Raven, and now me? Is Starfire next, or have you seen her naked already", asked Terra as if implying that I was determined to see every female Titan naked as if I made a bucket list.
"Look, I didn't mean for things to go as far as they did. I called you there tonight so I could talk to you about Chang's cannon and why you helped us, why the both of you helped us", I added in reference to Red X.
"Forget it", said Terra. "I'm not talking to you tonight, or any other night", she said as she began to storm off. I couldn't allow her to walk away. I needed answers, and I was desperate, so I wound up resorting to something that to this day, I am not proud of.
"Terra, you and I both know that I saw them, and I touched it. Now if you'd like to keep that between us, I'd suggest you get off your high horse and march back over here." Upon hearing my threat, Terra stops dead in her tracks and glares back at me as her face begins to blush. She then reluctantly marches back over to the group.
"Ass Hat", she muttered to herself as she crossed her arms.
"Okay, now that all that is out of the way, please, the both of you, tell me who you are. Why did you help us? What are you still doing here in the city? What are your connections to the Titans? And what can you tell me about Chang, and Plasmus, and whatever other villains are involved in all the bullshit that's been going on?"
"Other villains", asked Red X. "What exactly have you gotten yourself into?"
"That's what I'm asking you."
"The Trinity", said Kendall, which grabbed all of our attentions. It was then I noticed that her eyes got that smokey look again.
"What about it, Kendall", I asked.
"The True Alpha, Misery, and the Dark Lord, they are all present."
"Wait, they are?" Before I could ask any more questions, Kendall's eyes returned to normal. "Who is who?"
"Unfortunately that's something you still have to find out for yourself." I roared in ager upon hearing her say that.
"Find what out? What exactly is going on", asked Red X as he, too was now anxious for answers. He got interrupted upon two more guests flying in to join us.
"Master Wolf", cried Fixit on the back of Lola as she came in for a landing next to me. "Are you alright, Master? I heard distress in your roar."
"I'm fine, Fixit", I said to him as I petted Lola, who as always was happy to see me.
"You actually kept those things", asked Red X in disbelief. Lola responded to his rude comment with a hiss.
"Can we just get to the point already", asked a now anxious Terra. "What's this about a Trinity?"
"I speak of the Trials of the Dark Trinity", said Kendall. Upon hearing her response, Terra gasped, with a look in her eyes as if she saw a ghost.
"You know something, don't you", I asked to Terra. "Well", I asked again when she hesitated to respond. "Tell me what you know, Terra."
"Shut up", she screams as her body becomes encased in her aura. This resulted in the earth beginning to shake again, though this magnitude, though powerful enough to feel, was way too small to be significant. After a few moments of the earth shaking, Terra falls to her knees with tears in her eyes as she looks down at her hands. "Someone help me", she whispered.
"Terra, you okay", I asked her.
"Just stay away from me", she shouts as she looks up at me. She then gasps again upon seeing something in the distance up in the trees. They moved like ninjas as they jumped from branch to branch, getting closer and closer to Beast Boy's unconscious body.
"Beast Boy, wake up", I shouted to him. When he didn't respond I Changed into my wolf form and began running towards him. I stop for a brief moment to look back at the others to ask for their help, which was when I noticed Terra beginning to run away again. "Wait! Terra!"
"Tell whoever you wanna tell", she called back to me as she continued to run, not caring anymore about my threat, which in reality was a bluff.
"Terra! Wait! Ugh, what is happening", I asked in frustration to myself as I grabbed at my head. I then roared in irritation as I continued to run towards Beast Boy. "Get away from him", I shouted to the six men, who I realized were more of DS' masked goons from before. They were all standing around Beast Boy, still in his werewolf form, as one of them took a blood sample from the sleeping Titan via syringe. Once they collected what they came to collect, they immediately began making their way back into the trees. "No you don't", I snarled as I leapt up and bit down on one's leg, dragging him to the ground with me. The masked man with the syringe continued to make his getaway, while the other four immediately leapt down on top of me from the trees to assist their comrade. "Aura, Force", I roared as my purple aura sort of exploded from my body, sending the five enemies that were previously weighing me down to fly in multiple directions. I then Changed into my bear form and roared at them on my hind legs upon seeing them rise to their feet and surrounding me. It was then that I got some assistance from a few friends.
"I will not let you endanger my master", said Fixit sternly as he began to glow red. He then utilized his techno-kinesis abilities to grab one of the men and throw him into the air by focusing his powers on the man's metal armor. Once he was airborne, Lola immediately catches him out of the air as she clamped her jaws onto his legs and began to shake him violently.
"Save some for me", said Red X as he jumps in front of me and fires two projectiles at two more of the men out of the "X"'s on his gloves. As the two "X"-shaped projectiles hit their targets, the two men struggled to rise to their feet, as the projectiles seemed to consist of a super strong, gooey adhesive, which prevented them from moving. As for the last two enemies, Kendall took care of them as she used one of her defensive spells to bring life to a nearby tree, as two of its roots shot out of the ground and wrapped around each of the two men, preventing them from moving as well.
"Lola", I called up to the green moth as I clicked my tongue at her. Upon hearing her name being called, she flies down to me and spits out the man she held in her mouth. "Tell me what's going on here", I demanded as I grabbed the man by his throat. "Spill it! Right now! Or I swear I'll bite your fucking head off!" Before I could get my answer, a blast of red energy fires at us from up in the trees again, creating a blast so powerful that it was enough to blind us all, and that included Fixit and his robotic eyes. When the flash had cleared and my sight was starting to return, I looked up into the trees to see the shadowy figure that fired at us. He was too far away to see, and with my werewolf vision damaged at the moment, all I could tell was that he was a rather large fellow with some form of gun in one hand and he hung from a branch by his other hand.
"Who the Hell is that", asked Red X.
"That's what I'd like to know", I said back to him. "Fixit, who's up there?"
"My apologies, Master, but the particles released from his weapon are affecting my retinas. I'm afraid I cannot see him for the moment." It was at this point the mysterious gunman pointed his weapon at us again, as it began charging up for another shot.
"Everyone get close to me", I said as I moved over to Beast Boy. Without question, Fixit, Lola, Red X, and Kendall all made their way over to us just as the gunman fired. I then used my powers to create an aura shield around us, though the blast was still enough to blind us again as it engulfed my shield in a flash of red. Eventually, when the flash disappeared again and I deactivated my shield, we were all shocked to discover that the masked man and mysterious gunman had all disappeared.
"Where'd they go", asked Red X. I then looked over to Fixit to see if he could detect them.
"My systems are still recovering, Master." I growled in irritation in response. "My deepest apologies, Master", continued Fixit with a bow.
"No, it isn't your fault. I'm just a little on edge right now. It's been one fucked up day today."
"Okay, look, what is it that's going on", asked Red X to me. "You go to great lengths to track us down for answers, but I have yet to hear you explain why you need answers from us. Meanwhile, this city has been under attack moreso than usual ever since you came along. And I have a feeling that the center of it all revolves around you."
"It's a long story", I responded.
"I've got nowhere to go", said Red X before Kendall stepped in to explain.
"You see, Mr. X, the Wolfman is an Elemental, one of six powerful mutants tasked with the duty of defending this planet and all who inhabit it."
"Whoop-de-doo", began X sarcastically. "The Titans, and anyone else with powers for that matter do the exact same thing all the time. What's so special about this guy?"
"What stands out about the Elementals is that they are living embodiments of the six elements, each of which are powerful forces that keep not only this planet, but the universe as a whole in balance. These gifts were awoken in them when they all were born, and the Wolfman, here, as the most powerful of the six, is the leader of the Elementals, for he is the Prince of Darkness, destined to defend the world from the return of the ultimate evil."
"Prince of Darkness", asked Red X in disbelief as he turned towards me. "And what, you're bound to some prophecy, like a destiny sort of thing?"
"I don't expect you to believe her, nor do I care if you do or not", I said to him. "Most people either think I'm crazy or simply don't care whenever they learn of who I am."
"So if you're this great and powerful prince, then what're you doing here? And where are all of your Elemental buddies?"
"They're gone. Three of them have been captured, and the other two are in hiding. Somebody somewhere is plotting to capture all six of us, and it's because of their schemes that I nearly lost all of my powers. The abilities I've demonstrated so far are mere fractions of what I normally can do. But sadly my powers are weakened."
"That still doesn't completely answer my question. What does any of this have to do with the Titans?"
"Before Jump City I resided in Alaska, which is where I was sought out and attacked by Jump City's own Doctor Light. I was then transported here, where I met and later joined the Titans. Ever since then I've been slowly trying to piece together the bigger picture behind the kidnapping of my friends, as I've discovered that several of Jump City's villains seem to be working together to accomplish their goals. Killer Moth and Mad Mod were just another couple of DS' soldiers."
"And I assume this DS is this "ultimate evil" that the witch keeps blabbing about?"
"Perhaps. All I know is that I have to save my friends, and I'm running low on time."
"How so?"
"That's not important right now. What is important is that I defeat this ultimate evil before my time is up. But in order to do that, I must realize this Dark Trinity that Kendall's vision speaks of. In order to do that, I must complete five trials with the eight different pawns with whom I'm supposed to complete these trials. And before I do that, I have to figure out and assemble all eight pawns, and according to Kendall, Terra may very well be one of those pawns. And you could be one, too for that matter. Hopefully, if I find all the pawns and realize the Trinity, I'll be able to find and free my friends along the way." After listening to what I had to say, Red X hesitated before speaking again.
"So, what do you need from me?" A part of me was shocked by how well he was taking all of the information I just gave him. Another part of me was shocked that he wanted to know how he could help me.
"You can start by telling me everything you know, such as who you are, why you helped us, and what's your connection to the Titans."
"Sorry, but that information is on a need-to-know basis, and right now, you don't need to know." I growled at him in response. "But, I may be willing to keep my eyes and ears open and report any info I may happen to find, for the right price of course." I growled at him again before answering.
"Fine, if you help me figure out what all these villains are doing, then I will willingly look the other way whenever you do your little heists, as long as you're not stealing anymore chemicals again."
"Sorry, but I kinda need one chemical in particular."
"You're not taking anymore xenothium until you tell me why you need it."
"In that case, good luck finding the answers you need without me."
"And good luck to you once I report to Robin that I've run into you three times within the past week. I'm sure he'd be very interested in hearing that his old buddy Red X is in town."
"Huh, touche", he said before he pulled off one of his gloves and rolled up his sleeve. The pale skin on his arm was a sickly white color with greenish-yellow blotches all over it, like he was rotting from the inside out, though my nose could tell that he wasn't a zombie.
"What exactly are you?"
"For now, all you need to know is that I'm a mutant like you", he began as be pulled down his sleeve and slipped his glove back on. "As for the xenothium, which is what this suit runs on, it's the only thing keeping me on my feet."
"What does that mean?"
"That's my business I'm afraid, as is anything else you wish to know outside of what I already told you."
"Fine, then. As long as you continue to help me and the Elementals, you may raid all the xenothium you require. No more, no less. Go overboard with your heists, and you'll have to answer to me."
"Done deal. It's been a pleasure doing business with 'ya, your majesty", he mocked me with a bow.
"Don't push your luck", I growled at him.
"Then you may need these", said Fixit as he stepped forward with two new communicators. These ones were purple and black, with the letter "D" on them.
"What're these", I asked him as I took them and handed one to Red X.
"I have decided to call them D-Tectors. Much like your Titan communicator, these will allow you to communicate with Red X just as easily as you would with the Titans. However, these in particular have the ability to emit a series of special wavelengths that are sensitive to members of the supernatural, allowing each of you to detect the nearby location of one another even without the built-in radar."
"Wow. I must say, that's rather impressive", said Red X as he clipped his D-Tector on his belt.
"I also have one for Miss Kendall as well", said Fixit as he handed one to the witch.
"Good, now I can contact you all should I need to. This upcoming battle is going to be a long and complicated one, so from here on, just think of yourselves as my sort of private council."
"If by "private" you mean that our meetings will be hush-hush, then I've got no complaints", said Red X.
"And what say you, Kendall?"
"After seeing how hard you're working to save your friends, and what you will need to do to save the world, how can I refuse to assist you? I shall remain in Jump City, to assist you, my liege", said Kendall with a bow.
"And I am forever in your debt, Master. I will also fight by your side until the bitter end", said Fixit. Lola also took the time to put her two cents in by letting out a hiss as she fluttered her wings. I rewarded her enthusiasm by scratching under her chin.
"Thanks, Guys. The Elementals are forever grateful for your assistance", I said as I bowed to them.
"Welp, that's enough cheesy conversation for one day", said Red X. "Meeting adjourned", he continued as he pushed a button on his belt and teleported away in a red flash.
"And I shall return to the lair and continue to observe any magnitude activity", said Fixit as he climbed onto Lola's back.
"Thank you, Fixit", I said as Lola took to the air and began flying home.
"And if you need me, I'll be at the "Pudding & Pie"", said Kendall as she began walking back towards the city.
"Wait, why're you—", I began before realizing that she had vanished into thin air. "I hate when she does that", I growled to myself as I looked back down at Beast Boy, still unconscious in his werewolf form. I then lifted my hand up to my collar and made a call. "Titans, come in. Is anybody there?"
"Robin to Wolfman, what's going on?"
"Yeah, where are you and Beast Boy", asked Cyborg. "We just walked past by this shady part of town. A lot of people said they saw two mutated dogs fighting in the streets."
"Yeah, and somebody also said that they shot down something when the fireworks started", added Robin.
"They did, me."
"What", asked the Titans simultaneously.
"We're okay, I'll explain later."
"Wait, Beast Boy's with you", asked Raven.
"Yes, which is why I need Starfire to come and find us while the rest of you make your way back to the Tower. We do have a medical room, right, Cy?"
"Where are you", asked Robin. "We'll be right over."
"No, don't."
"Why not?"
"Because I'm pretty sure I discovered what's wrong with Beast Boy, and it's not safe for you, Cyborg, or Raven to be near him right now. All I need is Starfire." Robin hesitated for a moment before responding.
"Fine, the rest of us will be waiting for you back at the Tower."
"And I shall be there shortly", said Starfire.
"Good. Wolfman, out", I said as I hung up. Starfire then arrived a few minutes later as she said, though she gasped upon seeing Beast Boy's werewolf form, as well as the leveled out forest area.
"Oh no. Please tell me that no harm came to anyone else."
"So you were aware of this?"
"I was, but I shall explain more in detail once we've returned home", said Starfire as she wrapped one of Beast Boy's arms around her shoulders.
"Fair enough", I said as I had some explaining to do myself when we got back. I then Changed back into my armored form and grabbed Beast Boy's other arm. The two of us then took to the air as we began escorting our sleeping friend back home.