"Back demonspawn, I am in no mood for your games." He warns, garnering a deep chuckle from him.
"I am no foe little bird, I merely wish to have a word." It says to him, seeing no sign of ill intention, Damian sheathes it.
"Be quick with your words. I'm looking for someone." He tells him.
"I know who you mean. Daughter of Trigon, the half demon queen. She need not stay here, where the threat of doom leers."
"Cut the rhyming act. Do you know where she is?" He asks. It crumbles and then crosses its arms.
"Yes. We are near. You needn't fear. We will reach her with plenty time to spare." Damian nods.
"Lead the way then demon. Will you be my guide?" He nods as he walks past Damian and descends the cliff they were on, Robin follows suit, hand on his sword. He wouldn't be caught unawares here.
They continue through Trigon's realm, walking warily through. Robin didn't trust the demon who was guiding him but he had no choice but to comply, he knew his way around here for sure. "Do you live here?" He asks.
"No. This realm is not where I would call home. I merely roam." He says as they walk along the craggy rock pathways that crowded this dimension.
"I know a thing or two about that. What are you doing here?"
"I was called across the void by The Phantom Stranger, he heard the little bird in distress, so he asked me to sort out the mess." Damian nods, remembering hearing the phantom stranger's name mentioned as people that could potentially help Raven's situation. Reaching the end, two red demons appeared out of the void, barring their path going forward.
"We can double back and go-" He quiets as two more appear behind them. Robin instinctively draws his sword, birdarangs between his fingers in the other hand.
"Our presence is known, time to reap what we've sown!" He pulls a large sword from flame spawned from his hands.
"I've got our rear." Robin says as he rushes the rear guard. Large red demons with a pike and an axe. Running up and stabbing one, it laughs and swats him backwards. He clenches his hands into fists, the birdarang cutting into his hand as he rolls to his feet. He throws two and they both connect, neck shots. Right where the human arteries would be, unfortunately demons are more resilient.
They roar in anger and rush him. One drops the axe, a swift sidestep, he runs up the axe shaft and kicks it in the face several times and throws a plastique charge in its mouth. Back flipping off of it as it detonates, he lands and sees the other one with the pike rushing him, sword still in its gut. He dances around the pointed blade, and with one quick movement, gets inside its guard and pulls the sword out and decapitating it with a quick pirouette. He backs up, sword at the ready when he notices both of them are dead.
Sheathing the sword, he turns and sees Etrigan waiting for him, smoldering ash is all that remains of the first two. "Thanks for the assist." He says as he walks past the yellow demon clad in red, who responds with a guttural laugh.
"If the bird can't handle a bottom feeder, how can he expect triumph over the leader?" It asks with a cheeky smile.
"Fair point." He coincides as they continue their trek through Trigon's realm, searching for Raven. "This is taking too long Etrigan." Robin continues on impatiently.
"Have no fear, the end is near." He points to what looked like a desiccated monastery around a two hundred meters away. It was heavily guarded by demons.
Raven is inside right?" Etrigan nods as they get closer. Spotting a row of rocks to use as cover. Both of them roll to them, staying low and out of sight. What's our plan of approach?" Robin asks, kneeling behind a rock with Etrigan.
"An assault at the gates." Robin sighs.
"No. There's too many, they can take her and move her elsewhere. I can get inside, but I'd need a distraction." The demon smiles with malevolent intent. "Can you handle all of them.
"There is not much I cannot do, this day Trigon will rue." He goes to stand, but hesitates. Hunkering back down, he looks at Robin with a deadpan expression. The boy tilts his head. "Inside there, you will face your fear. Ensure your mind is clear. The queen is in dire need."
"You keep calling her queen..."
"For that is her title. The horde will mass behind the one whose power is unbridled."
"Today will not be that day. Are you ready demon Etrigan?" Robin asks, his hand on the collapsible staff he pulled from his belt.
"The Horde will fall before me, all of you will see." Standing up, he gives a mighty leap and the sound of battle and hellfire followed suit.
Robin peeks over the rock, pressing a hand to his ear. "Robin here. The end is in sight. Moving in on Raven now." sees that Etrigan has them completely hemmed up. He springs forward, sprinting as fast as he can. Past the shattered marble pillars and craggy rocks. Balls of hellflame and bodies shoot past him, he does not falter in his course. One of the demons sees what he's doing and places itself between him and the monastery entrance.
Extending the staff as much as possible, he places it down and pole vaults over the monster and lands right at the entrance. He enters and is immediately shrouded in darkness, he clicks the night vision on his mask. Seeing a hallway, he follows it all the way down, scanning for heat signatures along the way. Nothing. Coming to a set of stairs going down, he followed them down, the sound of battle getting fainter the further he descended. He hoped Etrigan could hold them off as he moved as quickly as possible.
The stairs ended and he presented with a degraded wooden sliding door. He opens it and sees Raven laying on a stone slab. He rushes towards her and phases through her. He examines himself, confused. "Raven!" He shouts. The room lights up with blue flame, he clicks the night vision off.
"She can't hear you child." He recognizes the voice, it was Grandfather's. Ra's Al-Ghul steps out from the dark, grey skin and red cracks in it. He places his hand on the hilt of the blade as his grandfather draws first, he ducks as the blade cuts through the stone behind him.
"You haven't beaten me yet!" He shouts at the older man.
"No. But you haven't bested me." He morphs into his mother, Talia. Who advances on him, he does the same.
"Mother?" He asks as they cross blades. She pulls back and sends two slashes his way which he expertly blocks. One final overhead slash, which he parries and spins inside her guard, stabbing her in the stomach. She falls over his shoulder, then the weight gets heavier. He looks to see a painted face with red lipstick. "Joker?"
"Damian...what have you done?" The voice belonged to his father. He sees a tall man in a black suit standing there, white eyes visible in the dark. The symbol stood out.
"No father! I didn't-" he remembered the demon's words to him. "Ensure your mind is clear." He sheathes the sword and turns around, facing Raven. He kneels down. Hearing footsteps behind him, the point of a sword at his back.
"All for a girl?" The heretic, he knew what was coming.
"Yes." It plunges through his chest and he gasps, falling over. Coughing, he places a hand on his chest, no wound. He sees Raven laying there, her skin was red beneath her blue clothing. Robin shakily gets up and runs over to her. Placing a hand on her neck, pulse was there. He nudges her. "Raven." He says out loud which garners a groan from her. "Hold on." He tells her. "Robin to Tower, I have her. Ready exfil." He says into his earpiece.
"What?" Raven mumbles weakly, seeing Damian standing over her. "Robin?" She asks. He nods. "You came for me?"
"I promised you. Don't worry, I'll get you out of here." He says as he picks her up and carries out of the monastery, seeing Etrigan sitting atop a pile of corpses that he made. A very happy smile on his face. Even Damian had to admit that was impressive.
"Demons in their masses could not stop Etrigan from kicking their asses." He chuckles at the profane rhyme.
"Thank you Etrigan. I couldn't have done this without your help." He tells him, bowing his head in respect.
"The bird gives himself no credit." He says with a smirk. The ground trembles beneath them and the lava beneath them churns and bubbles. The Demon springs to his feet. "If you have an exit you should take it." He says, sword at the ready.
"What's happening?" Robin asks as a large figure begins to emerge from the lava. Red in color and giant in size, he had long white hair and four red eyes.
"The dark lord Trigon is not pleased with our actions." He says with a glare.
"I'm guessing this one is out of our depth?" Robin asks, shifting Raven slightly in his arms.
"Just a bit." He nods as Trigon's gaze meets theirs.
"You put up a valiant effort, however you will not be leaving with my daughter!" He shouts as he slams his gargantuan fist on the monastery, reducing it to rubble and causing the ground to quake.
"Run." Robin and Etrigan shout at the same time as they retreat from the ground breaking beneath their feet.
"There is no where you can run! You will not escape me again! The world will burn under my rule!" He bellows, not happy with the duo trying to steal his daughter.
They manage to make it to the next craggy island, taking cover behind a rock, Raven begins to come to. "Sit me down." She asks.
"Now is really not a good time." Damian says, peaking over and seeing her father searching for them on the adjacent island. They broke line of sight.
"Please." He lets out a sigh of frustration and sits her down gently. Rubbing her head, she looks up at him. "You shouldn't have come. We have no escape." Robin shakes his head.
"We do. They're just taking their sweet time. Inter-dimensional travel is hard on communication devices." He says clicking his earpiece again. "Robin to tower, we really need that exfil like now!" He shouts, alerting the demon lord to their presence.
"Give me my daughter back!" He screams at them.
"She is not yours to take!" Damian shouts at him. He places his hand on the ground, and out of the shadows, demons spew from it. "Raven. I need you to telepathically reach out to someone. Anyone we know."
"I don't know if I can-"
"You have to try. I'll hold him off best I can. Etrigan, will you fight with me?" He asks, which garners a grin from the demon.
"It would be my greatest pleasure to take something he treasures!" Drawing his sword from hellfire, he leaps into the fray.
"Robin..." She grabs his arm. They make eye contact and he nods.
"I believe in you." He tells her, laying his hand on hers. She nods as he flips over the rock, sword drawn and at the ready as the monsters come forth. Etrigan took out four with his flame breath, and Damian leap over his head with a sweep of the sword and beheaded two more.
"Azarath metrion zinthos..." she claps her hands together and begins the incantation, calling whatever and whoever was listening. A psionic SOS.