Shangri-la
Gothic: IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!!! (No I won't say how old I am.) I got Dido's new album 'Life For Rent' as one of my pressies, so I'm sitting here listening to Dido as I type!
Kitty: Happy Birthday Gothic! This chappie may be short, but Gothic's gonna try and make it as good as she can.
Gothic: I…don't…own..it. Poor as a church mouse. And please note that the start of this chappie is described in all of it's gory details. (joy.)
Kitty: On with the ficcie!
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In a remote room, with nothing but the darkness to keep her company, a young woman lay in bonds against a wooden post. She had been beaten pretty badly, and now sat, or rather half lay, in silence. Various shapes flittered across what little murky light there was in the room, shapes with distorted bodies, many appearing to have claws instead of hands and fingers. Demons and other evil beings had questioned her in interrogation many times, and each time she had refused to say anything, taking the punishment. She raised her head in pride as a hooded creature stepped forward to persuade her to talk.
"Well vermin. Are you willing to tell us where your daughter really is?" The voice was rough, with a strange deepness to it.
"I will reveal nothing. I would die for her, and you would still be no closer to unleashing your ridiculous plans." Her head was violently flung backwards as she received a vicious lash across her head. The area where she had been hit throbbed painfully, blood trickling down over already dried blood. The crusts of blood cracked and peeled away to fall downwards as her skin pulled from the lash backwards.
With a grunt, the demon turned away. A fellow creature of the night tossed a limb of some description to the approaching demon, holes where others had chewed at it only just visible. The woman's breathing was shallow, coming in rasps, as she fought for survival. Rage, emotion, and the love for her daughter filled her mind, swirling with the little thoughts she already had there.
She should give up now. Leave this world, and let them never find her. But what if Draygion led them to her? She would not be there to protect her daughter when she needed her mother the most. And besides, her daughter would never forgive her if she gave up and died right now. No, she mustn't give up. Not now. Not ever.
Her harsh, shallow breathing was the only thing she heard as the darkness over came her, and the world of dreams met her unconscious mind.
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In Titans Tower, a very confused demon boy was wandering around the kitchen, hunting for what he called 'dragon eggs'. It didn't help that Beast Boy was already cooking his tofu stuff, and Cyborg was fighting for 'real eggs'.
'There were times,' thought Beast Boy, 'when being a vegan did have it's downsides.'
For instance, the demon boy was rifling through cupboards, and with Cy trying to cook and stop him, things got a little cramped in their kitchen.
'Ironic,' he also thought, 'that with all this space, we only have a small kitchen.'
Everyone's attention was suddenly directed to the position of the demon, as he let out a high pitched cry in failure from his position at a cupboard.
"Whoa! Calm it down would ya?" Cyborg tried to silence the yowling creature, but he kept crying out, over and over again. Their ears practically rang as an answering call came from the opposite side of the room.
"Enough! There is no dragon's eggs here! Now keep it quiet!" Raven angrily snapped from the doorway. The demon's siren ended as abruptly as it had started.
"Thank you Raven! It is much appreciated that you ended your brother's song!" Starfire clasped her hands together in joy.
"That wasn't a song Star. It was a pack call. Similar to those of dogs and wolves." Raven aimed for the kettle of boiling water, to pour her herbal tea for the morning. Her brother loped over to her, asking her something in a strange demonic language.
"Ques be thif moivsaft?" He asked in an inquiring tone.
"No. Look, you have a choice here. Either starve, or at least try some of the Earthly foods we have."
"You know, tofu eggs and bacon taste real good!" Beast Boy appeared, having heard the conversation between brother and sister. Draygion sniffed the eggy mixture, and then stuck one claw in to taste. His eyes narrowed in curiosity for a minute, then widened in approval.
"You like tofu eggs?" Robin asked from his position at the table beside Starfire.
"It has an intriguing taste. Very sweet." He answered. Raven shuddered, leaning against the working top, and sipping her herbal tea as Beast Boy showed her brother how to eat with a spoon.
Her thought swayed as she wondered why her brother was here. She thought back, thinking to where Draygion would of come from, who he might of come with. Her brother would naturally of come from her home planet, Azarath, and probably come with Arella…..
Arella! Of course! Why else would Draygion be here? Arella must be in danger if her brother had come to her alone. Snapping out of her thoughts, Raven looked up, taking in all of the room there. No one had noticed her sudden change in mood, everyone was too busy eating.
"Draygion?" The demon looked up inquiringly at his name. "I don't suppose you came with Arella did you?" Raven's expression changed from her usual emotionless face to that of concern, when she saw the colour drain from Draygion's face.
"Arella not here. Evil been at work. Reason why I came." He stopped, abruptly, as he saw the shocked look coming across his sister's face.
"What evil?" Was all Raven could say. Her breathing appeared shallower, as she took in that Arella was in danger.
"The Demon Servants." Raven's hands went to her mouth at that. Her head fell in a downwards direction, and it appeared that she was sick in the nearby bin.
"Okay, who, or what are these Demon Servants? They must be pretty nasty if the sound of them can make Raven puke." Robin asked.
"The Demon Servants are a dangerous
group of demons who live to purely kill for sport." Raven replied. She appeared
to of pulled herself together, and was a lot calmer. "Anyone can employ them, for
high amounts of money, to eliminate their enemies."
"Yes! The Demon Servants have a new employer. I think his name is Slate, or something." Draygion joyously butted into the conversation, jumping up and down as he did.
"Of course! Slade! That evil dude must be after something if he's employed a group of hell demons." Cyborg eagerly joined into the evil guy deduction game that appeared to be going on.
"Technically, they're a group of different demonic races. Basically, they have everything from fire demons to telekinesis demons." Raven sighed through the confusion of the many thoughts racing through her brain.
A sudden siren rang through the tower, lights flashing along with it. Instinctively, Robin ran for the central control, pressing the right buttons until a picture of Slade came up on the screen. The other Titans surrounded him, Draygion timidly at Raven's side.
"Well, well, well, Titans. It seems you still have no clue as to what my intentions are as of yet. I guess I'll have to spell it out for you as usual." Slade's sarcastic comments felt like they were penetrating Robin's skin, wiggling deep down into his body, his heart, his soul. It was at that moment, that very second that Robin truly realised his deeply hidden hatred for Slade. It was a mind blowing hatred, full of emotional thoughts and memories, going on the horrific things Slade had done.
"If you'd care to direct your attention to my little friend here," He motioned towards a horned creature, half hidden in the darkness like Slade himself. " My little friend here would like to deliver a little message, to your guest." Even Raven was shaking at this, her own hatred for Slade showing through. Draygion left Raven's side, and snarled at Slade, baring sharp demonic fangs.
"I know you've got her! She will not help you! Let her go!" The angry demon began to swirl items around the room, as he possessed similar powers to Ravens.
"Now, now. There's no need to destroy the tower whilst you're have a little rant." Slade chuckled, and if a smirk could cross his face, it certainly would of had. "Anger will get you nowhere. If you want to know where your guardian is, then come to the old warehouses in precisely one hour. Oh, and don't be late." The screen flickered, and then went blank.
Draygion turned to the Titans, breathing heavily. "We have to find Arella."
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Gothic: Okay, a bit crappy, but please don't kill me! Reviews please! Updates soon!
