The Ways of Magic
A/N: This is it, the showdown between the young wizard calling himself Rorek and the evil dragon Malchior! I know I probably haven't had a lot of readers because this isn't a straight up love story (like 90 of these fan fics are), but I don't care. Please review this and tell me what you think.
Chapter 7: The Reckoning
"There are people who commit atrocities so vile that they forfeit their right to live. It is these types of people that vigilantes like myself hunt. When Rorek told me about this 'Malchior', and what he did to Raven, I agreed that killing him was the best thing that could have been done. Rorek then told me that Malchior got off easy."
- Joseph "Anubis" Vladicek
Every light in the warehouse exploded, leaving the interior bathed in the unearthly red glow that seemed to pour from Rorek's eyes. Rorek stepped toward Malchior, who was wearing a smug expression under his hood.
"So, just because you're a little sensitive to the ways of magic, you would take the name of one of the most powerful wizards of all time?" Malchior asked.
Rorek continued to advance on Malchior, who said, "How pathetically stupid are you, boy?" Malchior, still in his human form, breathed a jet of flame at Rorek. It had no effect whatsoever, and Rorek kept advancing.
Malchior sneered, "I'm really going to enjoy watching you die, as I enjoyed watching the real Rorek die." Malchior threw off his cloak, leaving him clad in a black shirt and black pants. He raised his hands, and claws extended from his fingers.
Suddenly, Rorek leaped at Malchior, grabbing him by the throat and flinging him across the warehouse. Malchior crashed into the wall with a loud thud, the force of the impact causing dust to fall from the ceiling, giving the illusion that the warehouse was full of a red fog. Malchior clambered to his feet and rubbed a spot on his face. He was bleeding.
"If you surrender now," Rorek said, "I'll grant you an easy death." Rorek released a massive blast of energy. It sent Malchior crashing through the wall of the warehouse and out into the street. Rorek saw Malchior barely manage to struggle to a standing position. Malchior fell to his knees and started screaming, because at that moment large black wings erupted from his back.
"Oh no!" Rorek said. He ran to where Raven had just propped herself up against the wall. "Raven, its happening. He's turning back into a dragon!" Rorek's eyes had reverted back to their normal blue shade.
Raven said, "Then we have to find him before he hurts anyone." Suddenly they could hear many people screaming outside, and Rorek's eyes reverted back to a glowing red.
Rorek said, "I think it's too late for that." He gestured toward where his friends were magically petrified. They all started moving and looking around confusedly.
Beast Boy looked at Rorek and said, "Dude, did you just win?" Excited looks crossed everyone's faces...until they heard all of the screaming coming from outside.
Robin said, "Listen, the only three people that have a chance of stopping Malchior are Rorek, Raven, and Jinx. The rest of us will go save as many people as we can."
Rorek agreed and said, "Good idea. Let's go."
As they stepped out into the city, with the sounds of agonized screams surrounding them, Rorek noticed a horrifying fact.
The city was burning, exactly as it was in his dream.
The three spellcasters had no trouble finding Malchior, as a huge black dragon flying around is pretty easy to spot. Rorek cast a levitation spell on Jinx, and they all flew toward Malchior. Malchior saw them coming and flew off toward the downtown district.
"Raven," Rorek said, "You should know that I never even looked at that book you have."
Jinx, who was flying ten feet to Rorek's left said, "Well its a good thing that I did my homework."
Rorek said, "Yeah, whatever. You two cast the destruction spell when he begins to look weak."
Jinx gave him a strange look, "And when will he begin looking weak?"
Rorek's eyes glowed a brighter red, "When I beat the living crap out of him."
Malchior had landed on top of a tall building and was taking out his anger on anyone who was in range of his flames. Rorek landed on the building, using his powers to shield himself from the dragon's flames.
"What an annoying little fly you are." Malchior said as his tail whipped out toward Rorek. Rorek didn't see it coming until it was too late, and was knocked off the side of the building.
Malchior laughed and reverted back to human form. Suddenly the pavement under him exploded as a massive beam of energy shot straight up out of the building. Malchior was thrown into the air by the force of the explosion. Rorek leaped out of the hole in the ruined building and flew straight at Malchior, who had once again spread his wings.
Malchior was hovering in mid air, his wings giving him the appearance of a fallen angel. He said, "I'm surprised, boy. I did not expect you to be as powerful as you are. It's too bad that worthy opponents only come along every thousand years or so."
Rorek, who was flying straight at Malchior's face, never saw the spell until it was on him. A thick green cloud of noxious vapors enveloped Rorek, choking him and sending him careening towards the ground. Rorek landed hard on his face, and the rusty taste of blood filled his mouth. Suddenly there was an agonizing pain in his back as Malchior slammed his foot down on Rorek's spine. Rorek became dizzy with pain as his face hit the ground a second time.
He felt himself being pulled to his feet, and was soon looking Malchior in the eyes. "Well little boy, how does it feel to die?" Malchior began to squeeze Rorek's throat.
Rorek had just enough air to say, "I don't know, how does it feel?" He reached up, and caught the sharp piece of steel that he had summoned to him. A look of surprise crossed Malchior's face as Rorek jammed the piece of steel into the dragon's stomach.
Malchior released Rorek, and stumbled backward as he clutched at his wound. He began screaming as the wound forced him to take his true form. Rorek flew out of the way to avoid being crushed under the dragon. He looked down at his enemy and noticed something.
The dragon had a large wound on its chest.
Rorek saw Raven and Jinx floating against the side of a building. "Do it now! He's wounded!"
A strange golden glow began to surround both of the girls. Rorek was too busy watching them to notice that Malchior had also noticed them. Jinx and Raven were too busy staring at the Draconomicon to notice the jet of flame racing toward them.
The flame smashed into the two of them like a tsunami smashes into a small coastal town. Raven barely managed to throw up on of her shields. Jinx had tried to dodge it, thus putting her outside of Raven's shield. The glass windows behind them shattered as Jinx body smashed into them.
Rorek was busy throwing as many of his spells at Malchior as he could, but it didn't seem to be hurting the dragon anymore than it already was. Rorek was desperate, Raven needed someone else to cast that spell.
A sudden explosion of golden light blinded Rorek, when his vision cleared, he saw something that made chills run down his spine. Raven was encased in a column of golden light that seemed to come from the Draconomicon, which had been dropped.
"Why do only my nightmares seem to come true?" Rorek thought as he raced towards the Draconomicon, dodging jets of flame as he went.
Rorek was only ten feet away when one of Malchior's flames hit the book, incinerating it. There burning book exploded in a shower of gold sparks.
Suddenly, Rorek had a flashback to the first day he was with the Titans. Raven had thrown a bolt of energy at him that had fused with his magic, exploding into a shower of gold sparks that had looked like a tiny fireworks display. The same thing had happened when they were fighting Caine on the roof of the tower.
Rorek was snapped back into reality as Raven fell past him. He caught her inches before she hit the ground. She was hurt, but not bad. "At least some parts of my dream weren't true." he thought.
He helped Raven to her feet and said, "The book has been destroyed and I don't know those spells, but I think we can still beat him."
"How?" Raven asked. She gave him a questioning look.
Rorek started talking fast, because Malchior had just stood up, "You know how you always try to control your emotions? Forget about doing that. We need every bit of power we can get. Let your emotions go and give him everything you've got!"
Malchior roared and charged at them with a speed that was frightening. Raven said, "I can't do that. You know I can't control my powers when I let go."
Malchior was a mere hundred feet from them when Rorek yelled, "That's what I'm counting on. Have you forgotten what he's done to you? He used you!"
Raven replied in a voice that could have been made of icicles, "No...I haven't forgot." Suddenly an aura of black energy surrounded her, and a Rorek breathed a sigh of relief.
Rorek let the familiar feelings of rage flow through him. When the dark red haze clouded his vision, he knew it was time to act.
The dragon's face was mere feet away from them as they released two beams of energy, one red and one black. However, a strange thing happened, the two beams of energy fused with each other into a beam of whitish gold light. It slammed into Malchior, instantly burning a hole through him that was large enough for a car to drive through.
Malchior froze and looked down at the large smoking hole in his chest, as if he was unable to believe that he could be defeated by two kids. The dragon's red eyes slowly dimmed as it breathed it's last breath. The ground shook as the dragon fell to the ground.
Both Rorek and Raven regained control over their emotions and looked at each other.
Rorek said, "We beat him! Not bad for a couple of teenagers, you know?"
Interlude
Wraith sat around a table with six other hooded figures. The room was dark, and the only light came from a view screen built into the table.
Wraith said, "As you all know, they slew Malchior."
Someone said, "I'm not surprised."
Someone laughed and said, "And he thought we summoned him so that he could be our master. How pathetically egotistical he was."
Someone else said, "Will we be raising him again?"
Wraith replied, "Oh yes, most definitely. He will make an interesting pawn."
Someone said, "Do you want us to continue with the other summoning?"
Wraith answered, "Yes, maybe they will prove more useful than the dragon was."
Someone said, "It's a shame we lost Slade, he was one of our better tools."
Wraith chuckled, "But he tried to introduce his own pawn into the game, which ultimately resulted in his downfall."
Someone said, "Yes, Slade turned out to be a weaker pawn then we expected."
Wraith looked over the assembled circle, "With our next attempt, we cannot afford to fail..."
That night, Rorek was sitting by himself on the roof of Titans Tower, which was one of his favorite thinking spots.
Rorek said to himself, "Who am I? If Malchior was telling the truth, which I think he was, then I'm no closer to finding out who I am then when the Teen Titans took me in. These past weeks have been a lie. I'm not the wizard Rorek, I'm just borrowing his name. My memories were just another way for Malchior to get what he wanted. I was used just like Raven."
He failed to notice the two figures behind him until Raven spoke up, "I know who you are," she said. "You are Rorek, just not the one you thought you were. I think that the old Rorek would be proud that you are using his name."
Rorek stood up and said, "Thanks. I just can't believe that I was used so completely that I didn't even realize it."
Robin, who was the second figure said, "I've been talking with the rest of the team, and we want to give you this." He pulled a communicator out of his belt and tossed it to Rorek.
Rorek looked a both of them and said, "Wait...does this mean-?"
Robin said, "Yeah, welcome to the Teen Titans."
A/N: Well that's the end of "The Ways of Magic", but its not the end of the story. All of my stories that I have planned out will build off each other, so my next story will be a sequel to this one. Don't forget to review this.