By Nyassa Kaiba
Chapter 7"Welcome to Hell"
She said, and with that
The Dragonchild descended
Into Mother Earth and back
But in the mother also lies
Hope, and help, and love
One dies and is reborn
Through the Dragon's mouth
"Ballad of the Dragonchild" foretold by Himiko the 1st
The stairs seemed to be endless, and it got hotter as Feralae and the Teen Titans descended into the Earth. After Cyborg calculated that they had descended a mile into the earth they began to see jets of volcanic gases and empty lava tubes. Then the stairs ended. "Welcome Titans." Said a voice of liquid evil.
Feralae found herself facing her magical arson. Half his face was black, half was red, his whole body was covered in armor. You couldn't see his face or his nose, just his eyes. And there was a red birthmark on his face between his eyes.
"Slade." Robin growled. His tone was filled with hatred.
"My, my how surprised you seem. Who else would dwell underground. No other villain you know, nor would any one else have a hideout so warm." Slade was advancing towards the Titans, a peculiar chain held in his hand. Feralae noticed it and shook.
"Where did you get that chain?" Feralae asked, pale. It was not the villain who was making her afraid, because if that artifact where what she thought it was, things were about to get even worse than the other Titans could imagine.
"Well, a new addition to the Team." Slade's tone dripped with malice. He radiated negative energy and Feralae was terrified. "What's your name child?"
Feralae gulped. "My name is Dragonsinger, of the Dragon Clan, and if you have taken that chain from our shrine, then you have violated our home!" Feralae growled, drawing her sword.
"A piece of jewelry she worries about." Beastboy rolled his eyes. "At a time like this."
Feralae shook her head. "It's what that chain can do that frightens me." Feralae shuddered. "It's the necklace of invisibility. It makes it's keeper invisible. It BELONGS in the Dragon Clan's home shrine." Feralae shuddered. "Tell me where you got it monster! There were three people at that fire last night. Tell me where the other two went!"
Slade chuckled. "I'm not telling you anything Titan." That last word was sneered. "And if you want that chain you'll have to fight me for it."
Feralae growled, drawing her dragon sword and fell into a combat crouch. "Bring it on."
"Feralae we NEED to get out of here." Robin told her. "We need to get up to HIVE and look for clues."
"We also NEED to get that chain. Robin do you even know the damage he could do with it?" Feralae argued.
That was when Slade disappeared. "Oh no." Starfire cried. "He disappeared!"
"I told you! He's invisible! We're completely open!" Feralae growled, a note of panic in her voice. She began to slowly turn in a circle. "This must be why Seiryuu was so insistent about searching the harbor area. He could sense Slade underground, but he couldn't get in! And because Gizmo was here, and wasn't involved, he couldn't knock down the building!"
"RIGHT!" Slade shouted as he punched Feralae in the stomach. As she flew backwards Feralae snatched for the chain. Feralae caught it and fell over. Slade walked over to her, slowly, menacingly. Feralae was coughing to get air into her lungs and trying to keep as tight a grip on the necklace as possible.
Slade stepped on the hand that clutched the chain, grinding Feralae's hand into the ground, brutally.
"LEAVE HER ALONE!" Raven cried, diving on him. She blasted Slade with everything she had and the blasts just bounced off of him. Starfire attacked and was rebuffed in a similar manner. Beastboy became a tiger and zipped in and out, trying to slash between the joints of his armor. No luck. It was like he wasn't even there. Robin tried too, trying to pull Slade off of Feralae.
"Cyborg! Help!" Robin cried.
Cyborg grabbed Slade's foot and hauled back with all his might.
Feralae pulled back and got the necklace around her neck. Instantly she disappeared. "Let me at him boys and girls! Naelyon! Sparkling river blast!" A blast of icy cold river water sprang towards Slade.
The villain shook himself off. "Damn, not strong enough!" Feralae swore.
"I'm way out of your league." Slade said with a smirk. "Too bad for you, but you die now, before you can become a threat."
Feralae poked him. "If you can catch me creepo! Don't forget who's invisible around here!"
Slade snatched at the air where Feralae had been. Feralae jumped up, bounced off the wall, and landed on Slade's shoulders. "Got you!" She jumped out of the way of the next blow and turned the jump into a kick. "Dragon kick!"
A dent seemed to magically appear in Slade's armor.
Now the other Titans were joining in the battle. Cyborg grappled with him while Starfire and Raven hurled blast after blast of energy at him. Robin managed to get in a couple of punches, but his attacks were practically useless against Slade. Beastboy had become an ape and was wielding punches almost as powerful as Cyborg's.
The villain seemed to not be phased. Feralae pulled off the necklace, shoved it in her pocket and called. "IN YOUR CAVERNOUS FIRE FILLED HALL, ECHOES THE NAME THAT I NOW CALL! FAFNIR! COME TO MY AID!"
Feralae's hand became covered in fire as she launched a punch at Slade. "Fire won't harm me!" Slade shouted as he broke free and lunged for Feralae. The two of them collided.
"I know it won't!" Feralae said as she ducked out of the way of a vicious right hook. "But look at your armor where I struck it."
Slade rubbed his shoulder where Feralae had hit him. Sure enough, there was a dent where the dragonfire had melted through Slade's armor. "You little brat!"
"So I'm a brat, but you're a villain, and it's my job to make sure you don't hurt anybody." Feralae replied.
"GIVE me that NECKLACE!" Slade shouted as he ducked after Feralae.
"NO WAY IN HELL!" Feralae replied. She blocked the next punch and kicked out, catching the villain in the belly.
Feralae felt her body filling with power as her indignation for somebody violating the family shrine grew. Her lean frame began to glow with power. Feralae focused on her punches and kicks, coldly calculating where to hit.
"We're not doing anything to him except a dent!" Starfire was saying. "What do we do Robin?"
"When I say go, we retreat back up the stairs."
Not doing anything? But… Feralae took the moment to look her opponent up and down. Starfire was right. Aside from denting Slade's armor they were doing nothing. It was time to retreat and live to fight another day.
"NOW!" Robin cried.
Feralae broke off her attack and ran. She pounded up the stairs with Slade's yell of rage and hatred following her like a shock wave. They made it to the entrance and the door slammed shut behind them, followed by a yell of surprise and fear from Gizmo. "It's just… us…" Feralae panted.
"You nearly made me die of fright!" Gizmo cried. "Did you get the monster?"
"No, and I'd suggest we get out of here before Slade comes after us." Robin told him. "I think your teachers will be looking for you."
"Right! See you!" Gizmo hurried out. Feralae turned to the others. "I managed to hang onto the necklace of invisibility." She held it up. "I'll explain about it as we go."
"Please do." Robin told her courteously as they left the warehouse and started up the hill.
"It would start with the beginnings of our clan, a looooong time ago. The beginnings of the Dragon Clan are shrouded in mystery. Our earliest records of Dragon Clan members say that we appeared about six hundred years ago. At that time, we looked very different from a normal human. The Japanese who found us thought we were Gods. To this day our hair still has traces of Dragon Purple in it. Our skin is normally very pale, the only reason why mine isn't is because I have a regular date with a tanning booth and the community pool.
"We were quickly taken in by the Dragon Cult, the Shrine of the Dragon God Seiryuu. In those days the dragons of China and Japan had not abandoned their countries for the Astral Realm. Seiryuu and the other three Gods of the Compass each had a treasure…
"There are other Gods like Seiryuu?" Starfire asked, eyes round.
Feralae nodded. "There are four Gods that the Japanese believe ruled the directions of the compass. The Dragon, Seiryuu ruled the East, storms and rivers, and was a symbol of the emperor. The Phoenix, Suzaku, ruled the South, fire, and lakes, and was a symbol of the empress. The Tiger, Byakko ruled the West, wind, snow and mountains, and was said not to get along with Seiryuu. And Genbu the Turtle ruled the north, forests, and the elements of Earth and Wood, Genbu was said to be the youngest of the four."
"Anyway a Kami named Fudo Myo tried to steal the treasures from the four Gods. Eventually the Clan Leader and his Wife defeated Fudo Myo and returned the treasures to the Four Gods. The four of them considered, and agreed upon, entrusting the treasures to the Dragon Clan.
"Meanwhile, in Europe, dragons were being hunted down and slain by the thousands. The dragons themselves, and the Kami and all other Astral beings convened in a meeting. It was decided that all dragons would retreat to the Astral plane. Seiryuu helped the Dragon Clan by setting up the shrine that is our ancestral home today, as well as introducing the Clan to the Dragon Lords and Dragon Knights. That way, if we ever needed some help, all we had to do was call.
"The Astral plane gave the Dragons powers they never knew they had. They trained with the Dragon Clan in secret to perfect these powers, Dragon Power they called it. The power was to take in energy from the elements around the Dragon Mage and change it into attack energy.
"The rest you know. We've lived in Japan since then and spread across the globe. Generations of Dragon Mages have come before us and generations will come after. Always we seek out the Dragons and other Astral beings, but as partners, not as a master and slave, or craftsman and tool." Feralae finished her story as they made it up the hill into town.
Raven's cynical mind was able to fill in the gaps in Feralae's story. Colonists come from Azarath to Earth. Their powers cause them to be seen as Gods, Kami as Feralae called them. And the rest is history. And this is why I end up swooning head over heels for Feralae, why I can't even control my emotions any more. But… six hundred years ago? That would be incredible. I mean, come on, six hundred years diluted and Feralae's still got some of the genetic traits of a person from Azarath. Still part demon.
"So why does your cloak have a dragon AND a phoenix on it?" Asked Beastboy.
"It's a symbol of duality." Feralae replied. "The dragon is male, the phoenix is female. They represent the God and the Goddess."
"Oh."
"Hey, look at all the Villains walking around." Cyborg pointed them out for the first time. "They can't all be H.I.V.E. students!"
"No, I suspect some of them are out here to help the H.I.V.E. students and teachers." Robin told him.
Feralae nodded. Her stomach growled. "I'm going to get some food. Can I get anyone anything?"
"You're hungry already?" Raven asked, quirking an eyebrow.
"Dragon Magic, I mean MAJOR Dragon Magic makes me hungry." Feralae admitted. "I'll be back in about five." She ducked into a bakery.
Feralae could hear the conversation of some of the H.I.V.E. students. "That woman, there seemed to be something familiar about her." One of them was saying. "And I'm telling you, her hand was as gold as the sun."
"Starfire maybe? I mean, come on, the Titans might be involved. Somebody must have pissed them off."
"Actually." Feralae stated dryly. "We were in the tower. All of us were present. If you want to point fingers, look elsewhere." She walked up to the counter. "Do you have a sourdough roll? I don't think I could eat a whole loaf."
"Sure thing." Feralae paid and heard the excited whispers of the Hive students.
"Who IS she?"
Feralae laughed, then sighed. "I heard a very disturbing conversation. One of the students saw the arm of our masked Lady Thief. They described it as 'gold as the sun.' Somebody was ready to point a finger at Starfire. I told them that we were in the Tower all night long and to not point fingers where there's no evidence."
"Like they'll believe one of us." Raven rolled her eyes. "We're the enemy."
Feralae dug through the bag of stuff that she'd bought and pulled out the sourdough roll. She took a big bite. "Oh fucking well. I can't stand people saying bad things about my friends. If they had blamed you I would have done the same thing."
"Thanks." Raven sighed. Her stomach rumbled. "Is there anything in there to share?"
"You don't mind sourdough?"
"Hello, I live in San Francisco. We're famous for sourdough." Feralae offered her the bag. "Thanks."
"Let's get going." Robin told them as the Titans started up the hill.
The ruins of H.I.V.E. were abuzz with villains of all shapes and sizes, digging through the rubble, putting up shelters for the students, and trying to save what was left of the school's equipment and supplies. It wasn't JUST the H.I.V.E. students or teachers. Raven knew this because Kitten and Killer Moth were there, along with Mumbo and several others that had absolutely NO connection to the school. Gizmo was there as well, helping to put together some kind of machine. "OY! Gizmo!" Feralae strode over.
"You again." Gizmo didn't look up from where he grimly worked a wrench.
"Can you tell us who the Headmaster is?"
"Headmistress. Her name is Citrine! She's over there." Gizmo pointed, then grunted with the effort he was putting into his task. "Man, scientist yes, mechanic Hell no!"
"Thanks." Feralae told Gizmo, but the villain in training wasn't listening as he muttered to himself about putting together whatever it was he was working on.
Citrine had long, bright golden hair and golden crystalline scales along her forehead and arms. She had tiny horns and very pale skin and black wings like a fallen angel's. She wore a black skirt and a white blouse with holes in it for her wings and looked out at the world through oval shaped glasses with gold wire rims. Citrine was carrying a clipboard thick with notations and a pen was wedged behind her pointy, elfin shaped ears.
Feralae turned to Robin. "Let me do this. They don't know me, while I bet that she definitely knows who you are."
Robin nodded. "Try not to offend her okay?"
Feralae smiled and flashed him a thumbs up. "Leave it to me." She approached Citrine. "Excuse me Ms. Citrine. I'm Dragonsinger, I was staying at Titan's Tower last night when I spotted the fire."
"Come to laugh at us huh kid?" Citrine asked.
Feralae blinked. "Not at all. My fellow Titans and I are hoping to catch the people who did it. They've made off with something very important to me you see. We think the thieves may have been involved with the arson at your school and we were hoping to scour the place for clues."
"Tell you what." Citrine said briskly. "You and your friends have an hour to look. I not only have a school to tend to, I have injured students to visit at the hospital and repairs to supervise. The students will have to be sent home or taken in by local villains until the school is rebuilt, and I will have to find a new school for them to attend while this one is being rebuilt. If you find something, all the power to you. But at the moment I really could care less about some other crisis you Titans have on your hands."
Gizmo came skittering over. "Ms. Citrine. I finished the shield generator."
"Good, we'll be able to cover this whole area and protect against a repeat attempt by that arsonist." Citrine patted him on the head. "Thank you Gizmo. I may need you again later for some repairs to the computer systems, so don't get too bogged down in other chores alright?"
"Yes ma'am!" Gizmo replied.
Feralae was already picking through the rubble. "Right, form a line and if you find anything let me know." Robin said as he directed Raven, Starfire, and Feralae to form a line on one side of him and Beastboy and Cyborg on the other.
They passed over the space in the rubble where they'd seen the three figures and Starfire gave a yell. "Over here!"
The Titans crowded around her to find Starfire holding up a red, blue, and yellow pendant that looked similar to a celtic knot. "This is a traditional Tamarenean amulet. The three colors represent the family. It is usually given to a woman when they come of age. Whoever it was, they are older than 16 Earth years. I also found this." Starfire held up a scorched white glove. It seemed the kind a fancy lady would wear at a formal ball. "And the material used for this glove is incredibly rare, and must be imported from one of our colonies. Whoever it was they were very rich."
"But if they were living a life of privilege why would they turn evil?" Asked Beastboy. "There's no motivation here."
"We'll have to find one. Keep looking." Robin told them.
The next trace was dropped about five yards away. Feralae let out a yell. "Look at this." She held up the jewel she'd found. "This is Draconitas. It's a stone that's obtained by cutting open the head of a dragon while it's still alive. You get it usually by slaying the dragon. This probably came from our OTHER perp, the one that we didn't get an ID on? No Tamaranean would know where to get one of these, OR how to attract a dragon to slay in the first place. And unless you take it while the dragon is still alive it's worthless magically. These gems are the center of a dragon's energy. They act as a collecting dish for Dragon Power."
"So whoever it is probably doesn't like your Clan." Commented Raven. "This is getting weirder and weirder."
So the search continued through the ruins. But the Titans found nothing. The hour passed and Citrine shoed the Titans away from the ruins. Sooty, sweaty and tired the Feralae walked next to Raven as the Titans made their way back into town.
"Is there anything left in that bag?" Beastboy asked as his stomach growled.
"A couple of bagels." Feralae handed him one.
"So we have the background of one of our arsonists." Robin sighed. "And a clue on the background of another."
"Time well spent huh?" Cyborg said amiably. He was the only one of them not covered in soot.
"Yeah." Robin shook his head. "We only have a little bit of information about our enemy. We need to ask around to some of our allies to see if they've seen our terrible trio."
"I'll call the girls." Starfire offered.
"And Beastboy and I will take care of our male allies." Cyborg offered.
"Good, Raven, Feralae, I want you to analyze the evidence we found." Robin told them.
"When we get back to the tower." Agreed Raven. "Come on, I think it's time I showed you our forensic lab."