I finally had some time to finish writing this chapter. Sorry for keeping you waiting. Anyways, enjoy!
D-I-WaRrIa: I really thank you for reviewing! And yes, I do love the BB/T pairing. ;)
legato 626: Thanks for reviewing, I'll be waiting for you to update your story as well!
Taiba: If you really hate Terra as much as you say, then simply don't read this fic. Easy as that.
InsaneLynx: More fluff to come. ;)
And to anyone else: thanks for your reviews, they really mean a lot to me! :D
Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans. (I might as well copy/paste this message)
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Chapter 10: Lost and Losing Hope
It all happened in a matter of seconds: Lord Firesprite, the wormhole, and blacking out. 'What had happened to the rest of the Titans? Where did that portal send them?' Unpleasant thoughts passed through Robin's head as he felt something poking him. "Huh... what happened?" Robin muttered, opening his eyes. He noticed a certain Tamaranian girl looking at him. "Starfire?"
"Robin! Are you undamaged?" Starfire asked happily as Robin sat up rubbing his sore arms.
"Yeah, I'm ok. But... where are we?" Robin questioned, slowly coming about. The very first thing he noticed was the dense fog. It was everywhere; the misty gray cloud covered practically everything around him, making visibility very limited. Luckily, he could still see Starfire rather clearly.
"I'm not sure. It appears to be some kind of forest, but there are hardly any animals here." Starfire replied, helping Robin up. The Boy Wonder finally was able to examine his surroundings. Through the fog he could make out the figures of many trees. However, these trees had very thick trunks, and their leaves possessed a misty green color. Some were dead, others full of leaves. It was rather chilly here; goosebumps appearing on Robin's skin. Sounds of some animals could be heard, but there weren't many of them.
The Boy Wonder pulled out his communicator, and tried calling various Titans, but the signal would not go through. He even tried calling Starfire who stood close next to him, but failed to establish any connection to her communicator. "Sigh, looks like we are on our own for now. How long have you been awake Star?"
Starfire thought for a second. "Hmm... only for a few minutes. I walked a few feet around and saw you laying next to a tree, so I tried to awake you." the Tamaranian girl said.
"Star, I don't think we are on Earth anymore. I don't remember a place like this being anywhere. Mad Mod couldn't have made this place an illusion like he did a few times, so the only reasonable conclusion is that we must be in the World of Darkness." Robin stated, once again trying his communicator, but getting the same results.
"What is the 'World of Darkness,' Robin?" Starfire asked, looking rather perplexed. Robin stayed silent for a few seconds before answering.
"I researched it. This is where Firesprite went after getting booted from Heatwave, so I bet he caused trouble here." the Boy Wonder said, "Let's try to find the others, but try to stay close." Starfire nodded and held hands with Robin as they started making their way through the eerie fog.
Robin wasn't really sure where he was going. All that was traveling through his mind was just trying to get out of this forest. The more they walked, the thicker the fog seemed to get. There was just no way to see more than five feet through the fog, which made the two Titans more nervous.
"Robin? What if we never leave this forest?" Starfire asked Robin. Se could hardly see him, even though he was about a foot away from her.
Robin slowed down the pace. "Don't worry Star. We managed to get out of other dangerous situations, and this one if no different."
"Yes, but I am just concerned. What if the rest of our friends are in grave danger?" Starfire asked, holding on tighter to Robin from fear of getting separated. Robin could sense that Starfire was indeed suffering, but then an idea came to him.
Robin stopped walking, and turned around to face Starfire, more or less. "Star, why don't you just fly up higher so we could get an idea of where we are?" the Boy Wonder asked, mentally cursing himself for not thinking of this sooner.
A smile flashed across Starfire's face. "That's a great idea Robin! I shall fly up now and examine our location!" And with that, Starfire jumped and tried to become airborne, but instead crashed back into the cold ground.
"Starfire!" Robin shouted as he ran up to Starfire, helping her up. "Are you okay?"
Starfire massaged her back. "Yes, I am not damaged. But why couldn't I fly up?" the Tamaranian asked, panic starting to take over her.
Robin wondered for a second. "Try firing a star bolt, I think I know what's going on."
Starfire snapped out of her worried state and charged up a bolt, which she attempted to throw. Much to her disappointment, the bolt didn't fire and instead just vanished into the air. "Oh no... something's wrong with my powers! We could get attacked or worse!" Starfire was clearly starting to panic.
Robin placed a caring hand on her cheek. "It's okay; there is nothing wrong with your powers. I think that the curse over this forest is preventing any magical attacks." Starfire relaxed after hearing Robin's comforting words. She placed her hand on top of Robin's, slightly closing her eyes.
"Thank you Robin, I thought that maybe I lost my powers." Starfire replied, feeling much better. Robin smiled after seeing Starfire's mood improve. He slowly removed his hand from Starfire's cheek and took hold of her other hand. "So, are you ready to move on?"
"Yes, let's find our friends and get out of this place!" Starfire chirped as the two started walking again.
The mystical fog started to become very dense now, allowing absolutely no visibility. Robin tried to keep positive, although that was no hard to do. The Boy Wonder was actually hoping for the fog to clear up, but that didn't look like it was going to happen for quite sometime. Starfire was also starting to get concerned about their safety. For all she knew, this forest could never end. After fighting their way through some tough vegetation, the fog suddenly faded away, as though it never even existed.
"Wow..." was Robin's only comment at the sight before them. Starfire was also in awe. They stood on top of a small hill, gazing down at some ancient shrine not far below. It was compromised of a small, open air building, no bigger than a shed. In the building there stood a statue of some sort. The grounds were just as big as basketball court, in which no tree or any other form of vegetation grew. "C'mon Star, let's check this place out." the Boy Wonder said, cautiously approaching the shrine.
Starfire took a look around. There were a few relics scattered on the ground, which looked burn and torn as though some battle took place here. Indeed, a few crude weapons--spears, bows, arrows, and shields--were laying around, most of them destroyed and rendered unusable. "This place must have been attacked. The walls of this structure are damaged, and there is destroyed weaponry on the ground." Starfire pointed out as she and Robin walked up to the statue in the small building.
"I think you are right, Star." Robin said, having a closer look around. He moved on to examine the statue: a sculpture of a creature, probably made out of black marble. It was half the height of Robin and looked like an angel and demon mixed. There were two horns jutting out of its head, but wings were protruding from its back. The face was rather disturbing. Its eyes were just shallow sockets, and part of its nose was missing. The face all together looked depressed, but its mouth was grinning wide open, as though it just committed a murder. The statue held its hands up, as though it was offering someone a gift, but there was nothing in them. Clearly, there must have been some object here at one time. "Now this is just weird..." Robin commented, backing away from this horrific sculpture.
Starfire didn't like the look of it either, shuddering somewhat. "Umm... I think that I am 'creeped out' as you would say." The two Titans then went on to just glance at the ground, littered with debris of bones, weapons, and skulls, before starting to walk out of the grounds. However, just as they were about to leave, an eerie music was emitted from a nearby statue, similar to the one in the building, but much taller. The organ music played at two second intervals, and the two Titans were able to make out messages such as 'Leave or die...' and 'Your blood will quench the soil...' Both Robin and Starfire went wide-eyed anime style before running at top speed away from this place, not caring that the fog picked up.
"Star, whatever you do, don't slow down!" Robin hollered, fighting his way through some more dense vegetation. Starfire looked like she would pass out from fear and exhaustion. The Tamaranian girl just nodded, not daring to look back even though the new fog prevented any visibility.
"Robin, I want to get out of here!" Starfire yelled back, running like mad with Robin in no particular direction.
The Boy Wonder picked up the speed. "Don't worry Star, we'll get out." This forest was obviously cursed, and those grounds back there were starting to haunt his mind. What exactly was that statue in the shrine holding previously? Why where all those broken weapons and skulls laying around there? Robin didn't care at the moment; all that he wanted was just to see the sunlight again, to leave this place, and to make sure Starfire would be alright.
The two Titans were fighting through the bush for the last few minutes, both starting to tire out. They stopped to catch their breath under a dead tree. Starfire was still rather pale and Robin looked as though he couldn't run anymore.
"Do you think we'll ever manage to escape this forest?" Starfire asked, not really sure of herself.
Robin simply sighed placed a hand on her cheek again. "Look Star, like I said before, we will get out of here. You can't lose hope, otherwise you'll give up and be stuck here. Now we don't want that, do we?"
Starfire smiled and shook her head. Robin put on a grin, and gently took Starfire's hand. "Now let's get out here!" the Boy Wonder said as he and Starfire started working their way through the forest.
Another hour passed. Then another... and another. Slashing the dense vegetation took a heavy toll on Robin's energy as he used his staff to fight through some irritating plants that blocked the path ahead. Starfire could really do nothing more than follow Robin since her powers weren't working. Robin paused temporarily to catch his breath.
"Sigh, this is some forest. It's taking pretty much all my energy just to get rid of these damn plants." Robin said, rubbing his hands together.
"We could rest if you need to." Starfire said, "I just wish that I could help you..." the Tamaranian girl looked frustrated at herself for not being able to aid Robin.
The Boy Wonder stretched his arms out. "Star, it's not your fault. I told you, there is a curse over this forest, and probably that's why."
Starfire tried to lighten up. "I just feel like I'm doing nothing but being a nuisance." Robin was a little taken back from that comment.
"You're being too hard on yourself, Star! Try to think about something positive, that should cheer you up." Robin replied with a grin. Starfire just sighed again. "I think I'm rested enough, let's go. And cheer up Star, we'll be fine." the Boy Wonder said as he began hacking through the forest once again, Starfire following closely behind him.
A cold wind blew against Robin, and with another swing of his staff, a large plant went down before him. Golden sunlight shone through the canopy of the trees in this area, the vegetation not as wild and untamed as it was before. The fog that once surrounded Robin and Starfire now became a very light mist, barely visible to the eye.
"Heh heh, I think we are done with that forest." Robin chuckled, allowing the sunlight to shine on his face.
Starfire also rejoiced at the fact that she wouldn't have to ever see that forest again, hopefully. "We are finally away from the gloomy forest!" She hugged Robin lightly as he hugged back.
"See, I told you." the Boy Wonder said coolly, walking up to the top of a nearby hill. The sun appeared to be setting; its light creating a golden tint to everything it shone on. The landscape before him was mostly flat with yellow grass, and the occasional dead tree or hill.
Starfire pointed out the shape of a pyramid that stood some distance away. "Robin, do you see that structure over there?"
"Yeah, looks to me like a pyramid or some kind of building. I always wondered what it is... but it's getting late, and we have no place to spend the night." Robin said, trying to think of a solution.
"I can offer you a place, children..." a misty voice said. Robin and Starfire immediately jumped up and turned around, ready to attack. However, they found out that the voice belonged to an elderly man, no taller than five feet and wearing a heavy brown cloak. A long white beard protruded from his wrinkled face, and he walked with the aid of a large stick. His eyes were a light green, and he didn't look dangerous at all.
Robin was the first to break the silence. "Who... who are you?" was all he manged to ask.
The elderly man chuckled slightly. "My name is Karthor, and I hail from a city, practically the only city on this planet, called Emporia. The king of Emporia has gotten word that several groups of you children have been wandering the planet. I was sent to find you."
Robin and Starfire looked a little alarmed at his last sentence. Karthor put on a confused face, and then realized why the two Titans were nervous. "He he, don't worry, I have not come to arrest you! The king simply wishes to gather you all and speak with you." the elder replied with a cheery smile. Robin and Starfire breathed a sigh of relief.
"Did you by any chance find the rest of our friends?" Starfire asked the elder.
Karthor shook his head. "Sadly, we haven't located them yet, but rest assured that we will find them. And with that, I'd like to take you to Emporia where you will hopefully be spending the night." The two Titans accepted his generous offer and proceeded to follow him.
Their pace was slow considering Karthor's old age, but at least they now had a destination. Karthor was leading them down a makeshift path made from upturned dirt and gravel. Judging from the way they were going, Robin assumed they must be heading west.
"By the way, I am Robin and this is Starfire." Robin spoke, trying to start a conversation. "How exactly did this king know that we were here?"
"That I do not know. King Smilax, oh, that's his name by the way, didn't explain the details to me. He simply told me to head in this direction and search the perimeter of Skull Forest, and so I have found you." Karthor replied, pointing to the forest that Robin and Starfire were in previously.
Starfire was waiting for this opportunity. "Friend Karthor, why have my powers not worked while Robin and I were in this 'Skull Forest?'"
"Ah yes, King Smilax had gave me some information about you all. The answer is simple: the curse over the forest prevents any magical powers. Robin was not affected because his attacks don't rely on magic to work." Karthor explained as the group traveled.
Eventually, a tall green stonewall came into view in the distance. Upon arrival, the two Titans were able to get a more detailed look. The wall was wedged in between two mountains and two huge wooden doors were located in the center of this wall. There were a few watch towers on the top of the wall and guards patrolled the grounds near the doors. This wall was over thirty stories high and cannons were sticking out of a few holes scattered throughout.
A guard approached the group. He wore some gray armor on both his chest and legs and a spiked helmet on his head, holding a spear in one hand. "Good day Karthor. Ah, I see that you have located some of the children; the king shall be most pleased. I'll open the doors, please wait a moment." The guard blew a whistle and the two oak doors slowly opened.
Karthor thanked the guard and proceeded inside with Robin and Starfire. "Welcome to Emporia!" the elderly man exclaimed, pointing to various parts of the city. Robin and Starfire were in awe. Emporia was nothing like any of the cities back on Earth. All the buildings, some small while others large, were made out of a light green stone, and their roofs were red in color. The streets, made from what appeared to be cobble, were well organized in a grid formation. Several candlelit street lights were scattered about. The people who walked around wore long, loose robes in various colors. Most of the people were between four and six feet in height and had hair past their shoulders.
In the distance could be seen a large castle with many towers and windows. It too possessed a light green tint with magenta roofs on the towers. "That is were King Smilax resides," Karthor said, pointing to the castle, "We shall go there now since he is probably waiting for us." And with that, Karthor started to lead the two Titans down a street bound for the castle. This street was filled with many small shops and houses that sparked some interest in the two Titans as they walked. In general, Emporia looked like a medieval city, but with some more advanced technology. After the short walk, they arrived at the huge castle. A guard smiled politely to Karthor and the Titans, letting them pass the drawbridge and into the castle itself.
Inside, the castle was even more majestic. A red carpet was on the floor and wall torches were bringing warm light to the hallways. A few large portraits hung from the walls here and there. "This castle is glorious! Much more grand than anything I've seen on Earth and Tamaran!" Starfire commented as they proceeded through the many hallways.
"Yes, but I suppose King Smilax did go overboard with decorating." Karthor chuckled as the group continued walking though the hallways until they reached a pair of golden doors. Two guards stood on either side, both opening the doors for the approaching party. "Now you two kneel before King Smilax when I do. He'll take it from there." the elderly man whispered as they entered the King's chamber.
This was probably the most prominent room in the castle. There was a high ceiling supported by white marble columns. A now violet carpet led the way to the throne. Another pair of guards stood opposite to each other a few feet from the throne, in which King Smilax sat. Several banners hung from the walls and small pools of water were located in the four corners of the room, complete with miniature fountains.
Karthor knelt down, Robin and Starfire following suit. "I have managed to find the two children as you asked." Karthor said, standing back up along with the two Titans after King Smilax ordered them to.
"I am very pleased with your efforts Karthor. You may go now to find the remainder of the group." King Smilax said in an official voice. The King himself was medium weight with golden armor on his torso and legs, standing at about six feet. He also wore a cape of silver and brown boots. His face was cheery: eyes light green in color and a large grin to match his attitude. The hair on top of his head was spiky and chocolate brown. "I would like to welcome you Titans to the city of Emporia!" the king exclaimed, his voice echoing throughout the room.
"Uh, we are pleased to be here. I am Robin, and this is Starfire. We are... " Robin began.
"The Teen Titans!" the king finished for him.
"Well yeah, and I was wondering how you found out who we are." Robin asked, not really expecting King Smilax to know who they were.
"A few people living in my lands have informed me that several groups of children were warped here. I consulted with my wise mages, and based on your descriptions, we assumed you were the Teen Titans." King Smilax replied. The king then thought for a moment. "Tell you what. How about you two get some sleep first, and once we gather the rest of your friends, we can discuss anything you'd like." the king offered. Robin and Starfire looked at each other and shrugged.
"I guess that me and Starfire could use some sleep. How long do you think it will take to find the rest of the Titans?" Robin asked, trying to stifle a yawn.
"I'd say no longer than three days. Anyway, I'll have my servants escort you to your rooms. Good night and sleep well!" King Smilax said, ordering two servants to lead Robin and Starfire each to their own rooms.
"Thank you, your majesty." Robin and Starfire said in unison as they left the chamber.
"Well, good night Robin!" Starfire said to Robin as a female servant lead her down a hallway outside the king's chamber.
"Night, Star!" Robin called after her, following another servant down a few hallways and up a staircase. The servant lead him to a small room with one bed, a window, and a closet. A candle on a small table provided enough light to illuminate the room. The servant closed the door and Robin immediately laid down on the comfy bed, blowing out the candle.
'This place sure is strange. I mean it's not like everyday some important king offers you a place to stay and find your lost friends. Sigh, I guess we'll start sorting this mess out in the morning...' thought Robin, closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep.
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Phew, done with that chapter. I hope you enjoyed it, and please review if you have some spare time! Please? :)