I finally managed to finish this chapter at last! Sorry for keeping you waiting; I had a ton of tests at school this week and it was absolute chaos. ;) Anyways, a special thanks to all my reviewers!
D-I-WaRrIa: That's a very good idea, I'll try to work it into the story. ;) Thanks for reviewing by the way!
Legato 626: Lol, thanks for reviewing! I can't wait for the next chapter in your story, so please update fast! :)
Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans.
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Chapter 11: Against the Odds
Flashbacks of the last few moments quickly raced through her mind. The most vivid memory was that of the wormhole, the same wormhole that she shortly blacked out in. She didn't know what would become of everyone else, or where this wormhole was taking them. 'What if the wormhole had killed the remainder of the Titans?' With that thought, Raven's eyes darted open. The dark witch sat up, breathing fast as though she just experienced a horrific nightmare.
"Where... where am I?" Raven asked aloud to no one in particular. "Robin? Starfire? Beastboy? Terra? Cyborg? Anyone?!" she yelled out, realizing that she was indeed alone. Standing up, Raven attempted to calm herself. After some quick meditation and taking a deep breath, her emotions were neutralized. Raven took this time to examine exactly where she was.
There was one thing she noticed right off the bat: the swampy water. As a matter of fact, it was everywhere! It was rather thick with a deep blue and green blend. Bubbles burst on the surface every so often, and sounds of peculiar birds echoed throughout. There were trees scattered in many places, giving the feeling of a true swamp. These trees had very thick trunks, low hanging branches, and very slender, droopy leaves. A low lime green mist hung over the swampy water for as far as the eye can see.
The sky was cloudy, though some rays of sunlight were managing to penetrate the thick blanket of dark clouds. The humidity was rather high, but not high enough to cause her to be uncomfortable. Raven noticed that she was standing on a small patch of wet grass, safe from the mucky water. 'What is this place?' she asked herself, hoping that the rest of the Titans were okay, but she could not be sure of that.
'Sigh, might as well look around. Maybe I'll find someone to help me...' thought Raven as she attempted to hover over the water. Much to her surprise, she found herself unable to levitate the slightest bit!
"My... my powers! They're gone..." Raven said aloud once again. She then felt someone approaching from behind, and nimbly spun around to confront the person... or thing. She could make out the frame of a robot of some sort from the mist, well not exactly a robot. After some thought, she realized who it could be: Cyborg!
"Hey.. Rae is that you?" Cyborg asked, unsure of himself. Raven was probably never more happy to see him.
"Cyborg! Is that really you?" Raven asked, even though she knew it was Cyborg himself.
The half robotic teen lightly laughed as he walked up to her. "You bet it's me!" Cyborg said, sharing a quick hug with Raven. "Have any idea of where we are?"
Raven simply shook her head. "No, I can't remember anything except that wormhole."
Cyborg nodded and replied, "Neither do I. I tried getting in touch with the other Titans but my signal is dead. I managed to blast through some trees and luckily found you here."
After hearing that, Raven wondered why Cyborg was still able to use his powers and she couldn't. "Wait, you mean that you used your sonic cannon?"
"Well, yeah. Why?" Cyborg replied, not really understanding why Raven would ask that.
The dark witch sighed. "For some reason, I can't use my powers. I tried levitating already but that didn't work."
"Now that's really weird," the half robotic teen said, rather concerned, "But as long as my cannon works we should be safe. Let's go find the rest of the Titans and then we can plan our next move." Cyborg said, starting to walk into the swampy water.
Raven went wide-eyed. "Cyborg! What are you doing?!" she asked, worried that the water might be like quicksand and cause Cyborg to drown.
"What? Oh, if you walk on the light colored water, you won't fall in since it's kinda shallow here." Cyborg said, pointing out some light green areas of water. Raven reluctantly stepped in, finding that indeed it was very shallow here; only about an inch deep. "Just be careful Rae when we are walking." the half robotic teen added, starting to slowly navigate his way through the water.
The two Titans were making some progress through the swamp, though it was rather slow. There were a few miniature flies that looked like mosquitoes all over the place. Just like their counterparts on Earth, the flies were biting Cyborg and Raven like crazy.
"Ugh... these things are buggin' the hell out of me!" Cyborg exclaimed, trying to swat one. Raven simply pulled her cloak tighter to cover any exposed skin, with the exception of her face. Cyborg fired his sonic cannon at random sometimes to scare off the flies as they kept walking.
"Any idea of where we are going?" Raven asked after an hour passed since they started.
Cyborg wasn't really sure. "I'm not sure, but I think if we keep going in one direction, we should eventually get out of this place." the half robotic teen said, "And if I feel one more fly bite me... I'm... going... to... kill it!" Cyborg managed to squash a fly sitting on his forehead, even though he hit himself in the process. "Heh heh... sucker..." he muttered as they kept walking. Raven laughed at Cyborg's reaction, trying her best to keep her balance and avoiding falling into the water.
Not long after, the two Titans reached an island of some sort. The grass here was rather soggy from the moisture, but at least they didn't have to trudge through anymore water for a while.
It was starting to get dark, which made the two Titans worry. However, Raven spotted something in the distance. "Uh, Cy, do you see what I see?" the dark witch asked, stopping and pointing to some building past a few trees.
Cyborg rubbed his human eye to make sure he wasn't seeing things. "Yeah, looks like a town! C'mon, maybe they'll help us out of this swamp." And with that, Cyborg and Raven ran over to the buildings.
Indeed, this was a town of some sort, more like a village. There were a few streets, though not too much. They were lined with some makeshift houses built from wood and leaves that stood about eight feet tall and twenty feet wide. A few street lamps, which were actually large torches, gave light to the village. There was a crude bench here and there, but no people were outside.
"Everyone's probably asleep, I hope." Raven said as Cyborg and she walked to the nearest house and knocked on the door. There was no answer, so they moved on to the next one. After the tenth house, Cyborg gave up.
"Dammit, there's no one here. It's like a ghost town or something," the half robotic teen said, slamming his fists into the ground.
"I wouldn't be so sure. Look, there is a path over there." Raven said in her monotone voice, once again noticing a path near the outskirts of the village. Cyborg cheered up slightly.
The half robotic teen took one last look at the village. He sighed and without anymore hesitation, Cyborg and Raven proceeded down the path. It led them through some thick vegetation, but luckily no water.
"Oh great, what is this path leading to anyway? I just hope it's not anymore swamp or I'm gonna freak out." Cyborg joked around after blasting some trees out of the way. Raven just rolled her eyes and guided the way through the now dark night.
Raven stopped walking and tried to make out the figures of a few trees up ahead. "Cyborg, try getting rid of those trees, I think we are at the end of the path." the dark witch said.
Cyborg nodded and fired his sonic cannon in the direction Raven was pointing to, causing many trees to fall to the ground. The blast from Cyborg's cannon set one of the large branches from a tree alight, creating a crude torch. "Nice thinking!" The half robotic teen said as he went to pick up the torch.
"I wasn't expecting that to happen, but oh well." Raven said with a chuckle. Cyborg set another branch alight and passed it to Raven. The two Titans proceeded down the path.
After blasting some more trees out of the way, the path finally opened up. "Wow, check this place out Rae!" Cyborg exclaimed as he ran ahead, Raven following close by, "It's like some palace or something."
The site was about the size of a small park. There was dark green grass covering the ground and thick trees lined the perimeter. There were a few small trees scattered throughout the site, but it was mostly just grass and some puddles of swamp water. Two dome shaped structures stood fifty feet apart, but their details could not be seen due to the night. Towards the center was a raised platform, about a foot high. It appeared to be made out of aquamarine colored stone with tiny, gold engravings scattered all over it.
Cyborg and Raven both walked on this platform, eager to find out what this place was. As they walked onto it, Raven noticed a thick five foot pillar protruding from the center. "Hmm, there's something written here, but it must be in another language or something." Raven said, examining a small tablet of writing that stood on this pillar.
Cyborg took a look, bringing his torch closer to it. "Neither can I. Looks Japanese, or maybe Greek. Still, beats me." the half robotic teen said, unable to decode the writing. "But look, there is a symbol engraved on the ground here." Cyborg said, pointing to a circular shape engraved on the platform's floor, two inches away from the pillar. It looked like a gold medal with a wavy line drawn through it.
"Any idea of what that might mean?" Raven asked, trying to figure out what this symbol stands for. Cyborg just shrugged.
"Sigh, I'm gonna check out those two dome shaped things over there." Cyborg said, taking his torch and hopping off the platform. Upon arriving at the structures, the half robotic teen placed his torch as close as he could to the structure to see every detail of it. Just like the platform he was standing on earlier, this structure was also made of the same stone. However, words in the same language as that of the tablet were etched into the surface of this dome in gold writing. As a matter of fact, every inch of the dome's surface was covered in writing!
'What does this stuff mean?' Cyborg thought, running some of the words through his scanner, but failing to get any results. 'Maybe it could be some ancient story...'
Raven walked over to Cyborg, unable to find any more interesting details about the tablet. "Find anything in those rock piles?" the dark witch asked in her usual monotone voice.
The half robotic teen let out another sigh. "Nope, just some more writing that I can't decipher."
The two Titans stood in silence for the next minute, unsure of what to do now. The night was getting even darker and yet they still didn't have any place to sleep. There were only trees and more water outside these grounds. If really necessary, they could spend the night here, but then they would be prone to attacks by the creatures that inhabited the swamp.
Finally, Raven broke the silence. "Well, there's really no point in hanging around here. Let's go; maybe we'll find somewhere else to spend the night."
Cyborg agreed and held his torch higher as the two Titans proceeded into the swampy woods.
Raven, who was in the lead, had no idea of where she was going. The dark witch constantly repeated, 'There is a way out of this swamp,' in her mind to keep her nerve. But as the two Titans trudged on, hope was diminishing. They've been in this swamp for almost an entire day and well into the night without food nor water. Their crude torches were finally starting to burn out; only a faint glow was emitting from them now.
By now, the lack of food was starting to take its toll on Raven. Cyborg was still able to manage even though he was rather drowsy. The two would gladly have just fallen asleep next to a tree but that was not an option anymore. The grassy path ended and the familiar sludgy water now filled the rest of the swamp.
"Oh great, back to the water again..." Cyborg muttered inaudibly.
Raven's vision was starting to worsen as she forced herself to keep walking. Her torch was just about to burn out as the flame died down to a very minute ember. However, there was another emotion starting to come over her: fear. They were in the middle of a swamp during the darkest night they ever experienced. Also the fact that they were wading through water that probably contained dangerous animals wasn't helping her morale either. Finally, unable to take anymore walking, Raven collapsed. Cyborg caught her right before she fell into the deeper water.
Cyborg held Raven in his arms, placing his torch in a nearby tree. "Raven! Wake up!" the half robotic teen said, gently shaking Raven awake. Breathing a sigh of relief, Cyborg asked, "What happened? Did something bite you or what?"
Raven yawned openly and said in a low voice, "No... I'm just tired, that's all." Cyborg understood and proceeded to hold her safely in his arms as he picked up his torch again.
"Don't worry, I'll try getting us out of here." Cyborg said, starting to walk through the swampy water once again.
He wasn't sure how far he managed to walk before he spotted a light not far from him. Cyborg silently prayed that it wasn't yet another abandoned town or something. Much to his joy, it turned out that the light belonged to a person.
"Hey, can you help me get out of here?!" Cyborg hollered to the person carrying the torch. At the sound of Cyborg's voice, the person quickly ran up to him. It turned out to be an elderly man wearing a brown cloak.
"Why hello! You must be Cyborg! And that is Raven, correct?" the elder asked, looking Cyborg in the eye.
The robotic teen was a little shocked. "Um, who are you and how do you know my name?" he asked, holding Raven tightly to keep her away from this man.
The elderly man chuckled. "I apologize for not introducing myself," the elder said, "I am Karthor, and I was sent by King Smilax of Emporia to find you. I have already managed to find two of your friends: Robin and Starfire. And rest assured, the king is awaiting your arrival. Come."
Cyborg followed Karthor hesitantly. "Um, who is this King Smilax and what is Emporia?" the half robotic teen asked as he followed Karthor through some crude paths made of sand and pebbles in the swamp.
"Emporia is a large civilization in the western portion of the World of Darkness. King Smilax..." Karthor was cut off by Cyborg.
"Hey wait up. So you are telling me that this is the World of Darkness?" Cyborg asked, a little bewildered.
Karthor nodded his head as he held his own torch higher to light the way. "Yes, you are correct. But believe me, everything will be explained after we meet the king. Hopefully you will stay for the night in his grand castle." the elder said with a wink.
Cyborg was overjoyed, but then again still rather confused. Why would some random king offer the Titans so much hospitality when he never even met them? Robin and Starfire were already safe at that Emporia place but what about Beastboy and Terra? Would they be able to survive the night? These and similar thoughts passed through Cyborg's mind as he followed Karthor across a bridge and finally out of the swamp.
"The swamp finally ends here. Now it's just a straight road to Emporia!" Karthor exclaimed, full of energy which was unlikely for a man his age.
Raven started to come about in Cyborg's arms. "What... what is going on?" the dark witch muttered, half asleep.
Karthor noticed her starting to wake up. "Don't worry; all will be well. Try to get some sleep, we'll be arriving at our destination shortly. You don't mind carrying her, do you?" the elder asked, looking at Cyborg.
"Nah it's fine. I'm just wondering how much longer it's going to take." the teen asked, holding Raven tightly as she drifted off to sleep again.
Karthor smiled as he pointed to something up ahead. "Sooner than you think. Look!"
Cyborg stared into the darkness of the night and indeed he could see many lights not far from here. There were a few towers with their windows alight which were behind a rather large wall as the half robotic teen viewed it. 'That must be Emporia...' he thought to himself.
"Wow..." Cyborg muttered in awe when the group finally arrived at the gigantic front wall that protected Emporia.
"Yes, impressive isn't it?" Karthor asked rhetorically as a guard opened the massive oak doors allowing them to pass. Cyborg could only manage to nod as he gazed at the city. Since it was near midnight, as Karthor told him, they needed to get to the castle quickly before King Smilax would start to be concerned.
After going down a few streets, they arrived at the castle's main entrance. The castle itself looked very majestic indeed, especially during this night when the many torches lining the exterior walls were alight, creating a sparkling effect in the clear moat.
A guard noticed Karthor and approached him. "So you finally found em, eh? Where did you have to look this time?" the guard asked the elder.
"Somewhere in the Swamp of Misery. Luckily the king informed me that two of them were there." Karthor relied.
This guard yelled a command to one of the other bridge guards. As on cue, the large drawbridge that was previously raised was lowered for Karthor and company to pass. The elder thanked the guard and proceeded across the drawbridge and into the castle itself, Cyborg following close by.
"I never knew this place would look so great. I only imaged the castle being small and plain, but never like this!" Cyborg commented, gazing at the many decorations that hung from the castle's hallway's as Karthor led him to King Smilax's chamber.
"Your friends, Robin and Starfire, felt exactly the same way when they first stepped foot in here," Karthor said, leading the way through several more resplendent hallways. "They are probably in their rooms sleeping by now." Karthor added before Cyborg could ask. At last, they reached two doors with guards standing near them "Ah, and here we are: the king's chamber!"
The guards on either side of the hallway leading into King Smilax's throne room pushed the twin doors open, letting Karthor and Cyborg pass. The half robotic teen was struck with amazement as he followed Karthor, still holding a sleeping Raven, down the violet carpet leading to King Smilax who stood beaming at the approaching party.
"Welcome, to Emporia! You must be Cyborg, and that is Raven I believe." King Smilax boomed with a cheerful tone. "I'm King Smilax, and you don't need to kneel down; it's fine." he added, making both Karthor and Cyborg jump up from their kneeling positions.
"Ah yeah. Well like you said, I'm Cyborg, pleased to meet ya." Cyborg said, shaking the king's hand. King Smilax was still wearing the same attire from when Robin and Starfire came in a few hours ago, not bothering to change knowing that Cyborg and Raven would arrive not much longer.
King Smilax put on a large grin. "Anyway, I see that your friend is practically asleep. I could show you your rooms right now if you wish."
Cyborg was rather happy to hear that. "Yeah, that would be great! But one question though: why are you doing this? I mean, I don't remember ever meeting you." the half robotic teen asked.
"It's true that I never met you, but believe me, I know much about you Titans!" the king said, "You see, I consulted with my wise mages shortly after a few villagers reported that a group of children landed in this world. We then concluded that they must be you guys: the Teen Titans."
The robotic teen was still perplexed. He yawned and was about to ask another question but King Smilax spoke first.
"I see that you are very tired. I will explain everything you need to know tomorrow after we find the remaining two Teen Titans. But like I said, that's for tomorrow and you'll need your energy," the king said with a bright grin, "My servants here will escort you to your respective rooms. If you wish, you could take Raven to her room." King Smilax added, looking at the sleeping Raven.
"I'd appreciate that, thanks!" and with that, two servants escorted Cyborg out of the king's chamber.
"It seems everything is going perfect," King Smilax said, his eyes flashing a tint of crimson for a split second before he shook his head quickly, "Anyway, I thank you Karthor once again. Is it alright if you go locate the other two Teen Titans first thing tomorrow?"
Karthor bowed. "I'd be honored." King Smilax thanked him again and signaled that he could leave.
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(Elsewhere in the castle)
One servant opened a door leading into a small yet comfortable room in the castle. There stood a small bed, a closet, and a bookshelf full of various texts. Cyborg carefully placed Raven on her bed and whispered a quick "Good night!" to her. He closed the door after leaving her room, telling the servant that Raven was asleep.
"Now if you follow me, I shall lead you to your room," the servant said, walking down a hallway. He unlocked a door leading to a larger room. This room pretty much was a replica of Cyborg's real room at Titans Tower. "I think you'll feel right at home here." the servant said with a chuckle, closing the door after leaving.
Indeed, this room contained almost the same technology found at Titans Tower. Computer monitors were built into the walls that preformed various functions. Everything Cyborg needed was all in this room. It was actually very convenient!
"Damn, this room is just like mine back on Earth!" he whispered rather impressed, following his usual procedures before going to sleep. 'I just hope that Beastboy and Terra will be alright...' And with that, Cyborg laid down on a tilted platform specially designed for him and he shutdown for the night.
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And there is chapter 11. I hope you enjoyed it! And please review if you have the time! :D