Authors note: my last chapter had a few twists to it and this one has a few surprises as well, I hope you enjoy.
p.s. if I don't start getting more reviews I might loose interest in my story.
Disclaimer: I own only Tobias.
Chapter 8: Demons and Beasts
Slade fell through the fiery chasm for what seemed like an eternity. Screaming all the way down as the flames licked at him he finally hit the bottom with sickening force. Though the pain was immense he did not perish, to weak to rise he looked through scorched eyes at the horror before him. Fire everywhere yet there was no light only searing heat and molten rock. A thunderous voice sounded out form somewhere he could not see,
"I HAVE USE FOR YOU MORTAL! AGREE TO SERVE ME AND I WILL RETURN YOUR PATHETIC SOUL TO EARTH!" Slade cowered under the harshness of the voice but he answered none the less, "Yes! I will serve you what ever monster you may be, please just send me away from this horrid place" he herd nothing but the demonic laughter for a moment then the voice spoke again.
"THERE IS A PLACE WHERE A GIRL RESIDEDS, A GIRL OF MY OWN BLOOD SHE IS DARK AS THE NIGHT AND COLD AS THE SNOW. YOU KNOW HER WELL MORTAL HER NAME IS RAVEN" Slade laughed like an insane man, when he herd the name. The owner of the dark voice however did not see the amusement, "SILENCE! YOU UNDERESTIMATE BOTH HER AND HER GUARDIAN" it said, Slade didn't understand.
"Guardian, what guardian? None of those titans is a match for me" he said in a self sure voice, all he received as an answer was more echoing laughter "YOU WILL SEE MORTAL, SHE IS PROTECTED BY A CREATURE WHO STANDS AMONG THE FIRCEST WARRIORS OF YOUR WORLD. I WILL SEND YOU BACK BUT IF YOU FAIL ME YOU WILL NEVER LEAVE THIS PLACE" The voice echoed and was gone. Slade felt himself begin to pass out then the world went black.
Months had passed since Tobias's visit to the tower and no one had seen him again. But they all knew he was out there, they knew because things were different in the city than they had been before. People talked about a nameless masked figure that appeared when those to weak to defend themselves were in jeopardy. Dressed in all black and covered by a mask like a demon cat this new warrior dealt out merciless punishment to the corrupt and evil. The papers were offering large amounts of money to anyone who could get a picture or put a name to this masked hunter who preyed only on those who would do injustice. But for now they had tagged him with the title The angle of death.
Robin tossed the newspaper down on the table; he had just finished reading the article on "The angel of death" though he knew it could only be Tobias. They had all hoped he would return to the tower that he would just come back eventually, but now it seemed he would never again reveal himself to them. Sighing Robin sat down he just didn't know what to do, when he had scanned Tobias's body a few months ago the readouts had given revealed unbelievable information. More information in fact than Robin had been willing to say, Tobias had slowly been discovering what he was capable of but he had only began to scratch the surface. But Robin could only guess what Tobias was like now, after two months of living alone in the depths of the city it was impossible to determine how strong he had become.
Raven had been in a state of unending depression hardly leaving her room and never eating much. Robin had begun to feel like he wasn't fit to lead the team like he had failed though he spoke theses feelings to no won. Starfire floated into the kitchen spying Robin she sat down beside him, the two of them sat there not speaking for a few minuets before she spoke.
"Robin, why has friend Tobias not come back?" she asked her innocent emerald eyes glowing dimly. Robin looked at her without answering because he didn't have one to offer, "I wish I knew Star" he said looking away from her. "I wish I knew".
"Raven wandered the dark streets of the city; she just hadn't been able to stay in that tower any longer. Now she walked alone through the night the usually crowded streets were empty but for a few who stayed out this late and the many homeless vagabonds within the city. She walked past the site of Tobias's motorcycle wreck and though it had been cleared months ago hot tears still came to her eyes as she passed. "Tobias" she whispered but she did not stop, she continued on walking wherever her feet chose to take her. Raven passed by an ally, soon after her footsteps faded a hulking black shape crept out and followed after her. As she walked Raven began to get the feeling that she wasn't as alone as she looked but when she checked behind her she saw only the deserted street. After a time the feeling didn't pass, she looked again but like before there was nobody behind her. Sighing she turned to go on she took a few steps when she was snatched up and slammed into a near by wall. She found herself face to face with a scaly green reptilian monster, its blood red eyes staring into her face with a look of crazed hunger inside. Its long fleshy tongue licked its scaly leather like lips. The monster opened its mouth revealing rows of razor sharp ivory teeth and Raven knew she was dead, but just as the beast lowered its head a dark figure smashed into it. Raven felt herself slide to the ground as the figure and the monster went sailing off to one side, the thing that had collided with her attacker leapt up into the air flipping away from its opponent and landing softly a safe distance away. The huge reptile climbed to its feet as if nothing had happened its blood red gaze fixed upon its assailant, Ravens rescuer reached behind its head and withdrew two long knives whose blades glinted in the glow of the street lights. The reptile like man charged the figure who did not move, at the last second he jumped and flipped around hurling his knives into the bare back of his quarry. The blades buried deep into the thick hide but the giant lizard man showed no sign of injury as he turned around to face the dark figure again.
Raven watched in awe something was so familiar about this stranger. The way he moved, the way he fought, the way he was dressed, she thought she knew but she refused to believe. This time when the lizard man charged he caught the figure when he jumped and through him with terrible force at a building wall. The figure simply flipped himself around so his feet were aimed at the wall the second he hit he jumped off strait back at his attacker. Grappling around the muscular throat he swung onto the back and SNAP! Jerked the things head to one side, it collapsed in a heap on the cold ground. Standing up Ravens defender retrieved his knives from the back of the dead lizard man; it was now that Raven got a good look at him… It was Tobias! But he was different from the one she had seen in her room, the Red-X suit had been modified. The cape was now a cloak with sleeves, it hung down to his knees, the sleeves were elbow length revealing his forearms which were covered entirely in what looked like buckled straps, the gloves were leather wrapping with studs and the finger tips had small sharp claws. Beneath the cloak she could see two utility belts crossed like an X over his hips, thick looking black military pants were tucked into a pair of boots that had light metal shin guards and flexible frames around his feet that had been made black by some means or other. Through all these changes though his mask remained the same, they stood there for a moment looking at one another when Tobias turned without a work and disappeared into the darkness.
"No Tobias wait!" she cried but he did not reappear, but she found he may not have stayed for another reason when the police showed up with Robin and the others mere seconds later. They all piled out of the T-car and ran over to her Robin looked at the huge corpse laying in the road walking over to it he instantly identified it as Killer Croc one of his and Batman's oldest enemies.
"But what's he doing here in Jump city?" he asked himself, an all too familiar voice sounded from the shadows.
"I can answer that" Robin whirled around to face his old mentor; Batman emerged from the shadows seeming only to be a shadow himself even standing but two feet away. "I've been chasing him for days now, I believe it mere coincidence that we arrived here and even more so that he lost me and ran into your teammate". He said "though I doubt it was her who brought him down" Robin nodded
"No killer Croc was way to tough to have been taken down by Raven, but honestly I don't know who could have killed him" he said. Raven looked up at him,
"It was Tobias" she said still shaking "he came out of nowhere and he killed that…thing without even breaking a sweat." Robin looked around knowing that if it had been Tobias he was probably still close by and watching them. Batman looked around them as well,
"Tobias…the one we found in Gotham?" Robin nodded. Batman seemed to ponder this for awhile before speaking "so he's not a member of your team?" he asked, Robin bowed his head.
"He was but…he ran away, and now he lives by himself somewhere here in the city. We don't know where he's like a ghost doesn't show up unless he feels like it, and the two times we have seen him since he left he's never spoken to us." Batman nodded slowly,
"So he's not a criminal?" he asked, Robin shook his head. Batman looked off into the darkness he seemed about to say something when he suddenly snatched something off his belt. His throwing Bolo shot off into the dark but instead of the normal sound of someone hitting the ground there was a twirling noise and it came flying out of the shadows right back at Batman. He dived to the side barely avoiding his own weapon; Tobias stepped out of the darkness his sleek muscular form almost invisible in the shadows. None of them approached him nor he them, they all just stood there looking at one another unable to decide what to do next. Finally Tobias ignoring everyone else walked over to the body of Killer Croc and proceeded to remove every one of the teeth from the gaping mouth. Turning back to his former companions he pondered them for a moment before unclipping one of his belts and throwing it on the ground in front of Robin. Then without a word or a backward glance he leapt up into the air and disappeared into the darkness above.
Robin bent down and picked up the item at his feet, it was the belt that powered the Red-X suit. Batman took it from him "what dose this mean?" he asked, Robin closed his eyes.
"It means Tobias has reached a level of personal perfection so great he has no need of the suit anymore. I have no idea what he's capable of but I know that if he ever turns down a different road if he chooses a life of crime… I don't think anyone could bring him down." Batman pulled out one of his many gadgets and pointed it up, a cable shot off into the dark, Robin looked up at him "If you go after him your dead you know" he said. Batman stared at him for a moment before he was lifted off into the sky.
Back at the tower Robin went back down to the vault and locked the belt up again he stood down there thinking
"Maybe I should use the belt…there's no way to find Tobias much less fight him without it" he thought "wait, fight him? Where did that come from? I'm not going to fight Tobias he's my friend my best friend maybe." Still maybe it was time for a change, he looked down at his brightly colored uniform and thought of Tobias's new look. He had always liked his and Ravens dark gothic looks but he had just thought it would be weird to have him go Goth all of a sudden but now that there were two other people on the team dressing that way he thought it wouldn't look so odd.
Up in her room Raven lay on her bed a pair of headphones in her ears listening to Nightwish. Her eyes were closed and she didn't notice as her window opened and a tall muscular figure floated into her room mist trailing behind him.
"Hello little Raven" a voice whispered inside her head Raven opened her eyes and looked at the figure standing over her. Whoever it was they were hidden in the shadows on the other side of the room.
"Tobias?" she whispered
The figure stepped out of the shadows but it was not Tobias…it was Slade he wasn't wearing his mask but she knew it was him though there was something disturbingly different about him. There was a dark energy around him the same as her it was unholy and demonic as if he himself was a creature of hell.
"I've come for you Raven, there's someone who's just dying to see you" he said be fore she was enveloped in darkness.
Atop a roof far away a chill went up Tobias's spine and his head whipped in the direction of the tower. Though it was miles away and the middle of the night his catlike eyes sliced through the darkness with ease, he saw a black energy seep out of what he was sure was Ravens room. The energy flew off into the night and out of his sight, his instincts were all telling him the same thing and without question he obeyed. He ran for the tower.
Robin and the others sat in the living room watching TV none of them had missed Raven she seldom came down from her room anymore. They all jumped when the elevator doors were pried open and Tobias shot out of the empty shaft like an ebon arrow. He flew past them and up the stairs, the titans ran after him with Cyborg shouting as he ran,
"How dose he do that?" he said referring to Tobias's ability to evade the tower security systems. Which had only gone off when he ripped open the elevator door. Robin ran through Ravens open room and found Tobias staring through the open window.
Beneath his mask Tobias's eyes were burning red, he could smell that Slade man in the room and he knew he had taken her. It was his fault, he had left her and now…Raven was gone. Tobias reared back his head and screamed like a mad beast, and then he turned his hate filled gaze on the one who he'd trusted to keep his Raven safe. The one who was supposed to be his friend…Robin.
There you are I hope you liked it, it was fun to write. I'm still debating what's to come, I'm so sad my book is nearing its end I'm afraid though I do have a sequel in min. oh and my next chapter may be delayed a bit due to an upcoming martial arts competition I must prepare for.