A/N: ALL HAIL SHINY THINGS!
XPBack into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning,
Soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before.
Surely,' said I, surely that is something at my window lattice;
Let me see then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore -
Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore; -
'Tis the wind and nothing more!
XD
"Where is she? Where is the tainted one?" Raven's silky smooth voice questioned. The priestess she held could barely answer, she trembled violently with fear and could only point down the hall.
"T-t-there, Lady Raven, d-d-down the hall." She stammered out in a squeaky voice.
Raven tossed her aside like dead weight and continued on down the hall, licking her fingers of the priests' blood. This tainted woman could be a problem, especially if she had Malchior and Rorek held hostage. Perhaps a different approach would be effective.
Instead of throwing the door aside as she had become accustomed too, Raven gave it a push, forcing it open for her to step through.
The room smelled strongly of blood, yet the stains seemed to have been washed off. It was circular, and the ceiling above portrayed a mural of the different kinds of demons, a portrait of Raven as she was now but in a black dress was in the center of it. The walls also held tapestries, the largest favoring that of a hangman. There were shelves upon shelves of glass containers in all shapes and sizes with potions, there were books, desks of alchemic tools, a series of sacrificial implements hanging upon a section of the wall, and a door at the far back where Raven sensed Malchior and Rorek were being held. In the center of the room was a hole that seemed to contain a vat of green flames, and above the hole hung a cauldron, bubbling with the foul stench of blood and poison.
And there, before the caldron, stood a woman, wearing a tight emerald black dress with high slits in the side to expose her legs. Under the top of the dress was a blouse that had large, blood red sleeves which were bound to her arm by criss-crossing black string. The woman's hair was held up by a thick ponytail, and fell down completely straight and almost to the floor. It was black, but with a green tent that resembled her dress, and Raven could make out the long points of flesh on either side of her skin, revealing that her ears had been lengthened. Accompanying her was a large dark green snake with a blood red underbelly, wrapped around her and looking at the potion from her shoulder.
When Raven entered, the snake turned its beady black eyes towards her, and then lowered its head in a bow. The woman herself, then turned around in one fluid motion which ended in kneeling on the floor before her. "It is an honor, my lady." Her voice, cool and dripping with venom, filled the room.
"Are you the tainted one?" Raven asked.
"I am, Lady Raven." She said, still not daring to look up at Raven with her eyes. "I am your most loyal servant." She said. "I had hoped to be the one with the honor of freeing you from that human shell, but I suppose Balegor was able to do it, in spite of his bungling." She said. Finally she raised her face to her 'mistress' displaying a pair of blood-red slits. Suddenly, a surge of unexplainable hatred coursed throughout Raven's being, causing her to want, more than anything, to see that woman's blood upon her hands.
"He was." Raven agreed, forcing her emotions to calm as she stepped forward to the woman. She didn't have time to let her emotions get the better of her. "And what of the dragons?" She questioned.
"Ah, yes, Balegor has told me of your…ah, attraction. But, my lady, please understand that it is beneath you to think of such creatures as more than mere playthings. As I'm sure Balegor has told you, we need a being as powerful as their combined bodies will provide in order to resurrect Trigon." She said with the utmost respect in her voice.
Raven's hand shot for the woman's throat, and the same moment the snake latched on to her arm, but the instant it came in contact with her blood it shrieked and released her again. Raven brought the woman up closer so she could look into her eyes. "My-my lady?" She choked in confusion and, perhaps, fear.
"I'm not sure I know what it is, but there is something about you that I really loath with every fiber of my being. Who are you, woman?" Raven hissed menacingly.
"I-I am your most loyal servant! I am the greatest of Trigon's priestesses, Judora, the Black Magus. My lady, I want nothing more than to serve you!" She gasped.
Raven's eyes widened at the sound of the name. Why, why did it seem so familiar! And why did she hate this woman so much? Could she have been responsible for her birth? Did Raven know her from her Father in some way? What was it?
She wanted to find out, but now was hardly the time, "My most loyal servant? Are you now? How, then, can you claim to serve me, and yet commit such crimes against me? How can you be my servant when you have just confessed to be Trigon's priestess? If you want nothing more than to serve me take your life and the lives of all who claim to be of the Blood Clan. I will have nothing more to do with your unholy sect!" Raven threw the woman into her shelves of books.
But Judora brought a dark shield over herself before suffering any real damage and was able to gather herself back up. "So, you haven't come back to us. I didn't think such a demon could have been cleansed." Her voice hissed as she prepared a blast of dark energy.
But Raven laughed at her, "Do you really intend to fight me, woman? My own father's blood courses through your veins from his demon child that you fused yourself with, I only need to pierce your skin and I could do much worse to you than kill you." She said.
Judora's eyes widened, "You, you possess the ability to manipulate blood? That can't be possible! Only one person has ever been able to—"
"I don't much care about you're little, 'this is impossible' speech. Tell me where the dragons are now, or else I shall torture you until you beg for death." She threatened.
But the woman smirked, "Aren't you forgetting something? Your other little friends are still here, and midnight has passed, the ritual has been complete. Your dragons are now under my control. I only need to merge them and then we can resurrect Trigon. Even if you kill me now, they will still be under my spell, and therefore will turn against you. It would be much easier if you merely rejoined your father. You would rule over all humanity, you could chose whatever other male you wished for! And I would be your servant always." She said.
"Do you think I'm stupid? I've made sure that my friends will be alright. I would sense it if their blood were being spilled, and I don't. You've failed, Tainted one. And the only thing I wish for you to be right now is my midnight snack." Raven hissed, preparing a spell of power.
"NO! I never fail! Never!" She shrieked, her flawless face became twisted with fury as she called forth her own power. A sickening mixture of blood red and emerald black surrounded her being.
"Do you mean to do battle with me? So be it." Raven said, launching her power at the woman the same time she did.
XD
"Don't let them escape! We can use them during the next moonless night!" Balegor cried in fury.
Batman whirled and threw a bomb at the priests still coming after them. They dispelled its effects with magic, but seemed unable to do any harm to them either.
"Where did Raven go!" Robin demanded.
"After your friends, I said that already." He snapped irritably. "I don't know where she went or where they are. Only she knew how to use this." He said, holding out the jewel when they found a good resting spot where the priests ran right by them.
"Let me see that." Zacroma said. She took the jewel and held it to her eye. "Aaaaaah. Alright, its picking up a pair of powerful active forces in that direction, if we head down this hallway and take the second right, we should—"
"There they are!"
"Alright let's start running." Cyborg suggested.
XD
"You can't defeat me, woman." Raven hissed, towering over her fallen opponent, her dark energy force still surrounding her hands, "A mere Tainted, did you really think you could slight me and get away with it?"
Judora forced her face up, it was splattered with blood from the pool she was making, and she glared at Raven as she began to absorb it. "I can't possibly hope to defeat you as you are," She spluttered, "But you seem to have forgotten about my familiar." She said. Raven's eyes narrowed and she turned, but not soon enough to shield herself from the snake's attack.
It had been preparing a spell of its own all this time, and only now did it open its mouth to release it, blasting Raven away from Judora and against the already destroyed shelf of books. It didn't hurt, it was just the impact, but suddenly Raven felt her power being drained away from her. Her strength was diminishing rapidly, her second set of eyes closed while her hair changed to its original color, as did her skin.
Stupid, stupid, stupid! Raven badgered herself over and over. Why didn't she just kill Judora when she had the chance! Why hadn't she paid more attention to that stupid snake! Because she'd become an arrogant demon, powerful yes, but far too sure of herself.
And now she had very little left, hardly enough to move the books she had crashed into off of her. But then, Judora was probably in the same state, maybe even worse. It was that snake she'd have to worry about.
Raven set her jaw in a firm line, and forced the books off of her, pushing herself up and beginning to summon what was left of her strength. She was about to pass out, she knew it, but if she could hold on for long enough to free Rorek and Malchior, they could probably take care of the rest.
She had expected a look of triumph to greet her when she arose, but instead the woman, still swimming in a pool of her own blood, stared at her. Her expression was that of utter shock, disbelief, and most of all, recognition. "YOU!" She shrieked in a high, cracking voice, "How, how did you, no! This cannot be! You can't be, you can't!" She cried. "This isn't possible!"
"I don't know, who you are, or what you're raving about," Raven huffed, "But I'm not going to let you win." She said. She turned her attention to the snake, who looked to be preparing another attack, and called forth what was left of her magic to kill it. She ended up stunning it with a bolt of her black lightening, but at least it wouldn't be attacking her.
"You, it isn't you, no, you're different, you're…" Judora muttered, not even noticing what Raven had done to her precious snake. Their eyes locked, ruby slits to sapphire, and Judora's eyes widened. "No, it is you, he used you, he," Her expression then turned into one of sardonic glee, she then began gathering herself up, laughing almost hysterically. Raven just stared at her, wondering if she had gone mad. "This is too perfect! The Great Avelona! Trigon's chosen! You have become that which you hated the most! A demon! And not just any demon, oh no, the very lady who was to birth the apocalypse!" She cried, still laughing unceasingly.
"You're insane." Raven grumbled, not even giving her another moment as she staggered towards the door at the back.
"Oh, don't worry, My Lady. You've not seen the last of me." Judora said. Raven turned towards her, but Judora was merely teleporting herself somewhere else. It wasn't a good thing, but at least she hadn't been planning to attack Raven again. She hardly had any strength left at all.
The door, thankfully, opened without her having to break it down. She practically fell into the room, finding cages upon cages of sleeping animals, all of different kinds, but mostly reptilian creatures. "Rorek? Malchior?" She called, thought it would be of little use. They were probably asleep as well, and she was on her last bit of energy. She fell to her knees, and then to the floor. She just needed to rest a bit, yeah, just a little…
"Raven! Raven!" a voice seemed to shriek, jerking her back to consciousness like having a hammer come crashing down on her head.
"She's dead! Oh friend Raven!" Starfire's voice bawled as Raven was shifted from her face-down position on the floor to a sitting up position. A pair of fingers pressed to her neck.
"She's not dead." A deep, collected voice informed.
"Uh, guys, the animals are waking up…" Beast Boy's voice said worriedly.
Batman pressed a canteen of that spicy liquid to Raven's lips, she opened them and willingly drank it until the taste became overwhelming. But it had done its job, her eyes fluttered open and she could see all her friends, and Batman, looming over her. "M-Malchior, Rorek." She gasped out.
"Are they in here?" Robin asked. "Malchior! Rorek!" He called.
"Mph, right behind you, Wonder Boy." Grumbled a familiar voice.
The titans all turned around to find Malchior, and Rorek, in separate cages along the wall against the door. And they looked like they were just waking up too.
"You're alright!" Zacroma exclaimed.
"Glorious! Now we can go on home!" Starfire exclaimed.
Malchior looked at the cage bars, and sweatdropped. "Really, this is insulting." He said, he grabbed two of the bars and bent them back easily so that he could step through. "And who's this?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at Batman, "And why is he holding my woman?" He questioned.
Raven took a deep breath and forcefully pulled herself together, "I am not, your woman." She huffed. "Thanks." She said to Batman as he stood back up.
"Don't mention it." He said. "I take it you two are brothers?" He questioned Malchior and Rorek, who looked at each other, and then at Batman as if he were insane.
"Brothers? Us? You must be joking." Malchior snorted.
"Uh, Batman, this is Malchior and Rorek, we don't have time to explain but they're two halves of the same whole, yin-yang style." Robin said.
"Right, yeah, can we leave now!" Beast Boy exclaimed.
"Not until I slaughter that, woman." Malchior hissed as he helped Raven up on her feet. "And by the way, why aren't you still in bed?" He questioned.
"If I had stayed in bed you'd have been sacrificed to resurrect Trigon." Raven snapped, having to hold on to him to steady herself, the room was spinning again, and it was also starting to sparkle with emerald lights.
"What in the—" okay maybe it wasn't just her.
There was a bright flash that blinded everyone for a second, and then all of the cages and animals were…well, gone. And Raven suddenly found herself in a dragon sandwich.
"You know, there is such a thing as being overprotective." She muttered.
"I'm afraid that word has still yet to find its way into our vocabulary, Love." Malchior said, sweeping her off her feet and into his arms. "I suggest we start moving, that spell most likely took more than a few caged animals."
"What do you mean?" Batman questioned.
"Probably all of the Blood Clan, including Balegor and Judora, was transported with that spell, and any magic that might be holding this place up will have been canceled as well." Rorek explained. "I'm surprised the ground hasn't started to—"
Suddenly it seemed the entire earth was shaking violently, causing many of the Titans to fall to the ground in order to steady themselves. "Rorek, since you were so kind as to awaken Lady Fate, why don't you teleport us all back to the Tower now?" Malchior asked.
"What! Me alone!"
"Will you two stop arguing? We have to move!" Batman exclaimed.
"No idiot, you can use the life force of the bat man over here to fuel it. With me!" Malchior exclaimed. He shifted Raven's weight over so that he could hold her in one arm and held his glowing black hand out to Rorek, who took it with his own hand glowing white.
"Colligo Frequento Transicio!" They chanted together. Their energies merged into one another, turning silver and encompassing everyone around them as the walls and ceiling began to crumble.
XD
"This is too perfect! The Great Avelona! Trigon's chosen! You have become that which you hated the most! A demon! And not just any demon, oh no, the very lady who was to birth the apocalypse!"
Raven's eyes shot opened. She was breathing heavily, and sweating as well. She kicked the covers off of her, finding them far too warm, and rubbed her face with her hands. Avelona, why did Judora call her Avelona?
She knew now, she knew. Judora was that woman in her dreams, the one that inspired so much hate and loathing within her. The one with the dark hair and black dress. And that voice. That voice…she knew it, somehow, she knew it.
The last thing she remembered was Rorek and Malchior casting a duel-spell to transport them all home, and apparently it was successful as she was waking up in her own bed once more. How long had she been asleep?
Well, according to her window it was only just morning, hopefully Malchior hadn't caused too many problems while she was asleep. Well, apparently not because he was IN HER BED!
"Mmmm, sleep well Love?" He asked, slipping his arm around her waist.
"No, not really, and what are you doing in my bed? Again!" She demanded, bringing her hands up so she could push against his, bare, chest. "And where's your shirt?" She asked, sweatdropping.
"Hnhn, Love, what am I usually doing in your bed?" He chuckled, rolling over so that he was on top of her. He pinned her arms down onto the bed and stared down at her, his eyes moving from her face on down her torso, surveying her like a predator would view his pray. Raven sweatdropped and rolled her eyes.
Then he 'attacked', going straight for her lips. She considered biting his tongue, but decided against it. After all, the last time she did that he liked it.
He groaned/growled with pleasure as he kissed her hungrily, his arms holding her close to him and his hands moving up and down her thin waist in an almost fierce manner, as if he was using every ounce of self control he had not to rip her clothes off. Then his lips finally trailed off of hers and he kissed her chin, then he pulled the collar of her costume down to expose a shoulder and started to kiss, nibble, lick, whatever, on down her neck and shoulder.
She wasn't in the mood, no she really wasn't in the mood for this. Really, how could she be? Sure, most of the time Malchior knew just how to get her in the mood, but after that dream, hearing Judora's voice, it wasn't happening. "Malchior," She said. She got a growl in response, so she just rolled her eyes and suppressed a sigh, "Who's Avelona?" She questioned.
"Mmmm, who?" He asked, nibbling her ear.
She let out a sigh, "Never mind, it's nothing." She said.
"No, really, who? If that's something you heard in your dreams—" he said, now looking into her eyes with concern.
"No it's…well, who's Judora? Or do you know?" She questioned.
"Judora…?" His eyes looked a little cloudy, "Oh, you mean that tainted woman?" He asked, now with a tone of loathing. "The one who somehow managed to defeat and place a sleep spell on me, that Judora? No, I don't know who she is other than my next target of slaughter."
"Well, I think, I think she's the woman, the one with the black hair and dress, that I saw in my dreams, and hated." Raven confessed.
Malchior sighed and rolled off her so that he was laying on his side beside her, arm still around her waist. "You really spoil the mood sometimes, you know that?" He grumbled. "Okay, so what's this 'Avelona' got to do with anything, or are you mispronouncing 'Avelon'?" He asked.
"No, it's a name, I think, I'm not sure. Come to think of it, that does sound like what it is." She sighed. "I don't know." She sat up and ran her fingers through her hair, "I guess I should start by explaining that, somehow, I've managed to access my demon self, but without loosing consciousness of myself. Somewhat."
Malchior sat up and gave her a bemused look, "You can do that?" he asked.
"Apparently, I'm not sure how though. There was a point in time when I was nearly killed, attacked with blood arrows from behind, Batman and I were both about to die, and I heard a voice in my head, but it was my voice, sort of, my demon self apparently. She awakened on survival instinct, and then I transformed into her, a demon yet cleansed. I was able to heal Batman, and then I left him with a weapon so that he could save the others, then I went after the tainted woman to find you. At first she thought I was a demon again, like when Trigon had awakened, and she clamed to be my servant. Well, of course, a tainted human is a human who had been infused with Trigon's own blood. They can't even want to be disloyal. But when I saw her face…" Raven sighed, "It was like when I saw her in my dreams, there was such a powerful feeling of loathing, I just launched at her. We battled, but I was too arrogant, I didn't kill her when I had the chance, and I forgot about her familiar, which has the ability to cast spells, like one that changed me from my demon form back into my human form. Needless to say, it was a draw. But when she saw me like this, she started babbling nonsense, I think she thought I was someone else." Raven furrowed her brow, "Maybe, this Avelona is the one my dreams have been trying to tell me about."
"It's possible, and you might have somehow tricked reality in your dreams, absorbing things from someone that you look like. A blood relative on your mother's side would be most likely. Just looking like someone isn't usually enough to create a connection in the astral plains." He said.
"I don't know if I have any relatives."
"You could, I mean, you're mother had to come from somewhere right? And her parents might have had another child, or her grandparents might have had other children. You have to have, even distant relatives." He said.
"But the way she said it, she said, 'he used you?' and something like, 'you've become that what you most hate'." She pointed out.
"An ancestor perhaps? You don't know much about your mother's blood line, perhaps your great-great-grandmother was a demon-slayer." He answered with a shrug.
"And I'm getting visions from her life?" Raven asked.
He shrugged, "That doesn't exactly have to be true, all I'm saying is that maybe Judora thought you were your ancestor, but these dreams could be from a cousin, second cousin, or a distant aunt that's in trouble." He said.
She sighed again, "I don't know, something still doesn't feel right…" she said. "of course that could be the fact that you still don't have a shirt on."
"Oh yeah, that reminds me," before she could act he had her back on the bed and his tongue back in her mouth.
"Get off!" She snapped, moving him off of her and then letting him hit the floor unceremoniously with her telekinesis.
"You know, you really need to learn how to treat me better. According to Starfire I should have dumped you the first time you struck me." He said with a winy voice.
"You have the genders switched there idiot. Girls are aloud to 'strike' the guys when they deserve it. And you deserve it often." She snorted, getting up from the bed.
"So how come you never hit Rorek?" He asked with a pout.
"Weren't you listening to a word I just said? He doesn't do anything to deserve being smacked, hit, or thrown into a wall. He is the perfect gentleman while you, being you, are the complete opposite." She explained slowly.
"What, so you want me to change?" he asked defensively.
She rolled her eyes skyward and heaved a sigh, "That's not what I said."
"That's what it sounds like, so you prefer Rorek's approach?" He asked.
"You know, most guys don't make these kind of leaps, that's the girl's job." She informed.
"Most guys aren't dragons and most girls aren't half-demons." He pointed out. "Alright, so in plane English what are you saying?" he questioned.
"You were asking me why I slap you and not Rorek, I told you why. I only smack you when you get out of hand and you know it. I'm not saying I prefer either of you to the other." She answered.
"Ah, so you admit that you actually like my advances, you're just resisting for the sake of resisting?" He asked, giving her a seductive smirk.
Raven rolled her eyes skyward and prayed for patience. "No. I am resisting for several reasons. Sometimes I'm not in the mood, it's not the right time or place, you're going too far, and then there are the times when you try something in public, when you just want to tick me off and know I'm not going to let you get away with it."
"But you still like it." He teased, closing the space between them and preventing her from stepping back by trapping her with his arms. She glared up at him menacingly and braced her arms against his chest to keep him from getting any closer.
"I refuse to admit to that." She said flatly.
"Oh but you already have." He snickered, and then he threw her back onto the bed so he could pounce on her and start licking her cheekbone again.
"Malchior! If you don't get off of me this instant I will cut your hair!" She yelled.
"I'm off! I'm off! Have mercy!"
XPA/N: Well, you guys did really good with that last chapter! Probably because I left you all hanging, MUAHAHAHAHAHA! Ahem, anyway. A couple of you were able to guess that the 'tainted lady' was the 'dream lady', you are correct. But NOW we have a bit more confusion to add, MUAHAHAHAHAHA! Yes, I am evil, I know.
Miyu, and Rain I guess: MUAHAHAHA! You reviewed my story anyways, I WIN! Lol, j/k. (Ouch, throat hurts now, too much maniacal laughter… . )
KnightingGale: Aw shucks, you're gonna make me blush! Hee heee.
Raven002: Sorry, but your e-mail wasn't working for some reason and I couldn't get ahold of you that way. But my reply is: Go right ahead! Spellfire screenplay, hm, dunno how that'll turn out when Spellfire's not even close to ending, but I'm sure you've got a good idea on how to do it. Tell me how it turns out!
Hm, I think that's everything. Oh, to those who commented about Batman, well, some of you like him, some of you don't. Personally, I have no opinion, so, while he won't be around for much longer, I'm hoping that, in the next chapter, I'll have him come off enough in the middle to make everyone happy. If not, well, I CAN'T PLEASE EVERYONE Y'KNOW! Also, you willbe seeing more of Rorek soon, do not worry!
Alright, now that I've got all of that off my shoulder, ON TO THE NEXT CHAPTER!
Ja ne