A/N: Well, Yume, my darling kitty, has been declawed, and she's been moping about it this entire time. It was kind of funny at the Vet when we went to pick her up, I had to come back there to get her because no one would approach the cage, even though she didn't have any front claws anymore. She was not happy with them, though didn't seem to think I was at fault so she's been a little clingy for a while. Poor kitty. But it was either your claws, or my hands.
XP
The next day Robin got a call from Batman, who, amused, assured Raven that he would try to keep tabs on his own villains from now on. The Joker, he added, seemed to be suffering from 'delusions', "They say he was talking in his sleep, insisting that a four eyed monster woman was after him now I wonder who that could be." He'd said when Robin had called Raven in. He was smirking, apparently finding the entire thing extremely funny.
"Hmmmm." Raven said, musing in a would-be innocent way.
"I don't think you did wonders for his sanity, though I doubt he'll be breaking out anytime soon, which is an improvement in some ways. I won't ask what you did to him, I'll just assume he got you angry enough that you transformed and then began regretting ever laying eyes on you." Bruce said.
"Well, the next time you see him, tell him I send my love, and then get a picture of his reaction if you wouldn't mind." She told him. He just laughed and bid them goodbye.
It had only been a day since Beast Boy had been 'upgraded', but Zacroma was insisting that they needed to do Starfire as soon as possible. Raven didn't think this was a good idea, and neither did the rest of the Tower's population, but finally she gave in, however she insisted that Zacroma stay in bed for the day and that they would do it that night. She was forced to drink some nutrition potion and a lot of Rorek's tea for a while as well.
The transition was, as always, not pleasant. Starfire was nervous, of course. She knew what kind of pain it would involve, but she faced it bravely and ended up being the only one who didn't scream, but was unconscious for the rest of the night and bedridden long after just like the rest of them.
That was the last straw though, Raven just had to call Auron up and tell him she was going to have to take a leave of absence, and that she didn't expect him to hire her back in case he found another employee, one that didn't have to save the world from an evil snake woman. So now she had her evenings free to begin some heavy-duty studying, and by that I mean she drug Malchior and Rorek to the roof of the T-Tower and had them begin to teach her some more spells, both small and big.
The first thing they taught her was how to crystallize light with her mind, this being that they only had so many hours of daylight and sunlight was the easiest to do this with. She crafted small blocks of it at first, they looked like glass blocks, but with rainbows all moving about on the surface and probably inside, yet still keeping transparent. Then she began to craft more detailed items, like a sphere, a prism, and actually made a rather decent flower.
"It lasts for practically forever, and is as hard as you're ability allows you to make it, or as soft, but it isn't good to use for spells and such. Try to seal magic inside one of these and it leeks out like water in a net. All it's good for is your basic mass material, and looking pretty. However a simple spell can turn it back into light pretty easily, and if you hit it so that it shatters, it'll become light again as well. Dead useful though." Malchior had explained.
The next thing they taught her was how to repair clothing and inanimate objects. This was useful, but it only worked on things that weren't too complicated like wood, glass, clothing, and metal, you couldn't use it to mend a busted TV though, that'd just sort of mold all the individual parts together and make a single ore with it all. Though that would be interesting to try, provided it didn't turn into some radioactive substance for some odd and insane reason.
After that was a few offensive and defensive spells, which she mastered swiftly as this was her forte. And then it was time to go to sleep, only to get up the next day and continue.
Once Starfire recovered, training was intensified, for everyone. Beast Boy was working his whole body into the ability to transform into all sorts of different animals. But that wasn't all, when he transformed into a mythical animal, he was beginning to loose the trademark green of his body, and his skin was looking more…normal. For the dragon he was turning red, for the elf he was turning tan, and for the rest of them he was turning the appropriate color. After being told about it, he was trying to turn into a drow as well, but this wasn't working. He kept getting a dark elf and no matter how close that might have been, it still wasn't drow.
Cyborg hadn't stopped training since his own ordeal, but was intensifying it as well. Zacroma taught him how to power up his plasma cannon with the little magic he was now able to use, and it was really getting powerful. He was also becoming faster with his movements, and more agile, as if he just didn't weigh that much anymore.
Zacroma was training herself hard as well, her skill at the duel blades was almost flawless, but she was lacking the power she really needed to put behind them, and was currently using Cyborg's weight training machines to get stronger. She was still getting some practice in, training Beast Boy, but that was only at intervals.
Starfire seemed to show the most improvement of them all, not only were her blasts more powerful, with and without the bow, but she had become faster, stronger (if that was possible), and far more agile it seemed. She could practically dance through the air, dodging all sorts of things, and her aim was almost perfect, she was no longer missing any target she had her eyes on.
Robin's training with Malchior intensified as well, he was getting good enough that the two were able to go all out on each other. Well, Malchior had to hold back his inhuman strength and speed, but other than that the skill was nearly even, though Malchior still had years and years of experience ahead of Robin, that was negated by the thousand years he spent as a book, and being unable to practice then his skills needed sharpening.
Rorek was training himself in speed and agility more than anything else, he had joined Raven on Robin's obstacle course, and had to be told off a good few times before he would just run through the coarse and not stop to help Raven when she'd stumbled or lost her footing. He did put a good many weights on himself as well, more than Raven had, and was still going through the entire thing with few problems, so eventually he and Raven decided to take turns, him on much higher levels than even Robin had been able to aspire to, and her still working up past level 2.
As for Raven, juggling physical and magical training was hard work, but if it was easy anyone could do it. While Rorek was using the obstacle course, she was practicing a few very complicated spells. Crystallizing the artificial light was no easy task, and it was definitely not as pretty as sunlight was, it just looked like a block of glass whatever shade of color the lights happened to be with some fogy stuff moving around in it. But she figured doing this would get her more practice with magic in general, and besides, it could come in handy, you never knew.
Also, meditation was becoming necessary, not so much to gain more memories, as it was to clearing her mind and preparing herself for the task ahead.
It was Judora's next move that had triggered her resolve.
A few days after Starfire's Ordeal, the titans had a trio of visitors, but not just any visitors, Shade, Daniel, and Michael. Only, they weren't just stopping by, in fact they probably had no idea where they were.
It started out being a bright sunny day, with a few clouds hanging in the sky. The forecast was for rain and possibly a storm if the wind continued in the pattern it showed. The titans were about to group back into the training room, when Zacroma happened to look out the window, and see three figures laying down on the island in front of the tower. Raven, realizing who they were, teleported down and instantly transformed, using a little of Zacroma's blood in order to heal them.
They'd all ended up with snake bites, oozing green and red puss, on their necks. The poison came gushing out, but they didn't wake up for a while. It looked like some of their blood had been taken as well. "She's taunting me now." Raven said, "She thinks I can't find her, or that I won't come to her. She's wrong." She turned to Rorek, "Today, right now, let's find her, and bring this to an end!" She said.
XD
Raven filled her bowl with the light-soaked waters of her cauldron and carried it gently down to her room, careful not to spill a single drop on the way down. Malchior opened the door for her, and she set the bowl down in the middle of the circle Rorek had drawn on her cleared floor.
The lights had been turned off, and the window was completely sealed, using magic to keep any and all light from entering, same with the door just in case. The only light was coming from the kethnic waters in the bowl, and that's all they needed. Rorek began, putting the dirt into a white cloth, and tying it up. Raven began adding the necessary ingredients as Rorek had told her, murmuring words of power that told the elements what they needed to accomplish, and stirring it with a silver spoon.
That done, Rorek put the cloth into the bowl, making sure that all of it was covered with water. Raven then lit a fire in her hands, Malchior and Rorek standing back out of the circle, and then set it on the surface of the water. It stayed there, dancing flames resting upon the light-filled waters, waiting for her to call upon it. Raven crossed her legs and clasped her hands together in front of her, both forefingers pointing up as she began the mental steps, being sure to leave nothing out, and prepared herself for scurrying.
When she opened her eyes again, the fire danced before her for a moment, and then began to spread out, forming an image, burning it into her eyes, into her mind, feeding information into her head, and then the image of Judora came. Her long black hair up in a thick ponytail, her snake resting snug about her waist and shoulders, and she was standing, towering over a priest who appeared to be begging for his life. She saw it, and then the image left, to be replaced with the image of a cave, and then the depth of water, rising, and finally a bridge.
Raven blinked, and the flames went out, leaving the water still glowing, it's light beginning to seep over the sides of the bowl for nowhere else to go. "I don't believe it." She whispered. "All this time, she's been right next to us, laughing."
"What? Where is she?" Asked Malchior.
"Right underneath the bridge." Raven answered.
XD
"I don't think she'll expect us to attack so soon, however, this means that she's on the move. She's worked something out and has decided to send us a message. So we'll have to be on our guard." Raven told them all. "I'm not going to lie, there's a good chance that we might not survive, and if we do, with fewer numbers than we had before. But this can't wait. The longer it goes on, the more likely Judora is to find a scheme that works, or to find a way of getting much more powerful." She then spread out a few large pieces of paper that she had rolled up and showed them. "What we need is a plan of attack. Robin, this is your area of expertise. I've drawn out the entire place as best I could from the knowledge I was given, and from what I saw, this here, this cave, is the only visible exit and entrance. However, there's a port circle up here in the bridge that we could infiltrate. Both will be heavily guarded, and we want to do this as sneakily as possible, any element of surprise we can obtain might be crucial to our lives." She told him.
Robin's brow furrowed in concentration as he mused over the drawings, looking through the different levels she'd made. "I think, our best bet would be to split up into two groups, however, we need someway much more reliable than communicators in order to let each other know of our every move." He turned to Cyborg, "Didn't you say you were working on hidden ear-sets that were undetectable?" He asked.
"Yeah, but…well a few finishing touches and they'd be done but, wouldn't those be easily fouled or disrupted with magic?" He asked.
"Which is where Raven comes in. You can make them resistant to most magic spells can't you?" Robin asked.
"I think so, though Zacroma would actually be better at doing that than I would." Raven answered. Zacroma nodded.
"Alright, sounds good. But we'll need to be able to know where we all are in case we get lost and are unable to explain too much of our location." He said.
"Leave that to me." Rorek said, "I can craft jewels that'll act as maps using these drawings, and perhaps some of Raven's own memories." He said. Raven thought a moment, and then nodded.
"That would work." She said.
"Okay good. First and foremost, we need to be sure that no one gets caught alone, so we want to pare up with at least one person, if there arises a need to separate within the groups." Robin said. "And I will be deciding the parings." He said, not even having to look to know that both Rorek and Malchior had grabbed one of Raven's arms. "Zacroma and Raven, Malchior and Rorek, Beast Boy and Cyborg, and Starfire and me." He said.
"Actually, Robin, that's not a good idea." Raven told him. "While we would be playing on their strengths if Malchior and Rorek were together, think of what might happen if Judora got to them. It would be a good idea to put them in separate pairs, and then in different teams. So that when one gets caught, we know to keep special tabs on the other." She said. "Also, Zacroma and Beast Boy have been training together, so they will be comfortable knowing each others movements and might make a fairly good team. That also applies with Malchior and yourself, and don't give me that look. Cyborg and Starfire seem like a fairly good team up, both have long range and close range combat abilities, and Rorek and I have been training together as well, though most of it's been in intervals. Still, I remember a good while back when we both combined our powers, it had an interesting effect and it might do that again if we tried. And so the separate teams should be you, Malchior, Starfire, and Cyborg, then the rest of us. Personally, I think my team would do best to get right in the middle of it as soon as possible." She explained.
"I get it, good thinking, Raven. I get it, you and Zacroma will be together anyway, and you two have the most experience with this sort of thing. So you will take the top of the bridge tower, which will most likely lead you into the very center of the entire fortress, yeah, here it is." He said, finding the mark she drew for the circle on another page. "And this is where you saw Judora last? Likely her personal rooms will be near here, so we'll all head for this area. Alright, basic plan of action: corner Judora and go all out at once. But don't try attacking her unless Raven's with you, got it? I know Zacroma's blood will give us protection against the Blood Clan's dark spells, but that doesn't mean they don't have other spells that might harm us or other ways of fighting us. Remember the Death Wraith." They all nodded grimly, "Alright then, Cyborg, you and Zacroma get to those ear-sets, Rorek make the maps, and all of us need to use this time to prepare for what we're about to face. Try to think of anything that they might throw at us so they won't take us by surprise. The moment the items are ready, we attack." He said.
"Uh, shouldn't we wait until nightfall?" Asked Beast Boy.
"Too predictable, the sooner, the better, while she's praising herself for her little joke and letting her guard down." Malchior answered.
"Alright, lets get crack'n." Cyborg said.
XD
It was a long, silver staff, molded to look like gnarled wood, and etched with so many runes not an inch was given its own space. An almost claw-like growth of 'branches' held an orb about twice the size of her fist, which burned inside with blue black flames upon her touch. It was one of the items she still had in her secret room, the one that use to hold Malchior's book, as well as the ones he'd magiced into her room. The books were still there, but only because there was really no room for them anywhere else. And also, if her room was robbed (woe be to the complete idiot who would even try) those books held more powerful spells than you might find in Alabaster's, even in the 'restricted' sections.
This staff, coupled with the box of tainted rosary and Chest of Horrors (Aka: Pandora's box), were the last of the rather unfavorable items she kept in there. However, she now felt that, perhaps, she could handle its power. In fact she was almost sure of it, especially in demon form.
"Raven?"
Raven turned and saw Malchior standing in the doorway, looking rather apprehensively at the staff in her hands. "Yes?"
"Well, I was going to ask where that staff came from, and then I remembered it was in your closet, so I guess I'll leave how you got it for another time. As for why I came here, I was poking around my horde and came across this." He said, holding out a red jewel, not unlike the ones that made up her belt.
"What is it?" She asked, setting her staff against the wall.
"Dimensional stone, very rare, and very valuable. I had to do a little work to make so that it fits in your belt, but it's like a sub-space pocket, only in a gem so you don't have to risk loosing anything or have to make one." He explained. "It'll probably come in handy for that." He said, nodding to the staff.
"Yes it will, thanks a lot." Raven said, taking the jewel and examining it. She then replaced it with one of the gems on her belt, finding it to be a perfect match. "Wow, how'd you know what size and shape to make it?" She asked.
"What, you think my eyes stay on your face when I stare at you?" SMACK! "Okay yeah, I guess I deserved that." He said, rubbing the red hand mark on his cheek.
Raven gave him a 'yes you did' look, and then went over to retrieve the staff. "Previously, I couldn't control this, but now I think I can. I'm just going to take it along, as a backup in case something goes wrong. Now that I have the gem, I should probably take a few other things as well." She said, musing about her room. "But I don't know what would be useful against Judora."
"Some sort of knife would be good, in case you want to transform swiftly." Malchior suggested. "A string of power jewels, some of that baru dust, prayer beads, maybe a crucifix, and a bottle of my blood, Rorek's blood, Zacroma's blood, and Robin's blood." He said, naming off things he could think of.
"Um, why?" She asked.
"Mine and Rorek's in case you need extra power and neither of us are around, Zacroma's in case there's an instance that you sort of need it, you know, to do the impossible with and all, and Robin's because he's the only full human here, and you might need it to use against some spells or circles." He explained.
But Raven shook her head, "Too late, you'll need your strength, all of you. The blood I'd need for it to matter at all would leave you slightly breathless, and we all need our strength for this." She said.
"I know, that's why I got them ahead of time." He said, bringing out four glass bottles, each with a rounded bottom half the size of her fist, filled up with blood and labeled. "Yesterday I had Robin and Zacroma contribute. Robin had to stay down for a bit, but Zacroma's use to it by now so she got right back up on her feet." He said, handing them too her.
Raven sighed and smiled, "What would I do without you?" She asked, willing them into the jewel along with the staff.
"Probably go mad for lack of a sexy male to fawn over you." He said, bringing his arms around her from the side and nibble on her ear.
She sighed again, and just let him, because what she was about to tell him next wasn't going to be easy. "Malchior,"
"Yeeeees?" He asked seductively.
"Listen," She told him firmly, turning her head so she could look into his eyes and convay the seriousness of the situation to him that way, "There's a good chance…well, we don't know what Judora's thought up, and we don't know if this is really it or not. This could be just another battle, though I hope it isn't. But along the way, there's a chance I might…revert, back to my demon self. Or rather, I will become the demon I saw in my dreams, the one without conscious or, really, soul. If that happens, if there is no immediate cure,"
"No." He said firmly, grabbing her by the shoulders and apparently having figured out what she was about to ask him.
"If I turn into that thing there's very little chance I'll be able to turn back. It'll only happen if Zacroma somehow dies or is transported to another world or dimension, and even then, something more powerful than hangman's blood might be needed to make me go that far, but if it happens, I seriously can't think of any way for it to reverse." She said.
"It's not going to happen." He told her.
"But what if it does!" She snapped, "These dreams, it was a warning, I know it was some sort of premonition. If it comes true, you have to—"
"I'm not going to do it, Raven, I refuse." He said forcefully.
"You and Rorek will be the only ones capable of—"
"I'M NOT GOING TO DO IT!" He roared.
"YOU WON'T HAVE ANY CHOICE IN THE MATTER!" She came back with just as much force. "IT'LL EITHER BE KILL ME, OR DIE, BECAUSE I'M NOT GOING TO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FREND OR FOE!"
"I'd rather die!"
"You don't have the right to make that kind of decision! You're not the only one who's going to die, the whole world will—"
"To hell with the 'whole world'! What do I care if a bunch of humans—"
"Are you including Zacroma in this 'bunch of humans'! And Beast Boy, and Robin, and Starfire, and Cyborg! BECAUSE THEY'LL ALL DIE IF YOU DON'T KILL ME!" She yelled.
Malchior's mouth stayed open, as if he were going to say something, but he couldn't. He just stared at her with an expression of shock on his face, as though she'd hit him somewhere that it really hurt and he couldn't understand why. His shock turned into helplessness, and he just stared at her, but she was staring right back at him, apologetic, but firm. Then something happened that never did before, tears were beginning to well up in his eyes, and fall down his cheeks.
The next moment, he snatched her up into his arms, and buried his face in her shoulder, not making a sound, but shaking just enough that she could feel it. Raven's own emotions broke through her eyes and ran down her cheeks as she clutched Malchior, holding on tightly.
Soon another pair of arms was around her form, and another set of wet eyes were pressed against the cloth of her shoulder. It was a while before they were able to pull themselves together, and by then, the Titans were ready to go.
There was a feeling of finality in the air as Rorek taught them how to use the jewels he crafted and Cyborg showed them how the ear-sets worked. As if everyone was expecting this to be, not only the battle of the century, but the last, for them. And Raven couldn't help but feel that, once this was over, if they won, it would be at a heavy price.
XP
A/N: Okay, I'm almost crying myself here so I can't write anything funny. I'm being torn between preventing character death and making the entire thing realistic. I mean, if this was reality, chances are some of them are going to die, but I can't stand the thought of losing anyone! …wait a minute, (is struck with brilliant idea) heyyyyyy, that might work! Ahem, anyway, these chapters have been coming a little slower because I know that after the next chapter comes out, I will have no choice but to update every 1 to 2 days because it's gonna be cliffies galore. Also, I've been tweaking the rough draft I have in my head around a bit and figuring out what's gonna happen and how I'm gonna do it. As you might have guessed, this is gonna be more than just a simple battle. MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Ahem, anyways, on to the reviews! And btw, yes I am feeling better, much better.
Samael Archon: DARN YOU! Where'd you get that! I thought I made sure everyone capable of extracting dragon's bane from an ore died (not by my direct hand of course)! It must be an old suite, oh well. Good luck finding her, haha!
Jemerik: Heheheh, The Joker kinda came out of nowhere, I was looking for a way to fill up space and be funny about it. I think I did a pretty decent job of it too, haha!
Untrustworthyangel: All is forgiven, and I myself would like to apologize for the outburst, again, because it was kind of out of line as well. I was just having a really bad time for some reason. And I can understand how it must feel to have teachers hammering proper grammar and spelling into your head for a while. So we can blame it all on them now! I am glade you've been reading my stories, and appreciate your words of kindness in that last review.
You guys have been great about reviewing so far, I'm so happy, waaaaaaaaaaa! Again I'd like to point out that the only reason I don't poast a response to your review, if you see none, is because what I might have to say to it would be less than a real sentence. Just so no one feels I'm ignoring them!
Ja ne