Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans.

Gunsmoke And Black Roses—Chapter Fourteen

"I… I don't understand…" Sub-Zero stammered softly. He was in the cabin of his ship, looking intently at his map of the world, and holding a compass in his hands. "This is… this has to be it; we're here! But… it's… not the same." He couldn't seem to find the right words.

Jinx was sitting on a chair nearby, and looking out the window at the volcanic desert island in front of them. "It… it's so hot out there… we can't possibly in the right place…" Jinx knew, simply from having stepped outside for a moment, that it was at least 95 degrees Fahrenheit or so…

She stared in disbelief at the expanse of dull-gray ash desert before them. Craggy, volcanic mountains let off clouds of smoke, steam, brimstone, and heat… and black rocks pointed upwards from the ground at strange angles. The one, single mountain that she'd seen last time that dominated the island… the one that the castle was located on the slopes of… was no longer the huge frozen peak that it once was. Instead, a huge volcano lay in the center of the island…

It was as if the entire island had undergone some bizarre temporal reversal. Here, there was nothing any longer except fiery deserts and hazy mountains.

Sub-Zero walked over to Jinx, and showed her the compass. The pointer within it was behaving… oddly. Instead of pointing North, it would stay in one direction for a second, then spin erratically around in circles before settling on a different direction, then spinning again…

"Why is it doing that? Is it broken?" She asked.

He shook his head gravely. "No… It works just fine. It always does this when I get home." He looked at her solemnly. "Compasses point North, like you said. But at home… my home IS North. You can't get any more North. So, it gets confused and spins."

He sighed heavily. "This is the right place… but… it's gone. Everything's changed so…" Suddenly his head snapped up. "I'm going out there! I'm going to the city and find out what happened!"

He started to walk right out the door, but Jinx stopped him. "… Then I'm coming with you."

He blinked and shook his head. "No. Jinx, I… I'm sorry, but I cant let you. It might be dangerous out there!" He insisted worriedly.

"And what if you pass out from the heat? Or get attacked by wild animals?" She challenged.

He thought about this. Animals, he could handle, but…. This unfamiliar heat… he wasn't sure how well he'd do… and besides, she had every right to go if she wanted.

"Jinx… You're right." He whispered. "I'm… sorry I treated you like you were helpless, like that… I just… don't want you to get hurt."

She walked up and put a pale hand to his cheek. "And I don't want you to, either. That's why I'm coming with you."

Smiling, Sub-Zero leaned over and kissed her gently, reminded of why he loved her so much. It wasn't her beauty, though that didn't hurt, nor was it her magical prowess… it was that strong will of hers, and the confidence to get things done

"…Thanks, Jinx."

The sorceress looked out the window, and sighed nervously. "Well… If we're going to go… I guess the sooner the better."

The smile vanished from Zero's face, and he winced a bit. "Yeah… you're right."

Later On…

Zero sat panting on a rock, fanning himself furiously. Jinx handed him a thermos of water she'd gotten from her bags before they'd left.

"Th-thanks…" He said hoarsely. "I'm really glad you thought to bring that… you always were the smarter one out of the two of us." He joked, causing her to blush slightly.

As he gulped the refreshingly cold water down, Jinx watched him in concern. She was genuinely worried about him… the entire way here, Zero had been blasting cold air on himself using his powers, but he was still sweating terribly… he had, of course, tried to keep Jinx cool too, but she'd insisted he needed it more.

"God, I hope we get there soon…" Zero murmured, wiping the sweat off his forehead. "I want to find out what the Hell happened here… This isn't right…"

Jinx sat down by him and looked pensively out across the ashes. "Are you sure you can still find your way there…? Now that it's different, I mean."

"I could find it anytime, anywhere." Zero said reassuringly. "But I hope to God… that there's still something there to find."

Shortly after he'd said this, he put his head down into his hands and groaned loudly. "Oh God… How could I let this happen?" He demanded, slamming his gloved fist down on the boulder hard enough to cause it to shake, startling Jinx. "I should've been here! I could've protected them, stopped all this! I would've—" Zero froze, no pun intended, as he realized what he'd just said.

He looked over and saw Jinx looking as if she was about to tear up. Her pink cat eyes were misting over, threatening to burst into tears, and her bottom lip quivered slightly. Her hand was clenched tightly on the edges of her black skirt, and it shook violently.

He had said, and I quote, 'I should have been there.' If he had been 'here', he couldn't have been 'there'… with Jinx.

"Jinx, I… I didn't mean it like that!" He apologized immediately. He put his arms around her. "I just… I meant…!" He was tongue-tied, and quite flustered.

"I know, Zero…" She whispered, hugging him back and sniffing a bit. "I know." She didn't say it, but it kind of… hurt her. Not what he'd said! She knew that he didn't mean that he didn't want to be with her… what hurt her was that she knew it was true… if she hadn't had him all to herself, he could have saved everyone, stopped any of this from happening… although, they still had no idea what had happened.

"We… should get going, I think. It's not much farther." Zero said softly, still looking pensive and worried. His gaze drifted back to Jinx. "Unless you need to rest, I mean! We can still—"

"No…" Jinx said softly. "You're right. We should hurry."

They got up and began walking again. Zero led the way; Jinx followed him. They continued like this another hour or so, until…

Zero stopped abruptly.

"Huh...? What is it?" Jinx asked.

"The… The woods… There should be a forest here, but…" He pointed a shaky finger up ahead. She looked over his shoulder and gasped.

She saw a forest, but… not the same forest of gnarled leafless trees that she'd seen last time.

A forest of rocks. Sharp, Jagged, black rocks the size of large tress jutted up from the ground. They formed a sort of forest in and of themselves, but…

"… Zero? What should we do?" Jinx asked.

"Jinx, I… I think we should keep going." He had a determined look in his crimson eyes as he strode forward. "We're getting close… I can feel it."

He suddenly grabbed Jinx up into his arms, and broke into a run, being careful not to jostle her around, but also appearing to be in a great rush.

"What the—Zero, what are you doing?" Jinx yelped, badly startled. "I can still walk, y'know!"

"I'm sorry… but I have to know! I can't stand not knowing any more!" Was all Zero said in response.

Sub-Zero dashed through the sea of large stone spires, turning corners sharply and appearing to know exactly where he was going, even though everything around them looked exactly the same. Once or twice, it looked like Zero was going to run into a rock, but he always turned at the last moment.

Finally, they rushed out into a clearing, the bright, beating sunlight causing Zero to shield his eyes.

There, in front of them, were the city walls. The last time Jinx had come here, they'd been transparent and made out of ice, allowing whoever stood outside a blurred view of what was going on in the city.

Now though, they were… stone. The same black, volcanic rock that they'd been seeing so much of. Zero motioned for Jinx to follow, and started quickly towards it.

They made their way to a section of the wall with windows and a silver doorway, and it looked as though a small cabin had been built into the wall. Next to that, was a pair of huge, metal gates leading into the city. Sub-Zero strode up and knocked forcefully on the door with his fist.

"Flake-Bane is the gatekeeper… we've known each other all my life. If anyone can tell us what happened, he can." Zero explained, turning to Jinx.

A moment of silence followed these words… and then, the door swung slowly open with a metallic creak.

There stood a short young man with white hair cut short into a monk-do, complete with the bald patch in the middle. He wore teal robes and had a large ice-bladed war-axe sticking out of his silver belt. He stared with closed eyes at the floor, cowering and looking as though he were about to pass out.

"…Er…Um… G-greetings, M-m'lord. I... is there something y-you need…?" His high-pitched voice cracked a bit as though he were talking to someone who was about to murder him.

"…Flake-Bane? For God's sakes, it's me! You haven't forgotten me already, have you?" Zero demanded irritably.

The guy flinched and gasped sharply. He stared at Zero with wide, watery reddish eyes and looked like he'd seen a ghost. He stumbled back, and choked out:

"I… Nocan't be… heat, making me see things…" he muttered to himself, shivering and rubbing his eyes.

Sighing, Zero whacked him on the head.

"Argh! L-lord Sub-Zero! It IS you! You're back!" He squeaked.

"Flake-Bane, what…" Zero tried to ask, but found himself lost for words. "How… what did… What the bloody Hell happened here?"

"Quickly! Come inside! They mustn't see you!" As though he were waking out of a trance, Bane flinched and grabbed Sub-Zero, yanking him into the cabin in the wall, and slamming the door shut… leaving Jinx standing there feeling extremely awkward.

Then, the door opened back up and she was yanked in with a yelp, just before it slammed shut again.

Once in, Flake-Bane led them over to a room with several blue-flamed candles were burning, giving the room a cool glow. He motioned for Zero to sit down on a white sofa, and Jinx sat down next to him. He left the room and came back a moment later with a couple bottles of iced rum, which Zero looked at as though it were the best thing he'd seen in years.

Zero snatched the bottle and downed a large swig, not even pausing to breath.

Bane grinned at his friend's reaction and sat down in a nearby chair with the other bottle. Popping off the cap, he took a long gulp and leaned back.

While they were enjoying the drink, Jinx took the opportunity to get a better look at their surroundings, her feline eyes darting alertly around the small room.

A large stone fireplace stood in one corner, probably kept lit normally… but with things suddenly changed like this, it now sat unused and forgotten. A wooden bookshelf filled with books and trinkets stood next to that, and a bed was over in the far corner of the room.

"So… you were going to tell me what happened?" Sub-Zero asked quickly after a moment.

Putting down his bottle, Flake-Bane nodded and swallowed a mouthful of rum. Looking nervously around as though he suspected someone was watching, he leaned over and began his tale in a soft, hoarse voice.

"Well… It started about… Oh, I dunno… about three weeks after you left. We were just… conducting business as usual; nothing was out of the ordinary, but… all of the sudden, a few kids out hunting for deer noticed ships coming towards us from the south…"

"Ships?" Zero interrupted. "… What kind of ships?"

Bane's eyes seemed to widen nervously, and he gulped slightly before continuing. "…Black ships, m'lord. Black ships."

Sub-Zero sat back in his seat, beginning to look extremely nervous. "I was afraid you were going to say that…"

"Huh? What is it about black ships?" Jinx asked.

"Well… It's just an old saying around these parts." Zero explained. "Beware black ships o'er the sea, or to you, woe will be…"

"Yes… They are bad luck…" Bane said solemnly. "Then again, I've never been one to believe much in bad luck."

"Hmph… I've never heard that… and I should know." Jinx huffed. She was an expert at causing bad luck, after all.

"Well… it's just always been taken as an Norblitzian old wife's tale that black ships on the horizon meant a black fate looming forward…" Zero said.

"Aye… and this time, I'm afraid it came true." Bane said remorsefully. "Because then… He got off of them."

"'He'… Who is 'He'…?" Zero asked slowly.

"Him! The one whom did this!" Flake-Bane's watery eyes seemed to widen more than previously, and he whispered the next three words as though they were dangerous information. "…Lord Von Hellwing…!"

"Hellwing? Someone named Hellwing did this?" Zero demanded. "I'll kill him! Where is—"

"No! You cannot fight him alone! He's already defeated our entire brigade of knights single-handedly!"

"So… he's a warrior, huh?"

"No… a wizard. A foul wizard… he can raise the dead, call forth the fires of Hell from the palms of his hands!" Bane stated. "He control's all fire and brimstone as if he himself created it… and his black magic is far more terrible than any sword."

"Hey, wait…. You're telling me…" Zero's crimson eyes flashed angrily. "That one… puny… Wizard… did ALL THIS?" He demanded.

"Yes! I know it is hard to believe, but I swear it's true! He claims he comes from an island empire in the equator… a desert island full of volcanoes and lava pits… he called it, Orcusbolt."

"Orcusbolt… an island of fire?" Zero asked.

"Yes! Much like our own, but… just the opposite. He came here and told us we had imposed our wicked chill on the world long enough… he said he would turn our kingdom into a copy of his Orcusbolt, and rule it as an extension of his own empire."

Jinx listened with fascination at these words. A wizard who was powerful enough to do all this… she, as someone who knew quite a bit about magic, knew that anyone who was capable of transforming an entire island in the blink of an eye… had to be extremely dangerous.

"We have to stop him! We have to—"

Flake-Bane cut him off mid-sentence with a solemn shake of his head. "No… Don't you see, Sub-Zero? It's too late. He's already won. There's nothing to be done…"

Sub-Zero's crimson eyes flashed with a pale-blue light and a sudden gale of frigid air whipped around him, blowing over a couple chairs and putting out several of the candles.

"He may have won the fight." Zero stated loudly. "But he hasn't won the damn war! Now, I don't care if you'd rather hold up in here and wait for the storm to pass over… but I'm going to fight. I'm going to fight until either him or me is dead…. And it won't be me."

At the word 'dead', Jinx flinched noticeably. She looked at him with watery eyes. She didn't want him to get hurt… much less die. "Zero… let me help you." She started. "You know I can fight."

"You… want to fight him?" He asked softly.

"Sub-Zero, I love you. And I am not going to let you go off and fight some kind of evil wizard without me!" She said, pink eyes flashing boldly, yet appearing misty and teary at the same time.

He looked at her intently for a moment, blood-hued eyes seeming to penetrate into her soul. Then, he stepped over and embraced her in a hug. After a moment of surprised silence, he looked up and spoke to her softly.

"Jinx… I would be glad to take you with me… God knows I need all the help I can get."

"And you've got it."

Both of them looked around to see Flake-Bane standing there with his icy hatchet drawn and packing a few books and tools into a bag, which he then tied around his neck and allowed to hang over his back like a backpack. He looked at Zero determinedly, all traces of his former cowardice gone.

"Zero… you've been a friend to me my whole life… And I'll be damned if I don't help you out on this!" he declared swinging his axe through the air.

Sub-Zero was at a loss for words…. But both Jinx and Bane got the message loud and clear from the grateful smile spreading across his face.

Flake-Bane ran over into another room, and started pulling wooden levers that stuck out of the wall. Immediately, a loudly screeching, metallic, grating noise began to echo all throughout the small cabin.

"Okay…" Bane turned to his friends. "The city gates are open. We should be able to get through, but… be warned. Black Riders are all over the place…"

"Wait… Black Riders?" Zero asked, drawing his sword. "Who are Black Riders?"

"Lord Von Hellwing's elite cavalry guard. They mount on black horses, with manes and tails that burn with fire… they wield lances made from hardened lava, and wear the blackest armor you've ever seen." Zero's friend explained.

Zero spun his sword around in one hand and glared at the doorway. "Well then… I say it's time we show 'em what happens when you mess with the best."

Several Minutes Later…

"Everything's… the same, here… the buildings, I mean." Sub-Zero commented as they walked down the main street of the city.

Small, medieval style stone cabins with wood-and-straw roofs lined the streets, and some larger ones had signs bearing monikers such as, 'Le Gebarsten Isbre', which was an Inn/Tavern… Sub-Zero translated the name for Jinx as, "The Cracked Glacier". Another one said, 'Hellig Helgedom'… or 'Holy Sanctum'. Apparently, It was a church, because it had a large silver cross decorating the entrance. Several small stores and shops were scattered to and fro.

The main street itself was paved in silver, and led all the way up to the mountain where the castle was built onto the slopes. The castle, unlike the other buildings, had changed drastically.

No longer was it made from ice, but… black stone. Glowing red cracks spread across the outside of it, as though it were volcanic, and the moat, once filled with frozen water, was now running with molten lava, causing clouds of smoke to drift everywhere and filling the city with the smell of fire and brimstone. The castle towers were now craggy spires that opened up into steaming and glowing openings, like the tops of volcanoes.

"When Von Hellwing took over…" Bane explained to the stunned Zero. "He changed the castle, just like the island, to suit his own tastes."

The streets were eerily deserted… it was as if they were walking through a Dark Ages ghost town.

"Where are all the people?" Jinx asked. "Shouldn't they be out and about?"

"When Lord Hellwing took over… he imposed a law saying, one may only come out of their homes if they have a just reason… such as going out to buy food or somesuch… Other than that, the people are under a mass house-arrest." Flake-Bane supplied again.

In the middle of the conversation, they were stopped in the middle of the street by a black-armored figure riding a fiery-mane black steed. In his hands, he held a large lance made of volcanic rock, and a matching shield made of the same. The glowing red cracks on the shield crossed in such a way that they created the emblem of a fireball…

"Is this one of the 'Black Riders', you told me about?" Zero asked.

Flake-Bane nodded. "Yes… this is one of them…"

Sub-Zero stepped up. "You there! Take me to the castle!"

The black-clad rider kept a tight hold on his stone lance, and was silent.

"I'm warning you…" Zero hissed. "You've pissed me off enough already with your presence. Do… not… tempt me."

"I don't think he's going to talk…" Jinx said.

"They never do. They are silent…" Bane explained.

"Well, lets see how silent he is in battle!" Zero yelled.

With a charge, Sub-Zero leapt up with sword drawn. The rider was perfectly still, until Zero was almost upon him. Then, he reached up with his lance and blocked the sword. The horse whinnied and opened it's mouth… upon which point, a stream of fire jetted forth and sent Sub-Zero flying back.

"Uh… Did I forget to mention their steeds have breath of fire…?" Flake-Bane asked sheepishly.

Zero reached out and fired a blue ice beam from his hand that collided in midair with the horse's breath. They two forces, ice and fire, strained against each other attempting to drive each other back…

Finally, Zero gave a triumphant grunt and sent the ice beam through the flames all the way to the horse, which gave a startled yelp before being consumed by ice, turning it into a frozen sculpture.

The rider, however, leapt off before sharing his steed's fate…

"You've got no horse… now give up." Zero said evenly.

The rider stood there for a moment, right before charging with his lance held above his head as though he intended to skewer Sub-Zero with it. But, a well-timed ball of ice knocked the lance out of his hands and Zero leapt forward and sliced the rider's helmeted head off his shoulders with a quick flick of his icy blade.

The body stood there… and then took a swing at Zero with a fist.

"What the Hell? I cut his head off!" Zero exclaimed.

Fed up, Zero sliced the fist off at the wrist. The rider looked at his armored stump for a moment, then kicked Zero in the gut.

"You son of a—"

Abandoning the 'slice and dice' approach, Zero got out his warhammer and bashed the armored warrior to the ground, right before proceeding to pound him relentlessly with it.

After a minute of cracking and smashing noises, Jinx and Bane uncovered their eyes….

There stood Zero, panting and sweating over a busted up suit of armor… with large amounts of ash coming from the insides of the suit. In fact, there was no body to speak of… just ash.

"I… I don't understand… what WAS he?" Zero asked.

"A golem… had to have been." Jinx stated.

"A golem?"

"Made out of ash." She turned to Bane. "You said that this Hellwing was a wizard, right? He probably makes these guys out of ash and brings them to life."

"Well… I don't care if they're made out of steel, they aren't gonna stop us from getting into that castle…" Zero said, right before taking off towards the castle.

That's the end of this chapter. I know, I know, Smoke, The Titans, and Myntull weren't even in this one… but after spending so much time on them, I figured I might as well do a Zero-Jinx chapter.

Read and Review!

--The Mad Phantom