Disclaimer: I own the name Kenneth, I own the plot, and I own the Shadow Dager of Azarath, so lay off.
A/N: Yay! Chapter six! All right, thanks for reviewing, in this chapter Red X is going to discover the he hates flying. All I'm going to say, thanks for reading you guys, really thanks. Keep reading, keep reviewing, and I'll keep writing, and I'll keep updating. Love you guys!
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Blood Reign
FWOOH … FWOOH … FWOOH … FWOOH …
"CAN'T WE JUST TAKE A CAR LIKE NORMAL PEOPLE!" Kenneth Aftaka – err – Red X in this case dressed in the costume – minus the mask – screamed in the air to be heard over the roaring of the wind and maybe even fear. If it was one thing X knew he was going to catch up in the clouds wasn't a cold – it be a phobia of heights because they were freakin' high! Straddling Malchior's shoulders clinging on to one of his scales as best he could. X looked over the edge of the giant dragon and swore never to take plane rides ever again.
Malchior turned his massive head back to see the small human teen and his fluttering cape and snorted a dragon's laugh, "You amuse me human, I thought you liked to take things to the extreme?"
"Aw man, go straight to hell!" X shouted sitting up ever so slightly still trying not to get blown off by the harsh wind the thief shouted once more, "But seriously! We could have gotten there faster if you'd wait for me to put the whole suite on! I could have teleported to the tower!"
"Yes," Malchior agreed with a nod of his scaly head, "but you were taking to long. Rorek had already transported himself there by the time we left the house."
"How? He got black-bird's powers or what?"
"No, but the krytonian crystal powder works just as well," the dragon answered calmly, "now hold on, I'm going into a tumble."
X paled, he knew what the tumble was, because just for kicks the damn dragon swirled, tucked, and rolled in the air just to scare the shit out of X. It worked to! He fell off Malchior's shoulders and just before he hit the ground the dragon swooped in from under him upside-down and snatched the thief into his claws. Later literally throwing him back onto his shoulders. Thus being the reason why X was now afraid of heights.
"Why?" X asked – and pleaded – in a small voice.
Malchior tensed his wings, "Because there's a flying machine coming towards us and we'll not only be seen but we'll be on a hurtful collision course. Which I can survive, but you … 99 to a hundred percent chance, no. Hold on tight, and try not to fall."
X growled and gritted his teeth amber hazel eyes blazing with hateful – and fearful – fire as he clung to the dragon as close as he can and as tight as he could, "Easy for you to saaaaAAAAAHHHHH!"
Wings cupped, Malchior took a sharp right, twirled fast and like a missile shot down to the earth, the Plane, a giant 767 roared passed as Malchior snapped his wings wide open and flew in a gentle glide upside down. X still holding on, felt the blood rushing to his head, but cried out when Malchior swiftly flipped back right side-up and beat his wings harder and faster to gain altitude, "You still alive back there human?"
"ASSHOLE!"
"What? I did warn you, now quite whining and nagging like a little girl and enjoy the ride," Malchior grinned, "it'll be the last you'll ever get to ride on the back of the last dragon alive."
"You just love to hear yourself talk don't you, you shit-head," X growled and looked beyond Malchior to see the bay breaking into view through the clouds, "there it is, the tower. Fina-god damn-ly!"
"So it would seem," Malchior tilted his head, "now how would you suppose they got it into that shape?"
X shrugged, "Beats the shit outta me, just don't get caught, you're like the size of the damn rooftop and have you seen the tower's defense weapons? Trust me you don't wanna get shot."
"Will do," with that Malchior dove down low and fast, X holding his breath as he saw his dive to the water, so low in fact that his tail grazed the surface. Creating beautiful sparkling sprinkles of water that just added to his shinning glistening scales. It was a captivating sight, the only problem with the perfect breath taking sight was the black suited thief that looked ready to jump off and dive for the water.
However was never given the chance to as Malchior shot up into the air twirled for the final time, flipped and with a powerful flap of his wings slowed his decent to a perfect hover. Silently – surprisingly for his size – touching down and sneakily trotted to a stop. Crouching down to allow for X to finally slide off and kiss his beloved ground. Begging forgiveness and for it to take his feet back and to never leave the earth again.
Malchior rolled his eyes and literally shook off his dragon form. Shrinking down to his human depiction his long black hair tied back and his wings sliding painfully into his back producing instead a black flannelled shirt that went over the violet purple wife-beater and finally his black periscope pants. All clothes he credited to Rorek – the guy had some style.
"There, the ride wasn't so bad now was it?" Malchior grinned a fanged grin and X flipped him off while getting back on his feet, earning a chuckle from the dark dragon, "now … no doubt Rorek is already inside … sooo … all we have to do is stop him from mentioning anything to the pretty little bird. Or even leaving trails."
X raised a brow, "You mean Robin?"
Malchior glared, "Hell no! I said pretty, do you humans ever use your damn head –"
ZI-ZI-ZI-ZI-ZZZIIINNNGGG! With little to no warning at all Malchior was forced to dodge five perfectly aimed red X's gritting his teeth as he realized how precise all their aims were. As if the thief himself knew he every exact move from the start! The last X was the one that startled him, just as he flipped and was about to land on his feet upside-down in mid-air Malchior had to think fast.
For the last X was coming straight for his head! Opening his mouth and twisting his body like a cat Malchior snatched the X right in between his teeth! Granted his lips may have been cut, but as he crouched on the ground at least he'll live to see another day. The thief, standing with his arms stretched out and glowing X palms a sign of his discharge, head bowed.
Hazel eyes looked up and Malchior could have sworn he saw a flash of fire in them. They were heated, heated and flaming with a fire that burned into Malchior's soul trying to melt him to a puddle as he stood up and spat out the X. Licking the corner of his lips to get the blood off and to speed up the healing process, X growled, "My name is not human, alright? It's Red X, or if you wanna get technical Kenneth Aftaka. Use either one, but lay off the human thing."
Malchior growled, opening his mouth to retaliate, he stopped when a sharp stab of magic went through his heart –
(Downstairs in the Ops room, Rorek gasped and shot his hand to his chest, feeling a strange red liquid, he pulled his hand away and nearly collapsed in shock when he saw his own blood. Everyone of the Titans looked just as shocked, if not frightened.)
"What the hell's the matter with you now?" X sneered, but his look of hatred turned to that of concern when Malchior coughed and blood was being spat out on the ground, "What the hell?"
--
The dagger …
The Shadow Dagger of Azarath …
It was reacting … it was pulsating, it called out to it's owner crying out for him to grasp it's handle and use him once more. Begging to be held and thirsting for blood. Though sadly the dagger's pleas and cries would go unnoticed. For it's owner was oblivious … yet the white book. Rorek/Malchior's book knew, it rattled its cover. Throwing it wide open and flipping through the pages rapidly as if the wind itself was trying to find something. The dagger rattled and shook. Sliding itself out of its sheath that tried as hard as it could to hold the spirit within the blade back.
It was not strong enough …
With a harsh jerk the dagger went sailing out with such force it went flipping through the air and stabbing itself into the wall. The book slammed shut. The dagger yanked itself out and the voices … the pleading voice that called to its master whistled loudly … the pleading turned to cries of rage and anger. Of frustrating, stress, suffering and pain … needless to say. The Book of Nol was not spared.
The hard cover slammed shut, with the dagger hovering just overhead, the voices grew louder and louder until the dagger stabbed its gleaming sharp point deep into the innocent white book and the voices stopped. The magic vanished – in the air at least – but a red circle around the dagger on the book glowed and took shape.
More specifically, on the inside of the circle was a red pentagon star, writing, a ridged language started to form around the ring and the dagger seemed content as the book bled …
--
"Aiedail!" Robin up off the couch and ran to Rorek's side, hand on shoulder Robin cringed at the sight of blood dripping on the already blood-red carpet. Gritting his teeth he took command, "Beast Boy, Cyborg! Get the Infirmary ready! Starfire come here and lay him down, Raven can you levitate him on something firm?"
Raven bit down with frustration on her lower lip, eyes glowing she closed them and tried her best to levitate anything without having to chant, but failed to do so with a huff. It just took too much of her energy, with a look of downcast and shame she shook her head. Robin gave out a breath and looked to Starfire, "Starfire, try your best not to move him too much, fly him to the infirmary, got it?"
"Of course, right away!" with much hesitation Starfire scooped Rorek up in her arms, but nearly dropped him in fear of causing him pain when he cried out and sounded as if he was chocking on his own blood.
Raven and Robin watched the alien carefully as they raced down to the infirmary where Cyborg and Beast Boy were waiting to work on him, Robin gave the statues when Cyborg asked, "Its internal Cy, careful Star!"
The princess cringed at Robin's harsh command and quickly – yet gently – rest the young man on the hospital bed, Cyborg wasted no time in getting to work. First ripping off the shirt where the bloodstain was seen he tried to locate the wound but was baffled when he saw a hole. A large slit hole that looked a lot like a knife had stabbed him, "We gotta … we gotta stop the bleeding."
"Here!" Beast Boy threw Cyborg a cloth and the hybrid folded them tightly then moved to press down on the wound, but was baffled when a spark of red, a crimson barrier prevented him from doing so.
"What the –"
Raven shoved Cyborg to the side and held out her hand gritting her teeth as she cupped her hands around the red shield and took the pain in full. Pleading with the gods above to help her fight off this spell.
--
"Yo man!" X panicked, doing the only thing he knew was the right thing. Unclasping his cape and kneeling down beside the growling dragon he balled up the black leather makeshift cloth and went to press down on his wound, only to gasp when a blood-red barrier shot up and shocked him away, "The fuck? Aw hell no, you ain't diein' on me cause I ain't getting' blamed! Fuckin' mystics."
Stubborn – or maybe hard headed – X gritted his teeth and braced for anything that'll happen as he forced his entire weight on the blood-red barrier. The electricity of the magic shot through the cape and into his body, but X ignored it all as he pressed down harder and harder, "Come on! Can't you fight back?"
Malchior was almost non-respondent, too confused and too full of pain to hear or feel a physical touch, X screamed in both pain and frustration. The blood-red barrier pulsated (the dagger pulsated), it began to crack and with an explosion of bright light (Raven gaped when a bright red light show sprouted from the barrier), the barrier shattered! (The dagger was pushed out of the white book with blood dripping from its tip had dropped to the ground with a dull clank!)
It took a minute for Malchior to realize that whatever had been holding him from healing himself was gone. Yet a new pain, the pain of having X pushing down on the stab wound was now present, reaching a hand up the dragon clasped it over his wrist, startling the thief as he pushed him away, "I can handle it from here on."
"Damn man! You gave me a freakin' heart-attack!" X growled as Malchior sat up and began to study his wound, gritting his teeth and watching it as it healed he glared up at X.
"How ironic of you to be having the heart-attack," he sneered and snorted.
X returned the gesture, but finished with a roll of his eyes, "Apparently you're not hurt enough to shut your trap. What the hell happened any way?"
Good question … Malchior thought in wonder, what did happen? Rorek couldn't have been hurt … he's in Titan Tower, maybe not the sanest place on Earth but most defiantly the trusted … at least I think. How/Why did I get stabbed? Hand over the wound, Malchior sighed and looked down again noticing that the skin was already starting to heal itself. Seeming distant and lost, he answered X silently, "I have just as much information as you do at the moment …"
--
Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and especially Raven all hovered over the weakened Rorek Aiedail who looked up at everyone with a nervous smile, "Heh … I'm a fast healer?"
Beast Boy scoffed and pointed, "Bull! What do you want with the jewel dude? You're so totally obviously not human!"
"Beast Boy," Robin growled warningly, "back it off."
The green changeling shrugged, "What? Is it my fault this is so suspicious?"
Cyborg slapped him upside the head, "What he say man? Back off."
"Aiedail?" Starfire called softly hovering over Rorek's body noticing how the stab wound was already gone, vanished, and healed completely. She titled her head in wonder, "Are you undamaged? What has caused you so much suffering?"
I wish I knew … Rorek sighed and sat up, but Starfire panicked and pleaded for him to lay back down, but the Prince would be having none of it, "I'm fine Miss Starfire, just fine."
Raven's scrutinizing glare bore into his ice-blue orbs. Rorek coughed, tasting the after taste of iron blood, he cleared his throat and looked to the sheets of the bed he had stained, Raven's glare darkened.
"Isn't it obvious?" Beast Boy rambled, with wide accusing green eyes, "The guy's come here to try and take over our souls and sell them to the devil himself in order to gain eternal life and suck out the brains of everyone in the world! After that he'll use all our knowledge to take over the world and move on to take over the universe! Kill him! Kill him!"
"BEAST BOY!" both Robin and Cyborg shouted. Robin growling, "You're not making any sense! Shut the hell up!"
Rorek chuckled, "I must agree, if I were to take over the world it would have already been done with me sucking out your brains. However, why bother when I can just ask the "devil" to grant me ultimate power instead –"
Raven held up a hand – and her sign – her glare still present, but this time there was an almost pleading shine to it:
Stop, stop, stop … don't even try to encourage him. Please … don't.
Rorek smirked and nodded, Starfire giggled, "However strange Beast Boy's explanation may be, a point has been made. Do you mean us any harm Mr. Aiedail? Or … do you practice in the magical studies the same as friend Raven? Please, all we wish is an answer, an explanation … truth."
Trapped … like rats … like rats in a cage.
Rorek sighed and ran a hand through his cotton white hair, Oh-boy … how to go about this? A nervous glance was shot up at the glaring Raven, and he huffed straightening out his back he sucked in a deep breath and held it in, I do not wish to lie to her … but, I can not tell her anything precise without knowing all the answers myself … not without Malchior … he has a more important explanation then I in this matter. Damn dragon.
"Well …"
The alarm went off.
Robin cursed under his breath, "Shit, this is going to have to wait. Raven; think you can sit this one out? Maybe you can watch out for Aiedail … think you can deal?"
Raven shot Robin a dry look and held up her sign:
Does it look like I have a choice?
Feeling foolish Robin scratched the back of his head, "Yeah … right, Titans! Move out!"
With that Robin lead the three remaining Teen Titans to the area that needed saving, Starfire pausing to hug Raven and grant her a good-luck with Rorek then flew away. Meanwhile up on the roof top Malchior and Kenneth watched the Titans take off startled by the alarm. They calmed down when they noticed it was just another minor villain. However that didn't relax their ease about the strange things that went down for the day.
