RR76: The chapter cometh. The story finaly reaches it's crux. Three chapters of climactic battle-y action. Take it, bitch.

Anyway.

Once this story is over, I will take a break from the Carson series for a little while. Not too long. Rest assured, you will see the fourth story, Resurgance, by summer.

I also have another new story up--The Big Book of Teen Titans Fanfic Cliches. Read that, kindly.

Also, once Ascension is over, but before the series goes on hiatus, I will be starting a new feature in my bio--The Encyclopedia of Carson. I know that a few of you have some questions. Hopefully, that will answer most of them.

I hereby dedicate this chapter to...ummmm...Chef. Yeah. Chef. He was awesome. And then that fruity little club killed him. YOU BASTARDS!

MOD's latest flame:

Shockingly, I DID recieve one from him a while back. It said simply "You suck, fucker."

Hmm.

You know, that may actually be the single most comprehensable thing he's ever written. Nicely done. Screw it, I also dedicate this chapter to MasterOfDemons for flaming me with something other than YUR STORY SICKS STOP STALKING QUEENIE MY CHARECTER IS BETER THEN YUR CHARECTER FICKER GO 2 HELL.

Tee hee.

...did I just say that?

Uh, read. Please.

The days quickly became weeks, the weeks dragged on into months, and the Teen Titans began their final, last-minute preperations for the Ascension. For 97 days, they had poured over dozens of ancient tomes, occult websites, and any other material they could get their hands on. All of it for naught. 100 days removed from Cassius Pavayne's posession of Raven, and they still had next to nothing--with a few exceptions. A few battle plans, strategies, though they mostly had no idea what to expect.

Raven had taken each of the Titans aside and told them, in explicit detail, what they were to do in case they were unable to stop the Ascension. Each one had accepted--albeit grudgingly--that killing their friend may be the only way to save the world. And each one was prepared to do their duty.

Robin had spent much of his time locked away in his room, or the training room, trying to get faster, stronger, hoping against hope that it wouldn't come to ending the life of one of his closest friends. He refused to speak to anyone--even Starfire, who, on more than one occasion, came to the Boy Wonder's door with a plate of food, or words of encouragement, and on each of these occasions, she was turned away. After two months of begging and crying, Robin finally emerged from his shell, though he was much quieter than usual and wouldn't look Raven in the eye. The only one he spoke to regularly after that was Starfire.

Cyborg was very much the same person--he tried to bond with Raven further, knowing that whatever he saw come Ascension day wouldn't be Raven. And so he wanted to preserve her in his memory as he knew her. Their outings would be as simple as going to the drive-thru in the T-Car, or a chess game, or the occasional round of Stankball--when she was up to it. Nothing huge, just small, simple gestures of friendship. But it was enough for them both.

Starfire was, next to Robin, the most visibly affected Titan among them. She was constantly trying to spend time with Raven; every waking minute of her time was devoted to being around her, presenting her with food and beverages (most of them Tamaranian) and frequent trips to the "mall of shopping." It got to the point where Raven basically told her to piss off--but thanked Starfire for the companionship, nonetheless. She turned to Robin for support, and the two clung to each other in the darkest of times.

Beast Boy was...different, to say the least. He seemed to mature quite a bit emotionally over those next few months. His jokes became less spontanious and more meaningful--or as meaningful as a joke could be. He complained less and spent more time honing his fighting skills, though not to the point of obsession, as Robin had. Almost all of his free time was spent with Raven, offering what support he could, giving her someone to lean on, and a shoulder to cry on, if neccesary. The two bonded quite a bit, even going on small dates, which had a tendancy to end in embarrassment for at least one of them--the most famous incident involving a goth coffee house and a glass of water (Here's lookin' at you, H), and often the local tabloids would hound them wherever they went--and if there's one thing an emotionally distraught teenager doesn't need, it's constant, 24-hour hounding. But she understood why he did what he was doing, and returned his affections the best she could, without explicitly stating them.

Raven knew the Titans were trying to help, and she was extremely grateful to all of them, especially Cyborg and Beast Boy. But often, she required solace, or the ear of a more kindred spirit, and she continued to turn to her nemesis-turned-ally, Carson. The defunct assassin could understand her inner turmoil better than anyone, and the friendship between the two grew from a shaky cameraderie to a deep understanding between them both--though Carson's feelings on the other Titans had virtually no change.

For 100 days, the Titans had strived. They had taken the brunt of Pavayne's small tests of will, killing the demons he had gathered in preperation for the Ascension. The bones of the dread dragon, Malchior, still lay scattered across the streets of Jump City. Every strike, every feint, everything he had thrown at them, they had absorbed.

And, at long last, the last second of the final day before the Ascension ticked down. As the sun rose over Jump City, the Titans, Carson, and Cassius Pavayne steeled themselves for what was to come--the battles to be fought, the victories to be had, and the trials that had yet to come.

6:35 AM
"Have you found anything new?"

Cyborg turned to face his leader. His right eye--his human eye--had a dark circle under it, and the human half of his face was covered in stubble, the result of staying up all night. But he was wide-awake. "I've double-checked everything," he said. "I've gone over every last bit of info I could track down, and I've got nothin' we don't already know."

Robin sighed. "Let me guess--'servent of ultimate evil,' right?"

"'Unyielding torment awaits the righteous,' yeah."

Beast Boy yawned and sat up on the couch, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "'Unyielding torment?' That's a new one."

Robin turned, slowly, and fixed his eyes on the shape-shifter. "Did you fall asleep?" he asked with barely-contained anger. Much to his chagrin, Beast Boy shrugged, and Robin began to rise from his seat, face set in a dark grimace. He began to walk towards Beast Boy...

"Friends," Starfire said softly, stepping between the two. "No more of the infighting. Please try to focus. Time grows short--the sun has already risen."

The boys looked up from where they were, and stared out the window. The sky was a mural of red and violet as dawn stretched out from the edge of the bay, bathing the room in beautiful, yet surreal, light. Cyborg scratched his chin. "Now, how do y'all suppose we missed that happening?"

Robin shook his head, running a hand through his hair, flat on his head from lack of hair cement. "Star's right...I'm sorry for snapping Beast Boy."

"I should be the one apologizing, falling asleep like that..." Beast Boy admitted, hanging his head in shame.

"We are all tired, Beast Boy," Starfire consoled him. "Do not feel bad for your low blood-caffine level."

Beast Boy raised an eyebrow. "Um...thanks, I think."

"One way or another," Robin interrupted, "we're running out of time. Our basic plan of battle involves impaling one of our friends, and I won't settle for that. We've been through this before, and we will overcome it again. Go over everything again. Once, twice, a hundred times, until you find something--anything--that could be helpful."

"Carson?"
Carson Elam turned, meeting the gaze of the girl he had come to love. "Raven," he said. "I suppose it's getting to be that time, eh?"

Raven looked away. "It...looks that way to me."

Carson sighed to himself and stepped up next to Raven. "Anything new I should know about?"

"We're still on square one," Raven said. "From what I hear, nobody has found anything on anything. This is kind of an obscure thing to be researching."

"The basic plan of battle's the same though, right?" he asked. "Nobody knows about Plan 9?"

Raven rolled her eyes. "Nope, Plan 9 remains a secret. Tell me again why I went along with that idiodic name?"

"Plan B--horribly cliched," Carson said with a mock gag. "Besides, if Pavayne overheard us talking about it and thinks we're attacking with string-powered flying saucers and Vampira, we may have the element of surprise."

The barest hint of a smile crossed Raven's lips. Taking this as encouragement, Carson pressed the joke. "Of course, if we actually did have the neckfat of Tor Johnson on our side--"

"That's enough. Just--please, I don't want to be smiling right now. Not today." Raven stepped away from him, sniffled, and continued talking. "Plan B...9...whatever you want to call it, is still in effect." She turned to meet his gaze. "I'm trusting you to pull it off Carson."

Carson smiled reassuringly. "Count on it," he said.

For whatever reason, Raven's gaze lingered on him for a minute. A small, albeit genuine smile, despite her earlier protests over such things, grew on her face. "Thank you Carson," she said. "For everything."

He grinned. "What, for trying to kill you all those times? Don't mention it."

Her smile remained. "You know what I mean. For what it's worth, I genuinely appreciate it."

8:12 AM

"It is time. Your day has come. Go forth, ensure the destruction of the Teen Titans, and deal with the traitor Pavayne. Your reward, should you succeed, shall be tremendous."

Raven's eyes fluttered open. She yawned, stretched, and sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes. Once her eyes adjusted to the lighting, she looked out the window at the city before her. The people, bustling about, heading to work, to school, to their various destinations. So many lives. So much to save. The girl's conviction returned. Pavayne would not have these people, she decided. Not while I live.

20 minutes later, she passed through the twin doors of the living room, and saw her friends--the people who took her in when nobody else would--still hard at work, still trying to beat the odds and save her. It was all quite touching, really. "You guys are still working, I see," she said, quietly but loud enough for them to hear her.

Her friends all raised their faces to look at her. "You expectin' anything less?" Cyborg quipped.

Raven walked, slowly, to where her friends were gathered. "Well, a cake and some music would've been nice, but I suppose I'll settle for this."

Robin turned to face her, and for the first time in weeks, looked her in the eye. "Raven...I...I'm sorry," he said. "We didn't...we couldn't--"

"Don't be," she interrupted. "This is more than I ever could have hoped for. You've all done so much, for me. If and when this all ends..." She looked them all over. The Titans. Her friends. Her surrogate family. She loved them all, from the bottom of her heart. "I promise, I'll take you all out for pizza. My treat."

Cyborg stood. "Hell, we'll talk about that when the time comes. You look like you're starvin'--why don't I fix you up some bacon and eggs?"

Raven's gaze drifted back from Cyborg, to the young man resting on the couch. Her smile deepened at the sight of him. "Actually...I think I'd prefer tofu eggs. Just this once."

"Your task will not be an easy one. The other for children are zealous in their devotion to the gem. They are quite close to her, for whatever reason, and will not simply let her die.

9:02 AM, Pacific Standard Time

Raven set the fork down and pushed away the cleaned plate. She dabbed at her mouth with her napkin and sighed in content.

Beast Boy looked at her anxiously. "So...how was it?"

Raven considered. "It was..." Beast Boy braced himself for the worst. "...Delicious," she finished. "And I'm not just saying that."

Beast Boy grinned in relief. "Yeah...you know, it's too bad you never asked me to cook for you before."

"It's one of my only regrets," Raven said. She paused and looked down, before looking back at Beast Boy and continuing. "But...if this really is going to be my last meal...I wouldn't have wanted it any other way."

Under normal circumstances, Beast Boy would be bouncing off the walls with joy. But the way things were...

All he could do in response was cover her hand with his own. "Ditto."

They sat there like that, for what seemed like eternity. Until their peaceful moment was shattered by the painful reminders of what day it was.

The computor screen darkened--not quite turning black, just dark. The room darkened along with it, and, briefly, the sky seemed to turn red. The Titans look on with horror as six words, in flowing, blood-red script, appeared on the screen.

I have come for the Gem...

Instantly, Robin was on his feet. "Track it," he snapped, to no one in particular.

Cyborg opened his arm panel. "The interface says it was broadcast from...oh, no..."

Starfire peered over his arm. "What? Where did it come from?"

Cyborg looked back at her. "From the old library."

"They will resist you, with every last once of strength they have. Do not hesitate; show no mercy. If you can, wait for the traitor to reveal himself before slaying the spawn of Scath."

"You can't! I won't allow it!" Beast Boy snapped.

"You can't speak for me!" Raven retorted.

"Raven, perhaps--"

"Stay the hell out of this!" Raven practically roared. "You can't fight my battles for me. Nobody fights my battles for me. Not even you."

Robin stepped forward. "Raven, he could be right." She glared at him, but Robin was undaunted. "This could be what draws you out. It might actually be best if you stayed here."

Calmer with her leader, Raven shook her head. "You don't understand. Whatever is out there is no doubt well beyond any of you. If it came for me, it'll be strong enough to kill Pavayne, and that's saying something."

Robin stared her down, but Raven held firm. "You need me for this," she said. "Don't argue."

After a moment, Robin finally relented. "Fine," he sighed. He looked at his teammates. "Guys, gals...let's mosey." He strode out the door, with Starfire in tow.

Cyborg and Beast Boy exchanged a look that said "Does he listen to himself when he talks?" before Cyborg exited the living room. Beast Boy started to follow, but stopped when he noticed Raven wasn't with him. He turned to look at her. "You coming?" he asked, almost snapping.

She looked back up at him, her eyes red, brimming with tears. Beast Boy's expression softened. "Raven..."

"It's funny," she said with a brief laugh. "Not three minutes ago, I was enjoying my breakfast...and now..."

A feeling of pure remorse washed over Beast Boy. He took Raven's hand. "Whatever happens," he told her, "I'm with you to the end."

Raven sniffed, but nodded her head and the two left the room together.

"Draw them out, if you must, but let them come to you. Make sure you are at the proper place, in case you fail to destroy the Titans. Let Pavayne finish them, and engage him yourself. I am confident in your ability to defeat the old one."

9:45 AM, PST

They had expected an army, at the least. Hordes of demons, brought forth and gathered by Pavayne, to dispose of the Titans and bring Raven to her knees. They had expected the very hosts of Hell to empty and surround them.

They didn't expect a single, armorless, red demon with an unrealistically large one-handed axe.

He was at least seven feet tall. Blood red skin covered his body. A brush of steel-grey hair covered his scalp. His face was, perhaps, the most unnerving thing about him, besides the weaponry. Two blank, jet-black eyes, a flat, almost nonexistent nose, and two yellowed fangs sticking out from the corners of his mouth. His chest was bare; his legs and waist were covered by iron armor. As the Titans landed around him, he sized each of them up, determining their strengths and weaknesses. After a long moment of silence, he began to chuckle. His chuckle grew, louder, still louder, and echoed off the walls of the derelict buildings around him. His voice was deep and sinister, yet tempered, with a bit of a cultured sound to it. It was an odd combination, to say the least. When at last, he was done laughing, he spoke. "This...this is it. This is all that greets me."

He looked over each Titan a second time. "From what my master had told me, I expected to see great heroes. All I see is a nursery of children, barely old enough to stand on their own." He spat. "Pointless. Simply pointless busywork. And yet, a job is a job."

"I've known you for all of eighteen seconds, and I've had about enough out of you," Robin growled. "Titans, GO!"

Blue sonic energy and green starbolt soared at him, striking him in various places. He grunted, straining from the attack, and looked back at the Titans. "I'd underestimated you..."

Starfire rushed him. She whirled in midair, sending one of her legs at the demon. He ducked, swung his axe, and nearly decapitated Starfire. She swung a fist, aiming for his head. He ducked again, and drove his own fist into her stomach. Starfire's eyes widened, and she fell out of midair, clutching her torso. The demon smirked. One down.

Cyborg and Robin attacked him in tandem. A second volley of blue came at him, blasting him in the chest. He jerked backward, and brought his axe up and around to deflect the next blast, following it up by hurling it through the air. The axe struck Cyborg, embedding itself in his chest. Sparks flew from the wound, and electricity crackled around him. The blue glow that eminated from his body dulled and he shut down, collapsing on the ground.

Behind him, a metal staff soared through the air. The demon sidestepped the attack, grabbed the end of the staff, and swung it in front of him, sending Robin crashing down, facefirst, into the pavement. Satisified, the demon brushed his hands off. "Dissappointing," he muttered, stepping over Robin's body and heading towards Raven.

Beast Boy, the last thing standing between the demon and Raven, charged suddenly, in the form of a triceratops. He lowered his head, looking to impale the demon on one of his horns. He came in striking distance, raised his head up, let out a growl--

Quick as lightning, the demon sidestepped Beast Boy's charge, knelt behind the massive collar of the triceratops, and drove his fist into the back of his neck, toppling the dinosaur. He rose again, and continued his walk towards the hapless witch.

Raven was shaking. She backed away, slowly, until she tripped on a piece of rubble and fell. She inched away from the demon, who stopped a few feet away from her. Raven stared, unsure of what was about to happen.

To her genuine shock, the demon smiled. "I was beginning to think I'd never meet you, Raven," he said, rather pleasently.

Raven's head tilted to one side in confusion. The demon continued. "After all these years, after hearing so much about you from Trigon--"

"You knew Trigon?" she asked.

The demon's smile grew. "He created me. Which technically makes us half-siblings."

Raven didn't know what to say. So she said the obvious thing. "Who are you?"

The demon gave a slight bow. "I am called Krull Kullen. In times past, I led the armies of Trigon on a conquest of a thousand world. Entire races lived and died at his command. But now..." his smile shrunk a bit. "Now I am a hitman for a demon not fit to clean the blood from Trigon's antlers. But I persevere. I may have a new master, but my goal is still the same. There will be a new world, Raven, and I don't particularly care who runs it, so long as I am a part in it."

Raven rose to her feet. "I don't know what Pavayne promised you, but he--"

"Pavayne?" Krull Kullen laughed. "Oh, it's not him. I do have my self-respect. Cassius Pavayne is well beneath my master, I assure you. And, consequently, myself." His fist crashed into Raven's cheek, sending her to the ground once more. "But talk is cheap. Let me end this now."

"Surprise!" Sonic energy blasted Krull Kullen in the back, and he toppled to the ground. He looked up to see Cyborg, on his feet, sonic cannon leveled at Krull Kullen's head. He examined the gaping wound in Cyborg's chest. "I thought I'd killed you!"

Cyborg shrugged. "I've had worse." He fired again, and this time Krull Kullen was fortunate enough to dodge. He never saw the staff coming however, and was struck in the side of the head by Robin. "We all have," he said, and Robin charged again, supplemented by a flurry of starbolts, keeping the demon hitman at bay. He dodged another round of sonic energy, retrieved his axe, deflected a blow from Robin, and--

The T-rex was on him in an instant, massive, green jaws clamping down on the spot where Krull Kullen was standing. He jerked to the side, waited for Beast Boy to raise his head again, and swung the axe. The blade found it's mark, cutting deep into Beast Boy's neck. Instantly, he reverted to human form, gagging on his own blood, clutching his throat and writhing in agony on the ground. Krull Kullen twirled his axe in the air a few times, and raised it over Beast Boy's head.

Mechanical arms grabbed him from behind and flung him backward. With a roar of pure, unfiltered rage, Cyborg unleashed everything--sonic cannons flashed and missiles soared, exploding at and around Krull Kullen.

Behind Cyborg, Raven rushed to Beast Boy's side. "Please," she whispered, holding her hands over the neck wound. "Please, hold on." The wound began to close, and Raven began to ascertain the damage to her friend. The wound was deep, but not fatal. A portion of the jugular had been cut through, but by a stroke of luck, it missed the larynx entirely. Possibly bad luck, she thought, briefly giving herself a bit of comic relief.

The wound closed comepletely. Beast Boy looked up at her. He tried to speak, but winced in pain, and so settled for a grateful look. Raven returned the loving gaze, before being hoisted off the ground by a bloodied, rage-blinded Krull Kullen. "I'm ending this," he snarled. "I'm ending this NOW!" He brought his axe up. In his mind, Beast Boy screamed in terror. The axe came, and bounced off a screen of dark magic. Krull Kullen blinked. "What--"

He never finished his sentence. A fist of pure, black energy smashed him in the stomach, sending him flying backwards. Raven floated a foot off the ground, levitating towards Krull Kullen. "I'm no pushover," she said with the false calm of someone holding back massive amounts of rage. "I'm not weak. I'm not some damsel that needs saving." An invisible blow to the stomach sent Krull Kullen to his knees. "I am the most powerful, most deadly, and most pissed-off witch you have ever and will ever meet." Krull Kullen staggered back to his feet and raised his axe.

"STAY DOWN!" Raven screamed, striking again. Krull Kullen toppled to the ground as Raven closed in on him. "I am Raven Roth, born to Arella and raised in Azarath. I have faced one-eyed pedophiles, gender-confused hypnotic cyborgs, and, yes, my own father, and I have overcome them all, and you are to be no different than any of them."

Krull Kullen stared at Raven and smiled evily. "Funny," he said. "It seems like just yesterday I that met Arella. As I recall, her head bounced when it struck the ground."

Raven locked Krull Kullen in a vice grip, black energy encasing his body. Her mouth gushed profanities and words in no language known to man, and Krull Kullen stood, suspended by Raven's web, enduring unimaginable pain, smiling all the while.

Just a few more seconds, he told himself. Just a few more seconds, just a few more seconds, just a few more--

Carson stood, as he often found himself doing these days, at a window, staring out at the events transpiring, watching with undisguised admiration as Raven manhandled Krull Kullen. Quite a show, isn't it? a disembodied voice asked, almost pleasently.

Carson recognized that voice. Instantly, he raised his shotgun. "Show yourself, you goddamn coward!" he shouted at the darkness.

Pavayne's voice came again. Not likely, he said with a laugh. I have a prior appointment, unforunately.

"You honestly think I'll let you go through with it?" Carson asked.

Of course I don't, Pavayne answered. And I can't have you interfering with my plans. So let me give you something to keep you occupied while I end this sorry world.

Before Carson's eyes, a mist, like a morning fog, appeared. It began to thicken, and finally congeled into a shapeless form. The form twisted and finally took on a human shape. Features began to define themselves. Hair sprouted from the back of it's head and extended to it's upper back. Colors began to seperate and spread across the body--white skin, silvery clothing--a bodysuit, actually--blonde hair--

Suddenly, Carson knew who it was that Pavayne had brought for him. He raised she shotgun defiantly as the final feature-- a black S in a circle, defined by an orange background, appeared in the center of her chest.

Carson was mildly amused. "That's not Terra," he said.

No, but it's close enough, Pavayne responded. A virtual clone, born out of Raven's--and your--memories. It has everything Terra had; looks, powers, skills. Unfortunately, it's somewhat lacking by way of a personality.

Carson smirked. "Do you actually believe, for one instant, that this...this clone can take me?"

This time, Pavayne laughed. Dear boy, he chuckled, You couldn't take when she was a rock.

Terra took a step forward. Play nice, you two.

Raven's attack suddenly ceaced, releasing Krull Kullen, letting him fall to the ground. He coughed up a black liquid that could only be blood and staggered to his feet. Seemingly uninjured, and still full of stamina and guile, Krull Kullen folded his arms and watched with a smug look on his face as Raven lay, on her knees and elbows, clutching at her head.

The other Titans rushed towards her. Starfire got there first. "Raven--"

Black energy expanded outward, sending the Titans flying backward, scattering them across the battlefield. The energy swirled around her in a hurricane of black magic. She raised an arm, aimed it at the old library, and launched an energy blast that flattened the structure, exposing a concrete panel with the Mark of Scath engraved on it.

The energy storm died down. The Titans staggered back to their feet as pages from hundreds of old books rained down on the ground. Raven stood, slowly, carefully, and cracked her neck. "That's better," she said, in a deathly quiet voice.

Beast Boy looked at her, his eyes wide with fear. "R-raven?"

Raven's head turned, and on her face was an evil, ear-to-ear grin. Her eyes were jet black, and when her mouth moved, the voice that spoke was Raven's, the pronunciation was Raven's, but they could tell that it wasn't their friend.

"Raven doesn't live here anymore."

Gee. Could THAT be how they could tell?

Anyway.

The goth coffee house water thing was a reference to SaintH's "The Perils of Titan Dating." Read it, bitch.

Review now, thank ye kindly.

-RR76