Captain Blues: Ahoy! Captain Blues of the SS ProtoBreakman is here and I'm here to usher in Rain's final chapter for Silent Shout: Echoes of a Changeling's Heart. Now don't fret, Rain is working on his last chapter for A Symbiotic Bond: A Venomous Titan Reborn as we speak so before I take over for good so Rain take it away.
Rain: Thanks. Out of all the Fandoms that I've written for, saying goodbye to this one is by far the toughest. I found FF so many years ago due to the Teen Titans and my love for BB/Rae. It gave me my passion to write as well. As my dear replacement as stated, After my Venomous Titan update, my time on FF has come to an end so I can focus on my book but Captain Blues will be taking my place and so far, reading the stories he's started to update in my stead is really good. You guys are in good hands. So sit back and enjoy the show.
Mario: Here we go!
Silent Shout: Echoes of a Changeling's Heart
Chapter Six: World's Apart! A Purple Eyed Rival?
The moment the scent of smoke and fire reached his nose, Wanderer looked to Raven and asked "Empath, how many in the building?"
"Thirty civilians. Fifteen on the upper floors, fifteen on the bottom." She replied.
"Good. Can you sense where the instigator of this fire is?" Wanderer asked her.
Raven shut her eyes and said "I can't tell,"
"Hm, save the civilians on the top floors, I will save the ones on the bottom," Wanderer ordered before he lifted his leg and kicked the floor, which caused him to fall through to the room beneath him where a couple were scrambling. "Calm down," Wanderer commanded as Raven floated down behind them.
Wanderer ran to the window and kicked the patio door open and looked down. He could see that the flames were rising towards the middle of the building. "Shit," Wanderer growled out before he rushed to the terrified couple while morphing his arms into the tail of a giraffe and wrapped their torsos. "Hang on," Wanderer commanded as he suddenly ran towards the patio then leapt off, which caused the couple to scream in horror before pterodactyl wings exploded from his back.
He landed on the ground and unfurled his arms from them and said "Call the fire department," before he ran through front door, coating his skin to resemble the Sahara Desert Ant to keep himself from heating up in the flames.
He looked around and saw the concierge on top of the desk and said "Hang on," as he launched his arm, which morphed into an elephant's trunk and wrapped around him before placing him outside. He then withdrew his arm, which morphed back into his arm and continued his trek.
Floor by floor, Wanderer searched and managed to save the remaining civilians but as he got to the last civilian, who was located in the basement, he realized that it was Wintergreen's apprentice. Terra.
But what unnerved him was she didn't look terrified.
In fact, she sat in the middle of a burning room, sitting on a earth-made throne, with a strange orange and black battle-suit on with a face mask on the bottom half of her face. "Hello Wanderer. I was wondering when you would arrive," Terra said.
"You waited down here. You're lucky I knew there were civilians down this deep," Wanderer responded.
"I've come at the behest of my master," Terra began.
"Wilson Wintergreen?" Wanderer questioned.
"That name has served my master well but it is not one that belongs to him," Terra explained. "No, my master's name is Slade Wilson."
"The Infamous Slade…I guess Deathstroke is his name when he's serious. Very well. What did he want from me?" Wanderer asked.
"He's come with an offer or a warning, depending on your answer." Terra told him. "He finds your skills very impressive and wishes for you to join him. If you accept. I shall lead you to him."
"And if I refuse?" Wanderer questioned.
"If you decline, he has ordered for you to die," Terra replied gravely.
"By your hands?" Wanderer asked her. "If so, I doubt you'd even be able to touch me so I'd have to decline."
Terra tilted her head and then sighed. "I had a feeling you would refuse. No matter…" she then stood up, the earth throne crumbling from beneath her as she did so. "You think yourself stronger than the earth I wield?" Terra questioned threateningly.
"Yes," Wanderer confirmed. "But go ahead. Flip that coin if you desire. I have no qualms in proving that our skills are worlds apart."
Wanderer felt the earth begin to rumble at his feet and without hesitation, he leapt backwards into the air to avoid the fiery stalagmite that exploded seconds later in the spot he stood at previously. Wanderer landed and jumped back again, avoiding another stalagmite.
After avoiding five of them, Wanderer leapt into the air and dispersed into a hoard of scarabs, which flew towards Terra, then flew past her, each scarab cutting through her battle suit and leaving deep gashed in her body, before it morphed back into Wanderer, who delivered a brutal kick to her face, which sent her crashing against the wall behind her.
Wanderer fell to the ground and lunged his right hand forward, which morphed into the body of a cobra, with the head replaced with a the head of a ram, which collided with her chest hard, actually sending her through burning wall.
Wanderer withdrew his arm before he separated into scarabs once again and ate through the boulder that was thrown through the hole before they flew into the hole and morphed back to Wanderer.
As he approached Terra, who was now getting to her feet, he morphed his hand into large scorpion pincers while his arm morphed into the arm of an octopus tentacle, which he then twisted his body and whipped towards Terra, who caused a large stone to block the pincers.
The pincers shattered through the earth, which gave Wanderer the opening he needed. He swiftly morphed his right hand into a gorilla's fist, with his arm morphing into octopus tentacle, and launched that through the crumbling earth, which nailed Terra in the chest.
Terra skidded against the floor before she fell to one knee, only for the pincers to grab her neck. Wanderer narrowed his eyes and withdrew his arm, dragging Terra to him before he wrapped his left arm, which morphed into a squid's tentacle, around her body from chest to feet.
"That should stop your earth wielding abilities," Wanderer said. "I told you. You can't beat someone like me."
Terra struggled against his arm as he gave her a mirthless grin. "Now, I'm sure he'll attempt to break you out of your warm jail cell tonight so when he does, you can tell your master that I refuse and when I find him I will bring him to justice, along with you and those that tried to set me up."
"As I told you…Worlds apart. Sleep well," Wanderer's left arm squeezed Terra's body sharply, which caused her to yell in agony before he removed the pincers from her neck and slammed the edge of them against her head, knocking her unconscious.
Wanderer released Terra's body, who fell to the ground in a slump before he walked over and picked her up and hoisted her over his shoulder and walked over to a wall and lifted his foot, which morphed into a T-Rex's foot, and kicked a large hole in the wall, revealing the night sky of Jump City.
He demorphed his leg and walked out into the night sky and placed Terra on the ground before a familiar chill went down his spine.
"How long have you been there?" Wanderer asked as he tore off a bit of his cloak and wrapped it around Terra's wrists and ankles, binding them.
"When you saved the last civilian. I came to find you only to see you talking with Terra," Raven's voice replied from above him. "I'm surprised you're leaving her for me to take her away.
Wanderer turned around to see Raven floating above him, a curious expression on her face. "Considering she works with Slade and considering we both know he will help her escape. No matter how fortified her cell will be…" She continued.
"He will find out my answer one way or another and if she escapes, that's on the police who gave her or him the opportunity but in the end, it doesn't matter," Wanderer said as he stood up. "He'll fall just as easily and unlike her, I won't give him a chance to walk away."
"Your attacks are vicious and yet you showed her mercy. Why?" Raven asked him.
"Does it matter?" Wanderer questioned. "She put up a decent fight. With time, she will become a strong opponent. I just hope she will become a better fight down the line."
"You truly do live to test your limits…" Raven said. Wanderer could hear the hint of understanding in her voice. "You are a curious person…Tell me, what caused you to be down this path?"
Wanderer paused and for a moment, he could hear the faint laugh of a love long lost to time. He shook his head and straightened his back. "I live to fight and grow stronger and to protect those who can't protect themselves. It's a simple as that."
"Your answer is strong but I can sense in your heart, there is more," Raven said as she floated down to him and moved so she could face him. "You intend to fight the Titans still?"
"I do," he answered.
"Then I will inform them and let them know of this challenge. As you've been through several fights, will the day after tomorrow work?" Raven questioned.
"It will," Wanderer replied with a hint on confusion.
Why was she scheduling his fight?
"Good. I will see you then," Raven replied. There was something in her eyes that told him more but Wanderer was having trouble pinpointing but he shrugged it off and walked past her until she shouted "Wanderer!"
He stopped and turned his head to let her know he was listening.
"I don't indulge in fighting for fun very often but I have a feeling you'll be the best fight I've had in a while so bring your best," Raven told him. "Because I will bring mine."
He smirked beneath his hood and gave a nod before he turned away and continued to walk.
Raven didn't have to turn around to know he was gone but as she stood before Terra, she looked at the blonde girl with a curious expression. Raven had fought Terra many times, to the point where she considered the earthbender something of a rival so to see her defeated so soundly and quickly was surprising to her.
Using her powers, Raven lifted the unconscious Terra and murmured "He defeated you so easily…You must have underestimated him…"
From his fight with Starfire to his fight with Terra, there was something about the way her future opponent fought that enticed her. Was it due to how easily he wielded his powers? How wild he looked during combat or was it the mysterious air he carried around himself?
Raven didn't know but she found herself wanting to know more about him.
"He will be a good challenge…." A voice cooed within her mind. "I cannot wait to fight him myself…"
Raven frowned as she forced her demonic side back into silence but as much as she hated that side of her…
She couldn't quell the excitement that raced through her blood.
'I look forward to seeing what you can do against us…And what I can find out about you…'
Rain: I think it's the Naruto writer in me when it comes to Demons but having a Raven that secretly loves to fight is so cool to me. I hope Captain Blues will bring her to justice. And that's it for me. See you guys in A Symbiotic Bond: A Venomous Titan Reborn. Until then…
Mario: See you next time!