The Age Of Akaige

By Pakkrat

Chapter 2: The Head of the Serpent (Part 2)

Note: I do not own Teen Titan, Justice League Unlimited, X-men: Evolution, Spider Man, and a lot of other comic crossovers, including reference to Spawn comics demon called Malebolgia. I do take credit for Akaige, and the Kagejin which are original creations of mine for several of my stories and other pieces. The Malchior/Malebolgia being family angle is from an author called Psychic Werewolf Assassin who came up with that. Read his fic Hunter: The Beginning which is also a good source of action and story.

He is being twirled without knowing, transported without being. His arms outstretched and legs pulled down, this man of red and blue, with web like etchings over his red outfit, is being taken through the realm of red and blues to a very strange mistress. This mistress, an elderly woman with a long red fitting that has her legs long like a serpent. "This is the one…" she speaks with a holistic voice, "The one from that world."

"Indeed…" the next figure is in silver armor, his hair black and a goatee his pointed tuffs on the top have a horn like quality. His eyes are golden, and his voice is more demanding than his counterpart. "He is important to that world's people in one region. The region that will be first to be defiled the one called, New York? Is that the one Madam Web?"

"Yes, Beyonder, that is the one suspected will be first to be taken. However, he is unaware of any other matters that may come to play." Web looks at the mortal they have called and flutters her palms speaking, "Awaken Spider-man, your friends need you."

The man who was suspended in the air, Spider-man, has now been dropped with a loud thwack, screaming and then rubbing his back Spider-man looks around seeing the strange world and the two beings… "Oh boy… Toto we aren't is Kansas anymore."

"Kansas? Toto?" The Beyonder is confused but Web looks over with her red glasses hiding her eyes, "It is a comical relief reference to the film "The Wizard of Oz"."

"…Oh…" The Beyonder nods, "I understand. Bring us the other being Madam Web I feel having those two working together may be difficult at first."

"No kidding…" she smirks as she raises her hands, "It will take some time, and I feel Mr. Parker here is getting very inquisitive."

"What?" Spider-Man was looking until he heard his name, his real name, "Who are you! How do you know my name?" He outstretches his arms to the place around them, "What is this place? What does it have to do with me… and, how many licks to the center of a Tootsie Pop?"

The Beyonder looks to the air with a raised brow, "I am the Beyonder, a being of super-natural power and skill. I am able to traverse and alter realms with great ease, but only when I find it is acceptable. Then, your name and identity was easy as countless worlds I have met and dealt with you. We have been… friends… in other worlds, sort to speak. This place is a place of nothingness, not a real realm merely a meeting place for several beings like myself and Web. What this matter has to do with you is the extermination of your world. That last question… I am not quite sure."

"Exter… Extermination? What the hell do you mean?"

A portal opens, and from it falls something strange. Spiderman looks over and his eyes bulge, "You!"

The large black being stands tall, on his chest a white emblem of a spider. His long forked tongue drips with green drippings and his fangs glint with the razor masses. Growling, and snarling the figure sees Spiderman and his eyes seem to go cruelly vicious, "Spiderman, we have been oh so wishing to break you for what we have endured!" the large black beast leaps forth but Spiderman jumps over the lunge to land behind it. "After all, if it was not for us you would have died, yet we were not prepared for the lonely abyss we have been within! Do you know what we have seen, what we have endured? What we, Venom, have been against?"

The beast, Venom lunges again but it is suspended by the Beyonder's powers in mid air, "What kind of sorcery has us?"

"This is not sorcery it is more a distortion of time causing your own form to stay in stasis, but your other means such as life and thought are still playing."

"We are not appreciative of your analysis! We wish to be freed!"

Madam Web raises her hands speaking, "That is only if you agree to behave yourself. If you do we can let you go."

"We make no promises… but we will restrain ourselves as long as we find it necessary."

The Beyonder lets Venom go, "I feel that is the most we can expect from this creature."

"Okay, so you brought Venom and me here but why? You said extermination, what on earth are you talking about?"

"On your earth," Madam Web creates an orb that shows the earth, "That is what we mean. A force is coming that will cause a great amount of terror and pain. A demon will rise to your world and plunge it in shadow."

"We are not amused." Venom sloshes his tongue before crossing his arms "What makes this our problem?"

Beyonder glares his glowing eyes, "That is your home and world you owe it the respect."

"It is only our human side's world; the other of us is from another planet. We do not find being obligated to that world is good for us."

"I see… either way you do prefer being there than being in the abyss, am I correct?"

"This is more enjoyed than the abyss. However, if we must work with this one," Venom points to an agitated Spider-man "We are not sure it is in our best of interests."

"Perhaps, yet while you are free we expect your actions to be restrained. Do what you feel is necessary but remember who here is giving you freedom."

"What about me?" Spider-man shakes his head, "You just call me here, ask… no tell me to work with him, and then you expect to tell me everything is going to be destroyed but you don't even give me a name?"

"I am not allowed to inform you of the evil directly it is against the laws of our council. Instead, Web and myself may only give you a warning and communicate with you after the beast arrives. Until then you must prepare yourselves, only know that New York will be the first place to be ravaged by the coming of the darkness, and you Spider-man are the one we have chosen to assist in saving that city from absolute annihilation." The Beyonder waves his hands, and the two disappear.

"Hopefully they will act on our warning. It is only a shame we can not give them any real information."

Madam Web nods, "Perhaps, but for now what we told them is all we may. Until he shows himself, our hands are very tied."

"I despise when the chaotic ones can gain such leverage."

"It is not our place to hold grudges; we may only act as we are told to do so. Let us return, he must be wondering what we have done to assist in this matter."

The giant T has four young heroes running around the table. Grabbing at food and items like that the black large metal man teenager, Cyborg lunges his mouth on his fork with three whole pancakes. He inhales, rather than swallows, the pancakes before swishing his sausage links in syrup, "So…" his mouth is muffled with food and his speech causes bits to fall around, "Where's Raven?"

The green pointy eared boy with spiked short hair nods, "Hey, Cy's right. Even Raven normally shows up for a little breakfast." He then swigs some soy milk and pants a breath after a long drink.

The orange skinned, red haired, and somewhat tall and slender Tamaranian princess, Starfire nods with moderate concern, "I am also of the concerning for our friend. Her actions of not joining our morning meal is as many other, disappointing."

The last, but not least figure in a black and gold cape, his strip mask hiding his strong eyes, and in a red vest stood up the leader, boy wonder himself, Robin. "I'll go check on her." He takes a step but when turning around he finds his fork swirling on the plate and the three are eating as before, "Er… about eating my food… never mind."

Robin goes his little way down the halls to one room in particular. That room was the one that belongs to Raven, the strongest and most allusive of the titans. Even now, Robin kind of ponders about the dark sorceress and her missing breakfast. He knocks at the door, no answer? He knocks again and still the same. He puts his ear to the door, listening…

"So… that's what he is?"

Robin raises a brow, who is she talking to? Then the voice, "Why yes, my dear Raven that is whom you have attracted. I must say, it is understandable with your ongoing attitude you would attract something even I don't want to piss off."

Robin looks back, horrified, and in one foul swoop he kicks the door open and has his staff ready, "Malchior!"

Sure enough in a circle is the page wizard Malchior, or rather only a fake to the real beast behind it. "The one who they call leader. How quaint to see you again."

Robin readies to attack but Raven creates a barrier that then protects Malchior but surrounds Robin after. "What are you doing? He's evil."

"I know Robin!" Raven looks back holding Robin there, "But I… I needed his council about something."

"Indeed. I would like to leave before too much occurs. My uncle, Malebolgia will not be such a friendly being to call upon, dearest Raven."

Raven glares her heated eyes, "Shut it Malchior." She slams the book shut and a small 'Ow' is heard before she tosses it in the trunk. Robin is released but Raven goes to another spell. "Raven, what is happening? Who is Malebolgia?"

"He's Malchior's uncle, didn't you listen?"

Robin glares at her next spell, "What are you doing?"

"Trying to summon Malebolgia. I need to know…" Robin grabs her hand and pulls her to his face, "Robin! Let go, I have to finish before…"

"Before what? Tell me Raven! You owe me at least that!"

Raven is silent at first, her eyes then lower and speaks softly, "I didn't know. After we beat my father something else, some evil saw a chance." Robin raises a brow, "I thought it was okay. You saved me, got me out of there. Now, when my father was gone I figured I could be happy but… the void of evil made something else claim our reality, our world. It wants to take the place of my father, and knowing him Trigon might have helped it happen."

Raven turns and sits to then toss some powder, "Robin… close the door I might need you here."

Robin nods and closes the door too. He then sees her sitting legs crossed, so he does the same at her side. "This spell is very beyond my current skill but if I have you here maybe with your strong concentration and mine we can do this." Robin looks at her as she raises her left hand out, and grabs his other hand with her right, "Ready?"

"I guess… so what is Malebolgia?"

"A demon of great evil. He took a hell dimension as his own after defeating its last lord. The dimension he now rules is the Malebolge, one of the highest demonic realms of all time. They say he's so evil, his very stare is like the star of hell in all its forms."

"… We really want to call on something like this?"

"No… but I have no choice Malebolgia has had dealings and run-ins with this one new demon, Akaige."

"Who?"

(I'm using Malebolgia (Mutant Form) since I find it more evil than the one Macfarlane originally made up in his early career.)

Raven chants the spell she learned from Malchior, the circle glows green and soon a fire pit emerges before them. From it yell moans of torment and pain, a large head comes up with six red eyes, gray scaled skin, and twin horns that bend out like a bull, with smaller horns edging out at the jaw line. His arms plant firmly to the ground as only his upper body was able to enter, he was humongous and in truth he shrunk himself to enter as it was. The back of his head rips open with a second mouth, it opens like a fly-trap with a long tongue swashing around for the scream exiting this second mouth. The first mouth, fitting his jaw with small fangs his cruel smile widens on the two who called him. The hoofed feet have three toes with a fourth back toe gripping and holding strongly as the vortex closes to allow him to hang there. "Daughter of Trigon? Have you decided to come and join the way of your father? I know, it would oh so be enjoyed by your father and myself." Malebolgia's six red eyes seem to slink, they were aligned in a vertical row of two, "Wait… there is more to this. I see in your eyes a wish for knowledge, a thirst for recognition, perhaps? What, oh little sorceress, may I sense you ask from one such as I, Malebolgia."

"I need to know…" Raven gulps, his eyes and form are fearful indeed, "To know about the Kagejin."

The name instantly turns Malebolgia's eyes crueler; more rage is in his face, "The Kagejin! You dare bring their name and thoughts of their arrogance to me?"

Raven lowers her head, Robin snaps "Hey! Don't you talk to her like that?"

The eyes glow and soon Robin is feeling a grip over his throat, Raven screams but Malebolgia continues his telekinetic hold, "I am not one to be trifled with child! I am one of the most feared of demonic broods! The most hated, and respected, I am Malebolgia! However, your mentioning their name does make me ponder," Malebolgia lets Robin go and as he is breathing and being healed the bruises in his neck by Raven, Malebolgia grabs his chin asking "What exactly is it you need to know about the Kagejin?"

A man punched a punching bag with a strong right then followed by a left. He keeps punching, plowing fists harder, stronger in each strike. He has on a white T and blue jeans with his hands wrapped in gauze. His hair is in two toughs, black in color he's fairly built. Then a voice, an elderly one asks, "Logan?"

The man who was training turns back his head and goes to a screen, pushing a button he asks "Yeah Charles? What is it?"

"There has been a situation Wolverine. I need you here in the main computer room."

Logan, or as he was also called Wolverine smirks asking "Can I get a bite to eat first?"

"Of course Logan just makes sure you come over when you can."

"No problem Charles." Logan closes off the communication and takes his way on out the door. Passing down woodwork halls after many steel ones, he's now turning into a kitchen. He sighs a little seeing a delicious apple on the table in a bowl. Unsheathing a single razor from his right hand he goes to fork the apple when it suddenly moves off and to someone sitting at the table with. "What the… Hey, Red!"

The red haired girl looks over already biting the apple, "What is it Logan?"

"… Nothing." He snarls a little now reaching for an orange but a puff of smoke and another hand grabs the orange, disappears in smoke, and reappears with smoke at the table, "Hey Jean! So, what are you reading?"

Jean, the red head smiles, "Oh, it's a history book I'm getting ready for the big test tomorrow."

"Test…" the boy who materialized several times has peeled the orange and began eating some slices, "When did they say something about a test?"

"The past week Kurt you know that." Jean gives a sly grin as her blue haired friend with the odd accent pales, "Gee, someone forgot."

"Oh man! I have to ace this thing!"

Logan is curling his right lip at times like this he hates living in a house with super-powered teenagers, mutants. He now turns to see a banana, he reaches but a person runs through the walls, the counter grabbing the banana, and then she skids to the other two asking "Jean? Am I late?"

"No! You're just in time to start studying with Kurt!"

Kurt smiles to the girl with her hair back in a ponytail and looking worriedly at Jean, "Hey Kitty, glad you could make it… of course I didn't even know you wanted to study with me."

"Gee… so lucky." She peels the banana and chomps it with the twitching eye looking at the three of them. "All I wanted was a piece of fruit… one damn piece… in peace…"

Logan turns to leave having a boy walking with red shades, next to him a black boy with his hair shaved fashionably, "If you're going to get some fruit you're too late."

The boy with shades looks as he makes way for the stomping Logan, "What's his problem?"

"Beats me Scott, you know how Logan gets sometimes."

"You're right about that Spyke let's go see the others maybe they know."

Logan storms along meeting one more teenager, the girl has brown hair with a white stripe in it, and black lip-gloss and eye shadow, "What's crawled up your butt this time?"

"Fruit!" Logan storms but stops short from her laughing, "You think something's funny?"

"You have fruit up your butt?"

"What?" He blinks, turning around Logan smiles and sort of snorts a chuckle, "Cute Rogue, why aren't you hanging out with those other brats?"

"I have my reasons. Mainly I'm not in the mood… that, and I kind of don't want to see Scott."

"Oh? You still have a thing for him but Jean has his eyes and ears."

"Yeah that might be it." She shrugs planting her back on the wall, "You worry about yourself and that fruit-salad prairie-dogging your corn hole."

"… Oh very funny." He grumbles off to the main computer room, a small smirk that brat out of them all made him smile actually. They all get under his skin, her especially, but in the end it was the closest thing he's had since a family. Of course, not knowing his past, who and what he really was aside from little tad bits, this place was a welcome change of pace.

Logan enters the computer room and sees in his golden hover chair like device was Charles Xavier, a bald guy without the use of his legs. Either way his power of the mind truly was enough to out do that. Logan also sniffs the air and catches the scent of someone else, a woman he works along side, Storm. "Hey Ororo, so what is all the hub-bub?"

"The professor has been contacted by a friend of his. Some psychic he was talking to warned us of a major concern."

"Oh gee, here I thought it was just some kind of stray cat." Logan smirks to their equal stares, "Hey, a guy can't be blamed for hoping to have a normal day can he?"

"Sadly Logan, the matter is very dire. My friend J'onn is very concerned as he can't find anything on something he saw in a vision. The vision was about some creatures called Kagejin."

"Never heard of em." Logan sees some peanuts and still hungry he moves towards them, "I know, but I used Cerebra and even then I couldn't find anything. Then I felt something in Jump City do you know of it?"

"Jump City? That's kind of between Gotham and Metropolis right? What did you find there?"

"I can't be sure it was like a disturbance more than words." Charles wraps his fingers and cups the bottom of his chin, "I'm concerned Logan, J'onn is not the kind of person to be so scared and if he is this worried I wonder what might be happening. Please go and find out for me." Logan nods and makes to the Black-Jet Storm passes Logan while Professor X says, "Oh, and take the kids with you!"

Logan stops dead on his heels and lowers his head with his fist shaking, "Do I have to?"

J'onn floats at the screens, moving from one to another he sees nothing special. No search found, No search results, the same little bit of nothing on each screen. J'onn sighs as he turns off the searches and floats down the halls bumping into the green wearing black man with a goatee and ring, "Nothing new?"

"No Lantern I still see nothing on these Kagejin creatures I dreamt of."

J'onn passes but Lantern grabs his shoulder, "You sure it wasn't just a dream maybe?"

"I'm certain." J'onn floats past to then disappear; Lantern blinks and begins screaming for the man hunter. J'onn soon finds himself in a room full of books. He is confused until he hears a familiar voice, "Hello J'onn."

J'onn looks behind to see the man in gold and blue, a helmet over his head "Dr. Fate? What is this?"

Another voice comes asking "J'onn? Could you please keep yourself from speaking so loudly?" J'onn sees the golden android Amazo, "I am in a middle of a game." With him is a strange silver man with a surfboard and they both are playing chess.

Dr. Fate grabs J'onn and walks him towards a large wall with a frame of gold hanging on it, "J'onn I called you here because a major ordeal is about to occur. I have information you may want to have, this is," Fate hands over a red cover book, "A book on demons called Kagejin."

"Demons? So these monsters are actually demons?"

"A very deplorable kind at that J'onn. The other matter," Fate moves his hand over the frame and soon it waves with purple color, then an image of a flying green rock in space, "Do you know what that is?"

"Kryptonite?"

"Yes, and do you know what that star represents?"

"Represents?"

Fate nods, "The fate of someone you know personally J'onn the fate of his life going on like always. This piece is getting ready to stop wandering space and soon smash down however. The life it represents is about to come to an end J'onn and I think you know what, and who I mean."

"I do not…" J'onn's eyes seem to then ponder and his mind clicks, "Superman, he's in danger?"

"Yes but not in danger he's dying. Or rather, he is destined to die."

New York city has many a thing to behold. Today, a black limousine pulls in front of a small orphanage. The figure stepping out has a long brown trench, his hair long and his eyes golden like a cat. His strong face snarls, but hearing a girl scream his name his face is warmed, "Mr. Creed!" The man looks up and smirked his feline like features to the girl waving at him from the roof. He screams "Hold on Blink! I'll be up in a minute."

"She's the one Sabertooth?" the other voice is cold, calculating, and his one eye peek out from the door to the roof, "She doesn't seem all that amazing. Are you sure she is worth my time old friend?"

"You'll see She's a lot better than you give her credit." Sabertooth or Creed as he also goes by now walks into the orphanage with his giant boots making loud thuds. The kindly woman sitting at the table with two other girls smiles, "Oh hello Creed! Blink is doing more of that training you taught her. I have to admit she's a great girl always helping around the house." She sighs, "Still, no one wants her as their daughter because of her looks. I mean, her ears are a dead give away she's a mutant. If only they knew how nice she really is."

Creed nods and smiles, "Thanks Elizabeth. I might… be taking her with me."

Elizabeth looks up stunned, "Really? Oh, that would be marvelous! I know she would love that."

"Actually I have a friend who she'd be staying with in Jump City. I'm hoping you won't mind."

"Not at all Creed. I wish for all my girls to grow up in happy homes." Elizabeth looks up to the other girls and asks them to leave, they do and then she motions Creed to a seat opposite of hers. Creed shrugs and sits down, "What is it?"

"This training, I've watched her for a long while now. What exactly do you have planned?"

"Nothing serious trust me. I only wanted her to be able to protect herself."

"I see… Creed, I never asked before but what exactly is going on here? I saw her use her powers and then the needle things she creates with her hands. Is she supposed to be an assassin? I hoped she meant more to you than that!"

"How dare…" Creed snarls before holding his temper, "Elizabeth, Blink means a great deal to me. You remember when I brought her here?" Elizabeth nods, "That fire, the one that killed her parents and left her an orphan at first no one cared when they heard a mutant was still trapped, even a child mutant. I was sort of off about it too; I didn't normally care about anyone but myself. Then, something about the way the people let the building burn, turning away, it sickened me and I decided to save the kid. When I did, she held my hand… she was so small." Creed lowers his face sadly, "I somehow felt like I had to protect her, to make her life worth while. I know what I'm doing may not be the best but it's all I have. I just hope it helps, I really do."

"You mean the training?" Creed nods, to that Elizabeth smiles and just sighs, "Oh well, father knows best right? She always did train even when you were gone I never could convince her to stop. You better get going, she'll go crazy if you don't hurry up and see her."

Creed gives a toothy grin before going up to the roof. On the roof Creed steps only a step before he hears a strange sound of Blink and then he rolls forward letting the lunging figure pass him. Creed sprawls up, his face a snarl but a sort of grin in it. The girl before him is rolling from her lunge and another Blink sound with a black portal that she disappears into. Her powers were the most amazing; she had the power to teleport anywhere. I mean anywhere, she even teleported to JAPAN in one second, ordered sushi and brought it as a gift to Creed on his one visit. That and her skills as an assassin thanks to the training, she knew how to fight and with her feminine grace she out did the lumbering strength of her mentor. Then the needles, purple neon energy needles the size of daggers, she could plunge them into anything and their energy would normally go through most materials.

"So, you want to play kid? Let's play!" Creed roars and soon the sound is heard, he twirls back and latches his hands on the wrists of the phasing girl to then toss her across the roof and skids her to the edge.

Blink bends up her legs and kicks up to now stand. Standing with her needles twirling in her delicate violet skinned hands Creed glares on his student. She has a green outfit that covers her body as one piece bikini, with a long sash falling between the front and back of her legs then the part stops on the top of her chest cupping her upper chest. She was a matured, young woman, 18, maybe 19 Creed never notices though he notices her choice in clothing but not her. The green boots come up her legs to the top of the lower calf, with black netting up the sides where they undid. Her arms had sleeves, but they were merely sleeves not connected to the dress. Instead they go up the arm to the upper bicep, and latch around the middle finger over the backhand. Her face was slender, alluring, and like her skin all over was, violet. Blink has her hair back in a ponytail, with three stray bangs falling to the front of her otherwise tightly knitted pony. The eyes were white but would glow as her emotions grew, Creed found out early in life her emotions triggered her powers strength. With her pointed ears Blink reminds you more of an elf or something, but she was a mutant and Creed kept her hidden because if any others knew about her powers they most likely would want her. In a second she can appear and disappear, kill a man and be gone, she is to all forms the perfect assassin. "Gee Creed that was a nice throw."

"That and your attacks were a little sloppy."

"I didn't like you calling me a kid," she pouts, "I hate when you call me a kid."

"Well you are you act like one." Creed sees her eyes glare amethyst before going normal, "Angry? Why don't you do something about it?" Creed roars up and his hairs flap in his face with the rushing of his body, claws glaring as were his teeth. Blink uses her needle weapons to bounce off his claws. Creed then leaps up, pulling with his leap the large booted feet Blink teleports in a portal away. Creed stomps down crackling some of the roof, Blink reappears inches behind Creed with needles ready.

Creed swings his animal eyes on her and grips her throat. Lifting her into the air he squeezes tightly, Blink's face shows the pain of her throat being crushed. Blink kicks her legs into Creed's chest so he drops her. Blink sweeps her feet knocking Creed down on his back. She leaps on his chest cradling him under her and with her left hand she grabs his throat while holding a needle to her chin with her right. She halts her attack, looking at Creed who is breathing under her with his wide chest raising her up and down, she panics with a slight tint in her cheeks.

"What's wrong?" Creed swings his right fist into her face and flops her on the ground hard. She tries pushing up but a hand grabs the base of her skull from behind, "Don't let yourself get distracted! No matter what never forget what your objective is!" Creed picks her head up off the ground then slams it deep into the roof. "It is a slim chance and risk to life and death!"

Blink disappears, Creed glares and swings behind himself but a portal has just closed. From behind him again, a portal opens and two green booted heels crack into the back of his skull. Creed stumbles forward grabbing his head, Blink leaps down and rolls to then on her knees grab Creed's feet and flips him on his face. Blink pulls out her needles and tosses them; they bend in on their centers and hook Creed by the elbows on the ground. She forms two more and then repeats hooking his knees, and one more on the neck.

Creed heaves a snort of his nose displacing the dust as his face is trapped to the roof. "I hate when you do that."

"I hate when you throw my face into the ground!" Blink glares with her glowing eyes, "Oh, but I shouldn't feel upset should I?"

"I wouldn't…" speaks a voice. Blink looks to have a foot hit her face and plow her onto the roof hard. She looks up seeing the black wearing man with a large pouch belt. His face is hidden in a black and orange mask, letting one cruel eye look her down. "Hello, Blink was it?" The new man playfully shallows his eye, "Let me see just how strong you are, young apprentice."

Blink watches as the man now leaps up with a staff extending. She forges her needles and blocks the swings of this weapon as much as possible. She realizes this man was very skilled. Between the force of his weapon, and movements of his legs as he tries to get them close to buckle her legs she knows automatically he's not just some lunatic in a suit. Blink disappears and reappears on the edge of the roof far away from the attacker.

The attacker swings the staff down and chuckles, "Is that all you can do? Run away, hide like a little scared child?" Blink's eyes glow a little, "Hm, if so I guess I can just kill Sabertooth and be on my way." The attacker grips his staff and the ends gain pointed edges, "By the way, if you ever learn how to really fight the name's Slade!"

Blink disappears and then appears to catch the staff with her needles. Holding it barely the two bare off the shaking weapons. The next thing Slade knows he's in the air, falling? She somehow took him and her to the middle of the street some feet in the air, then she teleports to Creed. Slade grabs and tosses a hook S. The hook catches onto the edge of the roof and he springs with his cable hook to the edge. Blink tries to pull out her needles but they were down hard. "Sorry Creed! I guess I put more strength behind these ones than usual!"

"Little girl." Blink looks to Slade who tosses his staff to the side and raises his fists, "I'm still standing."

Blink glares her eyes with color before leaping and charging with her needles. Slade taps his forearms to her slashes and stabs, pushing them off and past his sides. Slade then lands a palm strike to her collarbone, making her stumble and grabbing her throat. Slade then roundhouse kicks her face making her twirl in the air before falling on her back. Slade raises his heel over his head and slams it down but hits only the roof, she teleported again.

Slade looks behind himself and then all around, four portals have opened around him, "What the…" a fist strikes his jaw, and a foot kicks out his left leg as a knee slams in his gut while a hand grabs his face and Blink comes out holding his face from that portal to then form a needle with her other hand. With a loud scream she thrusts the needle but two arms cross at their wrist to block. She then feels the hands push her own hand down, and then with a dual palm strike she feels her stomach concave with the strike. Blink is falling back on her knee holding the spot as Slade screams and launches his legs in flurries.

Blink blocks her arms, and even her legs as his kicks were so fast. Finally Blink kicks her leg into his own kick to make him stand in simple awe, and with that moment Blink back flip kicks Slade's jaw springing him into the air. While in the air Blink disappears and reappears over Slade and plows both her feet into his stomach arching him to the ground with a great thud. Slade slams hard and makes the roof sort of crackle before Blink is forming her two needles. Blink raises the needles and readies to stab them down in Slade's head when two hands grab her wrists and wrench her hands behind her back. Blink is screaming and kicking when she realizes it was Creed, "Mr. Creed?"

Creed lets Blink go as Slade stands up rubbing his head, "Well? What do you think Slade?"

"She makes to be an interesting Apprentice. Along with my daughter she might be enough to finish what I started."

Blink looks between the two, "Hey… wait… could some one tell me what is going on?"

Creed smiles, "I told you I would find you a place to stay one day. Well, Slade and I knew each other from a while back. I heard he has some problem in Jump City and he needed help. He asked me to help, but I'm busy with Magneto. So we talked and I told him about you." Creed shrugs, "You don't have to go Blink but it is a choice."

Blink is still confused, "But… why can't I go with you?"

"I don't stick around in one place long enough. Truth is I normally move around so much it makes no sense having you with me. Slade can teach you some interesting skills while me I need to stay here in New York and get things settled. Besides, an old friend of mine called Logan seems to be up to something and I want to check it out."

"So you're leaving already Mr. Creed?" she seems to loose her face and her ears droop. Creed notices and thinks for a second, "Hey," he pulls something off his neck and puts them over Blink's neck, "Here, keep it and behave yourself. Slade might be a bit of a pain, but he's still pretty good."

"Don't worry Creed I'll take care of your… girl." Slade's voice seems playful but Creed ignores, "Alright, thanks Slade. Keep in touch I have to get back before that damn Brotherhood catches on I left." Creed leaps off the roof and makes his way on the streets. Blink watches and twiddles the dog-tags on her neck, "Mr. Creed…"

"Don't worry girl I'm sure he'll be seeing you soon enough. Get your things we have a long flight a head of us."

"Where is your home?"

"Jump City, in the abandoned warehouse district." Blink opens a portal and goes in; returning with some bags she kept bagged, and then grabbing Slade she disappears and soon they both are on a building in the warehouse district. Slade blinks at this, "Creed mentioned your powers are very strong. I will be able to put you to some good use."

Blink watches as Slade grabs her bags and takes them with himself over to another roof, "What exactly do you need me for?"

"To finish what I started." Slade leaps again with Blink following, "To end… the Teen Titans."

Raven and Robin have listened for some time to Malebolgia and his tales. Many about the demon lord Akaige were merely rumor. It seems, when he actually committed these conquest like wars with an entire world he hardly ever leaves survivors. That means not that much is really known about the demon. Sure, he was a shadow type, has a massive empire, and has skills of combat ascending most of the demon kin. However, where as Trigon the Terrible is recognized on Tameran for his cruelty Akaige is not. Why? Because, if you survived his attacks you never spoke of them. If you escaped a dying dimension you always tried to pretend that war never occurred. Where Trigon lets survivors tell his tales to make fear spread Akaige was not so much a 'let them spread the word' demon.

Raven sits with Robin, Malebolgia is twirling his one claw over the floor, "May I go now? I abhor being in the presence of mortals like this."

Raven nods, "Yes… Malebolgia."

"Do I not even get a thank you?"

"No."

Malebolgia slinks his eyes before gripping the floor as it widens, "You and your father have much in common. I'll be sure to try and make a deal to get your soul under my control if you'd like?"

"No thank you Malebolgia."

Malebolgia's grin twists, "You're welcome… I knew you'd thank me." He falls into his pit and returns to his hell where Raven closes the portal. She at first just stands there but soon she looks at Robin with her eyes watering, "What are we going to do?"

Robin shrugs, "The same thing we always do stop this guy."

"Didn't you listen? This thing is coming to wage a war. Some times he just plays games, tears into the heroes and lets the worlds be conquered by other demons. This time, he's coming for himself, he's not even… what do we do?"

Robin sees her grabbing her hands, rubbing them in such worry he frowns and hugs her, "its okay we'll take care of it trust me." She lets her head fall on his shoulder, he hears some stuff blowing up outside but he nods, "Let it go Rae, we'll do whatever we can. Trust me."

"I trust you." Raven sniffles and looks up on his neck, "I always do."

Robin smiles from that, "I am the leader after all."

"It's not just that." Raven closes her eyes and he sort of blinks confused, "I believe in you. You always believe we can win."

"Well yeah! We're the teen titans! How can we ever lose?"

Raven looks up at his face so confident and sure. He taps her jaw asking "You want to get breakfast? Then we can tell the team what's going on."

"Aren't you worried a little?"

"Of course I'm worried but we can't just sit back and let this Akaige guy win! Come on, let's get something to eat." He watches her leave smiling, "Thank you Robin."

Robin waits for her to leave before letting his face turn pale and somewhat solemn "This is just great…"

The lab has many men in lab coats moving and nodding with their tablets being scribbled on. This lab was a special research center designed to study… and eliminate the mutant menace. There were many of these facilities but today this one has a special reason to its men. In a deep, underground portion of the facility three scientists run tests as they watch screens with the diodes connected to something on a table.

The something is a large robotic figure with red and black metal. The large form is lying without a head, instead a screen is in the center of the shoulders with its wide shoulders the screen was head sized. The figure though large is human sized, somewhere around 6' tall. The android has boot like feet and four fingers on its hands.

The scientists watch its statistics as the machine is working properly. Then the lights seem to go out, the scientists are confused until there is a large spike in the machine. The arms seem to twitch, the fingers flex and soon the screen on the chest turns on and two golden slits appear for eyes. The scientists look confused until the android stands on the table and points its hands on the scientists. The scientists scream as their bodies are tossed, some even shatter under the powerful blasts.

The robot's screen now moves a golden mouth as it speaks, "Analyzing data," The android is levitating from the table towards the doors and guards merely hold up guns to have the hands fire stronger beams that do not shatter, but burn through the men. "Analyzing completed, I am Nimrod, the ultimate Sentinel. I have been programmed…" an explosion from a bazooka hits the droid but it has no effect. "To open the door, and await the arrival of my master, Akaige."