CHRONICLES OF AZARATH
CHAPTER THREE
Truth
At the same time that I saw the Lamb open the first of
the seven seals, I heard one of the four living creatures
shout with a voice like thunder. It said, "Come out!"
Then I saw a white horse. Its rider carried a bow and
was given a crown. He had already won some victories
and he went out to win some more.
--Revelations, chapter six.
"Raven," Moya said in a voice that betrayed his calm demeanor, "you are with child."
"No," the now limp form of a girl managed to choke out, "I can't be…"
"I'm sorry, but it's the truth. You know that there are no laws against the act your brother committed."
"I—I know." She said as she latched onto her long lost friend.
"And you know the consequences of not going through with it, right?" Moya asked as he put his arm around her. His supernatural warmth seeped into her and strangely soothed her.
Raven shook her head as a reply, her blue-violet locks flopped about. Moya sighed and said, "The most common ones are loss of all magical ability, mental instability, depression and blood lust. There are others, I'm not sure how they'll manifest though."
"I see," Raven said numbly, as the information she was given slowly seeped into her consciousness. "So, I am forced to carry my brother's child?" she asked.
"Unfortunately, yes."
With the news that she was forced to carry her unwanted child, suppressed memories rose unbidden to the surface of her mind. Her mother's final breath spent trying to tell her daughter to leave their forsaken world. A younger Raven's tears dripped onto the lukewarm blood of her mother's hand, her father beating her in a drunken rage, yelling at her in slurred Azarathian words that the three-cycle-old version of herself did not understand. Raven tried to keep the memories at bay; when one was dragged successfully into the Abyss of her mind, another would take its place.
The walls Raven had erected against the world she lived in broke down in seconds. She sobbed into Moya's protective form for what may have been hours, until she cried herself to sleep.
O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O
Once Raven had fallen asleep, Moya gently laid her back on her bed and left her room. He found himself back into the main living area. He saw Robin, Beast Boy and Cyborg playing a game of some sort on a large display screen while the young woman from Tamaran cheered them on.
Moya watched in amusement, it appeared that the three Titans playing the game were against a team of three opponents via a complex network of telecommunication lines. It had come down to a last minute decision from Cyborg, which inevitably cost them the game. As the three teens cursed their rotten luck, Starfire tried her best to cheer them up.
At this point, Moya let his presence be known to the four teens, "I see that you lost your game."
"Yeah," Cyborg said, "it's okay though. They're the only team that's been able to beat us and vise versa."
"And the first one to get ten wins gets lunch at the losing team's expense." Robin said then changed the subject, "How's Raven?"
Moya took a moment to form the proper words for an appropriate answer, "She is …as well as can be expected considering…"
"'Considering?'" Beast Boy asked, "Considering what?"
"She will tell you when she is ready." Moya said then asked, "Are any of you familiar with the legend of the Scroll of Seven Seals?"
"It sounds vaguely familiar," Robin said, apparently in very deep thought.
"Yes, I have!" Starfire shouted, levitating in blissful joy.
"I would like to know what you know," Moya asked.
"Ok," Starfire said as she floated down. "An evil sorcerer, who called himself Aramil, ruled the cosmos with a fist of iron. A Tamaranean challenged him and after a long battle he succeeded by turning Aramil into a scroll. He sealed the scroll with seven seals and threw it into the boundless reaches of space." She took a needed breath and added, "It is a most wonderful time of bed story."
"You are almost correct, Princess of Tamaran." Moya said, "The Scroll of Seven Seals was indeed hidden. Except that, each seal represents a cataclysmic event for every planet that has sentient life on it. A god created it by the name of Lucifer. Some of you may know him as the Archangel.
"Upon the creation of this destructive item, the King of the Gods hid it on a remote planet. Seven keys were created and the only way to reach the Sealed Scroll is to unlock its crypt with the Seven Keys. This act angered Lucifer so much that he staged an uprising on the Immortal Planes. He was banished to a small planet and sealed there with his followers to burn forever in the Lake of Eternal Fire.
"The victors celebrated what one would call a Pyrrhic victory. They did not have the strength to guard the Seven Keys and so they scattered them through out the cosmos." Moya took in a breath of air as he finished his tale.
"How do you know all of this?" Beast Boy asked.
"I have one of the Seven Keys." Moya replied.
"You do?" Starfire asked, "May I please see it?"
Moya withdrew his silver pendant and showed it to the four teens. "This is the Sigil of Azarath, one of the Seven Keys to the Shrine of the Sealed Scroll." He said as a matter of fact. He sighed and said, "I know that you are all wondering why I am here, right?"
The Titans murmured their assent, some clearer than others, and Moya continued, "I came here to escape persecution. Our Azarathian king was slain by a strange being. He declared himself king and deemed that all the Erths were guilty of treason and sentenced us to death. This evil king has two of the Seven Keys. He has the Sword of Dark Demise and the Sapphire of Death."
"What do these keys do?" Robin asked.
"The Sword of Dark Demise grants its user legendary strength and will tear through any armor except armor that has not been enchanted to protect its wearer from evil. The Sapphire of Death prevents its wearer from death and to whomever touches it is immune to all disease. The Sigil of Azarath grants its wearer immunity to all forms of mental and Psionic effects. The Eye of Odin gives its wearer the gift of foresight and clairvoyant abilities as well as being able to scry on others. The Shield of Tsarus negates any spell cast on its user and grants amazing endurance and fortitude. The Staff of Orkney will transform matter into another form; and the Ring of Rebirth prevents its wearer from aging, dying and can resurrect fallen souls." Moya explained.
"Those are powerful keys," Cyborg said, "all mine do is turn on my car and open the garage door."
"I know," Moya said, "I believe that Akaröth knows where the Shield of Tsarus is; he knows that I have the Sigil of Azarath."
"So, Akaröth is the person who killed your king?" Starfire asked.
"Yes he is." Moya sighed and continued, "He is extremely powerful. He destroyed the King's High Guard and the King without using the Keys. Only one person from his Vanguard survived. He didn't tell me how he did though."
Before anyone could form an articulate sentence, the alarm went off. The television's screen changed to that of a map with a blinking red dot on it. "That's the museum!" Robin shouted.
"No ones hit that place in weeks!" Cyborg shouted, "Wonder how they got past my tech?"
Robin turned off the alarm, "Where's Raven? She should have been here by now."
"She is…not to be disturbed," Moya said, "I will take her place."
"If you want to," Robin said, "then go ahead."
O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O
A man in a gold and black armor skirted the shadows and melded with them. He was lean, broad shouldered and muscular. The task that he had given himself he trusted to no one; not even the H.I.V.E. It was as though the Fates favored him tonight. The item he sought had believed to perish in the harsh sands of time. The man stopped at a display case. An overly elongated oval sapphire was on a necklace. Inside the precious stone was a shard of roughly hewn jade that was perpendicular to the oval sapphire.
On the display case, a brief description said what the necklace was: The Cat's Eye necklace, supposedly worn by the mythical enchantress, Morgana le Fay. The most remarkable feature of this necklace is the jade fragment imbedded in it; which gives it its name of Cat's Eye.
"How wrong they are," the man said. He withdrew an object that unfolded itself into an odd square-like structure that allowed a fist sized object to pass through. He placed the object on the display case where it adhered to the smooth, cold glass. A small confirming beep echoed silently in the empty room. The glass shimmered for but a moment as it phase shifted a small area of the glass. The man reached into the display case, his hand passed through the glass as though it were air, and clasped his hand upon the necklace in sweet victory.
"Finally," the man said as he looked at his prize.
"Slade," Robin said in a growl.
"Robin," the man in gold and black armor said, "it's good to see you again."
"Why are you here?" Robin asked, "There's nothing here, so what do you hope to accomplish?"
"On the contrary, Robin," Slade said, "there is an object of great power here. It's in my hand right now." Slade showed the five teens the Cat's Eye necklace.
"The Eye of Odin," Slade and Moya said at the same time. He ripped the jewel off the necklace, placed it next to his covered eye and said, "Odin grant me your sight!" The magnificent gem glowed with an inner light that quickly turned into a blazing, heatless inferno. When the light subsided, the jewel fused itself into Slade's skin; it had bypassed his armor. Yet the jewel showed through the armor as though he was not wearing a helmet.
"You know that the Key won't help you in anything other than physical combat?" Moya asked the armored man known as Slade.
"I know," Slade said calmly, "I won't use this Key to destroy the world, I will save it."
"WHAT!!" Cyborg shouted, "After all those times you tried to kill us, you want to save the world? From what, us?"
"No," Slade said calmly looking at each of the Titans in turn and peered through to their hidden, inner motives. "I will save this world from itself. The human population has become a weed; it has grown out of control. In a matter of decades, they will destroy themselves; you know what I am talking about, right Robin?"
Robin merely made a disgusted face. In his heart, he knew that Slade was right. In a matter of decades, humans would die of starvation because overpopulation; and the world governments knew of this problem too, they were in the process of making a bio weapon that would kill all but the strongest.
Slade continued speaking, "I do not have the power to save this world, but I know someone who does. He has already contacted me with far superior technology, though he has yet to reveal himself to me."
"I cannot allow you to leave here with the Eye of Odin in your possession." Moya said, "If I must fight you, then so be it. Fortes fortuna juvat."
"Ah, fortune favors the brave," Slade said, "You can not hope to stop me. The humans will perish, and I will see to it that the deed succeeds." He leaped down off the balcony he was standing on and landed so gracefully that a swan would have shown jealousy. He pulled out a retractable staff as he charged at the only full human among the group of teens.
Robin blocked the attacks as he took out a similar staff. The others tried to help Robin but only succeeded to be met with resistance from a nameless source. The Titans got up and massaged their aching heads. "What hit us?" Beast Boy asked.
Cyborg got up and felt the invisible barrier. "It's a force field," he muttered in surprise. "How could he…Blood."
"I thought that he was in the jail," Starfire said to a furious Cyborg.
"He must've escaped." Cyborg said in a growling whisper.
A lone figure was in the shadows, slowly becoming clearer as it entered the light. He was wearing a white-gray tunic. Entire portions of his body were replaced with red cybernetic components. His one human eye glared maliciously at the four teens. He walked closer; his highly polished metal gleamed in the dark.
Slash, clang, parry, thrust, block, attack. Their song echoed hauntingly around them. The fight was taking them to all manner of places within the museum. The thin metal slivers made brief flashes of light as they connected and ground against each other. Slade was having an easy time at fighting the Boy Wonder. His powerful artifact gave him the ability to see into the future for but a moment, it was all he needed to gain an advantage over his foe.
Robin leaped backward and threw a Birdarang at his former master. The explosive disk missed its target and returned to the outstretched hand of Robin. "Tsk, tsk, Robin. You're losing your touch. My being away has made you soft. Well it does appear that I will get to save this world after all." Slade said to the panting form that was once his apprentice.
Robin smiled; he had one last trick up his sleeve. He knew it was a big risk but it was one he was forced to make. He gripped his staff with renewed determination and charged. He thrust his staff to the ground and added more momentum to already fast body. In an instant, he retrieved his explosives from one of his many pockets and….
"How did you escape," Cyborg muttered in a deathly whisper.
"I do not need to tell you my abilities," Blood said. He smiled as his arm transformed into a cannon-like object. He pointed it at the Titans and shot it at them just as the force field dissipated. The four teens managed to evade the red beam of energy.
"YOU TOOK MY CANNON!?" Cyborg shouted, blood boiling from anger. His right arm formed into an appendage similar to the cannon Blood had just used.
"This is my creation, Tin Man." Blood said, "It's an ionization chamber, not your sonic cannon."
Cyborg's anger vanished immediately, "That's bad." He managed to mutter. Blood aimed and charged his cannon at Cyborg. "RUN!!" Cyborg shouted as he leaped away from the red beam that struck the floor where he had been standing moments before.
Beast Boy, Starfire and Moya took Blood's lapse in concentration to their advantage. Starfire and Moya combined their abilities and formed a massive energy attack that they threw at Blood. He evaded and fired at the new threat only to have the beam go awry as Beast Boy pounced on him as a muscular panther. Blood grabbed Beast Boy by the neck and threw him with as much strength as he could muster….
Robin threw the explosive disks at Slade. Slade had seen the move as though it were in slow motion. He punched Robin in the chest, knocking the wind out of his skinny body. The sheer force of the blow threw Robin into the nearest wall. Slade used his staff to send the explosives back to Robin where they exploded on the wounded teen; smoke was everywhere. When it cleared….
Beast Boy slammed into a wall, a loud snap was heard. The green panther transformed back into Beast Boy, his right shoulder dangled like wet paper. Starfire's eyes flared a bright green and she charged her energy to proportions that seemed reckless to a stray bystander. She blasted Blood with a barrage of starbolts that he evaded then she let forth a blast of energy from her eyes. Blood failed to realize that the young alien girl could accomplish such a feat and was blasted by her thermonuclear energy.
Blood emerged unharmed and secret compartments opened up and revealed missiles upon missiles, he fired each and every one. The explosions mingled with one that was not in the current room they were in. Starfire, easily evaded the missiles themselves but she remained well within the blast radius as the missiles exploded. She fell onto the floor as fire and burning gases consumed her. Beast Boy transformed into a hardy turtle and prayed to whatever gods were listening that he would not die on this night. He did not get to pray long as blissful darkness greedily consumed him. Cyborg was startled as an indigo sphere of some sort enveloped him and Moya.
Moya released them from their only shield and they charged at the thing that could very well end their lives. Blood charged his cannon; red energy glowed from the opening as it fired at….
Robin could barely breathe. His chest ached every time he drew breath. His eyes stung so much that he was forced to keep them closed. He heard the grinding of rubble and shattered masonry as someone walked to his prone form; all he could do was pray to the gods that it was a friend trying to help him.
A rough and powerful hand clasped his neck and lifted him up with ease. A dull grinding sound echoed through his chest as broken ribs grated against each other. Robin let out a small moan of pain and even that small action sent waves of agony across his chest.
He heard what Slade was saying as though they were on opposite sides of a field, "Perhaps you are one of the weak who will perish when I save this world. I have no more use for you. You played your part; quite well too, I might add."
Slade loosened his grip on the teen and watched him fall painfully onto the broken floor. Robin felt agonizing pressure on his chest as a metal boot put stepped on his chest. He felt more than heard the sound of flesh tearing; he knew that a broken rib had just punctured its way out of his rib cage and into the cold, biting air. The bittersweet tang of blood reached his mouth as a lung slowly filled up with his own life giving blood and leaked out onto the broken floor of the museum….
The red beam of nuclear energy streaked towards Moya, he put up an indigo shield that barely held up against the onslaught. Cyborg charged his cannon and fired at point blank range, the vibrations of air and metal stung the biological ear of the half human. He gritted his teeth and continued to fight the dazed form of Blood.
Moya fought off the remnants of ionized energy and sent a salvo of indigo energy at Blood. Cyborg hit the deck as the vicious energy tore at Blood's armor. Blood staggered back a few steps, burn marks were clearly visible on his armor. Cyborg sprang up out of his prone position and fired another direct shot at Blood; Blood flew into the air and nimbly landed on a balcony.
"I underestimated you," Blood said, "I won't do it again." He charged his ion cannon and said, "I don't think even I could escape this…"
An inferno of red, ionized energy engulfed the room. The entire right side of the museum that they were in vanished under the ionized force of the cannon that blasted them. When the red smoke cleared, a wheezing Moya had placed an indigo shield on the floor that saved the four teens from imminent destruction.
"Another thing like Raven," Blood said, "I should have known…"
Moya fell onto all fours as he gasped for life giving oxygen. Blood said, "I suppose that we will have to settle this the old fashioned way." He turned his cannon back into a hand and charged at Cyborg.
Cyborg barely dodged and attacked with a powerful right hook. Blood evaded and drop kicked him. Cyborg flew into the air and Blood landed nimbly. Cyborg quickly got back up and charged at Blood. The two met in a fierce gridlock and electrocuted Cyborg with his left hand. Cyborg collapsed, smoke rising off his mechanical body; his cybernetic components flickered before they turned off. Slade slowly walked into the room and seen the slaughter that Blood had done.
"Nice job, Head Master," Slade said to Blood, "I didn't think that you could do this to the Teen Titans. You should punish your students more often when they don't produce results."
"I will take that into consideration," Blood said to Slade, "what of the magic user?" he asked.
"Leave him," Slade said coldly, "he is of no threat to us anymore and we already have what we came for." Slade and Brother Blood left the broken museum, leaving the Titans to meet the Reaper as their life was slowly stripped from them….