First off, yes, I know this was again a late update. I'm very sorry. I won't lie; this was mostly due to my being lazy than being too busy to write. My apologies. I may not finish this by Christmas, but it'll be mostly over by then anyway.
This nice action-packed chapter should satisfy you readers! And to clarify: Calabos does have the hots for Raven. (How could he not??) But he cares about getting his flesh and blood back more.
Disclaimer: I Own Nothing
Chapter 27: To Rescue a Raven
"I hear voices below! I think we're close!" Beast Boy whispered. The group had arrived in what looked like a spacious lobby.
"Well, while we're here, I think now is a good time," Worek said.
"For what?" Beast Boy asked. He watched as the Templar drew a small flask out of his sack. "What is that?"
"A bottle of magic," Worek said with a smile. "Remember that warlock's castle I told you about earlier? We found some of this in there, too."
"Well, what is it?" asked Robin.
"Phoenix-flower nectar. It revitalizes and gives you a boost, making you stronger, faster, and a better fighter. If we all take just a little bit, there should be enough for everyone."
"How long does it last?"
"Only a limited time, but it should be long enough for us. But that's only one thing. This is far more important," he replied as he pulled another item out. This time, it was a small yellowish crystal.
"This is a solar stone," he explained. "It creates an orb of sunlight wherever it is thrown. Most of Calabos's servants are weakened in direct sunlight. Without this, we don't have a chance even with the potion."
"Just out of curiosity, how come you didn't use that earlier when we were ambushed?" Robin asked.
Worek rolled his eyes. "Next time you're surrounded by gnolls trying to kill you, you try fishing around in your sack for something in the dark without getting your head cut off."
"Just asking," Robin replied sourly.
"Alright, enough. Are you sure this will work, Worek?" Beast Boy asked.
He nodded. "I'm sure. If we use them together, we'll win. We were saving these things for a tight spot. I never thought we'd have to use them together."
"Well, there's no time to waste. Let's do it," Cyborg said.
The bottle was quickly passed around as everyone took a sip of the nectar. When he swallowed it, Beast Boy felt a warm sensation spreading to the rest of his body. All his tiredness and fatigue washed away, replaced with new energy. Even his mind and senses seemed sharpened, leaving him feeling ready to take on the world!
"Alright! Let's do this!" he yelled.
Everyone descended the set of stairs quickly, but quietly. As they did, the echoes grew louder. About halfway down, Cyborg suddenly paused and spun around.
"Wait, Jinx!" he said as he grabbed her by the shoulders and spoke rapidly. "I know now is a bad time, but do you think maybe if – when we get back, we could maybe go out to a movie or dinner sometime?"
After blinking, Jinx replied, "Yes, Cyborg. I'd love to." In a move that surprised them both, she grabbed him by the head and locked her lips with his.
"Sweet," Cyborg said when he pulled back. "Sorry, guys."
"No problem. Now let's go!" Beast Boy ordered.
They followed the corridor to a set of large doors. Creeping up, Beast Boy tried peering through the keyhole, but found it too hard to see. Softly as he could, he grabbed the handle and pulled the door open. As it opened, he heard a familiar voice yelling.
"Caldeon! Father and master, come to me!" Calabos shouted.
Beast Boy and the others slowly entered the huge room. It was almost like an arena it was so big. In the dark it was hard to see, but it was impossible to not see the swarm of creatures gathered around the altar. All heads were turned away from the Titans, allowing them to creep in unnoticed.
Then his eyes fell on the one thing that mattered: Raven. She was laying on some kind of alter in front. Only, she wasn't right. She was dressed in some sort of flowing red garb. Her face looked almost zombie-like, as if she had no soul. Her eyes had drained so much they were practically solid white. What had he done to her?!
"Stay quiet," Robin ordered.
"Geez, that's him? That blue-haired guy?" Cyborg asked.
"Behold, my disciples!" Calabos yelled again. Beast Boy's fist clenched. As he did, he felt a hand move to his shoulder.
"Don't worry, he won't kill her. Let him finish. Then he'll be mortal!" Phanos whispered.
Beast Boy reluctantly obeyed. He watched in disgust as the demon traced a finger along her arm.
"Three cuts, and then…a life for a life!" he shouted. One of his servants produced a rather mean-looking dagger. The servant brought Raven's arm up and pressed the dagger to her wrist, drawing blood.
Robin's hand moved to his utility belt, but Worek stopped him.
"Wait! Let him finish! Then he is ours!" he whispered.
Beast Boy almost lost it at that point, but the cut only bled for a moment before mysteriously healing by itself. The servant drained her blood into a small cup and brought it to a black cauldron. He poured it in, and a red smoke erupted from the vessel.
Calabos shouted several words in a language Beast Boy couldn't understand. When he finished, a slow rumbling emerged and the male half-demon started glowing green. He threw his head back as a black bolt of energy shot from Raven's chakra stone into his chest. His eyes flashed white, and black energy swirled and surrounded his body. Gradually, it died down, and when it was done, his head lowered and he started breathing deeply. He was breathing!
The demon's eyes popped open and he looked at his hands.
"It's working…It's working!" he said excitedly. "My flesh is restored, and I can feel the power flowing into me again! I live. I LIIIIIIIIIIIVVEE!" He started laughing maniacally.
"Cyborg, can you hit him from here?" Robin asked.
"Sure can," Cyborg whispered back. A noise from above stopped him. All the teens' heads shot up to see a pair of huge red eyes staring at them from the ceiling.
Reacting quickly, Aalya raised her bow and shot an arrow into the creature's head, but not after it let out a shriek. The noise and the sound it made after it hit the floor caused everyone in the room to stop.
Calabos saw the creature fall. He gasped, and then had an expression that ranged somewhere between fury and utter bewilderment when he finally spotted the Titans hiding in the dark.
"It's you!" he shouted. Every head in the room turned around to see the Titans and their allies in the back.
"Look out!" Cyborg shouted.
The group of teenagers let out a wild battle cry, at which the monsters responded by shouting and clattering their weapons.
"GET THEM!" Calabos yelled in order.
"Titans, go!" Robin yelled.
"Hey, catch!" Worek shouted. His hand grasped the solar stone, and he threw it into the air. The stone exploded in a bright flash, bathing the large room in white light. All the creatures stopped to cover their eyes from the blinding light.
Robin was the first to reach the group. He started by taking out two with his staff, then bringing down another with three sharp kicks to the face. He looked up and saw Calabos still standing over a blank-faced Raven. He wasn't paying attention to the fight, rather trying to get his ritual finished. Robin pulled a bird-a-rang out of his belt, and…
The weapon was ripped out of his hand by someone at his side. He turned to see Eutonos towering over him with furious red eyes. The dark templar crushed the bird-a-rang in his fist with a cry and raised a fist as if to punch Robin. However, a fireball came and struck him in the side, flinging him into and shattering a nearby statue. To his right, Robin saw Phanos wink and flash him a thumbs-up. Robin smiled back, but he knew it wouldn't be long before Eutonos recovered. They had to hurry.
Starfire meanwhile took the above route, using her power of flight to keep the necrowings at bay. The arrows fired by the Zamoans at the creatures made her task a lot easier. Cyborg started out with a loud blast from his sonic cannons straight into the heart of the crowd, sending several tumbling through the air. At his side, Jinx saw a gnoll rushing at Cyborg with a spear. She blasted him with pink energy, causing his weapon to melt into a useless puddle. Seeing this, Cyborg smirked, and finished him off with a punch.
Beast Boy charged as a rhino and rammed two gnolls into the air. After shifting back, looked back at the altar to see what was going on. His eyes widened as he saw Calabos getting ready to use the dagger on her again.
"RAVEN!" he shouted from across the chaos.
Deep down inside, his voice reached some still-living part of Raven. His voice echoed within her, and caused something in her mind to stir. Before Calabos knew what was coming, Raven's eyes snapped open. Her first sight was of Calabos standing over her, looking at her in disbelief.
"How in the world-" his sentence was cut off when Raven brought her fist to connect with his face. She had done it out of instinct, but when she remembered that he was supposed to be ethereal, she grew alarmed. What had happened while she was asleep? Did he get his powers back already?
She rolled off the altar and looked wildly around. Her violet eyes caught a glimpse of a green person standing in the crowd. Wait, no, it couldn't have been…it was him! Beast Boy was alive!
"He's alive…" Raven whispered, feeling tears brimming in her eyes. He had come back! Beast Boy noticed her, and locked eyes with hers.
Unfortunately, it wasn't to last, as Calabos recovered from the blow and grabbed Raven. Raven instantly fought back, struggling to break free. He was stronger than her, but Raven would have broken free had the evil Lekim not come to his aid and held her.
"Raven!" Beast Boy yelled again.
"Beast Boy!" Robin called after seeing Raven come back to life. He wasn't about ready to let Beast Boy get himself killed.
Robin and Beast Boy stopped dead when a familiar face descended from the air and landed in front of them. It was Evad, holding a long sword in one hand and glaring at them both hatefully. The evil templar stared the two down, looking ready to strike any second.
"Beast Boy," Robin said. "You…you go get Raven. I'll hold him off." He knew already there was no way Beast Boy would have settled for vice-versa.
Beast Boy nodded. "Right."
Robin leapt at Evad with his raised bo-staff. Evad blocked the blow with his sword and responded with a slash that came perilously close to splitting Robin's stomach open. The two became locked in furious duel after that, but Robin held back slightly, not wanting to hurt him.
Getting to Raven was a lot easier said than done. His way was literally blocked by a wall of monsters on the ground and in the air, but at this point Beast Boy felt ready to take on the entire universe if he had to. Getting Raven was the only thing that mattered. Unfortunately, the monsters he was fighting were fighting equally as hard to make sure he didn't get her.
He didn't want to change into the Beast either. Not yet, at least. Because then there was the chance he wouldn't be in control, and he'd make a mistake, costing Raven's life. He couldn't let that happen.
Something grabbed Beast Boy by the shoulders and picked him up. He didn't have to look to know it was a necrowing. The beast attempted to ram him into the wall, but Beast Boy shifted into a bee to escape its clutches. In mid-flight he became his sasquatch form, and landed with a rumble. When the creature dove again, he swung his fist at it, knocking it out.
Meanwhile, Cyborg continued to fight his way through the crowd. There was a lot of them, but most of them could barely see well enough in the bright light to fight. After he brought another gnoll down, something tapped him on the back. Thinking it was Jinx, he turned around, but instead found himself staring at a huge white form and two beady yellow eyes.
The troll brought its huge claw up and back-handed Cyborg hard. Hard enough that he flew through the air and landed with a loud clang.
"Is that the best you can do, ugly?" Cyborg said as he got back up. He replied to the monster's hit with a strike of his own. His fist connected with the creature's face, but it didn't quite have the affect he wanted, as the creature was dazed for only a second. Now angry, it grabbed him, picked him up, and slammed him on the ground as if he were a rag doll. It tried to finish him off by smashing his face into the ground, but he brought his hands up to block it just in time. Cyborg rolled away, allowing the troll's fist to hit the ground. He got up as the creature attempted to hit him again. Clearly, this thing wouldn't be easy to bring down.
"Need a little help?" Jinx called from behind. A snap of her fingers, and a wave of pink immersed the creature and sent it back into the wall, but not before barreling over to gnolls that were standing behind it. Bricks smashed and crumbed when it hit the wall, but it still stood. The troll picked up a rather large brick and flung it forward, only narrowly missing Jinx's head.
"Oh, no you don't!" Cyborg shouted. He shot it straight in the chest with his cannon, finally succeeding in knocking it down. But it was far from beaten. The troll got up, now looking even angrier than before.
"I guess this thing doesn't go down easily, does it?" Jinx asked. Just then, a green bolt struck the creature from above. Starfire had come to their aid.
"Jinx! Behind you!" Starfire called. Jinx spun around to see an axe flying toward her face. She quickly spun to dodge it, and then sent a kick at the gnoll who was wielding it. A pink blast finished it off, but not before the troll charged them.
"All at once! One, two, three!" Cyborg yelled. Blue, pink, and green hit the troll at the same time.
"God, how is this thing still standing??" Cyborg shouted in disbelief as it got up yet again. The creature picked up another object – this one being an unfortunate gnoll – and hurled the living projectile at them. After they dodged it, the beast wasted no time and charged. The three moved to dodge it, but Jinx wasn't fast enough. The trolls shoulder barely collided with her right side and sent her flying.
"Jinx! No!" Cyborg yelled. He rushed over to make sure he was okay, leaving Starfire to deal with the troll. She delivered a hard blow to its face, but this did little to hurt it. She zipped and did aerial somersaults as the swung wildly to bring her down, almost like a human batting at a mosquito.
"The neck! Aim for its neck!" she heard Worek shout from across the room. Not an easy task, considering the troll had almost no neck at all.
Starfire focused her eyes and saw just a narrow space of flesh under its head. After taking careful aim, se shot a green bolt at the creature, right at the small spot where its head connected to its torso. This time, Starfire watched in surprise as the creature roared in pain as dark blood gushed from the wound.
"Gross," Starfire muttered. She finished the creature off with another blast, and it collapsed in a huge heap.
"Jinx! You alright?" Cyborg asked at her side. To his huge relief, the mage was alright.
"I think so," she replied, sounding quite shaken. She was nursing the right side of her chest, as he would have expected.
"Good, cause you're not getting out of this date that easily," he said. Jinx managed a weak smile and slapped him playfully across the face.
Robin quickly realized that if he held back for too long, he might not be alive much longer. He had been hesitant to go all out, but Evad wasn't holding back. Many times he had come close to hacking off one of Robin's limbs (or his head), and showed no signs of stopping. Robin was an expert in non-lethal force, but it didn't help that Evad himself was almost as fast as he was, and every time Robin seemed to land a blow, Evad would simply de-materialize to avoid it.
Eutonos had by now recovered, and had joined the fray swinging his axe. Worek and Phanos had resorted to dueling him two-on-one, while the Zamons took care of the rest. The only one who hadn't joined yet was Lekim, who was standing by Calabos's side on the altar. The evil mage was caught between joining the battle and standing behind to protect his "master". He didn't have much choice, since Raven was struggling so much he had to assist in holding her down.
"It won't hurt! Just let me!" Calabos yelled. After several unsuccessful attempts, he managed to slit her arm again, drawing blood. He quickly put the blood in the cauldron again, causing it to smoke a second time. Like he said, there was really no pain, but it didn't make Raven any less angry.
"You bastard!" she hissed. She would have struck him had her arms not been held.
"Quit struggling!" he replied. "You're only making it worse!"
"Raven! Keep fighting!" Beast Boy shouted after he brought down another gnoll. A hand grabbed his shoulder and spun him around.
"Hello again," Eutonos said to him. Beast Boy felt Eutonos land a powerful punch to the side of his face that knocked him clear back. The changeling felt his vision go blurry, but only for a second. Miraculously, it didn't hurt as much as he thought it would. It had to have been the potion affecting him.
"Goodbye!" Beast Boy said as he got up. He sprinted forward, shifted into a rhino again, and rammed the templar head on. Eutonos wasn't ready for it, and was flung back by Beast Boy's blow.
Up on the altar, Calabos tried to make the third incision on Raven's arm, but found it difficult with how much she was struggling. Cyborg, with nobody to fight at the moment, charged up his sonic cannon with a grin on his face. However, Calabos noticed this out of the corner of his eye.
"Here, take her!" he ordered Lekim. Just as he did, Cyborg fired his cannon straight at the demon. The sorcerer narrowly avoided the blast only by diving out of the way. The bolt came close enough to singe the edge of his cloak, but not much else.
Starfire now was close enough to the altar to be in striking distance. She readied her star bolts to strike and fired. Calabos saw this too coming, and quickly threw up a red shield to block it. Starfire 'humphed' in disappointment.
"Lekim, take care of her!" the male half-demon ordered. The lightning mage descended from the altar to join the fight for the first time. His eyes glowed blue and sparks of electricity started flowing through his body, but Starfire didn't budge.
Lekim finally let loose a blast of lightning from his fingertips. Starfire leapt out of the way at the last minute, did an aerial somersault, and countered with a green bolt into the templar's chest. With a cry, the templar was flung back, and fell to the ground with a shocked expression.
Back in the fray, Robin used a leg-swipe to catch Evad off his guard. The templar fell flat on his back, and Robin wheeled around to strike with his staff. The templar turned ethereal just in time for the staff to pass through his head, and within seconds was back on his feet. While Evad was holding his own, he was clearly getting frustrated at not being able to take down his opponent. His frustration had grown to the point of him becoming reckless. Finally, he made an errant strike at Robin, who quickly countered with a hard kick to the templar's head. The templar sailed through the air and landed just a few feet short of the altar.
"I've had enough!" Calabos yelled. By now, he had grown nothing short of furious. His frustration had mounted not just from his ritual almost being ruined, but at his army being demolished by a mere handful of "children". By now, most of them now lay dead or unconscious on the floor. (The Titans being responsible for most of the unconscious ones)
A red wave shot from his fingertips at Raven, and her body instantly froze. With her struggling finally over, he was free to make the last cut on her arm. With a grin, he threw the last few drops of her blood into the cauldron. It smoked for the third time, and Calabos felt the power flow back into his body. But it was not over. Raven still had to die, or it would never be complete. He couldn't do it here, either, as the Titans were perilously close to getting to him.
"Enough! Evad! Clear a path!" Calabos ordered.
"With pleasure," the templar hissed as he got up. He thrust his palm forward, and a sharp gust blew straight down the middle of the room, blowing away every body caught in its path. With that, Calabos picked up Raven and flew down the path and out the doors, with Lekim and Evad following.
Beast Boy cursed loudly and felt his fists clench. He couldn't let Raven down. He couldn't. His mind raced. Wait a minute – the necrowings. They were animals to, right? Why couldn't he shift into one of them? He shut his eyes and focused hard. He imagined their large wings, sharp claws, crests, and red eyes. He smirked in satisfaction as he felt his body shift and grow. His fingers grew long and sharp while large wings sprouted from his back.
Beast Boy opened his large eyes and focused on flying. He literally flew straight up into the air, catching him off guard with the speed. When he finally got himself under control, he flew straight for the doors with blinding speed. With a lout shriek he zipped by Robin who, noticed the green streak fly over his head.
"Beast Boy!" he called. He looked around to survey what was left. By now, most of Calabos's servants had been finished off; the solar stone still glowing brightly like a beacon of hope.
"Titans, go ahead! We'll take care of the rest and catch up!" Aalya called.
"Titans, follow me!" Robin shouted. Cyborg, Starfire, and Jinx rushed to his side. Not wasting a minute, they followed Beast Boy out the door.
"Beast Boy?" Robin called. He saw a green shape pass around the corner to the left. "Starfire, follow him!"
The alien nodded and was off in a green flash. Beast Boy didn't stop, he was so bent on getting to Raven.
Robin, Cyborg, and Jinx were chasing them down the hall when a gray mist appeared from a crack in the floor. Robin didn't have to guess to know what was coming. The mist materialized into Evad, who looked ready to kill. Behind them, a bolt of lightning struck, and Lekim appeared from the ceiling, trapping them.
"Going somewhere?" Evad asked mockingly.
"Oh great, not these guys again!" Cyborg moaned.
Air started swirling around Evad's hand, while lightning bolts danced around Lekim's body.
"What shall we do with them, brother?" Lekim asked.
"How about we grind them into dust and burn them to a crisp?" Evad suggested evilly.
"Sounds fine to me," his brother answered. Lightning shot from his fingertips, narrowly missing Jinx. A second bolt struck the floor in front, and started gradually making its way toward the titans. On the other end, Evad had summoned a cyclone that filled up the entire hallway and was creeping toward them.
"Great, what do we do now?" Cyborg asked.
"I'm working on it," Robin answered.
"Here!" Jinx yelled. She shot pink magic at a nearby statue, causing it to fall over in front of the cyclone. The cyclone picked it up accidentally, causing it to bang violently off the walls. Now unable to control it, Evad accidentally let the statue slip from the cyclone, sending it hurtling down the hall. The Titans ducked to clear the statue, but Lekim didn't see it coming until it was too late. The statue rammed into him head on, throwing him down the hall. Evad gaped at his fallen brother, and was too distracted yet again to notice Robin pull out a bird-a-rang. The weapon zipped and hit him straight in the head, knocking him out cold.
"Damn, Jinx. That was brilliant," Cyborg said.
"Good work, Jinx! Now let's find Beast Boy!" Robin ordered.
Said changeling was pursuing Calabos down the winding halls. His current form was fast, but hard to control in the narrow passages. At any point he expected Calabos to phase-shift through a wall, but it never happened. He apparently didn't have that power, or simply didn't recover it yet. Raven was struggling violently to escape his grasp, but couldn't break free.
Suddenly, Beast Boy found a big break when the demon unintentionally stopped and came to a dead end. The hallway had abruptly ended in a large, dimly-lit room. The only things in the room were what looked like shelves of food supplies and a well.
Trapped, Calabos stopped dead in his tracks, landed, and turned around to face Beast Boy. The changeling stopped as well, shifting into his normal form several feet away. The only thing that stopped him from moving was Calabos holding the dagger against Raven's throat.
"Enough Calabos," Beast Boy panted. "It's over. Your army's been beaten. Give her back."
"Over? It's far from over!" he shouted in retort. "All I have to do is move this dagger an inch, and it's all over for you."
"You kill her, you die," Beast Boy threatened.
"Oh really? Think you can take me on yourself?" Calabos threatened back.
"If I have to, yes," Beast Boy said.
"Just kill him, Beast Boy," Raven said. "Don't worry about me. He won't have time to-"
"Silence!" Calabos ordered.
"Hold it right there!" a feminine voice shouted. All three turned to see Starfire descend, eyes glowing green, and an arm outstretched threateningly. "You shall not harm her!"
'Starfire, you're an angel,' Beast Boy thought.
"Take one step closer and she dies!" Calabos hissed. "You will not ruin this! You will not ruin this for me!"
"Is that so?" another voice asked. This time, it was Worek and Phanos. Beast Boy could practically see the rage in Calabos's eyes, but there was something else: fear. And Beast Boy loved it.
"How did you find us?" Beast Boy asked.
"Pure dumb luck," Phanos replied.
"Well, well, well, look who's here," Calabos mocked. "Fire and water think they have a chance. Don't worry, you'll join your friends in serving me later."
"I don't think so. All we have to do is kill you and we'll have them back," Phanos said.
"Let her go now! This is your last warning, Calabos!" Beast Boy shouted.
The half-demon sneered. "Go right ahead, then. Just ask yourself if you really want to risk losing…this." He eyed Raven lustfully.
"Beast Boy, just finish him! Don't worry about me, just do it now!" Raven urged.
"I said silence!" Calabos yelled. He started backing away from the teens, perilously close to the well and started shouting. "You cannot win! Victory is mine! I will have power! You will all die! I…"
As he ranted, a metal object zipped through the air, past Beast Boy's head. The object flew straight at the demon and struck him right in the hand. Calabos cried out in pain as the dagger flew out of his hand and fell to the floor. Beast Boy turned back to see Robin with a triumphant smile on his face. Behind him were Cyborg and Jinx, both smiling as well.
It wasn't over yet. Calabos instinctively let go of Raven and lunged for the dagger. However, Raven got it first. Her hands closed on its handle as Calabos attempted to grab her. Raven would have none of it. She brought the dagger back and slashed him across the arm, drawing blood.
"Yooow!" Calabos cried in pain and shock. He was too surprised to notice Beast Boy come in from his side and ram him. The demon toppled over, and fell straight into the well. His yelling died down as he plunged, leaving everyone shocked.
Beast Boy let out a huge breath and turned to Raven, who was breathing hard and still clutching the dagger. The end of the blade was now stained with Calabos's dark blood.
Raven didn't say anything. After dropping the dagger, she almost tackled Beast Boy, sweeping him in a hug that was so tight, Starfire would have been jealous. When she pulled back, Beast Boy noticed her eyes were glistening.
"I…I thought you were dead," Raven said as she put a hand to his cheek.
"You didn't think you could get rid of me that easily, did you?" Beast Boy asked cheekily. Raven smiled back, and uttered a weak giggle. "Are you alright?"
"I am now," she answered.
"Raven!" Starfire shouted with joy as she hugged her friend. Robin, Cyborg, and Jinx also joined in on the little reunion.
"Don't you ever do that again!" Cyborg said. "You two are going to give me a heart attack one of these days, you know that? Always getting kidnapped and all."
"Here, help me get out of this thing," Raven said in slight disgust at the red garment she wore. Beast Boy helped her slip out of the garment, finding out she only had her black leotard underneath. At this point Raven didn't really care if she had her cloak, she was just happy to be rid of that outfit.
"You sure you're alright?" Robin asked. Raven nodded.
"I'm fine. Luckily for me they only injured my pride," she replied. She then held up her wrists for them to see. "But I'm still kind of useless in a fight."
"Wait a sec. I'll get these damn things off right now," Beast Boy said as he knelt down and picked up the dagger. Cringing slightly, he dipped his fingers in the blood and spread it around. With Calabos's blood still on his hands, he gripped the cuff and gently pried it open. The cuff slipped off and fell to the floor, and Raven watched in amazement as Beast Boy effortlessly did the other. As soon as they were off, Raven rubbed her wrists, feeling like heaven to get those off. Like someone had flicked the on switch, she felt her powers flowing into her again.
"How…how did…?" she asked.
"Calabos said they were bound to him," Beast Boy said. "He was right. They would only open if he did it. Or at least, as long as some part of him did it."
Raven said nothing, instead choosing to hug him again. A loud, monstrous roar from deep below the well interrupted their moment. A column of water shot from the well, followed by a black shape. It was Calabos, looking ready to explode with rage. The half-demon's body swirled with red energy, his eyes had gone black, and his teeth had sharpened into fangs.
"YOU CHILDREN HAVE STOOD IN MY WAY FOR THE LAST TIME!" he screamed. He roared again, and the titans watched in horror as his body began to mutate and grow. His teeth started growing longer as his skin began darkening into pitch black.
Beast Boy felt a hand grab his shoulder. He turned to see Worek, looking like he had seen a ghost. The water mage only uttered one word:
"Run."
I know you all hate me now. What would a good story be without cliffhangers? Coming up next: the final showdown!
One note: as for Raven's cuffs, you're probably wondering how Beast Boy knew how to get them off. There was supposed to be a scene earlier in which Worek explained to Beast Boy how they worked, and gave him an idea of how they might be removed. However, me being the klutz I am, I forgot to write it. I didn't add it to this chapter, as it would have been too hard to fit in. So I hope that clears things up.
As always, let me know what you think. I'll try and have the next one up as soon as possible, though it might not be for another two weeks as finals are coming up. My apologies.