Ch 11: Legends and Limitations
And here we are at the next installment! Get ready for spells and legends, but mostly legends because the spells are really going to be in chapter twelve. There is some nice Titan fluff in here though! It's pretty much all dialogue, but I hope it's interesting for y'all!
BIG thanks to mcveras for making my day and inspiring me to get on with this chapter sooner than planned. The power of a review, people.
Update: per anonymous' review, I have fixed this so Azarath is a dimension (as it should be) and not mistaken as a planet. Also, pretend it hasn't been destroyed and inhabitants moved to a new plane of existence and whatnot so we don't have to deal with the details of New Azarath... please and thank you. I'm invoking creative license here.
"You two really have some explaining to do," Cyborg said as he looked at Raven.
"Dude I still can't believe you were in Tempest's mind," Beast Boy exclaimed, bits of sandwich flying from his mouth as he spoke. Raven raised an eyebrow and flicked a crumb back towards him from where it had landed a little too close to her mug.
"It was certainly an adventure," the mystic said dryly. The door hissed open and the trio looked up to see Starfire and Robin reenter the room, a bundle resting in Starfire's arms.
"…and that is how we came to defeat Tempest, if only temporarily," Starfire finished. Beast Boy's ears perked up as he heard the end of the story on how they battled Tempest.
"We knocked him out good," the green boy laughed. Raven frowned as she flicked another crumb away from her.
"Man, close your mouth and stop eating like a damn animal," Cyborg said, swatting at Beast Boy. "You're spitting crumbs everywhere. Nasty."
"Oops," Beast Boy shrugged, not a bit sorry. Raven rolled her eyes, causing Robin to laugh as he leaned on the counter across from her. Starfire set the bundle down, careful to only touch the rough cloth wrapped around the swords.
"Do not touch them if you can help it, friends," she reminded them. Raven pushed her mug aside and leaned in closer to the bundle, bright eyes trained on the glowing handles.
"I recognize these," she said slowly. "The runes, that is. I know this magic."
"So you can undo what he did to you?" Robin asked. Raven bit her lip, thinking. All eyes were on her.
"I have a book of spells that should help," she said. "I can get rid of him, but I don't know what I can do about the actual scar. Some magics leave residue, even if it's not exactly harmful or active anymore, per say."
"These are from Sycorax, yes?" Starfire asked Raven. She nodded.
"The ancient runes of the weather mages of Sycorax, yes," Raven said. "My home has some familiarity with their work." Raven hesitated, choosing her next words carefully. "We don't have association with much else of theirs, though." Starfire gave a grim nod.
"Yes, Tamaran is much more familiar with the lore of the galaxies and dimensions," the redhead said.
"Would you two stop talking in code and share with the rest of us?" Cyborg said, frustrated. "This stuff sounds, I don't know, maybe a little important."
"Sorry, Cyborg," Raven said. "These swords are from a different planet called Sycorax. Azarath and Sycorax have… a volatile relationship. I was only able to learn about some of their magic because one of my teachers was well respected by a high priest on Sycorax."
"Tempest went by a different name when he lived there," Starfire interrupted, saving Raven from a complicated story. She shot Starfire a grateful look. "He used to be called Caliban."
"And it's the same dude we heard about when we were on the phone with that lady earlier?" Beast Boy asked.
"The very same," Starfire said.
"There are so many planets," Beast Boy muttered to himself.
"Azarath is a dimension," Raven deadpanned.
"Dude, that's even more complicated," Beast Boy whined. Robin ignored him, his eyes glued on Raven. She had abandoned her task of flicking Beast Boy's crumbs away from her personal space. Instead, she was holding her wrist, her finger gently rubbing the lightning bolt outline on her skin. She had a soft frown on her face, brow wrinkled and lower lip jutting out ever so slightly. Only Robin had heard the story of what she really went through in Tempest's mind. And even to him, it had just been a story. He could not imagine going through all of that in a day. A battle with the HIVE, a personal attack on the roof, a battle with Tempest, and then she was whisked away to an unknown world, all alone, left to face whatever Tempest's mind could cook up for her while she wandered, trying to escape. Robin clenched his jaw. That mark on her wrist was a constant reminder of the man that had enjoyed putting her through hell the past twenty-four hours. Tempest had messed with her mind, and that was something Raven could not, would not, take lightly.
"So what do we do now?" Cyborg mused. "Starfire, feel like telling us a bedtime story?"
"I do believe it is morning," Starfire said. Outside, the sky was still thick with black clouds with no sign of sunlight, but the small clock on the oven said it was early morning.
"Feels like bedtime," Beast Boy grumbled. "We've been up for hours." His words were punctuated by yawns. Robin felt a yawn of his own rise up. Across from him, he saw Raven stifling her own.
"Couch?" Cyborg said.
"Couch," the other four agreed. The five Titans rose and shuffled into the living room, away from the light green numbers that told them it was too early to be awake and too late to still be up.
Cyborg sat heavily on the far end of the couch where he could reach a charger cable. Pulling it towards him, he plugged it into his back and settled himself on the couch, ready to listen to Starfire. Beast Boy jumped over the back of the couch and landed near Cyborg. He laid down on his stomach, feet in the air and resting against the back of the couch. He propped his head up on his fists. Starfire took the middle of the couch, choosing to sit upside down with her head hanging over the edge and legs kicked over the back of the couch, much like her usual sleeping position. On her other side, Raven sank into the cushions, her right side pushed against the back of the couch so her head could rest on the top of it. Robin pushed the ottoman up against the couch in front of Raven. Lying down on his back, he propped his feet up on the back of the couch behind Raven. He grabbed a pillow from the floor and tucked it under his head, allowing him to see all of his friends around the room.
"Comfortable?" Raven said softly, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. Robin gave her a lopsided smile in return and gently knocked his knee against her back.
"Very. Good view, too," he said cheekily. Raven rolled her eyes at him, but he did not miss the slight blush on her cheeks or the quick smile that flashed across her face.
"Story time, Star," Beast Boy yawned.
"I will attempt briefness," she said, her voice sounding strangely high because of her upside down positioning. "The legend of the Thief of Sycorax is well known on my planet. I am surprised I did not make the connection earlier, but the name Tempest has never appeared in the legend. I do wonder if he is attempting to create a new story for himself, but… well, anyway, his true name is Caliban."
"Weird name," Beast Boy huffed. Raven threw a pillow at him.
"He is of Earth, but travelled to the planet Sycorax many years ago in search of knowledge. On Earth, he was an outcast, sent away by his father and mother when they realized he was different. From the research friend Beast Boy did earlier, we now know that is because of the lightning strike out in Deyana."
"Indiana," Robin said.
"That's what I said," Starfire responded. Cyborg smiled.
"So the lady said they lived out in Indiana," Beast Boy piped up. "And Caliban was struck by lightning when he was little, then he acted all weird and so his parents sent him away."
"Yes," Starfire said, continuing. "He disappeared from Earth and somehow found his way to the planet Sycorax. That part of the tale is furry."
"Fuzzy."
"Some say he found an alien on earth that led him there, others say his weather powers caused him to land on this new planet. The weather patterns and atmosphere of Sycorax are very similar to Earth, and he was quite young and had very little control over his powers. Many of my people have their own versions of how he came to Sycorax, but it is of no consequence. The weather mages found him and took him under their wings. They saw great power in the boy and were most curious. They had never met a child with such raw power over storms. It is said he could create tornadoes when he was ten, and hurricanes before he was fifteen," Starfire said.
"It takes up to twenty years of intense training in the temples for a weather mage of Sycorax to learn how to control a thunderstorm," Raven said for comparison.
"It is an honor to be chosen to follow the teachings of the mages," Starfire added. "Caliban trained in the temples and learned their weather magic. One day, he discovered the ancient weapons of Medeca deep in the high temple of Sycorax."
"Those are the swords, right?" Cyborg asked. He looked down at Beast Boy and knocked his foot with his hand; the changeling was falling asleep.
"Yes. They are very powerful and it is dangerous for the wrong person to find them," Starfire said. "Caliban was corrupted by their power, and he decided he no longer needed the teachings of the people of Sycorax. He stole away in the middle of the night with the swords in his possession. In the legend, nobody knows where he goes. Many planets claim they have sighted him, but as we know, he is here, on Earth. The mages could not stop his flight, and to them, he was a child of the universe that fell onto their planet, not a human child of Earth, so they did not know where to start looking. He does not have full understanding or control of the power of the swords. The swords have control of the mind among other things, but only the right person will truly know the extent of their power and how to wield them. Caliban is not that person."
"Well that explains a lot of things," Robin said.
"He thinks the mages are coming for him," Raven added. "He wants to go out with a bang."
"Well, he's not going anywhere anytime soon," said Beast Boy, yawning. "Star and Cy took a chunk out of him earlier."
"I will send word to Galfore that we are in possession of these now," Starfire said.
"But what if the dudes are mad and think we had something to do with the stealing thing?" Beast Boy asked.
"Yeah, I'm not getting tangled up in planet politics," Cyborg said hurriedly.
"They're right," Raven mumbled, half-asleep. "Sycorax doesn't have an abundance of patience when it comes to these things."
"I will request he keep the information secret for the time being," Starfire said. "This way, we can see if there is any, um, 'buzz' about Caliban that has gone around recently. Or about the swords. Legends hold much weight on Tamaran and we will know if the mages have discovered Caliban is now on Earth. I still do not know why he has come here. The swords are from far older legends than Caliban's, and Earth is not the most glorious place to make a legend of oneself. I am sure the mages have been searching the galaxy for them for a long time. Earth usually falls aside when it comes to the politics. Nothing interesting ever really happens here."
"Except Trigon and the apocalypse," Robin murmured. He felt Raven hit his leg.
"Still, in the large scheme, that is smaller news," Starfire yawned out. A light snore escaped Beast Boy. Starfire yawned again. "Perhaps I will call Galfore after a cat nap," she mumbled.
"Good story, Star," Cyborg muttered in his sleep from where he lay sprawled across the end of the couch. Robin smiled fondly at his friends; they really had been up far too long fighting Tempest, fighting for Raven. She was the only one still sitting up. Robin watched as her eyelids drooped, closing as her body leaned forward into the empty space above the couch. Her head jerked backwards as she felt herself fall and Robin stifled a chuckle.
"You can lay down, you know," he murmured. "I think we're safe for now."
Raven glanced at Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Starfire's sleeping forms, then looked sideways at Robin. The cushioned ottoman was at just the right height to almost be an extension of the couch itself. Robin had one hand draped across his chest, the other lying across the empty space on his left side.
"You're taking up all the room," she responded. Robin smiled.
"Am not," he said sleepily. "Besides, I said I wasn't ever letting you out of my sight again. This is me improvising since I can't sleep with my eyes open."
"Your cleverness never fails to impress me," Raven deadpanned.
"Humor me, Rae."
"Only because I feel like I haven't slept in a week." Raven leaned back to her left, lowering herself onto the soft cushions. "Your arm is in the way."
"You don't want a pillow?"
"You call that a pillow?" Raven poked his elbow and the hard muscle of his arm to emphasize her point.
"I can't help it if I'm so strong," Robin chortled. He lifted his head up and slid the pillow over so it was in the middle of the ottoman. "But I'm nice. I'll share." He picked his arm off the space and it joined his other on his chest. Raven moved so her head was resting on the pillow. Her back was pressed against Robin's prone form, but she liked the warmth. The living room was chilly.
Beast Boy mumbled in his sleep and turned on his side, face in the cushions of the back of the couch. Behind her, she felt Robin's breathing even out as he, too, fell asleep. Her heart swelled as she watched her friends. They had been awake for so long, fighting so hard, for her. She levitated a blanket over Beast Boy and she smiled as he curled into the warmth of the fleece. The second blanket she placed over Robin. Her cloak was warm enough for her, and she knew the other two didn't use blankets. Robin turned onto his stomach in his sleep, pulling the blanket tight beneath his chin. His breath tickled the back of Raven's neck and finally let her eyes close, content to sleep with Robin at her side and her friends scattered around her, their auras cloaking her mind in a cocoon of safety and warmth.
…
Safe was, and always would be, a relative term, Tempest decided as he lay on the cold ground of his cave hideout. He was safely out of range of the Titans as well as untraceable in the rock, but he was bleeding heavily. The silver-haired villain gritted his teeth as he poured hydrogen peroxide along his torso, careful not to let it get too close to the large gash in his side. His skin tightened in pain, the blood turning to froth as the peroxide bubbled away on his smaller cuts.
The metal-man and the alien had really done a number on him with those final blasts. Tempest pressed a cloth against his side, biting his lip in pain. He hadn't been quick enough to teleport away, and those energy blasts had just gotten enough of him to make his life very miserable. Not only that, but he had lost his swords and now had absolutely no power over the Azarathian. He only had his weather bending left, but he would make sure to put it to good use as soon as he had the energy to move around again, provided he didn't bleed out and die before then.
Tempest hissed as some of the peroxide dribbled into the large open wound at his side. He quickly wiped at his torso, getting rid of the rest of it. Reaching into a box, he pulled out a length of white bandages and began tightly wrapping it around his abdomen. It wasn't a deep wound, but it was large and painful. The bleeding would stop soon, he hoped.
"And then I'll be back," he murmured to the empty cave.
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