How are you readers enjoying the story thus far? It may be during the school year that I next upload, so the barely constructed schedule I've sorta kept with this may waver a fair bit. Don't worry, I haven't given up on this but depending on my work load it may be longer between uploads. Just check in every once in a while, m'kay?

Uploads may begin to become very inconsistent as I experiment with more stories. If you're ever curious, you can find them on my profile once I upload them.

A dense forest of silhouettes darkened the world around him. All had piercing violet eyes that stared through him, staring at his weakness. "I'll cut all of you down!" He swung through one, it evaporating into a smoky cloud. Then another. And one more. More, and more, and more. Soon a veritable fog had developed, so thick he lost sight of his own hands.

"Just…leave!"

He swung again…again…it felt good…he needed more. "Just…die! You worms don't deserve to…even breathe around me!"

A fiery glow dyed the fog red, encouraging blow after blow on those against him. He hit a black being. Another one. Another. Then a grey skinned one caught his eye.

Her eyes were not consumed by a purple light, but instead were graced with crystalline red irises. She had a sleek bob haircut and black horns that spiraled backward. Her velvety black lips parted.

"Lance…"

"Die…all of you die!" he roared at her, fist wheeling back to prepare a strike.

"Lance…"

"Die!"

Fist balled so tight his fingers burned, he jabbed at her in rage. "Ju-uuuuuuust…DIE!" The ground shook as he struck the wall beside her face. "Die…you don't deserve…to live…" Anger fizzling out he sunk to his knees, hugging his shoulders, feeling tears streak down his cheeks. '…I don't deserve…"

He was spent, only able to kneel and shiver. What he never expected was the satiny touch of delicate fingers on his neck. "Don't worry…" he heard her gently whisper, feeling her thumbs raise his chin so his gaze met hers. "…you're safe…"

Eyes drifting from his lips to his eyes she moved in, him doing the same to her. Words jumbled around in his head, but he could speak none. "What…" A sudden shot of pain rocked the wound at his hip, tearing him from his dream.

…

Morning air pooling in his lungs, his eyes just barely cracked open. It seemed that at her touch, his old wound began to ache. Irked, he gazed down at it. It was old, but still sore. "Oh…son of a…" he breathed, rubbing his face free of sleep. Feeling cool air on his skin, he turned to look out at the shoreline kissing the city.

He felt his eyes weighed by residual exhaustion. He took and breath and rubbed the tiredness away.

The world began to melt.

The whites and beiges in the room fizzled into and out of shadows.

~~~G~U~I~L~T~Y~~~ They were looking at him. At what he had done. ~~~G~U~I~L~T~Y~~~

~~~Y~~~O~~~U~~~~~D~~~I~~~D~~~~~I~~~T~~ Judging. ~~Y~~~O~~~U~~~~~D~~~I~~~D~~~~~I~~~T~~~

~~~I~T~S~~~F~U~N~N~Y~~~W~H~E~N~~~Y~O~U~~~C~R~Y~~ Laughing. ~~I~T~S~~~F~U~N~N~Y~~~W~H~E~N~~~Y~O~U~~~C~R~Y~~~

~~~Y~~~O~~~U~~~~~M~~~O~~~N~~~S~~~T~~~E~~~R~~~ Who? ~~~Y~~~O~~~U~~~~~M~~~O~~~N~~~S~~~T~~~E~~~R~~~

~~~Y~O~U~~~S~H~O~U~L~D~~~B~E~~~D~E~A~D~~~ By whom? ~~~Y~O~U~~~S~H~O~U~L~D~~~B~E~~~D~E~A~D~~~

~~~Y~~O~~U~~~~~D~~E~~S~~E~~R~~V~~E~~~~~I~~T~~~ Why? ~~~Y~~O~~U~~~~~D~~E~~S~~E~~R~~V~~E~~~~~I~~T~~~

~~~Y~O~U~R~E~~~W~O~R~T~H~L~E~S~S~~~ They don't like him. ~~~Y~O~U~R~E~~~W~O~R~T~H~L~E~S~S~~~

~~~ . . . ~~~ . . . ~~~ . . . ~~~ He doesn't like him. ~~~ . . . ~~~ . . . ~~~ . . . ~~~

~~~ . . . ~~~ He's better off dead. ~~~ . . . ~~~

His head was spinning. He gasped air as if choking. He rubbed his eyes again. He breathed away the shaking in his hands. He was okay. "I'm...fine..." Curled up at the foot of his bed, he buried his face in his steel palms. "...I'm fine."

As he sat on the edge of the bed, he dug out the roll of bandages from his jacket's pocket, beginning to cover the more serious wound. Meanwhile, he found himself assessing his circumstances. 'So, how am I going to go about this portal? I don't doubt I could open it with my Holy Seal, but…if the Holy Lands have been lost I'm sure the new residents wouldn't want me there.' Bandage snapping, he tied it off at his hip. "Oohhh…and I'd rather not bring these people into this, even if they agreed to see it" he drawled, rubbing his eyes as he stood. Jacket on and hammer in hand, he exited to the hallway.

Checking out the hammer was something he hadn't done yet, even though he'd fought an army with it. Hands gliding along the grip, he found a hinge in the center, which he could use to bend the shaft to two feet as opposed to four. "A welcome change" he mumbled, hanging the shortened cudgel on his hip.

Few other thoughts crossed his mind as he approached the main room, mainly just worries for his friends…but he knew there would be no benefit in sorrow, and so abandoned those thoughts. As he trod into the room he noticed the cybernetic man and the "energetic string bean" going at a videogame. The stringy one was losing.

"Uwah! C'mon, Cy, gimme a break!" "Hah-ha-hah, ain't happenin' B." Lance sank onto the couch a fair distance from the duo (which wasn't hard because the couch was a giant horseshoe shape at the front of the room), yet it seemed his presence was felt. Beastboy began getting a lead in the race.

"Oh, dude, just in time to see me beat Cy! Hehehe!" Cyborg grumpily locked his jaw in response. There was a question brewing in the guard's mind. "Hey, do you always…" he trailed off, eyes going from screen to teens, "play games around here? Being heroes I'd expect…training?"

"Uh…." Cyborg mumbled, the controller suddenly feeling uncomfortably heavy in his hands. Beastboy shifted as he sat, squeaking "If you're looking for training, uh…we have a couple rooms…" He juggled the answer around in his mind. 'Hmm…the situation in the Holy Lands is dire, but…there's no guarantee that if I go I'll be able to…do anything. I may as well peruse this world for a bit.' "Mm. Which hall?"

…

He heard the scuffles and clangs of boots and blades as he rounded the hall. The scent of sweat, the faintly dusty air, all had the markings of combat…but his nose told him it was missing something. His gaze turned to the changeling guiding him there. "So, who's here now? Your "Grand Leader?"

This remark took Beastboy off guard, making him retort "H-he's not that kinda guy, honest! Sorry if it seems that way. He's a cool dude, even if he's a stick in the mud sometimes." He knew the feeling. "Mhm, I've met plenty like that…Xynya was the…same." Casting a wary glance on him, the changeling saw his downcast eyes blazing with a stew of sadness and hate. His own mouth opened and closed several times, a jumble of questions in his throat. 'No…he seems real bummed out.'

"You wanna know who she was?"

The shifter's breath hitched behind his sharp teeth. "Do you…like, are you sure?" he chittered, voice as frail as ice. He tried scanning the other's eyes for an answer, but his emotions were deeper inside than were able to be perceived.

"She was the…current…emperor, Gliver's, daughter. I met her a long time ago…. Would you have guessed I've been a holy guard for nearly twelve years?" Pausing to let that hang, he continued. "I was assigned to guard the king, and got to know his daughter as well as him." Airily chuckling, he finished "Never would have thought she was a run-around. I made sure we stayed friends, though, and I was…someone she could…absolutely…trust."

The two walked in silence, Lance's eyes glazed over with remembrance. So many things the green teen wanted to ask…and none that wouldn't instill the other with bittersweet nostalgia. While Beastboy knew of the guard's importance, his life wasn't something he wanted to just begin asking about. He'd met many heroes, and there as a trend: the greater the hero, the darker the past. If this guy was really powerful enough to take down an army that could wage a war on heaven…his life probably sucked. He didn't need to remember right now.

"The facility's right around this corner if you wanna blow off steam." "I'm…not sure about that." B blinked a few times. "Why?" His concern unacknowledged, they finally arrived at the vast open room where the heroes honed their skills. Normally the walls were of cold hard steel, but there were some holographic shenanigans going on with cityscapes and such, and the two ladies were training power synergies. Robin sat high in his perch, poised over the control panel. Seeing these two in action always made his skin tingle. Granted all of them could pool their skills and work in conjunction, but something was special about the way their energies mingled. Dark magic twisting around crackling emerald energy; destructive poetry in motion.

Though it was more dramatic on the battlefield, their combined power could take down anything. Especially the robots used for training. The two would switch off on who began a slew of attacks and who followed up; if Starfire began with her heavy melee blows Raven may come in with some matter of dark telekinesis, and had Raven began with dark rays the other would continue with her own beams, the two twining together to turn the mechas into scrap.

Several robot swarms had gone down to a dual power cyclone that whipped around the arena. Enough messing around. Time to send in K08. He grabbed for the mic on the control board. "You two are doing well. I'm sending in K08. He's calibrated to adapt to your attacks. Try and take him down."

There was a heat in their eyes, that readiness for battle. "Starfire, are you ready? Cyborg's been working in this for a while. He said it was very tough." "I am sure we can handle it." At Robin's command the wall at the far end of the room split, the panels hissing as they moved back. "So, Boy Wonder, what are you working on?" He'd only heard one set of daffy footfalls, so Lance's deep tones made him jump. Turning to the surprise guard and the changeling he'd known was beside him, he proudly boasted "K08 is the culmination of state of the art materials and the latest in military training A.I.. I think he'd even give you a fair run for your money." Lance blew air through his nose in response. "I'd beg to differ."

Breeze blowing from the shadowy opening, a single fiery violet light pierced the darkness. "I AM K08. MY SOLE PURPOSE IS…TO ELIMINATE OR BE ELIMINATED. YOUR PERFORMANCE DECIDES YOUR FATE."

This…isn't good…or programmed. "I…what did Cyborg do? This was never the plan…" Over Lance's chuckles he heard Beastboy squeak "Aw yeah! Robot fight!" "So, still think he's all that, Mr. "State of the Art"?" Peeved, Robin set to withdrawing the robot. With some keystrokes the walls shifted back into place, sealing the…well, now prototype, away. At his action the holographs faded and the familiar steel of the room returned. Their expectations shot down, the two women gazed at each other. "So, uh..." the sorceress began, "are we done?" Starfire thought otherwise, gliding up to the control room window. Seeing those inside, she called "Robin, are not you going to release him?"

Leaving the control desk, he announced on the intercom "No, something went wrong. I'm coming down to check his settings." He shook his head as he strode to the door. "Ou-Augh!" Blowing the leader back, the door sparked with thunderbolts. Those with him dropped their clownish guise, Beastboy checking for injuries and Lance inspecting the door. Amid the shock and confusion a muffled mechanical bass shouted. "FIGHT…OR DIE." Halfway through the sound of a wall tearing entered, the crumbled metal clearing a path for the sound.

The hovering alien's voice tried to penetrate the room. "Robin! Are you okay?!" Rushing for the table, Lance tried to pick up the corded mic on the control panel. He heard the crackling of static not a moment before he grabbed it, though. More electricity. And it was a dull, dark blue. The glass to the training room was the only way out…or would be. If Robin hadn't installed carbon fiber panes. Said fighter made it back to his feet. Coughing, he asked "What...was that?" as he peered out the window with the other two.

On the far right side of the room were scraps and sheets of warped metal, the wall now just a deep dark hole. The large violet light hovered in the gloom, two curved, car-length, thin samurai blades reaching out from the darkness. Crossing, slashing apart, and one pointing toward the two women in the distance, the bot bellowed "YOU MUST DIE!"

A dusk blue flame lit up further down in the darkness, carving out the faint outline of the mech. From a small opening in the bottom the gloomy flames poured, the same lights peeking out of a lattice of openings in the hull. This crisscross stopped at the widest point, two yard upwards, where a round shell held the shoulder and neck joints. Some of the midnight blue fire was leaking out of small holes in the ball joints, trailing down to form a leash of bluish-white fire encircling its wrists. A deep, curved blade could faintly been seen vertically mounted atop its head, which consisted of only an orb of steel with a glowing violet eye. The piercing white pupil was fixated on the two before him.

"Rob, we gotta get down there!" the changeling belted, fixing his eyes on the window before morphing into a rhino. Huffing, it rushed the glass. It failed dramatically, dark static blowing the beast back into the rear wall. As if the fiberglass wasn't strong enough, now magic was toughening it. Changing back, he groaned "Aw, dude...not cool..." Heavenly power wrapped Lance's hands as he investigated the window. "This is the least fortified area. Maybe I can get the glass off, but whatever magic is stopping us is strong. Give me a minute." As he charged light in his palm, flames sputtered from the bottom of the mech's spine. It lurched forward at incredible speed for a robot so large, his twin blades jousting toward Raven.

Robin heard a muffled clang of metal as he clenched his eyes shut.

Raven! Her barrier…No, her barrier had been broken. It's Starfire, the mech's wrists braced against her hands. Her arms subtly shook as she fought with the mech. She can't hold out, despite her strength; one of the robot's arms wound back to strike, the fact that the remaining arm was still giving her a run for her money sealing that deal. In a flash of blades, the scene changed.

"She…he…When did he get here?" Beastboy stammered. Holding the blades at bay was instead Lance, pushing against the arms with the shaft of his hammer. Starfire lay on the floor beside Raven, a long cut down her arm. Despite the robot's sheer size, he was holding it back. Ushering his comrade to follow, Robin dropped from the open window into the training room. Of course, Beastboy splatted on the floor not a moment after. Ever aware, Robin started piecing it together. That thing showed up and they couldn't get out of that room, then it wouldn't abort. The nail in the coffin is Cyborg had told him it wasn't ready before he went to sleep last night. He never wakes up to work, so…'Who made that robot?'

Rushing toward Lance, the Boy Wonder roared "Everyone get back! It's gone rogue!" Raven and Starfire, busy regaining composure, made a retreat to the door. Twisting back over her shoulder she rained down plasma bolts on the robot. Granted it was hard to see through the smoke, he could see some instability in the mech's flight as it and the brawler forced their weapons against each other.

"SCANNING…SCANNING…IDENTITY CONFIRMED. LANCE JARVIS SEVRIS III. 19TH HOLY GENERAL OF THE 7TH MONARCHY OF THE HOLY ISLES. YOU HAVE MADE YOURSELF AN ENEMY OF THE SHADOW ISLES. YOU MUST BE TERMINATED."

"He's what?!" the bystanders exclaimed in unison. If the Shadow Isles are what they think they are, then this could be a lot bigger than expected. Robin reached for the staff on his belt, kicking the ground hard as I rushed at the robot. "Clear the area!" Seeing what he had in mind, Lance took his hammer by the very end of the shaft, wedging the head against the flats of the blades as they pressed against the handle. "I got a better idea" he huffed.

Swinging hard, the robot's arms collapsed inwards, the mech flying to the other end of the room. Recovering at the door, Raven thought 'He used his hammer as a catapult…Not only strong, but smart. I'm thankful he's not against us.' Robin almost stopped running towards him, as he seemed to have it covered. "Hop on!" Poised and ready, the hammer man had his maul slung over his shoulder, with its face upwards. Sprinting toward him, Robin leapt onto the hammer head. They exchanged banter as he prepared himself for the apparent. "You ready to fly?" "If you are." "Then...go!" Lance swung forward, following through to the floor as if throwing a football. Wind hissed past his human bullet as it flew. Robin, prepared, angled his feet forward and his bo staff toward the machine. It had barely recovered from the impact, its glowing eye the only light in the dark part of the room. That's where he would strike

Impact rocking his bones, the lens shattered.

Coughing, Robin dropped off of the pinned mech, glass at his feet and stars in his eyes. Gazing up at the husk that remained of the robot, he shuddered at the thought of its creator. Cyborg would recycle the heap of metal. Turning to his comrades, he surveyed them as they stood at the far end of the room; their faces were distant, yet he could see their surprise. Hammer over his shoulder, Lance strolled up to him "Sorry if I threw you too hard. Just wanted to take care of that thing, is all." He can understand that…but still, his ankles hurt like hell. "We'll have to work on the speed, but I'd give that throw a 10" he chuckled, trying to grin away the pain. Reaching into his pocket for my receiver, he planned to dial Cyborg. *Kssht* "Cyborg, the robot is-" Suddenly shaken, he gazed up. There was alarm in Lance's eyes. "Get back!"

His hammer hooked around Robin's waist to throw him like he had the robot, aimed toward the front of the room and away from some danger. He crashed into Starfire's arms. Rolling off of her, the two sat their in dizziness. "Whoa...dude..." Beastboy mumbled as he stared.

What.

Is.

That.

A huge, glowing, sparking studded steel ball was embedded in the floor before the divine guard, a long link of thick chains spanning the distance to the dark hole in the wall. The chain twitched and jumped with electricity, being swallowed by the darkness as it neared the supposed husk of the robot. Darkness seemed to bleed outwards from the hole…or maybe it was crawling chains. The links lurched once before the massive metal ball hurtled back to the hole and audibly smacked against what sounded like a palm; the orb was held nearly ten feet off the ground.

Something yawned, the glowing violet eye and two small yellow lights shifting in the blackness. "Nnnn-hah! Heehee! Good to be out of that icky shell! Maybe now I can kill you!" Its voice was so…girly? It sounded high and frilly…like if cotton candy could talk.

It was so sweet it was toxic.

Long and slender, a leg emerged from the darkness. It was clad in form-fitting metal for as far as its owner showed. The steel stiletto heel supported the graceful curves of the segmented metal armor all the way up to the thigh, where darkness remained.

"So? C'mon, big guy! Show me how you swing that huge hammer of yours!"

Cyborg, having just walked in in alarm, was now just dumbly staring at the feminine metal leg at the other end of the room. Eyes assaulted him from every direction as he stood their drowning in his own sweat. "I swear I didn't build it!" he huffed out, his face red as a tomato. "Believe us, Cy…we know" Raven mumbled. This was getting weird. Everyone just sort of…gazed around at each other. "Star," Robin whispered, helping her up, "we should get everyone out of here – this looks like Lance's fight." A passion raged in her eyes, and she asserted "But Robin, it is our duty to help the people, and Lance is one of those. We cannot simply leave." She was…right, in a sense, but there's little they could do against a giant from Hell…. "I understand, but…at least let me study her patterns while Lance fights."

Lance, in the distance, twirled his hammer like a baton, drawing circles in the air. "Really, Trying to suck me into some awful word play? I thought you'd be better than that." At his notion, two chains could be heard whizzing around. Every so often a huge violet cannonball would dip out of the darkness before returning. "Heehee! Aw, c'mon, Lancey-Pantsy! How 'bout I show you what I got first, huh? They're big n' round! Perfect…to squish you with!"

The goofy atmosphere was shred apart when two tank-y metal gloves were flung forth from the darkness, twin ball and chains flying toward Lance. They came curving around on either side, ready to pass over one another whilst crushing their adversary to pulp between. Riddled with anticipation, he felt his muscles tense and time slow down. Jerking his heel up to the back of his head, he swung his foot back down and leapt into the air. Twisting his way through the almost nonexistent gap between the twin cannonballs, he slammed his left foot back onto the floor.

Lance's demeanor was inhumanly calm…. Gawking at the move, Cyborg wondered 'Is he...he can't be human, right?' "Well, you certainly move quickly. I don't even know your name and you're throwing these at me? In that case…." Still having just landed, he used the momentum from the twist and swung his right foot around for a roundhouse kick. As he did… "Yah!" A crescent of crackling blue lightning flew in the giant's direction. As the metal balls circled back around, she caught them in the opposite hands, the chains crossing. The arc of lightning hit the chains and dispersed, their owner unfazed.

Metal clinked as a hinge come loose, Lance now whipping the head of his hammer from a long chain in blinding fast yet graceful sweeps. "Into chains, huh? That's makes two of us." With that he took off sprinting. Expertly skipping through and over the whirling chain he was whipping about, he dug his feet into the ground and swung it hard at her from before her feet.

Her chains jerked, circling around the head of the hammer and holding it firmly in place. "Bye bye! Eeh-hee!" She used the chains to twist the weapon from his hands, and forcefully kicked him away in his imbalance. Haphazardly bouncing along the floor caused several deep scrapes to open on his face and hands, and a few tears to appear on his clothes. Careening toward the group at the front of the room, Cyborg caught him. However, the guard was heavier than he'd imagined, and the two slid into the rest. His hammer was unceremoniously thrown after him.

Beastboy was now left in the center of the room, his small frame seeming even smaller under the gaze of the giant. "Hmm...hey there, cutie..." The dulcet tones of a predator. Called on, the changeling froze up. Eyes dead with fear, he stood there nearly swimming in sweat in spite of his white-hot face.

Recovering to a stand, Cyborg reached around to help everyone else up. Lance then busied himself inspecting the tears in his coat. "Wow, she's volatile...disabled the spell on my coat. I know you don't wanna help out, Rob, but I'd appreciate it." Said leader set to waving his hands around in disagreement. "Oh, no, not at all! Feel free to ask us anytime, ha-ha-ha..." 'How did he hear me say that earlier? He was thirty feet away!' ran through his mind, a dejected puss on his face. "Okay. Titans! Let's cut this giant down to size!" "Heh…ha-ha-ha! I have a name, you know! And a title to match, silly!"

With that, she stepped forth from the darkness.

Again…

What.

Is.

That.

He sized her up from what he'd seen first. The stiletto heels and metal clad legs seemed to be wrapped in overlapping ribbons of steel from toe all the way up to her ribs, where the shell ended in two small wing-shaped protrusions from her waist. A metal ring sat around her neck, linking the front and back of her breastplate; it was a single, angular piece that hung from her bust over the beginning of her ribs. Dusk blue designs of eyes reached down from the neck. The glowing violet eye of the robot was instead a large spot that governed her abdominal region, more dark blue etchings spidering out on the armor. Her violet skin was apparent from her shoulders to the bulky mitts of steel on her hands. It was hard to make out her face; she wore an expansive hooded cape that shadowed her nose and eyes.

Beneath the shadows one could make out just up to her pointed, upturned nose. Her glowing yellow eyes pierced the darkness of her hood the same way they had when she stood in shadow. Twin lavender pigtails bounced about her feet as she giggled and skipped, contrasting with the massive spiked cannonballs swinging about.

"Dual-Dual Pulverizer, Kree-Ati! A cute name for a cutie, huh? Heeheehee-ha-ha!"

Swinging around the steel globes, she brought them above her head where a mechanism locked the ends together. Now orbiting the central point at her wrists, she brought the bunch to her hip as she stood in horse stance perpendicular to those at the room's doorway. 'Hmm…her energy spiked. A magic attack?' Raven thought a moment. "So she disables magic on touch?" the changeling began once back with the group. "How about Raven's barrier?" Lance seemed to be wondering as well. "Her and I would need to pool our power to keep her magic from wrecking your house, but yeah. Let's do it!"

He waved the sorceress to the front, making sure she wasn't too injured. Robin was the hesitant one, odd as it may seem. "You sure you can do this?" She returned one of her rare patient smiles. "I can." Standing back, they nervously listened to the two. Looking down at her shorter frame, he questioned "Have you ever created a joint barrier before?" Instead of a yes or no, she responded "I know I can." There was a small smirk on his face. "…Admirable response." Glassily gazing forward, he reached his hand out, steel palm up. He turned to her. "There's nothing to do but match my resonance."

Placing her hand above his she softly chanted her mantra.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos."

A small orb of crackling golden and black energy bubbled to life between their palms.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos."

Growing to bleed out of the constraints of their hands, it softly hummed.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos."

A translucent globe or combined power formed completely around their hands, a golden magic etched with runes swirling around the black bubble like food coloring drifting about water. Anticipation rose in them at the sight.

"Ok, Raven. Let's try it."

The two brought the bundle forwards. In the distance a huge cracking storm of purple lightning was growing between the metal cannonballs that circled her wrists like buzzards. The density and size of it was worrying. "Hey, dummies! Take this!" Throwing the charged ball in their direction sent thunder roaring through the room. Impatient for the barrier, eyes darted between the two mages. "Okay," Lance began, "let's b-bring…it…" Lance went dead. 'Lance. Lance? Lance, now is not the time to….' He was staring into space in a trance, pupils subtly shaking. He was…mumbling very softly.

"…D…I…understand…"

Blinking the trance away, he looked toward the dark storming missile with a look of newfound knowledge. "…Raven, it's not that I doubt you, but I need to cast the spell." Similar to the bystanders' reaction, she gazed up at him. However, she wasn't offended in the least. "Do you…know something I don't?"

"Now I do."

After a brief moment she yielded the globe of magic to him. "Step back." As we gave him space he, in one fluid movement, brought his feet into a wide fighting stance whilst bringing his hands wide apart. A magnificent, crested, triple-pointed pike sprung to life in his metal fists. Its outmost prongs curved up and out to wider, dual pointed tips and the center blade was substantially longer and thinner toward the tip. It wasn't made of metal, but crafted of the same gold and black swirling magic he and Raven had pooled. Bringing the javelin back, he aimed it at the mass of dark energy and threw it hard. Humming with power as it flew it burst through the attack like the stormy mass were water, causing it to dissipate. It continued on in Kree-Ati's direction.

Before it even had traveled long, Lance was already preparing some other attack. His right arm was cocked out in the air beside him as he stood in a horse was now they saw his arms didn't match; this arm was similar to the other, but at the shoulder was a thick ring of metal inlaid with six colored marbles. Red, blue, green, white, yellow, and violet. It likely wasn't just an eccentric design choice. The armor was also less fluid, being made of plates and hinged in several areas. He put the hinges to work, throwing his arm out with such force as to bring all the metal to a bunch at his wrist. Tons of varied scars were plastered on his arm.

"Stand back."

His arm exposed, he eased into a forward lunge. His left hand pressed against the opposite shoulder, and his right arm was…steaming? The more his muscles tensed, the redder and hotter the arm got, sending steam out. Gentle fizzling soon filled the air, veritable clouds of mist rising from his reddened skin. 'This kid is…'

"…Promise not to tell the DPF. They would flip over these guys. Napalm Demon Wave: Surtr!"

Raging flames began to swirl around his feet, licking at his ankles. Stepping through with his right foot he launched a fiery haymaker toward the giant. A searing blast of flame as big as a car was shot, following behind the spear. '…insane' Cyborg finished, gawking at the attack in awe. Kree-Ati crossed her chains again, bracing for the spear. Will it cut? With a shriek of metal, the spearhead cracked apart and dispersed. "Heeheehee! Nice try, dummy- Ack!" Mid-sentence the flames crashed into the chains, reducing them to liquid in an explosion of fire. The giant simply stood in shock, the cannonballs dropping to the floor.

"M…My…weapons…You'll pay for that!" The chains useless, she picked up the globes from the ground. With just the cannonballs, her offenses were crippled. Now was the chance to attack. "Titans, she's vulnerable! Everyone advance!" On the leader's word they all rushed her down. "She's tall for sure, but with all six of us we can't lose!" the green teen bellowed, his pointed ears twitching. "Star, Rae, flank left! Cy, head right! Stay above, Beastboy!" Lance and Robin were in front, ready to deal damage while the rest incapacitated her. AS they sprinted they passed a glance at one another. The guard's sleeve was back down, a fiery yellow energy blazing in his hand. "Robin, get me in close while your pals keep her busy. I'm going to break that eye thing." "Ah, considering it remained even after her transformation, it's a fair bet it does have something to do with her powers." He turned his gaze and grinned. "Shall we, then?" "Let's."

Cyborg and Starfire led the charge, making sure to deftly duck under her feeble swings with the cannonballs in her grip. Beneath her, they forced her legs to buckle and brought her to her knees. Following up, a lumbering green sasquatch leaped onto her back, causing her to brace her hands against the ground; Raven further incapacitated her by binding her hands to the floor with concrete. Now was their chance. Reaching for his belt, the leader grabbed an assortment of throwing discs and threw. Those aimed for her eyes burst into flashes, and several exploded into binding ice at her knees; time to capitalize on her prone state.

"Lance, follow closely!" Rushing under her, he took out my bo staff and wedged it under her ribs to keep her glowing core exposed. Air whipped past his ears as the holy sentinel dashed by. Kree-Ati struggled to lie flat to guard her core, but Lance was already in close with a small sun in his fist. Starting all the way from his hip he launched a huge glowing uppercut, the blow shattering whatever cover had been over her weak point and sending a geyser of light straight through to the other side. From below he could see her face. Her mouth was agape, eyes wide in pain. Robin motioned for them to ease off, leaving the giant to writhe. "Y-You…punks worked together…just like the ants…you are…I wasn't expecting that…"

Collapsing onto her stomach, she became limp. "Especially not…this Lancelot kid getting help…" she whispered. "Whoa, dude…is she…?" Beastboy muttered, cautiously poking her with his foot. Lance, similar to him, wedged a foot under her ribs and rolled her over. He kneeled by her head, checking her pulse and opening an eye to check her pupils.

After a moment, he breathed "She's good. Just passed out." Oh, well that's…What's that around his foot? It's…glowing purple. "Lance, are you sure she's…" Too late. As he tried to get up the tendril quickly spiraled up his leg, dragging him toward the pit in Kree-Ati's abdomen. His voice faltered as he was pulled nearer. "Hey, now! Back off!" Hammer off his waist and into his fist, he swung the scythe down. The blade bounced off harmlessly. In an instant following the strike more violet power grasped at him and the hammer, prying it away. "Nngh…Gh-Gha!" Before anyone could move he was harshly dragged inside the hole, his claws raking at the floor doing little to help him. Starfire lunged quickly, reaching for his hand. "N-No! It's not worth it!"

Just as he was swallowed up he swatted her hand away. What just…happened?

Silence governed the room as they gazed into the small hole he was sucked into. After dumbly looking at each other a bit, Cyborg decided to creep up to the giant and peep in. He saw pure darkness. Curious, he began reaching for it. As he did, a hand of dark blue flames slowly reached out, crackling softly. Another followed, heaving out of the crevice the holy guard...but was he holy anymore? Reeling back Cyborg whipped out his cannon and aimed whatever he was down. As it lay collapsed on the giant's body he twitched and gurgled slightly. What was he now?

Backing away, Robin ordered our weapons up. Apparently, this…being had the same idea, as is stood up at our movements. Flames undulated about Lance's burning form as he just barely swayed. Colors more dull than before graced him, his red coat a dull violet and his pants black. Metals sparkled in a strangely sinister bronze hue, his hair no longer blond. Floating about him was a long waterfall of white ending at his stomach, the snowy hairs barely visible through their violet embers. Starfire, ever hopeful, weakly called "Fr...Friend?" A swirling red eye slowly tore open on the right side of his face, staring her down. Amid more silence, a beam of red light shot, narrowly missed the alien, and punched a hole in the ceiling. Fresh air filtered in through it.

They looked at each other, nodded, and threw all the projectiles they had. Cyborg was particularly vocal, hollering "We've already had too many villains today and it ain't even breakfast, so you'd better watch out!" In a flash of power his body subtly split into several gradients of silhouettes; all attacks passed through before he rejoined. Fearing he would lunge, Raven grasped at him with a huge dark hand, crushing him inside. All was quiet for a moment. However, her energy began rippling, completely peeling away and receding as if rotting away from the figure. "Oh…Okay…"

Clearing his throat, their leader tried to croak out an order. "…Titans, withdraw! We'll trap him in here with the-" Lancelot brought a claw across his body, then swung back and threw an arc of blue fire all around him in a spin. Caught off guard, they took the attack with little resistance. Weakened, they fell to their backs with a numb burn spreading through their chests. Lying vulnerable Beastboy saw the figure loom over him, his wiry body leaning over so far as for them to be face to face. Flesh quietly crackling with fire, his animal ears heard no breaths from the agape mouth. Gazing down into the toothless maw of flames he saw a growing red glow. "…Join…me…" hissed out, a black pit of an eye flashing open on his his face's left and staring through the changeling. Its pale pink pupil seemed to freeze his limbs. Forcing out a response, Beastboy found the wit to croak "I w-was told not to t-talk to strangers!" As the corrupt guard's head arched back to center the mouth over his eyes, he heard a shuffle off to the side.

Not a second later and a burst of pitch black fire struck the being across the face, what he'd believed was a fiery spray prepared for him being planted into the floor next to his face instead. And although the difference doesn't matter much, four sharpened, glowing red tongues were actually what were embedded in the ground. Surely either would've killed him. Thank God that Raven didn't suffer the same effects that the flames left on everyone else. Robin's eyes darted to her, words boiling up in his throat. "Raven, keep him-" Surprise staunched the flow of orders. Yes, her arm was extended, blazing with dark power, but he wasn't not fully sure it was her own anymore.

Black fire was bubbling up where she had been struck across the chest by Lance, thin tendrils of dark tar reaching to her outstretched hand and up her neck. Body twitching, her face was warped in pain. She weakly croaked out "H-help…I can't…" as a final resistance before whatever was happening set in. Her eyes slammed shut, trailing tears down her face. She yelled in pain, and he could see both sets of canines grow to form lethal points. What he last saw before her whole body was engulfed in a midnight inferno was two black horns growing from her forehead.

Fully encased, a shock wave exploded as she rose from her knees. Her features were almost totally obscured by the pitch black flames. Cape cast off, burning softly, a dark ball of energy leveled with Lance's face after he'd stood. As he conjured up gloves of blue flames, Starfire found it in her heart to brave her numbed condition and stand between the two. "Friends, you mustn't fight! You must look inside yourselves and fight this-aaAAYIEEE!" Raven telekinetically tossed her to the door. Lance raised a fist, a wall of fire pushing the rest of us to the door and out.

They were having no interruptions.

Hey, sorry if there are more typos than normal or it feels kind of rushed. It's been a long time since posting and I didn't want this story to go under like its predecessor, so I had made a sort-of date to upload by. Being in high school in senior year, college stuff and getting my license stuff and buying a car stuff and midterm stuff sort of ate up my time...or maybe I'm just awful at time management. Either way I hope it doesn't matter too much to you guys. Have a good time.