Fan Fiction ❯ Anything, Anytime, Anywhere, For You ❯ Ravager, Rebels and Reunions ( Chapter 18 )

Anything, Anytime, Anywhere, For You

 

Chapter Eighteen

“Ravager, Rebels and Reunions”

 

A/N: Here you go; chapter eighteen. It's a little early too. It would have been even earlier, but I forgot to save and had to re-write the ending. XD Enjoy the chapter.

 

Ryoko-onee: I'm glad I was able to leave you in suspense; as for your question, well the Rebellion's going down in this chapter so you'll have to see for yourself.

 

scathac's warrior: Aren't they though? Demon-worshiping, vampire-named bad guys always tend to be, psychotic. Anyway; glad you enjoyed it - and I hope you made it to class on time.

 

Dramaelfie: Oh yeah, I'd forgotten about Beast Boy's dream. Heh; I'm glad you liked it.

 

xBxMYxJaMeSxDeANxcandyclouds: You didn't sound mean! At least not to me. And I'm sorry I didn't respond to your last review; I didn't get the review alert email until after I'd already updated the chapter. As for giving you a treat and updating soon than expected; well, sure. Hmm, not a Robin/Raven fan eh? -snickers- I like making Robin and Raven do things together; they work well as a team. I don't know about romantically though. I much prefer Robin/Star and Beast Boy/Raven. Banned from the computer? Ah! That's horrible. >< Well send her my best wishes, won't you?

 

DarkSin: Wow, thank you. It's been a pleasure to write this story for you; and for everyone else who has been reading.

 

Pickles12: Ah, that's good then. I know people don't like waiting too long. ^^

 

IllegalDayNightSnappingIguana: Yes, you do write long reviews. But that's okay, it gives me more to read; and they usually are amusing. And always I'm very happy to hear you thought the chapter was good; and I wish you luck on your English project. You haven't seen The Terminator? Ooh, I like that movie. Well, I like the first two of them; I have never seen the third one.

 

Anyway, onto the chapter! ^^

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“This is the place.”

Raven was leading them now. She was still unable to sense Beast Boy or Starfire; and Trigon's superior soul-self protected himself and Slade; and Raven could not locate them either. She could locate Grant Wilson. While she didn't know who Grant Wilson was; she did know he was connected to Slade and Trigon and he'd been there when Beast Boy and Starfire had been kidnapped - which was enough for the Titans.

 

Now Raven was floating over a small patch of desert; an old cavern in front of her. It seemed Tamaran was filled with old caves and mountains and someone had converted this one into a makeshift headquarters for some devious deeds. Robin and Cyborg stood at either side of her, peering into the darkness of the caves with their eyes narrowed and their faces heavy. They were all expecting a trap; and with good reason. So far, everything had been one trap after another - it was getting a bit redundant.

 

Cyborg activated the small light built into his arm, and Robin withdrew a flashlight from his belt. The three teens stepped into the caves; eyes open for any sign of their friends or foes. They found neither. The caves seemed to be empty. There was no sign of any life living in them; human, Tamaranian or otherwise.

“Dead end?” Cyborg suggested.

 

“Dead right.” Grant Wilson replied.

 

Shots rang out. The Titans couldn't see Grant in the darkness; but they'd began moving the moment he spoke. There was a flash of light in the midst of the shadow; it was the muzzle flash from Grant's gun as he fired. Raven took the lead. Muttering her magic words, she levitated several of the nearby rocks and hurled them in the direction of the gun - and it's owner. Robin and Cyborg followed up immediately with a combination of one of Robin's explosive discs and a shot from Cyborg's arm-cannon. The explosion illuminated the caves; but there was no sign of Grant.

 

Flames now licked the sky with their yellow-and-orange tongues and the sight problem was eliminated. The Titans backed up around the fires; Raven facing south, Robin facing north and Cyborg standing between them looking west; the caves wall and the burning flames to the east. There was no sign of the Ravager anywhere.

 

“Does anyone have a location?” Robin whispered.

 

“I can sense him nearby; that's all.” Raven replied.

 

“My scanners say he's here too; but I can't pinpoint him.” Cyborg confirmed.

 

There was a moment of silence. None of the titans moved, and there was no sign of the Ravager. A full minute passed without incident. Then the hush was broken by the sounds of Grant's battle-cry; he leapt up through the very flames that illuminated the cavern and landed in the middle of the titan's semi-circle; drawing his sword and preparing to strike. Robin flattened himself against the wall, Raven vanished into the floor and reappeared a few feet away; but Cyborg could not avoid it. Grant slashed with the broadsword and Cyborg had to block it with his cybernetic arm.

 

There was a great clang and several sparks flew as the sword cut into Cyborg's hardware. Cyborg headed backwards as quickly as he could and Grant pressed forward with a second strike - this time Raven used her mental powers to catch the sword and stop it. Grant growled in frustration and released his grip on the sword, leaving it suspended in mid air.

Robin struck with his bo-staff, but Grant blocked it. Grant's frustration reached a boiling point and he jumped backwards and then to the side. He once again took hold on his sword and tried to swing it; but Raven held on with her mind. Grant couldn't accept this face and he pulled with all of his strength, desperate to regain control of his blade. Grant re-drew his military pistol and opened fire; first a shot at Robin to make him back up, and then the remaining bullets all went towards Raven.

 

Things happened so fast it was hard to tell what happened first. Raven used her mental powers to stop the bullets in mid-air and save her life; but when she did she had to release the grip on the sword. Grant had still been pulling the sword with his free hand, and once Raven's powers released it the sword was tugged forward and Grant lost his balance.

 

Grant wound up on his back; the sword wound up in his chest.

 

Robin went down on his knees next to Grant's head and grabbed him by the front of his suit. “Where are Starfire and Beast Boy!?” Robin's voice was cold, callous and angry.

“Who cares.” Grant responded weakly, before he began laughing. Robin cursed and let go of him. Things could not have gone worse. They'd lost their only lead to finding Starfire and Beast Boy. Grant's laughter began to die, and so did he. His life was fading fast.

 

“Raven, can you—“

 

“No. The wound's fatal. I could ease his suffering, but I can't save him.” She responded before he could even finish the question.

 

Robin lowered his head and squeezed his fist. Grant died a moment later without making another sound, and Raven and Cyborg stood not speaking to one another.

Finally, Cyborg broke the silence. “Now what?”

 

“We know this is Slade's hideout. We wait here for him to come back.” Robin replied. He stood up and turned away from the body. This would affect him. Robin had always been the “by-any-means-necessary” type of hero. Something he'd learned from the Dark Knight. Still, he was against killing - even killing someone like Grant Wilson. Grant was Slade's son, and he was a well-known hit man and murderer on his own; but that didn't change the fact Robin felt remorse for him. The Titans hadn't killed him; Grant had done it himself when he attacked Raven.

 

That didn't change the fact that a man was now dead, and Robin was partially to blame. He had never killed someone intentionally before - although he had tried - and Grant wasn't the first person to die because of Robin. It never changed. No matter the reason, or the cause, or the person. Death was still death.

 

Then there were footsteps. The Titans were back on guard in an instant; but Batman appeared at the entrance of the cavern and they lowered their defenses. “We found Starfire and Beast Boy.” He announced. His eyes behind the cape and cowl swept over the room, observing the flames, the body and the Titans; but he ignored all of it.

 

“Are they okay?” Raven asked, genuine concern breaking into her normally calm voice.

 

“We don't know. They were kidnapped by a Cult that worships a demon called K'monte. Apparently the Healer in charge of your room was the Cult's leader, Vladim'r. We believe Vladim'r took them to his temple in the desert. What we don't know is why. Galfore's dealt with this cult before, apparently the people taken are given two choices; dig for religious artifacts or be burnt alive as a sacrifice for K'monte.” Batman explained.

 

“It just had to be a cult.” Raven sighed. She knew cults. Her mother had been in a cult, and countless crazy people on numerous planets made cults that worshiped her father. This would not be fun.

 

“I know it's not good news; but it's better than it could have been. Starfire and Beast Boy are strong enough to survive, but they will need our help to escape. We'll discuss the rescue plans on route.” Bruce said.

“Let's move.”

 

---- ---- ---- ---- ----

 

Starfire and Beast Boy had not moved. They were still in their secluded digging pit, and still digging. The idea of a rebellion was fresh in their minds and both of them were anxiously awaiting Taro's return. Taro had moved away from this digging pit as soon as Starfire agreed to lead them. Slowly, with the kind of stealth one could have expected from Robin, the youngster had made his way from pit to pit, spreading the good news and preparing everyone.

 

The plan had already been made before Taro had left. It was straightforward and simple enough that anyone could follow it. Once everyone had been informed of the rebellion, and Taro returned to Starfire and gave her the signal; she would lead the assault. She would boldly defy their captors and draw the attention of everyone - guards, cultists and Vladim'r himself. Then the other slaves would attack. Everyone who could fight would fight. They had superior numbers and could swarm the slaves. During the commotion, Beast Boy and Taro would sneak out and free the other slaves - the ones that were to be used as sacrifices - and then rejoin the battle.

 

It was a good plan; but it was also a huge risk. The slaves were slaves; not soldiers. They were all people who would never be missed by the main Tamaranian society - that was how their disappearances had stayed so mysterious. The sick, the poor, the old, the young, criminals and the homeless; that was who they were before becoming slaves. They had the natural fighting spirit of Tamaranians, and they could all fight - but could they defeat well-trained guards and ex-military men? Not to mention, the healers were healers. They could heal their wounds with medicines and magicks; and that was not encouraging.

 

The risk was big; but the reward was even bigger. Freedom. Freedom from digging, freedom from the torture, freedom from hearing the screams of the sacrifices on a weekly basis. Many of the slaves did not have families or friends to return too - but they still had the dream of freedom; and they would fight, and die, to keep that dream alive.

 

Taro returned. His face was still covered in dirt, dried blood and fresh tears; but his eyes were different. Just as his eyes had lit up upon recognizing Starfire's heritage, they were burning again. Hope was burning in those lonely eyes and it was filling him with a newfound determination. “Milady, I've told everyone. Not a single soul could refuse! We are all standing by for your lead, and you have got our gratitude no matter the outcome.”

 

“Good.” Starfire responded, excitement clear in her voice. “Then we should do this now; while everyone is still ready.”

“Taro, over here.” Beast Boy waved the boy over to his side; Taro quickly floated over as soon as he was sure the guards were not looking. “Listen kid, looks like you and me will be the ones saving the other slaves, so let's start heading towards the exit.”

 

“Excellent idea sir!” Taro replied. Beast Boy looked both amused and embarrassed by being addressed that way; although he did not mention it again. “Lead the way, I'll follow you in a minute.”

 

Taro did as he was told and began sneaking off in the direction of the exit to the digging chambers. He would have to cross the hallways to reach the alternate digging site where the slaves for sacrifice were kept; and he'd never been there before. Taking a deep breath, the youngster shot a glance over his shoulder. Beast Boy had vanished; but a large green mouse was now following him.

 

Starfire watched them leave for a moment, and then she lowered her head. Someone looking at her might have thought she was praying - which wasn't far off. She wasn't really praying, merely thinking. She was honored to be the leader of this rebellion, and she had faith that she could be a good leader. Still, she couldn't help but wonder what Robin would say about all of this. Her mind kept returning to him. Would he agree that she made a good leader? Would he have approved of her plans? Why did one thing after another continue to separate her from him? It didn't matter now. She was going to fight, she was going to lead her people in this rebellion and she was going to win. She had too.

 

It was time.

 

The “what ifs”, “maybes” and “on second thoughts” that could have changed the plan never came. The doubts were quelled by determination. There was no turning back. It was now, or never; and there would be no second chances. Starfire had to start a rebellion; and she knew the perfect person to target.

 

Starfire floated up straight, her eyes glowing green and her fists emitting a similar glow. She did not make a sound as she rose into the air until she was on an equal level as the raised platform that Vladim'r stood on. No one seemed to notice her for a moment; and when they did the slaves only watch in curiosity while the guards began to spread the alarm.

 

Starfire did not say a word; she didn't have time for a speech and she wouldn't have known what to say even if she had. Instead, she screamed out a loud battle cry and hurled her starbolts directly at Vladim'r. He was the leader of the cultists; he was the source of all the pain. Who better to start with?

 

If her attack had struck him, Vladim'r would have been defeated. He would have survived; but he also would have been out for the count and the rebellion may have gone very differently. However, one of the guards had seen Starfire and had hurried to the platform to warn Vladim'r. The large guard, who had been a Tamaranian solider once, flew directly into Starfire's massive attack by accident. He screamed and hit the ground unconscious; and that got everybody's attention. Vladim'r had been chatting with some of his fellow healers; but now he was staring in every direction like a deer in the headlights. The healers were scrambling, making sure they were not all in the same place - chain of command, after all - while the guards were all in the air heading towards Starfire.

 

Several things happened all at once. The slaves attacked; every last one of them. The old, the young, the sick and the healthy; they all rose up and joined the battle. They hurled starbolts and threw punches; they picked up heavy stones and used them as weapons and they kicked any of the cultists or guards who were within reach. Starfire could not stop to watch the progress; but things sounded good. She had just dispatched two guards herself; and the enemy was outnumbered.

 

The problem was they were out armed. Even a newborn could fly on Tamaran; and nearly everyone had the power to hurl starbolts; but not everyone could do what the healers could. The powers they used to heal were rare and uncommon; and quite useful in combat. Not only that, but all of the guards had whips and the healers carried knives. The battle was progressing; but not like Starfire had hoped.

 

That is when Starfire saw something strange. Vladim'r was no longer hiding in the safety of the raised platform. Instead, he was in one of the abandoned digging pits. He sat on his knees, dirt covering his beloved robes, and he was digging with a feverish glee. Starfire was worried. Vladim'r had gone to great lengths to make sure he never had to get down in the dirt; but now, as everything fell apart around him, he looked happy to be doing it.

 

It was like someone had poured a bucket of ice down her throat; and now that ice was settling into the pit of her stomach. Starfire was an intelligent girl and she could think of only one thing that would bring this reaction from Vladim'r.

Could he have found it? K'monte's Artifact? The source of all this pain and frustration? More important; what was it? Starfire knew nothing of this cult or of this “K'monte” they worshiped. Hopefully it was just another myth; but she had been through too much to stay that hopeful for very long.

“Starfire, we did it!”

 

Starfire's worry was suddenly torn from her mind; Beast Boy was speaking to her. She quickly returned to reality and turned her head to find Beast Boy at her side. His ears were perky and his face was split in a enormous white smile. It was only then that Starfire realized what else was going on around her. The number of slaves fighting had nearly doubled; in the distance, she could see Taro and a young girl who Starfire guessed was his sister, Hana. Taro and Hana were still fighting bravely and they were winning too; they had just knocked a cultist healer unconscious and moved on to find some of his buddies. The slaves were winning, hands down.

 

Starfire's face had become as bright as a tree on Christmas morning; but it faded again. She looked back to Vladim'r and that is when the icy feeling returned. Vladim'r was no longer digging; now he was lifting something out of a hole. Starfire watched for a moment, and then recognized it as some kind of urn. It was covered in runes and markings that she could not place.

 

“Beast Boy, come with me!” She did not wait for his response; instead, she grabbed his wrist and flew towards the digging pit. She had to do something. She did not know what Vladim'r's discovery meant, but she did know it was not good. He had caused too much evil in the name of that urn for her to let him get it now.

 

Vladim'r was staring at the urn in his hands with a feverish grin. This was it. The runes on the site told the entire sick story of K'monte the demon. He had found it; the artifact. With this, he could summon K'monte; and add the demonic powers to his own. That would make him powerful; more powerful than anyone else on the planet - at least in his mind.

 

“Drop it.”

 

Vladim'r turned around, he still clutched the urn tightly in his hands, and he found Starfire and Beast Boy standing ready behind him. Vladim'r narrowed his eyes and twisted his lips into a smile. “You've chosen a perfect time to come, Princess Koriand'r. I'm ready to summon the great K'monte; and I can offer him your rebellion for a snack.” With that, Vladim'r thrust his hands up in the air and held the urn up in a proud display. Obviously, he expected his enemies to tremble in fear before it; though neither of them did.

 

In truth, Beast Boy was trying not to laugh. Vladim'r really did look ridiculous, and his overly melodramatic manner did not help his case. However, despite the ludicrous appearance; the ground did suddenly turn black and something began to rise out of the earth. Vladim'r's victory laugh escaped his throat - but not for long.

 

“You are not K'monte!” Vladim'r roared. The ground had turned black, and someone had used demonic powers to float up out of the floor - but that someone was Raven.

 

“Gee, you're observant aren't you?” Raven replied. A second later, she raised her hands, muttered her mantra, and blasted Vladim'r with a devastating telepathic blast. Vladim'r was hurled backwards into the wall of the digging pit; the impact was too much for him and he fell to the ground unconscious. His role in things had ended. Raven turned around to Starfire and Beast Boy; both of whom looked shocked but pleased.

 

“Raven, how did you -” There was an explosion at this point, a very loud one. Starfire and Beast Boy both began to look around for the cause of it, but Raven was quicker with an explanation.

 

“It's Robin and Cyborg. Galfore and Batman are here too. Nice touch starting a rebellion, by the way.” Raven commented. The other two titans had returned their glances to her and each smiled. “We'll talk after we finish this, okay?”

 

They rejoined the battle; which was quickly becoming one sided. The guards were followers, not leaders, and without Vladim'r, the cultists were lost and clumsy. The slaves still fought with every ounce of strength they had; and now Robin, Cyborg, Batman and Galfore had joined in and added their expert touch to the scene. Once Raven and the others rejoined them as well, the result was quick. The rebellion ended, and it was successful.

 

Most of the cult was now either dead, unconscious, in custody or had fled completely. The military arrived soon afterwards, sent by the King and Queen, and they began the tedious task of rounding up the defeated Cult and the even tougher task of identifying the slaves and preparing them for their freedom.

 

With the combat over, and the freedom and safety of the former slaves now guaranteed; the Titans reunited. Not the entire team, they had been separated during the confusion of the battle, but different members ran into one another.

 

---- ---- ---- ---- ----

 

“Nice work with the rebellion, Star.”

 

Robin and Starfire were sitting on a small hill outside the cavern. The Tamaranian Military had arrived in TMV's (Tamaranian Military Vehicles) which looked like square tanks that floated just above the ground on hover jets. There was no large cannon in the front; instead, there were several mortars on each side and a compartment on top large enough to carry many soldiers and civilians as well. The TMV's were now being loaded up with the former slaves, who would be taken back to their homes by the army. Robin and Starfire had a view of all of this; but they were focused more on each other.

 

“Thank you Robin.” Starfire smiled at him. She was tired; but happy. It had seemed like a horrible dream when she was taken from the infirmary back at the castle. She had believed it would turn into the next evil twist of fate; and instead so much good had come out of it. The casualties were high; but the reward was greater. If she had not been kidnapped, these slaves would not be free.

 

“Star, I've been thinking.” Robin said suddenly, and Starfire felt that cold feeling in her stomach return. She was worried about what he would say next. She had known something was on his mind since they had reunited; she could tell from the way he avoided her eyes.

 

“What have you been thinking about?” Starfire asked quietly. Her eyes were glued to his face; but he wasn't looking at her at all.

 

“The Trials.” Robin responded. “Before the kidnapping we picked out our keepsake, and since we're doing it the old fashion way there's nothing more to set up. Star, I think it's time we undergo the Trials.”

 

Starfire blinked. She had not expected that. It was true; everything had started with the Trials. Shady had arrived on Earth with news of them; and since that fateful night, one thing had happened after another. The only constant, unchanging factor had been the Trials.

“You do?” Starfire was both shocked and excited. She had lost count of the days, but she knew it had been a long, long time since all of this started with Shady and his mentioning the Trials. So much had happened she had started to believe the time would never come.

“Yeah. Slade and Trigon are still out there, I haven't forgotten about them. I know they won't stop until they're dead; but we can't let them control our lives. We can to Tamaran for the Trials; and I think it's time we do them.”

 

What happened next was typical. Starfire squealed, as she had been prone to do through the entire trip, and hugged Robin much tighter than he would have liked. He did not complain, though. A few hours ago, he had been unsure if he would ever see her again. He was not sure if he would ever get to feel her arms wrap around him again, and so he was as happy as he could be to have that feeling back; even if she did squeeze too tightly.

Robin just sat there and smiled. They still had a long way to go before the ending came. Trigon and Slade would not give up, and the Trials were not meant to be fun or easy - but for now, Robin was happy and he was going to enjoy it.

 

“Aww, ain't they cute?”

Robin's eyes suddenly narrowed behind the mask. Starfire released her grip on him and they both turned around to see Cyborg, Raven and Beast Boy standing not very far away.

 

“Don't you have anything better to do than spy on us?” Robin asked, irritation dripping from his voice.

“Not really.” Cyborg replied.

“Spying on you is fun.” Beast Boy responded.

“If you want privacy you shouldn't be outside.” Raven pointed out.

 

The five friends laughed. They had been laughing more and more as time went on. At first, after one of the many traps, they would become grave and serious. Their attention would be focused on their next move and trying to anticipate their enemy's next play. Now they were more relaxed. They had been through hell several times since things began; and they always wound up just fine. It was better to laugh than to worry.

 

The real game was only just beginning. Robin was right - it was time for the Trials. The Trials were ready; Robin and Starfire simply had to reach the Cavern of Trials, drop the keepsake inside the cracked top, and then go get it.

Of course, the keepsake had been enchanted by Trigon long ago; and when Robin and Starfire did retrieve it from the Cavern; they would fall into Slade's most dangerous trap to date.

 

Slade's final trap.

 

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A/N: Chapter Nineteen, “The Trials of Tamaran (Pt. I)” is coming soon! I'm actually going to start working on it today; but it might not be finished until Monday since I'm going to have very limited computer time over the weekend. Anyway, it'll be here soon, and I promise it'll be worth any waiting you have to do.

As always, thank you to everyone who has read this story, extra thanks to those who have reviewed, and I'll be back with more AAAFY soon.