Current Events > Teen Titans CYOA: Romance Resurrected Part 13.5

(+) Yeah! (+)

B

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B
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(Bump)
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B

"I'm going to try something new."

"Oh," she says with a bit of wonder. "Alright."

Raven shoulders the club as she builds energy.

"Arcana Stellae! Stellae Magna! Stella Umbra!"

Just like the duel with Renee, Raven disperses the shadow stars all around Malchior. Raven jumps into the closest one and pops out of the star under Malchior's right shoulder, and she cracks him in the ribs! He lets out a grunt but keeps his arms up. His tail comes around but she slips back into the shadow star. His tail swats the star but she's already popped out the left side to crack him in his stubby dragon leg! Then she pops back in to reappear behind Malchior and crack him at the base of a wing!

Meanwhile, you hold your own hands up. You bring some of the storm clouds down, add more wind, water and lightning affinities. You gather things up as quickly as you can given Malchior's explosion is reaching critical mass. Raven appears in front of Malchior's face, he snaps his jaw at her, but she's gotten away to a few feet below and cracks him in the throat! Malchior hacks and coughs and his arms start to lower! The explosion starts to falter, so you're able to gain some ground!

"Tempestas Ferrum!!" you shout. "GLADIO!!"

The storm clouds, with lightning and wind and ice swirling inside, form into a sword! You hold it with both hands and slash through the air! A bolt of lightning and a splattering of hail head for Malchior! The lightning hits Malchior in the shoulder while the hail pelts him in the knees. Malchior lets out a screech and the arm that was hit falls! His explosion is practically gone! You rush in, ready to thrust!

Malchior flaps his wings but Nate cancels out the gust with a gust of his own! Raven uses the club to crack Malchior in the base of his wings again, and again, and again! Malchior flaps his wings again but Raven slips away through the shadow stars. You approach at high speed and thrust!! Malchior brings both arms in, attempting to catch your sword's storm blade, but it scrapes scales off his palms like cheese against a grater!! You get him center mass in what you hope is his disgusting heart!

Malchior coughs up blood and it splatters all over the ground behind you, so that's a good sign. You can even feel the heartbeats through the sword.

"Should..." Malchior says weakly.

"What was that?" you ask.

Malchior's neck lowers to arch over you.

"You should've aimed for my head!"

His neck twists around and he breathes one last powerful flame!! The flame adds to the explosion and it immediately swells!!

"NO!!" you and Raven both shout.

*shwa-BOOOOOOOOM!* The fire and force erupt, and Uidre surrounds you as a shield! Her water sizzles and steams as you fly back! Nate uses everything he can muster as a minor spirit to be a gust that slows you down. Field is also there, making more soft dirt for you to crash into rather than hard concrete.

"Gah...!" you grumble as you force yourself to stand.

Despite the layers of security provided by the spirits, you feel like you were thrown off the top of a double decker bus while it was moving, then run over by whatever traffic was passing by. The concussive force of the blast might have even given you a black eye or two. It also doesn't help that you've used up both a lot of chi and mana in this battle. You wobble on your legs before sitting down on the dirt mound. You look around with limited vision and see Gurim still floating there as if nothing's happening, but not...

"Raven!" you shout. "Raven, where are you?!"

Raven slips out from underground, her shadow phasing surely being how she survived. She's sluggish with her return, and has to basically crawl over to you.

"Gurim!" she calls. "Is Malchior dead enough yet?!"

"Not quite," Gurim says.

Confused and frustrated, you clear the smoke with the wind magic you can muster. And to your dismay, Malchior really isn't dead. The explosion magic he used was clearly double-edged, as his wings look like raw meat from having lost scales. Perhaps he shielded himself with those. His tail lost some length, being completely unprotected, and his back also sizzles since it could not be shielded. He lets out pained groans as he forces himself to stand up straight.

But then he starts to shrink! He transforms back to the paper body! The paper is itself torn up and burnt on some parts, but he still has both legs and enough of a torso to stand up. And to turn and run!!

"Coward!" Raven says.

"Shadowfax!" you shout.

Shadowfax drives in through the barrier and heads your way.

"Metamorphosis!" you shout.

Shadowfax transforms using Alchemy and Summoning to become a metal horse!

"He can do that?!" Raven blurts.

"I told you he's not just a motorcycle!" you say. "Shadowfax, attack the paper person!"

Shadowfax turns and heads for Malchior. Malchior looks back to see the mechanical stallion storming up behind him and stumbles out of surprise! Shadowfax runs Malchior over, leaving hoof prints in the parchmant! Then Shadowfax bucks and kicks Malchior in his head! Malchior's paper body flops and tumbles backwards!

"No...!" Malchior shouts in a dazed rage. "Necronom Hezberek Mortix!"

Malchior uses his one remaining arm to make some hand signs, and he blasts Shadowfax with dark, murky fog! Shadowfax neighs and rears back but is bogged down! Pieces start falling off him!

"No!" you shout as you force yourself to stand.

"Rorek, hold on!" Raven says as she staggers over to you. "We'll shadow travel but you'll have to drop that storm sword."

"That's fine," you say as you release the magic.

She takes you by the hand and you both phase into the ground. You feel yourself moving very quickly, and then when you resurface, you see Malchior's paper body only a few meters ahead of you!

"Ignis Pugnis!" you shout as you lunge forward!

Fire surrounds your fist and you put your everything into this punch! Malchior turns his head, and you punch right into the ink rendering of the now signature Rorek eyes!

"RYAAAAAAAH!" he lets out in pain as his paper face burns!

Malchior frantically smashes his face into the dirt to smother the flames, and they do extinguish, but he's left with just the back half flapping and flopping about now.

"NOW?!" Raven asks Guri

"R-Raven...!" he growls, having heard her speak. "You accursed wench! I rue the day we met! If I'd known such a sensitive little doe like you was going to ruin my life...!"

"You know," Raven says, "I used to think the same thing about you. But in a way, maybe you made my life better. Or maybe I would've met Rorek regardless of crossing paths with you. Either way, I at least know what real love is compared to the lies you fed me. So let me thank you for that, by ending you as mercifully as I can!"

Raven reaches out to Malchior with both hands and HUGE skeleton limbs grab him! Raven twists and crumples Malchior's body, and then grips at it with the fingertips to pull and tear! Malchior lets out one last inhuman shriek as the paper body is torn in half!!

"That was savage," you say in a stunned tone.

"Well, I did say I'd do it as mercifully as I could," she says. "That doesn't mean it'd be painless."

She drops the pieces of paper on the ground, and they're completely motionless heaps. You set them on fire for good measure. The cursed fog surrounding Shadowfax drifts away so that's a sign Malchior is finally gone.

"It's alright, boy," you say as you go to him. "You're alright."

Shadowfax settles down, and you check him over. There was some decent damage done to his sides, but you'll be able to repair that easily enough.

"Y'know," you say as you look over to Raven. "That's a good look on you."

Raven smiles as she models the "regalia" for you. But she doesn't get to wear it much longer as Gurim removes himself as her armor. However, her leotard and cloak stay, but in all white!

"White?" you and Raven both say.

"White!" Raven says with perhaps the happiest smile you've ever seen her give.

Raven, with tears in her eyes, leaps at you! She wraps you in her arms and gives you kisses all over your face and neck!

"Rorek, this is incredible!" she says. "I-I, my cloak, and my one piece and everything else! It's only white once I've... Once I've obtained actual, legitimate joy! My emotions are all balanced!"

"That's great!" you say. "Being rid of Malchior surely feels great for me, too."

"It's more than that, Rorek," she giggles. "It means... At least, I think it means that I'm... I'm ready."

"Ready? For what?"

"Well, y'know..." she says, starting to be shy now. "We love each other, we're committed to each other, and we just defeated the most powerful enemy in my life second only to my father! I want to marry you!"

"Really?! O-Oh! Okay then! Oh, shoot, I don't have it on me!"

"Have what on you?"

"Your ring! I made a ring for you! It's in my luggage at the hotel."

"Then let's go!"

You two want to hurry off but your bodies are so tired from the fight. You bring Shadowfax over, climb aboard, then pull Raven up as she climbs aboard. On the back of your steel steed, you gallop out of the Natchez Cemetery, which is unfortunately a bit crispy after this battle, and drop the Custos around it.

You arrive at your hotel, have Shadowfax transform back into a motorcycle, then gleefully hurry up to your rooms with Raven. You dig around in your luggage and bring out the ring. Raven reads the "Raven My Love" engraving and gushes as you help put it on. She admires how it shines in the light while you both start making calls. Needless to say, everyone from the Titans to your extended family is incredibly happy for the two of you for making it an official engagement.

"Are we setting an official date yet or should we wait for the excitement to die down a bit?" your mother asks.

A) Set a date
B) Just wait

been awhile since I've done one this long.
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Cartridge88 posted...

A) Set a date

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Malcrasternus posted...

Cartridge88 posted...

A) Set a date

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A

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A

"We can definitely set a date," you say. "In fact, I have a great idea."

"What is it?" your mother asks.

"Raven's birthday," you say.

"My birthday?" Raven says. "Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure!" you say. "For one, my birthday is far too close, we need time to prepare. And with your birthday in February, that gives us plenty of time to prepare!"

"Well, yeah, okay," Raven says as she blushes and smiles. "I'll get married on my birthday!"

The girls in the group let out more gleeful squeals as Raven gives you a big hug.

"Oh!" Raven says. "What about a venue?"

"Oh, that's practically as easy as the wedding date," you say.

A) Arlington Hotel
B) Timberline Lodge
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C Titan Tower

:p
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C.

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C

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C, Titan Tower

"We can use Titan Tower and the island."

"Really?" Raven says. "That seems a bit normal."

"Well, maybe for the Titans," you say. "But imagine it. The island itself is a great venue, we'd have a view of the water and the city all around us for both ceremony and reception. We could even use the roof of the tower! We'd have the reception up there, have everyone go downstairs to have the reception around the tower."

You even motion with your hands having something around something else.

"That would be nice," Raven says. "It'd be easy to find our way around it. I can even use my room as my dressing room to get ready."

"Exactly! It'd be much, much easier for us to make preparations when you and Cyborg and the others are around to help us move things, convert things, set things up."

"Um, as the people who live in the tower," Cyborg speaks up, "you should probably consult with us first."

"Right, sorry," you say quickly.

"That said," Cyborg says, "we would be more than happy to do that!"

"Yeah!" the other Titans say.

"Especially since we've got months to prepare now," Robin says.

"Is there anything else that we should plan for the splendid time of your marriage?" Starfire asks.

A) Yes
B) No, it can wait
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Cartridge88 posted...

A) Yes

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A)

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Malcrasternus posted...

Cartridge88 posted...

A) Yes

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A

"Well, yes, I think there are some things we can start planning now," you say. "For one, where would you like to be registered?"

"Registered?" Starfire asks.

"Gift registry," Raven says. "It's so you guys and Rorek's family can buy wedding gifts that we all know we'll need."

"Oh, yes!" Starfire says. "Gift giving is perfect for such a joyous occasion! I will start gathering bedding, furniture and housing materials!"

"No, Star, you don't need to do that yet," Robin says. "Again, this wedding isn't for a few months."

"And I don't think they need to worry about housing materials," Beast Boy says.

"But then how will they build the love nest for their mating season?"

"Love nest!?" the Titan boys blurt out.

"Mating season?" your sisters repeat. "How long does it last?!"

Robin and Cyborg keep Starfire from continuing while you clear your throat.

"I'm thinking something a bit more... Earthling," you say.

A) Target
B) Macy's
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Cartridge88 posted...

B) Macy's

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C Macy's, Kohl's and Nemen Marcus
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B

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B

"Let's go with Macy's. We can get some nice new clothing, essentials like towels, carpets and, as Starfire was planning, bedding. I believe Macy's is even expanding into accessories and appliances for the kitchen."

"I'll take care of putting together something for you," your mother says. "If you do it, you'll end up focusing on the wrong things, like your father."

"Hey, I heard that," your father says in the background.

"Thank you," you say to mother. "And we'll talk to you all later. Battling Malchior took a lot out of us."

"Right, of course," your father says. "Wait what?!"

"Oh, how did we forget to mention that?" Raven asks.

You spend time telling them all about the shadows sighted in Natchez, how they turned out to be Malchior trying to enter this dimension, and when he finally did, he came after you and Raven. You do your best to describe the epic battle that ensued, and everyone is enthralled.

"Wow...!" Beast Boy and Cyborg let out when you're done.

"So this is why you're ready to get married now?" Robin says to Raven.

"Well, yeah," she says. "My cloak finally turning white again, it's a sign that I'm emotionally ready. It was like the memories of Malchior were still hanging over me. But I got rid of that emotinoal baggage now that Malchior is gone."

"The thought that Malchior was still out there hung over our family, too," your father says. "It's a huge relief to us all that he's not somewhere out there anymore."

"Now we'll talk to you later," your mother says.

"Talk to you later," you say.

Your family hangs up then you put your phone away.

"Bye," Raven says to the Titans before putting her communicator away.

You and Raven take a breath and sit on the bed.

"So," she says. "What do we now? We figured out the Natchez mystery, and we've still got like, a day or so left for the hotel."

A) Go sightseeing
B) Just worry about dinner
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B
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B.

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B)

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B

"Let's just worry about dinner for now," you say while stretching your arms. "Again, we used up a lot of energy, so we need to get it back."

"Alright," Raven says stretching her legs. "So what are we having?"

You stare at the wall as you think.

"I don't know," you say. "I'm so tired, and everything we just talked about with our wedding, I'm in a bit of a daze."

"I know," Raven giggles. "I'm still buzzing!"

"Well, we had Taco Bell earlier," you say. "Perhaps dinner should be..."

A) Pizza
B) Burgers
C) Leftovers
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A.

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A

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A
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A

"Pizza. Something not necessarily quick but certainly with plenty of portions."

"Yeah, that'd be nice," Raven says. "It doesn't need to be too much, just a medium with maybe a couple toppings."

"Very good," you say. "But, I suppose I have to go get it for us then?"

"Well..." she says with a cheeky smile. "I don't really need to hop back on Shadowfax just to get pizza, do I?"

"Alright," you chuckle. "I'll go fetch our meal for the evening."

"Thank you," Raven smiles as she reclines on the bed.

You go out, double check your room to see it's still neat and tidy, and also make sure you have plenty of money still in your wallet. You in fact do have plenty, and you head downstairs.

You ride Shadowfax and return to the downtown area to the east with all the fast food restaurants. You see they have a Pizza Hut, Domino's and Little Caesers.

A) Go with Pizza Hut
B) Go with Domino's
C) Go with Little Caesers

sorry for short updates, my internet connection has been worse than usual these days.
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A
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Cartridge88 posted...

A) Go with Pizza Hut

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A

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A

You go to Pizza Hut and pull into the parking lot. You hurry inside but see there's no real hurry at all. There's almost no one in here.

"This is rather surprising," you mumble.

Everyone that is in here is looking at the television. That seems to be because of the news report that's on television, talking about the Natchez Cemetery and what happened there. The news crews obviously are obviously not even close as to what happened.

"Man, that's insane," one of the employees behind the counter says. "Did anyone hear the explosions?"

"I think I heard something earlier," a customer says. "I didn't think it was a bomb at the cemetery."

"Who would do such a thing?" a female customer says.

You quietly apologize to this town for turning a sacred place into a warzone.

"That's definitely a shame," you say, playing dumb. "May I order?"

"Right, of course," another employee says. "What would you like?"

"I'll have a medium two-topping," you say. "Pepperoni and..."

A) Olives
B) Mushrooms
C) Bacon
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B.

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b

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B
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B

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B

"Mushrooms."

"That'll be $8.22," the employee says.

You hand over $8.50 and get the 28 cents in change with your receipt. You move aside as you wait on the order.

You can't help but watch the news report yourself now, with police and paramedics looking for anyone needing medical attention, but you know they won't find anything. They also won't find any evidence of an explosive device, either.

"Why is there a bunch of up-turned dirt?" a customer asks.

"And puddles," another says.

You clench your jaw shut so as not to react.

"Order number 14," an employee says.

You check your receipt and see that's you. You step up and receive the fresh pizza in the box.

"Are you sure you don't want anything to drink?" the employee asks. "Just a dollar more to choose a bottle from the fridge there."

A) Yes
B) No, thanks
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B
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B.

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B)

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B

"No, that's alright," you say. "Thank you."

You take your pizza and return to the hotel, box secured to your lap thanks to a bit of magic. For drinks, you stop by a vending machine in the lobb before going upstairs. It amounts to the same price for a couple cans of cola from there, and cans are a more appropriate serving size than those tall bottles.

You knock on Raven's door and she opens the door for you. She's taken off her white cloak but is still in her leotard.

"Here you are," you say as you hand her the cans of soda.

"Thank you," she says.

She steps aside for you to bring the pizza to the bed, gives the door a little kick to close it, then joins you.

"So I was thinking," Raven says as she hands you back a soda. "I already met your family, but you still need to meet mine."

"As in...?"

"My mother," she says before popping the tab on her soda can. "We can go any time with a portal back to Azarath. You can meet my mother, and we can talk to her about everything, and maybe even have our families meet before the wedding."

"That does sound great," you say.

"Right?" she asks excitedly. "When do you want to meet her?"

A) Tonight
B) Tomorrow
C) Outside of Natchez
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A
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Cartridge88 posted...

B) Tomorrow

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B) Tomorrow

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B

"Let's do that tomorrow," you say. "We'll be much more rested then."

"Well of course," Raven says. "We'll sleep in, take our time freshening up, and go in maybe the middle of the day."

"Yes, an afternoon visit sounds lovely," you say. "We can even have it be with lunch."

"Yeah, that's a good idea," she says.

She opens the pizza box and sees the pepperoni and mushrooms.

"Mmm~," she says as she pulls out a slice.

"Yes, they were able to serve them nice and fresh," you say. "They weren't all that busy, because the town seems to have noticed what happened to the cemetery."

"Oh no...!" Raven says. "Oh, we didn't take time to fix any of that up."

"Well, too late now," you say. "It'll forever be the mystery of the Natchez Cemetery."

"Don't you think we should try?"

"No, the people will question that more than what happened in the first place."

"Right, duh," she says before taking a bite.

You turn on the television and ignore the news. Instead, you watch...

A) Sports
B) A movie
C) A TV show
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C
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Cartridge88 posted...

C) A TV show

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C

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C

You end up on a channel with Wheel of Fortune playing so you stay on that. The category right now is sports.

N____N_ _
T____-___NT__

"Um..." Raven says.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/be/Wheel_of_Fortune_Round_1_template_Season_31.png

Someone spins the wheel and gets to guess letters for... $500.

"R?" they guess.

"There are two R's," the host says.

N____N_ _
T_R__-___NT_R

"Oh I see it now," you say. "Nailing a three-pointer. As in basketball."

"Oh..." she says. "I may not be that into sports but I should know that."

"I'd like to buy a vowel," the player on TV says. "A."

"There are two A's," the host says.

NA___N_ A
T_R__-___NT_R

"I'd like to solve," the player says. "Nailing a three pointer."

"That's correct!" the host says.

"Nice," Raven says. "You would've gotten all that money."

The two of you then laugh. It's not like you need the money.

The next clue comes up for the next round.

Song and Artist

___ __ ___ _____
__ ________

"A song relating to sports?" you say.

A player spins and lands on a $500 space.

"B?"

"There's one B."

___ __ ___ _____
B_ ________

They spin again and the One Million Dollar space is coming! But it's thinly between the Bankrupt, so the person lands on Bankrupt. The crowd gives an "Aww..." while the next player spins. That player lands on $650.

"R," they say confidently.

"There are three R's," the host says.

___ __ ___ ____R
B_ __R____R

"That's still really hard to tell," Raven says.

"Hmm... Well, uh, Raven, I did realize something we need to talk about concerning our coming marriage."

"Really? When?"

"On the ride back from getting dinner," you say. "It isn't really something the other Titans or my family can really help us with. At least, not in making the decision."

"Oh. What is it?"

A) Honeymoon
B) Last names
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