Chapter 2 - Arabian Knights

Chapter Two:
Arabian Knights
“Mumbo!” cried Robin, “Why have you brought us here?”
“Your little friend made a wish for an adventure, so here we are! Shazam!” said Mumbo quickly, pulling a sheet of paper out of nowhere, which instantly unfolded into a comically lengthy list. “Wishes are subject to approval, genies will not be held accountable for any thefts or damages, no refunds, terms and conditions apply.” The document disappeared. “I suggest you prepare yourselves, as what an exciting adventure it will be! I must be going now, as I have many things to attend to. Shazam!” Promptly, the magician and his mode of transport vanished into a puff of turquoise smoke.
“I did not like the sound of that,” said Robin, standing up.
“What did he mean by our ‘little friend’?” asked Starfire, who was behind him.
Beast Boy’s pixie ears drooped in shame. “It’s all my fault, guys. A magic lamp appeared in the kitchen and this genie said I could have three wishes, so I did…I didn’t know he was really Mumbo.”
“Way to go, Beast Boy,” said Raven, eying him disapprovingly.
“What were you thinking?!” exploded Robin, the anime style causing his head to increase in size, “This lamp appears out of nowhere while there is a magic-using felon on the loose and you actually believe there’s a genie inside who’s going to grant you three wishes?”
The other three Titans were reduced to chibis in the background.
“Well, you’re the one who thought that hologram was Mumbo!” replied Beast Boy angrily, his head now dwarfing Robin’s, “If you hadn’t fallen for his tricks, I would have never found that lamp?”
“You’re blaming ME now?!” thundered Robin, his head outsizing Beast Boy’s again before Starfire pushed in between the furious teenagers.
“Please stop this raising of voices!” she begged, “We need to work together to outwit the Mumbo and his evil plan…what is his evil plan this time, exactly?”
“Good of you to ask,” replied a familiar voice. The Titans swiftly looked upward to see Mumbo had reappeared, still riding on his magic carpet. “The green one wished for an adventure that would prove to Raven that he isn’t all he appears to be. Now that she knows how foolishly he mistakenly trusted the Amazing Mumbo Jumbo, I should think that has been accomplished. As a result of his unfortunate third wish, you are now trapped in my world forever more and I will do with you as I please.” A cruel expression crept onto his face.
“You don’t scare me, Mumbo!” responded Robin boldly, “What’s with this whole genie act, anyway? Getting sick of pulling rabbits out of hats?”
“Do not question the ways of the great genie Mumbo Jumbo! I have now perfected traps for you bratty teenagers that will seal your doom. Shazam!” Robin suddenly vanished from the marketplace. “Observe – Robin, the Boy Wonder, an expert in combat, especially one-on-one.” Robin reappeared in a deserted town, against a backdrop of colourful Middle Eastern buildings. There was, however, one bearded swordsman wearing a chest-plate, bowl-shaped helmet with a spike and baggy trousers tucked into black boots, brandishing a curved sword threateningly. Robin drew out his own weapon, ready to defend himself. “But will this trained fighter be able to stand against an entire army?” Promptly the swordsman duplicated into three dozen soldiers. Robin’s masked eyes narrowed in concentration, focusing on the enemy. The army readied themselves to strike at any minute.
“As for the lovely Princess Starfire…SHAZAM!” continued Mumbo. The Tamaranian girl disappeared before the very eyes of the other three remaining Titans, before she rematerialized in a dark and claustrophobic cavern. “How long will this damsel in distress fare in a cave with no food and water and seemingly no way out…” There was a slight rumble and a rock fell from the ceiling, landing a few metres away from Starfire. “…especially when this cave is slowly filling with sand.” Out of where the rock had once been poured a fountain of sand. “Time’s ticking, my pretty!” The show’s anime style made a metaphor appear of chibi Starfire trapped in the bottom of a giant hourglass, sand drizzling in from the top half.
“And now for you three…” went on the villainous magician. Cyborg, Beast Boy and Raven couldn’t see him any more – rather his voice came from all around them, creating an eerie and threatening atmosphere. “I’m afraid I didn’t have the time to plan anything majorly spectacular to finish you off…but – SHAZAM!” The three Titans found themselves on top of a dune, surrounded by nothing but sand. “…I thought you wouldn’t last very long in the desert! Please look out for cobras, vultures, scorpions, spiders and sandstorms.”
Meanwhile, the army were closing in on Robin and the first swordsman had raised his weapon at the young superhero. Robin blocked the blade with his own sword and the battle commenced, thirty-odd soldiers against one boy.
In the cave, the sand was pouring in rapidly, but Starfire was able to find a loose rock, which she tugged at until she discovered a secret tunnel just big enough to squeeze through. She clambered inside and crawled through it on her hands and knees as fast as she could, desperate to find a way out. All the while, she tried to make sense of the Titans’ situation. She’d heard of genies before (and knew a little bit about the Arabian Nights, thanks to Beast Boy and Cyborg showing her “Aladdin” and “I Dream Of Jeannie”) and knew that the scheming magician Mumbo had masqueraded as one to trick friend Beast Boy, but she did not understand why the Middle East seemed exactly how it was on the television. Until recently, Starfire might not have batted an eyelid at this, but she’d seen some videos of Qurac on the news and it didn’t look anything like it did in Western entertainment. For starters, there were no flying carpets or brightly coloured buildings! Something was definitely not right, and she knew there was only one person to blame…
Suddenly, she fell through a hole in the tunnel and plunged into the dark depths beneath her with a loud shriek. She landed face-first on a sandy floor of a much larger cavern. Once she’d picked herself up, she could see the cave was light and almost…glowing. All around her were piles of gold coins, fancy jewellery and fine gemstones in every colour imaginable. It wasn’t a stretch to say it felt as though she’d fallen into Aladdin’s cave!
“This is most curious…” she mused, taking in her surroundings, “I do believe I have fallen into a cave of treasures…but how do I escape?” Though the mountains of valuables meandered in many directions, she could not see if any of them led to anything that looked remotely like an exit. She began walking through the labyrinth to see if she could eventually find a way out.
…
In the desert, Cyborg and Raven rode on top of Beast Boy (in the form of a camel) over dunes in the sweltering heat for what seemed like ages, looking for an oasis. Along the way, they saw scorpions darting through the sand (and made an effort to stay out of their way) and the occasional lizard, but there wasn’t the slightest trace of any vegetation. Mumbo had planted them in the most inhospitable desert conceivable – there was nothing but dunes no matter which way they looked!
“This is crazy!” exclaimed Cyborg, “How can those scorpions live here without any water? Even I can’t last without it for very long!”
Suddenly, he and Raven toppled to the ground, landing on top of Beast Boy, who’d inexplicably reverted to his humanoid form.
“Hey! What’d you do that for, BB?” said Cyborg crossly.
“I was getting tired! Can’t you guys let me have a break?”
Raven looked disapproving.
“Come on, Raven! A guy’s gotta-” Abruptly he twigged what she was thinking. “Hey, wait a minute! Are you still angry with me for the whole genie business?”
“How you could have mistaken Mumbo Jumbo for a Djinn – when you knew perfectly well he was out of gaol – is beyond me.”
“I made a mistake, Rae – please forgive me. I can be an idiot sometimes, OK?”
“Correction, Beast Boy – you are an idiot nearly all of the time.”
It looks like Mumbo really did end up granting me the exact opposite of what I thought I wished for! thought Beast Boy sadly.
“But at least you have the strength to admit it,” continued Raven, “I forgive you Beast Boy, but remember it was your poor judgement that led us here in the first place. I should not really judge you for your actions – you may not have understood there are certain indicators of a true Djinn and I doubt Mumbo did either, for neither of you are familiar with the ways of real enchantment.”
“Wait…are you sayin’ that genies are real?” butted in Cyborg, his eyes widening.
“Should it come as any surprise when you know I am half-demon? Djinn are spirits lower than angels that can take many forms, who carry out the bidding of mortals that summon them and are occasionally found in lamps or rings.”
“Man, I sure wish we had a genie – a real genie – to get us out of this mess right now…” Beast Boy looked at the sprawling desert. “Wait a minute…why can’t you use your magic to zap us out of here?”
Raven closed her eyes and focused. “Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos…” she chanted.
Beast Boy and Cyborg didn’t know what to expect, but they were nonetheless surprised when nothing happened.
“What’s wrong, Raven?” asked Cyborg, “I may not know much about magic, but I can tell something’s up with your powers.”
“Ever since we arrived here, I sensed that something was preventing me from using my powers. I was not certain at first, but now I know I am unable to use my abilities.”
“How can Mumbo do that?” asked Beast Boy, “I thought all his tricks were just hocus-pocus.”
“I have no idea…”
While this was going on, Robin furiously battled against the army, climbing onto roofs and being chased across them by the soldiers, who clambered on at all sides. He leapt across the rooftops but they continued to pursue him, swords brandished.
In the treasure cave, Starfire had finally found large opening in the rock-face…which was blocked by a massive boulder. She pushed with all her might against it, but even her Tamaranian strength was no match for the stone. She blasted it with her green fire, but it didn’t leave as much as a dent.
“How is it that the face of the rock can withstand my powers?” she wondered aloud, “Is it protected by the magic of a genie?” Suddenly, she remembered a story she had read whilst studying the folklore of Earth’s cultures. “Maybe it is like that story of the forty thieves! What was the password they used?” She racked her memory, trying to recall what they had said…it was something she’d heard Mumbo say before as well. Open…something. Some kind of seed, if she remembered correctly. “Open the seed?” she tried. There was no response from the boulder. “Open the…fennel? Open the poppy?” Still nothing happened.
…
Back in the desert, Cyborg, Raven and Beast Boy were continuing to trek across the scorching sand, a slight breeze now cooling the air, when they noticed a rather disconcerting sight in the distance. A great cloud was forming on the horizon, but not a cloud made of water vapour – a cloud made of swirling sand.
“Guys…” said Cyborg, “Is that what I think it is?”
“A sandstorm!” squeaked Beast Boy.
“We need to take cover,” said Raven, remaining calm as usual.
“Where?!” panicked Beast Boy.
Raven closed her eyes and focused. “Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos…”
“Raven, you know that’s not working,” interrupted Cyborg.
Raven ignored him. “Azarath, Metrion, ZINTHOS!”
“Is there anything I could turn into that would protect us?” said Beast Boy.
“Yeah, a tent,” responded Cyborg.
“Dude, that’s not an animal!”
Raven adjusted her scarf so it covered her nose and mouth. “We need to get to higher ground!”
They ran up the nearest sand dune. The wind grew increasingly stronger and Cyborg had to grab onto his fez to stop it from blowing away.
Once on top of the dune, they gazed out into the approaching storm, hardly feeling any safer from the grey-brown churning mass.
“Beast Boy, turn yourself back into a camel,” Raven instructed, “They are well equipped for surviving sandstorms.”
The green shapeshifter promptly obeyed and crouched down so Raven and Cyborg could hide behind him. The storm drew closer at a rapid pace, roaring and rolling and appearing more threatening than ever.
“Are you sure we can survive that thing?” asked Cyborg.
“I do not know,” responded Raven, sounding slightly less composed than normal.
“What do you think is wrong with your magic, anyway? Is there anything that can influence how your powers work?”
“My powers are connected to my emotions. I don’t think there has been any difference to my emotional state since we first arrived in Arabia.”
Cyborg wasn’t entirely convinced that last part was entirely true, but he was less concerned by it than something he remembered Mumbo saying.
“But we’re not in Arabia! Back in that marketplace, Mumbo said something about us being ‘trapped in [his] world’. Do you think somehow that’s affecting your powers?”
“It is possible. I do not feel as though they are entirely annulled – rather, I am just unable to use them.”
“Mumbo seems to have no trouble using his magic. Maybe magic in this world he’s created only works on his terms – in an Arabian Nights style. What if you tried doing spells his way?”
“I doubt very much that imitating his silly hocus-pocus will have any effect whatsoever…”
“You’ve got to try, Raven. It’s our only chance out of here.”
The storm was closer than ever and the three Titans had to close their eyes to keep sand from getting in them. Cyborg was covering his nose and mouth with his coat sleeve. Any moment now, the mass of whirling sand would hit them. Raven knew copying Mumbo’s superficial incantations would make her feel ridiculous, but what if Cyborg’s crazy theory was right – when you were in Mumbo’s “Arabian Nights” world, magic only worked according to his primitive understanding of the subject. She really had nothing to lose by trying…
…
“Open the sunflower!” Starfire tried next, “Open the grass!” No, wait – it was something that began with ‘s’. An edible seed – one that was used in cooking, one the humans made oil out of…WAIT! She’d remembered now. “Open the sesame!” she cried. Nothing happened. “Open the sesame!” she repeated, but still the rock would not move.
What was she doing wrong? She was almost certain she’d got the right seed. Was there something else she was saying wrong? How did Mumbo say the phrase…?
“OPEN SESAME!” she cried, lifting her arms majestically.
With a thundering crunch, the gigantic boulder shifted from blocking the cave’s entrance, almost blinding Starfire as it let in a pillar of sunlight. Through the hole, she could make out a patch of sapphire blue sky. She clambered out of the cavity and flew upward to see if she could work out where she was. The hole was located in a large mountain in the middle of a desert. She could not see her friends anywhere or anyone who looked like they could help her…or anyone at all, actually. She could, however, just about make out what looked like a city in the distance and decided to head in its direction to see if she could locate any of the other Titans.
As she flew towards the city, she became increasingly aware something was not quite right about it the nearer she got. Unlike the other town, the inhabitants of this one were not milling around a market, but rather seemed to be engaged in a battle of some sort, which involved jumping over rooftops and pursuing each other, swords raised – no, wait! They weren’t chasing each other, they were chasing one particular person, and that one person looked immediately familiar.
“Robin!” she shrieked, swooping down his aid.
The boy wonder had been reduced to climbing onto the circular dome roof of the highest tower in the city, fending off any attackers with his curved sword, barely able to hold on any longer. Starfire snatched him off the rooftop, zapping his assailants with her fiery powers.
“Starfire?!” exclaimed a bewildered Robin, “How did you –”
“There is no time to explain – we must find the others!” cried the alien super-girl, as Robin knocked swords with one daring soldier who’d leapt into the air after them.
“Do you know where they are?” he asked, slipping his weapon into his waistband. They were flying over the city’s wall now, out of harm’s way.
“I am not certain, but I believe they cannot be far away. This is not the real Middle East – I reckon it is only a pigment of the Mumbo’s imagination.”
“Figment,” corrected Robin, “But then how come Mumbo hasn’t stopped you from using your powers? The last time he trapped us in his world he made them go berserk.”
“I do not fully understand, friend Robin, but my first priority is to locate where the others are!”
“Once we find Cyborg, Raven and Beast Boy, we need to form a think tank to outwit Mumbo and work out how to get out of his world.”
“Oh, I don’t think so!” suddenly said a voice they dreaded the very sound of. Not far in front of them was a flying Persian rug with a familiar blue-skinned figure stood upon it, still wearing his full genie getup, the lamp beside him. “You’re not going anywhere…” Mumbo smiled menacingly.

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