*Theme song: Never Surrender, by Stan Bush*

Osmoudon: So, we shall split up once more?

Belial: Indeed. Both Eternals are in this area, so we should split up once more and locate it.

Osmoudon: Yes... I can just feel the power that they emanate! We must find them; one is in the hands of a being unworthy of its power.

Belial: Then I shall find that Eternal and put it in the hands of the Prime Evils!

Crystal: It's cold.

Asteroid: Well, it's not use complaining now!

Life: Can we go home now?

Love: Now without freeing Anya! Nihlathak must have her hidden somewhere down here!

Crystal: I wouldn't mind Davros being here right now, his scanners might be able to find him faster!

Asteroid: Well, we'll just have to rely on good old-fashioned eyesight!

Crystal: Ooof... Yeah, and how do we use that 'good old-fashioned eyesight' when we're fighting about a dozen snow imps?!

And unfortunately, that fact was true. The imps were about two feet tall, with shaggy white hair and dark blue skin. They growled and laughed as they teleported about the icy cavern that the four Titans were within. Each time they teleported, they released a fireball out at the Titans, who narrowly avoided most of them.

Asteroid: This is getting tedious! ASTEROID SHOT!!!

Asteroid pointed his finger at an imp who suddenly appeared and released a fast-moving flaming rock at the demon, slamming into it quickly. The demon vaporized instantly on contact, but there were still another three demons.

Crystal: CRYSTAL CRUSHER BEAM!!!

Crystal clapped her hands together and slowly brought them apart, forming a white energy ball in her hands. She then tossed the ball out at one of the demons, gasping as the ball collided into it, freezing the imp over in shimmering crystal.

Anna: SOUL LIFE!!!

While Sailor Love provided cover fire for her with a couple of crescent heart crushes, Life's entire body began to glow, her clothes flailing around in mystical winds that blew all around them as Life's eyes turned pure white. A spirit that was triangular shaped came swooping out of her baton and slammed into the remaining demons, vaporizing both.

With the imps destroyed, the Titans desperately looked around for Nihlathak, seeing the necromancer with a hard glare on his face as he growled silently at the Titans. He then immediately turned tale and ran in the opposite direction down one of the caves.

Asteroid: After him!

No more needed to be said. The four quickly began chasing after them, letting the adrenaline start pumping through themselves and beginning to warm them up. For an old man, Nihlathak was actually moving surprisingly fast. However, the Titans immediately saw that his speed wasn't a result of his own legs or stamina, because his feet weren't even touching the ground. Whatever spell he was doing, it was letting him levitate above the ground as he continued moving the twisting and turning ice caverns of the frozen river that they were inside.

And their chase finally ended when Nihlathak accelerated and entered a vast ice chamber. The Titans all winced when they entered, this room considerably colder than any parts of the frozen river they had been in so far. Nihlathak turned around, his body suddenly emanating a blue and black aura as his eyes turned pure white. Despite Nihlathak's sudden change into a glow stick, the Titans were focusing on something else in the cavern: the young girl with brown hair and ragged leather clothing who was encased in a block of ice in the center of the room.

Love: Is that Anya?!

Crystal: It must be!

Asteroid: That bastard froze her in a block of ice!

Nihlathak: Don't worry; it's a lot more humane then what I'm going to do to you!

Everyone's attention suddenly shifted back over to Nihlathak, who launched a black energy sphere out at the four. Before they could move out of the way, it collided with Asteroid and sent him flying into a nearby wall of ice. Snow and ice fell down upon him from the impact, and he groaned in pain.

Love: CRESCENT HEART CRUSH!!!

The five pink hearts came out of nowhere and quickly flew out towards Nihlathak, who merely grinned as they got closer. When they were within a foot of him, Nihlathak instantly disappeared and reappeared on the other side of the room. The five hearts slammed into one another, dissipating on contact. He shot off another black energy ball, and Crystal quickly shot out a hastily made Crystal Crusher beam. It encased the black energy in crystal, but it was still flying at them, so they ran over to Asteroid, evading the ice ball.

Life: Geez, that old guy is really strong!

Asteroid: TOO powerful.

Love: What do you mean?

Asteroid: Malah said he was a necromancer. Necromancers resurrect the dead and use undead magics, not teleportation, flight, and energy bolts like that.

Crystal: Maybe Malah just didn't know the extent of his true power.

Asteroid: I don't think so. He also created an entire portal into this frozen river! He must have something assisting his power!

Nihlathak: Excuse me, Titans, but isn't the part where you go running in terror?

Life: We're not afraid of some big jerk like you!

Asteroid: That's some nice insulting, Anna.

Life: I try.

Nihlathak: Oh, please! You young people are always so sure of yourselves. Always so sure that you know the right answers, so sure that you can always defeat your opponent!

Asteroid: Trust me, Nihlathak; we're going to defeat you.

Nihlathak: I wasn't talking about you and me, you idiots! I was talking about those blasted Barbarians up in Harrogath!

Crystal: What about them?

Nihlathak: Ever since the second coming of Baal, this city has been under siege by demons and foul creatures of hell. We've been losing hundreds of men over the past few years, barely hanging on to a few fragile peaces of territory, Harrogath being one of them. I've used my newfound power to hold a great many of the demon armies at bay, even had to make deals with demons to prevent a mass invasion of Harrogath! I AM THAT DAMNED TOWN'S SAVIOR!

The Titans stared at Nihlathak, a little shocked by this revelation. Love regained her composure first.

Love: And what about Anya?! What did she do to Harrogath that made her deserve her current fate?!

Nihlathak: That little whore was going to tell Qual-Kehk about my negotiations with the demons. Those Barbarians have been fighting evil for so long, their perceptions of good and evil have twisted! They see the world as black and white, good and evil, etc., etc. They can't even grasp the sacrifices I've made for them as good...

Asteroid: I don't believe you.

Everyone turned to look at Asteroid, confused by what he had just said.

Asteroid: You want to know what I think? I think you DID negotiate with demons to keep them at bay, and you're not trying to protect the people of Harrogath, but your own skin! Did you even try to explain yourself to Anya? Or did you just freezer her on the spot?

Nihlathak growled and slipped his hand into his black rags. He pulled out a shimmering diamond-shaped crystal.

Nihlathak: Maybe you're right, Titan. But this damned town, and probably the entire world, is going to bow before me, now! I've sacrificed so much, given so much to this damned world, and it has given me nothing but contempt and cold my entire life. I AM IN CONTROL NOW!

And all of a sudden, the roof of the ice cave caved in. Nihlathak gasped and teleported to the other end of the room as a rather large black demon came tumbling down along with the roof and landing quite easily upon the ground. Crystal and Life recognized him instantly. Crystal especially, considering she had been the one whom he had possessed to escape from hell.

Crystal & Life: BELIAL!

The demon looked at the Titans and grinned before turning his attentions back at Nihlathak, who gaped in horror at Belial. Belial grinned wider and leapt at Nihlathak, who, in surprise and shock, threw the large crystal aside as he ran away. Belial caught it in mid-air and laughed maniacally.

Belial: HA! The blasphemer who possessed this Eternal is a coward! Thank you, foolish necromancer. You saved me the trouble of looking for the Eternal myself!

And with that, Belial teleported, Eternal and all, out of sight. Nihlathak stood, bewildered for a moment, by this turn of events, but then shook it off.

Nihlathak: DEMONS! I HATE DEMONS!

Nihlathak then quickly extended his arms out and teleported away as well. The Titans got up from the ground, helping Asteroid as well; because he still ached from the blast he had received earlier.

Asteroid: We have to go after them!

Life: Which one?

Asteroid: Both!

Love: They can both wait! We have to see if we can get Anya out of this!

To Be Continued...