YJC Chapter 14
They only noticed something was amiss when the sky began to turn an odd shade of red, with dark clouds erupting in the sky like some sort of bad omen. They crackled with red thunder, the unnatural lightning zipping through the sky as Klarion raised his hands to the heavens, a manic grin splitting his face.
"I can't get through!" Traci yelled, her hands shooting out all the magical energy she could at the dome that now surrounded a decent area of the park. They had no idea what they were trying to accomplish, but it was abundantly clear it wasn't anything good. For some reason a lion was being used as a sacrifice, the poor creature petrified as though it was a lifeless statue, its eyes forced open in sheer terror as blood dripped from a series of runes etched into its pelt. They hoped it was already dead.
"I called Zatanna and Fate," Tigress yelled, having foregone any attempt at stealth. With magic being as prevalent as it was, their earpieces were being reduced to static at random times. She wasn't in the mood to use darkwear contacts either, as even that piece of equipment was beginning to show signs of becoming faulty. "They'll be here as soon as they can, but they are both dealing with Faust and Wotan right now."
Robin looked frustrated as he held his staff, having long learned that no amount of brute force could break through it. "And that's more important than dealing with Klarion?!"
"You know they wouldn't be late unless it was important!"
Robin clenched his teeth as he went back to Halo, her attempts at calling a boom-tube resulting in nothing but a temporary light show as the ability failed to connect to anything.
"I can't…It's just not working!" She wailed, only trying to open a pathway a few more times before she tried blasting at the shield with her powers.
Robin looked on feeling helpless as she continued her attack, an errant bolt of magic falling from the sky to incinerate a nearby tree. Cracks were beginning to form on the ground, the sound of people screaming in the distance beginning to make itself apparent. His darkwear UI was getting splotchy at the edges, looking close to making itself go offline, but he was able to learn a few things.
Namely, that Tigress had requested backup from the Outsiders.
| The HUB
| 2019 March 9, 19:13 EST
The voice of Beast Boy was apparent even from her room, "Hey guys! We got trouble!"
She expected the troub-alert to follow soon afterward, the sound being a literal call to action whenever the others were called out to the field. But rather curiously, it never came, and Raven felt a buzz of activity as they all converged to what she assumed to be the main living area. Why were they waiting around? It wasn't like them.
Miss Martian's emotions had also taken a turn for the worse, her genial disposition now being replaced with one of extreme seriousness. It was enough of a change to have her summoning a portal instantly, her form silently falling into a dark void only to seamlessly reappear toward the back of the living room, the holoscreen now devoid of the loud videogame they were playing earlier.
Instead, her eyes saw footage of a city with flickering lights, the sky brimming with an unnatural color as a panicked populace tried to run for cover as the winds began picking up. Everyone else was huddling by the couch, looking at the screen with various looks of shock and determination.
Beast Boy was the first to speak, "Who are we dealing with?"
"Klarion." Miss Martian stated, "Tigress and her team were investigating a black market auction with possible access to a specific magical artifact known as the Ebontome. Shade showed up at one point and then teleported himself and the auction organizer away. I guess they went to the Witch Boy…" She murmured, her eyes furrowing as she tried to piece together their main goal. "The appearance of Shade and Klarion together almost guarantees that the Light is involved somehow. So we should proceed with caution when we approach the ritual area."
"And what's the plan?"
"The ritual is preventing us from simply boom tubing inside, so for right now we will just enter the area and have the Outsiders assist in evacuation. Myself and a few others will approach the dome and try to uncover additional information and maybe find a way inside. Once we arrive, Artemis and her squad will head back to the illegal auction to try and find something we can use. If we're lucky, they may be able to find information on what exactly Klarion is trying to do and how to stop it."
"Should we have some people apprehending the auction-goers?" Static asked, his brow furrowed as he tried to look toward the background of the media coverage.
Miss Martian shook her head, "Ensuring the safety of civilians is our first priority at this point. If Artemis feels the need to apprehend anyone at the auction, she will direct her team to do so."
Raven frowned as she took in the features of the fleeing people, eyes wild as they tried to hide from something they couldn't possibly comprehend. She could just barely see the edge of the ritual area Miss Martian mentioned, a crimson dome peeking out just behind a set of buildings. "What about El Dorado?"
Her words had some of the people in the back row flinching, with Terra whirling around with fists raised as though dealing with an intruder, her eyes immediately turning contrite when she registered Raven's appearance.
"Oh! You came down…" She mumbled, "I didn't hear you."
"I travel silently.", Raven dryly stated, shrugging as other Outsiders registered her presence. Apparently, Terra wasn't the only one she creeped out with her sudden appearance. Even Miss Martian looked startled for a moment, her eyes widening when she realized that Raven was neither heard nor sensed when she entered the room.
Now that the martian thought about it, did her portals even make a sound when used? The memory of deep coldness was stark enough, but that was only when she actually touched the inky blackness. But it spoke volumes that she didn't realize a portal was above her until she looked directly at it. She was used to modes of transportation announcing themselves in some way, like the loud ring that accompanies Fate's ankh or the faint sound of whizzing that accompanied Ed's teleporting…but it seems Raven's description was apt: She was silent. In all ways.
"Dios mio…", Ed moaned. "But I see where she was going with her question. Why not take me and see if I can't transport some people inside. Just because boom tubes are out of the question doesn't mean all modes of teleportation are out. In fact, you should take both me and Raven." He looked towards the empath, "You can teleport too, right?"
"I can.", Raven slowly responded. She silently questioned if such a thing was even possible without side effects. Based on what she's seen, whoever was performing the ritual was incredibly powerful. "But I have no idea how my powers will react to…whatever that is. What was this guy's name again? Klarion?"
Ed was quick to explain, a hand waving her off as he put his attention back toward the screen, "He's a Lord of Chaos, which basically means he's a magical heavy-hitter. He's on par with Dr. Fate."
"It also means none of us can take him head-on without some backup." Beast Boy added, "So don't try to fight him alone. Ever."
Miss Martian rose from her seat as she walked to the zeta-tube. "We should avoid boom tubing nearby just in case the ambient magic makes it go off course. Thankfully, there is a zeta-tube in the city that we can use to get there quickly. Raven and El Dorado are with me. Everyone else is to focus on civilian evacuation. The bio-ship is already on her way and will notify us when she arrives in the city's airspace."
Raven found herself trailing behind the group as Miss Martian put in some coordinates. Everyone seemed to have a feel for when they should go in, with each individual approaching the glowing lights as soon as Miss Martian gave them a subtle nod.
She couldn't say she ever encountered a Lord of Chaos, despite their reputation. She knew they were powerful and not to be trifled with, but other than that her knowledge on them was considered basic.
By the time it was her turn to enter the whirring machine, Miss Martian gave her a slightly inquisitive look. "Do you have your contacts in?"
Raven found herself taken aback, realizing to her astonishment that she had left the devices on her nightstand, stored in an innocuous-looking case that was barely the size of her palm.
She intended her response to come out in a no-nonsense kind of way, but she internally cringed with how immature she sounded. "I forgot."
Miss Martian took the response in stride. "That's fine. I was actually going to tell you to leave them behind this time around, actually. Oracle hasn't had enough time to calibrate everything on her end to prevent it from scrubbing your face on every camera."
Raven looked at her quizzically, "What?"
"Darkwear contacts have fully built-in features that tries to scrub your presence from any electronic device you register on. It conceals your presence on sensors, visitor logs, and things like that. But we usually disable these features on public evacuation missions so we don't stand out. Invites too many questions when a hero's face becomes distorted on a phone recording. But since you're so new to the system…"
"Those features haven't been turned off."
Miss Martian nodded, "Right. But standard mics are still an option.", she pulled a black earbud out of a pocket that Raven didn't know existed, handing it over to Raven before gesturing for her to go on through. "It's not as advanced as darkwear, but it still has its uses in basic communication."
Raven placed the sleek-looking contraption in her ear, suspecting that despite the martian's words, the tech was still advanced enough to deter most attempts at hacking. Mentally preparing her for the smothered feeling that accompanied the zeta-beams, Raven walked inside the zeta-tube with a straightened back.
The experience was not as bad as the last time, but her mind still wailed in protest as her empathy was wrung for everything that it was worth. It was almost like being overloaded with information to the point of forced simplicity, her mind going over a multiplicity of emotions before her body decided that she would be better off perceiving something simpler.
What actually happened during the zeta transport process, she wondered? Were her molecules being propelled at lightspeed toward another destination, her abilities still somehow able to minutely perceive the space around them despite her inability to make sense of it? Or was her soul-self temporarily reaching out to some other place beyond the mortal plane while her body was deconstructed?
By the time she walked out to greet the other Outsiders in what looked like a storage facility, the only one sticking behind to greet her was El Dorado, who gave her a friendly wave upon seeing her. "Heya."
He openly appraised her disposition with a look of thoughtfulness, his eyes trying to search for meaning as he took in her stoic face. "You know, I was worried that maybe pushing you into the thick of things so quickly was going to cause you distress. But you seem to be taking everything at a steady pace. I guess you really were working solo."
She moved to stand next to him, the sound of the machine whirring as she stared at the glowing light. "I strive to avoid emotional distress."
The response had a hint of a frown appearing on his face. It was probably due to his job as a youth counselor, but he couldn't help himself when his next words came out. "Trying to stay calm is an admirable quality, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't communicate when you're feeling down. Trust me, I've seen how people can explode when they bundle everything up. Sometimes they explode literally.", he joked.
Raven's tone was cordial, but her motionless face also told him that she didn't think much of his words, "Thank you for the advice."
Recognized: Miss Martian B-05
Any attempt to continue their conversation was halted with Miss Martian walked in, a sudden feeling of seriousness falling over the room.
"We will proceed to the ritual area as quickly as we can, but be cautious, Klarion may have arranged for backup to be close by.", She started. Her gaze turned toward the empath, "Raven, is it possible for you to teleport us to the park immediately?"
"Yes. Just give me a few seconds." She estimated that it was less than a few blocks away, but she already tell the Lord of Chaos was wrecking havoc on his surroundings. Lightning strikes and winds aside, the air was practically crackling with ambient magical energy, and the area's ley lines felt like they were throbbing with how much magic the Witch-Boy was pushing into it.
Whatever he was doing, it relied on making reality more malleable. More prone to change. It was a far cry from most spells that simply imposed themselves on the physical plane…just what exactly was he trying to do?
She raised her cloak with swiftness, the blackness of her powers seeping out to embrace Miss Martian and the young man who yelped at the sudden display. The travel was unnaturally easy, with the strain of transporting a few people becoming a non-issue as her powers suddenly encountered a more pliable part of the mortal plane.
Her powers were agitated as much as they were invigorated, the abundance of chaos magic representing both opportunity and threat to a set of powers so used to being restrained.
She came out of the ground with a small gasp, her limbs stiff as she tried to keep her powers from lashing out. Her portal already looked deformed, the placid abyss now looking more like a disturbed lake as its surface shifted. Small limbs of shadow poked through the surface, whipping at the crackling red energy that zipped across its surface.
Miss Martian's concerned tone was apparent even through her concentration, the odd formation of her portal being a sufficient cause of alarm, "Raven, are you ok?"
Raven made eye contact with the concerned alien, her concentration still largely dedicated to calming the turbulent darkness. "I'm fine. But it appears Klarion's magic is reacting adversely to my abilities."
El Dorado looked creeped out at the coiling display, his eyes looking at the racing trails of chaos magic with a slight look of trepidation, "I have a feeling that's an understatement, Amiga." He took a step away from the portal, "So is it usually that cold on the inside, or is that not normal?"
Raven gave nothing but a blink at the question, her powers finally starting to calm at her incessant command, "My portals are often noted to be cold, dark, and possibly being able to take your breath away. So yes, it's normal."
The boy didn't look reassured by the answer. "And the tendrils on the surface?"
"Not normal.", Miss Martian interjected, her brows furrowing. "It is supposed to look closer to a black hole."
The boy raised an eyebrow, "The kind that sucks everything in?"
"Not that kind.", Miss Martian amended. "It is just a hole that happens to be black."
The martian gave Raven an appraising look before turning her gaze toward the dome that encompassed the ritual area. Pulsing with an abundance of powerful magic and with runes swirling around its edges, Raven could not help but marvel at power on blatant display.
Rituals of this caliber were no easy thing. Even with an artifact expediting the process, the prep work alone would take the average mage hours or even days to complete. One would have to store a massive amount of energy, conceptualize each glyph, and then imbue each glyph in accordance with a variety of factors. Time, moon phase, season, astrological alignment…
Despite her unfamiliarity with the being, the Lord of Chaos was easy enough to identify as her group approached the shield. With his hands held high and a feeling of excitement radiating from his person, the real identifier was the bright lines of chaos magic that spewed from his clenched fists. It was obvious that he was the power source behind this whole thing, his magic being blindly channeled into what looked like the edges of a sigil.
Lord of Chaos, or Lords of Order for that matter, may be absurdly powerful, but even they had some significant limitations. One of them was their inability to perform mortal rituals unless the ritual in question was created specifically for their use. They could assist in virtually any ritual, to be sure, but actually performing them on their own was a different matter entirely…unless they found a workaround. Usually through an artifact or by working in tandem with mortals.
"How does it look, Ed? Any way to get in?" Miss Martian placed a hand on the barrier, testing its unfaltering firmness.
El Dorado was intently staring at a patch of ground just inside the wall of red energy, his brows furrowed as his fists clenched at his side. He occasionally lowered himself an inch, his feet squaring themselves as though he was bracing for impact. His body turned bright yellow for a second before he vanished in a flash of light, Miss Martian's eyes darting to the same spot that Eduardo was staring at.
He never appeared.
Raven's ears cracked with static, the voice of her vanishing teammate greeting their ears, "So, good news is that I'm in. Rrrrrrrrrt. I can see", more static crackled in her ears, "—the dome. The bad news is that I'm way off."
Miss Martian tilted her head, looking toward a distant location, and she made a slight incline of her head. The odd moment of silence was considered peculiar by Raven, the silence drawing on for several seconds before the martian turned to face her, "He isn't too far away, but I told him to stay put for the time being."
'Right. The mental link', Raven thought.
Miss Martian looked contrite for a moment, "El Dorado can probably teleport himself back outside the ritual area to take someone back in, but we want to see if you can teleport inside too." Her head tilted again, listening to words Raven couldn't hear, "He says he wants to avoid teleporting to some random part of the city since it's clear the magic in the area is affecting his teleportation."
Raven gave nothing but a small nod at the words, placing a hand on the magic barrier as she tried to focus on the dimensional shifts just inches away from her palm. Unsurprisingly, Klarion's magic was all over the place, ripping into the firmness of reality with an eager brutality to make room for something. But his magic never went too far, the cackling energy taking at least some care in leaving room for other sources of magic to maneuver. There was another source of magic at play, attempting to drill and tap into something she could not sense. It felt worn out. She wouldn't call the spellcraft itself crude, but parts of it seemed to break off at points. Fracturing once it hit some form of etheric feedback, and the spellcaster didn't seem to be doing anything to account for that.
Trying to break the barrier by force wouldn't work, and trying to magically teleport in normally would likely invite disaster if her previous attempts were any indication. If simply encountering ambient chaos magic got her powers to act up, what would happen if she tried to teleport herself near the spell's locus?
Her face twisted at the thought.
The metaphysical space cleared by Klarion could be a potential point of entry, but she would have to proceed carefully. Getting close to the ritual's epicenter carried its own risks, even if she tried to keep to the proverbial edges of the spell itself. Worst case scenario, she would be repelled back to her starting position and hosting a few arcane burns. But with her skill, that seemed unlikely provided she was traveling alone. She could get in, tell the squad leader that she couldn't get others in, —which would likely be true— and just assist as needed.
Raven took a deep breath, 'Right.' Focusing on her inner self, she carefully felt out for a point of vulnerability, taking care to avoid any waves of chaos energy that seemed especially potent. As before her powers seemed unusually eager, but bent to her will nonetheless as she tried to manifest her soul-self in the space provided.
The feeling of a hand touching her shoulder brought her back to reality, the sound of roaring wind accentuating Miss Martian's unease. Her lips had thinned into a small line, her brows creasing as she looked at the magical barrier with trepidation. It appears the odd actions of her previous portal had put her on edge, "I'm not saying you shouldn't try, but…Klarion's magic is dangerous. Exceptionally so. If you feel like it will harm you in some way, you need to stop. We can have you assist the Outsiders with evacuation by searching nearby buildings for stragglers."
Raven dismissed her, the action making Miss Martian frown even harder, "I'll be fine."
Gathering her magic, she reached out, attempting to manifest in the weakened veil between reality and abstraction. Falling into a portal of her own creation, she was enveloped in a series of sensations that alternated between feeling like wind and water. It was almost like the magic around her was struggling to become something tangible.
It was only when she tried to actualize the portal did something go wrong. Her attempt at materializing in the altered plane caused an immediate reaction in the surrounding magics, and Raven felt a searing pain in her chest as the spell she sensed earlier decided that she was a valid target.
Feeling completely different from that of the Chaos Lord, the spell was vicious in its assault. It dug into her being, siphoning off magic as it did so. Feeling like she was being drained alive, her powers began rebelling in protest, her instinctual will to live compelling her demonic energies to surge out and attack that which threatened it.
It was the wrong thing to do. Her instinctual attack fed the siphoning spell even more, and it was that realization that had her pulling herself back out into reality. Flight instead of fight. She came out of her original portal in a flurry of writhing darkness, the smell of burnt clothing stinging her nostrils as she was thrown on the ground with the force of her retreat.
Miss Martian rushed over to her, eyes wide as she took in the patches of irritated skin that now marred the girl's face. With bits of smoke still emitting from the singed parts of her clothes, Miss Martian took care to avoid adding unnecessary pressure to the skin as she telepathically sat Raven up in a sitting position. "Raven! Can you talk? Is anything broken?"
Raven opened her eyes, blinking a few times before sitting up on her own and rebuffing the martian's psychic grasp, "I'm fine…mostly." She gently touched a patch of burned skin, wincing only slightly when she confirmed that yes, she got burned. It didn't appear to be severe, though.
Placing a hand on her throbbing forehead, she had to prevent herself from groaning as she realized that whatever she went through absolutely decimated her usually placid state of being. Her demonic aura was practically on full display, her powers still primed for offensive action as bits of it continually seeped from her person searching for any incoming threat.
Even an arcane novice would realize something was up—even if they didn't know how to describe it. If her magic portals weren't potentially noticeable before, they certainly would be now.
Raven glanced at the spot where she was regurgitated, grimacing as she sensed the residual energies from her own agitated magic. In her haste she ended up using more magic than strictly necessary, her turbulent powers leaking out unbidden as it braced itself for a potential fight.
Was that just the result of being in the presence of chaos magic? Or did it have more to do with how magic was practically being dumped into the area in obscene amounts?
Miss Martian looked between Raven and the barrier, jaw clenching slightly as she took in the lines of irritated skin that slithered across the girl's neck. They didn't look like severe burns, but the angry red contrasted greatly against the pale skin, and there were some areas where the skin was already starting to peel. But the greater issue was the center of the girl's chest, which was charred to the point of looking like weak plastic.
If she was dealing with anyone else, Miss Martian would have been able to feel psychic imprints of the inflicted injuries; feel a muted version of the pain. But aside from a few minor grunts, Raven seemed unwilling to voice any other sign of distress. It was as though she was plagued by silence and a lack of emotiveness, and it was in that silence where everything about her seemed more pronounced.
The pink skin suddenly looked like a precursor to something worse, the peeling skin looking like it was reacting to something caustic. And the burned patch of clothing on her torso? She was half afraid that could peel back the cracking fabric and take some melted skin with it.
She wasn't like the rest of the Team, who all wore protective nanofibers or were invulnerable. She was just a girl in what looked like a standard collection of cotton and neoprene. And the fact that she was beginning to suspect the young hero had some level of pain resistance wasn't helping matters.
In a motion that was barely susceptible, Miss Martian clenched her jaw, her voice coming out with a sudden firmness, "The bio-ship will be here in roughly 30 minutes. When it gets here, get on board and stay there. In the meantime, head over to some place that is out of the way and focus on healing."
Raven cast her an incredulous look, the emotion just barely shining through her unemotive façade, "That won't be necessary. My healing works automatically, even without meditation speeding it up. Not to mention I can still perform my duties, even if confronting Klarion isn't one of them. I can still assist the Outsiders with evacuations, as planned."
Miss Martian shook her head. "Not this time. You may have gotten off easy this time around, but there is no telling how far Klarion's magic will spread in the near future."
"So you're just going to have me standing around for 30 minutes?" Raven asked, voice raising a small fraction, "If an altercation this small was all it took to bench me, then I would have better off staying at the HUB."
Miss Martian couldn't help the bite that leaked into her tone, "If that was really what I thought, I would have sent you back toward the zeta-tube and told you to go back.", a breath of air ran through her nose as she exhaled, her next words coming out gently as she placed a hand on Raven's shoulder. She was supposed to be a mentor to this person, she reminded herself, a teacher.
"If you are in good condition by the time the bio-ship arrives, you can still assist in evacuations by coordinating with the teammates via the ship's interface. Unlike you, everyone else in the area still has darkwear. But in an intense time-sensitive and active situation like this, some members may not have the time or attention to use every function that darkwear can provide like heat vision or sound analysis. Having someone work on tech in the background can help exponentially while the others focus on field operations."
Raven grimaced at the explanation, but Miss Martian continued, "So for right now I want you to find some place away from here and focus on yourself."
"For 30 minutes?" Raven intoned, "Seems like an awful amount of time for me to just be sitting around."
Miss Martian groaned, resisting the urge to pinch her nose, "You won't be—"
El Dorado appeared beside them, looking mildly disturbed, "So good news: I can teleport normally when outside the dome. Bad news: My teleportation goes on the fritz when I'm inside and…", he pointed the barrier they were mere feet away from. The red construct now looked reinforced, the mild transparency from before giving way to a thicker light that made it look more like an actual wall rather than a magic barrier. And to make matters worse, it seemed to have a new addition. Black lines were running all over its surface, looking very much like a sickly set of veins put in place to give life to a pre-existing shape.
El Dorado gave Raven a sympathetic look, and winced as he continued speaking, "Whatever Raven did, I think it may have made this thing stronger."
Miss Martian's look hardened at the news, and Raven found her argument dying on her tongue as she took in the imposing sight. Getting injured was one thing, but actively making the situation worse? That was much harder to excuse.
The young metahuman gave Raven a kind shrug, looking only a bit awkward as he tried to salvage damaged confidence, "So turns out you were right when you said you had no idea how your abilities would react to this. Guess we just have to make a note on how you're not a good match for magic types, yeah?"
Raven very much felt like she was being shooed out of the situation, even if El Dorado was trying to be nice about it. With Miss Martian giving her a silent look, Raven knew she officially had no leg to stand on as far as main mission participation is concerned.
Her voice came out in its usual monotone, even if the small slump in her shoulders was noticeable, "I'll go back to the zeta-tube's location."
Miss Martian raised a hand, "You don't have to go back. Just go—"
"To a safe location until the bio-ship arrives.", Raven finished, "I know. But between the magical lightning starting fires and the ritual causing tremors, that location seems like a pretty safe place for the time being. I'm assuming the structure around the tube is reinforced?"
El Dorado seemed to like the idea, "It is. The entire building was constructed to be sturdy. And if things are too much for you, you can evacuate. We made sure the computer would grant you access to certain areas like the HUB."
His words were met with nothing but the sight of a closing portal, the ebony energy swallowing Raven whole as she disappeared into the ground.
"At least that confirms her powers are still up and running…", Ed mused, eying the slight shift in the lingering darkness before it disappeared entirely. It seemed less turbulent than it was before, and Ed wasn't too sure what to make of it. He gave Miss Martian a look, "Is this why you told me to rush over here?"
The martian shrugged, a sigh escaping her lips, "I wanted to make sure she had some means of travel just in case the magical knockback did more damage than I realized. " She lifted a hand to her forehead, her mind reaching out to someone El Dorado couldn't see or sense through the link. But he figured she was reaching out to Artemis.
They still had a job to do.
-X-
Klarion looked around the space wildly as his eyes scanned everything around him, his familiar doing the same as it skulked on the ground. With his arms still exuding magic, his aerial view didn't appear to be doing him any favors.
His next words were hissed out of his mouth in frustration, a tinge of magic lacing his voice as he communicated with a familiar who was well beyond normal hearing range, "Have you found it yet?!"
He couldn't hear it, but he could still feel Teekle's meow as he responded in the negative, the small feline moving in a constant trot as it went around the internal edges of the barrier.
The Lord of Chaos yelled again, this time about to project his voice to the mind of the accomplice down below before a shrill screech from a cat filled his ears. Apparently, Teekle knew exactly what he was going to do.
"Owwwww! Alright, alright! I know I shouldn't distract him!", he shook his head as he cleared out the sound, sparing a glance to Shade's location as his eyes morphed into red slits.
Hidden behind a glamor that has long since evaporated from the man's sheer incompetence, Shade was gripping the book with both of his hands. With a series of mumbled words coming from unpracticed lips, it was the shaking in his wrists and arms that served as an obvious sign that he was having a bit of trouble controlling the tome.
Klarion huffed, "Honestly….I told them to give me someone who can actually handle magic, but noooooo. I have to use someone who's 'expendable'! It's so-!". He shook his head again, his mind projecting itself to look through his familiar's eyes, the sight of parting grass and random twigs obscuring his vision.
'Find that source of magic!', Klarion excitedly squealed. He thought he was going to have to use the stupid ruby to help Shade along, but it looks like it wasn't needed. Shade's spell found something anyway, even though they were supposed to be a long way away from tapping into their desired power source. Which meant that somewhere nearby, there was a receptacle of powerful magic nearby.
'It can be a book! A ring! Maybe even a scepter!'
He quite liked the idea of a scepter. Just twirling it around and swinging it every which way was very appealing. He just needed to find it! If it was attracted to the energy here it was probably lying in the grass somewhere!
Klarion's back straightened at a sudden thought, 'Keep an eye out for people too! Some ignorant weenie may have grabbed it and wandered over!'
A meow resounded in his mind as a series of familiar figures walked into their field of view. With a frown twisting his lips, Klarion couldn't help his sneer as recognized the form of Sportsmaster's daughter, the martian, and a few others skulking through the grass.
It appears they found a way in.
His childish screech was lost in the turbulent wind, "No, no, no! Not the twerps! This was supposed to keep them out!"
With a look of concern flashing over his features, Klarion kept his gaze firmly on Teekle's sight, the familiar's vulnerable position obvious even as his beloved companion pressed herself into the ground to avoid easy detection.
One of his eyes morphing back to normal, Klarion gave a tentative half-look to the barrier surrounding the area. He was told to keep it up for as long as possible, but surely he can leave it alone for now, right? He eyed the newly-added streams of black that lined against his magic, stubbornly maintaining its form as he tried to incorporate it fully into his spell.
Demon magic was chaotic like that. Sometimes it boosted his magic and sometimes it fought against it with every fiber of its being. The only thing that was consistent about it was how it always got riled up when chaos magic was in the air, instinctively reacting to what can be considered either an ally or a threat.
It may not have melted into his spell entirely, but it was still there…and was apparently either unwilling or unable to go anywhere else. But he could just chock that up to the Ebontome doing its work. If it couldn't integrate all of the magic into its own spell then it would leave it contained in Chaos Lord's shield.
'But doesn't that mean…'
With a look that mirrored a curious child, he slowly let the flare from his magic die out, watching as the continuous bolts of energy from his hands slowly withered away into nothing but a few crackles of energy racing around his finger.
The barrier was still there. Granted the shield was also built for any excess spillover in the future, but it didn't occur to him that that effect would be put into effect this early.
A smile erupted on his face at the sight, a mischievous cackle filling the air as he prepared to teleport himself to Teekle's location, "Bad luck for them, I guess!"
With a snap of his fingers, he found himself standing on the ground, his hands habitually opening to let Teekle jump in his arms. The shocked looks of his enemies only made his smile wider.
Klarion lifted his chin as he looked at them, "Bet you thought ending this whole thing was as easy as distracting me, right?"
Miss Martian immediately responded by throwing a rock at his face, the Chaos Lord only lifting a finger as he disintegrated it right before his eyes. It was a flimsy attack at best, even if the rock was moving at a fast enough velocity to do serious damage to a human skull.
Klarion then tilted his head as he took in the dual figures in front of him, a crooked finger raising as he pointed at them accusingly, "Weren't there more of you?"
The question had one of them fidgeting, with only the martian not wasting a moment as she tried in futility to throw another rock at him, her eyes giving a menacing glow as Wonder Girl finally decided to jump into the fray.
The superpowered punch was easily dodged when Klarion called a portal to him, leaving Wonder Girl to hit nothing but air by the time Klarion reappeared above her. He had his arm raised with a sword of magic manifesting in the palm of his hand before he paused, Teekle's shrill wail stopping the Chaos Lord in his tracks.
It only took him a moment to figure out what was happening, his familiar beginning to fall limp as his form began to lose its corporeal nature.
He snarled, "Are you seriously trying to mind blast a kitty cat!". Thankfully it only took a moment for him to establish a firmer mental connection to his familiar, the presence of his vast mind causing Miss Martian to let out an audible but short scream as she grabbed her head. The connection was cut by an outside force before she even realized it. There was a moment where she remained frozen, her mind trying to catch up with what exactly it experienced before refocusing on the present. In the haze of it all, all of her mental links were cut.
"Hmph! Let that be a lesson that some minds aren't as easy to attack as you think! You're lucky it was mostly in Teekle's mind and not mine, otherwise you'd be way worse off!"
Teekle snuggled into Klarion's chest at the sudden relief, with Klarion backing away several meters even as Wonder Girl tried to land a punch. Klarion gave an irritated sneer as he gave the teenager a glare, his free hand rushing to pet Teekle's back in as soothing of a gesture he could manage. "You're annoying me!"
Wonder Girl was engulfed in a flash of light, the resulting scream being an indicator to all that she was being electrocuted. She fell to the ground in an unconscious heap, with Klarion's lip curling in satisfaction as turned towards the martian.
With no one else to back her up, she was at a severe disadvantage. With mental attacks no longer an option there wasn't much she could do against the magical being. Anything she threw would be either destroyed or dodged, and being able to land a hit on his familiar wasn't likely either since she was safely in her master's arms.
But that didn't mean she couldn't try.
Giving a groan of effort, a great crunch was heard as she lifted a tree from the ground, the roots snapping and clumps of soil becoming dislodged as she heaved it into the air and straight at Klarion. The Lord of Chaos lifted a hand slashed out towards it, much like what his familiar would have done.
It resulted in the tree trunk being cut clean through, with three slabs of the trunk landing on the ground in the form of perfectly cut disks. Almost as if an invisible and irritated giant cat had sliced right through it.
The attack only served to highlight the caster, who was currently evaluating his nails as if he was worried his attack damaged them somehow. "Now I get it…You sent the rest to deal with the hicktorian wannabe, right?"
Teekle gave an irritated sounding mewl.
"Victorian! Victorian then! She knew what I meant!"
Miss Martian threw more stones at him, a tinge of worry lacing her action as she tried to keep Klarion from teleporting away. If he decided to head toward Tigress things could get even more difficult than they already were.
Klarion's lip curled, "As much I want to generate a fire snake and end you…."
Miss Martian immediately felt the sweltering heat, her throat becoming parched and her stance becoming weak as she fell to the ground. Looking around, she saw no open flame, but the occasional shift in the air was as good as an indication as any that Klarion has notched up the heat. He had made the area just as sweltering as the air in Arizona, with Miss Martian becoming slightly delirious as the air continued to invisibly shimmer in front of her. It is like a mirage. Or when someone saw her moving while camouflaged.
"I think I'll watch you suffer instead."
Teekle meowed loudly at his words, and it had Klarion's smile faltering as he looked down irritatingly at the familiar in his arms "We have time! I don't need to be around for those twerps to get mauled!"
Miss Martian couldn't help the sense of unease running up her spine at his words. With how Klarion talked, it was apparent that Klarion had summoned something to help him. Unfortunately, she didn't have the energy to think about much of anything as she collapsed on the ground completely, moaning slightly as the heat rendered her unable to put up a significant fight.
She was still awake though. So she was able to watch as Klarion tilted his head slightly, the heat lowering a bit as he tried to goad her into struggling, "Oh come on! I didn't even generate a single spark! You should be squirming!"
-X-
Tigress saw nothing but slobber and fangs as the creature tried in futility to bite through her staff. Her back was currently being uncomfortably pushed across the ground, her arms firm as she prevented the unknown creature from devouring her face. The sudden disconnection from Miss Martian had sent a thrill of concern through all of them, but they were unable to react to it all that much without taking their attention away from the fight at hand.
The creature glared at her with yellow eyes, the quadruped figure making her think she was dealing with some sort of grotesque hellhound. Blots of slobber dripped onto her uniform, the slow sizzling telling her that a bite from this thing would result in her flesh would have to contend with corrosive disintegration in addition to being torn away by the creature's teeth.
With its hide looking like it was seeping some sort of purple mud, Tigress has the sudden suspicion that any punch she gave it would result in a similar reaction happening to her gloves.
Tigress attempted to shift her staff, her legs coming out to kick at its underside as her teammates moved in disarray around her. Some were trying to help her or trying to outmaneuver the creature's flailing entrails that seemed to have a mind of its own. Of all things they were expecting to fight, 'the flying small intestine of a dog creature' was not even considered a possibility.
The said intestine had coiled itself around Spoiler's ankle, trying to flail her into the air before the girl decided to cut through it again. It wasn't durable. But that didn't matter much when the two ends automatically stitch itself together before resuming its attempts to restrain nearby attackers.
Weight was suddenly lifted off of Tigress when Halo landed a yellow beam on its torso, the bright construct cutting through its midsection like a knife through butter. A small confused whine erupted from its mouth and torso suddenly sank downwards, the jaws still stubbornly clamped on her weapon of choice as her legs were suddenly suffused in the uncomfortably warm feeling of guts spilling out of its split body.
Suppressing the feeling of disgust that rose to the back of her throat, Tigress made quick work of dragging herself away from the mess, hoping that its insides were not as corrosive as its saliva and fur slime was. When she was far enough away, Spoiler sent a few pellet bombs to dismember the creature even more thoroughly, with Tigress raising her hand to protect her eyes from the warm splatter.
Everyone had escalated their attacks to lethal levels when one of the other creatures had grabbed Traci's shoulder, the young spellcaster yelling in pain as the small serpentine-looking monster determinedly tried to dislodge a chunk of flesh from her body. It didn't succeed, the snake monster stopping its assault when Tigress promptly shot its eye out with her crossbow. But it still left a wound large enough for Tigress to order a retreat alongside El Dorado, who went pale when it became abundantly clear that hand-to-hand combat alone would not be enough to deal with the threat at hand.
They needed powers and gadgets, something that was capable of destructive power or at least the ability to maim.
If she wasn't concerned about what would happen if this ritual reached completion, she would have ordered the others to retreat long ago. But if things didn't change soon, she may well have to change her stance.
'Just keep them occupied for a little bit longer…'
She ran toward her mission objective, Shade, who was determinedly trying to avoid looking at the beasts around him as he continued his work. Between his shaking arms and the noxious energy coming from the book, Tigress wondered if he was just as mortified of the creatures he summoned as the rest were. In fact, she was beginning to wonder if the only reason he was continuing his chanting was because he was scared of what would happen if he were to suddenly stop.
The only thing standing between her and him was a creature that looked like it came straight from a horror film. Tall, lumbering, and standing on a series of green-skinned tentacles, the thing was shrouded in a heavily scaled cloak that looked suspiciously like it was made out the hide of some other creature. It eyes her approach from a distance, the ethereal glow of its red eye apparent even from behind the confines of its hood.
It never left its position and never initiated an attack unless someone else lunged at it fist, cementing itself as the last line of defense between Shade and anyone else who would try to disrupt him.
Seeing Tigress making a push to disrupt the ritual at its source, Halo flew alongside her while a bright glow charged in one of her hands. With most of the other creatures being either blinded, busy reconstructing themselves, or fighting other team members, this was as good a chance as any.
The guarding creature straightened itself, making itself look much larger than it already was as it eyed their approach. It raised one of its large hands in preparation, instantly catching and crushing one of the bolts Tigress sent its way. Halo sent a large wave of yellow energy its way shortly afterward, fully intending to split it right down the middle.
But with a surprising burst of speed, it slid out of the way the moment it got close, its head twisting at an unnatural angle as it kept track of the flying girl that it clearly knew to be a threat.
Tigress internally cursed. The other creatures were beastly in their intellect, with most of them not even attempting to dodge when Halo sent one of her blasts their way. It was the only reason she felt they were even remotely capable of overcoming the situation. But this thing knew exactly what it was dealing with the moment Halo launched her attack—meaning it was intelligent.
'And probably learning while it sat back and watched us…'
Avoidance and distraction seemed like the best option for them initially. They had seen its preferred method of defense once before…If the main body was occupied, its tentacles would coil in a cone shape around Shade's entire form. A wall of tangled flesh acting as a shield for Shade's comparatively small form. Said flesh—was it flesh?—was also incredibly durable. Tigress's bolts couldn't pierce it, and explosive disks didn't even leave a scratch.
But if Halo's yellow beams were powerful enough to cut into Lobo, they should work here. And given how the creature dodged it instead of tanking the hit, it knew it could work here too.
"Spoiler! Help me restrain its movement!"
The young teenager threw out an extending bola, the two balls connected by a string twirling at a high velocity as it made contact with the creature's torso. With its two arms now confined to its side, it wobbled slightly as it tried to get out of its newfound restraint. When it became apparent that strength alone would not get it out of its bonds, it readjusted its position to instead rely on its tentacles for any further movement.
A few of them darted towards the two attacks, looking very much like it was going to impale them if they didn't dodge them. Sliding out of reach, the attack on the two females gave Halo enough time to send out another attack. The creature dodged it again by bending itself backwards, but it looked awkward and stiff.
That move was more of a distraction than anything else, with Tigress taking the time to load up a red foam bolt while giving Spoiler a subtle nod. The purple clad hero quickly sent a black pellet towards Shade's head, a gleam of triumph in her eyes as the creature predictably twisted its head as it began reacting toward the attack.
The pellet was a harmless flash-bang…but the creature didn't know that. With the familiar flesh structure erecting itself over Shade in record time, Tigress shot her trick bolt toward the creature's lengthy appendages while Halo charged another substantial beam.
The quickly-dispersing foam that erupted when the bolt made contact served as a signal of sorts, a guttural groan of annoyance emanating from the monster as most of its limbs became encased in hardened material. In a split second, it tried to break free, the cracks on the material signifying it indeed had the brute strength to eventually get out of its confinement.
But trapping it was never the goal, and as if it realized the same thing, the hooded face of the figure twisted itself away from Shade's general location to instead look at the one person capable of harming it….only to see a glowing crescent careening towards it's face.
It was too close to dodge. Not with most of it restrained as it was, and it didn't have enough time to break free.
Spoiler couldn't help the triumphant smirk that erupted on her face. Even if it was capable of regenerating itself afterward, it would doubtlessly be enough time to get to Shade and hopefully stop this whole thing. Or, if things were more complicated than that, they could use their proximity to Shade as an advantage.
That thing was clearly trying to guard him, so appearing to hold him hostage could potentially give everyone some breathing room if it came back.
Her confident line of thought evaporated when the creature became slightly translucent, with Halo's attack going through the monster as though it wasn't even there. The same was true for its trapped limbs, which slid through foam without breaking it.
Its one glowing eye gave them a menacing glare, as if daring them to come closer or try again as hints of a mouth began appearing from the confines of its hood.
Everyone stumbled back, stunned, with everyone eyeing the creature just in case it decided to change tactics. It didn't. The menacing show, however unnerving, was mostly for show as it maintained its position of vigil.
It had Tigress exhaling a breath she didn't know she was holding, her mind racing as she tried to figure out a new approach.
'It didn't use that move earlier when we attacked it, so there may be a limitation or drawback to its intangibility. Can it only use it so many times or only under circumstances? Or does it only work on objects it either sees coming or in contact with?'
Tigress grimaced, 'Or was this thing smart enough to not show all of its abilities so early?'
"Spoiler! Behind you!"
Halo's yell had Tigress turning on her heel, crossbow raised as she tried to shoot out the eye of the revived monster dog that tried to attack Spoiler while her back was turned. The bolt missed its mark, but it did distract the beast long enough for Spoiler to get away from its clamping jaws.
That didn't spare her from the rampaging intestines though, which promptly tied themselves around Spoiler's neck to slam her into the ground.
Tigress rushed forward, with Halo rushing over to help Spoiler. The hellish mutt wouldn't be too much of an issue to deal with so long as Halo could land another hit on it. But if that thing landed a bite on someone they were dead. Or at least losing a limb.
Tigress looked around for the snake creature. If the dog was already back up and fighting then that other thing was likely slithering around somewhere. She doubted the projectile in its head would keep it down forever.
But to her surprise and relief, it was just where she left it, the draconic creature seemingly dissolving into a dark mist as its body decayed on the ground. Tigress furrowed her brows, wondering why the dog could not be taken out as easily if came from the same source of magic.
She didn't have time to try out another tactic though, as a reverberating ring rang throughout the battlefield. There was no mistaking what the ankh symbolized, the golden symbol allowing passage for the stern-eyed form of Dr. Fate.
He didn't even spare anyone a glance or greeting before magic poured out of his hand, an angry beam of light incinerating the beast before it could commence another attack. Everyone watched, transfixed as the dog monster was engulfed in a golden flame, the potent magic eating away at the creature's being to the point that there was nothing to regenerate.
Dr. Fate took a moment to evaluate his position, his helmet tilting upward as he evaluated the chaotic energy in the sky and the sinewy trails marking the luminescent dome around the ritual area. It appeared Dr. Fate didn't like what he saw, the colors of his eyes becoming temporarily obscured as he extended tried to exterminate the creature by Shade with a single blow.
The creature just barely dodged the attack, an odd emitting from its hood as the tentacles became agitated and began writhing in an apparent display of fear. It almost sounded like wind going through a tunnel, and it seemed like it was torn between running and staying as it began pacing around Shade's general position.
"Oh no you don't, Nabu!"
Klarion revealed himself hovering in the air above everyone, having apparently been watching the spectacle with Teekle purring on his shoulder. He was sitting upside down, with both the Witch Boy and his familiar looking like they were defying gravity in more ways than one.
The childlike being sent a continuous wave of magic toward the Lord of Order, with Nabu diverting his attention from the creature to create a golden shield.
The stern voice coming from the helmet seemed especially derisive, "What are you up to now, Witch Boy?"
Klarion gave an irritated scowl, his formerly cross-legged stance now gone as he looked ready to battle what many would call his archnemesis. "Do you really think I'm going to answer–?!"
Tigress felt more than she saw the magical pulse. It almost felt like an explosion had gone off, a feeling of immense pressure making her feet skid across the ground as a dark torrent went past everyone in the area. Even Dr. Fate and Klarion were pushed back a bit, the brunt of the ritual making Klarion's grin even wider while Dr. Fate's hands crackled with an angry energy Tigress had never seen before.
But all Tigress could hear was Shade's scream, the hoarse sound rattling her bones as the noise became amplified by whatever supernatural forces were at play. She could feel his fear and portions of his pain, the sensation of which made her blood feel like it was on fire while her skin ached at a sudden feeling of severe coldness.
However loud and all-encompassing it was, however, nothing scared Tigress more as when that sound was suddenly silenced.
Tigress opened her eyes—which she didn't realize were closed—and found herself blinking rapidly at the scene in front of her. The barrier was gone…as was everything else that seemed remotely magical. The cloudy skies and torrential winds had vanished, now replaced with the idyllic sunny weather that preceded the entire event. If it wasn't for the debris and odd cracks still present on the ground, she may have thought the entire ritual was some sort of illusion.
She looked at the place where Shade was screaming, expecting to find him either comatose or stuck in some sort of magically induced petrification, but he was nowhere to be seen. Only the tome served as a reminder of his previous existence, the odd grimoire laying calmly in the green grass that looked completely undisturbed. Even the guarding monster from before had seemingly disappeared, making Tigress look around wildly as she instinctively braced herself for another attack.
The angry shout of Dr. Fate redirected her attention, the voice of Giovanni coming out as a vicious snarl, "Begone, Witch Boy!"
A large ankh several times her size appeared in the air before tilting on its side, the edge coming to strike at the Chaos Lord like a sword. It has Klarion's eyes widening as he barely avoided the sharp edge, quickly teleporting himself to the ground below to begin reaching for the discarded tome. "Fine by me. I'm done here anyway!"
Tigress made quick work grabbing her grapple hook, thankful for her years of archery practice as she shot the hooked end just in front of Klarion's outstretched hand. It had snagged the edge of the Ebontome, and the device wasted no time in pulling it closer to her as Klarion wasted his time registering her actions.
He always seemed to ignore others when Dr. Fate was around. "Hey!"
The distraction was too valuable for Dr. Fate, who promptly used his improvised sword to make a move towards his familiar. Teekle, ever the vigilant one, dodged, but that didn't stop the sword from slicing completely through Klarion's neck.
The now-severed head defied gravity, floating loftily as Klarion let out a scream of pain, "Ooooooooooowwww! Did you really have to go for—"
Dr. Fate made another swing, with Klarion hastily grabbing his head before teleporting away for a second. He arrived back in the same place only to hastily grab Teekle, who made sure to meow at his reappearance, "I know we don't need it, you scaredy cat! But it's too fun to just leave it—"
Taking to the air when Dr. Fate began another attack, Klarion lifted his head back into place by its hair, his other hand gingerly prompting Teekle to resume her post on his shoulders. "But Nabu is being really annoying….Stupid old fart." He eyed Nabu, the Lord of Order making another gesture before Klarion himself shot a bullet of arcane energy towards him.
Calling a larger portal to his person, Teekle looked at him appreciatively as they left the incensed Lord of Order, "I'm leaving, ok! You don't have to be so angry!"
Tigress clutched the tome in one of her hands as she saw him leave, her form frozen in a fighting position just in case he decided to come back after randomly changing his mind. Dr. Fate seemed to have the same idea, looking at the spot where Klarion teleported away for several seconds before slowly floating back towards the ground.
He began walking to the place where Shade once stood, his masked face as unreadable as ever as he thought of things that were beyond Tigresses' expertise.
Tigress rushed over to him, the deceptive calmness of the situation making questions rise to her throat, "Where is Shade!? Can you sense him? And where is Zatanna?"
The Lord of Order didn't even turn his head, "I left Zatanna at the edge of the ritual area so that she may work on dispelling the barrier. But it seems that is no longer needed."
He finished his evaluation of the space before him when he finally faced her, his arm immediately pointing to the magical artifact she held, "That item is dangerous in the arms of the magically inept. Relinquish it to me."
He ignored the question of Shade entirely, and Tigress made sure to put a lot more emphasis in her voice this time around as she handed over the magical item in question, "And Shade?"
Dr. Fate gripped the book in both hands, tilting it over once as he looked it over before finally opening it to look at its contents. It was only when he was done briefly looking at the text that he answered her question.
"Shade is no longer on this plane, which means he has more than likely been killed.", Dr. Fate said simply. "I could tell just by the ritual's conclusion that this magic required a sacrifice of some sort, and such magic is not easily controlled. If he didn't die by the ritual itself, then he most likely would have died by being exposed to whatever dimension those creatures came from. Even if we assume he isn't dead, he will be soon."
Tigress squared her jaw at Dr. Fate's continued noncommittal tone, as if they weren't talking about someone's potential demise, "If there is a decent chance he's alive, then can't you do something to reach him? If you can't do it yourself, call Zatanna over here and get her to help."
Dr. Fate looked at her with impassive eyes, almost looking annoyed as he was forced to explain himself. "That solution simply isn't possible. And even if it was, the attempt would be rendered moot. I do not know where, exactly, Shade potentially disappeared to. And the Ebontome will take time to decipher.",
"But Shade was reading from it!", Tigress pointed out. "If he was reading a language you don't know, just head back to the Watchtower and have it translated."
"That will not work. Klarion used his magic to unlock the tome's contents. The arcane ciphers cannot be translated by technology, and will not respond as well to my magic unless time and focus is applied. Put simply: there is no way Shade can be saved. And that is assuming he is alive at all. We should move on to more pressing matters."
Tigress bit her tongue, not liking the situation but knowing that arguing with Fate was pointless. Fate rarely lied. Which meant Shade was just one more person they were unable to save. Still, the sorcerer's nonchalance grated on her, "You want to clean up debris? Other people can handle that. You should meet up with Robin, who has been looking into auctioneer correspondence and notes before you arrived. He may be able to help you get to the bottom of what Klarion was trying to accomplish."
"I will look over his findings when he sends the relevant information to the Watchtower." The book floated in his hands before being teleported away in a flash of light, the Lord of Order presumably taking the tome back to the Tower of Fate. He turned to look at the landscape before him, "The Witch Boy's plans will be dealt with in time, but for now, we should prioritize restoring this place into something resembling normalcy."
Tigress raised a brow at that. "As far as things go, this isn't that bad. The city's cleanup crew will clean up the broken branches, plant a few new shrubs, and everything will go back to normal in a few weeks."
The enigmatic doctor looked at her, the look quickly turning into one of understanding, "However minimal this damage appears t those who are not magically inclined, the appearance of this area will change drastically as soon as it gets dark. The barrier between this plane and the next is thin, and it is only the expectations of the waking that make it appear somewhat normal to you."
Tigress couldn't help the confused look from appearing on her face, "Umm….What?"
"What he's trying to say is that the ritual did something to make this place closer to the Dreaming. Right now only people like me and Dr. Fate can see the real damage.", Zatanna's clear voice has Tigress looking upward, the stage magician floating down to stand next to Dr. Fate. "That place you go to when you sleep? It is actually a realm filled with magic, and it is really sensitive to the emotions, expectations, memories, and imaginations of the living. It is responding to the memory of how this place is supposed to look like, but it won't last very long."
Tigress raised a brow, this was just one more weird aspect to magic that they were dealing with today, it seems. "If memories are all it needs then shouldn't it look like it's back to normal when people wake up in the morning?"
"It's a bit more complicated than that.", Zatanna sighed, "When I say 'the living' I don't just mean people; animals and nature can also have a memory too. In a manner of speaking. But Klarion just—" She put a hand to her forehead as she looked around, a troubled look overtaking her features, "He ruined everything. I can feel it. All the natural ley lines have been ruptured."
"And I take it that's bad?" Tigress quizzically asked, "What was the ritual trying to do, exactly? Were we just fighting someone's imaginary nightmares?"
Both Zatanna and Fate shook their head, with Zatanna's look becoming cloudy in contemplation, "Under normal circumstances, I would say yes. But with how Thirteen described them, I doubt it."
"At least one of them was a norfulthing—a demon.", Dr. Fate explained, "Although it is unique in that many would classify it as a fear elemental since it only forms under special circumstances. Typically when someone or something is placed under great duress and experiences great fear. But it is a demon regardless due to the nature of the magic that imbues its being. The rest were possibly similar."
Tigress's back went rigid at his words. She has never encountered demons personally, but there were more than a few Justice League records that confirmed their existence. Even when they were little more than cannon fodder for a sorcerer, they were always cataloged as extremely dangerous. Given what she had just experienced, she would say that categorization is apt.
Rubbing her forehead, She thought over the ritual again, a glint of suspicion shone in Tigress's eye, "There was a lion involved when we first arrived. They were doing…something, to it. Did it come from that?"
"Possibly.", Dr. Fate conceded, "Although in this instance I would say that the forming of that particular creature was just a side effect rather than a proper summoning. The Witch Boy likely just had it bound when it first manifested."
Zatanna brought a hand to her chin, "Well if creatures were even partially demonic, then maybe accessing the Dreaming isn't the main goal. What if he was using it as a passageway of sorts to reach some place else? Space isn't exactly defined there, so it could theoretically be used to reach just about anywhere….even if is exceptionally difficult to accomplish."
Dr. Fate didn't look convinced. "The Dreaming is no easy thing to control, even under ideal circumstances. And for man or Witch Boy, there are far easier ways to reach into the infernal dominion."
"Then what about a prison dimension? Those can be notoriously hard to find or break into."
If it wasn't for the ease with which they spoke, Tigress would have reeled with how casually they were speaking about this, and it was quickly becoming apparent that Tigress herself could not offer anything else to the discussion. That said…
"So uh, didn't you say something about fixing this place?"
Her words had the Lord of Order cutting his words short, ceasing his discussion with the stage magician immediately. "Indeed. When we finish clearing off the area, we should immediately get to work on managing the excess foreign energy in the area."
Tigress took that as a good enough indication that it was time to leave. After all, she had teammates to check in on. She walked away from the magical duo, traversing to Spoiler in the form of a light jog. The severity of the situation now seemed to be getting to her now that everything had calmed down, the young heroin jittering in her suit as her body remained primed for a secret attack that would never come.
Her eyes betrayed how startled she was when Tigress approached, her shoulders visibly relaxing when she recognized a friendly face. "Hey."
Tigress made sure to place a reassuring hand on Spoiler's shoulder, "Hey yourself. You ok?"
Spoiler shrugged, her voice suddenly becoming lower as she pointed to the distance, "I'm fine, but…"
Tigress followed Spoiler's direction, her eyes widening when she caught sight of a crumpled figure in the grass, dappled by sunlight that poked through the canopy of a standing tree.
"I don't think Culp made it."
His face almost looked unrecognizable, now looking like it belonged to a gaunt zombie than a recently-living person as the unnaturally gray face gaped at the grass in front of it, the body's mouth open in a silent scream as it looked at them with glassy eyes. It was only his clothes that gave his identity away, the distinct Victorian style identifiable even from this distance.
From how he was talking with Shade, she thought he was in some sort of agreement with Klarion. But it seems he was just one more expendable resource…
Tigress clenched her teeth, the tangible inclusion of a dead body only serving to highlight the magnitude of the situation.
'We really shouldn't disturb it…', she thought, knowing without a doubt that this place would be listed as an active crime scene. "Come on, we should retrace our steps and search for Miss Martian. Then regroup and head back to the HUB."