Monsters

Chapter 6: Different Battlegrounds

"Crap," Batman cursed as he peered over Flash's shoulder. "This is bad."

"How did it get here?" Superman demanded as he looked at the shadowy monster standing in downtown Fawcett. "I thought it was trapped in that other dimension."

"It was," Captain Marvel's voice was grave and he was leaning against the wall for support. "The Wizard must have released it after I refused to quit the Justice League. This is all my fault, I never should've disobeyed him. Maybe if I quit now he'll call off the attack."

"Absolutely not," Batman's voice was firm. "We have no guarantee that he'll keep his end of the bargain. We should focus on stopping that thing first."

Captain Marvel shook his head. "You can't destroy it. If it's in the mortal realm the only way to send it back is to defeat whoever summoned it and make them send it back."

"So we have to take on the Wizard," Superman frowned. He didn't like magic at all as of was one of his two weaknesses but he would help fight the Wizard for Captain Marvel's sake.

"No, you could never hope to defeat him. Only the Champion of Magic is strong enough to take him down and he knows that," Captain Marvel explained.

"So you need a diversion," Batman mused. "What if the Justice League attacks the demon while you and I take on the Wizard?"

Captain Marvel slowly nodded, a thoughtful expression on his face. "That could work. He likes to laugh at mortals fighting demons and stuff like that."

"I'm so glad we can provide this jerk with some entertainment," Green Lantern quipped. "Never mind all the death and destruction going on as long as he gets a few laughs in we're good."

"What is with you today?" Flash stared at his friend. "First you were Batman and now you're just being an ass."

"Not a clue," Green Lantern shrugged. "I think it's just one of those days where I can't guarantee what's going to come out of my mouth."

"Maybe we should get going now," Captain Marvel suggested. "I'd really like Fawcett to still be standing when this is all over with."

"Good point," Superman nodded. "Alright, everyone, let's go."

"So how do we get to the Wizard?" Batman asked once everyone else had left.

Captain Marvel sighed. "The fastest way to get to the Rock of Eternity is to carve a set of symbols into a door seven times. I would appreciate it if you didn't look while I do this. It's nothing personal but you can't guarantee that your mind won't get probed and someone unsavory gets ahold of them."

It was, Batman had to admit, a valid point. If the situation was reversed he would have done the same thing. So he said nothing and turned around, waiting until Captain Marvel gave him the all clear. He didn't even have time to look at them before Cap was pulling him through the glowing doorway.

The Rock of Eternity was enormous and rather bare. Strange carvings covered the walls and there were seven disfigured statues all with labels such as "Lust" and "Gluttony".

"The Seven Deadly Sins," Captain Marvel's voice was low. "They were imprisoned a millennia ago and they want nothing more than to be free so they can wreak havoc on Earth."

Batman eyed the statues warily and took in the rest of his surroundings. There were multiple chambers branching out and what Batman assumed to be the heart of the Rock of Eternity were seven thrones in a circle. The center throne was occupied by an elderly man with dark, leathery skin wearing red garments.

"I am Mamaragan, the Wizard. Who dares enter my presence?"

"I'm Batman and I-"

"I was not speaking to you, mortal," the Wizard sneered. "I was speaking to my Champion."

Captain Marvel cleared his throat nervously and stepped forward. "It's a pleasure to see you again so soon. I brought Batman to see you because he's-"

"Stop blathering, I know why you're really here. You want to defeat me and send the demon back. Unfortunately, you're not strong enough to defeat me."

Captain Marvel smirked. "That's not what Black Adam told me. You know he's actually really nice without that insanity spell you cast on him."

Mamaragan's eyes widened then narrowed. "How the hell did you accomplish that?" he hissed.

Cap's smirk grew. "John Constantine, Zatanna…there's quite a few magic users that don't like you. They were all more than willing to help me out when I told them I wanted to take you down. I wasn't planning on overthrowing you quite so soon but you forced my hand."

The Wizard's face had steadily been growing darker and he finally snapped. "How dare you challenge me!" he roared. "After all I've done for you! Without me you would still be weak and helpless, scrounging for scraps in trash cans," he sneered.

Captain Marvel rolled his eyes. "Newsflash – I'm still doing that. You told me that it wasn't right to use my powers for my personal gain. Remember?"

"Silence!" the Wizard roared angrily. "Your personal life is of no concern to me! I control all magic in case you've forgotten. If all the magic users insist on defying me then it'll take away their magic and yours."

Captain Marvel blanched and Batman straightened. He didn't like magic but he knew that it kept a lot of nasty stuff locked away and there were many that were kept alive with magic. The loss of magic would plunge the world into chaos and that was something that Batman wanted to avoid at all costs.

"You won't get away with this," Batman pulled out a batarang and struck a fighting pose.

"You're lying," Captain Marvel's voice wasn't overly confident. "The Rock of Eternity is the source of all magic but you can't actually control it. Only the Champion can do that and there's no way in hell that I'll do that, no matter what you threaten me with."

"Perhaps I should find myself a new Champion," the Wizard said thoughtfully. "I now take back the powers I granted you. Shazam!"

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews and please continue to do so as it makes me very happy to read them.