Welcome back to The Injustice Wars. Last time, Blaze got good news in the fact that there was information on Captain Avarice. The problem is, according to the Green Lanterns, it's on Ysmault, the Red Lantern homeworld. But while the group prepared to go to space, Scarecrow was shown to have taken the scepter from the museum he crashed into and was running through the sewers with it, planning to track down Darkblood. This much concerned Doctor Fate, now needing to seek out the Legion to stop him from whatever it is. Today, we get some answers from the Lord of Order. So what are they? Read on to discover...
(Our scene starts off in the Legion headquarters' hangar, where the Javelin 7 awaits as Belial Aether, Starfire, Hawkgirl, Green Lantern, John Stewart, Lobo, and Supergirl awaiting as Blaze, with Shade in tow)
Blaze: (To Belial Aether and Supergirl) Got to say, you two really know how to bring together a team on little notice.
Hawkgirl: (Brandishing her mace) If you're going to Ysmault, you're going to need some Thanagarian might.
Starfire: The power of a Tamaranian would be most fitting as well.
Lobo: Plus you can't go wrong with a Czarnian in a pinch.
Supergirl: Add a Kryptonian and a pair of Green Lanterns...
Belial Aether: And it's really a no brainer.
Blaze: Good to hear.
Shade: Is the Javelin prepared?
John Stewart: Thankfully, this old ship's been kept in great condition. She's more than spaceworthy.
Blaze: Excellent. Well then, let us depart.
(But just as Blaze is about to step towards the ship, a familiar glowing ankh appears below her)
Belial Aether: (Recognizing the symbol) Did you piss off the gods somehow? If so, I can speak with Anubis, probably.
Blaze: (Looking down) No, there's only one person who could be doing this...
(Before Blaze can say anything, she falls through the glowing ankh, which closes up after her, leaving everyone stunned, and depositing Blaze in a familiar foyer, one shrouded with mystical artifacts in cases, walls lined with bookcases seemingly farther than the room extends)
Blaze: (Looking around) Exactly where I thought I'd wind up.
(And with that, another ankh door appears, and from it, Doctor Fate emerges)
Blaze: Fate. Just as I suspected.
(Rather out of character for him, Doctor Fate immediately removes his Helm of Fate, letting Kent Nelson speak)
Kent Nelson: Do forgive me for the suddenness of this meeting.
Blaze: You mean for kidnapping me?
Kent Nelson: Drastic measures were called for. It was the only way I could convince Nabu to let me do the talking.
Blaze: Given my history with him, that's not surprising.
Kent Nelson: (Hearing something from the Helm of Fate) He's asking if you're still mad about Nairobi.
Blaze: (Tail thwacks the Helm of Fate, knocking it from Kent Nelson's hands) We don't talk about Nairobi, Nabu! (To Kent Nelson) Sorry for the collateral damage.
Kent Nelson: I've lived through two world wars and the Regime, I've felt worse.
Blaze: Fair enough. Now let's get your talk out of the way before the angry headpiece gets angrier.
Kent Nelson: Agreed.
(With that, Kent Nelson conjures a crystal ball and table)
Kent Nelson: Behold the Orb of Nabu.
Blaze: It's just a crystal ball, Kent. These are a dime a dozen back home.
Kent Nelson: Please, just look into it for a second.
Blaze: Alright. But if I end up acting like a chicken because Nabu hypnotized me through this thing, I'm punting him to Mars.
Kent Nelson: I'm making sure he's not doing anything. Now, please, time is of the essence.
Blaze: Only joking, Kent. Now what is it you need me to see?
(And thus, within the Orb of Nabu an image emerges, one of Scarecrow carrying the scepter through the sewers, outside of Metropolis)
Blaze: Wait, Crane's alive?! How does this guy keep dodging death?!
Kent Nelson: His survival is due to the artifact he carries.
Blaze: The staff?
Kent Nelson: That scepter contains a powerful force of evil another Doctor Fate had sealed away. The most powerful evil we'd ever faced.
Blaze: Wait, we? You knew that other... (Realizes it) That's what killed Inza, wasn't it?
Kent Nelson: Yes. I had tried to defeat the ghoul when I had just become Fate. But he was too powerful. While I rested, little did I know, Inza took my place. She was able to seal the ghoul away in that scepter, but at the cost of her life. Nabu never told me what she had done, rather rewriting my memory to say that Inza died a natural death, and it was I who defeated the ghoul.
Blaze: Yet another example of Nabu just being a dick. Why do you keep working with that guy?
Kent Nelson: Another Fate has yet to show themselves, so I'm stuck here.
Blaze: And I thought fate was cruel to me. But back to task, what does Crane want with this thing?
Kent Nelson: It's not what he wants with it, it's what it wants with him.
Blaze: The ghoul wants Crane to free it from it's containment.
Kent Nelson: Exactly.
Blaze: I don't see how Crane can pull that off, since arguably this world's most powerful sorcerer sealed it away.
Kent Nelson: That's the thing, the ghoul is directing him to someone beyond this world.
(With that, the image in the Orb of Nabu changes revealing Scarecrow is now in the Himalayas)
Kent Nelson: He seeks Darkblood.
Blaze: Okay, forget going to Ysmault, this just became top priority.
Kent Nelson: (As the Helm of Nabu floats back to his hands) I had hoped so. We must depart immediately. Call upon all the magic users you know, I will call in a few favors.
Blaze: Give me time to get back to base.
Kent Nelson: Gladly.
(With that, Kent Nelson summons another ankh door under Blaze, sending her back to Legion HQ, where she rejoins her group)
Green Lantern: What happened?
John Stewart: What did Fate need you for?
Blaze: An urgent mission. (To Starfire) Go find Zatanna and any other supernaturally inclined team members you can get. We're going to need a lot of magic for this one.
Hawkgirl: What about Ysmault?
Blaze: (Looks to Shade) Think you can handle it?
Shade: I don't see why I can't.
Blaze: (To Hawkgirl) Then there's your answer. Shade will take command of the mission to Ysmault. I've got to tend to this thing with Doctor Fate.
Supergirl: Wait, you're working with Doctor Fate? I thought you two didn't get along.
Blaze: Consider it a begrudging partnership.
(And with that, Starfire returns with Zatanna, as well as Hellboy, Raiden, and Vandal Savage)
Starfire: I hope this will suffice, Friend Blaze.
Blaze: These three should be pretty good.
Vandal Savage: As far as dealing with Nabu goes, I figured I should come along to keep the boy in line.
Blaze: You talk like you knew him.
Vandal Savage: He was my son, why wouldn't I have known him?
Blaze: Not even going to ask. Something tells me Kent will be sending for us any second now.
(And just like that, an ankh door opens up, which Blaze, Zatanna, Hellboy, Raiden, and Vandal Savage depart through, while Shade takes command of the mission to Ysmault, blasting off just as the ankh door closes, ending our tale for today)
And that looks like a good spot to end for today. So, there's a lot going on here. Shade has taken command of the mission to Ysmault, while Blaze, Doctor Fate, and a whole lot of magic users and magic adjacent characters are taking on Scarecrow and his ghoul friend. If my insistent use of ghoul as the title seems specific, it should. We might just be seeing a familiar face from Age of Miracles coming soon. So, what's going to happen next in this magical series of events? Tune in next time to find out! Same time... same channel!