Chapter Eight. Deeper Magical Troubles
Constantine led the group through the swamps. He appeared to be hesitant with this as he was certain things were not going to go well with this meeting.
"All right, I'll ask," Blood spoke up, "Why are we in the middle of a godforsaken swamp?"
"Yeah," Mandrake retorted, "such a repulsive environment."
"And so many bugs!" Amy exclaimed, annoyed with the a group of mosquito attacking her and the others.
"It's a favorite hidey hole of one Alec Holland," Constantine answered, "whose corpse was taken to the most recent Avatar of the green."
"Bet you won't find that on your cell phone," Lothar stated.
"Our data's more factual," Batman replied.
"And the Defenders too if we were to find information regarding this," Mandrake added.
"Alec Holland was murdered by terrorists," Batman explained, "His body was never recovered. End of story."
"Not quite," Constantine replied.
The group looked to see a light dimming in the sky.
"Go away!" a deep voice told the group.
Constantine lit a match which created a magical platform for him to stand on. He stood on the platform and went to face the person before him, "Swamp Thing!"
"Swamp Thing?" Amy glanced at the others. Mandrake shrugged his shoulders.
"I know you're seeing this," Constantine continued, "Get out here or the posies get it!"
The group watched as a giant figure emerged from the swamp and faced Constantine.
"This must be Swamp Thing," Amy stated.
"Very much so," Mandrake replied.
"John Constantine," Swamp Thing faced Constantine and walked towards him, "You dare threaten the Green."
Zatanna chanted and made Constantine drop to the swampy waters as she walked towards the area.
"I can't imagine being in your shoes right now," Mandrake quipped.
"Touche," Constantine retorted.
"Dude, your social skills are horrendous," Boston told him.
"Please, we aren't here to harm any plants," Zatanna said, "but our need is urgent."
"The lady is right," Lothar added in stepping forward, "Don't let your feelings for John stop you from doing what's right."
Swamp Thing eyed Zatanna, "You have a garden."
"Yes," Zatanna replied, "I find it relaxing and I water it every week."
"The same goes for me, Mister Swamp Thing," Mandrake added, "I take wonderful care of my garden."
"We need to find a man," Zatanna told Swamp Thing, "a wizard named Felix Faust."
"A single human among your teeming masses," Swamp Thing stated, "I only know John Constantine because he enrages me."
Constantine only shrugged his shoulders in response.
"Faust lives in an observatory which is invisible," Zatanna continued, "It's a place where dark magic would infect the earth below it."
"I will take you there," Swamp Thing relented, "so you are no longer here."
"How very thoughtful for you," Mandrake replied. Swamp Thing used his vines to send the group where they needed to be.
"The place you seek is there," Swamp Thing said after freeing the group from the vines.
Zatanna chanted and the hideout the group was looking for appeared before them.
"That place is heavily warded," Mandrake stated.
"I agree with you there, Mandrake," Zatanna quipped.
Constantine nodded before facing Swamp Thing, "I know we've had our differences, but we could use your help. If we don't get a handle on this rotter, he'll threaten all of humanity."
"What of it?" Swamp Thing asked.
"You were once human just like us," Mandrake answered, gesturing towards himself, Amy, Lothar, Blood, Zatanna and Constantine.
"No longer," Swamp Thing replied, "perhaps his actions are a kind of justice for who destroys more of The Green than your kind?"
With that, Swamp Thing disappeared.
"And Swamp Thing has left the building," Boston declared.
"Guess we do it the hard way," Constantine stated.
"Looks like it," Mandrake replied, adjusting his hat.
"Or not," Blood stepped forward before chanting, "Gone, gone, the form of man. Arise the demon Etrigan!"
In firey magical energy, Blood transformed into Etrigan.
"That's a good solution," Amy stated with a nervous grin. Etrigan turned around and summoned his sword through breathing fire. He made his way to the hideout.
"Looks like we need to follow the big guy," Mandrake stated.
Tehy managed to make their way to the hideout in time to see Etrigan fighting other demons. Zatanna took the book from Faust. She tried to chant only to find that she can't speak.
"Like what I did with the place?" Faust asked before explaining himself, "No woman can speak in my sanctum sanctorum."
He levitated the book from her hands, "I conjured it just for you, and of course, men everywhere."
Then he summoned some energy which knocked both Amy and Zatanna to a group of bookshelves.
Then, Boston went inside Faust's body, "As a fellow showman, this is no way to treat your guests. Now, settle down!"
Deadman used Faust's body to toy with him. Zatanna and Amy looked on as Constantine, Batman, Lothar and Mandrake arrived in the location.
"Looks like Boston is making a fool out of Felix Faust," Mandrake stated. They looked on as Faust was hitting himself, "Stop hitting yourself. Stop hitting yourself. Stop hitting yourself."
Batman got out his mecha, prompting Constantine to speak up, "Not everything can be solved with your peashooter."
Moments later, Faust pulled Boston out of his body, "Just because you're dead, doesn't mean you're beyond my retribution."
He summoned purple energy to attack Boston, and wrap him with a purple magical snake. Constantine and Mandrake used magical energy to attack Faust while Lothar and Batman used peashooters to attack Faust. He fell to the ground, but used magical energy to break his fall. He summoned purple energy to attack the group before Constantine used magical energy to block the attack.
"Is that it?" Constantine stated, "Well, it's off to the old magicians' home for you, mate. Pudding night is Thursday.
Faust turned the page before summoning water energy to surround Constantine in some kind of cube.
"Try that fireball once more, Constantine," Faust stated, "I'd love to see you cook your own goose."
Batman used his wire to take the book from Faust's hands. He gave the book to Constantine, who held it and the watery cube vanished and Batman hooked up the wire and gave Constantine a hard landing. He coughed up water before he sat up, "I take it back. That thing is useful."
"Care for a little help?" Lothar asked as he hurried towards Etrigan, helping him with a group of demons. He used his strength to help with the demons.
"This mortal man proves to be very useful," Etrigan noted before snapping the neck of one of his opponents. Lothar helped finish off the last of the demons.
"Hey Faust," Mandrake stated, "how about this?!"
He created a snake illusion to try to subdue his opponent, but he saw through the illusion, "Nice try, magician."
Constantine blocked the attack before Faust could hit Mandrake with anything.
As Constantine and Mandrake were duking it out with Faust, Zatanna used a needle to remove the magical curse that was on her throat, and unleashed the small orb into the air.
"What did you do?" Amy asked.
"Trust me," Zatanna answered.
Amy looked around as she found Zatanna wasn't in sight, "Where did you go?"
Faust tried going after her, but Amy waved a hand, causing a bookshelf to fall to the ground. Then Faust trapped Zatanna in a thing of ice, only for her to escape from the trap moments later. She used her wand to knock over Felix.
"Stored magic, really?" Faust replied, "It's the TV dinner of spell casting, my dear."
Zatanna fell to the ground after he canceled out her attack.
"Here's what real magic looks like," Faust declared before he created several portals to fire at her, which she dodged blow after blow. He summoned a hand which grabbed Zatanna and started to crush her. Batman used a batarang to break Zatanna out of the trap.
"Z!" Constantine called out as he saw his lover fall to the ground. Moments later, he was hit with an explosion. Moments later, a statue dropped to the ground and the dust cleared, and Zatanna was levitating in the air. Zatanna was chanting in another language and various objects were surrounding her.
"What is she doing?" Amy asked, walking over to her father.
"Something dangerous," Mandrake answered, "that's for sure."
Everyone looked on as Zatanna continued to chant, and the energy was starting to take a toll on her.
"Oh man," Lothar muttered.
"Z, are you daft?" Constantine asked, "Stop!"
Zatanna was surrounded in white energy, chanting.
"I will you kill you, woman!" Faust exclaimed, summoning energy to try to take her down. Zatanna blocked the attack, and he tried to make another move and she flew away, dodging blow after blow. She grabbed him by the throat and knocked him to the ground.
Zatanna summoned a giant sword in preparation to finish off Faust.
"Z, stop!" Constantine blocked the attack, "Don't kill him. You can't."
Zatanna lowered down, "Out of my way, John."
"If no blood is spilled," Constantine insisted, "your soul is in the clear."
Zatanna shouted, causing the giant sword to shatter into many small swords, all surrounding Faust.
"Get control, Z," Constantine called out to his lover, "just like I taught you. Easy – peasy, lemon squeezy. Deep breaths. Let it go, love."
Zatanna sobbed, dropping to her knees. Constantine walked over to her, and she went to him for a hug.
"Do you see why I can't do what you do?" Zatanna asked.
"You lost control is all," Constantine answered, "Happens to the best of us. You've seen me in action, right?"
Zatanna chuckled as she wiped tears away, "Yeah, once or twice."
Batman and Lothar have apprehended Faust, who asked, "Why are you here? I haven't done anything to warrant this kind of response."
Constantine summoned magical energy and shaped it like a ring and showed it to Faust, "Is this yours?"
"I don't know," Faust answered, "Maybe. I have several hundred rings of varying designs and properties."
"It isn't him," Mandrake concluded.
"The magician is right," Blood replied as he arrived at the scene, "Felix Faust isn't the one behind the nightmare crimes. He summoned our old poker buddies in their more massive forms."
"What does it all mean?" Lothar asked.
"It means Felix Faust had access to the artifact whenever he wanted," Constantine answered.
"What artifact?" Faust asked.
"Well," Boston declared, "we're back to square one then."
"Unfortunately, no," Batman answered before facing Constantine, "We were sent here by your friend, remember?"
"Ritchie Simpson?" Mandrake asked.
"But Ritchie's dying," Zatanna stated.
"Is he?" Batman stated.
-The-Magic-Within-
"So, what do you think?" Raven asked, glancing at Orchid.
"This cult sounds intense," Orchid answered.
"Who do you think is Cult X's master?" Raven asked.
"I'm not sure," Orchid shook her head, "I really don't."
They were both startled upon hearing strange noise. Simpson was on the floor. Orchid prepared to throw a punch, but Simpson blocked her punches. He then blocked her kicks as well.
"Orchid!" Raven exclaimed in shock. She eyed him, "I knew there was something fishy going on here!"
"Boy, oh boy," Simpson stated, "I think I got closer to death than I planned."
Simpson then froze Orchid, keeping her from making another blow, "Bad girl. See, now, you were told to do everything to help me by the master of the House, and that does not include punching. Bring me to the main room."
"Don't listen to him, Orchid!" Raven exclaimed.
"Sorry, Raven," Orchid replied, "I have to."
Orchid took Simpson to the main room, and Raven followed them. Orchid and Simpson walked near the fireplace.
"I don't like the looks of this," Raven muttered.
"I'll take it from here beautiful," Simpson told Orchid, "but I need you out of my hair for now, so why don't you just go for a little walk?"
Orchid walked into the fireplace and her body slowly burned away.
"No!" Raven cried out. She watched in shock as Simpson held the dreamstone in his hand, and he was surrounded in dark energy, "Yeah. That's the stuff."
"Azarath Metrion Zinthios!" Raven unleashed her energy and hit Simpson with it.
"Ah," Simpson eyed her as he stood back up, "I almost forgot about you."
"What are you doing?!" Raven demanded.
"You're about to find out, my dear," Simpson replied.
"Ritchie!" Constantine shouted from outside the House, "you're going to listen to me whether you like it or not. Open the door. Do you hear? Open it!"
Simpson complied, and the door opened.
"You won't get away with this," Raven muttered.
"But I already have," Simpson replied as he faced the fireplace. Raven looked on as Constantine, Amy, Zatanna, Lothar, Mandrake, Batman, Blood, and Boston entered the house.
"What is going on here?" Mandrake asked.
"Ritchie is not what he seems to be!" Raven exclaimed.
"She's right," Simpson declared, "and you're too late, Johnny Boy."
He held the dreamstone in his hand and entered the fireplace for a split second before surrounding himself in red energy. Batman tried in vain to break the barrier. Then Simpson lifted a hand and caused the group to levitate in the air, even Raven.
"Ritchie, please!" Zatanna pleaded.
"You don't want to do this," Mandrake added.
"Stop while there's still time to save your soul," Constantine spoke up.
"Says the man who skates away from everything," Simpson retorted, "Since you got me infected, I've looked all around the world for a cure, and I've finally found it."
He revealed the small piece of Dreamstone in his hand, "A small piece of the Dreamstone. It's sentient. It told me how to get the Demons Three to bring the rest of it to Earth. It would have been so easy to take it from them. Of course, rock star Johnny screwed everything sideways. So, we had to frame Faust and get you to bring me here."
"You are so twisted," Mandrake stated.
"Yeah," Simpson replied, "but I am now Immortal and supercharged!"
"You've been played for a sap," Constantine insisted, "The stone isn't sentient. What's left of Destiny's soul was whispering sweet nothings in your ear, getting you to commit atrocities to gain power and make his move."
"You're just pissed because I won," Simpson declared.
"I wish that were the case," Constantine admitted.
"But that is not the case," Lothar chimed in.
The group looked as the dark energy was backfiring on Simpson.
"This can't be right," Simpson said as he saw smoke emerge from his hands.
"What's going on?" Amy asked.
"I don't know," Mandrake answered.
The dreamstone merged in Simpson's chest, causing him great pain.
"No!" Simpson cried out and screamed, "Wait, wait! We had a deal!"
The small piece of the stone connected with the rest of the dreamstone before the magic took full effect.
"We had a deal!" Simpson cried out in pain. He was surrounded in a ball of fire and the group was dropped to the floor.
"This can't be good," Lothar stated.
When the fire cleared, a monsterous being was standing where Simpson once stood, "Five hundred years, I've waited. Five hundred years, I've planned."
"Whoa," Raven quipped.
"Really?" Constantine replied as he and the others stood back up, "I guess 500 must be the new 300. What say we share your beauty secrets over a pint, eh?"
"A god does not prattle with mortals," the monster replied before it blew up the House. Zatanna created a force field to shield herself and the others from the blast.
Moments later, the force field cleared and Zatanna collapsed in Constantine's arms.
"Zatanna!" Amy cried out before looking at Constantine, "Is she going to be okay?"
"I...I don't know," Constantine replied, "The amount of magic she's used, sometimes you don't recover."
He gently placed her on the ground, got out a pendant before placing it on Zatanna, and creating a force field around her.
"I should have never led her back," Constantine lamented, "Selfish bastard, I am."
"You had no way of knowing what would happen," Mandrake assured him.
"He's right," Batman added, "You've done what you can for now, but we have to stop Destiny, or everyone's at risk."
"I sense Destiny is coming towards the city of Seacouver," Amy stated.
"Seacouver?" Batman glanced at her.
"Shit," Lothar cursed, "that's where Duncan MacLeod and his group are at."
"Including Flash Gordon's niece Tori," Mandrake added.
"He'll have Seacouver by midnight," Blood chimed in, "the Eastern Seaboard by dawn. Then, what's to stop him? He'll be a god."
Constantine stood back up, "We don't need another one of those mucking about."
He looked down at Zatanna, "All right. Raven, you're coming with us this time."
"Thank you," Raven replied.
"Besides," Constantine grinned, "you don't have anywhere else to go."
He chanted before a magical circle surrounded everyone except Zatanna and made their way to Seacouver.
-The-Magic-Within-
Duncan walked up the staircase, sensing the Buzz. He pulled out his katana and walked over to the next elevator. The elevator and another sword blocked his blow. He looked up and saw Richie had blocked his attack and Tori was behind him.
"What are you doing here?" Richie asked.
"What are you two doing here?" Duncan asked in response.
"How did you find this place?" Tori asked.
"Does that matter?" Duncan retorted.
"It does if you're after Clay," Richie replied.
"You should be resting," Duncan insisting, "especially from that seizure."
"I'm telling you," Richie insisted, "I'm fine."
"You really shouldn't argue with him," Tori stated, "and for the record, I'm not taking sides here. I think Richie is being rash, and I'm trying to keep the peace."
"Yeah, yeah," Duncan replied, "I get it. Anyway, Richie, what do you expect me to do? Stand aside and say, go ahead and take him?"
"Well, that's what you're asking me to do," Richie replied, "isn't it?"
"You'll lose," Duncan insisted, "Tori would too if she was fighting Clay."
"So what else is new?" Tori rolled her eyes, annoyed.
"Maybe, maybe not," Richie replied, "Look, if there's one thing you've taught us, taught me, it's that I could die anytime. There's nothing I can do to change that. I got myself into this mess, and I'm not running from it. Not even Tori has a say in it."
"Whatever happens, happens," Tori crossed her arms, "that's all we can do."
"That's all any of us can ever do," Duncan stated.
Suddenly, Richie started feeling strange. He felt his thoughts changing, from the task of taking on Clay to some strange evil thoughts.
"Richie?" Duncan looked on in concern.
"Baby," Tori called out, "are you okay?"
Richie smiled an evil smile before he pushed her away, "I'm fine. I realize I shouldn't fight Clay."
"Good," Duncan sighed happily as he helped up Tori.
"No," Richie got out his sword, "I should be fighting you!"
Tori's eyes widened in horror as she gasped, "Must be the effects of the Skull X drugs."
Richie swung his sword at Duncan, who blocked the attack, "I have a score to settle with you for nearly killing me."
"Richie?!" Duncan exclaimed in shock, "Richie, come on. We gotten past this. Remember?"
The two men duked it out in an intense sword fight.
"I know I can't interfere," Tori pleaded, "Richie, I love you and you love me! You can't let the Skull X control you! You're smarter than that, Richie."
"Richie!" Duncan called out for his friend, "Richie, you have to pull through! Whatever is going on with you, you have to snap out of it! Remember who you are!"
Suddenly, Richie felt memories surge past him. He remembered the good times he had with Duncan and Tori. He staggered back, regaining control of his mind, "What...Mac?"
"Are you back with us?" Tori asked.
"Yes," Richie answered before he apologized, "Yes. I'm sorry, Mac. I'm sorry, Tori."
"All is good, tough guy," Duncan replied before he hugged Richie, "all is good."
Tori received a text message, "Oh no."
"What is it?" Richie asked.
"I got a message from Mandrake," Tori answered, "the evil mad man Destiny is attacking Seacouver. He, Lothar, Batman, and a group of others are on their way to stop Destiny."
"Richie, Tori," Duncan revealed, "There's something else I haven't told you about Clay. He shamed me."