Chain 203: DC Occult

Chain 203: DC Occult

Location: Hell
Age: 46
Identity: (Drop-In)
Drawbacks: [+900] Really Need A Tan, Blinded By Truth, Interesting Times, The Chosen One
Scenarios: [+800] Hell In A Handbasket, Day of Vengeance

[100/1900]  Mystical Sensitivity
[Free]      Dark And Troubled Times
[Free]      Sleight Of Hand
[400/1900]  The Moving Finger Writes
[900/1900]  Synchronicity Wave Travelling
[900/2100]  Item Stipend (+200)
[1700/2100] Vestments of Balance
[Free]      Worn Trenchcoat
[2000/2100] Ruby of Life
[2100/2100] Jumper Brigade: Demona and the Conspiracy

[Free]    Scenario Reward: Chlorokinesis
[Free]    Scenario Reward: Spear of Destiny
[400/800] Scenario Reward: Blessing of Destruction
[800/800] Scenario Reward: Blessing of Dream

You know, I'd bet you anything that this was all somehow Constantine's fault. Sure, I ended my stint with the JLU Dark by being banished to some sort of nether realm, but if I'd realized that going back to DC would just drop me back in where I left off... ugh.

But in Hell in itself isn't the worst part. Having most of my powers cut off, that's not the worst of it either. Being blind while it happens, as well? That's a much bigger problem. And while I had got rudimentary abilities with the local magic, they were just that, rudimentary. And sure, I've got some ruby that can act as an amplifier for my magic... down here it just brings me to the level of the average magic user. Which isn't saying much, really; the biggest secret when it comes to magic is that any fool can do it.

On the other hand... I seemed to have some new attire (that matches my armor surprisingly well), and apparently some Lord of Balance who calls himself Equinox. That was all fine and good; he agreed that I shouldn't be in Hell, but I shouldn't have been in this universe at all, so being blind is a way of keeping the balance, a price extracted. Rather than call him out on how silly that sounds, I instead pointed out that it made me hard to actually get around since even in Hell magic is not commonplace, so he at least relented and gave me a spell to navigate a bit. Darksight, perhaps, and short range, but it proved sufficient to start finding my way out.

Or well, to see the portal out that he'd opened. Unfortunately, walking through the portal didn't actually let me leave, but I could see the mystical tethers that kept me there, and now that I knew what they were, I could do something about it. The power of the helmet meant that I could be pretty effective in figuring things out, especially since I could still sense magical connections even if I couldn't literally see them, and thus finding the receptacles of their power (inert or living) was made easy.

And so in keeping with my level of luck, as soon as I managed to get myself out of Hell, the feeling of my abilities being restored to me were accompanied by a wave of panic as I realized that there was something of a magical apocalypse ongoing and the Spectre was on a rampage to destroy magic.

"I'm pretty sure that would disrupt all kinds of balance," I told Equinox, while pulling the Fist of Suns out of the warehouse, slotting both the Ruby of Life and the Eye of Set into it. "Oh hey, red and green. That's balanced according to the color wheel, right?"

"You can't even see what colors they are, how would you know?"

"Well, one's a ruby, and I know the other's green, but that's why I asked you. Now come on, let's go punch a fallen angel in the face."

Oh, it wasn't that simple, not by a long shot. Fortunately it turned out that by throwing enough power at the Spectre when you are his primary target, and being flat-out immune to reality warpers and magic, means that all it takes is the right opportunity to BEFRIEND for maximum effect. Of course, I didn't kill him - I'm not delusional enough to think I could do THAT - but I was able to fight him to a standstill and then bind him so his madness came to a halt. I didn't do it alone either, though I was a relative unknown, there were many who helped fight. Who helped bind him. Who were able to retrieve the Spear of Destiny so that I could point it at the still-resisting angel's heart so that he would be forced to stop and listen to reason.

Things were a lot calmer after that first insane week, thank goodness; running battles that last for days are never fun. A few of the more notable things that happened was getting wrapped up in business with the Endless (Delirium was an absolute delight to speak to, though you have to look at things from the correct angle, and Destruction is a passable sculptor when he attempts to destroy only the parts of the marble that aren't a part of the thing beneath, but Dream is just kind of a weird guy even if he apparently liked me), killing John Constantine, opening a portal to Hell and stealing his soul back in order to bring him back to life as a gambit to balance his ledger, dealing with Darkseid in combat again (this time the fight was more protracted as he invaded a different realm that I happened to be visiting, but I was much more effective this time), and...

Well.

>"YOU'RE NOT ONE OF MINE IN THIS UNIVERSE."

Being talked to by Him.

>"BUT WHAT YOU'VE DONE DOES ENRICH THE TAPESTRY IN NEW WAYS."

I think it was a good thing I was blind, typically laying eyes on something goes past 'mad from the revelation' territory and straight into 'burning out your eyes from the sheer power'.

>"YOU SHALL SERVE A VALUABLE ROLE LATER. YOU WILL KNOW WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT."

I'm not sure whether I should be pleased to get His positive attention... or worried that I even got His notice. And with what He wants me to do...

>"GIRD THY LOINS."

...suddenly a lot of things make more sense.