13th September
20:24 GMT +2
She actually
twitches, then throws an accusing glance at Adom. His expression remains impassive. "Yes. And as much as I
enjoyed being weak and powerless, I'd rather take my chances with
Satanus-" She pronounces it the normal way. "-than become totally dependent on your
good will."
"Ah, good; you
don't need to corrupt souls to live, then.
"
"He
ah. No, just to live for any
length of time."
O-kay. I didn't
know that was why she did it, but it was a reasonable suspicion. And one that works in my favour.
"I ran into a Succubus called Chantinelle a little while ago, and she confirmed something I'd heard about Demons, but.. wasn't sure about. That they care about power but don't much care what form that power
takes. She gladly accepted us turning her from a Demon of middle rank to a more powerful Elemental, even knowing that doing so would change her outlook quite considerably. But… You're Human as well.
" I smile.
"And I know we Humans can be stubborn, spiteful bastards.
"
She regards me cautiously. "You want to offer me power of another sort?"
"The Justice League could not take a Demon. They need someone who can hard-counter Satanus when he's the de facto ruler of Hell. Other than conquering Hell for you, there's nothing I can do to make you that powerful using your current power source. And if I could conquer Hell-
" Within a reasonable timeframe.
"-then I wouldn't need you.
"
"The only power that would allow me to so completely defeat my brother would be that of the Silver City."
"Correct.
"
She rolls her eyes. "Foolish
Human, they would never accept me."
I nod.
"True. I doubt they'd accept
me, and I'm far nicer than you are. But…
"
I take an Angel feather round out of subspace and toss it to Adom. Blaze snatches it out of the air with her right hand before it reaches him- "G
aagh!" -and drops it at once, her hand visibly
smoking.
She glares at me, nursing her hand and crouching as if to lunge.
"I threw that to Teth Adom. If you caught it-
" She
grimaces, but calms herself.
"-you've only yourself to blame.
"
Adom bends slightly and picks the round up. "This is what you used in Fawcett City."
"Yep. I try to keep them in
reserve; Demons are the only target they
excel against.
"
"Angel magic." Blaze takes a deep breath. "
Powerful Angel magic. How did you come by it?"
"I'm friends with John Constantine. All
sorts of things happen when he's around.
" She nods, rolling her eyes.
"A few years ago, he went to an Angel to beg for healing. He had lung cancer, and that's a
nasty way to die. The Angel told him that he was getting what he deserved, which… Wasn't a very New Testament attitude. So John remembered that, and when he thought that he could benefit from having an Angel on-call… The Angel in question had a bit of an accident involving a Succubus and a chainsaw.
"
"Gabriel."
"Unfortunately, John isn't quite as clever as he thinks he is. The First tracked down Gabriel's heart and destroyed it, sending him to Hell.
" I smile.
"Minus…
"
Her eyes widen slightly. "His wings."
"Yep. Want them?
" I attach a filament to the round Adom's holding and send it back into subspace.
"They're still.. sort of alive, and I've only taken a couple of feathers for my ammunition. The League couldn't take a Demon…
"
"But they could take an Angel. Is that even
possible?"
"My..
somewhat hazy knowledge of thaumaturgy says 'yes'. You would have to weaken your demonic aspect as much as possible, but your-
" I smile.
"-Human aspect was after all 'made in God's image'. We know that Humans can use divine theurgy. We just have to work out how to replace the structures of your soul with a form of energy that's totally hostile to what's there now. Assuming you're up for it.
"
She gazes off into the distance. "I
would gain Gabriel's power."
"Possibly. At least
some of it.
"
Her eyes narrow at me. "Why? Why would you offer this to me?"
"I square things with Batman, the League gets a magic user who can reliably trump Satanus, you become safe… And all those souls you have bound to your little demi-Hell get to leave, because there's
no way you'll be able to combine
those energies. And we get everything you know about Satanus.
" I nod my head to the side.
"Or… Something goes wrong, you
die and a thoroughly repugnant woman is expunged from the world.
" I smile.
"So I come out ahead whatever happens. Really, I've got no reason
not to make this offer.
"
"I
could turn you down."
"Enjoy living in this room for the rest of your natural life. Because while I'm sure Teth Adom is willing to shelter you, I doubt that he'll feed you the souls you'd need to become strong enough to be safe under your own power.
"
Adom looks at her sternly. "You are correct in that assumption."
"And Satanus -and his allies- probably
are going to get stronger. Good as this temple's defences are-
"
Mister Bierce smirks.
"Were."
"-they aren't perfect and Satanus
will work out a way around them
eventually. I did, and I can't even use magic myself. So you've got a decidedly limited amount of time to make a decision, and… Only one realistic option.
"
"Throw myself upon the mercy of the
Justice League."
"Whether they accept you or not, the wings would give you the power to resist Satanus. And I don't need
them to approve me giving you the wings.
"
She looks down as she considers. "Adom? Do you trust him?"
"Yes. Orange Lantern has a particular relationship with the concept of greed. He would not make you this offer if he did not believe that it would serve everyone's interests. And to Lord Zehuti's ears… It is a good trade for you."
She pauses for a couple of breaths, then raises her head. "Then I accept. How soon may we begin?"
"Working out exactly
how to attach the wings to you will probably take a while. That's why I brought Mister Bierce with me. If the two of you can't work it out together, you can tell me what extra resources you need and I can procure them.
"
She nods, then fixes her eyes on me. "Do you have somewhere to hide me while we study how to perform the.. attachment?"
13th September
15:33 GMT -5
"Recognised, Orange Lantern, B Zero Six,
Angelica Blaze, A Four Three."
I grin at my friends, my arms spread wide as I walk across the Mountain's training area to embrace them.
"Guess who's ba
aaaaack?!
"
