THE BOOKS OF MAGIC [modplot]

[letsgolegion]

Who| Everyone who signed up
What| The Books of Magic Plot
Where| All over the DC Universe
When| The same time as "Out With the Old"
Warnings/Notes| N/A

Their mission had brought them to Sorceror's World, which led to their first lead -- a strange artifact that, if completed, would allow them to find how the Spectre had been imprisoned the first time. After the golden device had been activated and revealed this, they all suddenly found themselves teleported in teams of two to new locations.

Strange, weird, and magical new locations.

Comments

[letsgolegion]

The guards stand and stare at the intruders, then speak to each other in a dialect of the Tibetan language that doesn't exist anywhere else in the 31st century. In 1000 years, Nanda Parbat has still stayed the same, despite the changing outside world.

After their discussion, one of the monks turns to Kyle and Joey with a short bow.

"We must respectfully decline. Many people have claimed to be heroes to access the secrets of Nanda Parbat. Rama Kushna has declared that--"

The man suddenly shudders slightly, then grins a wide grin.

He turns to the other guard and speaks, and his voice is entirely different this time. There's a different cadence to it, and a different accent.

"Eeehh, let's cut 'em some slack. I know these two. Well, it's not so much I know-know them, but I've at least seen 'em around. We used to run in the same crowd -- a long, long time ago."

The other guard seems unphased by the sudden change in his companion's demeanor and simply nods his assent, taking his place at his post.

Guard #1 signals for the two of them to follow him into the temple.

"You're lucky you came by while I was around. It's not the same as it was, where any old superhero could waltz right in. Bats was the last one I remember ever being let in." He shrugs. "T'tell the truth, I'm not sure I like it, but what Rama Kushna wants, she gets."

[wallsofjericho]

Asking nicely can often yield good results, as not everything and everyone is part of some shady organization. To Joey's thinking, if they said no, then W.L. and he could simply find a way to fly over the walls. If they, as he'd put it, declined violently, then it would be a fight, and the odds were not in the monks' favor.

Joey had begun to bow his head in response to the polite refusal. So, they would try to fly in out of sight, and he could borrow a monk to de-arm a security system, if needed...

At the change of voice, his head jerked back up, green eyes wide. He's something of an expert in possession, and it's a little surprising to see it used in plain sight and more surprising to have it garner no reaction from the other guard.

He nudged Kyle with his elbow. It's not to draw his attention to anything in particular, more of a 'are you getting this?' He expected to not be understood, but he commented on one of the namedrops anyway. "You know Batman? I thought history remembered him as an urban myth."

Incidentally, he spelled out Batman. Joey will consider imitating ears and a dramatic cape flourish only if there's no clarification.

[spacesharks]

Wow. Okay. That was a lot to take in all at once. Nanda Parbat, Rama Kushna— ghosts, possessions? They totally just witnessed a possession just now. Though, honestly, Kyle was not about to look a gift ghost in the mouth. He could kiss their new ghostly companion right about now. Anyone willing to help make their job here a little easier was definitely okay in his book, ghost or not.

"Did something happen?" Kyle asked. "I can't say I'm that familiar with Nanda Parbat."

All he really knew about it were rumors and stories, so he had no idea. Was Nanda Parbat not always like this? To be fair, he supposed a thousand years was a pretty long time, though...

[letsgolegion]

"I'm a ghost," Deadman explains. "I used to roll with your crowd, back in the day, helping out where I could. I took over a body here and there to do what I could -- never for long. Just long enough to help."

He turns to points to Kyle as he walks.

"Got all caught up in a lot of the craziness with the Black Lanterns, incidentally. You want to talk about mindscrews -- seeing your own dead body animated and attacking people is surreal. I helped Bats and his people when some of their loved ones got reanimated, and wound up getting revived for a little while myself. Like...for real, instead of as a zombie."

He nods towards Kyle's white ring.

"With one of those."

A shrug.

"Didn't last. I've had a few chances to cross over in the last millenia but I've never really -- well. It's a big step. And Rama Kushna's always sent me out into the world to do some good, y'know? It's not like the world's ever run out of good that needs doing."

He leads them through a great hall, towards what appears to be a massive throne room.

"Seeing the Legion come to be, after the world went without heroes for a thousand years? Hell of a thing, by the way. Until the Legion came together, there'd been the odd hero here and there but there were a lot of dark times, and it was nothing like it used to be. It's done my heart glad seeing new heroes finally pick up where you guys and Supes and Bats and the others left off. I'm glad you're helping them out while you're here. Looked like they took a hit with so many of them going missing."

He waves a hand vaguely.

"Rama Kushna stopped letting people in, though, 'cause she got tricked. New guy showed up, a bit younger than the Young Justice set. He came to study Nanda Parbat's secrets, pretending he was using them for good, but turned around and used it for villainy. The last real hero she ever let through the gates was Bats, and reluctantly, at that."

[wallsofjericho]

"Nobody wants to let go of living." It's unfair of him to be suspicious of a ghost talking about possessing people and getting revived for real, but... he is, a little. It's coincidental, but it bugs him.

In fact, most of this bugs him. Black Lanterns, White Lanterns - Kyle is the first that Joey's heard of, but it has been a thousand years. It's still gnawing away at the back of his mind, because Joe felt like he should know why he knows Nanda Parbat. He's heard that name. Although - he does recognize the name Young Justice, and his head picks up in recognition.

Superboy and the new Robin, Kid Flash, and Wonder Girl. They were former members of Young Justice. He tries to remember other related names, but the name that bubbles to the forefront is both unrelated and completely related. "You're Deadman, aren't you?"

[spacesharks]

"I can't even imagine it." Being a ghost for that long? Jeez. Kyle could understand keeping busy, especially if it was like that. It was easy (sometimes too easy) to get caught up in trying to help people. But to 'live' that long... Just the thought is kind of overwhelming. It's especially weird when he hears of his involvement in the Blackest Night—for Kyle, that had been very recent. Only a few years ago. But for this guy...?

"And, well, you know," he shrugged, with a small smile. "We're just glad we could help at all. If anything, I wish I could've been around to lend a hand sooner."

Maybe that was a weird thing, considering they weren't really in the future of their own volition, but that was Kyle for you—always wanting to do more even when he was already doing all he could.

"Whoever he is, I'm just glad we met him," Kyle said, looking over at Joey. "I'm thinking there's probably worse ghosts we could've run into."

[letsgolegion]

"In the flesh," Deadman says to Joey. He adds, "Even if it ain't mine."

He leads the two of them to Rama Kushna's throne. A beautiful blue goddess, she hovers above it, sitting in the air in meditation, but opens her eyes as Deadman and the two of them walk in.

Deadman leaves the monk's body and here, so close to Rama Kushna, he's visible, albeit immaterial. The monk, realizing what happened, simply bows to both Deadman and Rama Kushna. The monks here are clearly used to Deadman occasionally taking over and seem to not mind it.

"Rama Kushna, I know how you feel about outsiders, but I knew these guys way back when. They must be in the present due to that whole business with the Time Trapper and the Legion of Superheroes. They wanted audience with you and I doubt it's for anything bad. Please give them a chance."

Rama Kushna stares at the two of them as if she's staring into them and gives Deadman a gracious nod.

"I know them as the desert knows grains of sand. You were wise to bring them to me, little spirit. I know what they seek and it will restore balance to the universe if they are successful. The world is different than it once was, and even 1000 years ago the Spectre was dealing out vengeance in a world that was starting to understand the value of justice. Perhaps, with time and reflection, the spirit may learn to adapt to a changing universe, or will receive guidance from The Presence, but for now, he is wild and refuses to allow himself to be tempered by mortal will as he once did in the past. If left free, his actions will only escalate until they are catastrophic to all life, as they did in the time before he was imprisoned. Revenge bears bitter fruit."

She gestures a hand and a wall opens up into a tunnel that seems to go down, down, down to some caves.

"What you seek lies that way. Due to the potential for it to lead you to great power, the path will test you, to ensure that you are pure of purpose."