[Feat Achieved! Dance with Death]
[+1 Diamond Ticket]
The glowing ticket sitting in my mind was a balm on my soul. As cool as finding out Death was a hot goth girl had been, or watching John run around like his pants were on fire, neither really stifled the memory of dying with a goddamn hole in my chest.
Volition was once again proving why it might be one of my best freaking rolls.
Because I was fucking pissed.
Honestly, without it, I probably would've done something stupid already.
"A Lord of Chaos?" I frowned.
"Yeah, a real heavy hitter." Bobo shook his head as he polished a glass. "Klarion's been around for a long time, longer than me. Not sure how long he's been active on Earth, but seeing as he's still kicking, I'd bet he's got some form of immortality."
That was annoying. Maybe I should give Professor Blood a call. Or maybe…
[Rolling Diamond Ticket]
[Inverted Spear of Heaven]
|Epic Item|
Jujutsu Kaisen — The Inverted Spear of Heaven is capable of dispelling any active ability effect it comes into contact with, such as a fireball or a barrier. Cannot dispel effects beyond its rank.
Well, that sounded useful. Probably gonna have to test that.
"You know any way I can find him?" I pulled out one of my potions and slid it across the table. "Or even better, call him back here… so I can have a nice chat with him."
Bobo simply raised an eyebrow as the potion disappeared under the bar.
"I'd recommend not doing that, but well…" He stared at me and sighed. "Doubt you're gonna take that advice, kid. Can't call him back here, unfortunately. The magic of the bar isn't the strongest, but once someone gets blacklisted, it's a potent spell. Even I can't undo it as the owner. Your best bet is finding Nabu."
"Nabu?"
"You probably know him as Doctor Fate." Bobo picked up a piece of paper and scribbled a few things down on it. "Here are a few of his haunts and acquaintances. Haven't seen him in a while myself, so these are probably your best bets."
"Thanks." I grabbed the paper.
John stumbled over, having finally run through the holy water's effects.
"You know, I've got an old key to Nabu's place if you need a favor from good old—"
"Fuck off, John."
–
Barbara had never particularly liked traveling, even before she started her vigilante career.
So the less said about how much she enjoyed it now that she was wheelchair, the better.
She rarely left Gotham. When she did, it was usually through a Zeta Tube. Unfortunately, her destination was one of the few cities without Zeta Tube access. And this trip required Barbara Gordon, not Oracle, so asking for superhero assistance over a personal matter felt like a bit much.
As much as she loathed the idea of taking the train, it was still the most practical option. Especially compared to being coddled by Dad or Bruce if either of them tried to help her.
The East Coast Annual Librarians' Assembly was a pretty big official-unofficial event. On the surface, it was mostly a meeting ground for librarians, but it carried a surprising amount of soft power when it came to influencing funding and policies for libraries across the East Coast.
And damn if she was going to let her own wiki project rot.
She'd spent a few years tinkering with a way more efficient organizational format, and she had even made it beginner-friendly too.
Now if only people would actually start using it!
Barbara sighed as she stared out the window, waiting for the train to start. She'd hopefully make the best of it at least.
Maybe she should visit Zatanna…
"Oh, what's up!" a familiar voice said.
Barbara's head turned mechanically as she saw Jean Valjean take the seat across from her.
…Really?
"Funny meeting you here." Jean smiled at her.
"Right…" Barbara chuckled. "Small world, isn't it?"
Jean just politely nodded along, and thankfully, the conversation quickly settled into small talk.
There had been some worry that Jean Valjean might infer their identities using whatever menagerie of powers he had, or maybe even simply stumble onto the right clues through sheer luck.
Thankfully, Barbara saw no hint of recognition or suspicion as they talked.
But still… she couldn't just let him go, could she?
For good or ill, his presence was quite literally a magnet for craziness. Most of the towns and cities along the route didn't have the heroic presence needed to deal with that kind of disaster.
Damn it.
"So where are you heading?" Barbara asked casually.
"You heard of the big Cuzin's Square event?" Jean asked. "They're holding a bunch of conferences there."
"Yes, actually. What a coincidence. I'm heading to the librarians' assembly there."
Oh, okay, so this was what it felt like to have everything caught in his flow.
She'd have to apologize to Bruce later.
Jean nodded. "I'm going to meet one of the speakers there. Alan Scott."
Barbara failed to hide the small twitch at the name.
Being Oracle required her to stay very up to date on the various heroes and villains moving through the scene. She doubted most people would know the retired first Green Lantern, save for a few older heroes, herself, and Bruce.
So why in the hell was Jean Valjean looking for him?
Ugh… stupid luck. Could this get any more complicated?
Golden light filled the train.
Barbara barely had time to tense before the world vanished beneath her.
For one horrifying second, there was nothing under them. Just empty air and the sharp, sickening drop of her stomach as gravity pulled.
Crap. She needed to—
Jean moved first.
His hand snapped out, catching her by the arm and pulling her against his side as they fell. Barbara's fingers dug into his sleeve on instinct, her mind already racing through her options.
Then something unfolded above them.
A tiny angel appeared in the air.
Their fall stopped as an invisible force wrapped around them.
Barbara sucked in a sharp breath as her stomach tried to catch up with the rest of her body.
A second later, her wheels touched down on smooth yellow stone.
Jean landed beside her, one hand still braced against her chair as if he expected the floor to vanish again. Barbara forced herself to breathe, then looked around.
The room around them was impossibly large, built from yellow stone and filled with countless staircases and doors. Some stairs climbed up into nothing. Others descended into ceilings. Doors hung sideways along walls that bent at angles no architect would ever admit to designing. A few opened into more staircases, while others seemed to lead into different skies entirely.
She recognized the place from Zatanna's old descriptions.
"Doctor…" Barbara's mouth snapped shut as she realized Jean was right beside her.
She needed an opening to speak with Fate
"You okay—" Jean started.
"I see you, tainted one," a voice boomed.
Barbara's head snapped up
"Klarion's touch," Doctor Fate said, his golden helmet gleaming as his voice echoed through every door and stair. "And mingled with death. You meddle with powers beyond Order's ken, tampering with Fate."
A gigantic Ankh appeared in the air.
"Die, abomination."
Goddamit.
***
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