#3 - Destructive Forces

[Stardrifter]

by
Stardrifter

Last Time: After a battle between Etrigan and Captain Marvel, the group flees with Lori to a place known as the Oblivion Bar, a safe haven located between dimensions. There they try to piece together what's going on and what to do next, only to be confronted by their enemy, the Demon Lord Neron

#3 - Destructive Forces

"You may have thwarted me so far, but the girl is mine!"

Captain Marvel leaps to his feet, but Xanadu reaches out and grabs his arm. "Violence isn't permitted here! Try and you'll regret it."

Despite Captain Marvel standing slightly over six feet tall, Neron still towers over him. He looks down at him and sneers at his inability to do anything.

Rather than give in, Captain Marvel composes himself and sits back down. "Then he can't do anything either. So why are you here?"

Waving a hand in the air, Neron magically brings a chair over from across the room. He sits down at the table and the others all instinctively slide their chairs away, bunching up across from him.

"I so rarely get to sit down and engage in civil discourse with my enemies. And if I can convince you all the end this folly, mores the better." Neron's tone is pleasant and his smile wide, yet he exudes malevolence with every word.

"You know that won't happen," Jason says flatly, his stare hard and cold.

"Well not you, perhaps. But the others? Surely the Champion here wishes to live? The Wisdom of...oh whose wisdom do you have then?"

"Solomon," Captain Marvel answers.

"Ah, the Wisdom of Solomon. Surely it's telling you that you could never hope to defeat me?" When Captain Marvel offers no response, Neron looks over to Xanadu. "And Nimue? You've never been the paragon of virtue that Jason aspires to be. You've lived this long by being smart. Knowing when to walk away. I'm sure you know now is one of those times."

Xanadu doesn't reply either. The table falls silent, Neron's words hanging over them. Finally, realization hits Dawn and she shouts, "Hey! What about me?"

"You?" Neron asks.

"You tried to convince them to give up."

"Well frankly whether or not you give up matters little, since I would have you for my prize as well."

"Why? Why is Hell so interested in me?"

Neron's smile widens. "Wouldn't you like to know."

"Then why me?" The table all turn toward Lori, her voice barely a whisper. "Why are you doing this to me?"

"I have my reasons."

It's subtle. Almost too quick to notice. The only reason Xanadu does is because she's been alive long enough to really study people. For just an instant, Neron's smile cracks.

"You have no idea, do you?" Xanadu accuses.

"What?" Neron asks, confused.

"You have no clue why you're after her. You have as much to go on as we do. She's important. Powerful. Vague reasons supplied by others so we would protect her. But you don't really know why you're after her either!"

Neron's face quickly distorts into a scowl. His eyes narrow and fill with barely held back hatred. For all his talk of civil discourse, the others can see that if not for the protection of the Oblivion Bar, he would have attacked them.

"It matters not!" Neron barks, leaping to his feet. "She will be mine and I will discover her secrets! You cannot stay in here forever! The instant you step back to Earth, I will take the girl, kill the men slowly, and take your women as my slaves!"

Unable to simply teleport out, Neron is forced to turn and walk away. Watching him stomp toward the door is the final indignity. Despite the voracious threats spewed at them, the group all look at each other and quickly burst into laughter. Even Lori awkwardly joins in, the release in tension too much to ignore.

"He's right though," Xanadu says as she wipes a tear from her eye. "We can't stay here forever. The bar closes every new moon. We have days at most."

"We're not going to stay here for days," Jason says before finishing his drink. "It would only give Neron and the other forces of Hell more time to gather strength and let fear build up in us. No we need a few hours to rest, eat, and come up with a plan. Then we head out."

"A plan?" Dawn asks. "What kind of a plan? The only reason Blaze's attack against me ended was because Lucifer got involved, and that only slowed them down. It didn't end them. I get the feeling that plan isn't going to work this time."

Xanadu nods. "She's right, for whatever reason they want Lori even more than they wanted Dawn. There's more going on here." Jason sighs, unable to come up with a satisfactory answer.

"Perhaps," Captain Marvel muses to himself, "we need to stick to the classics. Knowledge is power."

***

"Is everyone ready?" Captain Marvel asks, his hand on the door of the Oblivion Bar.

The group all look at each other, nodding in turn. Dawn takes hold of Lori's hand and squeezes it in support.

"He's not going to be happy," Captain Marvel warns. "We probably won't have long."

"It's the only plan we have," Jason says. "It'll have to do."

"One, two, three. Go!"

Captain Marvel throws the door open and the group exits. On the other side of the door they find themselves in a public men's bathroom. A man standing at the sink stops washing his hands and stares at them.

"Mein Gott..."

Before anyone can respond, the tiled floor begins to crack and the lights flicker. Fire and darkness seep up through the cracks.

"Now Captain!" Jason shouts.

"Gather close!" Captain Marvel orders and the group pushes close together. The man runs past them, screaming, just as a demon hand reaches up through the floor.

"SHAZAM!"

Captain Marvel's voice echoes all around as a bolt of lightning crashes down to engulf them. When it fades, they find themselves no longer in the men's room, but standing in a large cave lit by torches along the walls.

"I'm starting to get magical teleportation whiplash," Dawn complains.

"Welcome to the Rock of Eternity," Captain Marvel announces.

"Amazing," Jason whispers as he looks about the place. "You can feel the power here."

"It's almost comforting and overwhelming at the same time," Xanadu adds.

"We don't have much time," Captain Marvel tells them as he starts to walk along the torch lit path. His voice is low and weak, almost frightened.

The walk is not far. The cave is plain and unimpressive except for the size. The only thing they see besides the torches are seven statues depicting ugly, disturbing creatures. Dawn whispers a question about them, but Captain Marvel doesn't answer.

The group finally reaches a large, open room. More torches line the walls and a great open fire sits in the center of the room. Beyond the fire, on a throne carved into the rock of the wall itself, sits an old man with long white hair and a long white beard.

"What is the meaning of this?" the man's voice thunders from all around them. He rises to his feet and slams his staff down on the floor."Why have you brought them here? This is not permitted!"

"I...I'm sorry," Captain Marvel stammers, avoiding the man's steely gaze. "We...we..."

"We need information, Shazam," Jason takes over, stepping forward to address the Wizard. "We need to know why Neron and the other's are after Lori. We need to know how to end this."

"You need?" Shazam asks, his anger momentarily turning to amusement. "What makes you think I care about your needs?"

"You sent your Champion to help protect her!"

"As the Stranger sent you. It is your place to deal with this threat, not mine."

"How are we supposed to protect her if we don't even know why she's being hunted? You have to give us something!"

"Please!" Lori shouts, stepping forward. "Please, tell me why! Please!" Shazam stands firm, his face showing no emotion, and remains silent.

"Perhaps he doesn't really know either," Xanadu suggests.

Suddenly a large crash sounds from above, shaking the ceiling of the cave, causing dirt and pebbles to rain down on them. Another crash follows shortly after.

"What's happening?" Captain Marvel asks Shazam.

"Demons," Shazam spits with disgust as he gazes at the ceiling. "Your pursuers are testing my defenses."

"I thought we were in space?" Dawn asks. "Or another dimension or something."

"Hell doesn't exist under the Earth any more than Heaven is in the sky," Jason explains. "They can reach other realms just as we can."

"We're safe here, right?" Dawn asks as more crashes shake the room. "Shazam is like a Superwizard?"

"You are safe here," Shazam answers, walking over to stand before them. "If Hell could so easily defeat me they would have done so ages ago. However, you cannot remain here."

"What? Why?" Lori shouts.

"This is not my battle. This is yours. There are laws we all must abide by."

"That's bullshit!" Dawn screams.

"So you're above the concerns of mere mortals?" Xanadu asks sarcastically.

"Were I above your concerns, I would not have a Champion," Shazam replies, matching her venom. "We all must play our part, and this battle is yours. Begone!"

With a wave of his staff, Shazam bathes them in light. When the light disappears, the group is standing in the middle of a desert. The moon is high and the air chill, their breath visible.

"Now where are we?" Dawn throws up her hands in frustration.

"It's night so we're back in the western hemisphere," Captain Marvel says.

"We're probably not far from Lori's home," Xanadu suggests.

Shivering in his tattered clothes, Jason creates a magical fire on the ground. "At least Shazam was thoughtful enough to send us into the middle of nowhere. Now no one else will be hurt."

"Yeah, just us," Lori whispers. She stares into the fire, no emotion on her face.

Placing a hand on her shoulder, Captain Marvel tries to console her. "Lori, I don't know why this is happening, but if the Wizard thinks that we can handle this, then..."

The ground suddenly starts to quake. Glowing cracks in the rock and sand surround them. The shrieks of demons fill the night sky.

"What now?" Dawn asks, turning around in a panic.

"We need to get out of the open," Captain Marvel suggests. "Find somewhere defensible."

"Over there!" Xanadu shouts, pointing at a small collection of boulders about one hundred yards away. It's not much, but there are no other options in sight.

The groups bursts into action. They run off just as demons begin to emerge from the ground. Before they can react, Captain Marvel grabs them all two at a time and flies them over to the boulders in the blink of an eye.

"Apologies if I startled you," Captain Marvel offers, though no one complains.

"Lori, get up on a boulder and stay down!" Jason orders. "Let's spread out! They'll be coming from all sides!"

All manner of demons charge at them. The four do everything in their power to keep them at bay, but it's simply a matter of numbers, and they're quickly overwhelmed. Flying demons try to reach Lori from the air, forcing Captain Marvel to take to the sky and leave the others on the ground to fend for themselves.

"You should have taken my offer!" Neron shouts over the sounds of battle, casually strolling through his demon horde and toward the group. "Take her!"

It's only a matter of seconds before demons break through their ranks, the four barely able to keep themselves alive let alone protect Lori. A tiny green imp is the first to fly up through the chaos to lunge at Lori.

"Get away!" Lori screams as the imp claws at her. It scratches her arm before she hits it in the head with a rock. She scrambles away but finds herself in front of a large, faceless demon. A screech somehow erupts from it's pale, smooth face as it grabs Lori by the hair.

"Bring the women to me!" Neron orders. "Kill the others!"

Lori struggles in vain to get the demon to release her hair. Another demon swoops in to grab her flailing legs, lifting her into the air. "No! Stop! NOOO!"

Suddenly a wave of force goes out in every direction, knocking the entire demon horde, including Neron, to the ground. When they look up, Lori is hovering in the air. Protruding from her back are two white, glowing wings. In one hand she holds a round metal shield, in the other a flaming sword.

"She's an angel?" Dawn asks, kicking a demon off her leg.

"What? This..." Jason sputters, confused. "This makes no sense."

"Now you shall suffer Heaven's wrath!" Lori shouts, raising her sword above her head. Se flies down into the fray, cutting demons down as she goes.

"Fight you fools!" Neron shouts at the lesser demons fleeing in terror. From his back he draws a seven foot greatsword, it's blade as black as his armor.

Lori soars through the air and charges at Neron. Their swords clash, sending sparks flying in all directions. Neron swings his giant sword with ease, but Lori uses her wings to stay just outside of his large reach. She deflects a cut with her shield and swings her flaming sword down toward Neron's face. At the last second, he catches the sword in a mailed fist.

"This...is...impossible," Neron mutters through gritted teeth. The flaming sword burns his hand, causing him to change from his blond human form to his rocky skinned demon form. "I would have sensed if you were from Heaven!"

"All things are possible in the Lord's light!" Lori shouts, struggling to push her blade toward Neron's head.

Suddenly, as if a switch had been pushed, Lori's sword, shield, and wings disappear. She falls to the ground at Neron's feet.

"What...what's going..." Lori mutters, confused. When she looks up, Neron reaches down and grabs her by the throat.

"That's what I'd like to know," Neron says, bringing her up to his face. Lori struggles against his hand to no avail.

"Let her go!" Captain Marvel shouts as he slams into Neron's back. Neron stumbles forward, dropping his sword, but maintaining his hold on Lori.

Captain Marvel throws a punch at Neron's head, but he catches it in his free hand. The two struggle for a moment before they hear a ferocious growl next to them. When they look over, they see Lori is now covered in orange fur.

"Let me go!" Lori growls, digging her now clawed fingers into Neron's hand. They manage to pierce his rocky skin, causing him to shriek in pain and drop the girl. She lands gracefully on all fours, waving a tail behind her, and leaps up to claw at Neron's face.

Neron releases Captain Marvel to try and pry the cat woman off him. Confused but able to seize an opportunity, Captain Marvel slams his fists repeatedly into Neron's chest, denting his armor and knocking him on his ass.

"Get..off...ME!"

Tearing her off his face, Neron throws Lori into Captain Marvel. It sends them flying back a few feet, but they remain unharmed. He grabs his sword and rises to his feet, only to be blasted in the back with magic.

"What did you do to her?" Dawn screams at him before blasting him again. This time he holds his hand up and creates a magical shield to absorb the attack.

Lori roars as she leaps toward Neron again. He swings his sword at her, but she tucks her limbs in to avoid the slash, places her feet on the blade mid-swing, and pushes off to increase her velocity toward him. Only once she reaches him, suddenly Lori is herself once more. She claws ineffectually as she slides down his armor and lands on the ground again.

"This is fucking ridiculous," Lori says, staring at her hands.

Dawn continues blasting at Neron, but his shield holds. He reaches down to grab Lori, but her hands begin to glow and erupt with her own energy blast at him, knocking him back ten feet.

A green glow surrounds Lori as she floats off the ground and hovers in the air. Her eyes glow with power and confidence.

"What the hell!" Dawn shouts, flailing her arms. She keeps throwing her hands out toward Neron, but nothing happens. "My powers are gone!"

Jason forms an icicle out of thin air and slams it into the eye of an incoming demon. He looks about to see most of Neron's demon horde either dead or fleeing. "What?"

"My magic!" Dawn shouts in a panic. "I can't do anything!"

Neron gets back to his feet in time for Lori to blast him with more green energy beams. He blocks them with his sword, but is sent sliding back along the sand by the force.

"I've had enough of this!" Neron shouts, leaping into the air and slashing his sword toward Lori. She floats out of the way and raises her hand, causing a cactus to suddenly sprout up from under the ground and entangle Neron.

"What in blazes is happening?" Xanadu asks as she runs up. An imp flies toward her, but she slices the wings off his back with her dagger and kicks him aside. "How is Lori doing this?"

Neron muscles his way out of the cactus and attacks Lori again. She dodges and prepares to counterattack when her powers give out again.

"SHIT!" Dawn shouts in surprise when her hands suddenly erupt with power, almost blasting herself in the face.

"Is my power to keep falling on my ass?" Lori mumbles to herself as she tries to crawl to her feet. Neron slams his sword down in front of her head, then reaches toward her.

"This ends now!" Captain Marvel cries, flying at Neron and throwing punches so fast the others can barely see. Neron staggers backward with each hit, but won't fall down.

"What are we waiting for?" Jason asks the others. "C'mon!"

While Captain Marvel continues his assault, Jason manipulates the sand, which Xanadu superheats, creating a whirlwind of glass that he sends straight at Neron. Dawn throws bolts of lightning at him.

"Your army is beaten!" Jason shouts.

"I don't need an army for the likes of you!" Stomping his foot on the ground, Neron sends waves of fire at his foes, knocking them back. He then grabs Captain Marvel's shirt and swings him over his head and into the ground. Neron lowers an armored boot into Captain Marvel's jaw.

"Do something!" Lori shouts at herself as she slowly backs away from Neron. "Do something magicy! C'mon!" She waves her hands at Neron, making every magical gesture she can think of. Nothing happens.

"You are an interesting mortal," Neron barks as he storms toward her. "I'll give you that. I look forward to disecting you." He grabs Lori by the throat and drags her along as he heads for his sword.

"S...Sh...Shggh..."

Neron lifts Lori up in front of his face. "Are you trying to say something? What could you possibly have to say, besides plead for your life?" He loosens his grip slightly so she can speak.

"SHAZAM!"

A bolt of lightning crashes down on top of them, sending Neron flying. When he looks up, Lori is floating above him in a costume exactly like Captain Marvel's.

"Oh wow!" Lori shouts, electricity coursing over her body. "I like this one!"

Before Neron can react, Lori flies forward and slams her fists into him. He tries to kick her away, but she grabs his ankle and flips him over her head, slamming him into the ground. When she moves to continue the assault, Neron backhands her away, finally regaining his feet.

"I've had it! I don't care what you are, girl! I'm going to tear your heart out and feast on it!"

Neron lunges for her but Lori blasts him with electricity. It slows him, but he fights through it and punches her square in the face. She flies back, rights herself, and gets her arms up to block his next assault.

His attack is interrupted by Dawn, who turns the sand below his feet into quicksand. Neron sinks up to his ankles, allowing Xanadu to leap up and plunge her daggers into his shoulders. He shakes her off, only to have Jason blast him with magical energy.

Lori flies in to continue the assault, landing blow after blow to Neron's head. Finally he lets out a deafening roar, sending out a shockwave that knocks them all down. "Enough! This is more trouble than it's worth!"

The sand opens up beneath Neron and swallows him hole. The remaining demon corpses burst into flames that die out instantly, leaving no trace behind. It's as if nothing even happened here.

"We did it!" Lori shouts. "We won!"

Taking a deep breath, Jason exhales loudly and looks about. "We survived."

"Wait, where's Captain Marvel?" Dawn asks.

They all look around and find a boy, no more than thirteen, sitting on the ground. His arms are wrapped protectively around his thin frame as he rocks back and forth. The group walks over to him and realize he's whispering to himself.

"Shazam. Shazam. Shazam. Shazam." He repeats the word over and over as he stares off into the distance, his disheveled brown hair falling into his eyes.

"Is this...Captain Marvel?" Dawn asks, waving her hand in front of the boys face.

"Shazam picks Champions who he imbues with power. He must have chosen this boy," Jason explains softly. "Then Lori stole his powers."

"Stole his..." Lori begins, then the Wisdom of Solomon clears everything up for her. "Of course. First the angel, then some cat lady, then Dawn, and now Captain Marvel. My power is to steal the magic from others."

"No wonder everyone is after her," Xanadu says. "She could be the most dangerous person on the planet."

"Shazam. Shazam. Shazam. Shazam."

Dawn places her hands on the boy's shoulders, trying to stop his rocking, but only manages to agitate him more. "Lori, please," Dawn says, looking up at her. "Give him his powers back."

"Of course, sorry." She walks over and motions Dawn away. Kneeling down in front of the boy, she says, "Shazam." When the bolt of lightning clears, Lori is normal once more, and sitting in front of her is Captain Marvel.

"What are you all staring at?" Captain Marvel asks, confused. "Did I get knocked out? Did we win?"

***

Three Days Later
The Oblivion Bar

"After you," Jason says with an exaggerated bow, holding the door to the Oblivion Bar open for Dawn.

"Thank you, kind sir," Dawn says with her head held high and a barely held straight face.

It's still early and the bar isn't very busy. About two dozen people are spread out amongst the tables and the bars. A fawn is in the corner playing a beautiful melody on his lute.

"I wish you'd told me about this place sooner," Dawn tells Jason as they look for a seat. "I love it."

"Well despite its neutrality enchantment, it's a dangerous place," Jason explains. "Since anyone can come here, you can end up drawing the attention of the wrong people. You never know who you're going to...meet."

Dawn follows Jason's gaze to see Lori and Xanadu sitting at a table, both looking directly at them. The invitation is unspoken, so they walk over to sit down.

"Fancy meeting you here," Dawn jokes.

"Hi Dawn," Lori says, her excitement to see her obvious. It makes Dawn feel good to see Lori in a happy mood.

"Fancy indeed," Jason says with a raised eyebrow. "I thought you were going to keep a low profile, Xanadu?"

Before she can respond, Dawn turns to Lori. "How are you adjusting? Are you back to school yet?"

"It opens next week. It's actually been pretty seamless. No one seems to remember the demons coming for me. My Dad just thinks I was hiding the whole time like a ton of other kids were. Did you see what they're saying on the news?"

"Aliens?" Dawn chuckles. "Yeah. Silly, but I guess there's precedent."

"I have a ton of funerals to go too still," Lori mumbles, her eyes downcast. "A lot of the kids I didn't even know. But it just...I feel like I have to. You know?" Dawn places a hand on Lori's shoulder and offers a sympathetic smile.

"So..?" Jason tries to steer the conversation, but Xanadu shakes her head.

"Not yet. We're still waiting for someone."

"How has your training been going?" Dawn asks Lori.

"Xanadu's been really patient," Lori smiles at her mentor. "But I can't seem to do any magic on my own. I can only steal it, and it's still hard to do on purpose."

"Have you discovered anything?" Xanadu asks Jason.

"Not much. I can't find any record of anyone with this ability in history. I have no idea how this could happen, but I do know word about her has spread fast."

"Fear has spread fast," Xanadu corrects. "I've never seen the magic community in such disarray. The idea that someone can take their powers at any moment...it's why we're here." Xanadu nods toward the door. "There he is."

The table looks over to see Captain Marvel entering. He scans the crowd, sees them, and walks over.

"What's he doing here?" Dawn asks, confused.

"I invited him," Xanadu explains.

They had tried to gently bring up what had happened when Lori stole his powers, but Captain Marvel seemed completely oblivious to it. Any mention of the boy was ignored and the subject changed. Eventually they just gave up.

"Greetings friends!" Captain Marvel says enthusiastically. "I'm happy to see you all in good health." He smiles at them all in turn, though his cheeks turn slightly red when he looks at Lori.

"So now will you explain?" Dawn turns to Xanadu.

"I've been having visions, far more often than normal," Xanadu says in a hushed tone. "I don't understand what Lori is exactly, but she's a part of something far greater. Mystical forces are moving, on all dimensions. Something is coming."

"I may not have your perception," Jason says, "but I've felt it too."

"I don't believe our coming together was a coincidence. And I don't mean just the Stranger and Shazam's involvement," Xanadu says.

"You believe we were chosen for something?" Captain Marvel asks, almost excited at the prospect.

"You mean the Pact?" Jason asks, furrowing his brow.

Dawn sighs, having long ago accepted she'll likely never understand conversations with these people. "The Pact?"

"The Shadowpact," Xanadu answers. "It's what we call a mystical phenomenon where every so often a group of magic users are brought together to help deal with a magical problem. Whether it be a foe or a natural disaster."

"Xanadu and I have both been members of various teams over the years. Though not all of them," Jason explains.

"And you think we're all supposed to be part of this team?" Lori asks. "Because of me?"

"It's more than you," Xanadu explains, "but yes. I think we are." The table grows silent as they all consider the situation.

"Well I learned long ago not to question you on matters such as this," Jason says, sharing a meaningful look with Xanadu. "I'm in."

"I don't really know what to make of all this," Lori explains. "But if you think it'll help me, I'm in."

"So we're gonna be a super team?" Captain Marvel asks with a grin. "Awesome."

"Sure, why not?" Dawn says.

The team orders food and drinks while they discuss their new situation. None of them notice the man watching them from the corner of the room. Underneath the shadows cast by his black fedora, a slight smile of satisfaction forms.

-The End-