After reaching out with his mind and sensing no significant source of magic coming from the domed building, Dr. Fate spent the next couple of hours combing through the city trying to save as many people as he could. The amount that survived was a vastly small number. A few families, a couple of shell shocked individuals, and a small number of kids that had been lucky enough to hide in some underground bunker near the edge of the city limits.
There were no other survivors. Once they were gathered, he herded them out of the city for about a league, creating a floating disk for those too tired, injured, or weary to walk. When the the city was no more than whisper on the horizon, he raised a large hut from the ground and bade them inside, telling them to only come out on extreme emergencies until he came back.
Back in the burning city, he flew directly towards the untouched building. A large structure, domed at the top, painted in blues and reds that made a strange conflagration of colours in the fire’s dancing light. The strangeness however, came from the fact that it was as if the destruction that took over the city refused to get near the building and it’s surrounding land, it’s outer gate unmarred even by soot.
Reaching the outer, expansive courtyard he descended until he was a foot off the ground and slowly made his way closer to the building, two ankhs floating lazily around him as he passed through untouched gardens dotted with statues and fountains. Eventually he reached a large set of stairs set on either side with marble colonnades and at the topmost landing, a set of two closed wooden doors inlaid with gold.
A feeling of dread started churning in his stomach as he reached the platform and waved a hand, causing one of the doors to slowly creak open. Two more ankhs appeared around him and he entered.
The scene before him was harrowing. Blood was everywhere, the central hall and the pillars to either side were painted with it. In the centre, around a massive red smoking circle, were seven robed and hooded bodies lying still in their own blood. Dr. Fate drew closer, the dread feeling growing stronger as he felt the same magic that he had back on earth; the residue was stronger here, almost overpowering in its saturation. He paused a moment to let his mind wander around the city before expanding around the planet, searching for this “demon” but feeling nothing. Probably masking itself, he mused. He couldn’t be sure until he made a round through the planet however.
Might as well start here first. Landing, his boots making an echoing click on the marble floor, he walked towards the slaughter, knelt, and placed a gloved hand on one of the bodies.
An image immediately formed in his head, and he watched as the seven robed figures, a book floating between them, set themselves in a circle and began chanting. Low at first, but they soon began to raise their voices as armed guards rushed from the various other halls and chambers, pointing guns at them and shouting at them to stop.
Whatever happened next he couldn’t see as darkness obscured his
view, but he heard the screams and shouts, heard the ripping of flesh, the crack of bones, and the agony that followed. Guns were fired, more screams followed, then a deep laughter that ended with one of the victims giving off an inhuman scream that was cut off with a gurgle.
Fate pulled his hand back, and for the first time in a while, he felt genuine fear. It didn’t stop him from trying to figure out who the figures were, however as he started to soon dig through the bodies to find anything that would identify them. After a few seconds of searching he managed to find an amulet on one body, a black circle with a red outline of a sun in the middle.
He stood, yanked the amulet from the body and stored it in a pocket dimension. Although the significance was currently lost on him, he was sure someone – hopefully someone who still lived – would know what it meant. He walked through the halls, looking around and noticing everywhere else beyond the antechamber was untouched, the walls to either side of him lined with plinths and paintings of ancient figures or massive battles over what he assumed to be the planet. Soon, he made it to another set of over-sized double doors, made of wood, silver, and gold.
Another wave of his hand and he flew inside.
He heard the guns shift and point before he saw them and raised his hands as he appeared in a large domed chamber, a raised dais on the other end with a large throne made of what looked to be gilded bones.
“What in the hell. Who are you?” One of the guards demanded.
“My name is Dr. Fate. I came to investigate the destruction of this city,” he said,
“I felt the magic unleashed from my own planet, and felt compelled.”“How do we know you’re not the demon in disguise?” Another guard asked.
Slowly, his hands went for his helm and he pulled it off revealing his face.
“Do I look like a demon to you?”“You could be casting an illusion, sorcerer.” Another guard shouted.
“Enough! I would hear what this man has to say,” the figure on the throne said.
“Approach, Dr. Fate. Explain why you’re here.”Putting the helmet back on, he flew closer to the dais before three guards stepped before his path, their weapons trained on him.
“I come from Earth. I felt whatever was summoned here and the significance of that should not be lost on you. Whatever it was, it was strong enough to alert me to come here and I intend to investigate and destroy, if I can, this demon.”“Whatever it was that was released in my palace,” the figure said,
“was no demon. It’s magic was far too dense and potent. Demons we could handle. Efficiently, in fact. Whatever this thing was however, it destroyed my men and their magic as if they were children.”He studied the figure, his eyes narrowing underneath his helm. After a moment, he asked,
“how is it that this place is untouched while the antechamber of your palace, and the rest of the city, is in ruins.”The man raised another hand and two figures emerged from either side of the throne wearing strange headpieces that covered the upper half of their faces and ended in curved point.
“My own cadre of sorcerers managed fight it off before it escaped,” the man explained, then turning to the mages.
“Tell our guest what you told me.”“We suspect,” one of them said,
“whatever that heretical cabal summoned, to be a god.”
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