I’ve been away for so long. But like the winds of the summer weather, I am back and I’m even better. Nothing can break up this bond. We’re in our prime, this is our time -- Anon Guest
Legendary heroes never die. It's true. They're always shunted off into some mystical realm to rise again in their country's greatest need. Legends fade from memory. Country names change. Yet the land and the hero remain bound by that promise.
When there is the greatest need... that is up for debate. For something to be the greatest need, it has to be the most urgent disaster in all history. Which implies that this need would be occurring on the very cusp of there being no history left if someone did not intervene. There are also the heroes of legend and lore who are just... immortal.
In the time of Greatest Need... they rise. Obviously, since it's no longer the greatest need once the disaster is averted, those heroes have to a bit more than discrete if only to save face. There is, after all, always another time of greatest need.
As one might understand, these heroes have been more than a little busy during the entirety of 2020. There is a wall of madness across their secret hideout, linking world leaders to their inactions and attempts to circumvent the inherent disasters. There is a LOT of red string. A figure flies in through a hole made for the purpose, only to land on a pile of pillows also made for the purpose. There, face down, they screamed into the cushions.
"Bad day at the office?" said Nick Flamel.
The figure, looking almost like a monkey, flipped him off. The monkey was, for one thing, wearing some interesting clothes. For another, he appeared to be made out of stone, for all that he moved and breathed. If you could see his eyes, you would swear they were on fire.
Meet Sun Wukong. As one of the few among them with super powers, he has had a very, very exhausting year.
A small spider drifted down from the ceiling and became a rather diminutive skinny black man, who took a seat by Sun Wukong in order to comfort him. He, too, has had a very exhausting year in different directions. "I know. I know. I tried giving them wisdom. I tried tricking them into doing the right thing. Instead they brewed up conspiracy theories. Ugh. People don't appreciate wit any more." Meet Anansi. He's ordinarily very smart, but this year has taxed even his inginuity.
"I hate that I can't just kill them," said Sun through the cushions. "Killing them is so much easier, damnit."
"Talk to me about Faerie Rules, sometime," complained a man in full plate armour. He had a sword that gleamed with a strange light. "I was all set to rise up and defeat evil, but no-o-o-o... Some clever bugger had to name a brand of flour after me. What was everyone doing in lockdown? BAKING!"
"Bloody hell," said the other man in full plate. "Sorry, your Highness. This looked to be The One, too."
"They certainly don't listen to good advice," said Merlin. "I remember how this goes and they still don't listen to a word."
"Some problems," said a man with a lion skin draped over his chair, "cannot be solved by punching their heads off." Then again, thinking was rarely Heracles' strong suit. Being mightier than ten mighty men had some obvious limits.
"We could just behead them," said a man in ornate robes.
"For the last time, Emperor, nobody alive today recognises your authority." Arthur was the only one close enough in rank to talk to him like that.
Count St Germain mumbled about finding the cure for stupidity in his sleep. Nothing coherent enough for Flamel, unfortunately.
The giant, feathered serpent curled around the edge of the room stirred, raising an enormous head. "You know, I could always--"
"No..." warned the Sage Markandeya. "No. No rising up to eat the sun again. That's the sort of thing we're trying to avoid."
"I could eat a few of the stupid leaders..." he offered.
Anansi flopped back into the pillows. "Quetz... remember the discussion we had about too much killing causing us more work?"
"We remember," sighed the rest of the room, rolling their eyes.
[Image (c) Can Stock Photo / tommoh29]
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