With This Ring (Young Justice SI) (Thread Fourteen)

Ciber · Dec 23, 2023

Oh. Back to this guy.

RichardWhereat · Dec 23, 2023

To be honest, I do not remember this guy. Anyone have links to his other chapters?

Ngamer11 · Dec 23, 2023

Darko said:
It's his ring.

This one seems to have a personality.

Did Mr Zoat say why this ring seems to have more personality than normal?

WereDragon · Dec 23, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
22nd September 2010
19:17 GMT -5

The needlessly evil Paul.

He should put some thought into the fact that he is one of only two Pauls who's ring is actively trying to kill him.

Mr Zoat said:
Not printing. That was how we got in this position. Minting.

Is it still minting when you use a nanoforge assembler?

jasonh23761 · Dec 23, 2023

Honestly I've been curious if we would return to this one or to Sybarite, it's interesting to compare them against each other, Renegade and then Paragon.

I know Tangside is likely to make most of us very uncomfortable but let's see how this goes.

Darko · Dec 23, 2023

Ngamer11 said:
Did Mr Zoat say why this ring seems to have more personality than normal?

I don't think we ever got an explanation for that, but it's possible.

I'm not going to go back to his previous chapters to check becauseif I do then I'll have to read more about him, so sorry.

WereDragon said:
He should put some thought into the fact that he is one of only two Pauls who's ring is actively trying to kill him

His ring doesn't seem to be trying to kill him.

Chojin Patriarch · Dec 23, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
22nd September 2010
19:17 GMT -5

She didn't turn up. I held up my end of the agreement, and then-!

Warning! Deviation from baseline thought processes detected!

...Oh, dear. Is this Tangseid again? The Alt!Paul that took the morality-relaxing Evil Formula, and goes on to basically rule the world from the shadows? It has been a while since we've seen him, I think. Though in his early days here, yes?

Ah. Yes. Narcissism. The believe that the universe revolves around you. Artemis is a woman-

Girl.

I see the Ring is doing some work, keeping him on track and aware of certain legalities...

-with her own responsibilities.

I don't think you should lose sight of that age difference.

Man... Imagine having to make an alien VI do the work of playing conscience because you erased yours...

Her not being where she agreed to be isn't a deliberate insult. It's far more likely that she lost track of time hunting down Gotham hoodlums, or… I don't know. Popular culture tells me that women-

Girls.

Well, Artemis does take her work seriously, for the most part. Initial belly-baring costume aside...

-take a long time to get ready, clothes and makeup and whatnot. Not something I know anything about, and Mia didn't want to talk about it for some reason.

Okay, sport? I think that maybe you should me let me handle this.

This Mia? Speedy the second? I wonder where she is in the Paragon Timeline, actually. Edit: Ah, okay, Cir-El, eh?

What? Why? I realised what the problem was, and even if I hadn't I wouldn't have done anything about my thoughts because that would be counterproductive.

No. Not that. The Evil Formula.

...Because maybe you should take note that your Ring is being more moral than you are at this point? And possibly smarter.

I stop in mid-air.

What makes you think I'd agree to that now?

The Evil Formula giving him enhanced physical ability at the cost of, well, being evil. And we all know how early Alt!Pauls go looking for enhancements.

You reconstructed the formula for Vitamin X from Dennis Wilson's body. That means that you don't need it any more.

That wasn't the point. The point is that I'm not the person I was before I got-. Wait.

Oh, is light dawning over marblehead? Finally starting to realise this is a bad thing?

I scan the area around Artemis, making sure-. Ah.

Carry this on later.

Dangit!

Sigh.

I transition forwards, construct shield easily blocking the high calibre rounds from the two marksmen. They freeze for a moment upon seeing me, and open fire on full automatic at my face and chest. Two orange ribbons remove their guns from their hands, and two pithing needles remove their capacity for movement.

...Is it weird to feel sympathetic for this Ring VI?

Because it is clearly being overworked.

What worthless people.

That-.

Oh, that's worrying...

No, I'm not killing them.

And I'm glad to hear it.

...Oh, they've had this conversation before, haven't they?

Because I know that Artemis heard those shots, and because I want to remain within my established moral bounds-

Good.

And it's a little hard to stay on the good side of the League if you start getting a reputation for lethality.

-without undoing the Formula.

Less good, but okay, I'll take it.

And this is why you do not mess around with mind-altering formulas, no matter how useful they seem.

I pick up the paralysed shooters and fly down to where Artemis is pulling some rough-looking types out of a boathouse. She looks up warily at me for a moment.

"Ah. Hey."

Oh, that 'Hey' has so many ways it could be taken...

"Good evening." I scan the-. "Gosh, that's a lot of guns. And some pretty nasty chemicals."

"Yeah, so I kinda had to drop everything…"

Yes, that's a quite reasonable excuse for missing a date. Especially for teenage vigilantes.

Now what I think you should say-.

"No, no, I quite understand." I land just in front of her, dropping the marksmen on her pile with a pained 'uuh'. "And you clearly did something good here, but I'm not-. If you'd phoned me-"

After all, a night out chasing criminals is easily as good as a nice meal in.

"What, you're pissed 'cause I didn't tell you I'd be-"

"-I could have watched your back."

...Okay, for all his lack of morality, that is a good detail to point out. Lone heroes tend to get themselves killed, after all. All it takes is one guy you didn't spot.

"-late..?"

She looks at me for a moment, then looks away. "Oh. Yeah. I guess that-. Ah… Yeah."

And really, there's no backup like a Lantern for easy takedowns.

"Or -if you really find me that distasteful- you could phone someone else. I want you to not die more than I want to date you."

"Okay!" She gestures upwards with her right hand, left still holding her bow. "Okay. I'll… Get some backup next time."

I mean, Kid Flash could easily have gotten there quick. And he'd happily let you take the lead.

"Thank you." I look at her pile of goons, then stick a soundproof bubble around them. "So do you want me to fly them back to Star City..?"

She looks decidedly shifty. "A-actually… I.. was working out of Gotham."

Ah, yes, her 'cover story' of being Green Arrow's 'niece'...

"Gosh that sounded convincing."

That earns me a glare. Which gradually morphs into a look of genuine concern, which she then shifts back into neutral.

I mean, assholish as he is, he does care for you, in his own twisted way...

"What? We all got zeta tube access. I can work wherever."

I look around… What I think used to be some sort of lifeboat station..? Or a fishing boat launch site? It's a good distance outside of Gotham, and they probably used it because it's a little harder to smuggle things in through the Gotham harbour than it used to be.

Though they still have to manage the task of hauling whatever they're shipping overland. Truck rental cuts into the profits, after all.

"No Green Arrow?"

"Just because he's my uncle doesn't mean we do everything together. Green Lantern doesn't follow you around everywhere."

...Honestly, I'm surprised the Guardians haven't given ~~Hal or John~~ The local Lanterns orders to that effect. What with the 'Orange Ring out in the wild' angle.

I smirk. "Ah, yeah. I should probably warn you now. When Green Arrow said that, everyone else thought he meant 'illegitimate daughter'."

She frowns. "What-? No, no-. Green Arrow doesn't even have any kids."

...That he knows about. Or at least openly admits to knowing about. (Since he did know he had a son at some point.)

"No, he… Does. His name's Connor Hawke, and he lives-."

"What?" She blinks. "How do you even know that?"

Two words: Power. Ring.

I shrug. "I know everything about everyone."

Her eyes widen. Ah. Maybe I shouldn't have said that?

Gee, you think, Hagrid?

You think, sport?

"You've been spying on me?"

Well, overworked or not, this Ring VI is damn snarky about it. I like it.

"No, of course not. I've been spying on everyone. Singling you out would be creepy."

"I can't BELIEVE-." She closes her mouth, looking horrified. "Oh no. Ohhhh no. You know..?" I smile and gives my head a small shake. "You know about my Dad?"

Well, at least he recognises the creep factor. Not that it would stop him.

"Can you narrow it down? I know he's a nasty piece of work-."

"He's a SUPERVILLAIN!"

Volume! Just because the crooks there are bubbled up, doesn't mean the neighbourhood is.

I shrug. "So's Kaldur's father."

She blinks. "What?"

And now you know something even Kaldur doesn't necessarily know.

"Yeah, Black Manta. And his step-father -the man who actually raised him- used to work for Black Manta as a pirate. Mia got her powers from a world-conquering alien AI with a seven digit body count who tried to destroy Earth twice, the only other Orange Lantern in the universe has killed thousands of people just to steal their stuff, Superman's grandfather led the isolationist movement that was why almost his whole species died when Krypton exploded and Batman's father once broke into a pharmacy to steal drugs. Your parents' criminal history doesn't say anything about you."

...Okay, 'Mia' is not Speedy II, then. I'm guessing said villain AI is Brainiac, though.

"Um." That appears to be giving her some trouble. "Oh. Ah… Pharmacy? So he-."

"He was a medical doctor, he needed medicine to save a patient and it was closed due to it being the middle of the night. He left a note and payment next to the till. Batman's father was actually a really great guy."

To be fair, the way you said it, it was easy to assume the more criminal alternative.

"Okay. Clearly, I… I've been letting this mess me up for no reason at all." She takes a steadying breath. "Guess we… Missed your reservation, huh?"

"Reservation?" I frown. "No, I cook. I-."

As if he'd let someone else prepare his food, huh?

No. Don't complain about how much it put you out. Especially as it didn't actually cause a problem. Be magnanimous.

"Oh. Ah, damn, I-. Sorry."

At least he's still able to keep himself in check a little at this stage... Even if he is still calculating how best to seduce her.

"No, no, I plated it up and stuck it in subspace. No time has passed, so it's all fine. Actually…" I look around. Now that the fighting's over I can hear the lapping waves, quite sounds of the wildlife coming out from hiding… "This isn't actually a bad venue. I could hook up some lights, drop off the gang members, we could do it here." She doesn't look keen. "The site of your victory?"

"Look, I'm… Kinda beat? Can we-? Put it off..?"

Yeah, kind of not a romantic spot, no matter how you dress it up.

I did everything right, and-. And-. And I just gave her an emotional shock, and she's been in a fight. She didn't say no, and she's probably just not in the mood.

It's fine.

"Sure. When's good for you?"

Getting a little possessive there, Tang. Easy.

Man, this timeline really is just the painful kind, isn't it. We know where he ends up. But seeing him get there is uncomfortable to watch, yet you feel the need to watch it anyway. Just seeing so many chances for him to undo the original mistake and he just keeps refusing... I think that's why we like to hate this guy. The same reason you want to shout at the dumb-asses in slasher movies to stop being idiots... They could win, if they'd stop doing it wrong.

Mr Zoat · Dec 23, 2023

Darko said:
This shit-eater is back.

At no time has this character consumed faecal matter.
...
Except possibly while being born, but just about everyone does that.

"shouldn't"
"once"

Thank you, corrected.

"Not that"

No, the ring was going to say 'what I think you should say is...' but got interrupted.

WereDragon said:
Is it still minting when you use a nanoforge assembler?

Ah. I think so?

WereDragon · Dec 23, 2023

RichardWhereat said:
To be honest, I do not remember this guy. Anyone have links to his other chapters?

He shows up in:

Episode 99 Plutonian, When You're Evil
https://forum.questionablequesting.com/posts/3453640

Episode 106 Back Seat, Sauntering Downwards (part 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5)
https://forum.questionablequesting.com/posts/3939547
https://forum.questionablequesting.com/posts/3942431
https://forum.questionablequesting.com/posts/3960136
https://forum.questionablequesting.com/posts/3966212
https://forum.questionablequesting.com/posts/4013258

I seem to recall he was also involved in the big crisis event (Episode 97 Duplication) but I can't find where and it may have just been a cameo.

Darko said:
His ring doesn't seem to be trying to kill him.

The ring wants to reformat his brain to think differently, functionally killing the person he currently is and replacing him with a new person. Specifically a copy of the person he was before taking the evil formula.
Identity death is still death, even if the process also creates someone new.

Mr Zoat · Dec 23, 2023

Chojin Patriarch said:
...Oh, dear. Is this Tangseid again?

Yes.

The Alt!Paul that took the morality-relaxing Evil Formula, and goes on to basically rule the world from the shadows?

He'd argue both 'rules' and 'shadows', and this is well before that happened.

This Mia? Speedy the second?

No. This Mia.

I wonder where she is in the Paragon Timeline, actually.

She's about five years old, so she's probably just starting junior school.

...Honestly, I'm surprised the Guardians haven't given Hal or John orders to that effect. What with the 'Orange Ring out in the wild' angle.

Neither of those two are Green Lanterns in this timeline. Abin Sur is still around, having been a regular visitor to Earth since he chased Mister Mind here in 1943 and teamed up with Alan Scott and Theodore Knight.

Darko · Dec 23, 2023

Chojin Patriarch said:
Man... Imagine having to make an alien VI do the work of playing conscience because you erased yours...

It is quite the absurd situation.

Chojin Patriarch said:
This Mia? Speedy the second? I wonder where she is in the Paragon Timeline, actually.

No, it's a female version of Superboy.

Chojin Patriarch said:
Because maybe you should take note that your Ring is being more moral than you are at this point? And possibly smarter.

See my post above.

This is one of the few times we're rooting for a ring made out of greed to take over.

Chojin Patriarch said:
The Evil Formula giving him enhanced physical ability at the cost of, well, being evil. And we all know how early Alt!Pauls go looking for enhancements.

And this one did it in a very, very dumb manner.

At least renegade saw an example of what would happen to a human before he took the strength formula.

Chojin Patriarch said:
Is it weird to feel sympathetic for this Ring VI?

No.

Chojin Patriarch said:
I mean, Kid Flash could easily have gotten there quick. And he'd happily let you take the lead

Depends on how fast he is.

Chojin Patriarch said:
Honestly, I'm surprised the Guardians haven't given Hal or John orders to that effect. What with the 'Orange Ring out in the wild' angle.

They may be keeping an eye on him, but know being around him 24/7 isn't practical.

Chojin Patriarch said:
Gee, you think, Hagrid?

Don't you dare compare the loveable giant to this rapist shit.

Chojin Patriarch said:
As if he'd let someone else prepare his food, huh?

It's not necessarily paranoia.

He may just like cooking, or thought she'd consider it more romantic.

Duke Long · Dec 23, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
The believe that the universe revolves around you. Artemis is a woman-

'belief'

The ring seems to have a lot of personality. Is it a copy of his pre-Evil consciousness like with that alternate universe Sinestro ring? The speech patterns don't seem quite right, though.

Mr Zoat · Dec 23, 2023

Duke Long said:
'belief'

Thank you, corrected.

Chaoswind · Dec 23, 2023

Ngamer11 said:
Did Mr Zoat say why this ring seems to have more personality than normal?

You forgot?

Paul knew the super soldier crap he was going to use could have mental side effects, so he copied his consciousness template into the ring as a backup to reverse the changes if they went too far off the baseline. Sadly Tangseid didn't want the ring to overwrite the new him, so he is currently working within certain parameters.

We do know how this ends, so it's fairly likely Tangseid eventually manages to overcome the template saved in the ring.

Darko · Dec 23, 2023

Chaoswind said:
You forgot?

Paul knew the super soldier crap he was going to use could have mental side effects, so he copied his consciousness template into the ring as a backup to reverse the changes if they went too far off the baseline. Sadly Tangseid didn't want the ring to overwrite the new him, so he is currently working within certain parameters.

We do know how this ends, so it's fairly likely Tangseid eventually manages to overcome the template saved in the ring.

Yeah, the first time we saw this guy there wasn't a snarky ring talking, so I guess the personality isn't gonna be permanent.

iamnuff · Dec 23, 2023

Which one is this again?

I know there was one that juiced himself up with demon-energy and became an inccubus.
And there was the one who brainwashed wonderwoman. (and everyone else)

I don't think this guy is him though, since Artemis still has free will.
This guy has a voice in his head (from where?) and apparently used some kind of 'evil formula' to enhance his body?

Edit:
Ah, this is the brainwashing one... but back before he started doing that?

Darko · Dec 23, 2023

iamnuff said:
Ah, this is the brainwashing one... but back before he started doing that?

Yeah.

he first time we saw him it was after he'd brainwashed people.

All subsequent appearances of him were before he did it.

The second time we saw hm was when he took his formula.

Dragoon140 · Dec 23, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
22nd September 2010
19:17 GMT -5

She didn't turn up. I held up my end of the agreement, and then-!

Warning! Deviation from baseline thought processes detected!

Ah. Yes. Narcissism. The belief that the universe revolves around you. Artemis is a woman-

Girl.

-with her own responsibilities.

I don't think you should lose sight of that age difference.

Her not being where she agreed to be isn't a deliberate insult. It's far more likely that she lost track of time hunting down Gotham hoodlums, or… I don't know. Popular culture tells me that women-

Girls.

-take a long time to get ready, clothes and makeup and whatnot. Not something I know anything about, and Mia didn't want to talk about it for some reason.

Okay, sport? I think that maybe you should me let me handle this.

What? Why? I realised what the problem was, and even if I hadn't I wouldn't have done anything about my thoughts because that would be counterproductive.

No. Not that. The Evil Formula.

I stop in mid-air.

What makes you think I'd agree to that now?

You reconstructed the formula for Vitamin X from Dennis Wilson's body. That means that you don't need it any more.

That wasn't the point. The point is that I'm not the person I was before I got-. Wait.

I scan the area around Artemis, making sure-. Ah.

Carry this on later.

Sigh.

I transition forwards, construct shield easily blocking the high calibre rounds from the two marksmen. They freeze for a moment upon seeing me, and open fire on full automatic at my face and chest. Two orange ribbons remove their guns from their hands, and two pithing needles remove their capacity for movement.

What worthless people.

That-.

No, I'm not killing them.

And I'm glad to hear it.

Because I know that Artemis heard those shots, and because I want to remain within my established moral bounds-

Good.

-without undoing the Formula.

Less good, but okay, I'll take it.

I pick up the paralysed shooters and fly down to where Artemis is pulling some rough-looking types out of a boathouse. She looks up warily at me for a moment.

"Ah. Hey."

"Good evening." I scan the-. "Gosh, that's a lot of guns. And some pretty nasty chemicals."

"Yeah, so I kinda had to drop everything…"

Now what I think you should say-.

"No, no, I quite understand." I land just in front of her, dropping the marksmen on her pile with a pained 'uuh'. "And you clearly did something good here, but I'm not-. If you'd phoned me-"

"What, you're pissed 'cause I didn't tell you I'd be-"

"-I could have watched your back."

"-late..?"

She looks at me for a moment, then looks away. "Oh. Yeah. I guess that-. Ah… Yeah."

"Or -if you really find me that distasteful- you could phone someone else. I want you to not die more than I want to date you."

"Okay!" She gestures upwards with her right hand, left still holding her bow. "Okay. I'll… Get some backup next time."

"Thank you." I look at her pile of goons, then stick a soundproof bubble around them. "So do you want me to fly them back to Star City..?"

She looks decidedly shifty. "A-actually… I.. was working out of Gotham."

"Gosh that sounded convincing."

That earns me a glare. Which gradually morphs into a look of genuine concern, which she then shifts back into neutral.

"What? We all got zeta tube access. I can work wherever."

I look around… What I think used to be some sort of lifeboat station..? Or a fishing boat launch site? It's a good distance outside of Gotham, and they probably used it because it's a little harder to smuggle things in through the Gotham harbour than it used to be.

"No Green Arrow?"

"Just because he's my uncle doesn't mean we do everything together. Green Lantern doesn't follow you around everywhere."

I smirk. "Ah, yeah. I should probably warn you now. When Green Arrow said that, everyone else thought he meant 'illegitimate daughter'."

She frowns. "What-? No, no-. Green Arrow doesn't even have any kids."

"No, he… Does. His name's Connor Hawke, and he lives-."

"What?" She blinks. "How do you even know that?"

I shrug. "I know everything about everyone."

Her eyes widen. Ah. Maybe I shouldn't have said that?

You think, sport?

"You've been spying on me?"

"No, of course not. I've been spying on everyone. Singling you out would be creepy."

"I can't BELIEVE-." She closes her mouth, looking horrified. "Oh no. Ohhhh no. You know..?" I smile and gives my head a small shake. "You know about my Dad?"

"Can you narrow it down? I know he's a nasty piece of work-."

"He's a SUPERVILLAIN!"

I shrug. "So's Kaldur's father."

She blinks. "What?"

"Yeah, Black Manta. And his step-father -the man who actually raised him- used to work for Black Manta as a pirate. Mia got her powers from a world-conquering alien AI with a seven digit body count who tried to destroy Earth twice, the only other Orange Lantern in the universe has killed thousands of people just to steal their stuff, Superman's grandfather led the isolationist movement that was why almost his whole species died when Krypton exploded and Batman's father once broke into a pharmacy to steal drugs. Your parents' criminal history doesn't say anything about you."

"Um." That appears to be giving her some trouble. "Oh. Ah… Pharmacy? So he-."

"He was a medical doctor, he needed medicine to save a patient and it was closed due to it being the middle of the night. He left a note and payment next to the till. Batman's father was actually a really great guy."

"Okay. Clearly, I… I've been letting this mess me up for no reason at all." She takes a steadying breath. "Guess we… Missed your reservation, huh?"

"Reservation?" I frown. "No, I cook. I-."

No. Don't complain about how much it put you out. Especially as it didn't actually cause a problem. Be magnanimous.

"Oh. Ah, damn, I-. Sorry."

"No, no, I plated it up and stuck it in subspace. No time has passed, so it's all fine. Actually…" I look around. Now that the fighting's over I can hear the lapping waves, quite sounds of the wildlife coming out from hiding… "This isn't actually a bad venue. I could hook up some lights, drop off the gang members, we could do it here." She doesn't look keen. "The site of your victory?"

"Look, I'm… Kinda beat? Can we-? Put it off..?"

I did everything right, and-. And-. And I just gave her an emotional shock, and she's been in a fight. She didn't say no, and she's probably just not in the mood.

It's fine.

"Sure. When's good for you?"

Disturbing as this one is, he does make for a VERY interesting read.

RoninSword · Dec 24, 2023

I thought Tangseid was a different Paul then the one who modified himself and started hitting on Artemis?

Ngamer11 · Dec 24, 2023

RoninSword said:
I thought Tangseid was a different Paul then the one who modified himself and started hitting on Artemis?

They're the same guy. Hitting on Artemis is relatively early in his timeline.

moralrelativity · Dec 24, 2023

RichardWhereat said:
To be honest, I do not remember this guy. Anyone have links to his other chapters?

Same.

Ardy · Dec 24, 2023

moralrelativity said:
Same.

check back seat, I believe, his backstory and early evil are intertwined there

moralrelativity · Dec 24, 2023

Ardy said:
check back seat, I believe, his backstory and early evil are intertwined there

Thank you.

Mr Zoat · Dec 24, 2023

Day 5
16th March 2013
07:56 GMT

I look out of the carriage window, down from the thin and narrow road heading towards Lady Rosacarnis's manor house. It's like one of those cartoon cliff side paths that crumble underneath Wile Ethelbert Coyote just after Road Runner dashes across, but it stretches out far further, has even less support and from the look of the surface has been in use for far longer.

And down below, what looks like a pit of burning spectres, desperately and fruitlessly reaching for relief or escape.

"Druoth, what's the point of that?"

Druoth doesn't look around from the coachman's seat. "The point of what, m'lord?"

"This road, the pit, the journey… Just about anything I've seen since leaving Neron's penis-substitute of a fortress."

"I couldn't comment on Neron's manhood, m'lord, but as you observed his temper is somewhat uneven."

"Seemed pretty even to me."

"As you say, m'lord."

"Not in a good way, I just didn't see anything to convince me that there was anything there beyond ego. And.. power. But what about the rest?"

"The location suited my former master, m'lord. It grants access to the city without quite being inside the city. Away from the riffraff, you understand."

Hm.

"No. No, honestly, I'd have thought that being closer to the city would be almost pure benefit. Neron's clearly not intellectually capable of doing anything complicated, and this way anyone who visits your mistress is completely obvious. All Neron would have to do is place one of his least brain damaged minions in an observation position and he'd see all the comings and goings and there's a rear entrance that he hasn't spotted."

"I cannot give away any confidences of my mistress's house."

"Can he hit it from here?"

"The topology of the infernal realms is no simple matter, and Neron is capable of more complex spell-casting than his… Demonstration, might have suggested."

"So, yes. Alright, but…" Ah. "Oh… Really? You don't site it in the city so that he doesn't see it tank one of his tantrums and then try focusing on it?"

"I couldn't say, m'lord."

Okay, that's stupid, but it makes sense. "What about the road?"

"What of it, m'lord?"

'Why does it look so thin?', is what I want to ask. But… Dream Of Infrastructure.

'It looks thin because Hell is stupid' isn't an answer I'm happy with, but the road clearly is solid. So… Something to do with the lake? Power source? I sit back in the carriage, which looks like a standard aristocrat's coach but actually has the internal dimensions to contain a man of my size. I'll ask the lady of the manor.

And here we are. Demonic gothic castle with.. an actual… Eighteenth century manor sticking out of it? Suggests a degree of civility at least. Rosacarnis herself isn't waiting for me. I suppose I just don't rank..? Or perhaps she wants me to see her hard at work to give the best first impression.

Druoth pulls open the door, and I step outside.

"How does it work in Hell? Does the house employ many servants, or is it just you?"

He leads the way towards the heavy wooden doors which guard the front entrance, and they open at his approach.

"Many demons work in the background. Few are allowed to present themselves before the mistress."

Decoration is… Medieval with a demonic twist. Friezes of demons decapitating angels and laughing at burning sinners. Images of saints where each shows some hidden vice. Paintings of hunting scenes where the prey are intelligent creatures, or where the huntsman falls to temptation and is slain, damned and his soul is taken by the demon who distracted him.

And there are some natty banners with interesting runic designs. And-.

I stop, looking down at my feet and the… Muscle tissue?

I snort, shaking my head as I start walking again. A demonic red carpet. Touching.

Druoth reaches a large and impressive-looking double door and then turns, bowing.

"The lady is within."

"Thank you."

He pulls open one side of the door and steps aside, gesturing to the opening with his free hand. I walk-.

"Am I supposed to tip you?"

"That won't be necessary, m'lord."

Right, well, I offered. Arms folded behind my back, I stride through… Huh. Not actually that big.

Rosacarnis herself is a relatively plain woman, black hair, Caucasian skin… Doesn't look like she's been getting much sun. Human-looking in general, without any of the bestial traits or exaggeration I'm used to seeing in demons. She's sitting in a plush chair, a glass of something that's probably magic-enriched wine on a nearby side table. The other chairs around the table are noticeably less nice, but still good quality. Seats for subordinate allies, then. And she's waiting for me to say something.

I bow a slight degree. "Lady Rosacarnis, I am Grayven, here at the behest of the First. Your butler intimated that you wanted to speak to me?"

"You are here to test our efficiency? Our effectiveness?"

"Yes."

"At what, precisely?"

"Whatever is it that you do."

"I was trying to take revenge against the wizard who killed my father."

"Okay, one, you hated your father. Two, I'm pretty sure that you killed him after he came back here."

There's a very slight twitch. Surprised I knew about that? You did order him tortured to death in front of quite a few lackeys.

"And three, your personal fixations are your own problem. How are you at damning mortal souls?"

She waves her right hand dismissively. "I don't answer general summonings myself. I have people for that."

"Ah! Good, good. I'll want to go over your training scheme, pricing, that sort of thing. Neron had an episode before I could get that far with him."

"You do realise that this is a scheme of some sort, don't you?"

"Yeah, and I don't care-." Hm. "Though while we're on the subject, you've got a load of information about Neron's doings, right?" She shrugs. "Share it all, and I'll kill your uncle for you."

"My uncle is immortal."

I smirk. "No such thing. Your uncle is merely very tough, as you yourself demonstrated. Come on. I'm giving you security in exchange for information on your enemy. What's the problem, here?"

She considers me for a moment, then nods. "Very well. I will show you to his resting place myself. I believe that I will find this educational."

Chojin Patriarch · Dec 24, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
Day 5
16th March 2013
07:56 GMT

I look out of the carriage window, down from the thin and narrow road heading towards Lady Rosacarnis's manor house. It's like one of those cartoon cliff side paths that crumble underneath Wile Ethelbert Coyote just after Road Runner dashes across, but it stretches out far further, has even less support and from the look of the surface has been in use for far longer.

And down below, what looks like a pit of burning spectres, desperately and fruitlessly reaching for relief or escape.

Now, is it a simple quirk of the environment, arcane as it is, or has it been made that way as a subtle display of power, a flex upon her visitors? I suppose it adds to the bleak, eerie atmosphere of the region, if nothing else. Like those classic horror comics of DC's...

"Druoth, what's the point of that?"

Druoth doesn't look around from the coachman's seat. "The point of what, m'lord?"

I bet even though he's making a show of handling the reins, the road is as stable and easy to navigate as an empty four-lane highway...

"This road, the pit, the journey… Just about anything I've seen since leaving Neron's penis-substitute of a fortress."

"I couldn't comment on Neron's manhood, m'lord, but as you observed his temper is somewhat uneven."

An understatement on all parts there. I'd be amazed if Neron wasn't basically a eunuch given his grandiose displays of compensation.

"Seemed pretty even to me."

"As you say, m'lord."

Ah, this guy enjoys being the gentleman's gentleman, eh? Or at least playing the part.

"Not in a good way, I just didn't see anything to convince me that there was anything there beyond ego. And.. power. But what about the rest?"

"The location suited my former master, m'lord. It grants access to the city without quite being inside the city. Away from the riffraff, you understand."

And more easily defensible in the case of trouble, no doubt.

Hm.

"No. No, honestly, I'd have thought that being closer to the city would be almost pure benefit. Neron's clearly not intellectually capable of doing anything complicated, and this way anyone who visits your mistress is completely obvious. All Neron would have to do is place one of his least brain damaged minions in an observation position and he'd see all the comings and goings and there's a rear entrance that he hasn't spotted."

On the other hand... You did see the result of his little tantrum, right?

"I cannot give away any confidences of my mistress's house."

"Can he hit it from here?"

See, there's a more reasonable explanation.

"The topology of the infernal realms is no simple matter, and Neron is capable of more complex spell-casting than his… Demonstration, might have suggested."

"So, yes. Alright, but…" Ah. "Oh… Really? You don't site it in the city so that he doesn't see it tank one of his tantrums and then try focusing on it?"

Ha! He probably would take that kind of durability as an affront.

"I couldn't say, m'lord."

Okay, that's stupid, but it makes sense. "What about the road?"

Atmosphere. Like any good villain, it's all about presentation.

"What of it, m'lord?"

'Why does it look so thin?', is what I want to ask. But… Dream Of Infrastructure.

Heh. Pressing the point just feels like pettiness, eh?

'It looks thin because Hell is stupid' isn't an answer I'm happy with, but the road clearly is solid. So… Something to do with the lake? Power source? I sit back in the carriage, which looks like a standard aristocrat's coach but actually has the internal dimensions to contain a man of my size. I'll ask the lady of the manor.

And here we are. Demonic gothic castle with.. an actual… Eighteenth century manor sticking out of it? Suggests a degree of civility at least. Rosacarnis herself isn't waiting for me. I suppose I just don't rank..? Or perhaps she wants me to see her hard at work to give the best first impression.

Or she honestly is busy and can't get away, or she simply wants more time to take your measure.

Druoth pulls open the door, and I step outside.

"How does it work in Hell? Does the house employ many servants, or is it just you?"

I bet it's like Wizarding houses. If you see a servant, either you called for one, or they've fouled up somehow.

He leads the way towards the heavy wooden doors which guard the front entrance, and they open at his approach.

"Many demons work in the background. Few are allowed to present themselves before the mistress."

I suppose it runs smoothly. And it makes sense that she doesn't want to see the lowest castes, disgusting as some of them can be.

Decoration is… Medieval with a demonic twist. Friezes of demons decapitating angels and laughing at burning sinners. Images of saints where each shows some hidden vice. Paintings of hunting scenes where the pray are intelligent creatures, or where the huntsman falls to temptation and is slain, damned and his soul is taken by the demon who distracted him.

And there are some natty banners with interesting runic designs. And-.

No doubt running the full breadth of human art, I bet. People can be very imaginative about the supernatural, especially monstrous things.

I stop, looking down at my feet and the… Muscle tissue?

I snort, shaking my head as I start walking again. A demonic red carpet. Touching.

Woven, grown or assembled, I wonder? Though all three would make you shudder at the logistics of it.

Druoth reaches a large and impressive-looking double door and then turns bowing.

"The lady is within."

No doubt designed to intimidate visitors into submissive attitudes... Pity the Renegade laughs at that sort of thing.

"Thank you."

He pulls open one side of the door and steps aside, gesturing to the opening with his free hand. I walk-.

All about presentation. There's just a certain style about these things...

"Am I supposed to tip you?"

"That won't be necessary, m'lord."

Right, well, I offered. Arms folded behind my back, I strike through… Huh. Not actually that big.

Still, the offer is a good show of character.

Rosacarnis herself is a relatively plain woman, black hair, Caucasian skin… Doesn't look like she's been getting much sun. Human-looking in general, without any of the bestial traits or exaggeration I'm used to seeing in demons. She's sitting in a plush chair, a glass of something that's probably magic-enriched wine on a nearby side table. The other chairs around the table are noticeably less nice, but still good quality. Seats for subordinate allies, then. And she's waiting for me to say something.

Well, let's not keep the lady waiting.

I bow a slight degree. "Lady Rosacarnis, I am Grayven, here at the behest of the First. Your butler intimated that you wanted to speak to me?"

"You are here to test our efficiency? Our effectiveness?"

Well, word is spreading, I see. At least some are paying attention.

"Yes."

"At what, precisely?"

Everything, of course. Both the visible things and the intangible.

"Whatever is it that you do."

"I was trying to take revenge against the wizard who killed my father."

That father would be the demon Nergal, of course. I suppose she takes more after her mother's looks.

"Okay, one, you hated your father. Two, I'm pretty sure that you killed him after he came back here."

There's a very slight twitch. Surprised I knew about that? You did order him tortured to death in front of quite a few lackeys.

It's still the principle of the thing. Like a criminal organisation. "They put one of ours in the hospital, we put one of theirs in the morgue!"

"And three, your personal fixations are your own problem. How are you at damning mortal souls?"

She waves her right hand dismissively. "I don't answer general summonings myself. I have people for that."

Ah, she's a master of at least one talent: Delegation.

"Ah! Good, good. I'll want to go over your training scheme, pricing, that sort of thing. Neron had an episode before I could get that far with him."

"You do realise that this is a scheme of some sort, don't you?"

Of course it is. But the First has something the Renegade wants, and, well...

"Yeah, and I don't care-." Hm. "Though while we're on the subject, you've got a load of information about Neron's doings, right?" She shrugs. "Share them all, and I'll kill your uncle for you."

"My uncle is immortal."

The wanna-be demon lord Stecorax, before anyone asks. A bit player in the grand history of Hell...

I smirk. "No such thing. Your uncle is merely very tough, as you yourself demonstrated. Come on. I'm giving you security in exchange for information on your enemy. What's the problem, here?"

She considers me for a moment, then nods. "Very well. I will show you to his resting place myself. I believe that I will find this educational."

After all, the Renegade does have something very good at separating powerful things from their power. And without that power... They're very vulnerable things indeed.

This promises to be interesting, dealing with this lady of Hell. She's no delicate flower, after all, and her vendettas are slow and deliberate. But she's smart, in ways other nobles aren't. So no doubt she'll play along with the Renegade, until she can suss out what the First's plan is. Whether she ends up surviving that plan, whatever it is, remains to be seen, of course.

_The_Bomb · Dec 24, 2023

RichardWhereat said:
To be honest, I do not remember this guy. Anyone have links to his other chapters?

Amen.

Duke Long · Dec 24, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
Paintings of hunting scenes where the pray are intelligent creatures, or where the huntsman falls to temptation and is slain, damned and his soul is taken by the demon who distracted him.

'prey'?

Mr Zoat said:
Druoth reaches a large and impressive-looking double door and then turns bowing.

'turns, bowing'?

Mr Zoat · Dec 24, 2023

Duke Long said:
'prey'?
'turns, bowing'?

Thank you, corrected.

PDV · Dec 24, 2023

I wonder whether Uncle Stecorax is himself at the moment.

Someguy Somewhere · Dec 24, 2023

If Gravyen breaks out the Sword of the Fallen, In Hell of all places, that might have actually been part of the First's Plan....after all, it's HIS sword, make of His 'brothers' the second and third, and Grayven's been fairly liberal with it's use since getting his mitts on it.

With This Ring (Young Justice SI) (Thread Fourteen)

Know what you're doing yet?

Aia airëa Fëanáro.

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Connoisseur.

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Lord of nonsense

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Getting some practice in, huh?

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I trust you know where the happy button is?

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