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

Sockmonkey · Feb 10, 2025

Steelplaza said:
(and I'm not even sure if it was animated series or comics or what)

It's cannon to the specific version of the X-men universe he's using.

Prince Charon · Feb 10, 2025

Lord Ernest said:
The only thing that I clearly remember from this saga is that it ended up being the origin for Morbius in the animated universe. However, due to censorship or something, he's a vampire that sucks people from his hands through some weird holes rather than the classic biting and blood-sucking. Honestly, it ended up looking more disturbing than classical vampires.

I think that was part of Morbius's thing in the comics, but I may be mixing him up with someone else. *goes to check* No, you're right, cartoon Morbius has suckers on his hands to feed on blood-plasma because Fox didn't want to show him drinking blood. Now I wonder if the people who designed the Wraith from Stargate Atlantis were inspired by the cartoon.

Mr Zoat · Feb 10, 2025

7th May 2013
10:32 GMT -2

Fortunately, the wards for burning my eyes out doesn't seem to do anything when I'm inside looking out.

Henry King Senior's grave looks entirely undisturbed. It's not just that the grass look unmoved, there are literally roots and worm tunnels moving through the ground that anyone exhuming him would have had to dig through and then replace. I could do it, but that's not something a casual Resurrectionist would be able to do. No obvious teleportation residue either. Some signs that the soil underneath his second-to-last resting place has been disrupted, but that could have been caused by dozens of things and I'm not quite obsessive-compulsive enough to scan every millimetre of the Earth's soil daily.

So, a soil manipulator. I haven't stopped by to say hello to Mr. Hagen for a while, but… He never demonstrated the ability to 'swim' through soil. I could ask him, but so far this says 'elemental' to me rather than anyone else. Which… Is weird because Atlanteans aren't big on that sort of thing. It's not… They will bind and use elementals, but it's looked down upon even if there's no worship involved. Basically, they think you should just learn to cast the spell yourself.

And Atlanteans aren't good at manipulating soil because they live underwater. Lived underwater. So, no ide-.

Tefé Holland, maybe. Maybe. I can't see any reason for her to steal a corpse and turn it into a clay zombie, but it's at least not impossible that she could. And she might be able to detect something that I can't, so it's worth talking to her anyway.

Or-. Oh, good grief. I never checked what sort of funeral Henry King Senior had. If he was cremated and the grave is purely social… Then someone could have created him entirely out of clay, used just about any kind of correspondence ritual…

Would that make it telepathic? Oh, I don't know.

What's the time wherever Henry King Junior is? G.M.T. -5? And he's awake? Oh, he's taking the 'getting back in shape' thing seriously, good show. Phone him.

Compliance.

"Hank here."

"Mister King, Orange Lantern here."

"Oh hey, Paul. How you been?"

"Considering… Everything?"

"Heh, yeah. I hear yeh."

"Pretty good apart from that. You?"

"Well, the lecture circuit's died a death." I wince. "And my investments aren't worth dick, so I'm acting as a police consultant."

"If you're taking tips, I have it on good authority that Cadbury's is going to explode."

"Since when do you do stock tips?"

"Since I bought the company and they used Dolmen Gates to become a giant logistics hub. Now, technically, Cadbury's itself is a sole proprietor company wholly owned by me, but the logistics arm is a separate Private Limited Company which I split off to allow people in countries on the far end of the Gate to invest and benefit financially. Now, I've got no use for money, but by the time the planet's economy pulls itself together-"

And I show Queen Artemis how to make Dolmen Gates, assuming that she doesn't already know.

"-we're going to be the first and last word in long distance shipping."

"Huh. I'll look into it. Is that why you called?"

"No. Ah. The actual reason is a bit weird. We just got into a fight with a zombified version of your father."

"I wish I could say it was the first time someone had that happen to them. Did anyone get hurt?"

"Not seriously. Ah. So, we've got… Either his body, or a surprisingly realistic clay replica, minus the head because that got eaten by a shark… Um. And I… I was wondering what you wanted us to do with it?"

"Sharks eat clay?"

"He wasn't happy about it."

"Well, ah… Do you need what's left for the investigation?"

"Yes, but none of the tests are destructive, so we're still going to have most of a body… And a lot of clay, left at the end."

"Honestly, I'm not really…" He sighs. "Dad did right by me, in the end, but I know perfectly well that he was a nasty piece of work. Do you know where his burial plot is?"

"Yes."

"Then you can just stick him back there when you're done. No need to.. tell me. We said our goodbyes while he was in prison."

"Will do. And I'll drop off the prospectus for the Cadbury's Logistics thing."

"I'm sure it'll be an interesting read. Speak to you soon."

"Goodbye."

I hang up.

That's that dealt with. Next is-.

Kaldur walks into the waiting room, a small smile on his face. "Paul. I was not sure that you would remain after speaking with Lord Ahri'ahn."

"Well." I shrug, shaking his hand. "Ahri'ahn is thinking over an offer I made. And since I've got permission to be here I thought I'd take care of a few things."

He sits down just across from me. "Such as?"

"Did King Orin give you any sort of clue what he had planned for Koryak? He's about the age that Robin and Kid Flash were-."

He's shaking his head. "I… Do not know who you mean."

"You..? Don't remember Koryak?"

"You once told me that you use your ring to enhance your memory. Not all of us have your recall."

"Koryak." He looks fairly blank. "Okay, do you remember when Orm unleashed Oceanus?"

He nods. "Of course."

"Do you remember how he managed that?"

"He used Neptune's Trident. I.. do not see the significance."

"And?" He keeps looking blank. "Breaking the bond required the blood of a living member of the Atlantean royal family. We had Prince Artur and Thomas Curry locked down just in case, but..?"

I look at him expectantly.

He blinks, and… Then it's like he-. Like he's waking up.

"My king had-. He had a son, in Canada. One you concealed from him."

"I didn't conceal. I just didn't unconceal. So where is he? And why did you have no idea who he was?"

boo600 · Feb 10, 2025

Still a bit sad, seeing Paul through Kaldur's eyes. They're still friends, I think, but every major interaction between them lately has had Kaldur seeing Paul as quite hostile to Atlantis, or at least Aquaman.

Signaller · Feb 10, 2025

Does this mean Ahri'ahn didn't know about Koryak, and will now be able to find out?

boo600 · Feb 10, 2025

I mean. Kaldur didn't remember Koryak, because he'd been wiped from thinking about him. Possibly specifically.

If he's under Ahri'ahn's power, then the archmage in question likely could have pumped him for info at any time - mind control, telepathy-equivalents, etc.

Lord Ernest · Feb 10, 2025

I hate when a villain's plan is so overly complicated, I can't tell where their scheme ends and coincidences begin!

What could be the significance of Kaldur not remembering Koryak, for example? Is it a spell? I thought it was a spell back in Nanauve but it turned out to be some weird psychic clay-zombie. Is the poor kid in Racist Arch-Wizard's hands, same as Orin or is this something else? Who knows.

Chojin Patriarch · Feb 10, 2025

Mr Zoat said:
7th May 2013
10:32 GMT -2

Fortunately, the wards for burning my eyes out doesn't seem to do anything when I'm inside looking out.

Seems an oversight, but I suppose if you're inside, you're allowed to be there. As long as you don't go poking anything warded, anyway. I see OL isn't letting having to sit around waiting stop him from checking on details.

Henry King Senior's grave looks entirely undisturbed. It's not just that the grass look unmoved, there are literally roots and worm tunnels moving through the ground that anyone exhuming him would have had to dig through and then replace. I could do it, but that's not something a casual Resurrectionist would be able to do. No obvious teleportation residue either. Some signs that the soil underneath his second-to-last resting place has been disrupted, but that could have been caused by dozens of things and I'm not quite obsessive-compulsive enough to scan every millimetre of the Earth's soil daily.

More importantly, there aren't any bones in there? If someone teleported his corpse out of his coffin, there'd be some trace of him having been there...

So, a soil manipulator. I haven't stopped by to say hello to Mr. Hagen for a while, but… He never demonstrated the ability to 'swim' through soil. I could ask him, but so far this says 'elemental' to me rather than anyone else. Which… Is weird because Atlanteans aren't big on that sort of thing. It's not… They will bind and use elementals, but it's looked down upon even if there's no worship involved. Basically, they think you should just learn to cast the spell yourself.

And there are a surprising number of geokinetics in the DC universe, both hero and villain.

And Atlanteans aren't good at manipulating soil because they live underwater. Lived underwater. So, no ide-.

Tefé Holland, maybe. Maybe. I can't see any reason for her to steal a corpse and turn it into a clay zombie, but it's at least not impossible that she could. And she might be able to detect something that I can't, so it's worth talking to her anyway.

It'll be interesting to see what she has to offer advice-wise.

Or-. Oh, good grief. I never checked what sort of funeral Henry King Senior had. If he was cremated and the grave is purely social… Then someone could have created him entirely out of clay, used just about any kind of correspondence ritual…

Would that make it telepathic? Oh, I don't know.

Too many unknowns. Too little time to unravel them...

What's the time wherever Henry King Junior is? G.M.T. -5? And he's awake? Oh, he's taking the 'getting back in shape' thing seriously, good show. Phone him.

Compliance.

Polite of you to check the time. Sounds like Hank's keeping healthy, too.

"Hank here."

"Mister King, Orange Lantern here."

"Oh hey, Paul. How you been?"

Amusingly, Henry doesn't have the usual 'oh no, here's trouble' instinct when he hears OL's voice. ...Yet.

"Considering… Everything?"

"Heh, yeah. I hear yeh."

It's been that kind of year, yes.

"Pretty good apart from that. You?"

"Well, the lecture circuit's died a death." I wince. "And my investments aren't worth dick, so I'm acting as a police consultant."

Not that telepathic scans are permissible as evidence, are they? But I suppose he can provide 'They're hiding something' advice.

"If you're taking tips, I have it on good authority that Cadbury's is going to explode."

"Since when do you do stock tips?"

Since he bought it and it's now providing long-range transport?

"Since I bought the company and they used Dolmen Gates to become a giant logistics hub. Now, technically, Cadbury's itself is a sole proprietor company wholly owned by me, but the logistics arm is a separate Private Limited Company which I split off to allow people in countries on the far end of the Gate to invest and benefit financially. Now, I've got no use for money, but by the time the planet's economy pulls itself together-"

Especially if they can get Atlantis to produce more Gates. Or find other sources...

And I show Queen Artemis how to make Dolmen Gates, assuming that she doesn't already know.

"-we're going to be the first and last word in long distance shipping."

Ah, of course. I wonder if Sephtian's runic arrays can be adapted to Artemis' world's thaumic structures.

"Huh. I'll look into it. Is that why you called?"

"No. Ah. The actual reason is a bit weird. We just got into a fight with a zombified version of your father."

Ah, right, back to hero business.

"I wish I could say it was the first time someone had that happen to them. Did anyone get hurt?"

"Not seriously. Ah. So, we've got… Either his body, or a surprisingly realistic clay replica, minus the head because that got eaten by a shark… Um. And I… I was wondering what you wanted us to do with it?"

Yes, do ask if he was cremated. Remember?

"Sharks eat clay?"

"He wasn't happy about it."

And was very vocal about it, yes. He can probably still taste it.

"Well, ah… Do you need what's left for the investigation?"

"Yes, but none of the tests are destructive, so we're still going to have most of a body… And a lot of clay, left at the end."

And it smacks of carelessness not to take proper responsibility for its disposal.

"Honestly, I'm not really…" He sighs. "Dad did right by me, in the end, but I know perfectly well that he was a nasty piece of work. Do you know where his burial plot is?"

"Yes."

As we saw earlier.

"Then you can just stick him back there when you're done. No need to.. tell me. We said our goodbyes while he was in prison."

"Will do. And I'll drop off the prospectus for the Cadbury's Logistics thing."

More stuff for the to-do list. These ones are simple, at least.

"I'm sure it'll be an interesting read. Speak to you soon."

"Goodbye."

I hang up.

Got to love when a discussion goes well, and without interruption.

That's that dealt with. Next is-.

Kaldur walks into the waiting room, a small smile on his face. "Paul. I was not sure that you would remain after speaking with Lord Ahri'ahn."

Excellent, time to see if there's anything untoward about him.

"Well." I shrug, shaking his hand. "Ahri'ahn is thinking over an offer I made. And since I've got permission to be here I thought I'd take care of a few things."

He sits down just across from me. "Such as?"

I suspect that 'permission' stretches to cover a lot of things, given how tightly Ahri'ahn seems to be holding the reins.

"Did King Orin give you any sort of clue what he had planned for Koryak? He's about the age that Robin and Kid Flash were-."

He's shaking his head. "I… Do not know who you mean."

...Okay, I find that highly unlikely. Counting that as strike one.

"You..? Don't remember Koryak?"

"You once told me that you use your ring to enhance your memory. Not all of us have your recall."

True, but you'd think someone used as a tool in Orm's plan would be a bit more memorable.

"Koryak." He looks fairly blank. "Okay, do you remember when Orm unleashed Oceanus?"

He nods. "Of course."

Little hard to forget, certainly. Not every day you see a mile-high man made of water running amok in the Atlantic.

"Do you remember how he managed that?"

"He used Neptune's Trident. I.. do not see the significance."

...And how did he gain control of it, again? Isn't it bound to Orin?

"And?" He keeps looking blank. "Breaking the bond required the blood of a living member of the Atlantean royal family. We had Prince Artur and Thomas Curry locked down just in case, but..?"

I look at him expectantly.

He blinks, and… Then it's like he-. Like he's waking up.

...Strike two, I think. That's quite concerning that he seemed almost asleep for a second.

"My king had-. He had a son, in Canada. One you concealed from him."

"I didn't conceal. I just didn't unconceal. So where is he? And why did you have no idea who he was?"

True, he didn't exactly expose him, which was polite. That's definitely a concerning reaction, though and now Kaldur is aware he's been affected by something.

Interesting. Remember what Lori Lemaris said earlier about when she visited Tritonis? That she seemed to fall asleep? And now Kaldur seeming to 'wake up' when confronted. There definitely seems to be some kind of mental effect in place, and the symptoms are looking more and more dream-magic based. Let's see where this is going, then...

NightmareWarden · Feb 10, 2025

So is Ahri'Ahn Koryak, the baby prince, and Aquaman's blood for however many spells are flooding Atlantis?

Is there an artifact or repeatable to duplicate objects in DC? A wizard could tweak things so that the original body of Henry King Senior would overcome whatever problems would pop up, then attach the resulting spirit to a-

a-

… Oh. The golem that was built for the fear elemental as well as Nabu. Along with the suctioning technique for the spirit in the helmet. Perhaps Ahri'ahn thoroughly studied the scattered notes and recovered fragments post-Nabu on that golem, created a clay body, and used that to shove Henry King Senior's brain in it. All before he revealed himself to Atlantis. Just need a spell or two to make the head of the construct form, rather than making King think with his soul.

Vaermina · Feb 10, 2025

Mr Zoat said:
And Atlanteans aren't good at manipulating soil because they live underwater. Lived underwater. So, no ide-.

There's this thing in the ocean floor called "silt", which is basically just soil.

WereDragon · Feb 10, 2025

Mr Zoat said:
"You..? Don't remember Koryak?"

…didn't OL already confirm that everyone in Atlantis is under mind control? Why is he surprised by this?

Ngamer11 · Feb 10, 2025

WereDragon said:
…didn't OL already confirm that everyone in Atlantis is under mind control? Why is he surprised by this?

He knew it in a general sense. But until now, he had no reason to believe Ahri'ahn was trying to make the Atlanteans forget Koryak.

Dur'id the Druid · Feb 10, 2025

Chojin Patriarch said:
symptoms are looking more and more dream-magic based. Let's see where this is going, then...

...... here's a thought. Could he be planning to pull Atlantis into the dream realm? And that is why he's gathering everyone there, sit they won't be forgotten because they're outside the dream/spell?

Lord Ernest · Feb 10, 2025

It seems to me, also taking into account what he was doing on Renegade's side, that he wants to put Atlantis as the premier power in the world as it was in its heyday.

How he's trying to do it, I'm not certain, but he's consolidating all Atlantean assets in his grasp and cutting off any possible sharing of knowledge or resources, while keeping those interested in what's going on relatively in the dark.

hkim · Feb 10, 2025

Dur'id the Druid said:
...... here's a thought. Could he be planning to pull Atlantis into the dream realm? And that is why he's gathering everyone there, sit they won't be forgotten because they're outside the dream/spell?

OL did consider that, but thought it was unlikely for various reasons. Guess we'll see if he was wrong!

Ardy · Feb 10, 2025

Mr Zoat said:
It's complete.

Did not expect it to turn into smut. My goodness

Bud-E · Feb 11, 2025

@Mr Zoat Is there a Paul in the Arrowverse? I think Paul would fit in well on team Flash.

Mr Zoat · Feb 11, 2025

7th May 2013
10:36 GMT -2

Kaldur's staring at nothing, though I think it's because he's thinking hard rather than because any sort of Dream-related spell is trying to reassert itself.

But because I'm not an idiot, I take out a Spell-Eater and poke him with it. His head jerks around and then down to see what it is. His right hand reaches for it, then stops.

"If I were acting under some enchantment, that may alert whoever cast it that I am free."

"We already went through this in Nanauve. I don't think it's that precise. And we can't do anything about it if you start forgetting what we're doing every few minutes."

He nods, takes the Spell-Eater and slides it into one of his robe's pockets.

"If you have encountered this before, do you know what is causing it?"

"Not exactly. One of the previous sufferers described it as being half-asleep. My first thought was something to do with the Dream, but given how the new format spells that Ahri'ahn's introduced work it's possible that someone's learned how to piggyback onto them."

"That…" He nods. "It is possible, but they would have to be very highly skilled. Lord Ahri'ahn himself checks the functioning of the network daily."

We look at each other for a moment, then I raise my eyebrows.

He shakes his head. "There would be no purpose in Lord Ahri'ahn doing such a thing. He is already the second most powerful person in the country, as he was during the Sinking. He has never shown any desire for further political authority."

"But you have to admit, the timing's pretty suspicious."

"He was working on this system for months before the Rising. Almost all of Atlantis's thaumaturgists are aware of how it functions. And even after our government was purged of as many of Prince Orm's followers as we could find, it is unlikely that we found them all."

"So where is Koryak?"

"I do not know." He glances aside. "I did not spend a great deal of time with him. As I remember it, the last time I saw him was during a class at the Conservatory of Sorcery. It was… Before the Anti-Life."

"You haven't seen him since you got back here?"

"No. Locating him was not my primary concern. Or… Perhaps I was made to forget."

"How about King Orin? Have you seen him?"

"Yes. He greeted me when I was first granted entry. He was relieved to see me."

"And that was..?"

"Four weeks ago."

Oh.

"Is something amiss?"

"Oh… Just… I know I've been busy with the core and reconstruction, but I honestly didn't notice… That you hadn't been around. I think we've spoken… What, twice? Three times? Since the broadcast?"

He nods. "We have grown apart. It was the same when I left the Conservatory of Sorcery to train with my king. Sometimes I did not see Garth or Tula for weeks, even though we lived close to one another."

And I am… Not good at keeping in touch with friends.

"Um." I shake my head. "When you say 'relieved'..?"

"Atlantis did not know how the rest of the world fared. He was relieved to learn that the Anti-Life was no more and that the world was recovering as best it could."

"Did he talk to you about… Rising up?"

"No. He… Said that we would lower the barriers soon. They were not intended to be simple to remove, but since he had confirmation that the world was safe we could begin the process."

"Makes sense. Was Ahri'ahn around at that point?"

"He was in Atlantis, but he was not there when I spoke with my king."

"Did he..? Say how long Ahri'ahn had been back for? Or how he got here?"

Kaldur nods. "He arrived a few weeks after the shields were activated."

"Did he say where he'd been? I mean, did he die at any point and resurrect himself? Or time travel?"

"I do not know. There are legends dating from that period, but little recorded history."

"Legends? Like what?"

"Legends that he left Atlantis to try to find a way to reverse the Sinking. But I would not place much faith in them. We do not even know if they were contemporary, or a later invention."

"Do those legends say where he went?"

"No, they do not. There were few places in that era that could have given Atlantis aid."

To put it mildly. And Ahri'ahn is a massive Atlantean nationalist and exceptionalist. Even if there was a civilisation around that could help, he wouldn't-.

"Kor. The only place he might go for help is Kor."

Because their arcane learning was more advanced than any of their contemporaries. Though I doubt that it was anything compared to what Atlantis ended up developing. But since that was where Atlantis got its magical start, he wouldn't have the same distaste for the place that he would have for just about everywhere else.

"Kor did not exist by then."

"No, not as a country, but that sort of magic tends to persist. He might have thought that there was something to learn there."

"I suppose that it is possible. If that happened at all, and he was not simply killed by the Sinking itself."

Another thing to investigate. I've got no idea where Kor was other than 'somewhere in Africa', but Dr. Mist can point me in the right direction.

"And he might have gone looking for the mighty king Nommo Balewa."

"Neither of them mentioned meeting."

"No, but if Doctor Mist tells me where he was during that time, that's somewhere else to look for clues."

"To what end?" Kaldur gives his head a small shake. "If he is an impostor or has betrayed Atlantis, where he was thousands of years ago is of little importance. If he has not, then it matters even less."

"Alright. King Orin. Where did you last see him?"

"The day after I arrived. He seemed distracted. He merely told me that he had important business that he could not speak to me about."

"Is not talking to you about missions normal?"

"It is not, but… It is not surprising."

"Alright. I've got leads to follow up outside of Atlantis. Can you handle enquiries here?"

"I will need Garth and Tula's aid. Do you have more Spell-Eaters?"

I pass them to him, rolling my eyes. "Next you'll ask if I remembered my rings."

Mr Zoat · Feb 11, 2025

Bud-E said:
@Mr Zoat Is there a Paul in the Arrowverse? I think Paul would fit in well on team Flash.

There's one in Stargirl. I think they got merged?

boo600 · Feb 11, 2025

…but did he remember his rings?

What? It's happened before! Like when the elemental bots invaded! Sure, it was back in the beginning, but it's happened before!

Lord Ernest · Feb 11, 2025

Glad that we now have Kaldur assisting. Hope he finds out at least something of what Ahri'ahn is scheming. I have to confess that I don't really understand this system that was implemented and how it's supposed to work or how it relates to the Dream. I suppose it's magic and I just need to get that 'it works' but since it seems to be a main element of this new Atlantis it confuses me.

boo600 said:
…but did he remember his rings?

What? It's happened before! Like when the elemental bots invaded! Sure, it was back in the beginning, but it's happened before!

He didn't forget them, he took his ring to take a shit, if memory serves. That's not forgetting something, that's your enemies literally catching you with your pants down.

Chojin Patriarch · Feb 11, 2025

Mr Zoat said:
7th May 2013
10:36 GMT -2

Kaldur's staring at nothing, though I think it's because he's thinking hard rather than because any sort of Dream-related spell is trying to reassert itself.

But because I'm not an idiot, I take out a Spell-Eater and poke him with it. His head jerks around and then down to see what it is. His right hand reaches for it, then stops.

Best to be sure, on the safe side. Hopefully it doesn't get too hot from blocking whatever's doing this. The problem is that if he's being monitored, the effect being broken or blocked is going to be noticeable, like turning off a network link.

"If I were acting under some enchantment, that may alert whoever cast it that I am free."

"We already went through this in Nanaue. I don't think it's that precise. And we can't do anything about it if you start forgetting what we're doing every few minutes."

Especially if the effect is active enough to redouble its efforts each time it gets repelled. Given that it affected Nanauve Sha'ark while he was in the capital city, it might...

He nods, takes the Spell-Eater and slides it into one of his robe's pockets.

"If you have encountered this before, do you know what is causing it?"

If he had, you really think it would still be doing what it's doing?

"Not exactly. One of the previous sufferers described it as being half-asleep. My first thought was something to do with the Dream, but given how the new format spells that Ahri'ahn's introduced work it's possible that someone's learned how to piggyback onto them."

"That…" He nods. "It is possible, but they would have to be very highly skilled. Lord Ahri'ahn himself checks the functioning of the network daily."

...You do see the issue with that statement?

We look at each other for a moment, then I raise my eyebrows.

He shakes his head. "There would be no purpose in Lord Ahri'ahn doing such a thing. He is already the second most powerful person in the country, as he was during the Sinking. He has never shown any desire for further political authority."

Some men like being the power behind the throne. Gives them an easy target to deflect blame onto.

"But you have to admit, the timing's pretty suspicious."

"He was working on this system for months before the Rising. Almost all of Atlantis's thaumaturgists are aware of how it functions. And even after our government was purged of as many of Prince Orm's followers as we could find, it is unlikely that we found them all."

But he's the newest factor in all this. Simple deduction suggested he's a prime suspect.

"So where is Koryak?"

"I do not know." He glances aside. "I did not spend a great deal of time with him. As I remember it, the last time I saw him was during a class as the Conservatory of Sorcery. It was… Before the Anti-Life."

So up to six months ago. Worrying.

"You haven't seen him since you got back here?"

"No. Locating him was not my primary concern. Or… Perhaps I was made to forget."

The latter seems more likely. Whoever's responsible may want him as a useful tool, given he has royal blood...

"How about King Orin? Have you seen him?"

"Yes. He greeted me when I was first granted entry. He was relieved to see me."

Okay. And he seemed healthy? No unusual behaviour?

"And that was..?"

"Four weeks ago."

...Still time for someone to have nobbled him under cover of 'special diplomatic duties'.

Oh.

"Is something amiss?"

"Oh… Just… I know I've been busy with the core and reconstruction, but I honestly didn't notice… That you hadn't been around. I think we've spoken… What, twice? Three times? Since the broadcast?"

To be fair, you have been unreasonably busy, OL.

He nods. "We have grown apart. It was the same when I left the Conservatory of Sorcery to train with my king. Sometimes I did not see Garth or Tula for weeks, even though we lived close to one another."

And I am… Not good at keeping in touch with friends.

No, no you are not. Especially given how important they once were to you.

"Um." I shake my head. "When you say 'relieved'..?"

"Atlantis did not know how the rest of the world fared. He was relieved to learn that the Anti-Life was no more and that the world was recovering as best it could."

So what stopped him dropping their shields then?

"Did he talk to you about… Rising up?"

"No. He… Said that we would lower the barriers soon. They were not intended to be simple to remove, but since he had confirmation that the world was safe we could begin the process."

I suppose that's a good excuse as any. Given they're basically bent chunks of reality cutting the cities off from the world... Not the kind of thing you just yank off with no preparation.

"Makes sense. Was Ahri'ahn around at that point?"

"He was in Atlantis, but he was not there when I spoke with my king."

You didn't see him. That doesn't mean he wasn't listening in.

"Did he..? Say how long Ahri'ahn had been back for? Or how he got here?"

Kaldur nods. "He arrived a few weeks after the shields were activated."

Very convenient. Which means he was there before they went up, or he casually slipped through a barrier designed to keep Earth's entire thaumosphere out.

"Did he say where he'd been? I mean, did he die at any point and resurrect himself? Or time travel?"

"I do not know. There are legends dating from that period, but little recorded history."

And even the comics tend to be variable, given all the cosmic retcons. At one point, he was hiding out in any number of random sub-worlds. Another said 'suspended animation'.

"Legends? Like what?"

"Legends that he left Atlantis to try to find a way to reverse the Sinking. But I would not place much faith in them. We do not even know if they were contemporary, or a later invention."

Such is the problem of history. Human recorded history stretches at most five to seven thousand years ago. And most of the oldest stuff is fragments of fragments (in some cases, literally due to being recorded on damaged stone or clay,) some of which no-one can decipher because the languages are long dead.

"Do those legends say where he went?"

"No, they do not. There were few places in that era that could have given Atlantis aid."

Because of Atlantean attitudes, or because their gods told them not to?

To put it mildly. And Ahri'ahn is a massive Atlantean nationalist and exceptionalist. Even if there was a civilisation around that could help, he wouldn't-.

"Kor. The only place he might go for help is Kor."

Doctor Mist's one-time kingdom, heavily inspired by a H. Rider Haggard novel. Time-frame checks out, certainly.

Because their arcane learning was more advanced than any of their contemporaries. Though I doubt that it was anything compared to what Atlantis ended up developing. But since that was where Atlantis got its magical start, he wouldn't have the same distaste for the place that he would have for just about everywhere else.

If anything, he might recognise it as the solid foundation on which Atlantis built its power.

"Kor did not exist by then."

"No, not as a country, but that sort of magic tends to persist. He might have thought that there was something to learn there."

Ah, the gulfs of history. Where you can miss one ancient magical empire by a century and find a very different one around.

"I suppose that it is possible. If that happened at all, and he was not simply killed by the Sinking itself."

Another thing to investigate. I've got no idea where Kor was other than 'somewhere in Africa', but Dr. Mist can point me in the right direction.

I doubt Ahri'ahn would be so easily killed as something like a continent sinking. To borrow a line from another story, concerning Loki: "The first thing a good sorcerer does is make himself very hard to kill permanently."

"And he might have gone looking for the mighty king Nommo Balewa."

"Neither of them mentioned meeting."

I would not be surprised if Nommo avoided him once he learned of his presence, back then. What with Atlantis' reputation...

"No, but if Doctor Mist tells me where he was during that time, that's somewhere else to look for clues."

"To what end?" Kaldur gives his head a small shake. "If he is an impostor or has betrayed Atlantis, where he was thousands of years ago is of little importance. If he has not, then it matters even less."

Good point. OL's getting a bit too focused on details, I think.

"Alright. King Orin. Where did you last see him?"

"The day after I arrived. He seemed distracted. He merely told me that he had important business that he could not speak to me about."

Presumably not long before he went off on his 'diplomatic missions'.

"Is not talking to you about missions normal?"

"It is not, but… It is not surprising."

There's probably an established habit of 'special missions' Aquaman wouldn't tell Aqualad about. Minor things he didn't want his apprentice involved in, for instance.

"Alright. I've got leads to follow up outside of Atlantis. Can you handle enquiries here?"

"I will need Garth and Tula's aid. Do you have more Spell-Eaters?"

I pass them to him, rolling my eyes. "Next you'll ask if I remembered my rings."

As if that would happen these days.

Time for the old runaround as OL follows those leads and takes care of critical matters. Hopefully Kaldur doesn't get put back under the mind-whammy before he can find something out. And if Ahri'ahn isn't behind this, then someone or something is sure as hell making it look like he is. Way too many 'coincidental' things that line up just right when you look at them with certain assumptions.

Stsword · Feb 11, 2025

Mr Zoat said:
There's one in Stargirl. I think they got merged?

Not really merged, but connected.

They don't share a universe but they do share a multiverse, as shown in the Crisis crossover.

Also Jay Garrick showed up in the last episode of Stargirl and while never definitely stated one way or another on the show the actor stated his belief that the Jay Garrick of Stargirl's JSA is the exact same individual who guest starred in the Flash as opposed to a dimensional doppelganger.

Signaller · Feb 11, 2025

Random thought: could the design of a spell-easter be inverted, to prevent magic escaping a given area?

Mr Zoat · Feb 11, 2025

Chojin Patriarch said:
affected Nanauve Sha'ark

Thank you, corrected.

Signaller said:
Random thought: could the design of a spell-easter be inverted, to prevent magic escaping a given area?

That's basically what the suppression chains do.

Steelplaza · Feb 11, 2025

I would like to say that I am enjoying the mystery aspect to this arc. Someone is clearly up to something bad, but the main problem is figuring out who and exactly what they are trying to do. Ahri'ahn seems suspicious as hell, but then it's like Kaldur says, why make such a big play when he's never wanted the bother of ruling before? Why does the mastermind seem to be using tactics that Ahri'ahn could use, like magical mind control, but are pretty far outside his traditional wheelhouse? Is there a third party? Who, why, and where is Orin?

If the SI could pin things down and expose the truth, he could call the Justice League in force and they could no doubt provide enough punching power to settle things. It's getting to that point that's the issue. That really makes it like a traditional mystery, where if you can finger the culprit they can't hope to fight off the police or anything.

This is where the strains in the SI's relationship with Batman (and to a lesser extent Robin) are really hurting. He really needs a good detective.

TheOneTrueDemonLord · Feb 11, 2025

I miss Renegade Paul/Grayven. Any chance of seeing them soon?

Kinda want to see the group reaction when Grayven tells people Luna is pregnant.

Mr Zoat · Feb 11, 2025

TheOneTrueDemonLord said:
I miss Renegade Paul/Grayven. Any chance of seeing them soon?

I don't have anything currently written, but he'll probably turn up eventually.

Kinda want to see the group reaction when Grayven tells people Luna is pregnant.

That's not going to happen for a while.

monochromaticPrism · Feb 11, 2025

Mr Zoat said:
As I remember it, the last time I saw him was during a class as the Conservatory of Sorcery.

during a class at the conservatory

Mr Zoat · Feb 11, 2025

monochromaticPrism said:
during a class at the conservatory

Thank you, corrected.

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

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