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

Chojin Patriarch · Dec 12, 2021

Mr Zoat said:
16th September 2012
17:24 GMT -2

"How's you sense of-?"

Two great hands made of shadows close in on either side of me. Ah. Large crumbler gauntlet constructs and punch and no, okay, grab?

Oof, the Shadows getting awful touchy-feely. Thankfully, OL has lots of melee options that should be effective against them. Best option, though would be not being in melee range in the first place. Too late to get away now, though, or so it seems...

"Distance? We're not in-"

Grabbing and overcharging the crumbler system appears to disrupt the formation of giant hands. It's even making the faces a bit blurry. But they're not going away, and I don't think I'm doing any actual damage like this.

Hopefully whoever's behind the shadows is having the same kind of mental feedback that Lanterns get when you smack their constructs with Crumblers. Which might cause them to let up enough to get the dodge out of Hell.

"-Kansas anymore."

"That hurt-"

Urgh. I pity any child Clark has someday, because his Dad Joke skills are as super as the rest of him...

Superman looks around, firing short bursts of heat vision in all directions, possibly attempting to illuminate the area and find a source.

"-worse than the-"

Might be time to start turning up the heat, Supes. Holding back won't help you here.

No luck, and now the tentacle mouths are wrapping around his legs and chest. They don't seem to be squeezing, but they are impeding his movement.

"-teeth."

At least they aren't going for his pants. Last thing anyone needs are those kind of tentacles...

Making sense of what's happening with no many translucent phantasms appearing in the blackness isn't easy, but-. Blade!

"You've got-"

Maybe sonar would help? Or is the Ring already running that only to find no solid masses to ping off?

I generate a shield construct in the way of the approaching spear made of shadow, but it punches through! Superman spots my construct and pulls himself aside, narrowly dodging and causing it to slice the tentacles binding his legs in half.

"-armour."

Well, that's lucky. Seems like the shadows aren't being uniformly controlled, or whoever's in charge simply doesn't care.

"I offered. Ideas?"

"I could spin around real fast."

...Honestly, that might work. A whirlpool of turbulent water might help to break up the mass of shadow a little, let them get their bearing.

I take x-ionised knives out of subspace and try using them on the shadow tentacles. It… Sort of works. I cut them apart and they don't just reform, but it doesn't stop more appearing.

"Is that a serious suggestion?"

Fascinating. Simple dismissal of the cut parts, or is the shadow-user actually finding himself unable to rebuild them?

Multiple giant blades thrust towards Superman and he dances through then, striking the flat of each with his fists as he passes.

"Is that?"

The joy of trying to fight someone with superspeed. Presumably whoever's in there isn't able to think quickly enough.

He grabs a broken blade tip and hurls it at an oncoming shaft. Both crack and fracture before merging with the background blackness.

"You don't have some kind of portal?"

Eh, a visit to the Honden might be a bad idea around here. The local Ophidian might take exception to a stranger coming into her place. And every other method is kind of reliant on navigation...

"Several. None I've tested in conditions remotely similar to these."

The faces are swimming in and out of focus. I send a crumbler gauntlet construct at one of them, but again, not enough effect to get excited about.

Hopefully the bad guy's getting tired? ...eh, probably not.

"How about the Ophidian?"

"Parallel universe. Might work, might get the local one and don't really want them exposed to demon magic. Last time I did, I became rather brusque."

That's putting it mildly.

"Brusque? I'd hate to see that. How are you doing for ring power?"

"A long way from worrying."

After all, most of his constructs are low-intensity. His shielding constructs are probably the ones being pushed hardest...

Ring, analysis. Is there one primary head? One head which always starts the facial expression?

No observed primary head.

Damn, they're too smart to leave an obvious weak point (Of course it wouldn't be glowing, being shadow...)

"I can try assimilating it?"

"Isn't The Shade weak against sunlight?"

...Right, the Earth-16 League don't know Shade's been sandbagging for fun, do they?

"It negates his obtenebration, yes. It doesn't actually hurt him."

"Glad to hear it." He reaches into his belt pouch and pulls out a small crystal. "Har-Zod called this a sunstone."

Huh, and you're going to use it.. as a flash-bang? I suppose it'll super-charge you too, as a handy side-effect.

"If it's unique, don't-"

He throws it back the way we came, then fires a burst of heat vision at it!

Dangit, OL, this is not the time to be that RPG player. You know, the one who doesn't use the rare and unique item because it's rare and unique?

Blinding white light blasts outwards, the blackness vanishing and normal water reappearing as it goes. I blink as the sudden change happens faster than my ring can adapt to, the blur causing-.

Something-. There.

Ah, the source of the darkness? The caster in charge? Snaggit!

I rocket forward, grabbing the figure before putting a bubble around him and rocketing back to Superman. The light burst has faded and the shadows are creeping back, though nothing like as quickly as they arrived.

"Who is it?"

And it looks like the Sunstone has made the shadows wary. I'm impressed.

I get a better look.

"Richard Swift. And he-."

Huh. Now, did he flee here after Demon Superman took over, or is he...

Behind his smoked glasses his eyes snap open, and-

"You do not bear the mark!"

Well, shit. What a time for Supes to not be wearing his usual top, huh?

-the shadows are coming back and mage slayer round through the bubble and shoot him in the head!

"Uh-!"

Don't worry, he doesn't need it as much as you think he does.

Joy of being a portal into an eldritch abyss, that just happens to look human out of habit.

Because with all this Shadowland influence around I'm hoping that there isn't quite as much demon magic around here as there is everywhere else. And… Yes, shadows move between the top and bottom of his mouth and return its dimensions to normal, and there's a little more of him in his eyes-. He tries focusing on me.

"You…"

Evidently the focus of the corrupting spell is the 'S'-symbol on the forehead. Good to know, even if you can't really use the same method against other more squishy sufferers.

"Mister Swift?"

A swarm of skulls made of shadows batter into the inner surface of the bubble!

Toss another mage-slayer into his head? Or is this going to require something more drastic?

"You do not bear the mark!"

And the faces are back.

"Mark." / "Mark." / "Mark." / "Mark."

Yes, because that wasn't creepy enough yet. Thank you.

"Got another stone?"

"One."

Welp, there goes the stockpile. But sometimes, you just gotta blow the good stuff on a mini-boss...

He fires a line of heat vision down a row of faces as he tosses it to me, and I grab it with a construct. One railgun round for that, one with a tiny piece of one of Angela's discarded feathers and hope that he was serious about that whole 'God wants nothing to do with me' line.

Bubble down fire sunstone shield eyes-

The first to make him fully corporeal...

"RAAGH!"

-fire angel round-

And the second to... Purify him? That or put him down. But I don't see OL wasting a potential ally that easily.

"AAGH!"

Gold fire roars over his body, causing him to shudder-. Oh whoops, that's a light source. Hs skin burns and blisters as the demonic magic is -hopefully- purged from him. The Shadowland immigrants around us fall away and fade, and as I look upwards I see the ocean's surface.

...Ouch. Yeah, that'll leave a mark. Hopefully not one of Cain, mind.

"H-aa. H-aa. H-aaa."

Mr. Swift is… Not is good health, but there's no sign of demonic activity and his powers appear to be under control. He weakly opens his eyes, makes momentary eye contact with me, then loses consciousness.

Probably wishing he had the strength to swear at you. Because I bet that really, really stung. Like, 'paper-cut dipped in lemon-juice' painful... Could have been worse, I could have said 'stepping on a LEGO 2x4 brick in the dark'..

"London?"

"London."

...Because sometimes, the mini-boss can be recruited.

Well, that's a potential game-changer. I assume Swift is in charge, or they'd look like a horrible little cajun dwarf. Though I shudder to imagine the state of his mind. How long was he stuck like that, I wonder? And how have the O'Dare family of Opal City fared, since his lady love of that era was a part of it... I fear that the Shade may be in for some more pain, of the emotional kind...

moralrelativity · Dec 12, 2021

Mr Zoat said:
and he dances through then

then -> them

Ngamer11 · Dec 12, 2021

Chojin Patriarch said:
...Right, the Earth-16 League don't know Shade's been sandbagging for fun, do they?

Actually, they do. Paul straight up told Wonder Woman that the Shade's always been sandbagging the Justice Society. She later challenged him to a fight, after which she admits that Paul was right, and even had the injuries to prove it.

Edit: Adding another part and removing the double post.

Mr Zoat, I was rereading some old parts and this stood out to me.

Mr Zoat said:
-vanish. A young woman of Themysciran aspect lunges forth from a pathway in the seating, flying through the air to pass through the last visible part of the audience even as the throne room's side wall reasserts itself. She's wearing a tightly-fitted garment made of materials I cannot readily identify, jet black save in those places where tiny flecks of silver shine through. It is as if she wears the night itself! On her forearms are solid mithril bracers, at her waist hangs a silver lasso and in her hands she carries some form of chain with manacles atta-.

In here, it's implied that Donna already has the Lasso of Persuasion.

Mr Zoat said:
Artemis puts another hard foam arrow on her string as Donna unwinds her lasso. With Donna's divine origin established beyond reasonable doubt, Hippolyta opened the reliquary in order to give her a weapon equal to Diana's. The Lasso of Persuasion is a good deal less invasive than Branding or Assimilation, and harder to evade than telepathy. If the user has the strength of will to make it work.

However, in this part, it makes it seem like Donna only got it after her exact parentage was confirmed. Is the lasso in the earlier part just one that looks like the Lasso of Persuasion?

Darko · Dec 12, 2021

Chojin Patriarch said:
Right, the Earth-16 League don't know Shade's been sandbagging for fun, do they

They actually do, or at least Diana does.

Paul told her and she went to see if it was true by challenging Swift to a fight.

She lost. Badly.

The rest of the League may know but they may not think about it too much since he's not really connected to them.

And I think Zoat mentioned that light can hurt him, at least a bit, in a previous post.

Chojin Patriarch said:
And it looks like the Sunstone has made the shadows wary. I'm impressed.

Swift has probably never experienced that much light.

Chojin Patriarch said:
Ouch. Yeah, that'll leave a mark. Hopefully not one of Cain, mind.

The last think they need is them being hurt every time they try to hurt him.

And this thing about Cain's mark and a great darkness has me thinking of the Supernatural versions.

Michael Vonica · Dec 12, 2021

So now that I think about it, are there still living people on Earth because superman let them live, or because it would literally take him weeks to months to hunt everyone down, and he just couldn't be bothered? Or maybe both?

Darko · Dec 12, 2021

Michael Vonica said:
So now that I think about it, are there still living people on Earth because superman let them live, or because it would literally take him weeks to months to hunt everyone down, and he just couldn't be bothered? Or maybe both?

The first one most likely.

He could probably kill everyone in a week at most.

He probably left them alive to suffer knowing that their world is now a literal Hell.

Mr Zoat · Dec 12, 2021

Darko said:
'How's your'
'so many'
'one of Angelica's'

Ngamer11 said:
That should say 'His'.

moralrelativity said:
then -> them

Thank you, corrected.

Ngamer11 said:
Mr Zoat, I was rereading some old parts and this stood out to me.

In here, it's implied that Donna already has the Lasso of Persuasion.

However, in this part, it makes it seem like Donna only got it after her exact parentage was confirmed. Is the lasso in the earlier part just one that looks like the Lasso of Persuasion?

Okay, I'll change that so she just starts with a regular magical metal lasso.

jaelin910 · Dec 12, 2021

Ngamer11 said:
I'm a little surprised someone of his magnitude of power was also defeated and corrupted.

If he was possessed by Simon Culp, maybe they got to him that way; either Simon being more vulnerable or rendering Richard vulnerable?

MacShimi · Dec 12, 2021

Mr Zoat said:
Mr. Swift is… Not is good health, but

Typo - replace "… Not is good health…" with "Not in good health…"

Sojiko · Dec 12, 2021

Mr Zoat said:
don't really want them exposed to demon magic. Last time I did, I became rather brusque."

"Brusque? I'd hate to see that.

Indeed! That would be most dreadful.

Also, this from the archive:

Mr Zoat said:
"Science fiction warrior nun, huh?"

The second link here is dead. I'm pretty sure that this is the image that used to be there. I'm not sure if you care about updating old dead links, but the option is there if you're interested.

Mr Zoat said:
I had to investigate dozens of different technological forms before I found one that would let me make it look like it needed to look while still letting it function.

Maybe there's a turn of phrase that I just don't know, but this doesn't parse right no matter how many times I try. I think it should be "make it look like it needed to look like".

FourthPear · Dec 12, 2021

Aww, for a second there I thought we were finally getting Raven…

DougA · Dec 12, 2021

Mr Zoat said:
16th September 2012
17:24 GMT -2

Mr. Swift is… Not is good health,I.

Not in good health.

Edit: Ninja'd.

Mr Zoat · Dec 12, 2021

MacShimi said:
Typo - replace "… Not is good health…" with "Not in good health…"

Thank you, corrected.

Sojiko said:
Also, this from the archive:

The second link here is dead. I'm pretty sure that this is the image that used to be there. I'm not sure if you care about updating old dead links, but the option is there if you're interested.

Thank you, updated.

Maybe there's a turn of phrase that I just don't know, but this doesn't parse right no matter how many times I try. I think it should be "make it look like it needed to look like".

I think it's fine.

AmericanNumbers · Dec 12, 2021

Pissed off Shade would shift the balance against anything short of Darkseid so i imagine it's of the good to get him cured of demonic influence.

Bud-E · Dec 12, 2021

FourthPear said:
Aww, for a second there I thought we were finally getting Raven…

If Raven existed on this Earth I don't think there would be anyone left alive on it.

Michael Vonica · Dec 12, 2021

AmericanNumbers said:
Pissed off Shade would shift the balance against anything short of Darkseid so i imagine it's of the good to get him cured of demonic influence.

But what about pissed off, half dead Shade?

Sojiko · Dec 12, 2021

More potential corrections for old posts:

Mr Zoat said:
"Probably. I'd say we can safely conclude that what they did formed a connection to the Terror Thing.

That should probably either be "that they did form a connection" or "that they formed a connection".

Mr Zoat said:
Shit, no! A crash barrier construct catches Kon before he can demolish the Soldier of Marathon Announcing the Victory, a statue with which I have particular sympathy.

The Louvre's website has changed, so the link is dead. I think that you could use this one instead.

Vaermina · Dec 13, 2021

Ngamer11 said:
I'm a little surprised someone of his magnitude of power was also defeated and corrupted.

Zoat nerfed the character massively.

Mr Zoat · Dec 13, 2021

16th September 2012
19:25 GMT

"Her Imperial Majesty, Queen Morgan the First!"

Overman and I stand as the Queen strides imperiously into the room. I used the magic detection stone when she approached so I know perfectly well that she is a powerful magician. Still, to my eyes, she is slightly blurred. I do not know if a pure human would notice… Something to do with the spells protecting her? Or perhaps the actual Morgana is one of the other people in the room and this person is wearing some sort of illusion. But since we don't intend to hurt her it should not matter.

And if she wants to hurt us, we're both wearing wards which do not exist on this Earth. Either of us could tear down this entire palace.

Karl bows to her, and I decide to do the same. My current uniform doesn't include a skirt, anyway. The queen's clothing is made of green and purple cloth, and looks decidedly dated. Much like the castles. She stares at us for several seconds before deigning to speak.

"You're not the possessed one. Where are you from?"

Morgan does not return the favour. Karl and I straighten, and without referring to one another our posture changes from mildly deferential to mildly confrontational. The sort of thing we do with minor party officials who have forgotten their place.

"We come from a parallel Earth. People from this Earth are opening portals to our home and attacking us. We have come to stop the attacks at the source."

The queen does not appear to be impressed.

"And why have you come into my kingdom?"

"Your kingdom seems to function better than the wastelands we have seen elsewhere. I hope that you will be able to share information with us that would allow us to achieve our objective."

"You expect me to help you prevent demonspawn leaving?" She shakes her head. "Then you have sadly misjudged the situation. I hope that they all leave, so that my world can be free of their influence."

Karl shakes his head. "Removing their ability to bridge the gap between worlds would not be enough. They know we exist, and the knowledge of how to reach us also exists. Unless the threat is destroyed, we cannot know that we are safe."

"But you could buy yourself a great deal of time. If I allied my kingdom with you, I would receive no protection against the wrath of those you fought, while you would be safe upon your own world."

Karl looks down for a moment before giving her his full attention.

"Are you familiar with the concept of karma?"

"Where magic is concerned you may assume that I am familiar with a great many things. If you are about to claim that you have a duty as a hero, that would be dharma. And if you consider your first loyalty to be to a single nation, you would not breach it."

"No. I have a great moral debt to pay. A very large number of people died due to my wilful ignorance. I would rather die than allow something like that to happen again, whether to my people or yours. If you wish to test my resolve with your magic, you may do so."

She raises her right hand and makes a curling motion, keeping it raised as the spell renders its judgement. Kryptonians cannot see the souls of the dead, and it did not occur to me to ask if the souls of the dead of the Second Great War cling to Karl in a literal sense. Whatever she sees, she appears satisfied as she lowers her hand.

"Your other self's possession was the start of it. Do you have a plan to fight someone who can do everything that you can do and more? Who has an army of possessed superhumans under his command?"

"Only the outline of a plan. My world makes little use of magic. The idea of casting a spell to remove a demon is completely foreign to us. But Overgirl had made friends upon another Earth. The people who made-" He takes out his spell eater and holds it up. "-these. They have the knowledge that we need."

I nod. "They also count two angels among their number."

Queen Morgan's eyes narrow with spite. "Angels have proven to be extremely unreliable where he is concerned."

"They have had a number of shocks to their faith lately. It has made them more dependable as allies."

"Ours have been conspicuous by their absence. Do you share your father's guilt?"

"No, she does not."

But I do. Perhaps not to the same degree, but for everything I assumed without giving credence to what he experienced… For every untruth I spoke uncritically. Yes, for those things, the fault is mine.

"Perhaps I do not, but he is my father."

"My son slew his father. But ours is not a usual family." Queen Morgan draws herself up slightly. "That is your plan, then? Confront Superman with the magic of angels and burn the demon magic out of him?"

Karl nods. "Or kill him, if that is necessary. I would understand if he preferred to die, knowing what has been done with his powers."

"Very well, then. I will not give you material aid, but I am content to share information if it is to the end of permanently removing Superman. What do you wish to know?"

"None of the people I have seen here have the demonic presence of those bound to Demon Superman's service. The wide jaw, the fixation on his crest… They do not have it. Who are your people? What makes them immune?"

"These?" Morgan glances at the closest guard. "These are hobgoblins. They are partly of Earth and partially of the Fae. Demon magic does not capture their minds so easily as it does mortal men."

"And your human subjects?"

"They remain either in my realm of Camelot or in shielded fortresses. The greater part of the countryside is overtaken by those devoted to him."

"You are evacuating to Camelot?"

"When possible. There are few stable gateways and fewer magicians of sufficient power to shield them while they move. And my armies are not large enough to defend the entire realm."

"Is it impossible for you to remove the demonic presence from those infected with it?"

"It's impractical. The process requires me to pull a form of magic energy out of someone in an environment that is full of it. It's like bailing out a boat that is already underwater!"

"Do you know who is attacking my world? The Demon Superman… He did not appear to be interested."

"The Marked frequently arrange themselves into cults, led by the most fanatical or the most powerful. Opening a gateway to another world would require them to have maintained their intellect and initiative as well."

I frown. "We met humans unaffected by the demonic taint on Zandia. They claimed-."

"Hah! Yes, that their god protects them. And the Marked say that Superman is a wonderful god as well."

My frown deepens. "I thought they were Christian."

"No, though they do like to maintain the pretence around outsiders. And from what little I've seen of their rituals they like to ape those of Christianity as well. But they worship something far darker and with far more ambition than a demigod who just sits in the middle of a ruined city."

Karl nods. "Who is the leader of the largest group of Marked outside of America? We will deal with them, and perhaps gain useful intelligence."

"That is an easy question to answer. His name is Wolf Krieger."

Mr Zoat · Dec 13, 2021

Sojiko said:
More potential corrections for old posts:

That should probably either be "that they did form a connection" or "that they formed a connection".

No, that's fine as it is.

The Louvre's website has changed, so the link is dead. I think that you could use this one instead.

Thank you, updated.

hance1986 · Dec 13, 2021

Mr Zoat said:
"The Marked frequently arrange themselves into cults, led by the most fanatically or the most powerful.

Should be ' fanatical '

Ngamer11 · Dec 13, 2021

Mr Zoat said:
Kryptonians cannot see the souls of the dead, and did not occur to me to ask if the souls of the dead of the Second Great War cling to Karl in a literal sense.

There is a missing 'it' there, so it should say: 'and it did not'.

Mr Zoat said:
Queen Morgan's eyes narrow with spite. "Angels have proven to be extremely unreliable where he is concerned."

My guess is that they consider Earth a lost cause and have given up on it.

Mr Zoat said:
Karl nods. "Who is the leader of the largest group of Marked outside of America? We will deal with them, and perhaps gain useful intelligence."

"That is an easy question to answer. His name is Wolf Krieger."

I wonder how Overman and Overgirl will feel about kicking the ass of someone who's an unrepentant Nazi? I bet he added his own Nazi spin to the Superman cult he leads.

Mr Zoat · Dec 13, 2021

hance1986 said:
Should be ' fanatical '

Ngamer11 said:
There is a missing 'it' there, so it should say: 'and it did not'.

Thank you, corrected.

Darko · Dec 13, 2021

Mr Zoat said:
Much like the castles

Maybe 'castle'

Mr Zoat said:
Karl nods. "Who is the leader of the largest group of Marked outside of America? We will deal with them, and perhaps gain useful intelligence."

"That is an easy question to answer. His name is Wolf Krieger

Welp, this should be quite the meeting.

Mr Zoat said:
I frown. "We met humans unaffected by the demonic taint on Zandia. They claimed-."

"Hah! Yes, that their god protects them. And the Marked say that Superman is a wonderful god as well."

My frown deepens. "I thought they were Christian."

"No, though they do like to maintain the pretence around outsiders. And from what little I've seen of their rituals they like to ape those of Christianity as well. But they worship something far darker and with far more ambition than a demigod who just sits in the middle of a ruined city

Ohh boy, looks like Trigon may show up soon.

Darko · Dec 13, 2021

Ngamer11 said:
My guess is that they consider Earth a lost cause and have given up on it.

Not necessarily.

Zoat mentioned Job in a post of his, so the Angels may view the situation as being a good test of faith for their followers.

Ngamer11 said:
I wonder how Overman and Overgirl will feel about kicking the ass of someone who's an unrepentant Nazi? I bet he added his own Nazi spin to the Superman cult he leads

Overman may feel slightly grateful since he can actually fight someone that embodies the things he hates without being conflicted about it.

Ancalador · Dec 13, 2021

Darko said:
Ohh boy, looks like Trigon may show up soon.

Maybe there's a Rachel Roth here hiding out and willing to jump worlds?

Vaermina · Dec 13, 2021

Darko said:
Ohh boy, looks like Trigon may show up soon.

I was going to say Darkseid... But if it's Trigon they're fucked...

Ancalador said:
Maybe there's a Rachel Roth here hiding out and willing to jump worlds?

No... You don't bring Rachel Roth anywhere...

Her existence is a direct anchor for Trigon to enter whatever dimension she exists in...

NightmareWarden · Dec 13, 2021

Remind me, did Wolf Krieger get a Magic School Bus ride through the hounds of Odin, or was that honor reserved for Savage?

What do we think is more likely, readers: the local Swamp Thing or a Lord of Chaos aiding in a battle against demons/cultists/Nega-Superman?

Chojin Patriarch · Dec 13, 2021

Mr Zoat said:
16th September 2012
19:25 GMT

"Her Imperial Majesty, Queen Morgan the First!"

Overman and I stand as the Queen strides imperiously into the room. I used the magic detection stone when she approached so I know perfectly well that she is a powerful magician. Still, to my eyes, she is slightly blurred. I do not know if a pure human would notice… Something to do with the spells protecting her? Or perhaps the actual Morgana is one of the other people in the room and this person is wearing some sort of illusion. But since we don't intend to hurt her it should not matter.

Back with Karl and Angelika, then. And a royal audience with Morgaine le Fey. And I would not be surprised if she were remotely viewing the encounter, with a puppet decoy speaking her words. Only logical given the risk of a Kryptonian in her presence.

And if she wants to hurt us, we're both wearing wards which do not exist on this Earth. Either of us could tear down this entire palace.

Karl bows to her, and I decide to do the same. My current uniform doesn't include a skirt, anyway. The queen's clothing is made of green and purple cloth, and looks decidedly dated. Much like the castles. She stares at us for several seconds before deigning to speak.

Hmm... Morgaine taking a moment to feel them out mystically before she greets them? Sensible.

"You're not the possessed one. Where are you from?"

Morgan does not return the favour. Karl and I straighten, and without referring to one another our posture changes from mildly deferential to mildly confrontational. The sort of thing we do with minor party officials who have forgotten their place.

The kind of teamwork that comes from long years of working together, I see. And Morgaine will have noticed that shift...

"We come from a parallel Earth. People from this Earth are opening portals to our home and attacking us. We have come to stop the attacks at the source."

The queen does not appear to be impressed.

Given the lack of leering Superman cultists, she's got nothing to do with it, after all. Probably wondering why you've come to her.

"And why have you come into my kingdom?"

"Your kingdom seems to function better than the wastelands we have seen elsewhere. I hope that you will be able to share information with us that would allow us to achieve our objective."

And you'll keep hoping, I suspect. I don't see her being inclined to play nice...

"You expect me to help you prevent demonspawn leaving?" She shakes her head. "Then you have sadly misjudged the situation. I hope that they all leave, so that my world can be free of their influence."

Karl shakes his head. "Removing their ability to bridge the gap between worlds would not be enough. They know we exist, and the knowledge of how to reach us also exists. Unless the threat is destroyed, we cannot know that we are safe."

Yeah, if they don't find a third option, neither of them will get what they want...

"But you could buy yourself a great deal of time. If I allied my kingdom with you, I would receive no protection against the wrath of those you fought, while you would be safe upon your own world."

Karl looks down for a moment before giving her his full attention.

It's a nasty choice, isn't it? Condemn her people to a slow death, or let the daemons keep attacking his. Surely there's another way though...

"Are you familiar with the concept of karma?"

"Where magic is concerned you may assume that I am familiar with a great many things. If you are about to claim that you have a duty as a hero, that would be dharma. And if you consider your first loyalty to be to a single nation, you would not breach it."

Karma and Dharma, for the curious. Complex concepts for a complex situation. And they're concepts that made it to the West a long time before Nazis came about, so I'm not surprised Karl has some knowledge of them...

"No. I have a great moral debt to pay. A very large number of people died due to my wilful ignorance. I would rather die than allow something like that to happen again, whether to my people or yours. If you wish to test my resolve with your magic, you may do so."

She raises her right hand and makes a curling motion, keeping it raised as the spell renders its judgement. Kryptonians cannot see the souls of the dead, and did not occur to me to ask if the souls of the dead of the Second Great War cling to Karl in a literal sense. Whatever she sees, she appears satisfied as she lowers her hand.

Necromancy, I see. Not the 'raising dead bodies' stuff, that's just something conflated with it. He has courage letting her do what she likes, though I expect he trusted Angelika to act if it seemed risky.

"Your other self's possession was the start of it. Do you have a plan to fight someone who can do everything that you can do and more? Who has an army of possessed superhumans under his command?"

"Only the outline of a plan. My world makes little use of magic. The idea of casting a spell to remove a demon is completely foreign to us. But Overgirl had made friends upon another Earth. The people who made-" He takes out his spell eater and holds it up. "-these. They have the knowledge that we need."

I expect works like that would be very interesting to Morgaine. Either as a personal defence, or as a threat to her ability to control people...

I nod. "They also count two angels among their number."

Queen Morgan's eyes narrow with spite. "Angels have proven to be extremely unreliable where he is concerned."

Or they have their own plans in motion. A test of faith... Shoring up the defences of the Silver City... Schematics for a new world...

"They have had a number of shocks to their faith lately. It has made them more dependable as allies."

"Ours have been conspicuous by their absence. Do you share your father's guilt?"

Not in terms of blood on her hands, literal or figurative, but...

"No, she does not."

But I do. Perhaps not to the same degree, but for everything I assumed without giving credence to what he experienced… For every untruth I spoke uncritically. Yes, for those things, the fault is mine.

...Guilt is rarely a rational emotion.

"Perhaps I do not, but he is my father."

"My son slew his father. But ours is not a usual family." Queen Morgan draws herself up slightly. "That is your plan, then? Confront Superman with the magic of angels and burn the demon magic out of him?"

That would be Mordred, and only in some versions of the myth of King Arthur... But it's definite in the DC version.

Karl nods. "Or kill him, if that is necessary. I would understand if he preferred to die, knowing what has been done with his powers."

"Very well, then. I will not give you material aid, but I am content to share information if it is to the end of permanently removing Superman. What do you wish to know?"

Well, it's not an outright denial. Probably the best they could have hoped for.

"None of the people I have seen here have the demonic presence of those bound to Demon Superman's service. The wide jaw, the fixation on his crest… They do not have it. Who are your people? What makes them immune?"

"These?" Morgan glances at the closest guard. "These are hobgoblins. They are partly of Earth and partially of the Fae. Demon magic does not capture their minds so easily as it does mortal men."

And there's that question answered. Probably forces she brought with her out of whatever fae realm she's been hidden in.

"And your human subjects?"

"They remain either in my realm of Camelot or in shielded fortresses. The greater part of the countryside is overtaken by those devoted to him."

A large-scale ward bound to the walls of those castles, I expect. That can't be a lot of survivors...

"You are evacuating to Camelot?"

"When possible. There are few stable gateways and fewer magicians of sufficient power to shield them while they move. And my armies are not large enough to defend the entire realm."

Even travelling between realms would be risky, I bet. With every day that passes, the portals might grower less and less stable as demonic energies taint the earth...

"Is it impossible for you to remove the demonic presence from those infected with it?"

"It's impractical. The process requires me to pull a form of magic energy out of someone in an environment that is full of it. It's like bailing out a boat that is already underwater!"

A good analogy... Made especially harder since she's probably got limited sources for power to replace what's leeched out. Take too much, and they'd die, after all...

"Do you know who is attacking my world? The Demon Superman… He did not appear to be interested."

"The Marked frequently arrange themselves into cults, led by the most fanatically or the most powerful. Opening a gateway to another world would require them to have maintained their intellect and initiative as well."

That would take considerable magical precautions, or an extremely strong will... Or someone already so corrupted the new taint is a drop in the water.

I frown. "We met humans unaffected by the demonic taint on Zandia. They claimed-."

"Hah! Yes, that their god protects them. And the Marked say that Superman is a wonderful god as well."

That god would be Trigon, If I remember right. Though depending on the timeline, he may already have been rebuffed by Raven and the Titans...

My frown deepens. "I thought they were Christian."

"No, though they do like to maintain the pretence around outsiders. And from what little I've seen of their rituals they like to ape those of Christianity as well. But they worship something far darker and with far more ambition than a demigod who just sits in the middle of a ruined city."

Given that their founder was a corrupted crusader, I'm not surprised.

Karl nods. "Who is the leader of the largest group of Marked outside of America? We will deal with them, and perhaps gain useful intelligence."

"That is an easy question to answer. His name is Wolf Krieger."

I bet Karl recognises that name. After all, he was around during the war. And there's probably a bit of him looking forwards to killing him again.

That little revelation suddenly makes things just a little clearer. Wolf probably has enough skill to open portals to another world... And what better world to raid than one already aligned to National Socialism? I don't know if Wolf was a true believer or not, but I could see him wanting to take advantage of the people's ingrained submission to authority... I suppose we'll find out soon enough.

FourthPear · Dec 13, 2021

Is there a reason Paul suddenly stopped speaking with enlightened parentheses? Or did Zoat just not put them in yet?

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

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