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

Chojin Patriarch · Oct 26, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
17th February 2013
19:21 GMT

I land the construct platform carrying those we've rescued on the Themysciran beach. Tlaltecuhtli has wandered inland a little way, presumably in search of more heartless Aztecs to introduce to the wheel. Kon's explaining things to Queen Hippolyta while Philippus organises escorts for the people we've rescued.

A… Significant proportion of whom are male. And yet no one is complaining about it.

Well, these are trying times. There's no time to complain about those unfortunates of the masculine persuasion being here, especially while here is not where it used to be. And there are probably emergency qualifications for whatever blessings affect the island anyway.

Ow.

I see a familiar face hovering at the periphery of the crowd, preparing to handle any casualties. And I swallow my pride and float my way over to her.

Ah, time to make nice with Apollo, eh?

"So…"

Sadeh regards me with as little expression as she can manage. I earned her regard by replacing the missing body parts of Themyscira's long-term wounded. And then I helped my god dump her god in a pigsty.

Yes, I think he's made his annoyance over that matter quite clear now. I wonder if that bane's been applied to him the whole time since or just while he's here in a divine-adjacent realm?

"I'm not going to pretend that I actually feel guilt over what I did, but since I'm still bleeding I'd like some idea of what Lord Apollo wants to make up for it."

She shrugs. "How would I know?"

...Right. Remember, the gods are staying shut up right now.

"You're.. a.. priestess?"

She shakes her head. "Direct communication with the gods is unusual. Even after three thousand years, all I can really do is feel his ire radiating from you."

Oh, is that all it is?

Ire?

"Oh. Ah. Okay. Could you please ask for me?"

"I can entreat him in my prayers." She frowns. "Why are you still bleeding?"

Hopefully at least those lines of communication are still open. I imagine there'd be a heavy firewall, though.

"Magic obsidian stab wounds. I-."

My magic armour starts to vibrate. Ring, what-?

...Oh, right, he's still wearing the Tezumak suit.

Something is… Pulling me in the direction of the mainland. No. Pulling the armour. Okay, open, twist around-. Pull myself out and fly up over it and withdraw my constructs-.

It's like a hurricane force wind is pushing on my armour and-.

Someone reeling it in from the homeland?

"Paul!"

M'gann shouts as-. Shit. I wrap construct chains around Qualpopoca flails in the air, held down by M'gann's telekinesis. Anchor him to the ground, make sure it's solid. Whatever force is acting on him is still pushing, so I add a little-.

Strip him of all armour, at the very least? Less things to pull on him?

Ow ow ow.

A little cushion between his flesh and the chains. Looking down at my legs I see small flecks of blood appear as… As the obsidian fragments pull themselves free from inside my body. It's painful, but once they're out my normal ring-assisted regeneration kicks in and the pain abates.

Well, at least they're out. I can't imagine whatever causing this is cause for celebration, though.

Okay, what's making-?

Everyone who went over Itztépetl is losing whatever obsidian fragments caught on their clothing on in their flesh. The Aztec priests are looking extremely concerned and more than a couple are holding their hands over their hearts-.

Said hearts no doubt feeling a softer tug, eh?

"Do you feel it in your hearts!?"

The armour's gone, flying though the air in the direction of the mainland. Qualpopoca is wincing in pain as the… Force pushes him harder.

Oh, someone's definitely repossessing everything OL and company brought over here.

A few of the priests who have their wits about them shake their heads.

Alright, so what links the-? Aztec magic. The armour is Aztec magic, Aztec magic turned Qualpopoca into a beastman and the obsidian mountain is made of Aztec magic. The hearts are either taken from sacrificed magical creatures or are parts of human souls. Nothing inherently Aztec about them.

...Shit. Is Mannheim causing this?

"Cornwall?"

He looks even more uncomfortable. "Something really f-. Bad is happening."

Given that he can basically see whatever's doing this, I'd suspect he's very worried.

"Can you narrow it down?"

"Raw magic… I don't… It feels like a spell's being… Broken down into raw magic… But… Bigger."

Like it's pouring down into something? Being pulled like a vacuum cleaner's pulling on it?

"Mannheim… Ingesting the gods?"

He shakes his head helplessly. "I dunno. I've never felt anything like this before."

Oh, that's so not good. Not that they could have done anything to stop him earlier anyway...

"Uh-!"

Qualpopoca is… He's not bleeding, but that looks painful.

I'm guessing he's reverting to human basic.

"Can you do anything to stop it?"

He shakes his head. "I wouldn't even know where to begin."

OL, remember, he's like fourteen. Even with a crash course in the more mystical aspects of his family's career, he's not going to know what this is.

"Qualpopoca, I'm afraid that you're just going to have to endure it."

He grits his teeth. "Y-es. I understand."

One more indignity from his gods, eh?

"Good man. Your majesty!"

Queen Hippolyta walks towards me, glancing at Qualpopoca with clear concern. "What is happening?"

Like he knows? At best, he can tell you what happened over there... And make some guesses.

"Something's pulling all Aztec magic that way. Is the gateway to Erebos open?"

"No. The door is barred and will not open."

Even Doom's Doorway? Then again, that one opening is usually bad.

"And we can't get to Olympus. Are there any other routes off Themyscira?"

She shakes her head. "No."

I'm sure they've tried everything they could already...

"Okay. You're a demigoddess, right?" She nods. "Is there anything you can do to… Bless Qualpopoca here?"

She looks a little pained. "I have not wanted to take advantage of that part of my heritage." She sees the way I stare at her in response and sighs. "Why would you want me to do that?"

I mean, the guy was very helpful. Once he stopped trying to kill them.

"I'm hoping we can turn the spells holding him together from Aztec magic to Greek magic, so he'll stop getting pulled."

"Anything I could do would be as likely to kill him as aid him."

What with the 'daughter of Ares' part of her heritage, after all.

"Ah." I nod. I mean, if she's had three thousand years and not experimented at all, then… It's probably for the best. "Cornwall, is there any sign that it's-."

"…way off."

True. Best not to be experimenting now with a man's life at stake.

I look around as Cernunnos carries Nuala towards us. She's… Not in immediate danger of dying, and he was able to save her right leg in its entirety, but… She's looking understandably ropey.

"You have a way off?"

Let's hope the Amazons can do something for her, then.

"Fairy ring. There's a… Fairy ring."

"Excellent, thank you. We-."

Wonderful. So now they're going to have to visit Elfland, and probably navigate the social minefield of the Queen's Court.

Qualpopoca slumps as the force pulling on him cuts out.

I leave the chains in place, just in case. "Superboy, would you mind flying up and taking a look?"

...It's stopped?

Oh, dear. That may mean Mannheim has finished his metaphorical meal.

He nods and shoots up into the sky, staring in the direction of the land. Then he drops back down.

"It's gone."

Okay, when you say 'gone", what do you mean?

"What is?"

"The land."

...Ooooh, that's bad. Either Themyscira just got relocated again... Or Mannheim ate the entire Aztec Afterlife.

An entire afterlife realm doesn't just up and vanish... Unless Mannheim pulled the whole thing apart by absorbing the power of its deities. Which means he's likely increased his own power somewhat, depending on how they measure up to his base level of power. Could be a drop in a bathtub, or he just doubled his might.

And he's likely looking at Themyscira next...

Odysseus2099 · Oct 26, 2023

Hopefully the gate to Erebos got reopened with the disappearance of the Aztecs. That way they can at least get something out of this debacle.

Vaermina · Oct 26, 2023

Wow...

Who could have guessed that something super horrible would happen if Mannheim was allowed to complete his plan of absorbing the Aztech gods.

Oh wait... Literally anybody with even a hint of genre savyness... But I guess LePaul traded all of this away for more power.

Ngamer11 · Oct 26, 2023

Vaermina said:
Wow...

Who could have guessed that something super horrible would happen if Mannheim was allowed to complete his plan of absorbing the Aztech gods.

Oh wait... Literally anybody with even a hint of genre savyness... But I guess LePaul traded all of this away for more power.

And what could he have done at the time? Mannheim was already strong enough to annihilate Paul with a literal glance if he thought Paul was worth the effort, so it was a no win situation at the time. The very best they could've hoped for was retreat with actionable info, which they did.

Vaermina · Oct 26, 2023

Ngamer11 said:
And what could he have done at the time? Mannheim was already strong enough to annihilate Paul with a literal glance if he thought Paul was worth the effort, so it was a no win situation at the time. The very best they could've hoped for was retreat with actionable info, which they did.

Tried to eat the gods before Mannheim could.

Blown up the Temple and hope it was load bearing.

Had Kon challenge Mannheim to a contest of physical prowess. Which he probably would have had to accept due to the Aztech rules of the place.

Ripped out his Ophidian heart and offered it as a willing sacrifice to the Aztech gods to power them up enough to fight back.

Pulled the Obsidian out of this body and used it to bypass Mannheims defenses and kill him.

Utilize some unthought of loophole to turn the tables on him and drive him off.

BR549 · Oct 26, 2023

Ngamer11 said:
And what could he have done at the time? Mannheim was already strong enough to annihilate Paul with a literal glance if he thought Paul was worth the effort, so it was a no win situation at the time. The very best they could've hoped for was retreat with actionable info, which they did.

The best advice for dealing with certain people who have their own headcanoned version of the fic that took a left turn at Albaqwirky a literal decade ago is to deny recognition.

Ngamer11 · Oct 26, 2023

Vaermina said:
Tried to eat the gods before Mannheim could.

Blown up the Temple and hope it was load bearing.

Had Kon challenge Mannheim to a contest of physical prowess. Which he probably would have had to accept due to the Aztech rules of the place.

Ripped out his Ophidian heart and offered it as a willing sacrifice to the Aztech gods to power them up enough to fight back.

Pulled the Obsidian out of this body and used it to bypass Mannheims defenses and kill him.

Utilize some unthought of loophole to turn the tables on him and drive him off.

In order:
- The important part of the temple had Apokoliptian tech, which would probably resist any of Paul's available attacks
- Kon wasn't there with him at the time. His only back up was Tezumak and a surprise from Cornwall Boy.
- That isn't how that works. Although Paul hears a heartbeat, it's not a literal heart that he can rip out of his body and use as a sacrifice.
- Paul can't interact directly with the obsidian, or at least he can't remove it quickly or easily.
- A second Paul devotes to thinking of a loophole that might not even exist, is a second that Mannheim has to decide to eliminate Paul on a whim.

Vanbers · Oct 26, 2023

Ngamer11 said:
In order:
- The important part of the temple had Apokoliptian tech, which would probably resist any of Paul's available attacks
- Kon wasn't there with him at the time. His only back up was Tezumak and a surprise from Cornwall Boy.
- That isn't how that works. Although Paul hears a heartbeat, it's not a literal heart that he can rip out of his body and use as a sacrifice.
- Paul can't interact directly with the obsidian, or at least he can't remove it quickly or easily.
- A second Paul devotes to thinking of a loophole that might not even exist, is a second that Mannheim has to decide to eliminate Paul on a whim.

Don't bother, fam. IIRC Vaermina mostly trolls with dumb ideas due to the fic not using their own headcanon.

I mean they literally had that last 'possible thing he could have done' be basically "I don't know and haven't thought of it, but because MC didn't either he's dumb and stupid", and most of the others be completely idiotic.

Just do:

BR549 said:
The best advice for dealing with certain people who have their own headcanoned version of the fic that took a left turn at Albaqwirky a literal decade ago is to deny recognition.

^^^ THIS ^^^

He's making shit up, and because the fic's canon doesn't match their headcanon, says it's dumb. Just don't engage.

Mr Zoat · Oct 26, 2023

To be fair, there almost certainly are things the SI could do better at any particular stage. Difficult encounters for him are ones at the edge of his knowledge.

Chaoswind · Oct 26, 2023

Vaermina only has a point when he talks about stuff from source Canon that he actually knows about. His grasp on the Canon of the fics he reads is significantly less relevant even more so when the fics deviate heavily from their source.

In Mr Zoat case he has been daily updating this fic for ages, tweaking and changing things so Vaer knows less than nothing.

Wivk · Oct 26, 2023

I really like this planescape stuff, it was the best campaign setting.

Darko · Oct 26, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
M'gann shouts as-. Shit. I wrap construct chains around Qualpopoca flails in the air,

'as he flails'

Mr Zoat said:
Alright, so what links the-? Aztec magic. The armour is Aztec magic, Aztec magic turned Qualpopoca into a beastman and the obsidian mountain is made of Aztec magic. The hearts are either taken from sacrificed magical creatures or are parts of human souls. Nothing inherently Aztec about them.

"Cornwall?"

He looks even more uncomfortable. "Something really f-. Bad is happening

Shit, he's absorbing it.

Darko · Oct 26, 2023

Chojin Patriarch said:
Yes, I think he's made his annoyance over that matter quite clear now. I wonder if that bane's been applied to him the whole time since or just while he's here in a divine-adjacent realm?

Even if Paul hadn't pissed him off, I'm not sure why he'd heal him.

Paul isn't his worshipper or champion, so he may not receive a blessing.

Plus, even if Paul prays to him, the tattoos may block him from seeing him.

Chojin Patriarch said:
.Right. Remember, the gods are staying shut up right now.

And they may do that more after what happens next.

Chojin Patriarch said:
Like he knows? At best, he can tell you what happened over there... And make some guesses.

Hey, Paul is into some weird shit and Qualpopoca lived in that place for centuries, so it's logical for her to think that they'd know something.

Chojin Patriarch said:
Wonderful. So now they're going to have to visit Elfland, and probably navigate the social minefield of the Queen's Court.

After Manheim ate the whole Aztec realm, they may be less inclined for their usual shit in favor of helping the ones that may be able to save them all.

Mr Zoat · Oct 26, 2023

Darko said:
'as he flails'

Thank you, corrected.

Darko said:
Even if Paul hadn't pissed him off, I'm not sure why he'd heal him.

Paul isn't his worshipper or champion, so he may not receive a blessing.

That's not exactly the issue. He doesn't want Apollo's active help, he wants Apollo to stop actively impeding him.

Ngamer11 · Oct 26, 2023

Darko said:
Even if Paul hadn't pissed him off, I'm not sure why he'd heal him.

Paul isn't his worshipper or champion, so he may not receive a blessing.

Plus, even if Paul prays to him, the tattoos may block him from seeing him.

I think the implication is that Apollo has cursed Paul in such a way that magical healing would either be weakened or not work entirely for him.

Edit: Ninja'd.

Mr Zoat said:
That's not exactly the issue. He doesn't want Apollo's active help, he wants Apollo to stop actively impeding him.

In that case, at what point would Paul consider Apollo being replaced to be the more expedient and beneficial solution? And could he convince Hephaestaean to replace Apollo in the first place?

Mr Zoat · Oct 26, 2023

Ngamer11 said:
In that case, at what point would Paul consider Apollo being replaced to be the more expedient and beneficial solution? And could he convince Hephaestaean to replace Apollo in the first place?

When he does it to other people. At the moment it usually isn't a problem because he can heal himself with his ring.

Duke Long · Oct 26, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
Everyone who went over Itztépetl is losing whatever obsidian fragments caught on their clothing on in their flesh.

'or in their'

Mr Zoat · Oct 26, 2023

Duke Long said:
'or in their'

Thank you, corrected.

Mr Zoat · Oct 27, 2023

17th February 2013
19:26 GMT

In the role play game 'Exalted', the land of Creation is split into five elemental poles. In the middle you have the pole of earth, which makes things stable, and to the west you have the pole of water. Near west has a sea with a lot of islands in it as earth and water combine, then as you go further west the islands peter out until it's just sea. Keep going further and things stop making sense as sky and sea sort of merge together.

I wasn't really able to picture what that looked like until now.

Concerned, I turn to Cernunnos to see if he's got any idea what just happened.

"So?"

"It's gone."

I wait a moment to see if there's anything else. It doesn't look like he's doing anything, but as I understand it god-type magic is a lot more a part of them than what mortal magicians use.

After a moment he stops staring at the blue nothing and meets my eyes.

"Bast's realm was decaying as the magic within lost contact with Earth. With that restored, it began recovering itself. But even when it was decayed it existed. It is not easy to erase things completely. Normally there would be a wasteland… Relics of their faith here and there… Whispers on the wind."

"And the Aztecs have left nothing at all."

He nods, looking increasingly uncomfortable. "A page torn from the soul of the world."

"What would that do to Earth?"

"Any spells or magic artefacts tied to the Aztec mythos would stop working entirely. There might be some disruption to other related mythos objects. Will that be a problem?"

"It shouldn't. Not much left from those magic traditions, and most people who learn magic in South America now learn plant magic from Euanthe and Doctor Isley. And I think the world could do with less magic related to human sacrifice. Anything else?"

"I don't know. If it was destroyed then there would be a magic surge, but if Mannheim somehow absorbed it…" He shakes his head. "I need to return to Otherworld as soon as possible. If he is working on something like this in my homeland, the effect will be worse."

"Because Kon-Sten-Tyn bound England and Otherworld in perpetuity."

"Yes. So make sure that it does not happen."

"I'll do my best." I glance down to where everyone who is returning to Earth are gathering to use the fairy circle. "Shall we?"

He nods and then swoops, landing next to Nuala and saying something to her. I follow him down but aim for Queen Hippolyta, who is conversing with Captain Philippus.

"…the gods moved us here."

Philippus shrugs. "It seems clear to me that we were the ones who were supposed to stop Mannheim."

"Without a way to-." She notices me. "What news?"

"Mannheim appears to have somehow internalised the entirety of the Aztec mythos. That or destroyed it. Problem?"

"We were discussing what aid we could send you. I had thought that the gods wanted us to prevent the heartless from entering the sacred ground of Olympus. If their land is truly gone, then we can send all that we have to aid you. But if there is some other purpose then we would risk weakening our ability to serve it."

Huh. Gods can't just turn up on Earth at full power due to their sheer arcane power not… Fitting. Presumably they could create some sort of… Barrier effect using the same sort of magic, forcing someone to enter their realm at low power. So… The heartless storm Themyscira, which… Anchors..? The low power end? But if the heartless killed the Amazons off then that would gradually push the spell back?

Logical, but speculative.

And there isn't any way for anyone to assault them from the Aztec afterlife any longer, but there… Is a back way into Themyscira, and if Mannheim sends people through it then the whole things starts up again. And… It sounds harsh, but there isn't anyone on Themyscira that we actually need. Amazons don't leave Themyscira often enough for me to bother including them in my plans.

"We really can't risk anything happening to the Hellenic mythos. I don't know what Mannheim's plan is, but I think it would be best to stay on guard here. My plan… We should be able to carry out my attack in a couple of days at most."

Queen Hippolyta nods, while Captain Philippus looks mildly put out. "Do you agree that the gods wanted us to defeat Mannheim?"

"I don't know. I wouldn't presume to speak for them. Maybe? I'm not sure how you'd have beaten Tlaltecuhtli without me, but you could probably have bypassed her and found Qualpopoca. Found out what Mannheim was doing. Maybe rescued a few people." I sigh. "This is the thing about isolationism: you get used to not engaging with people outside of the island on anything except your terms. You have the highest percentage of superhumans of any nation on the-. On the surface. There are… Lots of things you could do, but…"

I shrug.

"Amazon culture has started to change, and that's great. But the instincts of three thousand years don't change in a couple of years, and the world doesn't pause while that happens. And I'd love to discuss this in more detail, but I need to go. Excuse me."

Hippolyta nods thoughtfully, and I skip to the head of the queue where Cernunnos is watching Nuala carefully. I really don't think that she's going to try anything at this stage, but… Maybe he's just concerned?

"Orange Lantern. Nuala will open a portal for you to Castle Baaleskein. After you are through, she will close the portal and open one to Otherworld. I will take her and Brian through and look after her until her brother appears to take her."

"Thank-." I turn to Nuala. "Thank you. Once this is over I'll-. Actually, if you stay with Cernunnos for a couple of days I should be able to fix your remaining injuries."

She freezes up for an instant, then looks at me nervously. "I can't repay you."

"I don't do things for payment. I do them because the universe is the wrong shape and I've made it my life's mission to fix it."

"No, I-. My magic. I must pay my debts."

"Okay, agree to show a couple of friends of mine how to use elf circles and that will be plenty." She hesitates for a moment, then nods nervously. "Thank you." I look to my colleagues. "Everyone ready? We need to pick up Robin and Match before I.. start calling people in."

Kon nods. "I wonder what they found."

M'gann smiles faintly. "Maybe they found the missing British superheroes and we'll have a whole lot more help?"

Robert shakes his head. "Doubt they'd leave Britain even if that was what happened to them." His body shimmers as he activates his enhancements spells. "Okay, ready."

Nuala waves her hands, and there's a faint gust of air from the area around the fair thing. Air pressure equalising, probably.

I generate construct armour and a construct tower shield and stride through.

Ngamer11 · Oct 27, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
"Because Kon-Sten-Tyn bound in to England and Otherworld in perpetuity."

Those should be removed.

Mr Zoat said:
"I don't know. I wouldn't presume to speak for them. Maybe? I'm not sure how you'd have beaten Tlaltecuhtli without me, but you could probably have bypassed her and found Qualpopoca. Found out what Mannheim was doing. Maybe rescued a few people." I sigh. "This is the thing about isolationism: you get used to not engaging with people outside of the island on anything except your terms. You have the highest percentage of superhumans of any nation on the-. On the surface. There are… Lots of things you could do, but…"

I shrug.

"Amazon culture has started to change, and that's great. But the instincts of three thousand years don't change in a couple of years, and the world doesn't pause while that happens. And I'd love to discuss this in more detail, but I need to go. Excuse me."

As much as I hope that this is the kick in the pants that the Amazons need to be more active in reintegrating with the rest of the world, I seriously doubt anything short of the literal death of a few of their gods could get them to do that.

Vaermina · Oct 27, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
"Any spells or magic artefacts tied to the Aztec mythos would stop working entirely. There might be some disruption to other related mythos objects. Will that be a problem?"

"It shouldn't. Not much left from those magic traditions, and most people who learn magic in South America now learn plant magic from Euanthe and Doctor Isley. And I think the world could do with less magic related to human sacrifice. Anything else?"

I feel like LePaul is missing something huge here.

Like some long reaching Aztec spell or bit of magic that he doesn't know about, or maybe some sort of super powerful Aztec arcane seal holding back some ancient evil.

Lord Ernest · Oct 27, 2023

Well, if that's what Mannheim did then things just turned even worse. To my eyes, that afterlife could be also Mesoamerican and not just Aztec, since Tezumak was there. So all across Central America and Mexico magical traditions, spells and effects have just gone poof!

Absorbing all those Mythos, all that magic, essentially a big chunk of the planet's Thaumosphere, could also empower Mannheim to insane degrees. New Gods don't need to jump through hoops to exist in the material world while still being able to exert their metaphysical power, and now Mannheim ate who knows how many gods, their realms and the remaining souls. Usually that's an endgame for a bad guy because at that point, that level of power should make them unstoppable, but to Mannheim this is Plan B and still the means to an end, supposedly.

Chojin Patriarch · Oct 27, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
17th February 2013
19:26 GMT

In the role play game 'Exalted', the land of Creation is split into five elemental poles. In the middle you have the pole of earth, which makes things stable, and to the west you have the pole of water. Near west has a sea with a lot of islands in it as earth and water combine, then as you go further west the islands peter out until it's just sea. Keep going further and things stop making sense as sky and sea sort of merge together.

I wasn't really able to picture what that looked like until now.

Really, the human mind isn't really designed to imagine that sort of thing. We kind of expect things like sea, earth and sky to remain where we expect them to be. And when they don't we tend to get headaches. Especially the physicists and geologists.

Concerned, I turn to Cernunnos to see if he's got any idea what just happened.

"So?"

"Frankly, I'm as lost as you are, mortal. This is a bit beyond my ken."

"It's gone."

I wait a moment to see if there's anything else. It doesn't look like he's doing anything, but as I understand it god type magic is a lot more a part of them than what mortal magicians use.

Well, call him Captain Obvious, then. I suppose his portfolio doesn't really extend to comprehending complex meta-physical transformations of arcane geography.

After a moment he stops staring at the blue nothing and meets my eyes.

"Bast's realm was decaying as the magic within lost contact with Earth. With that restored, it began recovering itself. But even when it was decayed it existed. It is not easy to erase things completely. Normally there would be a wasteland… Relics of their faith here and there… Whispers on the wind."

And now, nothing remains of the Aztec mythos. Besides a few wounded ghosts and one left-over deity.

"And the Aztecs have left nothing at all."

He nods, looking increasingly uncomfortable. "A page torn from the soul of the world."

I shudder to imagine the paperwork for the other divine realms as they deal with a population suddenly bereft of their ancestral ties. Lots of ~~new blood~~ converts to take on, though.

"What would that do to Earth?"

"Any spells or magic artefacts tied to the Aztec mythos would stop working entirely. There might be some disruption to other related mythos objects. Will that be a problem?"

Remind me, did Aztek actually have connections to the Aztecs, or was that just a Luthor thing? I can't think of too many other personages in DC with Aztec links...

"It shouldn't. Not much left from those magic traditions, and most people who learn magic in South America now learn plant magic from Euanthe and Doctor Isley. And I think the world could do with less magic related to human sacrifice. Anything else?"

"I don't know. If it was destroyed then there would be a magic surge, but if Mannheim somehow absorbed it…" He shakes his head. "I need to return to Otherworld as soon as possible. If he is working on something like this in my homeland, the effect will be worse."

Fortunately, most of the Central andSouth American pantheons of empires like the Inca and Maya aren't super closely related (barring some crossover deities.)

Though I wouldn't be surprised if they were giving the former Aztec realm the side-eye and sweating.

"Because Kon-Sten-Tyn bound in to England and Otherworld in perpetuity."

"Yes. So make sure that it does not happen."

Ooh, good point. I wonder what effect this will have on Mexico and its neighbouring lands?

"I'll do my best." I glance down to where everyone who is returning to Earth are gathering to use the fairy circle. "Shall we?"

He nods and then swoops, landing next to Nuala and saying something to her. I follow him down but aim for Queen Hippolyta, who is conversing with Captain Philippus.

At least she's walking now. Though I expect she's still not in great shape. I get the feeling Cluracan will be very overprotective of her for a while... until he gets distracted by something shiny.

"…the gods moved us here."

Philippus shrugs. "It seems clear to me that we were the ones who were supposed to stop Mannheim."

Oh, no. I doubt that was the reasoning behind all this nonsense. What could you do to him? Are you secretly a god?

"Without a way to-." She notices me. "What news?"

"Mannheim appears to have somehow internalised the entirety of the Aztec mythos. That or destroyed it. Problem?"

Please, ladies, don't go doing anything drastic without checking with your gods first?

"We were discussing what aid we could send you. I had thought that the gods wanted us to prevent the heartless from entering the sacred ground of Olympus. If their land is truly gone, then we can send all that we have to aid you. But if there is some other purpose then we would risk weakening our ability to serve it."

Huh. Gods can't just turn up on Earth at full power due to their sheer arcane power not… Fitting. Presumably they could create some sort of… Barrier effect using the same sort of magic, forcing someone to enter their realm at low power. So… The heartless storm Themyscira, which… Anchors..? The low power end? But if the heartless killed the Amazons off then that would gradually push the spell back?

Like a viral attack? Softening the borders to allow a stronger assault?

Logical, but speculative.

And there isn't any way for anyone to assault them from the Aztec afterlife any longer, but there… Is a back way into Themyscira, and if Mannheim sends people through it then the whole things starts up again. And… It sounds harsh, but there isn't anyone on Themyscira that we actually need. Amazons don't leave Themyscira often enough for me to bother including them in my plans.

Cold, but logical. And for the most part, the Amazons can take care of themselves. They weren't having that much trouble with the Aztec zombies, after all.

"We really can't risk anything happening to the Hellenic mythos. I don't know what Mannheim plans, but I think it would be best to stay on guard here. My plan… We should be able to carry out my attack in a couple of days at most."

Queen Hippolyta nods, while Captain Philippus looks mildly put out. "Do you agree that the gods wanted us to defeat Mannheim?"

Again, how, General? Do you have some god-slaying weapon you've been keeping hidden away? Because OL could probably make better use of it right now.

"I don't know. I wouldn't presume to speak for them. Maybe? I'm not sure how you'd have beaten Tlaltecuhtli without me, but you could probably have bypassed her and found Qualpopoca. Found out what Mannheim was doing. Maybe rescued a few people." I sigh. "This is the thing about isolationism: you get used to not engaging with people outside of the island on anything except your terms. You have the highest percentage of superhumans of any nation on the-. On the surface. There are… Lots of things you could do, but…"

I mean, a few dozen demigods in three hundred thousand? Plus the fact that nearly every Amazon is a powerful militia fighter.

I shrug.

"Amazon culture has started to change, and that's great. But the instincts of three thousand years don't change in a couple of years, and the world doesn't pause while that happens. And I'd love to discuss this in more detail, but I need to go. Excuse me."

In other words, 'sort it out yourselves, I have a god to defeat.'

Hippolyta nods thoughtfully, and I skip to the head of the queue where Cernunnos is watching Nuala carefully. I really don't think that she's going to try anything at this stage, but… Maybe he's just concerned?

"Orange Lantern. Nuala will open a portal for you to Castle Baaleskein. After you are through, she will close the portal and open one to Otherworld. I will take her and Brian through and look after her until her brother appears to take her."

Let's hope things don't take too long on that front. surely Robin and Match have their fight finished by now.

"Thank-." I turn to Nuala. "Thank you. Once this is over I'll-. Actually, if you stay with Cernunnos for a couple of days I should be able to fix your remaining injuries."

She freezes up for an instant, then looks at me nervously. "I can't repay you."

Ah, yes. The concept of 'honour debts' so important to Elves. Do one a good turn, and they'll owe you one in kind.

"I don't do things for payment. I do them because the universe is the wrong shape and I've made it my life's mission to fix it."

"No, I-. My magic. I must pay my debts."

And an open-ended thing like this is pretty major. OL asking for nothing leaves a huge karmic weight on her.

"Okay, agree to show a couple of friends of mine how to use elf circles and I'll be plenty." She hesitates for a moment, then nods nervously. "Thank you." I look to my colleagues. "Everyone ready? We need to pick up Robin and Match before I.. start calling people in."

Kon nods. "I wonder what they found."

Probably figuring she's getting off easy on that front.

M'gann smiles faintly. "Maybe they found the missing British superheroes and we'll have a whole lot more help?"

Robert shakes his head. "Doubt they'd leave Britain even if that was what happened to them." His body shimmers as he activates his enhancements spells. "Okay, ready."

If nothing else, I suspect some of the overseas heroes might laugh at their concepts.

Seriously, not all British capes were invented with seriousness in mind.

Nuala waves her hands, and there's a faint gust of air from the area around the fair thing. Air pressure equalising, probably.

I generate construct armour and a construct tower shield and stride through.

Not taking any chances this time, eh, OL?

Things could get noisy at their destination, especially if the robot army is still fighting. Still, four A-tier heroes will turn the tide quite quickly. And with any luck, OL can get in touch with the league and update them on what the fuck has gone down in the last couple of days. Because these last couple of episodes have been one day in-universe. OL's never gonna lose that 'jinx' reputation at this rate...

Shouldn't Cernunnos' dialogue be Bolded, or has he lost a little volume in Themyscira?

"Because Kon-Sten-Tyn bound in to England and Otherworld in perpetuity."

"Because Kon-Sten-Tyn bound it to England and Otherworld in perpetuity."

Cuchulin · Oct 27, 2023

Chojin Patriarch said:
Fortunately, most of the South American pantheons of empires like the Inca and Maya aren't related. Though I wouldn't be surprised if they were giving the former Aztec realm the side-eye and sweating.

Sorry to correct you but...
1. The Mayan's are Central American like the Aztecs.
2. The Mayan's while not exactly related did share the god Quetzalcoatl/Kukulkan and I think a bunch of other gods with the Atecs as well as both groups religions being very focused on offering human blood/human lives to the gods. Most Central America peoples had the Feathered Serpent as part of their pantheon and shared other important bits of culture like the Mesoamerican ballgame where the losing team or maybe just their Captain risked being a sacrifice to the gods.

Vaermina · Oct 27, 2023

Chojin Patriarch said:
Again, how, General? Do you have some god-slaying weapon you've been keeping hidden away? Because OL could probably make better use of it right now.

Can't say for sure, but in most settings they have at least a couple stored away for Hades/Ares emergencies.

Of course, he would probably have to ask about them. Or at least participate in a non-lecturing conversation long enough for them to volunteer the information.

Duke Long · Oct 27, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
I wait a moment to see if there's anything else. It doesn't look like he's doing anything, but as I understand it god type magic is a lot more a part of them than what mortal magicians use.

'god-type'?

Mr Zoat said:
"And the Aztecs have left nothing at all."

He nods, looking increasingly uncomfortable. "A page torn from the soul of the world."

Did even Tlaltehcuhtli die? I guess Mannheim still had her original heart?

Mr Zoat said:
"I'll do my best." I glance down to where everyone who is returning to Earth are gathering to use the fairy circle. "Shall we?"

'is gathering'

Mr Zoat said:
"Okay, agree to show a couple of friends of mine how to use elf circles and I'll be plenty."

'it'll'?

Lord Ernest · Oct 27, 2023

Cuchulin said:
Sorry to correct you but...
1. The Mayan's are Central American like the Aztecs.
2. The Mayan's while not exactly related did share the god Quetzalcoatl/Kukulkan and I think a bunch of other gods with the Atecs as well as both groups religions being very focused on offering human blood/human lives to the gods. Most Central America peoples had the Feathered Serpent as part of their pantheon and shared other important bits of culture like the Mesoamerican ballgame where the losing team or maybe just their Captain risked being a sacrifice to the gods.

This is part of the reason why I'm suspecting that Mannheim may have eaten the whole conglomerate of Mesoamerican Mythos. Tezumak is the other. He's supposed to be pre-Aztec Mesoamerican, so possibly Olmec, or a precursor to those. By virtue of being among the first civilizations to develop in the region, they also influenced the civilizations that came after them. Tezumak's presence in that afterlife means that their Mythos may have been inherited as well, so other Mesoamerican Pantheons may be interconnected or at least in contact with each other. Especially when they even share Gods, with practically no difference (unlike with Hepheastus and Vulcan, whom may have differences that separate and distinguish them).

Tlazolteotl was even trying to contact Bast, probably as a trap, so that Mannheim could extend the scheme. So more than likely they had already captured the other related gods nearby by that point.

Mr Zoat · Oct 27, 2023

Ngamer11 said:
Those should be removed.

Thank you, corrected.

As much as I hope that this is the kick in the pants that the Amazons need to be more active in reintegrating with the rest of the world, I seriously doubt anything short of the literal death of a few of their gods could get them to do that.

They are doing it, just really slowly.

Chojin Patriarch said:
Shouldn't Cernunnos' dialogue be Bolded, or has he lost a little volume in Themyscira?

Me said:
I don't know what Mannheim plans

Duke Long said:
'god-type'?
'it'll'?

Thank you, corrected.

'is gathering'

No, I think that's correct.

WereDragon · Oct 27, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
"My plan… We should be able to carry out my attack in a couple of days at most."

Wonder how many more chapters, each with their own delays and distractions, will be fitting into those 'couple of days'.
This sodding arc has been going on for more than a year real-time and about one and a half months in-universe. I have long since given up hope on it ending any time soon.

Handlewithcare · Oct 27, 2023

Actually, aren't a lot of them moms by now? Paul did, uh, fertilize(?) a lot of them.

If they have a lot of babies to protect that might make them even more isolationist currently.

(Also, was it only female babies? I don't remember)

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

Veteran Lurker

Versed in the lewd.

Well worn.

Experienced.

Well worn.

This is filth! FILTH!!

Experienced.

Well worn.

Dedicated ragequitter

Lord of nonsense

Know what you're doing yet?

Connoisseur.

Connoisseur.

Dedicated ragequitter

Experienced.

Dedicated ragequitter

Glomerulus

Dedicated ragequitter

Dedicated ragequitter

Experienced.

Well worn.

At the End...

Veteran Lurker

Versed in the lewd.

Well worn.

Glomerulus

At the End...

Dedicated ragequitter

Bookwyrm

Versed in the lewd.

Users who are viewing this thread