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

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Ngamer11 said:
Mr Zoat, off-topic, but you have added characters that were originally from Vertigo and Milestone and were later added to DC. Will we also see Wildstorm characters in your work in the future? I can see Paul helping Gen13 and Grayven helping DV8.
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We've already seen Wildstorm characters in this story, just not people from the main Wildstorm universe.

All those british supers are from the Wildstorm production Albion, and the Boys are a Wildstorm book.
 
Angelic (part 13)
28th January
12:47 GMT -5

"…similar incidents of arson." Kaldur's team has had worse luck than we have. "Cornwall Boy is attempting to determine the form of magic used."

Left hand to my left ear, I look around the blasted street. Mr Quinn is now standing on what's left of the upper floor of the massage parlour, trying to gain a thorough reading on the magics still present in the building. Fire doesn't just burn things. When it comes to magical traces even normal fire has an unfortunate habit of 'purifying' things. The forensics team had already removed samples of Devil Jizz, but the shrine's gone. And I doubt very much that its destruction matters as far as Ms Bowen's pact is concerned, but without a trace on Triskele actually doing anything about it just got that much harder.

"Doctor Fate confirmed my belief that we were dealing with conjured fire. If it's the same person attacking each site, getting a read on the magic will actually be quite hard. He'll-."

"The point at which the conjuration occurred will be the only place where the magic can be felt."

I nod. "The person I saw was about a mile up. Female, and… Either blonde, or they had a fiery corona around their head. Didn't get time to really focus on them."

"Make that another place."

"Robin, what have you found?"

"Someone's burned down a circle forty feet wide in the Shenandoah National Park. I guess that explains why Tempest had trouble finding it. Hold on."

"Orange Lantern, are you aware of any fire-using metahumans in this part of America?"

"No. But I've sent a message to Vincent Edge at the Alliance in case they know something I don't. Flight and fire isn't a particularly rare combination. A competent magic user could probably manage both."

"An Atlantean could not."

"I'm not… Sure. How many Atlanteans experiment with fire magic on the surface? Atlanteans learn enough general theory that I'd be surprised if they couldn't make it work."

"It is not that simple. The magic used to enable us to live beneath the waves makes it difficult for us to use spells associated with other classical elements."

I frown. "Even for Purebloods?"

"If anything, they are affected more strongly."

"Guys, we.. may have another problem. Whoever burned the forest left a message. They.. burned an 'S' into the ground."

"They're not doing the crazy Gotham clue-leaving thing, are they?"

"No, an 'S' as in 'Superman'."

"In a shield?"

"No, on its own."

"The Kryptonian character doesn't just mean 'Superman'. It can be a reference to House El more generally, or in isolation mean 'hope' or 'resurrection'."

"None of those really fit a demon cult."

"Resurrection might. Thana and I have been pretty clear about what happens to someone who dies without making afterlife provisions. There are demons who are prepared to release people from Hell, if the price is right."

"No, that still doesn't make sense. Why would they use the Kryptonian letter, rather than runes or diagrams?" He pauses for a moment. "Can Kryptonians use magic?"

"According to Har-Zod, if they can, no magic tradition survived to the modern era. But he didn't have good information on Earth. We have a far more thaumically active environment than Krypton did. But I don't think that any of the kryptonians on Earth know enough about magic to make the attempt."

"Oh El, how many kryptonians-" I wince. "-are there on Earth?"

"One more than most people know about, but I doubt that they were involved. They wouldn't be this sloppy. And I don't believe that they know anything about magic."

"Could they know someone who does?"

"During my one conversation with them, they were emphatic about not wanting contact with anyone who knew their identity. And as far as I could see, their only real desire was to live out their life in peace. Getting involved with a demon would be radically out of character."

Richard goes quiet for a moment. "Do kryptonians go to Heaven?"

"They probably can, but I doubt that kryptonians are there rather than in their own afterlife at the moment. If someone was trying to resurrect a kryptonian then they would probably have to go to the Rao system and try there."

"I do not believe that there is any purpose in investigating a single symbol burned into the forest, especially when the symbol is so well known." I nod at Kaldur's conclusion. "Orange Lantern, continue to aid the police in investigating the women you have in custody. Robin, do you have any further leads to follow?"

"Yeah, I'm going to see if I can track down the people who came out here. They might just have been here to get high, but if there are any kind of long term effects to being exposed to Hell Juice we need to find them. How's your investigation going?"

"The fires have destroyed any physical evidence. We are now here in case the police require our assistance with combating DMN users."

"And whoever's creating the fires. I'll contact you again if Fate finds anything. Orange Lantern out."

I lower my hand, then fly over to Mr Quinn. Seeing me coming, he flies up toward where I saw our attacker.

"I have found nothing but Aquagirl's magic. I can only hope that the fire caster left a trace I can find."

"If we had to fight Triskele, what are our chances?"

"She slew an archangel in single combat during the War in Heaven. But she has marinated in hellish magic since then. If Angelica is with us, I am confident we will prevail." He stops in the air. "If we can bring her onto the Earth."

"And if we can't?"

Mr Quinn looks down, and judging us far enough away from any listeners he abandons Nabu's speech pattern. "Then we'll have to go back into Hell and talk someone into telling us where she is. Or wait until her deal runs out." He raises his hands. "Now. Let's see if I can talk the light into showing me what that woman who tried setting us on fire looked like."

Golden lights twinkle around his hands, then coalesce in the air in front of him in the vague shape of a woman. He points his hands at it and the image comes more into focus. Shoulder length hair, slim arms and legs, generous bust with relatively narrow hips. More prominent cheekbones than Kara. Midriff-baring t-shift, short skirt, face…

"Ring, search databases for a facial match."

"No close match found."

Drat. "Is that a cape?"

"Yeah."

"Demon hunting vigilante?" He shrugs. "Can you add colour?"

"I'll try."

He rotates his hands, and… Blotches of colour appear over the still sharp image. I.. think she was wearing a female superman costume. The t-shirt is blue and the red blob is in the right place for an 'S'. The skirt is red, as are the boots which Kara wouldn't be caught dead in. Still isn't Kara herself. Was someone.. trying to pretend that Kara was going on a killing spree? That would be stupid if they were. Even Lex Luthor hasn't tried something like that in years. People aren't quite stupid enough to believe that a costumed hero is going to suddenly turn on people for no reason, not when most costumes aren't hard to copy.

Mr Quinn lowers his hands and the image fades. "Good enough?"

"I'll let the police know. Something.. very strange is going on here."
 
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Ngamer11 said:
Mr Zoat, off-topic, but you have added characters that were originally from Vertigo and Milestone and were later added to DC. Will we also see Wildstorm characters in your work in the future? I can see Paul helping Gen13 and Grayven helping DV8.
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It's not impossible, but it is unlikely. I simply don't know those characters well enough.
 
Mr Zoat said:
"…similar incidents of arson." Kaldur's team has had worse luck than we have. "Cornwall Boy is attempting to determine the form of magic used."
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Hoo boy. Someone really doesn't want them finding anything useful.

Fire doesn't just burn things. When it comes to magical traces even normal fire has an unfortunate habit of 'purifying' things.
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Mystically appropriate, even if it's really annoying at this moment.

"Make that another places."
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"Make that another place."

"Orange Lantern, are you aware of any fire-using metahumans in this part of America?"
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Volcana isn't local, certainly...

"It is not that simple. The magic used to enable us to live beneath the waves makes it difficult for us to use spells associated with other classical elements."
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Fascinating...

"If anything, they are affected more strongly."
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Very fascinating. An intentional effect of the transformation spell, or an accidental side-effect?

"No, on its own."
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Odd, most people doing a Superman symbol would have made the pentagonal shield, not knowing the significance.

"None of those really fit a demon cult."
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But they do fit someone caught up by it in need of rescue.

"Oh El, how many kryptonians-" I wince. "-are there on Earth?"
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This would have been asked sooner or later...

"During my one conversation with them, there were emphatic...
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"During my one conversation with them, they were emphatic...

especially when the symbol is so well know."
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especially when the symbol is so well known."

"If we had to fight Triskele, what are our chances?"
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Slim to none, most likely.

Golden lights twinkle around his hands, then coalesce in the air in front of him in the vague shape of a woman. He points his hands at it and the image comes more into focus. Shoulder length hair, slim arms and legs, generous bust with relatively narrow hips. More prominent cheekbones than Kara. Midriff-baring t-shift, short skirt, face…
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Oh, that's a familiar silhouette...

He rotates his hands, and… Blotches of colour appear over the still sharp image. I.. think she was wearing a female superman costume. The t-shirt is blue and the red blob is in the right place for an 'S'. The skirt is red, as are the boots which Kara wouldn't be caught dead in.
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So, sort of a hybrid of classic Kara and Linda Danvers costumes. Or the post-Infinite-Crisis costume...

That was be stupid if they were.
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That would be stupid if they were.

Even Lex Luthor hasn't tried something like that in years. People aren't quite stupid enough to believe that a costumed hero is going to suddenly turn on people for no reason, not when most costumes aren't hard to copy.
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At least people aren't that stupid. Even if a tiny mask can fool them.

"I'll let the police know. Something.. very strange is going on here."
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Understatement of the year, OL.

This is getting really weird now... A lookalike for Supergirl, despite the fact she isn't an active hero yet...
 
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Mr Zoat said:
"She slew an archangel in single combat during the War in Heaven."
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Well well well...
Vaermina said:
Because Constantine reading something in a book means it must be true! :rolleyes:

Fact is we see how "powerful" she actually was, and she wouldn't even match up to mid ranking demon.
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Now we have the testimony of a skilled magic user who has access to one of the most powerful sources of Order magic on the planet.

A skilled magic user who has spent a considerable amount of time in a house which includes, among other things, the former library of a immortal, millennia-old magic expert.

Would you like a fork for those words?
 
Mr Zoat said:
"According to Har-Zod, if they can, no magic tradition survived to the modern era. But he didn't have good information on Earth. We have a far more thaumically active environment than Krypton did. But I don't think that any of the kryptonians on Earth know enough about magic to make the attempt."
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The Children of Juru would beg to differ.
 
Chojin Patriarch said:
"Make that another places."
"Make that another place."
"During my one conversation with them, there were emphatic...
"During my one conversation with them, they were emphatic...
especially when the symbol is so well know."
especially when the symbol is so well known."
That was be stupid if they were.
That would be stupid if they were.
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Thank you, corrected.
 
Buggy123 said:
Well well well...

Now we have the testimony of a skilled magic user who has access to one of the most powerful sources of Order magic on the planet.

A skilled magic user who has spent a considerable amount of time in a house which includes, among other things, the former library of a immortal, millennia-old magic expert.

Would you like a fork for those words?
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I am trying very hard not to laugh right now given you rather obviously have no idea who that person actually is.
 
Vaermina said:
I am trying very hard not to laugh right now given you rather obviously have no idea who that person actually is.
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Yes yes yes, it's technically a sorta-Constantine except with a different nationality from some specific tv show.

Point is, he's now someone who knows what the fuck he's talking about.

He's the guy who helped plan OL's invasion into hell, the guy who used his magic hell-seeing orb to do extensive research on hell and the things in it, while planing to invade and take out a major demon lord. Research that almost certainly included learning the basics about the other demon lords.

That Constantine.
 
Mr Zoat said:
"I'm not… Sure. How many Atlanteans experiment with fire magic on the surface? Atlanteans learn enough general theory that I'd be surprised if they couldn't make it work."

"It is not that simple. The magic used to enable us to live beneath the waves makes it difficult for us to use spells associated with other classical elements."

I frown. "Even for Purebloods?"

"If anything, they are affected more strongly."
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Paul already knows that, Sephtian explained it to him
Mr Zoat said:
"What do I think?" Sephtian quivers in place. I still don't entirely understand his body language, but it doesn't look like the good kind of quivering to me. "I think that it is the most terrifying arcane object I have ever seen and I will thank you to take it a very long way away from me."

I lift the Spear of Destiny from the props he was using to keep it in the mana field reader. "I can do that. What exactly is it about it that is so terrifying?"

He actually backs away a little as I move away from the equipment. "So much of how magic works… In the wild, is about conceptual connections. It is why we Atlanteans find it far easier to manipulate water than fire and... It is why it is often necessary to have an object precious to a person in order to use curses on them from a great distance." For a moment he stills. "That is not.. quite true, but it is a lie that is not completely inaccurate."
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Ganurath said:
No, she has lightning powers, and in this continuity the subject of her namesake is Paul.
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And not even that, as he unwittingly derailed her becoming a villainess by getting her an interview with himself and a couple other heroes that boosted her career.

She probably still has the coins that would give her powers, but thus far it hasn't appeared that she's felt the urge/need to use them.
 
Vaermina said:
That's just Matrix.

This is the Supergirl in question.
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Huh.....something stuck out in that link under Earth-Born Angel bit.

"She also discovered that she could teleport in a S-shaped burst of flame."

I think that covers Robin's find.

She bamf'ed her way across the world, burning things with a demonic taint.

So we have:
-Buzz
-Linda Danvers
-A Linda Danvers/Matrix looking person with Flame/Flying powers.
Considering the lack of evidence for Matrix in this world, short of universe hopping, we're looking at the Earth Born Angel side of things without her.

I figure that Linda was in the cult with buzz, somehow awakened her angelic powers. Likely during the whole angelic invasion, as they did seem to strike at demonic presences during that period. Also Zauriel himself makes an appearance in the original story covering his explanation of what the Earth Born Angels actually are, parts of God's feminine side, kept within the earth, and reincarnated throughout history (the Earth part makes me wonder...Gaia ? The White Light Entity? the actual "Shechina" ? or just another archangel getting by with humans again?)

Burning things that could be connected to Buzz could be her going after her former cult leader for trying to sacrifice her. Buzz might have been the supplier of the book, and other items burned. She's not wiping evidence so much as cleaning up all the dangerous stuff Buzz has left laying around. Likely been leaving it out as part of some Hell scheme to propagate demonic magics and powers now that the world is waking up to the fact that magic exists (Thanks to OL).

Only thing really left is....is she actually wearing a supergirl S on her chest? Why?

Is she wearing it because she, having suddenly found herself in a role of a hero, wanted to use Kal-El as an example and reminder? Is there an actual Kryptonian cult out there? (DC's used them a bunch, particularly around the resurrection stuff)

Or maybe she was just a fan girl and thought it looks cute?

With those boots....I think I'll go with the latter.
 
There's maybe some interesting parallels with Proty, from Silver Age Legion of Superheroes? I suspect ideas from that went into Matrix, though you might say, shape-shifters, and created beings, have a hard time in DC. But, then so does everyone else...

Are angels (and demons) in this setting effectively souls, beings made of magic, which may or may not have some physicality as well? Or, magic faking-up physicality?
 
Buggy123 said:
Forget the boots, what person flies with a skirt? Does she want that to be the first thing people see whenever she's above them?
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Depending on how much she's the Linda who was corrupted by Buzz, yes. Alternatively, she may be wearing shorts under her skirt, or just not care. Female flyers in skirts are very common in comics, whatever their Watsonian reasons.
 
Unlimited Harem Works said:
Who's trislele again?
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Triskele was/is the mother of succubae, Zoat provided a helpful link earlier:
Mr Zoat said:
"How long ago did you make your pact with Triskele?"
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The tl;dr version is that she's a vicious and greedy schemer, but not necessarily a big fish compared to some of the other things you might meet at the crossroads if you're unlucky.
Oh, and she also looks like a long skeletal snake with a woman's head.

And boy, Matrix's story line seems convoluted even by comic book standards. I could barely make sense of it, even with the wiki.
 
HereforZooat said:
That's saying something different. Sephtian is saying that Atlanteans find manipulating water easier than they do fire. Tula is saying that being an Atlantean actively impedes the ability to learn non-water elementalism.
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He also mentions that this is a result of conceptual connections, most likely from them being Atlanteans.
 
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Vaermina said:
The Children of Juru would beg to differ.
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Indeed.

But admittedly, the only surviving member of their order, Thul-Kar, is likely currently trapped in the Phantom Zone after sending himself there to escape Krypton's demise, unlike his fellows who apparently committed ritual suicide. Poor guy tried to get out eventually, but...

Well, let's hope Superman manages to free him from that horrible purgatory along with all others who don't deserve such a fate!
 
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