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

Discussion in 'Creative Writing' started by Mr Zoat, Jan 27, 2019.

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  1. Cuchulin

    Cuchulin Versed in the lewd.

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    That is something more people should do.
     
  2. LurkingInTheDeceit

    LurkingInTheDeceit “Brave” explorer treading “New” land

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    Yes they should and thank you for doing so, honestly relieved.
     
  3. goricnac

    goricnac I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    Every time I see a construct Lantern I think of Teekl and get sad
     
  4. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    Me too buddy, me too...

    And Fatty and Chubs, the two most prominent praexis demons, also had their own charms.
     
  5. RichardWhereat

    RichardWhereat Aia airëa Fëanáro.

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    She shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old:
    Age shall not weary her, nor the years condemn.
    At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
    We will remember her.



    Teekl
    Lest we forget.
    2011/07/02

    We all miss him. What happened was an act of pure monstrosity. No wonder Paul went down a dark road after that.
     
  6. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    I think Teeks was a girl.
     
  7. RichardWhereat

    RichardWhereat Aia airëa Fëanáro.

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    That's what I said. Yep. Her.
     
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  8. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    Missed a spot here.

     
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  9. RichardWhereat

    RichardWhereat Aia airëa Fëanáro.

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    Thank you, fixed.
     
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  10. Onion

    Onion Making the rounds.

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    Bit late today, is zoat okay?
     
  11. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    Let's hope so.
     
  12. AverusBlack

    AverusBlack AKA Aisling

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    I've been following this story since 2014 now, when chapters are late it tends to be because Zoat couldn't get access to the internet or something like that. He's pretty fastidious about posting on his schedule. If somethings come up we'll probably see a post from him today explaining what's going on, at the least.
     
  13. Threadmarks: Faed Away (part 11)
    Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    5th May
    02:59 GMT -5


    Canis lets Brut lead him inside the main… Beamhouse? Inside of Smyth's Tannery, and nods as the dog makes a sort of gurgling growl at one of the liming vats.

    "Yes, I see it." He looks around with a mild frown. "Odd that they only used one, but then I suppose they were pursuing the mindless-"

    He pulls out his mace and smashes it into the wooden side of the vat!

    "-dead." "Strike the Lies."

    The wood cracks, and for a moment I see gallons of putrid fluid stream towards us..! Which then fades out, leaving a gap in the beamhouse and a hole in the floor about two metres across.

    And neither my empathic vision looking for emotional resonances nor my ring's scans could tell the difference. I.. wonder if it's possible for a human to become a New God? If it is, that might cover my… Not 'weakness' exactly, but the.. hole in my strengths? I'll ask later.

    Canis moves to the edge of the hole and looks down the vertical shaft. The floorboards have been… Gnawed? And the soil which makes up the first few metres is being held in place by more of the lichen. At least it wasn't acid-melted, but that does mean that the spine riders are either cooperating with another type of Sheeda creature or are perfectly capable of suborning non-humans.

    I take a moment to try scanning for skin cells, air movements, footprints… Yes, there are a few things which suggest that they might have come this way, but Canis's blow hasn't removed all of the effect of their warding.

    "Is this where they left, or just where they came in?"

    "The trail is clear to me. Here they came, and here they left."

    "Could they be deceiving you?"

    "If they were deceiving me, how would I know?" He shrugs. "If you had asked me before I came to Earth, I would have cut you down like the Lowlie you appear as. But if I later considered the question, I would have concluded that only another New God could disguise things from my senses. But the Earth has shown me many strange things."

    "I suppose it doesn't matter. Do you know if the Spine Riders can affect you? Or Brut?"

    Canis cranes his head forward and points to his heavy gorget with his right hand.

    "I added this to my armour in preparation for this mission. And-" He pats Brut's collar. "-so long as I live, this shall serve as well. They may be able to take control of individual nerves… Perhaps. But then they are within striking range. Now forward!"

    Brut leaps, clearing the lip and twisting as he enters a shaft just big enough to fit him! He turns as his claws scrabble on the lichen on the far side and then.. dashes down, his claws finding just enough purchase to keep him anchored to the interior wall.

    I thought I was over my vertigo. Apparently I was wrong.

    I don my armour and fly after him face first, orange light shining from my body lighting up the interior of the shaft. Of course, most of what I can see is the back end of a giant dog, but it should give me at least a little warning of an oncoming attack as Brut dashes down at terminal velocity-.

    "Where is your joy, Lantern? Does this not fire your blood even slightly?"

    "No."

    "Bah! Does nothing excite you?"

    "Plenty of things excite me. Cleaning up the mess caused by someone else's egotism isn't one of them."

    "Hah! You must invite Cheshire to the Mountain! I wish to see how you change in her presence!"

    Brut makes a loop of the tunnel's interior as it bends and levels out, going from running on what would have been the new ceiling to the floor.

    "I'll mention it to her."

    No ladder, I note. Spine Riders can fly, but they can't carry their hosts. Or at least I've never seen them do so. So did another creature help them down? Columbians don't fly, and Sheeda only fly on the backs of their beasts.

    The tunnel doesn't branch, so they must have brought everyone they took to that one tannery and brought them here. Spine Rider hosts only move as fast as they normally do, so they're reduced to human running pace while Canis and I are much-

    Canis strikes the side of the tunnel with his mega rod and the tunnel ahead of us bursts into flame! Ring-!

    Oh.

    The flames are about 2000oC, which while extremely dangerous to human flesh doesn't do a thing to Canis, Brut or me as they wash harmlessly over us. So that wasn't intended to hold us off.

    -faster.

    I take a moment to look at the lichen-covering of the tunnel. No, that isn't affected by the flame either. I-

    "Master." The wraith flies level with me. "My host form was destroyed. I may take another at your command."

    I doubt that was intentional, but it does show how much more fragile than Canis and me the Spine Riders are. Unless it was keyed with some sort of bypass spell? It also implies that the ones puppetting the grundywomen weren't supposed to return, or at least not return this way.

    I draw the wraith back into my ring.

    "Canis, Apokoliptian Fire Pits. Does anything grow in them?"

    "Some strange creatures live around the edge. And there are tunnel-living Lowlies who live close to them. What of them?"

    "I was thinking that we could use this lichen as a heat-resistant building material."

    "Ah, a living world? An entire planet, alive and yet in constant pain, continuing to exist only by inflicting that same pain on others. Has the beauty of the vision enraptured you as well?"

    "No."

    "I wonder if the Queen is Apokoliptian. I have seen none of our technology, but the signs of a thing are not the thing in itself."

    Scrub that idea.

    We're heading… Further inland, into the areas the Columbians haven't settled yet. It's a little strange that they've generally grown their country back towards the lands their forebears fled from rather than away from them, but I suppose I can understand rallying your people against a known threat. It's not a sensible decision, but I can understand it.

    If I were a Spine Rider, what would I want out of life? Unlike Star Conquerors they're not helpless without hosts, even in maggot form. I… Think I'd want to use my ability to achieve a goal, but… I wouldn't want to be stuck on a host full-time. Of course, that assumes that Spine Riders have human-equivalent intelligence, which given their tiny craniums seems unlikely.

    Maggots can and will eat anything alive. To sustain a population, Spine Riders need enough for them to eat, and it wouldn't be practical for them to farm or hunt conventionally themselves… Host bodies as well-tended tools? Unless they're compelled to obey Melmoth or the Queen in some way…

    Not enough information.

    "Lantern! We just tripped a warding glyph! They know that we pursue them!"

    Hardly surprising.

    Far ahead of us I can see a light, but the tunnel hasn't turned up and there aren't any canyons in the area. Let's see what they've been building down here.
     
    Last edited: Sep 13, 2020
  14. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    Thank you, corrected.
    Much as I'd like to claim it was something like that, I got into a HoIIV OWB pony playthrough and then it was two and a half hours later.

    Edit: Completed. Arch Dornan now rules the Land of Friendship as Governor with every state as a core.
     
    Last edited: Sep 12, 2020
  15. Finagle007

    Finagle007 [Verified Great Old One]

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    Paul, no. Don't go and do that, that's Grayven's thing!
     
  16. TheMidnightRook

    TheMidnightRook Well worn.

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    Should be they

    Should be here

    Should just be cut
     
  17. Handlewithcare

    Handlewithcare Versed in the lewd.

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    All hail Paul! New god of cakes!

    I have the bad...good...bad feeling that Canis and Melmoth woukd get along like an apokalyptian firepit on fire.
     
  18. AverusBlack

    AverusBlack AKA Aisling

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    Ah, but in the end, you did post. When I wrote that I was thinking of the times you lost access to the net. Checking this story when I get up in the morning has been my routine for awhile now and I can remember fewer occasions you've missed your schedule than I have fingers on one hand in the last six years.
     
  19. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    Maybe add 'the wooden'

    Maybe just 'Earth'

    Maybe 'on the'
     
  20. BlueMangoAdea

    BlueMangoAdea Alive. For now.

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    I don't think Paul would be able to turn himself into a god the "conventional" way, due to his unique soul structure. He's already on a slower and unique path to apotheosis, I think.
     
  21. Ngamer11

    Ngamer11 Experienced.

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    It should say 'they'.
     
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  22. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    'do a thing'
     
  23. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    True, but the New Gods may be able to greatly help him with his soul and powers. They have extensive knowledge of such things so it may be useful.

    Who knows, maybe Metron will be interested in seeing a being as unique as Paul and discover how he works, and Paul gains some juicy new knowledge during that.
     
  24. BlueMangoAdea

    BlueMangoAdea Alive. For now.

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    He already displayed some New God-like abilities, right? Refining those abilities would definitely be nice.
     
  25. Chojin Patriarch

    Chojin Patriarch Veteran Lurker

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    Amazed he could smell anything over the uric acid, eh? Seriously, tanneries stink something fierce! Then again, he doesn't sound happy...

    His God-head seeing through an illusion? Helpful. Brut's a good boy.

    Huh. I suppose that's one way to discourage investigation. Use literal shit and piss to cover it up.

    Heh. Amusing on a meta level. You have to wonder what form his Godname would take, though.I get the feeling there would be hissing and scales involved...

    Still, handy that he can just bash apart spellcraft like that. The next part is likely to be nasty, however...

    Great, so they're basically diving down a sewer drain. An absurdly large sewer, no less. Videogame cliches for the win.

    Oh, boy... And the Sheeda do have access to Apokoliptian technology, though I doubt it would deign to activate for them.

    Planning ahead, I see. Looks like he's learnt something from Batman;s lectures. :p

    Love that logic. It's on the level of "We're surrounded? Good! Charge!"

    I suspect it's more the effect of a dark place with no end in sight. The same sort of thing you get in deep water where you can't see the bottom.

    Joy? This is work, Canis. This is OL's Day Job: Saving lives and smiting fools.

    Come now, don't you remember the games of Unnatural Selection? All manner of things excite OL. But fighting? Not one of them. Because it's a waste of time and resources.

    Canis, please. He's British. One of the few British things he's good at is reserved behaviour.

    :D Wheeee! Hell of a roller coaster!

    I swear, if there's some manner of spider-like beasts carrying the people...

    Damn, more magical defences? How paranoid are these Sheeda-spawn?

    Might have made a mess of anyone without magical protection or forcefields. Like, say, the average Witch Hunter.

    OL, no. The Lichen is not suitable for repurposing. Stop that right now.

    But something had to have laid the traps... You've got more than Spine Riders running around down here, it seems.

    Oh, goddammit...

    Argh! OL, no! You stop making plans to make use of the rampantly aggressive extra-normal biohazard right now, man!

    ...Goddammit, Canis... :confused: Please don't switch sides, please don't switch sides...

    Well, at least the Father Box they apparently have hasn't been helping them any.

    Of course, the settlers probably consider themselves the first line of warning of any attack from that direction. And the lands in the other direction may be less hospitable.

    More likely the organic equivalent of simple programming or AI, set to simple tasks but possessing the ability to coordinate with others.

    That's almost guaranteed, judging by the way they've been acting.

    ...And they know you're coming. Couldn't have smacked that one with your rod, dog-boy? <facepalm>

    Probably something gruesome. Let's hope there aren't actually any Grues down there.

    Ah, working with Canis is always such a treat, isn't it? His.. unique.. outlook on life brings us such fascinating insights... Still, at least they're on the trail. Let's hope they don't pull a Solo and run into more than they can handle.

    He turns as his claws scrabble...

    Godspeech in a Paragon segment? How rare!
    Completely understandable, I think. There's always "One more turn..." or "One more quest..."
     
  26. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    Brut may actually be happy.

    Remember he grew up on Apokalips, which has enough pollution to make Earth seem clean, so he's probably used to it and actually considers it like being home.

    Paul's god name may honestly be Illustres.

    Canis called him thay before he went to Earth-14 and during the first April Fools episode he introduced himself to Celestia as Illustres.

    If the Sheeda do have a Father Box them it may honestly work for them.

    Remember one worked for renegade, and the Sheeda are evil magic users, so they may have gotten it to work and it doesn't mind since they're basically another version of Apokaliptians.

    People can find joy in their work.

    Paul is also good at doing the British thing of making himself feel superior to other people by quoting books that many of them have never even read, and that somehow means they are inferior to him in some way.

    (Sorry my replies are like this. I'm using my phone and it's not as easy as a laptop)
     
  27. jasonh23761

    jasonh23761 Not too sore, are you?

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    Especially with OWB, I’ve often found myself thinking “I’ll go to bed once I win this war.” Needless to say that just about never happens. Just such a great mod.
     
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  28. Doccer

    Doccer I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    Is this where they left, or just where they came in?"

    "The trail is clear to me. Here they came, and here they left."
     
  29. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    Thank you, corrected.
    I think he'd say it like that.
    Thank you, corrected.
    It was The Black Lodge. At some point I'm going to play as the OPonies great enemy just to find out how it's different from The Crimson Acolytes.
     
  30. DrThoth

    DrThoth I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    He should already know it's possible, after the whole incident with The Key. That was a story/subplot I liked, but the lack of intellectual interest from Paragon about it as a possible means of uplift for people is still a bit grating (heaven and hell forbid any of the heroes are interested in pursuing the implications, but I never had expectations for them in the first place).

    If Canis called him Illustres then, I feel like he should keep doing that now instead of 'Lantern', a recognition of Paragon's Rank.

    So Renegade would be the Clarissi? I don't think I've heard anyone address him with that title.
     
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