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

Chojin Patriarch · Oct 11, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
17th February 2013
18:09 GMT

**Brian!**

Hm?

Ah, two of the parties make contact, if only by accident. I get the feeling whatever OL's group were talking about, it's about to be put on the back-burner. Because this is about to become a rescue mission.

**Yes, little one. I hear you.**

Oh dear. That was M'gann, and from the faint glow coming from my amulet an Anti-Life-aligned goddess heard her broadcast and butted in.

Neatly summarised, OL. Naturally, this little incident is a bad thing.

**More hearts ready for harvesting.**

**M'gann, can you hear me?**

Probably louder and more clearly than anything, given OL's natural knack for telepathy.

**Paul?! Where are you?**

**Mictlampa. No idea where I am relative to your position. How-?**

Since last he saw them, they were back in the Celtic Otherworld.

**Tezumak! A bunch of his suits of armour have a magic portal to Otherwold! And whoever made them, they're behind the kidnappings!**

**Rightoh.** Philippus frowns at me as she spots that I'm not focusing on what Qualpopoca is saying. "Talking to Miss Martian in my head."

Ah, yes. The joy of not everyone being in on the telepathic network.

Qualpopoca just stares, but Philippus nods and Kon-.

**How'd you get here?**

I mean, just randomly saying that would no doubt sound odd. Especially if Qualpopoca isn't familiar with the concept of telepathy.

**There's a portal in Otherworld. It links to ah-.**

**M'gann?**

Ah, that would be Kon joining the call.

**I'm okay, the Aztec robots chasing me just nearly hit me.**

"Qualpopoca, which way to Tlazolteotl 's home?"

And I half-expect Kon is practically vibrating right now with the desire to go help his girlfriend.

"As I said, I do not know. The.. gods to not make a habit of confiding in me. I was suggesting-."

"Alright." I turn to the recently restored woman. "Ma'am? Do you know where your heart was removed?"

Since the two locations are likely to be related, if not the same place.

**How big are they?**

**About twenty feet tall. And bulky, like Paul's heavy armour, but with a head. And they fly with magic wings rather than gravity manipulation.**

Yep, about what Tezumak looked like.

That's an interesting approach. I can sort of see how it would work-.

"Cihuateteo. South west of here."

No doubt OL considers it inefficient, though. But in a place like this...

Philippus nods. "We do not know your territory and cannot see the stars. Which way is west?"

She points, and suddenly navigation is a good deal more simple. "We were carried to your island in the body of Tlaltecuhtli, and that turned the journey of years into no time at all."

Let's hope that isn't a literal measurement of the time it would take.

Qualpopoca nods. "The journey to earn reincarnation takes four years and passing through nine different realms, each of which has their own perils. Even journeying to Cihuateteo would take at least a year on foot…" He shrugs. "I do not know what arrangements the gods have made for people who can fly."

"Let's hope not-."

Given that they themselves can fly, I'd assume there are shortcuts for those with the right mystical credentials.

Kon jerks his head around. "What's the obstacle closest to Cihuateteo?"

"Iztepetl." / "Iztepetl."

...Which as Google tells us, is a part of the Mexica afterlife also called the 'hill of knives'. Sounds nasty.

Qualpopoca frowns. "Those who wish to travel there must brave the mountain covered with razor sharp shards of obsidian. I do not know what will happen to people who try to fly over it."

"I don't think we'll be aable do." **M'gann, we're north east of you. Head for a mountain covered in obsidian shards. Be careful, it's only possible to fly upwards a hundred metres or so. Superboy and I are coming to you now.**

Just try and stop Kon. I suspect if they're forced to set down, he'll clear the way with heat vision if he has to.

**Okay! I'm on my way.**

The Amazons have already mounted their steeds, Annis pulling the woman up behind her. And now I'm reminded of an unsettling number of unsubtle Amazon 'romance' stories. Well, she's hundreds of years old and survived having her heart cut out. I'm sure she can manage.

Well, given the lady 'lives' again because of Annis' blood... Yes, I can see the swoony romantic angle.

I fly upwards to just under the limit, waiting with Kon while the winged horses get themselves in order. The equine form is not known for being aerodynamic.

Kon is staring off into the south west.

Rainbow Dash would like words with you.

"Can you see anything?"

"Mist. I can see further in a vacuum, but I guess there's way more moisture in the air here than normal."

As anyone trying to sight-see from a tall building has found out.

"No. I think the gods set things up to prevent people seeing too far."

"Why?"

Added difficulty for the journey.

Power trip.

"Because the journey is supposed to be a trial. If you can see the destination, you start relaxing."

On the other hand, if you can't see it, sooner or later you begin to doubt you can ever reach it. Which is probably the point, I bet. If that's enough to make you turn back, then you're not ready.

The pegasus riders reach our level, and Philippus nods as I make eye contact. I reform my booster-.

"Prince Kon-El, go with him."

Add on a baby-carrier harness for Kon...

Kon nods and smiles as we accelerate away from the flock, jungle shooting by beneath us.

**M'gann, we're on our way. How many suits are after you?**

Yes, good idea to find out how many people you're going to have to punch in the face. Hard.

**There's five of them. I don't think they know exactly where I am, but they're moving in the same direction as me. And they're got dart launchers.**

I nod. I remember Tezumak's dart launchers downing the Flash due to the combination of speed and spread: while he could normally vibrate through or effortlessly move around them, Tezumak was able to create a spread where there wasn't remove to dodge and… Something stopped him vibrating through them? I don't remember it clearly and Adom didn't know the details of how his armour worked.

I think maybe at that point, that Flash didn't have the trick of safely vibrating through things down yet. Wally always did have trouble with it.

**Dart launchers?**

**They can fire a dozen or so at once and they fire really fast. I tried phasing through them and.. it didn't completely work.**

...Hopefully it didn't hit anything vital? Since even as a protean being, she does have vital parts...

**Are you hurt?**

**Don't worry, it's just a scratch. I'm fine.**

Don't jinx it, girl! The moment someone says that, you know they'll end up passing out in their loved one's arms after the fight!

**Was it poisoned?**

**Ah, I don't think so? Not with anything that poisons martians, anyway.**

Not a safe bet to make with your life.

**Don't assume that. We're in a magic realm, so it may be more the idea of poison than chemistry.**

**Okay, so what should I do?**

Keep running away, for a start.

**Keep flying and do not engage unless essential for your exfiltration. I'll check you over when we meet up.**

**Right. I'm coming up to the mountain now.**

Ah, that was quick.

**We're a little further away. E.T.A.… Two minutes.**

**I'm losing altitude!**

And there's the no-fly zone.

**Magic. Go with it. Are the power armour suits going down as well?**

**Yes.**

**Switch to a faster ground form. Preferably something from South of Central America, then head up the mountain. We'll see you shortly.**

At least the effect applies to the bad guys as well.

And now the race begins. Who gets to the other first?

And how much ass will Kon kick once he finds them? Let's hope there's some safe ground amongst the 'knives', at least, or everyone will be walking away with sore feet. I suppose we'll see tomorrow. Let's just hope the Tezumak guys aren't too dangerous against such strong opponents as the Amazons...

Vaermina · Oct 11, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
**Switch to a faster ground form. Preferably something from South of Central America, then head up the mountain. We'll see you shortly.**

Yes, because i'm sure the Martian has studied what animals were indigenous to Central America pre-colonialism.

Mr Zoat · Oct 11, 2023

Chojin Patriarch said:
Rainbow Dash would like words with you.

Only until someone pointed out that pegasus ponies drained by Tirek lost the ability to fly, proving that pegasus magic has more to do with their flight than aerodynamics or muscle power. I remember at least one old fanfiction where she found that out and started training her magic directly instead of just her flight muscles.

Me said:
Preferably something from South of Central America, then head up the mountain

or

Silveraith · Oct 11, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
The.. gods to not make a habit of confiding in me.

Mr Zoat said:
"I don't think we'll be able do."

To and Do should probably switch places.

Mr Zoat · Oct 11, 2023

Silveraith said:
To and Do should probably switch places.

Thank you, corrected.

BartlettMagic · Oct 11, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
And they're got dart launchers.**

they've

Vaermina said:
Yes, because i'm sure the Martian has studied what animals were indigenous to Central America pre-colonialism.

or the image of one got sent with the word. when i think 'jaguar,' i don't see the word 'jaguar' in my head, i see an image of a jaguar. i would imagine Miss Martian knows exactly what kind of animals Paul is referring to.

Mr Zoat · Oct 11, 2023

BartlettMagic said:
they've

Thank you, corrected.

Mr Zoat · Oct 12, 2023

17th February 2013
18:13 GMT

Faster ground form?

Oh, this is stupid! When I could only do a few Earth shapes I could just pick the one closest to what I wanted. Now I can do just about every animal in America-.

I'll try horse.

My frontal vision's not so good, but I can gallop and stay invisible and it doesn't look like the Aztec power armor can hear all that well. Wait, I remember a documentary I watched with Conner. Central America used to just have llamas, which are like short fluffy horses with bad tempers. I never actually studied them well enough to turn into one.

Four galloping legs go!

I should remember to send a thank you note to Mister J'arkus, because there's no way I'd be able to run this easily without his kuru pendant. Despite his… History, he's a really good researcher. I hope when martians start leaving Mars he can get a posting and hasn't been blacklisted.

There aren't as many plants as I get closer to the mountain, trees being replaced by small bushes struggling to survive in the thin soil. Still more greenery than Mars-. M'arzz, and Mister J'arkus's memory print says that the loose stones could be a problem for hooves. But it's still mostly soil so-.

OW!

Something pinched me on the pad of my hoof! I'm-. Bleeding. Not much. Was that just bad luck?

I look up the mountain, and then I give myself better eyes because while wild horses have okay long range vision I can't see a lot of color like this-.

The mountain's a lot blacker than I thought it would be. When Paul said 'obsidian shards' I thought he just meant… Piles of obsidian, or-.

There!

I do a little four-legged jump over a patch where the soil got thin and the black volcanic glass was poking though. And ow.

Why hasn't my foot healed yet? I can just shapeshift-.

**Paul, I can't fix my wound!**

**What wound?**

**Just a little one on my foot-.**

**Avoid getting wounded again. This is a high magic environment.**

There's a bush just up ahead, but I can't see what's on the far side. I turn right, galloping around it along the bare rock and soil.

**Some things that are meant to inflict wounds will just inflict them, whether they would normally be able to wound you or not. I had a devil of a time getting a spear out of my chest.**

**Understood.**

Um. Mole? Worm? It's still too flat for a mountain goat-.

In my right eye I can see the power armour suits running up the lower slope of the mountain, wings folded up in their backs.

Left right now.

Okay, there's a sort-of path leading up there, and there's also black crystals sticking out through the rock. Those ones aren't all that hard to avoid, but there's got to be more just under the ground. But if the power armor can't go any faster-.

CRUMPFF!

I scrabble to stop! A suit of power armor just hit the path right in front of me! It pulls itself out of the mountainside and then I freeze because it's looking down at the ground. It's trying to see where I'm standing, I know it. I-.

Wait.

Its armor is all scratched up where it hit. A couple of the pieces of obsidian went right into the armor.

Okay, that's great, but it's blocking the path. There's an almost vertical wall, and a… Awkward slope.

The power armor opens most of its dart guns. Some of them don't open but goat powers activate!

I jump as a horse, and the power armor turns to exactly where I land and fires right as I turn into a goat! Twist and dodge and shove with telekinesis because those are too close! Up the rock and I don't know what a sheer wall looks like to a goat but it still looks like a sheer wall to me!

I'll just use my telekinesis towaaagh!

I'll respect what the Aztec gods want me to do and just use telekinesis to feel the rock. Okay. That feels like something a goat could stand on. I think. And that one after it.

And jump!

Waagh!

Jump again! Jump again!

I get my front legs over the lip of the next ledge and frantically scrabble for any sort of support from my back legs. Telekinesis is letting me stick my hooves on the rock but goat legs aren't designed to pull in this direction! Shapeshift claws! Pullpullpull!

Ah-haaah-haaah.

I'm up.

I take a moment to look down the mountainside at the power armour suits making their way up.

Did they notice that?

…

CRASH!

AH! One smashes into the ledge right in front of me, scrabbling for grip even as it opens its dart launchers! Jump off the wall as it fires, jump off its head as it grabs the rock and pulls itself up a little further, jump into the wall above its head and jump off that into a small cleft and balance.

And gasp for breath and darts plink off the rock around me!

Idon'tlikebeingagoat! Idon'tlikebeingagoat!

Ow! That shot chipped through the rock and sent slivers of obsidian flying out!

Magically… Deadly obsidian.

I jump back a pace, getting as far out of their line of sight as I can… If that's even how they're detecting me. Then shapeshift myself an extra hand and grab a stone, a regular one. There's an obsidian spire, but I don't really have a good enough grip to hit it. Will this place let telekinesis work? Uh-huh, floating the rock, and slam it into the glass! And again, and again… Okay, that should be enough if I add in what the darts are smashing. I drop the rock and pick.. up.. the glass.

A golden hand grabs onto the edge of my crevasse.

And as the power armour pulls its head over the edge I fire a magical telekinetic obsidian sandblaster right in its face!

Its face is scoured off, the metal pitted and cut and the power armour collapses backwards, falling first onto the ledge and then down the slope.

Okay, good. Time to hoof it.

I look upwards, trying to judge a path that's got less obsidian sticking out, because from here on up it gets a lot more common. I suppose standing on the flat surfaces should be okay, but if they get hit by a dart…

Okay, got it. Goat-jump time.

Vaermina · Oct 12, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
Okay, got it. Goat-jump time.

*Screams really loud and watches as she tips over.*

Duke Long · Oct 12, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
Oh, this is stupid! When I could only do a few Earth shapes I could just pick the one closest to what I wanted. Now I can do just about ever animal in America-.

'every'

Mr Zoat said:
I scrabble to stop! A suit of power armor that just hit the path right in front of me!

Extraneous 'that'?

Mr Zoat said:
It's armor is all scratched up where it hit. A couple of the pieces of obsidian went right into the armor.

'It's'

Mr Zoat said:
Okay, that's great, but it's blocking the path. There's an almost vertical wall, and a… Awkward slop.

'an… Awkward slope.'?

Mr Zoat said:
Telekinesis is letting me stick my hooves of the rock but goat legs aren't designed to pull in this direction! Shapeshift claws! Pullpullpull!

'on the rock'?

Mr Zoat said:
Okay, that should be enough if I add in what the darts as smashing. I drop the rock and pick.. up.. the glass.

'are smashing' or 'were smashing'?

Chojin Patriarch · Oct 12, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
17th February 2013
18:13 GMT

Faster ground form?

Oh, this is stupid! When I could only do a few Earth shapes I could just pick the one closest to what I wanted. Now I can do just about ever animal in America-.

Heh. Guess OL didn't offer any direct suggestions when he told M'gann to change shape. And now we get to her mad dash to safety from her point of view? Oh, this will be all kinds of fun. ...Also, phrasing, M'gann!

I'll try horse.

My frontal vision's not so good, but I can gallop and stay invisible and it doesn't look like the Aztec power armor can hear all that well. Wait, I remember a documentary I watched with Conner. Central America used to just have llamas, which are like short fluffy horses with bad tempers. I never actually studied them well enough to turn into one.

Ooh, bad choice. Equines are just not the best for conditions like these. They're better on level ground, not steep slopes. Especially climbing.

Four galloping legs go!

I should remember to send a thank you note to Mister J'arkus, because there's no way I'd be able to run this easily without his kuru pendant. Despite his… History, he's a really good researcher. I hope when martians start leaving Mars he can get a posting and hasn't been blacklisted.

And if you don't remember the Martian Womanhunter, then shame on you, folks.

But he's a damn good shapeshifter. Good to see she;s learnt from his memoirs.

There aren't as many plants as I get closer to the mountain, trees being replaced by small bushes struggling to survive in the thin soil. Still more greenery than Mars-. M'arzz, and Mister J'arkus's memory print says that the loose stones could be a problem for hooves. But it's still mostly soil so-.

OW!

...And there would be the loose stones. Obsidian stones, no less.

Something pinched me on the pad of my hoof! I'm-. Bleeding. Not much. Was that just bad luck?

I look up the mountain, and then I give myself better eyes because while wild horses have okay long range vision I can't see a lot of color like this-.

Consider this: the equine hoof is like the tip of your finger, with the hard part being the nail.

So just picture a sliver of something going in under your fingernail to picture just how much pain M'gann is feeling right now.

And I apologise for making you imagine that.

The mountain's a lot blacker than I thought it would be. When Paul said 'obsidian shards' I thought he just meant… Piles of obsidian, or-.

There!

Honestly, I'm picturing a field of grass. Black, glass grass-blades the whole way up with small spots of 'safe' ground...

I do a little four-legged jump over a patch where the soil got thin and the black volcanic glass was poking though. And ow.

Why hasn't my foot healed yet? I can just shapeshift-.

Heh. M'gann could totally cheat at dressage shows.

**Paul, I can't fix my wound!**

**What wound?**

Because remember, he only knows about the scrapes she got from the darts.

**Just a little one on my foot-.**

**Avoid getting wounded again. This is a high magic environment.**

And M'gann isn't Red enough to know any healing magic.

There's a bush just up ahead, but I can't see what's on the far side. I turn right, galloping around it along the bare rock and soil.

**Some things that are meant to inflict wounds will just inflict them, whether they would normally be able to wound you or not. I had a devil of a time getting a spear out of my chest.**

Fortunately, his group have some measure of magical defences against that. Kon's Nth-Metal armour should 'nope' that quite well, in fact.

**Understood.**

Um. Mole? Worm? It's still too flat for a mountain goat-.

...Yes, try to dig through the obsidian-laced soil. There's a smart idea... </sarcasm>

In my right eye I can see the power armour suits running up the lower slope of the mountain, wings folded up in their backs.

Left right now.

And they are probably just a bit more resilient to needles of obsidian jamming into their boot soles.

Okay, there's a sort-of path leading up there, and there's also black crystals stick out through the rock. Those ones aren't all that hard to avoid, but there's got to be more just under the ground. But if the power armor can't go any faster-.

CRUMPFF!

Just because they can't fly...

I scrabble to stop! A suit of power armor that just hit the path right in front of me! It pulls itself out of the mountainside and then I freeze because it's looking down at the ground. It's trying to see where I'm standing, I know it. I-.

Wait.

...Doesn't mean they can't jump. And M'gann doesn't have the luxury of not leaving footprints.

It's armor is all scratched up where it hit. A couple of the pieces of obsidian went right into the armor.

Okay, that's great, but it's blocking the path. There's an almost vertical wall, and a… Awkward slop.

At least this place can harm them. Not quite as easily as it does you, but still...

The power armor opens most of its dart guns. Some of them don't open but goat powers activate!

I jump as a horse, and the power armor turns to exactly where I land and fires right as I turn into a goat! Twist and dodge and shove with telekinesis because those are too close! Up the rock and I don't know what a sheer wall looks like to a goat but it still looks like a sheer wall to me!

The problem of not having the instincts of the animal to go with the form.

I'll just use my telekinesis towaaagh!

I'll respect what the Aztec gods want me to do and just use telekinesis to feel the rock. Okay. That feels like something a goat could stand on. I think. And that one after it.

Heh. Too close to flying, eh?

And jump!

Waagh!

Jump again! Jump again!

And now I can't help but imagine her screaming like a goat there.

I get my front legs over the lip of the next ledge and frantically scrabble for any sort of support from my back legs. Telekinesis is letting me stick my hooves of the rock but goat legs aren't designed to pull in this direction! Shapeshift claws! Pullpullpull!

Ah-haaah-haaah.

Perhaps something feline would work better, then, M'gann? Surely you've got at least one big cat form available?

I'm up.

I take a moment to look down the mountainside at the power armour suits making their way up.

Slow but tireless... Until their blood-fuel runs out, anyway.

Did they notice that?

…

Why not assume they did and keep moving?

CRASH!

AH! One smashes into the ledge right in front of me, scrabbling for grip even as it opens its dart launchers! Jump off the wall as it fires, jump off its head as it grabs the rock and pulls itself up a little further, jump into the wall above its head and jump off that into a small cleft and balance.

Well, at least now you're thinking like a goat.

And gasp for breath and darts plink off the rock around me!

Idon'tlikebeingagoat! Idon'tlikebeingagoat!

Given the tweaks you've made to yourself, like the scrabbling claws, I'm not sure you're entirely a goat right now anyway.

Ow! That shot chipped through the rock and sent slivers of obsidian flying out!

Magically… Deadly obsidian.

...And an idea forms. A wonderful idea... A terribly wonderful idea...

I jump back a pace, getting as far out of their line of sight as I can… If that's even how they're detecting me. Then shapeshift myself an extra hand and grab a stone, a regular one. There's a obsidian spire, but I don't really have a good enough grip to hit it. Will this place let telekinesis work? Uh-huh, floating the rock, and slam it into the glass! And again, and again… Okay, that should be enough if I add in what the darts as smashing. I drop the rock and pick.. up.. the glass.

Like a hundred tiny knives...

A golden hand grabs onto the edge of my crevasse.

And as the power armour pulls its head over the edge I fire a magical telekinetic obsidian sandblaster right in its face!

Oof, right in the eyepieces. That's gotta sting.

Its face is scoured off, the metal pitted and cut and the power armour collapses backwards, falling first onto the ledge and then down the slope.

Okay, good. Time to hoof it.

...Figuratively and literally!

I look upwards, trying to judge a path that's got less obsidian sticking out, because from here on up it gets a lot more common. I suppose standing on the flat surfaces should be okay, but if they get hit by a dart…

Okay, got it. Goat-jump time.

Now you're getting the hang of it.

Heh. Somehow, I don't think those Tezumak guys aren't going to enjoy the rest of their day. Since she can easily toss a bunch of obsidian at them whenever they try to get close now. And there's still the matter of OL's team coming up from the other side. I'll bet Kon will enjoy the moment he gets them in his sights.

... and there's also black crystals stick out through the rock.

... and there's also black crystals sticking out through the rock.

There's a obsidian spire...

There's an obsidian spire...

GhostKing 666 · Oct 12, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
17th February 2013
I jump as a horse, and the power armor turns to exactly where I land and fires right as I turn into a goat! Twist and dodge and shove with telekinesis because those are too close! Up the rock and I don't know what a sheer wall looks like to a goat but it still looks like a sheer wall to me!

I'll just use my telekinesis towaaagh!

I'll respect what the Aztec gods want me to do and just use telekinesis to feel the rock. Okay. That feels like something a goat could stand on. I think. And that one after it.

Using telekinesis to cheat... Megan needs a lot more practice with her goat powers if she's still had trouble with minor things like gravity.

Mr Zoat · Oct 12, 2023

Duke Long said:
'every'
Extraneous 'that'?
'It's'
'an… Awkward slope.'?
'on the rock'?
'are smashing' or 'were smashing'?

Chojin Patriarch said:
... and there's also black crystals sticking out through the rock.
There's an obsidian spire...

Thank you, corrected.

Mr Zoat · Oct 13, 2023

17th February 2013
18:16 GMT

I don't like arbitrary rules.

Can't fly? Okay. There should still be a way to travel around that doesn't block things in case someone who doesn't want to take the trials wants to travel, but fine. Constructs not working on lumps of glass? Irritating, but perfectly 'fair', as this journey is supposed to be a trial for Aztec souls and they're denied anything that would make it not a test.

BUT THIS IS BULLSHIT!

Kon swings his tetsubo through an outcrop of obsidian as I use my Aztec-compliant wood and hide shield to block the shards which fly at us. And now the floor is littered with shards just big enough to threaten us but too small to efficiently move out of the way without cutting ourselves. AND I can see the other obsidian growths in this part of the-

"This isn't working."

-mountain expanding, paths which were nearly visible before now increasingly overgrown.

"Yes-! Yes, you're right. Ring, sonic-."

"No, that's not it, either." He gives me a hard look. "M'gann's over there and you're trying to think your way through a trial of the gods."

"Yes? I want to get there quickl-."

"Then you're not doing the trial. This whole thing isn't gunna let you think your way around it: that's not how these things work."

I glance up at the almost entirely black slope.

"The Aztecs need smarter gods. So we just run through it?"

"Yeah."

"This is going to suck. I can't neutralise my own pain and I won't be able to regenerate without setting them off."

"Yeah. I won't either."

"I-. I think… Up there?"

I point to something resembling a route that probably won't flay us too badly. We do actually need to cross the mountain and I imagine that constructing a hang glider at the summit -which the Aztec totally could have done- will result in a negative response as well.

Kon nods.

"I'll take the lead until I get light-headed from blood loss."

"You've gotta brave them, that doesn't mean that you've gotta get cut up by them."

"Aztec gods like blood."

I start, obsidian shards on the ground cutting into the metal armour of my boots. Not cutting through yet because my weight is spread widely enough to prevent it, but the sole is taking damage and that will change. I speed up, twisting this way and that to try and keep my arms and torso as much out of the way of the outcrops.

It doesn't work. A narrow crevasse we have to path through slashes holes in my back and front as I turn aside, and I feel pain as a misplaced hand results in a spine going through my gauntlet into my palm. I don't jerk it back because I'm much better at dealing with pain than I used to be. When I've got a purpose I'm working towards at least. And we need to get to ow.

Right through the side of my helmet. Because only shitty Aztec cloth armour is allowed to do anything. Yep, that's bleeding.

Up the-. And just like that the difficulty has been toned down. There's an actual path now, spiky as it is. I wonder if I could talk Zeus into taking over this place-?

M'gann needs help, focus and make an effort.

I pump my legs, feeling the effort in my calves as I do my best to run up the side of a mountain. And I feel.. the slight dampness as the thin cuts on the soles of my feet start to bleed in a way that I'm sure makes the Aztec gods delighted.

"You alright, Kon?"

"Helios's blessing is still working. So's the Danner formula." He accelerates past me, grabbing a crystal to pull himself up a steep surface. I see it cut into his hand, and then his wound closes up a moment later. "So I can-."

"Carry me."

He pulls himself over the lip, then turns and offers me his now completely healed hand to pull me up. "I don't think they'll let that work."

Okay, hand there, grip Kon's hand with my other hand, feet there-. And I'm up, and we're off again.

I can see the blood he's leaving where his feet are getting cut too frequently for him to heal it. Looking back-. And my blood too, from the looks of things. I could top up my blood supply, but quite aside from the gods' system considering that 'cheating' it would risk reinflating veins and arteries that are closed due to the lower pressure to prevent me bleeding further. That's why-.

"Kon, did I ever tell you why survival rates for wounded British soldiers during Falklands War were better than the rates for US soldiers during Vietnam?"

"No? Better hospitals?"

Okay, this bit is relatively straight, not too steep, bit of a scramble in a few places but I'm seeing more rock. Guess the mountain accepts that we're playing its game.

"No. Worse. US soldiers got evacuated by helicopter or boat as soon as possible. British soldiers got left on the freezing moor for hours because the country with the longest naval tradition in the world fucked up a naval invasion. Problem was that the US medical corps insisted on pumping blood into wounded soldiers to keep their blood pressure normal. Prevented internal clotting because the clots couldn't hold against the heightened blood pressure. They bled to death inside their skin. But lying on freezing ground on Goose Green slowed the British soldiers metabolism, and the lack of blood transfusions let them clot just fine."

"Okay?"

Shit, a completely sheer surface where the only handholds are obsidian. I… Ditch my armour, which was basically just hanging on at this point.

"Just thinking about it. Because of..."

I hold up my steadily bleeding arms. He nods.

"Well, there's no medical attention, but it's not cold enough to slow your metabolism."

We each nod and start ascending.

"Yay."

Hand on the.. flat part, the corners will cut a little bit, but the main 'blade' will remove fingers. Push and foot and.. next hand hold. And-. Glance upwards, and Kon's already half way to the top, and I-.

Crapcrapcrap!

Right hand slips on my own blood, and there's a nice pile of obsidian below me waiting for me if I fall off.

Breathe. Take a moment. Grab onto the actual rock. And start up again.

"You okay?"

"Good enough. Don't slow down for me. I'm okay but M'gann-."

Oof! What-?

Goat-?

GIANT ROBOT!

Darko · Oct 13, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
Then you're not doing the trial. This whole thing isn't gunna let you think your way around it: that's not how these things work."

Well Kon has been studying mythology, so he'd know.

Mr Zoat said:
mountain and I image that

"imagine"

Mr Zoat said:
Up the-. And just like that the difficulty has been toned down. There's an actual path now, spiky as it is. I wonder if I could talk Zeus into taking over this place

Well turning it into a disturbing man-cave/pansexual orgy den is certainly better that it being a disturbing slaughterhouse.

Mr Zoat said:
Problem was that the Us medical corps

"the US"

Mr Zoat said:
GIANT ROBOT

I don't think chick's are gonna dig this one.

Vaermina · Oct 13, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
BUT THIS IS BULLSHIT!

I love the salt we get when things just refuse to play by his rules.

Chojin Patriarch · Oct 13, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
17th February 2013
18:16 GMT

I don't like arbitrary rules.

Can't fly? Okay. There should still be a way to travel around that doesn't block things in case someone who doesn't want to take the trials wants to travel, but fine. Constructs not working on lumps of glass? Irritating, but perfectly 'fair', as this journey is supposed to be a trial for Aztec souls and they're denied anything that would make it not a test.

True, this would be annoying for anyone used to circumventing hazards like this. Like, say, you, OL. And that is rather the point of all this, isn't it? What's the bet the place feels how annoyed you are, has decided that mood isn't appropriate, and is trying to make you turn back until you're properly ready?

BUT THIS IS BULLSHIT!

Kon swings his tetsubo through an outcrop of obsidian as I use my Aztec-compliant wood and hide shield to block the shards which fly at us. And now the floor is littered with shards just big enough to threaten us but too small to efficiently move out of the way without cutting ourselves. AND I can see the other obsidian growths in this part of the-

Well, someone is losing their temper, if they're swearing like that.

"This isn't working."

-mountain expanding, paths which were nearly visible before now increasingly overgrown.

Yep, the place is definitely responding to you.

"Yes-! Yes, you're right. Ring, sonic-."

"No, that's not it, either." He gives me a hard look. "M'gann's over there and you're trying to think your way through a trial of the gods."

Sadly, I doubt they ever foresaw the need to rush through this process.

"Yes? I want to get there quickl-."

"Then you're not doing the trial. This whole thing isn't gunna let you think your way around it: that's not how these things work."

See? Kon's got the right idea. He may want to get there super-fast, but he gets that you can't force your way through.

I glance up at the almost entirely black slope.

"The Aztecs need smarter gods. So we just run through it?"

Now, see, OL? That sort of talk is just going to make things worse for you.

"Yeah."

"This is going to suck. I can't neutralise my own pain and I won't be able to regenerate without setting them off."

Because that's against the rules, after all. Regular folks couldn't do that...

"Yeah. I won't either."

"I-. I think… Up there?"

Good man. Go with the flow, even if it means your blood will flow.

I point to something resembling a route that probably won't flay us too badly. We do actually need to cross the mountain and I imagine that constructing a hang glider at the summit -which the Aztec totally could have done- will result in a negative response as well.

Kon nods.

Yeah, OL. Honestly, if they weren't indisposed, someone would have shown up by now to slap you upside the head.

"I'll take the lead until I get light-headed from blood loss."

"You've gotta brave them, that doesn't mean that you've gotta get cut up by them."

Sadly, he hasn't got any way to counter it, though. Probably already tried stuff like padded snowshoes or the like...

"Aztec gods like blood."

I start, obsidian shards on the ground cutting into the metal armour of my boots. Not cutting through yet because my weight is spread widely enough to prevent it, but the sole is taking damage and that will change. I speed up, twisting this way and that to try and keep my arms and torso as much out of the way of the outcrops.

Just be careful not to sand your feet off like this. I mean, sure, they'll stop hurting, but regrowing them will waste ring-charge.

It doesn't work. A narrow crevasse we have to path through slashes holes in my back and front as I turn aside, and I feel pain as a misplaces hand results in a spine going through my gauntlet into my palm. I don't jerk it back because I'm much better at dealing with pain than I used to be. When I've got a purpose I'm working towards at least. And we need to get to ow.

Right through the side of my helmet. Because only shitty Aztec cloth armour is allowed to do anything. Yep, that's bleeding.

Hey, that cloth armour was pretty tough against the stuff they fought.

Up the-. And just like that the difficulty has been toned down. There's an actual path now, spiky as it is. I wonder if I could talk Zeus into taking over this place-?

M'gann needs help, focus and make an effort.

See? Stop trying to fight the process and it starts working with you instead of against you.

I pump my legs, feeling the effort in my calves as I do my best to run up the side of a mountain. And I feel.. the slight dampness as the thin cuts on the soles of my feet start to bleed in a way that I'm sure makes the Aztec gods delighted.

"You alright, Kon?"

Ugh, wet feet. That has to make it just that bit more unpleasant.

"Helios's blessing is still working. So's the Danner formula." He accelerates past me, grabbing a crystal to pull himself up a steep surface. I see it cut into his hand, and then his wound closes up a moment later. "So I can-."

"Carry me."

Don't sound so eager, OL!

The half-Kryptonian beefcake is in a committed relationship, remember?

He pulls himself over the lip, then turns and offers me his now completely healed hand to pull me up. "I don't think they'll let that work."

Okay, hand there, grip Kon's hand with my other hand, feet there-. And I'm up, and we're off again.

Safe bet the rest of the group stayed behind, then. I don't fancy any of them wanting to undergo this, even the Herakla.

I can see the blood he's leaving where his feet are getting cut too frequently for him to heal it. Looking back-. And my blood too, from the looks of things. I could top up my blood supply, but quite aside from the gods' system considering that 'cheating' it would risk reinflating veins and arteries that are closed due to the lower pressure to prevent me bleeding further. That's why-.

"Kon, did I ever tell you why survival rates for wounded British soldiers during Falklands War were better than the rates for US soldiers during Vietnam?"

Ah, getting light-headed already, OL? You usually don't get this distracted in the middle of a mission these days.

"No? Better hospitals?"

Okay, this bit is relatively straight, not too steep, bit of a scramble in a few places but I'm seeing more rock. Guess the mountain accepts that we're playing its game.

I still picture whatever spirit is in charge holding a chancla and going 'I've got my eye on you, mister!'

"No. Worse. US soldiers got evacuated by helicopter or boat as soon as possible. British soldiers got left on the freezing moor for hours because the country with the longest naval tradition in the world fucked up a naval invasion. Problem was that the US medical corps insisted on pumping blood into wounded soldiers to keep their blood pressure normal. Prevented internal clotting because the clots couldn't hold against the heightened blood pressure. They bled to death inside their skin. But lying on freezing ground on Goose Green slowed the British soldiers metabolism, and the lack of blood transfusions let them clot just fine."

...Whoops. Well, can't blame the medics, that's probably how they were trained.

"Okay?"

Shit, a completely sheer surface where the only handholds are obsidian. I… Ditch my armour, which was basically just hanging on at this point.

Bet that'll need more than duct-tape to patch up once you get out of here.

"Just thinking about it. Because of..."

I hold up my steadily bleeding arms. He nods.

Ironically, that probably reduced the difficulty scaling even more for you, OL.

"Well, there's no medical attention, but it's not cold enough to slow your metabolism."

We each nod and start ascending.

Unless Kon wants to try a mild dose of cold breath. Although that might leave OL with frostbite instead.

"Yay."

Hand on the.. flat part, the corners will cut a little bit, but the main 'blade' will remove fingers. Push and foot and.. next hand hold. And-. Glance upwards, and Kon's already half way to the top, and I-.

He's not kidding, either. Glass shards are super-sharp. Because of the way it fractures into microscopic razor blades...

Crapcrapcrap!

Right hand slips on my own blood, and there's a nice pile of obsidian below me waiting for me if I fall off.

Still, you didn't fall. It's merely a reminder to focus.

Breathe. Take a moment. Grab onto the actual rock. And start up again.

"You okay?"

That 'carrying' thing is probably looking more appealing now, eh, Kon?

"Good enough. Don't slow down for me. I'm okay but M'gann-."

Oof! What-?

...Ah, here she comes now.

Goat-?

GIANT ROBOT!

And look! She brought company!

Got to love how OL's mind goes to weird places when he's a little woozy. When else would we get a strange little bit of trivia like that? At any rate, they've found M'gann. Now to deal with her pursuers. And no doubt OL will be scrambling for that armour he just took off. Might well be better with padded plates, Aztec-style, in this fight, though...

Mr Zoat · Oct 13, 2023

Darko said:
"imagine"
"the US"

Thank you, corrected.

I don't think chick's are gonna dig this one.

No. Unlike Jersey City, Itztépetl has nice scenery.

Vaermina · Oct 13, 2023

Darko said:
I don't think chick's are gonna dig this one.

I almost want to see a Paul land in the MegasXLR universe just because of how much everything there would piss him off.

Duke Long · Oct 13, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
A narrow crevasse we have to path through slashes holes in my back and front as I turn aside, and I feel pain as a misplaces hand results in a spine going through my gauntlet into my palm.

'misplaced'

He can't use constructs on the obsidian or fly, and destroying the obsidian caused a negative response, but why can't he puppet himself to let him get through with the optimal amount of speed and damage?

Prince Charon · Oct 13, 2023

Duke Long said:
'misplaced'

He can't use constructs on the obsidian or fly, and destroying the obsidian caused a negative response, but why can't he puppet himself to let him get through with the optimal amount of speed and damage?

Because that's still 'not doing the trial.'

Lord Ernest · Oct 13, 2023

Problem is that the Illustres wants to bypass the situation with an overly clever solution instead of committing to the situation. When he was in Tartarus the place's darkness didn't allow him any light, the Shadowlands equally didn't allow him any construct at all. If he's certain that the Aztec armor would help then transmute your suit to match it or he could try to use his esoteric abilities, this is after all a magic real and this mountains probably have seeped into them the desire to overcome this challenge, that could empower him for sure, same way Kon's getting empowered by Helios.

However, since he doesn't like Aztec society or their Gods, he doesn't respect nor wants to acknowledge their realm or their rules at all, so he's trying to cleverly circumvent them. Which, fair enough, I wouldn't want to follow gods that demand so much blood and it's not like he's following any other gods with loose morals or anything like that, perish the thought. But that is still getting in his way of thinking and making him petty on top of that; like, Zeus would be better? Because he fucks around and doesn't do anything else? Why not consider other members of that Pantheon before getting to that one?

Mr Zoat · Oct 13, 2023

Duke Long said:
'misplaced'

Thank you, corrected.

Lord Ernest said:
Why not consider other members of that Pantheon before getting to that one?

Zeus is his low bar.

The Unaligned Player · Oct 13, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
Zeus is his low bar.

If Zeus is his low bar, then what's his tripping hazard in Hell?

Mr Zoat · Oct 13, 2023

The Unaligned Player said:
If Zeus is his low bar, then what's his tripping hazard in Hell?

Right now? The Aztec gods. But he hasn't had that much contact with other pantheons.

Senevri · Oct 13, 2023

Vaermina said:
I love the salt we get when things just refuse to play by his rules.

Well put. Without salt, the story is bland. Suffering of the MC is what gives the story some flavor.

Lord Ernest · Oct 13, 2023

Just had a thought. Why doesn't the Illustres have a magical undersuit that he wouldn't need to put on or remove depending on the situation? On top of that then he can keep a superhero suit for aesthetic and to disguise the undersuit, and finally he can have a couple of more dynamic power-armors in subspace, rather than the refrigerator with limbs that he has right now, which can be further designed for specialization and support.

The undersuit could then handle the defense for the more esoteric attacks and dangers, and if it can't then the power-armor definitely couldn't. He wouldn't need to subspace it since it won't be as cumbersome and so it doesn't represent unnecessary power expenditure. He could make it seamless, or he could have a way to manually remove it, just in case, and have that hidden by the superhero suit, which would have the aesthetic and utility functions i.e. Orange Lantern symbol, color scheme, pouches, etc.

Meanwhile, the power-armors wouldn't need to be as heavy duty, since the vital protection against esoteric effects would be handled separately, and as such they could handle more conventional defence by combining different force-field generators. Again, make different power-armors if necessary to optimize it, and the armors could be actually armed with tools or weapons, so if something disrupts his Power Rings he isn't just locked in a refrigerator and can actually move effectively and fight.

Someguy Somewhere · Oct 14, 2023

Lord Ernest said:
Just had a thought. Why doesn't the Illustres have a magical undersuit that he wouldn't need to put on or remove depending on the situation? On top of that then he can keep a superhero suit for aesthetic and to disguise the undersuit, and finally he can have a couple of more dynamic power-armors in subspace, rather than the refrigerator with limbs that he has right now, which can be further designed for specialization and support.

The undersuit could then handle the defense for the more esoteric attacks and dangers, and if it can't then the power-armor definitely couldn't. He wouldn't need to subspace it since it won't be as cumbersome and so it doesn't represent unnecessary power expenditure. He could make it seamless, or he could have a way to manually remove it, just in case, and have that hidden by the superhero suit, which would have the aesthetic and utility functions i.e. Orange Lantern symbol, color scheme, pouches, etc.

Meanwhile, the power-armors wouldn't need to be as heavy duty, since the vital protection against esoteric effects would be handled separately, and as such they could handle more conventional defence by combining different force-field generators. Again, make different power-armors if necessary to optimize it, and the armors could be actually armed with tools or weapons, so if something disrupts his Power Rings he isn't just locked in a refrigerator and can actually move effectively and fight.

This reminds me of the layering logic for body armour in Shadowrun, where you have rules covering everything from leather jacket to power armour. Only the outer layer really matters, but if need be you can have different grades under it that have different properties.

Logistics wise Paul prefers equipment he can maintain in the field if it's not just a perishable item like ammo he expends, and he's not good enough with magic to maintain or repair a magic undershirt, nor can he modify it on the fly as he does with his existing gear.

Defensively for general use the armour works for most things he expects to go up against in a day, and when he is specifically going after magical threats he'll bring a caster that can aid in defence rather then trying to gear up for it himself. Most magic armors just don't have the mass to tank hits or take enchantment to the degree he's used to fighting at, so conventional solutions in bulk make up the difference.

The Only person we've seen with proper magical clothing was Zatanna when OL returned from space, she'd stitched various buff spells into her kevlar Stage Mage outfit. There were statements about how 'modern' materials don't take enchantment as well as classical materials (think that came up waaay back when they talked about WW's new armor getting a visor, and them not being able to properly enchant modern transparent materials, and the greeks didn't have any durable glass materials that would take the abuse)

NightmareWarden · Oct 14, 2023

Lord Ernest said:
Just had a thought. Why doesn't the Illustres have a magical undersuit that he wouldn't need to put on or remove depending on the situation? On top of that then he can keep a superhero suit for aesthetic and to disguise the undersuit, and finally he can have a couple of more dynamic power-armors in subspace, rather than the refrigerator with limbs that he has right now, which can be further designed for specialization and support.

The undersuit could then handle the defense for the more esoteric attacks and dangers, and if it can't then the power-armor definitely couldn't. He wouldn't need to subspace it since it won't be as cumbersome and so it doesn't represent unnecessary power expenditure. He could make it seamless, or he could have a way to manually remove it, just in case, and have that hidden by the superhero suit, which would have the aesthetic and utility functions i.e. Orange Lantern symbol, color scheme, pouches, etc.

Meanwhile, the power-armors wouldn't need to be as heavy duty, since the vital protection against esoteric effects would be handled separately, and as such they could handle more conventional defence by combining different force-field generators. Again, make different power-armors if necessary to optimize it, and the armors could be actually armed with tools or weapons, so if something disrupts his Power Rings he isn't just locked in a refrigerator and can actually move effectively and fight.

He'd have to have a magic undersuit which does not interfere when he wants his tattoos active, which isn't eaten by his tattoos, which can be removed without his ring (problem with old power armor)… and ideally he can return it to his pocket dimension without sacrificing a lot of ring charge (common with advanced magic items).

So he needs something custom made. His artificing people are already maxed out on capacity, generally. Outside of their own projects.

Mr Zoat · Oct 14, 2023

17th February 2013
18:21 GMT

Kon ducks as the gosh that's big lands next to him, the force of its landing shaking the mountainside! I brace as best I can with a goat in my face which isn't much unless I want to lose fingers, then my eyes widen and I press myself into the rock face as it fails to control its momentum and falls over me-.

It grabs at me with its right hand and I use a construct lasso and pulley to wrench its right arm away as it falls, spinning it around and then letting it go once it's out of range. One second passes and then I hear a thud and crash as it slams down onto the obsidian outcrop below.

"Beeeh!"

Goat and I can't see the robot because it's standing on my shoulders and mostly covering my face. Winch for the goat-.

It jumps off me, lands on a near-vertical surface, and then jumps up again to reach the top.

And then it turns back into M'gann. "Hey guys!"

I look down, thankful that I've long since overcome my vertigo, and see… Yes, that's more or less Tezumak's armour. The obsidian punched through the chest in three places and I can see blood leaking out from the wounds. But it still tries to get up.

"Hey, M'gann. What is it?"

I stab a construct piton into the cliff, attach a construct rope to it and to a construct harness around my chest, and lean back. A couple of jumps and I'm standing next to the armour. No… Obvious response from the mountain.

"Aztec power armour. I think. They haven't said anything."

I cautiously step around its flailing right arm, wincing as new shards are driven into my feet. I'm sort of… Floating above the pain at the moment but if this keep up it won't be all that long before my joking request to Kon becomes a serious one.

"You said there were five of them?"

Left hand on its forehead, x-ionised knife through its throat-.

Blood sprays out, covering me-!

"Ugh."

After a few seconds it.. dies off, reduced to a impressive but low-pressure flow from the wound. A human artery.. could bleed like that, but this blood doesn't look all that highly oxygenated. And there wasn't any noise from the interruption of the wind pipe. And the armour is still moving weakly when any normal human would flail frenziedly for a few seconds and then lose consciousness once the blood pressure in their brain dropped.

So I keep slicing.

"Paul, what are you doing?"

"Need to know what these things are. Miss Martian, is there a mind in here?"

"I.. can't feel one, but that could just be because they've got-"

I cut all the way through the neck, causing the head-. The helmet to fall off and the flow of blood from the neck hole to increase. There's no flesh inside. There's the neck armour, a.. metal 'spine' and a whole lot of blood.

"No one inside."

Analysis of the blood… It's a mixture from many different individuals. I can't… There are anomalous properties that suggest that there's an element of magic here, but a power ring can't characterise it better than that.

"I'd guess that they're using blood from people they've either abducted or Anti-Lifed to animate them. But…"

There's still a little… Movement in the blood. A small surge and then a stop. Another small surge, more of a ripple at this point as most of the blood in the interior has leaked out onto the mountainside.

I send filaments reaching inside the chest cavity-.

That's a heart. It's wired into some sort of frame, and… Okay, it's there.

I climb up on the armour-. I slip, the blood coming from my feet making them slide out underneath me and making me slam face first into the power armour's side.

Ah-ow.

"You okay?"

What do you think, Kon? "Miss Martian, I don't suppose-"

I check my footing better this time before hauling myself up.

"-you've got any healing potions, do you?"

"Sorry, no. Cornwall Boy does, though. Did."

I nod as I take position over where the heart is. This armour panel looks like it can be removed, but I've got no idea where the switch is. If it's even a physical thing, or wasn't sealed shut once its purpose was fulfilled.

Kon's head jerks up. "They're coming."

M'gann just looks determined. "We can beat them. The obsidian goes right through their armour."

"I'm pretty sure that Kon's fists will, too." I crouch down and start slicing around the edge of the panel. "Shout if you need me."

Construct shield.

And… The panel comes off, and there's an interior armour mechanism, but this one… Yes, the latch is there and there, twist and pull…

That's a human heart. Wait… No. Not a human heart. It's roughly the right size, but the shape isn't quite right. And it's still beating in its metal… Cage. Some sort of blood magic. The power armour has finally gone still. Curious that it doesn't have the same Anti-Life aura as the other one, but I don't know enough about Apokoliptian technology or blood magic to draw firm conclusions. Just in case this is linked to someone or belongs to someone, I take a couple of pints of blood out from the armour's interior. Then I tear out the heart and the housing along with it, fabricate a carry case for it and put it inside before covering it with the blood. Then I-.

There's another crash as another suit of power armour lands on the top of the rise. Kon and M'gann have already gotten out of the way, Kon darting back in a moment later to punch it in the leg. That knocks it to one knee, then it raises its hands-. Are those claws? Yes, yes they are. And it lashes out with them and forces Kon back.

I can't get up the cliff face while that's going on. There isn't another convenient way up here… I can go around, but that will take at least ten minutes. Or more, because my feet are a mess and it's all obsidian fragments. Standing here…

Hm.

I point my right hand at where the heart used to be and generate a heart-shaped construct before linking it to my tattoos. Grab the head piece and… Clone my own blood. Seal the neck, pour my blood inside it with a little of the actual blood that's leaking from just about all of my body at this point, then reattach the head.

"Ugh."

The power armour's eyes glow orange.

"Up you get. And carry me."

Its left arm grabs hold of me, while its right supports its torso as it struggles to rise. I use a construct to snap off the obsidian which ran it through, snorting to myself as I see the obsidian around us grow a little in response. That gives it the space it needs in order to get back on its feet, still holding me to its chest.

"Get us up there."

It follows my pointing finger, crouches slightly, and then leaps.

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

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