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

Bigking321 · 2026-09-06T07:37:45+0100

That's a terrifying situation. Someone that can just rip bits of you out and use them himself.

Scary...

Ngamer11 · 2026-09-06T07:42:58+0100

This guy seems like another high int low wis character, so it makes sense why Anarky would work with him.

Frozen20XX · 2026-09-06T07:49:18+0100

Well, the last time someone stole Paragon's ring, Morrow became a construct lantern. Lets hope Know Man doesn't get the chance to figure out that ability.

GhostKing 666 · 2026-09-06T07:51:24+0100

Mr Zoat said:
He frowns. "No, of course not." Zatanna calms slightly. "Neanderthals existed for eighty thousands years across Europe and half of Asia.

One, that's 400,000 years, not 80,000(where did you even get that number?). Second, I wouldn't really say half of Asia as that implies a much wider spread than we have evidence for Neanderthals. Unless you are including Denisovans with Neanderthal populations in that statement.

Mr Zoat said:
"Perhaps. Professor Michaël Peyrot of Leiden University might understand. He's an expert in Proto-Indo-European languages. I think he would work it out.

*Goans*... seriously? Neanderthals had been extinct for tens of thousands of years before the Proto-Indo European culture even existed. Even if the guy had been born in the Pontic–Caspian Steppe, he wouldn't be speaking Proto-Indo-European... or really have any relation with the Proto-Indo Europeans considering how their ancestors hadn't even migrated into the area yet, displacing the populations of those who were there before them who themselves had probably displaced the populations of those who were there before they were.

Mr Zoat said:
"But of course. I invented construction engineering while my peers struggled with simple group tactics when hunting. That isn't a lifestyle which lends itself to fellowship."

*Another groan*... I get that DC created this guy back in the nineties but the sheer datedness of this statement.

B00ki5h · 2026-09-06T07:53:03+0100

Mr Zoat said:
One of his crystals shimmers orange, and my rings fly from my fingers!

I can't tell if this was brilliant or suicidal.

They weakened Paul's connection to the Ophidian, drawing 'her' attention. Then he made a giant conglomeration of people's avarice without a guiding mind behind it and then shoved his rings into it. All while they were in what I assume to be a section of The Dreaming; a place where time and space are suggestions.

So either Paul gets everything back quickly or we have a giant orange snake incoming.

BR549 · 2026-09-06T07:55:02+0100

Jankl said:
it's nice to see that people with the right preparation can still defeat Paul in certain situations.

I mean, Know-Man is 'we have Controller at home'.

The Froggy Ninja · 2026-09-06T08:18:04+0100

I wonder if this version of Know Man also has a connection to the Controllers or if that's a later/non-existent thing.

Mr Zoat · 2026-09-06T08:32:20+0100

GhostKing 666 said:
One, that's 400,000 years, not 80,000(where did you even get that number?). Second, I wouldn't really say half of Asia as that implies a much wider spread than we have evidence for Neanderthals. Unless you are including Denisovans with Neanderthal populations in that statement.

Thank you, corrected.

*Goans*... seriously? Neanderthals had been extinct for tens of thousands of years before the Proto-Indo European culture even existed. Even if the guy had been born in the Pontic–Caspian Steppe, he wouldn't be speaking Proto-Indo-European... or really have any relation with the Proto-Indo Europeans considering how their ancestors hadn't even migrated into the area yet, displacing the populations of those who were there before them who themselves had probably displaced the populations of those who were there before they were.

He's also quite good at linguistics.

*Another groan*... I get that DC created this guy back in the nineties but the sheer datedness of this statement.

Were you there?

Chojin Patriarch · 2026-09-06T08:34:58+0100

Mr Zoat said:
28th September 2013
14:06 GMT -5

I clench my fists, but L-. but Anarky himself appears to be responding in a more contemplative manner. He puts his right forefinger to his chin and taps it twice.

"I feel that you have me at a disadvantage. Who are you, really?"

Ah, nice. He'll get Know-Man monologuing, giving them exactly the info they need to beat him, hopefully. Or at least give us a hint as to how and why he's doing this.

Mr. Mann tosses the Lonnie crystal back into the air -and I track its location just in case- before smiling.

"Who am I?" He shrugs, a motion mostly of his neck rather than his shoulders. "Am I who I was in my youth? Should I tell you the name people called me back then, a name I haven't use-."

Huh, subtly odd body language. A nice tell that he's not exactly modern in origin.

"You haven't used it in thousands of years." Zatanna's eyes narrow. "You're a Neanderthal, like Vandal Savage."

"Vandal Savage. Not Vandar Adg of the Blood Tribe?"

Van seems to like abandoning his old identities as he outgrows them. And after 50 millennia, being the same person would get boring.

"Did you know him? Were you part of his tribe?"

He frowns. "No, of course not." Zatanna calms slightly. "Neanderthals existed for eighty thousands years across Europe and half of Asia. I doubt that we would even have been alive at the same time if it wasn't for our changes."

I bet his figure for their existence is a little skewed. Perhaps not counting all variations of the branch as equal to his specific one.

Anarky inclines his head slightly. "I am still waiting to hear your name."

"My original name was something like 'Gur'. But…" He shakes his head. "When I found that I was changing, that I understood ideas that the other members of my tribe could not, then I chose a new name for myself."

"Which was?"

Of course. 'I am not the man I was before, so I shall be a new me.'

He stares blankly into the distance for a moment. "We had so few words back then. There were so few things that I understood that we could discuss out loud. I wanted something that explains what I had became, and the best I could do… Kum Am. Kum; to think, to understand, to have knowledge or a situation or place. Am; to exist, to be. In English it would be something like 'Know Man'."

A very logical explanation for such a silly name.

I groan quietly. "So your name is a pun that only two people in the world would understand."

"Perhaps. Professor Michaël Peyrot of Leiden University might understand. He's an expert in Proto-Indo-European languages. I think he would work it out. And now you all do as well. And as I implied, Vandal Savage and I came from different times and places. Not all grunt-patterns were the same."

Presumably by similarity to languages they've got some idea of the meanings for, since his own clan's tongue would be lost to all but him...

Anarky nods. "A joke that only you would understand. That speaks of profound social isolation."

"But of course. I invented construction engineering while my peers struggled with simple group tactics when hunting. That isn't a lifestyle which lends itself to fellowship."

Yes, but you are a member of a social species, even so. Which might explain his behaviour...

"And now you surround yourself with bits and pieces of other people."

"The useful parts. Or the useless parts. You were using the technology for that yourself."

...He sees everyone, everything else as tools for his use.

"What did I lose?"

"Humanity." Ah "Don't worry: after a while you'll forget why you missed it."

Ah, and he means to do that to other superbeings, hmm? At least, that's what happened in the comics, I think?

Anarky's mask frowns. "I don't feel any different."

"What does your mother's face look like?"

Ooh, that's a piercing question.

"It-." The mask blinks. "She-."

"You see? Don't worry: I don't remember my mother's face either. You didn't mention your family once to me while we were working together. Were you already using the crystals to remove the distractions from your soul?"

No, don't let him trick you, Anarky. Focus on what's important.

"I..." Anarky tilts his head to the side. "Wouldn't remember, would I?"

"Such a simple concept." He calls down another crystal. "I wonder if the Apokoliptians ever considered using the technology like this?"

I suspect if they have, then they've used it at least once just to see what happened.

I nod. "Yes. That's how they beat the Green Lantern Corps."

"More Anti-Life projection?"

Ah, yes. The original battle between Oa and Apokalips.

"Fear." I got curious, and Canis was happy to boast about it. "They forced them to feel the fear of the Lowlies, thousands of years of it, dumped on a few hundred Lanterns."

"I see. But wouldn't the Lowlies have lost their fear as a result?"

That's why you kill them the second they're no longer useful, to avoid them realising there's more of them than you.

"They just gave them new ones. Look, fascinating as I'm sure this technology is, we are going to need you to turn everything off and give everyone their stuff back."

Zatanna nods. "And explain why you mind controlled those people in Hub City."

Ah, good point, Zee. that question is still hanging over the situation.

I blink. That had actually slipped my mind. Not forgotten, but shelved as irrelevant and unimportant.

Anarky turns his head towards-. Really?

Goes to show how Enlightenment makes OL laser-focused on goals yet able to keep track of everything.

"That was a group effort. We were concerned that you were implanting people with genomorphs for sinister purposes."

"Making people healthier is sinister?"

I think half the issue was you doing it for free. If you'd been charging for the implants, they'd have... Probably looked into it but at a lower priority.

"Implanting living creatures into their body to regulate their body chemistry, creatures which have a telepathic hive mind network and are allied to you, seems extremely sinister."

"You could just have gotten one yourself, or asked for a volunteer."

Instead, they went straight for the mind-control hats. Different goals, still the same supervillain methods.

"We couldn't take the risk that the symbiote would read the host's mind."

"That's the sort of reasoning I'd expect from Tetch, but not from you. What happened to-."

OL, you really expect him to remember?

"I-."

"No, don't answer that. Answer it once you're a single person again. You don't even know that what you're saying is true."

...That is a concern. I expect once they get loose, the Illuminati will be giving themselves deep checkups.

"You're right. It does seem… At odds with what I think I believe that I would use people like that."

"Right, so where were we?" I draw my sidearm. "Noel Mann, Know Man, Gur, Kum Am, whatever you're calling yourself. You're under arrest."

Cocky, but it might work.

He shakes his head. "Orange Lantern. Illustres. Paul. Whatever you're calling yourself. You are standing inside a crystal that lets me pull traits off people and make them part of myself."

"My gun isn't a person."

But he might be able to steal your skill with it.

"Dleihs su morf sih rewop!"

He sneers at Zatanna as nothing happens, then reaches out with his right hand as two crystals descend towards him. "On. T'nod."

Oh hell, he's got their powers too now?

We shimmer purple for a moment, Zatanna's eyes widening. I-.

One of his crystals shimmers orange, and my rings fly from my fingers!

Shiiiiit. Let's hope the Ophidian is paying attention.

"Ah." Know Man blinks, staring around the room with new eyes. "This is how you feel? I suppose it explains a few things."

No.

And I hope Num-skull chokes on it. I wonder if he's really prepared for what he's doing might call down.

"Used to feel, I should say. How does it feel to know that there is nothing about you that cannot be taken away? Llet em."

"Really, really bad. Last time something like this happened was just after I got resurrected, and I was too out of it to really be aware of what was happening. I'm in a situation that's out of my control without my best tools."

Ugh. And I doubt he can speedrun Enlightenment in time to reclaim his Rings.

"And what will you do next, I wonder?"

"Keep your attention while Hunter does his thing."

...Or he could do that. Huh!

"What?"

Above us, crouched on Toyman's drone, Timothy plunges his black hand into the crystal with his face in it!

The rare time when doing something stupid might actually improve matters.

Hopefully this pulls the place down around Know-Man's head without hurting anyone else. The situation is already FUBAR now that he has OL's Rings and Enlightenment. That alone will let him stomp everyone in the room. Zatanna's magic on top of it? That's an 'All hands on deck' moment for the League...

Frozen20XX · 2026-09-06T09:29:14+0100

Chojin Patriarch said:
And I hope Num-skull chokes on it. I wonder if he's really prepared for what he's doing might call down.

He better hope Ophidian doesn't come knocking at him for this! Cause usually people who deal with her leave with an orange tattoo or as constructs.

Dur'id the Druid · 2026-09-06T10:22:35+0100

Ugh, this is reminding me of that doctor who line, "I have experienced universes where the rules were made by a mad-man!"

Sordid Snake · 2026-09-06T15:21:50+0100

I've been planning to write this for a few days but never got around to it. But the prospect of being able to do a silly joke kind of forces me to.

In "Going Rogue", the last expansion for the game City of Heroes there was a semi-postapocalyptic map called "First Ward". The part that was still used by the repressive authorities was a psychiatric hospital run by "Praetor Tilman", aka "Mother Mayhem". Think an even more evil White Queen with even worse dress sense, and it would be close.
She was using it to turn psionics and latent psionics into enslaved thought police by psionically cutting out any parts of their personality detrimental to that mission. Ofcourse the discarded parts escaped and ran amuck in the zone, including possessing other inhabitants, monsters and beings. The appearance of a number of partial personalities that are "psionic surgery waste" in this WTR arc reminded me of this.

(The First Ward story arc is quite confusing with a lot of twists, but IIRC it was a series of "Summon Bigger Fish" that led to the doors of the realm of the dead being bust open (See "A Wizard of Eathsea part III" for why this can be suboptimal), the literal Furies being awoken wanting to punish everyone for everything, and the penultimate fish wanting to summon ~~Cthulhu~~ Mot leading to one of the end-game raids)

Mr Zoat said:
Very close, but he's not a prehistoric catgirl.

Would a prehistoric catgirl be a nyanderthal?

Mr Zoat said:
In English it would be something like 'Know Man'."

I read that link and... Batman was a more effective Know Man than Know Man ever was

A lot of nonsense could have been avoided if he'd just told Batman "Here is the threat. Here are the resources. Please make defense plans."

Shotiegun11 · 2026-09-06T15:55:42+0100

I'm waiting for the Ophidian to look Know Man's way, pop his body like a grape, eat his soul, and curl around the SI (in mini mode) until he gets his Enlightenment back.

(This may not be a pleasant experience for the SI until re-attaining it.)

Mr Zoat · 2026-09-06T17:32:30+0100

Sordid Snake said:
Would a prehistoric catgirl be a nyanderthal?

No.

thebishop8 · 2026-09-06T18:54:58+0100

Aren't Spell Eaters part of Paul's standard kit? How is Know Man dealing with it? I guess something could have happened to it during the dream shift, or when Yap attacked, or maybe it's just ineffective in this environment. But it hasn't been mentioned at all.

boo600 · 2026-09-06T18:58:10+0100

The same way he's casually taking Zatanna's magic, I suppose. It's partially mystical, partially New God tech (or something equivalent and Maltusian-y)

Mr Zoat · 2026-09-06T19:02:18+0100

thebishop8 said:
Aren't Spell Eaters part of Paul's standard kit? How is Know Man dealing with it? I guess something could have happened to it during the dream shift, or when Yap attacked, or maybe it's just ineffective in this environment. But it hasn't been mentioned at all.

Tim just dumped them into some sort of demi-plane. He should be glad that it didn't make the transition, because if it did it would have exploded or melted.

Jankl · 2026-09-06T20:23:11+0100

Just wondering. When did Janissary Paul arrive in Invincible universe? Was it before or after the Guardians of the Globe where murdered?

BR549 · 2026-09-06T22:40:19+0100

Sordid Snake said:
In "Going Rogue", the last expansion for the game City of Heroes there was a semi-postapocalyptic map called "First Ward". The part that was still used by the repressive authorities was a psychiatric hospital run by "Praetor Tilman", aka "Mother Mayhem". Think an even more evil White Queen with even worse dress sense, and it would be close.
She was using it to turn psionics and latent psionics into enslaved thought police by psionically cutting out any parts of their personality detrimental to that mission. Ofcourse the discarded parts escaped and ran amuck in the zone, including possessing other inhabitants, monsters and beings. The appearance of a number of partial personalities that are "psionic surgery waste" in this WTR arc reminded me of this.

(The First Ward story arc is quite confusing with a lot of twists, but IIRC it was a series of "Summon Bigger Fish" that led to the doors of the realm of the dead being bust open (See "A Wizard of Eathsea part III" for why this can be suboptimal), the literal Furies being awoken wanting to punish everyone for everything, and the penultimate fish wanting to summon ~~Cthulhu~~ Mot leading to one of the end-game raids)

Technically, there is a map, as City of Heroes Homecoming exists (with NCSoft's official "this is okay", even).

Mr Zoat · 2026-09-06T23:44:47+0100

Jankl said:
Just wondering. When did Janissary Paul arrive in Invincible universe? Was it before or after the Guardians of the Globe where murdered?

Ah... It's not really relevant to the story, but I'm going to say...

[Consults Magic 8 Ball]

Before.

Mr Zoat · 2026-09-07T06:15:00+0100

28th September 2013
14:11 GMT -5

Know Man stares up with a frown. "How-?"

There's a quiet hiss, and-. Timothy sort of blinks, and then his whole body is… Back. And the crystal is jet black and it's… Sort of hissing.

"Zatanna?"

"I don't know."

Know Man's eyes narrow. "I don't know what you're planning, boy, but-."

Plip.

A single… Drip? Of the black goop flies out of the crystal and into one of the others. There's a quiet bloop as it hits and is rapidly absorbed.

Know Man leaps towards Timothy, eyes glowing brilliantly! I draw and shoot him with my sidearm which-

Plip.

-does nothing to him but does hit Zatanna's crystal. She smiles as her eyes light up.

"Llaf trohs!"

Know Man's angle alters immediately, and he grimaces as-

Plip. Plip.

-his angle changes and he falls away from Timothy-

Plip. Plip. Plip.

-and the black drips continue flying off.

Plip. Plipplipplipplpplpplp...

Black droplets fire off in all directions, hitting the floating crystals but also hitting the floor and causing it to turn faintly grey. Know Man lands and looks around in alarm, and I hear a release of gas as Anarky uses his cane's grapple feature to grab his own crystal and pull it down to him. Know Man raises his left hand, rings glowing…

And no construct appears. He blinks and for a moment makes eye contact with me.

Yeah. Annoying, isn't it?

"You should probably drop that-"

Plip.

"-crystal-."

A black droplet leaps out of the crystal floor and penetrates my crystal-

My friend Phil's face is totally blank as he steps out into the road right in front of a truck, and I feel envy as it hits him.

-before swimming through and-. Reaching his hand and coating it in black tar. He shakes his head and tries wiping it off to no affect.

Then the crystal floor around Know Man starts getting darker. He leaps up as Anarky crushes his crystal in his hand… And then falls to his knees.

Oh, I'm on my knees too.

"Egnaro latsyrc ot ym dnah!"

My crystal flies to her hand as Know Man sails towards Timothy, who notices that and jumps from his platform, leaving the black crystal floating in midair and firing black-

Plip.

-plips.

Zatanna catches my crystal, and I'd say something about just making it explode, but I'm still staring at Phil's face is as the truck hits, which isn't a magic thing because the black tar containing the memory is attached to Know Man. It's just so shocking a thought that I'm still thinking it even though I'm not being forced to. It's… Traumatised me, I've actually-.

I want to crawl towards the road.

"Llafwols!"

Timothy slows in midair as Know Man grabs at him and misses.

Toyman presses something, and the platform Timothy was standing on flips around and hits the black crystal, sending it shooting towards Know Man. Know Man's eyes widen and he twists aside and the crystal falls past-.

The black tendril he couldn't scrape off reaches out and grabs it!

"Nuyghuh-guh-guh!"

"Dnes tnemnethgilne kcab ot erehw ti sgnoleb."

Aaaah.

And now Phillip is someone else's problem and nothing to do with me. I hold out my hands, and-

A short distance from me Know Man hits the floor with a crack, and even more inky blobs swarm him.

-my rings fly into my fingers as I stand up.

"Thank you, Zatanna."

She nods. "And well done Hunter."

He touches down lightly and gives us an awkward smile. "I caused the mess, so I cleared it up."

"Not yet you haven't. We're still here. And we do need Know Man sane."

"Okay." He walks closer-but-not-too-close to Know Man. "Alright guys, thanks. You can let him go now."

The inky blackness coating him briefly manifests a head and an arm to nod and wave to him before radiating outwards through the crystal floor and vanishing.

I turn towards Lonnie. "Lonnie. Now that you're back in one piece-."

"I…" He pulls off his mask, and I see that his face has reappeared. "This isn't what I was trying to do."

"I know that you had the best of intentions, but this is the sort of thing that can happen if you don't check who you're working with. And I'm not confident that Mister Tetch wouldn't have done something untoward with it either."

"He's… Better, now."

"The fact that he's cured of the particular form of insanity he was acting under doesn't mean that he's actually making good decisions. For all we know the Life burst just cured the particular manifestation of his underlying psychological weakness."

"That… Could be true. I'll… Speak to him."

"And the g-sanchong?"

"Can I..? Take part in a follow-up study? With volunteers?"

"If it'll make you knock this off, certainly."

He nods slowly. "Alright. And I'm... Sorry that this happened."

"Good. Hunter, how's it-"

We're shoved together as the crystal vanishes and our surroundings are replaced by a wooden cabin.

"-coming?"

Ngamer11 · 2026-09-07T06:21:41+0100

Mr Zoat said:
"I…" He pulls off his mask, and I see that his face has reappeared. "This isn't what I was trying to do."

"I know that you had the best of intentions, but this is the sort of thing that can happen if you don't check who you're working with. And I'm not confident that Mister Tetch wouldn't have done something untoward with it either."

"He's… Better, now."

"The fact that he's cured of the particular form of insanity he was acting under doesn't mean that he's actually making good decisions. For all we know the Life burst just cured the particular manifestation of his underlying psychological weakness."

"That… Could be true. I'll… Speak to him."

"And the g-sanchong?"

"Can I..? Take part in a follow-up study? With volunteers?"

"If it'll make you knock this off, certainly."

He nods slowly. "Alright. And I'm... Sorry that this happened."

Thank the Ophidian. Lonnie has seen the light. Now we only need to worry about Tetch and Question.

Candlewick105 · 2026-09-07T06:29:58+0100

Mr Zoat said:
Know Man raises his left hand, rings glowing…

And no construct appears. He blinks and for a moment makes eye contact with me.

I... Dont understand what blocked him?

Ngamer11 · 2026-09-07T06:32:58+0100

Candlewick105 said:
I... Dont understand what blocked him?

Without Paul's enlightenment, he needed to focus his avarice to use the rings, which he's never learned how to do.

Edit:

Mr Zoat said:
"Okay." He walks closer-hut-not-too-close to Know Man. "Alright guys, thanks. You can let him go now."

Just noticed this error. That should say 'but'.

Chojin Patriarch · 2026-09-07T06:44:19+0100

Mr Zoat said:
28th September 2013
14:11 GMT -5

Know Man stares up with a frown. "How-?"

There's a quiet hiss, and-. Timothy sort of blinks, and then his whole body is… Back. And the crystal is jet black and it's… Sort of hissing.

Oooh, right in the load-bearing block. This little jenga tower of emotional and spiritual chunks is about to cease to be, I suspect. The hard part will be not gettign killed by Know-man while it crumbles...

"Zatanna?"

"I don't know."

She is under twenty and not especially well-read on obscure magical phenomena. Though I doubt Giovanni would know much more.

Know Man's eyes narrow. "I don't know what you're planning, boy, but-."

Plip.

A single… Drip? Of the black goop flies out of the crystal and into one other others. There's a quiet bloop as it hits and is rapidly absorbed.

The rejected bits of psyche returning to their owners has begun.

Know Man leaps towards Timothy, eyes glowing brilliantly! I draw and shoot him with my sidearm which-

Plip.

-does nothing to him but does hit Zatanna's crystal. She smiles as her eyes light up.

Ah, good, he only has the powers as long as he holds the crystals, I suppose.

"Llaf trohs!"

Know Man's angle alters immediately, and he grimaces as-

Yeah, not so much fun now you aren't flinging the spells, is it?

Plip. Plip.

-his angle changes and he falls away from Timothy-

Plip. Plip. Plip.

...Okay, that's getting a little concerning now.

-and the black drips continue flying off.

Plip. Plipplipplipplpplpplp...

Let's hope they aren't interested in just anyone now that their real owners are in range.

Black droplets fire off in all directions, hitting the floating crystals but also hitting the floor and causing it to turn faintly grey. Know Man lands and looks around in alarm, and I hear a release of gas as Anarky uses his cane's grapple feature to grab his own crystal and pull it down to him. Know Man raises his left hand, rings glowing…

Smart move, Anarky. Reclaim the dumb side of you and hopefully learn some good sense.

And no construct appears. He blinks and for a moment makes eye contact with me.

Yeah. Annoying, isn't it?

Harder than it looks, especially for someone using stolen Enlightenment.

"You should probably drop that-"

Plip.

"-crystal-."

Since getting shot will probably hurt like hell, especially since Know-man doesn't seem to even have the environmental shields up.

A black droplet leaps out of the crystal floor and penetrates my crystal-

My friend Phil's face is totally blank as he steps out into the road right in front of a truck, and I feel envy as it hits him.

...Uh, what? I don't think that was OL's memory, was it?

-before swimming through and-. Reaching his hand and coating it in black tar. He shakes his head and tries wiping it off to no affect.

Then the crystal floor around Know Man starts getting darker. He leaps up as Anarky crushes his crystal in his hand… And then falls to his knees.

Ah, it was Know-man's. Looks like he lost at least one friend during the Anti-Life, or just before.

Oh, I'm on my knees too.

"Egnaro latsyrc ot ym dnah!"

And Zee coming in clutch to extract OL's powers from the bad guy.

My crystal flies to her hand as Know Man sails towards Timothy, who notices that and jumps from his platform, leaving the black crystal floating in midair and firing black-

Plip.

And Tim's whole and hale now, so bonus.

-plips.

Zatanna catches my crystal, and I'd say something about just making it explode, but I'm still staring at Phil's face is as the truck hits, which isn't a magic thing because the black tar containing the memory is attached to Know Man. It's just so shocking a thought that I'm still thinking it even though I'm not being forced to. It's… Traumatised me, I've actually-.

Fortunately, once he gets his Rings back online, it shouldn't be too hard to edit that memory out. Just want to not remember that.

I want to crawl towards the road.

"Llafwols!"

Timothy slows in midair as Know Man grabs at him and misses.

Okay, definitely happened during the Anti-Life. Possibly it's early moments, even.

Toyman presses something, and the platform Timothy was standing on flips around and hits the black crystal, sending it shooting towards Know Man. Know Man's eyes widen and he twists aside and the crystal falls past-.

The black tendril he couldn't scrape off reaches out and grabs it!

Heh, deus ex diabolus. Know-man copping it from all sides.

"Nuyghuh-guh-guh!"

"Dnes tnemnethgilne kcab ot erehw ti sgnoleb."

And with that spell, the fight is about to be shortened significantly.

Aaaah.

And now Phillip is someone else's problem and nothing to do with me. I hold out my hands, and-

Now, to be nice and leave him his ring fingers, or not...

A short distance from me Know Man hits the floor with a crack, and even more inky blobs swarm him.

-my rings fly into my fingers as I stand up.

...Boy, Know-man had a lot of rejected elements in him, didn't he?

"Thank you, Zatanna."

She nods. "And well done Hunter."

Ah, back to the coloured quotations.

He touches down lightly and gives us an awkward smile. "I caused the mess, so I cleared it up."

"Not yet you haven't. We're still here. And we do need Know Man sane."

Yeah, better get on that, Tim.

"Okay." He walks closer-hut-not-too-close to Know Man. "Alright guys, thanks. You can let him go now."

The inky blackness coating him briefly manifests a head and an arm to nod and wave to his before radiating outwards through the crystal floor and vanishing.

Off to return to their true owners in the tower below, no doubt.

I turn towards Lonnie. "Lonnie. Now that you're back in one piece-."

"I…" He pulls off his mask, and I see that his face has reappeared. "This isn't what I was trying to do."

Good, he has learned from this.

"I know that you had the best of intentions, but this is the sort of thing that can happen if you don't check who you're working with. And I'm not confident that Mister Tetch wouldn't have done something untoward with it either."

"He's… Better, now."

Sadly, such things tend to be temporary with bat-villains. As if the universe wants them to be nutters who dress in costumes...

"The fact that he's cured of the particular form of insanity he was acting under doesn't mean that he's actually making good decisions. For all we know the Life burst just cured the particular manifestation of his underlying psychological weakness."

"That… Could be true. I'll… Speak to him."

...You do that, once he wakes up.

"And the g-sanchong?"

"Can I..? Take part in a follow-up study? With volunteers?"

Ah, see, that's a sensible request.

"If it'll make you knock this off, certainly."

He nods slowly. "Alright. And I'm... Sorry that this happened."

Hopefully the other Illuminati will agree with him and come in from the cold.

"Good. Hunter, how's it-"

We're shoved together as the crystal vanishes and our surroundings are replaced by a wooden cabin.

"-coming?"

I hope that's success, and not something else enforcing its mind on the Dreaming.

Looks like things are back to normal, everyone safe and sound. And the Illuminati members safely within capture range, plus Know-man. OL had better secure him first thing with that freshly restored Enlightenment, so he can be interrogated. And then Tim can get started on all the lectures he's got coming his way...

Darko · 2026-09-07T07:00:23+0100

Mr Zoat said:
into one other others

"one of the others"
QUOTE="Mr Zoat, post: 13542436, member: 12669"]
nod and wave to his before
[/QUOTE]

"to him"

Artemisnemo · 2026-09-07T07:28:55+0100

Ngamer11 said:
Without Paul's enlightenment, he needed to focus his avarice to use the rings, which he's never learned how to do.

Nope double checked and Zatanna pulled the enlightenment out of him after he tries making constructs.

BR549 · 2026-09-07T07:34:57+0100

Artemisnemo said:
Nope double checked and Zatanna pulled the enlightenment out of him after he tries making constructs.

He still didn't know how to use the rings. If the rings had been green, he might have been able to pull it off, but not orange.

Mr Zoat · 2026-09-07T08:33:55+0100

Ngamer11 said:
Edit: Just noticed this error. That should say 'but'.

Thank you, corrected.

Without Paul's enlightenment, he needed to focus his avarice to use the rings, which he's never learned how to do.

While that would have made it more difficult, the SI hasn't been able to make a construct is this place. Know Man didn't know that.

Darko said:
"one of the others"
"to him"

Thank you, corrected.

Dur'id the Druid · 2026-09-07T08:40:35+0100

..... did the anti-life residue here make them whole?

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

I trust you know where the happy button is?

Experienced.

Know what you're doing yet?

Not too sore, are you?

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Umm, ackchyually...

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