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

Rebu · Mar 13, 2022

MrWafflehats said:
Is that series worth it in the long run?

I remember being unimpressed with it but I only ever saw the first 2 episodes or so.

I think so. Keep in mind I'm too young to recall the original, and barely remember much of the 2002 remake.

Mr Zoat · Mar 13, 2022

BrotherofaStudio said:
I personally think that she shouldn't have tried to take Zaofu nor the Republic, not to mention show more respect for the spirits and have reigned things in with the re-education camps among other things but otherwise yes she was a much better leader than Wu could ever be.

Why would she show respect to the spirits? The spirits -even non-dark spirits- were openly attacking people wherever they appeared, and the ones in Republic City got more aggressive when Korra tried to stop them.

The Earth Kingdom was based on 1920s China. What sort of prison system did you expect them to use?

Smartkittykhan said:
That's precisely how I felt about the reeducation camps. Why even include it if it just never comes up again?

The point of the camps was twofold.

Firstly, to show her as an enlightened authoritarian. Sure, those governors didn't want to sign on, but the country is actually functioning now. Sure, the bandits didn't want to go to prison, but crime is down and the bandits are learning the value of hard legitimate work.

Secondly, to emphasise how different she was from the anarchist Zaheer who caused the chaos she was fighting against and from the Earth Queen who used the same methods but for purely selfish reasons.

Mr Zoat · Mar 13, 2022

21st year of the reign of King Randor I
Season of Chill
307th day, 18th bell

Oh fuck all kinds of-.

I throw up a tower shield construct as the first few plasma shots come our way, and I can immediately feel that Hordak's technology is a wee bit better than what modern Eternia can scrounge together.

Adora just stands there. "Soldiers, explain your-!"

I step in front of her to block their shots while Teela dodges, throwing herself back into the arena antechamber. While Sir Duncan has been assiduous in implementing my suggestions, Teela hasn't, as she didn't feel the need to augment her staff with any sort of ranged weapon. And her normal clothing isn't up to taking hits from a rapid fire plasma weapon.

"Orko!"

Orko looks around nervously. "What?"

Teela glances out of cover. "Did you just time travel a bunch of Hordak's soldiers here!?"

"What? No! I can't see what you're reacting to! It's just a memory!"

"Does that mean it can't hurt us?!"

"Ah, well? Normally, yes? But the spell's only supposed to be used on one person, so... I'm not sure."

Adora raises one of her swords to the side of my neck. "Lantern, I demand an explanation!"

"Those soldiers work for some guy called 'Hordak', and Orko cast a spell to make your sparring match more exciting. Unfortunately, it may have gone a little wrong."

Orko points both hands at Adora. "She hit it with a sword!"

"Focus!" Teela leans out of cover again as the Horde soldiers begin advancing towards the courtyard wall. "Are they actually here or not?"

"No! Probably!"

"Can they hurt us?"

"Um."

"Or anyone else?"

Orko cringes for a moment, then pantomimes rolling up his sleeves. "Orange Lantern? Can you show me where one of them is?"

"Certainly."

The closest Horde soldier glows with orange light. He-. It? Pauses for a moment to try and work out where the light is coming from, then lumbers my way, spraying my construct shield with plasma fire. It's getting uncomfortably abraded now, but I've learned that even though Eternian technology has regressed since Hordak's invasion there are a surprising number of highly functional anti-air guns around the place.

"There? Okay." Orko flies directly in front of the oncoming Horde soldier, arms spread out to the sides. "Stop!"

The image barrels right through him, Orko just hanging in the air for a moment.

"Is it through?"

"Yes." I generate a construct maser and point it at the Horde trooper's helmet. "It is."

I fire, the beam of invisible light punching through the trooper's visor. The trooper staggers, but recovers after a moment and continues their charge. Meanwhile the jetpack guy plants… Something against the wall.

"Despara? How is he still up?"

"Cybereugenics. The best of machinery and-."

I fire again, the shot blasting through the other eye hole. But while the trooper staggers to a halt, he doesn't fall, and I'm left wondering what sort of head they've got under there.

Somewhere behind the floating platforms, lightning hits the ground from a cloudless sky. Ah yes, it turns out that Adam doesn't actually shout 'By the Power of Grayskull! I have the power!' when he transforms, and can actually whisper it if necessary. Which means-.

BOOM!

The man with the jetpack waves his left arm. "Squad five, rearguard! Everyone else, into the castle!"

"Not so fast!"

He-Man charges out, torso twisted so that his armoured shoulder is there to absorb any incoming fire. The jetpack guy turns and fires with predictable results, but the regular troopers don't appear to be that agile and can't reposition. The jetpack guy boosts away from He-Man but the first trooper gets the strongest man on the planet slamming into them and they go flying into the far wall.

"Enough of this."

With the troopers' attention off us, Adora dodges around my shield and charges the chap I shot in the eyes, He… Appears to hear her coming and levels his plasma gun in her direction. He fires at her centre of mass but she ducks under his shots and lunges past him, her swords coming around and biting into the cabling at the back of his left knee! There's a sort of gurgle from his helmet as his leg collapses, then Adora back flips over him, jamming the points of her swords through his eye holes and crossing her arms so that the parts penetrating the helmet slice vertically through the interior.

The trooper slumps, the armour not allowing them to fully collapse but the person inside clearly dead. He-Man now has the rearguard's full attention so Adora sprints forward to assist him.

Teela uses the break in incoming fire to dart out of cover and approach me, gesturing with her staff towards where the Horde soldiers are piling into the castle.

"Orko, do you see that hole in the wall?"

"Yes. How did that get there?"

"Because the illusions used explosives!"

"Oh." He scratches his hat with an extended right forefinger. "That's not supposed to happen."

Oh dear. "Where in the castle is the nursery located?"

Teela thinks for a moment. "Near the grand balcony."

"The grand balcony where the king and queen will be giving their speech in a little while? The king and queen who would have been targets in the original raid?"

Teela stares at me for a second.

"Orko, stop the spell!"

"Ah…"

"Orko!"

"I could stop it if it was doing what it was supposed to do!"

He-Man hits the last horde trooper on the outside of the castle over the head with the pommel of his sword, then looks over to me and Teela. "What's going on here?"

I transition to his side. "We're not sure, but we need to stop those soldiers just in case it's something bad."

"There's got to be dozens of soldiers between here and anything-."

I wince. "We seem to be the only ones who can see them."

"We need to go." Teela sprints past me and into the castle, staff at the ready. "Now!"

"Right." He-Man takes off after her, running as fast as he can without wrecking the place with his enormous strength.

Orko sags in the air. "Oh no."

"No." I shake my head. "This one was me. I-."

Jetpack man leaps from an upper balcony, spraying us with plasma bolts!

Darko · Mar 13, 2022

Mr Zoat said:
Oh fuck all kinds of-

Duck?

Mr Zoat said:
? Normally, yes? But the spell's only supposed to be used on one person, so... I'm not sure

Ahh, Orko, even with your magic at full power, you're still bumbling.

Mr Zoat said:
"Those soldiers work for some guy called 'Hordak', and Orko cast a spell to make your sparring match more exciting. Unfortunately, it may have gone a little wrong

Just a little.

Mr Zoat said:
regressed since Hoordak's invasion there are a surprising number of highly functional anti-air guns around

'Hordak's invasion'

'invasion, there are'

Mr Zoat said:
doesn't fall, and I'm left wandering what sort of head they've got under there.

'left wondering'

Mr Zoat said:
platforms, lightening hits

'lightning hits'

Mr Zoat · Mar 13, 2022

Darko said:
'Hordak's invasion'
'left wondering'
'lightning hits'

Thank you, corrected.

'invasion, there are'

I don't think that sentence should have a second comma.

Massgamer · Mar 13, 2022

Mr Zoat said:
"Orko!"

Orko looks around nervously. "What?"

As said before, Orko is gonna Orko even when his magic casting ability is fixed.

So now the castle is being assaulted by illusions no one can see or interact with besides those present affected but the illusions can still interact with the physical world. That is a scary miscast.

Chojin Patriarch · Mar 13, 2022

Mr Zoat said:
21st year of the reign of King Randor I
Season of Chill
307th day, 18th bell

Oh fuck all kinds of-.

I throw up a tower shield construct as the first few plasma shots come our way, and I can immediately feel that Hordak's technology is a wee bit better than what modern Eternia can scrounge together.

Well, at least they can't instantly kill you... The question is, are they real to everyone, or just for those affected by the spell? And can they affect those not under the spell's effects? Oh, boy, should really have asked Despera about the spell before you went tossing it, huh?

Adora just stands there. "Soldiers, explain your-!"

I step in front of her to block their shots while Teela dodges, throwing herself back into the arena antechamber. While Sir Duncan has been assiduous in implementing my suggestions, Teela hasn't, as she didn't feel the need to augment her staff with any sort of ranged weapon. And her normal clothing isn't up to taking hits from a rapid fire plasma weapon.

Who knows, maybe this will convince her to, y'know, bring a gun next time.

"Orko!"

Orko looks around nervously. "What?"

...He seems oddly calm for having miscast his spell. Force of habit, or hints that something screwy is going on?

Teela glances out of cover. "Did you just time travel a bunch of Hordak's soldiers here!?"

"What? No! I can't see what you're reacting to! It's just a memory!"

Well, that answers that question. Only they can see the soldiers... But can the soldiers see other people?

"Does that mean it can't hurt us?!"

"Ah, well? Normally, yes? But the spell's only supposed to be used on one person, so... I'm not sure."

And I doubt being cut into chunks helped with the process at all, either.

Adora raises one of her swords to the side of my neck. "Lantern, I demand an explanation!"

"Those soldiers work for some guy called 'Hordak', and Orko cast a spell to make your sparring match more exciting. Unfortunately, it may have gone a little wrong."

Oooh, nice bit of half-truth lying.

Orko points both hands at Adora. "She hit it with a sword!"

"Focus!" Teela leans out of cover again as the Horde soldiers begin advancing towards the courtyard wall. "Are they actually here or not?"

...I think we're about to find out one way or the other.

"No! Probably!"

"Can they hurt us?"

Very important question, that!

"Um."

"Or anyone else?"

Even more important! Or are they going to end up looking foolish as they chase imaginary enemies through the capital?

Orko cringes for a moment, then pantomimes rolling up his sleeves. "Orange Lantern? Can you show me where one of them is?"

"Certainly."

Given his 2002 design, there's a lot of sleeve to roll up, so I'm not surprised he's faking it.

The closest Horde soldier glows with orange light. He-. It? Pauses for a moment to try and work out where the light is coming from, then lumbers my way, spraying my construct shield with plasma fire. It's getting uncomfortably abraded now, but I've learned that even though Eternian technology has regressed since Hoordak's invasion there are a surprising number of highly functional anti-air guns around the place.

"There? Okay." Orko flies directly in front of the oncoming Horde soldier, arms spread out to the sides. "Stop!"

Well, they're focused, if nothing else. Suggests they're a little less than human.

The image barrels right through him, Orko just hanging in the air for a moment.

"Is it through?"

So... They can't affect anyone not under the spell. Handy...

"Yes." I generate a construct maser and point it at the Horde trooper's helmet. "It is."

I fire, the beam of invisible light punching through the trooper's visor. The trooper staggers, but recovers after a moment and continues their charge. Meanwhile the jetpack guy plants… Something against the wall.

...Or not? And my god, is Lantern going to have a fit when he sees Dragstor use his real abilities...

"Despera? How is he still up?"

"Cybereugenics. The best of machinery and-."

Cyborgs. An amusing callback to how the 80's She-Ra series had robot soldiers, so the heroes could go all out on them. Because broadcast standards...

I fire again, the shot blasting through the other eye hole. But while the trooper staggers to a halt, he doesn't fall, and I'm left wandering what sort of head they've got under there.

Somewhere behind the floating platforms, lightening hits the ground from a cloudless sky. Ah yes, it turns out that Adam doesn't actually shout 'By the Power of Grayskull! I have the power!' when he transforms, and can actually whisper it if necessary. Which means-.

Would be a bit suspicious if anytime he showed up, everyone could hear Prince Adam yelling something out...

BOOM!

The man with the jetpack waves his left arm. "Squad five, rearguard! Everyone else, into the castle!"

...Shit. They can affect the now. Dammit, Orko, what the hell kind of spell is this crap?

"Not so fast!"

He-Man charges out, torso twisted so that his armoured shoulder is there to absorb any incoming fire. The jetpack guy turns and fires with predictable results, but the regular troopers don't appear to be that agile and can't reposition. The jetpack guy boosts away from He-Man but the first trooper gets the strongest man on the planet slamming into them and they go flying into the far wall.

...Well, at least he has some armour now.

"Enough of this."

With the troopers' attention off us, Adora dodges around my shield and charges the chap I shot in the eyes, He… Appears to hear her coming and levels his plasma gun in her direction. He fires at her centre of mass but she ducks under his shots and lunges past him, her swords coming around and biting into the cabling at the back of his left knee! There's a sort of gurgle from his helmet as his leg collapses, then Adora back flips over him, jamming the points of her swords through his eye holes and crossing her arms so that the parts penetrating the helmet slice vertically through the interior.

Messy. And a lot more lethal than the Masters usually work. Still, if the troopers are as mechanical as they appear, probably a mercy.

The trooper slumps, the armour not allowing them to fully collapse but the person inside clearly dead. He-Man now has the rearguard's full attention to Adora sprints forward to assist him.

Teela uses the break in incoming fire to dart out of cover and approach me, gesturing with her staff towards where the Horde soldiers are piling into the castle.

Okay, well, the troopers are pretty much covered...

"Orko, do you see that hole in the wall?"

"Yes. How did that get there?"

Because you are a terrible mage even with full control of your power?

"Because the illusions used explosives!"

"Oh." He scratches his hat with an extended right forefinger. "That's not supposed to happen."

Gee, you think?

Oh dear. "Where in the castle is the nursery located?"

Teela thinks for a moment. "Near the grand balcony."

Please, tell me it's too much to hope that...

"The grand balcony where the king and queen will be giving their speech in a little while? The king and queen who would have been targets in the original raid?"

Teela stares at me for a second.

...Great. So the Crown is at risk of getting ganked by invisible illusionary invaders. That only Lantern, Teela, He-Man and the 'new girl' can see... Lantern is going to need to revive Duncan from a heart attack, isn't he, when he blows his top at them.

"Orko, stop the spell!"

"Ah…"

Rule 1, Orko: Never cast something without an easy stop condition!

"Orko!"

"I could stop it if it was doing what it was supposed to do!"

You don't have any kind of area-effect, full-dispel anti-magic trick?

Argh...

He-Man hits the last horde trooper on the outside of the castle over the head with the pommel of his sword, then looks over to me and Teela. "What's going on here?"

I transition to his side. "We're not sure, but we need to stop those soldiers just in case it's something bad."

At first, it seems like he's just pretending to be in the dark, because secret identity, but then you remember: He was sparring with Despera when the others had Orko toss his spell in. He legitimately has no idea what's happening...

"There's got to be dozens of soldiers between here and anything-."

I wince. "We seem to be the only ones who can see them."

While they can kill anyone they like without reprisal... Assuming they can see any people other than the ones affected by the spell. And that little bit with Orko suggests not.

"We need to go." Teela sprints past me and into the castle, staff at the ready. "Now!"

"Right." He-Man takes off after her, running as fast as he can without wrecking the place with his enormous strength.

...And promptly overtaking her, because super-soldier leg strength...

Orko sags in the air. "Oh no."

"No." I shake my head. "This one was me. I-."

Jetpack man leaps from an upper balcony, spraying us with plasma bolts!

Oh, come on! Give him a minute to accept the blame, at least!

Well, this is turning into a fine little fustercluck. Invisible Horde soldiers running about the city on a mystery mission (presumably replaying the 'kidnap Adora' plan from fifteen years earlier) and only four people can see them. There's going to be a lot of shouting when this is all sorted out, and I foresee Lantern losing any and all Castle privileges he may have gained. After all, this is all his fault...

Massgamer · Mar 13, 2022

Chojin Patriarch said:
While they can kill anyone they like without reprisal... Assuming they can see any people other than the ones affected by the spell. And that little bit with Orko suggests not.

I think they can effect the place and people from the period of time the memory takes place. Orko wasn't there during kidnapping so he is invisible to these memory soldiers and safe from any direct attack.

However it is likely the King, queen, Masters, and anyone else who was in castle the day of the raid will be perfectly valid targets for the memory illusions while they in turn don't perceive them directly since they weren't hit by spell. Maybe they can hit them if OL highlights them like he did for Orko and their attacks will hit since they were there years ago and are real to memory illusions, but unsure.

Point is this is an insanely dangerous miscast in general.

Dur'id the Druid · Mar 13, 2022

So, invisible attackers are going into a castle, and heading right to where the nursery should be. And they selectively interact with the environment ahead of them. OL might not have really screwed up guarding Greyskull, but I think the royal family is not going to be amused.

The actual weird part is how they alter their actions and react to the present day people. So this isn't a direct re-telling of what happened all those years ago. Knowing Orko, there probably is some timey-winey shenanigans going on.

Darko · Mar 13, 2022

Chojin Patriarch said:
He seems oddly calm for having miscast his spell. Force of habit, or hints that something screwy is going on?

Are you suggesting that Orko is secretly evil and that this was deliberate?

I can dig that.

Chojin Patriarch said:
Even more important! Or are they going to end up looking foolish as they chase imaginary enemies through the capital?

Maybe Paul can have one of them shoot him and use it as proof that something is there.

Chojin Patriarch said:
Lantern is going to need to revive Duncan from a heart attack, isn't he, when he blows his top at them.

Or a seizure.

Prince Charon · Mar 13, 2022

It's going to be a long time before the Sorceress is willing to take a vacation again, isn't it?

I_S · Mar 13, 2022

Orko doesn't use magic he just has an evil genie following him around that has tricked him into thinking he can cast spells.

mastermenthe · Mar 13, 2022

I know why the spell is doing what it is doing!
It's trying to satisfy the senses of all participants in the spell which include:
-Adora
-Orange Lantern
-And the Hypertech AI living inside of OL's Power Ring!!!

Hell's Razer · Mar 13, 2022

A correction:

Mr Zoat said:
He-Man now has the rearguard's full attention to Adora sprints forward to assist him.

"so"

Darko · Mar 13, 2022

Prince Charon said:
It's going to be a long time before the Sorceress is willing to take a vacation again, isn't it?

Sorceress: A few hours. I take a few hours of free time for myself and this happens.

Paul: To be fair, this wasn't technically my...

Sorceress: Shut. Up.

Paul: Yes ma'am. Sorry ma'am.

Pinklestia · Mar 13, 2022

So.. illusion made real or time travel gone weirder?

BrotherofaStudio · Mar 13, 2022

Mr Zoat said:
Why would she show respect to the spirits? The spirits -even non-dark spirits- were openly attacking people wherever they appeared, and the ones in Republic City got more aggressive when Korra tried to stop them.

The Earth Kingdom was based on 1920s China. What sort of prison system did you expect them to use?

I'm not saying I was expecting better of her, those were perfectly understandable given the circumstances, I'm saying that even if she didn't know better those actions weren't right and are what helps categorize her as a villain.

Also, WHAT'S GOING ON ORKO?! How did the illusion get messed up this badly?

There are some other series I'm curious whether they will have their own Orange Lantern such as the Wheel of Time, Discworld, Elder Scrolls, Game of Thrones and Dune, any chance of them showing up? We already know Avatar and Legend of Korra will appear albeit not with it's own alternate Orange Lantern

Michael Vonica · Mar 13, 2022

So, I get that Paul can't just steam roll everything in this universe because Ethernians have certain advantages that make facing them in one on one combat very difficult. Also, his goal isn't destruction at any cost, quite the opposite in fact. But let's say that Paul were to take the orbital bombardment route. Is there anyone that could stop him from leveling most of civilization across the planet if he really wanted to?

RichardWhereat · Mar 13, 2022

Does anyone know what episode they were talking about awakened souls, what they are and what they do?

Stsword · Mar 13, 2022

RichardWhereat said:
Does anyone know what episode they were talking about awakened souls, what they are and what they do?

That's the term for New God apotheosis. He used it for example when he made that girl from Death Note a New God.

Normal souls are like bonzai trees, they aren't allowed to grow.

Awakening allows the soul freedom to grow larger as they absorb energy, making one a New God.

As I remember it.

Mr Zoat · Mar 13, 2022

Hell's Razer said:
A correction: "so"

Thank you, corrected.

BrotherofaStudio said:
I'm not saying I was expecting better of her, those were perfectly understandable given the circumstances, I'm saying that even if she didn't know better those actions weren't right and are what helps categorize her as a villain.

She's a villain because she cut down a tree? What's your house made of?

There are some other series I'm curious whether they will have their own Orange Lantern such as the Wheel of Time, Discworld, Elder Scrolls, Game of Thrones and Dune, any chance of them showing up? We already know Avatar and Legend of Korra will appear albeit not with it's own alternate Orange Lantern

I have no plans for any of those.

RichardWhereat · Mar 14, 2022

Stsword said:
That's the term for New God apotheosis. He used it for example when he made that girl from Death Note a New God.

Normal souls are like bonzai trees, they aren't allowed to grow.

Awakening allows the soul freedom to grow larger as they absorb energy, making one a New God.

As I remember it.

Cheers, I'll try and find the episode.

Mr Zoat · Mar 14, 2022

21st year of the reign of King Randor I
Season of Chill
307th day, 18th bell

Adora darts away, jumping off the wall and then off a floating platform to swing at him, but the jetpack man just jinks out of the way,-

"Hah!"

-laughing contemptuously.

Orko watches her in bewilderment. "Is there someone up there?"

Right. Okay. The jetpack appears to only allow him short bursts of thrust, so that-.

Adora dashes at his landing spot and he responds by diving under her swing and… Landing on his chest… There's a wheel through his chest, and he can use the thruster to-. Drive along the.. gr-ground? On his chest with his arms and legs-.

I mean, I understand the principles involved, but what possible advantage-?

"Orko, it's a man with a jetpack and a wheel through his chest."

Orko nods as Adora takes a defensive stance. "Oh, Dragstor."

I try not to wince. "Dragstor?"

Orko nods. "Yeah, I heard one of the janitors complaining about how long to took them to get the wheel marks out of the floor."

Dragstor turns, rolls onto his side and then spins onto his feet, some sort of… Crossbow-looking-.

Heck with this. I create a giant orange hammer and smack him over the head, driving him to the ground! For a moment he just lays there, pinned beneath the head, his crossbow knocked from his hand by the surprise. Then he twists and punches, knocking the hammer up far enough for him to fire his booster, zooming across the floor towards the entrance to the castle.

Adora darts over to pick up the crossbow. "Where are they going?"

I nod, my environmental shield expanding around my body. I've learned the hard way that trying to tank hits from Eternians is a fool's errand, but that their dexterity isn't enhanced by anything like as much.

"The old nursery. Ring, evasive program."

"Pro-gram load-ed."

"Let's g-" She's already running into the castle, following the sounds of fighting. "-o." I fly after her, slaloming as the ring moves me through the corridors. She slows slightly as she sees me, then accelerates to a run as I pass her. "How will the troopers act in a situation like this?"

"Given how strong He-Man is, they'll split up and attack targets of opportunity to draw him away from their objective. I've got no idea what Dragstor is doing."

I attach a grabber construct to Adora and fly us up onto a landing, bypassing a ruined staircase.

"Do you know him?"

"Good roads are rare on Etheria. He mostly pilots a helicopter."

CRUNCH!

He-Man comes through the wall to our left, three horde troopers having charged him and all of them being stronger than the stone is tough. They let go as he hits the banister, letting him go flying into empty space before crashing back down. He lands on his-

"Oof."

-back with a wince. But while these mooks are a novelty to him, they're still just mooks. He grabs a nearby table and throws it, the solid wood smashing into the chest of the middle horde soldier and knocking him off his feet with enough force to splinter the table. Were he a normal human I'd say that would have killed him, but with these things who knows.

And if Orko were here I'd ask how much of what I just saw actually happened.

A pneumatic ram construct from me and a wall jump drop kick from-

"Yagh!"

-Adora sends the other two troopers down to He-Man as we speed past.

"Why are we doing this?"

"I'm sorry? Left ahead."

We take the turn together.

"Whether these phantom soldiers kill the king and queen or not, why do we care?"

I was hoping she wouldn't ask that.

"There aren't enough troopers here to take the country. Adam vanished and Sir Duncan's miles away, which means that the line of succession is still intact and a widely respected regent is available to keep things running. And if the king and queen are killed by horde troopers, the first thing he'll do is fortify the country and ramp up rearmament."

She nods, then jinks around a volley of plasma fire from a trooper crouched down at the end of the corridor. I raise my left hand and send a magnetic bottle construct over his gun, disrupting the plasma containment module and causing it to-

BOOM!

-explode, slamming the trooper against the wall!

Adora charges, knocking aside the left arm the trooper awkwardly raises to shield himself with her left sword before angling her right sword to stab downwards inside the neck ring, slicing into his neck. She leaves it there for a second, presumably to make sure that he's really dead. Then I catch up and it's time to resume the pursuit.

"So what do we tell them?"

"What's to tell? We're concerned citizens who were hit by one of Orko's spells and then responded to a situation that evolved. There won't be bodies when this is done because they're an unusually dangerous hallucination."

"I see."

She does? I thought that was pretty weak, myself, but if she's buying it then I'm not going to complain.

"…need to move."

Not far now. The balcony is that way, and I can feel the breeze where the castle doors have been left open. Which means that the royal quarters are that way. My own rooms are pretty much on the other side of the castle so I… Came here during my defence review once. Can't help but think it a little odd that Randor and Marlena never had any other children.

"…concern, Teela, but I…"

I hear the squealing of rubber against stone as Dragstor accelerates… Somewhere. Queen Marlena would obviously have been around during the original attack, so they might attack her.

Sonic scan.

Scan com-plet-ed.

Noise there, two noises there, transition and shield!

An energy crossbow bolt blasts against my construct as I take a stance in front of the queen, Teela brandishing her staff as she reacts to Dragstor's sudden appearance. Adora throws herself around the bend a moment later, her earlier imprint of Dragstor's crossbow firing and hitting him directly in the backpack! The fuel explodes, sending him careening through a nearby door which gives way with a crack!

Marlena's eyes widen as she sees the damage being inflicted by an enemy she can't see.

"Teela, I've got the queen. You-."

She charges the wheeled lunatic, staff spinning and Adora just behind her.

Darko · Mar 14, 2022

Mr Zoat said:
that would have killed him, but with these things who knows.

'things, who knows'

Mr Zoat said:
A pneumatic ram construct from me and a wall jump drop kick from-"

Remove the " at the end.

Mr Zoat said:
Adora send the other two troopers down to He-Man as we speed past.

'sends'

Mr Zoat said:
Can't help but think it a little odd that Randor and Marlena never had any other children.

Maybe after losing one child they didn't want to go through the pain again.

Massgamer · Mar 14, 2022

Mr Zoat said:
She does? I thought that was pretty weak, myself, but if she's buying it them I'm not going to complain.

I assume that is Horde training conditioning her to take orders from those who act like they know what they are talking about.

Mr Zoat said:
Can't help but think it a little odd that Randor and Marlena never had any other children.

I mean, after one of them is kidnapped during a raid I can see that turning them off to having more children since no good parent wants to put their children at risk if they can avoid it.

Cuchulin · Mar 14, 2022

Darko said:
Maybe after losing one child they didn't want to go through the pain again.

Massgamer said:
I mean, after one of them is kidnapped during a raid I can see that turning them off to having more children since no good parent wants to put their children at risk if they can avoid it.

Just means they are failing in their duty as monarchs, a Kingdom needs an heir and a spare. Especially when under siege by a hostile force.

Massgamer · Mar 14, 2022

Cuchulin said:
Just means they are failing in their duty as monarchs, a Kingdom needs an heir and a spar. Especially when under siege by a hostile force.

To be fair, they are literally the first generation of monarchy and were never intended to be such in the first place so they don't have that training or mindset.

The Elders kinda just dumped the duty on Randor pretty unexpectedly, he was a soldier first and foremost after all.

FeepingCreature · Mar 14, 2022

Mr Zoat said:
I mean, I understand the principles involved, but what possible advantage-?

"Orko, it's a man with a jetpack and a wheel through his chest."

"Orko, it's a man with a jetpack and a wheel through his chest, please make him stop."

"Stop what, rolling?"

"No, being."

Chojin Patriarch · Mar 14, 2022

Mr Zoat said:
21st year of the reign of King Randor I
Season of Chill
307th day, 18th bell

Adora darts away, jumping off the wall and then off a floating platform to swing at him, but the jetpack man just jinks out of the way,-

"Hah!"

Oh, he's cocky. Probably thinks he's fighting against common folk or regular soldiers. Since that's what he would have faced back then, I suppose. At least he's not anything special, with magic or high-power attacks.

-laughing contemptuously.

Orko watches her in bewilderment. "Is there someone up there?"

No, Orko, she's jumping about like that for exercise...

Right. Okay. The jetpack appears to only allow him short bursts of thrust, so that-.

Adora dashes at his landing spot and he responds by diving under her swing and… Landing on his chest… There's a wheel through his chest, and he can use the thruster to-. Drive along the.. gr-ground? On his chest with his arms and legs-.

Ha! I knew it, he's gobsmacked at the sheer silliness!

I mean, I understand the principles involved, but what possible advantage-?

"Orko, it's a man with a jetpack and a wheel through his chest."

And I bet he never thought he'd say those words in that order.

Orko nods as Adora takes a defensive stance. "Oh, Dragstor."

I try not to wince. "Dragstor?"

Hey, evidently Hordak follows a similar naming theme to the Masters. You know, descriptive epithets. I'm sure the guy has an actual name, but in the field? 'Dragstor'.

Orko nods. "Yeah, I heard one of the janitors complaining about how long to took them to get the wheel marks out of the floor."

Dragstor turns, rolls onto his side and then spins onto his feet, some sort of… Crossbow-looking-.

Ah, his signature weapon from the toy. Probably not rigged so it can fire while attached to his back while rolling...

Heck with this. I create a giant orange hammer and smack him over the head, driving him to the ground! For a moment he just lays there, pinned beneath the head, his crossbow knocks from his hand by the surprise. Then he twists and punches, knocking the hammer up far enough for him to fire his booster, zooming across the floor towards the entrance to the castle.

Adora darts over to pick up the crossbow. "Where are they going?"

Finally, he remembers that he's got the ultimate combat tool on his finger!

I nod, my environmental shield expanding around my body. I've learned that hard way that trying to tank hits from Eternians is a fool's errand, but that their dexterity isn't enhanced by anything like as much.

"The old nursery. Ring, evasive program."

Heh. The old 'yank me about' style of dodging OL used in the early days, eh?

"Pro-gram load-ed."

"Let's g-" She's already running into the castle, following the sounds of fighting. "-o." I fly after her, slaloming as the ring moves me through the corridors. She slows slightly as she sees me, the accelerates to a run as I pass her. "How will the troopers act in a situation like this?"

Interesting Ring voice. I assume it's a nod to something. Edit: Ah, missed the link!

"Given how strong He-Man is, they'll split up and attack targets of opportunity to draw him away from their objective. I've got no idea what Dragstor is doing."

I attach a grabber construct to Adora and fly us up onto a landing, bypassing a ruined staircase.

Great. So at best, you can hope He-Man and Teela can deal with them, and maybe alert allies to the danger.

"Do you know him?"

"Good roads are rare on Etheria. He mostly pilots a helicopter."

Gotta sell those huge vehicle toys and playsets, after all!

CRUNCH!

He-Man comes through the wall to our left, three horde troopers having charged him and all of them being stronger than the stone is tough. They let go as he hits the banister, letting him go flying into empty space before crashing back down. He lands on his-

Woof. Worrying to see they're not complete pushovers in numbers.

"Oof."

-back with a wince. But while these mooks are a novelty to him, they're still just mooks. He grabs a nearly table and throws it, the solid wood smashing into the chest of the middle horde soldier and knocking him off his feet with enough force to splinter the table. Were he a normal human I'd say that would have killed him, but with these things who knows.

Massively reinforced bones, no doubt.

And if Orko were here I'd ask how much of what I just saw actually happened.

A pneumatic ram construct from me and a wall jump drop kick from-

Would be interesting to see what people would think of the table shattering on apparently thin air.

"Yagh!"

-Adora send the other two troopers down to He-Man as we speed past.

No time to finish them off, though, what with the major targets still at risk.

"Why are we doing this?"

"I'm sorry? Left ahead."

'Despera' is still loyal to the Horde, after all. So working against her allies would no doubt seem odd.

We take the turn together.

"Whether these phantom soldiers kill the king and queen or not, why do we care?"

Oh, you'll see, girl, you'll see.

I was hoping she wouldn't ask that.

"There aren't enough troopers here to take the country. Adam vanished and Sir Duncan's miles away, which means that the line of succession is still intact and a widely respected regent is available to keep things running. And if the king and queen are killed by horde troopers, the first thing he'll do is fortify the country and ramp up rearmament."

'Vanished', yes... As for Duncan, he and the Sorceress are not doubt rushing back to find out what the frelling hell Lantern has managed to cause...

She nods, then jinks around a volley of plasma fire from a trooper crouched down at the end of the corridor. I raise my left hand and send a magnetic bottle construct over his gun, disrupting the plasma containment module and causing it to-

BOOM!

Heh. Totally outclassed.

-explode, slamming the trooper against the wall!

Adora charges, knocking aside the left arm the trooper awkwardly raises to shield himself with her left sword before angling her right sword to stab downwards inside the neck ring, slicing into his neck. She leaves it there for a second, presumably to make sure that he's really dead. Then I catch up and it's time to resume the pursuit.

Good thing they're not real. I can't imagine the janitors would be happy about that mess.

"So what do we tell them?"

"What's to tell? We're concerned citizens who were hit by one of Orko's spells and then responded to a situation that evolved. There won't be bodies when this is done because they're an unusually dangerous hallucination."

...And I suspect most people will simply go, "Oh, Orko caused it? Figures!" The Trollan does have a reputation around Eternos, I suspect.

"I see."

She does? I thought that was pretty weak, myself, but if she's buying it them I'm not going to complain.

Simple soldier's logic. You sound like you know what you mean, you're effectively in command of her, so what you say goes.

"…need to move."

Not far now. The balcony is that way, and I can feel the breeze where the castle doors have been left open. Which means that the royal quarters are that way. My own rooms are pretty much on the other side of the castle so I… Came here during my defence review once. Can't help but think it a little odd that Randor and Marlena never had any other children.

Could have been grief at losing Adora... Or maybe Marlena simply suffered a medical issue that left her unable to... It happens.

"…concern, Teela, but I…"

I hear the squealing of rubber against stone as Dragstor accelerates… Somewhere. Queen Marlena would obviously have been around during the original attack, so they might attack her.

A target of opportunity. It's probably fortunate they didn't manage it then.

Sonic scan.

Scan com-plet-ed.

Dang, Lantern using the beginner-level sensors, huh? Habit from limited charge, I guess.

Noise there, two noises there, transition and shield!

An energy crossbow bolt blasts against my construct as I take a stance in front of the queen, Teela brandishing her staff as she reacts to Dragstor's sudden appearance. Adora throws herself around the bend a moment later, her earlier imprint of Dragstor's crossbow firing and hitting him directly in the backpack! The fuel explodes, sending him careening through a nearby door which gives way with a crack!

Huh, I actually missed that she'd grabbed his gun earlier. At least she managed to disable his special gear.

Marlena's eyes widen as she sees the damage being inflicted by an enemy she can't see.

"Teela, I've got the queen. You-."

I don't she needs to be told to go kick his arse, Lantern...

She charges the wheeled lunatic, staff spinning and Adora just behind her.

What'll be interesting is what happens after he's been beat down, and the Queen can get a good look at 'Despera'...

The worrying thing is, where's the King? Hopefully He-Man finds his way there, or Adam may find himself King sooner than he'd hope for. Thankfully Orko's spell only brought one special goon here. Imagine the mayhem if someone like Mantenna or Leech were here. They may look a motley crew of oddballs and freaks, but they're more dangerous than they appear.

...his crossbow knocks from his hand by the surprise.

...his crossbow knocked from his hand by the surprise.

She slows slightly as she sees me, the accelerates to a run as I pass her.

She slows slightly as she sees me, then accelerates to a run as I pass her.

...but if she's buying it them I'm not going to complain.

...but if she's buying it then I'm not going to complain.

Massgamer · Mar 14, 2022

Mr Zoat said:
I've learned that hard way that trying to tank hits from Eternians is a fool's errand, but that their dexterity isn't enhanced by anything like as much.

A good precaution since most warriors in Eternian at least have low-tier super strength and are capable of crazy physicals feats.

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

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