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

[Ngamer11]

"Oh?" Oh, she can hear me. "Then perhaps the truth appearance of the Shadowlands will be more to your liking."

Click to shrink...

That should say 'true'.

 

[Chojin Patriarch]

13th February 2013
21:25 GMT -5

Light dies as total textureless blackness consumes all. Every glimmer of light from the emotional vanishes as well, leaving me utterly blind. And while I'm not deaf, sound is muffled and… Distorted, echoing strangely, the walls that surrounded us moments ago failing to return anything while the sound…

There was a sound stage which I… Dimly remember being discussed on a radio program I listened to many years ago. It was deliberately designed so that anything played there would return next to no echo at all. It succeeded in its aim, but was thoroughly hated by everyone who performed there due to how cold it made everything sound. They had to add in small speakers throughout the venue to add back in the echo they excluded.

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'Silent' Sound stages can be built like that. And apparently it is as unnerving as OL remembers it. Imagine it: feeling no sound in your ears, except the creaks and wetness of your own skull. It sounds decidedly unhealthy.

Spoiler: Commentary spoilered for length

It's like that. Little sounds are being… Almost sucked away. I clap my hands together, and… Yeah, that's weird.

Ring?

Click to shrink...

I don't think the Ring will be much use here. From what they said yesterday, its energy is effectively stilled in this absolute, overpowering dark.

Nothing.

I didn't put on my power armour, so there's no AI for me to try to communicate with.

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Nothing but the sound of your own thoughts...

"Is anyone there?"

I don't hear anything, but with sound acting up…

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For all he knows, after all, only he's affected by this.

"Dark, isn't it?"

Lyssa Drak's voice. She isn't supposed to be able to use obtenebration, but perhaps there's a way to invoke it without using it yourself?

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Another White Wolf-produced RPG reference, eh, OL? And entirely appropriate for this.

"I stopped being afraid of the dark when I was ten."

Can she actually hear me, or is she just trying to sound menacing?

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Probably has some innate ability to negate it selectively.

Hm. Okay, well, our search for Peldak has met with an unfortunate end. Ms. Drak has neutralised the rest of us in the best way available, but… The Shadowlands are a place. She didn't appear to be carrying any weapons and is only as strong as a normal humanoid adult female.

"Oh?" Oh, she can hear me. "Then perhaps the true appearance of the Shadowlands will be more to your liking."

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If somewhat gloomy.

"Oh, I'm always up for new experiences."

"I will be interested to see if that remains true."

Click to shrink...

To be fair, his Enlightenment has kind of reordered all his other emotional responses a bit.

Then… It's not as if light has been added so much as the darkness… Retreats slightly, rolling back like an ooze, and revealing… A sort of… Washed out… Desaturated landscape of bare earth and sandstone. On top of a small rise to my right there's a small copse of apparently dead trees, their bent and wizened trunks completely bereft of leaves.

Actually, they don't-. Their branches aren't braces or bending downwards, yet gravity feels like it's normal. There's no breeze to move them or leaves to catch the air, so… I don't know. Over to my left, the ground terminates in a… Drop, and I'm not sure whether it's a cliff or the end of the land.

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Heh. Sounds a bit like the Shadowfells of Dungeons and Dragons. The plane of Shadow and darkness...

No Forever People, Lightray or B'dg.

I can't… See a light source, so I'm not at all sure how I'm seeing any of this. I look up-.

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Perhaps it's not entirely visual. More another form of perception filtering into your mind.

A-ah…

There's a… Like a… Hole, in the sky. Very faint lights flicker around the edges-. And something about it makes me… Makes me think that it could fall on me, somehow, or draw me up into it, or…

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And if OL is unsettled slightly, imagine how bad other people would have it...

I swallow, dragging my eyes away from the otherwise black sky.

Based on what little I know about the Shadowlands, the only thing that could really be is the hole the Great Darkness crawled out through, but there's no obvious path up to it.

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Somehow, I don't think that's a way out, OL.

Okay.

I turn and walk towards the cliff-. No, not a cliff, just the end of the-

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Floating island? Seems the sort of thing to expect in a place like this.

I turn left again and walk to the 'end' in that direction.

-floating island I appear to be on. I cautiously lean over the… Apparently bottomless void, and it.. looks like it goes straight down a little way and then curves inward. Obviously I can't see what happens after that-.

Click to shrink...

Inwards like gravitational lensing? Like what you saw that time when the Reach warped space on you? Or perhaps this place is just a little bubble of solidity shaped for OL's benefit...

"Having trouble, Orange Lantern?"

Lyssa Drak is standing on a small platform above me, her now-open book in her hands. She's also peeled back her robe to reveal her comic-compliant underwear.

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Ah, the 'three strips of ribbon' approach to Fantasy ladieswear. Wonder if she uses double-sided tape or spirit glue to hold them in a modest position?

"Ms. Drak, what's this about?"

"The limits of the mortal mind. You appear to be taking this relatively well. Have you been here before?"

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Yeah, not gonna work too well against OL. his mind isn't exactly what you'd call normal anymore.

"No. But, really… Why? Why did you kill Peldak?"

She strokes the cover of her book fondly.

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More importantly, what happened to Peldak's Ring and Staff? Did Lyssa capture them, and hand them over to someone, or are they still here somewhere?

"Making this portal to the former resting place of the Father of Shadows required a ritual sacrifice."

Okay, no innate ability, but she managed to bypass that.

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Yes, by taking the direct route right into the Evil alignment categories. Probably Lawful Evil, given her canonical attachments.

"So, what, you wanted to be a Shadow Champion, felt left out when you couldn't use the power, and were happy murdering to make it happen?"

She rolls her eyes, looking away. Not that, then.

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Not many options otherwise. Time for that metaknowledge, OL?

"Is this about Sinestro?"

Her head jerks back around as her eyes widen, staring at me.

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There we go. She's aligned with him, then, if not already a Corpsman.

Ah. It was a long shot, but he is recruiting. Why does he want her? Something to do with fear-.

"Fear. I don't feel fear all that much any more, but looking up at that-" I glance up, and it's still just as unnerving. "-makes me decidedly uncomfortable. So… Bring people here, make them feel-. No. See how they react? You're testing-" She's recovering, looking a good deal less concerned. "-potential recruits? No."

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Good reasoning. But it doesn't sound right...

So what else-?

"You're forging rings."

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I suppose this would be a good source of causing Fear. But how would you gather the Light produced?

I hold up my hands, my rings dead upon them.

"How? No." I lower my arms. "No, that doesn't matter. What do you want to get out of this? I'm not keen on murder but I need to find an Indigo Lantern more than I need to have you arrested."

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Seems a little short-sighted, OL. Don't let your immediate goals obscure the long-term consequences...

She pauses… I think she's trying to regain her equilibrium, but without my empathic abilities I'm forced to rely on outward signs and I'm… Not the best with those.

"You already deduced what I want: yellow power rings. Shadow Champions must confront this place and grow accustomed to it in order to use its power. Those who cannot do that are unworthy of their office, failures, cowards and caitiff. With yellow power rings, everyone who wishes to master themselves and grow in power will have the opportunity to do so."

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Or die in the attempt? After all, i doubt allowing them entry to the Shadowlands isn't cheap, so to speak.

I nod. "Very meritocratic. I approve. And you murdered Peldak to make that happen… Why her?"

Her eyes narrow slightly. "You say that you have mastered your fears."

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More that he can power through Fear through the limitless power of Want.

"More or less. Certainly, strangeness doesn't scare me any more."

"It will be interesting to see whether you remain resolute as you die of dehydration."

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I doubt there's any water around, and you probably wouldn't want to drink it anyway.

She closes her book and turns away, stepping from… One small platform to another as they shimmer into and out of existence. A few moments later the blackness extends over her and removes her from view entirely.

Huh.

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Well, then. She's overconfident if she's just leaving him alone here. Then again, given his lack of resources...

"Richard! If you're listening, I could use a hand!"

…

No. That would be a bit too easy, wouldn't it?

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Would be amusing if Simon Culp heard him, though. That might even be possible.

So, looks like an obvious deathtrap scenario. Dumped into an extra-dimensional oubliette to rot away and die. Here's hoping his allies aren't in the same boat. I doubt some of them will fare quite so well in this realm. Hopefully OL can think of some fancy trick to get out of here, or he and they are in for a long, uncomfortable death.

 

[BlackCoat13]

Alarming. His rings don't work there because it's outside the regular reality. It's somewhere where the Lights literally do not reach. He keeps his enlightenment, but that's about it.
Also what a bitch, she didn't even have a real season we've seen to stick him in there, Paul hasn't announced the Sinestro Corps as being outright enemies. But I suppose someone who wants to be a 'Good' Yellow Lantern would always prize an opportunity to observe and dissect a being like Paul who is mostly insulated against his own Fears.

 

[crazygrox]

"You already deduced what I want: yellow power rings. Shadow Champions must confront this place and grow accustomed to it in order to use its power. Those who cannot do that are unworthy of their office, failures, cowards and caitiff. With yellow power rings, everyone who wishes to master themselves and grow in power will have the opportunity to do so."

I nod. "Very meritocratic. I approve. And you murdered Peldak to make that happen… Why her?"

Her eyes narrow slightly. "You say that you have mastered your fears."

Click to shrink...

I suspect that Peldak also said she had overcome her fears, and then failed once tested with something that could suppress her Indigo power.

So now the question is whether it'd be easier to get out of here by overcoming the suppression of his rings, or whether it'd be easier to get out the way I imagine the shadow champions get out, by acclimatizing enough to command the power of this place.
It does occur to me that Paul's tattoos might give him a slight advantage in that kind of thing, as he's likely absorbing the magic of this place into his soul.

 

[lancelot]

"It will be interesting to see whether you remain resolute as you die of dehydration."

She closes her book and turns away, stepping from… One small platform to another as they shimmer into and out of existence. A few moments later the blackness extends over her and removes her from view entirely.

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Please for once have Paul not act like he is a 11 on the autisms spectrum and kill the bitch when he gets the chance. You push the alien mindset for this Paul way to damn far, and it's inconsistent as well.

 

[Wivk]

Is this basically the same as what they usually do to make dark sensitive people awaken as shadow champions, just more so? It would be pretty funny if he got their style of powers from this instead of the other slew of things that are more likely to happen.

Also does the shadow realm count as thaumically active in regards to his soul going to the Greek after life if he were to somehow die from this? I mean, if he just goes to the place ruled by all his buddies that he has helped so much lately then even death isn't scary.

 

[Vanbers]

No. That would be a bit too easy, wouldn't it?

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Easy, but so very, very amusing.

"I have mastered this place, I will-"

"What's all this then? Oh, hello there Paul, lovely day we're having."

"-What?"

 

[crazygrox]

Please for once have Paul not act like he is a 11 on the autisms spectrum and kill the bitch when he gets the chance. You push the alien mindset for this Paul way to damn far, and it's inconsistent as well.

Click to shrink...

He really needs a yellow lantern as well. So assigning this woman penal labor rather than killing or imprisoning her is the obvious route to go.

 

[RamiroGalletti]

Please for once have Paul not act like he is a 11 on the autisms spectrum and kill the bitch when he gets the chance. You push the alien mindset for this Paul way to damn far, and it's inconsistent as well.

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"An 11 on The autism's spectrum " , that is hilarious and I am wondering if it is an actual scale, (i have aspergers I can joke about that).
Good job you made me chuckle

 

[Lord Ernest]

At this point, the not even properly off the ground Yellow Lanterns are asking for a fight. Illustres, how many more times do you have to trip over their schemes to just get fed up with it?

 

[Vaermina]

Please for once have Paul not act like he is a 11 on the autisms spectrum and kill the bitch when he gets the chance. You push the alien mindset for this Paul way to damn far, and it's inconsistent as well.

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It's not really inconsistent.

For most of the people he kills its not that he wants to kill them. It's that he doesn't particularly want to keep them alive.

This woman however he likely does want to keep alive. Because she has something he needs. A direct line to Sinestro and his yellow power rings.

 

[Sockmonkey]

Without access to subspace, he's limited to his innate traits and knowledge. I think he could pull a Constantine and draw a summoning circle with his own blood. He's still on good terms with Mammon. Dunno if you can call hell from the Shadowlands tho. If he did actually die there, can his soul escape and rez in one of his backup bodies?

 

[Duke Long]

Actually, they don't-. Their branches aren't braces or bending downwards, yet gravity feels like it's normal.

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'braced'?

 

[Darko]

light from the emotional vanishes

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"emotional spectrum"

 

[Mr Zoat]

That should say 'true'.

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'braced'?

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"emotional spectrum"

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Thank you, corrected.

 

[Prince Charon]

Whiz Wagon.

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With a name like that, it had better have good toilet facilities. (Didn't get to make that joke when it was brought up before, so thank you for the opportunity.)

Ah, the 'three strips of ribbon' approach to Fantasy ladieswear. Wonder if she uses double-sided tape or spirit glue to hold them in a modest position?

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Since she's apparently able to use some form of Shadow magic-or-whatever-it-is now, my guess is that that's what her ribbons are made of, and why they stay in place.

 

[CTrees]

With a name like that, it had better have good toilet facilities. (Didn't get to make that joke when it was brought up before, so thank you for the opportunity.)

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"With the Whiz Wagon™, you can go anywhere!"

 

[Pinklestia]

Paul soul is literally made of orange light, so he is noy beyond the Orange Light; he is the Orange Light.

 

[DiehardDust]

All this darkness and shadow talk has got me wondering.
Does Jackie Estacado exist in this universe? The guy with the shadow snakes over his shoulders?

 

[Mr Zoat]

All this darkness and shadow talk has got me wondering.
Does Jackie Estacado exist in this universe? The guy with the shadow snakes over his shoulders?

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No, because he's a Top Cow character.

 

[Bud-E]

No, because he's a Top Cow character.

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Is there gonna be a Paul in Witchblade?

 

[Mr Zoat]

Is there gonna be a Paul in Witchblade?

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Not that I'll ever write. I am only vaguely aware of the setting.

 

[Someguy Somewhere]

'On second thought , let's not go to Top Cow. 'Tis a silly place'

 

[Stsword]

No, because he's a Top Cow character.

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Well there was a crossover with Batman and a crossover with Superman.

I remember the Superman crossover because when confronted with Metallo, Jackie had his imps pull out wrenches and stuff and they disassembled his mechanical body.

 

[Mr Zoat]

13th February 2013
21:29 GMT -5

A quick circuit of the island shows no way off. The sides go straight down for a short distance and then vanish, which probably means that they curve down but my camera drone is in subspace so I don't know for sure. Given how Ms. Drak disappeared I can't rule out the possibility that I'm on the top of a tall tower and the ground is merely obscured by darkness, but since my flight systems are out of order I don't want to chance it.

So. Option 1. I work out how to make my rings work here and fly around in the hope of finding something. Option 2, I try studying my surroundings more and try and…

My tattoos are still working.

Ms. Drak used a ritual sacrifice to make her book work, meaning that this is all magic, or… Magic adjacent. John used a magic ritual to attack the Great Darkness prior to it flying off on its own. I'm probably absorbing local magic right now, which means that in theory I should be able to connect to this place.

Just need to master an entirely novel superpower I might not even have within the next five minutes.

Except… This is the realm of the Great Darkness. The talokites have been using it for a lot longer than fifteen years. They couldn't dick around with the place freely even if they did worship it; experimentation had some serious risks. Every record I have on the Shadow Champions shows them manipulating blackness, not making floating islands. The same is true of Mr. Swift.

So did she make islands, or just make it so that I can't see islands that are there anyway?

I look in the direction Ms. Drak left in, and walk over to the edge of my island closest to that point. I can't… See any island, but based on her height I can work out where the platform she was standing on was. Then the ones next to it, and if they extend in a straight line, then…

I cautiously extend my right hand over the edge of the island and-. And it disappears in blackness.

Okay, good, but that doesn't tell me whether or not there's a platform in there, and I'm… My regular armour doesn't have a cable and there isn't really anywhere to anchor it anyway. I don't want to risk falling over the edge. Texture doesn't really feel of anything, though there's obviously a chance that Ms. Drak can just feel it-.

Unless she's controlling things indirectly using her book, which might mean that she can't.

Doesn't matter. I don't need to move the shadows myself, just feel objects through them. No real records on what it feels like to learn; Ms. Mallor only ever gave me a practical description and I never studied the available texts. But.. I.. did study the ritual John used for his attack. I can remember it, but I'm not sure how much of it is actually useful.

Ah… Let's see. 'Darkness' plus 'Communicate'? Trace that in the bone-dry ground with myself and the shadow probably obscuring the platforms included in the circuit, and… Unfocus my proprioception like I do when I'm feeling with constructs…

I… Think I've got it. It's really… Faint, but… Yes, I can… Feel an odd… Tightness, outside of my body in the direction I'm expecting the platforms to be. Like something can't move in a particular direction. It's not entirely precise… And dying here would be a huge pain. But I doubt that the Forever People are in a better situation, so I can't just hang around and hope that they find me.

Leap of faith time, then.

I stand, try to get a better idea exactly where the first platform is, and then extend my right leg-.

FUCK! Fuck! Fuck!

Lower! It was lower! I just got about a tenth of a second of freefall, and while I wouldn't exactly say that it scared me, it was disconcerting and annoying. Okay. Second one feels closer, and going by Ms. Drak's path it should be on a similar level to the one I'm on now. Keep my weight back on my left leg, extend my right-. And it's there. Slightly higher than this one, and that's fine. Step off, and step forward again… Yes, still there. I've lost all light, but really all that means is that I can focus on the one thing outside myself that I can feel.

Move faster. I've got a better idea of how far apart they are now, and I don't think that the Forever People are getting into a better position than they were. In fact…

"Orange Lantern to anyone! Is anyone there!?"

No reply.

The steps are ascending towards something, and-. My eyes flick up, and I can actually still see the black circle thing up high in the sky.

"Orange Lantern here! Please respond!"

A slight curve in the path, around to the right. I'm not too sure how far I've come. I haven't run into Ms. Drak yet, so she's still ahead of me, but beyond-.

I feel a shape move in the blackness, something-. The movements are slow but irregular, apparently responding to its environment. A life form. I… Don't know whether I should stop or keep going but since I don't know, I keep going. Whatever it is moves around to its right, pulls slightly away from me as I keep-.

The path begins curving in that direction. Okay, in that case I should speed up, faster fast-. That one was further apart. Easy to handle, but even small changes are unnerving in a situation like this.

A.. small island up ahead. Not as large as the one I was on, and a little way above the moving creature that I'm still very much aware of.

"Orange Lantern here!"

I-.

I heard something. Muffled, but in the direction I'm heading. Excellent! Three steps, two steps, slow, one step-.

Grab Vykin before I accidentally bulldoze him off the platform that wouldn't be large enough to lay down on, twist, step-. And put him down in the narrow column of 'light' so that we can actually see each other.

"Vykin. You alright?"

He takes a moment to look me over, before shaking his head.

"No. I am not. I have once again led my team-. Led my friends into a place of utter desolation."

"That's your job. Half your job. Heroes go into places like this and fix them. So so far, you're doing fine."

"What is the other half?"

"Leading them out again. Did you see Lyssa Drak?"

"She… She came here to taunt me. How did you cross the void?"

"It's not a void, it's a light-and-sound absorbing darkness. There's a path through it-. Well, there was one to here."

Damn it. I should have checked whether or not there were any more paths off my island.

"Can you feel where the other Forever People are?"

"Once, but no."

"The darkness can-."

"Not since Apokolips. It is my nature to provide direction to the group, and I led us into that nightmare."

"Vykin, you're the team leader. You can feel guilty about your failures once the rest of the team are safe, because that is your primary aim here. Do you understand?"

He hesitates, then nods awkwardly.

"The Great Darkness has joined with the Source, so this place shouldn't completely block you." I crouch as best I can in the limited space, and sketch out the design again. "Put your hand here, and pray."

 

[Ngamer11]

"That's your job. Half you job. Heroes go into places like this and fix them. So so far, you're doing fine."

Click to shrink...

That should say 'your'.

 

[Chojin Patriarch]

13th February 2013
21:29 GMT -5

A quick circuit of the island shows no way off. The sides go straight down for a short distance and then vanish, which probably means that they curve down but my camera drone is in subspace so I don't know for sure. Given how Ms. Drak disappeared I can't rule out the possibility that I'm on the top of a tall tower and the ground is merely obscured by darkness, but since my flight systems are out of order I don't want to chance it.

So. Option 1. I work out how to make my rings work here and fly around in the hope of finding something. Option 2, I try studying my surroundings more and try and…

Click to shrink...

I suspect Lyssa has never really dealt with anyone not driven into emotional paralysis by the conditions here. After all, can't plan if you're terrified beyond the capacity for rational thought. So OL should do well...

Spoiler: Commentary spoilered for length

My tattoos are still working.

Ms. Drak used a ritual sacrifice to make her book work, meaning that this is all magic, or… Magic adjacent. John used a magic ritual to attack the Great Darkness prior to it flying off on its own. I'm probably absorbing local magic right now, which means that in theory I should be able to connect to this place.

Click to shrink...

Though it does put something of a time limit on you, given that absorbing too much of the local flavour might result in you being gloomier than usual.

Just need to master an entirely novel superpower I might not even have within the next five minutes.

Except… This is the realm of the Great Darkness. The talokites have been using it for a lot longer than fifteen years. They couldn't dick around with the place freely even if they did worship it; experimentation had some serious risks. Every record I have on the Shadow Champions shows them manipulating blackness, not making floating islands. The same is true of Mr. Swift.

Click to shrink...

The perils of working with something that is normally inimical to conventional life...

So did she make islands, or just make it so that I can't see islands that are there anyway?

I look in the direction Ms. Drak left in, and walk over to the edge of my island closest to that point. I can't… See any island, but based on her height I can work out where the platform she was standing on was. Then the ones next to it, and if they extend in a straight line, then…

Click to shrink...

That's a risky plan, OL. And it doesn't leave much wiggle room if something goes awry.

I cautiously extend my right hand over the edge of the island and-. And it disappears in blackness.

Okay, good, but that doesn't tell me whether or not there's a platform in there, and I'm… My regular armour doesn't have a cable and there isn't really anywhere to anchor it anyway. I don't want to risk falling over the edge. Texture doesn't really feel of anything, though there's obviously a chance that Ms. Drak can just feel it-.

Click to shrink...

Honesty, the regular gear could probably use a decent utility belt.Given how often you've been stuck with limited access to subspace... The challenge would be not loading up on everything that might be useful...

Unless she's controlling things indirectly using her book, which might mean that she can't.

Doesn't matter. I don't need to move the shadows myself, just feel objects through them. No real records on what it feels like to learn; Ms. Mallor only ever gave me a practical description and I never studied the available texts. But.. I.. did study the ritual John used for his attack. I can remember it, but I'm not sure how much of it is actually useful.

Click to shrink...

Especially since that might have been in comic space, which might not align well with this reality.

Ah… Let's see. 'Darkness' plus 'Communicate'? Trace that in the bone-dry ground with myself and the shadow probably obscuring the platforms included in the circuit, and… Unfocus my proprioception like I do when I'm feeling with constructs…

I… Think I've got it. It's really… Faint, but… Yes, I can… Feel an odd… Tightness, outside of my body in the direction I'm expecting the platforms to be. Like something can't move in a particular direction. It's not entirely precise… And dying here would be a huge pain. But I doubt that the Forever People are in a better situation, so I can't just hang around and hope that they find me.

Click to shrink...

Yeah, this would be uncomfortably similar to the stifling aura of the Anti-Life, I bet. Not physically, but emotionally. Metaphorically...

Leap of faith time, then.

I stand, try to get a better idea exactly where the first platform is, and then extend my right leg-.

FUCK! Fuck! Fuck!

Click to shrink...

Ah, that moment of panic when you take a step and there's no ground there like you were expecting...

Lower! It was lower! I just got about a tenth of a second of freefall, and while I wouldn't exactly say that it scared me, it was disconcerting and annoying. Okay. Second one feels closer, and going by Ms. Drak's path it should be on a similar level to the one I'm on now. Keep my weight back on my left leg, extend my right-. And it's there. Slightly higher than this one, and that's fine. Step off, and step forward again… Yes, still there. I've lost all light, but really all that means is that I can focus on the one thing outside myself that I can feel.

Click to shrink...

At least until you run out of platforms. Then that next step is going to be a doozy.

Move faster. I've got a better idea of how far apart they are now, and I don't think that the Forever People are getting into a better position than they were. In fact…

"Orange Lantern to anyone! Is anyone there!?"

Click to shrink...

How cute. Assuming any part of the electromagnetic spectrum would function here.

No reply.

The steps are ascending towards something, and-. My eyes flick up, and I can actually still see the black circle thing up high in the sky.

Click to shrink...

At least you're not going towards it. Hopefully?

"Orange Lantern here! Please respond!"

A slight curve in the path, around to the right. I'm not too sure how far I've come. I haven't run into Ms. Drak yet, so she's still ahead of me, but beyond-.

Click to shrink...

Heh. Would be a bit of a shock if he came along and bumped into her. On her part especially.

I feel a shape move in the blackness, something-. The movements are slow but irregular, apparently responding to its environment. A life form. I… Don't know whether I should stop or keep going but since I don't know, I keep going. Whatever it is moves around to its right, pulls slightly away from me as I keep-.

The path begin curving in that direction. Okay, in that case I should speed up, faster fast-. That one was further apart. Easy to handle, but even small changes are unnerving in a situation like this.

Click to shrink...

Don't get cocky, OL. Last thing you need is to be barking your shin on some predator in here.

A.. small island up ahead. Not as large as the one I was on, and a little way above the moving creature that I'm still very much aware of.

"Orange Lantern here!"

Click to shrink...

Well, I suppose stealth is kind of pointless here.

I-.

I heard something. Muffled, but in the direction I'm heading. Excellent! Three steps, two steps, slow, one step-.

Click to shrink...

Like a game of Blind Man's Buff... But with potentially lethal penalties.

Grab Vykin before I accidentally bulldoze him off the platform that wouldn't be large enough to lay down on, twist, step-. And put him down in the narrow column of 'light' so that we can actually see each other.

"Vykin. You alright?"

Click to shrink...

Interesting that OL's starting platform was so much larger. I assume, anyway. Maybe because he was the focus of the technique, or because of some cosmic scaling thing...

He takes a moment to look me over, before shaking his head.

"No. I am not. I have once again led my team-. Led my friends into a place of utter desolation."

Click to shrink...

Eh, it happens. What you do next is more important.

"That's your job. Half your job. Heroes go into places like this and fix them. So so far, you're doing fine."

"What is the other half?"

Click to shrink...

...Explosions? Maniacal Laughter? No, wait, that's supervillains. Maybe it's Knowing?

"Leading them out again. Did you see Lyssa Drak?"

"She… She came here to taunt me. How did you cross the void?"

Click to shrink...

Interesting. Wonder what the content of her speech to him was. And whether she has one tailored to each of them? Or maybe she just has a fill-in-the-blanks mad-libs card for 'Villainous Gloating' tucked in her book.

"It's not a void, it's a light-and-sound absorbing darkness. There's a path through it-. Well, there was one to here."

Damn it. I should have checked whether or not there were any more paths off my island.

Click to shrink...

Eh, you should be able to backtrack.

"Can you feel where the other Forever People are?"

"Once, but no."

Click to shrink...

Like being in an early 2000's comic, with the panel gutters filled with black instead of white...

"The darkness can-."

"Not since Apokolips. It is my nature to provide direction to the group, and I led us into that nightmare."

Click to shrink...

Ah. I can see where this situation feels so familiar, yes...

"Vykin, you're the team leader. You can feel guilty about your failures once the rest of the team are safe, because that is your primary aim here. Do you understand?"

He hesitates, then nods awkwardly.

Click to shrink...

Focus on the job, not your own fears. Lay down and cry once your friends are safe. Good way to motivate him, OL.

"The Great Darkness has joined with the Source, so this place shouldn't completely block you." I crouch as best I can in the limited space, and sketch out the design again. "Put your hand here, and pray."

Click to shrink...

Hopefully it works like you hope it does, OL.

So, progress! He's not alone. And if he found one, they can find the others together. Though I hope they're quick about it. Who knows what soaking up all this Darkness is doing to their metaphysiques or OL's soul. And then they still have to find a way out of whatever pit they're in. All with a ticking cloak and a hostile foe who may be watching their actions even now...

 

[Handlewithcare]

John is a cheat code against impossible odds even if he isn't there

Paul once again owes him a gift basket.

 

[Duke Long]

I wonder if he'll install a little more functionality in his light armour after this. It seems like it doesn't really do anything except functioning as, well, light armour.

 

[Mr Zoat]

That should say 'your'.

Click to shrink...

Thnak you, corrected.