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

[matt_001]

Element X isn't magic, it's the building block of all universes and everything in them.

To forge Element X is to forge reality.

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Both are the same thing in dc magic is just scraps of creation generated and channeled by magic using metahumans and willed into alterations to creation as much as the will of creation as was explained in doomsday clock by Doctor Manhattan

Spoiler: the page Manhattan gives a lesson on magic

Horseshit, that's the opposite of how it works. The metagene mutates the person's DNA when it's activates, that was established in the eighties. By definition in DC every metahuman is genetically distinct from a normal human.

Spoiler

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Depends on the metahuman I suppose you likely wouldn't find massive genetic deviations away from humanity in say the Flash but plenty would be obvious in say Mr. Freeze or Poison Ivy but the super powers don't likely come from the genetics alteration which are at most just side effect of what flavor of the source the metahuman channels which is where the powers actually come from.

 

[Mr Zoat]

7th May 2013
10:20 GMT -2

"…which is where I've got so far."

Alan's image nods. "But still no sign of King Orin?"

"No, but it's not like I can demand proof of life or something."

"Well, what do you think is happening?"

"King Orin isn't a great politician, but he isn't inept enough to believe that nearly flooding the entire Atlantic rim wouldn't attract at least some attention. So either he went somewhere and Ahri'ahn decided that events made it sensible to return to the surface now, or he's been nobbled, or... It's not impossible that Ahri'ahn might be old school enough to refuse to interrupt his king even when that's the sensible thing to do."

"But you don't think so."

"But I don't think so. I don't know what has happened, but I doubt that it's what he said."

"What about that magic dream thing Lori was talking about?"

I take a moment to double check my sound suppression system. Yes it's working, and if he's good enough to get through it then he's good enough to find her anyway.

"I had an… Argument with her a while back. She thought that I was implying that fish-type Atlanteans were abhorrent, which she took offence to. If… Ahri'ahn regrets more Atlanteans not having access to his version of the spell and wants to… 'Correct' that, then she might oppose it for political reasons."

"What about what Shark said?"

"His people like their transformation too. I don't know. There's room for doubt until we can speak to King Orin-." Wait. "Or… I could try and find Koryak. I haven't seen him since that mess with Oceanus, but he'd probably know his father's last location at least. And then I could work from there."

"Won't he have..? Guards?"

"He should, but I'm a known quantity. Me wanting to talk to him isn't that strange. I can just make it sound like I'm asking how King Orin coped with the Anti-Life personally. Since I'm effectively an expert on the subject."

"Ah, how old is he?"

"Fourteen." Huh. "So he's actually old enough to join the team if he wants to. I don't know if he's been trained, but I suppose it's another reason to talk to him."

He looks dissatisfied. "I don't know…"

"Know what?"

"A fourteen year old kid… I know Robin and Kid Flash started that young, but it just sticks in my craw."

"I have no authority over who joins or doesn't. I'm part time at best myself. I'll just ask if he's interested, ask what training he's had, things like that. Assuming I can find him."

"What if you can't find him?"

"Then I ask Kaldur where he is. I'd like to talk to him alone, anyway. See how much his mental state has altered. After that… I'm more or less out of ideas."

No. Then I try getting hold of Melinoë and see if King Orin can be tracked via his nightmares. But there won't be much else that I can do here.

"Alright. I'll talk to Sandy, see if he's got any ideas."

"I don't suppose the whole 'clay zombie' thing rings any bells with you?"

"Sounds a bit like that Clayface fellah. The Lazarus Pit brings people back from the dead, doesn't it? And it turned him into clay."

"That was.. due to an excess of geomantic magic. I don't think it would work like that. Though I suppose it wouldn't hurt to look into it."

"And then there's Solomon Grundy. I always thought he was his own thing, and then those witch hunters showed up with them."

"Slaughter Swamp probably has residual sheeda magic in it somewhere. Either that or Melmoth popped back to be an arsehole, which wouldn't surprise me. Well, Miss Martian can get the clay sample analysed just in case there's anything special about it, and Zatanna's the best bet for identifying the magic element."

"Sounds like you've got it all handled. Is there anything else?"

"Um. I appreciate that I kind of dropped the date thing on you, and if you really don't want to do it, that's not a problem."

"One dinner won't hurt." He looks away for a moment. "And… Sixty years was a long time to be alone. Six hundred would be even longer."

"That's a really depressing way of thinking about being immortal and going on a date with a queen."

"Oh, just trying to be realistic. And you're right." He smiles awkwardly. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"Have you mentioned this to Jay?"

"No? Why?"

"I was just thinking… He tried for years, and I succeeded first time."

"Heh." He grins. "I might just tell him that. Good luck finding Koryak."

I nod, and cut the connection. And then I drop my observation and eavesdropping baffle and do a scan to see if anyone was watching for the full duration.

No, not that I can detect. Of course: Atlantis.

I rise into the air and-. Don't scan for Kaldur, because I've just got these eyes and I can do basic pattern recognition. He's most likely at the palace, but if he's not there then the Conservatory is probably the best place to look. I rise off the ground and head in.. that direction.

Navigating here is really different now that it's above water. And… And I can't just fly over to one of the upper entrances, because they're mostly closed and the ones that are still open aren't supposed to be used like that without specific invitation.

And… I'm the only one flying. Flying doesn't require a particularly high level of magic power, but there hasn't been much reason for Atlanteans to learn how to do it. Similarly, they haven't gotten around to fleshcrafting any flying creatures. No gulls, either, though I'm sure they'll turn up eventually.

From here I can see where-. Ah, interesting. They might not have any use for personal water bubbles but it looks like they've transferred their fish farming operation above the waves in some places. I seem to remember that the palace in Venturia had a similar thing for ornamental fish. And I suppose that they can use Dolmen Gates to get around their lack of sea-to-shore transportation vehicles. Maybe I'm misunderstanding and it's actually a park, then?

I shake my head, landing in front of the palace entrance and walking over to the guards on duty.

"Orange Lantern?"

"Yes, hello. I'd like to speak to Koryak if he's available, or Kaldur if he's not. Could you please make the relevant enquiries?"

"We.. can ask if they'll receive you. But for a visitor of your stature we weren't going to make you wait at the gate." He turns to a couple of his subordinates. "Please escort Orange Lantern into a waiting room while I contact the Chief Equerry."

 

[GhostKing 666]

"King Orin isn't a great politician, but he isn't inept enough to believe that nearly flooding the entire pacific rim wouldn't attract at least some attention.

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I think you mean the Atlantic here, not the Pacific.

 

[Lord Ernest]

Good luck finding Kordak."

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I'd like to speak to Kordak

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Pretty sure these should be Koryak.

And I didn't know the kid had moved to Atlantis, how curious.

 

[Ngamer11]

I'm going to guess Koryak is in Atlantis while his mom isn't.

 

[Chojin Patriarch]

7th May 2013
10:20 GMT -2

"…which is where I've got so far."

Alan's image nods. "But still no sign of King Orin?"

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Which is worrying. You'd think Ahri'ahn would be politically smart enough to get Orin to meet with the League before he lost himself in studying OL's tattoos. Unless he's so overconfident that he thinks he can manage it in a few hours at most. Or perhaps he has to 'prepare' Orin for the meeting, make sure he doesn't say anything Ahri'ahn doesn't want him to...

Spoiler: Commentary spoilered for length

"No, but it's not like I can demand proof of life or something."

"Well, what do you think is happening?"

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I doubt Ahri'ahn would take that sort of 'firm request' nicely. He's probably just itching for the 'Heroes' to make a mistake he can capitalise on.

"King Orin isn't a great politician, but he isn't inept enough to believe that nearly flooding the entire Atlantic rim wouldn't attract at least some attention. So either he went somewhere and Ahri'ahn decided that events made it sensible to return to the surface now, or he's been nobbled, or... It's not impossible that Ahri'ahn might be old school enough to refuse to interrupt his king even when that's the sensible thing to do."

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Though what could Orin be doing that's so important he'd pass up on meeting with the League for it? Is the political situation amongst the Atlantean cities that tense?

"But you don't think so."

"But I don't think so. I don't know what has happened, but I doubt that it's what he said."

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Trust, but verify. If you can't trust, double-check. And if he remembers Ahri'ahn from his metaknowledge (Unlikely as he's a minor character first and foremost. Not helped by the different spellings of his name...)

"What about that magic dream thing Lori was talking about?"

I take a moment to double check my sound suppression system. Yes it's working, and if he's good enough to get through it then he's good enough to find her anyway.

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If he was listening, or had some spell set up to eavesdrop, he might not even care, what with the more fascinating puzzle of OL to work on.

"I had an… Argument with her a while back. She thought that I was implying that fish-type Atlanteans were abhorrent, which she took offence to. If… Ahri'ahn regrets more Atlanteans not having access to his version of the spell and wants to… 'Correct' that, then she might oppose it for political reasons."

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At best, she might benefit from the improved spell, becoming a 'pureblood' by Atlantean standards and loosing her mermaid form. Then again, she may feel threatened by the concept of an uncertain 'cure' in someone's hands.

"What about what Shark said?"

"His people like their transformation too. I don't know. There's room for doubt until we can speak to King Orin-." Wait. "Or… I could try and find Koryak. I haven't seen him since that mess with Oceanus, but he'd probably know his father's last location at least. And then I could work from there."

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Aquaman's half-eskimo son? I mean, if he inherited anything of his father's abilities, I could see Orin wanting him trained...

"Won't he have..? Guards?"

"He should, but I'm a known quantity. Me wanting to talk to him isn't that strange. I can just make it sound like I'm asking how King Orin coped with the Anti-Life personally. Since I'm effectively an expert on the subject."

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As distasteful a subject it might be, that's probably helpful information.

"Ah, how old is he?"

"Fourteen." Huh. "So he's actually old enough to join the team if he wants to. I don't know if he's been trained, but I suppose it's another reason to talk to him."

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As a new Aqualad, perhaps. Or as Narwhal, another possible identity.

He looks dissatisfied. "I don't know…"

"Know what?"

"A fourteen year old kid… I know Robin and Kid Flash started that young, but it just sticks in my craw."

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Bad memories of underage men joining the military back in the war? It's certainly something he might have encountered back in the day.

"I have no authority over who joins or doesn't. I'm part time at best myself. I'll just ask if he's interested, ask what training he's had, things like that. Assuming I can find him."

"What if you can't find him?"

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Then they have to deal with two missing members of the royal family. I expect Ahri'ahn could find uses for a bastard son of the King.

"Then I ask Kaldur where he is. I'd like to talk to him alone, anyway. See how much his mental state has altered. After that… I'm more or less out of ideas."

No. Then I try getting hold of Melinoë and see if King Orin can be tracked via his nightmares. But there won't be much else that I can do here.

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And using Melinoë would be something of a last resort and a nuclear option. I doubt Ahri'ahn would miss a junior goddess poking around in his lands. He may react poorly.

"Alright. I'll talk to Sandy, see if he's got any ideas."

"I don't suppose the whole 'clay zombie' thing rings any bells with you?"

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Oh, yeah, that thing too. Any progress on that front?

"Sounds a bit like that Clayface fellah. The Lazarus Pit brings people back from the dead, doesn't it? And it turned him into clay."

"That was.. due to an excess of geomantic magic. I don't think it would work like that. Though I suppose it wouldn't hurt to look into it."

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If it was a reproducible thing, would Ra's have even considered producing more, since it basically crippled the Pit that made him? That seems wasteful for something that wasn't especially effective anyway...

"And then there's Solomon Grundy. I always thought he was his own thing, and then those witch hunters showed up with them."

"Slaughter Swamp probably has residual sheeda magic in it somewhere. Either that or Melmoth popped back to be an arsehole, which wouldn't surprise me. Well, Miss Martian can get the clay sample analysed just in case there's anything special about it, and Zatanna's the best bet for identifying the magic element."

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Eh, Grundy's kind of an unrelated thing. More like a confluence of several negative magical influences including the Sheeda magic. Gotham and Slaughter Swamp are just that cursed.

"Sounds like you've got it all handled. Is there anything else?"

"Um. I appreciate that I kind of dropped the date thing on you, and if you really don't want to do it, that's not a problem."

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Well, at least he recognises it might have been rude. Still, Alan could stand to start dating. He'd certainly have quite a few Amazons willing to enjoy his company, if nothing else.

"One dinner won't hurt." He looks away for a moment. "And… Sixty years was a long time to be alone. Six hundred would be even longer."

"That's a really depressing way of thinking about being immortal and going on a date with a queen."

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Hope burns eternal, after all.

"Oh, just trying to be realistic. And you're right." He smiles awkwardly. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"Have you mentioned this to Jay?"

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Interesting swerve? Where's he going...

"No? Why?"

"I was just thinking… He tried for years, and I succeeded first time."

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Ah. Yes, I suppose he might have wanted Alan to actually try to live his life, all these years.

"Heh." He grins. "I might just tell him that. Good luck finding Koryak."

I nod, and cut the connection. And then I drop my observation and eavesdropping baffle and do a scan to see if anyone was watching for the full duration.

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I'm guessing it was more a video-phone call via Rings than a normal Ring communications link. No orange text for Alan, after all. Isn't that usually how it works, right?

No, not that I can detect. Of course: Atlantis.

I rise into the air and-. Don't scan for Kaldur, because I've just got these eyes and I can do basic pattern recognition. He's most likely at the palace, but if he's not there then the Conservatory is probably the best place to look. I rise off the ground and head in.. that direction.

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Yes, very eager to find out if he's all still himself or what, given his change of wardrobe.

Navigating here is really different now that it's above water. And… And I can't just fly over to one of the upper entrances, because they're mostly closed and the ones that are still open aren't supposed to be used like that without specific invitation.

And… I'm the only one flying. Flying doesn't require a particularly high level of magic power, but there hasn't been much reason for Atlanteans to learn how to do it. Similarly, they haven't gotten around to fleshcrafting any flying creatures. No gulls, either, though I'm sure they'll turn up eventually.

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They always do, the flying rats. And now I wonder if the Atlanteans have that typical city-dwelling instinct to not look up anymore now that they can't get about above ground level these days.

From here I can see where-. Ah, interesting. They might not have any use for personal water bubbles but it looks like they've transferred their fish farming operation above the waves in some places. I seem to remember that the palace in Venturia had a similar thing for ornamental fish. And I suppose that they can use Dolmen Gates to get around their lack of sea-to-shore transportation vehicles. Maybe I'm misunderstanding and it's actually a park, then?

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Though I imagine any aquatic plants used there might have had to undergo some adjustment in the big lift. Whether it be ornamental pools or simply replacing them with surface plants...

I shake my head, landing in front of the palace entrance and walking over to the guards on duty.

"Orange Lantern?"

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Ah, that moment of 'oh, here's trouble, is it?' from any law enforcement personnel about to meet a superhero...

"Yes, hello. I'd like to speak to Koryak if he's available, or Kaldur if he's not. Could you please make the relevant enquiries?"

"We.. can ask if they'll receive you. But for a visitor of your stature we weren't going to make you wait at the gate." He turns to a couple of his subordinates. "Please escort Orange Lantern into a waiting room while I contact the Chief Equerry."

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For those who don't recognise the term: Equerry. Presumably acting as the palace majordomo here. Basically managing appointments, meetings and household things. Very much the person to talk to about meeting specific people.

Well, then. Time to see the state of things amongst those not of senior rank within the royal family (Koryak may be Orin's eldest son, but he wasn't born in wedlock, so...) Or perhaps we'll get to see Kaldur, and confirm whether he's really doing this of his own accord or not. He certainly doesn't seem the type to adopt a frockcoat as personal fashion.

 

[Mr Zoat]

I think you mean the Atlantic here, not the Pacific.

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Pretty sure these should be Koryak.

And I didn't know the kid had moved to Atlantis, how curious.

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Thank you, corrected.