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

TFTwink · 2025-05-21T06:22:20+0100

Prince Waifu get?

Vaermina · 2025-05-21T06:30:57+0100

GhostKing 666 said:
So far, Paul hasn't introduced more than what already exists on the planet, if not on the continent of Falmart.

Now, I'm sure if Paul was introducing industrialization and mechanization, things would be different. But all he's done so far is start pushing Sadera up a couple centuries.

The goal of the Gods was to humble the Empire.

This is the exact opposite of that.

GhostKing 666 · 2025-05-21T06:55:12+0100

Vaermina said:
The goal of the Gods was to humble the Empire.

This is the exact opposite of that.

The goal of one god was to humble the empire. Just one, not all of them. Specifically Hardy, who controls the Gate. And the empire was humbled, just because Paul and Diabo was able to keep the JSDF from leaving Alnus Hill doesn't mean that they didn't mean they stopped the fighting at Alnus Hill. Diabo poached the Ancient Dragon as a mount when it was attacking the elven village. Which means all the fighting there already happened.

The Saderan Empire lost a horrific amount of men because of the JSDF, not just from their own Legions but also from their vassal states as well. Diabo's entire purpose with developing a gunpowder army is to compensate for the generation manpower loss they have to recover from and settle the various political shockwaves caused by the empire suddenly losing a significant chunk of their military out of nowhere and before vassals start turning into breakaway rivals.

Chojin Patriarch · 2025-05-21T07:09:47+0100

Mr Zoat said:
Late-Autumn, IC 690, Later That Day

"…because he's not a slave."

Chief Eithne frowns in confusion as we head towards the arcane workshop. "You bought him."

There's different kinds of 'bought', you know. The slave, the indentured worker, the happy subordinate... Money can buy a kind of loyalty in many different ways, willing or otherwise. And sometimes, it's things other than money.

He raises his left hand, my ring's signet facing her. "The God of Avarice takes a rather dim view of slavery."

"Why?"

Because modern morality. Also because...

"A slave is a person relegated to being a tool. An object. Someone who is supposed to abandon their own desires and fulfil only the desires of another person. As the god of those desires, that is obviously unacceptable. If you want someone to do something, convince them that doing so is in their interest."

...This. And it's an amusing kind of hypocrisy, when you consider the effects of things like Branding or Identity Theft.

She frowns, then her face smoothes. "As you did with us."

"I am glad that Prince Diabo has chosen to accept my Commandments on this matter. But tell me: are you happier to work for him as a free woman, or should we have clipped your ears closer?"

An what would it be worth to her to have that undone?

She looks down, considering her manacles for a moment.

"I did not… Hate being a slave. The farm work was satisfying, and the farmer was an adequate bed mate. But fleeing from Prince Zorzal's extermination campaign showed me that I had no real control of anything that happened. I just hadn't been the focus of anyone's wrath." She looks at me. "What does the God of Avarice say about being happy where you are?"

Surprised Diabo hasn't offered to fix the manacles or the ears yet. Perhaps he hasn't thought of it, or is saving that offer for later.

"If you are truly happy, then I have no objection. But what makes you happy today might not make you happy tomorrow. And what makes you happy today might well prevent you making the preparations to ensure that you can be happy tomorrow. Where you preparing to escape, when Zorzal's men came?"

Sometimes the fear of trying holds a person back. Especially when they hold out little hope.

"No."

"Would it have been easier to get away if you had?"

"Yes." Her ears twitch. "Hm."

But would they have been pursued? There's only so long you can bear to run, before you give up or turn to fight, and either way...

Prince Diabo lowers his left hand, then uses it to knock on the door. More than politeness, pushing into the laboratory of a wizard doing research into martial spells… Or indeed anything at all, is a rather poor idea, and I'm glad that he realised that without prompting.

Or… Perhaps I shouldn't be happy about that, because I'm pretty sure that he started knocking due to a lack of confidence around magicians rather than politeness or logic.

Just because it's one doesn't mean it's an expression of the other. He's more powerful one-on-one now, and capable of outlasting them. It's only a matter of time before he gets to experience that for himself.

"You can come in! It's safe!"

And he doesn't open the door, but instead waits for-

Since someone crazy enough to be doing this research probably has a different metric for 'safe' than most people.

"It is safe."

-the wizard's significantly better organised apprentice to confirm his claim before opening the door.

Something they probably end up doing a lot.

Cato El Altestan is an elderly man, stoop-shouldered and grey-haired, his oddly-bound beard extending to the middle of his chest. He wears blue robes and a blue… 'Wizard hat', and his crystal-encrusted staff is propped up against his work bench.

I'm sure it's a typical fashion statement among wise men like him. Probably an indicator of status in whatever order he trained in, and serves as a useful warning for sensible folks about the potential danger of being in proximity to him.

His apprentice Lelei La Lalena wears robes of blue, white and pale yellow. I'm not.. really sure why her hair is blue, but I suppose that I've seen stranger things. Right now she's studying a chemistry textbook we acquired on the far side of the gate, a blue flame dancing around the fingers of her right hand.

She nods to herself, and then watches the flame as it turns first purple and then green.

Ah, anime hair colours. Could easily have been a spell gone wrong, or a sign of some supernatural ancestry. Or she just likes to stand out.

She and her master entered Diabo's employ after finding out that he was the one who dealt with the large dragon he took as a mount the day that he put me on. It hadn't actually attacked the village they were living in, but it had been rampaging around that general area and they had been very concerned about the possibility. Starting a research and development team for the 19th century level textbooks we were allowed to bring back through the gate has been… Difficult, but it appears that understanding the structure of matter and laws of physics makes it far easier for magicians to alter both.

To some degree, they were the first scientists. Wise men, alchemists, those who studied the 'mysteries' of the physical world... It's only been in the last few centuries that all these things got categorised as science rather than magick. In our world, at least.

Cato rises awkwardly to his feet. "Prince Diabo, God of Avarice…" He stares at Chief Eithne for several moments. Then he smirks to himself. Warrior Bunny sexual politics being what it is, I'm not sure that she noticed, or that she'd have cared if she had. Their menfolk aren't a physical threat to the women, so some of the same instincts concerning libidinous interest never really developed. "What can we do for you?"

One advantage of those baggy robes... At least she's tough enough to put him in his place if he tries anything on her.

"I would like you to update me on the progress of the enchanted cannonballs. At this point we're ready to begin the campaign, but I'd feel happier if our initial demonstration could be as overwhelming as possible."

"Ah, well…" He turns to Lelei. "I believe that Lelei made some progress in that area."

Let me guess, he fobbed all the real work on her. A 'wise man' indeed.

She looks up, flicking out the fire around her hand as she makes eye contact with him.

"Enchanting the cannon balls is impractical, and will remain so until we can transition from stone balls to iron balls. Even then it will remain difficult. The explosion of the charge will disrupt the runes in the metal badly enough that the enchantment will only work at a reduced power, if it works at all."

Well, that's annoying. Not unsurprising, but annoying.

Diabo nods. "Alright. What can you do?"

She lays her right hand on a basic physics textbook.

Ah, the equivalent of a cheat code manual for the medieval spellcaster.

"As we have learned from the people of Japan, force equals mass multiplied by acceleration. But for us, any one of those values can be altered with magic. Reducing the size of the cannon ball before it strikes the target causes the force to be spread over a smaller area. That is useful for attacking walls. Equally, the size of the cannon ball can be increased. That would reduce the force of the impact, but the cannon balls fired by the heavy guns already have a great deal more than enough force to kill a person."

Clever tricks. Though she's probably missing the sheer psychological effect of, say, a cannonball the size of a house flying at you.

"Can you just magnify the force directly?"

She thinks for a moment. "Magnifying the force of the launch would be simple, but it would also risk destroying the cannon. Magnifying the force of the impact would be difficult. And it would take a great deal of magic." Her eyes dip, and her brow furrows. "Depending on the degree of magnification. If I was doubling the force of impact for a ball fired from a heavy cannon at a target one mile away, I think I could only do it four times before becoming exhausted."

What about spells inscribed into the barrel that simply make it go faster out of the muzzle? Not the initial force, but the speed of it leaving the opening. Or is that too intense a change for their magic?

"And the other things? How many times could you do them?"

"Exchanging things is easier. I would have to practice to be sure, but I think I could cast a spell to shrink the cannon ball to half its size a hundred times a day."

Now, they just need a few dozen more mages who could do the same.

Diabo smiles. "That is good news. I will arrange a time for you to practice… Tomorrow? If that is agreeable to you?" She nods, then sort of freezes awkwardly. I feel Diabo use my power to look within her and see why. A moment later he nods. "I understand your lack of enthusiasm, but remember that our aim here is not to repeat my brother's slaughter but to force our neighbours to become tributaries. It is my hope that a substantial show of force will prevent the need for a lengthy campaign. As well as stabilising things here at home after our near-disastrous conflict with Japan. Stability means that internal conflicts don't occur, that bandits don't prey on honest citizens and existing tributaries don't wages war with us or with each other."

Ah, some clever use of empathic vision, I see. Calming her worries and encouraging her assistance.

She nods, looking slightly reassured.

"And you, Cato? How many-?"

The sound of hurried feet comes from the corridor behind us, as a Warrior Bunny messenger approaches at speed. The party turns as she enters the room and whispers something to her chief, who rather lost interest in the magic discussion. Eithne frowns, then turns to us.

Ah, something amiss outside? Nothing loud, or they would have noticed. So an unexpected arrival.

"Prince Diabo, there's an elf here to see you."

"Did they say what they want?"

She shrugs. "Something about the dragon?"

Well, someone's been taking their time about looking into its 'recruitment'. Three years, after all.

Well, looks like someone has an issue with his capture of it (back between 'Gateway' parts 3 and 4, where he Branded it while it was out raiding.) The question is who? A god, who's sent an Apostle to deliver demands for its release? Or some conclave of druids worried about the ecological mayhem ensuing from it being away from its range for so long. Guess we'll see soon.

WereDragon · 2025-05-21T10:25:34+0100

Mr Zoat said:
a wizard doing research into martial spells

As I recall the magic in Gate is, at least on a small scale, fairly potent. We see a duel between Lelei and Arpeggio and the defensive spells on display suggest they would be quite capable of fighting modern soldiers. Don't know about tanks, artillery or jets but the basic 'squad of dudes in a humvee' unit would not fair well.

"Prince Diabo, there's an elf here to see you."

And why should the prince care?
For that matter why should we the readers care?

Darko · 2025-05-21T12:46:45+0100

WereDragon said:
And why should the prince care

Because it may potentially be about some political situation.

WereDragon said:
For that matter why should we the readers care

Because it's a part of the story.

TheOneTrueDemonLord · 2025-05-21T15:08:56+0100

I miss Renegade. His adventures with Luna were oddly wholesome for being The New God of Conquest.

Given that both of them have very different True Forms, have they been together in all combinations? I think you know very well what I'm asking.

Mr Zoat · 2025-05-21T15:15:19+0100

TheOneTrueDemonLord said:
Given that both of them have very different True Forms, have they been together in all combinations? I think you know very well what I'm asking.

Naturally.

Words for the Word God.

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

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