superpierce: great chapter surprised that the MC finally got to talk with ethics to a member of the league. keep up the good work.
Re: I just felt like I was finally able to work it in, what with how Diana and Carolina are acquainted with one another.
justinq719: Great chapter, but God Damn! Virgil lays it on thick!
Re: Well, when else will he have the chance to talk smack about League policy with reduced consequences? Since she's the one who initiated the talk about ethics, it's not like she can say it was an "unprovoked response". Every word he said to her was born the moment he was "let down" and he lost his love of superheroes.
Raidentensho: nice. though i was expecting dowsing/scrying when dealing with the mirror bungle. also wonder if Shamanism would be a bit more in his wheelhouse. i can see a bit of Shaman King being used for Evocation. looking forward to more. until then, later!
Re: Not familiar with Shaman King, unfortunately…
Kalbario: just saw that this story was published way back in 2014 and I just realized something, It hasn't even been one year in story?!
As much as I enjoy it, the time between just gets to me. At this rate, since Zatanna is still in her early teens with Megan still being new to earth,
I hope this story will continue to the finish and not end up like the other great stories I've read in the past. Just stopping out of nowhere and fading into the void of lost memories. (Which is an actual phenomenon not many people know about or remember existing)
Re: Trust me, I intend to see this story through to some kind of conclusion. My current 5 stories on-rotation, and my 6th me-story, are the ones I've been building up to since I started writing. My most-embarrassing works have been taken down, but there's a couple of stinkers still there so I don't forget my "Origin".
DarkBan: Weeeeell, i was missing this story already! XD
This MC is really interesting, and while i didn't expect a 'debate' in this chapter, it was entertaining all the same. Also, good for him for owning to his shortcomings of his past opinions, though it's kinda weird for me that he felt that he should apologize to someone for something he THOUGHT, but then again, hemight work with her in the future soo.. who knows?
Re: Well, it's just really fun writing in good dialogue; really adds to the story more than constant "action movie action" that's shoehorned in like all the needless explosions in Michael Bay films.
As for him owning up to his shortcomings, part of it is to show how much he has grown since before the Second Outbreak; the last time he was a "normal teenager", "back when life was simple".
Him apologizing to Diana so directly, for the indirect nature of his transgressions, is due in part to how he might work with her in the future given his ties to Zatara and Martian Manhunter, just as you say. In the long term, it "ingratiates himself" to her if she views him as someone "worth trusting". For someone swinging around something like the Lasso of Truth, meeting someone who can be truthful of their own volition, is probably a very potent act to receive.
Another reason is, thanks to hearsay from A.R.G.U.S., he's learned about a side of Diana that doesn't get shown in the Justice League's promotional materials.
While my stories have a niche audience, those willing to invest their time in an "OC Story", I like to think that what draws people in and keeps them reading, is that my OCs don't "have all the answers", they're relatable because they're flawed, they fall and stumble and make mistakes, but more than anything they grow, and become better versions of themselves, because they want to become better versions of themselves like real Protagonists. Ventus from my Teen Titans story, Zhu from my Legend of Korra story, and Jack from my RWBY story alike all have "arcs" that transform them from who they are at the beginning of the story, into someone better.
Because at the end of the day, my most-recent stories are largely "coming of age" stories.
Raidentensho: thinking about it some more I believe Vincent could be a possible incarnation of Zagreus(Hades). or it will be his name when on the Team. the name means great hunter. so it fits. besides the wand, having a second weapon that can also channel magic would be a good ace. either a spear or a shield. wonder if Greek runes are another field of study for him. looking forward to more. until then later!
Re: Well, Artemis won't be calling herself "Artemis" in-story because of... vague memories of that idea being "dumb".
Haven't had a chance to play "Hades", so I didn't know that, but it's definitely an interesting angle I'll consider... Though retroactively, now I'm wondering if the callsign for him in NYZ would've been "Hades"; at least if he caused enough trouble to warrant such a name... You know, from the whole "death in his wake" and "Helmet of Invisibility" thing of never being found, but I just figure "Black Arrow" would've been their go-to for him.
*FETCH QUEST*
WOW that Reply was long, but I'll justify it in how DarkBan gave me such great material to work with. When my readers notice "the little things", that fills me with so much joy as a writer~
Anyhow, onto the conclusion of the "Fetch Quest Arc", which turned out much longer than I anticipated, but was no less fun to write~
*FETCH QUEST*
A.R.G.U.S. Headquarters: Dorms Level
December 17, 12:38 EST
"William, mind if I join you guys?" Diana inquired a few days later.
"Well, sure, but, wouldn't you rather sit at the 'Cool Kids' Table'?" 'Will' asked inclining his head toward Steve and the rest of Team 7.
"I can sit with them any time, but I hear you will be going home before Christmas, so I won't get to see you again for a while," the Amazon replied.
"Honestly, after that little row we had, I'm surprised you're even talking to me at all."
"It's a very divisive issue, and I won't fault you for it."
" . . . If you really want to," he said as Diana looked at him expectantly, the Amazon sitting across from him and Carolina.
"So, what have you been up to for the past few days?" Carolina inquired.
"Oh, the usual League business. Criminals stealing toys from charity is a new low, but, honestly, I've become a bit inured it," Diana hummed as she ate at her food. "What about you two?"
"I've been giving Stevie and his friends a run for their money in the gym, and Will here's been hitting the books, firing magic downrange between study sessions," Carolina answered.
"Oh? Like what?"
"A little of this, a little of that," the white-haired teen waved off.
"And how've you been doing?" Diana asked turning to Morris, the Chinese dumpling trilling happily as she scratched him between his shoulder blades.
"He's been reading. Jury's still up on whether he's reading-reading or just copying me," Virgil replied as Morris turned the page on the book in front of him.
"Has he eaten yet?" the Amazon inquired, realizing she'd never seen the Familiar imbibe itself.
"If he has, he doesn't do it when I'm around, and when I am he doesn't pester me about it," the budding magus replied. "For all I know he subsists on the 'energy of the universe' or something mystical like that. The wiki's pretty dry on detail and Argus isn't exactly versed with first-hand knowledge on Chinese cryptids."
"Well… I mean… If he really wants food, I guess he'll let you know," Diana replied turning back to her meal, only to notice Carolina subtly inclining her head over toward the drink machine when William's eyes were downcast.
Diana, getting the message, downed the rest of her drink before getting up under the implied pretense, Carolina joining her a few seconds later. Long-enough-after that no-one out of the loop would think they were going together, but short-enough-after that Diana didn't have to stand in front of the drink machine for "too long".
"You wanted to speak with me?"
"Yes. Will… Um, how do I say this…" Carolina hummed, acting like she was agonizing over what soda to grab. "After your talk about the trolley car and the hobos, he's gotten a little… um… Look, it'll probably be better if you see for yourself."
"See what?" the Amazon asked worriedly.
"Trust me, you'll know when you see it. I'll let you know the next time I catch him in the act. Some things he can keep close to the chest, but this... this, isn't one of them."
Diana blinked at the vague answer, but instead chose to nod in acceptance. If Carolina was reaching out for her help, as her friend she was obligated to give it when-able.
"Hey, Diana, can I get some clarification on something?" 'William' asked.
"Of course."
"You're the same Wonder Woman who showed up in World War II, right? That was you and not your mother?"
"It was me, yes. Though admittedly, my mother did act as Wonder Woman in centuries' past. Of course, the Wonder Woman armor always reflects the colors of the nation she sets out to render aid toward, so they don't look the same between eras," she answered while passively gesturing at her own attire.
" . . . Just going to file that away for later-Anyway…" he said holding his hands up after that info-bomb dropped on him. "There's something I've been meaning to ask around about, but I feel like you're the only one un-biased enough I could get a straight answer out of."
"What do you want to know about?"
"I'm not sure when this will happen, if it'll happen, but in the event my girlfriend and I begin to get 'intimate' in the future, I was wondering if you could give me a woman's perspective on what they're looking for during the act of physical joining."
Carolina off to the side spurt out her refreshed beverage in an impressive cone, a sentiment mirrored by those within earshot, the room going incredibly quiet like an outward wave.
"And you're asking this inquiry of me, because…?"
"Well, I'm obviously not going to ask a man what a woman wants done to her during sex, that's highly counterintuitive," 'William' dismissed with a wave of his hand, Diana nodding at the point. "And anyway, since you're a Greek demigoddess or something from an island of nothing but warrior women, I figured but didn't want to assume that in your immortal lifetime, you might have had massive amounts of lesbian bondage sex, if not heard the topic being discussed growing up, and thus had wisdom I could draw upon since I have your ear."
Things were so-quiet in the room you could hear a pin drop.
"What constitutes a massive amount?"
At this, someone fell out of their chair in a dead faint.
"If you have to ask, then you've already had it," 'William' shrugged.
'Jesus fucking Christ… His balls aren't made of Brass… They're made of weapon's grade Tungsten!' Carolina gawped incredulously to herself at the conversation going on in front of her. "Diana, you don't need to indulge him if you don't want to!"
"Why? There is nothing inherently shameful about the act of sex. Nor is there in wanting to broaden the scope of one's knowledge in the sexual arts with the aid of a member of the opposing gender," Diana answered with a completely straight face. "And admittedly, the Greeks and our deific pantheon are known for sexual debauchery, so while his assumptions about how we Amazons comport ourselves on Themyscira isn't inherently 'flattering', it isn't wholly inaccurate to figure if not assume as such either," she continued, Carolina's jaw dropping. "Honestly, it's a little refreshing to meet someone who can be so-upfront about a topic that would normally be so-controversial in a western setting. Sex is only considered 'shameful' by large strokes in Christian religions. For the Greeks, it was simply another part of life."
In the background, another person fell from their chair in a dead faint.
"Oh, well, I'm, honestly surprised you're so receptive to my line of inquiry," 'William' hummed aloud as he found his words. "Initially I was worried that I was stereotyping the ancient Greek people, let alone the Amazons, but given how their gods acted on the regular… Well, the worst you could've done is just not answered me at all or asked me to change the topic."
'No, the worst she could've done is rip your balls off for asking something like that!' Carolina thought to herself. Though admittedly, she might've been painting Diana with the same broad strokes that portrayed the Amazons as men-haters with an androcidal kill-on-sight attitude.
"Well, I'm not sure how much my knowledge will help you personally, as I'm unsure how-fit your girlfriend is compared to the average Amazon warrior…" Diana mused aloud, Carolina choosing to excuse herself before things got too weird. "But if I were to give you some starting advice, based purely on the testimony of those I grew up around… I would say that while it's normal to want to experiment and try new things in order to keep things 'fresh', you should also be respective of one another's physical and emotional boundaries."
'Nope. Nope. Nope! I am not imagining Wonder Woman giving Virgil the 'Birds and the Bees' talk…!' Carolina thought to herself as she increased her pace.
"Uh huh, uh huh, I see…" 'William' hummed, taking notes for posterity. "Beyond the ethics of the joining, do you have any input on foreplay?" he inquired, while inwardly realizing that Wonder Wo-... Diana, being sexually active only served to make her "more human" in his eyes than all the other "flawless paragons" in the Justice League.
*FETCH QUEST*
A.R.G.U.S. Headquarters: Danger Room
December 18, 17:03 EST
"Carolina, you sounded a bit worried when you called me over," Wonder Woman hummed a while later.
"Yes, well, Will's starting to get… worse…"
"Worse regarding what?" Diana inquired.
"I'm about to show you, right now," Carolina answered, leading Diana into the Danger Room proper and onto the viewing platform. Down on the ground level were steaming piles of molten metal downrange from 'Will' who was clad only in boxers, a light T-Shirt, and numerous electrodes, the magi-scientists standing behind him with various monitoring equipment. A part of the floor opening up and raising up a new slab of reinforced metal, one of the researchers rushed forward with a rolled-up piece of paper and a handful of magnets which he used to affix aforementioned paper to aforementioned metal after unrolling it.
What the paper portrayed was a life-sized depiction of a well-built man standing 5'10" in height and weighing around 190 lbs, appearing to be near his 30s, the image of him mid-stride in profile. Appearance-wise, he had bluish-silver eyes, black hair, and pale skin with sickly gray tinting around his eyes. His attire consisted of plain blue jeans and black shoes, a button-up shirt with a protruding collar kept partially buttoned, a play gray hoodie, and a black leather jacket with a red interior, two horizontal white lines on each sleeve.
"Mercer…!" Diana gasped, remembering the debrief after the second attack at Penn Station took place.
Barring the previous instance that had happened, it was hard to imagine another time where the League had felt so-powerless. Had Batman not dredged up the frightening power that Mercer as a "Runner" possessed, when the true nature of his most-insidious ability was revealed… Had Batman not been able to keep them from diving into Manhattan the first or even second time, the damage would've been cataclysmic…!
"DIIIIIIIE!"
"Oh dear…" Diana said worriedly as the murderous rage in the teen's voice reached her ears. The cone of blue-colored fire blasting into the slab of metal from the end of his wand, for several seconds it was a sustained burn, but slowly the slab began to melt allowing more fire to wash over it until eventually, it guttered out, another molten puddle of metal joining the rest.
"See what I mean?" Carolina asked. "I'm worried about him. We've got him on a tight leash so I doubt he'll go rogue, and maybe having a girlfriend will be the 'normal-ectomy' he needs to keep him mellowed out… But I'm worried he might agree to go on a suicide mission someday just so he can kill Mercer."
"Could you… explain the exact source of his animosity towards Alex Mercer?"
"Will… He lost friends and family in Manhattan after Mercer dropped that dirty bomb in Penn Station."
"Well, to be fair, a lot of people did."
"Yeah… But I don't think it takes a rocket scientist to figure out why he's so fixated on Fire Magic, now does it?"
" . . . "
*FETCH QUEST*
"Hah…! *PANT* Haah…! *PANT* Haaah…! *PANT* Haaaah!" Virgil panted, body drenched with sweat and each pant lasting for longer, his wand hand trembling and his eyes fluttering. "Agai… *pant* Aga… *pant* Again…! And get me some god-damned water!" he growled, one of the orderlies rushing a large water bottle over to him, the teen guzzling it down and tossing it over his shoulder to join the others while one of the technicians worked the tablet controlling the danger room.
Before the next slab of reinforced metal could rise to full height however, he felt a hand on his shoulder before he was whirled around, a very concerned Diana looking down on him.
"William…"
"What? What do you want? Can't you see I'm training?" he asked, one of the scientists putting up the next Mercer print-out.
"Carolina told me why you're doing this… and no matter what Mercer took from you, you can't let your anger control you like this," she pleaded, his other shoulder finding itself in her industrial-strength grip, his upper body booted in place. "Please, listen to me. Vengeance is not the way."
"You're right. It isn't 'the way'; but it's still 'a way'," he argued.
"If you keep going down this path, it'll just leave you hollow inside-"
"Did you ever stop and think that maybe that's what I want? What I need?" he snapped back. "Revenge will hollow me out, but that doesn't mean I can't fill myself with something better afterwards. A cup that's already full will just spill over, so the way I see it, until I've had my revenge, I won't be able to fill myself with anything 'better'. Not without letting what's already in the cup taint it black."
"Alright, say you do kill Mercer. What happens then?"
"I'm not a freakin' anime 'avenger'," he huffed with a roll of his eyes. "Once Mercer's dead, I'll make a new lifegoal for myself. Hell, it doesn't even need to be me who takes him out as long as someone does the job eventually. All I'm doing is getting ready in case I'm in a position where I can take my shot. 'Cause you better believe, if I find that bastard in my crosshairs, I'm taking that shot."
"William, listen to me. Revenge is the road to hell, and its thirst can transform a good man, capable of doing so much good for the world, into a Demon."
"You know... I can think of several Greek heroes who've gone 'to hell and back'~" he replied with a Cheshire grin. "Here, let me list them off~" he cooed, dramatically counting off fingers. "Er, Orpheus, Odysseus, Psyche, Heracles, Alcestis, Aeneas, Theseus, Hippolytus, Sisyphus… Shall I go onnn~?"
"Alright, I'm willing to admit that my previous statement was poorly thought-out, given the context…"
"No, I think that makes it a very good example, or would you like me to keep going? Oh, and that reminds me, whose rape baby are you again, Ms. Greek Demi-God?" the magus asked caustically.
"I was formed from clay on the shores of Themyscira and given life by divine lightning."
"You do realize that just sounds like a euphemism for 'sex on the beach', right?" he returned with a flat-lidded stare.
" . . . You can't hold onto hate forever," Diana said after taking a calming breath.
"And I won't have to. Either I kill Mercer someday, I help someone else do it, or someone else does it without my involvement whatsoever. No matter how that dice rolls, I still win."
"William, there's no better revenge in this world than forgiveness."
" . . . Really? The Greek Pagan is talking to me, a Christian, about 'forgiveness'?" he asked dryly. "Hey everybody! The Greek Demi-Goddess is talking to me about forgiveness! Can you imagine that!" he shouted out-loud for everyone to hear, laughing derisively in Wonder Woman's face.
'Geez, these two are just going back and forth on this, aren't they?' Carolina hummed to herself off to the side, a part of her idly musing that this was the sort of fodder people based steamy FanFiction off of…
"But tell you what, Diana, maybe after I've hollowed myself out with a good melon-balling, I'll… indulge you and get around to that whole 'forgiveness' spiel," he said making exaggerated 'air bunnies'. "Until then, fuck religion; more specifically, the Greek variety since Mercer's military codename is 'Zeus', and if he were one of Lightning-Dick's little bastards, I would not be surprised. Now, are you going to let me go or not?"
"William… It's okay to cry. No one will judge you for it," she said fully embracing him, heedless of the sweat or how his face became buried in her bustier. "If you can't let others into your life now, when will you?"
"Diana… Let me go. If whatever we have between us even narrowly resembles 'friendship', you'll leave me be," he said struggling against her hold, for all the good it did one to fight metal I-beams.
"No. I won't let you destroy yourself like this," she pleaded insistently. "I'm not letting you go until you see reason."
" . . . Alright. You asked for it. Deci Retaw!" he intoned pressing his wand to the back of her neck, Wonder Woman squawking out a startled- "AACK!" -and throwing herself away from him as frost-colored water ran down her back and into her costume. "Wow. Who knew your Kryptonite was iced water down the back of your suit~ Why, imagine the steamy fanart~"
"William, I'm trying to save you from yourself," Diana said trying to ignore the small flush upon his cheeks.
"Even if what I'm doing is a 'mistake'… it's still my mistake to make," Virgil said, his tone growing somber. "Don't try and stop me."
"You know I can't do that," Diana said, brandishing her Lasso of Truth before shooting it out, snaring him at the wrist before drawing him in like a fish on a line.
"I'd say things were about to get ugly… but your sperm donor is harassing some poor village girl in Europe right around now," Virgil spat as he dug in his feet. "Noitarujnoc: Elcanam!"
A swirl of smoke coiling between his skin and the divine braid around his wrist, the next moment a large unadorned steel manacle appeared, the lasso widening to accommodate, and the clever teen slipping his hand free.
"Leper Elcanam!" he then incanted with a flourish of his wand, the steel implement shooting off like the matching side of a magnet, Wonder Woman catching it effortless and slipping her lasso free before snapping out her lasso once again.
"Hey! You wanna get to the bondage, at least take me to dinner first!" Virgil said throwing himself to the side, Morris' angry hair-and-feather-raising trilling causing the researchers in the backdrop to scatter like cockroaches.
"If that is what it takes to make you see reason!" Diana said firmly before an angry growl over her shoulder caused her to whirl around. Morris galloping toward her on all six limbs, his 'brows' furrowing, mid-gallop and to her shock, a plume of ash-colored smoke heralded a sudden metamorphosis into some sort of… boar/porcupine hybrid, his quills raised as he charged at her.
*Point-Poink-Poink-Poink*DOINK!*
"YOWWWWWWW!" Diana found herself yowling, actually yowling, as the divine invulnerability of her immortal self was circumvented. Hopping and crying out as Morris' now-quills stuck into her derriere, the Familiar skid to a stop protectively before his master, now-eyes narrowing as an infuriated squeal left his now-lips.
"Well… Didn't see that coming…" Virgil hummed appreciatively as Diana tried to remove the quills from her briefs. "Good boy, Morris~ Who's a good boy~? You are~ Yes you arrre~" he cooed happily, the little dumpling preening under all the affection.
"William…" Diana backpedaled as she pulled out the last of the quills, deciding to change tact as she holstered her lasso. "To err is human, to forgive, divine."
"Diana…" Virgil said with a flat look on his face. "Do you really, really, want to bring something like 'divinity' into a talk of ethics? Because I can imagine Heracles would have something to say about that~"
" . . . I just now realize that was in error," Diana conceded after a moment. "But still… Even if your vendetta against Mercer is justified-"
"'If' nothing; my vendetta is totally justified."
"If," she insisted, "I can't allow you to go down this path. Not without a fight. I won't let you turn yourself into a senseless killer. Not at your age!"
Virgil shooting Carolina a- "Really?" -look over Diana's shoulder, the disguised brunette let out a tired sigh before deciding.
"Morris. Let 'er have it."
*TrirrrRRRrrr!* the DiJiang trilled furiously as he galloped toward Diana before leaping high into the air.
*POOMF!*
" . . . Oh crap…" Diana swore as an enormous plume of smoke heralded Morris' transformation into a giant koi fish many magnitudes larger than an African elephant. The demi-goddess spreading her arms to catch the enormous load, cheek pressed into slimy underbelly, with a grunt of effort, she heaved the now-fish-bellied Morris above her head like a champion dead lifter.
"PILS!"
Or at least she was until that happened.
*THOOOOM!*
"I have seen, some amazing things in my life. But this…?" Carolina hummed off to the side as Wonder Woman's legs flailed out from beneath Morris' bulk like the Wicked Witch of the East. "This, takes the cake."
*FETCH QUEST*
A.R.G.U.S. Headquarters: Danger Room Showers
December 18, 17:34 EST
"Well…" Diana hummed to herself as she wrung fish-slime out of her hair, shower water running down her equally-slimy body. "That could've gone better."
"To be fair, I didn't expect the Chinese dumpling to pull a 'Sun Wukong' on you," Carolina added from the next stall over. "Who knew he was actually reading that spell book?"
"Yeah… That came out of nowhere for me too…"
"Couldn't you just fly yourself off the ground, though?"
"I'm used to having a little more footing before I take off…"
"Fair," Carolina shrugged. "So… What now?"
"Well… Will's creative, that's for sure… But even so, I can't give up on him. Zatanna and M'gann need a friend like him, an outsider, if they're going to grow up into balanced, mentally sound adults."
"Right, because there's just sooo many other role models for them to play off of."
" . . . And he can't be there for them if he gets himself killed running a suicide mission."
"I'm surprised you want them to have a 'male guardian'. Don't you Amazons want to kill all men 'on-sight'?"
"Steve Trevor's autobiography might have… exaggerated things a bit."
"Oh? How much did he 'exaggerate'~? Because from what I read, the whole 'getting shot at by arrows and spears as soon as he arrived' thing was pretty cut-and-dry."
" . . . Not all of us Amazons are extremists."
"Nope. Everyone but you are extremists, and honestly, I kinda wanna see them get their shit kicked in if they try to kill all the men in 'Man's World'," the red-head said making air quotes.
"The Amazons would never do something like that!"
"Not unless the female gods told them to."
"I'm starting to see where William gets some of his dry wit from…" Diana sighed.
"Heh, maybe~" Carolina grinned before turning reticent. " . . . Do you think he has any sort of chance against Mercer?"
"The odds have always been against young Heroes. Only difference now is if you wanted to consult the Oracle of Delphi for a Prophecy, you can do so over the phone."
" . . . Wait, really-"
"No, not 'really'!"
*FETCH QUEST*
A.R.G.U.S. Headquarters
December 19
"So… I hear you covered Wonder Woman in slime yesterday. Wanna tell me about it~?" Sebastian grinned at him the next day.
"That was Morris, mostly. I just swept her off her feet."
"Steamy fanfic has been made off of less."
"Gross."
"But in all seriousness, Greek demi-gods had long been known for their cleverness as well as their ability, so it's really impressive you could pull one over on her like that."
"Yeah, but I doubt it'll work twice," Virgil shrugged, turning back to his books.
"Maybe. But with enough variations of the same trick, you'd be surprised how much mileage you can get out of the same spells," the man hummed in return. "After all, which is better; to know 1,000 spells you can only use one way, or to only know 10 spells but being able to use them 100 different ways?"
"What, like Bruce Lee's 'I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times'?"
"Exactly," he nodded. "Giovanni's [Logomancy] is the quintessential 'one size fits all' in that it's one skill with near-infinite uses; it all comes down to your own guile in how you use it. Of course, learning 'Functional Magic', your own base of talent has also improved. And Wordlesss Incantation is an incredibly potent skill to possess, and because you aren't ingraining 'bad habits' into yourself early, in that regard it's for the better that you're starting out as a First-Generation Magi."
"You know, I've been meaning to ask… Wordless Incantation is all about thought. That being the case, if I and another mage were using the exact same spell, wouldn't Wordless Incantation be the same as a quick-draw?" he asked, recalling how during that whole thing with Utgard-Loki, the peasant boy who broke the leg of one of Thor's chariot-pulling goats got into a footrace with a Giant by the name of Hugi, who was actually the personification of "thought" and thus impossible to beat in a race.
Given how-fast the Flash had been clocked in at on occasion… it seemed perfectly feasible that Hugi was simply a Norse Speedster. Like how Hermes in all likelihood was/is a Greek Speedster…
"In principle, yes. In practice, it's actually really easy to get distracted if you aren't careful. Hell, even something like background music can get in the way of Wordless Incantation."
"Yeah, I guess that makes sense…" he admitted. "You think Diana's going to give me any more flak for my life choices?"
"The possibility exists," Sebastian admitted. "We have some mundane books on Escape Artistry if you're interested."
"Hmmm… You know, I just might take you up on that," Virgil admitted.
Sure, "not getting caught" kind of pre-empted the need to know how to get out of a bind, but he doubted his lucky streak would go on forever. Everyone's luck ran out eventually.
*FETCH QUEST*
A.R.G.U.S. Headquarters: Library
December 20
"I'm not apologizing."
"That isn't why I'm here," Diana said the following morning.
"Oh? Then why are you here?"
"This time… it's my turn to apologize to you," she answered, causing William to quirk a brow. "I should've realized that with the looming storm cloud Mercer has left hanging over your life, you wouldn't have been able to find any sort of peace without some form of… closure… Resolution. My own sisters have done nothing to let go of their hatred of men after what Heracles did to us on Themyscira, let alone what they had endured before reincarnating, and after much reflection I realize… Even though I've been gone from Themyscira's shores, in thinking I have learned so much more than my predecessors and those who had been alive far longer than I, I realize… that in doing, so I've succumbed without realizing to the most-common character flaw of all Greek heroes."
"Hubris?"
"Yes. Hubris," Diana sighed. "While true that what I witnessed that day was the quintessential manifestation of 'wrath', you've found a way to temper that wrath in the form of actually asking yourself 'what comes after?' I… might even have been guilty of assuming you were incapable of being better than your baser impulses because…"
At this she looked like she had swallowed half a lemon, with the other half already on the way down.
"Because I'm a man. Wow, what a shocking development," William said rolling his eyes.
"Could you not cut me off, please? This is exceedingly difficult."
"What is? Admitting you were wrong about something? Wow, it's like you're trying to do something that millions of sensible people aren't capable of every single day."
"Well… It's nice to see that our time apart hasn't eroded your dry wit."
"Thank you~ Thank you~ I'll be here all… of the time I have left here~"
" . . . I hope you can accept my apology, for trying to deny you your own sense of agency."
"Apology accepted."
"Just like that?"
"Just like that."
"Ah. Well, alright then," she hummed, realizing that the rest of her grandiose prose was no longer needed.
" . . . Can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"Is Hades really the only member of your pantheon who isn't a total creep to women and/or men?"
"Surprisingly, that's one of the few things the Christians got right when it came to 'localization'."
"Ah. Good to know… Another question."
"Go on."
"Out of curiosity… Is everyone on Themyscira a demi-goddess like you and your mother?"
He knew that Hippolyta was the demi-god daughter of Ares if the quote/unquote "stories" were to be believed, though the jury was still up on whether or not Diana was one of Zeus' little bastards and her mother was just too embarrassed/fearful for Diana's life (read: Heracles' formative years) to tell her anything beyond a really vague and open-ended metaphor that could mean any number of things.
"No, no, the near-total of women on Themyscira are simply immortal, although not invincible."
"So in broad strokes there's a difference?"
"Yes. Though we Amazons are in fact 'immortal', we can still be killed in battle. We just don't have to worry about dying of old age like everyone else."
"Ah, I see…" Virgil hummed, comparing what he was learning "straight from the horse's mouth" to what the general consensus on the subject was from all the old stories.
For an allegedly "secret" island of "immortal warrior women", they sure did a shitty job of keeping that sort of thing a secret.
"One more thing and then I'll stop wasting your time… Why're you being so upfront with me when I ask you these things?" he inquired. "Aren't these all basically state secrets?"
"What 'secret'? Homer and Hesiod shared most-everything in Ancient Greece with the known world. At least this way I can pre-empt any preconceived notions that misrepresent my culture."
"Ah, that's fair… So then, I should treat most-everything from the old stories as some form of fact?"
"Pretty much. Though I don't recommend sharing it because of how terrifying many of the monsters of old can be."
"Oh trust me, I know how to keep a secret or two to myself," he said getting up from his seat before stopping. "You know, I'm actually quite surprised that you're so-willing to apologize for your own shortcomings. Most of you 'demi-gods' on 'Mt. Olympus' would dig in your heels and keep flouting your righteousness 'til the cows come home," he said with enough inflection to let her know she wasn't talking about the literal 'demi-gods on Mt. Olympus'. "That you're willing to admit you were wrong about something… You might just wind up becoming my new favorite Justice League member."
"Oh? And who's your current favorite~?" Diana asked with a quirked eyebrow.
"Thaaat topic makes me really uncomfortable…!" Virgil said whirling on his heel to walk away, only for Diana to snag his ankle with her Lasso of Truth. "You bitch! And I do not mean that in the positive way!"
"There's a positive connotation?"
"Yeah! I mean… People always think being called a 'bitch' is so negative. But frankly, I just think it shows how you're strong, and confident, and absolutely fucking terrifying pleasedon'tkillme!" he cried bowing his head.
After a few moments, he felt the Lasso un-snaring itself from his ankle, the teen letting out a relieved sigh.
"So… who is your current favorite?" she inquired once again, enjoying the opportunity to interact with a young hero in-the-making.
"Martian Manhunter."
"Oh?"
"He's very upfront with the fact that he isn't 'human'. He doesn't try to pretend to be something he isn't. He also doesn't spout that whole 'we are all equal' spiel because functionally, he has baseline Humans beat by leagues and bounds."
"Well, he is one of the more transparent of us…" Diana admitted, J'onn having made no secret of just how-long he'd been on Earth. "What do you plan to do with your remaining time here?"
"A little practice, a little studying," Virgil replied, scooping up what he had been reading. "Don't know how things'll go after the new year, so I might as well make the most of my time while I have it."
*FETCH QUEST*
Air smelling like smoke and stained red like blood. Buildings in ruin and crumbling like charred wood. Monsters and many horrors besides roaming the streets. An alien world. A Hell on Earth.
Before me and out of place atop an office building is an enormous lodge made all of a dark, ageless wood far older than my short human existence. Upon a large set of doors, a cycloptic emerald split down the middle stares out at me, flanked by writhing tendrils gilded gold.
Passing through the gilded doorway, greeted by light the color of amber, a humble hearth burning off to the side, as the doors close behind me, the oppressive weight of the hellscape at my back disappears. As though I'm in a place of safe harbor. A feeling I had forgotten an eternity ago.
And then there he was, bathed in a halo of amber light and the dappled shadows of countless unknown potions. The subject of countless nightly visions, with eyes like the void peering from behind wire spectacles and tears like pitch, slender arms crossed behind the back of a fine suit aged like wine.
"Greetings, valued guest."
"There is a chill in the air. Crisp. Dry. Portentious…"
"You have a dark past. Your future, however… well, I won't spoil the surprise~"
"The Lodge has always had a Proprietor; and there has always been a Lodge."
"Might I trouble you for the use of your talents?"
"We will meet again. Oh yes."
*GAAAASP!*
Shooting up in my bed, drenched in a cold, terrified sweat, my eyes darting every which way, as I register the familiar weight of a dozing Morris at the foot of my bed, I realize that I'm trembling, but I quickly get it under control.
"That fucking dream again, right before I go into The Black Room… Well, here's hoping it isn't some ill omen…" I say getting to my feet, Morris' wings fluttering as he awoke, if he were ever asleep at all.
*FETCH QUEST*
ARGUS Headquarters: The Black Room
December 21
After three weeks of intense and rigorous magical study and training, the day had finally arrived. The day I would venture into the Black Room, retrieve the Reynard Blade for my handlers, and go home in time for Christmas assuming some random bullshit didn't waylay me on the way home.
I had missed my birthday during the whole thing, but that was a small issue. Honestly, I didn't care all that much about the parties, and I had less attachment to random "stuff"; though admittedly the sentiment might change when I get my own place.
The door to the Black Room itself was as-secured as was expected, located at the end of a very long elevator ride into the depths of the Earth. A mixture of mortal guards, automated weapons, golem, and automata manned the hallway, and the door itself looked like it could tank a Fallout Mini-Nuke. The biometric and electronic locks alone would trump any would-be thief, let alone how the whole floor seemed to be wired with enough firepower to turn everything on that floor into a fine red mist.
Which just raised the question; was all that security meant to keep people out, or to keep something potentially dangerous… in?
"Don't worry. We keep the live specimens in a completely different location."
"Oh, was it showing on my face?" I asked.
"A little, yeah," Steven replied, Wonder Woman at his side. "Do you mind…?"
"Oh, yeah, sure," I returned, turning away from the biometric locks as Steve got to work.
After several long moments, Diana humming a small tune beside me, the slight tremor and groan of a vault door opening signaled me to turn around. After multiple layers of physical barriers translocated themselves, rows of artificial lighting began to come on, bathing a room the size of a warehouse in light. With how expansive The Black Room was, it was easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer, staggering presence of what was contained therein.
All things considered, The Black Room looked like that one place from the end of Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark, only you could actually see everything that would be in the wooden… Wait a minute is that the…? . . . Nope. Nope! NOPENOPENOPE! I did not just see, what I thought I just saw! Repressing, repressing, repressing…!
. . .
. . .
. . .
All things considered, The Black Room looked like that one place from the end of Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Arc, only you could actually see everything that would be in the wooden boxes.
Nothing out-of-the-ordinary about that. Nope. Nothing out-of-the-ordinary about it at all.
*FETCH QUEST*
"While I'm not familiar with everything they have in here, if you've got something specific in mind I might be able to point you in the right direction," Steve hummed as he and Wonder Woman followed their guest. The man himself was a little wary of letting something from the Black Room go walkabouts, but if one of the less-harmful objects from this room could be used to do some actual good in the world instead of collecting dust for all eternity…
"Got any magic swords?" William inquired.
"Oof, we can't get rid of them fast enough…" Steve chuckled. "Come on, this way."
"WHOAA!" William cried as his foot slipped on something, Wonder Woman zipping forward to catch him.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," William hummed as he steadied himself, leaning down and picking up whatever had gone underfoot. "Hey, Steve. I think someone lost one of their keys," he said flicking something over to him.
The object the teen had tripped on was some kind of brass skeleton key. Nothing about the bit or the key wards was all that interesting, though on the inside of the bow there was negative space shaped into a ?-mark. Other than that, it looked completely ordinary.
"I'll make sure it goes to the lost and found," Steve hummed dropping it into a side pocket. "Anywho, about those magic swords…"
*FETCH QUEST*
"Geez, you could arm a small army with these…" Will hummed after Steve had led him to a section of the Black Room dedicated almost exclusively to enchanted and otherwise magical medieval weaponry. Some of them were out in the open on decorative stands, others were held aloft within plexiglass casing, while others still seemed to be literally chained to the ground with Rune-inscribed links. Some of them looked completely ordinary, while others wouldn't be out of place in a tabletop fantasy RPG like Dungeons &-
"Is… Is that an eyeball…?" Diana asked as a barnacle-encrusted blade stinking of fish stared at her with an eye set in the cross guard.
"Oof, yeah, that one creeps me out too," Steve shuddered. "But other than looking a little creepy, there isn't anything dangerous about it."
"Are you sure it doesn't have something to do with Lovecraft?" Will asked eyeing the tentacle-themed engravings running along the flat of the blade.
"Don't worry. Any of the 'Cognitohazards' are stored somewhere else. Or at least I assume," Steve said rubbing his head. "So, you planning on grabbing yourself a dragon-slaying sword and working on your Siegfried impression?"
"Oh trust me, the closest you'll ever see me get to a dragon is on the spectator's end of a drone strike," Will huffed as he perused the different blades, some of them named with information on their confirmed-or-estimated date-o-making, their confirmed-or-suspected origins, and where they were found, while others' plaques were nothing but stacks of ?.?.?s.
"Would a drone strike even work on a dragon?" Wonder Woman mused.
"Nothing a boatload of tungsten-tipped bullets can't solve," William hummed as he continued perusing the blades before suddenly stopping mid-step and whirling on his heel.
"Hah. Looks positively… medieval~" Steve chuckled as he followed the boy's eye.
"Dad jokes? Really?" Will asked with an eye roll.
"Well I thought it was pretty clever," Steve hummed.
After all, how-often did you get to use a word like "medieval" in a funny joke?
*FETCH QUEST*
Here it is… The thing I went on this three-week "training camp" to acquire.
It looked exactly like it did during the mission briefing, only in fully vibrant form and color. Not to mention that no hologram, no matter how realistic, could ever hope to capture the sheer… regality the Reynald Blade possessed. Like something held by a warrior king, the aura it gave off was-
"Hey uh… You two want a moment alone~?"
"Steve! Not the time!" I snapped at him, beginning to understand the whole 'pearls before swine' thing.
Refocusing my attention on the Reynard Blade, I saw that this was one of the low-security glass cases with no real lock present, just a glass case with a turnable handle. Cracking the door open and slowly swinging it wide, reaching my hand forward, fingertips alighting upon the scabbard-
In a bygone era, the Reynard Blade was thusly forged by the Blacksmith Guillaume with the help of the Fey, wielding the waters of the Secret Sea in the forging process.
It is said that some legendary blacksmiths put their heart and soul in their blades, and as the memories of Guillaume flow into me, crashing against my thoughts like ocean waves, I now know what they meant. Before my very eyes, the past lays itself bare before me, teaching me more about the man in death than those who ever knew of him in life.
In a childhood long since passed, my friends and I would play pranks on one another. Mother would always say I was mischievous "like a fox". We… No… No, not 'we', his friends, Guillaume's friends and his mother, not mine. We… They…! They have to stop playing because his father calls for him, a blacksmiths whose son learns from with pride in his heart.
There are memories of Guillaume working alongside his father in the forge. Once he was trusted with the anvil and the hammer, at first it was simple things like nails. Then cooking utensils. Then tools. Years go by, and eventually, Guillaume is trusted to make his first sword. Its rough and ugly in the eyes of his future self, but in that moment, he's elated as his father look on with pride. I-No, he, dammit-wants to place his symbol upon it; the touchmark in the shape of a dancing fox.
Guillaume used to play children's game with the baker's daughter, but he's no longer a child. A man in love, with love reciprocated in turn, there are many romantic nights between them, a simple wedding, and then wild nights of passion in the darkness under the moonlight.
Time goes on, and I see that Guillaume has a healthy marriage. Sitting side by side with his wife, from across the lake, a pair of mated foxes gaze at them.
That vision then changes to fire and darkness. Guillaume standing before something wholly inhuman, which Humans cannot naturally perceive; they are the Fairy Folk, the Fey. As his mind recounts the stories of myth and fairy tales shared around the fire and at his bedside, he knows that were these beings to reveal their true selves to him, he would be driven to madness.
The memories shift oncemore, this time to the labors of a man possessed, as though the world itself compels him to move ever forward. He and his forge have become one in spirit, what was being made beyond the ken of his all-too-Human level of skill and mortal experience. A sword made from fallen stars meant to fell those who would use magic to harm the world begins to take form; a tool for the ages, though few would know its name, and even fewer its origin.
The Fox Blade is the name thusly christened. It was the name it was meant to be given, as he, the blacksmith with the hearty of a tricky fox, is its creator. The Fairy Folk, the Fey, they see the world differently than mortal eyes do. And yet, despite their lack of care for the fates of mortal men meant only to die, some divulge that there is no reason to fear. That he will be victorious. That someday, long after he and his kin have passed from the world, a worthy man would pick up his blade, and learn of its history even long after he is forgotten.
The eyes of the Fey, the very eyes of the world… before their final parting with Guillaume they aren't looking at him. Rather, they are looking through him. They are looking…
At me?!
*FETCH QUEST*
For about a full minute, William simply stood there before the display case, his fingertips alighted upon the decorated scabbard as he stared off into space. Right as Diana was about to shake his shoulder, see if he was alright-
"Qu'est-ce que c'est que ce putain de bordel?!" the Louisianna native suddenly swore as he reeled back causing the adults to let out a startled yelp, Reynard Blade held in a knuckle-white grip. "What the hell is going on!?" he then demanded in English, head whipping about.
"William, are you alright?" Diana asked worriedly, William looking down at himself to see an iridescent mist of shifting prismatic colors swirling around him. Light spilling from the scabbard, William unsheathed the blade just-enough to see that the blade itself had become opalescent, the iridescent light of his aura reflected upon it.
After several more moments, the two adults' neck-hairs standing on end, the light show came to an end and Willaim fell onto his butt, Reynald Blade held tightly in hand. Though the other magical artifacts were all insulated against one another, the Fey artifacts scattered throughout The Black Room hummed in resonance, though only for a minute before that spectacle too died down.
"The Fairy Folk… The Fey…" he gasped as he fell to his knees, but still clutching the blade. "They helped make this blade centuries ago… knew that I'd come to collect it in the future…!"
"What, like a Causal Loop?" Steve blinked.
"Ye… Yeah, something like that…" William said shakily getting to his feet, blade hugged to his chest. "Come on… Let's get the fuck out of here before some kind of mini-boss breaks containment, or something…" he said making a beeline for the exit..
*FETCH QUEST*
After departing The Black Room with prize in tow, the Reynald Blade was placed within a metal attache case with a biometric lock which could only be opened by Carolina or 'William'. There was no major ceremony or announcement, just a small party of Diana and Steve escorting Carolina, William, and Morris to the motor pool from whence they had arrived. The anonymous "government issue" black van was waiting for them on the freight elevator, and standing before it was Sebastian Faust.
"So you're really leaving?"
"Afraid so, Mr. Faust," William replied, adjusting his grip on his prize.
"Well, best of luck in all your endeavors then, and I hope to see you again someday, see how you've grown," Sebastian said holding out an ordinary-looking backpack. "Make sure to practice, and to never stop learning."
"I'll be sure to do my best," William replied, slinging the bag over one shoulder as Carolina opened the door for him, the three piling in before those not joining them stepped away, the freight elevator slowly rising.
"Well, that was one hell of an adventure, wasn't it?" Carolina asked as she placed the attache case at her feet.
"Yup," Virgil hummed as Morris curled up on his lap, now in the form of a Pembroke Welsh Corgi.
By some sheer coincidence, the little guy looked exactly like Ein from Cowboy Bebop.
"Lots of twists and turns."
"Uh-huh."
"Becoming friends with Wonder Woman must've been cool."
"I assume."
"Hey kid."
"Yeah?"
"When'd you get the backpack?"
" . . . "
Immediately throwing the top open, Virgil and Carolina let out a sigh of relief when they found it wasn't any sort of bomb.
"Well… I guess this answers how you'll keep 'learning' from now on," Carolina hummed as she stared down into the 'Bag of Holding' and the books that lied therein.
For that was all it could've been as the interior space of the ordinary-looking backpack was folded impossibly within itself. Nothing top secret she supposed, but still…
It'd be nice for the Freelancers to have a tricky magic-user on hand.
*FETCH QUEST*
AN:
HOOF! That was a long one… Still, now that this "work arc" is done, I can get onto a holiday special for a little more laid-back stuff.
With the advent of 2010 coming soon however… I can finally work toward "Year 1" of Young Justice, now that most of the "groundwork" is being wrapped up. This means more "straight to the mission" narratives where Virgil is already in the Protosuit, now that his support staff has all been established.
So, given there's some form of "Christmas Special" coming up, I'm curious to see if anyone has any comments and/or contributions to make. Gifts, carols, holiday-related hijinks... Sometimes I get really great stuff to work with, and I hope that'll be the case this time as well.
See you all next time on Chronicle of Zhu, and also on Discord.