Episode 102: Faed Away
Takes place May 3-May 5.
Short version
Paul captures Melmoth and the party defeats his forces, before returning to Earth to find that the Harrowing has already begun.
Longer version
Paul and the away team have a captured Sheeda lead them inside the base that Melmoth had established on Witch World, to see what he left behind. They find a communication hologram of Melmoth, who greets them cheerfully and then unleashes the results of one of his breeding programs: swarms of highly magical grubs that resist most attacks and spit potent corrosives. Sheeda-based animals all across Witch World then break free from the Puritans' control, spine riders take control of many of the civilians, and a highly resilient lichen begins covering the surface of the planet.
Paul begins to assist in rescuing and evacuating the Colombians, but encounters another projection of Melmoth, who activates another special project: a zombie New God under his control, who uses her God-Name to lock Paul into a 'fair' fight where neither can use powers or equipment that the other does not have — thus disabling most functions of his rings and power armour. Paul attempts to counter her abilities by contacting the Ophidian, but is unsuccessful; however, his own connection to the orange light allows him to interfere with Melmoth's control spells, disrupting the challenge aura and restoring his power ring functions. After easily subduing his opponent, Paul enters the Honden of Avarice and uses his brief prior contact with Melmoth's desires to trace him and teleport into his control room, branding him and bringing him back in chains.
Upon returning to Earth, however, the party finds that the Harrowing is already in progress.
In the Renegade timeline, the Renegade works with Dr Sivana to overpower the first Harvest ship and track down the Sheeda Queen. However, after killing the Queen, Dr Sivana attempts to exploit the situation to restore his murdered family, instead of letting the Renegade disable their temporal drive and strand them in the present as per the plan. The Renegade throws himself into the temporal drive to escape the effects of Dr Sivana's work.
The title is a reference to the Sheeda, who are essentially The Fair Folk, playing on "fade away", although there does not appear to be any actual fading.
- Acid Attack: Melmoth's worms can spit essence of vitriol, a magical corrosive that dissolves pretty much anything. Paul is able to partially adapt to it by applying a consumption effect to his construct shields, using the orange light's ability to eat magic, but it's far from a perfect defence. And there are a lot of grubs. And they sometimes explode in an acidic shower when killed.
- Alternate Universe: Peter Wynne (Businessman Paul in the DCAU) shows up at the start to make an offer to someone who can make livestock grow to extreme size, and appears on the JLU satellite to demand his ring (stolen by Batman in an earlier meeting) be returned to him. The chapter ends with him talking to Maxwell Lord about difficulties in suing the League, then a segment where he's in discussion with General Eiling before Kyle Rayner shows up and returns Peter's ring.
- Brought Down to Normal: Paul isn't quite helpless in the fight against Aurakos, but most of his ring functions are disabled, leaving him vulnerable to pain, discomfort, and injury in a way he normally isn't. He can't fly, most of his shielding and armour options won't work, and he can't even deploy more than one of his armor's arm blades at a time, since his opponent has only one sword.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: Paul very quickly brands Melmoth after he finally finds him.
- Dangerous Forbidden Technique: When escaping from Melmoth's grubs, Paul hears Mr Yao sing a note that breaks the universe around him, opening an escape path and clearing away the worms. However, in the aftermath, Mr Yao is doubled over and coughing up blood.
- Duel to the Death: Aurakos uses her connection to the Source to lock Paul into a challenge. Since she's a magically controlled victim of Melmoth though, Paul would rather free her than kill her.
- Make Me Wanna Shout: Accomplished Perfect Physician typically uses his voice to heal, but he also knows notes that can shatter bones and walls, which he uses to help break out of Melmoth's base.
- Mercy Kill: Canis advises Paul to kill the defeated grundygod and put her out of her misery, since being twisted into something different is exquisite torture for a New God. Paul prefers to heal her enough to let her make that choice for herself.
- Our Zombies Are Different: Corpses with Sheeda blood can be reanimated by magic as "grundymen", and are stronger than in life but generally bound with control sigils to be tireless servants until their bodies completely wear out. Melmoth apparently even found a way to introduce the blood posthumously.
- Throwing Down the Gauntlet: The Renegade issues a verbal and magical challenge to the Sheeda Queen. Asserting his superiority in this way gives him a boost to his divine powers against her minions, which won't go away unless and until she meaningfully responds.Renegade: (out loud) Face me, Queen of the Sheeda! (in Godspeech) WHERE IS YOUR NAME, THAT IS WRITTEN IN THE STARS?!
