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"A key? Good. That will make this considerably easier, although we'll still have to be wary. Not everyone respects keys as passports."
"This is gonna be one of those places where guns don't work, isn't it?" Mike sighed.
"I'm afraid so. Hardly any weapons are effective there. But if you don't offend anyone, you shouldn't have to worry about it."
(I gotta go for a while, see ya later)
(k) "Will angel blades work? I'm able to produce blade or melee weapons that tend to work on just about anything."
"It's possible, but I wouldn't rely on it. For the most part, we will have to use that skill which is so rarely employed these days…" His gaze slid over to Mike. "…diplomacy."
Mike shrugged. "Practice what you preach, Sir Snark. And don't worry, we'll do fine. Let's head to the lake."
"Sounds good."
Kaiser pushed his chair in. "Does anyone know the location of this lake? In Ley Line coordinates, I mean?"
"I just know that it's about a mile south of here. My informant has to be vague for the sake of secrecy sometimes," Pluto said, standing up and pushing her chair in
"Good enough. I can teleport us there, if there's nothing we need before we go."
Mike raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you're one of those guys? An intuneric copil?"
Kaiser looked slightly annoyed. "We no longer go by that name, but yes."
"Isn't your teleportation method poisonous for humans?"
"I've developed a safer way. You will not be at risk."
"Wait wait, what are you?"
Kaiser sighed. "I am a being made of pure Negativity, or negative energy. Zhan created us as his personal army centuries ago. We can be killed, but we regenerate after a time, and we don't age. Teleportation is one of our abilities, and happens to be my specialty."
"Well, add that to the list of things I haven't seen before today," Pluto said
"Agreed" Red mumbled, absently chewing on one of her nails.
"I believe we are native only to this planet and no others, so it's not surprising that you weren't aware of us." Kaiser touched the two chairs nearest, and they disappeared, leaving and open space. "Please stand over here, all of you."
(brb, having lunch real quick)
(np) Pluto walked over to the space, trying to keep her wings from bumping into anything
Kaiser waited until they were all together, then knelt down and put his hand on the wooden floorboards. A low hum started up, and the room darkened, melting into a flickering, hazy black world that was neither small nor big, empty nor full. The only solid thing was the perfectly circular patch of floor beneath their feet.
Kaiser's eyes glowed red as he glanced around, making sure they were alone. "Please hold your breath for the next eight seconds."
Pluto took a deep breath before giving a thumbs up
The hum turned to a harsh buzz. The shadows around them writhed violently, then lashed across them like a gust of wind. Then, just as suddenly, the light returned and they landed on a grassy slope with a thump, still on a platform of floorboards. There was a large lake only a few yards away.
Kaiser stood up, dusting off his hands. "Here we are."
Mike looked down. "Did you just ruin the floor in my office?"
"No. It can be repaired." Kaiser nudged the wood with his toe and it disappeared. "When you return, you will not even notice a seam."
"I hope you're right. See your friend yet, Pluto?"
"Little more complicated than that." Pluto walked to the lake shore. She fished the same black and gold key from before out of her pocket. She held it in her hand for a moment before throwing it across the water like a skipping stone. It bounced for an impossibly long time before stopping in the middle of the lake. It sank to the bottom, and the lake suddenly became crystal clear. Odd creatures were suddenly visible below the water, multi-eyed fish staring up from neon coral, bioluminescent snakes with X's for eyes, and more
"Yeesh." Mike peered down into the water. "You'd think I would know about this, living only a few miles away."
(gotta go to bed, see ya tomorrow)
(np, just gonna leave a response here before I gotta go) Pluto shrugged. "It's not here, not really. This lake is acting as a gate to the outer rings of the meltwood, where Cassiel and Poncho live. It was activated by my gatekey out there," Pluto said, gesturing to the lake. There was a dull clicking sound, and neon pink bridge of coral extended up from the lake. It seemed to be made of something tougher than normal coral, and Pluto took a step onto it. The odd creatures in the water trailed their eyes on her, and various trills and chirps could be heard from the water
Mike eyed the creatures warily. "Do we have to follow you, or are you coming right back?"
"Should be right back, but you can come with if you want," Pluto said, starting to walk down the coral
Mike shrugged. "Sure, I'll come."
"I'll wait here," Kaiser said. "I have to be careful in case unfamiliar beings react badly to me."
"Suit yourself." Pluto walked down the coral. A shark covered in eyes tried to hop out of the water near her but it ran into the barrier of the lake's surface. Pluto paid it no mind, making her way to the center of the lake, where the coral expanded into a large platform. A strange creature sat curled on the platform, seemingly half bird and half snake
"Is that a quetzalcoatl?" Mike asked. "I've heard of those."