The Impervious Door

"Okay. Everyone, just back the hell up and let's think about this. We can't batter it down. We can't jimmy it. And I'm pretty sure it tried to look at me funny." Jennifer laughed nervously at that last part, taking her reaction into account. "There's something going on with the way the light is playing in this room...maybe we should try looking for a key or something instead of brute forcing it. Maybe it's some kind of ancient riddle or puzzle. Look for something that might match the stones on the door."

All of the light in the cavern, save the green beams projecting from eye to eye, began to absorb into the Emerald Eye Pendant.

Solis briefly surveyed her surroundings, again she seemed to ignore the people surrounding her, but the strange emerald light coming from the door had her intrigued, even as the pair of scientists moved slowly behind her in fear, the IIA agent stood steadfast, and defiant.

She watched one of the natives pick up some kind of pendant, they also seemed to give out orders, this brought a scoff from the IIA operative, as if she was going to listen to some filthy terrans. Erin had a mission to carry out, assist in the study of this impervious door and what lies behind it, and report the potential for any threats back to her command.

“I don’t take orders from you.” The Aschen agent commented, the first thing said to the people surrounding them, while she slung her disruptor rifle across her shoulder, cradling it in her arms.

At that moment things began to go dark, either from the Aschen ship suddenly appearing in the clearing above them, and blocking out the light, as refractive hexagonal photonic panels disengaged revealing the Stealth corvette above them, or by way of the emerald eye pendant. Erin moved quickly across her weapon’s safety, and it’s shrill whine echoed through the stone room.

Kanto rolled his eyes as the lizard man continued to speak. He was never very good at taking orders, especially when delivered by someone who he had never met, or talked to. He wondered why the man simply didn't put it on his neck.. Thats where humans stored those kinds of things, right? It had to be. He thought about telling him this, but was almost sure he would largely be ignored. Those over 5 feet tall have never been known to be great listeners to the Mishqua. Suddenly, the room began to grow very dark, all of them basked in darkness illuminated only by the eyes glow. Kanto's ears perked as he heard the whirr of something begin to spool up.

He rolled his eyes, sensing the tension between the two, and believing he had the answer for himself. After all, these puzzles sometimes seem to have much simpler solutions than one would think. He looked between the two again, pointed nose going from one to the other before speaking out in exasperation. "This is why Kanto goes alone! I would already be in there if it were not being for all of you tall type!" He stomped, inaudibly because of his size, over to the dragonborn and plucked the pendant from him, using both hands as it was slightly heavy for him, and feeding his muzzle through the chain that would hold it from his neck. He looked back up with a smirk to the dragonborn, hoping he had guessed right on the use of the pendant, based on adventures he had had in the past with magic objects.

As the Dragon grabbed up some sort of large amulet Sara muttered "Yes pick up the freaky magic necklace that you have no idea what it does... that always ends well..." The sarcasm dripping in her voice.

The Pokemon trainer was saying something about puzzles and Sara sighed "Damn anicents and their puzzle locks..."

Sara was still talking as the lights went out. "What the Hell?"

And that's when she noticed the Aschen ship...her squad did as well and soon the TLA's guns where trained on the Aschen woman. Sara still cloaked aimed her rife at the Aschen woman as well. The shot from a Ghost's rifle could shred tank armor so the Aschen woman would be paste from a connecting shot if it came to that. "What's the Meaning of this Aschen? I can tolerate your presence here barely...but not a fucking Aschen warship You already know brute force won't do shit to this door. All your ship will do is cause harm to us. So I suggest you call off your ship before I call in a Terra Nova fleet to do it for you."

The placid calculating eyes of a reacher eyed the statue quietly as others worked against it. Careful intuition proved right when the human female said it was a living statue. Flynn busied herself with casting a Tongues spell so she didn't have to use english when it hurt her throat. Reachers at a standstill quietly faded into the ether and ones actively hiding faded across the lines between planes. Careful inner machinery squeezed away into the wall boulder it was how she shifted here and how she'd get home. This wouldn't let her out of her plane, not yet, its other use was avoiding the baleful largesse that was the children of grandfather teeth. Even the children knew while their carrier and mother faded away with them to be silent.

The children of teeth were things of calculating wrath and not impulsive but neither ones of restraint so the reachers couldn't be either. If it hadn't attacked by now it wouldn't so made the choice to remove herself and children from hiding. Though it was not the quietly moving misshapen figure hiding behind the boulder that stood forward. Though the shape kept fiddling its tail, even blinking, vines and air split with a tinkle of stained glass severing matter as the Reacher reimposed on the vicinity near a distant wall. It wasn't specifically that the severing vines turned into something else but more that the reacher replaced its patterns with herself. The vines moved and thumped as if the matter her image said they were. At least until the bright glass planes finished reconstructing the dromaeosaur. The afterimage lingered, staring at Flynn on impulse, bothering to mouth words that meant nothing at all. The afterimage continued to stare though Flynn intentionally did not look at it in the eyes. There was a horrible void there now with nothing but the ticking of gears and synthetic planestuff struggling to integrate with its natural counterpart.

Flynn's fluted tone was strong now the spell translating as she huffed her pointed tongue glowing blue, "It is said in the eyes of the children of teeth are the doorways to the universe and to be careful what patterns you make under their eyes."

The flat black eyes looked up at the face directly into the green light she couldn't see right now. Thermal vision couldn't see it. Though she did glance at the barely visible column of smoke. She looked around at the room but didn't care to switch out of hunter's sight if the room is getting dark.

Then the clacking feet and toe-claw spoke at what she thought was a dog, "And you put on something it has been staring at. You'd do young reachers proud even if you don't live that long. Do you feel different? Perhaps you have engaged something. I can't see the dark right now and there is nowhere to run."

while the TLA agent waved her gun about in an Aschen archeologist's face, a Peregrine falcon would fly over the heads of those within the cave, its semi-translucent form leaving behind a wispy trail of azure blue light, before settling down upon a branch high above the heads of all within the cave, the bird's eyes would glow with an orange light.

following from the tunnel a short few seconds later, the sounds of footsteps almost silent echoed into the cave, though as the hooded figure carrying an intricately carved longbow stepped into the light bathing the cavern he lowered his hood, and looked at those around him that had arrayed themselves here to investigate the door before them.

"would you mind lowering your weapon and actually having some restraint" Yvandír pitted it as a question but his undertone declared it as a demand. "we have better things to do than wave dicks around in an attempt to one-up another" he spoke calmly and pushed back the cloak so it hung at his back, leaving the very elven designed clothing to be exposed and his myriad of magical artefacts for all to see, his feet moved him swiftly beyond the entryway and he glanced back towards the others. "Catch me up please, I was unable to find this place by mortal means until that ship appeared in low orbit."

he raised an arm and gave a sharp whistle, the falcon returning to Yvandír and resting on his arm "well done for finding this place Horus, now rest" the bird began to shrink until it fit into his palm and then turned into stone, a miniature figurine now, he safely stored it into a pouch on his belt.

Listening in on every conversation in the room at once, even those of whisper microphones his keen senses beyond any normal state.

"Arceus. Fucking. Damn it." Jennifer was never one for crass language, but the gunner had a point. "I ran into this fortress to get away from Draco. Everyone put down your guns, we don't need to start a war over this. Besides, if any shots were to be fired, it'd do more damage to us than it ever would to that door."

A newcomer flying in. Just great. "Okay, quick version: The gentleman and I ran into this fortress to get away from Draco's invading forces on the valley. We found this door. Other people found it as well. We're now trying to figure out how to get it open. Looks like there's some sort of riddle or puzzle involving that emerald pendant and the maze on the floor, and I'm currently trying to keep my organs inside of me in the middle of this Mexican standoff!"

As a precaution, Jennifer released another beast, something she called Castle. Its broad, bony, shield-like crest on its head provided a decent amount of cover for her to crouch behind. "Get behind him, it can take a bullet better than either of us ever could," she instructed the elf.

The Emerald Eye swallowed the last bit of light, with it the winds and the shadows, as tension grew to it's peak. Pitch darkness befell the cavern. The great hum suddenly stopped, replaced with a deafening silence. For three of the longest heartbeats, nothing happened. In the pitch darkness, people aimed guns, castle-esque creatures appeared, more took cover, and all were one step closer to opening the Impervious Door.

Suddenly, the Emerald Eye flashed green so bright, everything was illuminated. Thousands of lights shot from the gem in all directions, clinging to the walls like constellations, the eye subduing to a glow. Standing in the cavern was now like floating in the dead of space, but with your feet still grounded. The tiny balls of light, emulating a strange star system, swam for a brief moment as the hum rapidly returned again. As fast as they came they were gone, and as silent as it had been before it was now roaring loud. The stars sucked back into the Emerald Eye.

Another flash of light!

The entire cavern was bathed in it’s green glow as the dust settled. Shadows again projected on the walls. They displayed swirling shapes that slowly morphed into a landscape. Mountains emerged, great peaks shooting up and dividing down the middle; a valley. The shadows transformed again; the peaks of a city emerged from the mountains. The city collapsed into a waterfall, up rose an airship. The shadow danced, this time wild like fire, and from them emerged a Gargantuan Eye. The eye blinked, the hum stopped, and for one moment there was total silence.

Taking the Pendant from Irral would prove to be nigh impossible. Not only would he not allow the smaller creature to get close to it, he would tighten his grip on it just in case. At the whirring of a weapon coming off safe and the appearance of an Aschen warship, the area around the Dragon's head glowed, and his Horned, Intimidating Helmet came into view around him, making him all the more intimidating.

"I don't take orders from you." the Aschen sneered in defiance. Irral turned his helmeted head towards the Defiant Aschen, and slowly his Lance descended to his outstretched hand again, pointing the tip of the weapon to the ground for now.

"You have little choice when a Dragon speaks to you, Human." he growled, his voice now a rumbling bass beneath his helmet. His gaze turned towards the Elf who had appeared, regarding him with a nod. Turning, he held up the Pendant as it continued to take in the Light of the Chamber. A low, contemplative, rumbling growl came from his throat as he examined it. "No puzzle concerning eyes is ever solved with just one. Find the other pendant." he said again.

At the Mention of Draco, Irral looked once more to Jennifer. "You survived an invasion from Draco? Then surely you know why it is much better that I am here rather than he." he looked closer at her, narrowing his eyes as his helmet once more vanished. "Yes, I remember... you were present in that town he invaded. Where his Shadow Guard was present, and where those foolish humans and their toys attempted to assault me, a Dragon of the Light." he recounted the battle of Ridgecrest. He may not have seen Jennifer, but he had sensed her and any other living creature that had survived the onslaught.

Then everything went completely Dark. Then Green, then dark once more, and then.... "A map?" Irral looked to the projection, watching it transform into a great eye, staring, it seemed, right at him. Or perhaps, the eye in his hand.



The door itself spoke, and Irral turned to face the great architectural wonder, looking to the Pendant in his hands, then to the spots where the eyes were located on the door. He only had one of the Eyes. Where was the second?

"the three clues, they're our locations, I've no idea where this mountaintop city might just be nor the Valley, the only thing that catches my attention is the Gargantuan eye" Yvandír looked to the dragon who seemed quite full of himself, though what did you expect, dragons tended to be like that anyway.

Aberash

A planet that, at first sight, is simply barren. With closer inspection, however, one can observe a growing, developing planet and all its wonders.

"Aye its a map and I hope you guys have good memories because there's only one and our dragon here doesn't feel like relinquishing it, by the looks of it and I'm not about to cheat." He gave a smirk and chuckle, though he quickly went quiet and lifted up his hood and pulled the cloak back around himself turning to face the pokémon trainer he gave a polite smile. "Thank you for the offer but if any one of these people were to shoot at me, I'd hand them the bullets back."

With that comment, he turns to leave, his footsteps no longer making a sound, this was no magic enchantment. he was simply that light-footed and seemed to be within a favored hunting terrain of his. once out of sight he would stop and close his eyes reopening them when he felt the astral winds billow through his cloak, to those within the cave, he had just vanished and entered the astral plane.

His destination Aberash

It would be a bold faced lie to say this didn't happen very often to Kanto. It was just another day in the world. Futilly tugging at the chain he finally gave up, not much preferring the smell of a 5 million year old reptile anyways. Kanto watched as the room filled with the star chart as he made his way away from the lizard-man and walked instead over to the large avian, deciding to stick with someone closer to his kind. "Apparently so." He said, watching the others plan out their next move.

Casren watched amused at the small kerscuffle over the Emerald Eye, unflinching as Yvandir spoke, and then disappeared. It was a map for sure, but would the great dragon truly not share? Wherever Yvandir had gone Casren hadn't a clue, he had never heard of a Gargantuan and didn't know where you'd find one.

"Whatever is happening here is certainly larger than any one of us. Only a fool would venture to open this door alone," He slid his eyes to the great dragon and shot a fanged grin. He looked around the room, at everyone in turn, almost daring someone to tell him he was wrong.

The bipedal vulpine yawned. "Kanto has done much worse things by himself than go through a door." He said with a hyena like chuckle. "We know where to go, but how are we to get there?" He said to anyone listening and still present in the room. Kanto had to agree though, this seemed bigger than anything he had personally had the pleasure of taking part in. He understood the clues and what to do next, but had no means on transport. He looked up to Casren imporingly, not saying but heavily implying he wanted to go with him.

As others looked around wildly when the lights changed Flynn's reflective eyes reappear with her blue-veined irises. Her hackles raised taking a defensive position at the sudden casting of light but it seemed harmless enough. When the places began to emerge from the light she took note the images ferreted away in her memory to be inscribed on her note book. Though she extracted it from her green pack the small bloodwrit pen made blue scratches on tightly packed lime pages. She had a few notebooks and took pains to use them fully as difficult to replace as they were. Her sketches were rough but the memory remains firmly anchored. She'd fill out the sketches later this place was too likely for combat than she preferred.

As the light returned Flynn looked at the two groups that had pointed guns at each other. Freshblood Far and Deep, she decided. So busily preening than going about their duties. The other one, a tall human looking one of a sort she didn't really recognize, had a caste in her head that spoke as yet to be decided. Some part of her blood hadn't decided on him but intellectually found him more like the Thirteen. The warriors with so obstinate a path that it crossed back from their end into egg hosts with only rare failures that saw her triplets rise to power to fill the vacuum of power. Familiar loud ticking in her head declared the large armored surly creature a spiker. Her traveler within her blood didn't seem to like the creature though it had at least decided for that one.

Then the human-looking one with the pointed ears left his senses leaving an uncomfortable vacuum in her sense of safety. Her senses chirped and hummed tuned to detect where elder things left wakes much like the one this strange male had left. A ripple in the plane leaving that familiar taste of Losthome behind it. At least something like it she could follow. This one more bland indeterminate mass even less certain with time. Still a place her traveler was quite well accustomed that the reacher could squeeze through to get away from this place. Given so many unknowns with weapons of some kind she thought was the best solution. Her whelps certainly at least risk away from these angry sorts that had stopped chirping when hostilities appeared. Pen put away Flynn's feathered hand reaches to pet Kanto seeing what her limited understanding of canines saw as a talking pet dog. Considering to get him to safety too.

She whispers to him tongue glowing blue, "Good boy. I can follow the placid one to get away from here. I could take you too though the path sinks quickly so you must decide. The fray has not yet weaved enough to hide from a reacher."

Kanto, who had been focusing his attention back on Casren, was completely surprised by the feathery hand landing upon his head. He jumped about a food in the air and let out an involuntary sound of startlement as he quickly turned around to see the culprit.

"Good boy." Usually, Kanto would not like the unwelcome attention, but out of present company and the nice compliment, he let it slide. Watching the bird person as she spoke. He couldn't understand the words as they were spoken, at least not exactly. But the sentiment of her words shone through the him. He nodded to her, before asking, also in a whisper: "But how do we do such a thing?" He said, looking around the room once more, wringing his hands as he awaited the next leg of their journey.

Amid all the chaos, a large pallet of goods landed inside the chamber from above, it contained a powerful diamond-laser borer that the Aschen used to mine Kanvium precursors from meteroid impact craters, a rather large deuterium-tritium fusion reactors, some computer equipment, and a crate filled with antimatter charges.

One Archaeologist was fixated on the happenings within the chamber, her video recorder was out, and carefully recording everything so it could be sent back for analysis.

The second Archaeologist seemed to cow away from the Terra Nova ghost, leaving Solis to simply shake her head.

The Aschen could put these people down with minimal effort.

Moving to the Pallet, Erin unfastened the cables still attatching it to the ship above.

She cut the ties holding everything in place, positioning the laser towards the door.

Ruula

Ruula is a terrestrial planet. It is home to a race of pseudo-humans that form powerful bonds with the local wildlife, creatures referred to as Pokemon.

"All right. This is getting way too hot for my tastes. I gotta get out of here," Jennifer declared loudly over the roar of the dropship's engines. "Gun girl, on me. Same with the gentleman. I don't know if anyone else saw what I saw, but I have an idea as to where another one of the eyes might be located...and I'm going to need someone to watch my back. That, and I don't want you two to blow up the whole valley over who's got the bigger dick. Already had that shit happen once with the volcano."

Casren stood and brushed off his pants.

"That," He looked pointedly at the giant drill, "Seems to be a bad idea."

He thought long and hard about the vision, the map, they had been shown. Casren had never traveled space before. He wondered where it was that mountains rose and airships flew.

"I think we should figure out where that is, the rest of us I mean," for two had walked into thin air, and two more were conspiring to follow, and what was this with the Pokemon. He wasn't sure about stepping through the fabric of time himself, and considered his options.

Aberash

A planet that, at first sight, is simply barren. With closer inspection, however, one can observe a growing, developing planet and all its wonders.

Flynn sniffed at Kanto's head to get an idea of his scent. The reacher committed his face to memory in a long gaze so she had an idea of his shape, the feel of his fur, or the sound of his voice. A professional of her work she carried many a far and deep packing weapons and heavy armor into Losthome. Some times she took more practical ways of getting to know a body, hence her triplets, but discerning senses served just as well.

The feathered dinosaur offered her hand third eyelid blinking away her iris and eyeshine to flat black as hunter's sight returns, "I hold your wrist and drag you across reality. You just need to keep your mind. Focus on me, my willful path, the solidity of my body will be the most firm island of calm for your mind to rest on."

Her outstretched hand shimmered with some colorful plates squirming just underneath the feathers of her body. As the reacher focused a soft ticking sound emanated from darker spaces of the room. Black gears emerging from empty space then translucence as something approaches the plane. Bits of clockwork assembling for purpose.

"Have you ever had drugs that lose your person? This will feel like that. We must move quickly after my path will be much easier to follow," Whispered the reacher to Kanto looking periodically at the healing ripple in reality.

Irral looked to Carson, Golden, Violet-corrupted eyes taking in the Vampire with a near subtle caution. "You are correct, Vampire. Only a fool would venture alone past that door." he said. His gaze returned to the Aschen, who were tinkering with their toys. "And only fools would ignore the commands of the door." he added softly.

Pramia

Welcome to Pramia, please do try to pay attention to warning signs.

Turning to the map once more, Irral's eyes examined it. If he was reading it correctly, the second Eye would be on an Airship above a city within a valley surrounded by numerous Mountains. The Dragon's body began to radiate Golden Light, and a beam of his Holy Magic rocketed into the air, straight up, narrowly missing the Aschen ship. Either it had ignored any possible shields, or it was merely just Light radiating off his body, but either way, it traveled unimpeded straight up.

"I will return when the second Eye is found." he said calmly. And suddenly his body vanished, a small burst of energy being sent off from his last location, shaking the very air around them and rumbling the ground gently. A Draconian Light Magic Circle was left on the Stone floor where his feet had been; indicating where he would appear when the second amulet had been found, whether he found it, or someone else did and brought it to the Door.

The circle where his feet had been glowed dimly, and a magic Hum was audible from it. It was still active. If anyone wanted to follow the Elder Dragon on his quest to find the Second Emerald Eye, they would be able to from stepping through the transportation Array.

Sara's mind was suddenly filled with Images of far off places she had never seen before. Even with her psionic powers she couldn't figure it out having never left Terra. As the vision cleared Sara looked around the room. Soon enough people where starting off in small groups to go to other Planets and try and find this second eye or whatever. Well all but the Aschen...

As pokemon girl said she should come with her Sara sighed. "My name is Sara... but sure I'll go with you... anything to get away from these fools... hope you blow yourselves up Aschen scum."

Sara headed out of the ruins and as they left she turned to her squad. "I'm going on alone you guys head back to HQ and inform command of what's happening here."

The squad saluted and took off in their banshee. As they left Sara turned to the pokemon girl "So where we off to kid?"

Christopher lead his group through the Collenham Mountains for about an hour or so, braving the wilds and yet...strangely enough not coming across any vicious fauna like Christopher expected. Odd...to make things stranger, as he neared the site he was directed to he could feel a strange...pull. This lead him through the Mountain Fortress and just into it, as they approach he spoke up.

"Past this point, it is up to the rest of you if you want to stay. There's something strange...something off. I won't let you strangers get pulled into undue danger - not ones beyond perhaps even my own comprehension." Pulling the rest of the money from his satchel he'd move to offer it to those who had taken the quest. "If you wish to stay, it's not bound by the contract so I'd still take the payment. But either way, you're free to make your own choices...thanks for getting me to here."

Vithimiris grunted.

Whether or not the others would stay, Christopher would approach through the entrance, seeing the door and...stunned. There were already people here? He suddenly felt a lot less special.

Kanto was still a little wary and unsure of Flynn's sniffing and prodding, but he stayed close to her, his tail swishing in contemplation. Being dragged across reality? The description itself did no favors to quell his apprehension. But he had come this far, and Flynn seemed like the friendliest creature he had met in this place.

Kanto watched as the transformation took place across the room, heart racing just a bit as he mustered up some courage, keeping close to Flynn as she asked a question about drugs.

"Kanto has not done this... But he will stay close and move swift!" He said with a nod, offering his wrist to the dinosaur as she had requested, looking at her third blinking eye.

"Maybe you lot can talk some sense into..." Casren Bistreo gestured at the gigantic Aschen drill to the newcomers. He stood by the idea that any more attempts at forcing the door open would just anger it, especially now that it had proven itself sentient to some degree.

"Did you hear the, er, door speak?"