Water and mud formed a fountain into the air as the golem slammed into the ground. He stood up fully and looked at his new captive. The tendrils shredding her made shift cloak as the metal tightened around her then hardened. She was wearing alien clothes like the second sorceress and wizard.
Bringing the metal lattice that held Irina, Ember, and Phillip around he started to attach Aoi's metallic prison to the cage. He had missed their quite conversation in his dive, Aoi's capture, and creating her restraints. He had also failed to notice Ashi's arrival and Kankei's return.

He stopped when he saw the fiery aura around Ember. The possible implications of that aura were unpleasant to comprehend. Then, she disappeared. Leaving a few sparkling embers behind.
After a moment of disbelief the golem tightened the lattice violently around his three remaining captives. Threatening to crush the life out of them. His voice boiling with rage he addressed Irina.
"Where did she go?"

Ashi watched Ardais's rage being lashed out on the three children he held captive, shaking her head slightly with her eyes closed, *Can't say I didn't fairly warn them.. oh well.*

--On Earth

Ember's eyes flashed open, as she looked around her room, sitting on her bed. Grimacing slightly, she looked at the cuts and nicks on her skin, swinging her legs to the edge of her bed and slowly standing up. Walking over to her computer desk, she picked up a bottle of aspirin and popped two to get rid of any pain she felt. As soon as she did that, the door to her room flew open and her sister stood there.
"Whoa! What happened to you!?!?"
"Beat it, squirt!" Ember growled at Danii, as the younger girl raced off, calling for their mother. Ember closed the door, putting a hand to her forehead for a moment.
Pacing about her room for a moment, she sat down in her computer chair, staring at the screen of her monitor, then turned it on.
Starting the internet up, she searched for sites on the "game" she had just been in. A message board came up, as she read some of the stuff, including the warnings from Irina that most had forgotten completely about. Other messages were posted from kids who had dreams and seen odd sights while in them. Scrolling quickly through them all, she started getting some ideas on what to do next time she went in.

--On Ashi

Irina cried out softly in pain as the lattice tightened around her. "S-she went home..." said Irina quietly, tears running down her cheeks and blood down her arms.

The golem stopped, his cloak morphing into wings again. The lattice stopped constricting as the golem turned. Finding Ashi and Kankei behind him.
"Ashi, Kankei, a detachment of the guard has gone missing. Find them. They should be nearby on the road ways. I need to report to the prince, immediately." With that the golem took to the air. Flying quickly toward the castle.
"Where has she gone? Specifically, where is her home?"

"Yes, sir." Kankei muttered to Ardias before turning away. He didn't particularly want to go, especially not with company, but he didn't have much of a choice. He waited a few moment for Ashi before starting off, scanning the area for the missing detachment.

Ashi followed, examining the ground closely. She knelt down, looking at some tracks, then pointed to an area covered in trees, "We should head that way. These tracks aren't ours, nor those kids. And they aren't those of the fried kittens either," she then stood up, looking to Kankei, "Sound alright to you?"

--On Earth

Time passed by, Ember finally turning off the computer with a loud sigh. The door to her room opened, as her mother stood there, blinking at her daughter.
"What happened to you..?"
"Had a fight with Danii."
"How many times have I told you two to get along? Hmm? Oh well.. just make sure to get some sleep. You do have that recital tomorrow night.."
As Ember's door closed and her mother walked off, Ember tried not to laugh.
"Yeah, sure.. sleep.. After all that crap, I'm really sure I'll get sleep."

--On Ashi

Kankei watched Ashi closely with only a slight amount of interest.
"Whatever you want to do is fine with me." he shrugged, an extremely disinterested look on his face. He started walking in the direction she indicated, once again scanning the area as he walked.
"What exactly are we supposed to be looking for, again? A bunch of missing soldiers?"

Aoi had her teeth ground together in pain but when she opened her eyes, they were alight with anger. She was extremely tempted to make a nasty comment to the golem but thought better of it. The best thing to do now was to keep quiet and wait.

"Pretty much," Ashi replied, looking around the surroundings.
"Though if those Displacer Beasts were behind this.. we're not gonna find much of anything.."

Ember sat in her computer chair, glancing to the clock. She grumbled quietly, grabbing a blanket from her bed and wrapping up in it. It was harder than she thought to stay awake, and she had to stay quiet, otherwise she'd have to deal with her mother. *Oh well.. Can deal with it..*

"Hmm. Well. I think I just found all we're going to find." Kankei muttered as he wandered off of the path and into a small clearing, surrounded by trees. The ground was littered with all the remained of the missing detachment. Assorted weapons, some shards of cloth, and a few bloody body parts were the more prominent objects, and Kankei wrinkled his nose in distaste.

"I told you she went home...." said Irina, rubbing a few tears from her eyes. "And I don't know where her home is..." said Irina, half lying, half telling the truth. Irina had only a slight idea as to where Ember's home was.

"How do you know she went home?" Ardais slowed his flight to a glide. He wanted more information before meeting with the prince. He knew she wasn't telling him something. But what that was she couldn't say. At least not yet.

"Because she's new at magic. It's the only place I could teach her how to go to without killing herself. Plus I told her to go home..." said Irina softly. She didn't seem to be at all frightened by the fact that they were flying.

So, he was right. She was teaching magic and gathering wizards to her aid. The fools. only the young and brash would be foolish enough to oppose King Ares. Only children would even consider it. Delusions of their own immortality and power would not serve them well on the block. Surely they knew that to learn magic with out the King's permission was death?
"That seems to be a contradiction. You teach her magic and yet you do not know where she lives? Especially after her rather expertly executed appearance in that village?"

"Her appearance was from a trap that an experienced wizard left behind in her world. She walked into the trap unknowingly and ended up here. I showed her how to go home because she didn't want to be here. She fell into the same trap that brought me here in the first place a long time ago," said Irina. "That's how I knew how to get her home."

"The game!" Aoi gasped in sudden understanding. "So that's how..." she died off, her mind quickly putting pieces together. That would make sense. The game had come in the mail and if it was the portal, then it wasn't impossible that other kids had gotten sucked in as well. But that still left the same question, what had happened to Aoi's sister?
Since Irina had said that Ember had had magic that took her back to Earth, maybe her sister had done the same thing. Maybe Aoi could do the same thing. The blond quickly decided that no matter what happened, she was going to have a long talk with Irina.

"What game? What... world?" Pieces started falling into place. This explained Irina's mysterious escapes from the dungeon. But her explanation only raised more questions. What was this other world she talked about? He had never heard of these things before. But, It might explain the red haired ones strange explanation earlier.
The metal lattice moved again this time wrapping around their heads. Forming light but efficient gags for the two sorceresses. If Irina had told the last how to escape. Then, she could conceivably tell these two how to. He couldn't afford to lose any more prisoners.

A short time later the castle came into view. A twisted stone structure of gray marble and glowing windows. The bright sunlight and days warmth slowly disappeared as they flew steadily closer. Like the castle was drawing the very light and warmth out of the air. Until all was trapped in a growing dark twilight where shadows and things moved with dark intentions.
Dark mists and clouds curled around the tall foreboding towers. Crouched creatures with hard armored carapaces deformed limbs, and maws of sharp teeth with flickering yellow and red eyes walked, crawled, and climbed along the battlements.
Lights flickered as dark shadows passed before the many windows built into the castle's walls. The few human creatures that could bee seen were either in chains being hundred by the dark creatures of shadow or wore armor and dark robes.

Ardais landed on a dark balcony that lead up to a great glass sun window. Settling down carefully and gently. Several gargoyles on the balcony's railing turned their heads to look at the golem and then returned to their original pose.
Ardais placed the lattice on the ground and retracted the metal binding his three prisoners. The metal lattice finally freeing them and returning to his forearms. the only thing that remained was the metal gag around Irina's mouth.

Aoi looked to make sure the other two kids were fine before she looked around. The whole gothic theme of the castle made her gasp with awe and surprise. "What is this place?" she asked quietly, shrinking back from one of the gargoyles.

"The place where demons and nightmares live." Ardais answered, now merely a hard dark shadow framed by the twilight light behind him. His heavy cloak rustling in the cold breeze that seemed to sweep over the balcony like a ghostly wraith. The great glass doors before them swinging open silently. Opening the way into a room of blue twilight and moving shadows.

Aoi closed her eyes and said a silent thank you for the cold breeze. It calmed her immensely. That is until she looked down the hall. She swallowed hard but couldn't help a small wonder of content as she saw the blue twilight. "Kirei..." Aoi shook the thought from her mind and pulled the blanket tighter around herself. "What do you plan on doing with us?"

"That is not for me to decide." The room of twilight beckoned and their metallic captor stood like a steel wall behind them. "Move."

Ashi looked about, digging through some of the remaining pieces left behind, choosing something that would identify what the men had been and come from. Pocketing it, she stood up, and turned to Kankei, "We can leave and report our findings."

--On Earth

Ember had left her room, walking about her darkened house and going to the kitchen downstairs for a late night snack. Getting some soda from the fridge and some chips, she had gone back to her room, closing the door behind her, and started wondering about everyone. Had Irina been able to get the other kids out of there and was everyone safe? What if more kids had gone in? So many questions.. and she couldn't answer any of them.

--On Ashi

Aoi gave the room a hesitant look before moving over to Phillip. "I have no idea what's going on here, but I think we had better do what he says and stick together. My name's Aoi by the way. Are you from Tokyo too?"

Kankei nodded to Ashi and headed out of the clearing, through the trees and back to the trail. He walked briskly, eager to get back to the castle and see what had become of the children that had been captured.

Ardais escorted the three humans into the twilight room. The yellow eyed statues watching them like guard dogs that were just waiting for a reason to bite.
Entering the room the small group encountered a crowd of shadowy forms and dark creatures. They only looked briefly at the intruders and golem. Then turned their gaze back to the blue twilight in the room's center. After several moments of pushing their way through the crowd they came to the edge of the twilight.
In the barren stretch of blue danced four women. Each woman was dressed in glittering but silent wisps of cloth and spider silk. A Elven maiden with hair the color of spun gold and silver. A fairy with gossamer wings and a wild unkempt fiery mane of red. A Naga, half woman, half serpent, with emerald scales, chocolate skin, and midnight hair. Her eyes danced like amber fire as ivory teeth flashed in a coy smile. The last a young petite woman with short blond hair dressed in black lace and satin. All moved as one. Each dancing once with the others once as they slowly moved back and forth across the floor. Moving to a music that could be felt, but not heard. Music that pulled on the soul and demanded silence to be heard. Music that touched and caressed like a young lover. But was gone the moment gripping hands and minds tried to capture it and bring it close.
Then it was over. The dancers crouched and bowing to something dark and unseen. Something that had been watching and now filled the room with a palatable air of power and menace.
The first clap was like a thunder clap in the halls silence. Echoing far and deep within the darkness around the blue. Each clap slowly decreased in volume. But was not joined by others. Non dared clap. Least the Prince notice the break in silence and his dancer's concentration. Unlike the other women the young petite blond briefly glanced up toward the end of the hall. Beaming with pride before looking down again.

Irina was struggling to get the gag off. She sighed and walked over next to Aoi and tried to sign something to her. She seemed to be trying to make the shape of a house and also pointed to her head after making the first shape, trying to communicate with Aoi.

Phillip looked over at Aoi when she spoke to him and nodded slightly at her question. "Hai, I am." he whispered his reply. He opened his mouth to say more but nothing came out as they walked into the room, because he was too awed to make any noise. The dancers were the most beautiful creatures he had ever seen, and he briefly forgot about the situation he was in. He jumped slightly when the loud clap rang out through the silence, and snapped back to reality...well, what was left of it. He sat quietly in his cage and waited anxiously, ready for whatever happened next.

The dancers left the twilight in a group. Entering the darkest shadows at the head of the great dark hall. Before another act could begin Ardais entered the blue twilight carrying Phillip and escorting Aoi and Irina. Placing Phillips cage down he dropped to one knee and bowed his head deeply, his right arm going to his breast.
He made no move to make his prisoners bow. If they were foolish enough not to do so, then let them face the consequences. A unpleasant murmur echoed through the hall. The creatures to either side watching their human guests with hungry eyes. In the dark shows at the head of the room two luminous magenta eyes opened.

Irina crossed her arms and had an angry look on her face. The girl knew it she was supposed to bow, but she refused and stood up straighter in defiance, she knew who was coming. Irina reached up, trying to get the gag off again. She kept trying to think of a way to tell Aoi and Phillip how to get home and she wasn't coming up with a solution to her problem of not being able to talk.

Phillip let out a silent sigh when the cage he was in was set down, feeling somewhat safer and much more terrified all at the same time. He saw his captor bow down in front of someone he couldn't see, and did the same on instinct. He didn't want to get into any more trouble than he already had, and figured it best to just play along until he could figure out what was going on, and how to escape. He kept his head and body bowed, but glanced ahead of him just as those large magenta eyes opened. He tried to appear as calm as possible but kept his eyes locked on the others, trying to guess what was going to happen next.

Aoi gave Irina a questioning glance before walking forward. When Ardias bowed, it instantly registered that they were being presented to someone important. The dancers would have been her first hint anyway. Instinct told her to bow low but Aoi kept her bow to the waist, respectful and courteous, but not completely denoting herself. She kept her eyes down cast though, at least until she found out how high up this person actually was.