Chapter Five
Nar.: A week had passed in the Otherworld and there was still no sign of Calia. John was uneasy, so he asked his friends what he should do. Finally, they all decided on having an adventure to save Calia and add a little excitement into their lives. So, one day, John and three of his friends, Votor Heart, Luna Kullent, and Sho Gasparte, met at John�s house. Votor Heart was a headstrong young man that loved to play his guitar and practice fighting with his pet katana, �Angel�s Tear.� Luna Kullent was an asrai, and because of this, she always wore a thick cloak during the day. She enjoyed working with ice magic and playing her flute. Finally, there was Sho Gasparte. He was a member of the Ferrishyn tribe and loved to fight with his hands. John, Votor, Luna, and Sho agreed to go to Patrick�s house to look for clues. They arrived at the cottage and went inside. They walked through the living room and into the backroom.
Votor: Hey, what do you think this is?
Nar.: Votor pointed at a metal contraption with colorful buttons and switches.
John: I don�t know, but that�s Calia�s.
Nar.: John picked up a thin silver chain and put it in his pocket.
Votor: I wonder what this does�
Nar.: Votor pushed a red button. Suddenly, they were engulfed by a bright white light. When the light faded away, they found themselves in the middle of a stone platform. Pathways jutted out from the platform in all directions. They looked around and were amazed. All around them, through the bluish mist, triangular buildings and stone pathways were suspended in the air.
Luna: Where are we�?
Voice: You are in the Blue Ether, home to the Gnomes of the Blue Ether. Who are you?
Nar.: They turned to see a gnome with a black beard and a blue hat peering at them from behind a tree.
Gnome: You are not Gnomes� you are not allowed here! Guards!
Luna: What? We haven�t done anything wrong.
John: Wait. We�re looking for a girl, and shapeshifter, and a gnome.
Gnome: What�s the Gnome�s name?
John: Crytos.
Gnome: Just Crytos? Can�t help you. Guards!
Votor: What else do you want to know?
Gnome: You�re not welcome here un-gnome. Good-bye.
Nar.: Six guards came up a suspended pathway. They wore armor and made loud clanking noises as they ran. Each of the gnomes wore a different colored hat and tabard, signifying different allegiances. They seized the party and dragged them to another platform. One of the gnomes pushed a button on the railing of the platform and a multicolored rectangle appeared in midair, over the blue expanse. One by one, the gnomes threw them into the air, aiming for the rectangle. They went spiraling through a long multicolored tunnel after entering the rectangle. After a while, they each landed with a thud on cold pavement, electricity flowing in the air around them.
Luna: Now where are we?
* * *
Nar.: Morpheus, Calia, Crytos, Patrick, Daltran, Mattimeo, and Arden made the long trip up the stairs to the tower. The rich tapestries and carpets had ceased to appear, and they now were following a floating orb of white light up the narrow corridor. When they reached the top, they unlocked the door and entered a cluttered room.
Patrick: A� storage room?
Calia: We put our magic mirror up here �cause we didn�t think we�d need it again.
Crytos: Magic mirror?
Mattimeo: Actually, we�re looking for that transporter we found in the Otherworld.
Crytos: Our transporter?
Mattimeo: I suppose so. It still works well enough I suppose. Ah, here it is.
Nar.: Mattimeo moved a chair out of the way of the transporter. It looked a little charred around the edges, but relatively fine. He inputted coordinates into the machine and everyone except Daltran, Arden, and Mattimeo got in.
Mattimeo: We�ll follow you there.
Nar.: He hit a switch and the four of them disappeared in a flash of light. Mattimeo turned toward Arden and Daltran.
Mattimeo: Guards! Arrest them and take them to the dungeon.
Arden: What?! No!
Daltran: What did you say? Take us to a luncheon? But we�re supposed to be following them�
Nar.: Mattimeo looked at Daltran with a look of disgust. The guards came and took Arden and Daltran and locked them up. Mattimeo looked back at the transporter.
Mattimeo: We don�t want anyone misusing this�
Nar.: Mattimeo picked up a broken chair and smashed the transporter�s interface.
Mattimeo: Oops�
Nar.: Mattimeo gave the transporter one last look, and then walked out of the room, locking the door behind him.
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