Down Time

Despite her current feelings on the otherworldly building before them, Yang instinctually attempted to reach out and stop Melody from opening the door, but it was too late. A bright light was instantly unleashed within the cave. It was blinding, so much so that it would completely obscure the vision of the two women for a brief moment. Yang still tried to shield her eyes despite having them shut tight. No sooner had the incandescent light blinded and washed over them, a subtle and soothing gust of wind would whisk around them. Feeling it was safe to open her eyes, Yang would lower her arm, only to nearly have her jaw hit the floor…if it were physically possible.

“What the….” her voice would trail off, being replaced by the continual sound of light wind and rushing water. Eventually when Melody did the same she would come to see what had Yang suddenly awestruck. The two now stood upon a sizeable floating island. The terrain was flat minus a few rocky outcrops dotting the landscape. It was hard to tell from where they stood, but the island seemed to be roughly the size of the lake below. And how did they know this? Well Yang had quickly rushed to the nearest ledge and peered over the edge. They were surrounded by a sea of clouds on all sides, but there was just enough of a clearing that Yang could see the entirety of the lake and the small island down below.

As for how high up they were, well that was going to take some more mental gymnastics to comprehend, but before Yang could do anything rash a voice would echo across the island. “HARK MORTALS. WELCOME TO OUR ABODE!” The voice was masculine and booming, like thunder. “Come. Follow the path. We hath been eager to partake of those who’d venture unto our realm.” Yang would instantly spin around, her eyes darting all around to see where the voice was coming from, only to be met with nothingness. That said, the booming voice seemed to have the same quality of that calming feeling she had felt back down on the island.

Heeding the voices words, Yang would locate a rather immaculate looking marble stone path that snaked through the island, it was rather hard to miss considering Melody was standing on it. The inquisitive young woman had caught a glimpse of what could possibly be their destination when she had gone to peer over the edge. Again not hard when you considered that you could clearly see several odd structures a little ways in the distance. “So I’m just going to say it. This is…” Ok maybe she wasn’t going to say anything as the words escaped her and all she could do was gesture to the lush vegetation and vibrant plants that stood all around them.

Following the path, the two would eventually come to what seemed like an open courtyard or possibly something more akin to a town square? It was hard to tell as all the structures surrounding the square were composed of a myriad of cultural architecture styles. There were shades of ancient Rome, Greece, Egypt, Aztec, and Mayan all perfectly and functionally blended together. It felt natural here and didn’t look out of place. Most of these structures lay at the end of pathways that snaked out from this one central point. And to wrap it all together at the dead center was a large ornate pillar decorated in gold trimming. At its base were several crystal disks inlaid upon it. Each disk contained a strange symbol, ones that definitely didn’t mean anything at the present.

Perhaps it had been because she had opened the door but it did not take long for Melody’s eyes to adjust to the sudden flashing and changing of lights. The sensation, though, that long drawn out pulling…or yanking? Or…she didn’t have words for it. The after-effect of being brought into this new realm lingered in her stomach. She didn’t feel sick or like she was going to throw up, but her body hadn’t adjusted quite yet. It was as if…It was like one of Sam’s portals for the first time. It just felt…wrong? Not wrong. Different. It felt different.

Her eyes began to move around, pulled to Yang as she muttered a small exclamation that trailed off. Then, in the next she was looking around, confused, and searching for the owner of that new voice. It didn’t sound familiar and yet it reminded her of something. As she tried to find the owner of the voice, she came up short. There was no sign of them, no trace of the origin of the voice despite how close it sounded. There wasn’t even a speaker or…well, speaker was the only word she had for it. There was nowhere the voice could’ve come from. Her mind then shifted gears to magic. She didn’t get a sense of danger at the very least. It was just…

Finally, when the voice had finished, Mel would begin search the area, taking in the strange view. The floating islands, the bright, cloud-filled sky, and the eternity that lay beneath them. It was breathtaking…she was taken aback by it. And once more, she heard Yang speak, and a breathless smile grew across her face, “Yeah…” Mel agreed, “This is…” She didn’t finish either, leaving it both to that wordless word they were both thinking of.  She was sure there was an actual word for it but she wouldn’t waste time trying to find it.

Instead, there was the matter that they were called to. A challenged, a task, a trial? Something. Moreover, Mel would be damned if she didn’t go and check it out.  Whatever it was, whatever this place, she wanted to see what it had to offer.

As they moved along the winding path, getting closer to that structure in the distance, Mel would let out a sharp whistle and lean over to Yang to whisper to her. She wasn’t sure why she was whispering, but it felt appropriate. “So…what do you think we’re gonna find? Think they’re gonna make us do something?” She asked curiously. “I’m kicking myself in the ass for not knowing about this place sooner. I’ve been coming to this lake almost all my life and there was entire…” She paused, searching for the word, “Dimension? Yeah, dimension. That there was an entire dimension existing alongside it? I’m wondering what else I’ve missed over the years.”

She finished just as they arrived and almost instantly her eyes were on the disk. This time, unlike with the door, she waited. She didn’t move to touch them just yet and instead looking up slightly, looking around and waiting for that voice to come back.

Deep booming laughter would fill the two young women’s minds. “Lo! It hath been an age since we played host to such inquisitive and interesting individuals.” The voice would ring out. A brilliant ball of purple light would manifest before them, it was soon followed by a pale green orb. “It is only natural that you would not know of this place. For we do not make it known to the outside unless we want to.” a sultry voice would seemingly caress Yang and Melodies mind, no doubt this game from the green orb. Yang continued to look on in both confusion and amazement.

She had been trying to read this place from the very moment they had gotten here, but the energy of this place was so vibrant and stunning. She couldn’t get a single read on any of it. Just then an orange orb would appear and it was at this point that Yang pieced together that the colors matched those of the discs on the base of the central fixture to this plaza. Upon noticing this she’d give Melody a nudge on the arm with her elbow. She motion her head and gaze towards the discs and back to the floating orbs to see if Melody would make the connection as well.

“Ah it would seem you have pieced a bit of the puzzle together. But please be patient. All will be revealed soon enough” The voice echoing from the orange orb seemed to be two voices speaking in unison. “I feel like if we wait any longer, there will be no end to the amount of questions my friend and I will want to ask!” Yang exclaimed. “Very well. As protectors of this world you are right to be weary. But rest assured we reveal ourselves to you with no ill intentions. Very few hath dared tread upon the gateway unto our home. Thus did your presence their pique our curiosity as no doubt our home and our presence has piqued yours.”

Yang would move her attention away from the three orbs floating before them as subtle shifts in the surrounding energy began to occur. There were others here. It was in this moment that yang noticed smaller dimmer orbs began to fill in the square around them.

Melody looked up at the sky…at the voices? At the orbs? Were those just like…phones? Or were they actually the owners’ of the voice? Either way, they sounded condescending and she didn’t care for that. It felt like a conversation where she was being talked down to or that they believed they were some higher beings or power. Or just better than her. Her ear flicked with agitation as her gaze narrowed a bit. She would only put with it for so long, but for now she was holding back those feelings from bubbling even further up.

She continued to head towards the plaza and those colored disks, though for her there didn’t seem to be that spark of realization that the orbs and disks matched colors. This entire place was weird and colors, to her, were just colors. It was only when that nudge was made that Mel’s eyes went back and forth between the disks and orbs that it came to her. She leaned over to Yang, her eyes still trained on the orbs around them “Oh yeah, that was one of the first things I noticed. The matching color things.” She whispered to Yang, giving her a half-cocked grin. It was a very clear obvious lie, but told with a good nature.

She sighed again and looked up to the Orange Orb, “Yeah, but that’s not soon enough.” She complained, “Come on, give us a hint or something. Can’t keep us waiting all day.” She asked, still moving closer and closer to that plaza, following the Orbs with her eyes as they went on. She nodded to Yang, glad there was at least some mutual feelings there. It was strange that every time she had heard the phrase “We mean you no ill-intentions” that usually was code for “We’re just gonna make you fight each other” or “We’re going to brainwash you into compliance so you’re not burdened by dangerous thoughts” or something like that. No ill intentions just meant they believed what they were doing was fine or okay, or, worst of all, just.

As they came down to the center of that plaza, her eyes began to wander around at the orbs that were slowly joining the group. Again, she leaned over to Yang to whisper, “We’re either gonna be forced to fight each other, some terrible monster, or they’re gonna try and put us through some ritual or something that will free us from the burdens of modern thought or some shit like that. I bet at least fifty bucks that it’s gonna be some nonsense like that.”

The purple orb let out booming laughter as Melody tried to whisper her thoughts to Yang. “You mortals always come up with the most fascinating proposals. I assure you there will be nothing of the sort that occurs here….That is..” Before the voice could continue it was cut off by the calming voice of the green orb “Oh come now, we know there will be nothing of the sort. They are our guests after all.” Yang’s eyes would narrow, her gaze shifting between the orbs still trying to get a read on them, but before she continued, she felt the need to correct these ‘beings’.

“Actually not a mortal!” she’d say raising a finger mater of fact-ly. While she wasn’t quite calling herself a god and wouldn’t dream of doing so any time soon, it was odd that these beings couldn’t see past what was right in front of them. “Ah I believe I understand now.” a new, feminine voice would ring out as an fiery orange orb began to manifest near the other three. “How very intriguing. Perhaps we shouldn’t keep our guests waiting any longer” The voice would ring out and begin to glow more brightly than the others.

Before long a form took place of the orb. It was that of a rather tanned woman adorned in light golden armor and covered in a soft looking peach colored fabric. Her hair matched the fabric with subtle golden highlights and her eyes shined a brilliant red. Poking out from her back was a small pair of feathered wings that were also golden in color and held an ornate fan in one hand. Seeing the brazenness of their companion, the other orbs in turn revealed themselves.

The next to follow was the first orange orb. The light gave way to a mountain of a man easily standing nine to ten feet tall. He had wide shoulders and a nearly equally wide chest and was well built. A veritable walking mound of muscle. In his hand he wielded a rather plain looking hammer. His body seemed to be made of some kind of metal that was two different tones, split down the middle.

Next to follow was the green orb, from which spawned a rather slender looking woman. If the first woman looked ready for combat, then this one looked rather peaceful and serene. She wore a loose fitting dress that was leaf green in color, she had shoulder length wavy brown hair and many accessories that bespoke of someone close to nature. It was also hard not to notice her incredibly large bust size compared to the other female present.

And finally without a word having been spoken by it, the purple orb gave way to the most unique figure thus far. The figure was that of a bipedal lionman. His fur white as snow with very light purple stripes running through it. He had a majestic main that was adorned with several braids, each tied off with golden clasps. Despite his bestial appearance he seemed the most calm and pleasant of the quartet. And he was the first to speak after the beings revealed their forms. “Forgive us the deception of not revealing ourselves sooner. Though I admit if it were not for the rashness of our sister we might not have revealed ourselves at all to thee.” He slowly walked towards Yang and Melody, using a wooden staff to balance himself.

“Uuuuuh…..Nice to meet you?” Yang said confused as to how to respond to the sudden gesture of the reveal, let alone still trying to make sense of everything that was going on.

As soon as the Orb laughed at Mel, she scowled up at it, shooting it a look that was the equivalent of flipping someone the bird. These things looked down on them, there was enough its tone and in its words that told her that much. There was a number of things she didn’t like about that, but she would hold back for now. She shoved her hands in her pocket, looking between the orbs and then looking to Yang to get her read off of it. She at least seemed like she was on the same page as her. That was good…there would be misunderstandings they had to turn the tables on these…how do you insult an orb?

She let out a small snort at her comment, giving a roll of her eyes. “And I actually don’t know if my power has extended my life at all.” She admitted. Which was the truth. She doubted it, but well…you never know what kind of power could set in or how it might develop. Maybe she got rabbit years times human years? It was possible…maybe. She had seen weirder.

Before she could delve any further into that thought, she turned at the sound of a new voice. She looked to the orange orb and blinked. At least this one sounded kind of pleasant. She still didn’t like it, but at least was knew so she could dislike it a bit less than the others. This dislike was further lessened when she actually changed into the visage of a tall woman, pretty, but also…the armor seemed…alarming.

You only wore armor when you were expecting to be attacked, which meant…either the orbs expected them to attack or there was another, unnamed threat. Her ears flicked a bit, trying to pick up on anything else, but for the moment they at least seemed in the clear. Her ears would stay perked, though, and a new tension would find its way to her stance. She was readying herself for whatever might come their way, expected or not.

Soon, one by one, Mel was turning to see each of these orbs, accessing each of them quickly. This felt weird. They better not want to turn her into an orb. Or get any taller. Or be trapped in a dimension like this. Or…well, a lot of stuff. She didn’t want to be stuck here longer than she had to. Though, she at least had to admit that this was getting more interesting.

At the end of the display, Melody just kind of smacked her lips together and a tsk, kind of sound to follow. “So, uh…okay. You still haven’t told us what you want us to do, what this place is, who you are…” She ticked off each question on a finger as she spoke. She looked to Yang, “Am I missing anything? I mean, so far they just floated around, lied about their forms, and brought us here, am I missing any beats?” She asked her friend.

The redheaded being would be the first to address Melody’s otherwise hostile tone, She looked down upon the young woman. The glare spoke of the woman’s lack of concern for what Melody could do or much less what she thought of the beings before her. “I believe you are the ones who invited yourselves here mortal.” Before she could continue, a firm hand was placed on her shoulder. The brown haired Goddess gently floated to the fiery one’s side. “You’ll have to forgive my Sister. This is the first time we’ve appeared before and interacted with mortals at all!” She said rather calmly but also cheerfully. The bestial being would move a little closer to the two women and flash what Yang could only assume was a warm and gentle smile.

“I do believe we did not deceive thee in anyway. Moving around in the forms in which we first appeared to thee, helps us conserve our energy, you see. While me may be neigh omnipotent, it takes quite a bit of power to answer the prayers and wishes of mortals.” He gave a slight reassuring nod before taking a few steps back, assessing the two beings that had stumbled upon their hidden realm. Both seemed to radiate energy, though one was noticeably brighter than the other.

“Also, The length of ones life does not dictate ones mortality. You may live for nigh on a thousand years, but you are no divinity.” He said, his gaze falling upon Melody. As the bestial being finished speaking the brown haired goddess would approach Yang and Melody, slightly kneeling down to meet their gaze. “If I am not mistaken. You two performed a rather heroic act not to long ago. Quite impressive I must say. That must mean the two of you are rather strong yes?” she said with a playful smile, though Yang couldn’t help that it was more mischievous than it let on.

“Putting aside the hell we went through recently, are you really trying to tell us, that you are in fact literal gods?” She found it kind of hard to believe given the things she had seen other metahumans do.

To this question, the fiery redheaded goddess spoke up. “Quite right child, but if you would know the truth of it, the truth of our existence then you would do something for us. Grant us this request and we shall bestow upon you the answers you seek.”

Melody wasn't sure if she have to forgive this lady, but for the moment, at the very least, she'd keep her mouth shut. She kept her arms folded beneath her chest, looking up at the...beings? She wasn't sure what term she would assign to them yet. They were some kind of Pantheon maybe? Not to say they were gods, but perhaps they thought themselves to be some form of higher power or something.

She'd be the judge of that, or at least test herself against them.

Melody turned her gaze to Yang, lofting a brow at the question, but looking to the "gods" to see how they would answer. She managed to catch a laugh before it escaped her and kept that straight face. Still, she returned her gaze to Yang for a moment to see how she would take that news. Once she was sure she got a good read on how Yang took it, she'd finally step forward, her arms falling to her sides.

"Alright, so...things we have established...this is some other plane, you need us to do something, and you're gods." She raised a finger as she went through each point before lowering her hand again. She slowly began to walk in a circle, taking time to look at each and every deity. "You're still taking your time on actually getting to the point of this all. If you need heroes for something, then well...we can help, but if you're just here to talk and proclaimed your godhood and so forth...well, I mean..." She looked back to Yang, "Do you wanna sit through all that?" She asked, not rhetorically, but having a good idea of what her friend would say.

She looked back to the fiery redheaded goddess, "I am guessing it's not the latter and that is all going somewhere, yeah? So...what ya got for us? Something good? I'm not trying to be rude here, sorry if I am, but I mean...what's going on here?"

There was a clear look of agitation upon the redheaded woman's face, but before she could speak, to put Melody in her place, her sister would brush past her. The brown haired goddess would once again flash a smile to the two women before her. “Please you needn’t make any decisions right away. After all You two were enjoying a nice respite before stumbling upon our abode correct? Perhaps you can take some time to consider our proposal.” Before she could continue, her sister would but in. “Come now sister we haven't even told them what it is we require of them.” Her firey gaze would fall to Melody for a moment “To put it rather bluntly. We would have you face us in combat. Prove to us the purity of your curiosity and hearts.”

“Indulge our curiosity in you and we shall indulge your curiosity in us. But again you needed agree to our request at this moment. Take time to gather your thoughts and prepare if you must, but know the gateway to our realm wont remain open forever.” the split god would pipe up.

All this left Yang arching a brow. What a unique and strange group of individuals. She’d turn her attention to Melody to gauge her thoughts. Ultimately the chance to learn more about these beings and even fight them, gods or not, appealed to Yang greatly. Any chance to pit her strength against tough opponents was a welcome opportunity. That in mind, she’d defer to Melody in this instance, looking at her and giving a shrug of the shoulders to indicate she would accept whatever Melody decided to do.

The lion man-like god would approach the two and bow slightly “When you have made your decision, should you wish to humor us and face us in combat, then enter our domains when you are ready.” He would give a wave of his staff causing an immensly bright light to fill the area, obstructing both Yang and Melody’s view. When the light faded, the two would find themselves back on the small island in the middle of the lake.

Melody wasn't always the best at reading people.

There had been more than one fight in her career with another hero because she had misread them as the perpetrator of a crime. If there was anything holding her back from moving up in ranks she assumed it was that.

Even with those faults, though, she could clearly tell that whoever this red-headed deity was they were going to have some issues. Honestly, she wouldn't mind beating the snobby god into next week if it meant wiping that condescending look off her face. Still, these "gods" were asking for help with something and she at least had the sense to know that it would be bad form to kick the ass of someone you were trying to help.

That was her thought process all the way up until the more pleasant of these "gods" spoke. A wide grin that showed off a few of Melody's sharer teeth grew across her face. It would be an understatement to say that this idea appealed to the young hero. There was a crackle of orange energy through her fists as she rolled her shoulders, already getting ready despite being told to consider before answering.

Her gaze then turned to Yang and that smile seemed to soften into something more encouraging. "Don't be upset if you can't keep up with me. Though, seriously, we're doing this, right? How often do we get a chance to kick the asses of gods?" She looked at her for a moment, "I mean...I actually don't know for you, but...I think I've only ever had the chance to fight one self-proclaimed god, so I wouldn't mind another shot at a few of them."

The blinding light would cause Yang to clench her eyes tightly to avoid being blinded by its radiant splendor. It would take several blinks for her eyes to readjust to the natural sunlight that bathed the small island in the middle of the lake. Her gazed turned to Melody as she spoke and with a large smile on her face she’d reply to her friend. “Oh you know for sure we’re going to take them up on their request. Not only is it a chance to help someone in need, but its like you said….Not every day you get to fight gods. It’ll be a nice change of pace from the monsters and freak shows we had to deal with the other day.” With that, Yang would plant her fist into her palm, her eyes sparkled with glee and excitement.

“I think for now though, we should head back to the cabin and take the rest of the day to relax and recharge. Wouldn’t want to disappoint our heavenly hosts and put on a halfhearted showing of our power now would we?”

With both in agreement, Yang would grab a hold of Melody and the two would take to the skies once more as Yang transported them back to the distant shore from which they had previously embarked. From here they could retread their path and make it back to the cabin with plenty of time to still spare in the day. And they would need that time, all of it, to consider what it was they had just agreed to, and who it was that they were about to face. Yang’s mind raced with all sorts of questions and theories surrounding their mysterious encounter. What sort of answers would they get about who these beings truly were?