Dark Dimension: Into The Portal

[xp_topaz]

The rescue team prepares to go to the Dark Dimension.



"All right." Amanda took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. She was still running on anger, although it had banked down to a simmering rage. In any event, neither was good for spell casting at this level. "Billy, Stephen, Megan, I'll need you front and centre with me." She indicated the spot on the ground where she had drawn a circle with a stick. "That'll be our door," she continued, as much for the sake of the non-magicians as her students and mentees. "Don't touch the circle until the spell's worked, mind. There'll be a lot of energy getting tossed around."

Stephen nodded and stepped forward, his shoes just toeing the edge of the circle before he stopped and glanced back at Amanda, "Whatever you need." The teenager's voice was short, lacking his usual jovial edge as his eyes ran around the clearing before coming to rest on the circle etched onto the ground. It was such a small thing, but that was his way to wherever that thing was, his way to get to the girls and god help anyone who tried to get in his way.

"Right," said Megan, her wings humming as she landed next to Amanda and Stephen. She stilled her wings when they continued to vibrate slightly, forcing her energy into a calm determination. As she looked from her magic mentor to Stephen and Billy, to the simple circle drawn in the dirt, she felt no doubt that their plan would work. Even if all they had was a ball of string against a demon, if Amanda had a plan - they could pull it off.

Jubilee stood off to the side a little, letting the magic wielding people do their thing. This particular part needed absolutely no input from her, so instead she spent the time getting her head in the game.

Though stuck in civies, Miles had remembered to bring his web-shooters, which he double-checked now to make sure the fluid capsules were full. "Is this one of the crazy places you've been to before?" he asked the person next to him. "Got some travel tips?"

"Nope, this one's new to me, but as a rule they don't tend to be hospitable, in my experience." Doug grimaced. Warwolves, Slendermen, even the Disir coming to town recently. The multiverse wasn't exactly the nicest place. He tugged at the armholes of his armored vest, making sure he could move in all directions, and took mental stock of the weapons he kept ready for situations just like these.

"Assume all the rules you know from fairy tales are in place. Eat nothing, accept no gifts, trust no one, and make sure you question anyone who looks like one of us to make sure they know something only they would know." Marie-Ange instructed. "Until you know otherwise."

Logan rolled his shoulders and glanced around at the gathered group. It wouldn't be the first time he tracked some errant kids to another dimension but everything he kept hearing about this dimension they were going to sounded like the worst idea of fun. He breathed deep to imprint the scents of everyone around him into his memory. No telling if it would do any good but the more failsafes he had there the better. "Ain't no way to attach a security check into each of us right now before we make this portal, is there?"

"Not that I'm aware of," Jean said as she did a final triple check of her medical gear. Better safe than sorry when in an entirely different world. "Perhaps something for the engineering types to figure out later." Something that could withstand magic and anything else thrown at it.

Artie checked his knives and pulled the clasps on his body armour tighter, to fix the wiggle on the elbow padding. He gave a thumbs up. Good to go.

Sharon finished checking her backpack, stocked with her own set of basic medical gear and some other basic hiking supplies she thought that might come in handy and shrugged it on. "We'll have to do with shouting. Unless anyone thought to pack some whistles?" she added wryly.

"Noted for next time," Julian's hand mimed making a note on the palm of the other, floating a few feet before him. He stood against a tree, trying desperately to give off a positive, not-at-all nervous vibe. He'd never traveled between dimensions before, and his past few missions (and he considered making sure the Generation X kids were protected to be just that) had not ended well for him. While he may have wanted to head back to the mansion, his freaking out would inspire similar reactions in his charges, and would do no one any good. Instead, he sighed theatrically, "We about ready, or..."

"We're ready. Team Magic, I need you to focus your energy on the circle while I cast," Amanda announced. "All right, boys and girls, here we go. I can't guarantee a smooth trip, but once you're through, be on your toes. There's no accounting for what might be on the other side. "

With that cheerful pronouncement, the witch opened the book stolen from the Ancient One and began reading aloud. The language was harsh and guttural, full of hard consonants and sounds like she was clearing her throat. But as she read, the ground at the centre of the circle began to shimmer and wobble, neon blue sparks erupting from the dirt. Then there was a sudden energy flux and a stream of that same otherworldy blue light erupted from the ground before sinking down again into an unmistakable portal at their feet. A hole leading to elsewhere, rather than a door.

"Jubes, you first then me. The rest follow quick as you can." Amanda was panting from the effort of opening the portal, which did not bode well for her power levels. Hopefully there was something she could draw on in the Dark Dimension. "Billy, I need you to stay here. We can't let anything out through the portal after us, so you're going to have to close it and then open it again when were ready to book it." She could see the young man was reluctant, but he nodded his agreement.