>>5224294"Hey Raven, are you busy?" you ask her telepathically. "I need to make a quick trip."
"Of course, what do you need?" comes her reply, almost instantly. "What's wrong?"
"Something Chaya told me." you reply, raising your right hand to your forehead and teleporting directly to the Guardian's side. "It's been bothering me all day. Going to go visit with Vox, and see if I can get some answers out of him.”
“Are you sure that's a good idea?” she asks you, brows furrowing. “You're not exactly, well...”
“What, subtle?” you ask her with a laugh. “I'm not going to start a fight. Just figure out what he's planning for my daughter.”
“Alright. Good luck.” she says, opening a portal right beside you. “Just tell me when you're ready to come back.”
“Will do. Thanks Raven.” you say, ruffling her hair a moment before turning and walking through the portal. You step through her dark portal, appearing at the private landing zone where Chaya appears through. And to your surprise, there are a dozen soldiers all pointing some sort of rifles at you. “Looks like security has been updated.”
“Identify yourself.” one of those masked machines says, eyes glowing red and flashing brighter as it speaks. So you do, clenching your fists and blazing your emerald aura up around yourself.
“Karn. Chaya's father.” you say, all six machines remaining unmoving for several seconds. Then suddenly one lowers it's weapon, the other eleven all lowering them an instant later.
“You are authorized to proceed.” the one who spoke says, eyes flashing with it's voice. Then they all move aside, forming two rows for you to leave the platform between. You power down your aura, striding through them while trying to remember the way to him. You then have an idea, turning around back to the one who'd spoken. “Can I help you sir?”
“Take me to Vox's office.” you order it, then to your surprise the machine immediately snaps it's hand to it's head in a salute more common across the PTO.
“Of course, sir.” it says, snapping it's heels and turning, leading you forward. You follow the machine, slowing your pace to match the much-shorter machine's steps as it leads you into Dreadzone proper. The machine leads you down empty hallways, the only signs of habitation being more of the coated machines with their rifles held in a low ready. They all gaze upon you with lifeless eyes, but their heads turn unnaturally to face you as you go through. It leads you to an elevator, the machine walking past the two much larger machines armed with dangerous-looking, multi-barreled weapons without so much as a glance. You follow it in, the machine pressing several buttons then stepping out. It fires off a final salute as the doors close, then you feel it beginning to ascend.
cont
