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Sir Lancelot X.

A traveling consultant.

"A... what?" asked Elaine, her embarrassment overcome with curiosity. "An auto-graph? What is that?" Any potential response, however, was interrupted by a loud snort from off to one side, where a familiar white-scaled figure was approaching across a vivid green bridge. "I see you managed to avoid slaughtering them all, Jaxevist," called Santonio in a mocking tone. "Congratulations!" "No thanks to you," said Jaxevist, pointedly ignoring eye contact. "Tell me, how does it feel to have to beg for help every time you face someone you can't just enthrall to do your bidding?" Santonio's eyes narrowed. "I imagine it feels better than murdering and enslaving a race that you claim to protect." Jaxevist looked up at this. His face was composed, but his eyes... they seemed to strain at the black bands that bound them, hidden fury just begging to be released. "Claim?" he said, and his voice was as still and as cold as a frozen pond. "You sell me short, Glitterboy." "Do I?" sneered Santonio. "Funny, I didn't see you anywhere when your new friends were slaughtering that who-" He cut off suddenly with a gurgle as Jaxevist's knife took him in the throat. "Shut up," said the red contemptuously, pulling out another blade and sharpening it. The green holed that had been trailing Santonio hurriedly stepped up and made a motion with his hand. Green light flashed from where Jaxevist's blade had lodged. With a grunt, the white yanked the dagger out and hurled it to the side. "You'll pay for that," he rasped. "Aridith-" "-probably wasn't too happy you interrupted what I was doing to save your huma, was he?" said Jaxevist scornfully. "Surprised he didn't just let you die, to be honest. I would have." "Enough," spat Santonio. "I didn't come here to listen to your pathetic insults and threats. This is official business. Aridith wants to talk one of your new friends." He gestured at Vapor. "That girl. She's to come with me, immediately." @Vapor @Channelknight Fadran

"Everyone's through?" confirmed Jaxevist. "Good." He tapped something into a keypad next to the Gate, and a barrier of green light flickered into existence over the opening. That done, he turned to face the rest of the group. "Now," he declared, "you said you were explorers, yes? Well," he smiled, "this is only the beginning. Not much of one, to be honest- we didn't really have much control over where the Gate opened, so we just had to make do with what we had." Elaine nodded vigorously in agreement. "Workers and drones tend to like more... modest dwellings," she said. "If you're lucky," added Jaxevist, "you might get to tour the Hive. They don't usually let outsiders visit, but..." he glanced at Elaine. "She's kind of a big deal here." Elaine flushed and looked at her feet. "I'm not that important," she mumbled. Jaxevist snorted. "Don't sell yourself short. You're practically a celebrity."

"Is everyone through?" interrupted Jaxevist.

"And she didn't...? I'm not sure I see your point, Enter."

"Except that's exactly what she did," said Rekaerb. "She had a metallurgist create a bunch of alloys for her and tried them out until she found one that worked."

"Absolutely," responds Rekaerb without hesitation. "It's just burning metal- she could have done that anywhere."

"There are things called 'libraries', you know," said Rekaerb, raising his eyebrows. "Not all research needs to be field research." @Enter a username

He became a Breadninja.

Jaxevist winces. "Let's... not."

"Would it help if I took you somewhere less exciting?" suggested Rekaerb. "Because almost nothing interesting ever happens at my place here. Even when he invaded." He gestured towards Jaxevist. "I didn't even realize anything was going on until it was all over." @Enter a username

Rekaerb teleports over in a flash of blue light. "Greetings indeed! I haven't seen you since the battle with the withergeists. What've you guys been up to?" "Good, thanks for asking."

With orange juice.

In fact, there was.

Oatmeal raisin cookies.

But all the brownies were gone.

"Well!" calls a familiar voice. "Fancy seeing you folks here." Rekaerb waves from his position against the opposite wall. "How's life been?" he calls across the gap.

So they brought out all their surplus.

She was pleasantly surprised.

Elaine looks at him with kind eyes. "Thank... you." The Worldgate opens up into a mind-bendingly tall cavern, roughly circular in shape and surprisingly thin in diameter. Hexagonal shapes of varying sizes tile the walls. Some seem to be houses of some sort, with doors and windows. Others are fully open, Hyxali flying in and out of them, crossing paths in an endless stream of workers and drones. They don't look as human as Elaine, with mandibles jutting out from their jaw and pieces of exoskeleton on their arms and legs. Elaine breathes a sigh of relief as soon as they pass through and stops leaning on Jakevist's shoulder. "Much better," she says, breathing in deeply. "Welcome to Outpost One," says Jakevist, turning to make sure everyone makes it through the Gate.

"That was... you?" says Elaine, confused. "I thought it was... him." She points at Nathrangking. Jaxevist turns and looks at the man with narrowed eyes for a moment. "We'll sort that out later," he says finally. "We should get back to Universe Hexagon first." He takes her hand and helps her to her feet, offering her his shoulder to lean on. "All the rest of you- the gate is straight down the tunnel. Follow me, although you probably can't miss it." @Channelknight Fadran @Spren of Kindness @Nathrangking @Vapor @Mist @RadiantDramaQueen @Enter a username @AonEne

Elaine coughs and open her eyes, "What... where?" she says, dazed, trying to sit up. "Elaine!" cries the red holed. "You're alright!" "Jaxevist?" says Elaine weakly. "The King sent... you?" "Technically Santonio did that," muttered Jaxevist. "Apparently he didn't consider their lives worth much. But," he brightened, "they did heal you, so they can't be too bad. Most of them." He shot a brief glare at Baalhan, again.

They were nicknamed echo ninjas.