B’litk fights against the timestream, flowing up the portal leading to the fire dancer. It grabs at the side of the rectangle and jumps inside with abandon.
The transition from the infinite timestream to this fiery timeline is not an easy one. Although B’litk’s skin is resistant enough to survive in the vacuum of space, the thermal shock is almost too much for it. It curls on itself, trying to block at least part of the sudden heat, as it falls into the unfamiliar landscape. It finally lands on all eight of its appendages.
The landscape is filled with a luscious red light. Actually, B’litk did not even know there were so many shades and tones of red. The bloated and ancient sun fills the sky with vermillion intensity. The trees, lakes, mountains, and buildings, as far as it can see, are eerily elongated and uniquely colored in crimson hues. It reminds B’litk of Malacandra, if seen through a lens made of ruby. As it tries to adapt its senses, it sees the fire dancer.
She is fooling around at the tip of a giant scarlet candle, which is standing on the porch of a huge mansion. Upon realizing B’litk has seen her, the fire lady performs a last pirouette and jumps from the flame, gliding gracefully through the open doorway of the estate. She looks at B’litk and calls it with alluring waves of her hands, arms, and body.
B’litk cautiously approaches the ephemeral dancer, who sprints inside the house. B’litk follows suit, but as soon as it crosses the main doorway, a magnificent stone door closes at its back. Obviously, the inside of the house is much bigger than the outside.
The flaming woman keeps fleeing deeper into the manor, until she reaches a vast ballroom. She goes a few steps inside, and starts to dance again, going through the basic ballet positions, until she reaches the fifth position. Her hands touch each other and the blazes surrounding her gradually leave her body, as she draws a fiery doorway in plain air. By touching the ballroom floor, the portal is complete, and she is no longer made of fire, but a fair maiden.
On the other side of the portal, a magnificent golden dragon, fully dressed in plate armor, waits for her to enter and to sit by its side. She invites B'litk to follow.
Deserted Ballroom
B’litk looks back at the large ballroom, and wonders what else can be found inside an enchanted mansion. He can see the red sun hanging low over a balcony and notices several other archways leading to different places. Since it is extra-dimensional space, there is a high chance he can find a time-anchor somewhere nearby.
Golden Dragon
Although the flaming portal seems to be safe, B’litk is less sure about the golden dragon that towers over it many times over. The no-longer-on-fire dancer is quite comfortable by its side, and B’litk can see another portal behind the beast. But what will the price of the passage be?
