I smiled down at Dani, and the two of us broke apart, and I stepped back from her. I looked over her long caterpillar body and mused over what to do.

The idea of convincing her about me each time did have its charms, but it was hardly what I would call efficient. It would be better for me to carry her with me, and it looked like it would be possible but tricky.

“What happens if you don’t touch the rock? Can you still guide us, and we blend in?” I asked as I started to walk around Dani, looking her body over.

“I don’t know, but I do remember how each ring works! I can still guide us, I think, but are you sure that you are going to be able to carry me over?” Dani asked as she watched me examine her.

I nodded, and then walked up, and bent down at the center section of the tiger-striped caterpillar’s body, and scooped it up. Dani squeaked, but I didn’t stand up right away and turned my head to face the shocked-looking girl.

“Put your hands on my shoulders, and I will hold your lower section up, and you can use your spike tentacles to hold on, but just don’t grip too tight! I only just healed from the last marks you left!” I said with a chuck, and Dani turned away with what looked to be an embarrassment for a moment.

Then Dani turned back to me with a sigh and nodded, moving around to climb onto my back. She wrapped her arms around my neck, and I slowly stood up, and her body was surprisingly light.

The underside of her abdomen was a soft fur-like velvet in my arms. The orange and black upper section was smooth and felt nice, pressing softly into my chest.

This was going to be awkward, but I should have no problem clearing thirty feet in the condition that I was in now. I was more worried about overshooting and hitting something on the other side.

“Is there anything that I should be worried about? Like on the other side where we are going? Any buildings or walls that we might crash into?” I asked as I started to back peddle, but I had to dance out of the way of some invisible incest that I had just backed into.

“Yes, I would try not to overshoot the ring too much; there is a long wall with gates to walk through on the other side. There is about my body length if I lay down and stretch out,” Dani explained to me, and I nodded.

[She is about ten feet, so you will have to be careful. Dani had a soft body, so I don’t think I need to tell you what will happen if you crash into something.]

That was a disturbing thought to have as I backed up to get some good distance. This was becoming less and less of a good idea, but I was a good judge of strength, so I had faith.

“Are you ready for this?” I asked.

“Is it okay to say no?” Dani asked, and I laughed, but I understood how she felt, but this was the best way to do it, maybe.

[That is a lot of indecision.]

‘Of course, it is, dick head! I could make her go splat if I hit the wall on the other side! I don’t want to kill her, but I don’t know how hard it will be to convince her when I get to the other side! You saw how the ring reacted when I was close to it! Whatever is controlling them knows I am here, and it might try to do something to her with the Libra Orichalcum Ring.’

[That is a fair estimation of what we know. Maybe it is best just to leave her here and power through this.]

‘You know more about these things than I do. Can you just power through them, or am I going to hit a bunch of resistance the entire way?’

[I honestly don’t know. I have read things about them before, and I was going to suggest them far later on, but they should not be here, so I didn’t look into them more. If I was in your system, I could pull the info upon them, but I am blocked like you.]

This was frustrating, but I couldn’t wait around, so I started to run at the mirror wall, preparing to leap the Libra Orichalcum Ring. I picked up speed, got to where I needed to be, and got ready to jump, sure that this would work.

Are you sure?

The thought sent chills through my body, and I missed my jump. I tried to stop, but I was going too fast, and I was holding Dani.

[What just happened?!]

I had no time to think; I just spun, uncoiling Dani from me and throwing myself backward.

Dani was tossed off me, but I still slid, and I felt my foot touch the warm Libra Orichalcum Ring. I closed my eyes, and the world dropped from around me, and I lost all sense of having a body.

“Why do you resist? We are inevitable, and no matter how much you struggle, we will always win!” Said four male voices simultaneously, but I had no way of telling what they were.

There was one thing that I could tell right away; I didn’t like them. Damn cheesy ass lines!

I opened my eyes, and I was in space, but I was in my old solar system, and I was facing the Scale of Balance, or the constellation of it. There was nothing else, but there was Earth; A place that I left with a haunted feeling as I looked down at it.

“I don’t know who you are, but there is no way that I am going to mess with me. I have things to do, and now I have found out that I can use these rings to help me.. That means you have something I want, and you are doing bad things with them!” I shouted mouthlessly, but my words still rang out, making the void of space seem to tremble with fury.