“So”—Latril gazed into Spider-Lily Park’s pond—“just what are we supposed to do here?” The swird woman’s black high-heels pressed into the green grass at the pond’s edge. She glanced at the slime summoner standing beside her—glanced at Slimantha.

“Well”—Slimantha hinged at her hips, peering into the pond—“the pond certainly looks like a pond.”

“You think?” Latril deadpanned and then followed Slimantha’s gaze back to the pond.

“I think,” Slimantha said, “there are no ducks here right now.” The slime summoner straightened up.

“That,” Latril said, “isn’t really all that helpful.” The swird woman glanced at Black and Samuel, who were both peering into the body of water too. Then the swird woman sighed. “Look. I hate to interrupt this”—she blinked—“pond gazing, but does anyone mind checking their invitation? I left mine back at my lair.”

“Allow me,” Slimantha said, pulling back from the pond. She flashed Latril a smile before fishing her invitation out of her right pocket. “Let’s see.” She unfolded the invitation and began looking over its contents. “The celebration is to be held at the Cathedral of the Duck Collective, which can be found in the Place in the Pond.” She scanned through the invitation’s contents again and then her brown eyes went to the pond. “Spider-Lily Park’s pond should lead to the Place in the Pond, but”—she glanced at the invitation again—“I’m not sure how to get from here to there.” She then looked at Latril and gave her another smile. “Well, it is called the Place in the Pond. Want to try jumping in?”

“Jumping in?” Latril said. A drop of sweat rolled down the swird woman’s right cheek. “That’s really your plan? Jumping in?” She glanced at the pond. “Well, I guess I do see your logic, but”—she stepped back from the pond and frowned—“I so do not want to get my dress wet. Besides, what if it doesn’t work? I’d have a soaked dress for nothing.”

Slimantha took another look at her invitation before folding it back up. She then stuffed said invitation back into her right pocket. “Well, I’m not seeing much option here. I mean it is called the Place in the Pond. How can we go in the pond without going in the pond?” She leaned closer to Latril and smiled.

“I see.” Latril glanced away from Slimantha to a certain hero—to Samuel. The hero from another world still peered into the pond. She smirked and stepped behind him. “Sounds like we need a volunteer then.” She pushed the unwitting hero, and he plopped into the pond, sending ripples across its surface. “Oh. Look at that. A volunteer.”

Samuel’s head popped up from below the water’s surface. He scrambled for the bank and climbed out. Water dripping off of him, he climbed to his feet. He looked to Latril and gave her a dirty glare. “Seriously,” he said. “Why? Just why?”

“Well”—Latril glanced over Samuel’s soaked form—“did it work at least?”

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Samuel blinked. “Did what work?”

“You know,” Latril said. “Did it get you to the Place in the Pond or not?”

“The Place in the Pond?” Samuel glanced at the pond before returning his gaze to Latril. “Well it got me to a place in a pond, but unless the celebration is meant to be aquatic, I’m going to have to go with no.” Hearing a burst of snickers, he turned to glare at their source, Black.

“An aquatic celebration?” Slimantha said, bringing her right hand to her chin. “Well, I suppose it is possible.” She lowered her hand and smiled. “Should I summon everyone some slime diving suits?”

Latril sweatdropped again. “How about let’s not change into diving suits just yet?”

Black’s brown eyes went to Slimantha. “Let me take a crack at this,” the witch said, her black feline tail swaying. She gave the slime summoner a friendly smiled and then turned to face the pond. She stepped up to its edge and crouched done. She leaned forward. Her face pressed closer to the water’s surface. Her reflection, a reflection of a lovely petite cat woman with short black hair and a black witch hat, stared back at her. She pulled back a little. “I can work with this. Just give me a moment.” She reached toward the water’s surface and waved her hands above it. She read the water’s surface.

“I see,” Black said. She gave her hands another wave. Behind her, her tail twisted. “So that’s it.” She smiled. “So simple.” She reached toward the water with her right hand. The soft cream skin of her pointer finger neared the water’s surface. She gave said water’s surface one simple tap. With that, the pond’s surface began to shimmer. She stood up and turned to the others. She gave them a smile. Behind her, her tail swished. “It’s done. The path is open.” She gestured at the pond’s shimmering surface.

Latril looked from the shimmering pond to Black. “You sure about that?”

Black’s tail stopped swishing. “I-I think so.” Black maneuvered away from the pond and put a little distance between herself and Latril. “Why don’t you give it a try?”

“You know?” Latril turned to the pond, her golden sword eyes settling on the shimmering surface. “I’m not sure I trust whatever this is all that much. Maybe someone else should try it.” She glanced about. Her eyes finally settled on Samuel. She smiled a smug smile and stepped up to the hero from another world. The two stood at the edge of the shimmering pond.

Samuel turned to face Latril, the pond now at his back. “You”—Samuel sweatdropped—“are getting kind of close there.”

“Am I?” Latril pressed closer. Then she gave Samuel a shove, sending him falling back into the shimmering pond. She gazed down at the pond’s surface. There was no splash nor ripples. Samuel’s head did not pop up from the depths. She leaned closer to the pond’s surface, but still no Samuel came up. She blinked. “Hey, hero! Can you hear me?! Did it work this time?! Did you get wetter?!”

“Yes, it worked!” Samuel said, his voice coming through the shimmering surface of the pond. “I think it was dry this time! Also, stop pushing me into ponds! Seriously, just stop!”

Black’s hands flew to her mouth. The next moment, she doubled over in laughter, her black witch hat falling to the grass. She dropped down to her hands and knees, still laughing.

“For the record,” Samuel said, his voice still coming from the pond, “I can hear Black laughing at me. Also, for the record, I am giving Black a dirty glare right now.”

Slimantha’s eyes followed Black’s tail as said tail swished back and forth with the cat woman’s laughs. She smiled and then glanced at Latril, whose eyes were on the laughing Black. “So,” Slimantha finally said, “should we head through?”

Black’s laughter faded, and she climbed to her feet, a few snickers slipping out from between her lips. She reached down and snatched her hat up from the grass. “Yes,” she said, returning her hat to her head. “Let’s head through.”