Chapter 10: “So where are we heading?” X asked. He and Scar were jogging through the shopping district in a companionable quiet, him lagging a bit behind. The afternoon sunshine had seeped out, along with the warmth, and he shivered a little as a wind swept through the lands. Turning to face him, Scar raised an eyebrow. “Weren’t you paying attention when I went through all this?” X gave him a sheepish smile, causing Scar to sigh dramatically. “Well I thought we could check the nether. You know, the Admin and the Mayor, we can handle this, right? Being the *professionals* we are.” He laughed half-heartedly, “Yep, professionals indeed. Well… I suppose the nether can’t be that bad, we’ve travelled through it loads of times. And I know someone who lives in there.” He did. And it wasn’t someone he was too eager to meet. Sweeping away the memories, X slowed to a stop in front of the portal. He felt a sense of foreboding, which, he told himself, was ridiculous. After all, like he’d said, he had been through it many times. Scar lingered back, as if waiting for him to go first, so X took a deep breath, braced himself, and let the purple swirls swallow him. The crimsons of the nether materialised before him, the full details blurred, appearing almost as if it were rippling. He took a step out of the portal. Scar, behind him, gave a small, involuntary squeak, toppling forwards to land next to him. He straightened immediately, brushing non-existent dust off his suit. “Argh,” he complained, half joking, “This journey always makes my head spin.” X made a vague, distracted sound of agreement, squinting through the glass of his helmet – which had misted over at the sudden change in temperature – at a figure in the distance. Wiping it with his sleeve, he looked again. The figure had vanished. He must have imagined it. “Where are we starting then? I mean, the nether’s huge.” “I was thinking the Upside Down.” Scar replied cheerfully. Seeing his look of puzzlement, he added, “You know, the community Grian started! It’s kind of abandoned now, but it’s a starting point. Maybe they could have gone there…” X had begun to realise how little preparation and information they had, how Mumbo and Grian could be anywhere, and regretting allowing them to go on what would surely be a wild goose chase. But he couldn’t turn back now. Not when his friends could be harmed, not when he had bound himself to this - Whatever this is – by making that vow. “Sure, we’ll go there.” After what felt like hours taking turns flying and walking (to save up their elytra’s durability), their wings and legs ached. “Are you sure this is the quickest way?” X asked sceptically, staring ahead at the seemingly endless tunnel. Scar shrugged. “It’s this or go through all the ghasts and lava. I know which one I prefer. There was some plan about ‘tunnel duty’ at one point, I’m glad I got out of that!” At last, they reached some kind of massive drill, emerging from the roof. Scar beamed at it. They had arrived. * * * Meanwhile, Stress and Iskall were flying over the emerald-green canopies of the jungle, landing on a branch of the ‘Omega Tree’, as Iskall called it. Scar had suggested they look here, as they would know the place best, seeing as they live there and everything. Stress peered out at the vast expanse of greenery, squinting her eyes and trying to spot, presumably, Grian and Mumbo. Joining her, he ran a hand through his hair, trying to think where he had last saw them. If anything had happened… As if reading his mind, she put a hand on his shoulder. “We’ll find them.” She said simply, and sounded so *certain* he almost felt reassured. “Right,” he cleared his throat, “We should probably search on the ground. They’re not going to be up a tree, are they?”
(continued down here, read the top bit first!) \/ \/ \/ Stress agreed, and they both spiralled downward through a gap in the leaves. Down here, the world was tinted with soft shades of green; the floor was dappled with light, and various bushes and brambles winded through tall, thin trunks reaching up to the sky; the air was clung with the earthy scent of mud and leaves. There was something about it that made them feel… small, and insignificant. It had been a long time since he’d walked among here, always choosing to soar overhead. Perhaps he should do so more often. “It’s gorgeous,” Stress whispered breathlessly. He nodded, taking all of it in for a minute more, before staring into the distance determinedly. They’ll find them alright. They decided to set off toward Grian’s hobbit hole, where they found a blue parrot (“Professor Beak,” Iskall read off the name tag, amused) screeching frantically and flapping around. “Hush, hush. Wot’s the matter?” Stress asked it soothingly, catching it and stroking its feathers in an attempt to calm it down. “Do ya want to be let out?” Iskall opened a window, and it shot out of her arms, flying away. “Could it have gone after them?” he wondered out loud, “If Grian’s its owner?” They shared a look. “Only one way to find out.” _________________________________________ _________________________________________ Previous - https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/515683322 First - https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/467888420 Next - https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/534573697 _________________________________________ _________________________________________ Notes: Aaaaaa Sorry this took so long- But yes Professor Beak!! Do you think he can really lead them to Grian and Mumbo? Or is it just false hope? PeSky bIrD- Also why do you think X felt 'a foreboding' before stepping into the nether? Hmm I think it's back to Iris and Jrum next chapter, I have some i d e a s- Why does the cover look so much like a chicken- The thumb has decided not to load. Great
