Two Worlds [Hermitcraft/DreamSMP Crossover AU]

Ruby Red

False led the way.

The heat from the nether was getting to them all. It wasn't safe to fly here - lava dripped from the ceiling, the terrain was uneven and filled with pits of fire and lava, and the waves of heat that rose from the ground disrupted with the steamy air currents that elytras relied on.

Instead, they had to walk. Her exposed skin was already red from the biting heat, and wherever her armour touched her was drenched in sweat, but she didn't dare take them off. To be armour-less in the Nether was a death sentence.

A Ghast screeched somewhere, its wandering cry echoing through the stifling air.

The Nether was somehow simultaneously too empty and too full at the same time. There were dangers everywhere. One wrong step could send you plummeting to your death, or into a pool of lava, which was just as deadly. Glistening red and blue trees could be seen, their gnarled roots clinging precariously to the jagged crimson rocks that made up everything. 

There was always movement. The flickering of flames, the dust and grime that fell from the Nether ceiling, the slow bubbling of the lava. 

There was always sound too. The faraway screeching and snarling of hostile creatures echoed through the desolate wasteland. Fire crackled, devouring air.

Yet at the same time, there was nothing. Heat, misery and death were heavy in the atmosphere, clinging to everything, muffling all of one's senses. It was like walking in a barren desert, with only the stifling heat for company.

She hoped they were going the right way. Compasses didn't work in the Nether. Maps were useless because things changed way too quickly. An island seen one day could be completely submerged in the lava ocean the next. A whole forest could grow in a week. A cave-in could create an entirely new impassible wall of red rock in the blink of an eye.

The only things that didn't change was the place the portal was, and the location of the fortress, but getting to it was always a challenge.

She raised her head and slowed down as they emerged from the cover of a crimson forest. Thankfully, they had only run into one small Hoglin, and Etho had taken care of it with one expertly shot arrow between the eyes. Now that they were going to be more exposed, their archers were more valuable than ever, their keen eyes and long ranged weapons the only reliable way to take down Ghasts.

She could hear the rest of her group stumbling to a halt behind her, and she turned to face them, checking that everyone was accounted for.

Hypno stood right behind her, his bow gripped tightly in his fingers. His long grey coat fluttered behind him, too big to be hidden under his armour.

She peered behind him. Keralis, Bdubds and xB were clumped together. Bdubs met her gaze and managed a slight smile.

"I hate this place." Keralis puffed, exhausted. She couldn't blame him, they were all tired. They had been traveling for a day now, with a couple breaks in between, and they were all drained.

Bdubs nodded in agreement.

Bad was right behind the builders. False couldn't quite figure him out. She liked knowing people, knowing if she trusted them enough to let them have her back in battle.

Bad was a mystery. He seemed nice enough, and was always trying to give her a muffin, but she had seen intelligence behind his gaze, the wary sadness, and the excited fury when Techno had been declared missing. He was loyal, almost deadly loyal, and strong willed, but extremely unwilling to take part in conflict. Unless he truly believed in his cause.

His black cloak fluttered around him, the blue sword strapped across his back gleaming brightly.

Etho stood behind him, pale hair gleaming in the maroon landscape. His eyes were determined and focused, his hands holding his bow casually, but she had seen how quickly he was able to shoot after running into the Hoglin and had no doubt that he could be ready to fire in an instant.