Hello! I'm writing this casually. It's actually to make myself play less Terraria. But, I hope you can get some enjoyment out of it.
It's bound to be full of errors, so let me know and I'll fix it when I can. :)
I could tell by the sound of my pickaxe hitting the stone that there was something on the other side. An opening, I figured, with a lot of space. I braced myself. I had passed large pools of lava on my dig down, and I didn't want to break through the stone only to find myself drowning in it.
Taking a deep breath, I broke away some of the stone, not enough for me to fall through. Light shone through the hole, but I couldn't see any lava, fortunately. In fact, there seemed to be more stone that I could land on, below. I let out that breath.
Breaking the remaining rock, I allowed myself to fall through, readying my Frostspark Boots, in case I suddenly had to leave. Behind me was a wall, and before me was a ledge, but it wasn't made of stone, as I had initially thought it was. It was made of ash.
The atmosphere was filled with it. It was stifling. I've always had a tolerance for heat, but this place, whatever this place was, was suffocating me with dry heat.
Finally, it hit me. The pools of lava, the heat, the ash… I had reached the Underworld. Jamal was obsessed with this place, lately – all he would ever talk about was how he'd like to shoot up a voodoo doll of the guide. I hadn't taken him seriously. He and Jarut were in the habit of talking a lot of smack without actually ever leaving the homes I built for them.
I inched my way over to the ledge. I'm unashamed to admit I was scared. I had no idea what kind of creatures would in habit this kind of place. That, and I was wary of more lava.
A red stem that had previously gone unnoticed bloomed at my feet. It was a flower. By that, I mean it was about to go in my garden. I slashed at it with my still handy pickaxe and collected the seeds. Then, I made the judgement call to keep my Blade of Grass handy, instead.
Closer to the ledge I crept, until I could peer over the ledge.
Yep. More lava. But there were masses of ash, too, that I thought I could land on and use to navigate if I was careful. And, were those… buildings? Black towers in the Underworld?
Before I could get a proper look, a flaming bat ripped around the ledge and aimed itself directly at my face. In shock, I screamed and flailed with my sword. It died after three swipes but it managed to scratch me up a bit. And the bastard burned me!
"Crap!" I exclaimed, examining the burns. Jenna was not going to be impressed. "There's no way I can go down there, right now," I told my baby Eater. It continued its purposeless meandering without so much as looking at me. "Okay, well, goodbye, this place."
I looked into the Ice Mirror and was very ready to plop down on the bed behind me as soon as I had been transported. But, my newfound treasures in my pockets were making me restless and I didn't rest long before I was bounding out of my room to the Guide.
"Steve!" I called, hoping down the remaining stairs. He was chatting with the Merchant, Wilbur, in the room of my horrendous horde of, well, everything I owned. I had fourteen chests set up in that room in an attempt to keep all materials organized. "Oh, sorry to interrupt," I added as I skidded through the door.
Steve turned his head to look at me. He had his fist out, and I wondered why, until Wilbur smacked his hand.
"Paper!" Wilbur declared, "You owe me two silver."
"I never agreed to gamble," Steve grumbled and left the still-bellyaching Merchant to talk to me. "What can I do for you, Mensa?"
"I need to know what I can do with this," I give him a piece of obsidian I had obtained. He took it.
"Where did you get this?" His eyes were wide. He looked… scared? "Where you in the Underworld?"
"No, not yet," I answered, "too much lava. Why? What's wrong?"
I waited for a moment while he regained his composure.
"Nothing," he said, handing the obsidian back to me. "Look… There's a lot you can make with this. Furniture, mostly, but you'll want to make and Obsidian Skull and combine it with your Water Walking Boots, right away."
"Okay," I said, pocketing the material once more. "Are you okay?"
Steve brushed past me.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just tired. I'm gonna go have a nap."
I looked to Wilbur, who just shrugged.
The Tinkerer's Workshop was at Grodax's house, given that he was the one who sold it to me. His place was actually next to the main house – it was an apartment complex, but it was empty except for him and Jamal. Steve was always telling me about new villagers that might come, and I wanted to make sure I had space to accommodate them when they arrived.
I hopped through the trapdoor I left on the roof and knocked on his door.
"Hey, Mensa," he greeted me.
"Hey, can I use the workshop? I gotta combine these," I showed him the boots and the skull. "And then I'll probably need you to reforge them – to be warding, if I can afford it."
"Sure. You know, you can always buy another one for the house, if you want," he let me pass.
"There's not really any room, Grodax," I told him for what felt like the hundredth time, "Besides, I like checking up on you and Jamal. Make sure you're still getting along."
He shook his head and crossed his arms.
"Sure we get along… when he's around."
I looked at him curiously and drop my boots and the skull on the table.
"When he's around?" I repeated.
"Yeah. But, he's been going out with Jenna a lot."
"You mean he has appointments with her?" I asked. Jenna had asked me if Jamal talked about seeing her, before. Grodax grinned at me.
"Sure, they make appointments."
"Haha," I laughed sarcastically, "So, what, are they dating?"
"I don't know. He talks about hitting on Alalia, too, so…"
"If he upsets my nurse, I will, in turn, be upset," I growled and started working on the boots. Grodax stood by and watched. I was certain he was better at this than I was, but we both thought it important that I figure it out on my own.
"Why do you wear that?" he asked. I looked down.
I wore Meteor armour for protection, but decorated myself with the ninja armour. I had my Worm scarf dangling from my neck, but I was using too much equipment, so I just kept it handy. A Shield of Cthulu, Tiger Climbing Gear, and Water Walking Shoes (soon to be Lava Waders!) were all that were visible aside from my ninja gear and scarf. Everything was dyed with Reflective Obsidian dye.
"I dunno… I need most of this stuff," I answered simply.
"Sure, but the ninja stuff…? You could wear anything over top."
"Yeah, but I like the ninja stuff. I got it from the Slime King. Why are you asking, anyway?" My tone edged towards annoyance and Grodax threw up his hands in defence.
"I was just curious! Jamal brought it to my attention, is all. He mentioned that you don't really dress like a girl."
"I dyed it purple, didn't I?" I snapped. "Even my Shadow Orb is bright purple."
"I was just wondering, is all! I thought perhaps you were worried about unwanted attention. And with Jamal, I'm not surprised."
I took a deep breath and finished up on the boots. They looked pretty much the same, except for the orange skull and band across them. Not a huge fan of orange, I slipped them on and let the dye take over.
"Sorry, Grodax. Wilbur called me scrawny, once, and I don't much care for being judged by my looks."
"Well, your armour suits you, well, then."
I apologized again, and he assured me everything was fine.
After showing the boots to Steve, he suggested that I combine them with a Lava Charm. Now, I could explore the Underworld with minimal threat from lava. I opened the latch of the trapdoor to my elevator – a Hellevator, now, I suppose – and said goodbye to Steve.
"Don't worry, I'll be okay," I told him. He smiled sadly at me and nodded. I didn't know what was wrong with him, but I figured I'd better keep a close eye on him, in the future.
Down the chute I went. I felt uneasy passing the Marble Cave, but my fall was fast enough that no Medusa or Hoplite caught sight of me.
I entered an obsidian building and looted through their golden chest when a couple demons harassed me. I dodged their scythes by ducking behind walls and closing the doors, opening them only to shoot them with my Diamond Staff from a distance. No way was I getting close to those guys.
Hellbats and Lava Slimes chased me from room to room, but I could fend them off easily enough. Probably the biggest pain in the ass were the Fire Imps. I didn't even know they were there until their fire passed through the walls to hit me.
When I got to the bottom floor, I dug through the bricks, not so afraid of lava, anymore. I was surprised to see glistening metal behind it. It was an ore of some sort. My pickaxe could break it, but the ore leaked lava as it did so. I collected what ore I could find within a reasonable reach.
When I was satisfied with my loot, I exited the building. I saw another Demon headed my way, but it was carrying something disturbing: the Guide voodoo doll.
Jamal's information was right.
I wanted to run from the Demon to the next building, but I didn't like seeing Steve's body hanging from his feet.
Three spinning, purple, magic projectiles appeared, and I realized I'd have to either run or fight. Checking the doll one more time, I braced myself. I would retrieve that doll for myself and ask Steve about it – and be sure not to let Jamal see it.
The Demon's magic was fast to move and I hopped out of the way, but my Frostspark Boots weren't fast enough to dodge all three. The magic tore through my body. My armour took some of the damage, but it still burned all over.
The Demon flew over to me – I hated enemies that could fly – and I tried to keep it at bay with my sword. I fell back down to the roof and went back to my staff. It swooped over the edge of the building, recoiling from my attacks. I rushed to hit it again, but stopped myself. If I killed the Demon, now, it would drop the doll into the lava and I wouldn't be able to retrieve it.
So I waited – and I hated waiting to be attacked – until the Demon flew over my head, again. I could see it summoning its magic and shot it down as quickly as I could. The burning sensation from its previous attack was still taking its effect, and I wasn't ready to be bombarded with more.
When the Demon died, it dropped the doll, as I'd hoped, and I caught it. I was distressed to see that its magic projectiles didn't die with it. They remained, spinning like a sawblade, before taking off. To my relief, without anything controlling them, they took off in random directions and I was safe.
Soon after, I returned home. The Underworld was fascinating and exciting, and I was certain that I could find some useful materials, there, but it was also scary and dangerous. Hopefully, with this new ore, I could make better armour, and then I wouldn't have to be so intimidated by Hell.
Jenna was in my room, as she often was, because of the bed. She gasped when she saw me.
"My goodness!" she exclaimed as she checked over my wounds, "I'm good, but I'm not that good." I didn't ask her to heal me, though, as I wasn't headed anywhere unsafe any time soon.
I ran downstairs where I hoped to find Steve walking around. I saw Wilbur, first.
"Where's Steve?" I asked. The Merchant nodded noncommittally at Steve's door. I was thankful that he didn't add a sarcastic remark asking where I expected him to be. Honestly, Steve runs around the house and grounds as much as I do. It really causes a problem when enemies are near. I didn't expect him to be shut away in his room during the day.
I certainly didn't expect to find him sitting with his head in his hands at his table, but that's how I found him.
"Steve, seriously. What's going on with you?" I asked. The villagers depended on me to keep them safe and, as far as I was concerned, mental wellness was just as important as bodily injury.
When he heard me, he smiled and stood, but I could tell he was putting on a brave face. It was as if he was as injured as I was, but I couldn't see any wounds seeping through his clothes.
"It's nothing, I promise. Just a little sick."
"Sick?" I asked, and he nodded. "I'd feel better if you visited Jenna about it. I'll even pay, if you want."
"I'm sure that's not necessary," he scratched the back of his head. "If it gets worse, I promise I'll talk to her, okay?"
Satisfied temporarily, but making a mental note to not leave his side at night, I showed him what I found.
"Think I can make anything out of this stuff?" I ask excitedly. Steve and I had a lot of fun looking through the things I found. He was an expert at crafting and didn't mind explaining everything to me again and again, no matter how forgetful I was.
He checked the materials over. I tried not to make a mess of the table and didn't throw any of the furniture I found on it.
"You were in the Underworld, weren't you?" he asked.
"Yes. Is that okay?"
"Yeah… The ash is mostly cosmetic. You can make stucco with it, if you want. But, it's the Hellstone ore that you'll want. It takes a Hellforge to work with, though. And…"
He picked up the doll.
"I didn't make that!" I blurted, before I realized that he probably didn't think that I did. "Um, but, isn't it messed up? I saw a Demon carrying it around."
The Guide didn't say anything. He dropped the doll back on to the table as if it bit him. I was quite sure the doll didn't move. I picked it up, if only to confirm to myself that it wasn't burning.
"Steve?" I asked. His eyebrows were knit and he stared intently at the doll. "I don't know what it means. Do you? Steve?"
He didn't speak, but he slowly shook his head.
"Well, I want to make sure Jamal doesn't a hold of it. Do you want to keep it?"
For a moment, he held out his hand and considered taking it. But, he retracted it when I offered it to him.
"No, you should…" he trailed off, his voice was quiet. Then, he cleared his throat and spoke in his more normal tone. "You should keep it on you."
I had no idea where he got the idea that I would keep it on my person, but I decided to store it safely, anyway. I wasn't going to carry it around with me – it was super creepy – but, I would keep it safe, in case we ever needed it.
I decided to take the next day off. It was exhausting and still a little frightening to think of the Underworld. I wouldn't say that I hated it, there, but I wasn't in a rush to get back.
Besides, I wasn't sure which I should craft, first… Molten Armour would take a lot of Hellstone to complete. Steve was adamant about making a Fiery Greatsword, for some reason, but he wouldn't tell me why. Personally, I was excited about the Imp Staff – it would be my first ever minion, and I'd feel much safer with my own Fire Imp covering my back.
So, I would take a day off – a well-deserved day off, if I may say so – until I was sure about what I was mining for.
In my room, I considered my wardrobe. Scarlett said I could use a new style, and Grodax's comments were bothering me. Did I need to be feminine? I was content as I was, wasn't I? So, why was I even questioning it? Would I know fashion if I saw it? Style seemed to come so naturally to Jenna and Scarlett, but not to me. If I asked them for help, would they take pity and help me? Or, would they laugh at me?
I settled on getting a haircut, even though I could already hear Scarlett scoffing as I donned armour, once more. It wasn't my fault. I had to be efficient, too. The fact that I might have wanted to be a little… girly… could be my secret.
Scarlett happily styled my hair. It was naturally purple, but she seemed so impressed at how I kept up with my roots, I decided not to comment that, as far as I knew, I was born with it.
"I was thinking it should probably be short," I told her, "because of my armour?" I added when she put her hands on her hips.
"You sure you have the face for that?" she asked. I squirmed.
"Well… if it has to be long, I'd like it to be easy to manage."
She settled on a ponytail that she told me would be low-maintenance.
I thanked her and paid her. I picked up my helmet.
"Oh, you're not going to wear that, are you? I just fixed your hair! I thought it was your day off. At least keep your hair nice for today."
I looked at my helmet. If it was only for today, that would be okay, right?
"Well, alright," I resigned to put the helmet under my arm.
"Great," she chirped. "Trust me, you'll like it. Nothing feels better than wearing professional, freshly-styled hair."
Steve ran in the room.
"Did you see?" he asked me.
Scarlett muttered something about knocking and privacy and split-ends.
"See what?" I asked.
"It's raining slime, out there. I mean- we can handle slime, but I thought you should know, in case…"
In case he showed up. I nodded and pulled my helmet out from under my arm. I gave an apologetic glance to Scarlett, who scoffed and threw her arms above her head.
So much for a day off.