"What?" "Huh?" We all shook our heads in confusion.
"Let me explain." The old guy said. "You see, outside each city on this server, there's a special force-field that you can't walk through unless you have a special permit. However, when you're in the Nether, that force-field is deactivated and you can go anywhere you like."
"So, to get back to Sunnyside," Rainbowcreepers questioned the old man. "We have to go to hell?"
"Basically."
"Well, what genius came up with that idea?"
"Why don't you ask Freezie04, the moderator?"
I could hear Rainbowcreepers mumble profanity at the man, but I simply ignored and waited for the conversation to continue.
"So, uh…" I said. A few minutes had passed, and I couldn't take the silence anymore. "How do we get there?"
"It's pretty simple." The old man said. "I have plenty of obsidian in my old apartment upstairs." He pointed to the tall building behind him. It was red and looked old and abandoned, but still sturdy.
"Can we use it?" Rainbowcreepers asked.
"Sure. I guess I can help you guys out, as I have nothing better to do." The old man led us into the tall building. "By the way, my name is Daryl."
Daryl led us up to the fifth floor, the floor his apartment was on. We couldn't use the elevator, since it didn't work anymore, and no one bothered to fix it. When we got to Daryl's room, he opened the door for us. We all walked in.
The room was a good size, with a low ceiling. It had a bedroom and a kitchen, with a big glass window to look out at the city in. Not that there was anything to look at. The city was so abandoned and old that Daryl was probably one of the only players left living here.
"Welcome to my apartment." He said. "It's old, but I hope you like it." It was a nice apartment, besides the low ceiling. There was a nice dining table set out in the kitchen, with a refrigerator beside the wall, and countertops all across the wall to the left. In the bedroom, there were three bunk beds next to each other for six people to sleep in, with a pretend television on the other side of the room. It was almost like this guy was running a hotel in his apartment.
"You've got a nice place." Sarah said.
"Thank you." Daryl replied. "I try to make it nice for any visitors. Have a seat at the table, and I'll get some food out. You guys must be hungry."
Although we weren't that hungry, we accepted Daryl's offer and sat down. Daryl got out some mushroom stew and potatoes, and sitting in the middle of the table was a big cooked chicken. The food was cooked very well, and I forced myself to eat it because of the taste, even though I wasn't hungry.
That night, we all decided to fall asleep. Daryl advised that we get plenty of rest, and that we get properly prepared before going into the Nether. The way he put it, it sounded like a dangerous place. I had never been there before, so I was a little nervous when he was telling us about the dangers that were there.
I climbed into one of the bunk beds and started to fall asleep, trying hard not think about the horror of the Nether, or as Rainbowcreepers called it, hell.
"Steve." I heard Sarah say my name from the bed beside mine. I turned around to face her. "Are you nervous about the Nether?" She whispered.
I hesitated for a few seconds, before saying "No." I would've said yes, but I didn't want to sound scared. I wanted to be brave, but deep down in my mind, I knew I couldn't.
After a few more minutes of lying on the bed, I fell asleep.
I woke up a little early the next morning to see Rainbowcreepers standing in the doorway that led to the kitchen, stretching out of drowsiness. I couldn't blame him; I was tired too. He walked into the kitchen, and I got up. I stretched before going into the kitchen. When I walked in, I could see Daryl cooking something in the furnace. I bent over to see what it was.
"Hey, hey, don't get too close!" He yelled.
"Sorry." I said. I could see he was back to his grumpy self from when he met us yesterday.
"What are you cooking, anyway?" Rainbowcreepers asked.
"Mushroom Stew." Daryl said.
"For breakfast?" Rainbowcreepers questioned him.
"Well, what else are we supposed to eat?"
"Bread?"
Daryl paused and looked up for a moment, as if he was realizing his stupidity of not baking bread.
"Shut up." He said. Rainbowcreepers walked away.
"When will it be done?" I said.
"In a few minutes." Daryl replied. "Give it time, or it won't taste good."
I heard Sarah yawn behind me. I turned around.
"Good morning." She said.
"Good morning." Rainbowcreepers and I both replied.
"What smells?" She asked.
"Mushroom stew." Rainbowcreepers said, still annoyed at Daryl. "For some weird reason, Daryl decided to make mushroom stew for breakfast."
"Shut up." Daryl said again.
Sarah and I both sat down and started waiting for the food. I was thinking a lot about what we were going to do, or if we were going to be able to find Sunnyside City. I could tell Sarah was thinking the same thing, because she looked worried. Rainbowcreepers came over to the table, sat down, and broke the silence.
"So," He said. "Do you guys think we're gonna find Sunnyside?"
"I don't know." Sarah replied. "I'm still a bit worried."
"You guys will be fine." Daryl said, walking over to the table with mushroom stew in his hands. He set it down on the table. "I know how to navigate my way through the Nether."
"You do?" Rainbowcreepers asked. "But… how?"
"I went there a long time ago. It was a dangerous place, but I was young and strong, so I could-"
"So, you're telling me you're weak now?"
"Let me finish!" Daryl yelled. Rainbowcreepers quickly started eating his mushroom stew.
"Ahem." Daryl continued. "I was young, so I could fight my way through all the scary mobs, like blazes, zombie pigmen, and… other stuff." He sat down. "Let's start breakfast, shall we?"
Little Notch walked into the room, sat down, and we started eating breakfast without a word.
After breakfast, Rainbowcreepers was excited to go to the Nether, unlike me, but got disappointed when Daryl said we would need to get help.
"It's the only way we can make it." Daryl said. "With more people, we'll be able to find your city faster."
"That sounds like a good plan." Little Notch said.
"I guess." Rainbowcreepers said.
"Come on, guys." Sarah said. "It's time to get ready for the Nether.