Chapter 15: Into The Nether

"Enough stalling!"

Rana and I's concentration was violently shattered by Sebastian's very apparent exclamation, which had been accompanied by a bang on the tavern's table. I hadn't even heard the doors opening, nor had I seen them walk up to our table, so I was startled quite a bit.

"Hey, what was that for?" Rana asked, startled as well.

"For just up and leaving yesterday. Does that not sound fair to you?"

I felt the strong need to remind the librarian that we weren't bound to Cornelia by any means, nor were we obligated to report our departures to anyone, but alas, I fought down the idea, and instead opted for a more diplomatic approach.

"Did you really come all the way here just to scold us?"

"Hardly," they replied nonchalantly. "Follow me, if you would be so kind."

With that last remark, which was delivered with a calm smugness, Sebastian left the inn, without even looking to see whether we were coming or not.

"I guess we'll have to finish this another time?" Rana asked me as she gestured to the book we were reading.

"Yeah. Let's go, now."

We followed the 'humble' villager, as they led us to some unknown destination. It was around noon, if not slightly earlier, so the vast majority of the village's inhabitants, both young and old, were out and about.

Something felt off, somehow. It could've been just my imagination, yet every time I made eye contact with a passerby or a bystander, I felt like they were giving us strange looks. I didn't get the feeling they were hostile in nature, just curious. That is, as far as the adults were concerned. The children, too, stared at us, but their gazes had a semblance of fondness and admiration. I didn't pick up on this right away, but I eventually noticed that most stares were directed toward Rana, more so than me. I wondered why.

Sebastian entered a building that I recognized to be the church and beckoned us to come inside. The church wasn't really a place that I spent time in, mainly because there wasn't a whole lot to do in it most of the time. I wasn't even sure if any actual religious practices were being held in it.

The structure itself, being the tallest in the whole village, was impressive from an architectural standpoint, yet rather bare. It was a long building, made pretty much entirely out of cobblestone, with a tall tower that took up around half its length. Its entrance was adorned with cobblestone staircases on either side of the oak door, probably to add detail.

The interior lacked decorations of any kind. The only things that broke the monotony the oversaturation of cobblestone made, were two torches hanging on the back wall on either side of a ladder - which was above some more cobblestone staircases, some yellow tinted windows on the side walls, and a brewing stand, which was sitting on the floor to the left. The ladder probably led to a second floor, or maybe the roof.

Anyway, we were instructed to sit down on the staircases in the back, as the Council was probably planning to lecture us about one thing or another. Emily - who was working on the brewing stand alongside Sebastian - and Johnathan looked pretty serious, as if the subject they'd talk to us about was of world-shattering importance. Sebastian, however, was sporting their usual calm expression. Regardless, the emotional state of the team became clear when its leader started talking.

"Welcome. We have summoned you here to share some very important information, so please, listen carefully. Are you prepared? This may take a while."

I didn't really know what to make of that disclaimer, so I simply nodded along, and Rana did the same.

"Good. As of late, a multitude of threats have been jeopardizing our village. The mobs and even the illagers are slowly but surely chipping away at our defenses. After a thorough discussion, we, the Order of the Stone, have decided to ask of your assistance in these trying times."

Neither of us said anything, letting Johnathan elaborate.

So, you are both aware of the prophecy, correct?" the mayor asked, as they began slowly pacing back and forth. I could hear a barely audible sigh coming from the frog girl at the mention of the prophecy.

"We've heard of it," I replied.

"Splendid! That means we won't have to read it to you again and can cut straight to chase! We are of the belief that the key to our long-term survival lies within the prophecy. Sebastian, if you would..." The villager in green stretched out their left arm, as the librarian handed that darned book that contained the prophecy over to them.

'I knew there was something more to it...'

The speaker cleared their throat before continuing.

"Rana. Steve. We have a good reason to suspect that one of you may just be the Fallen, the once omnipotent being that will restore the world to its former glory."

I tried to recall what few, vague details I had gathered about the prophecy, but couldn't really think of anything that would make me a more likely candidate than anyone else. So, I asked:

"Why? Why do think that?"

"Because we are desperate~" Sebastian cut in, smirking. The timing of that remark managed to get a chuckle out of Rana, while I, and even Emily, tried to fight back a smile. Johnathan didn't seem too pleased with Sebastian's sudden show of humor, as evident by the glare they were giving off. The librarian simply shrugged in response and returned their attention to the brewing stand.

"As I was about to say, we believe that one of you may be the Fallen because we're despe-er, I mean...Blast you, Sebastian!"

"Do not blame me, sir. You are the one who believes in that childish trifle."

"And how can you be so certain of the prophecy's lack of legitimacy? Especially now, when we don't have any other alternative? If there's even a slim chance that the prophecy is true, then our most likely candidates must know what they have to do. Now, cooperate, for crying out loud!"

The villager in white raised their arms in defeat.

"Now, back to the topic at hand. Tell me, what do you two know about dragons?"

"That they're great lizards that can shoot fire and, most of the time, they also have wings," Rana replied. My answer would've been almost identical, if it weren't the fact that I don't know what a lizard is. 'Is there really an animal that has the basic characteristics of a dragon in her world?'

"Accurate description, miss Rana!"

"Ah, yes, wonderful description indeed. She has such a way with words..." Sebastian spewed another venomous remark, which received yet another glare in response.

"As I was saying, does the name 'Ender Dragon' mean anything to you?"

I shook my head, but at least Rana's response was a little more enlightening.

"Does it have anything to do with an Enderman?"

"It does, as a matter of fact...but how do you know about Endermen, miss?"

"It's, uh, a long story."

The mayor finally opened the book and landed on a page that had a collection of grayscale illustrations of, what I could only assume to be, the Ender Dragon in different poses. Each of the illustrations depicted a different design, which was something I didn't know what to make of. One of them was mildly familiar to me, strangely enough.

"The point of telling you all this is that all of our evidence is pointing to this creature being the root of the corruption. In other words, it's somehow connected to all the monsters that have been appearing, for example."

'Okay...'

"As such, it's only logical to assume that slaying this foul beast will restore natural order. Of course, putting an end to the monsters' hordes isn't the only benefit the world will enjoy, should the Ender dragon get wiped; the Fallen will allegedly rise and revert to their original omnipotent status. Flight, invincibility, immortality, as well as access to every single element of nature. Anyway, I believe you can tell where I'm going with this?"

"You want us to take it down?" I asked.

"Although it would benefit us, it will ultimately be your call. I cannot ask, nor force you to take upon this task. I just wanted you to be aware of it."

I felt like I needed more information to make a clear picture, so I decided to press for more details after a short pause.

"So, where can we find this creature? Is it roaming about in the world?"

"No. It resides in a dimension called the End. Besides that it's the realm in which the dragon resides, there are no records available that could inform us of its nature; only how to get to it..."

"...Well? How do we get to it?" Rana slowly questioned. The villager in green took a deep breath before responding.

"All we can assume is that the portal that leads to the End dimension is hidden within a stronghold, located deep inside the earth."

"And where can we find the stronghold?"

"Nobody knows!" Sebastian cut in, while doing a hand motion one would see a magician do. I expected Johnathan would glare at the librarian again, and yet...

"That's right. The only way to definitively uncover the stronghold's location is through the use of a relic that doubles as a compass and as a key. That relic is the eye of Ender." Flipping through some pages again, Johnathan landed on a page that depicted the aforementioned item. It was a round object of a dark color, which got brighter close to the center. In the very center, was a vertical black streak, that roughly resembled a pupil of some kind, so that was probably where the name stemmed from.

"It can only be crafted through the combination of two extremely rare materials: Ender pearls, and blaze powder. Here, let me see if there's a paragraph dedicated to any of those somewhere..."

"Ender pearl..." Rana started saying. "You mean this thing?"

She held up an object akin to the eye of Ender, only darker and more uniform in its shade of green. It also lacked the pupil the eye had. At the sight of it, Johnathan's eyes widened, threating to pop out of their sockets.

"Where did you-*cough-cough*?"

At the Council leader's sudden coughing fit, Emily and Sebastian quickly walked up behind them and started giving rough pats on their back. As Johnathan took time to catch their breath, Sebastian, now donning a more serious expression, asked:

"Miss Rana, where and when did you get this?"

"I got it yesterday by triumphantly defeating an Enderman!...and, uh, nearly dying in the process..."

"Wait, what!?" I asked, maybe a little louder than necessary. She had said that last part quietly, mostly to herself, but I still caught it. Had she really been in such danger, while I wasn't there to support her?

"Have Endermen really spread this far?" Johnathan asked, having recovered from their earlier fit.

"Sir, has nobody informed you about this incident? Most everyone knows about it. I will say, however, that wasn't aware of the pearl, myself," Sebastian replied, to which the mayor frowned in contemplation. It was at this point that I realized...I had no idea what was going on.

"Okay, can someone please fill me in on what is happening? I don't have a clue what you guys are talking about! What's an Enderman, and what do they have to do with anything?"

"Right...I'm sorry, Steve. I got a little ahead of myself. Here, take a look."

On a different page, they showed me a drawing of the Enderman. Like the dragon before it, I had never seen that creature before and yet, it too, evoked a feeling of familiarity in me.

"Endermen are beings of unknown origin, and yet according to this book, which was written by our ancestors, they are the key to traveling from one dimension to another, thanks to the Ender pearl they leave behind after death. Miss Rana, could you please tell us about your encounter with this creature?"

"Umm..." She snuck in a glance toward me before continuing. "Alright..." She took a deep breath, and began narrating her run-in.

...

Once she was done narrating, no one really did anything. We all sat in silence, letting all that information sink in. Of course, I doubt we were thinking the same thing. The minds of the Council members were probably occupied with all the abilities this creature apparently had, and how much of a threat it would pose. I, on the other hand, felt guilt and fear build up in my stomach. Had things gone just a little differently, my teammate probably wouldn't be here...and there'd be nothing I could do about it...

"I believe now you can feel the importance of this operation, right?" Johnathan spoke up. "Miss Rana, I'd like you to keep that Ender pearl on you at all times, alright? And I'm sorry it had to come to that... Moving on... The other component of the eye of Ender is blaze powder. Blaze powder is made using blaze rods, which can be harvested from...well...Blazes. Here."

They flipped back a good number of pages to show us a drawing of the entity. It appeared to be covered in gas, so much so that its body was impossible to be seen, with the sole exception being its head. Because these drawing were grayscale, I couldn't tell what color each of the creatures and items were meant to be, but it looked like the Blaze's head was darker along its lower jaw. Many vertical rods hovered around it, which were probably the ones Johnathan spoke of.

"Blazes can only be found in the Nether, a hellish realm filled with nightmarish abominations and molten rock. There are many rifts in this world of ours that once led to the Nether. In fact, many new ones are rumored to appear over time, but most of them don't stay active for long. The one that has most recently formed is near the top of the gargantuan mountainside to the west. Passing through the portal should theoretically take you to the Nether."

The Nether was the name of the realm that was included in that book that was narrated to us during the reading event. I assumed it was just a myth, but if we were actually planning on going through with this, perhaps we were going to find out the truth soon.

"..."

"..."

"So, that's it, then?" Rana questioned.

"One last thing. There is technically a way to construct a portal to the Nether, but it requires diamonds, since only with a diamond pickaxe, can obsidian be harvested. Time is not a luxury we can afford to waste, so we recommend you don't go around looking for diamonds at the current moment. Just keep that in mind."

"While we are on the topic, congratulations on your new jukebox! It was a truly prudent usage of a diamond on your end." Sebastian added once again, to which I rolled my eyes.

"So, what do you think, heroes? Are you up for the task?" the villager in green asked with a serious tone.

Rana turned to me and asked my opinion on the matter. From the sound of it, I got the feeling that this was going to be quite the chore. I wasn't certain how successful we'd be, but after everything I'd heard, I still believed this was at least worth a shot.

"I think we should try. Don't you agree?"

She was hesitating, which was to be expected. She had told me after all, that she didn't want to meddle with something this critical. In the end, she surprised me by nodding with confidence.

"When should we start?"

"...How about dawn?"

...

The wind was howling, pushing the dark clouds as it willed. The sky was mostly dark, as the moon and the stars were obscured. That said, an orange streak was progressively becoming more apparent, as the sun shyly peeked up from the distant valleys behind us.

We were hiking up through snowy, rocky peaks. It was cold enough to the point where we could see our breaths. Cold enough that our feet sunk in the snow. Why did Johnathan think that dawn was a good idea? Oh, well...At least it was atmospheric, if that was any consolation.

There were eight people present in total; Rana and I, two Council members, Catherine, Gordon, as well as a couple other villagers who came along for the ride. Their names were Simon, a fisherman, and Ashley, a butcher. They had been supervisors during my shifts as night protector, and even though I didn't know them too well, they seemed like good people. Johnathan stayed behind in Cornelia for mayor duties, or something.

Change of topic, this mountain, the same mountain with the complex cave system below it, had proven a little tougher for us to climb than we'd expected. The cold was an obvious hinderance, yet not as prevalent as the terrain itself. The higher we ascended, the bigger the gap between one stone block and the next became. This was mostly a problem for the townsfolk.

With our abilities as adventurers, we could make the walking surface just even enough for the Cornelians to climb, but with how narrow the cliffs were, we all had to walk one behind the other in order to proceed. Rana and I were leading the way, while the villagers were in a formation of descending social status.

"Hey, Steve! Do ya reckon that one of us 'll slip 'n fall of the cliff like yo-?" I heard the blacksmith call out from the back. I could also hear Sebastian cringe, for Gordon practically yelled their ear off, thanks to their proximity. I felt kind of bad for the librarian...

'Wait...Villagers don't have ears...How the...Uh, forget it...'

After some time elapsed, we found a clearing with a noticeably higher temperature and visibility compared to the rest of the mountain. We soon found that the source of the heat and illumination were some sporadic bodies of lava...that surrounded a tall, obsidian frame.