Chapter 2: Welcome Home
Enjoy..
TWs: Mentions of lava and f!r3
Pronouns for this chapter: Ren - He/Him, Xay - They/Ze/Ae, Hels - He/Sword, Wels - He/They

Enjoy...

Ren gazed at Xay, placing his hand in zir, and shaking it.

"Deal." Ren answered, a smile slowly climbing across his face.
"Glad you've joined us Ren. Now, we need to get you to our portal without Xisuma, Wels or really anybody noticing us." Xay remarked, slowly letting go of Ren's hand. "Easier said than done, I know. The best route for us is through the nether, it's quicker and easier. Unfortunately, it's more open until we reach the forest by the base."
"That'll be fine as long as y'all know good methods to hide in case a hermit walks past, it'll be fine."

Xay grabbed Hels's hand as Ren led the way towards the portal, making sure none of the hermits saw them. The portal had a dim purple glow, giving it a sense of mystery and illusion. The purple of the portal screamed magic, independence, pride, while the outside obsidian formed thoughts of strength and authority, neither matching the fire and the rage inside. Ren gestured for the two to go in first, soon stepping in after them. The heat soon raged forth, slapping his face with sweat as the armour he wore weighed him down. Ren sighed, swapping his normal boots for gold ones, so as to not anger the piglins. His gaze focused on the bridge in front of him, only a gap with a lava lake between him and the dark bridge. A figure was slowly walking along the bridge, carrying a sword and shield in their hands.

"You two, hide. There's a hermit over there and we aren't taking any risks here." Ren ordered, watching the two duck behind the trees of the crimson forest.

Ren slowly walked towards the bridge, avoiding the large lava lake below. The closer he got, the more he could make out the armoured figure. Blonde hair barely long enough to show below the helmet, cold blue eyes contrasting the warm tones of the nether, iron armour slightly rusting in the heat. The iron sword shone, reflecting the light of the molten magma below, illuminating the hermit's face, making them look like an angel. The light revealed a scar, running from their icey eye to their ear, leaving one eye slightly lighter than the other. They wore a brown satchel across their chestplate, the dark leather giving a nice contrast against the gleaming silver chestplate. Ren stopped at the end of the bridge, taking in the details of the hermit coming towards him. They looked like Hels in a sense, but more angelic and bright, despite the blue eyes bringing a sense of chill. Ren's thoughts were quickly interrupted by a voice, the silvery voice of the hermit he'd been analysing.

"Hey Ren! Ya alright?" The voice was calm, not too loud and energetic like his own, but not monotone and boring.
"Yeah! I'm good, just decided to chill in the nether for a while, I was gunna go get some supplies as well." Ren responded, tensing up at the fact he had to lie to the other hermits.
"Oh! What did ya need? I just went on a couple hour long mining trip, I probably have the stuff you need, if ya want?" The hermit asked, placing their hand onto Ren's shoulder.
"Eh, it's fine Wels. I'll go get it myself, besides, I haven't really spent much time in the nether in a long while." Ren assured, smiling at Wels as he tried to relax.
Wels looked at him, confused. "But I thought you hated the nether? It was too hot and sticky I thought you said?"
Ren tensed up again, the panic hiding from his eyes. This is where lying gets me, god I'm done for. He sighed, letting the words slip from his mouth. "Yeah, I do, it's just I need to get my own supplies from the nether for once. I always rely on other hermits for this, like Doc for example."
Wels nodded slowly, before gazing down at the fire. I don't know if I'm just over-analyzing this or what but Ren's acting kind of suspicious.. I'll remember this but I'll let it slide for now.. "Well, I should head back to my base, see ya Ren! Enjoy your resource gathering!"
"See ya Wels!"

Ren watched Wels leave, watching them take their helmet off, revealing his hair tied in a low messy bun, the light of the nether giving the blonde hair an orange glow. He stared, watching the knight walk off slowly into the distance, before glaring at the two hiding. He gestured for them to come over, which they slowly did, walking hand-in-hand. Ren smiled.

"So, gays, lead the way to the base." Ren said, smirking as he talked.
"Ren, stop being immature. We're just friends alright?" Xay scoffed, glaring over at Hels.
"Yeah.. Just friends.."

The trio walked in silence, Ren trailing slightly behind the duo. He gazed at the surroundings, never truly admiring the nether's beauty until now. The lava flowing gently, striders running around on the molten surface. Piglins stood around and watched, occasionally having a small conversation with each other. The blue of the warped forest soon came into view, contrasting with the warm themes of the fiery nether. The blue trees may have looked cold, but they gave a sense of warmth and comfort that Ren only really felt at his home. Endermen occasionally teleported around, avoiding eye contact was pretty easy to do. Then, he saw it. The large revamped bastion this duo called...

"Welcome home Ren, welcome home."

Well, welcome home Ren..
What happens next?

Hope you enjoyed...

~Nether