Notes

W-001 woke up quickly. Startled, something in him remembering a dream of blood and underground, running and unable to see-
W-001 woke up quickly. The sun hadn't risen yet, but it was about to. They had plans today, upgrading their armor and their tools. W-001 grabbed his pickaxe. He heated up some steak and went to wake up Lorelei. Lorelei was never easy to wake, always slow to rise, but the smell of fresh steak helped. The shop was small and cozy, wide open windows and a sea breeze blowing in. The two of them had fallen asleep while reorganizing stock late into the evening. It wasn't the most comfortable place to sleep, but it was soothing- an open view of the sky, the smell of salt and water.
They would be giving that up soon.
It was time to upgrade.
The nether portal they used was far from the shop they'd stayed at. Even as they entered the Nether, Lorelei hung behind, wary of the danger in the fire and lava. Everything went well at first, discovering ancient debris at a startling pace, blasting through the netherrack with explosive spells. Biome after biome, safe in the tunnels where the ancient debris was-
Hold on.
Was that a blaze?
Fireball after fireball as Lorelei rushed through the caves, desperately trying to retrieve their inventory while W hacked at the hellbeasts, twisting and turning their route as more spawned in, creating tunnels that ran up against themselves or into lava as the peaceful mine became a warzone. Spell after spell, swing after swing until-
The desert was gone.
The blazes no longer lingered.
They both had managed to scavenge enough debris while waiting, and the treck home, though tense with the worry of another attack, was surprisingly calm. The tower was filled with chests, anvils, cast off armor. The work of coating diamond gear with netherite could wait until another day. For now, they would rest.