Tango didn't like water.

He'd been living in the Nether for two years, where everything was searing hot. He could tolerate lava. But water? Not only was it cold, but it was like the anti-lava. After spending so much time in the Nether, water just felt...wrong.

Zed, on the other hand, was unfazed by water. He delighted in seeing Tango act, as Scar put it, like a cat spritzed with a spray bottle.

"How did Cleo survive being surrounded by water for years?" Tango asked, avoiding Zed's wet hands.

"She didn't..." Zed said in a hushed tone.

"Watch out, she'll kill you after Mumbo."

Zed responded by flicking water into Tango's face. "I'll push you into the water one day."

Tango uttered a very cat-like hiss.

Zed looked over Tango's shoulder to watch Cub, who was studying the cracks in the ground. "Dare me to push him in?"

He said in a little too loud of a voice. Mumbo glanced up at the pair, looking scandalized. Doc met Zed's eyes and nodded, dead serious.

Unfortunately, they'd also caught the attention of Cub himself. The scientist called to them: "You two, get over here! I need to show you something."

"Now you've done it," Tango muttered, getting up.

"Ah, there's water down there. If we fall, we'll land down there."

Zed obviously knew what he was saying. Tango shuddered.

Cub was waiting for them by the ravine. "Okay. Just look down. Tell me what you see."

Tango looked down, half expecting a push. Zed wasn't lying; there was water at the bottom, plus a bit of lava. Something was in the middle, where the lava and water met. The last time Tango had seen it, it had been lining the portal that took him here.

"There are diamonds down there," Zed muttered.

"There is?" Cub glanced down. "Oh, I'll have to grab those later. How about you, Tango?"

After being out of the loop for 2 years, Tango felt inferior with his knowledge of the Overworld. Cub was an expert regarding this world. The Aether, from how Zed had described it, was similar to this world, just without monsters. Compared to the Nether, where water didn't exist and monsters ruled, the Overworld seemed so tame and vastly different.

Hoping he didn't point out something obvious, Tango gestured at the place where water and lava collided. "The obsidian? I mean, I've haven't seen it in a while--the last time I did was lining the portal I went through."

Cub nodded. "When running water meets still lava, it makes obsidian, as opposed to when running lava meets still water, which makes cobblestone."

Zed was nodding. Tango tilted his head. "But what do you need it for?"

Cub shifted to the side. "Well, for a number of reasons. We need obsidian for an enchanting table, which is used to add, well, enchantments to your tools and armor. And," he said, glancing at Zed, "I wanted to visit the Nether."

Tango raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "No way," Zed said. "The Nether's really dangerous. The monsters..." He found it hard to explain. "Just...it's really deadly to anyone who doesn't know what to expect."

"I've been to the Nether before, when I was back at the lab," Cub said. "I thought it would be safer for someone who knows the terrain better than me to come along. That's part of the reason why I asked Tango to come."

Tango turned to Zed, looking concerned. "Are you okay with this?"

Zed wasn't, but he didn't want to show that. He nodded. "Of course I am, Tangy!"

Tango bristled at the nickname. "Tangy is not sticking..." He turned to Cub. "If Zed's okay with it, I am...but we're obviously going to need some protection. I think I've built up some immunity to fire, but I'm worried about you guys."

Zed was worried, too, but he tried for a grin. "Thanks, Tangy!"

"Why don't you two go on down?" Cub asked. "let me just grab my pick and I'll join you."

Zed took a running leap into the chasm, landing in the water below with a loud splash. He grinned up at Tango. "Come on, Tangy! It's nice and cool."

"Ugh..."

Tango gripped the edges of the ravine, jumping from ledge to ledge until he reached the bottom.

Zed stuck his tongue out. "Chicken."

"Demon," Tango corrected.

"Chicken-demon-cat." Zed wrung out his tunic, splashing water towards Tango. "Tangy."

Before Tango could throw the angel into the lava, Cub dropped into the water from above, holding an iron pick. "Where were those diamonds again?"

Zed pointed to a patch of blue rocks nearby. "See? Even Cub can jump into the water," he said to Tango.

A few minutes later, Cub came back with a shiny new blue rock pickaxe. "Do either of you want to mine out the obsidian?"

Tango took the pick and walked over to some of the black rock. "Don't trust Zedaph with a pick. Or anything, really."

"Tangy."

"Shut up, Zeddie. Two can play at this game."

Tango whacked the obsidian, wincing at the loud clang the pick made. The rock didn't break, but the tiniest crack appeared in the center. He hit it again. The crack grew by a centimeter. "Geez, this is a pain..."

Zed lounged next to the water, kicking his feet. "Take your time, Tangy."

Tango finally broke one block. He walked over to Zed and dropped the pick in his lap. "Your turn."

"Lazy."

Zed managed two blocks, then handed the pick to Cub, who mined eleven more.

"Four for the enchanting table. Ten for the Nether portal." Cub looked satisfied. "Now, how do we get out of here?"

»»————-　★　————-««

After 30 minutes of yelling, Grian finally found them trapped at the bottom of the ravine. He had grabbed some random blocks from his various chests and tossed them down. The trio managed to climb up, leaving an odd assortment of scaffolding behind them.

"You tossed down an Endstone block! Where did you get an Endstone block from? We haven't been to the End!" Zed protested loudly.

"I did?" Grian looked confused. "Oh, that must have been in my inventory when I traveled from the other world..."

Tango kicked Zed's shin, glancing at both X and Grian. The angel shut up.

"Anyway...I'm gonna craft up some armor so we can get going," Cub said.

"Already? Don't you need bookshelves for the enchanting table too?"

"Mumbo made a zero tick sugar cane farm, but he hasn't touched it since...you know. But I've got everything I need."

Half an hour later, Cub came back with two sets of shimmering iron armor. He handed Zed a set, putting the other one on himself. "Are we good to go?" He was asking the question to both Zed and Tango, but he looked at Zed to see if he was okay.

"We're fine." Tango gave Cub a pointed look.

They watched Cub build up a rectangular obsidian outline for the portal. Cub grabbed his flint and steel and used it to light the portal, activating it. Zed inhaled sharply at the swirling violet vortex. Tango tensed, expecting the worst.

"Who wants to go first?" Cub looked at the pair behind him. "Tango?"

He really didn't want to go first. But both Cub and Zed were looking at him expectantly. Instead of them knowing about the dimension, it was Tango. He would be their guide. They were relying on him.

"Um, yeah. Sure."

Tango stared at the portal for a moment longer, then took a step towards it. The sound emanating from the portal heightened Tango's anxiety, but he took a deep breath and stepped into the portal.

»»————-　★　————-««

The Nether, while dangerous, gave Tango a sense of belonging. It was a fiery hellhole, but it was his fiery hellhole.

The portal had spawned them onto a fairly large island. In the distance, the beginnings of a Nether fortress sprouted from the lava lake below. There was a smattering of zombie pigmen roaming around, making Tango feel less alone with their grunts and snorts. The quiet murmurs of a Ghast could be heard in the distance.

The portal behind him gave a loud zap, dropping Zed into the dimension. He took one look at the landscape and grabbed Tango's hand, hiding behind him. He seemed genuinely afraid of the place, which made sense. Hell was the last place a resident of Heaven should be.

"I can't imagine being stuck here for two years..." he murmured, glancing at the pigmen as if they were to attack any second.

Tango gave Zed's warm hand a tight squeeze. "It's alright. Just stay with me. I'm not letting you die again."

A moment later, Cub dropped in, holding an enchanted diamond sword. He looked at the Nether fortress. "We should head out there and raid it. There might be some Nether wart there, which we can use to make potions, plus some other loot that could be useful."

"Uh..." Zed squeaked. "It's in the middle of a giant pool of lava."

"Yeah, we're going to have to bridge out."

Zed's violet eyes widened.

Cub didn't seem to notice the angel's fear, instead grabbing a small amount of cobblestone from his inventory and walking over to the edge of the island. The bridge was only one block wide, so Tango and Zed followed behind Cub, careful about where they placed their feet.

They had made it halfway to the fortress when Cub ran out of cobble. "Shoot. We're going to have to use netherrack. We should go back and grab some."

Tango started slowly making his way back across the precarious bridge, Zed still holding his hand.

Zed halted, looking around. His grip had suddenly tightened in Tango's hand. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

Then Tango heard it. The sound, although distant a few minutes ago, was much louder. It was close. Then, the unmistakable squawk of the creature, sensing some very vulnerable people nearby. Finally, the fwoosh of something deadly being launched.

All three of them turned around to see the Ghast's fireball hurtle straight towards them.

(WC: 1689)