Fly, Phoenix, Fly - Herobrine x Reader

Chapter Five - Blue Mushrooms

pls appreciate the new covers for this series :]

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"Getting close..." Alex murmured, picking her way through the teal and cyan undergrowth. The rest of the party followed in a single-file line behind her, Y/N gazing about in equal parts wonder and apprehension as they went. This place... it was like nothing she had ever seen before.

The warped forest was made out of huge, towering mushrooms, the ground carpeted in smaller fungus and a sort of blueish moss that Alex had called 'nylium'. It was quiet, the only sounds that they could hear being the distant chirps of faraway creatures. While Y/N couldn't deny that she was unsettled by the atmosphere, those in the group who were familiar with the Nether seemed at ease, so she tried to take comfort in that.

Meryl's wing caught on a dangling vine, and she nearly tripped trying to jerk it free. "This is why valkyries prefer to travel by air," She grumbled.

"Your sense of direction is truly impressive, Alex." The queen called from a few places back. "I've been lost nearly since we stepped into this forest." Alex gave a bashful grin over her shoulder.

"It's my job, your majesty."

It was nearing noon on their second day of travel, and they were rapidly approaching their destination. Y/N was on high alert, half-expecting a valkyrie in red robes to suddenly pop out of the underbrush. Of course, Sirben was a coward, it was unlikely that they would find him anywhere near potential danger.

"Here we are," Alex called out, and a moment later the party broke out into a small clearing. "I was up there- see?" She pointed out one of the great mushrooms. "Harvesting the shroomlights when that boy showed up."

"Excellent work, Alex." The queen said as she made her way into the clearing. "I knew I could count on you. Now, Herobrine, ladies." The queen gestured around at their surroundings. "Does anything here strike you as out of the ordinary?" At that, the group broke apart, spreading out through the clearing to investigate.

Y/N stopped beside one of the mushroom trunks, frowning a bit as she studied her surroundings. As a valkyrie who had never been in this part of the Nether, it all seemed rather out of the ordinary. But she knew that the queen was asking more for what was familiar rather than what wasn't, so she kept a keen eye out.

"Alex," Tekno spoke up, ambling through the center of the clearing. "When this kid showed up, which way did he come from?"

"Ah..." Alex spun in a slow circle, orienting herself, before pointing close to where Y/N stood. "That way." Y/N shifted over to where she had been directed, and almost immediately something caught her attention.

The foliage around her was primarily quite vibrant, shades of teal, green, and bright blue. Here, however, the vines and moss seemed to be beginning to wilt. Y/N frowned as she stepped close to study them. The decaying plant life stretched away into the forest, creating a trail of sorts. Perhaps it was unrelated, but maybe...

"Alex," She called out. "Is this normal?" The redhead hurried over to investigate.

"Well... no." She hummed, reaching out to prod at a withering vine. "Plants die, of course, but usually something like this would be accompanied by... chew marks, or something, and I see none of those."

"You're right, it's not normal." Herobrine's voice came an instant before he appeared over Y/N's shoulder. "But, at the same time, dying plants aren't something we associate with Sirben, either."

"But it is something," Y/N insisted. "And, at the moment, it is the only thing we have." Herobrine just gave a passive nod.

"Still, we should look around further before committing to any conclusion." He said. Y/N couldn't argue with that.