Falling from a rooftop was a most unpleasant way to start one's morning.
To her, it only proved the Grounded had no manners.
The morning had been a pleasant one. Warm sunlight creeping over the shattered city, warming her bones from the chill, rainy night. The fog retreating away to the mountains and jungles beyond the city. Raptors lazily drifting over the crumbling buildings in search of a meal. Peace.
Until gunshots rang in the air, and she was forced to flee from her encampment on the roof of an old apartment building. And unfortunately, the tile had been wet with morning dew.
Which left her plummeting to the ground. Her body was slapped with giant wet leaves and torn by rough branches as she fell. The overgrown jungle, if anything, helped to break her fall.
But it mattered little to her back when met with the mossy asphalt.
The breath rushed from her lungs, and she groaned. "Ohhhh I deserve a hot bath tonight."
"I'll see if I can find one for you in the Nether."
She turned her head. Soren stood atop a crest of shattered pavement, as skinny as a sapling, long hair loosely tied back. He picked his way down to her and offered a hand.
She took it and hefted to her feet. "Thanks, Soren."
That conceited grin she knew so well made an appearance. "Anytime, Mythra."
She scowled. "Myth, brother. Myth."
He scoffed. "Whatever."
"Did shaving my head not get the point across?"
"Really, I thought you just got tired of brushing it." He rolled his eyes. "C'mon, the Grounded are going to find us here. We need to get to the nether."
Myth brushed the dirt from her jacket and pants. "Must we? Can't we just run? I'm too tired to deal with giant crocodiles right now. I'll take the bullets over dragons any day."
He grabbed her hand. "Yes the poor dragons would much rather have you as their snack than see you as a bullet bag. Now come. Gaia's waiting."
"Please tell me you brought someone else to be her snack."
He winked. "That's the plan."
A lone Grounded grunt burst out from behind the building. His copper skin shone with sweat, which had soaked through his military clothes, and within seconds he had his rifle aimed at them. "Netherwalkers! Stop where you are!"
Soren held up his hands in surrender. "Hey, hey. Calm down. You got us, okay?"
The man trembled, hardly reassured. "You stop, got it? You stay right there! No lightning tricks! My mates will be here in a minute."
Her brother gave a shrug. "I get it. No moving. But y'know, why wait for your friends?" He took a slow step towards the grunt. "I could take you to the nether. Right now. But only if it's just you. Non'a your friends."
The grunt tentatively looked out from behind his gun. "R-really?"
Myth crossed her arms. "Yes, we're totally not going to feed you to our pet dragon."
Soren elbowed her in the ribs.
The man eyed them. "There ain't dragons in the nether. You Netherwalkers make 'em up to frighten us normal folks. But I don't believe it! I don't!"
Her brother nodded. "Yep. Exactly. So if you drop your gun, I'll take you there. It's a beautiful place. Green fields. Peaceful cities. You'd love it there."
Myth scowled at him. "Stop reinforcing their lies!"
The grunt dropped his gun, and it clattered on the ground. "I knew it! I knew it! All your lies about the nether being a monster infested swamp. Ha!" The grunt ambled over to them. "Take me there! Quick! Don't want the others getting non'a my paradise."
Soren offered his hand. "What's your name?"
"Alder," the grunt answered. "Now take me to the nether."
Soren's trademark grin returned. "As you wish, Alder." He glanced at her. "Sis?"
Myth snorted as she took his right hand. The grunt took Soren's left.
"Prepare for a ride!" Soren called, and above them, clouds began to twist and darken. They churned until they crackled with branching streaks of lightning. The electricity grew stronger and louder until...
An emerald bolt struck Soren.
The energy passed into her, and the world turned green. Then bright, and then...
"Welcome to the nether, Alder."
No more roads. No more buildings, or broken cars.
Only the swamp.
In an instant mosquitos were after her bare skin. She swatted at them in annoyance as she trudged over to a tree for shade. It, too, looked like it was melting from the heat. The sky was as gray as the water that flooded the ground and soaked through her boots.
Myth hated the nether.
"Hey... Wait... This isn't what you said! This isn't the nether!" Alder protested. "This isn't right! This isn't right! This— AHHHHHHHHGHHH—"
Within seconds, half his body was in Gaia's gullet. With another chomp, she cut off his screams and had the grunt on his way to her stomach. The dragon licked the blood on her maw and grinned.
Soren patted her on her thick, furry neck. "Thanks girl. He talked too much. But I was sort of hoping you'd leave me a foot or something. I'm starved."
Myth scooped a handful of water and drowned her face in it to wash the sweat away. The water was at least cool, and it felt good to clean away the dirt. In the reflection of the dark water, her skin was at least a few shades darker from its usual bronze. She couldn't remember the last time she'd properly bathed. "Y'know, she only likes you for the food. The moment you pop back without a snack, she'll bite your head off."
Her brother grinned. "Naw, Gaia would never do that. I'm way too handsome for her to stomach." He continued to stroke Gaia's throat. Like nearly everything in the nether, her fur was a muddy shade of green. She looked a bit like an overgrown, fluffy sea snake. One with wings. And horns. And claws. "Isn't that right girl?"
Gaia blinked her great gray eyes. "No, but all of that hair will give me bad digestion."
Soren laughed. "So you do like it long!" he called to her. "See Myth, ladies do like guys with long hair."
Myth kicked the water. "Soren, stop flirting with the dragon! How long do we have to stay here? I for one don't want to sleep in a tree tonight. I am really tired of that."
Soren ran a hand through his hair. "I think we got enough money from our last sting to get a room at an inn tonight. I think the nearest settlement is a few miles from here. But I don't think we should go back to Earth tonight. The Grounded are combing the streets."
Myth sat down on a fallen log in resignation. "When will it end, Soren? We haven't slept more than four hours each night in the past three weeks. I haven't eaten in two days. When will we get to rest? When will we get to stop running?"
Her brother stepped through the water to her. "When the Grounded stop chasing us."
"And when will that be? Ever? When all of the Netherwalkers are annihilated? Or the Grounded? I'm sick of this life, Soren."
"And would you rather go back?" She could tell Soren was at the end of his line when he raised his voice. It wasn't something he did often. "I rescued you last year and all you've done is complain. Should I have just left you there at that research facility, eh? Would you have preferred that, Mythra?"
Myth hugged her knees to her chest. "No."
Her days at the Jade Institute were not ones she cared to remember. Long, painful hours on cold operation tables. Days where she felt so weak from blood loss she thought she'd black out. Not that the scientists ever let her.
She couldn't show them a way into the nether unconscious.
Her fingers closed around the hilt of the knife she carried in her boot.
Soren sighed and sat down beside her on the log. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought that place up." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "You know you can tell me about it. What happened there. Maybe it would help."
She liked the feeling of him there. His comforting presence. But another part of her raged. That dark corner of her recoiled from his touch. It wanted to be alone. It wanted...
Soren's hand fell over hers. "How long has it been?" he whispered.
"A few days."
"When we last came here?"
"Yeah."
He hugged her closer. "I wish you didn't have to come here. I love it here but... I can see why you don't. Since Mom..." He shook his head. "But maybe facing this... It's a step to getting better?"
She broke away from him, her gut churning. "You mistake me, Soren," she said, stomping away. She needed to be alone. "You assume I want to get better."
Myth didn't turn back. She walked. She didn't even know where she was going. In the nether, it was dangerous to walk too far alone. But she needed it. She needed the silence. She needed to find a nice, secluded place...
A slimy, slick slithering hissed behind her.
She froze.
"Myth, you walk into danger."
Myth huffed. "I know, Gaia."
"I'd let the crocs eat you, but your brother is fond of you, and I am fond of his snacks."
She sighed. "I appreciate your protection, Gaia. But I really just want to be alone." Myth turned to face the dragon. She had risen from the murky waters, soft fur dripping.
The dragon cocked her slender head. "Do you think that alone, you will rescue your father or find your mother?"
Before Myth could answer, a scream ripped through the humid air.
Her heart skipped a beat.
Soren.