Season 1. Chapter 77: Netherworld duo
Scene: Inside the Nether Castle — Garrick the Comedic and Hale
The scorched glass window finally shatters as Garrick tumbles in like a sack of potatoes, smacking into the stone floor with a very loud and very unnecessary "OOF!"
He rolls once. Twice. Ends up on his back, chest heaving, one glove smoking and his shirt half-burned off, revealing singed abs and a ridiculous tattoo of a chicken holding a sword.
Garrick groans dramatically. "Hale—I'm alive... but my dignity didn't make it."
A moment later, the wind whistles again—and Hale dives through the broken frame in a clean arc, landing with precise footing like a falcon of war. His coat doesn't even flutter wrong.
He surveys Garrick.
"...Why is your shirt smoking?"
"I took a fireball to the torso like a champ." Garrick sits up, slapping out a tiny flame on his collar. "Also, I may have startled a Blaze Knight by waving at him."
Hale rubs his temples.
The room is filled with red Nether shrubs, their vine-like limbs curling slowly in the sulfurous breeze, soaking up heat from the scorched stone. They grow in clusters—about eight bunches, nestled near glowing rock veins.
Hale steps forward carefully. "We came for one thing—Nether leaves. That's it. No side quests. No chasing treasure. No igniting the locals."
Garrick stands, brushing ash from his pants. "But what if there's a sword hidden under all this evil shrubbery? Or a cursed goblet? Maybe an ancient orc with fashion advice?"
"Garrick."
"Yes?"
"No."
Hale kneels by the largest cluster, pulling out his specialized harvesting blade—a black-handled knife etched with silver runes—and begins carefully trimming the crimson leaves. They flake lightly, warm to the touch, pulsing with an inner life.
"Don't disturb the root. We need the essence to remain intact," Hale warns.
Garrick, meanwhile, begins "guarding" the room by dramatically peering around pillars, humming an ominous tune to himself.
---
Map: Ember Keep — Orc Fortress Beneath the Nether Tower
The Ember Keep is a subterranean orc fortress that extends beneath the Nether Castle, buried into the volcanic bedrock. The architecture is old and brutalist, made of obsidian bricks, brass supports, and molten channels.
[Nether Tower - Ruined Castle Above]
|
┌────────────────────┐
│ Elevator Shaft / │
│ Spiral Descent │
└────────┬───────────┘
│
┌──────────────────────┐
│ Ember Keep Upper │
│ (Barracks Level) │
└──────────────────────┘
│
┌──────────────────────┐
│ Ember Keep Forge │
│ (Main Workshop) │
│ Molten Core Split │
└──────────────────────┘
│
┌──────────────────────┐
│ Ember Throne Hall │
│ (Orc Warchief's │
│ quarters, altar) │
└──────────────────────┘
Elevator Shaft: Long-abandoned rope-and-wheel system. Now filled with lava roots and descending heat vents.
Upper Barracks: Filled with cracked weapon racks, carved bones, and graffiti in Orcish script.
Forge Level: Still active—molten channels power the smithing stations and sacrificial foundries.
Throne Hall: Once ruled by Warchief Bragduur. A cracked throne sits in the back, overlooking an altar made of obsidian and teeth.
---
Back in the castle...
Garrick spots the entrance to a spiraling stone staircase leading down, blocked off with rusted chains and a skull sign that reads "Beneath Burns."
"Hey Hale… you sure we're not even a little bit curious about what's under the castle?"
Hale, without looking up:
"Garrick. We came for the shrubs. We get the shrubs. We leave."
"But—what if there's like… a hot spring?"
"Last time you said that, we ended up fighting a lava eel."
"Okay. But I won, didn't I?"
"You screamed and threw your boots at it."
"And lived. Like a legend."
Hale sighs. "Get ready to exfil. The Blaze Knights will circle back any moment."
Garrick looks down at his ruined shirt, flexes dramatically, and strikes a heroic pose. "Then I shall distract them—with my manly resilience and uncontainable charisma."
"...No shirtless distractions either."
"Too late. The world has seen."
And with that, Hale finishes harvesting the Nether leaves, and the two vanish into the smoke—mission successful, but danger far from done.
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Scene: Return from the Nether — Underground Base, Potion Wing
Setting: A stone-forged base hidden beneath the cliffs, reinforced with enchanted ironwood beams and thick veins of crystal light running through the walls. Hale and Garrick emerge from a hidden tunnel, stepping into the alchemical wing—a domed chamber where hanging vines of Vita-infused moss shimmer softly and bubbling cauldrons line the walls.
---
[Garrick]
(half-charred shirt still smoldering slightly)
"Next time, you slam into the window first, Hale. I'm getting tired of being the aerial crash dummy."
[Hale]
(calm and serious, brushing dust from his cloak as he sets down a wrapped bundle of Netherworld shrubs)
"You volunteered."
[Garrick]
"I said, 'what's the worst that could happen?' That's not the same thing!"
(He limps over to a workbench, peeling charred fabric off his shoulder.)
[Hale]
"Stop whining. We got what we came for."
He unwraps the thick cloth. Inside, a dark red bundle of Netherworld shrubs unrolls like velvet flames. The leaves shimmer faintly, curled with blackened edges, and exude an eerie warmth even in the cool base air.
[Garrick]
(eyes wide despite his injuries)
"That's… that's a lot more than I thought we grabbed."
[Hale]
"Seven full bundles. Enough to make at least twenty distinct doses—maybe more if refined."
He begins separating the leaves into alchemical trays lined with runes. As he works, his tone shifts into lecture-mode, methodical and sharp.
[Hale]
"Netherworld shrubs are volatile. They grow in chaos, near Blaze Knight heat signatures. But properly treated…"
He picks up a shimmering red leaf and flicks a few drops of distilled Vita onto it. It reacts, glowing briefly.
[Hale] (continued)
"…they bind with intention. What you think while brewing determines what the potion becomes."
[Garrick]
"So it's like… magic soup with an attitude?"
[Hale]
"Think more like alchemical mirrors. Reflective catalysts. Let me show you."
He points to an illustrated parchment nearby—a quick sketch Hale did himself, listing the known effects of potions derived from Nether shrubs:
---
🌿 Nether Shrub Potion Effects (Based on Intent):
Potion of Cinder Step – Temporary fire immunity and ember-walk. Requires focused intention on endurance and movement.
Flask of Red Grasp – Aggressive vine conjuration; used to bind or attack. Intent must be control or anger.
Phantom Pulse Tonic – Invisibility in intense light or heat. Must brew with intention of escape or elusiveness.
Shrineblood Elixir – Brief surge in Vita channeling capacity. Requires focused faith or sacrifice.
Ashenheart Draught – Emotion suppression, mental defense against possession. Brewed with resolve and detachment.
Nether Bloom Salve – Heals burns and fire-elemental damage. Brewed with compassion and restoration.
---
[Garrick]
(pointing at "Cinder Step")
"Endurance and movement… okay. That explains why I don't want to fall into lava again."
[Hale]
"You won't. These potions are rare. But now we can mass-produce them. Especially for our front scouts."
He pauses, eyes narrowing as he examines the last few leaves. One bundle is noticeably darker than the others—more coiled, almost thorned.
[Garrick]
"…uh, that one's different."
[Hale]
"Those grew closer to the Blaze Knight nests. More potent. Possibly corruptive."
[Garrick]
"Corruptive how? Like… turning your head inside out?"
[Hale]
"Or worse. These may not mirror intention—they might overwrite it. We'll need containment."
He places the bundle in a locked iron box, rune-sealed.
[Garrick]
"So. We didn't just get alchemy herbs. We got options. Fireproofing. Invisibility. Vines. Maybe even some mental protection…"
[Hale]
"…and if we're not careful, madness in a bottle."
The two exchange a brief look—an unspoken agreement to test everything carefully. In this war-torn world, potioncraft was survival. And this haul from the Nether just tilted the scales.
[Hale]
"Tomorrow, we begin brewing. Prioritize defensive formulas first. We'll need them… if the Ember Keeps retaliate."
[Garrick]
(half-grinning)
"You mean when. Right?"
---
Scene fades with the glowing leaves being placed into crystalline containers, the lab echoing softly with the hum of latent Vita, and the scent of scorched flora rising in the air.