Lesson One - A Monster School Fic

Chapter Eighteen - Nether Field Trip, Part 1

As Herobrine had promised, his arm had healed by morning.

You noticed the lack of a sling when he appeared in the dining hall at breakfast with Evangeline, who was on her way out. When asked why, she said that she needed to return to her duties, and wasn't particularly comfortable going where today's field trip would be leading you. You were a little disappointed - and worried, where could you be going that would bother a valkyrie?? - but you and your classmates bid her farewell, and you caught a glimpse of her through the window when she flew away.

"I'm sure you're all curious where we'll be going today," Herobrine began once all of you had assembled in the classroom after breakfast. "And I would like to preface this by saying that you will be in no danger from the environment - 303 and I have made sure of that. Today we're going to the nether." Immediately, the class lit up with whispers and murmurs, but you just stiffened. How could they possibly make sure that it was safe?? It was full of fire and lava and- well, you were about to say 'monsters', but...

"Class," Herobrine called to bring down the noise level enough to go on. "Each of you will be getting one of these." He held up a small pouch, which fit in the palm of his hand. "It contains a stack of fire resistance potions, each one of which will give you eight minutes of full protection from fire and lava. And yes, I am aware-" He lifted a hand to quiet Soleil, who had already put her hand up. "That those of you native to the nether have no need of these. However, I will ask you to hold onto them anyway, in case one of your companions somehow loses theirs.

"You will be split into six teams again, as you were last week." Herobrine went on. "And you will be venturing out into the nether with the objective of locating each of the five major biomes. Can anyone list those biomes for me?" Greyson's hand went up. "Greyson?"

"N-Nether wastes, soulsand valleys, basalt deltas, crimson forests, and warped forests." The ghast rattled off.

"Good job," Herobrine praised. "We will be starting in a nether wastes biome, so the last four are the ones you will be seeking out. I have found a location in which all four biomes are within reasonable distance, which also lacks especially dangerous terrain, and 303 and I will be moving between your groups at all times to ensure that everything is alright." You saw his gaze linger on Cray for a moment. Hopefully he wouldn't run off any more cliffs.

"For a biome to count," 303 popped into existence on the other side of Herobrine's desk, making you jump. You were pretty sure at this point that he got a kick out of scaring you. "Everyone in your group must step inside of it. Yes, we'll be verifying this. And you may have to cross biomes at points in order to get to the others." Azara's hand went up, and Herobrine nodded to her.

"What about the hoglins?" She asked. "If we're meant to enter a crimson forest, they could be a problem."

"Not today," Herobrine shook his head. "I've already cleared out the area to ensure that there are no hostile creatures. As long as you do not go far outside the intended parameters of this trip - and we'll make sure you don't - there will be no hoglins." Azara nodded, looking pacified by this.

"Unlike last week, this trip isn't a race." 303 told you. "So take your time. If it gets to be too late in the day without you finding all four biomes, Herobrine and I will come and get you. We'll go over teams and how to meet back at the portal when we get there. Any other questions?" All was quiet, and he clapped his hands together. "Great! Then let's get moving. Down to the portal, please."

You followed your classmates downstairs to the portal in nervous silence. Despite Herobrine's assurances that it was perfectly safe, it was still... the nether. And Cray had nearly died in a taiga, how could they possibly make a cave dimension full of fire and lava more safe than that?? Granted, Cray's fall was kind of his own fault...

Soot grabbed your hand as you made your way down the hallway. "Don't worry," She chirped. "I'm sure Mr. Herobrine has everything under control. And we'll probably be in a group together again, so I'll watch out for you!" She beamed down at you, and you gave her a hesitant smile back. She was probably right, and it would be fine. Still...

"Do players ever go in the nether?" Soot asked as the two of you stepped out of the portal together.

"Sometimes," You told her. "Before now, I'd never been in the nether, but there are nether tunnels in between major cities to make travel faster."

"Hm." Soot hummed. "Kind of like this tunnel?" She gestured with her free hand to the enclosed, dimly lit passage that you were following.

"I guess." You shrugged. "Like I said, I've never been there. I've only seen drawings in my school books."

"Hm." Soot fell silent, musing over this quietly.

Herobrine led your class further down the tunnel than you had gone last time, passing a couple of other portals before directing you to a staircase about twenty blocks up. When you reached the top, now slightly out of breath, you were greeted by the sight of an immense, lava-lit cavern.

Your jaw dropped slightly as you craned your neck to look around. It was still dim out here, but you could see pillars of glittering lava that flowed from the cliffs and shining clusters of glowstone that grew from the nether ceiling. All the terrain for nearly as far as you could see was made up of a dull, reddish rock- netherrack, right? In the distance, though, you could see trees with bright red foliage. That must be the crimson forest that Greyson had mentioned.

"Alright, class!" 303 clapped his hands together to get your attention. "We've got a couple more goodies for you." He raised a hand, and a compass appeared within it. "Now, if you know anything about the nether, you may know that these things don't work too well in here." He flicked the casing, and the needle spun in a circle. "However..." he trailed off, and you leaned in to get a closer look at the compass in his hand. As you watched, the needle stabilized, aiming back at the staircase that you had just ascended.

"These compasses are bound to a lodestone, which allows them to function in any dimension." Herobrine explained. "And they will always point back towards their lodestone- which, in this case, is at our meeting place. Each team will be given one of these to hold onto, which you will use to find your way back here once you've completed your task."

"You'll also be getting one of these." 303 held up a clock in his other hand. "They're set to chime every seven minutes, reminding you to refresh your fire resistance potion. Better safe than sorry!"

"And, lastly, you will all receive a bundle with your lunch for today." Herobrine told you. "As I expect we will be here long past noon. Line up, please, and I will divide you into teams of three."

You shuffled into a line with the rest of your class, and you weren't surprised to be paired with Soot. The last member of your team this time, however, was Fade. You gave the enderman a curious look as he came over to join you. You liked him well enough, and he seemed like a nice guy, but you sure didn't know very much about him. Cray, you noticed, was placed with Soliel and Xa-Tul. Hopefully they would keep a close eye on him.

"Here you are, Y/N." 303's voice interrupted you from where you were watching the others be split up, and you turned to find him offering you two bundles. "This one has your potions, and the other one has your food." You took them with a nod of thanks. "Which one of you wants to hold the timer?"

"I will," Fade volunteered. 303 clicked a button on the clock, then handed it over.

"Go ahead and take your first potion," He instructed. "And don't be shy about wasting them- you have enough to last you hours." You nodded, drawing one of the orange potions from your bundle and popping open the cork. Fade, you noticed, had splash potions. Was he not able to drink potions, like the skeletons? You knew endermen were hurt by water, but... why was a splash potion okay, and not a regular one?

"Is everyone ready to go?" Herobrine called out as you downed your potion. There were a few murmurs of assent. "Stay with your groups, and be safe. I will be around to check on you shortly." Herobrine gestured out towards the cavern. "Go ahead." Soot grabbed your hand, and the two of you began to follow Fade out into the nether.

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This can't go wrong.

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