The Void's Song.- Desert Duo. (slow updates)

Risks.

GoodTimesWithScar pulled his newly-smelted iron ingots out of the furnace, replacing it with a few chunks of raw copper. Following muscle memory, he placed it on the crafting table, creating a set of iron armor. He almost made a helmet, but that would have been a foolish mistake, as a helmet was practically useless in these worlds. If you couldn't see from all angles, you were screwed. The clunky helmet was always blocking one's peripherals.

He didn't end up making one though, and quickly pulled on the rest of his armor. It would be way too unfair to Grian if they died this early. They needed to play this safe. Usually Scar wouldn't even bother making armor himself, instead preferring to scam- convince others to lend him their armor in exchange for something or other. That sometimes created issues later on though, something that they couldn't afford to let happen. No risks.

No risks. He looked at the little allay floating behind him. The creature was oddly similar to a vex. Instead of evil though, the allay radiated feelings of... brokenness. Like it was filled with joy, but it was so much more fragile than a glass vase. Melancholic, so to speak.

He had rescued the creature from a pillager outpost near the corner of the visible world inside the glowing blue walls.

He knew it was dangerous. Don't take risks. He didn't. He made sure the way in was safe. He had a water bucket in his hand. He had wood to make a path to the roof. He had a shield to protect from arrows. He had cooked steak in case his hunger dropped. He brought along Bdubbs for backup.

He glanced at the spruce sapling, the one that he had given to the allay in a moment of panic. Pillagers had been beginning to close in on the tower, shots flying close to his head, far too close for comfort. He had seen two allays in a cage when ransacking a chest. Bdubbs told him just to give one something, then it would follow them out. He panicked, quickly giving it a sapling and running out of the room and back across the river.

He wondered what would happen if he tried to take the sapling and give the little sprite something else to look for. Maybe something more visually appealing than spruce saplings. He decided to try later, perhaps he would give Minnie Mouse the allay something different, perhaps a torch or pickaxe.

He laced up the leather straps of his iron boots, now fully protected. Putting armour on was certainly easier with another person to assist you, but he would manage for now.

He picked up his crafting table and furnace, shoving them in the rapidly declining amount of free space in his bag. His copper was done smelting so he shoved it into one of the last bits of space he could find, before heading to the surface. His bag was filled with so much junk, he would certainly need to set up some sort of base to store it all in soon.

He heard voices of people echoing from the large crack between mountains, an ancient ravine that had long been filled with water. He jumped down to see them, landing in the water. A goat horn called in the distance, another of a different sound quickly replying in kind.

"Hello!"

Etho and Joel turned to look at him, surprised at his arrival. "Oh, uh- Hello, Scar!"

Etho was perched on a boulder on the side of the cliff, Joel ducking his head up from where he was mostly submerged in the river. He shook his head in a rather doglike manner, sending water flying. Etho put up his hands to block the water from hitting him, but his eyes were crinkled at the corners, a telltale sign that he was smiling under the mask.

"So, how are you guys doing? Found your soulmates yet?" Scar pulled out his sword, quickly slashing at a salmon that tried to stealthily dart past him. He grabbed the limp body of the fish, and ate it. It did little to ease his intense hunger.