Same anon that sent in the ask about the flying skeletons here. From a different weird dream: occasionally, very rarely, one of the hermits will find an apple. The apples are surprisingly nourishing, compared to their normal counterparts, making them one of the best food sources. There is something off about them, however. After eating one, Iskall’s cybernetic eye freaked out for a second. It’s probably fine, though. Right? Right?
Season β AU #005 - An Apple A Day...
That's what the Hermits have learned. They refill all hunger, clear all normal effects and ailments, and even leave you with a general feeling of good health for a few days after consumption. These shiny, red fruits that turn up randomly and erroneously on the occasional jungle tree seem like a bright spot in the blue hell the group's time in this realm has been...
...which means there's probably a catch. Most of the Hermits have been around long enough to know that if something seems too good to be true, it is. And once enough of them manage to group up, this is the consensus they quickly draw.
Iskall's eye sparking angrily and sending a splitting headache through his skull the moment he takes a bite is just the final nail in the coffin.
The Apples are hoarded for emergencies, and are only ever used once everything else fails.
By then, though, at least half of the Hermits have tried one. Most don't see any lasting problems from this, but most is not all.
Jevin feels... looser, like the slime making up his body is less solid.
Stress feels a familiar chill rising within her soul again. One she thought X had managed to quarantine from her code at the start of Season 7.
Etho seems to zone out now and then, as if he's listening for something. He gets anxious and distressed when no-one hears whatever it is he can.
And Iskall tries not think about the way the skin around his cybernetic eye is itching.