“Hey, Blondie!” A distorted British voice called. It reminded Grian of someone else who’s familiar- but oddly different. It wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for him to not know someone on this new server, after all.
The winged hermit looked up from the boats to the mountain covered shores of the main island and spotted a stranger in red armor that he hadn't met yet in this strange new world… His armor was similar to Xisuma’s, as well as his voice actually...
“...Yes?” The British hermit tilted his head curiously at the new man. “Are you talking to me?”
“Ugh, yes, you. Who else?! You are licherally the only one in the nearby area right now.” The horned stranger strode down the mountain. “You are the new hermit the stinkin’ admin invited, yeah?”
Grian nodded after a brief pause, and the Xisuma look-a-like continued to speak, “I’ve heard you’re a big fan of shenaniganry, aren’t ya? Interested in some advice?” Grian, dumbfounded, continued to nod. “Well, mind going for a walk? The weather is too nice to be wasted in the shadows of some mountain.” The red armored individual held out his claw-like hands, and the hermit took them, almost without hesitation.
Not that Grian had much of a choice, actually... Something about the stranger was charming and made him easy to listen to.
Not-Xisuma pulled him up onto land and let go of the hermit’s hand. As they climbed the steep mountain- with the stranger walking with an awfully lightweight pace, despite the heavy armor he was wearing- the other spoke once again, “Don’t you think the server is a little too quiet, Grian? Don’t you think it is in need of some… Chaos? Just like your old home, don’t you remember all those pranks you did? How much fun you had?”
Grian stopped for a moment- Nevermind the fact that he somehow knew about his life before Hermitcraft in Evo, or how he suddenly knew his name- he had a point! Maybe that was what he needed to truly fit in with the hermits… It could probably ease him of homesickness as well.
The horned one took the air wielder’s silence as a sign to keep speaking, “Well, what do you think? Personally, I think something small would work… a tag game perhaps- Drat.”
The stranger abruptly stopped talking, as a look of rancor briefly appeared on his face as if something just died nearby, and as quickly as the expression had come, it left once again. Grian didn’t have much time to process the sudden change of mood before the silence was broken by a very similar voice to the red stranger- this time- he recognized it.
“Grian? Whacha doing out here alone?” The more familiar British voice replaced the formerly twisted voice. The winged hermit turned around, surprised to find the green armored version of the one he has been talking to. “N-nothing much really… Hey, do you guys know e-” Grian turned around once again to where the horned one once was, only to find he was replaced by air. “...each other?...”
“...Grian?? You good dude?” Xisuma asked in a concerned tone, “If you aren’t feelin’ well, we can go to the Guardian Temple another day.”
“No! No… Uhm.” Grian coughed a bit, “Anyways, by any chance do you know someone that looks uncannily like you? He had red armor instead of your green one, and he had horns… Huge horns!” The Air wielder made exaggerated motions in the air, mimicking what he had seen.
The admin’s face turned up as he tried to suppress a laugh, and snorted before letting it out and spoke in breaths. “So you’ve met Evil Xisuma! Glad he made an impression on ya, at least.” X’s laugh died though, but his smile was still bright without his helmet to obscure it. “Don’t worry about that scumbag, he can’t cause much harm! Out of curiosity though, what did he say to ya?”
“He wanted to see a tag game of sorts, I suppose? I mean... it sounds fun, doesn’t it? This Evil Xisuma guy seems to have some good ideas once in a blue moon.” Grian thought for a bit, “I might actually just go ahead and start one.”
“You aren’t wrong, that does seem like a swell idea, get some things on the server startin’, at least!” X agreed, “Well, feel free to start this tag game then, it certainly has my approval.” The admin spoke, as he picked up a boat from his inventory, and held it in his arms, “Evil Xisuma and potential tag game aside, shall we get going to the Guardian Temple, then?” He asked the new hermit, and energy bubbled up in Grian once more, excited to finally have some dark prismarine at his disposal.
At first, there was a nether star, resting in his palm, giving off a comforting coolness.
And then - there was fire- no, not fire, electricity running through him, shattering, forcing itself through, tearing, causing pain so strong that he almost couldn’t feel it, his senses shutting down—
The sentence “I’m going to die” was ringing in his head, and it was terrifying because, in the world of respawn, he’s never been as scared of death, while also being amazed by it at the same time.
A gasp found its way out his mouth when Xisuma opened his eyes, only to be welcomed by darkness. The unbelievably overwhelming kind of it, the type that presses at you from every direction— it was threatening to gush in and fill his lungs if he dared to breathe in a little bit more air than necessary.
Did I go blind?... the time traveler wondered, slowly getting up from the bed— there was no bed. I didn’t respawn, X whispered to himself in shock and looked down. He could clearly see his own body but wasn’t exactly relieved by the discovery, because it meant that even though he still had vision, his location was the middle of nowhere, literally.
The Brit forced himself to take a few generous breaths, ignoring the fact that in one moment air felt like a liquid, and in another, was dry and almost non-existent. After calming down, he started to notice more details. For example, the surroundings weren’t as bland as they seemed to be. As he looked around, everything around him… Shifted, changed, even though at first glance, the only thing around was emptiness. But the more you started, the more you could see. There were lights, distant, some paler than others, some flickering, he even found some that simply died out and refused to show up again, no matter how long he kept his eyes in one spot.
And then… there was the moon.
The almost-full moon was over him, there was light coming from it, but there was barely enough light to see.
Xisuma was completely alone, or at least that's what he thought at first. Then though, he felt a presence. It was well known to him, and brit's first reflex was to let out a deep exhale of relief, but instead, he froze. X's mind brutally reminded him of what Time did to Z. What if the element did not approve of an act of his, and decided to abandon him right now, in this empty place? What if it didn't want him anymore? What if—
He flinched violently when an invisible hand gripped his shoulder, at first glance in a calming manner, but a little too tight for comfort. Then, a voice, an electrifying voice, cut through the void with a force comparable to the one of a lightning. Hearing it almost felt like dying all over again.
Don't panic.
It said, and even in the hazy state of amazement, X found himself nodding. He swallowed loudly and forced his body to relax, simply waiting for Time to do whatever they wanted to do by bringing the Brit into the void.
Then-
Then Xisuma noticed a silhouette, somehow even darker than the darkness around him, like nothing he's ever seen before, like a black hole, swallowing all of the light, the light of his soul, not letting it out, and it glanced right at him, and-
And it was gone.
He looked around again, just to make sure that it was really gone, and not just— I dunno, teleported or something.
Not trusting his voice, X waited a few long seconds before asking: "What was that?" he said, and after a moment, continued: "What is happening?". Time, however, ignored his questions and answered in their own way.
For now, calm down and wait. There's nothing we can do from here.
The Brit had enough waiting, though. He had no idea what was happening and was getting more and more frustrated with every minute passing. "Explain," he pressured, but after a horrifyingly long moment of silence, added: "Please."
There is nothing I can do. Another time user has decided that he wants to enter your world and forced its way in by sending you here, Having two time wielders is not something I nor you want to experience. We can only wait.
Xisuma shut himself up, it seems like listening to his element would be for the best.
That night, he remembered seeing the moon hiding behind the none existing clouds in the void.
*****
The sky was overcast.
The stars occasionally peaked through the ocean of clouds, Z was brushing Boo’s fur, like usual. It didn’t matter that the stars weren’t there, the night was beautiful either way. It was calming, with the soft, natural breeze of wind that occurred whenever the wind wielder wasn’t on the server. The summer night was probably the Brit's favorite time of the year, just because of the warm atmosphere and cozy nights.
Boo was quietly asleep, snoozing away after he fed her dinner. Z sighed, it has been oddly peaceful lately. None of his nightmares were haunting him in his sleep and now finds comfort in sleeping away his days with his cat. He never thought that he would ever find this kind of peace with himself, his past far behind him on the train tracks—
A chill ran through him.
Someone was watching.
Which is odd- considering that everyone else would be asleep- or “offline”, you could say. By all means, no mobs would spawn in the middle of the shopping district, especially after the weird lighting glitch that happened a few days prior. Z racked his brain for possible answers, and everything was coming up short.
The feeling was strangely familiar— something that he had experienced before— he can’t quite place a finger on it.
The tugging, sudden closeness of the space closed around him, he could barely breathe. Space was startled; there is only one thing that could scare it.
Time.
It doesn’t feel like Xisuma’s time— his element was much more gentle, not rough and so…. Cold.
He could almost feel as if space was retreating into the deepest corners of his mind to hide. The white-haired man quickly scrambled up, startling Boo awake in the process, time was here, but with who? Xisuma was nowhere to be seen, and he certainly wouldn’t be the one to kick the element into such a state.
A whisper came through the wind- Or was it a voice? He couldn’t tell. He could hear his heart thumping in his ribs— A sudden hollowness surfaced within him, as he saw smoke like distortion in the suddenly clear night skies, Boo jumped away—
And suddenly. Time froze.
The wind froze in place, leaving a hollowing chill in its wake. With Boo freezing in midair, and the grass posed still. A sickening, scratching sound was heard as the fabric of space forced to tear apart. Z felt a chill run down his spine, he could no longer feel his element present, almost as if it ran away. It’s not like he was proficient at ever using it. Anyways.
His stomach twisted, a form— Something that resembled a human, crawled out from the tear. A smell of gasoline spread through the air, with its source spilling onto the still grass below. And there, it stood a ghastly figure, one that he immediately recognized— white hair that matched his, a telling sign of a creature from the void. It- No. He, his body was see-through, pale, desaturated, almost as if his colors were all drained away from him. Those pale, lightless blue eyes had a red glint to it.
And he didn’t like it.
“Biffa.” The brit breathed out, shaken, but was determined not to show it. The name feels so forgiven. Despite saying it a few times here and there to the other Biffa. His throat tightened. The waning moon had somehow peaked through the frozen clouds, and it’s eerie light bathed the two.
Somewhere deep down, he knew that this would happen, or something along the lines like this. But he was still afraid, scared, he never thought it would happen so soon. It was only a matter of time.
“.̢̠̹̱̰̝͑̌̾̆̊̿̓͜.̦͍̈̎.̭̼̝̰̔̇̌̍X̧̗͉̬̱̦̼͕͂̒̆̃̀̚̚̚͢͝i̺̻̬͎͑̂̀͒́͟ ̣͚͈̙͎͂̄̅̎̉͡ͅs͚̎ú̢̢̪͉̳̙͙̟͈̅͛͊̉̍̃͒͐͟͡ ̼̝̱̱̱͖̟̏̂͑̍̃̋̕ṁ̨̱͑ ̨̬̯̖̮͉̆͗̄̈́͛̕ä̧̦̩̞̦͕͇͂͋̀͒́͠.” The other replied back. In an eerily calm tone of voice. But it’s somehow even more threatening if he had yelled it instead. No one had called him Xisuma in so long— and only…
Only… the people from his timeline.
“What do you want from me? Why are you here?” Z knew that he was stalling, he himself knew exactly when Biffa is here with his former element:
To correct their mistakes.
Where the fuck was Xisuma when he needed him?
Z observed the man across of him, he was glitching— Constantly. the robot’s once closed suit is messy, and opened, revealing huge rip in his chest armor, and the black, oil-like liquid dripped out from it. His tie was unhinged, loosely hanging around his neck. Alongside with his messy, and unkept crazed hair, it all made for a very intimidating situation for the other.
“Y͊͜ô̧͇̱̥͛͐̈͠ͅų̢̬̲̝̮̹̗̓͌̓͗̒̉̒͝͡ͅ ̧̛͔̤̣͔̂́̈́̌̒̓͘͟͢͜͝ͅǩ͖̝̮̓̆ń͔̣̮̥̍̃͌o̦̯̯̮̻̰͌͒͌̀̆̇w̬̫̪̞̯̙̮͐̿͛̀͋̂͛͊͟ ̧̡̠̬̝̹̺̰͓͐͌̀͐͆͂͊́͠w̢̢̡͓͓̞̺̥̅̓͌̉͌̀͠͝h̼͚̗̯̾̈́̐͗y.̨̡̺̗̜͓̈́͛͂̏͌͝ ͎̗̞̭̳̜͖͋͊̀̉́͐͡Y͍͆ő͖̦͇̤̉͛̚ų̬͚̔̄̊͟͞’̹͈͍̠͉̣̎̾͂͛̌̑v̠̘̗̾͝͡ȩ̻̬̺͊̅̅̓́͜͢͠ ͍̱̰̲͌̅̑͘ą̫̞̦͒͐̎́͟͠l̨̦̼̯̩̥̹̦̅̓͋̋̎̿͛͢͞͝r̛͔͈̹͓͖̜̺̘̓͊̂̃̃͗͐̊ͅe̢̛͇̼̫̖̥̲͐̆̏̍̃̚ą̤̭̮͓͍̠̻̙̖̊̀̎̈̓̅͘͘͞͝ḍ͊y̡̟̻̖̩̦͌̀̈̎͘͞ ͇̰͊̃ǎ̭̰̗̳̺̤͈̼͂̓̑͋͌̃͂̚͢ņ̝͇̥̜̩͂͆͂̉̋͠s̡̰̮̄̄̈ŵ̞̞̦̏̏ḕ̘̳̰͠r͖͙͈̓̄͡ę̦͓̲͎͈̥͂̉̍̎͂̋̕͟͝d̰̭͕̅͑͡ ̹̩͚̦̘̺͙̱̩̺̌̀̓̂͌͂̑̽͝͡it̝͕̿͒̚͢ ̦͇̤͐̐͑ȉ͉n̘̘̬͙̯̏̓̏̄̉̋͢͞ͅ ̡̯̲̗̻̹̽̾̑̀̅̊͂͛͟͜y̞̘̬͈̥͚̅̌̓͐̊͝o̓ͅư͍̬͔̣̝̓͐͛̐r̞͓͈̫̟̦͎̼͌̄̏̀̂̒͑͂ ̨̣͎̝̿̅̀͘h͔͚̰̀͐̚e̦̼͈͗͐́͆͜a͈̭͍̹̳͓͚͉̐̈́̿̉̂̈́̚͝d͈͖̬̆̓͝.͚̄ Ý̞̱̤̺̙́̃̊͘ọ̻̹̘̊͂̕͜͞͞ú̙ ̠͓̌͗j̪̽u̡̦̮̲̥̿̽̂̐͑̏͢sṱ̡̱̿̿͐ ̨̹̆͛ḏ͓̠̌̑̏̾̓͜ͅon'̨̻̙̤̖̳̻̎͊̂͌̉͞͞t̨̼͎̾̍̒ ̛̲̤̥̥̮̺͚͉̰͌̉̿̾̒̀͘͡͠ͅw̺̠͊͠a͖̙̬͔̫̒́̿̕͢͝͡ņ͔͌͂t̡͕̦̮̠͑̓́͆͂ ̙̮̩̘̘̍́͆͒̀̈́͜t̪̤̦͉̊̃́̾ò͍̖̯̌̕ ̢̟͇̙̫̼͊̓̇̐͘͘͜͠a̡͔̩̫̙̝̔̑̈́̽͛͠ç̡̹̙̘̺̑̐̃̆̍̐̚͟ĉ̨̖͈̒̋ẻ̡̝͎̭̣̼̝̉̂̎̏̑̃̑̅͢͜p̨̖͈̪͎̿̓̎͋̾t̖̯͙̠̙͖̹̔̽̽̆̃̅͟͡͠ ̧͛i͘͢t͕̾.̡̢̨̯̦͉̺͒̇̔͑͌͋̕”The semi-transparent Brit responded, in that same, monotone, dead voice.
And before he could even start comprehending what the other had said, suddenly—
The former time traveler suddenly felt a tight grasp around his neck, he didn’t even see him move— And he wouldn’t be surprised with the element of time on Biffa’s side— But this? This was threatening— He was going to die— Right here. Right now, No one is here to save him— Oh god— What is X is going to think of this— What if—
He found himself attempting to push the other voidwalker away, but to no success— Biffa was somehow able to interact with him, but not the other way around. He gasped for air, trying time and time again to free himself— His vision darkening— He could hear the ringing in his ear, drowning out whatever words that his former friend was saying—
This is it— This is the end—
And no one would ever know what happened— He isn’t going to be able to warn them about him.
Then. Suddenly time unfroze.
And the person that was once in front of him disappeared without a trace, with Xisuma floating above with several command screens surrounding him. Z immediately bent over, and started wheezing for air, he took in as much as he can, without as for a second to remember and breath back out. That was too close to death for comfort— He had escaped death once, and he was sure that he wouldn’t escape it again.
X quickly switched back into survival and hopped back down onto the grass below, which was still stained by that black liquid from before, and quickly scrambled next to Z, holding him by his back. “Z? Buddy? You alright there?” He quietly asked, while supporting him to make sure he wouldn’t fall over. Boo quickly joined them as well, circling her owner in concern and meowing.
“L-let’s get you home, we can talk about this later, alright? Just. Try to sleep it off.”
As if it’ll be so easy.
Z knew, at the back of his mind, that this will not be the end of it.
And now that he knows that X can indeed do something like this. Next time… It will be a lot more different.
[Mainly Grian; slight mention of Iskall, Joe Hills, Xisuma, and Doc]
A prequel to “The Problem with People”. Featuring Grian first meeting the hermits. For Grian, he hasn’t seen any other people, and has spent weeks alone in the new world, what will he do when suddenly new people come pouring in?
It was a normal, wonderful day.
It was dawn, a brand new start of a day. The brit pranced around the newly discovered island, who had just parked his roughly crafted oak boat onto the shore. Grian has been exploring for a good while now, it was just him in this world, and while it has been a bit too quiet for his liking, his element kept him company. It was the second day of exploring, and his wings have been a bit tired out, so he had temporality traveled by boat. The island he was on was considerably big, big enough for him to explore for a while and get some food on before he moves on. And so far? He had found a cute rabbit, and some sheep on the island he can shear for wool.
Grian was just quietly minding his own business. Suddenly, a portal began to materialize, the rabbit jumped out from the blonde's arms, startling him. He turned and looked around in all directions, all the other animals began to run as well. He finally rests his sight on the portal, as it lit up with an eerie purple light, voices can be heard from the other side.
Something within him was telling him to run, his element was telling him to get as far as people, that they were better safe than sorry. But Grian's natural morbid curiosity nailed him to the wet, ocean brushed grass. As the voices from the portal become more vivid and clear, he was becoming more and more unsure of what he was supposed to be feeling: Fear? Confusion? Excitement? He had no idea. His wings enclosed behind his back, almost as if to make him feel safer, he retreated behind a small hill.
A gloved hand reached through the portal.
Grian jumped, taking a step back, pressing himself against the dirt blocks. He could feel his element slowly becoming more and more hostile, as the once peaceful wind on the island became wilder and constantly changed directions. As the first person showed up, Grian observed them, he hasn't noticed him yet. The stranger had a helmet that was similar to a gas mask, with a dull green suit. He was the only one to show up through that portal, almost to scout things out. Grian watched him, as he walked back into the portal to do something, Maybe to Inform? But inform who? He felt a chill up his spine, he didn't like the idea of his little own bubble in the world being popped, but it was people! Better than talking to his own element for social interaction.
The wind changed directions just to slap a leaf onto Grian's face, almost as if to tell him to shut up.
Grian snickered, he left the hill that was hiding behind, much against his element's will. He approached the portal, almost tempted to go through it himself. The brit swatted at the purple portal matter, to test it was really real or not before he was greeted with a wave of people coming out from the portal. Grian squeaked, and in reaction to the sudden release of strong emotions; the wind picked up and became strong enough to push everyone back into the portal.
He quickly picked up a piece of paper that was left in his boat and scribbled something on. The blonde threw it into the portal, hoping for the best as he waited for any kind of response, he can't just lose people like this, anyone is fine, anyone other than just his own element.
At last, the helmeted lad had poked his head through the portal again, Grian immediately stood up from sitting, admittedly still frightened. But more or so less now.
He spoke in a British accent, a hint of apologeticness in his voice. "I'm deeply sorry for that, really sorry if we scared ya, didn't mean it." Before quickly going back into the portal to bring out the rest of the people, some of them Grian had recognized from the first attempt to enter from the portal.
Grian mentally prepared himself, but he was definitely not expecting anything like this.
All the new people, at this point, was just circling him. Grian held his arm uncomfortably, "...Hi? I suppose..." He squeaked.
The first thing someone had immediately done was throw one rose at him. Cool, I guess.
Grian picked it up, and but the rose in his hand.
"...Right, so who are you exactly?" A man with a heavy Swedish accent questioned, he would have laughed at that accent if it wasn't for the fact that multiple people are staring at him.
"Erm, I'm Grian?"
Before he could reply, another person pushed the Swedish out of the way. He wore a blue shirt and had a shaggy hair cut, and seemed kind. Grian relaxed a bit but was still very wary.
"'lright, howdy!" He began. "Joe Hills here. 'scuse their rude manners, we don't get new hermits very often, y'know?" This Joe says with a faint southern accent could be heard, however not as heavy as the former.
Grian stretched his wings out of nervousness. This was all very much a shock, "Hermits? What are you all going on about? Am I going to die?" He rambled. Obviously, very confused.
"Uh, right, X, can you explain?" Someone had said, the one with the helmet turned towards the blonde, he was previously staring at the portal. Focused on something else. He moved his attention away and onto Grian, and sighed. He took his helmet off out of respect and held out his hand. "Nice to meet ya, the name's Xisuma, mostly everyone calls me X for short." Grian took out in wariness and shook it.
Someone started to chat in the background.
"Hold up, shouldn't we be more careful? Last time we let some random stranger in it was Evil X and we all know what happened-"
"Come on dude, Evil X wasn't that bad, he only mildly burned up the place!"
Grian ignored it and focused on Xisuma. "So, understandably, you must be really confused right now." He started. The winged brit only nodded in response. "The group here, including me, call ourselves hermits, and collectively, our adventures is called hermitcraft. Of course, you are here before us in this world, so that means you were meant to join us. Although, you did push us back towards the portal with your element. That was kind of rude of ya."
The air shifted a bit.
"E-erm, it was really not my fault?"
"What do ya mean it wasn't--"
He was starting to get really uncomfortable with the situation, Grian considered flying away at this moment, it was too much. He quickly turned around, begging his element to work with him, and jumped off a small cliff and flew off.
“No Joe on their side to rush over and give him a second wind, no soothing touch to tell him it’s okay. Just him, the blazing sky, and a grass that is starting to look too green.” [wels pushes himself too hard and it hurts.]
A gasp, a single step missed because of slippery ground, and he’s done for.
The arrow tears through him like a knife through butter, splitting his skin and burying itself deep, deep inside his side. It hurts, god, it hurts so bad. It feels like he’s going to fall apart. He’s got armor, yes, but how much does iron armor really do against the power of a fully charged fully enchanted bow that Grian’s just aimed at him? He’s a good fighter, he knows, but there’s only so much Wels can do to evade an aerial assault and Grian’s just gotten his lucky break.
He resists falling to his knees, curling over, and crying like he wants to. He’s not a fool, he knows what being down a member means, especially in a team where they’ve got less people in the first place. And…they don’t have a healer. No Joe on their side to rush over and give him a second wind, no soothing touch to tell him it’s okay. Just him, the blazing sky, and a grass that is starting to look too green.
Get up, he tells himself. Get up. Get out there. Fight.
It’d be so easy, he thinks, to just lie down and let his teammates help. Let False cover him while Impulse helps him back over, or ask Xisuma to rewind time, or just simply stagger back to base by himself (but he knows, there’s no way in hell he’ll be able to get all the way back. it’s futilefutilefutile). It’d take so little to call out, let out a pained cry like he’s biting back and have their leader command his friends to his aid.
A knight never takes the easy way out. A knight’s duty is to serve his lord, and his people, and he will not let them down. He must not fail, he thinks. Don’t let them down.
But it hurts, it hurts so bad that he don’t think he wants to be here anymore. He wants to be far, far, away where nothing can hurt him and he’s safe again just having fun with his friends and he doesn’t have to worry if the tiny winged fellow he just lent some item frames the other day could be preparing to gut him open like a fish. It hurts, doesn’t it? To see how fast everything falls apart, how fast just one mistake can lead to a world of hurt? But his job is to push past that hurt. A knight does not fall.
He thinks that it’s getting worse, he can feel the blood seeping through his fingers that he’s pressing tightly to his body like that’ll make it hurt any less. His armor and dark underclothes hide it, he hope. He prays. He grits his teeth, gingerly moves behind a hill, and prepares to remove the arrow—can’t have his team asking awkward questions.
Wels takes a deep breath, bites down on a stick, and pulls.
Blood fills his mouth, his ears ring, everything hurts hurts hurts and he wants it to stop so so bad. The arrow was barbed, the son of a bitch, and it hurts so much his skin is coming apart and soon the armor will be the only thing left. There’s a quiet scream ringing in his ears, he’s trying to see who it is before realizing he’s the one screaming and there are tears in his eyes, there are tears running down the metal, and hot, hot blood coating the entire side of his armor. He’s said that he shouldn’t show weakness, but everything hurts so much—he’s never felt this kind of pain before, never felt the kind of pain that makes you feel like you can’t move or breath or do anything for fear of it worsening and every time you move each one of your muscles screams wrong, please, don’t, not anymore, and it takes a moment for him to realize he’s the one whispering those words out loud.
He wants someone to make it better. He wants to be able to get away from it all, to be able to ask to be taken out of the field, to be able to rest at base with some water and all traces of blood gone from the shining, shining armor. Wels wants someone to tell him it’s okay, he doesn’t have to take all this responsibility.
But of course, nobody does. Why would they?
He gets up, and warm blood runs down his body and pain screams in his mind like the very action of getting up is impossible. It’s not, he tells himself, and ignores the spots flashing in his vision.
It’s over the top of the hill that he sees Xisuma, exhausted and leaning on a nearby tree, gesture to him. “You…hah…feeling alright mate?” He gets out, and gestures to his general hunched over posture.
Wels feels intense guilt rush through him for even thinking that he should ask to rewind time for something as trivial as an arrow wound. He steels himself, and shouts out, “I’m fine! Just was catching my breath for a bit.”
“Good! Actually, if you can…mind taking out Stress or Iskall over there? They’re causing us a lotta trouble…” He doesn’t know if he can even get over there. But. His teammate is depending on him, he can’t let Xisuma know his failure.
He can’t talk, or he thinks he might throw up. He gives a thumbs up, and starts to try to get anywhere near them.
Every step hurts, every step feels like his body is going to deconstruct and fling itself somewhere far into the stars and the universe. He’s not sure whether it’s his own will or the armor holding himself up at this point, but he soldiers on anyways.
He finally, finally gets near them. He doesn’t think they notice. He launches himself into the air completely ignoring the spots that flash and the burning hot-cold hole in his side and the blood drying sticky to his armor. He brings his sword down, an executioner at the table, and he doesn’t know whether he’s killing himself or the others.
It hurts, he wants to say. Please, can I have help? Can you make me feel better? But that’s so pathetic and weak and not at all helpful. He manages to get a hit on Stress before she sends him flying with ice, and that’s when he realizes that will might not be enough to keep him going.
He’s lying on the ground, ice coating his armor and the ground around him like some sort of twisted armor enchantment. It’s so cold, so so so cold and he can’t tell whether this is better or whether the burning heat of earlier is preferable. He’s just so tired.
There’s tears dropping onto the ground. He thinks it’s him. He can’t stop them anymore, can’t force them back. Doesn’t even have the energy to try to get up for a second strike.
He thinks his armor’s sprung a leak, maybe. He sees red swirl out around him, in some sick facsimile of finger paints on paper. He dips his finger in them and moves them around in the ice, forming small patterns.
He can’t move. Why can’t he move? Why did he need to move?
You can’t stop, you know, he tells himself. You’re a knight. You’re not a burden, are you? Just a pathetic weakling who can’t even fulfill his destiny? He knows. He knows he’s not quite enough, that he’s bleeding out on a bed of cracked ice and that he feels like his spirit is increasingly drifting from his body.
Joe, he croaks, but he doesn’t think he made any sound. He’s past saving, probably. Nobody around to help.
He thinks, if he can’t be of use, he could at least put Stress out of commission. He forces himself up. He can’t feel his hands.
He moves towards Stress. Jumps up with mechanical accuracy. His mind is overloading.
Brings the blade down. Twist at the last second. He’s not real, can’t feel anything at all.
Stress collapses. He starts moving, stiff-legged march, to his side of the field. He lied, he can feel the heat of the blood inside his armor.
He’s coming over the dip in the ground, marching, and he sees the sun dyed red and the grass behind him red in some weird mockery of a snow golem, and he laughs. Laughs and it hurts more so he laughs again.
His shirt is soaked, but he can’t really feel it. Just feels the weight. His armor’s a dull red.
He thinks he’s hurting, can’t tell anymore, just knows that his atoms are falling apart and his world is so bright and he’s failed his teammates.
Wels stumbles in front of Ren, still mostly unscathed, and looks at him with eyes with nothing behind them. “Please make it stop. Please. I’ll do anything, I know I fucked up, just make it stop.”
Ren takes a look at Wels, looks at the trail of blood, and freezes up. “I—man, what? Are you okay? What do you need?” His voice is pitching up in panic. “Wels, listen, we gotta get you to Joe or something. Or back to base. I’ll take you back, let me just let Doc know,--”
He’s cut off be Wels grasping his wrist with a blood-stained hand, knuckles turning white from the force. “No, they can’t know I didn’t do my job.” His voice is little more than a whisper. “I can keep going…”
Ren decides it’s not worth it. “DOC! Please, you gotta come quick man, Wels got hit or something and now he’s bleeding out here and I don’t know what to do!” He shouts across the field.
Doc looks over, distracted, and almost gets hit by Iskall. “WHAT? But Wels seemed fine when I saw him earlier—hold on! I’m heading over.”
Wels is swaying on his feet, eyes starting to go completely blank. “I’m fine.”
It’s in the next instant that Wels collapses, and Ren rushes to catch him before he hits the ground. His eyes are rolled back in his head, his skin is paper-white, and that’s before he notices the giant wound in his side. It’s—it’s bad.
He thinks he knows now why Wels was so pale and out of it.
Doc comes over, and he lets out a horrified gasp at the condition of their teammate. “...What happened? Why didn’t he let us know?”
“I think he didn’t want us to know, Doc…” Ren hesitantly says. They both sit on their heels, an awkward silence settling over the group. There’s still sounds of metal clashing behind them. “I guess, I’ll be taking him back to base?”
“God, please do. He’s so messed up, he shouldn’t have been out here fighting in the first place…” Doc says. “I’m so sorry, man,” he whispers in an aside to the completely unconscious Wels.
Ren picks up Wels in an awkward kind of side-carry, because jesus that armor was heavy, and prepares to head back to base. He thinks about what Wels was doing, and why he didn’t just tell them. He’ll talk to him after he wakes up, Ren thinks.
Until then, his top priority was going to be making sure that Wels’ wound and his stuff is taken care of until he gets better. That’s what friends do for each other.
Hey anon? You are a genius.
First time in forever writing something happy! A bit rusty at this ^^”
[Fluff/Comfort]
[Evil Xisuma, Xisuma, Joe Hills, Rendog]
Evil Xisuma was invited by Joe Hills to meet him at the shopping district in the middle of the night. There was a lot more people waiting for him than just Joe, as it turns out.
--
Pop!
A letter suddenly teleported in front of the helmeted man’s face.
Ex grabbed onto it, why would Joe send him a letter in the middle of the night?
Especially that he knows tonight is his “remembrance night.”
The man tightly gripped onto the empty picture frame he was holding and sat up from the carpet in his room to place it onto the small nightstand next to his bed.
That’s enough for today, thanks for your help.
The feeling of nostalgia disappeared, as memories of other universes faded from his mind.
Ex opened the letter and pulled out a piece of paper.
Ex,
Mind coming to the Shopping district? Got something to show you.
Sincerely, Joe Hills.
He folds the piece of paper and shoved it into one of the bags on his belt. Ex groans, as he stretched and something popped back into place. He began to make his way up the ladder that leads to the ocean surface, quickly grabbing a boat, he made his way towards the main island.
It was a breezy, cold night. The sky was incredibly clear, with stars freckling and dotting the dark sky, alongside with a thin, crescent moon. The ocean only had small waves, gently pushing Ex along in his boat as he rowed. He rowed into the dark, reflective sea, with fishes under startled and swam away quickly. It was quiet.
Suddenly. A use of firework shocked him, it was so quiet that they sudden burst of sound had almost knocked him off of his boat.
It was none other than Iskall85.
“Y’know Exy, we should hang out more often!” He said as he flew around in a circle to slow himself down, slime trailing and sinking into the ocean behind him. Before suddenly taking off again into the dark night, disappearing into the stars.
Ex was confused, at the same time, did not know how to react towards it; he called him Exy just again, even despite telling him not to multiple times. He didn’t know whether to felt annoyed or flattered. Either way, he continued rowing.
-
It returned to quiet again.
Ex was taking a break, as that he had just arrived in the shopping district. He was currently at the front doorsteps of the stock exchange, sitting on the stairs. Rowing a boat was much more labor intensive compared to flying, and he needed his breaks. He should probably make a dirt hole base at one point… Maybe even live with TFC for a while, he probably wouldn’t mind-
“Yo! What’s up Z dog!” Rendog appeared from nowhere, glowing as always, hanging upside down from a tree that was in front of him, a pair of sunglasses dangling from his ears, barely hanging on.
“Ren. It’s literally the middle of the night. Why do you have sunglass-” The realization just hit him; “Did you just call me Z?”
“Yea, duh.” Ren said, then immediately proceeds to drop onto the ground face first. Ex couldn’t help but smile behind his helmet. “Besides. It makes sense, doesn’t it? We can’t just keep callin’ ya “evil” all the time! Besides, you aren’t even that evil anymore!” The bearded man plopped down next to the helmeted one onto the stairs. Smiling cheerfully as always. “Plus the fact that Z sounds just as cool as X, don’t ya think?”
“Right.” Ex said through a small smile.
It was sweet of Ren to be talking to him like this. They haven’t interacted much, but every time they did, Ex couldn’t help but smile, it’s just something about this optimistic glowy energy he gives off.
“Have you seen Joe? He sent me a letter sayin-”
“Speaking of that!” Ren said, and suddenly blindfolded Ex. “Don’t panic now! Ren diggity dog is here to guide ya!”
Ex shook. He was confused, but not scared, he knew he could trust Ren, he was like that in his timeline too, always friendly and trustworthy, sometimes a bit too friendly, but he was kind. “This better not be a prank, Ren. Joe-”
“Joe this, Joe that! It’s not like he is your dad!” He couldn’t see Ren right now, but he was sure that he was probably doing some extra hand motions with his other arm. As that he was holding him by the shoulder to make sure that he wouldn’t fall.
After almost what it seems about an eternity of walking in darkness and Ren yapping, they have finally stopped.
“Uh- Ren? Where exactly are we right now?” Ex asked. The air was still cold, they were still outside because he was sure that they hadn’t passed any doors.
The bandana that was covering his helmet was pulled off quickly without a word, only for Ex to see a smiling Rendog with one of the widest smiles he has ever seen, before moving out of the way quickly to bring everyone else into view; well, mostly everyone, there was some who couldn’t make it. Xisuma was nowhere to be seen, and Ex couldn’t help but be a little disappointed by it. They were practically brothers.
But the most wonderful thing was not the fact that everyone was here; while it was wonderful, there was a whole outdoor picnic. Set up in the middle of the night. It almost seemed like a dream.
“Howdy, “son”! It’s about time you showed up!” Joe said, stepping forward, laughing at his own joke, and pulling Ex into a deep hug. Ex hugged back, a wide smile crept up on his face. “Thanks “dad”.” he greeted back, taking off his helmet and stuck his tongue out like a little kid.
Suddenly, everyone joined in a group hug, surprising the scarred man. Ex at this point was tearing back up again. He has never been felt so loved in so long. He hugged back to the best he could. It was so warm, so loving. He suddenly straight up started to sob.
They were all shouting endearing encouragements and nicknames at him, he didn’t know how to take it. He was a crying mess at this point, smiling to the point where his face felt sore.
The banter continued on for a while, everyone just had fun. The original purpose of him being there is forgotten; it’s just friends being friends, doing stupid things, sharing memories.
Nothing could make this night better.
Suddenly, usage of a rocket sounded, and a blast of wind came through as someone practically crash-landed into the party. That, someone, was none other than Xisumavoid. Who was scrambling up to his feet. He didn’t even have his helmet on, he looked so happy- Ex was confused-- He had never seen him this way before, he almost always had his helmet on, Ex was the one to usually have it off.
“Ev-- Z! I got somethin’ for ya!” He yelled, waving something in his hand, before running up to himself and handing him the piece of paper. “For you.” X smiled tiredly, Ex took it carefully, almost as if it would break if he held it too hard.
It was a picture of his friends.
Iskall has an emerald eye instead of blue; he shared a similar trait of blue-tinted fingers with Stress, both wielding ice powers; and Jevin had slime bending, he was making himself into a weird shape again, as always. There were so many more little differences he could point out.
At some point. He had started to cry again.
A tear misses the photograph before he finally realized he was practically weeping.
Ex smiled happily.
He has never been this happy.
“Thank you. Everyone. Thank you, I can never thank you enough…” He cried while smiling.
I’m sorry anon, I have concluded that I cannot write any kind of fluff without hurting them first :)
--
[Hurt/Comfort]
[Evil Xisuma, Joe Hills, slight mention of Xisuma]
Evil Xisuma has gone and gotten himself sick from a result of an adventure into a snow biome. What could possibly go wrong on a sick day?
--
Drip.
Drop.
Drip.
Drop.
Drip.
Drop.
Who said a base in the middle of the ocean was a good idea?
Definitely not Evil Xisuma. He had gone into a snow biome recently to collect some snow, as that Xisuma had asked for some god who knows what project. And being the idiot that he was, he forgot to bring any armor or any extra layers of clothing. How does Iskall and stress live in ice spike biome all day? Geez.
The British man has been staring at the ceiling for a good hour now, he had immediately gone to bed after collecting all the snow and ice, feeling tired. He had thought nothing about the slight fever and tiredness he was feeling, thinking it was just him working too hard. Ex did not want to get up, did not want to move, or didn’t even feel like breathing right now. His nose is completely stuffed, he could barely breathe. He wants to call for Xisuma, but he is probably not here in the base. Besides, he probably won’t be able to hear him, as that Ex’s room is located in a small dugout cave behind the other’s storage system.
He shivered.
It’s cold back here.
His room was nothing but just small cozy space. It makes him feel safe and at home. He hasn’t been in the mood for any mega builds, and wouldn’t be for a long time. It feels like it’s all in vain.
But hey. At least he could spend his day sleeping-
Private Messages with Xisumavoid
[Xisumavoid] Hey man, you feeling alright? I have been trying to open this one chest and it’s not workin
Oh. Ain’t that fun. Another negative side to his element.
[EvilXisuma] I’m fine, a bit sick though :-)
He stared at his device for a second. Expecting a response, instead, he sat there like an idiot for 5 minutes straight. Ex sighed. Heading back to sleep.
.
..
...
….
…..
Thunder. Ex stared in shock, there was so much going on. Someone was yelling his name. Who? He couldn’t tell. Everyone was yelling his name. Calling for help. He was out of breath.
Out of choices.
Out of words.
Out of options.
Out of time.
He felt something cold slip through him, fear. Is that what it is called?
Blood. Oh, so much blood.
There was enough blood to dye his suit red.
Someone screamed.
Was that him?
He could not tell.
The world crumbled.
Reality itself twisted.
The universe was determined to fix its mistakes. And that mistake was him.
It was all because of him.
He cried. Screamed. But no one could hear him. Only the void.
And if someone did. They did not respond.
…..
….
…
..
.
An aggressive knock hit the wooden door.
Ex woke up in shock. Breathing fast, his pillow was soaked in his tears, bedsheet covered in sweat. He pushed his palms into his eyes, tears were still running. He let out a shaken sigh, broken. It was not the first time, but he will never get used to it. Ex struggled to collect himself, he massaged his forehead. Brushing the multiple scars that are scattered across his face. He glanced at the door. Whoever this person is, they had stopped knocking, as he was just wondering who it was. A letter teleported into his lap.
Of course, it was Joe.
Xisuma probably called him here.
He opened the letter up, his hands were shaking beyond control. Ex carefully pulled the piece of paper that rested inside out and flipped it open.
Howdy Ex.
Are you feelin’ alright? Xisuma came down and asked me to check up on you. He was busy doin’ somethin’.
-Joe Hills
Ex wiped his nose on his sheet, it was gross, but he had run out of tissues next to his bed. Crying this hard probably wasn’t good for his stuffed nose. But did he have a choice? No.
He opened chat up on his device and quickly typed in a short DM to Joe.
Private Messages with JoeHillsSays
[EvilXisuma] yea, I feel okay now, were you here at the door just a few minutes ago
[JoeHillsSays] That’s me! Joe Hills at your service! :-)
[JoeHillsSays] Another one of those. Huh?
[EvilXisuma] yea
This time, the knock on the door was a lot softer. Ex shakily stood up, his blanket trailing behind him, falling onto the floor.
He pulled open the door, spotting one of his only friends' face turns from cheerfulness to complete shock. Ex chuckled.
“I-” Ex laughed in between tiredly “-must look pretty bad, don’t I?”
“Oh, evil Xisuma…” Joe said softly, before putting down a dish of soup onto the ground nearby, and hugged him tightly.
Ex awkwardly hugged back flimsy, his arms tired and weak, and clung onto the southern man’s shirt. “Thanks, Joe, I could always depend on you.” He quietly said.
He remembered his timeline’s Joe. He helped everyone till his very last second.
Joe released from the hug, “Come on buddy, let’s get you back onto the bed.” He ushered the shivering mess of a man to the unattended bed and sat him down.
“Remember the exercises right? Sit up straight, close your eyes, roll your shoulders.” The kind southern man said, an attempt to comfort him. He walked outside and brought the soup in.
Ex breathed, Right, just do the exercises. He slowly collected himself, It was just a dream, it’s not real. It won’t haunt you. Not anymore. He relaxed. Everything was falling back in place. Nothing is wrong.
“Here. I got brought tea over too. Black tea, your favorite.” A small metal bottle was placed on the nightstand next to Ex’s bed, “Drink your soup, rest well, okay? I was in the middle of a project with Concorp, I don’t have that much time, we’ll take care of this next session? Alright?”
Ex smiled lightly, and nodded.
The room was silent again. As Joe quickly exited the way he came, he was left with his own thoughts.
He wasn’t alone. And that was good.
Maybe a certain ghost felt another way when the time comes.
[Xisuma, Joe, Evil Xisuma. With minor mentions of: Falsesymmetry, Docm77]
With a freak accident. Xisuma was forced to use his time power, but with such strong emotions, he overestimated the amount of time he was suppose to rewind.
--
It was a harsh day of rain.
It has been raining all day, Xisuma was just sitting in the main room. Once again, the creeper man has been out doing whatever. He could care less, he had more important matters to think about.
The 4th day ever since Doc had came into the office, all pissy and mad about something along the lines of Xisuma rejecting his request to rewind them and erase the hermit’s memories. He groaned, massaging his forehead. It was one of those rare days in which he had his helmet off. The moggy rain air was not very pleasant with a helmet on. Who knows how Biffa does it.
He leaned back in the large chair. It was his job to keep the server balanced, but look where it is now. A prank war that has gone too out of hand.
He thought about his “evil” counterpart. He has to be careful. He can’t end up like… That.
X sips the tea that has been sitting on the table. It has been long cold, there was a lot of things to worry about.
A knock came from the door.
Ah.
The healer is here.
The Brunet held the door open for the drenched man to run inside. Quietly closing the door behind to not wake up the wounded. He glances and observed Joe, who was picking at his shirt in disgust of the rain.
X spots multiple wounds, they were slightly bleeding. And god. There were so many scars. Are those wounds from lightning strikes? Maybe. He grimaced and chose to ignore it. Better not to think about it.
“A-alrighty, Xisuma! Who is Joe Hills healing today?” Joe turns around, speaking with a surprisingly loud voice, despite his conditions, snapping X out of his thoughts.
“False. She got in a bit of a raffle down a ravine while she was flying. Are you sure you can take it? You look… tired.” That was a lie. False had a few broken bones, a fractured rib, and probably something else as well. But he was concerned for Joe as well, as he saw the tired eyebags under the southern man’s eyes. He looked like he was going to collapse any second now.
“N-no! I-it’s fine. I’m-” Joe winced at something as he moved towards the bedroom, then proceed to pretend nothing happened. “Fine!” Before walking into the open room.
He was definitely not fine.
Xisuma sighed. And followed him in. He can only hope for the best. Nothing is going to stop Joe from healing his friends, not even his own health.
“Joe. It’s okay. If you can’t take it. Please don’t force yourself.” X said, with a tired voice.
Joe smiled weakly. And did not say anything as he began to ‘heal’ False.
Everything was going good.
Until.
False started to wake up, and Xisuma breathed a sigh of relief. He looked over at Joe. Who at this point, was barely able to stand up, resting on the chest next to False’s bed. The Brunet wanted to approach Joe, but as he took his first step. The other suddenly collapsed. A heavy thud hit the wooden floor of the room. Echoing back and forth.
X stared in terror.
Blood leaked out from somewhere.
“J-Joe? Y- this isn’t funny Joe! Don’t do that to me!” X yelled. Launching himself next to Joe, crouching down and shaking him lightly. There was no response, only very. Very faint breathing.
He cried. He clenched his teeth.
He is still here.
But if he doesn’t rewind fast enough. He’ll be gone.
Just like Ex said.
Death will not be reversible.
Xisuma focused, removing everything from his mind. Only rewinding. Rewind before the war. Before there was an opportunity this could ever happen. Before the friendly pranks.
Something broke.
………
……..
…….
……
…..
….
…
..
.
It was a harsh day of rain.
It has been raining all day, X̨̪̆̒͜͝ i̥̮̾͛ş͙͍̟̽͂̃͝n m̢͔̜̬̆̏̍͝ą̱͎͚̣̳̔̊̋̔̈́͒͞ was just sitting in the main room. Once again, the creeper man has been out doing whatever. He could care less, he had more important matters to think about...
A ̭̋.͈̕.̪̩̭̓̀̈́.͈̕.̪̩̭̓̀̈́..̓̀.̪̩̭̓̀̈́.͈̕.̓̀̈́.̡̡̼̦̹̖̋́́̃̅̃.͈̕.̪̩̓̀̈́ .̪̩̭̓̀̈́.͈̕.̓.͈̕.̪̓̀̈́
̭̋
̭̋.͈̕.̪̩̭̓̀̈́
It was a sunny day.
It has never rained.
There was never any tea.
There was never any large, ocean monument base.
There was never any war.
All the hermits were going on about their day. Nothing out of the ordinary. Just friendly chatter and casual discussion of future and current projects, and what to do with that giant empty space out in the middle of the ocean.
However. Not everyone was happy.
Ex felt something was wrong.
Something was out of the ordinary.
Everyone has been calling him Xisuma.
He knows that it should be right. He is Xisuma. But it just felt. Wrong.
He let out the loudest sigh, that was a horrible nightmare.
“It wasn’t a nightmare. If that’s what ya were thinkin’.” A voice remarkably similar to his own said. As a mushroom soup that smelled like a potion of strength was placed next to him.
“Wh-how- what happened- How am I here? Why-”
Ex remained silent.
“It was the void that you end up in if you overuse your power.” He whispered. “I have been there. Multiple times. It messes with your sanity. Even with the few seconds, you go into it.” Ex started. “It was extremely unwise of you to do such drastic changes to the timeline... Ya were lucky I realized something was wrong.”
