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Xisuma wiped his brow as he looked through the cave. It was dark, deep, the coolness of it stuck to him like a bad version of sweat. Mining was tedious but it was necessary, he needed to restock his shops and gather materials for his build. He was about to get back to it when he heard his com ping. Grabbing it off his waist, his brow furrowed at a message from Grian.
Grain: Admin Xisuma, can we talk?
Xisuma: Of course! Where do you want to meet?
Xisuma: Xisuma* You know you don’t have to call me Admin.
Grian: Your base. Your coords are X*** Y*** Z***?
Xisuma: Yea, I’ll meet you there.
He put his pickaxe away, glad for the break from mining but worried. There’s only one thing that he could see Grian wanting to talk about. He started the climb up from the mines with a pit in his gut.
He hoped that he was wrong.
He wasn’t surprised that Grian beat him to his base. He was even less surprised by Grian tapping his cane on the Prismarine trying to find the door.
“You just drop in from the top. It’s about X*** Y*** Z***.”
“We were so lucky that it didn’t rain when I was staying here, huh?” Grian used a rocket to fly up, dropping down into his base.
“The room you were staying in is below my storage system. I’m pretty sure it did rain once during that week.” Xisuma landed next to him. “Let’s head down there and I’ll make some tea. We can talk.” Grian holds out his arm, making it obvious that he doesn’t know the way. “Here.” He puts his arm out for Grian to grab before leading him down into his home. “There’s a table with a couple chairs. Wait here I’ll be right back.”
“Thanks Admin.” Grian made a little bow, his hand a bit over his heart, with his forefinger and thumb making a box shape over it as though grabbing something that wasn’t there. He didn’t know what to make of the way Grian was acting. He’s aware that Watchers occasionally interact with admins and that they have guidelines for respect when they do interact. He thought that Grian had stopped following the Watchers rules when he started to interact with the other hermits. He wouldn’t admit it to him but it was a bit unnerving to see it come back in full force. He let out a sigh and poured them both tea before heading back to the table.
“What was it that you needed Grian?” He scoops a few spoonfuls of sugar into his tea, stirring it with a spoon.
“I’ve been thinking about our deal, you know, I’ll stay until I’m healed and have gotten used to being blind.”
“Did you want me to start looking for a new server for you to go to?” His heart sunk. He thought that was where this conversation was going to go. “Or perhaps you wanted me to set one up for you that has the same protections and firewalls that hermitcraft has?”
“I-“ Grian tapped the table, as if trying to gather his thoughts. “I don’t know what I want. I thought I would want to leave since that would ensure that your hermits are safe, but” He went quiet, choosing to take a sip of the tea instead.
“But?”
“I was talking with Mumbo. He’s always rambling you know? He said something really dumb but it’s not like he knew I was planning to leave. He said that he couldn’t wait to see what I built next season.”
“Grian, we’d be more than happy to have you stay in Hermitcraft. You’re a fantastic builder, and you fit in really well with all the other hermits. If you want to stay here you can. Of course the opposite is true too, if you really do wish to leave I’ll do whatever I can to make sure your new server is safe.”
“I want to stay but I shouldn’t.” Grian let out a shaky sigh “I had a server before I became a watcher. Evo.” Xisuma nodded, it made sense considering the Watcher had a player ID. “It was- The people there, we were family. I agreed to go with the Watchers in order to keep them safe, but I didn’t know the rules yet. It wasn’t a bound deal. Their server was deleted. My family was likely deleted with it.” There were tears pooling in Grian’s eyes. Xisuma reached out his hand, holding Grian’s in his. “I don’t want that to happen to this server.”
“Grian, I’m sorry about your previous server.” He truly was, he didn’t want to give Grian false hope about whether or not his family was alive but he vowed in his head to search for them. “I can’t guarantee that the Watchers won’t find Hermitcraft, but what I can do is put every possible measure into place to protect not only you but everyone on this server. I can add extra firewalls for season 7, we can make a plan for if the Watchers come our way. Grian, if you want my opinion I think you should stay.” Grian let go of his hand. “I think that you like it here and that it’s worth the possible fight ahead for you to stay with us.” Grian got up.
“Thank you for the Tea, Admin Xisuma.” He did the fancy bow once again. “If you don’t mind, I need to think about it.”
“Take all the time you need.” Xisuma was left with two cups of tea, barely touched. He leaned back in the chair, he knows he should clean up, he knows that he should head back to the mines. He doesn’t get up, doesn’t move from that spot. How could he? When a hermit of his clearly doesn’t feel safe in their home. When there is a possibility of Grian coming back and telling him he’d prefer to go.
It’s about a week before he hears anything. He expected to get another concerning sounding message from Grian but he never does. Instead he finds himself staring at several messages from Mumbo.
Mumbo: X, I’m sure you’re busy but do you mind coming down to Grians? The last couple days he’s just been pants. Not to say that being pants is a bad thing. You’re allowed to be pants but I’m pretty sure Grian hasn’t slept in a few days? If I wasn’t insisting he take lunch with me I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t have eaten either.
Mumbo: He won’t tell me what this is about. I’m all sorts of worried about him. You were the last person he talked to before he went all over the place. Can you talk to him? Or at the very least check up on him?
Xisuma: I think I know what this is about. I’ll be there soon.
Mumbo: Oh, that’s good. That’s great even, I hope everything works out.
He closes his com, and flies towards Grian’s base. It did not take long for him to spot the tower, it took even less time to land on the topmost layer where both Grian and Mumbo were.
“Oh! Xisuma, thank you so much for coming out here!” Mumbo nervously paced back and forth, as Grian was placing blocks for his build.
“Really? You called the Admin on me?” Grian, despite trying to sound annoyed, sounded fond.
“You know, you could just call him Xisuma!” Grian rolled his eyes.
“He doesn’t have to if he doesn’t want to.” Xisuma was well versed in this argument at this point. “I’m fine with being called Admin.” Grian stopped placing blocks and headed down to the same level they were.
“So, Admin Xisuma” Grian had a cheeky grin on his face as Mumbo let out an ‘ugh’. “What can I do for you?”
“I think it’s time we finished that conversation.” Mumbo looked confused but intrigued. Grian ran a hand down his face.
“Yea, I made my decision or at least I think I have.”
“Well I can tell when I’m not welcome.” Mumbo laughed. “Get him to take a nap while you’re at it.”
“I will.” Xisuma watched as Mumbo flew off. “Mumbos gone.”
“I do not need a nap!”
“Grian, we both know that is a lie. You have bags under your eyes. I would prefer to have this conversation after you’ve had a nap but I know you. Just promise me you’ll get some sleep after?”
“I will.” Grian hesitated. “Can we head inside? I can’t exactly see if anyone is around and I’d feel more comfortable being able to hear if a door opens.”
“Of course. This is your base, please lead the way.” Grian took them down a couple levels to the area he’s been living in. There was a bed nestled in the room, a huge amount of chests and a small kitchen area. Xisuma sat himself at the table and Grian joined him. “Have you made a decision?”
“I have, but I have a condition.” Grian is fiddling with a block he brought down with him.
“What did you decide?”
“I want to stay.” Xisuma couldn’t help but smile. “But if I’m going to stay then there needs to be a plan.”
“Of course.”
“I know you’ll increase the number of firewalls on the server but that’s just a preventative measure. It doesn’t stop the Watchers from getting into Hermitcraft, it just slows them down.”
“It would give us the time we need to prepare an attack.”
“Xisuma, the only person on this server besides me who could take down a Watcher is Scar. He’s well, he’s Scar. It wouldn’t end well.” Grian took a deep breath in and then let it out. “I’ve been thinking about it, there’s really only one option if the Watchers come.”
“Grian we can figure out a plan of attack together.”
“There is no plan of attack. Xisuma, I need you to promise me this, if I stay and the Watchers come you will evacuate everyone from whatever season we’re on.”
“What about you?”
“I’ll go back to them. It’ll be fine.” Grian let out a morbid laugh. “They won’t kill me.”
“Grian-“
“Adm- Xisuma” He had the saddest smile on his face. “I’ve thought so hard about this, I’m not risking another server, it’s either this evacuation plan or I leave.”
“Okay.” Xisuma didn’t want to agree to it, but sometimes being an admin means making the hardest decisions.
“I need you to promise.”
“I promise to evacuate Hermitcraft if the Watchers ever come to Hermitcraft.” Somehow speaking it aloud felt binding. He silently hopes it won’t ever come to pass.
“Thank you.”
The sky was sunny, it was a bright cheerful blue. The kind of sky that exists on a perfect summer day.
It was far from perfect.
Merely minutes before it had been a sky of doom. The moon bore down on the hermits threatening them with death and destruction. It was a sky fitting for the mood. Now? It wasn’t.
Bright. Cheerful. Blue.
Xisuma stared up at the sky. Grian did this, he saved them. They both knew what the cost would be. He heard a sob, and focused away from the sky, from where the moon had been a clear threat.
Pearl.
She had been banging on the gold orb, trying to convince Grian to fight back. To do something more than go along with them. Now she had fallen to the ground and let out a wail. It froze the hermits. Pearl had always been strong, always one to point out when someone is wrong. Always ready to fight for what’s right.
There she is, wailing.
It was Mumbo who moved first. He trekked across the circle that they were in. He stood in front of the portal that took Grian from them and he offered her his hand. Mumbo who wouldn’t kill a thing, Mumbo who paced constantly and worried about every little thing. Mumbo who wasn’t a builder, wasn’t a fighter. He spoke.
“We’ll get him back.”
Xisuma wished that was true.
“We’ll figure out how to work this portal- it can’t be that hard.” Pearl grabbed his hand, standing besides him.
Xisuma knew he had to take control. The moon was a clear threat but now there was an unclear one. The only way to protect themselves was to leave.
“I want to get him back as well.” Xisuma did, but he had to protect his hermits first. “But we need to evacuate the server.” Pearl had fire in her eyes. She was pissed. Scar looked relieved, it hurt to see that relief on his face. Grian and him had been close, yet all it took to bring that friendship down was for Grian to reveal himself. “It’s no longer safe here.”
“No longer safe here?” Pearl was charging towards him. “It would still be safe if you hadn’t taken down the firewalls!”
“I have a temporary server set-“ Pearl punched him, sending him to the ground. He let her. He couldn’t keep his hermits safe.
“PEARL.” Mumbo had run over, placing himself between them. “Pearl, I know, it’s pants. Xisuma is the only one who understands what happened, I think we should listen to him for now.” Her expression softened, Mumbo was the only one who really understood. When Grian disappeared the first time, it was assumed he was dead. Now? She doesn’t know what to think but she knows it feels like back then.
“That’s not true.” She crossed her arms staring Xisuma down as Mumbo helped him up. “Scar recognized what Grian is, he might know more!”
“I know about Watchers. Xisuma’s right, we should be getting out, we should've left yesterday!” He wheeled his chair back and forth in anxiety.
“But- We can’t leave! This portal-“
“You’re not going to reopen that portal. That needs capital M Magic. And as much as I am a mah-agic man-“
“You! You better open this Portal RIGHT NOW!” She was stomping her way towards Scar, who quickly scooted his way backwards.
“Nope! Nuh-uh! No can do!” He was wheeling away from her as quickly as possible. “That’d practically be inviting them back here!”
“SCAR!”
“Pearl! That’s enough!” Xisuma had to put his foot down.
“You’re joking right? He’s refusing to help us go get Grian!”
“He doesn’t have to.” He let out a sigh as plenty of the hermits looked almost offended. “He has his reasons for not getting involved. I’d like to remind each and everyone of you that one of the rules of being a hermit is that we have the choice to leave our past behind.”
“That’s what got us into this mess into the first place!” He doesn’t know who said it but it quickly spreads among the hermits.
“If that’s the way you feel you can leave Hermitcraft after we’re on the temporary server. We need to evacuate as The Watchers, they’re basically gods, they aren’t something that we can go against.”
“What about Grian?” He expected it to be Pearl but Mumbo walked forward. “We’re just going to leave him? We’re not even going to try?”
“Grian promised me that if he ever went back to them he would be okay.” That wasn’t quite what he said, but he needed them to move. “He made me promise to evacuate, to keep everyone safe because he's genuinely worried that this server will be deleted. That we’ll be hurt in the process of that deletion. By all means if you want to try to go after Grian, I won’t stop you, in fact I actively encourage it but it needs to happen after we’re off server.”
“I’m not giving up on Grian.” Pearl was staring at him harshly. “But I’ll go.” The effect was instantaneous, all of the hermits agreed to go.
“It’s going to take a few minutes to set up the portal. I’m going to teleport everyone to their bases, grab anything important, and as soon as I’m done I’ll be teleporting everyone back here.”
“When are you going to start looking for a new world?” Xisuma has been camped out on the couch of the communal living space Grian has once created in the temporary server. This server was where Grian spent his time in-between seasons, during that time he had spent it making something that was sort of like a larger bed and breakfast, very cozy. It had lots of rooms for everyone and it was very personallized to their tastes. He had spent the past week staring at Grians code, trying his best to get a location on him. There were others in the room, pouring over books on watchers as though it could give them the answer to getting Grian back. Ren, Pearl, Mumbo. Doc was in the room too, looking at code after code alongside him. Pearl snapped her book shut and Mumbo grabbed her hand. Ren looked between Pearl and Scar, quickly decided he didn’t want anything to do with this. He left the room.
“Did you have a world in mind, Scar?” He had been ignoring his admin duties, Scar wasn’t wrong. He should be looking for a new world for Season 9.
“You’re just going to give up on him just like that?” Pearl has never been an admin, she didn’t understand the way things worked.
“That is not-“ Xisuma said.
“You shouldn’t even be looking for the Watchers.” He really wished Scar would stop fanning the flames. “It’s a suicide mission.”
“You want us to just leave Grian with them?”
“Yes! He’s one of those das-“
“That is enough out of both of you.” Xisuma let out a long sigh. “Pearl, I am not giving up on Grian just because I have to split my time between trying to find him and my duties as an admin.” Scar looked like a younger sibling watching his older sibling get scolded. All proud, grinning as though he had won the fight. Xisuma could only have so many long suffering sighs, he instead fixed a hard stare on Scar. “Scar, You don’t need to get involved in the search but I do need you to stop picking fights with those that are.”
“Picking fights? I just came over here to find out about season 9!” He huffed, crossing his arms.
“Well, I haven’t gone searching for a new world yet. I wasn’t planning on doing so until after I check to see if season 8 is still around.”
“I thought that the Watchers deleted it? Isn’t that why we left?” Pearl pursed her lips, looking confused and angry at the same time.
“No we left because if we were on the world as they deleted it we would have been deleted too.”
“If our world is still there, that means that portal is there too.” Pearl grinned, ideas clearly forming in her head. “Maybe we can figure out how to activate it.”
“You shouldn’t mess with their stuff, they’ll get angry.” Scar huffed “It’s bad enough they took one of their own back, we don’t need their attention on us!”
“One of THEIR own? They took one of US! One of the HERMITS!” Pearl slammed her book down on the table, harshly glaring at Scar as her voice rose. Xisuma decided to let them yell at eachother, he completely agreed with Pearl. Grian, no matter where he was or what he was would always be a Hermit. He would always be welcome here. He couldn’t help but hope that maybe if they got the yelling out of their system than he won’t have to play mediator anymore. “I don’t get you! Grian always talked about how you are one of his favorite people, someone he would do anything for! You think he wanted to go back to that hell? No! He did it for you, for us, and you’re just what? Cowering in fear?”
“I’m not cowering! I have a good healthy amount of fear! Thank you! I happen to have a Incredibly good reason for that fear!” Scar matched her volume, going louder than he usually would. “I’ve seen exactly what the Watchers are capable of, you want to know what the BEST CASE SCENARIO IS HERE? All of us dead, maybe one or two Watchers killed in the process. Worst case? They take more of us, use us for their sick experiments! Trust me, You do not want to be in the care of the Watchers, no siree!”
“But it’s fine that Grian is stuck in their care?”
“He’s one of them!”
“So what! He doesn’t want to be there!”
“Too bad! We can’t do anything about it, not without risking ourselves!”
“Grian would risk it for you,” Her voice went soft “ I guess you’re not the kind of friend he thought you were.”
It’s quiet except for the occasional scroll of Docs screen. Scar let out a big sigh. She thought she would see hurt in his eyes but there was just….
An acceptance.
“Or maybe” his voice was soft too “he knew exactly the kind of friend I am, and was banking on me convincing the rest of you to leave it alone.”
“Well you won’t convince me, I won’t abandon him again.”
“Um, Xisuma” Doc had stopped scrolling, there was a terrified expression on his face that if he didn’t specifically call out Xisuma could have been because he was dead center of an argument. “Can you look at this?”
“Of course.” He got up, heading to the middle where Doc has been sitting. Pearl saw the way Scar tightened his grip on his chair, as though expecting bad news.
“Relax Scar” she says as though they hadn’t been screaming their lungs out at each other a minute ago. “It’s probably nothing, Docs has been having Xisuma look at pieces of Grian’s code all day. Watcher code is really weird.” She wouldn’t admit it but she was just as worried. She got more worried when Xisuma’s brow furrowed and he opened up the same lines on his own screen.
He hasn’t done that before.
He usually just tells Doc it’s okay or what that line of weird code does. “Xisuma?” He starts furiously typing, his hands flying across the keyboard faster than she’s ever seen.
“Give me a moment.” She looks over his shoulder at the screen. It scared her, the numbers and letters flashing across the screen. Parts of it seemed like it was being erased before her very eyes, another part being added on. It was a cruel race that she couldn’t tear her eyes away from. “C’mon Grian, work with me here.” As soon as he said it a huge chunk of the letters disappeared. It was clear that whatever Xisuma was doing wasn’t working. “No” he stared blankly at the screen, eyes watering, not a clack of keys to be heard.
“Is Grian okay?” She thought it would be Mumbo or maybe Doc but it wasn’t either. Scar gripped his chair tight as he spoke, looking far more worried than he had any right to be.
“I need to call a meeting.” His stare is going right through the screen.
“I’ll go collect everyone, are we meeting in the dining room?” Xisuma nodded and Mumbo hurried out of the room with a panicked look on his face.
“Doc?”
“Yea?”
“You remember the program we first used to try to track Grian?”
“I need you to run it, the fact that his code is updating in real time means we have direct access right now.”
“Wait, that’s actually happening to his code?” Doc was already opening the files he needed. Pearl thought about the fact that the code was disappearing before her eyes. She could only think of one thing that could cause that. “I thought it had to be a glitch.”
“Oh god.” She can’t help but put her hands over her mouth in horror. “Is Grian being deleted?”
“Not exactly…It’s a bit more complicated than that…”
“How can it be complicated?” Pearl said as Doc finished up starting the program. “You either are being deleted or you’re not?”
“I’ll explain it once everyone is in the dining room.”
Xisuma sat at the front of the dining room table, the screen in front of him flashed letters and numbers as he waited for everyone to get here. He couldn’t think, he knows there’s something he can do, a temporary stopgap but he can’t think. He needs to focus on the meeting, on Pearls glare, on Scars reddened eyes, on anything but what’s happening to Grian. Eventually the last person came in with Mumbo.
He stood up.
“It looks like everyone is here.”
“What’s this about X?”
“Is Grian okay?”
“Why did you call a meeting?”
“Are we voting about when we’ll start season 9?”
“Do we have a location on Grian?”
“Everyone please be quiet, I have some news about Grian.” Everyone immediately went quiet. “As of a few minutes ago, Grians code showed signs of starting a Player ID deletion.”
“Grian really is being deleted. Oh god.” Pearl spoke quietly but it was silent enough that almost everyone heard it.
“Oh hun, that’s not what’s happening here.” Cleo got up from her seat, heading over to Pearl to pull her into a hug. “Losing your player ID isn’t pretty but it’s not a complete deletion.”
“She’s right. A player ID deletion is not the same as a complete deletion. It’s only done to hybrids, since a player ID is what makes us different from a mob. Without it we wouldn’t be able to build, eat, sleep and a dozen other things. Going through that type of deletion is sort of like a factory reset.”
“Grian isn’t a mob.” Mumbo can’t sit still, he was pacing in the back of the room.
“He’s not? I thought he is a watcher?” Gem asks.
“No, nope, we grew up together. He was just a normal player until he, gosh, I guess it would’ve happened when he disappeared and everyone thought he was dead.” Mumbo rambled. “It’s kind of horrifying to think about innit?”
“That’s what I’m concerned about.” Xisuma sighed. “There isn’t many cases of players becoming mobs.” Doc raised an eyebrow, as he’s one such case. Purposely becoming a creeper hybrid.”Those that have become a hybrid stay like that since player ID deletion or attempting to delete the mob code is very dangerous.”
“Is that why you’re still part creeper Doc?” Joe Hills asked as he sat next to Doc.
“Yea, there’s a chance it could perma-kill me if I tried or it could cause me to lose a significant part of my memory. I’ve been a creeper for quite awhile now.”
“Is that going to happen to Grian?” Mumbo stopped moving.
“I don’t know. I can’t say if he’ll live or die from this.” Xisuma sighed. He was frustrated by the lack of options.
“Isn’t there anything we could do?”
“I’ve already done what I can from this side of the screen. I tried to reset his code but it’s like Grian is letting them do this, it doesn’t hold up for long.” He felt his tiredness gnawing on him. “I’ve turned off his pain but it will only help a little bit. Doc is running a program to hopefully find him, but it’s a race against time. I do ask that anyone who wishes to come on the rescue mission to be ready. We won’t have any time to waste.”
“I’ll be ready.” Pearl pulls away from Cleo, choosing to stand when all the other hermits besides Mumbo are sitting.
“I’m not a fighter but I’ll come.” Mumbo chimes in, standing besides her. One by one they all stand.
“Thank you.”
Xisuma went up to his room after, throwing off his helmet in frustration. He didn’t know what he could do, but at least in here he could breathe properly.
A part of him wanted to head to the end. To talk with the void and see if she has anything to offer him. He knows that he shouldn’t, he knows that she would offer to take his troubles away to have him back to void. To nothingness and yet something altogether.
He hasn’t wanted to give in to that for a long long time.
He sat down next to the bed, watching the screen slowly lose its numbers. He wants there to be something to do. Grian is one of his players. He can’t let him go.
Let him be erased.
But still he watches, he waits. He hopes that Doc burst through that door with the news that they have a location.
It doesn’t come.
The morning light streams through the window, creating tiny sparks of light as dust filters through them. He stares at a screen that is empty. There’s no numbers. There’s no letters. There’s no more hope.
Grian is gone.
His player is not coming back.
He has to get up, to tell everyone else, but he doesn’t want to.
He finds himself walking down the stairs anyways.
He stands at the front of the dining room table.
His hermits join him, barring one who will never join them again.
They all look at him, their faces full of hope.
“Grian-“ his voice cracks right away. “He’s gone.”