Tw: mentions of cannibalism, suicide

It was a week later that the plan was put into motion. Hypno agreed to punch Cub in the face. Cub would get a nosebleed. xB would offer to help him, but put sleeping potion on the cloth he was clearing the nosebleed with. Everything worked perfectly. Cub ran inside, terrified of being possessed. Hypno was taken into Cub's storage room, where his injuries were covered. xB excused himself, checked to see if Cub was asleep outside the safe room (he was), and waited until Cleo and Xisuma had left.

And then came the hard part.

Hypno fought death as much as Jevin. xB stayed with him the whole time, sobbing, as he bled out. Blood covered everything - pouring from Hypno's torn throat, staining xB's hands, xB's clothes, xB's fangs and the fake claws Beef had given him. The taste refused to leave his mouth.

And again, Cub and Scar weren't banned.

And again, Beef suggested worse. Kidnapping. Faking death. Bullying Etho into giving them audio he'd accidentally recorded in Season 5. xB argued again, and again, he was threatened and terrified into helping. Beef convinced Bdubs that he wouldn't be trapped for long, and he could wander around whenever he pleased, as long as he wasn't seen. xB was in charge of handling Cub. He'd been scouting around Cub's base for days, waiting for a point when he was alone. It was very late one night that his chance arrived - Joe and Elex discussing something in the Safe Room, Cub just outside.

All it took was him creating a loud enough noise to get Cub to leave his post, trap Joe and Elex in the safe room, knock Cub unconscious and drag him somewhere else. It was too easy. Far too easy to frame Cub, his friend, his servermate, an innocent Hermit that Beef was determined to get banned.

And xB only felt worse when it was revealed that Cub had been taken prisoner, tortured, and left for dead. He'd caused that. Guilt, even more of that crushing, burning, guilt, drowned him. And a growing resentment at Beef for how much damage he'd caused, how much he'd made xB cause.

So when Beef came to him again, he finally managed to fight back.

'No,' xB replied, the moment Beef pulled out a needle and explained it would force Cub and Scar to get possessed. 'No more. You failed. And I don't give a fuck about getting banned if I get to take you with me.'

'You're gonna snitch then?' Beef took a step closer, threatening. xB held his ground.

'I know they hurt you, and I'm sure it was incredibly hard and traumatic, but Xisuma made his decision not to ban them. And if you think murdering multiple hermits as revenge makes you any better than them, you're wrong. You're the monster, Beef. Cub and Scar are innocent.'

Before he could do anything, Beef had shoved xB against the wall. The smaller guardian hybrid was left struggling, screaming, unable to free himself, before a cloth was placed over his mouth. Sleeping potion. The same potion he'd given to Cub.

'Goodnight, xB.'

And he fell unconscious.

xB didn't know how much later it was when he woke up. He was lying where he'd been knocked out. And all he knew was that Beef had done something. Killed someone. Blamed Cub and Scar for something else.

And that there was a private message for him.

Xisuma whispered to you: Bush. My base

Keralis.

In seconds, xB was on his feet. The journey out of the secret room was long, flying over to Xisuma's base and inside where-

No.

No he couldn't.

xB screamed with grief, falling next to the dead body of his best friend. Ren lay dead nearby. And next to him?

Beef.

He'd done this.

Asking Elex wasn't necessary, but it was the final clue. Beef had won. Cub and Scar would be banned. All he could do was speak before they were. But xB couldn't. Everything that came out was sobbing.

And by the time he could, he and Beef were the only pair left in that place alive. Cub and Scar were going to be banned.

All he could do was avenge them in time.

'You're dead.' xB swore.

'I won. That's all that matters.'

'You've killed 4 hermits, and got 2 banned!' snarled xB, standing. His claws had been growing back slowly, but fast enough that they were ready to kill again. He bared his fangs at Beef. 'And you deserve everything that the ConVex did to you!'

'What did you just say?'

'You deserved it! You're a sick, twisted, monster who never deserved to be a hermit!'

'I was imprisoned in a pit and eaten alive in front of my best friends! And all that time they were laughing, and joking, and Bdubs was screaming. And then they did the same to Bdubs. And they kept Etho in that place for months, until Scar dragged him out one day and threw him in another pit to get eaten by this horrifying alien creature.'

'They were possessed, Beef. Xisuma's decision stands. I should've never helped you. All you've done is forced me to be a monster just like you. xB stepped closer, voice little more than a growl. 'But it ends today.'

He attacked.

There was nothing Beef could do as xB killed him except scream. Loud enough, apparently, that the nearby Mumbo heard. And came in. And told the world. And Cub and Scar would be safe.

Until he saw the messages above.

Player cubfan135 was banned

Player GoodTimeWithScar was banned

He was too late.

The room was silent as xB finished explaining. Tears ran down his face.

'Bdubs and Etho knew enough for them to confirm my story. But it's too late anyway. Beef's dead and soon I will be too.' He held his claws against his wrist, smiling. Elex stood.

'xB, you don't have to do this. There are other ways. We can make up a story about Beef killing everyone, it's true enough already. You can remain a hermit- xB, please.'

'Goodbye.' xB slashed across first one wrist, then the other, backing away as Xisuma ran to help, yelling and panicking, but unable to do anything as xB collapsed.

Dead.

This was supposed to be something else but OH WELL EPILOGUE TIME