Special Note: This story takes place as Tenn is dying. In the middle we see the end of last chapter. Hope this helps!

Erie noises lilted across Joe's highly sensitive ears. An eloquent man, Joe was favored by most. He found himself gushing out fancy words in sentences that his brain couldn't even comprehend. Despite his vast vocabulary and immense knowledge, Joe had many fears. Especially those eerie noises. When was the last time you could talk your way out of a trap?

Joe had become a bit of a nomad when the traps started popping up. You can't trap someone if you don't know where they will be. He carefully picked his way across the muck of the swamp. No use getting dirty. As Joe took another careful step, a rocket fired. Joe scanned his eyes across he murky water. No hiding place.

Instead of a feared dead person, the flier was one of the few remaining alive. Mumbo, in his pristine suit, was gliding along with black and red wings. Joe had to admit the man looked a lot like a hawk, when Mumbo saw Joe's skinny figure from high up.

He spiraled down to the ground tilting himself up at the last moment. Mumbo gave a customary bow, a light tilt forwards. Joe mimicked the gesture and waited for him to speak.

"Greetings, wanderer." 

Joe stifled a laugh. Mumbo was not usually like this. What ever this game was, Joe would play along. "Welcome to my humble adobe. Accommodations are scarce throughout a time of great peril. You are welcome to proceed through the trials of this land alongside me."

Mumbo sighed with a big smile. "Okay, you win."

Joe couldn't help but raise one hazel eyebrow. "Win what? If I may ask."

"I was seeing if I could beat you at a word competition-"

Joe wasn't one for interrupting, but Mumbo usually wasn't one for doing strange competitions. What was he up to? "Okay Mumbo." Mumbo looked at him with apprehension.

"What game are you playing? Did Grian put you up to something?" Joe referred to the undead architech partner.

Mumbo scuffed his foot into the ground, a mistake as the mud latched onto his dress shoe. "Well......"

"Spit it out, Mumbo." That was perhaps the most informal phrase Joe had ever spoken.

The mustached man sheepishly pulled a potato out of his pocket. It had the words 'Hot potato' etched into its skin. "In a way, yes, it was Grian." He scrunched his eyebrows. "But he was extremely cryptic about it."

Joe heard the rustle of a big creature. Taking no risks, he took his elytra out of his bag. Mumbo had confusion written across his face.

"We aren't safe here." Joe pointed where the noise had come from. "To many ears in too many places. I know where to go."

Mumbo watched as Joe strapped the wings to his body. The process was quick, and soon the wings had morphed into wide black and white wings. The black curved around the tip of every white feather, as if a book was written on them. Mumbo glanced at his own wings, a little put off at how average they were. Average size, average color. He would need to do some redstone tweaking on them.

Joe launched himself into the sky with big sweeps from his wings and the rocket he had fired. Mumbo fumbled for a rocket, hoping he could take off better than he usually could. Thankfully his wings didn't fail him, and soon Joe and Mumbo were flying off into the sky.

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Joe was talking to Mumbo as they flew in the ever darkening sky. Words couldn't travel very far when they were flying very high in the sky. Neither of them realized that they were so close to the volcano. A jolt coursed through their bodies, changing some things in their code. A major update. 

Mumbo angled himself down, Joe following closely behind. They were right next to Scar's base, the hand built mountain looming in their vision with the moon rising behind it. A winged figure rose out of it and flew to the main land.

"Isn't that Xisuma?" Mumbo pointed at the disapearing figure. Joe felt a hollowness inside of him. Something bad had happened.

"Mumbo..." He trailed off. Mumbo took one look at the colapsing Joe and grabbed him. He knew Scar was dead, but he was their best hope. Something had happened to Joe.

They wandered the endless halls, Joe putting most of his scrawny weight on Mumbo's tall frame. Mumbo saw the staircase first, one that led deeper into the base. Scar could be heard rummaging in the room below.

Joe managed to make it, gasping when he saw what was in the room. Scar turned to look at the two with sadness in his eyes. He had already cried all the tears he could. He didn't think twice about the fact that he still had color in his body.

"Tenn..." Joe trailed off, arms hugging himself. Scar managed a nod before getting back to his cleanup.

"Scar, you found a way to escape the code." Mumbo's sad eyes followed Joe's gaze to the crumpled clothes.

Scar gathered any reasonability he had left amidst this grievous time. "Tenn won't be the only one lost in the code soon. His cause of death was natural, but we will be torn apart by the virus that has entered our world."

Joe's eyes widened as he helped Scar grab the supplies. Scar packed the remainder of the stuff in a shulker box. "Our code will be destroyed. Xisuma is gathering the others for Tenn's funeral. You two are the few remaining living that can destroy the virus."

Scar walked out of the room and disappeared. They heard a distant firework rocket as he left the island. Joe could barely believe what happened. He put a hand on the cot, sheets still rumpled. "Tenn is really gone. I never thought it would happen."

Mumbo lowered his gaze respectfully. "Grian went through a simaller experience."

Joe looked up. "Grian? The pranker?"

Mumbo sat down on a chair in the corner. "Grian's pranks are a bit of a coping mechanism for him. He was shot through time a few years ago. Somehow his code got changed so that he wouldn't instantly die. He went hundreds of years into the future. His family and friends, they were all dead."

"Oh no..." Joe wished he knew more about the blond person. Mumbo and Iskall knew him best.

"One of his best friends, Pearl, revolutionized redstone." Mumbo got up again and walked out the door, Joe following behind him. The moon was setting as they grabbed their rockets to join the funeral for Tenn.

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Everyone had gathered for the funeral. Even those who rarely poked their heads out of the ground. Xisuma had taken the role of announcing the death to the group. He spoke in the language only the hermits knew, in case anyone was listening.

Joe had changed into black and Doc had changed out of his customary lab coat. It was odd to see the half creeper, half cyborg in a suit. The mood was solemn as clouds covered the sky and rain began to fall. No one bothered to get out of the rain, instead accepting the downpour. 

After Xisuma ended his speech, the others slowly dispersed leaving Joe and Xisuma. 

"I'm so sorry Xisuma." Joe stood by him. Xisuma had his face hidden by his visor. Xisuma sadly looked at Joe and gave a tiny nod. He spread his wings and took off, not needing a rocket.

Joe watched the admin fade off in the distance, his hair slicked back from the rain. It must be so hard for Xisuma, knowing that you had all that power and yet you couldn't keep your friends from dying.

He turning toward the wind and took off in the direction of his old base. Joe was lost in thoughts as he flew higher and higher, finally coming above the clouds. He hadn't repaired his wings in a while though, as they started to strain to keep him in the air. Joe realized it too late. With a snap his wings turned back to metal blades and he plummeted down to the earth. The earth welcomed him as he instantly blacked out.

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The command cube that contained the virus hummed happily. Almost everyone had become undead. Soon it would unleash its full power and devour the yummy code that made up this world.

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Four are left to destroy the virus. Only the alive can find the command cube. Time is running out for these souls. Will the code that makes their world run get destroyed? Find out in the next part.

-Buurn