The group of young adults jumped through the portal. It was a strange one, to say the least. It was built with the same materials and structure of a nether portal, but it was lying flat on the ground like an End portal. NPG had only touched the inside edge when it exploded into life to a pop. The swirling vortex was a midnight purple, instead of the normal violet.

"It's so pretty!" Duck woman chimed. Stress gave a little giggle at the comment.

"Let's go," Doc grumbled. He just wanted to get Grian back and apologize. He jumped through the portal, Xisuma leading the rest of them in. TFC and Hypno stayed behind with a shulker of medical supplies, neither were great at either of the skills, so that's why they stayed out of the fight and off the field.

Once everyone was through the portal, Mini Grian signalled to everyone to keep quiet. Most nodded and split up into their groups. Stress, Joe, Wels, and NPG stayed by the portal. Everyone else crept out of the portal room and into the hallway. NPG held the portal open, and cast a quick charm over everyone here with him, it would keep them hidden from the Watchers heightened senses.

X led the group down the hall, they reached an archway where they could see Gem sitting on a throne adorned with crystals and sparkles. She seemed to be talking to someone.

"Are you ready to comply, my Diamond?"

"I've said yes, Gem! Just stop! Don't touch them!"

The group's eyes widen at the conversation they were hearing. They watched Gem move her wrist lazily and a pained scream was heard. "Don't lie to me! You wouldn't be protecting them if you were truly giving up, child!" She had an angry frown, but the solid mask prevented them from seeing anything else.

"P-please. I'll stay if you leave them alone. I don't want them ending up like my last server."

"You can see them again. I saved the ones I like. Your friends Topaz and Pearl would be happy to see you again. Just tell me the truth."

X didn't know what to do, Gem was hurting Grian, but Grian wanted to go back. Or, that's what it sounded like.

"I've told you! I'll stay! I'll stay and comply! All I ask is you leave Admin Xisumavoid and his people alone!" Another scream echoed from the throne room, and X wasn't going to let it happen again. Grian didn't want to go back to the Watchers, he wanted the server people to be saved despite how they had treated them.

X quickly typed out a message on his communicator and held it for the group to read.

Tango, ready your bow to shoot the Watcher. Stress Doc and Iskall ready to lead everyone into a first attack. Stress, Cleo, and scar are coming with my to Get G. Got it?

After everyone read it heads bobbed in yeses. Tango pulled out a tipped arrow and loaded it, aimed for the wing of Gem. X counted down on his fingers from 3. On 0 then charged.

"Tell me- oh look," Gem had spotted the hermits rounding the corner, weapons pulled. Her attention was quickly pulled away by Tango, who had gained the first shot. He had rendered her flightless, now to keep her that way.

"You leave Grian alone!" False shouted, sword in full swing.

X ran toward the hermit they had come for, he was horrified by the sight. Blood was pooled around his kneeling form, his wings had patches of feather missing, multiple stab wounds healed just enough to not kill him, and burns covering his whole body. His mask had cracks in it, but it remained over his eyes.

"Grian," he shouted as he neared. Stress was shouting at Cleo and Scar to grab any potion they could, as she sat at his side. She had a shulker out and was speaking to him. X skidded to a stop and tosses a healing potion to Stress while he checked Gri's vitals.

"How are you still alive?" Stress breathed as she poured the potion over the most recent burns.

"Hello to you too," he chuckled painfully. "You really shouldn't be here, y'know. One of us is going to end up dead and I don't think it's going to be me."

"You expect us not to come for you? You're our friend!" Cleo protested.

"Who hated my guts less then a week ago."

"We can explain that," X said, looking over his vitals. "He's got about 4 hearts left. It's slowly rising though." Now all three healers were working over Grian. Stress and Scar were applying more potions, while Cleo was wrapping his burns.

"Don't touch him!" Gem cried as she noticed the small group surrounding her Diamond. "Don't touch my child!" She sent a shockwave through the room, knocking over multiple hermits.

Grian gently pushed Stress and the others away, standing up despite the protest. "No. They're my friends! You're the one that needs to stay away!" He took steps forward, magic pulsing in his hands.

"Diamond! You dare defy me?" She looked furious. She had magic sparking between her pale fingers.

"I've done it before, is it really a question now?" He cracked a smile before he was thrown off his feet by a blast of magic.

"Would you stop being an idiot and let me help you!" Stress yelled as she ran over.

"I don't need help right now Stress. I need to keep her away from you guys!" He flew up into the air, tho it looked pained, and quickly tumbled down again.

"Sir, I'm going to need you to calm down, you are being rescued. Do not resist!" Cleo held his arms while Stress and Scar worked on his back and wings. Grian struggled, though he was in no condition to, he attempted anyway.

A gurgled scream ripped through the room, however, as False was stabbed between the ribs in her chest. "Falsey!" Ren yelled over the explosion of a totem of undying. He ran over, tossing a poison potion over that Gem.

"Falsey what happened? I thougt you could hold your own!" Ren had tears building in his eyes as he grabbed a health potion and poured it over the wound.

"Tis but a scratch," False laughed as she was helped up and walked over to the other healers.

"You listen hear missy, you were just stabbed! It's not a scratch that could have been your life!"

"But it wasn't," She argued as she pushed herself off Ren and grabbed an extra sword. "I can't afford to sit out." She was immidietly engulfed in purple flames, the magic coming from Grian's hand.

"It doesn't hurt her, I've just frozen her so she can heal," he answered Ren's panicked look. The unmoving False floated over to where the group of healer were and was released.

"Now that's not fair," She grumbled. But Cleo was already checking her over. Grian, since he was no longer being held captive by the zombie woman, mad a mad dash for the Queen.

Magic glowed in his hands yet again as he held her by the thoat," now you listen here!" He shouted and she threw up a shield to break the connection. "I will not allow you to live after what you've done! You've killed my family once, I will not allow it again!"

He threw shot after shot at the Watchers Sheild, eventually cracks started to form.

"You've said this before Diamond, yet here I stand!" She cackled, bringing down her force field and charging. Both Watchers charged at eachother, magic glowing in their hands.

It looked like a scene in a fantasy movie. The hero battered and broken, charging their magic for the final blow while the villian did the same with an evil grin. Only, the hero always won in those movies. Would Grian win in his?

They shot at each other, all other sound muted by the intense, raw, magic flowing from both the hero and the antagonist. The beams met and exploded. Both Grian and Gem sliding backwards with wings flaired. And they went at it again.

Both of them were grounded, Grian's wings being beaten up and Gem's having multiple arrows in them. The fight was equal. Until it wasn't.

Doc came out of nowhere and threw his sword at Gem, the blade struck her in the stomach before clattering to the ground. Now she was bleeding, grounded, and distracted. The rest of the hermits got the hint and started throwing potions, shooting arrows, anything else to keep Gem distracted. Grian took a deep breath and summoned the last bit of magic he could. Pulling is from all corners of the room and putting it into a shining ball of lighs.

"Get behind me! Get behind me and don't get in the way!" The hermits did as they were told, and stood behind him next to False and the others.

Gem looked up just in time to see the hermits recead, and the light heading her way. She opened her mouth to scream, but was gone before any sound came out, death claiming her quickly and painfully.

Silence stood thickly around the hermits, then Grian dropped to the floor. Exhausted and injured, he sat there. Taking it all in. X was the first to move, standing and walking over to him, sitting down next to him and hugging the young man. Next was Poultry and NPG, the hermits from the portal room had come in when they heard the deathly silence. They did the same, and were followed by the rest of the hermits.

Multipul confused Watchers had come into the room timidly to see what had happened. Multipul shouts of joy and freedom could be heard throughout the castle as the news spread. A small group of Watchers approached the hugging bundle on the floor.

"Grian?" A male with raven hair and olive skin approached. The now purple clad hermit looked up. They made eye contact and Grian held out a hand. The black haired man cried as he held Grian's hand. Grian slowly stood up, untangling himself from the hermits who sent glares at the man Gri was trying to reach.

"Taurtis," Grian hugged him. Letting a few tears fall as he knew he wouldn't have to deal with Gem ever again.

"I'm so sorry," Taurtis cried. "I'm sorry for everything. I tried to get information to your friends, but I didn't know it would get them hurt. I didn't want to help Gem take you back, and I tried to get Pearl to listen too! I-"

"Taurtis listen to me. I don't blame you, or Pearl, or anyone else here, for what's happened. I blame Gem and Gem alone. She had taken hold of everyone's minds through grief and whatever else she could dig her claws into. It's fine, you're forgiven."

A girl with shining turquoise eyes, and soft brown hair had already taken her mask off and snapped it in half. Many from the group following her lead and doing the same. The two men released eachother, looking over to her.

"Hi Pearl," Grian smiled, catching the girl's attention.

"Oh Grian! I'm sorry! I listened to her, I believed her lies after you warned me! I just wanted to see you again and she promised that! I never meant to hurt you or your new friends. I've brought the group of people Gem had told to invaide Hermitcraft. We all feel incredibly guilty."

"I forgive you Pearl, but it isn't my mind you invaded. I'm not the one you should be apologizing to," Grian turned to the still glaring Hermits.
"Everyone, these two are Pearlescentmoon and Taurtis," the two gave a shy wave, avoiding eye contact.

"Pleasure," Xisuma said stiffly.

A few hermits were able to pick out which Watcher had invaded their mind by a Gem in a ring on their finger. Doc growling slightly at Emery, Bdubs waiving to Taurtis and Mumbo and Pearl making eye contact every so often. A girl with green eyes and Iskall were talking off to the side. A man with white hair and eyes that shifted hues every so often was standing with Joe and profusely apologizing. A girl with floating red hair was talking to Scar with guilt all over her face. A few others were also talking.

They seemed to be slowly warming up to eachother, this would be a good thing if they knew where everyone would go. That was a problem for later.

With the adrenaline leaving everyone's systems, they really started to feel the hurt and drag of the battle.

"Grian..." Mumbo had made his way over to him, hugging him tightly.

"Ow...Mumbo...ribs." Mumbo released Grian immediately, holding his hands.

"I'm so sorry Grian. I let the jealousy get the best of me, then Pearl and then all of this! I shouldn't even be jealous! I should be happy for you! I'm such a terrible person."

"No, Mumbo it's not your fault. Okay? I don't care what the original reason was, it's over," Grian looked Mumbo in the eyes and gave him a smile. Both of them were littered with bruises and scrapes, but Grian definitely had it worse.

"Let's get you back home and healed up, eh?"

"Let's go home everyone!" X shouted, earning a tired cheer from the group. Grian turned to look at Taurtis and Pearl worriedly.

"You guys will be alright here until I can get everyone home, won't you? I don't know if we have enough space for everyone."

Pearl nodded and moved for a hug, Grian hugged her back with a content sigh. "Just a word of wisdom for ya..."

"What is it?"

She pulled out an obsidian sword and stabbed him through the stomach, "Don't trust so easily."

And that's the end of this series! I'll hopefully be writing it into a book soon, so be on the look out for that! I really like this chapter, like reeeeaaallly like it. Hope you enjoyed ;)

As always hope you have a lovely day/night and know you are loved to peices! <3