Two things to get out of the way real quick. First off, this is 3600 words of pure angst. TW for death, violence, and blood/gore. This is just part one of a request for That-One-Genderfluid that turned out to be way longer than I thought it would be but Hermit murder is fun, ok?

Secondly, this book hit 3.4k reads and 150 votes, which is freakin insane! Thank you all so much, it means a lot to me. I've been pretty busy recently so I haven't had much energy to write but I'm doing my best.

Alright enough talk time for murder. '---' is used as a timeskip.

----------

      The air reeked of iron. Fresh blood on cold, sharp netherite.

They only realized what they had done when they saw her eyes.

The hurt and betrayal they saw there, such a sharp contrast to the usual mirth, nearly froze them to the spot.

They saw the exact moment her life left, draining from the deep stab into her chest.

Her eyes had begun watering with tears that would never fall as she died at their hands.

Their trembling, faltering hands.

'Stressmonster101 was slain by Iskall85'

---

21 hours. They were counting. Nearly a full day had passed since the... incident, and Stress still hadn't respawned. Iskall had spammed her private messages with apologies, but not a single one was even read. She hadn't sent anything in chat. They had watched the chat like a hawk for several hours as other Hermits went to look for either of them. They had ignored any private messages sent to them, hellbent on a message from only one person.

Iskall was pacing, bunkered down in their starter base. They didn't go back to their Omega Tree for fear of someone coming to ask them questions in person, where they couldn't avoid it.

They didn't know the answers.

What... what happened to them? The Swede paused, glancing to their sword.They had just been talking to Stress when it happened. A friendly conversation, suddenly stopped by a wicked, bloodthirsty urge they had never felt before.

They needed to kill.

Iskall's stomach rolled but there was nothing to throw up. They hadn't eaten or drank anything since they emptied their stomach right in the doorway when they first came to hide in their 'Hobbit hole' after it happened.

God, what had they done?!

A sob caught in the cyborg's throat and they sank to the ground. They killed their best friend.

21 hours ago.

She was gone.

---

It was getting late in the second day after Stress' mysterious death. Mumbo was worried, to say the least. One of his best friends disappearing after they, for some reason, killed their best friend, with absolutely no explanation.

X had said in chat that there was an error with the respawn mechanics. He was unsure if it was a serverwide error or not, but warned the Hermits to be particularly careful of dying just in case until he could fix it.

And, although the admin hadn't said it, Mumbo had picked up that he may not be able to get Stress back.

Iskall wasn't at their Omega Tree, but he wasn't sure if anyone had checked their starter base yet. And so, Mumbo took it upon himself to look.

The redstoner could feel something off in the air the minute he touched down outside the Hobbit hole. It was offputting, but he was determined to find Iskall, whatever it took.

Mumbo carefully entered the abandoned base and made his way to the drop down to Iskall's mine, but something made him pause at the top.

Why did this feel so wrong?

It felt like something was there. Like he was being watched.

The spoon fought back a shudder, glancing around the upper floor one last time and mustering a small "Iskall?"

There was no response.

Mumbo sighed and turned back to the drop. 'Come on, there's nothing to worry about. Just go!'

Taking a deep breath, he flared his elytra and jumped down.

He landed with a small splash before freezing.

He smelled blood.

Then, that's when Mumbo saw them.

Iskall, covered in dried blood with terror in their eyes, and with a death grip on their sword.

"Iskall?!" The man yelped.

Their breath caught in their throat, staring at Mumbo like he was a ghost.

"What happened, are you ok?" He asked, quickly approaching his friend.In a flash he was on the ground with pain shocking through his side.

A scream slipped through his lips as he started to scoot away, a whole new emotion clouding Iskall's features; a fury that made Mumbo's blood run cold.

Their sword sliced again, just barely missing as the mustached man squirmed out of the way, quickly drawing his own sword.

He was able to block some of Iskall's strikes, but being on the floor, he already had a big disadvantage.

Tears started to form in his eyes as his strength started to give out. Mumbo was never a fighter.

Would he really die like this, at the hands of one of his best friends?

Just like Stress.

He wouldn't respawn either.

Just as Mumbo was about to give up, there was another splash.

Before either could realize what was happening the hilt of a sword landed harshly across Iskall's temple, knocking the enby aside.

Mumbo felt someone grab his wrist, sharply pulling him up and dragging him back towards the exit.Whimpering in pain, the redstoner clutched his wounded side. His invisible savior quickly mined out the soulsand at the bottom of Iskall's bubble elevator to deactivate it before grabbing Mumbo again and taking flight, carrying him up the dropshaft and away from the predator below.

His rescuer paused at the top and Mumbo tried to catch his breath, cautiously looking down at his wound. It was regening fairly well but it still hurt.

The sound of a shulker box being put down snapped him out of his thoughts. The invisible Hermit opened it and pulled out two blocks of glass, quickly placing them over the enter and exit shafts.

His eyes followed the soft grey particles swirling around the mystery person's concealed form as they picked up and stored the box, before an arm was hooked around his and he was pulled away again.

A rough, muffled thump rang out behind them as Iskall hit the glass trying to fly up to them, but the two escapees were already out of the Hobbit hole and running towards the jungle.

As they ran, Mumbo couldn't help but notice that his rescuer wasn't wearing an elytra. Strange, he didn't remember them unequipping it after they had made it out of the mine.

The second thing he noticed once they started pushing through the dense foliage was that the other was just as good- in fact, probably even better- at navigating it as he was.

Eventually they started slowing down. The other sounded just as out of breath as Mumbo, and after pausing to catch their breaths for a moment, he heard them plop onto the ground with a light sigh. He joined them with a whimper, burying his head in his arms.

Seeing that uncharacteristic rage on Iskall's face... Even if he did get away not too badly physically hurt, his mind would be forever scarred with the fear of that moment.

There was faint shuffling from beside him and remembered that he wasn't alone.

He glanced towards his savior with a weak smile. "Thank you, Grian."

A milk bucket stopped moving before it even met the Hermit's mouth.

"You're welcome, Mumbo."

---

It wasn't going away.

The urge coursing through their veins, begging them, kill, kill!

Tears started to fall from their eye as it continued to bubble up inside of them, slowly tearing them apart.

Iskall's sword nearly slipped from their shaking hands, but they didn't let it fall.

They choked on a sob as a grim thought popped into their mind.

They had to satisfy this cruel hunger before it ripped them to shreds.

Unable to fight it, they stepped into their broken water elevator and swam up. It didn't take too long to shatter the glass in the way and escape.

This time their thoughts weren't on Mumbo, however.

They could pick an easier target.

---

The more they waited and watched the more it seared through them, but they plead the leeching desire to wait for just a few moments longer.

Kill.

They would feed it, they promised. They just needed the right person.

Finally, finally, Iskall spotted them. Their eyes followed the blond below as they did their business in the shopping district, not a worry or concern in the Hermit's mind.

No one could have predicted their fate.

Iskall tensed, tightly gripping their sword with rockets in their offhand, waiting for the poor target to head back to their base.

After too long for the cyborg's liking, their prey shot off on a rocket.

Kill.

They weren't spotted as they gave pursuit, thankfully, and they tailed the Hermit all the way to their base.

Iskall landed in the sand and swapped their elytra for their chestplate just in case. They couldn't risk dying on this mission.

It had to be the other way around.

That was the only way it could be satisfied.

Kill.

The hunter slipped into their prey's base, pausing to break the button on the inside to keep the door shut before scanning for the other. They hated how hard it would be to hide in the open room.

Humming from deeper within the base alerted Iskall to their prey's location.

Better get this over with quick, then.

They snuck towards the unsuspecting victim as quietly as they could, spotting them with their back turned as they moved purchased goods to a chest.

Before they could be spotted, Iskall leapt down towards them. The targeted Hermit spun and his carefree gaze turned to terror as he barely dodged the blade that nipped at his face in time.

Their sword wedged into a chest before the hunter ripped it out again, sharp edge lashing towards the pitiful prey once more.

Kill.

He tried to run, but the predator was too quick.

The cruel netherite found its satisfaction in Zedaph's neck.

'Zedaph was slain by iskall85'

---

Iskall had taken refuge in a mountain near to Zed's, holeing themselves inside to rest and leaving the rest of the Hermits to deal with the loss of another. They savored the serenity of silence and stillness while it lasted, but the gentle grace of peace couldn't linger forever.

The beast couldn't be fed for long. If anything, now it craved blood even more intensely.

A tremor darted through their body as a harsh whisper ghosted their mind once more.

Kill.

A fresh sob escaped their lips as Iskall stood again, shimmering black blade held tightly in one hand as they felt the gnaw at their heart resume with double the power.

Time to find another victim.

A tinge of regret passed through them as they began breaking their way back out again, but it was soon buried by the consuming hunger once more.

They had to. It's not like they had a choice in the matter.

Kill.

The sound of a rocket firing nearby made them tense and duck back into their hole, but the newcomer apparently didn't see them. Iskall peeked out again just in time to see the new Hermit's head leave view as they entered Zed's cave.

A growl tore through their mind as their filthy hands quivered once more.

Perfect.

---

His heart felt so heavy.

The Cave of Contraptions almost felt painful to be in after Zedaph's death.

Of course, Tango still had hope. Sure the respawn whatchamacallit was busted at the moment, but he knew Xisuma could get it working again. He knew it.

Zed wouldn't be gone forever, and neither would Stress. They would fix it and then talk to Iskall.

He could smell the blood before he even reached the scene of the crime. It's like the scent had seeped itself all throughout the cave, a looming reminder of the deed that had been done there not even a full day ago.

It made Tango sick.

However, nothing could rival the roiling nausea that he felt upon seeing what had happened to one of his best friends.

He almost dumped his lunch at the sight; the poor man's body limply splayed across the floor in the dried shadow of a pool of blood, the water coursing through the floor dyed red with it.

Shock froze him to the spot and one question stuck in his mind- why?

Tears pricked the corners of Tango's eyes as he dazedly stared at Zedaph's corpse, so overcome by disbelief he almost missed the sound of a door opening and closing behind him.

If it weren't for a sudden wave of icy paranoia lacing its way up his spine, perhaps his life would've been a few moments shorter.

Snapped out of his grief, he slowly looked behind him, and his sorrow turned into full-blown terror.

The blond dove out of the way just in time to avoid meeting Iskall's sword, only for it to swing back around and nick him in the arm.

Tango quickly drew his own sword, a scream tearing from his mouth as he desperately tried to fight back.

The two clashed but the prey soon found himself getting overwhelmed. The panic squeezing at his lungs sure wasn't helping, either.

He couldn't defeat Iskall on his own- hell, he was barely surviving.

Making a decision he prayed he wouldn't regret later (if there even was a later), Tango turned and ran.

The hunter remained hot on his tail, but luckily the blond managed to stay just out of reach. If he could stay ahead long enough, he could type out a message in his communicator and call for backup.

Right? Right.

Unfortunately it was really hard to type while also running for your life. Who would've thought?

Tango's luck was running out.

The realization came to him brutally as the ground disappeared from under his feet. He found himself falling past Zedaph's bulk storage and he barely flared his elytra in time to land.

Iskall was still right behind him, their sword grazing his back and cutting through the faux wings as he started running again.

That is, until he had nowhere else to run. He had hit a dead end.He turned and blocked one of the cyborg's slashes, desperately scanning their face for any hint of mercy. "Woah woah, Iskall, we can talk, buddy!"

Their movements were cold and unyielding, a harsh gleam that had never been invited taking a forceful residence inside their organic eye, and Tango felt his hope start to drain.

"What's gotten into you? Why are you doing this?" He plead, stumbling backwards at the force of the hunter's blade as he tried, again and again, to block it.

Finally there was a pause as their swords met and a low, almost pained growl escaped Iskall's throat.

"Have to..." They practically whispered, shaky grip adjusting on their sword.

Tango opened his mouth to speak, but a sudden piercing glare froze him to the spot before a word could even make its way out.

"Kill."

With a sudden cruel slash, the blond lost grip on his sword and started to fall.

The moment seemed to go in slow motion.

Tango was falling, for longer than he should've.

Where was the ground? Shouldn't he have hit it by now?

Blood flowed from the cruel slice across his chest, arching up towards Iskall as he fell into nothingness.

The predator stood, face unfeeling, as they watched Tango fall.

Blackness started to consume his vision and it tore at his body, ripping him apart like teeth.

He wanted to scream. He wanted to say or do something, but only a feeble whine left his lips.

The dark animal hiding in the depths below gladly took Tango in its jaws, tearing the Hermit up and devouring him whole, while Iskall watched from above, their own beast gnawing at their heart and mind with their soul already deep within its belly.

One word nested into their thoughts.

Kill.

'Tango didn't want to live in the same world as iskall85'

---

It had been about two days since Tango had gotten... familiar... with the Bumless Pit, and Iskall hadn't been able to catch any Hermits alone. Not only that, but many had gotten jumpier, constantly keeping an eye on their surroundings and checking behind their back.

This game just got a whole lot harder.

They didn't mind, though. That would just make it more fun.

Kill.

Iskall snuck around the Shopping District, using the many buildings to hide themselves as they waited for the perfect opportunity to strike.

There was no guilt in their mind anymore. Any bit of it had already been overcome by the insistent beast, pulling them like a puppet on a string.

That's all they were now, weren't they? Just a lowly puppet, dangling helplessly from their strings.

They didn't care nearly as much as they probably should.

A laugh grazed their ears and they tensed, eyes snapping in its direction.

Could it possibly be their next prey?

Kill.

The monstrous purr had made itself home in their head. It commanded, and they followed.

How could they ever refuse?

"Why did I have to be stuck with you?" came a lighthearted jab.

"Sorry, Xisuma's orders," the jokingly smug reply.

Xisuma's orders, hm? That would explain why none of the Hermits were on their own anymore. The pesky admin had told them to double up.

Iskall spotted the two unwitting prey. As usual, they were relaxed around each other, to the point where they had forgotten to watch their backs.

"X never said we had to pair up, specifically!"

"Oh, woe! To have to partner with your best friend on the server, how terrible!"

"You're not my best friend."

"You wound me so."

Iskall felt their mouth form into a smile, but they couldn't tell if they were actually happy.

No matter that, they had a job to do.

The hunter stalked close behind the prey, the pair continuing their carefree banter as they aimlessly wandered the mismatched streets, destination probably lost a long time ago.

Iskall watched and waited for the perfect opportunity to strike, gleaming netherite sword held tight in their unsteady hands.

Finally, it presented itself through an exposed neck, eyes aimed up and head angled to the side to admire a shop.

The beast whispered a cruel idea to them, and like the obedient little puppet they were, they obeyed.

"Cleo, look out!"

"JESUS CHRIST-"

Their sword skimmed the undead girl's neck, slicing just enough to draw blood. The man beside her was frozen in fear and all humor was sapped from the air.

"Okay, time to run!" She yelled, grabbing Joe's arm and taking off without another word.

The hunter gave chase as they darted between the shops, blade waiting in hand, but soon a different plan presented itself to them.

Still tailing the two, Iskall switched to their bow.

"If we split up, they can't chase both of us, the other can call for help!" Cleo suggested, practically dragging Joe along beside her while he clung to her arm.

The Tennessean shakily nodded. "A-alright! That might wo-ork," he managed to choke out.

The hunter aimed.

"Three," the zombie hissed, glancing at her companion. The poor poet was ghostly pale, looking at her in concern.

Cleo's free hand wiped some dark blood from the stinging cut along her neck. "Two."

"I don't want to lose you," Joe softly rasped, grip on her arm tightening for just a moment.

A beat passed in silence.

"It's going to be ok."

A corner loomed ahead. Cleo gave the man a reassuring look, though she acted more confident than she felt.

Iskall watched, willing their hand to still for just a moment so the arrow would fly true.

She took a deep breath.

"One!"

The two prey split, running opposite directions.

Just where they wanted them to run.

The arrow soared through the air and found its mark in Joe's leg, right in the side of his knee, sending him toppling to the ground with a scream.

Cleo skidded to a stop, whipping around so quickly she almost tripped.

Iskall held a glimmering netherite axe over the poet. His glasses had fallen off his face, so he stared blindly up at the hunter with a wail of terror escaping his chest.

"NO!" Cleo boomed, reaching for her sword.

The cold anger in the cyborg's gaze turned taunting and they turned the axe in their hands, silently challenging the girl to come face her death first.

And that she did, though death wasn't on her mind.

At least, not her death.

With a harsh yell, sword met axe. They clashed for a moment, but it didn't take long before Cleo was overwhelmed.

Her eyes darted to Joe, who was fumbling with his glasses.

"G-go! Run!" The zombie commanded, starting to be pushed farther away from him by the powerful hunter.

He shifted and tried to stand but collapsed once more with a yelp at the bending of his knee. "I-I can't!"

"Then hide or something, for fuck's sa-"

Her words were cut off by the sickening slice of Iskall's axe lodging itself into Cleo's neck.

The prey's sword fell to the ground with a clatter, and she herself soon fell with it.

The image of Stress' face flashed in her mind and she coughed out a strangled gasp.

They brought their axe down again on her neck, cracking the bone of her vertebrae.

In her very last moment, Cleo looked up at her closest friend with glasses askew on his face, staring in pure horror as he witnessed every second of her slaughter.

The axe cut all the way through her neck, condemning her back to the grave she should've remained in.

'ZombieCleo was slain by iskall85'

Gently, almost fondly, Iskall reached down and picked up her head by the hair.

Something stirred within them as they looked into the girl's empty eyes.

...What were they doing?

Why were they doing this?

KILL.

The beast's harsh claws jabbed into them stronger than ever before and they flinched.

It physically pained them. Cleo's fiery hair slipped from their fingers and the head thunked to the ground.

OBEY.

The shred of Iskall was squashed once more.

Joe let out a pained yelp and the puppet's gaze snapped to him yet again. The poet had ripped the arrow out and was trying to scramble away.

Before he could even make it to his feet the hunter was close behind him with the tip of an arrow against his neck.

Joe's breathing hitched and a sob slipped from him.

"P-please, this isn't right! This isn't you!" He begged, tears trailing down his cheeks.

After a moment, Iskall let out a small sigh. "It isn't," they admitted, the little words taking effort to produce.

The arrow indifferently poked into his sensitive skin.

"But that doesn't mean I'm stopping."

Before the prey could say another word, the predator fired the arrow into his neck.

His jaw dropped but not a sound came out. Slowly, Joe fell limp.

'joehillssays was shot by iskall85'

Iskall looked down at him, the beast rewarding them with a warm tingle down their spine.

What a good little puppet, doing its job.

A single tear trailed its way down their cheek, but was promptly wiped away by a trembling hand.

Never forget your goal.

They retreated to the shadows once more, leaving the bodies for the next Hermits who perused the shopping district to find.

Kill.

Cleo's empty eyes looked blankly to the sky.

Obey.

Joe's crumpled body rested nearly flat against the stone street.

DESTROY.

----------