(Word count: 1639

Based on an episode from TTS/RTA, but you don't need to watch the episode to understand.

If you're wondering what the [|| Hermitgang] part is, it's a new miniseries involving all the Hermits and their chaotic events. Fun And Games and Hermit Road Trip are also part of it.

Anyway, this was a fun one to write. Enjoy!)

"Mumbo...what is this?"

The mustached man and Iskall had gathered all the Hermits together in Hermitland and were now standing in front of a new game: NFD.

"We have a challenge for you all!" Iskall said. "A treasure hunt!"

Grian perked up from where he was standing. "What for?"

"Welcome to NFD—Nuggets For Diamonds!" Mumbo said, throwing his hands up in a grand gesture.

The rest of the Hermits waited for something dramatic to happen.

"Iskall, that was your cue to fire the fireworks!" Mumbo said.

"I didn't know!" The Swede said.

"We practiced this!"

"Can someone please explain the giant Redstone machine you guys have built next to NFD?" Impulse asked the arguing duo.

There was a very complex-looking Redstone contraption next to the game, built on iron blocks.

"Oh, this!" Mumbo said, looking at it. "This is the Super Professional Overly Omega Network, or SPOON, to be exact. I did not have the privilege of changing the name."

Iskall raised his hand. "I came up with the name."

"Anyway," Mumbo countered. "NFD is free diamonds. We've hidden golden nuggets all over the world, and you and a partner—chosen by SPOON—will have to work together to find as many nuggets as you can. The more nuggets, the more diamonds."

"I like diamonds."

"You have too many."

Mumbo flicked the lever on the machine. Observers fired, pistons extended, and a flashing line of Redstone repeaters had a dramatic leadup to...two droppers, which then simply spat out two papers.

Impulse blinked. "You couldn't have done that in a simpler way?"

"It's more fun this way," Iskall shrugged. He picked up the papers and read them.

"Our first pair will be...Grian and Ren."

Ren high-fived the builder. "We're gonna win this."

The machine worked it's overly complicated machinery again. This time, Mumbo picked up the papers. "Bdubs and Doc!"

"Oh, man," Bdubs grinned. "This'll be a piece of cake. We probably don't even have to do anything and we can still win."

Mumbo started to open his mouth, then quickly shut it.

After a long time (which all the Hermits blamed on the long Redstone repeater line), all the pairs were finally paired up.

TFC and Tango.

Zedaph and Cleo.

Stress and Impulse.

Jevin and False.

Xisuma and Cub.

Scar and Jellie--oh, and Keralis.

Python and Wels.

The only Hermits that wouldn't be participating were Mumbo and Iskall, who made the game, and Joe, who would be providing commentary while flying overhead in a dangerous-looking flying machine that Mumbo built.

"Three, two, one..." Mumbo paused. "GO!"

The Hermits took off, and the last thing they heard was Mumbo scolding Iskall for not firing the fireworks--again.

"AGH! Iskall, that was your turn!"

"Why do you need fireworks for a countdown?"

"Why not?"

----------

Bdubs and Doc settled down in front of ConCorp eats, just out of sight from NFD. Bdubs pulled out a picnic blanket from a shulker box and laid it out. Then he got some food out and began to dig in.

Doc looked momentarily confused. "Um...Bdubs, what are you doing?"

"Settling down. What does it look like I'm doing?"

"But why?"

Bdubs lazily pointed to five nuggets in reaching distance. "C'mon, Doc, this game is going to be easy. We don't even have to lift a finger."

"Fair enough." Doc could spot at least 10 nuggets just from where he was standing. He sat down next to Bdubs. "Oh, this feels good."

--------

"I know a way we can get up high easily. Then we can see more nuggets."

Cleo pulled Zedaph around the corner of the Shopping District, then rummaged through her supplies. "Bingo."

They had run through the nearest Nether Portal and headed straight to the Shopping District. Cleo had pulled them behind 2D, but Zedaph could see other groups picking up nuggets too.

"Can you explain what we're doing, exactly?"

"Making a TNT cannon."

"Okay--wait, what?"

"We need to get up high to see nuggets, right? Well, what other way than a TNT cannon?"

Zedaph quickly pulled out his trident. "Oh, gee, I dunno, maybe a Riptide trident? All we need is water, it'll be quicker."

Cleo groaned. "But it won't be as fun. And I'm not the one who's getting into the cannon." She stared pointedly at Zedaph.

"Nope. Not gonna do it. A player launcher, yes. A cannon of LITERAL DEATH, no."

"A cannon is kind of like a player launcher, just a higher percentage of death." Cleo reasoned. "Come on, think of the diamonds we could get?"

"And what exactly are you going to be doing while I sacrifice my life for nuggets, Miss Cleo?"

"I'm gonna be picking them up. You just need to get up high and yell out where the nuggets are."

"I hate this plan."

"Oh, I'm sure it'll be fine. Now, get into the death machine, please."

----------

"Ooh, there's another one. And another--oh, Ren, over there, that's two!"

Grian was running around the Shopping District at light speed, picking up nuggets excitedly, like a little kid. To him, it was a race to see if he could get more nuggets than Ren.

Ren didn't agree to the game.

"Come on, Rendiggitydog! I'm beating you!" Grian catcalled.

"I didn't say it was a race!" Ren protested, but he was grinning.

"Slowpoke! I just found three more!"

"Oh, you're on, dude."

----------

"I HATE THIS IDEA! Stress, WHY?"

"I wasn't the one who agreed to it!" Stress sang, skating along.

"But you were the one who came up with it!"

"Ice under the bridge."

Stress slid across the ice gracefully, as if it were instinct. Knowing the Ice Queen, it probably was. Impulse, however, stumbled and flailed across the ice, falling over every second. Not only that, but he was wearing shorts and a t-shirt. And the two of them were in an ice biome, currently skating over a frozen lake, picking up nuggets as they went along.

"Why did Mumbo and Iskall even decide to put nuggets here?" Impulse groaned, picking himself up. "Out of all the biomes to choose..."

"Impulse! By your feet! That's a nugget!"

"Not gonna care about my health and well-being?"

"It's diamonds."

Impulse hated her logic. He snatched up the nugget anyway.

"Hey, if you want, I can make some sort of Redstone machine to find nuggets."

Stress scoffed. "No way. This is quicker."

"But there's a lot more pain."

"Come on, Impulse! If you want free diamonds, you gotta keep going!"

----------

"This reminds me of a time when I was in my bunker and a Creeper decided to blow up my favorite room."

"Yeah, probably because I just set off a chain reaction of Creeper explosions." Tango groaned. "That was nuggets wasted."

TFC was standing nearby as Tango tried to retrieve the gold nuggets, but no luck. "Oh, come on."

"It's called 'bad luck'. It happens to all of us sometimes." TFC advised. "Why, I remember a time when I lost two of my ch--"

Tango tuned out his partner as he searched for more nuggets. TFC was bringing back memories of his bunker, and it was getting slightly annoying.

"TFC, can you help me search for some nuggets?"

—————

"There's an obvious way to win this," Xisuma told Cub. "Outsmart the rest of the teams."

They were standing by a river, and X had a box of spare armor. He took out an armor stand and started positioning it to look like it was about to fall in the river. He put some diamond armor on the stand and his head.

X led Cub over to hide behind a tree.

"X, what are you doing?"

X shushed him and pointed to another group heading towards the river—Python, and Wels.

"Wels! Over there! I think that's X—he needs help."

They dropped their bag of nuggets and headed towards the fake Xisuma.

Cub realized what X was going to do. "You didn't—"

X grinned in a way that reminded Cub of his brother, EX, and ran to snatch up the bag.

Wels' shout came behind them. "Hey! X? Wait, no—that's cheating!"

"It's not cheating when we're smarter than you are!" X called as he and Cub set off with their new bag of nuggets.

—————

"And...TIME! Hermits, bring your nuggets back to NFD!"

The Hermits all gathered back by the machine. SPOON was gone, much to Iskall's disappointment, and Mumbo, Iskall, and Joe were waiting expectantly next to NFD.

Xisuma and Cub came over, clutching at least a stack of diamonds' worth each. Python, Wels, Jevin, and False came behind them, looking disgruntled and holding only a handful of nuggets.

Grian and Ren easily had half a stack of diamonds worth in their hands. Scar was cuddling Jellie as Keralis held all their nuggets. TFC and Tango had also gotten a decent amount.

Zedaph was covered in gunpowder and was glaring at Cleo, who was proudly holding a large number of nuggets. Impulse was covered in snow and ice while Stress held their frozen nuggets.

Doc and Bdubs were nowhere to be seen.

One by one, the groups exchanged their nuggets for diamonds. X and Cub had gotten the most, Grian and Ren followed closely.

Finally, Bdubs and Doc appeared, their hands empty but stomachs full. They weren't too disappointed by not having any nuggets.

Bdubs burped. "It was worth it."

The Hermits headed off their separate ways--Xisuma tossing diamonds around like they were nothing, Scar running off with Jellie, Keralis heading straight towards RUN with his winnings, Impulse and Zedaph rushing off to clean themselves off, and a dozen other happenings. 

Everyone had benefited from this game--Mumbo and Iskall having their game played, the other Hermits earning free diamonds, and Bdubs and Doc...eating and relaxing. Whatever the case, everyone enjoyed themselves, and that was the whole point of this Hermit treasure hunt.