"Hey Gri."

Taurtis was slumped against the wall, seeming relatively unscathed all things considered, but the blood surrounding him said otherwise. Standing next to him were two masked Watchers. They stood almost like guards, staring at Grian emotionlessly.

"Y'know, I really appreciate the thought, but you shouldn't have come," Taurtis coughed, grinning lopsidedly. Grian returned it with a half smile.

"Well it seems like they got here first," Grian laughed softly, not really meaning it. He subconsciously moved in front of Mumbo.

"╎ℸ ̣  ᓭᒷᒷᒲᓭ   ℸ ̣ ⍑ᔑℸ ̣  ̇/ᒷꖎᑑ⚍ ᔑ ⍑ᔑᓭ ʖ∷𝙹⚍⊣⍑ℸ ̣  ᔑ ⎓∷╎ᒷリ↸," the one on the left mocked.

"╎ ᒲᒷᔑリ, ᒷ⍊ᒷ∷||ℸ ̣ ⍑╎リ⊣ ᓵ𝙹ᒲᒷᓭ ∴╎ℸ ̣ ⍑ ᔑ !¡∷╎ᓵᒷ," the other mused, turning their head to face Grian. "↸ᒷ!¡ᒷリ↸ᓭ ╎⎓ ╎ℸ ̣ 'ᓭ 𝙹リᒷ ̇/ᒷꖎᑑ⚍ᔑ ╎ᓭ ∴╎ꖎꖎ╎リ⊣ ℸ ̣ 𝙹 !¡ᔑ||."

"𝙹⍑ ╎ ᓵᔑリ ᔑᓭᓭ⚍∷ᒷ ||𝙹⚍, ╎ ᔑᒲ," Grian snapped back, glancing behind him at Mumbo. "I can handle it."

"Oh, I'm sorry - I didn't realise the assistant didn't understand galactic," the one Grian had dubbed idiot 1 laughed. "It need not matter though. English will do."

"He's not an assistant," Grian corrected, keeping his bubbling rage under control. He'd likely need it later.

"So what would you call him?" Idiot 2 asked, raising an eyebrow. Taurtis glanced at Mumbo nervously, knowing Grian was trying to pretend that he didn't care. It was admittedly a smart play, as long as the watchers didn't catch on.

"A means to an end. I find that convincing people you care about them means that they're prepared to take a bullet for you, they just never assume that you're the one holding the gun. He's a bargaining chip at best." Mumbo looked at Grian with a fake sense of betrayal.

"Do I really mean that little to you?" He asked quietly, part of him breaking when Grian shrugged. He knew Grian didn't mean it, but it still hurt.

"Well, that will make the next decision easier, won't it," Idiot 1 said callously, tilting his head. "Because you clearly have some level of care, or at minimum a desire to get him back towards Taurtis, we will let you have him back. Despite all that you have done against your race, we are willing to let him free. The condition being, your 'means to an end.'"

"What exactly would you want me for?" Mumbo snorted. "I'm just a player."

"Simply so that Xelqua understands that nothing comes without a cost. He gets his friend back, he loses something. He never seemed to understand that." Grian hesitated, turning around to Mumbo, as if he was considering it.

"Just go along with me on this, trust me," he whispered quietly, turning to face Idiots 1 and 2. "You wouldn't kill him?"

"Unless provoked." Grian hesitated, glancing at Mumbo.

"I'm sorry," he said guiltily. Mumbo remembered how he'd whispered to go along with this, knowing he had a plan. He struggled to think of something to say that would be believable, so he just didn't speak. He didn't resist when he felt magical bonds tie his hands behind his back, maintaining eye contact with Grian.

"Try anything and we'll kill him," Idiot 2 warned.

The blonde hermit hesitantly scuttled over to Taurtis, supporting him up. He waited a second before nodding his head slightly, quickly pooling magic and sending it flying towards the watchers-

Snap

Bone crunched.

A body fell to the floor, and it wasn't the watchers.

Mumbo stared at the ceiling, his eyes empty.

Everything felt surreal in the following moments. The only sound he could hear was his hurried breaths and heartbeats.

When Taurtis started to shout, it was muffled. Grian barely paid attention as he sank down to his knees in front of Mumbo.

Tears fell onto the corpse.

Grian looked up to meet the Watcher's eyes, meeting only the emotionless masks.

"Try anything and we'd kill him," they repeated, before disappearing in sparkles of purple. Taurtis rested a hand on his shoulder, but he barely felt it.

How could he feel anything but pain after this.

Please don't kill me.