OC: Tammy (why do I keep writing about Tammy and Coulter jeez)
Species: Shulker
Universe: Minecraft But With Watchers

"Tammy?" Azdhid asked. "There's something I wanted to tell you."

She seemed nervous. Her arms were folded tightly over her chest.

Tammy looked up from her axe. "Yeah?"

Azdhid pursed her lips and avoided Tammy's eyes. "The other Watchers. We've been found out- they might take my memories or punish me somehow, so I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. I never meant for it to end like this. Now, I only have a few minutes, so listen closely-"

"What do you mean, we've been found out?" Tammy demanded. "Why are they- the other Watchers are jerks! Why are you letting them hurt us like this?"

"It's not my choice," Azdhid stressed.

"You gave me- us- freedom, and they repay you by taking away yours?"

Azdhid smiled sadly. "That's just how the Watchers are. An eye for an eye."

"No," Tammy growled. "No, I won't let this happen. We can find a different world! We can take Matt-"

"No," Azdhid said firmly. "They'll follow us. Tammy, the Watchers' will is more powerful than anything else in Minecraft. Even the players. So I need you to stop being angry and just listen for a moment."

Tammy opened her mouth to say something, then closed it.

"I'm going to give you some of my power," Azdhid said, slowly and clearly. "But I am removing some of your code to replace it with that power. Is that alright?"

"But I thought Watchers were the only ones without code," Tammy blurted.

"They are," Azdhid said, carefully taking Tammy's hand. "So, I'm essentially making you half Watcher. It'll allow you to be free even after I'm gone, even if I try to change you back to your shulker form. It will protect you, but only if you accept it."

Tammy hesitated.

"Yes," she said finally. "I accept it."

Azdhid closed her eyes. Her grip tightened around Tammy's hand.

Suddenly, Tammy felt something tighten in her gut. Her head pounded.

Her vision was blurry, but she could make out some sort of purple light. She made out a magenta holographic window with lines and lines of code, each one disappearing in a brief flash, too fast for her to make out what each line said.

"Azdhid-" Tammy started. It hurt. Azdhid hadn't said it would hurt.

"I know, Tammy," Azdhid said softly. "Hold on. We're almost done."

Tammy gripped Azdhid's hand like it was the last thing tethering her to the world. Lines of code continued to be deleted.

Finally, another flash of magenta light, that Tammy realized came from herself. And then her gut loosened and the pounding in her head evened out, leaving her panting and disoriented.

"It'll take a while for you to adjust," Azdhid said. "But you will. Be careful, Tammy. If they find you, they will take the magic, they will not put the code back in, and you will die. Permanently."

"Permanently?" Tammy echoed.

"This will be the last time you see me as myself. And if I have anything to say about it, it'll be the last time you meet me, ever."

"Wait," Tammy said.

"Take care of Matt," Azdhid said. "But don't tell him about the magic until he knows what he wants to do about his code."

"Azdhid, stop-"

"I don't have time to stop! I'm so sorry, Tammy. Be safe. Don't let the Watchers find you, because if they do they will take back their magic and they will not fill the void it left behind."

Tammy felt tears jump to her eyes.

She threw her arms around Azdhid. "Have I failed you?"

"No," Azdhid said without hesitation. "If anything, I failed you."

Tammy didn't answer.

Azdhid broke out of the hug too soon. "Don't ever let anyone choose for you," she said. "Ever, do you understand?"

Tammy nodded. "I'm going to save you," she decided, although her trembling voice was less than convincing. "I'm going to get you your memories back."

Azdhid smiled sadly. Why did she keep smiling sadly? It broke Tammy's heart. "That's your choice," she said softly. "But I can't promise that I won't hurt you if you try. However - if you choose to - I did put a copy of my memories in your mind. They are there if you wish to access them. But if you look at them, they will not be able to be returned to me."

Tammy nodded. "I'm going to give them back."

Azdhid hugged Tammy again, briefly.

And then Tammy felt a tingling sensation all over her body, like when she accidentally shot herself with one of her bullets and levitated. "What-"

"I'm sending you somewhere else," Azdhid said. "So that I won't hurt you."

"Wait-" Tammy said. "But how will I save you if-"

"Goodbye, Tammy," Azdhid said, taking her hand before she disappeared.

Tammy clung to it. "Azdhid, stop! Please, I can't lose you-"

"That's part of choosing," Azdhid said. "The freedom of choice comes with the consequences of those choices. This is my consequence."

Tammy opened her mouth, and then closed it again, unable to argue.

"I'm sorry, my Lady," she said quietly. "It was an honor to serve you."

"I'm sorry too," Azdhid said. "The honor was all mine."

And then she let go of Tammy's hand, and the shulker drifted off into darkness.

~

"Tammy, is that you?" Matt called.

Blue soul lanterns and deepslate bricks surrounded them. Tammy had been here before. The ancient city was home to one of her best friends.

Her only best friend, now.

Tammy got to her feet. "Y-yeah."

"What happened?" The Warden stepped up next to her. "Where's Azdhid? She's usually with you."

Tammy felt her fists clench. Who was she angry at? Azdhid, for teleporting her here? The Watchers, for taking Azdhid from her? Matt, for asking about it so soon?

...Or herself, for failing the one person she was coded to protect?

"Tammy?"

"She's gone," Tammy snapped.

Matt's one eye blinked. "...Oh. So does that mean we get to kill things now?"

"Shut up!" Tammy stormed off.

Matt looked confused. "How is she gone? Like, did she die?"

"Worse," Tammy hissed. "Look, Matt, I really don't want to talk about it, okay? Leave me alone."

Matt followed her anyway.

"Go away."

"No," Matt growled. "Not until you tell me what happened to Azdhid."

Tammy plopped down on the ground, curled into her shell, and didn't answer.

She could hear Matt still shuffling around nearby. His heartbeat echoed through the ancient city. She still had no idea how it did that.

"Fine," Matt grumbled. "I'm gonna go find a zombie or something."

Tammy didn't respond. Matt walked off. She heard sonic booms about a hundred blocks away.

We're alone now, it's just the two of us.

Just the two of us.. but it'll be three again soon. I'll find her.

What sort of guard am I if I don't?