Bold is now both possessed people speaking and The Sculk itself speaking. In possessed PoVs, only the Sculk is in bold because that's how it was in the first book.

Oh, and there's a different between the physical sculk that you can manipulate and the evil Sculk that manipulates you. The 'character' of The Sculk has a capital letter (if I remember it)

Also the School of the Convex has shown me the joys of The Sculk as a roleplay-able character.

I'm very excited.

:) 

Tw: implied torture

(A week or so previously) 

I wake up.

Sculk surrounds me. I try to sense anything else... nothing. With a groan I sit up, sensing around for anything more, but world is just sculk stretching in every direction.

'Hello?' I call, the sound echoing, sculk rippling.

Hello Pearl.

A voice that isn't my own slips into my mind. Welcoming, calm, but powerful.

The Sculk.

'You... can talk inside my mind?'

Only if we're touching. The tendrils of sculk holding my hand now make sense.

'Why didn't you talk to me like this on Hermitcraft?'

Your admin was a good enough vessel for my commands. Besides, I controlled your action there. You had no option but to follow my will. But here you are free to do as you wish. Within reason, of course.

'Thank you.' 

I stand, looking around the sculk world around me. Well... not looking, sensing the sculk, aware that there's nothing else. 

'What is this place?'

Other players call it the Land of Souls, but you can just call it home... come on you have a lot to do. While you were asleep, the hybrid prisoner ran off. It took too much strength for you to come here. You will find him, once you have made a place for him to stay. 

'A... prison?'

If you wish. But it must be in the right place. Follow me.

I do, directed by The Sculk pulling at my ankles. Everything's the same so in minutes I'm lost. But The Sculk knows where it's going, though pausing every so often.

'What are we looking for?' I ask eventually.

Their tower is marked with sculk. I'm finding that. 

'You can sense it through the worlds... and it relates to somewhere here?'

It is too complicated for you to understand. Just trust me.

'I always will.'

Good.

We continue for a few more minutes until The Sculk stops, explaining this is the place. I take in the area - exactly the same as everything else here — and start building a base for myself. 

The only material I have is sculk, but I can't see so block choice is irrelevant. I still texture the bricks and pillars, realising quickly the level of unique and precise detail I can make. The Sculk stays silent and I pretend it's impressed by my building... inside, I decorate with — you guessed it — sculk, building up pillars, corridors, even a throne room for myself. Under the ground I create a small dungeon with a few cells for any victims The Sculk wants me to imprison. It's a small place, so it's only day or so later I decide I'm happy with it. Not that there's any day or night here. 

Now rest. You will need all of your strength for the next part.

I do, heading to my bed of sculk upstairs I lie down and more covers me like a blanket. It doesn't take long for me to fall asleep.

Good morning, Pearl.

I wake at the Sculk's voice, sitting up. The blanket of sculk slips away, letting me stand.

'Good morning... You wanted me to do something else?'

Create a portal back to Hermitcraft in your throne room. And wait for the vexling Scar to appear. He's fought against us too long.

I nod. The last I saw of Scar he was helping tear Xisuma, our leader, away from The Sculk. He's going to pay... I'm downstairs in seconds, in the throne room. The sculk shows exactly where to sever between worlds and I do, just as I did before but smaller. The sculk tears apart along the wall and through reality to Hermitcraft. I send sculk to investigate. I recall The Sculk mentioning we're in the same place as the tower. For a moment I close the portal to a crack, aware of anyone seeing it, but I keep sculk there to spy. I'm not waiting as long as I expect to, hearing Scar's voice and...

I attack. His screams and yells ripple through the sculk and I grin. The portal tears open again and I  drag Scar, unable to fight against my power, through.

The portal closes. Scar lies limp on the ground. Unconscious.

Perfect. Bring him to the dungeon.

'Aren't you going to possess him?'

My plan is even better. Except for Scar and his little friends back in Hermitcraft. Now bring him to the dungeon.

I see no point in wasting my little energy left in carrying him. I just tie up his legs with sculk and drag him ungainly behind me, down into the dungeon and into one of the prison cells. He's still unconscious as sculk from the far wall wraps tight around his arms, legs, chest and neck, pinning him kneeling there. Unable to move. Powerless.

Wake him up.

'Wake up Scar.' I crouch next to him. 'Welcome to your home... it's a lovely place, Scar...' Nothing. 

I'll wake him then.

Silence for a moment, before Scar wakes, gasping, struggling.

'Where am I- Pearl? Oh no... oh no no no... let me go. Please let me go.' I laugh.

'Welcome to your home, Scar. The Sculk didn't want to possess you. You get to spend time with me here instead.'

'Let me go... let me go... please let me go... CUB? GRIAN? HELP! ARE YOU THERE?'

'They're back in Hermitcraft. They can't hear you.' 

'They'll- they'll be here to rescue me soon. And you too. They'll save you from The Sculk. They'll stop it hurting you!' I laugh again at his misplaced confidence.

Ask him if they're trying to get through to here.

'Are your hermit friends trying to get to this world?' I ask, as The Sculk wished. Scar nods the best he can.

'Of course they are. And they'll defeat the Sculk with the passion of a thousand Scars!'

Who?

'Which Hermits?'

'Well I was helping and- wait- wait you're asking questions to know who to attack!' Scar realises. 'I'm not going to help, you silly gooses! You'll have to figure out on your own.'

'Are you sure you can't give us any clues?' His confidence has turned from humorous to annoying very quickly, and a knife of sculk already forms in my hand before The Sculk speaks again.

Hurt him until he tells you everything about their progress. 

'I'm not telling you anything.' There's an arrogance in his voice, pride at what he thinks is talent in keeping stuff from us. I raise the knife. He falls silent immediately.

'Then if you're not playing nice, we won't either.'

His confidence got boring in minutes.

But his screams don't.

At least he's not possessed

:)