(I should write a story with watchers being actually good for once.)
(and did i ever say how much i dislike this story now? its dragging on for so long but there are many chapters left)

I shot to my feet, heart rate spiking. The only sound I heard was the rush of blood in my ears. Even the other Hermits were deathly silent.

Wiping all emotion away, I glanced towards the two Watchers. Lynnthuic looked the same, excpt instead of wearing Watcher robes, he wore leather-like clothes that wasn't armor. EX, however, changed quite a bit.

He was more injured than normal. His hair was pure, stained with blood, and black at the tips, as if he hadn't cut it since we graduated.

I couldn't see half of his face. He had put on the mask. However, it was different from the one I got. It curved diagonally across his face, very similar to a Phantom of the Opera mask but with no eye hole. The Watcher symbol was in the center of the forehead area, and the bottom part came to a point at the jaw.

That left his right eye visible. Last time we saw each other, it was ebony black. This time, it was silver, almost grey. He stared at me with a dead look, eyes glazed.

"Zachariah..." I whispered. EX narrowed his eyes, the grip around Mumbo's neck getting tighter. Mumbo gagged, bringing his hands up to Zachariah's arm. He tried pulling it away, but the Watcher was too strong. He resorted to struggling against his grip, to which Zach held tighter.

"Zach, let him go." I demanded, loud enough for everyone to hear. Quiet murmures of confusion reached my ears. The other Hermits must know him by some other name.

"In Galactic, honey, or your poor friend will get... quite injured." EX said in a soft singsong voice. I crossed my arms, lowering my eyebrows in confusion. Zachariah never calls anyone 'honey' or sings. His voice is usually rough and slightly monotone, unlike the voice he just used.

"You wouldn't dare-" I said, cutting myself off as Zachariah grinned. He lightly dragged the obsidian katana across Mumbo's neck, creating a thin cut that slowly dripped blood. Mumbo whimpered, trying to pull away. My heart thumped harder as blood passed under Zachariah's arm and stained his suit.

"Zachariah, stop it!" I said, fear almost cracking my voice. Another slice to the redstoner's throat dripped more blood, followed by a cry of pain.

"Grian please-" Mumbo begged, fear clear in his voice. His voice made my blood freeze. It was genuine fear. Fear for his life.

"Grian, just please do what they ask." Xisuma in a low tone growled. I couldn't tell if the anger was directed towards me, or elsewhere. I exhaled a long, exasperated sigh, glaring at the Watchers.

"Okay, alright, fine. What do you want from us?" The language felt filthy on my tongue.

"You weren't supposed to escape-" Zachariah started before I interrupted him.

"Oh, really?" I said with a tilt of my head.

"Cut the sarcasm." Lynnthuic snapped. "The trade is you or your friend. Choose." I hesitated. Mumbo gave me a pleading look, face as white as a ghost. EX was holding him tighter, cutting the circulation off with an evil grin. There was no way to talk my way out of this unless I physically do something.

I stepped forwards, holding my hands up.

"Grian, what are you-"

"I'll be fine." I said, cutting Iskall off. Turning back to Zachariah, I stepped one more step.

"Release Mumbo, and I'll go." Lynnthuic and EX shared a glance with each other. Lint nodded, and Zachariah shoved Mumbo forward. I walked past Mumbo, eyes straight forward and glaring daggers into the Watchers. Every step I took hurt my entire body. I stopped in front of the two taller players.

"Well well, Lynnthuic, maybe you're actually being smart for once, or you're just as dumb as you look." I said before he could speak, forcing a sneer upon my face.

"You dare-" I lifted him off the ground with magic and threw him into EX with a force that could have knocked them both out. I snickered and backed away as the Hermits approached from behind me.

I turned to Mumbo who was holding his throat with his hand. Pulling Mumbo's hand away, I laid my hand there, replacing his. I exhaled as I poured healing magic into my hand. I felt two small scars form under my hand. I pulled away, staring at my bloody hand.

In the edge of my vision, the two Watches eventually got up, purple auras shining brightly. They looked slightly dazed at the sudden attack.

"Guys, get out of here. It's not safe." I said, looking over my shoulder and at the other Hermits.

"No, we stay together no matter what." Iskall said, twirling his sword around. The other Hermits nodded, prepping their weapons. I was touched by their protectiveness, but worried about their safety.

"But you'll get seriously hurt-"

"Are you trying to get rid of us?" Cleo chuckled. "Not happening." She whipped out a bow, nocking an arrow. I threw a golden shield up as Lynnthuic sent a pitiful streak of magic at us.

"Fine, just please, be really careful." I said, throwing a tree on top of Lint. He fell under its weight. An arrow whistled past my head, impaling Zach's arm. He sneered and ripped it out, blood dripping from the arrow's tip.

I discreetly looked over to False, making eye contact. She shook her head, returning to protect the other Hermits with her great PvP skills.

I suddenly pushed Scar out of the way of incoming magic, taking the hit for him. It felt like a hard punch to the gut, knocking the wind out of me. Thankfully, no blood was drawn yet. I gasped for air before turning around.

"Zachariah!" I yelled, giving up my promise with a harsh flinch. It's impossible to not yell in this situation. He snapped his head over to me, his long white hair falling over his shoulders. "Fight it off!" I continued. EX tilted his head, eyebrow curving up.

"Fight what off, Xelqua?" He asked with an evil smirk. He brought up his hand, and harshly brought it down. I crumpled into the ground, bringing a few blocks down with me. Rolling over to my side, I groaned in pain. My body has had no time to heal.

Zachariah, in just a few strides, stood over my prone form. There was no sense of familiarity in his eyes. It was only a cold and unforgiving gaze directed my way.

"Zach, please..." I said, moving my hands closer to protect my head. "I don't want to fight you."

"That's too bad." He said. "Because I do, and I will until you come with us."

"I'm sorry, then" I muttered. Before I gave Zach any reaction time, I thrust my hands out. Zachariah was pushed back many blocks, making him trip over a rock and fall to the floor.

I painfully got to my feet, deciding to throw Lynnthuic elsewhere without looking. A yelp and a large splash in the ocean sounded behind me. I huffed to myself in amusement, thinking of how that throw couldn't have been better.

"Grian, what do we do?" Ren yelled as his shield broke. He discarded the pieces, stepping out of the way of another blast from Zach.

"Distract them, and don't die. I don't know what will happen if you die from Watcher magic. Better safe than sorry." I said, trying to find ways for escape. Lynnthuic dashed out again, drenched in water.

The next few minutes were spent running around and protecting the other Hermits from serious harm. I spotted Lynnthuic who was on the ground, a few potion-dipped arrows sticking out of his back. He was curled inwards, breathing hard. False, Iskall, and Doc were standing over him, weapons at the ready. Other Hermits were helping each other heal. The Watchers had put up quite the fight.

Plucking a redirected arrow out of the air, I saved Zedaph from a back injury. He turned in confusion, but I jumped away to help another Hermit.

Just a few blocks away from me, my former classmate raised a sword over my head. Zachariah suddenly froze, then threw himself to the ground, seemingly struggling against nothing. I jumped towards him, pinning the larger Watcher to the floor. He tried to throw me off, but it was in vain. He twitched for a moment, stilling.

"Too... strong..." He whispered, eyes barely clearing. He had gained control for a moment. I paused, not knowing what to say or do. Zachariah then caught me off guard, throwing me to the side. He kicked me in the chest as he stood up, making me yelp.

I rolled out of the way as a katana came down, summoning my sword to my hand. After exchanging a few strikes, I was disarmed. My sword flew away, landing out of my reach.

I stopped on my knees as I felt the tip of a sword under my chin. I directed my eyes upwards, staring into EX's visible eye.

"Grian!" Impulse yelled, bringing everyone's attention to me.

"Zachariah..." I whispered. His eyes narrowed and he pushed the katana into my skin.

"Zach, please." Zachariah quickly sheathed his sword and pulled me up by my hair. I yelped as he pulled me along. Arrows and tridents sailed my way, but none hit their target. EX chuckled, approaching where Lynnthuic was. The other Hermits hand scattered long before we started towards the other Watcher.

I inhaled sharply, feeling a powerful presence of magic gather in our path. I recognized the magics, for each Watcher has a distinct signature.

Before I could yell a warning, Aquinnternal and Yavin appeared in that magic with a small pop, dressed in their formal Watcher robes. Quinn's blond hair was messier than I've ever seen before. Sweat covered his forehead, and Quinn's expression showed clear exhaustion. He must have spent a lot of energy getting into this server if Xisuma put more code around it.

Yavin, on the other hand, seemed like he did very little. No sign of exhaustion or strain. It was as if Quinn did all the work.

I instantly panicked. We have to deal with them now. I'm still not in a good position. My hand went to the hilt of my sword, only to remember that I had been disarmed and was in EX's grasp.

Quinn's eyes immediately landed on me since he was facing my way. We stared at each other for a few seconds, before he turned his gaze away.

"Aquinnternal. Yavin. How nice of you to join us." Lynnthuic sneered from behind Quinn. Quinn narrowed his eyes, not turning to face him. Yavin rolled his eyes, not saying anything.

"Lynnthuic. What did I say about calling me that?" He asked in a deathly calm voice, possibly hiding the fact he was exhausted. The former student scowled, wrinkling his nose.

"Why are you two here? We said we can handle it." Lynnthuic continued. Quinn shook his head at the disrespect. Yavin stood stock still, glaring at me.

"Barely. You're about to die, Zachariah is injured. You would not have pulled this off." Yavin said, dragging out his words in the most dramatic way possible. My heart sunk, deprived of any hope.

Now that Quinn and Yavin were here, us Hermits will not win this fight.

(yay we reached 40k words in google docs)