The library has been abandoned with haste, with the small group of survivors wasting no time to find a new hideaway. Hallways that had formally been swarming with former allies were quickly emptied, likely due to the fact that they were heading to capture the remaining hermits. It had been easy enough to slip out through the back exit of the library, the hard part now was to stay on the move and away from danger.

Footsteps sounded more like gunshots in the echoing hall, like at any moment someone could hear them. Silence hung heavy over the four, the thought of being caught making it near-impossible to even let out a squeak. It was terrifying, and even Mumbo, who was still adjusting to his new sense of freedom, remained quiet. It was like he could feel just how horrified his friends were, which quickly ruined the idea of conversation.

His eyes couldn't meet the faces of his friends. They wouldn't. The cheerful hermits he used to know looked so worn out, so exhausted, so sick of fighting the people they used to call friends. Grian was doing slightly better, Mumbo could tell that his return gave the builder hope, yet it was far from enough. The redstoner, although barely informed, knew enough to fear for his life. He had already been controlled once before, and he could only imagine what he had done.

So, Mumbo kept himself occupied by listening to the squeak of his shoes against the tile flooring, while admiring the stunning architectural design of the castle. It was clearly a combination of different hermit's style of building, most notably Bdubs and Scar, though it was clear that this castle took much more than two hermits to construct. The Brit wondered if he had helped. He couldn't quite remember.

Joe had suddenly stopped, he had been leading the group deeper into the heart of the castle. His attention was focused on a rather average-looking door, possibly leading to a closet of sorts. Nothing grand, which was the best place to hide out and regroup. He quietly opened the door just a bit, peering into the room through the crack. After a quick survey, he nodded at the three, the southerner waving his hand to invite the three inside.

It wasn't large, it seemed to be a storage room with discarded shulker boxes and building materials. The four could barely move, but it was the best place to hide out. "Okay," the poet whispered as he carefully shut the door to the closet. "I think we'll be safe in here...for now."

"Is it possible to give me an explanation on where we are?" Mumbo asked, his words hushed in a whisper.

"Some kind of kingdom that the watcher created. She invades servers, brainwashes the players, then burns the rest of the world, leaving nothing. We're trying to get the rest of the hermits back home safely." Grian explained, the builder rummaging through the many different shulker boxes to search for a weapon of sorts.

"Do you remember anything that could help us, luv?" Stress asked in a reassuring tone, placing a hand on the redstoner's shoulder. Sadly, he shook his head.

"I'm afraid not. The last thing I remember was talking to Grian at the barge, then everything else is blank. It's like I woke up from a bad dream.."

"Well, it's over, for now." Joe mentioned cautiously, "But I may have an idea. Those masks are obviously connected to the watcher, I mean, she can control or possess anyone who wears one. And the only way we could take one off is right after she possessed someone."

"There's no way that'll work again. Once she finds out Mumbo is on our side, she'll catch on." Grian pointed out, though the southerner shook his head.

"We don't need her to. This confirms that the watcher is connected to those masks, even more so than we first thought, and if we take her out, there will be no one to control our friends. Not only will we free the hermits, but we'll free everyone that's been forced under her control!"

"S-so wait, we're going to kill her?!" Mumbo asked, stunned.

"It's our only option. We need to do something, and this is the best idea we have."

He roughly swallowed the lump in his throat. Killing mobs and monsters was one thing, but murdering another person seemed a bit excessive. On hermitcraft it had always been jokingly or even for a game, especially since there was a respawn mechanism on the server, but they really wanted this watcher dead! Even Stress, one of the most kindhearted hermits, had a stone-cold expression with no remorse.

"A-are you sure? I mean, that's quite the assumption. If it doesn't work, then our friends will be brainwashed and mad at us."

"There's no harm in trying," the builder added with a halfhearted shrug, though his eyes remained plastered on the shulker boxes that he dug through. "I say we go for it."

"Grian!" Mumbo exclaimed, a bit shocked. "You three are seriously suggesting we murder someone?! How are you so calm—"

Joe quickly shut him up, placing his hand over the redstoner's mouth. "Unless you want us to get killed, maybe be a bit quieter.." He hissed gently. "Now, promise you won't freak out so loud?"

After a moment of hesitation, then a nod from the Brit, the poet pulled his hand away. "You haven't seen what she's put us through, Mumbo. I'm sorry, but this is really our best option, our only option."

He flinched, though glanced around at the saddened faces in the closet. "Has it really been that bad?" The mustached hermit asked, his voice nearing a whisper. Stress twirled a strand of hair around her finger, avoiding eye contact. Grian froze at the question, though quickly continued searching through all of the storage boxes. Joe only responded with a solemn nod.

"Okay," Mumbo sighed. "I trust you all. If you say that this is the best option, then I believe it. But how are we going to do it, exactly?"

"I bet this could be helpful.." Grian smiled with a devilish gleam in his eyes. First he pulled out a block of TNT, then a block of iron. "We can make weapons with the iron, and use the TNT to our advantage."

Joe stroked his chin, thinking for a moment, though he ended up nodding. "If we use it correctly, then this TNT could really cause some damage. What else is in there?"

"Not much," the builder said. "I think it's mainly leftover blocks from the castle. But knowing Scar and his chest monsters, there's bound to be some useful stuff in here."

"Is there any redstone, or maybe slime blocks? Maybe I could build a TNT duplicator. It would be small, but I bet it could work!" Mumbo suggested hopefully, trying to bring a bit of cheer to the weary group. As much as he hated the idea of murder, he hated losing his friends much more. The hermits meant so much to him, and the redstoner would do everything he could to help bring them back.

"There's a bit, but not much. What do you need to build it?"

"A couple slime blocks, pistons, observer, a minecart and rails, a wall block...Oh dear, and a dead coral fan. That could be hard to find..." The mustached hermit listed, shaking his head as his voice trailed off. "I'm guessing you haven't seen any around here, have you?"

"I don't think so." Joe thought for a moment.

"What about the pond? The one in the court yard?" Stress asked, "The hermits were working there before we showed up, maybe they even left some shulker boxes behind."

"Let's crafts some weapons and tools first, then we'll head out. Grian, is there any wood we can use for sticks and a crafting table?" The southerner questioned, taking charge of the situation.

The blonde hermit gave a nod. "Plenty! It looks like someone was building custom trees." He said, tossing aside a few varying types of leaves, eventually pulling out a couple of logs.

"Perfect." Joe said, glancing towards the redstoner. "Mumbo, empty out a shulker box and start filling it with everything you may need. Stress, look through the rest of the boxes in case there's more supplies. Grian and I will craft up tools and weapons."

It didn't take long for the group to get ready. Mumbo had scooped up every last bit of redstone that he could use, along with a few random items he had mistakenly grabbed in the spur of the moment. Some glass and obsidian, with a couple other things he would never use. He was too rushed and nervous to sort through it all.

Stress had little luck with finding any extra materials, though she did manage to dig up a couple enderpearls, which were perfect for a quick escape. Other than that, the shulker boxes were full of blocks and decorations, like flowers or banners. She took the box with her anyway, just in case.

As for the iron, using the nine ingots that they had, Grian and Joe had made a pickaxe, a sword, an axe, and one shield. It wasn't much, though it could protect the group from harm's way. Mumbo had voted to take the shield, mostly because he still wasn't sure if he could fight the hermits. And even if he could, he wasn't the greatest at PvP.

"Alright," the southerner muttered. "I think we're ready."

He reached for the handle of the closet, twisting it slowly before giving a gentle tug to force the door open. Joe peaked his head out into the hall, which was still lifeless and empty. Pushing the door open further, his grip tightened on the handle of his sword.

"Looks like we're in the clear." The poet whispered, waving his hand to invite the remaining hermits out into the large hallway. They crept silently, moving as if they were on a minefield, like even the slightest movement could alert the entire world where they were.

There were no voices, no footsteps other than their own. It was like everyone had left. Even as the group of survivors ventured past the library, there wasn't a sound. It could be a trap, maybe all the brainwashed hermits were somewhere in the castle, watching from a distance. The thought caused Mumbo to shutter, raising his shield a bit while checking over his shoulder every now and again.

"Do you think they left..?" Stress mumbled in a whisper, though Mumbo shrugged in an attempt to answer her question while keeping the silence. He really hoped so, that would mean he wouldn't have to see the lifeless and cold stare of his friends.

"I doubt it.." Joe mentioned softly, noticing a door up ahead.

Previously, it had been closed, the poet remembered passing it as they ran out of the library to seek shelter. But now, it had been left partially opened, with a glowing yellow light on the other side. He stepped closer to try and glance at what was on the other side, raising the sword in his hand.

"It's clear." The southern said after a moment, "But it hasn't been for long, judging by the looks of things."

It was some kind of potion brewery, not too large or impressive, but Joe guessed that they were used by the cult members before invading other servers. The brewing stands weren't currently being used, but ingredients and bottles were scattered across the countertops and floors of the room.

"Let's take a look around." Grian whispered, heading towards the storage area of chests and shulker boxes near the back of the room. He was quickly stopped, however, as Joe grabbed the collar of the builder's red jumper.

"No, we're going to head to the courtyard. If the castle is empty, we need to take advantage of this while we can."

"Just let me grab some invisibility potions at the very least. They could be helpful in escaping!"

After a brief moment to think, the poet nodded. "Hurry, please." He said, staying outside with Stress to keep watch. Mumbo followed Grian, watching to make sure he wouldn't get distracted. The shorter male grabbed what he could carry, multiple different potions, while also snatching a couple ingredients as well.

"Blaze powder, magma cream, and ghast tears? Are you sure we really need that?" Mumbo asked.

"You never know." The shorter Brit winked, taking the shulker box filled with redstone supplies from the mustached hermit. "Plus, it can't hurt. You've got plenty of extra room in here!"

"There wasn't much redstone to begin with.." He muttered, taking the box back from Grian before leaving the room.

Followed by the builder, the two joined the remaining survivors in the hallway. Joe was studying their surroundings, trying to recall the pathway back. After a moment, he turned to the group. "By the looks of things, we're nearly to the courtyard—" the southerner said, keeping his voice hushed. "—which means we can't waste anymore time, okay?"

"Well, let's get going then." Grian smiled, holding his axe in one hand, while the other held a splash potion of weakness that he had taken from the brewery. Mumbo quickly took it from the shorter male, holding it out of his reach.

"I think we'd be better off keeping these for emergencies." The redstoner mentioned, tucking away the potion for safe keeping. He didn't have the chance to argue, as Mumbo walked away, following Joe and Stress down the hall. Grian sighed in defeat, before running after the three.

The castle was like a maze, with most of the doors leading out to balconies or walkways somewhat identical. It was somewhat worrying, since the poet was unsure if he would be able to tell where to go. Though, it was easier than he initially realized. Especially since one of the double doors had been broken off its hinges.

It seemed like multiple different weapons, from swords to axes, were used to try and break it down. By the looks of things, the lock was a lot stronger than Joe thought it would be. The hinges were shattered and torn, so one of the hermits most likely used a pickaxe to break in.

"Erm, is everything okay?" Mumbo suddenly spoke up, causing the southerner to realize that he, Grian, and Stress had been standing there for a couple moments. It appeared the three were equally shocked, and a bit unsettled at the sight.

"Y-yeah, yeah." Joe said while adjusting his glasses, sounding a bit more confident the second time. "It's just, uh, Wels and Doc. They gave themselves up to let us escape past these doors. Without them, we'd all be caught by now."

"They're okay—" Stress said, her voice struggling to be optimistic. It was almost like she was pleading to herself. "—right? The hermits, they wouldn't kill their own friends...would they?"

"Let's...not think about that." Grian shuttered, "We should get going."

The four made their way out onto the overlook in silence, giving a total view of the unfinished courtyard. There were some shulker boxes here and there, along with tools and blocks that had been left behind. Mumbo hurried down the stairs, with Stress and Joe close behind him, as the shorter Brit kept watch.

He opened a shulker box that was sitting by the pond (there were a couple that had started to form a chest monster), before beginning to dig though the items. The first few were filled with relatively useless junk, mainly different types of stone or water buckets filled with tropical fish, but the redstoner's heart skipped a beat in excitement as he found a shulker box filled to the brim with plant life.

"I think this is it!" Mumbo grinned, tossing out lily pads and vines, before his fingertips gently grazed across a rocky texture of sorts. He lifted up the box, dumping it across the grass. His smile widened as he spotted a bit of coral sticking out from underneath a few leaf blocks, the mustached hermit quickly pulling it free. "Perfect! This coral fan should work!"

"This will really help us get an advantage." Joe said, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Let's just hope I can remember the design right. With one piece of TNT, I really only have a small chance at this."

"Why do you even need that coral fan, anyway?" Grian asked as he walked down the stairs, joining the three beside the pond.

"It's really quite simple, actually—"

"I-I don't think now is the best time for an explanation.." Stress muttered breathlessly, her eyes widening as the pickaxe in her hands slipped from her grasp. Joe glanced towards the balcony, where the brunette's horrified gaze was focused, only for fear to quickly fill the pit of the poet's stomach. He took a step back, raising up the iron sword, hands shaking nervously.

"I-is that really..?" The southerner asked to his fellow survivors, Stress and Grian both nodding in unison. Their faces were equally pale in fear, or maybe shock. It was difficult to tell, especially since Joe's mind was racing with hundreds of thoughts.

Xisuma smiled behind his helmet, stepping out of the castle and onto the balcony. His face was hidden away by his tinted visor, with his expression unreadable to the four. He walked towards the edge of the overlook, his hands placed on the railing. The castle's shadow hung over the admin, giving him a dark and eerie look.

"Hello, my friends."