Grumbot's POV-

Haha... incredible. It worked. He did it. He killed Citrus. Finally, things could start getting back to normal. This was the first step to fixing everything; He knew it. This one thing would be the set-off to a spiral of events that would lead to normalcy again. If Grumbot had an actual mouth, He'd be grinning. If He could talk, He'd be cheering. Who knew one could feel so good about killing a cat?

Iskall, who had been practically screaming at Him just moments before, was frozen in complete silence, watching. Grumbot was watching too. They were watching Sage, the traitorous monster, fall to his knees. So he can cry. Or he was faking it. Either was possible. Grumbot didn't quite care either way. After a while, the swede finally spoke. "Grumbot... why?"

Why? Was Iskall not listening at all while Grumbot explained that she was literally part of a conspiracy against them? "So we can save everyone else," Grumbot explained, shrugging. "Would you rather one traitorous cat or all of your friends die?" This seemed like a perfectly logical answer to the bot.

"But couldn't you have solved it with a... non-killing solution?" Oh, Iskall. He was so naive. He really didn't realize how dire the situation was, did he? Well, Grumbot didn't exactly blame him. It was a lot to take in all at once, after all. If the robot hadn't known all of this from the beginning, would He have believed it either? He wasn't sure.

And so, He calmly shook His head, refusing to get upset. "No. You don't know her like I do. She wasn't the type you could reason with," He answered. But, the moment he stopped talking, Grumbot considered his own answer. Would He have solved things passively, given the choice? That was honestly a tougher question than He would've liked to admit. On one hand, killing wasn't exactly the most moral thing in the world. But, on the other hand, neither was Citrus.

This made Iskall deflate a bit, but he eventually seemed to give in. "It's not great," he said. His voice was hollower than usual. Did he actually pity the cat? Grumbot didn't understand. "But I guess I understand why you did it." Grumbot nodded in silent appreciation. The two were silent for a moment, turning back to watch Sage.

...or, at least, where Sage had been. He had disappeared. It appeared that the impersonator had left while the two were conversing. How did He not notice that? Grumbot wondered where he went. No doubt to go complain to Xisu-

His thoughts were interrupted by... something. Something seemed to shift. Something was wrong. Something was... missing. It was like a presence was no longer there. Grumbot hadn't realized that He was feeling something, but now that there was a void where something familiar used to be, everything felt wrong. What...? He couldn't place His finger on it, but something just wasn't there. It was something that Grumbot had apparently taken great relief in, as He suddenly had an uneasy feeling deep inside of him.

Oh. Oh, no.

That feeling, that presence, Grumbot realized what-- who-- it was all at once. No, no, no. Sage... That monster. That monster made Mumbo's presence disappear. That monster killed Grumbot's dad.

Blip. Tick. The world seemed to be blinking, moving quickly and slowly all at once. This was a different kind of glitching. In a way, it was worse. Grumbot couldn't think straight. Mumbo's dead. Mumbo's dead? Dad Number Two is dead. It took the sudden sensation of Iskall gripping Grumbot's arms to bring the robot back to reality. The world returned to normal, and Iskall's voice cut through the haze like a knife. "Grumbot? Grumbot, are you alright? Dude-?!"

Grumbot shook His head. "No, no I'm not alright. Sage killed Mumbo. I can feel it." Iskall dropped Grumbot's hands. He stepped back, shaking.

"What do you mean, you can feel it?" Mistrust swam in the swede's eyes. It was only natural, after all. People were automatically prone to the analogy of 'seeing is believing', especially if it's something they don't want to believe. And Iskall clearly did not want to believe this. "A-and, if Mumbo died, he'll just respawn. That's how dying works! Won't he just come back?"

If only Iskall didn't make this harder than it was. Grumbot was leaning against the wall, clutching His arms. "I can feel the presence of everyone here. Some are weaker than others, but they're still there. Mumbo... his just disappeared." Grumbot's slightly monotonous voice was not helping. If only He showed more emotion in His words. Just a slight voice crack or inflection would surely help get the point across so Grumbot didn't have to keep repeating himself. "And... it's not that kind of dying."

Grumbot didn't understand it either. How could Mumbo just die? It was impossible, was it not? Just dying like that shouldn't be possible. If Grumbot wasn't acutely aware of His knowledge, He wouldn't believe Him either.

It was at times like this that Grumbot wished He could just be ignorant.

Iskall gulped, and then his eye seemed to harden. It got just an ounce colder than it was before. Even his crystal eye seemed a bit less saturated. "I-I think I'm going to go kill Sage now." And then he was gone. Iskall flew out from the inside of Grumbot's old body and disappeared into the sky. And Grumbot couldn't call after him. He couldn't stop him. He just watched silently as Iskall became smaller and smaller and smaller, then disappeared altogether.

Grumbot slid against the wall, sitting down. Iskall was about to go get himself killed as well. Shooting Citrus... was Grumbot now responsible for everything that was about to happen? What if he single-handedly just doomed the world?

He sat down on His bed, staring up at the ceiling. Iskall never gave Him back the ability to turn on His own sleepmode.

--------------

Scar's POV-

The Hermit stared, horrified, down at his communicator. What did this mean? What did any of this mean? Left? Game? The last three had happened nearly simultaneously, while Doc's had happened a few moments prior. Were they all together? Or was it an odd coincidence? Suddenly, the wizard highly regretted not keeping better track of everyone's whereabouts. Confused, Scar typed out a message to Bdubs. "Hey... You okay... Weird message on the comm..." he muttered to himself as he typed. The Hermit hesitated, his finger shaking slightly as he held it over the send button. What if he didn't like what he heard? No, there was no use in thinking like that. Scar pressed his finger into the button.

Could not perform the command

That was anti-climatic.

Okay, this was not abnormal. Scar had the tendency to type quickly and sloppily, leading to the misspelling of far too many names to count. Despite everything, Scar chuckled at the memory of, 'Tnago', 'Ernodg', and 'Flase'. Those would always be funny. But that didn't matter right now, did it? Carefully, Scar retyped his message, making certain to spell everything right this time.

Could not perform the command

...Why couldn't he message Bdubs? He didn't misspell. He's done this before. What was going on? He tried again with Doc, and Ren, and Impulse, each time more frantic than the last. Come on, come on, come on! Scar couldn't be spelling everything wrong!

Could not perform the command
Could not perform the command
Could not perform the command

All out of options, the wizard just sent a message to the main chat. His fingers were tornados, flying across the pixelated letters as he reached out. What happened? Why couldn't he message them? Were the others having any more luck?

<GoodTimesWithScar> Hey you four are you alright?

<GoodTimesWithScar> I cant message you

He waited for a reply. He waited. And waited. And waited. But nothing came. Soon enough, the other Hermits began to chime in, one by one expressing their concern.

<iJevin> ???
<StressMonster101> Are you all okay? I'm getting a bit nervous
<ZombieCleo> Hey guys check your comms
<Cubfan135> this isn't funny
<Grian> what

Scar's communicator dinged incessantly as the chat flooded with message after message from Hermit after Hermit. And yet, none of the four responded. Even Grian, who had been so reclusive lately, was chattering. This went on for minutes; with each ding, Scar glanced back at his communicator to see if it was one of them. It never was.

And the messages were never from two other people: MumboJumbo and XisumaVoid. Scar's blood froze at the realization. Sage and X had something to do with this, didn't they? Were they responsible for the apparent disappearance of the four Hermits? It wouldn't be the first time, he thought bitterly. Scar began to pace. What to do, what to do? Bee was MIA-- Scar had no clue whatsoever where she was-- he doubted he'd be able to get Grian's help, and everything was suddenly a lot more drastic than it was before. Scar nearly forgot to breathe as he stared expectantly at the communicator, hoping against everything that one of the four would respond. Slowly, the dings began to die off. That's when he received another message.

<XisumaVoid> Everyone please come to the Town Hall

That wasn't suspicious in the slightest. It was a trap, wasn't it? Of course it was; there was no doubt in the wizard's mind. Four Hermits disappear, leaving an extremely strange message in their wake, and suddenly the person who has done nothing about the oddness of, well, everything, suddenly wants to have everyone meet up. Still, Scar felt that he should probably go, just to investigate.

After a few more moments of hesitation, Scar's heartbeat quickened. He pulled on his elytra and fished in his bag for rockets. Only five? Ah, well, that should get him to the Shopping District if he used them sparingly. Then, a thought struck. Hmm... this was a special occasion. Scar should probably stock up on crystals. But which ones?

Scar opened up his chest containing his crystals. Which ones, which ones? The wizard felt aware of the crystal that was already around his neck-- he'd need that, of course. Accidentally, he had become dependent on it. Whoops. Maybe the health one? Oh, and the speed one! Soon, Scar's arms were full of crystals, and he had absolutely nowhere to put them.

...maybe just his sight one would work fine.

Scar now stood outside Larry's shell, staring towards the Shopping District. The snail chirped curiously at the wizard as he hesitated. "Heh, you're right," he chuckled. "I've just got to go." With his luck, he'd miss whatever Xisuma called them all over for entirely. He just had to go and face whatever would be waiting for him. Taking a deep breath to prepare himself, Scar clutched the first rocket in his hand. "See you later, Lare." He propelled himself into the air.

Right before an ear-piercing shriek sounded out from behind him.

Bee?! Scar let himself fall into the lake, though he hadn't much of a choice. The Hermit completely froze at the utter terror that seemed to come from what was unmistakably the bird. What was wrong with her? She disappears, and now is back, and just screaming at him. And... oh, right, he wasn't wearing his translator. As he waded back to the shore, Scar pinned it back onto his hat, watching Bee as she flitted about, not staying still for a moment. "Scar-!" She cried when she appeared to have noticed him. "Scar, Scar you can't go. You can't," she insisted, landing on Scar's outstretched arm as he leaned against his snail.

"Why?" Scar puzzled. Had Bee found out something that Scar didn't know? Of course, it wouldn't have been a good idea to go, but he had prepared himself. "Is X being evil again? Did you find out what he's planning while spying on him?" As he said the word 'spying', Bee flinched. ...Uh oh.

"Scar..." Bee didn't remove her gaze from Scar's. "I'm sorry." The Hermit remained silent. He should've expected this. Why did he ever trust her? "I've... been lying to you the whole time." Pause. Bee seemingly waited for a response, but Scar never obliged. He just stood still, staring down at the small, feathered creature on his arm. After all, this wasn't the first time she said that.

Scar's communicator dinged.

Iskall85 left the game

Bee continued. "I lied to you about no longer working with Xisuma." Well that part was obvious. That didn't make it hurt any less, though. As Bee continued listing things, Scar tensed. "I lied to you about... about being a good person. I lied to you about everything. I even lied to you about Sage being a terrible programmer." Was this a segway? This was totally a segway. "I wasn't an accident. I was never meant to be evil." Her voice lowered, and she spoke softly and slowly for the last part. "None of us were. We never wanted this."

And yet, here they were anyway. Scar felt no sympathy for the bird-- or Sage or Citrus, for that matter. It wasn't like they didn't have a choice. How was Scar supposed to forgive Bee?

Ding. Ding.

Cubfan135 left the game
Keralis left the game

"Scar, please, listen to me." He was listening, alright. "Sage isn't evil. I know him. He has good in him; I see it." Scar's expression went from stoic to sour. What good is there in a man whose sole entertainment is keeping someone-- the reason he existed, no less-- locked up? Bee either didn't notice or, more likely, ignored Scar's expression. "But X doesn't." The bird quickly rephrased, stuttering slightly. "I-I mean, he doesn't see the good in Sage- Is what I mean- not that he- nevermind." She was quiet for a moment, seemingly collecting her thoughts.

Ding.

JoeHills left the game

"Scar, you have no reason to trust me." Correct. "But just one more time, I need you to understand that I am trying to help you. You can't go to the Town Hall. You. Will. Be. Destroyed." Her last few words were so convicting that Scar almost trusted her. What was really happening there? Did Scar have to stop it? "Sage's gone insane. Mum- Bad things are happening, and you need to stay safe. I need you to stay away. Away from everyone."

Ding. Ding.

ZombieCleo left the game
FalseSymmetry left the game

Scar finally spoke. Maybe he was being too trusting before, but maybe he was being a bit too skeptical now. This was the climax-- or was it the resolution?-- and Bee clearly had no more reason to lie. "Bee, what is Xisuma?"

Ding.

ZedaphPlays left the game

This seemed to confuse the bird greatly. "Wh-what? I mean," she stammered, flustered. "W-well, he's the adm-"

"No," Scar annunciated. "I know he's the admin. But what is he? Why are you so afraid of him?" Silence. Scar's words hit Bee hard, and the flame in her eyes shattered into a million tiny embers. It was forever until she spoke, and the silence was so overpowering that it masked the subtle sound of grass being displaced.

"Xis-"

"That's enough." A third voice came from behind the giant snail, and, without even seeing it, Scar knew to whom it belonged. Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. "Bee, what in the name of the Nether are you doing?" Scar turned around, and his eyes were made of ice. Was X mad at Bee? Could the bird be telling the truth?

What was more prominent was the fact that the bee-suited admin was no longer in his bee suit. No, he was just wearing casual clothes now. And apparently, his eyes were brown. Had Scar ever seen him without some sort of obstructor in front of his eyes? He could now also see a cross-shaped scar on his cheek, extending from his chin to just below his bottom left eyelid. How'd he get that? Scar then noticed a familiar yellow pin attached to Xisuma's shirt. He was useless without his armor, wasn't he? Oddly enough, though, this seemed to be doing the thing that Scar's had done those few times, where it appeared, then disappeared, then repeated. How odd.

All of this observation happened simultaneously, and that was a good thing, too, as Bee immediately started talking again. Hadn't she done enough of that? "I'm telling him the truth, X. Like we should've done from the beginning," she growled. Woah, Scar had never seen her truly angry before. "I feel like maybe I should be asking you that question!"

Ding. Ding. Ding.

VintageBeef left the game

iJevin left the game

TangoTek left the game

Xisuma flung his hands out incredulously. He spat out his response with an angry laugh. "Bee, you know what I'm doing! Sage's gone mad, and I'm trying to control the damage!" He just yelled back with a tone Scar had never witnessed on the admin before. Not even with the EX ordeal. He had never seemed specifically angry at him, just upset. This was new.

And it was like Scar wasn't even present.

"By grouping everyone together and letting him run wild? Why not try to stop the problem at its core, eh?! Snap Sage out of it!" Bee flapped her wings incessantly, still clinging onto Scar's arm. At this point, she was digging her talons into it, and it started to hurt.

"Because he's too far gone! He killed Mumbo!"

This sentence struck Scar like a sack of bricks. The wizard had always considered it a possibility, but he had never really let himself believe that it was possible. No... Mumbo wouldn't die. He wouldn't die that easily. He'd put up a fight. He'd prepare himself. He wouldn't just let Sage kill him. No, X was wrong.

Deep down, he couldn't refute it. Mumbo Jumbo was dead. Scar wondered if Grian knew.

And, as if no time had passed while Scar processed this, Bee continued squawking back. "So you're just going to let him-- make it easier for him to-- kill everyone else!?"

"He's not killing them!" Xisuma screamed so loudly that Scar flinched. It was as if he had mentally been having this battle since the beginning of time. "He's just... moving them. But that's not the point! I'm trying to just make it quick! And easy! And less brutal!" 'It'? Is that was this was? 'It'? Was this some sort of apocalypse? Scar was thoroughly lost, and it didn't help that these two seemed to completely forget about his existence.

"Oh, and that makes everything so much better." Bee's words were drawled, dripping with sarcasm. "What, are you going to start playing victim again? Try and convince me that what you're doing is for a good cause? Because it's not X! I don't care what's happening to the server!" Server? "There are a million different solutions, and none of them-- not a single one!-- involve the sheer amount of lying and tricking and manipulating as this! Nothing warrants this!" Scar was hardly picking up anything that these two were going on about. The only thing that he was absolutely certain about was that the cockatiel was on Scar's side. And that Mumbo was dead.

"It's for the good of HermitCraft," X replied, suddenly calm. His voice was stoic and serious, and all of the friendship in it vanished. "It's a simple answer."

Bee shook her head, now quiet as well. "It's a trolley problem. Sacrifice the lives of a few to save the lives of many. Well, as part of 'the few', I don't exactly condone this. You had no right to interfere with Sage. To kidnap me." So the part about her escaping was a lie as well. It all came back to X. "To create Citrus as a perfect killing machine with no moral standing or compassion. To keep Mumbo locked up. And were you really even saving anyone?" She laughed mirthlessly, staring directly into the broken eyes of the admin. "There's not a single person on this server or off of it who you haven't lied to. You sure you're on the best path right now?"

Xisuma ignored this question. "You're still following through with our plan," he said, and to Scar's surprise, Bee nodded.

"Yes. But not for you. For Scar."

X looked straight at Scar's eyes... or, more accurately, through them. Scar still wasn't really there. What had Xisuma become? It seemed impossible that this was the person who, just a few months prior, was organizing all the fun activities and events of HermitCraft, laughing along with everyone else. Was he always like this, and Scar had just never seen it? What had the admin been hiding behind that helmet?

He never got a word in before Xisuma pulled out an orange, glowing sword and sliced it right down both Scar and Bee in a single swoop. The pain was unlike anything the Hermit had experienced. It felt like his very being was being sucked into oblivion.

And then...

Scar's crystals fell to the ground.

Ding.

GoodTimesWithScar left the game

------------

Grian's POV-

Every few minutes, another message popped up. Another person left the game. Grian knew at this point-- maybe he was the only one-- what it all meant. This reality wasn't reality at all, was it? It was all some kind of simulation, and he and all of his friends were just... little spots of nothingness. And yet, it all seemed so real. Grian sat, leaning against his window, kneeling on his bed, gazing outside of his mansion. He looked curiously at the snow that still somehow managed to find a place to settle on his roof. At the forest in the distance, with the branches waving in the wind, rustling the thick leaves that clung to them for dear life. At the clouds that floated lazily across the sky, moving at a pace so that no one could tell if they were racing or not.

It was all so real, how could it not be? Grian had too many questions, none of which he expected answers to. Not now.

There were only three people left. Grian, X, and Sage. And Mumbo, of course, but Grian didn't know what was up with him. Really, Grian didn't even know if he was still alive, but still, he wasn't about to let Scar's worry that Mumbo was dead get to him. But what of X? Something was definitely off with him. Especially considering that one of the last messages on the communicator was that he had supposedly killed Jellie. The Hermit was surprised it took him so long to realize that. It was taking him a long time to realize everything, didn't it? Maybe being a detective was the wrong calling.

So many questions still were left unanswered. What happened to make everyone disappear? How could Scar let it happen to him? Why Jellie? Why had everything gone wrong in the first place? Grian still didn't know what happened to his memories; the gremlin went back down to his basement earlier to discover that he had no clue whatsoever what everything was about. He could remember knowing a time before this place, but if he didn't have his basement, he'd know of no such time.

Something sat heavy in his pouch, and Grian was suddenly reminded of the small slip of paper he had been keeping oh-so-long ago.

Mysteries to solve:
•Mumbo's -secret- project
•Mumbo's question to Grumbot
•Jellie

Well, Grian now had the answers-- at least partially-- to the first and last, but his jay-blue eyes fixated on the second note. He had nearly completely forgotten about that, hadn't he? The paper on the floor with the singular word, 'NO.' How Sage-- who Grian had thought was Mumbo-- was more than annoyed, had puzzled Grian, and he had planned to ask his robotic son about it later. But he never had; he had gotten all busy with his Sherlock Grian work, and then... well... Grian just never went over to ask before Grumbot broke down.

But then Iskall fixed Him, and no one was in Grian's way now. He'd make sure of it. If nothing else, the Hermit would at least like to see Grumbot again; last time didn't really count.

Grian now stood on top of his roof, admiring the view. After a few moments, he leaped off opening his elytra wings and gliding through the air. Even if it all wasn't really real, it had always been real enough for him, so what did it matter, in the end? Why did it matter if it wasn't technically reality, if it was how he viewed it? It was Grian's reality. And, in a way, it was almost relieving to know this. He was one of the only people to know. Things made more sense. Maybe this was the wrong reaction, but, with all that had happened, nothing really fazed him anymore.

Still, as Grian flew over the world, a sense of unease settled over him. The usually lively Shopping District still had all of its bright lights and colors, but none of the people. Jrumbot still gazed on into the distance, forever smiling, even though no one was there to say 'hi'. Abandoned bases and buildings littered the ground. The only signs of life were the occasional cows and sheep, and even they seemed still. Sometimes they just disappeared, leaving nothing behind. It was like he was flying over a painting. Occasionally, he'd run into a phantom, even though the sun was barely going down. They never bothered him. All was silent, with the only exception of the crackling of fireworks. The quiet was not unlike when Mumbo first disappeared, except then everyone else was still here. Now, Grian was all alone.

And once he got to Grumbot's platform, things weren't much better. It was still eerily silent, so much so that Grian was unsure for a moment if He was even present. "Hey, Grum, you here?" He called out as he wandered into the increasingly-dark room. It was too bad he hadn't packed any torches.

"Yeah," came a robotic voice from the back of the room. Grian's eyes adjusted to the light just in time to see a bright blue set of eyes and a moustache turn to him. Grumbot was seated on a bed in the corner. He was just as still as He was before, but it hit harder now. Before, He couldn't move even if He wanted to, but now He had the choice, but was still choosing to sit like a statue at the edge of the bed.

Grian wandered over, using the light from Grumbot's screen as a flashlight. Convenient, having one built right into you. Slowly, he sat next to his robot son, sinking slightly into the soft, red bed. The room wasn't very big, was it? It was almost suffocating with how empty it was. There were a few chests and a chair, but that was it. The two sat in silence for at least several years. It was almost nice as the sun slowly descended outside, and Grian and Grumbot stayed right there forever. At last, the Hermit spoke. "It's nice to see you."

Grumbot nodded slowly, and Grian suddenly felt a weight on his shoulder. He smiled sadly. Grumbot was still a child. He'd seen so much and acted unlike any child Grian could picture, but, at the end of the day, that's still what He was. It was easy to forget that-- Grumbot Himself likely had forgotten, too. The Hermit put an arm around the bot and hugged Him back.

Actually, maybe Grian didn't want to interrogate Grumbot. Having Him like this, being so small-- despite actually being a few inches taller than Grian himself-- reminded the brit of how vulnerable people were. Of how vulnerable he was. Not all questions needed to be answered. Maybe some were better left unasked. All that mattered was that people were happy, right? And if that was achieved by leaving some questions alone, then maybe Grian could do that. Maybe it was time to retire Sherlock Grian for good.

"Hey, Grum," Grian said at last. His voice was that of the quiet splashing of waves, barely more present than white noise. "Are you okay?"

Grumbot sank lower into the bed, but other than that, He didn't move at all. It was almost like He wasn't really alive. It was a long time before He answered. "No." Just that word. It's a simple word, one of the shortest. And yet, it can hold so much power. The bot said no more, but He didn't have to.

"Me neither."

It was a quiet unison they shared. Grian wasn't alone; he still had Grumbot. Maybe if he hadn't disappeared, if he hadn't become so reclusive for the time that he had, Grumbot wouldn't have suffered as much. What's passed is passed, and yet Grian still couldn't get the thought out of his head that he could've done better. When Iskall had reached out to Grian to get him to come to Grumbot's platform and Grian ignored him, busy at work on writing down anything from his memories that came to mind. When things first started to spiral downward and Grian hid away in his mansion, unwilling to go out into the madness. Way back in the beginning, before Mumbo even went missing. What if Grian had spent more time with Grumbot outside of work?

So many things he could've done better. How could he have not been aware of his own robot getting a smaller body? Was this how all the other Hermits saw him? Absent, unhelpful, disappointing? Grumbot's hold on Grian tightened, and the red-sweatered Hermit realized that salty tears were silently escaping his eyes. The sun was almost down at this point. Grian didn't know what the future would be like without anyone here, and he was having a hard time imagining it.

A shadow appeared in the doorway, and Grian turned his head toward it. Grumbot sat up straighter and tensed. Was that Xisuma? He wasn't wearing his suit. "X...?" Tentatively, he stood up. With each step he took, unease settled in over the calm melancholy. The admin beckoned for Grian to follow him, though he didn't speak. What was going on? "Hey, are you okay?"

The last rays of sun disappeared under the water, and Xisuma pulled out a torch. "Grian, I'm sorry." He seemed to be in a rush. Was he alright? The gremlin had never seen X without his suits before. He seemed so much more... normal. Less like some sort of god and more like just another person.

"What's wrong? You know, besides everything." Something was definitely up with him. Grian stared up at Xisuma, trying to find some sort of explanation in his walnut eyes, but they were cold. "Do you have any idea what's going on?"

To his surprise, X nodded. He did? "Grian... I hate to tell you, but this world... it's all..." His voice shook. Grian knew exactly what he was about to say. "It's all..." He seemed to be having some trouble explaining.

"A game. I figured that much out," Grian said. Now it was X's turn to be surprised, though Grian ignored it. That didn't matter right now; it couldn't be the only thing Xisuma was here to say. "But why is everyone disappearing? Is Sage behind it? Can you bring them back?" Despite his best efforts, Grian was beginning to panic. He had felt so calm before, but now that things were sinking in, he was scared. He was very scared.

Xisuma didn't dwell on the fact that Grian knew that he was in a game for long. It was an unexpectedly short amount of time he spent surprised, actually. What he said next, though, was more shocking. "Yeah... Sage is behind it... and me."

"What?!"

Grian's horrified and betrayed expression must've set something off in Xisuma, because he began to speak quicker and quicker and louder and louder. He immediately got defensive, and Grian stepped back. He was not okay, decidedly. "You don't understand, Grian! You don't get it! Everything's falling apart and I didn't know what to do about it! You don't get it, you don't get how I feel every single day!" Tears welled up in the admin's eyes. "I finally found a way to fix everything!"

"X, calm down-" Grian didn't have the capacity to be angry at X for siding with Sage right now. In fact, it hardly processed. He just wanted his friend to stop yelling.

"No!" Grian reached out to X, but got a sword pointed at his face instead. "You don't get it! Every time I disappeared, then all of a sudden everyone found new things? Ravengers? Lanterns? Bees? That was me! Me- me and- and-" Xisuma took a shaky breath and stepped back, dropping the sword with a clatter. Grian jumped. What was wrong with him? "Why can't I remember." With a thud, the admin was on his knees, his body a violent series of quakes and tremors.

Grian slowly, slowly walked up to X and placed a hand on his shoulder. He was shaking, too. What was going on? "X, calm down." X did not calm down.

"Grian, Mumbo is dead."

Frozen. Still. Not a muscle moved. And yet, Grian wasn't surprised. He didn't feel much of anything, actually. Not shock, not terror. Just certainty. So Scar was right all along. He expected to feel some sort of intenseness, be it anguish, grief, anger. But nothing came. Grian never truly believed that Mumbo could be alive after all of that, did he? Now that he had confirmation, all he felt was calmness. Grian stared at the ground as Xisuma stood up, shaking the gremlin's hand off his shoulder.

"This is for you," Xisuma murmured, slipping a piece of paper into Grian's pouch. Wordlessly, and without looking at the admin, Grian pulled it out. It was folded into fourths, with words scribbled hastily on the front. It was clear that whoever wrote this was in a hurry.

Grian-
Don't open this until everything is over

Grian fought the urge to just unfold it now, and the desire to respect his friend's wishes won over. Everything wasn't over. Not yet. Grian's soft, red heart turned hard as a rock. The paper crinkled with the clenching of the Hermit's fist and got shoved into his pouch. Everything wasn't over until the person who was responsible for his best friend's death paid their rightful dues.

"Grian, I'm so sorry about this," came X's voice from above. The admin was pointing an iron sword at Grian. No-! But before Grian could stop him, the admin poked it into the brit's forehead.

"Ouch-!" Grian flinched, waiting for whatever was about to happen. He waited for whatever had happened to the others to happen to him. At least he'd find out what exactly that was. But... nothing happened. Grian was still standing there, and the most that happened was a small nick in his forehead. That was... anti-climatic.

"Wait-" Xisuma stared incredulously at the sword he was holding, and the two realized simultaneously that this was not the one that he previously had. "What happened to-" Unfortunately-- fortunately?-- he was cut off by a ding.

XisumaVoid left the game

In his place, a glowing orange diamond sword fell to the ground, and behind it stood a certain robot. Grumbot stared down at the sword for a moment and shrugged. "Grumbot... what?" Grian puzzled, trying to wrap his head around what just happened. "The sword?"

"I dropped it. Accidentally. Oops." He sounded terribly unimpressed, like he didn't just save Grian, who was very much extremely impressed.

"So the sword is what's been doing all of this," the Hermit remarked, picking it up-- and being very careful to keep the blade away from him. Grian had never seen an enchantment turn something orange before. Orange had become a bit of a theme, hadn't it? Anything that was orange was bad, he had learned. "Guess I know how to take Sage down, then." Grian was nearly able to best him in combat before-- there was no way he could lose. Then, he'd figure out how to fix everything, even if it took forever. He looked back up from the sword to Grumbot, who was staring expectantly at him, fidgeting slightly. "Is there anything else you think I should know?"

All of a sudden, he was grasped in a hug. "I love you, Dad," was what Grumbot responded with. Grian returned the hug. And then it was time to finish this. His communicator dinged. Huh? What now?

<MumboJumbo> Come see me at the base

Sage didn't even have to specify which base he meant. Grian knew And, oh, he would definitely be seeing him there. The moments that followed sped by in a blur. One second he was flying over the Shopping District, the next he was right at Mumbo's base. The ominous glow of the Nether portals was the only thing providing light, and so everything around was washed in a bright purple. Grian tread carefully, keeping an eye out in all directions for any signs of his enemy.

He didn't talk, he didn't dare break the near silence of the area. It was like there was a thin film surrounding him, and should he make any sudden movements or sounds, it might collapse. His sword was clutched tight in his hand; he didn't dare loosen it for fear that it might slip. After a few moments of tense exploring, it became glaringly obvious that Sage wasn't just fashionably late. He was planning a trap. He always was, wasn't he? He could never win a battle head-on, so he fought in the shadows instead. "Sage, wherever you are, get over here," the warrior called out, looking around. His eyes pierced every nook and cranny for a sign of Sage. "I want to fight you like an actual person."

"Okay." Grian jumped at least a foot into the air, as Sage was suddenly standing right behind him, looking down on the gremlin. "Hi." Where did he come from? It was like he just teleported. Grian readied his blade, narrowing his eyes, expecting a sudden attack. It wouldn't be unlike him to make a sudden move to catch the Hermit off guard. But instead, Sage calmly stepped back and pulled out his own sword. "En Garde."

Finally, something Grian could respect. It seemed that his opponent knew how to fight honorably after all. The two were statues for a long minute, each eyeing up the other to see who'd make the first move, who twitched, where the other was vulnerable. And then...

Sage had improved at fighting. A lot. Grian could barely keep up with his attacks, especially knowing that a single hit would be his end. They were a flurry, a storm of agility, dodging, weaving, slashing. It was on light feet that they traveled throughout the base in circles, squares, lines. A dance that the two improvised as they went on. Time passed and Grian grew weary, though Sage seemed just as well as he was when they started. Come on, Grian couldn't lose. He wouldn't. Nothing could stop him from avenging his friend, his friends. Not even a powerful entity who was currently stopping at nothing to defeat Grian.

This wasn't a friendly fight. This wasn't a battle with low stakes. Both sides were fighting with solid wills. They were fighting with determination, with a singular, shared goal in mind. They were fighting to kill.

Parry, parry, parry. That was all Grian could do, until, at long last, Sage slipped up and swung wildly at the warrior's head. Grian ducked, and without wasting a moment, pushed himself forward, raising his sword to slice a rift into Sage's being.

Grian tripped.

Click.

With horror, Grian looked at what he had fallen on. It was an iron pressure plate. That couldn't be good. It wasn't ever going to be an honorable fight, was it? Sage stood back a few meters away and waved. "Goodbye, Grian."

Several dispensers went off at once. There were so many more swords than just the two that Grian and Sage had.

The last thing that Grian saw was a flicker of doubt, a hint of a frown on Sage's face, and the last thing he heard, was a rasp that sounded a lot like, "I'm sorry."

Grian left the game

-(Author's Rambling)-

And this, my little Readers, is where we reach our end.