The Temptation of Power ||| Hermitcraft Watcher AU

Chapter Twelve

"You ready?" Iskall glanced over his inventory one more time; rockets and an elytra (if things got bad his last worry would be about the No Wings Club), golden apples, trident, his best sword, infinity bow, arrow, torches, food, communicator, diorite flint and steel (always), obsidian and a few End crystals Mumbo had given him.

"Yep." He said, "but," he grabbed Mumbo's wrist to stop him going in just yet, "before we go, are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure." Mumbo said quickly.

"No, are you completely sure?" He said. "Once we go in there, we might not like what we see. Grian could be different."

"I..." Mumbo hesitated. "Yes, I'm sure, are you?" Iskall thought for a moment.

"Do you think it's right that we go? Do you not think maybe Xisuma or maybe Pearl would be better suited for this?" He asked.

"No," Mumbo said surely, "we're best friends, all three of us, I think he'd be most likely to trust us."

"I guess." Iskall replied.

"We're... we're the Architechs." Mumbo said. Iskall smiled and chuckled, although slightly sadly at the thought that the friendship might be lost.

"Yeah, I s'pose we are." He said. "Let's go."

They stepped into the purple sheet side by side. It felt very different to a nether portal, like they were in a much larger universe than before and suddenly they were aware of it. The purple hue that took over their vision wasn't made up of neat spiralling swirls, but a non repetitive fire-like pattern.

* * *

Xelqua was home alone, Oリᒷ meeting up with some other Watchers and T∴𝙹 watching over a world. He was planning on leaving to join T∴𝙹 a few minutes later when he felt something; two new presences enter the temple. He rolled his eyes and 'walked' to the main portal. He walked too quickly though, inhumanly quickly. What should've taken about thirty seconds took one, and he also didn't need to move his feet. It was a bit like teleporting, but a shadow of him was left in the corridors he went through for a millisecond. There wasn't a word for it in English, but it took them by surprise.

Iskall lost his balance and fell back for a second and Mumbo took a sharp step back, nearly going back into the portal. When he realised that, he took a small step forwards to get further away from it.

"Wait, Grian? Is that you?" Mumbo asked, squinting to see the small amount of details that could be seen under his shadowy hood and outside the white mask.

Why are you here? He asked.

"To- to help you?" Iskall said, losing certainty.

What? This was entertaining.

"We came to, to, uh," Mumbo started, losing his own certainty as he could see no sign of expression or reaction from the playful, mischievous, energetic hermit. "To see if you needed... rescuing." It sounded so stupid said out loud in the dark, ominous room.

I don't. You may leave now. He said.

"Wh- no, what? Grian?" Iskall stuttered. He wasn't expecting the conversation to be so blunt. He was expecting happiness, sadness, fear, reunions, or at the very least anger. Not this.

"Grian?! Tell us what's going on, we're so confused back home, we don't know- we don't- please just tell us-" Mumbo started.

Tell me a reason I shouldn't kill you on the spot. Xelqua replied. He wasn't angry, he was amused.

"Wh-?" Mumbo started, before being interrupted again, but this time by Iskall.

"We're friends." He said. "Architechs." He glanced at Mumbo, before looking back at the black-cloaked Grian. "Remember? From season six?" Xelqua mentally chuckled.