Hels Rebellion

Chapter 10: The Betrayer's Backstory

Bad wasn't drunk, but he certainly wasn't sober.

The man had been slowly sipping away at the bottle of wine over the past couple of hours. Grian had already fallen asleep - his attempts at escape and overall stress having pulled him into exhaustion.

It left BadTimes so bored.

And sad.

He glanced again at the prisoner. Grian looked much calmer, completely relaxed in his sleep. His wings looked a bit uncomfortable in the restraints - but even that didn't seem to be bothering him.

The man sighed, softly putting down the empty bottle. He leaned against the back of the chair and stared at the smaller male. Nothing intense, just... fond remembrance of what used to be.

"Hels" was the loving name given to the dimension they all called home. In reality, this dimension existed as a dumping ground for scrapped or forgotten assets from other worlds, left behind by more powerful creators.

That was why the betweenlands were so dangerous, they were filled with mobs and monsters that even the Devs considered too dangerous to enter the Vanilla world.

Bad and the other NPCs here were just trash. Just mistakes dropped into the dimension where they belonged. Corrupted by the treacherous world around them.

Grian was the only one who told them differently.

Grian had really been the only Helsian that was open to other NPCs. The Helsians were driven by two things: money and power. Grian was no different in that aspect, but the way he approached making money and gaining his power was different. He didn't attack anyone, he didn't steal, he didn't lie - as far as Bad was aware.

Grian was one to make deals, often, but he never sold someone short. He was one of the hardest workers - always gathering materials to sell, usually cheaper than competitors.

He made his money from fair trading - and opening and running stores. He made his power by convincing others to do the same.

Everyone in the Hermitcraft part of Hels trusted Grian to some extent. He had practically built the very foundation of it - making this side of Hels one of the safest places to be. And when other NPCs showed up; he would be there to make sure they were welcome.

He made jobs, purpose, homes, things that people needed and could depend on.

That had changed quickly.

BadTime wasn't sure when Grian had sided with Xelqua - but he knew the entirety of Hels had paid the price for it.

Grian had killed two of the Hels Hermits. Two of his closest friends. EvilXisuma and Helsknight. The trio was close, especially Grian and Evil. Bad was his best friend, sure, but even he couldn't compete with the relationship between Grian and Evil X. They'd existed together - the first members of Hels.

It seemed that their friendship had been a lie.

It was Serene and him that had found the crime scene. Pristine floors coated in fresh blood, the smell of death, the feeling of absolute dread weighing down their steps.

Grian, standing in the middle of it all, eyes wide in shock and misty with tears. He was holding his sword, it was broken across the middle in a jagged diagonal line and drenched in red. Just before that, two messages had shown across their Server chat.

Helsknight was slain by Grian using [Blade of Grain]

EvilXisuma was slain by Grian using [Blade of Grain]

It was only moments of silent shock before a handful of other Hels hermits had shown up, weapons bared. They were met with the same sight that had frozen Serene and Bad.

TrueSymmetry was there, along with her group. She didn't hesitate to enter the room, boots stomping through the puddles on the floor. Her sword sliced the air towards him and Grian only just dodged it, snapping out of his trance for just a moment to avoid her blade.

"Truce- wait!" He yelled her name but it fell on deaf ears. The battle had started, all the hermits entered the small room, even Serene and Bad were livid.

Bad wasn't sure what Grian had yelled - though he was beyond panicked. His wings flared and he went over the group, an arrow striking his ankle. Truce kept up with him the best, her own wings flared as she charged through the group after him.

"Traitor!" Bad remembered her yelling.

Grian hadn't fought back, just ran. Bloody footprint leading into Hels' dangerous forested betweenlands. Towards the portal.

The Helsians had only gone a few meters into the forest before turning back, the roar of Helsbeasts nearly guaranteeing the death of anyone who ventured too far.

He looked a lot better now, Bad thought, just sleeping. His time with the Hermits must have done him well, especially with how energetic he had been when he first arrived.

It was a bit odd, seeing him again. Especially imprisoned. Sure the Hels hermits had some time to comprehend and accept what had happened... but it was still... wrong. His disappearance had led to an empty space for a new admin. That was where Xelqua had come in, less than a week after.

The player had done a great job stunting the grieving process for the Helsians. He was stronger than them due to his player status and Watcher abilities.

None of the NPCs even thought to fight back against the male. He was powerful, and promised them more land and resources.

BadTime didn't believe him, but had no way to fight the man himself.

So he was just... stuck here. With sloppy, messy memories and an empty bottle. He glanced back to the sleeping male, crossing his arms across his chest and pressing deeper into the chair.

He didn't know why Grian had done what he had... but he knew it had something to do with Xelqua, and when the smaller man woke up - that would be the first thing he asked.

If he remembered.