The Ones Who Survived - An MCYT fanfic

Ch 2

This book might become more than Scar and Grian walking around being sad at some point

TW: Death, spoilers for 3rd and Last life until end of italics

I walk through the desert. 

Scar doesn't speak. I try not to look at him, or anything else, as we climb the mountain together, until we reach the top. Destruction spreads everywhere we look... I wait for the cactus wall to be complete, for Scar to stop gloating to the ghosts. 

We face each other.

The ghosts count us in.

We fight. 

Bloody, brutal, broken bones and bruises; the fight drags on. I know I have the advantage. I know I'm going to win, as much as Scar says otherwise. I try to block out his voice as  I make one final hit. 

He falls to the ground. Sharp pain bursts from my shoulders. Wings, wrapped around me as I sob, and sob, and sob. The world blurs with tears and I'm facing another death, a sword in my hand, hugging him close as I feel his last life fade away. Mumbo's... last life.

'I'm sorry.' I whisper, as he dies. 

And the world changes again, and it's another friend. Another time. A dark hall, eyes watching me and my closest friend dying to my hand. 

'∴ᒷꖎꖎ ↸𝙹リᒷ, ̇/ᒷꖎᑑ⚍ᔑ. ∴ᒷ'∷ᒷ ᓭ𝙹 !¡∷𝙹⚍↸ 𝙹⎓ ||𝙹⚍.'

I scream as I wake up. 

Blinking, terrified, memories through my head. They don't go away. They won't go away, whatever I do. 

'Grian what happened?' Scar's at my side. Scar. Hermitcraft. 

Hermitcraft's gone.

They came for Hermitcraft.

They killed everyone and destroyed it. 

Again.

Like in Season 8. 

Like Evo.

'Grian, calm down. You're hyperventilating. Breathe in... and hold... and out.' My heart rate slows as I numbly obey. Scar's next to me. 

'You fainted the moment I told you...' He explains. 'I made sure no one attacked.'

'Watchers?'

'Nothing happened. Don't worry.' I'm not used to hearing Scar this serious. Even in third life... I can't think about that. I can't think about anything. I squeeze my eyes shut and force it all out.

'Grian?'

'Nightmare.' I explain. 'I'm fine.'

'Are you alright to continue?' I nod back, letting Scar help me to my feet. 'The sooner we find other Hermits, the better.'

'Other hermits. Right. Do you know who else is left?'

'I know... some people who aren't. Several left the world to escape... others weren't as lucky...'

'Did anyone... die?' I have to ask. 

'I don't know.' Scar replies from ahead of me. It's then that I notice the strange scars across his back, almost in the shape of what seems to be skeletal wings. I don't mention it. We continue walking, stumbling in powdered snow and avoiding the few goats left who seem to have it out for the pair of us. But eventually we reached the peak of the mountains, looking out... no one's visible. Destruction surrounds us, every direction a wasteland. 

I shouldn't be surprised, but I still am. 

'This... is worse... than I thought.'

'Yeah.' I numbly reply. Beginning to feel faint again, I have to sit down. Scar stays looking out, sighing.

'I never realised Watchers were like this. Like... I know they're bad, and think they're better than everyone.' He follows me in sitting down, and neither of us talk, until we both try to at the same time. He lets me speak.

'You... the scars on your back. Like wings... I've never noticed them before.'

'Oh... I tend to hide them with magic. Didn't have time to. Obviously.' He laughs. 'They're... from the past.' I barely notice the tears in his eyes until they fall as he blinks. I put an arm around his shoulder. 'Its a long story...' Another silence. I don't press him to say what he was going to. Somehow the quiet helps.

Then Scar speaks again.

'Grian?'

'Yeah?'

'What... do Watchers do with their prisoners?'

Silence.

'Who did they take?'

'Cub. He told me to run and... and... tried to fight them and... and... Grian will he be ok?' 

'I think so.' I lie. 'I don't think Watchers kill their prisoners.' 

He doesn't seem convinced, so I sigh.

'Scar, we'll get him back. I can get us to the Watcher Lands, and we can get back anyone who was taken.'

'Are you sure?'

I try to put on a comforting smile, nodding.

'Yeah. Come on, we should keep looking for other people. Do you remember where anyone went to?'

Scar shakes his head. Hiding my disappointment, I stand, helping him to his feet. 'Then let's just continue looking.' 

We carry on over the mountains. It's a longer path than I remember, but this area doesn't seem as bad as spawn. I'm wary of Scar letting me lead, realizing it must be something about those wing-scars he never shows anyone. 

Goats, small craters, and what appears to be footprints through the snow, leading the way we're going. I stop.

'Scar, wait.' He does, confused until he notices them.

'Ohh... who do you think they belong to?'

'I don't know, but someone clearly made it this far... let's keep going!' An unforeseen burst of energy fills me, spotting the footprints winding all the way out of sight down the other side of the mountains. I think Scar yells for me to slow down.

His injuries.

Of course.

'Are you alright?' I ask. He nods back, but he's clearly in pain. Arms crossed, I stop, resolute.

'Grian?'

'You're going to heal yourself as much as you can without feeling any worse, and I'm going to make sure you are, and then we continue. You're my friend, Scar. I'm not letting you sacrifice your own health to protect me. 

I expect him to protest, but he doesn't, muttering a couple of spells to himself. The burns begin to diminish. I think I understand a couple of the words from previously. But he's in much better shape. 

'Did you have time to grab healing potions or food?'

'A bit. The only food I found was Giga Pies so... I decided to pass.'

'The literal apocalypse and you still refuse to endorse your business rivals. That- how is that not that surprising.'

'I did get some potions, but I've used them on you already. There weren't many I could quickly grab... should we keep going?'

'Yeah.' Again, we continue, reaching the sudden drop on the other side of the mountain and sliding down. Scuff marks from whoever it is buttsliding down still join us, until they stop suddenly. Freshly turned snow covers a hidden entrance. 

'Someone's inside.' 

'Do we knock?' Scar asks. 

But the 'door' opens before we can, the sound of our voices alerting the inhabitant. 

Doc.