The Watcher-Prime

Chapter 7

As he entered the Hermitcraft server Grian collapsed into the grass behind his alleyway. From the ground he could see Mumbo working on building up his mountain. He saw Impulse flying above him. Grian lifted his gauntlet and typed in a few coordinates. He wasn't sure where they would teleport him to, but it was somewhere far, far away.

. . .

Grian appeared in a plains biome, somewhere thousands of blocks away from society. With a content mutter, Grian whipped out a shulker full of spruce wood and began to build a little log cabin on the side of the plateau face. Before him another stretch of vast meadow and a few patches of snowy taiga peacefully ebbed in the light breeze.

Grian allowed his wings to materialise and he began to flutter a few feet off the ground as he built, relishing the freedom and safety of solitude.

At last Grian was content... but how long could it last?

. . .

"Grian!?" Grian heard the familiar voice of Hermitcraft's admin as he hovered around back of his base. In a spur of panic Grian yanked in his wings, tried to distinguish his aura, and stumbled onto his front porch.

"Grian?" Xisuma gaped. The hermit looked... slightly taller? His eyes looked strange, but Xisuma couldn't pinpoint what was different about them... and he radiated a faint magical aura.

"Hey, X!" Grian called, wiping sweat from his brow. It was obvious he'd just been building.

"Um... Grian... why and how have you gotten more powerful since I last saw you?" Xisuma's eyes were narrowed. Grian thought fast and remembered to keep his mask cool.

"Powerful?" Grian played dumb. He was so convincing Xisuma wasn't sure what to think anymore... he had been sure Grian had been giving off a magical aura a moment ago, but now it was completely stifled. Xisuma decided to stay firm on what he had felt.

"Grian, how on earth have your admin powers grown? And so suddenly... you stopped practicing your magic years ago." Xisuma placed his hands on his hips as he landed in front of the confused hermit.

"My magic? OH." Grian fake gasped, "YOU NOTICED. Yes! Ye-HE-HEEES!" Grian pumped his fist through the air. Xisuma was getting more baffled by the second at Grian's convincing performance.

"Wait. What? Grian?" Xisuma pondered aloud. Grian just smirked. "Umm... have you been practicing, then?" Xisuma wasn't sure what to say in this particular circumstance. "Do... Do you want me to teach you? You know, if you've taken an interest in magic again?" Xisuma's eyebrows furrowed.

Grian was about to turn down the offer when he had an idea. A grin slowly surfaced on the hermit's pale face. "N- actually, do you want to see my best magic? I've been practicing! Puh-pleeeeeease!?" Grian begged. Xisuma looked positively mortified. What in Minecraftia was going on!? Grian snickered.

Grian ran past Xisuma and down into the plainy valley below. Xisuma followed wearily. Grian stopped in the center of the valley and waited for Xisuma to get impatient before he pretended to sneeze. "AAAH-CHOO!" Grian sneezed. The entire valley bloomed with flowers as Grian discreetly scuffed his foot in the grass.

Xisuma just stood there in shock.

"Ack! My magic's so unpredictable! Oh no. Aaa-AAAA-AAAA-CHOOOOO!" Grian faked another loud sneeze and lightning shot from the sky, barely missing Xisuma. "I'm SO SORRY! I can't control it! Aaaa-" Grian started but X light-leaped over to Grian and covered Grian's face with his hand.

"What the flipping heck in Minecraftia was that!?" Xisuma bellowed. Grian just snickered, but Xisuma looked gravely serious. "Umm... G... that was level six admin magic. If not higher."