The Ones Who Survived - An MCYT fanfic

Ch 20

'Right.' I look up at the gathered hermits from the map I still have of the watcher lands. 'This is the plan. And a lot of what I know about watchers that will be helpful.'

'What do you know?' Jimmy replies, staring at the map as through trying to memorise it here and now.

'There are 4 kinds of watcher.' I pull out a pen, splitting the map into four. 'All-seeing, all-creating, all-powerful and all-protecting.' I scrawl the names down. Pearl nods. 'And I figured they must all have their own prison.'

'Then which one us Scott in?'

I draw a cross in the back right section. 

'All-creating. They're... like evil mods. Like Noxcrew, but evil. So... since he's not in the all-powerful one...' 

'I'll go there to get him.' Jimmy interrupts instantly. I nod

'I will too. I know where to go.' Pearl offered.

'Great. Anyone else?'

'Me.' Tango stepped closer to his fellow rancher.

'And Scar?'

'All-creating. Where we went before. It has to be...' Cub raises a hand, though we all know he's going.

'I'll go there.' Doc offers. 

'And me.' Martyn agrees. Ren nods too.

'We should have people staying behind, in case anyone else shows up.' I continue to say. 'And... people to go with me.' 

'You're not going to get Scar too?'

'No, I'm distraction.'

'What?' 

'I go to the central room and talk to them. They'll know you're there, but if I can convince them to make a deal.'

'If that deal is you swap, we're not accepting it.' I pause for a second, knowing I need to admit I was going to improvise. 

'It's not. Don't worry... Pearl?' 

'How will we get into the prisons? There must be some kind of watcher magic... If you're... talking to the watchers, the only watcher left is me.'

'Scar could...' I struggle for the right word. 'Could fake watcher magic... that's how we got in...' I look at Cub, hoping Scar told him about this.

'Yeah, I can do that.' 

'What?!'

'And I can... listeners need to know a bit of watcher magic to help free prisoners anyway.' I stare at Cub and Martyn. Martyn knowing it doesn't surprise me too much - everyone knows he's a listener, the anti-watchers. But Cub?

'You- have magic?!'

'Yeah, man. Same as Scar.' I think back to what Scar told me in the nether tunnel, his necklace that's keeping him alive and nod.

'Wow... I... alright then. Can anyone else do weird magic that can do exactly what we want it to?' No one answers. 

'What does it take to learn Watcher magic?' Jimmy asks

'A lot of practice...'

'Do we need anything else?'

'No?'

'Teach me how to do the door opening thing.' 

'Jimmy, are you sure?' I frown.

'Yes.' He answers instantly 'Whatever it takes.'

I pause.

'This will take a lot of practice... You might not even be able to do it.'

'I don't care. We try until I can.'

A sense of awe fills me at Jimmy's constant loyalty and determination.

'Alright. Sure.' I look down at the map again, figuring out anything I've missed.

'How do we fight watchers?' Cub asks.

'We don't.' Replies Martyn before I can. 'If they come up to us, we say we're allowed in, or pretend to be trainee watchers.' I nod

'Exactly. A trainee watcher would only have the black robes and a blindfold on, both of which we can find if we ask most new trainees... That way we can avoid recognition and attack. When Scar and Scott are free, one tells me and the others take them out through the portal... Ok?' Everyone nods and accepts, and we leave to begin preparations.

'Grian, let's start that watcher training.' I turn as Jimmy approaches.

'Now?'

'We need all the time we can get.'

'Alright. Now... I will get annoyed at you for getting it wrong.'

'Ok.'

I let out a breath closing my eyes for a moment before opening them to explain.

'Right... Hold out your hands like this.' I make the watcher symbol with my hands and after a couple of tries Jimmy manages it. 'But... Middle finger down more. It might cause a bit of strain... Yeah, that's good. And... Close your eyes. He does. 'Clear your mind of everything except that symbol you made with your hands until you can physically see it there... This is the hardest bit. Remember the exact position of each finger and... Don't let the actual one slip...' It takes a while, and I think he's going to fail, like many do, but he doesnt give up, face turning red from the effort until...

A spark of purple appears at Jimmy's fingers and he opens his eyes, letting out a delighted little scream.

'I... I did it!' He realises. 'I did watcher magic!'

'Well done, Jim.' I can't help but smile. 'Now, see if you can do it again.'

He tries again, easily halfing the time it takes. Another couple goes and he can keep it for what I think is long enough, though it still takes at least a minute to get it to work.

'Now, go and practice. And if Cub and Martyn are practicing and struggling, tell them how to do it.

'I will!' I watch him run off, pride and joy filling me at his sudden hope and determination, before returning into my own tent to finish my own plans.

The next day dawns bright and sunny. Everyone's been preparing shulkers of equipment and running through maps and plans. Jimmy practiced long into the night until he could manage the spell in seconds - something that took me a whole term to manage. I stare around at the group we've got - Jimmy, Tango, Pearl and Ren, Martyn Doc and Cub, all confident, all hopeful, and all determined to save our friends.

I summon the portal there and step through. The same nauseating senselessness fills me and I stumble as we arrive in the watcher lands, staring up at the vast building ahead of us.

'That's a big place...' Jimmy whispers, clearly in awe. I nod, seeing Tango take his hand, before running ahead.

It doesn't take long to reach the entrance, where we come to our first problem: the Watchers on guard.

'They're with me.' One explains. I frown, knowing this could only mean something bad, but recognition still fills me. The other accepts. We all glance between each other, but have to enter after the guard, along the corridor, and into a side one.

'Right we... Have to be quiet or they'll know...' I definitely know that voice, and the face as they remove the mask.

Bdubs.