~The First Step~ a Hermitcraft AU

Chapter 35

wc:1330

The clouds released a miserable downpour, drenching Scar and Mumbo. Xisuma wiped off the visor of his helmet, pulling them closer into the corner of the spotless alley.

"It's going to be hard to stay out of trouble," he murmured. "I have a mask and cloak from when I visited, but I don't know what I can do for you."

"We'll just stay out of sight," Scar replied. Xisuma shook his head.

"It's too hard to do that," he said, gesturing towards the speckless streets and pristine buildings. "Everything here is meant to be perfect."

Mumbo frowned. "How so?"

Xisuma gestured for them to sit down. "Let me explain the Watcher world.

"Here, everything is meant to be the definition of perfection. But with so-called perfection, everything's just identical. Every town looks the exact same because they're built and organized to be the ideal place." He pressed a button on his wrist cuff and a set of clothes appeared in front of him with a soft flump. "Every person is required to wear the same thing when not in the household. It's difficult for foreigners to blend in because all Watchers have either black or white hair.

"The way the government works is that first there are the civilians, the lowest tier. In all honesty, they have no control over their lives. Above them are the soldiers, which enforce the rules, and then the Enforcers themselves, who issue these orders." He drew a pyramid in the dirt where a single straggly tree grew. His finger traced a line from one side to the other. "While it seems as if the civilians uphold this government, it's really not. If they were little in number, I doubt the upper tiers would really care." He crossed out the bottom section. "And few civilians mean fewer soldiers they need to pay. Honestly, the rules of perfection were probably just ways to keep the population in check." Both of them flinched at the implications. "After the two expendable tiers, there's the officials, which act as like legislation. Then there are the Elders, and finally, there's the Leader."

He circled the tip of the triangle. "The Leader was meant to be the most powerful Watcher, and physically as well. They hold the famed Staff of the Leader. When a Leader feels that their time is drawing to an end, they give the Staff to the next person, and that person will become the Leader." He wiped away the triangle with a palm. "However, with the recent fighting with Vexes and Faeries alike-" Scar straightened up- "The Leader's input has been put off to the side. I believe our current Leader is a kind man. I've heard good things about him. However, I haven't heard him make a direct statement, and I suspect that the Elders have taken more than they deserve."

"Where does Grian come into this?" Mumbo asked, fingers twisting in his lap.

"I don't know." Xisuma looked away, thinking back to when Grian had first appeared- shivering, bloodstained, eyes wide and mouth tightly shut. "Let's focus on getting clothes and masks."

"Mumbo has black hair," Scar commented. Xisuma nodded.

"We just need to get masks and cloaks for him, hopefully ones big enough to cover the mustache..." Xisuma trailed off, sorting through the clothes in front of him and taking off his helmet. His hand withdrew a gleaming white porcelain mask, a broken rectangle symbol etched across its face. "I don't know about Scar, though."

"Invisibility potions?" Mumbo suggested. Scar handed him a golden apple which he scarfed down.

"That might work," Xisuma said, taking out a Shulker box and rummaging through its contents. "We'll have to get everything during the scheduled periods. I don't quite remember, but every afternoon and every morning there's a period where people are allowed to buy from shops. Normally it's the women, but I think we'll be okay if it's just me."