Fall of Hermitcraft

4

Grian

I closed my eyes, praying to whatever gods watched over the Hermits that I didn't explode like a water balloon on the mountainside.

I heard the rocks rush by, then suddenly I slammed into what felt like silk. I opened my eyes and gasped.

I was in a completely white void, free falling at who knows how fast. But I was definitely slowing down.

Suddenly the void disappeared, and I went flying into a dark metal floor with a loud clang. The air immediately rushed out of my lungs.

I groaned, rolling onto my back and working on regaining my breath as quickly as I could.

After a moment I shakily stood, not quite sure of my footing. But I didn't fall over.

Whispers echoing suddenly made me jump. Did Pearl somehow follow me? No, she couldn't fit through the crack...

I ducked behind a curtain, holding my breath.

"...I told you, mother! My hair looks fine!" a young, British female voice snapped. I risked a peek out.

Two darker skinned women stood there. One was older, probably about TFC's age, while the other was a beautiful girl probably about my age. Both wore incredibly fancy gold and black dresses and a ridiculous amount of of jewelry. The older one had a small band of gold around her snow-white hair and about twenty pounds of makeup, while the younger one had basically none. A mane of copper-colored hair covered her head, arranged in intricate knots and braids.

"I know, honey, you look absolutely gorgeous. But just let me..." the older one said, fussing with the younger ones hair in a motherly way.

"Mother! It's fine!" she groaned.

I crept backwards into the darkness of some kind of deep closet, pulling out the port Rosie had given me to communicate with me.

"Rosie. Where the hell am I?" I hissed.

"You're on the Capital Planet of the Great Empire, Thellyria, at the Three Rivers Palace, also called things like the Cradle of Civilization and The Old World." she said cheerfully.

"Cool, how do I get out of here without getting caught?" I whispered harshly.

"To your left should be a server's outfit, a white suit with gold detailings. Put that on, grab a plate from the kitchens. Downloading a map now." Rosie said. A little piece of glass that looked like a fancy version of Iskall's mechanical eye popped from the port. I frowned as I pulled the suit she had described from the rack.

"What's that for?" I whispered.

"It's a replica of the eyepiece commonly used by Thellrilians to make their demanding jobs a little easier. Guards use it to communicate with their higher-ups, and servers use it to keep their customers and their needs satisfied without having to memorize a thousand little details. You, however, will use it as a map for escape." she explained as I pulled the tight suit on.

It settled around me with a hiss, even opening two slits at the back for my wings to slip through into the sight of everyone. I groaned.

"Don't worry about the wings. They are common among the Aviarian species, the closed ally of the Empire and, by extension, the human species. No one will 'bat and eye', as the Humans say." Rosie said. I didn't even question what either of them were.

"Back straight, left arm behind your back. Now... go." Rosie said in my ear right as I slipped the eyepiece on.

I stuffed my jumper and jeans into my back, then slipped out into a massive throne room, and did my best not to goggle.