~The First Step~ a Hermitcraft AU

Chapter 41

wc: 1785

The Hermits definitely had not come on their own volition. The banging and yelling from below them could confirm that.

"I can hear where they are just from the noise," Scar commented. He'd found them as they came out of the training room, and now the three rushed to the staircase. Right on cue, Grian could faintly make out someone shouting obscenities from somewhere below.

Grian nearly vaulted over the edge of the staircase before remembering the noticeable lack of wings. For a moment, his heart sank, but he remembered the more important events at hand and quickly followed Scar and X down the stairs.

"-uck you!" someone yelled, and Grian winced.

They quickly located the door labelled "Portal Room [do not enter unless given permission]". X wiggled the door handle, and when realized it was unlocked, shoved the door in.

There was a pause in the room. The portal was still shining awfully bright, and Grian winced, blinking colored spots out of his eyes. The training room was rather dimly lit, and he hadn't been exposed to this kind of light in a while.

His ears, sadly, had been unaffected, and were forced to deal with the barrage of yelling that followed. Grian could barely make out what they were saying, besides some curse words and his and X's names.

Hermits were crowding and hugging him, and although it was suffocating, Grian couldn't help but laugh to feel the warmth of his friends.

"What in the world were you thinking?!" Stress shouted at X, and suddenly Grian's feelings of comfort vanished.

"I could say the same to you," he snapped, eyes scanning over the group. Iskall, Tango, Cleo, Gem, Zed, Wels... not all of them were fighters. "Are you crazy?!"

The Hermits quieted down a bit. "You're crazier," Iskall huffed. "If you think we're just gonna let you do whatever this is alone, then you're even crazier. The more of us, the better chance you got, anyway."

Grian sputtered. He could reopen the portal and send them all back, but the determined expressions on their faces made him hesitate. "Believe me, this is not something you want to be a part of."

"How bad can it be?" Gem piped up, indignant. "Some of us are fae, you know. We're not weak."

While their intentions were comforting, Grian's frustration only grew. "You guys don't know what you're getting into," he snapped. "This isn't any fun adventure. This is war, and it's not pretty." His fist was sparking with gold, but he didn't care. "You guys shouldn't be here. I can't lose anyone else."

X spoke up. "I agree. I'm going to take you all back. Grian's..." He didn't finish. Grian looked up at him out of the corner of his eye, stomach sinking.

"Hey, what? We're not just leaving Grian over here!" Tango protested. "If you think that's what kinda friends we are, then you're very badly mistaken." If he said anything else, it was quickly swallowed up by the clamoring of the rest of the server.

Grian pinched the bridge of his nose, thinking. "If you guys stay,then the stakes are even higher for me, but..." But either way, the stakes are my life and the lives of this entire nation.

A hand landed on his shoulder, and Grian looked into the bright green of Scar's eyes. "Don't worry, G," he said, a smirk on his face. "We know what we're getting into."

"Yeah, and if you think we're not strong enough, you can train us!" Bdubs piped up. "I bet it'd be fun!"

"What? No-" Grian's voice was nearly completely swallowed by the agreements. "Training isn't fun-"