Fight or Flight (V1)

Chapter 19: Discussions

Iskall glanced up as someone stepped out of his nether portal. It was late afternoon, and he wasn't really expecting anyone, so he was pleasantly surprised to see his fellow Architect. "Grian? What brings you here? Figured something out?"

"No." Grian fidgeted with his hippie necklace. "Just antsy, I guess."

"Oh." Iskall set down the comparators he was fiddling with and turned to face Grian. "Bored, huh?"

"Yeah, but most of the minigames in Hermitville require multiple players or they're down for repairs, etc. So I'm just wandering around."

"I expected you to be pranking someone if you've got nothing better to do."

"All my good ideas require an AFK person, and everyone seems to be busy. I was wondering if you need any help or..."

Iskall glanced at the comparators. "Honestly, I'm just experimenting with stuff. Maybe we can head over to Scar's and see if he's found anything."

"Okay, I guess." Grian answered.

"Grian?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay? You sound a little..."

Grian sighed a little. "I'll be honest, I'm a bit paranoid, but it's probably nothing."

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"I think we've tried everything." Scar said, pacing. Grian and Iskall had come over a few minutes ago, and Scar had no progress. "It's weird, an entirely new type of Player, but only explainable by glitches? But they'd be patched up as soon as they appear. So how is Grian here? And why?"

"I wish I knew." Grian was sitting on a couch with his chin in his hands, Iskall next to him.

Iskall tapped his own chin. "What if we look at mobs and see if we can find one connected?"

"I've tried. There's only five flying mobs, and two are far too recent to even be connected." Scar said.

"So phantoms and bees are out. But we still have bats and vexes." Iskall replied.

Grian frowned. "Vexes? I've always wondered how they spawn."

"You don't know?" Scar asked, surprised.

Grian nodded, and Iskall and Scar shared looks.

"Well, they're created by Evokers." Scar said simply. "It's one of their attacks."

"Evokers?" Grian's head shot up.

"Yes why- oh. Right. The ah... Mansion incident." Scar cleared his throat awkwardly, worried he'd touched a sensitive topic.

Grian was silent for a few odd seconds before saying, "The vexes carry iron swords, so they're ruled out."

"Anyways, what about bats? They've been in the game for a long time, so it's possible!" Iskall said, eager to change the subject.

Scra blinked. "Yes, I considered that, but they have no clear connections or any important history to back them up. As for the ender dragon, well, that's definitely a no."

"So nothing." Iskall twiddled his thumbs.

Silence hovered over the room for a few minutes, each hermit think to themself. Finally, Grian spoke.

"Could... Could it be a server-change glitch?"

Scar glanced at his feathered friend. "That is a possibility," he mused. "But when we change seasons, nothing's happened. However, you came from an entirely different world. Evo, right?"

Grian nodded.

"Well, the only person that really knows about that kind of stuff would be Xisuma." Iskall offered. "We should ask him. But honestly, I doubt this is because of a server change."

Grian stood up and stretched. "I guess it's worth a try. Should we head over?"

"Nah, it's a bit late, the sun should set in an hour, so we should try tomorrow." Scar pointed out.

Iskall smoothed down his suit. "Perhaps we could meet at iTrade at noon tomorrow? Then we can head over to Xisuma's."

"Alright, sounds good. I'll be off then!" Grian placed down a boat and left as Iskall turned to Scar.

"Grian probably didn't notice, but I did. You have a hunch, don't you."

Scar took off his hat. "Well yes. I've actually already discussed it with Xisuma, and he thinks it's possible."

Iskall glanced over his shoulder. Grian was already far out of earshot, just a speck in the distance. He looked back at Scar. "Wanna talk about it? Whatever it is, it's an idea nonetheless."

Scar smiled a little. "Alright, let's sit down."

The two men settled back down on the couch.

"So," Scar started, "You've heard of Creative mode, right?"