A Glitch In The System

Silent Conversations (Xisuma POV)

Shuffling around his storage room, Xisuma made his way through piles of redstone materials and assorted concrete, placing them in chests according to their color and classification. The chests creaked in the quiet room as he made his way through his things, standing up with a self satisfied smile once he was finished.

It was a quiet day, not a trouble striking the land of Hermitcraft. The clear, sunny sky and birds melodically singing around the jungle gave no hint of anything wrong, and communications between the Hermits had been quiet. So the last thing he was expecting was what showed up at his door.

A faint doorbell sound had rung just as he finished his monotonous task, alerting him of the fact that someone had used their keycard to gain access to his base. He tilted his head to the side, wondering who was here before neatly shooting through the hole in the roof of his storage system and landing on the main floor of the tower.

Four open walls greeted him, the top of the tower being high enough to allow him access to a view of the jungle. The vibrant green canopy spread out far beneath him, a desert shining vaguely in the distance. Towers that he himself had built dotted the scenery, a blend of modernism and nature that he was quite proud of.

A sunset shone brightly as a backdrop, shades of orange, yellow, and red painted across the sky. Xisuma took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh air and allowing himself to admire the quiet beauty of nature before heading towards a staircase in the corner of the room.

He descended the staircase quickly, going down a level to where he'd usually meet visitors. The room he arrived in was spacious yet cozy, a table with several chairs around it being the main attraction. The room was where server meetings would usually be held. Cushioned sofas and chairs resided in the corners and large windows let in plenty of natural sunlight. Against one wall was a set of elevator doors through which the room could be easily accessed.

Just as he arrived, the elevator doors dinged and slid open with a groan. The clicking and whirring of redstone mechanics faded as the contraception shut off quickly. Xisuma looked up to see who his visitors were, stopping dead in his tracks when he was met with a mixture of strange, unrecognizable faces.

A couple people in the elevator were familiar. The mischievous blonde Hermit Grian, as well as the half cyborg Iskall and the tall, mustached man Mumbo Jumbo were there. Everyone else... weren't Hermits.

There were two younger looking strangers, a blonde and a brunette. The blonde wore a red-white tee shirt and a scowl, while the brunette wore a green long sleeved shirt with a bee on it. The other three strangers seemed to be adults, thought maybe not entirely human.

A young man wore green hunters clothes, his fists clenched tightly at his sides. Another one of the adults was a second green clad man, this time with robes swaying and a white-green striped bucket hat on his head. Wings unlike those of an elytra hung off his back. The third appeared to be some sort of pig human with a crown perched on his head and pink tufts of hair.

Xisuma blinked, assessing the strangers. He noted their tension and hardened faces absentmindedly, wondering how being as young as they appeared to be achieved such age-worn faces. Before he could think about the strangers for too long, Grian spoke.

"Hey Xisuma!" he said in his usual cheerful manner. "Uh, we come bearing people!" He waved his hands a little, mimicking jazz hands. Mumbo coughed out a laugh and Iskall chuckled quietly. None of the newcomers made a sound.

Xisuma scratched the back of his neck awkwardly when nobody bothered to elaborate, sighing. "Welcome, Hermits and... others. Who are these people?"

"Grian, I think he's going to need a better explanation," Mumbo said, elbowing his friend. Iskall nodded in agreement.

"Ohhh yeah," the blonde hermit mused, laughing lightly. "Well basically, I think I broke the universe!" He smiled, as if that answered everything. Iskall let out a hum of disappointment and Mumbo smacked his palm against his forehead.