A Glitch of Magic - a Hermitcraft (and third life?) Fanfiction

Chapter 13

It would've been a normal day if he hadn't arrived. 

Cub stood, bored, in his office of the CREEP (Creation (and) research (of) extraordinary, eerie, players), just finishing another dull essay on half-animal players. It was around midday. It normally took much longer to become bored. But this was the only place he could find where he would be safe. Safe from whatever killed the person who gave him his magic. 

'Run! Just run! Save yourself!' 

The voice came back to him in a fleeting moment, just as the sound of breaking glass rung out. Someone was attacking him. They were here.

Cub turned, letting loose a chaos of Vexes. There was a sound of panic as the trespasser was attacked, and he backed away, hoping he was safe. 

A tattered cowboy hat had fallen to the ground, evidently belonging to the attacker. Cub picked it up, frowning. The moment of fear quickly passed, and the vexes disappeared to reveal a shell-shocked player, half lying against the wall, looking up at Cub with paranoid green eyes. Their face was bleeding and badly scarred from the attack, clothes torn. A grey and white cat stood, fur fluffed out, on the filing cabinet in the corner. 

It was then that Cub realised that he hadn't been under attack. 

And then he realised that there was still a singular vex left, fangs sunk into the arm of this stranger. Both of the two looked at it, then at each other, as the stranger shook off his arm and it disappeared. Nervous, awkward, apologetic, and confused, Cub merely asked.

'Who's the cat?'

The creature, finally accepting that she was safe, jumped down from the filing cabinet, before rubbing her head on Cub's leg, purring and accepting his existence. 

'Jellie,' the stranger replied quietly. 

Cub stroked Jellie, before remembering that he should probably say what his own name was, and help the stranger to their feet. So he held out his hand, saying. 

'I'm Cub.' 

'Scar.'

Scar accepted the assistance, looking around once he was standing. He smiled gratefully at Cub, looking back at the window.

'I'm so sorry about the window...'

'Don't worry. It's not mine. And I could probably repair it.'

'Are you sure?'

'Yeah. Don't worry about it. Oh, and here's your hat.' Cub passed Scar back his cowboy hat, and he pulled it on. Right at that moment, the door opened and a very unamused figure emerged.

'Right. Cub, who's this?'

Scar tried not to panic, trying to think of a lie. But before he had to, Cub spoke. 

'This is my friend. Scar. We're childhood friends.' He lied quickly. 'Isn't that right, Scar?'

'Yeah! We're childhood friends! I've known Cub for years.'

'Practically all our lives.'

'And the window?'

'We had a misunderstanding when he arrived. I might've broken the window.'

'Right. You're going to fix that, ok?'

'Oh, of course!' Scar replied.  

'Already have plans for that. In fact, we're going to make it look even better than it did before.'