The Silver Sun - A Hermitcraft Watcher AU

11

As the castle became increasingly closer, Xisuma couldn't help but feel his stomach twist into nervous knots.

He tried his best to hide it from the other hermits, taking lead of the group as they wandered down the main road, though the admin had no doubt in his mind that things could go horribly wrong. The castle didn't look so scary from the outskirts of the kingdom, and now it seemed to loom over them, the sun hiding behind one of the towers to give the palace a dark shadow.

Each step that he took sent another thought of worry through his mind, Xisuma beginning to spiral down a rabbit hole of stress and dismay. There wasn't any other options, he knew that, but this was all so terrifying. They could always respawn back on hermitcraft, but here? Would they? And what if they were caught? What would be their fate then?

"So...the others should be inside." Grian spoke, his voice managing to pull the man in purple armor back to reality, realizing that the group had found themselves in front of the castle gates.

"We should stick together," Doc growled, uneasy at the eerie silence of the city's surroundings. "Xisuma, what's our plan from here?"

The admin blinked. Right. Plan. "E-erm," he stuttered quietly, too busy caught up in his own worry to imagine what to do once they arrived. "I agree that we should stick together, we don't have any weapons. We would be helpless alone. But, besides that... I guess we should head inside...?"

His words didn't sound confident, more like he was questioning what the best course of action would be. "M-maybe we should take a look around the castle grounds, in case of any traps..?"

"Traps?" A sudden voice asked, causing all of the hermits to jump. A figure holding a shulker box was a bit further away, working on tending to the plants and greenery around the castle.

They had long, orange hair that was decorated with yellow and white flowers. On their head they had something that looked similar to deer antlers, with their ears pointed like an elf. They wore a green shirt and brown overalls, as well as a black mask that covered their eyes.

She slightly giggled at hermits, who were all clearly nervous and on-edge. "I'm sorry, it's just funny that you'd think that. There has never been traps on the castle ground, nor would we ever need them."

Joe shared a look with Xisuma, stepping a bit closer to the mysterious stranger. "Why is that, exactly?" He asked.

"Anyone who enters the castle will come out peaceful and understanding, why need to set traps or defenses when our leader can protect us with a wave of their hand?"

"So, let me guess: anyone who enters the castle is forced to wear one of those freaky masks and is brainwashed." Zedaph spoke quietly to Wels, who nodded in agreement.

"And of course our friends are probably somewhere in the castle, meaning we have to go in there to find them." The knight grumbled, narrowing his eyes at the mask-wearing stranger.

Xisuma could hear their hushed conversation, though he didn't acknowledge it. "Our friends are somewhere inside the castle, a group called the hermits. Is there anyway that you could take us to them?"

"Of course!" She smiled calmly, "My name is Geminitay, but you can call me Gem. I haven't spoken to the hermits yet, but I've seen them working throughout the palace."