Steel Blood - A Hermitcraft fanfiction

20: Fighting and regret

Well, the end of this chapter is going to be good...

*writes good bit* 

*ends up writing entire chapter of that but still needing some fighting beforehand*

C R A P

It took less than 5 seconds for everything to turn to chaos. Weapons clashing, hermits fighting hermits. NPG watched, horrified, from next to Jarvis and the Jangler's house. Both had fallen silent. A spark of frustration past through him. Of course they weren't helping. They never helped. All they did was hiding. With a sigh, he realised he couldn't stay here forever, and dodging a couple of arrows, he ran. 

NPG tried to run through the fighting, hands over his face, trying  not to get hurt and let the rage out. He skidded to a stop just before he crashed into Tango and Mumbo, the latter pinned to the ground, staring up at him, pleading for help. The robot dragged the other NPC away, dodging his sword, helping Mumbo to his feet before continuing on. There was a gap in the fight ahead, and he hurled himself through it, landing on the ground and scrambling behind whatever was nearby before allowing himself a moment to relax. 

He was safe. He would be fine.

And then he became aware of another person there, panting for breath, bleeding. Someone with the same face and red sweater as him.

Of course he was here. 

Grian looked over, and noticed him. NPG stared back, unable to look away in his moment of terror. He was going to be trapped again, wasn't he? Grian was going to ruin his life again. And- yes- there it was, a flash of fury passing across his features, getting to his feet and finding his sword, pointing it at the robot's neck.

'Why are you here?!' He snarled. 'I thought you were gone!'

NPG couldn't find a reply, all fight gone, and buried his face in his knees. Grian stepped away, still unsure.

'Please...' The robot allowed himself to plead. 'Can you just... wait... don't kill me... please...' He didn't dare to look up, only hearing the sound of a sword being sheathed.

'Why?' Grian replied, voice full of unconcealed suspicion. 

'Because... because...' he couldn't find anything to say. He didn't know how it had come to this. Fighting. He couldn't remember how he's got there. He tried to catch his breath, but it didn't let him. At least not easily. And then he realised what he could say. 'Because you're right. I am a monster. I shouldn't have been created. You... you wanted me to be great. I... wasn't.' NPG stood up, oil smudging his sleeve as he wiped the tears off his face. He still didn't look at Grian, turning the other way and stepping into the fight. 

'Where are you going?' His creator followed after, running after. 'Wait... NPG, please. PLEASE!' A shout. One that got everyone's attention. The fighting stopped, and the robot turned back. 

'Why should I listen to you now?'

'You were saying something.' 

'And I'm going to tell it to everyone. He looked around at the faces surrounding him. Some trusting. Some not. Some half metal, NPCs. He looked around, and then he spoke. 'I did this to you. I caused this to happen. I turned Bdubs into an NPC. The... the first one.' 

Muttering. Gem looked up at him, a hermit that had grown to be his friend in the limited chapter time I had. 

'I thought that was Rusty.' She spoke.

'It was. Because I am Rusty. I was trapped in that box, forced to tell you what to do. And... and then I made others do it.' A glance over at his former home, and he began to walk towards it. 'I killed Iskall and Etho. I turned Bdubs into the first NPC and watched him turn his friends the same. And I trapped others to fill the role I hated. Because they attacked me. Because all of them attacked me, and didn't give me the chance I thought I deserved. And it felt right, in the moment. That they deserved it. But Iskall and Etho and Bdubs didn't. And the other two? 

NPG grabbed an axe from the ground, staring ahead at the building he'd grown to hate as he continued on. Murmuring. More murmuring. 

'They used their apparent safety to lie. To change your mind. To fail to be helpful when they were actually needed. Just so they could get diamonds, and more wealth, and stay happy while the rest of us suffered. 

'NPG what are you- no...' Grian stopped as he realised. 'No, you didn't- did you?' 

NPG reached the house, looking back at the rest of the hermits for a moment. A few had clearly worked it out. Others hadn't. Then he looked over at the building, one hand on the smooth wood. A house he'd been made to build.

He hated it. 

And he was going to destroy it.

The convex had heard the entire speech.

They should've been ready for what was going to happen. 

But they weren't. 

Cub bared the worst of it when it started, when the axe-head appeared through the wall of their safety. Blood seeped at the sharp head connected, incidentally, with his shoulder. Scar yelled his name and he backed away quickly. 

'I think we've been found out...'

Another hit. Then another. And then-

Blinding light, as the house caved in. Neither scathed further, left shocked as the wall and half the ceiling collapsed, revealing NPG standing there, furious, axe in hand. With a glance at each other, they stepped forwards.

'SCAR!'

Grian. The Vexling's friend ran over, but stopped as NPG raised his hand, before stepping closer again. Scar balled up his fists.

'This isn't our fault. It's not my fault you're untrustworthy.'

'If we're going on me being untrustworthy, then we're blaming Grian.' 

'Scar, stop.' Cub tried to intervene, but Scar stepped towards NPG anyway.

'You deserved all of it! You're nothing but a scheming liar!' 

He shoved the robot away. Something broke again in NPG, eyes flashing red, as he raised the axe to strike. Grian yelled a warning, but Cub was there first, shoving his friend out of the way, unable to get away himself as the axe fell.

Cubfan135 was slain by NPC Grian

Ooh... more stuff happening!

Also, I'm going to publish one more chapter of this before moving onto a new book I've been planning! 

This isn't a DNF, this is just a hiatus to figure out my ideas and to take a break while I write something I really want to write