Code Name: Connections (Discontinued)

As Life Gets Longer, Awful Get Softer

Tango punched a stone wall, shaking the already crumbling building. "AGH! There's no one here! There's not even a trace of someone being here!"

"Tango! Calm down!" Zedaph said. "It's okay... maybe they had a base underground or something, maybe in the sky."

"None of them would have elytra, would they?" Impulse wondered, looking into the sky.

"No..." Tango pulled out his shovel and started digging.

"Tango, seriously," Impulse said, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Let's take a break. We've been at this for two weeks straight."

Tango took a deep breath and nodded, putting his shovel away. The three sat down on a log and sighed in sync. Impulse stretched and his fins sunk back into his body, merging cleanly with his flesh.

"It just bothers me," Tango spat, leaning on his knees. Impulse and Zedaph looked at Tango, "Pearl disappears, Evil X escapes, and then... Iskall, Mumbo... gone..."

"We're all concerned about them," Impulse said softly. "We miss them, we're scared... We're right there with you. But if there's one thing I know about these resistances; they tend to die out. The fire doesn't burn forever, and hermits have always burned longer. There isn't any reason that shouldn't happen the same if this all turns into something."

"Unless we were fighting a hermit," Zedaph said, "Cause then what would happen? Two infinite flames burning for the championship of being the oldest and strongest."

"But none of the hermits are turning against us," Impulse said, giving Zed a small shove. "Pearl, Mumbo, Iskall... they are all strong. Evil X is really nothing compared to us. He and his little ragtag group of friends can't hurt us now. Hard times make strong men."

"And strong men make easy times and easy times make weak men and weak men make hard ti--" Impulse shoved Zedaph harder, cutting him off and knocking him onto the ground.

"Ignore him," Impulse sighed, rubbing Tango's shoulder. Tango pulled his legs closer to his chest and rested his head on him, looking off into the setting sun.

"I just want them to be safe... be okay..." He muttered.

"Tango?"

A whimper of a voice called to them, all three turning to look at the group of terrified and ripped up hermits.

Xisuma carried Doc, his visor cracked, his trembling purple eyes glowing on the bloodied glass. Doc was in terrible shape as well.

Iskall, holding Wadzee, and Mumbo, holding Grian, were similarly injured; burnt, bruised, and bloodied.

Team Z.I.T. jumped to action, helping them sit down and quickly taking care of the wounds that seemed worse and worse the closer they looked. It was a blessing they were still alive. Zedaph continued to care for the injured as Tango and Impulse turned their attention to their admin.

Tango looked up at Xisuma, avoiding making eye contact with his admin, "Xisuma, what's going on, what happened?"

Xisuma took a weak breath, one lined with a laugh, "We're all that's left..."

Impulse looked up, "What do you mean?" Xisuma didn't say anything, hanging his head. "X, tell us what happened, tell us what's going on!"

The jolt of Xisuma's head startled Tango and Impulse, them both rushing to not look directly into the watcher's eyes. Xisuma chuckled, a guttural and sick breath coming after, "Hermitcraft is gone. We are all that's left."