The Ones Who Survived - An MCYT fanfic

Ch4: Doc

This is from Doc's perspective

I don't check chat until the messages start piling up, one normal morning, just a few months into Season 9. A lot of randomness in chat is normal at this point. But when the buzzing all but turns into a relentless drone of hermit confusion, I have to. 

???? joined the game

ImpulseSV: WHAT?!

Ethoslab: that's not good

Falsesymmetry: there's someone at spawn. 

Xisuma: meet there. I'll see what's going on. 

I grab fireworks and fly away from The Perimeter. Worry fills me, but I force it away. It's nothing... right? 

Other hermits are gathered when I land, right next to Ren. His ear twitches in a nervous greeting, crown lopsided on his head. 

'That's a watcher.' He breathes, staring at newcomer. My gaze follows his. 

I'm instantly unnerved, immediately getting the sense we're being watched. Everyone's being watched, all at exactly the same time. A cloak and robes of deep purple, a glowing golden halo above the white mask hiding the creature's face and eyes. Black feathered wings add to the status and intimidation, fully raised and blocking the sun. A sword, glowing as though enchanted, marked with a golden eye on the hilt, hangs from the watcher's side. A warning.

We obey, or we're punished. 

'Dangerous?' As though the sword and sense of immense unnatural power didn't tell me already. Ren nods anyway. 

'Martyn told me they destroyed an old server he was on. With... Grian, among others.'

My fingers itch for a weapon. I spot Cub, a bow in hand too. Clearly we've had the same idea. Scar's with him. Of course. Other hermits surround spawn... Joe's with Cleo, False looks ready to run at a moment's notice, hands on her fireworks. Xisuma walks over to the Watcher. 

They speak. I recognise but don't understand much of the language. Galactic. Before silence. But it doesn't seem like the conversation is over, the pair still locked in some silent communication. 

No one makes a sound. 

Movement. Xisuma steps back from the Watcher. He's said something wrong, shoulders raised and action paranoid. 

Ren takes my hand before I can take his. Even before the Watcher laughs, a cold, grating sound. 

The sound of death. 

Other Watchers appear in spirals of purple around the first. Sharp claws, sharp teeth and glowing balls of fire...

I'm running before the first hits the ground. 

An explosion shakes the server. Ren's with me. Faster than me, but stumbling along behind. I don't dare to look back. Someone screams, and a message appears in chat. It's impossible to check what it is.

The mountains loom up in front of us, but it doesn't matter as I fish a stack of rockets from my inventory, shooting into the air. The sound of Ren following means I don't have to look back, but I still do.

There are even more watchers now, flying, shooting fire, destroying bases and chasing hermits. A scream sticks in my throat. The first watcher hasn't moved. It's easy to tell the power hierarchy. 

Xisuma: meet @ shopping district now

Xisuma: abandon server

We're screwed. 

'Incoming!' Ren barrels past me and I have to follow. No time to find Xisuma, or anyone else escaping. We're on our own. 

A watcher lands in front of us. I skid to a halt, drawing a sword. Ren does the same next to me. 

'Trying to run?' A hiss of a voice, speaking our language. 'Pathetic mortals.'

'By order of the king, let us go!' Ren squeaks. The watcher laughs.

'Pathetic.' We're surrounded. Completely surrounded. I squeeze Ren's hand, hoping one or both of us can get out of this alive. 

Someone attacks. 

I stagger away as bony fingers grab Ren's arm. With a snarl, I slash back, kicking and struggling. Ren bites one of them, spitting thick purple blood from his mouth, disgusted. I go for another as the hoard comes in, knowing how hopelessly outnumbered and out-magicked we are. A cold hand grasps my wrist, and I blindly stab its owner. The watcher draws back, injuries instantly healing, but letting go of me. Another shoots a blast of magic and my vision fails. It's like I'm suffocating in pillows, no senses come to me. I want to vomit. I can't see...hear... can't really feel anything. 

My feet stumble as I try to run. The muffled sound of Ren's voice reaches me. I don't know what he's saying. Tears burn at the corners of my eyes. No one chases after. The magic cuts off suddenly, and I can see again, turning. Ren's surrounded, but I've broken free from the group. They let me see him, his terrified face. Let me hear him yelling to RUN, before the watcher holding him disappears, taking him.

Rentheking left the game

I obey his last instruction. 

I run. 

The other side of the mountain is somewhere far in the distance. I hear my ragged breathing as I flee, eyes wide, searching my brain for some way out of this. I don't know if anyone's following... the edge of the mountain. Without thinking, I dive down, skidding, hands slicking with blood as the rocks tear at them, snow providing some softness on the journey down... my legs are flung out under me and I land with a crack. Something's broken. My leg. I don't try to run any more, pulling my pickaxe from my inventory and breaking at the stone in front of me, until I have a 2 by 2 hole, and can cover the entrance, hoping nothing will find me, as I sob, and sob, and sob. 

Short and sad and nice practice of not using pronouns. 

That's right, I've used no gendered pronouns for the watchers! 

:D