The Chained Watcher

Conversations

~~~

The two of them flew several minutes out from the main continent all the hermits based on, with a slowly growing number of stealthy tails following them. Grian glanced back, watching them all scatter for cover like a flock of pigeons.

"I knew I was going to tell everyone in the end anyways, but I don't think it would be much of a puzzle for them to solve if they follow us like this." He smirks. "Well, no skin off my back. You're the one who wants to know, so you can figure out a solution where none of them can spy on the grand reveal."

A way to keep any of the other hermits from hearing? On the ground, they would dig their way underground to hear the conversation or use invisibility potions to sneak nearby. In the air it would be harder to reach hearing range, but he wouldn't put it past at least one of them to know how to read lips. How could he keep their curious noses out of this?

"Maybe... off world? We could go to Hypixel or just some random server, then the others couldn't follow easily. I honestly can't think of somewhere on Hermitcraft they wouldn't be able to find us."

Grian laughed. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure even in the End they would manage to find a way to spy on us. My vote's for Hypixel, it's big enough they couldn't find us even if they tried to give chase."

That decided, they doubled back to head to the server's main portal, sending their followers scattering for cover yet again. Scar and Mumbo pulled up alongside them, asking with curiosity, "Where are you headed off to? I don't think the others plan to give up on such an easy to find lore opportunity."

"Hypixel, the chances of one of them spawning nearby is low enough, plus there's so many areas already settled by the different factions that any earthbound players would have a hard time getting anywhere in any reasonable time. X, when you join, do you want me to message you my coords, or vice versa?"

"Ah, I'll head to you, assuming it's a safe location. By the way, do Mumbo and Scar know already? Their reactions when I brought up the clues I found definitely mean they know something. I'm just not sure how much 'something' is."

"Oh no, we know the full thing."

"Yeah, we just didn't expect you to question either of us upfront about it."

Ah. Well, that explained their reactions earlier. By this time, the portal was in view, and Mumbo and Scar waved them off. The hub was much the same as usual, and the line for Hypixel passed as efficiently as always. The people on duty even recognized Grian, one of them saying, "Back again? Don't get yourself in too much trouble, k? I heard a rumor about a certain wool thief wearing a chicken mask making the rounds recently."

"Trouble? Me? I wouldn't dream of it."

With that, they were through, and Grian led the way over to the SMP section. They both entered, though since they had visited in the past their spawn points were predetermined. Xisuma opened his eyes to see the inside of his little seaside cottage, just like he had left it. Opening the door, however, revealed the sea to be very much not like he had last seen it, with an entire armada doing battle with TNT cannons on board.

Yeah, that's gonna be a problem, isn't it. He closes the door. Pulling out his communicator, he sends a private message to Grian.

<Xisuma>: Yeah, there's a war going on practically on my doorstep, what's your coords?

<Grian>: You have a doorstep? First time I rejoined, I dug out of the cave I logged out in to find the entire area above me had become a war zone. I'm at [Coordinates]

Well, his destination was now set, though that was further than he had hoped to have to travel with how unpredictable the battlefield locations could be. At least the war outside his cottage was purely ocean-based for now, so he should leave before the land reinforcements arrive. On his way to the coordinates Grian had provided, his communicator vibrated again.