The Fourth Star - Rewrite

IV

Grian forced a smile, trying not to show his fear and worries to the Hermits who greeted him so very kindly. Many voices overlapped with questions, a small crowd surrounding the winged male. He just tried to smile and nod along, not listening too intently to what the others were saying. He mindlessly shook hands and smiled, though the Watcher had more focus on the man standing further behind the crowd, hiding in the shadows while everyone else was distracted with the new member of the server.

Xisuma.

Ancel was speaking to him, curling around his neck while whispering into his ear. Her influence over the admin was already rather strong, and with each passing moment it would grow stronger. She was designed for this. To control. It made Grian sick. He hated that devilish little snake. Her voice was like a siren's song, able to lull and manipulate the minds of players. It created a cloud of lies, a false reality that she could bend and twist to fit her narrative. But based on what the snake said to him the night before, X wasn't as far along as she had hoped. There might still be a chance to help him. To help him get rid of that parasite.

"Hey, Grian?"

He blinked back to reality. "Oh! Hi Mumbo." The winged Hermit smiled, realizing he had been staring off into space for quite some time.

"Um, are you okay?" Mumbo asked, a bit skeptical. Grian swallowed the lump in his throat.

"Y-yeah, why wouldn't I be?" He said while trying to keep an even tone of voice.

"Because...you're squeezing my hand...really, really tight."

Grian quickly let go. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, I just—"

Mumbo chuckled. "It's fine, I swear."

"Jeez dude, you were shaking his hand for like, five minutes straight!" Ren laughed, causing Grian's face to heat up slightly from pure embarrassment.

"Sorry, I-I just...didn't sleep well last night."

He wasn't lying. He couldn't sleep. He couldn't even close his eyes. He didn't want to risk it. Not with Ancel around.

"So, where are you planning on setting up your base?" Impulse asked the winged man. "We're doing something a little different this season with themed districts for bases."

"There's modern, fantasy, medieval, futuristic—" Scar listed them off, counting on his fingers as he did so. "I'm missing a few, aren't I?"

Cub laughed while placing his hand on his fellow vex's shoulder. "Just a couple. I think there's the Aquatic district and industrial district too."

"Everyone is picking out which district they're going to build in." Iskall added to the conversation. "Of course, you don't have to build in them if you don't want to. We just thought it would be nice to all be a bit closer this season."

Tango glanced around. "I think X has the map with all the marked areas on it." He said, looking for the admin. "Hey, where did he go? I swear he was just around here."

"Musta' had something to do." TFC shrugged.

Doc huffed as he crossed his arms. "If you ask me, he's been acting weird."

Grian felt his wings twitch out of fear. "W-wuh...what do you mean?" He asked with a slightly shaky voice.

"Well I mean...we all normally vote on a new Hermit. He just brought you onto the server without saying anything."

"Oh stop it Doc!" Stress put her hands on her hips as she spoke. "Grian is lovely, and I'm sure he'll be a great fit for the server."