Hermitcraft/Empires oneshots/drabbles

The Tyrant (Pride month special) Pt 2

So Iskall has a bionic eye, right? I say they can take the lens out, for cleaning or whatever, since its not fulled drafted into their flesh. Just a little explanation. :]

Tw: Imprisonment (Please do tell me if I miss any!)

The Tyrant had an... Odd choice of cell.

Birdcages. Thats what he used. He used frickin' birdcages.

Tango curled up on the dusty floor of his cage, pheonix wings tucked in close to his body. Normally, he generated enough body heat to light a fire, but he was cold now. Being in this cell was dredging up some flashbacks, and he struggled to stay calm. In the surrounding cages, Mumbo, Iskall, Zedaph and Impulse were confined.

'Tango?' A voice whispered to his right. A meter away, Zedaph was leaning against the wall of his cage, knees drawn up to his chest. His goat horned clinked against the metal. 'Tango, I'm scared.'

Tango got up and pressed his arm through his cage bars, reaching for Zedaph. 'It's gonna be alright, Zed. Don't worry.' He tried for a reassuring smile, and Zed reached out to hold his hand. 'You're cold.' He murmured. 'Is that normal?'

'Probably not, but there's no point dwelling on it.' Tango sighed. 'I wish you were closer so I could hug you...'

On the other side of the room, Iskall was caged far from everybody else. They had a sneaking suspicion why. They also probably got the worst of both worlds for being non-binary and gay, and would probably consider themselves lucky if they lived through today. 'I wish I hadn't been so stupid and gone to Mumbo's place.' They muttered, angrily. The lens of their bionic eye lay smashed beside them- If they knew anything about the Tyrant's rule, they knew they would probably never need it again.

They looked around the gloomy room. They couldn't even hear the others, let alone see them. After a few hours of this, they were beginning to get lonely, bored and depressed. Suddenly, a quiet voice cut through the darkness.

'Iskall?'

Excited, they sat up. 'Hello?'

'Oh, thank god.' It was Mumbo's voice, coming a fair few meters from their right. 'I thought they took you. You were so silent...' His voice cracked for a second.

'I couldn't hear you guys. I though I was alone in this room.' Iskall replied. 'I'm sorry.'

'Are you alright?' If he squinted, Mumbo could just about see Iskall's organic eye glimmering in the shadows. 'Did... Did you take off your bionic eye?'

Iskall nodded. 'Yes... for now.' They changed the subject before Mumbo could ask why. 'Did they take your communicator?'

'Yes.' Mumbo rubbed the band of pale skin around his arm, where his communicator had sat before.

'They didn't take mine.' Iskall said, softly, just in case somebody was listening. Mumbo perked up. Iskall wore their communicator in the form of a pendant. It beamed a strong hologram, for its size. Mumbo had never been happier to see it.

Iskall pulled it over their head. 'Ok, open...' They murmured, tapping a button on the back. It shot up a keyboard screen, painfully bright against the dark background. Mumbo cringed, and Iskall tapped the screen frantically until the brightness went down. 'Nobody saw that, right?' They asked nervously.

'Iskall?' Impulse's voice floated over from far away, the opposite direction of Mumbo. 'You have your communicator?'

'What?' Zedaph and Tango's voice rose as one, close to each other. Mumbo and Iskall shushed them. 'Yes.' Iskall hissed. If the guards heard them now, it would be over. 'Listen, I'm- I'm going to text Xisuma. Tell me if anyone comes into the room.' A whisper of assent went through the other four.

Mumbo gazed down at the floor, far below the cages. He wondered why the Tyrant had chosen this type of cell- If they were hanging above a populated room like decorations, it would make sense. But here? If guards looked at the cell from below, they wouldn't be able to tell if someone was in a cage or not. You could easily pick the lock, break one of the dainty-looking bars, and escape. Mind racing, he turned to relay the idea to the others when Iskall let out a gasp.

Impulse turned to the bright blue glowing orb that was Iskall's cage. 'Guys!' They gasped, scrolling through the hologram. 'I've been checking the private chat, and- They're coming to get us! They- Our idiotic friends are going to try and break us out!'

'What?' Impulse couldn't keep back a yelp. 'They're all going to die! Iskall, tell them not to!'

'Too late.' Iskall continued scrolling, real eye widening. 'Thats a lot of planning here. What if the Tyrant had hacked into this channel? So, apparently... After we all got captured, Xisuma called a meeting, and Ex told the others they should try and break us out. Xisuma couldn't convince them not to.'

'Oh, Xanthos...' Tango murmured, running his hand through his hair, wings fluttering nervously.

'Uh, guys... I have an idea?' Mumbo suggested.

'What is it?' Impulse asked, looking him amongst the cages, but he could barely see past Iskall.

'Well, we could escape these cages by breaking the bars-' Mumbo started, but was interrupted by something below them.

'Oi! Whats going on up there!' A guard yelled. All five Hermits instantly shut up. But the guard's eyes had fallen on Iskall's communicator.