Corrupted - A Hermitcraft (and Empires) Fanfiction

1: Cub

ONLY READ THIS IF YOU'RE ON WATTPAD. IF YOU'RE NOT, LEAVE THE SITE YOU'RE ON IMMEDIATELY. THIS BOOK - AND PROBABLY MANY OTHERS ON THE SITE - HAVE BEEN STOLEN. IF YOU WANT TO FIND THE CORRECT VERSION OF THIS, GO TO WATTPAD AND SEARCH FOR IT THERE.

I should probably be writing any of my other books but I didn't want to and I have infinite ideas for this one.

Just a note that this book will contain possession, gore, imprisonment, severe (convexy) angst, body horror, and probably more

Oh, and just so you know (this is chapter 34 Ember speaking here) when I say 'skulk' with a k, I mean the actual spelling of  Minecraft 'sculk' with a c. 

But anyway... onto the angst

:)

Mist drags at my feet as I trudge through the Evermoor, led only by the flickering lantern in my hand. With every step I sink deeper into the mud and water, stumbling over the mangrove roots trying to trip me.

'People go missing all the time in the mangrove...' Shubble's voice rises in my mind. I shake it off. I've dealt with worse than a haunted forest. 

A flicker of blue light. I turn, pausing. Nothing. Gone. I'm left with just my lantern again, the leaves above too dark to see through, branches tangled with what can't be sculk but doesn't look like anything else. 

'Vexling...' 

'Hello?' I call, turning in search of whatever's whispering. Again, nothing. Silence. Darkness. 'Who's there?'

'No one. Do not be scared, little vex... this won't hurt for long.'

'What do you mean?' 

The lantern flickers for a moment, blue amongst the orange.

Then dies.

Darkness.

Only a flicker of blue surrounds me, a clang of the lantern hitting the ground and then silence.

I back away, heart racing, breath quickening. Shubble was right. I'm going to get lost in here. Like everyone else who was stupid enough to come in. Something cold wraps around my leg and-

A tug forwards.

I hits the ground, submerged in mud. Plants tangle around my arms, leg, chest as I fight for freedom.

'HELP!' I scream into the nothingness. 'SHUBBLE! SCAR! ANYONE!' 

'You will be perfect.' The same whispered voice, then a laugh that chills me more than the icy water. The fog closes in around until even the branches are gone. And the plant slowly tangles around my neck, tighter and tighter until I can't speak, can't breathe, can't see and-

I wake up.

Gasping for breath I scramble up. Light surrounds me. Warmth. One hand rises to my neck... the skulk's gone. I'm safe. It was stopped it ages ago back in Empires. I'm in Hermitcraft again, my base.

Safe.

Safe.

I'm safe.

I try to slow my breathing and racing heartrate, calm down enough to stop shaking. Nothing's going to happen. Everything's going to be fine. I shift to the edge of the bed, don my glasses and stand. Rockets, wings, armour, a couple counterfeit pies to eat before I jump down, gliding through the water and up into the Hermitcraft Season 9 spawn. 

The sunlight's warm and bright above me and for a moment I just bask as I circle Scar's elven starter base. But there's stuff to do. Artefacts to relocate. Cleos to get back at. After one last circle I shoot off for the museum, landing outside. There's still a lot of books to get in place in the giftshop so I grab a few shulker boxes and head inside. 

'Do not be scared little vex.'

The hair on my neck prickles as I remember the skulk's voice again. I can't think about it. It's over, I have to keep telling myself, it's over. I try and shelve the books, barely able to fit them in with my hands still shaking so much. I can't let the stupid sculk still affect me. 

'You will be perfect.'

'Shut up.' I mutter. 'You can't hurt me anymore. You can't do anything to me...' I fill a few more bookshelves far too slowly. I'm still shaking. My hands are still pale. After all these months, I still can't cope with the stupid nightmares.

'Come over to Scarland if you're ever feeling down.' Another voice. Scar. The one person who'd understand. And more than understand, actually cheer me up and help me forget. Resolved, I finish shelving the last books in my inventory, pack the boxes away in my ender chest, and take to the air towards my friend's base.

It doesn't take long to arrive, or spot him walking down main street, talking to himself. As usual. I smile to myself as I find my bow, aiming an arrow and...

'HOTGUY!'

He screams as I hit him. I land, laughing.

'Cub!' 

'Couldn't help it... you need a water bucket, man?'

'No, no, I'm fine.' Scar eats a few golden carrots and the fire quickly burns out. Just like the lantern before... 'How are you doing? Still stealing stuff for the museum?'

'I'm fine,' I lie. Scar narrows his eyes. I sigh. 'No. No I'm not. I keep having nightmares.'

'Sculk again?' He leads me towards a bench where I sit, staring at the ground. 

'Always the Sculk. Even after so many stupid...'

'Cub.' A hand on my shoulder. I glance over at Scar. 'You have every right to be having nightmares still. I can only imagine how scary it was.'

I feel my throat constrict as I remember the Sculk again, just nodding. 

'I don't know what it is, man. I just can't fight it off.'

'Will cake help?' Scar pulls out a cake from a shulker. 'Because I've found cake always makes me feel better.'

'Cake will always help.' He places it between us. 'Thanks.'

'No problem. I'll always be here for you, Cub. Just remember those feelings... the fear, the pain... they're never forever feelings.'

'Never forever feelings...' I echo, eating some of the cake. 'Yeah.'

'And if you do feel bad... well, Scarland's always open. You can find me... shoot me with a bow... prank me. Relax and eat cake with your friend.'

'What if it does come back?' I interrupt. 'What if... it gets me again. And I destroy the server. Kill someone. Never recover and end up possessed by the...'

'Cub, do you really think I'd let that happen?'

'I don't want to hurt anyone like that ever again,'

'I'd do anything for my best friend.' Scar takes my hand, looking me straight in the eye. I smile back, eternally grateful for his wisdom and friendship.

'I need to go back to the museum,' I mutter, standing. 'Finish a couple things...'

'I'm always here when you need me, ok?'

'I know,' I reply, smiling. 'Thank you for everything.'

'No problem... well I should probably keep working on Scarland too. See you around Cub!'

'Bye Scar!' I take to the air as Scar calls one final goodbye behind, gliding back to my museum through the blazing sunshine.

Don't worry.

It'll only get worse from here.