~The First Step~ a Hermitcraft AU

Chapter 60

see end of chapter for tws

wc: 2483

Xisuma's going to die.

Grian's hand was reaching out, towards Xisuma, mouth open in a shout- the way Xeluph's hand pulsed with its glow left the sure, sinking, definite feeling in Grian's gut that this was powerful, and deadly. And Grian was too late, too late, too late- His gaze flitted from Xisuma to Scar, who yelped as someone shot upwards and grabbed his ankle, dragging him from the safety of the vents- He saw False growling as someone launched themselves at her, hand blazing with flame- He saw Etho, shooting round after round from his blaster and swiftly ducking beneath a swinging leg, but he also saw the fear on his face, in his one good eye- He saw Jevin's form completely collapse onto the ground in a slick puddle to avoid a swinging knife, eventually reforming several feet away, chest heaving- He saw Tango, one hand clasped around a Watcher's neck and the other on the Watcher's head, eyes blown wide in horror as flesh bubbled and a voice screamed- He saw Gem, who dodged more than she fought, stepping aside as a Watcher flung themselves with a shout and a pump of wings- He saw Iskall, whose mechanical eye whirred nonstop as he looked for weaknesses, for openings, for anything to make this easier- He saw Doc, taking a blow to the stomach in stride and firing his blaster into the assailant's face- He saw Ren, falling back with frantic breaths before spinning and swinging his sword at the last minute, barely avoiding certain death at the hands of violet- He saw Cleo, green skin sowing itself back together as she pushed forward with a scream- He saw Wels, swiftly stabbing a Watcher clean through in the stomach, but wincing as another came crashing into him from behind- He saw Bdubs, using his smaller stature as an advantage, yet still barely avoiding someone's fist- He saw Stress, still in a vent, watching with worried eyes as people cried out- He saw Impulse, bodily knocking someone to the ground and grimacing at the man's head thunked painfully on the ground-

Distantly, Grian realized that he had scanned every Hermit, drank their appearances in, all in a moment's heartbeat. It was as if time had slowed, every blink taking minutes, to elongate this moment as Xisuma stood facing Xeluph's blazing hand and twisted face.

Grian glanced down at hands that trembled minutely and watched as the men he had killed inched their falls to the ground at a sloth's pace. This was not a moment, this was in between moments, and Grian did not understand.

"He's going to die, you know," a voice said behind Grian.

He whirled, holding his hands out in front of him in a fighting stance and silently cursing himself for having not noticed the person sooner. Apprehension stretched his muscles taut as he eyed the figure warily.

"Who are you?" Grian demanded. He absolutely detested the way his voice betrayed the primal, inherent fear tearing at his insides. "How did you do this?"

The person seemed to sharpen around the edges, and Grian found himself squinting to try and make out their features better. Eventually, he could see long, brown hair, messily styled and curling gently, flowing down shoulders cloaked in navy blue. A large enchanted hood cast a shadow across her face, but as she stepped forward into the light, glinting blue-gray eyes crinkled at the edges in the telltale smile of Pearlescent Moon.

"...Pearl?" Grian asked, voice still wavering. "Is it- Is-"

"I have an offer," Pearl said, voice strong and steady even as carnage continued its snail's pace descent around them. "Will you listen?"

"Yes," Grian heard himself say. He didn't quite remember making the decision.

Pearl smiled faintly again. "Good." She continued to step forwards slowly, and Grian saw that her freckles sparkled like stars. "There's a spot for you. Somewhere up there, someone's leaving. They want you to take their place."

"Wh-what does that mean?" Grian stammered. "Who? Where?"