"Found"

Part 1 - The Invasion

(Inspired by Rusty_courage 'Found' on Youtube) 

Grian is panicking, having just been grabbed by a watcher, He tries to pull away, feeling his vision go hazy as they start to take control again. He holds his hand out, desperate for someone to grab it. He shuts his eyes tight, before he feels someone grab his hand.

Valeri grabs his hand tight and tries to pull him out of the watchers grasp, despite them also trying to take her as Mumbo, Pearl, Scar and Impulse all fight off the other Watchers.

Grian is suddenly pulled, and he opens his eyes to see that it's Valeri, who somehow managed to find him. He clings to her, almost too tightly. He buries his face in her shoulder, letting out a sigh of relief. "Thank you- you need to run though, before they get you too-" He stammers worriedly.

"Let's go.... let's go let's go." She says frantically, pulling him along. Valeri and Grian are Ex-Watchers that escaped and hid in Hermitcraft, under the protection of Xisuma. But somehow the Watchers found them, and were here to drag them back.

Grian nods, and runs alongside Valeri, holding her hand as tight as possible. He was terrified of the Watchers, and of being grabbed. He had hoped that they would never get him again, and he would never have to go back to being their puppet. He watches as Pearl sets off a Wither, and Grian and Valeri manage to run out of the area before the Wither can hurt them. Grian looks at Valeri, with a face of pure terror. His wings flutter in excitement, and fear. "Thank you.. I can't thank you enough, if you hadn't run into me there, and saved me, who knows what might've happened to me..?"

"Look out!" Valeri pushes Grian out of the way as one of the Watchers blast her with a bolt of purple light, right in between her wings. She grunts in pain and collapses to the floor, her body crackling with the magical purple energy.

Grian's breath hitched as Valeri pushed him out of the way. He stumbled, falling onto the ground. He looks at her, and then looks at the Watcher. "Oh no- no no no no...! V-Valeri, get up, please-!!"

She lays on the ground, twitching but otherwise motionless, her cloaking spell fading and her watcher features appearing.

Grian turns his head, calling for the other Hermits. "Guys, guys-!!! I need a hand over here!!! Come here, quickly!!"

He turns around, back to Valeri who was currently on the floor. He tries to shake her a bit to bring her back to consciousness. As soon as his hand comes into contact with her body it shocks him, a painful burn appearing on his hand.

"ACK-" As soon as he touched her, he felt a horrible shock. He yanks his hand away, shaking it around and letting out a loud yelp of pain. His skin felt numb where he touched her. "Y-you gotta be okay.. please be okay-" Pearl and impulse run up. "Is she okay?" Impulse, the local wizard asks.

"I don't know! She was hit with that magic from the Watcher, and now I think it's paralysed her or something.. I tried to wake her up, but she electrocuted me-"

"That's not good.." Impulse mumbles. "Here, let me have a look at her. I'd need to perform a spell to figure out what's wrong with her.."

Impulse kneels down, and starts performing a spell on Valeri, trying to get her to wake up and figure out what magic had stunned her. As the yellow light flows from his hands over her it backfires, and the spell fails, rebounding back to him. "Ow-!! Oh, I hate it when that happens."

Grian looks on worriedly. "Nothing's working? You're literally the local wizard, and not even you can figure out what's wrong with her? We need to hurry, she's unconscious on the floor, who knows how long she'll be out for-!"

One of the watchers, Zekil, floats down until he is in front of them. "Xelqua. Why must you and Vantia run? We only want what's best...."

Grian had a look of rage on his face, but was mostly filled with pure terror. His wings fluttered with nervous energy as he stared at the Watcher. "What's best"?! You treat us like we're your toys, you've treated us like we're worthless, you tried to take over Hermitcraft, and take my mind back to make me yours again! I will never be under your control again, and neither will Valeri!"

Zekil chuckled. "Oh? Valeri may not be, but Vantia is..." Valeri begins to stir, groaning in pain.

Grian's breath hitched, and he turned to look at Valeri, seeing her beginning to awaken from her sudden paralysis. "V-Valeri-?! Please, you're okay-"

Grian had a look of surprise and relief on his face as he turned to Valeri, his heart filled with gladness that his friend was okay. He took her hand in his, as gently as possible.

Her hand tightened around his, and he felt the bones shift as the tips of his fingers went purple from how tight she was holding his hand.

He winced a bit in pain after she tightened her grip on his hand, but didn't complain. He knew very well how strong she was, in fact stronger than him, so he could trust her to not accidentally break his bones. "Valeri.. are you... okay?.."

Grian stares closely at her, studying her expression and breathing, to see if she's alright.

She opens her eyes and looks at him. Her eyes are fully purple, and the Watcher's eye on her forehead is glowing as it also opens to look at him.

Grian's heart sank as he saw her eyes. His expression went from relieved and joy too horrified and saddened, and his breathing grew heavier. "Oh god, no..."

He lets go of her hand, taking a step back, his hands beginning to shake. He felt a sense of betrayal as he saw that Valeri was under the Watchers control.

She stood up slowly and summoned her sword from her inventory, standing in front of Zekil.

Grian continued to take multiple steps back, fear running through his veins. He knew that this wasn't Valeri anymore, that she was under the Watchers full control now. "Valeri... it's not too late to fight them... I know you're in there."

He tried to reason with the woman, but he knew deep down it was no longer her anymore. No.. This was the puppet the Watchers made her into.

She laughed, a cold, high sound that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. "Did you forget my name little Xelqua?" She laughs, "It's Vantia." She glares, using her old Watcher name.

Grian flinched at her laughing, shaking his head slightly at her. Tears welled up in his eyes as he heard her use her new name. He knew he had failed, and the Watchers had succeeded. "Don't you dare use that name for yourself. You are Valeri. You are not Vantia!"

He clenched his fists, his heart filled with grief and rage.

she swung her sword in an arc to rest at her side. "Oh Xelqua..." She laughs "When will you learn running is futile? Come back with me..." She holds a hand out to him "With us."

Grian watched as she swung her sword, his breath hitched. He glanced up at her hand as she held it out to him, as a sick feeling grew in his gut. He felt nauseous, his legs shaking. "No.. no.. Valeri, please, try and resist them! I know you'll be able to! Please... Valeri."

Her eyes glowed bright purple "Don't call me that!" She lunged at him, bringing her sword down.

Grian instinctively moves out of the way of her sword, letting out a yelp as he stumbles onto the floor. He quickly got up, trying to prepare himself for the next swing of her sword. His wings flutter frantically as he stares her in the eye, trying to ignore the large purple wings and glowing Watchers eye on her forehead. 

Valeri lunged fo him, growling. Scar ran forward and blocked the next blow with his own sword. "Run Grian!"

"Th-thank you Scar! Please, try and look out for her! She's not in control of herself!" Grian runs off, trying to leave the area and find Martyn for help. His vision blurs as tears fill his eyes, feeling horrible. But he knew what he needed to do.