Hermitcraft: Escaping Insanity [FIXING SOME CHAPTERS]

CHAPTER 15

Xel's wings beat steadily as he descended from the clouds, the familiar silhouette of Grian's base coming into view beneath him. The structure was exactly as chaotic as he remembered, half-finished walls, oddly placed blocks, and windows that looked like they had been designed on a whim rather than a plan. It carried Grian's signature perfectly.

Xel touched down lightly on the stone platform, folding his wings against his back. For a moment, he simply stood there, listening.

Nothing.

No clatter of redstone.
No muffled explosions.
No unmistakable sound of Grian shouting as something went terribly, hilariously wrong.

"Grian?" Xel called out, his voice echoing faintly through the open spaces of the base.

No response.

He moved forward, boots clicking softly against the stone as he scanned the area—unfinished corridors, chests stacked with no discernible order, stray blocks placed and forgotten. It felt... empty. Not abandoned, but paused, like someone had stepped away mid-thought.

"Grian?" he tried again, louder this time.

Still nothing.

Xel let out a quiet breath. Of course you'd be gone when I actually need to see you. He turned toward the open side of the base, already considering heading for the Shopping District. Someone there would know, Impulse, Scar, maybe even Mumbo if he wasn't buried under redstone.

Then—

FWOOOSH—BANG

A firework burst through the air, sharp and sudden.

Xel's head snapped up just as a familiar green-and-black figure streaked down from the sky, elytra folding as Doc landed a few blocks away with practiced ease. His augmented arm whirred softly as he straightened, eyes immediately locking onto Xel.

Doc froze.

"...Well," he said slowly, one eyebrow raising. "Fancy seeing you here."

Xel turned fully to face him. "Doc."

Doc glanced around the base, then back at the watcher, confusion briefly crossing his face. "I was expecting Grian. Didn't think I'd find a Watcher standing in his living room."

"I'm looking for him," Xel replied evenly. "Do you know where he is?"

Doc relaxed slightly, though his eyes remained sharp. "Last I checked? He's with Mumbo and Iskall. Sahara stuff. Again." He let out a short chuckle as he walked past Xel toward a cluster of chests. "I'm just here to... borrow something."

Xel watched as Doc opened one chest, then another, frowning deeper with each one.

"Let me guess," Xel said, tilting his head slightly. "Diorite?"

Doc laughed. "Bingo."

Xel huffed softly. "Does Iskall really hate it that much?"

"Oh, absolutely," Doc replied, finally finding what he was looking for. He pulled out a full stack of diorite and held it up like a trophy. "To him it looks like bird droppings. Which, frankly, makes it perfect."

Xel couldn't help the faint amusement that slipped through. "You enjoy antagonizing him."

"Harmless fun," Doc said with a grin, closing the chest. "And honestly? The server's been... off lately. Too quiet. Too tense. A little chaos reminds people we're still alive." His grin softened just a bit. "Besides, I'd like to see our favorite prankster back to his old self."