Freeze or Fall

Chapter 23: Tricks and Voices

"Joe's back!" False sheathed her sword, and opened the door for the poet.

Joe sat a few down outside before coming in and letting the rest roam free. One wandered over to Team ZIT, curling up by Impulse.

"This is all of them, we should be good on defense for now." Joe said, scritching one of the pups.

Xisuma nodded absentmindedly, typing away at his communicator. He hadn't yet told the other Hermits Grian was alive, a silent agreement between him, Iskall, Mumbo, and Grumbot. Now just wasn't the right time. He was, however, in a very strange conversation with Ex.

Evil Xisumavoid: X do I still have alter code?

Xisumavoid: Yes, you should. Right? Why are you asking?

Evil Xisumavoid: How again did I get my body?

Xisumavoid: Um... The code gave it to you, so you are technically possessing yourself. What are you planning?

Evil Xisumavoid: If I by any chance died, would I go back into your head?

Xisumavoid: No, but it would be possible under the right circumstances. Ex, what are you planning?

Evil Xisumavoid: Okay thanks

Xisumavoid: Ex! What are you planning?!

Evil Xisumavoid: Can't say right now. On the other hand, I did a bit of thinking. There has to be a way to snap the corrupted players back to reality, at least temporarily. I'm sure you can figure something out.

Xisumavoid: Okay then.

Xisuma sighed and put his communicator away. He didn't like the sound of what his brother was planning, but it's not like he could stop him. On the other hand, Ex was on to something. If they could bring Ren, Scar, or Wels back from their sleep, that would give them a chance to kick the alters back into the mindspace, if only temporarily.

But to figure out how...

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Wels focused on the air around him. He'd turn a few steps occasionally, sometimes going in circles, but that was just the way to get to Hels. Follow the warm air's path exactly, step one foot in the wrong direction and you'd have to start again.

He knew he was getting close when the air began to heat up more and more. "We're almost there." He assured the three following him.

Soon enough, when Wels placed his foot down, it came into contact with netherrack. A few steps more and they were in Hels, the broken nether.

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"Out of the three, who's the worst at PvP?" Cub asked.

Joe paused. "It would have to be Renbob. Scar's got magic on his side, and Hels is Hels."

"So we lure him in here, drop him in a pit, and pray we can bring Rendog back." Zed clarified.

"That's the plan."

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Npg set Ex's body down onto the bed, sitting down in a chair next to it.

It worked.

You bonked your head pretty badly when you fell but I patched it up.

But all that aside, it worked.

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"-though I'm surprised the crystal ended up in the right book. I dunno how ET knew it was there, I did ask him. He never gave me an answer."

Grian sat up from where he was lying on a couch. He'd been subtly questioning Sam for a while now, but to no avail. "What do you know about that book?

"I do know that book did not spawn in. It was put there by someone in another server or something. Maybe ET put it there, maybe he didn't."

Gears turned in his head. It can't have been ET, if he's put the book there he'd know it's contents and would've known about his Dna earlier. He also would've gone ahead and put that crystal with it in the first place. That means there might be a third party involved.

And whatever this third party was, it knew about the Fae. But the question was, who or what was that mystery character anyways?

Grian shook his head. He'd gotten about as much info out of Sam as he could. Now for the real challenge.

Leaving.