Chapter Text
Gem looked out towards Pearl’s base to see if she could spot her finishing up the terrain of her island. Unfortunately, all seemed to be still along the mossy cliffs.
She’s probably asleep after all that work. She thought to herself. It must’ve taken a lot of energy to terraform all along the riverbank. Not wanting to risk disturbing her neighbor, she flew down into Impulse’s base with her elytra. With an abundance of caution, she entered the cavern, keeping an eye out for any sneaky zombies or creepers.
“Impulse?” Gem called out quietly, knowing her voice would echo around the stone walls. “Are you busy?”
“Just a minute!” he called up to her. She covered her ears at the sound of a large explosion. Smoke rose from a deeper part of the cave, and with it flew up Impulse.
“What was that?”
“I’m experimenting!” he smiled wide. “I wanted to see if using some explosives would help speed up the process of excavating the area so I can start building, but I think I’m going to need a lot more TNT to really test it.”
“Oh, okay!” Gem tried to hide her disappointment. “I’ll leave you to that then. But as soon as you’re done we need to meet up with Pearl again.”
“You miss her cooking too?” Impulse laughed. “You could just ask her to make you some soup, I’m sure she’d be more than willing to give you a week's worth.”
“It’s not the same without an adventure!” she pouted. “I’ll see you later, Impulse. You better not blow up my base while I’m gone.”
“No promises!”
Gem rolled her eyes and smiled as she took off to check out the other hermits’ bases alone. She’d been hoping for some company, but perhaps this would be better. Without another person with her, she could spend as much time as she wanted appreciating the little details of her favorite builds.
Her first stop when she returned to spawn was Scar’s new cookie factory. He was also building in an elven style, after all, and Gem was more than happy to test out some of his cookie recipes. With her cookie testing out of the way, she set off to visit the mega bases of her old neighbors.
Up in the mountains, False had begun building a large stone castle. Gem adored the texture of the walls and rooftops. When trying to get a closer look, however, she found herself slipping on the icy pond.
“Nobody saw that, right?” she asked herself, and let out a sigh of relief when no response came. Deciding to cut the visit short, she made her way over to Stress’s dark forest.
Much like Pearl’s island, Stress had terraformed a large portion of the terrain in the dark forest. Moss was mixed in the grassy hills, and little rocks dotted the landscape. A small waterfall burbled down the hillside, adding to the calm atmosphere.
The sun was high in the sky by the time Gem left. She’d spent a long while looking over the terrain, trying to figure out exactly how Stress had put it together. Now she was on her way to see Mumbo’s base, and maybe get a chance to welcome him back after his long break.
“Mumbo!” she gasped at the building plans that had been laid out along the hills. “So much space!” After getting an overview of the area, she landed on one of the frames. She giggled to herself as she tried to cross over them like a balance beam. Ahead of her, she spotted a cluster of floating boulders.
That must be Grian’s. Gem made her way to the bridge connecting the two bases. She craned her neck up to look at the floating stones around a nether portal. Glowberry vines cascaded from the gray stone, and moss grew along the surface. It’s not convenient, but it’s certainly very pretty. She stepped forward to get a closer look.
The next few moments came in a blur as Gem plummeted through the bridge.
She couldn’t see anything, her vision filled with beacon light. One of her antlers scrapped against stone, and she cried out from the pain. She felt the stone around her open up, so she used her elytra to try and get to the ground safely.
It took her eyes a long while to adjust to the darkness of the cavern. As she blinked away the last of the light spots, she took in her surroundings.
Torches were dotted along the expanse of the cavern, but they did practically nothing to illuminate the area. She could hear zombies groan and spiders hiss just outside of her vision. Each of her footsteps echoed along the walls as she looked around.
“Hello?” she called out. “Grian? Are you here?” No response came. Gem turned around to find a large crack along the walls.
The break in the stone stretched all the way up to the roof of the cavern, and purple light shone from within. It looked like a nether portal, but something about it was off. Gem stepped closer and felt some sort of energy hum through the air around her. The longer she stared, the worse the feeling got, but she couldn’t seem to look away.
Her heart pounded in her chest as she crept closer. She could barely hear her footsteps as the noise filled her ears. Covering her ears did nothing to stop the buzz that she felt down to her bones. Curiosity ate at her as she felt the energy calling to her. With a trembling hand, she reached out and touched the rift.
And she screamed.
The need to figure out what exactly the rift was left her as every muscle in her body tensed. She wanted to run and hide, to do anything to get away but her feet were rooted to the spot. There was nothing but agony, flame in her veins and ice in her body. Purple flooded her vision. Gem didn’t know when she’d closed her eyes, but when they opened again, she had to take a minute to process her surroundings.
The cavern around her had disappeared, and warm sunlight bathed the area. A gentle breeze made the grass sway, and amethyst crystals sparkled along the ground.
Is this another base that Grian built? Gem followed a stone path that led her into a little village. The buildings were made from a palette of deepslate, calcite, and amethyst, put together in a style quite different from the builds she’d seen so far. Impulse was building with amethyst earlier this season, but why would Grian have a portal to Impulse’s village?
“Is any other hermit here?” she called out for what felt like the hundredth time that day. Why can’t I seem to find anyone?
Gem squeaked and dodged as a few arrows flew her way. When she looked around the corner of the building she hid behind, a few pillagers stared back.
Who left these guys here without breaking their crossbows? She rolled her eyes and a few strong words crossed her mind. To avoid becoming a pillager’s pin cushion, she dashed behind the next house. The path seemed to be leading her to the mountain ahead, so she spared a glance upward.
“Since when are there dragons in the overworld?” Her mouth gaped as she watched four dragons circle a tower hanging over the cliff side. One was much smaller than the other three, and would often break their formation to circle around the different roofs and ledges. She sped up the stairs that led to an opening in the mountain. I have to get a closer look.
“Ack!” Gem heard a shout as she bumped into someone.
“Oh, I’m so sorry!” She sat up and began to dust off her skirt. “That was totally my fault, I wasn’t paying attention to where–”
Green eyes met green eyes as Gem stared at someone who looked just like her. She didn’t have antlers, and her outfit was different, but barring those facts she could almost believe she was looking in a mirror.
“Who are you?” The Other Gem stood, pointing a wooden staff at her. “Are you a changeling? A doppelgänger?”
“No, I’m just me.” She took care to move as slow as possible, holding up empty hands. “My name is Gem.”
“So you are a doppelgänger!” Other Gem gripped her staff tighter, and the amethyst crystal on the end began to glow. Leaves tied to the base began to sway from the magical energy. Despite her heart racing in her chest, Gem did her best to appear calm. If only her trembling hands would listen to her.
“Well, then how do I know you’re not my doppelgänger?” She swallowed back her apprehension. “I’m not here to hurt you. Actually… I’m a bit lost.” As Other Gem lowered her staff, she let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.
“Lost?” Her nose scrunched up as she thought. “What land are you from?”
“I live above the Impyre, in the land of Hermits.”
“I can’t say I know of the Impyre, or this land of Hermits, but there may be some mention of it in my books.” Other Gem hesitated before putting away her staff. “Follow me up the mountain. You’ll have to use your elytra.”
Together, they took off into the sky. The chilly air stung and Gem’s eyes watered. Snow crunched underfoot as they landed, and they entered the tower.
“Woah,” she spun as she took in the interior. Shelves with books and other trinkets lined the walls, and a couch sat in front of a small fireplace. “I love the interior, it’s so cozy.”
“Uh, Gem?” A voice drew her attention back to the couch, where a man stood and turned to them. He had orange hair, just like her, and he was the same height too. He wore a leather jacket, a worn red scarf, and steampunk goggles rested on his head. “Why are there two of you, and why does your copy have antlers?”
“This is my, er, doppelgänger?” Other Gem stepped between the two. “I’m trying to help her find her way home.”
“So let me get this straight.” He crossed his arms and glared at them. “You find a doppelgänger of yourself, and instead of taking it as a bad omen—which you should know it is, since you’re a wizard—you’re helping her?”
“I don’t think that’s the full story here, fWhip.”
“Does the full story matter? You’ve just let a potentially dangerous person into your home and you have no idea who she really is!”
“I don’t think I’m very dangerous.” Gem spoke without thinking. The man—fWhip—stared at her, as if he was trying to read her thoughts.
“Just”—fWhip sighed and held his head in his hands—”Get her out of here, before I take care of it myself.”
“Thank you for trusting me.” a twinge of sarcasm edged Other Gem’s voice. She turned away. “Ignore him, let’s go to the library.”
Gem followed her other self to the small library by the stairwell. The two began to comb through the books for any mention of the Impyre or Hermit Lands.
“So, who is that?” She asked as she put back another book. “Are you really a wizard? And are those dragons outside actually dragons?”
The wizard blinked. “Uh. Yes, those are dragons, and I am actually a wizard. But you don’t know who he is?”
“No, why would I?”
“He’s my brother. Do you not have one too?”
“Nope. I’ve never even met a fWhip before.”
“Hmm. That’s an interesting difference.” She returned to scanning her books. By the time the two had given up on the search, shadows stretched across the room.
“Well, that was fruitful,” Gem sighed as she slumped onto the couch.
“You could say that again.” Other Gem paced by the door. “Maybe Scott or Lizzie have a book with some mention of this Impyre?”
“Or, and just hear me out here, we deal with this my way?” fWhip suggested.
“I have a feeling ‘your way’ is a bit too murder-y for my taste.” Gem muttered.
“She’s right.” Other Gem sat between them. “The last time we did things your way you nearly exploded an entire village, and I’d rather not have to deal with another set of ruins to repair.”
“That was not my fault!” fWhip pushed his sister. The two bickered back and forth.
“We’ll try Scott’s place tomorrow and see if he knows anything,” Other Gem’s tone was firm. fWhip Gave her a displeased look, but didn’t voice any other concerns.
As evening turned to night, Gem felt homesickness bubble in her chest. How far away was she from home? Would she ever see her friends again? She wandered around the strange place—the Crystal Cliffs, as she had learned—and found herself crafting some soup.
She found a quiet place along the cliffside and cleared away some snow so she’d have a spot to sit. From her vantage point, she could see all the houses below. The amethyst roofs glittered in the moonlight. She began to eat her meal. It kept her warm despite the chill of the mountain air, and reminded her that much more of her home and friends. If she closed her eyes, she could almost imagine Pearl had just given her the bowl, warning her and Impulse to be careful not to burn themselves.
“Hey.” She started, and turned to see fWhip approaching. He sat next to her, though noticeably out of her reach.
“Hi.”
“I’m sorry about earlier.” He refused to look her in the eyes. “I kind of jumped the gun with the threats there. But if Gem insists on helping you, I’m not going to stop her.”
“Thanks, I guess?” She shifted uncomfortably. “I just want to get back home, I promise.” Silence filled the air. It wasn’t until she had finished her soup that she spoke again.
“Everything feels strange here. It’s nothing like where I’m from.” She looked to the sky. “Even the stars are different.”
“I’m sure she’ll find a way to get you home. She’s the smartest person I know.” fWhip paused. “But until that happens, what can I call you?”
“Excuse me?”
“Well, having two Gems is going to get confusing. What should I call you instead?” Gem blinked. Her mind drifted back to her friends in the Hermit Lands.
“Call me Hermit, I guess.”
“Alrighty then, Hermit!” fWhip stood and offered her his hand. “Let’s get back inside before we freeze.”