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“Scar, we are NOT calling ourselves Magical Mountain.” Grian sighed. Luckily they were nearly to the end of this journey - him, Scar and Joel. It was a long trek to the hideout of the so-called Watchers: a manipulative group of ancient beings that terrorized the people of the land that didn’t obey the rules they made but refused to speak. Or so people claimed, as any adventurer who went into Exelixi Point, their nearby base location from the town of Ultivita, never returned. And now the three of them were the unlucky adventures who wanted to save the town from the wrath of the Watchers. At least, Scar did. Joel was probably in it for the money. Regardless of why people were in it, it was all going to be over soon.
“Why not?” The elf complained. “I don’t see any objections to it so far. Give me one good reason why that’s not the best name for us?”
“Where are you getting the mountain from?” Grian pointed out.
“I’m not magic.” Joel added at the same time.
“You’re not?” Scar asked, looking at the halfling like it was the most earth shattering revelation he’d ever heard. Grian rolled his eyes. Just a few more minutes until he’d be done with them forever. It was getting exhausting.
“No, Scar.” Joel rolled his eyes, considering it felt like the 9th time they had gone over this. “Just because I’m big and tall and handsome and hot and it all seems very magical, I’m not.”
“Stop, I’m calling that out right now!” Grian interjected. “You are the shortest person I’ve EVER met. You can’t even reach the top of Scar’s wheelchair.”
Joel walked up so that he was basically toe to toe with Grian, coming only about to his waist. “I am very tall, thank you.” Grian started laughing.
“Alright, well if we’re not all magic that I guess that’s name is out.” Scar continued.
“The magic is the problem, not the lack of mountain?” Grian asked when he finally had some breath to ask the question. Joel was still glaring daggers at him. As long as it wasn’t his actual daggers, he was fine. He knows from experience that a halfling barbarian can do a LOT more damage in one hit than you’d expect.
“Potato, tomato. The name doesn’t work.” The elf said, nearly running into a tree as he dismissed his ally. “OH! What about the Hawk Guys!?”
“Where are you getting the Hawk from!??!” Grian exclaimed. The aasimar stopped by a nearby rock, looking at it wistfully as if longing to ram his forehead into it. That was beginning to look like the best option right now if they didn’t get to Exelixi Point soon.
“Joel has a pet hawk doesn’t he?” Scar asked, only half aware of Grian not listening to him.
“No that’s …. It was Lizzie’s pet.” Joel said, avoiding Scar’s gaze as his voice dropped to a softer tone. “Merri was hers. All the pets were. They, uh, never did like me. Probably ‘cause I couldn’t reach the food like Lizzie could.”
“I’m … I’m so sorry, Joel. I didn’t …”
“It’s fine, Scar. Not like we’ve been adventuring together for 5 months or anything.” Scar’s face dropped despite not seeing Joel’s eye roll. The group fell silent for a good stretch of road, save for the occasional grumble of frustration when a rock got stuck under Scar’s wheels or the meow from his familiar, Jellie.
“What about the Hot Guys?” Scar asked suddenly, nearly causing Grian to run into a tree. “I told Keralis some of my name ideas earlier this week and he always said Hawk Eyes like that.”
“Is Keralis that one shop on the corner with the really big eyes that creeps me out and keeps calling the mayor ‘Shishswammy’?” Joel asked. Scar nodded.
“You’ve been going to him for stuff for years now, probably, and you still—STILL don’t know his name?!” Grian asked.
“Hey, I mostly shop with fWhip on the other side of town. You and I know very different people sometimes.”
“Whatever.”
“Hey look guys we’re here!” Scar interjected as he rolled past the tree line.
Grian stepped up next to him, looking up at the monolith carved partway into Exelixi Point. It was mainly black with streaks of purple and gray, symmetrical on all sides as it rose higher and higher into the sky. Him and Scar could easily fly up there and find out just how tall it went, but they were already tempting fate just by being there. Going up seemed like more of a death sentence that going in already was. A somber silence fell over them as they knew what they wanted to happen and what they expected to happen. Grian’s wings began to flare out defensively, Joel’s knuckles began to turn white as he gripped his battleaxe, and Scar leaned more into Jellie that was resting on his shoulders. Nobody was clearly ready for the bloodbath that would happen.
But it was time.
Joel went in first, followed by Scar then Grian in the rear. The room inside the tower was much bigger than it seemed on the outside. A decadent throne stood before them under a crystal chandelier. Dark walls accented the red and gold of the decor, accented by the candlelight that filled the rest of the space. Hallways stretched out on either side and stairs lead up to the many higher floors. But for such a large building, the three of them seemed to be alone at the moment. There was an eerie silence that hung amongst the group like the paintings that adorn the walls of the hallways. Painting that told a history, stories filled of birth and death, triumph and defeat, love and loss.
Stories, like this one, that are filled with friendship and betrayal.
Grian could feel the power flowing into him from this place. The all too familiar energy that pulsed in his veins and made him feel invincible. Before he knew it, he was standing on the throne with outstretched wings and electricity jumping from his fingers.
They were watching now; he had to put on a good show.
“Grian, what are you doing?” Scar asked, and he turned to face them with glowing purple eyes. The humane part of his consciousness was screaming, begging him not to slaughter them like all the others. But he had control of this vessel for long enough to be able to ignore that part of him with ease.
“Grian is unavailable right now. He has never been available to begin with. Please leave a message.” He fires off an Eldritch Blast at Scar, pushing him back about 10 feet as he was still trying to process the whole situation. Joel was much faster on the draw, already charging up to Grian with fury in his red eyes.
“You’re the bloody Watcher?!” He screamed as his sword clashed against the one Grian had just summoned. “You killed Lizzie?!”
Grian pushed himself away, gaining some distance between them. “Yes and no. No, I am not The Watcher. The Watchers are more powerful, primordial, incomprehensible than I could ever be. But yes, I did kill your wife.”
Grian braced himself for Joel but felt a streak of lightning course through him instead, rippling against his insides. Right, it was two vs one and Scar could very easily do long distance. He’d taken on more than two people at once, and many fighters much stronger than them. He could do this, but strategy had to be key. Joel ran off impulses and bloodlust while he was raging, tunnel visioning on one target and not stopping until they died. Scar was much weaker, utilizing his strengths in the back line and tended to falter if the fight was brought up close. That was how he needed to win: take out Scar, then deal with Joel.
But that wasn’t a good show, now was it?
Grian let one hand drift from the handle of his blade. It allowed Joel to push the two clashing weapons closer to his exposed skin, but it was still not enough to stop the flash of light that emitted from Grian’s palm. The halfling was mesmerized, luckily, nearly dropping his weapon in the process.
“Joel!” Scar screamed, but another blast from Grian pushed him back far enough for the other to do what he wanted now that Joel was incapacitated. He handed back the blade as he grabbed his new puppet’s shoulder, whispering into his mind.
“Kill Scar for me, will you?”
Joel turned his back on Grian, his rage now fixated on Scar. The illusionist looked scared as he faced his friend, a purple haze seeming to cover his eyes as he charged. He let go of Jellie, who instinctively rushed out the door to avoid being slaughtered like the other two. Scar held a face of determination while looking directly at Grian.
“Am I too powerful to have you take on personally?” He asked. Grian made Joel pause his charge, trying to be careful of how long he did. One minute could go a lot slower or quicker than people realized. “Are you too scared to take me on, Watcher?”
“I am not a Watcher, simply a pawn in the cosmic game of Mortals. You could not comprehend what a Watcher truly is. I am but a vessel granted a miniscule portion of their power to carry out their will as they see fit, and to make sure nobody gets too close to stop them.”
“They why make us fight? Why not make your vessel fight? Why infiltrate us in the first place?” Grian frowned, mentally telling Joel he could now attack. Scar didn’t move, but Joel’s first swing managed to whiff through an illusion.
“A Watcher’s job is exactly explained in their title: they watch.” Joel swung again, barely missing Scar as the wizard blocked with a magical shield. “But those that watch do not want to lose interest in their entertainment. They want interesting, complex, exciting stories.
“They want friendship.”
Joel landed a blow across Scar cheek, making him roll backwards into the wall.
“They want betrayal.”
Joel’s sword drove straight through Scar’s stomach, emerging out the back of his chest and wheelchair.
“They want a performance. You of all people should know this, Scar. You’re the best one there is.”
Joel’s eyes faded from the hazy purple, gaining a panicked frenzy as he looked at the sword driven through his friend. “Oh god oh god oh god.”
“It’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay.” Scar tried to assure him. “Don’t worry about me. Kick his ass for me, Big Beans?” Joel nodded, grabbing his other main weapon: a battleaxe. He looked at Grian, whose smug face still sat on the throne.
The rage began to once more encapsulate him but greater, fiercer. This man in front of him, taunting him, making him attack his friend. The man who lied to them for several months that he was on their side. Grian, Watcher-In-Training, Vessel. Whatever he was, Joel was going to kill him. It didn’t matter now how much he trusted Grian, how much they had been through and protected each other. Joel was going to die if he didn’t kill Grian first.
“You made me kill my friend.” Joel said through gritted teeth. He began quickly advancing towards Grian. Grian rose and smiled, before disappearing from view. “COME BACK OUT YOU BASTARD AND LET ME STAB YOU!!”
“I did not make you kill your friend.” Grian said. “If you want someone to die …” Grian dropped his invisibility as he grabbed the hilt of Joel’s sword that was still stuck in Scar. “You’ve got to pull the blade out to let the blood flow.”
Grian grabbed the sword, but so did Scar as well as Grian’s wrist. “I’m not letting you end me.” A wave of blackness seemed to pulse through him as if the point Grian made contact with was dying. Grian was stronger though, and used his strength to fight against Scar’s as he pulled the sword out. A gasp escaped the other man as blood began flowing out of the wound. But Scar still looked up with wide eyes and his usual shit-eating grin when he pulls some insane survival play against the enemy.
“What’s so funny, dead man?” Grian asked, but he realized the answer as soon as the last syllable escaped his lips. Joel had snuck up behind him, driving his battleaxe into his skin and cutting off his arm. The appendage fell off his body with a thud and Grian turned away from a dying Scar to focus on the real threat. “You will regret that.”
“At this point, I might as well join Lizzie then.” Joel swung again but missed as Grian dodged out of the way. Grian blasted him with a quick magic missile but it did nothing to slow him down. The other was on a warpath to kill him. Their blades clashed and sparked as the adrenaline rush that usually came with these things began to fade.
“How is it that I can take down whole armies without an issue, but I can’t defeat two idiots with some magic and anger issues?” Joel laughed as Grian tried to dodge his blow, but got clipped by the axe instead.
“Probably because you assume there is still a brain cell up in my head.” Another swing, one more hit. “And because I’m a lot more comfortable when I don’t have anything to lose. And I am going to make sure you end up in Hell for everything.”
Grian felt his body begin to drop as Joel’s axe dug right into his chest cavity, feeling his heart being pierced by the weapon. He dropped Joel’s weapon that he was using, taking advantage of his new sense of weightlessness. Better position acquired, he summoned his pact weapon and drove the blade straight through the same spot his own weapon was lodged in. “And I’ll see you there.”
The two fell together to their knees, Scar’s body still limp behind them. The two were smiling, laughing, enjoying their shared destruction. The power of the Watchers began to fade from Grian as he saw, truly saw, the world around him for the first time. Scar quietly slumped over himself as if he was sleeping. Joel, cackling as he looked up to the sky in a sense of desperate euphoria. “STORY’S OVER WATCHERS! CHECKMATE!!”
“Yeah, it’s over for us.” Grian breathed. “The End.”
The last thing Grian saw before he died was all the purple eyes around him closing.