Chapter Text
A crash started Grian awake. He glanced at the clock on his nightstand. 30 minutes. He had only managed to get a 30 minute long nap. Sniffing, he sat up and grabbed his blanket off his bed. Wrapping it around himself, he slowly made his way to the kitchen where he found a situation that he did not want to have to deal with while he had whatever this was. He groaned, dragging a hand down his face, “What happened, Scar?” There, sitting on the ground, trying to get back into his wheelchair, was Scar. “I was just trying to feed Jellie,” the man responded innocently, “I thought I could reach the cat food without falling.” Grian’s roommate was just about as accident prone as a hyperactive bull in a china shop where all the china was red.
Before Grian could even make a move to help Scar, there was a knock at the door. “It’s open!” Grian called as he set down his blanket and moved the wheelchair so it was parallel to the counter. “Hello? Grian? Scar?” someone called. “We’re in the kitchen,” Grian responded, locking the wheelchair wheels to stop it from moving. Footsteps echoed down the hall, stopping in the entrance to the kitchen. “Do I even want to know what happened this time?” Mumbo asks as he leans against the doorframe, looking between the open cupboard, Grian, Scar, the wheelchair, and a very freighted Jellie hiding behind the trash bin.
“I was trying to feed Jellie,” Scar said quickly. “Yea, and the cat food is on the top shelf,” Grian countered just as quickly. “Grian, you’re sick, you go back to bed and rest. I’ll take care of this, but you have to go rest,” Mumbo said, shooing Grian out of the kitchen towards his bedroom, “and don’t you dare think about laying one finger on your computer or I will have Doc come look at you too.” Don’t worry, I have no interest in touching my computer, Grian thought as he made his way to his room and closed the door behind him. He grimaced slightly as he pulled out the mask. That symbol. He had promised himself he would never put it on again, but Scar was hiding something. Something big, and he had to find out.
Grian squared his shoulders, held up the pure white mask, and placed it over his eyes.
-=+=-
Mumbo sighed as he came back to Scar standing up from the floor, a blue glow surrounding his legs. “You seriously still haven’t told him?” Mumbo asked. Scar shook his head, “It would only put him in more danger with the Emperors. Just living with him puts him in enough danger as it is!” “You are going to have to tell him at some point, mate,” Mumbo told the brunette. “I know, just not today, Mumbo.”
There was a long moment of silence before a notification from Scars phone distracted the two. “Octagon, 187th street, building M77. Chromophyte, Solis, and Enchantress were spotted in the area. Rua suggests that he, Pyroum, you and I go,” Scar informs him, “You up for hanging out with some old friends?” “Let me go change quickly and I’ll be right there,” Mumbo said, beginning to head for the door. “Wait, you have to change your clothes?” Scar said in a teasing tone. “Not all of us are part vex,” Mumbo said in response as he broke into a run, even though his apartment was just across the hall from Scar and Grian’s.
-=+=-=+=-
Chromophyte, Solis, and Enchantress were some of the strongest villains in the city, and Rua wanted him to help fight them. All he could do was summon fire, nothing special. Tango paced as the two of them waited for Vex and Engineer. “If you keep pacing like that, you’re going to make me nervous,” Rua informs him, “Seriously, Pyroum, sit down.” That’s when Tango spotted Vex. Vex was sneaking up behind Rua holding a finger up to his lips in the universal sign for quiet. Tango tried not to give Vex away, but Rua began to look suspicious. Luckily, he didn’t have to look innocent much longer as Vex was now right behind Rua. “Don’t. Even. Think. About. It. Vex,” Rua said, closing his eyes. “Aw, you take all the fun out of everything!” Vex complains, and Tango bursts into laughter, unable to contain it any longer.
“See? Pyro thinks I’m funny!” Vex protests. “Vex, we can’t be joking around right now. Where’s Engineer?” Rua asks, getting right to the point, of course. “Relax for once in your boring life, would you, Rua? Anyway, little redstone fingers should be here any second now.” Right on que, the three of them spotted Engineer running their way still straightening his tie. He stopped right in front of them hunching over, trying to catch his breath. “I asked you to wait for me,” he manages between gasping breaths, his red mask askew. “Sorry,” Vex responds, very clearly not sorry. “Are we all ready to go?” Rua asks, and everyone nods, even Engineer. The four of them set off towards 187th street.
Tango only realizes that he has forgotten his voice changer at home when they are halfway there. At least his boyfriend wouldn’t be anywhere near Octagon and would hopefully be safe in the Life district on the other side of the city. He doesn’t need to know Tango is a Hermit yet.
-=+=-
“We really have to get going, the Hermits will be here any minute,” Sheriff said for the millionth time. Scott had had enough of him, “Would you calm down?! We still have at least 3 minutes before they’re here, plenty of time, so chill! Plus, if we need to, Enchantress can always make them fall asleep.” Scott smiled when Sheriff appeared to back down, “There we go, see? Everything is going to be fine.” They continued searching the building for Watchers, only stopping when they hear a voice they don’t recognize.
That’s when Pyroum rounds the corner in front of them. “I found them!” he shouted into a communicator, and Sheriff froze at the sound of his voice. Scott pivoted and ran, Enchantress and Solis right behind him. He looks back to see if they are being followed, and that’s when he notices that Sheriff was still standing there. Scott runs back to where he’s standing. “Sheriff! We gotta go!” He shouts, before turning around to see Pyroum running at them, hands ablaze, “We have to go, NOW!” A fireball blazes its way past their heads, and that seems to pull Sheriff out of whatever trance he was in because he finally pivots and runs. Scott had never seen someone run so fast in his life! With one more glance over his shoulder at Pyroum, Scott took off running.
He felt the heat of the next fireball before he saw it blaze past his leg. He cried out and stopped, doubling over in pain. The fireball had missed him, but he had still gotten burned from the heat. He didn’t stop to look, just got up and kept running. Enchantress could heal him later. Suddenly, everything went black. Scott froze, he heard everyone else stop as well. Rua, it had to be Rua. No one else had the power to blind people, that he knew of anyway. Sure enough, the voidborns' voice rang out around the Emperors, “Who do we have here? Another emperor?” “Everyone, close your eyes!” Solis shouts, and Scott barely closes his eyes before there’s a bright flash of light.
When he opened his eyes again, his vision was cleared of the darkness. Looking around, he could tell the others had been affected the same way. He looked back, and standing at the other end of the hall was Rua, Vex, and Engineer. He also saw that Pyroum was standing closer to them than to his fellow Hermits. Enchantress also seemed to notice this, as she used a spell to pull Pyroum over to her, holding her wand to his head. “Let us go, and he won’t get hurt,” she threatens. The other three Hermit huddle together, discussing. Solis makes a few hand signals to Scott and the others, telling them that if they don’t leave now, they are not going to get out of this alive. Scott nods and begins to call vines to create a wall between them and the Hermits. When the Hermits turn around, it’s too late and the wall has already been constructed.
They sprint down the hall, only to find that it’s a dead end. Scott is just beginning to wonder why Pyroum hasn’t fought back yet, when Enchantress lets out a screech of pain behind him. Pyroum takes off down the hall, sprinting back towards the vine wall. Sheriff teleports in front of him and trips him, then proceeds to pull out power damping cuffs from a pocket and lock them onto Pyroums’ wrists. Sheriff then walks him back over to Enchantress, who eyes the cuffs warily. Sheriff nods, reassuring Enchantress that the cuffs work.
“Ok, let’s head back to base,” Solis says as she opens a rift. Sheriff jumps through, seeming eager to get out of there. Enchantress pushes Pyroum through, then jumps though after him. Scott takes a deep breath and jumps through after them, with Solis right behind him.