Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The sensation of being fried alive awoke the knight.

Wels wished he could have slept more. Goodness knows that lately, he could only pass out and get a few hours in before his muscles started to ache. Sometimes, electricity was shot through his body with intentions to harm, and he could not stay asleep. He panted when it was over, barely registered his own screams anymore.

The knight knew what would follow the shock and pushed himself onto his knees, stretching his sore shoulders and arms as much as the chains allowed him to. Two metal clasps irritated his wrists and shackled him to the floor, the recognizable purple glint of enchantment gleaming across it. They barely gave him enough space to sit on his knees - he already felt the resistance he knew too well at this point. Glancing at the pristine white walls and floor, the iron door, the wooden lever… he was at least glad to see some more color enter this prison cell shortly. 

Familiar heavy footsteps echoed in the hallway outside. These echoes made his heart rate rise. Already, Wels turned his gaze inward, breathing calmly and deeply to keep his heart in check. Don’t worry too much, he told himself. It’s just Xisuma.

Just Xisuma.

The door opened automatically. Once again, Xisuma took a few steps into the room. He looked a little goofy, dressed as a pink axolotl, but he somehow made it look intimidating. With a straightened back and his hands by his side, he stared at the disgraced knight at his feet.

Wels made a point to sit as upright as possible and stare directly into Xisuma’s emotionless eyes.

“He didn’t want to cooperate. Perhaps you’d be willing,” Xisuma said casually. It was too sickeningly casual. “I don’t take pleasure in doing this, you know.”

“Then why are we even still here?” Wels wondered out loud.

Xisuma did not even wait to flip the lever. It sent another shock of electricity through him. Though he had started to tune out his own screams, Wels could still hear the echo from the hall. A scream he recognized instantly, for it was a cry of pain that came from his other half, trapped down the hall. 

“I'll be back later, when you've changed your mind,” Xisuma said before he left.

Wels chuckled through the pain after Xisuma had disappeared. “You wish.”

Wels often dreamed of the sun. It's been so long since he felt her rays upon his skin, felt the breeze on his face. Even so, the dreams never lasted long, for he never knew true rest. He had familiarized himself with the floor directly, sleeping on it every time he passed out. To be plunged into darkness would be nice - the constant light of the lamps was starting to get on his nerves. Likely, all of this was by design.

And sometimes, Xisuma came to break the monotony and boredom with electric shocks as punishment for refusing to be pushed around.

“Your perseverance is admirable,” Xisuma spoke as though he was explaining something simple and not torturing one of his friends. “It makes me wonder if you enjoy this. Your refusal to work with us is inflicting pain upon Helsknight, after all.”

“I don't even know why he's here,” Wels responded. “I don't know why either of us are here. But we can both handle it.”

Talking back always resulted in another shock, but Wels had to respond. He had to say something, because that was the only thing that he had any control over in this terrible environment. 

Something was seriously wrong with Xisuma.

Something was seriously wrong with the world. In this half-delirious, exhausted state of mind, he attempted to make sense of everything that has happened to him. Everything had been perfect, everything good with all 24 hermits in one communal town. Then of course, Helsknight had to come and crash the party. He had to make Wels go mad, to the point where Xisuma and Doc had to intervene and lock them away for… some reason. That was the biggest blur, the biggest gap in his memory, and he had little energy to try to wonder what the reason was.

Or did that really happen? Was that the truth or something his ailing mind had made up and which he'd started to believe?

Whatever he  believed - whatever the truth may be - he knew that something was wrong with Xisuma. He still walked and talked like he usually did, but only as though he was always so casual. He never spoke with any other emotion than a controlled calmness. Paired with the empty, emotionless gaze, Wels could see past the haze of being malnourished and exhausted and recognized how strange Xisuma had been acting.

You know, if the active torture wasn’t a dead giveaway. 

It was enough to make him wonder if Evil X was involved. He might be - why else would Xisuma act like that - but the details were currently beyond him.

The door opened again. Wels no longer sat upright or attempted to look presentable in his defiance. He did glance at the admin and his unusual behavior.

“Hi, Xisuma,” Wels said. Even his voice faltered a little. “How are the hermits doing?”

“They’re doing alright,” Xisuma responded in that sickeningly casual tone. “You needn’t worry, Wels, everyone is well taken care of.”

“Everyone?” He limply tugged at the chains around his wrists to make a point.

“Everyone,” Xisuma insisted. “I’m not here to hurt you.”

“That would be a first.”

“I’m only here as a messenger, nothing more. You deserve to know that Helsknight has chosen to cooperate.”

Cooperate; that word has been thrown around a lot. Welsknight still didn’t know what that was supposed to mean. He vaguely remembered Xisuma explaining that, but it had been the first day of this confinement and his head had been a little woozy from all sorts of things he still couldn’t understand. He only remembered a core gut feeling - to refuse to cooperate, no matter what the admin would throw at him.

Or at Helsknight, who was caught in the crossfire as well and was normally just as motivated to refuse.

“Are you sure about that?” Wels asked.

“He’s told me himself. I figured I’d let you know before we start with the proceedings, in case there’s something you wanted to say about it.”

“Like what?” Wels asked, then continued in a more mocking tone: “Oh no, not Helsknight, take me instead.”

Xisuma tilted your head. “You’re not going to protect him?”

“I don’t need to protect him. He’s more than capable of doing that himself.” Unfortunately so, but it served them both well at the moment. “He didn’t agree to anything. You’re bluffing.”

“How could you possibly know?”

“Because he is me, and I am him. All of my worst qualities rolled into one vicious mockery of all that I am. But he’s still me and has nothing to lose, so he will have refused.”

The silence that fell was nearly tangible. Despite the perpetual emptiness of Xisuma’s gaze, Wels knew he struck a nerve. His captor turned around and walked out of the room. He didn’t fully leave before he gave both knights another shock, which nearly knocked Wels out. It did not matter, for it only proved Wels right. Helsknight had not given in to the unknowable demands of Xisuma.

Would agreeing to the admin’s terms mean that he would be less exhausted?

Wels had stopped paying attention to the door that creaked open. What caught his attention, however, were a different set of footsteps than those of Xisuma.

Doc looked good. Healthy, normal. Unlike Xisuma, his gaze wasn’t empty. If Wels didn’t know any better, he might have believed that his good friend was coming for a quick conversation.

“Doc…”

“Shut up,” he said flatly and Wels complied with a sigh. If he couldn’t get anything out of X at his worst, then he likely won’t get far when Doc was acting somewhat normal. The chains were removed, but the cuffs remained around Wels’ wrists. Doc held his arm and nearly had to pull Wels onto his feet. Only when his legs supported him again did Wels feel the exhaustion and pain. Barely able to stretch his legs, unless lying in an uncomfortable position, unable to stand for however long he had been captive here… He attempted to take steps, one after the other, to try to take it slow. How could he trust his legs when they threatened to give way after every step he took?

He’d try to remember the way, he once hopefully thought at the beginning of his imprisonment. Now, he was happy to focus on walking and only noticed the white concrete was sometimes accompanied by some gray concrete instead. They remained on the same level, and they passed no windows and very few doors.

Doc pulled Wels into a different room, with one wall made completely of glass and similar chains in the middle of the floor. On the other side, this room was mirrored. While Doc shackled Wels to the chains in this room, the door of the mirrored room opened. Impulse, looking just as healthy and almost as normal as Doc, pulled Helsknight into the room and shackled him to the chains in that room. Once the knights were chained to the ground in this room, Doc and Impulse left.

Wels lifted his head and met Helsknight’s gaze. In the beginning, he may have blamed the twisted knight for his fate. Right now, he could see they were both equally a victim. The fire that usually burned behind Helsknight’s eyes had been dimmed, his resistance not quelled but diminished.

“What is going on?” Wels asked out loud. He was certain neither of them would not be in this situation if Helsknight hadn’t interfered. “What are you doing here? What does Xisuma want from us?”

Holes in the glass made it easier to speak to one another. Helsknight watched him for a while before he answered.

“Would you even believe me?” Helsknight said. “You’re still too naive. As for the axolotl’s cruel master, he needs consent.”

Wels frowned. “What for?”

“For a body.”

A shiver ran down Welsknight’s spine, though he had no idea why.

“Let’s make this more interesting,” Xisuma’s casual voice spoke across some sort of speaker system. 

The shocks returned. They lasted longer, were more powerful - more painful. Nothing that Wels may not get used to if this happened often enough, but t it stunned him and forced cries of pain out of his raw throat.

When it stopped, Wels panted and barely was able to lift his head and looks at his Hels counterpart. The man was watching Wels with wide eyes. 

So that was more interesting. Sending shocks through one another, but no longer at the same time. Perhaps as some sort of psychological game to see who would break first: a man subjected to so much pain they couldn’t take it anymore, or the man who could no longer stand to see his counterpart be hurt.

There was no end in sight. 

No rest was given. No moment to sleep, to reflect, to recover. One after the other after another.

They couldn’t last much longer. 

Helsknight couldn’t last much longer.

Wels watched with a sense of exhaustion and tiredness that he had not anticipated. Helsknight wasn’t screaming anymore, but he suffered. Of course he suffered. It wouldn’t take long before a shock would knock him unconscious, or worse. The same applied to Wels, but he barely cared for himself when someone else was subjected to the same alleged punishment.

“Stop.”

Instantly, the shock that was sent through Helsknight subsided. For a second, nothing else happened. After a little while, a moment of recovery during which no shocks were administered to either party, the door to Wels’ cell opened. Once again, he sat face to face with Xisuma. Somehow, he looked even more exhausted than before. Wels did not mention it, however, because he probably looked as worse for wear as Helsknight did.

“You want it to stop?” Xisuma asked. He could no longer hide the exhaustion in his voice.

“Yes,” Wels said. He tried to straighten his back and present himself with as much pride as his current situation would allow. “I’ll comply. I’ll do it.”

“Wonderful,” Xisuma said. “You’ll be taken out of here shortly, we’ll still need to set some things up. But don’t worry, it’ll happen soon and you’ll be taken out of here in a moment.”

Xisuma turned around and walked away, and Wels took a deep breath. He had no idea what he agreed to. Beyond needing a body - what for, he wasn’t sure - Helsknight hadn’t been able to communicate it to him because one of them was constantly literally shocked. It was worth it, though - they would not be hurt any more. Not through this method, anyway. Wels would be taken away.

Would they still hurt Helsknight?

Once again, he had no idea. The idea that he made the shocks stop already clouded his mind, that had been waiting for a moment of rest for so long. He just knew that he was so tired and ready for all of this to be over. The pain had stopped, for both himself and Helsknight, which was what mattered most.

Still, a rogue thought found its way into his mind.

What did I get myself into?

Chapter Text

The chicken is cooking above the campfire.

Impulse sits awkwardly at the fire and glances around. It is strange how all of this seems so foreign - the trees are desaturated, the sun too bright, the horizon too distant. The cold air makes him shiver and shuffle a little closer to the fire.

The chicken had been the first animal he’d seen. With just a small knife, there was little else he could have done. Perhaps he should have left with food, but it is too late to think about that now. The chicken is already being cooked, and its tasty smell mingles with the salty oceanside air.

Impulse watches the plumes of smoke rise high, higher than the treetops. They ascend to the skies and, he hopes, are seen from afar. Someone will see this.

Someone.

He shakes his head. The haze is still present. Someone is out here; someone he believes he ought to remember, but doesn’t. Perhaps even multiple someones, but that feels as elusive as the one person. All Hermits are living in Hermiton together; the notion that more people are out there and voluntarily left makes his head spin. That familiar, sickly sweet haze keeps pressing on his mind, numbing it until all he wants is to return.

He can’t return. He needs to speak with those who have left home.

Impulse glances behind him, to the mountain that obscures his view of home. The mountain that covers his home. He used to be able to see the stars from his house. At the end of each perfect day, to see the stars and moon gleam as they pass across the sky and signal that a new morning will break shortly.

It is such a shock and disappointment to see the exaggerated clumps of dirt and rock that have been covering it all this time.

A new sound pierces his ears. He turns his head to the sound of rustling leaves and semi-hurried footsteps. Impulse stands up and grabs the diamond sword he had taken from Hermiton. Fearing an attack from a hostile, he lifts the sword and waits for the threat to appear.

A man pushes through the foliage instead. Fiery blond hair and big red glasses immediately draw Impulse’s attention. The man stops as soon as he sees Impulse and his mouth falls open. Even with the glasses, it is easy to see that this man was surprised to see Impulse here.

Something in the back of Impulse’s mind tickles him. He’s supposed to know this man. So why doesn’t he?

“Impulse?” The man stammers.

“Hello,” Impulse says and he lowers his sword. “I’m… hi.”

This man knows him. Everything in this person’s posture suggests that they have met before. Every time Impulse tries to think about any previous occasion where they may have had a conversation, but he draws a blank each time. He’s supposed to know this man.

The man walks forward, glancing up and down.

“What are you…?” His question fizzles out and tears are almost brimming in his eyes. He slowly lifts his arms. “Can I hug you?”

Impulse places the sword down beside him and shrugs. “Sure.”

The man approaches and slowly wraps his arms around Impulse. A warm embrace, both physically and emotionally. The man buries his face in Impulse’s shoulder, and Impulse lets him. The tingling in the back of his mind intensifies a little, and a name bubbles to the forefront.

Tango. The man is called Tango.

The hug does not last long. Tango takes a step back and looks at Impulse again.

“How did you–” he begins, but does not finish his sentence. He shakes his head and frowns in confusion. “Why did you leave?”

Tango glances over Impulse’s shoulder, to the entrance of the mountain that had been built around Hermiton. Impulse understands the question - he asks himself even now. Why did he decide to leave?

“Because I had to,” is the simple answer that Impulse gives his friend. He feels the strong urge to call him a friend. More than a friend - a good friend. 

Because I had to. Because dangers approaches and those who had chosen to live beyond Hermiton have to know about it.

“What’s going on?” Tango asks when he notices how serious Impulse’s face is. “Impy, what’s happening in there?”

“I’m not familiar with the details,” Impulse answers truthfully, “but you are in danger. You and everyone else in your group.”

“Danger, huh?” Tango wonders. “I’m assuming it’s big danger.”

“Massive danger,” Impulse agrees. The people outside of the mountain are in massive danger.

Tango nods - not so much to Impulse, but more to himself. He glances at the entrance to the mountain again, as well as behind him, from where he had come. Eventually, he turns to face Impulse again.

“You know, this isn’t the safest place to be or to discuss these kinds of things,” Tango says. “We should leave here, to a safer place.”

“Yeah, Impulse says. “We should.”

He follows Tango away from the entrance to the water. When his friend is busy with the boat he had taken and isn’t paying attention, Impulse glances over his shoulder and looks at that entrance one more time.

Chapter Text

Tango rowed the boat up to Keralis’ mansion. Behind him, Impulse sat awkwardly and looked out over Tango’s shoulder. Though many thoughts raced through his mind, very few made it to Tango’s mouth. He still could barely believe it - Impulse was sitting in his boat, going back to the island. 

How did that even happen?

The last time Tango had seen him was a couple of weeks ago. He went on another reconnaissance journey underneath the mountain, to see if anything had changed for the better since the last time. To see if the mysterious person who had been sending them video fragments of all sorts of things that Xisuma was doing to the Hermits would finally reveal themselves. He’d seen Impulse across the street, emerging from a Nether portal with some resources, a wide relaxed smile on his face. Caught in the haze of bliss, Tango realized, for he had reached out to Impulse a couple of times before. Time and time again, Impulse was drawn back to the town and caught back in that haze. It had seemed impossible to recruit Impulse, while it had been easier to recruit Gem or Keralis, for instance.

Perhaps they could not keep Impulse because he needed to see it for himself, and not be persuaded by Tango.

Gem waited on the small patch of grass that was left after Keralis had built the home. Tango noticed her running back inside the house when he approached, and she ran back outside after a while. Everyone who lived inside the mansion poured out of there, to watch Tango return.

Gem stood out, still, but Tango recognized each of their silhouettes in the distance. False stood next to Ren, watching across the ocean. Beef watched quietly, but did lean over to Ren to say something. Keralis visibly gasped and nearly grabbed Bdubs’ shoulders in excitement when he realized that Tango was returning with another of their friends.

Tango docked the boat at the makeshift dock that they haven’t wanted to expand on - it would mean that 

“Hi guys,” Impulse said, “I’m back.”

Gem instantly turned to Tango. “Are we sure we want to do this?”

“Of course we do!” Tango exclaimed. “It’s Impulse!”

Why wouldn’t they want Impulse back? Six times before, they managed to free him from the town. Six times before, Impulse volunteered to join a rescue or recon mission, always with the same idea: out of all survivors, he should be the one to potentially be captured or stay behind, since the others have had a greater taste of freedom. Six times before, Impulse had fulfilled that promise. Tango could still remember the weariness on his friend’s face when he realized he would stay behind again - how he would be taken, his mind wiped once more, back at the mercy of that blissful haze that all other Hermits are forced to live under in their own little slice. Tango had tried to convince Impulse to run - he wouldn’t mind being the one who stayed behind this time - but Impulse was adamant and pushed Tango away from danger. It had been Tango’s last mission, too - the loss had nearly fully broken him.

Tango could not leave Impulse behind for a seventh time. Never again.

“I can see that,” Gem said diplomatically, “but nobody’s left out of their own free will as of late.”

“Ren and I were the last ones who left freely, weren’t we?” False wondered out loud, and Ren nodded even before she stopped speaking.

“I mean, I think we were.”

"You were,” Bdubs confirmed. As the only person who’s never been subjected to the haze or had ever lived in this fake reality, he had seen everyone come and go, even before he decided to make Keralis’ starter mansion their headquarters. “Honestly, before you two popped out of there, I thought it was impossible for people to still be able to respawn to come to their senses.”

“He didn’t respawn, though,” Keralis mentioned. He held his communicator in his hand, having looked through the chat history and finding no death message for Impulse.

“That’s true, it’s been a long time since I’ve respawned,” Impulse added, much to Tango’s dismay. He likely wanted to bring Impulse into the community without too much of a hustle or too much questioning from them. He believed this fact may be incriminating for some reason - as some would believe.

“I think we should hold a vote,” Beef said. “At the very least, we should tie him up before we bring him inside. And blindfold him.”

“Is that really necessary?” Tango wondered. Already he moved to stand in between his friend and everyone who had already fled Hermiton.

“That’s what this vote would decide,” Beef said. 

All survivors agreed to cast the vote, though Tango fundamentally disagreed with it and wanted Impulse to just be allowed back into the group. Bdubs, as the de-facto leader, decided the vote would need to go through before Impulse would even be allowed off of the boat - and, once he realized Impulse already stood on the dock, he decreed that Impulse couldn’t enter the mansion before the vote.

It was a quick show of hands, for or against Impulse being tied up and blindfolded (just in case something was weird about his sudden appearance). Tango voted definitively against restraining Impulse, while Gem immediately opposed it. Tango managed to sway Bdubs and Ren to his side and allow Impulse free reign of the mansion, while Beef, Keralis and False followed Gem’s lead and wanted to be more careful. Four against three.

“C’mon!” Tango exclaimed, more out of frustration than anything else.

Impulse placed a hand on Tango's shoulder.

“It’s okay,” Impulse said, and he turned to the group. “If that’s what makes you comfortable, go ahead.”

Already, Beef held up a piece of rope that he'd already grabbed from the house, as a precaution.

“It’s nothing against you,” Beef said, “You've just gotta admit, it's a little suspicious.”

“No, I totally get that.” Impulse responded, and he allowed Beef to tie him up. People swarmed around him to help Beef, while Tango had trouble swatting hands away. Eventually, only False remained with the rope while Gem inspected the knots. Keralis provided the blindfold and after a quick test of ‘how many fingers’ that Impulse failed spectacularly, they were certain he was secure. They had not tied up the legs, to make it easier to walk him inside. He was brought into a central room with some shoddily constructed furniture. Impulse was twirled around a couple of times to disorient him and make it more difficult for him to remember the way through which he just walked. He then was sat on a stool while everyone else stood around him.

Tango felt awful - it almost physically hurt to see his friend like this. After five successful rescue attempts and one incidental one, he'd become an ally. He'd been pulled out of Hermiton more times than anyone else - didn't he deserve some grace and respect? Even then, the way Impulse allowed them to handle him showed more grace on his part than this paranoid bunch could ever give him.

“Why did you leave?” Bdubs asked the first question.

Impulse turned his head in the direction of Bdubs and, later, of those who had spoken last.

“Things became weird there,” Impulse responded.

“Weird, how?” Keralis wondered. “It would help if you gave us some details.”

Impulse shrugged. “I don’t know, things just started to feel weird. Details weren’t adding up. When I asked Zed, he couldn’t answer my questions. Things were just a little weird and I couldn’t put my finger on it. I still can't, not really.” He paused. “I’ve… have I been here before?” 

“You have,” Tango said, and he looked directly at the group as though that fact alone should grant him his freedom and free access to Keralis’ abode. “Multiple times.”

“That… yeah, that makes sense,” Impulse said with a nod. “I think I’ve dreamed about this house once or twice.”

“Is there anything else that made you leave beyond things feeling weird?” Ren asked.

“There is one thing.” Impulse said, tilting his head in Ren's direction. “I’m… I’m not sure if I am supposed to remember. I had to go below the town hall, into some sort of facility. I had to escort a dark knight from one cell to another. There’s a pane of glass for one wall, through which I saw… perhaps his twin? His armor was lighter than the one I was escorting, but they looked similar enough.”

The news made the room quiet, and people sought each other's gazes, to confirm what they realized to be true. Only Bdubs had his haze fily on Impulse, to his wry expression said it all. Until people are broken out of the haze, it is easy to forget those who are not caught up in Hermiton. All of them had been certain they were missing someone whenever they tried to make a list of all Hermits. Unfortunately, until Impulse mentioned these prisoners, the knight had slipped their mind. A sense of regret and shame and guilt washed over the group while Impulse sat and waited for someone to speak again.

“So, Welsknight is located below the town hall?” False asked, breaking the silence.

“I think so,”Impulse said. “If Welsknight is one of their names, then yeah. He's down there with his twin.”

“Wels and Helsknight. Both of them,” Beef said. Neither he nor anyone else could believe their ears.

“What are they even doing down there?” Gem wondered as she shook her head. “I don't like it.”

“Me neither,” Impulse responded. “They didn’t look well. I overheard Xisuma talking about them, though. He was saying something about uniting all hermits, whatever that means.” He paused for a second. “Danger. I think it means danger.”

“For everyone, including us. Like you’ve said,” Tango added. He believed Impulse - why would he lie about it? - and hoped the others would believe him as well. It was the least they could do for the amount of bravery that Impulse had shown leaving what he considered to be his home.

“So that’s why I left, really,” Impulse concluded. “Because things got weird in Hermiton and because X seems to be planning something big. And to warn you that danger could be coming your way.”

Chapter Text

It is all strange.

They interrogated Impulse, but it hadn't lasted long. A quick aside later, they had decided to let him go and walk around freely. They believe him when he says danger is coming.

He is accepted into the group, but it is still weird. These people are nice and kind, though some still stare. The decision to release him must not have been unanimous. He doesn't wander as much as they might have thought he would. Instead, he goes to the deck and sits there. He watches over the seas, gazes at the mainland.

His attention is fixed on the mountain. He knows the dormant community below and how it functions. He can navigate that easily. To step away from that and into the unknown is scary. To be among friends he doesn't fully remember is even scarier.

What if it doesn't work out?

“Hi, there.”

Impulse lifts his head and stares right into Tango's big red glasses. He's certain that Tango has never needed glasses. Why does he wear them now?

“Hi, Tango,” Impulse greets him.

Tango takes that as an invitation to sit next to him and start a conversation.

“So, how’re you settling in?”

It maybe hasn't even been half an hour since his release.

“Not really?” Impulse answers honestly and he shrugs. “It still feels weird to be here.”

“I can't imagine,” Tango says, likely to show compassion and sympathy. Impulse isn't sure it has the intended effect.

“Definitely,” Impulse says. “I mean, I've been here before. I should know this place. And I guess it somehow, somewhere feels familiar? A little bit? But not quite.”

Not quite. That's the feeling that sticks with him most. Not quite. Even what ought to be known, is not quite. That is what makes him feel a little awkward and uncomfortable in this not-quite-familiar place, filled with not-quite-familiar people.

Tango places a hand on Impulse's shoulder and gives it a comforting squeeze.

“Hey, you’re here now,” he says. “You can make those memories and, most importantly, you can keep ‘em.”

“Tango, please don't tell him too much.”

Tango and Impulse turn their heads. The redheaded woman - Gem, if Impulse's memory is correct - had snuck up on them. She stands in the doorway and gives Tango a rather skeptical look.

“I haven’t said much of anything yet!” Tango loudly defends himself.

“He's just got here,” Gem argues, “don’t go telling him all of our secrets.” 

“You don’t trust him?”

“No,” Gem says with a tone that implies an unspoken ‘obviously’ . “Not right now.”

Impulse nods. “I fully agree.”

Tango snaps his head back to his friend. “Don’t sell yourself short, man. You’re fine.”

“I’m not fine, Tango.”

Tango tilts his head. “Well–”

“I wandered out of an open air prison and my mind is still soup,” Impulse says almost in a deadpan, because he doesn't know what other tone to use while staring at Tango. “I barely knew your name when I first saw you again, and I barely recognized anyone else here. It took me a second before I remembered Gem's name. If I were one of you, I wouldn’t trust me.” 

Silence descends on them - a stunned silence, in Tango's case. Because of a lack of response, Impulse just shrugs. “I mean, I could be good to guide you inside Hermiton, if you’re gonna do something about the looming threat.”

This statement makes Gem raise her eyebrows in surprise and interest, while it seems to enrage Tango.

“Oh, you’re not going back there,” he says as though he has the final say on that.

“He could be useful,” another voice says, prompting Tango to produce a slew of weird noises. From behind the door, the de facto leader of the group - Bbdubs - appears.

“How long have you been standing there!?” Tango asks his friend.

“Long enough,” Bdubs answers. And then, a beat later: “Just a second, actually. I heard Impulse mention being a guide. Do you wanna do that?”

Before Impulse can respond, Tango makes more protesting noises.

“We’re not actually considering this, right? Bdubs?” Tango says. When Bdubs doesn't immediately answer, he turns to Gem. “Gem, you’ve gotta know it’s a bad idea. We can’t send Impulse back in there. We can’t.”

She doesn’t answer immediately, either. Yet, she does think about it for a while. Eventually, she hesitantly shakes her head.

“I’m not a big fan of it, no,” Gem responds, not too certain about her own answer. “It would be a risk.”

Tango turns his head to Impulse again. “Impulse, you’re not going back there.”

“You’ll get lost,” Impulse says. He tries to look at each of the three while he speaks. Though he does not feel confident, the words he speaks are said with as much confidence as he can muster. “It’s not easy to find the entrance to the underground complex Xisuma’s been using without being spotted unless you know what you're doing,  or where yo're going. I know the way in, I’ve been there recently–”

“Recently?” Gem asks aloud.

Impulse nods. “Sometimes, one of us goes down there to help Xisuma. It seems the people he chooses are random. I happen to have been there recently.” 

He sees their gazes and feels the scrutiny he has fallen under. Tango watches with no judgment, giving him the room to explain himself. Gem is more cautious, more suspicious. Bdubs, for the most part, appears to be curious.

Impulse shouldn't wish for all three of them to be extremely critical and more suspicious of him.

He sighs. “I’d rather stay here and away from whatever’s keeping people there, but if you want to find the entrance quickly and stop X before he does something he’s going to regret, I’m afraid I’ll have to come along with you guys.”

Bdubs nods solemnly, his thoughts likely already three steps and one misstep ahead. Gem appears to be swayed by his argument, yet she remains suspicious. That leaves Tango, who is fully resistant to the decision that is being made.

“Alright, then,” Bdubs says. “Impulse is coming with us.”

“You’re not serious,” Tango interrupts Bdubs. Then, he turns to Impulse. “You’re not serious. We’ll find that entrance on our own.”

“You can’t,” Impulse says. “Not without help.”

“We could use the help,” Gem says in response. Again, Tango sputters some intelligible noises before he finds his words again.

“Gem!” Tango exclaims. “You’re supposed to be on my side.”

“And I am!” Gem defends herself. “But Impulse makes a good point.”

“Tango.” Bdubs places a hand on his friend's shoulder and continues in a serious tone. “Did you forget how often I’ve gone in to try to find where that dang signal is coming from that keeps messing with your minds!? It wasn’t the tower, it wasn’t the town hall, so it’s something else! It must be! Impulse has come here, warns us about dangers, so what else can it be but that? It's gotta have something to do with the danger, I'm sure of it. If that signal comes from below…”

“X might have it,” Impulse says. “The code, the information, the switch, he's… I remember, the last time before he wiped my mind, he… perhaps the solution can be found in his head, he did tap his helmet as though to tap his head. If it is at all psionic.”

The three glance at each other. Impulse can only guess at where their minds are going. Impulse can only be certain that Tango is not liking this discussion one bit and is fuming at the thought of his friend returning to Hermiton.

“If he does, he's gonna be difficult to talk to,” Bdubs says eventually. A joyless chuckle followed. “No matter what, it'll be difficult. I'm still getting those videos from our anonymous inside source, and Xisuma's not doing any better. That's to say, he's doing worse than the rest. You should see him slouch on the tapes.”

Xisuma's state was… strange, to say the least. During their last conversation, Impulse had heard the exhaustion seep into his usual cheery voice. He was breaking under the pressure placed upon him, or by whatever has used him.

“If the solution's in his head, we may not have a lot of time,” Impulse says. “On top of already not having too much time.” 

“We need to go in there. We have to confront Xisuma,” Bdubs says. He looks directly at Impulse. “And we need you to bring us there.”

Impulse takes a deep breath and nods. If this is how he can help, then he will. “I’ll do it.”

“No, he won’t,” Tango says. 

Impulse frowns, almost glares at Tango. “Yes, I will.”

Tango shakes his head. “No, Impulse–”

“I’ve done more than enough harm already,” Impulse says in a raised voice. “Let me do something good for once.”

That shuts up Tango. He had already opened his mouth, but as soon as Impulse's tone hits him, he says nothing. His mouth hangs open for a little while, but he closes it eventually, with no extra commentary.

“We're leaving as soon as possible,” Bdubs says. “I’ll ask the others if anyone wants to come along. You better get ready.”

Impulse nods, and he watches Bdubs and Gem leave him and Tango alone. Tango lets out a big, exasperated sigh and turns to Impulse again.

“You really believe you haven’t done anything good?” he asks.

“I know I’ve done a lot of harm. Don’t know how, but I have,” Impulse says. “Especially to you. I’ve… You’ve helped me time and time again and I got caught time and time again. I was swept back up in that bliss and I can’t imagine the things I might’ve told you when my memories of you were suppressed and I had no idea who you were. Is there a chance I’m gonna be targeted again and get caught once more? It’s possible. But I have to try. I have to do something. I have to prove to you that I can help, that I can be useful. I can’t help from this island.”

Impulse cannot sit still while this danger is coming for them. He cannot stand the silence that sits between himself and Tango. Yet, it does not take long before Tango says something.

“You realize I’m not letting you out of my sight, right?”

Impulse smiles weakly. “Wouldn’t want it any other way.”

Chapter Text

“Someone ought to stay behind,” Beef said. “You know. Just in case.”

Everyone in Keralis’ island mansion was mobilizing, getting ready for their excursion into Hermiton proper. What little long-term supplies they had gathered had been passed around and given to everyone, though some had been slow to accept their share. Such as Beef.

The sentiment temporarily paused the mobilization efforts. Each sought a pair of eyes to lock onto, a gaze to silently ask and see what others thought of this idea. The quiet consensus was soon said aloud.

“I mean…” False said, the first to speak. “You’re not wrong.”

“I would feel safer with someone being out here, in case things go wrong,” Ren added, backed by the affirmative murmur of his friends. Beef, in response, nodded.

“Exactly!” he said. “That’s why I’ll be staying here.”

Nobody seemed to object. Gem did note how Impulse seemed a little saddened to lose a member of the expedition, though he also shared the excitement that someone would remain here in case something would go horribly wrong inside Hermiton. 

Bdubs blinked a few times. He had agreed with the sentiment, but now his mind was working in overdrive.

“I hadn’t thought of the possibility of failure,” Bdubs announced. “And I’m not going to start now!”

He walked forward and placed a hand on Beef’s shoulder. “Hopefully, the boredom of being stuck here treats you well and that you’ll see us return victoriously with all of our friends.”

Beef chuckled. It sounded a little nervous. “I would hope so.”

“You don’t have to be all alone here,” Keralis said. He had put aside everything he’d been gathering for the trek and went to stand right next to Beef. “I’ll stay here with you.”

“Me too!” Ren exclaimed. He did not drop off any of the gear he’d gathered and instead rushed to Beef’s other side, swinging an arm around his shoulders. When he spoke again, he looked directly at Ren. “If you wanna sneak into the city, like our original plan is, you may need a slightly smaller group.”

“And we’ll have more backup,” Gem added.

Ren and Keralis nodded fervently for a few seconds. However, they slowly realized that it meant that they - along with Beef - were going to be the backup that Gem was talking about. 

“We’re gonna be back soon,” Bdubs said, either blissfully unaware of the change in mood or wilfully ignoring it. “Everyone else will be free, too.”

“Good luck, guys!” Beef said, and everyone else said their goodbyes and good lucks as well. Ren, Keralis, and Beef waved them goodbye at the docks while three boats with Bdubs, Impulse, Tango, Gem and False rowed away. It did not take long before the island and the mansion that sat atop it disappeared in the distance behind them. Instead, the mountain-shaped prison loomed in front of them, towering over them.

They left the boats docked ashore. The current wasn’t too strong, so they didn’t need to worry that the boats would float away. They grabbed their supplies and started the march to the foot of the mountain.

There was a hole in the mountain. It wasn’t too terribly visible from the coast, as some spruce trees stood in the way of visibility. Still, there was a hole in the mountain and beyond it, in the middle of the hollow insides, sat a quaint, well-lit little town where the majority of Hermits had been trapped for a long, long time.

Impulse’s campfire near this entrance had since died down. Impulse stared at his little makeshift camp for a bit before he turned his gaze to the town in the distance. The sight alone caused him to be caught up in his thoughts.

Tango placed a firm hand on his friend’s shoulders. “All good?”

Impulse nodded. “All good. Just… I’m going back again.”

“I know,” Tango said. “But you’re not going alone. and you’re definitely not losing your memories of us this time.”

“Not if we can help it,” False added.

Impulse looked around the group. Tango, a good friend, a better friend than he could remember. Bdubs, a jolly man with great ideas, and currently the poster child for perseverance during difficult times. False, a strong person with a sharp blade and a kind and humble heart to accompany it. Gem, who was still suspicious of him, but whose suspicion only shone so brightly because she wished only the best for her friends. Nothing he could fault her for.

Friends. All of them. Beef, Keralis, and Ren, too. Everyone who was stuck in Hermiton, too. All friends, who needed to get back on the same page with one another.

“Thanks, guys,” Impulse said. “I’ll be okay, I think. Let’s just go.”

With some more encouraging words, the five marched into the mountain.

It was silent. The occasional flickering torch warded off any mobs that would have spawned in the darkest areas. The town itself was brighter than any of the torches, every square inch covered by one solid light block. The town itself was a strange place. One main street that formed the main square, where all the buildings had been built. All homes sat connected to the street, a small park in the middle gave the inhabitants access to a small pond and a medium-sized Nether portal for easy and quick Nether adventures. Sitting around the town’s center were places of work, seemingly haphazardly scattered with no real goal. Still, towering above it all was an imposing town hall, built in an ominous gothic style that may not have raised questions before, but needed no further explanation.

A strange and confrontational sight for those who had spent a significant amount of time in the town, caught under the thrall of whatever Evil X was doing. Caught in the haze, it had all seemed more spacious. Bigger, more luxurious, more expansive. Roads ran off of the main streets to go to these places of work, while an immense bamboo forest would block the way to the outside and the hole in the mountain. A day and night sky was always visible. To see it in this sorry state only reinforced their beliefs to save their friends.

“Whoa,” False said. She hadn’t been back to the town in a while - others had volunteered to go in to save others - and while she had had an idea of what she was leaving behind, she had never realized this was the state of Hermiton when she and Ren left. She’d been too busy trying to keep TFC safe to look back.

“I know,” Bdubs said with a knowing nod and a sorrowful look in his eyes. This truly wasn’t the best place for any Hermit to be. Rather, it was likely the worst.

The sooner they could help, the better.

They stayed off of the main road. Despite the silence, it didn’t feel safe to wander too deeply into town. 

“I used to live here,” Impulse said out of the blue. He pointed at the backside of one of the identical houses that lined this street. His gaze was drawn to the one right next to it. “Zed’s my neighbor. Perhaps he’s still here.”

He took one step closer to the house where Zedaph lived.

“Okay, hold up,” Tango said, and he gently took Impulse’s arm to prevent him from moving closer. “It wouldn’t be a good idea to approach.”

“Why do you want to see him?” Gem wondered, narrowing her eyes at him. The sword in the scabbard remained there for the time being, though her hand hovered over the sword’s hilt.

Impulse glanced at his friends. Overcome with emotion, it was nonetheless difficult to see which emotion took priority and what he was thinking. 

“Just wanted to say ‘hi’,” Impulse responded in a smaller, quieter voice. “I see now that’s not a good idea.”

“You’re right,” Gem said sharply. “It isn’t.”

“Let’s continue before we’re spotted,” False said. Her gaze had been on the perimeter, searching for any signs of trouble before they could potentially ambush them.

“Isn’t it weird that the streets are empty, though?” Bdubs said. He, too, had been keeping an eye out for trouble, though his gaze had been primarily on the streets. “I’ve been here many times, and there’s always at least one or two people around. There’s never nobody around.”

Pointing it out prompted everyone to look around, but Bdubs was correct. Wherever they looked, they saw nobody. Their ears did not pick up on anything beyond the ordinary, which raised all of their suspicions. Only Impulse did not seem to think this was strange, and he was just a bit confused by the reactions of his companions.

“What do you–” Impulse stopped himself when he realized why his friends would find it suspicious that nobody was around. “Ah. I assume the curfew didn’t always exist, then.”

“There’s a curfew now?” Tango wondered out loud.

“I’m not surprised,” Bdubs said. “They did grow rather paranoid after losing a few Hermits.” 

It was a sentiment that Impulse and False could agree with - Xisuma did become a little paranoid and Impulse had to explain that the town has a curfew. Except now, he had to admit, it likely was only enacted after False and Ren got out, to prevent anyone else from leaving, too. Not that a curfew could physically stop people, but the notion of going against the law was enough to keep most law-abiding Hermits indoors. And because of what Evil X was putting in the air or transmitting or however he kept the Hermits docile, not even Grian would dare violate this curfew.

With that out of the way, the group finally continued to sneak around the outside of Hermiton, to approach the evil-looking town hall from its side. With the utmost caution and care, they snuck closer to the main entrance, looking out over all of Hermiton. Two heavy dark oak doors kept nosy Hermits out and all the windows had blinds covering them, making it impossible to see inside.

When Bdubs pushed against the door, it slowly creaked open. Instead of being met with the interior of an actual town hall, they only saw a facade that hid a set of stars descending deeper into the earth.

A moment of silence, in which glances were shared. This was it, then. Their chance to go downstairs and stop Evil X.

Here goes nothing.

The group descended into the basement of the town hall, unsure about what they would find there.

Chapter Text

Welsknight couldn’t make heads or tails from the set-up. A strange sort of operating table stood in the middle of the room, an even stranger machine standing next to it. Wels had never seen anything in his life. He was brought to this table and made to lie down on it, his hands and feet shackled to the table.

The silence was welcome, yet concerning. He heard nothing beyond echoing footsteps in the distance and the ringing in his ears. He could still hear the screams - his own and Hels’s - and he could still feel the electricity running through him. They had numbed his senses, numbed his fingertips, numbed his spirit.

Even so, he could not simply stare at the ceiling. He could not sit still and submit to whatever they were going to do to him. With the absence of constant shocks returned a moment of clarity, a semblance of autonomy as he realized he may have made a mistake.

It couldn’t be a mistake, he told himself. Whatever he had done ensured that Helsknight wouldn’t suffer anymore. Everything else that followed from his decision was something they would be sure to overcome. Even if the road to the solution was unclear, they’d find it.

Even if they were lost.

The footsteps grew louder. In walked the man responsible for Wels’s pain. Wels could see him walk in, and instantly recognized that something was different. Perhaps it was the hesitation in each step, the way he kind of slouched, how he looked at the floor and the walls - everywhere but at the man he’d ordered be brought and shackled in this dark, bare room. He barely spared Wels even a glance as he stood next to the machine and started to type something to input into the machine. Whatever it was, it likely wasn’t good.

What did he need a body for?

From up close, Wels could almost see the exhaustion and defeat in Xisuma’s eyes. Despite the choice he’d made and his own exhaustion, Wels couldn’t stand to see what was going on with his old friend.

“Xisuma…”

“Don’t,” X responded. He did not look up from the machine, nor did he sound particularly convincing. It was not a threat, nor a warning. It was the conviction of a man for whom fighting back has lost all meaning and the sweet release of escape was a far-off fantasy.

“I have to try,” Wels said. He likely didn’t sound convincing, either. He wasn’t too aware of how he must look and sound. He was only vaguely aware of how little he felt and how little he cared about his own well-being. Everything was numb, either way, and the one thing that had kept him going - that still was able to keep him going - was the knowledge that Helsknight would be spared from pain and the shocks. It would at the very least give Hels time to recover before he’d attempt to break. Whatever he would be doing after that was anyone’s guess.

Hopefully that plan included to break out his other half.

“Still. Don’t.” Xisuma stopped typing and watched Wels with eyes that were just as empty as and hollow as his voice. “It won’t change anything.”

Wels tried to sit up, to change his position. The restraints kept him tied to the operating table, his own body groaning at the effort needed to even raise his head and back. He ignored the discomfort - he’s learned to push through worse and let it all wash over him - and looked directly at Xisuma.

“It might. Can’t you–”

“I’ve tried,” Xisuma interrupted him. “I can’t win. I just can’t.”

“If you give up, it’s over. But if you keep fighting…”

“He’ll keep hurting me.” One of his hands reached for the back of his neck, where the helmet met the skin, and he rubbed it. Perhaps it was more instinct than anything else, for it did not seem like such a deliberate movement. 

For a moment - but a fleeting moment - Welsknight felt like mentioning the pain he went through, and how it was worse. Yet, he swallowed his words and kept his mouth shut. For all the physical pain he’d endured over the course of… of goodness knows how long, whatever Xisuma had gone through had been so fundamentally different that the two could not be compared.

How much time had already passed? For how long had Evil X been influencing and controlling Xisuma? To what extent had that vile person broken the good-hearted version of himself?

“I appreciate the effort, but…” Xisuma sighed deeply. “He’s relentless. He doesn’t stop. He’s nothing but trouble.”

Immediately after that statement, Xisuma flinched. Welsknight had no idea what exactly had happened, but he guessed it must have been something mental. Something Wels could not see; something that Evil X must have inflicted.

“I get that. I know someone like that,” Wels responded. His mind instantly went to Helsknight and how he hadn’t given up yet. “He’ll be just as relentless.”

For a moment, Xisuma looked confused. Then, when Xisuma realized who Wels was talking about, a weird chuckle left his mouth. At the same time, he shook his head.

“You shouldn’t have said that.”

“Why not?” Perhaps the notion would spark some sort of hope inside the admin. 

“Because he heard you say it,” Xisuma said quietly. “Now, he’ll make doubly sure it won’t ever happen.”

I’d like to see him try. Helsknight was a different breed from the Hermits. Whatever Evil X may try to do to keep Hels subdued, he would find that the approach would need to be different from whatever he had been using on Xisuma, or even any of the other Hermits.

A second pair of echoing footsteps - a pair that Wels had initially thought he was making up and just hearing. The pained and agonizing screams of Hels still echoed in his ears, it wasn’t too far-fetched to imagine hearing more footsteps walking around in the distance. Except this pair also approached and soon, Hypno walked into the room.

The difference couldn’t be starker. Within Xisuma, Wels could see a battle lost. Within Hypno, he could not even see a battle had taken place. Almost as though the battlefield had been nuked out of existence and paved over with a field of flowers. Hypno walked in so nonchalantly, in such an unexpectedly normal way that it almost felt worse than how Xisuma looked.

“They’ve arrived in Hermiton,” Hypno said. He only had eyes for Xisuma; not an empty gaze, but not quite attentive either. Wels struggled and tried to break free. Perhaps he’d hoped it would catch Hypno’s attention - calling out his name would not do anything - but nothing seemed to break Hypno’s concentration. His full, unadulterated attention was on Xisuma.

“Wonderful news,” Xisuma nodded and muttered to himself. After he cleared his throat and straightened his, that sickly chipper voice returned. Despite everything, Xisuma was still forced to put on a show for those who were entranced. “Why don’t you help me prepare for their arrival? We ought to be ready to face them.”

Hypno nodded. “Sure thing.”

He walked over to the backside of the machine - where Wels hadn’t been able to see - and pulled out a strange helmet, attached with several color-coded wires to the machine. At first glance, Wels did not get a good feeling from this helmet. Hypno approached the table with the helmet and attempted to place it on Wels’ head.

Attempted - Wels struggled as much as he could, moving his head in hopefully unpredictable ways to discourage Hypno from actually placing this helmet upon Wels’ head. All the while, Xisuma snuck glances in between doing more things with the machine, turning a few knobs and doing other things that Wels could not see because he was trying desperately not to wear that helmet. 

Though he would have wished for it, he could not struggle forever. His body was already exhausted, and at some point he remained too still. Hypno forced the helmet firmly upon his head. Wels shook his head with everything he had, but the strange metal helmet that kind of clamped around his head stayed in its place. Wels wasn’t going to shake it off.

Immediately after finishing his task, Hypno walked away. Strangely enough, the echoing footsteps drew Wels’ attention. It almost felt as though his thoughts were pulled along with them, away from his body. He blinked a few times when the realization came to him, reeled his thoughts closer into his mind again. He tried to keep his focus, to ensure that his thoughts would not vacate his mind. Yet, it seemed the more effort he put into it, the easier his thoughts - his fleeting, wandering thoughts - were leaving him.

Xisuma merely watched it happen.

“What’re you…” the words were slurred, his mouth almost as numb as the tips of his fingers - no, as his hands and arms and the rest of his body. Even this simple act cost him a lot of energy he could not easily spare.

“Sh. Just relax,” Xisuma spoke. In Hypno’s absence, his voice became hollow again. “It’ll be done before you know it.”

That was what Wels feared. That whatever this machine had just been programmed to do was doing exactly that, and that Wels would not know. Or, at the very least, that he lacked the critical thought to react properly.

He hadn’t realized his pounding heart wasn’t because of Xisuma, but because his mind was slowly being stripped of its thoughts. A primal fear, such as one only feels in the scariest moments, gripped him and did not let go. Similarly, his hand tried to reach out to Xisuma to grab him, to hold him, to have something to hold that was organic and not just cold steel.

“I’m sorry.” His voice broke as a tear rolled out of Xisuma’s eye.

“Help.” Nothing else remained. Just the fear and the need for someone - anyone - Xisuma - to step in and end it. Xisuma wasn’t moving. “Help me. X–”

Then Welsknight fell away into unconsciousness.

Chapter Text

The halls are quiet. Eerily so.

Impulse remembers only bits and pieces. Fragments of himself, walking down what feels like endless hallways and a maze of corridors leading nowhere. Always with a purpose, but one that he cannot recall. He can never recall the purpose before he awakens in bed to another perfect morning of a perfect day.

Their footsteps do echo. Five pairs of footsteps as the only sound that accompanies them down. The group is too big to move stealthily; even if everyone tries to be quiet, only one person needs to be loud enough to be heard. They were going to be found. They are going to be found and they will be captured. The rescue party will be unable to fulfill its purpose and everyone goes back to another perfect morning and another perfect day.

“Impulse?” Tango places a hand on his shoulder, to take him out of his creeping thoughts. “Impulse, you okay, buddy?”

“I… yeah.” Impulse nods and he smiles, hoping that it helps him sell it.

“Do you need to turn back?” Tango asks him. His voice is as quiet as it will ever be, and still Impulse believes he can almost see it bounce off of the walls and deeper down, where it can be heard.

“No, no…” Impulse responds and he sighs deeply. “It’s just weird. It’s – it always feels like a perfect day, even when it’s not. Even down here.”

Tango nods once, in a supportive motion. “Is that so?”

“I… I must’ve been here before. I recognize this place. I don’t – don’t really remember being here, though.”

Impulse lets his eyes trail across the sterile floors and walls, devoid of any of the creativity the hermits are known for. He looks ahead, to the intersection of corridors coming up. While his eyes find the intersection, Tango shakes his head disapprovingly.

“That’s not okay.”

Impulse shrugs. “It is how this place is run, I guess. With nobody to know or remember what rests below…”

“Really?” Gem joins in, a suspicious frown on her face.

The group has stopped. Impulse and Tango, standing to have their conversation. Bdubs and Gem and False, weapons ready, watching the conversation with varying degrees of understanding and annoyance. They want to continue, but Impulse is not moving. Perhaps that is making especially Gem anxious.

“Yeah, really,” Impulse responds. He is ready to let it slide, but Tango isn’t.

“Won’t you leave him be for a second there, Gem?” he said, his tone likely more hostile than he would have wished it to be. 

“He just said he didn’t know!” Gem points out. “That he didn’t remember. He came to us specifically to tell us something was wrong. That something was going on underneath the town hall.”

“As I told you, I don’t think I was supposed to remember,” Impulse defends himself in the same tone of voice he had been speaking in. “Or to be able to recall enough of it to share what little I do know. Which isn’t a lot, unfortunately.”

Gem narrows her eyes. “For someone claiming to know so little, you’ve been sharing enough information with us. Just enough to send us on this wild goose chase.”

Her hand goes to the sword in its scabbard, hanging from her hip. Ready to strike immediately, if that is what she needs to do. Impulse looks at the others; Tango does not believe her in the slightest, while her words seem to have swayed False.

“Well, it is a little suspicious,” False comments, cautiously siding with Gem in this conversation.

“I completely understand that,” Impulse says. “All I’m asking is for a little faith.”

“Yeah, have a little faith!” Tango defends his friend.

“Be quiet!” Bdubs whisper-shouts. Only after he spoke, do the others realize their volume had increased over the course of the conversation. “We don’t know who could be walking around here.”

“That’s true,” a voice says from around the corner. “You can never know who’s listening.”

Everyone turns their heads to the intersection. Two sets of footsteps, previously drowned out by the conversation, herald the two hermits walking into the hallway. Emerging from the right are Hypno and xB. xB’s grin betrays his excitement, while Hypno is tempered and walks in with folded arms.

Instantly, Gem and False draw their weapons. However, neither of them make the first strike. They wait to be attacked first before they can justify attacking their friends. In the meantime, neither Hypno nor xB seems to be hostile. Then again, that can always change instantly.

“Well, well, well, what have we got here?” xB says, almost gloating.

“Looks like the visitors finally showed up,” Hypno responds, eyeing the rescue party.

Impulse looks from the two of them to his friends. He does not have the attention of any hermit except for Gem, who is giving him a dirty glare. So unwarranted - Impulse did not know they would be seeing Hypno or xB in these hallways. He does not have control about who all walks around here; that honor befalls Xisuma. 

Bdubs steps forward, almost as a shield between himself and his friends, even though he is shaking. He holds up the axe in his hand and stares directly at their potential opponents.

“Stand down!” he says. “We don’t want to hurt you.”

Hypno and xB share knowing looks with one another while xB giggles at Bdubs’ declaration. As though he doesn’t believe that Bdubs would be able to harm them.

“We know what to do now, do we?” xB says.

Hypno nods. “Indeed.”

xB steps forward, ready to unsheath his own weapon. Hypno takes his axe and, at the last moment, turns it around so the blunt side is up. The action confuses the rescue party enough that it stops them. Yet, False and Gem raise their weapons, ready to defend themselves. 

Hypno steps up behind xB, who is taking his time, and whacks him over the head with the blunt side of the axe. With a groan, xB slumps to the ground and his sword clatters on the tiles. Hypno stands over his unconscious body and looks up from it to the group.

That is something Impulse hadn’t expected.

“Don’t come closer!” Bdubs shouts, holding his own axe up in defense. He is more than ready to protect his friends from Hypno and take the first hit. “I’m warning you.”

“Relax,” Hypno says. He bends down and places the axe on the floor. He stands back up with his hands in the air. “I’m on your side.”

“Prove it!” Bdubs says.

Hypno stares at him for a second, as though to ask ‘are you kidding me’. He then gestures to their unconscious friend on the ground as well as the axe he had placed beside it. Bdubs looks from Hypno to xB and the axe, and back to Hypno.

“I guess that proves it,” he says.

“Not to me,” Gem says. “What’s going on?”

Impulse nods in agreement and stares at Hypno. Something feels off about him that he can’t put a finger to. He doesn’t like this.

“I’ve been free for a little while,” Hypno explains to the group. He takes his time to watch all members of the rescue party, but his gaze inevitably falls on False. “Ren came to me before he pulled the stunt with you. I couldn't do much because xB’s been breathing down my neck for forever. I’m glad the two of you got out, at least.”

He nods at False, who nods right back at him.

“Ren mentioned your odd behavior when he spoke to you,” False says. She lowers her weapon. “I’m glad you’re alright.”

“As much as I can be,” Hypno says and he looks around. Perhaps he means more of greater Hermiton and the situation, but they cannot really be seen from the narrow, clean corridors of the complex that had been built beneath the town hall. A sympathetic display that has convinced False and Bdubs - and, from the looks of it, Tango - that he can be trusted.

“I don’t trust him,” Impulse says out loud, keeping a suspicious gaze on Hypno.

“For once, I agree with Impulse,” Gem says. She hasn’t lowered her weapon yet and is staring at Hypno with the same suspicion she had reserved for Impulse in the past few days. Hypno looks annoyed at the accusations, but doesn’t get an immediate chance to defend himself.

“You could change, right?” Tango asks Impulse. “You got out. Perhaps the same happened to Hypno, but way earlier than you did.”

Impulse doesn’t like that Tango takes Hypno’s side. He and Tango are best friends, so why is he choosing to defend Hypno over him. “Then why didn’t he leave earlier?”

“Because I couldn’t,” Hypno responds. Once again, he glances at xB. “He was a real pain in the butt. I also thought I could help out in my own small ways on the inside. Not that it ever amounted to anything…”

“Have you been sending me those videos?” Bdubs asks him, suddenly excited at the prospect of meeting the hermit who has been helping him out.

But Hypno frowns. 

“No,” he says. This is the first time he has heard about this. He tilts his head a little. “Someone’s been sending you videos?”

“We’re running out of time,” Impulse says. He can feel the pressure rise on him. The danger that has made him leave Hermiton in the first place breathes down on him, makes him anxious. Something is going to happen soon, and standing around and talking with Hypno is not going to help them.

“We don’t know what’s going to happen here,” Impulse says, very aware all the attention is back on him. “We can’t wait any longer, we have to get to Xisuma before it’s too late.”

“You’re here for Xisuma?” Hypno butts into the conversation again. “He’s not doing well.”

“We know,” Bdubs says. He briefly explains what he has been seeing from the videos. How Xisuma was slowly going from bad to worse in terms of health. How they had found substantial evidence that Xisuma wasn’t acting in his own mind and instead was being puppeted by Evil X, likely using the same transmission or haze that affected the other hermits as well. How there was a signal being transmitted from somewhere that, if they can destroy it, would hopefully free all the hermits.

As Bdubs explains it, Hypno listens with wide eyes and surprise. He likely hasn’t expected this information.

“If you’ve been aware, and you’re down here…” False says. “What has X been up to? What has he been doing?”

Instantly, Hypno’s face goes a shade paler. He folds his arms, clearly uncomfortable with the situation. “He’s been torturing Wels and his brother.”

Wels - Welsknight - is another name that has been scrubbed from memory. Yet, when Hypno says it, the memories flood back in. Of course, how could they ever forget their very own knight and his evil brother? The shame of forgetting is paired with the strange knowledge that Wels has not been alone in this underground facility.

“Helsknight’s here, too?” Tango wonders out loud.

Hypno quietly nods in response. “Wels has given in to Xisuma’s… Evil X’s requests. I don’t know what he is planning, but he’s hooked Wels up to some sort of machine.” He takes a breath and straightens his back, looking at the group who stands in front of him. “But since you’re here, we can free them and see what else we can do for the hermits.” 

“Where is Helsknight?” Gem asks him.

“In a cell. Near here, but the road from here’s complicated,” Hypno responds. “We could free him.”

We can free Helsknight. It is the noble thing to do. Despite his past, Helsknight could be a great ally in the fight against Evil X. They still have no idea what to do or even how to free the hermits, but at the very least Helsknight may want some revenge. For today, Hels could be on their side. They only have to free him first.

“But that won’t help X,” Impulse says. “Or Wels. If we go after Helsknight, we’re allowing something terrible to happen to Wels.”

“So we split up,” Hypno suggests. “I can lead one group to where Helsknight is being held, and the others go directly to Xisuma and Wels.”

The group considers their options and slowly but surely, one by one, they show their support for the idea. While splitting up in general is not something they would want to do, it can help them gain an ally and ensures that they still have enough people to help Wels and deal with Evil X. 

Everyone but Impulse likes the idea. He is not a fan of splitting up the group, and even less so that Bdubs and Gem - who had volunteered - would be leaving alone with Hypno. He still does not really trust Hypno, and he doesn’t want either of them to leave with him. 

Impulse doesn’t find the support he hopes for. Gem doesn’t trust him, anyway, and Bdubs is too easily swayed by someone who may pretend to be good.

“Impulse,” Tango says to interrupt the downward spiral Impulse has found himself in. “Everything’s going to be okay. We’re not gonna be alone, they won’t be either. If Hypno is untrustworthy, Gem and Bdubs can easily overpower him.”

“But what if something goes wrong?” Impulse says, in a final attempt to sway one of his best friends. “I don’t want anyone to get hurt, I want everyone to stay together to have that strength in numbers…”

“We’ll still have that,” Tango tries to comfort his friend. “There’s not as many of us, but we’ll still have that advantage.” He squeezes Impulse’s shoulder. “Have a little faith.”

Impulse glances at the rescue party; at False and Tango and Gem and Bdubs. And Hypno, who is standing there as an ally, or so he claims. Impulse still doesn’t dare to trust him. For the first time since his departure from Hermiton, he feels like he doesn’t have control in the situation. He feels like it is slipping from him.

It doesn’t matter, he tries to tell himself. Even if they split up, the result will be the same. 

So Impulse nods. “Alright. I’ll… try to have faith.”

The groups split up: Bdubs, Gem, and Hypno to find and rescue Helsknight, and Impulse, Tango and False to rush to Wels and Xisuma. Hopefully, it’s not too late.

Chapter Text

“Is it far?” Gem wondered out loud.

“Just around this corner,” Hypno responded.

She could feel her anxiety rising. Already this rescue mission was something she would rather be done with. To help Xisuma, yes, she would love to come. However, she still couldn’t help herself. She couldn’t trust Impulse, and she couldn’t fully trust Hypno, either, even though he had knocked out xB. Who was to day what was going to happen when they arrived at Helsknight? For all they knew, they may be ambushed and Hypno could be a much better liar or actor than she had ever given him credit for.

Luckily, she still had Bdubs with her. At least someone was in her corner, and neither of them would go down without a fight.

They turned around the corner. Another hallway, almost the same as the other, waited for them. The only difference was a set of doors embedded in the walls. Hypno walked past the first few, but stopped at one of the ones on the right. He placed his hand on the handle, but the door wouldn’t budge.

“Locked,” Hypno said with a sigh. “Right.”

Bdubs and Gem glanced at one another. Since Hypno didn’t immediately make any efforts to look for the key, they decided to take the matter into their own hands. For a second, it looked like they had the same idea. However, while Gem gently pushed Hypno out of the way, Bdubs attempted to kick the door in. The door buckled under Bdubs’ kicks, but did not push it off of its hinges. While Bdubs recovered from these actions, Gem barreled into it shoulder-first.

The door fell and the three looked inside. On the ground, on his knees, sat a sad man. His armor was dusty in places where the guards hadn’t handled him before, and his helmet sat near the door. His ashen skin looked unhealthy and a pair of red eyes gazed at them. Exhaustion plagued him, and yet he took the effort to look up and scoff at the people who had just come in.

“Now there’s some faces I haven’t seen. Along with one I have seen.” Helsknight’s eyes briefly looked at Hypno. “Rescue party or torturers?”

“Torturers?” Gem wondered out loud, as she stepped into the cell. “We’re here to help.”

She, Bdubs, and Hypno walked in. Within the room, a lever stood well out of reach of the shackled disgraced knight. A flick of the lever was all they needed to have Helsknight’s shackles undone. The knight pushed himself to his feet, but he needed help to remain standing. Hypno volunteered to keep Helsknight on his feet. Bdubs had grabbed the helmet and handed it over to the knight, who thankfully put it on.

“I’m sorry I’m not who you thought to find here,” Helsknight said, likely referring to Wels. “I hope you have an exit plan. The four of us in a fight against the compound isn’t going to do us any good.”

“We’re not alone here,” Bdubs responded. “we’ve got more people.”

“More?” Helsknight’s eyes widened for a second, but then narrowed. “Who else is here with you?”

“False, Tango and Impulse are going to Xisuma and Wels as we speak,” Bdubs responded.

Helsknight’s shoulders dropped upon hearing those names. He watched Bdubs in disbelief. “And you’re letting him?”

Bdubs frowned “What?”

Helsknight shook his head. “That might have been the biggest mistake you’ve ever made.”

Tango, Impulse, and False ran through the building and entered a larger room. The room was dark and bare, the singular lantern hanging from the ceiling having been dimmed. Nothing decorated this room, though it wasn't completely empty. In the middle of the space stood a large machine with all kinds of knobs and buttons. It whirred with energy, getting its power from an unknown source. Next to it stood an operating table on which the unmoving body of Welsknight lay. And next to it, lying on the ground, was X himself. His helmet had fallen off and was located a couple of feet away from his now exposed head.

Falls ran to X's side, whereas Tango and Impulse focused on Wels and the machine. Tango instinctively walked over to the machine, while Impulse retrieved X’s helmet and walked with it to Tango, Wels, and the machine.

“Can you decipher it?” Impulse asked his friend.

“I don’t know what this does,” Tango responded. He seemed baffled by the technology used. “I mean, I could figure it out, but it’s going to take some time–”

“Which we don’t have,” Impulse finished his sentence.

Tango nodded. “Yeah.”

“I can take a look as well,” Impulse offered.

“Knock yourself out.”

Tango turned his back to the machine - which Impulse gave his full attention - and instead examined Welsknight. He wasn’t moving, but at least he was breathing in and out rather slowly. He was alive - at least that was good. Tango gently placed his hand on Wels’ shoulder and shook it, to try to get a reaction from him.

Welsknight stirred, as though being roused from a deep sleep.

“Wels?” Tango said. “Wels, are you okay?”

“What’s going on?” Wels mumbled, slurred his words. It looked like he was trying to wake up quicker, trying to push himself up with his weak arms. He tried to push his heavy eyes open and to keep them from falling shut.

“You’ll be fine, alright?” Tango said, helping his friend sit up. “You’re gonna be okay.”

Wels sat up and Tango almost had to physically hold him back to ensure he wouldn’t fall over immediately. It seemed Wels was extremely eager to get up.

“Xisuma’s breathing,” False declared. She looked up from her friend, whom she was holding in her arms. She glanced around. “Where’s his helmet? Didn’t I see it lying around here when we entered?”

“I’ve got it,” Impulse said. He still held onto the helmet. “Don’t worry, we’ve got it, still.”

False held out her hand, as though she was going to receive the helmet from Impulse. “Alright, then, give it here and we can help him.”

“We should leave first,” Wels said through gritted teeth. He stood unsteadily on his feet and looked at his rescuers. “This is not a safe place to be. We can always help him outside, but we need to get out of here, first.”

“What about the machine?” Tango wondered. He glanced at it and at Impulse, who had been standing at it and… well, doing something, pressing buttons and trying to figure it out. He shrugged when Tango looked at him. “What do we do with it? Impulse, do you think this can save the Hermits?”

“It might?” Impulse’s voice raised at the end of the sentence. “I’m not sure, this is my first time seeing this machine, either. It… It could help the hermits, yeah.”

“Okay, so we don’t smash it,” Tango said. His brain was going miles per hour, trying to find the best way to deal with the situation and make a satisfying decision. “But we can’t leave it here as is, right? Would that be a bad idea?”

“Xisuma used it,” Impulse said. He glanced at Xisuma, still unconscious in False’s arms. He deliberately did not look at False, who still held out her hand to get X’s helmet from him. “Perhaps he’s the only one who knows how to use it.”

“He needs to get out of this place,” Wels said. “Once the thralls find out what is going on, they’ll not rest until they have their leader back. It’s not going to be pretty.”

“Then we gotta go,” Impulse agreed with Wels’ plan. Then added, for False’s sake: “We’ll give him the helmet once we’re out of here.”

Tango nodded. It sounded like a good solution, even if False looked confused and did not seem like she agreed with the plan. Overwhelmed by the strong opinions of Wels, backed up by Impulse, she had no choice but to go along with their plan - and that was something she did not like. That was something that made her pause and look at the situation a bite more widely, for something was not adding up here, despite their logic.

Footsteps echoed down the hallway. It didn’t take long before Helsknight, Hypno, Bdubs and Gem arrived on the scene. Hypno was holding onto Helsknight and holding him steady on his feet. He looked so rough that, if he hadn’t been wearing his knightly armor, they may not have even recognized him. But Helsknight, despite his injuries, had a fire in his eyes that rivaled the dirtiest of death glares; This time, as per usual, his gaze was focused on Welsknight. If Hypno hadn’t been keeping him on his feet, Helsknight might’ve walked forward to harm Wels.

“Stop right there!” Hels yelled instead. “You can’t take him with you.”

Him. His words dripped with venom when he referred to Wels. At the same time, False’s eyes sought solace and help with Gem’s, and Gem approached Xisuma as well. Tango and Impulse were focused on the visitors and did not pay too much attention to this.

“Great, you’ve got Hels!” Tango said, breathing a sigh of relief, though it did nothing to calm his nerves. “Now we can–”

“Why did you bring him?” Wels asked, his tone now cold and distant. He, too, glared at Hels.

Tango stammered. “He’s—”

“He can’t be trusted,” Wels quickly ended Tango’s sentence before it even started. He held out a hand toward Impulse, without even looking at him. Impulse understood the cue and quickly walked over, handing Xisuma’s helmet to Wels.

“You’re the one who can’t be trusted!” Hels shouted, his voice echoing through the room. He lifted a shaky finger towards Wels, and Hypno now was actively holding Hels back. “You’re a cockroach, that’s what you are.”

“We can hurl insults at each other once we’re all out of there,” Impulse tried to defuse the situation. “Xisuma needs-”

“No, we’ve gotta resolve this now,” Hypno said. His gaze was wary, trained on Wels and looked pretty weirded out. As did Bdubs. It was almost as strong as Hels’ hatred for his double.

“Bdubs, what’s going on here?” Tango asked, exasperated by the rather confusing situation. “What happened?”

“That’s not Wels,” Bdubs said.

All eyes naturally drifted to Wels. Tango, still confused. Bdubs and Hypno, wary and cautious. Hels, with burning hatred. Gem and False, with that same wary look, including a spare glance at Impulse. Impulse, who also looked at Wels, whom he had given Xisuma’s helmet, and who did not seem at all confused, surprised, or wary around Welsknight.

For a second, nothing happened. Then, Wels sighed and straightened his back. All of his usual mannerisms melted away. It was an unnatural sight, to see someone who you’ve known for so long act like someone else. A strange, unnaturally evil grin appeared on his lips. He looked at the helmet in his hands before he lifted his head and looked at Helsknight again.

“Well, then,” he said, using the same inflections as Evil Xisuma, “I guess the secret’s out now.”

Chapter Text

The tension was palpable. Xisuma lay unconscious on the ground, not wearing his helmet, unresponsive and breathing deeply. Next to him stood Gem and False, who had been holding him but let go in favor of drawing their weapons. Near the exit stood Bdubs, keeping an eye on the situation as it unfolded. To his right, Hypno was still standing, Helsknight's arm slung over his shoulder. It was keeping the wounded, tortured knight from immediately rushing into the room to tackle Welsknight, near Tango and Impulse. Wels, who stood in the middle of the room and just regained his footing, who adapted the posture and mannerisms of someone who he was not, only smirked when these strange mannerisms were pointed out.

“Well, then,” Wels spoke and used the same inflections that Evil Xisuma would. “I guess the secret’s out now.”

He made a theatrical bow towards Hels and then let his gaze glide through the room. The confusion and shock was visible on the faces of those who did not know of the plan. 

“Evil X!?” Tango exclaimed. He took a step away from the villain that now seemed to inhabit - or at the very least control - him. “Wha- how?”

“I’ve had a little help.” He held up the helmet - Xisuma's helmet - for all to see and held on to it. The helmet, which he'd received from Impulse, whose eyes only ever briefly moved away from the smoothstone floor. “Honestly, I couldn't have done it if you weren't so willing to walk into my little trap.”

“What are you planning, fiend?” Bdubs asked, unsure what to do. Likewise, both False and Gem were ready to attack, yet neither made the first move. Though Evil X was speaking, he was doing so through Wels, having completely taken over. Even in this state, the hermits would rather not yurt their friend.
 
“I’m sure you’d like the full story,” Evil X said.  He left a pause for dramatic effect, which didn't quite seem to hit the mark the way he'd want it to. 

“The plan was to have all of you in one convenient place,” he said. “I’ve mostly succeeded on that part. There’s a few people I’m not seeing here, but no worries. I’ve sent out some folks to help bring those you left on your safe little island all the way back here. Beyond that… oh, beyond that, the plan worked wonderfully!”

With the helmet clenched between his side and his arm, he clasped his hands together, making sure to make eye contact with all his enraptured listeners. Of those listeners, still only Impulse wasn’t looking. Still, he seemed to make it as easy as possible to avoid all eye contact with everyone, almost slowly trying to move closer to the large machine to hide behind from his friends.

“Impulse?” Tango had noticed. Of course he'd notice Impulse acting weird and would call him out for it. Impulse raised his gaze, gave Tango the most apologetic and shame-ridden look. Before he could say a word, Evil X spoke up.

“He’s been a great asset.” Evil X motioned at Impulse, and his gaze was once again on the floor. “How foolish must you be, to welcome him back after all this time. He had the perfect cover. Why wouldn’t he be back for real this time?” Evil X chuckled. “He was never back to begin with.”

Tango looked horrified, heartbroken, betrayed. “Impulse, how could you?”

“I knew there was something up with him!” Gem exclaimed, now focusing her attention on Impulse. He said nothing and did nothing but let the shouts wash over him.

“Comes all too late, now,” Evil X gloated. “I’ve got what I wanted. A stable body, an army to command… and an adversary to break.”

“Don’t you have a body already?” False wondered out loud. From what they all remembered, Evil X had a body of his own.

“Yeah, get out of Wels!” Bdubs shouted.

“Look at this body! Who wouldn't want to inhabit it?” Don't you worry. My own body's somewhere safe. Unfortunately, a busybody with too much time on his hands made it extremely difficult for me to come here. But his defenses are not infallible. I made it in.” 

His glare fell briefly on the unconscious Xisuma. He hadn't woken up yet and it didn't look like it would anytime soon. However, his story continued, and he regained his posture.

It was a weird sight. The person talking, threatening, glancing around, reveling in the attention was most definitely Evil X. To see that expressed through Wels - with his body, his voice, his glare… a truly horrible sight, for Wels to be used so cruelly.

“What do you want with us?” False asked him directly. Still prepared, still ready to strike. “What do you want to take from us?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Evil X said “No. That much I will keep to myself. There is, however, one thing I'd like for you to do.” Another pause for dramatic effect. “Submit.”

A wave of energy washed over all who were not already under his thrall. Impulse watched as the people he had lured here - his friends, once - suddenly had to fight against the haze that had kept everyone in Hermiton complacent. It gripped their minds and attempted to drown them in bliss and nothingness. The intensity did not build up so much as it hit them with a sledgehammer, wrapped itself around their heads and refused to let go.

Impulse didn’t know where to look, what to do. He had been with these people for such a short time, yet the time spent with them had almost felt more natural than the good life he’d been leading in Hermiton. This would bring them not just salvation, but that same good life. So why would they fight against that?

Because they see it as not good.

With everything they shared, perhaps Impulse was influenced by it. Perhaps Impulse listened too much to them while he tried to keep his cover. That failed, didn’t it?

He remembered. Not well, but he remembered how he had gone to the island a couple of times before. Always, it inevitably ended up here. Inevitably, he would fall back under the spell after a short conversation with Xisuma, while he was puppeteered by evil. Most recently, he’d ended up here after trying to destroy a signal tower, to stop the signal that created the haze. What had Xisuma said again?

It wasn’t the tower, while he’d tapped his temple. Or his helmet.

Now, they all had dropped to the ground, either on their back, sides, or knees, fighting with all their might to keep this influence at bay. All the while, Evil Xisuma turned around and relished in the anguish he inflicted upon the Hermits.

From the corner of his eye, Impulse saw False raise her blade. She had dropped to her knees, but she fought through whatever Evil Xisuma was imposing upon her. She did not seem to focus on Evil Xisuma, though. Instead, she plunged the sword into Xisuma’s heart.

“No!” Wels’ voice echoed through the room, his face detracting as Evil Xisuma watched how Xisuma’s body vaporized upon his death. 

For a split second, Evil Xisuma was distracted. Distracted enough for Impulse to run in and try to tackle Wels. In that moment, Impulse reached for the helmet and attempted to wrest it from Evil X. The distraction proved fatal; the helmet clattered onto the ground and Impulse kicked it over to Gem, who was currently closest to him. 
 
“This is it!”’ Impulse said. “It’s how he–”

Evil X’s hand closed around Impulse’s throat. 

“You,” Evil X snarled. “You little rat! I’ll have your head for this!”

In his anger, he focused his attention on Impulse and completely lost sight of the helmet. The iron grasp on the dissident minds of the rescue party slipped a little - just enough for Gem to pull the helmet closer to her and pierce the helmet with her sword.

With the first thrust, Evil X realized what was going on. With the second, more of the helmet was destroyed and Wels swayed on his feet, letting go of Impulse. With the third, the majority of the helmet’s functions were destroyed and Wels collapsed.

At the same time, the haze that had still rested upon Impulse lifted. For the first time in a long time, he could think straight again. This time, however, he did not need to fear being pulled back in. The signal had been disrupted - Evil X could no longer influence them.

It was over.

Chapter Text

The warm sun on his skin woke him up.

Impulse stayed in the bed for a little longer, though. He wasn’t inclined to immediately get up and get to work, like he would have done not too long ago. Instead, he stared at the ceiling and reminded himself that he couldn’t stay within the comforts of his bed sheets without eliciting any concerns from his friends.

Eventually, he pushed the sheets off of him and got ready for the day. He stepped out of his house - his own home, a cozy little starter build where he stocked up on everything he would need for the factory that would one day loom large in the background. From the front door, he could see the boatem pole around which his neighbors had decided to build their bases. Impulse didn’t quite see any of the neighbors, though: perhaps Grian, Mumbo, Scar and Pearl were already too busy, or perhaps they just were not currently around.

Good.

Still, as Impulse stepped outside, he was met with the familiar face of a good friend.

“Hey, Impy,” Tango greeted him.

“Hi, Tango,” Impulse said. “You know, you don’t have to come over every morning.”

Tango lived on the other side of the large island they called home this season. He didn’t need to come all the way over to where Boatem had established itself, let alone doing that every day. Yet, he stood there with the friendliest smile.

“What if that’s something I want to do?” Tango asked him. Then, in a more serious tone, he said: “We can all tell you’re not feeling great. I’d rather see you every day than not be there for you.”

Impulse chuckled. “What gave you that idea?”

“You’re specifically avoiding the people you’ve decided to create a district with,” Tango said, gesturing to the boatem pole this district was to be named after. “You know they don’t blame you, right?”

“They should.” Impulse may not have had much interaction with any of them as a citizen of Hermiton, but he did harm. He was pulled back and forth a few times, and worst of all - he lured his friends into a trap that could have had a more disastrous outcome if he hadn’t been able to realize that what was happening was actually bad.

Hermiton… Bdubs likely already completely blasted it to smithereens with the amount of tnt he’d asked for and made himself. His mountain still stood, but the town beneath no longer existed and the entrance had been patched up. It was for the better - a lot of bad things have happened there and it would be too much of an open wound to allow it to continue to exist.

“Absolutely not, they shouldn’t blame you!” Tango exclaimed. “You were used, as was everyone else. You are not to blame for anything.”

“I agree,” a third voice joined the conversation. “If anyone ought to get the blame, it’s me.” 

Tango and Impulse turned their heads to the source. Xisuma walked closer to them. At a slower pace than normal, and without a helmet, he approached the two hermits, barely able to suppress a cough as he came close.

“What are you doing here?” Tango said. “You’re supposed to rest.”

“Hasn’t Doc finished the new helmet yet?” Impulse wondered. Last he heard, Doc was in the middle of making Xisuma a new helmet. The last one - the one that Evil X had been able to use to pierce through and telepathically invade the server with - had been too damaged to be repaired. Gem had already apologized for it, just as False had apologized for stabbing Xisuma. The admin had forgiven them both - the helmet had been an instrument of evil, and the death meant that he could respawn with a semi-cleared mind, which had jump-started the healing process in a way that would have been impossible had he still been unconscious.

“Not yet, from what I’ve heard,” Xisuma said. “I’m going around town this morning. Checking in on everyone, making sure we’re settling in alright.”

“How’s Wels?” Impulse asked. Another question that unbearably weighed on him.

“Not great,” Xisuma said with a sigh. “But he’s started to communicate with us non-verbally, so that’s a start.”

A start. It shouldn’t have been a start. Wels should have been able to build his base in peace. He should have been able to see Helsknight out; the knight of Hels has officially been sent away after the ordeal. He likely wanted to take some time to recover from the torture, away from the server where it happened. Nobody could blame him for it but he’d left and none of the Hermits knew if Wels - with the damage sustained by the damage - even understood that Helsknight was already gone.

“I’m not sure I’m gonna be able to visit soon, so tell him I said ‘hi’,” Impulse said.

Xisuma nodded. “I will.”

With those words, he got ready to leave and check up on other hermits. But not before he had another coughing fit that he could barely recover from afterwards.

“Hey, X?” Tango said, “Don’t forget to take care of yourself.”

“I’m going right back to bed once I’ve finished my rounds,” Xisuma said, and the admin finally left the two with a nod. He walked over to where Mumbo had his little camper, likely to speak with him next.

“Same goes for you, Impy,” Tango said after a few seconds, looking at his friend. “Please take care of yourself. Go talk to your neighbors.”

Tango nodded towards the boatem district, that slowly came alive. Mumbo had walked out to speak with Xisuma. In the distance, Grian approached Scar's swaggon. Pearl herself came flying in to her little starter home to grab some more materials for her base. She had spotted Impulse and Tango and waves at them.

Impulse shily waved back and leaned his head just a little closer to Tango. “You’re not giving me any choice, are you?”

“Or you could stand here and speak with me all day,” Tango suggested.

Impulse smiled. Tango was right. Hiding himself was not the right thing to do. He needed Tango pulling him out of his safe comfort zone to truly heal, even if he didn't want to.

“I’m already going,” Impulse said, taking the first step towards his friends, with Tango by his side.

Today was going to be a beautiful day.