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The day started fine enough.
He had been visiting his starter base to do some maintenance and check in on Larry since he’d been spending so much time at Big Dig recently and decided to spend the night. Jellie was curled up tightly on his chest when he woke up in his bedroom. Trying his best not to wake the creature he loved dearly, Scar reached up and placed a hand on the warm body which began to vibrate as she purred at the morning attention. He let himself lay there a few extra minutes longer than normal, enjoying the peace of a comfortable bed, a content cat on his chest, and the sound of the wind sweeping through the Magical Village he carefully created. The sound was a welcome change from the sound of construction, and the warmth was so different from the chill of the concrete and stone that usually surrounded him.
A ding from his comm broke him from his thoughts. Picking it up from its spot next to his bed, he sighed slightly seeing who it was, knowing the day was going to be anything but calm. The grin spreading across his face betrayed just how excited he was.
Grian whispers to you: SCAR!
Grian whispers to you: you want to cause some problems today?
You whisper to Grian: YES
As he waited for the builder to respond, he carefully sat up, moving Jellie to lay on his pillow. She looked up at him annoyed and meowed before curling up even tighter and falling back asleep. Scar’s attention was torn away from the cat by another sound of a message.
Grian whispers to you: where are you? I’ll come to you.
You whisper to Grian: Magic Village
Grian whispers to you: be there in 10
Grian whispers to you: grab plenty of invisibility potions and eggs >:)
Laughing at his friend’s enthusiasm, he stood slowly and stretched lightly to wake up his aching body. It was not going to be an easy day. His legs shook lightly with the steps to get to his wardrobe. It wasn’t bad enough to justify the use of his wheelchair, but he would need his cane. The hermits were a-may-zing at making sure their bases were accessible and the redstoners worked together to make his chair work in almost every environment (soul sand was still difficult), but it usually got in the way if he was trying to be sneaky.
Changing into new clothes, grabbing his everyday cane, and finding his supply of potions and eggs, he sat down in his kitchen waiting for Grian to get to his base. While waiting, he decided to burn some extra Vex magic he had stored. Although no one really believed his magic crystals were real, he knew they were. Not many knew they were created using real magic, those who do think it's the same magic that creates enchantments, other than Cub of course. The two types were similar and often worked together to make each other stronger, but Enchantment was learned and mastered, while Vex magic was given and endured.
Scar allowed the blue and gray magic to swirl around his hands and twist through his fingers. He already had a couple of Houdini Escape, Lucky Luck, and Dodge and Weave crystals they could use, so he allowed his magic to just do its thing and create something new. Not knowing what would happen, he decided to grab a piece of magenta glass to infuse the magic with. Allowing himself to lose track of the world around him, he focused instead on the magic flowing around him going into the glass and thoroughly infusing it into the material so it couldn’t be picked apart even on a code level. In the process, Scar noticed small engravings being added in galactic, the language of Enchantment. He never had the patience to learn the language himself, instead just allowed the magic to do its thing and for the runes to carve themselves as most people do. There were only a handful of hermits who he knew could read it, let alone write or speak it.
Something in the back of his mind registered that someone entered the room he was in, but he was too far into the process to stop just to see who it was. He just had to hope it wasn’t a zombie like last time. Only a few more moments passed before the magic seeped back into his hands and Scar was able to focus back on the kitchen around him. Blinking to focus his eyes after focusing on the small item for so long, he turned to one side to grab a bottle of water that he had prepared for after.
“Hi!” Soulless eyes stared into his green ones from a few mere inches away.
Screaming slightly, he placed a hand on his chest and nearly fell out of his seat trying to escape the laughing man. Quickly composing himself, he grinned at his friend, “Why hello there! What brings you by today?”
Still giggling, Grian stepped back and leaned against a wall, carefully avoiding the pictures and knickknacks on the walls. “We’re going to go prank someone, remember?” His eyebrow raised slightly, but the question wasn’t accusatory, just teasing.
“Ohh, of course, of course! I would never forget something like that!” He chuckled and leaned back in his chair, passing the crystal between his hands as he spoke. “What did you have in mind? I thought you weren’t Poultry Man?” Everyone knew the builder was the famed vigilante, but he refused to ever confirm it.
“I’m not! But he did have some good ideas for pranks, and Xisuma hasn’t left his office in weeks.” He pouted and crossed his arms like an upset child. “No one’s seen him in a while and I want to make sure he goes outside. Even Keralis can’t get him to leave.” It was whispered, a quiet show of concern for their admin, and Scar couldn’t help but feel the same. He did so much for the hermits, and sometimes they needed to make sure he would take proper breaks. If Keralis couldn’t get him to leave, then Xisuma was dangerously deep into the code.
Nodding, Scar stood and placed the crystal in his pocket, not even taking the time to check the crystal for the trace of magic hinting at its use. Grian’s eyes flicked to the aid that he was using to steady himself. If the avian’s expression didn’t betray his worry, his wings would’ve. “I’m fine.” He turned and grabbed his bag which had the supplies that Grian requested. Digging through it, he found a few of the crystals he packed to help them out and turned around with a flourish of his arms. “Before we go on this adventure, can I interest you in any magical crystals?” He held up three chunks of colored glass which were dripping with his magic signature.
The shorter man laughed before putting on a contemplative expression, “And what would these ‘magic crystals’ cost me?” He raised an eyebrow, but his ear wings betrayed his amusement.
“Not much. Usually, it would cost someone the low price of 10 diamonds.” Scar smirked at the squawk that Grian let out at the absolutely outrageous price. “But for you my dear friend, it’ll only cost a hug.” Jellie rubbed up against his leg and meowed. Laughing, he added, “And pets for Jellie, of course!”
“That’s still pretty steep,” Grian said a ghost of a smile danced across his face, but he crossed his arms in an attempt to play the part. “Is there any way I could get it just for the hug?”
They both burst into hard laughter as Jellie stopped winding around Scar’s legs and looked up at Grian just to let out the most annoyed meow. “No can do! My associate here is very set on her pets. You must understand.”
Nodding while trying to finish catching his breath, Grian gave in, “Ahh, of course, of course. She deserves all the attention she wants.”
“So three crystals for a hug and pets for my assistant?”
“Deal.” He laughed before dropping to his knees and scratching the cat behind her ears and under her chin just like she liked it. After a few moments and Jellie gave a small mrrp of contentment, the avian stood and lightly fell into Scar’s open arms. Bright wings wrapped around the two and they stood there for longer than many would be comfortable with. Scar knew his friend was a physical person, especially when he was stressed about something so he was happy to stand there enveloped in the wings for as long as his friend wanted to be there.
Eventually, a small sigh came from the smaller man and he tightened the hug for a second before stepping back and whispering, “Thank you. I needed that.”
Instead of pointing out how he could tell, he instead just smiled and handed over the crystals. Grian held them carefully before stringing them onto the thin chain around his neck. Scar made him the necklace to hold the pieces of glass so he could have as many working as possible. The avian seemed to struggle trying to clasp the chain back around his neck, so he took the chain from his friend and helped clasp it.
“I’m sorry. I don’t usually have problems with this. I think I’ve let my talons grow a little long. I could’ve sworn I just filed them, but maybe it’s been longer than I thought.”
Scar finishes with the necklace and turns his friend around by the shoulders to make him look him in the eyes. “Grian. Don’t apologize for something like this. It’s fine!”
Nodding, Grian let out a small coo and let his wing wrap around him before pressing their shoulders together. “Thank you.”
“Shall we go pull the prank of the century?”
Mischief lit up in the prankster’s eyes and he grabbed Scar’s hand to start pulling him out the door. He went while laughing at how quickly his friend could get side-tracked.
Neither noticed how his skin had begun to pale.
~
Sitting in silence while invisible was not the easiest task, especially when their admin was standing there absolutely confused at the hundreds of chickens that now took over his base. At least he was away from his computer. The two builders had been throwing eggs around Xisuma’s office and living spaces for about an hour at that point, waiting for him to notice the absurd number of animals wandering his halls. At this point, neither was able to hold in their giggles. Scar’s gums and face were hurting from how much he was smiling. Were your gums supposed to hurt from smiling too much? He wasn’t sure, but he was too busy enjoying the moment to really care.
Grian threw another egg from behind Xisuma, but even in his sleep-deprived state, the admin somehow knew where it was coming from. He spun around and pointed in the direction of the pesky bird. “Who’s there? Reveal yourself!”
The direct call-out made Grian cackle with wholly unrestrained laughter. “I KNEW IT! YOU TROUBLE MAKER!” The words were said with the fondness and amusement that X had for his hermits. At the same time, the admin lunged at the man with his arms outstretched, trying to catch him.
Scar watched with his own laughter tightly locked in his chest to not out himself yet, content to just watch as their “all-powerful” admin was attempting to catch the invisible avian and trying not to trip over the dozens of chickens at his feet. As stealthily as he could, he threw two more eggs in an attempt to confuse the admin more and allow Grian to escape. The attempted distraction did allow the avian to jump away, Scar was only able to tell from the particles swirling around his form, but it did make Xisuma turn and attempt to tackle him instead of his original target.
”I knew there were two of you! Who else is here!” He could tell that the armored man’s words were meant to be intimidating or accusative, but instead, any danger or heat behind the words were softened by the smile that could be heard through the words. Xisuma made contact and both men fell to the ground ending in a pile of limbs and forcing the laughter to leave Scar’s carefully crafted vault. “Scar! Of course, why didn’t I guess that in the first place?” A lighthearted chuckle interrupted the words.
Scar wasn’t listening though.
Something warm was trickling across his face and a pain shot through the side of his face. He gasped with the pain and quickly sat up from where he was lying on the ground. The sudden movement and sound startled Xisuma into summoning a glass of milk and shoving it toward the invisible man in front of him. He didn’t even question why the admin had such an item in his inventory, instead, Scar took the glass and drank just enough to stop the effects of the invisibility potion he had taken. The cold of the drink helped soothe the aching pain that was spreading through his jaw. The tingle of the potion effects leaving his body took a backburner to the fact that he was sure the liquid that had slid down the side of his face was in fact blood. A small part of his brain hoped that it was just sweat or spit from being knocked over.
While Scar was focused on the fact that his jaw hurt enough to start causing him a headache and that there was blood starting to pool in his mouth, Grian was frantically typing on his communicator while Xisuma was grabbing his first aid kit.
Instead of swallowing the iron-tasting liquid, he spits it into his hand. He would much rather have it there than in his stomach where it could cause problems and make him throw up. The liquid was thick because it had mixed with the saliva that had gathered in his mouth. The worst part though? There was a tooth mixed in with the blood. The white of the bone was stark against the watered-down crimson.
This discovery finally made him fall into full-on panic mode. “X.” The admin didn’t turn around, still trying to grab a few more towels. “Xisuma.” He still didn’t turn around, but Grian did. The look of horror on his face finally matched how Scar felt on the inside.
“XISUMA!” The avian’s panicked cry finally seemed to get the armored man’s attention. Without waiting for him to join them on that side of the room, Grian half slid, half ran to kneel at the taller builder’s side. His taloned hands went up to grab his jaw lightly to avoid scratching him or causing more pain. “What’s happening? Scar, tell me what’s wrong so we can fix it.” The words were rushed and said with an urgency and panic that Scar never wanted to hear from his friend.
Unfortunately, he didn’t know how to answer him. Instead, he raised his hand to poke at his jaw and eventually his teeth. For whatever reason, he wasn’t surprised when at the lightest touch, the bones either moved or fell from the socket where they were anchored. Crimson continued to stream across his fingers as more and more bones slipped from their places, roots and all.
Finally, Xisuma knelt beside them with a bottle of pink liquid which shined with the glow only magic could give. He finally recognized it as a regeneration potion when X placed the glass to his lips and prompted him to swallow. He tried his best to allow the liquid to go down his throat without letting the bottle touch his teeth.
After several moments, the potion did its job. The blood slowed, his jaw stopped hurting, and his teeth seemed to become more secure. His head swam lightly from the panic and blood loss. Grian picked him up and brought him to sit against the wall in Xisuma’s office, away from the unstopping clucking from the chickens. Scar didn’t protest, instead, he let himself be moved and was grateful for the solid wall behind his back keeping him upright.
He was especially grateful for the support when the pain from before split through his jaw and face once again. More blood than before pooled in his mouth, and the warm iron liquid threatened to drown him.
“What is happening?” His words were whispered, barely making it out around the choking gasps for air.
If his attention wasn’t on the crimson liquid pouring again down his chin, he would’ve seen the terrified and concerned glance his friends gave each other. No one spoke, unsure of what to do. Xisuma wordlessly passed him a bucket for Scar to get the fluid to leave his throat, not wanting to risk another regeneration potion so soon after the first.
After many long minutes, the pain subsided and his saliva became clear again. A small towel was pressed against his face, and Scar hated that he didn’t have the energy to insist on doing it himself. Grian chirped followed by a concerned trill, the avian wiping away what he could.
Finally trusting his jaw not to break if he closed his mouth fully, Scar did so, only to bite right through his cheek. “What the?” The builder raised a hand to his mouth and ran his tongue over where he split the soft tissue. The muscle scraped against something, not enough to cause real pain, but it was definitely noticeable.
Moving so quickly, Grian jumped slightly, he drew his communicator out of his pocket and opened the camera application. The picture wasn’t as clear as a mirror, but iit showed him enough.
His teeth were sharp. Sharper than even Jelly’s canines. They reminded him of Cub’s needle-like teeth… Like a vex’s.
“I figured you were a vex hybrid to some degree,” Xisuma’s voice startled him out of his stunned staring, “your magic is evidence of that. But that doesn’t explain why this just happened. Why now?”
“I don’t know. I’ve only ever had the magic, nothing else.”
Grian pulled Scar into a hug, pulling him tightly into his arms. “Don’t do that again.” The words were quiet, and the taller could barely make them out. Before he had a chance to reassure the blonde, he suddenly scrambled upright. His hand shook as he raised the magenta crystal he had made earlier in the day. “Scar. This is the crystal you made this morning?”
Nodding, he stated the affirmative, not really sure what his friend was getting at.
“Do you know what it does?”
“I didn’t get a chance to check before we came here. Why?”
His face paled and wings fluffed up behind him. “The inscription speaks of manifesting hidden hybrid traits. How did you even make this?”
“You can read Galactic?” He had no idea that his seemingly magic-disregarding friend could read the rare language.
Dismissing his question, Grian asked again, “Yeah, but how did you make this? This isn’t known magic!”
Horror flooded his mind as he gently took the piece of glass from slowly purpling taloned hands. “I just let the magic do what it wanted today, just like anytime I create a new one. I didn’t think there was any harm.”
Xisuma looked between the two before stepping in. “We can figure this out later. For now let’s get you cleaned up my friend, and store that somewhere people can’t accidentally come in contact with it.”