#personally love that scar's holding onto grian's hips for grounding

[angeart]

because it was time grian took care of scar instead of the other way around

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@motherofplatypus i hope this is what you wanted <3333

it also doubles as a lap grian because why not. hehe.

[writing-the-end]

WS Chapter 53- The Best and Brightest

Previous Chapter

Masterpost

The Hermits have joined the battle! Now all that’s left are the minesonas, who will be appearing next chapter! Gods it’s really starting to get to the end, huh? So long coming, i hope you guys enjoy it as much as i did writing it!

Red belongs to @theguardiansofredland​

Ecto belongs to @cooler-cactus-block

Selene belongs to @to-dem-stars​ 

“Is...is that a dragon?” Scar looks over his shoulder, following Doc’s gaze to the three standing at the base of Larry. They’ve already gotten to their feet, though the infant in Avon’s arms doesn’t have patches of dirt and grass like the wanderers. 

Stress shoves the boys out of the way, her strength easily knocking Scar off his chair and sending Doc stumbling for purchase. “That is the cutest thing ‘ave ever seen in me life!” 

Jessie squirms, the high pitched squeal alarming on her young ears. The flower crowned hermit surges up to see the baby, vision sparkling as she gazes into the massive eyes of the infant dragon. She only retreats when Jessie decides that Stress’s flowers look delicious to chomp at. Scar and Doc dare to come closer, admiring the baby dragon. Scar looks up, grinning. “It’s good to see you guys came back! How are things in your world?” 

All three wanderers look at each other, then the hermits in front of them. “Actually...we came back here because of that.” 

“I assumed so.” Doc chuckles, patting Jessie and receiving a tail wag in return. For a second, he swears he can hear the dragonet purr. “We don’t normally get visitors unless something has gone horribly wrong.” 

“Which is kinda offensive, if ye ask me.” Stress puts her hands on her hips. “We aren’t that borin’ are we? Next time you three appear, it better be to ‘ave some tea.” 

Red giggles, feeling the stress in his shoulders fall away. The hermits are so open, so friendly. Especially now that they know the wanderers aren’t aliens. They know how to make him feel better, no matter what. “I think we need your help with something big. All of you guys.” 

“All of us?” Scar tilts his head. That’s hard to do, getting all the hermits together to do one big thing. Not even the first day in this new world had everyone- some came here through other means. 

“Yeah, everyone here. Doc, Scar, Impulse, Ren, Grian, Mumbo, Stress, Iskall, Keralis, Xisuma, Tango.” Ecto lists off everyone they’ve met since they first came to this world, rambling on as she remembers each name and runs out of hands to count on. She has to grab Red’s hand to fit Tango.

Stress giggles, which brings a laugh from both boys as well. “That’s not everyone. That's about…. ‘Alf of us.” 

All three of the outsiders are left agape. Jessie wiggles free of Avon’s arms, reaching the ground in a half glide. She takes off into Scar’s village, claws scrabbling against the stone pathway. Avon can only bite her lip, hoping that the misfit village won’t mind a baby dragon poking her snout anywhere she can fit. Red, on the other hand, was more interested in Stress’s words. “There’s more hermits? That many friends?” 

“We’re going to need all of them to do what we need.” Ecto states, looking at the rest of the wanderers' hands. She’s pretty sure double that number is still enough to not need feet. 

“What do you need all of us for? That’s a pretty tall order, getting all of us to stop building and meet up.” Scar scratches his head. He can think of at least five hermits in the middle of confusing redstone projects that require all their time and attention, and more in the zone of grinding out builds. 

“I...think that would be better to explain all at once.” Avon takes off, flying down the path that Jessie took when she hears something crashing in the distance. As she banks past Doc, he hears her mutter something about needing a manual on raising a dragon. 

“Is there anywhere we could all meet? Somewhere everyone could come?” Red questions, rocking innocently as she hears Avon swear in the distance. 

Ecto has never seen such a diverse group in her life. So many unique faces, accents, and attitudes. All as unique and different as the wanderers. All just as weird. 

She still has to get used to the idea that weird is good. But she does like the prideful feeling she gets when she hears that word. Weird isn’t bad. Weird is good, unique and different with another view on the world around them. Weird is wonderful, and everyone here is weird. Everyone here is wonderful. 

Scar was sure to introduce the wanderers to everyone, tucked into the open, expansive office of the Town Hall. He welcomed Impulse and Tango back, singed alongside a new face they called BDubs. Two hermits walk in after, deep in a conversation that is quick to spiral from meaningful to just spitting out big words at each other. One of them is the only hermit in iron armor- even the recovering TFC they met earlier had better gear. From all corners of the Hermiatic sea, and far beyond, the strange group mixes in. xB had the longest travel, but Ecto was quick to notice that most arriving hermits appeared through a nether portal- the same way they traveled to Tango’s base. The last arrival wasn’t any hermit, however. Selene pops in just minutes before the meeting, brushing flecks of purple embers off her cape and scaring the daylights out of Mumbo. 

The wanderers are spread between the hermits. Red sits between Grian and Scar, the three chittering about their favorite wood plank. Ecto leans back in her chair, nearly tipping it over while conversing with Ren and Tango- though she has no clue what they’re saying about redstone (or Ren’s version of redstone), their upbeat attitude matches her mischief all the same. Selene appears in her seat, at the far end of the table with only Mumbo next to her. He tries to strike up conversation, curious about the sorceress’s powers. She entertains his bumbling questions with a hint of a smile. Avon is at the other end of the table, shoving a reluctant Xisuma into standing. Forcing him to make the opening speech. 

“Alright, I know a lot of you guys are wondering why I called everyone here.” He turns his head, looking at Etho next to him. White hair marred with redstone, setting vials and flipping comparators as he listens in. “Sorry about interrupting your work, but...we have some visitors, and I think they need our help.” He turns, immediately scurrying back to his chair and leaving the table open for discussion. 

Quiet murmurs roll across the room. Hermits that know the wanderers are wondering what they could possibly need help with. Hermits that don’t know the new faces are only left to guess who they are. How they got here. Finally, the low roar of conversation is broken up by a wavering voice. Red looks up, twiddling her thumbs as she speaks. “Our world is on the brink of disaster.” 

The entire room goes silent. Red wants to hide, so many faces turned on him. He’s about to leap from his seat and run when Grian and Scar lay friendly touches on his shoulder. From across the table, Red can see his girlfriend give him an encouraging thumbs up. He takes another breath, and stands. “We came here because we need you guys. You’re the best builders, the brightest engineers. And we need everything if we’re possibly going to save our world.” 

“Save it from what?” Zedaph questions, tilting his head to the side. Blonde curls fall across purple eyes. 

“War.” That single word sends shocks across the room. Many hermits remember previous wars among their own ranks. The battle for the mining mesa. The Civil war between team STAR and G-Team. But the way Red hissed that one word, they know it’s something much worse. 

“An army is amassing from the nether.” Avon picks up, keeping one eye on Jessie as she tackles an armor stand in the corner. “They want to destroy everything, invade the overworld and the end. Tip the balance of our world. Ruin life as we know it.” 

“We don’t have an army like them.” Ecto adds, leaning against her elbow and looking down the faces. It’s a mixed bag of concern and confusion. “We have the four of us- and a dragon that can’t even fly. We need more than that. We need clever minds, like what the hermits have.” 

Avon bites her lip, seeing a few of the hermits glance at each other. A silent conversation, a question she knew would be asked. Those that have no reason to trust them, that know nothing about them. She doesn’t blame their hesitation- she would do the same in their place. So when those words cross False’s lips, she’s not surprised. “Why should we help? I’m sorry to be that person but… should we really get into something like this?” 

Other hermits nod, but those that know the wanderers stay silent. They see the change in the otherworldly visitors. Red hiccups for a breath, tears starting to form at the edges of his eyes. Ecto seethes, only being held down by Ren and Tango. Selene’s gaze could cut through obsidian, and Avon’s wings fall to her side. Even Jessie notices the change in the room’s atmosphere, crawling onto the table.

“They killed my family.” Avon whispers, her hands clenching before her. She can still feel the blood seep between her fingers, the sound of Jeane’s dying breath. The horror of Jessie’s egg missing from it’s home in the End.

“They destroyed my home.” Ecto growls, skin prickling as she remembers the ice that clung where Ren and Tango hold her down now. Watching monoliths collapse and die against the freezing wind, biting and sinking icy fangs into everything. 

“They did both.” Red’s voice cracks as it seeps through his lips, falling with tears that run down his face. He can’t see the hermits faces through the strea,, but the dead silence of the room lets him know they are all listening. Dead as the sea, the water that burned his through and struck down Mama Gummi. “They killed everything I love.”

“And they won’t stop there.” Selene stands, startling the hermits. A glare as deadly and beautiful as a wither rose crosses each and every person in the room. Almost every hermit was convinced- she just had to put the nail in the coffin. “What happened to them could have happened to you. Will happen to you if the forces of hell build their own infinity portal. They won’t stop their campaign until the balance has been tipped across all worlds. Until every building, every tree, every flower and animal has burned.” 

No one moves. No one speaks. What is there to say? What can follow that up? Fear and anxiety burns away at Red, watching the crestfallen faces around her, eyes glazed heavy with thought. Inner conversations, hermits weighing their decision. Slowly, one by one, faces rise. Determination set in eyes as a decision is made, a silent nod. Throwing their lot into the battle. 

“Well,” TFC stands, picking up his pickaxe and brushing his hand through his hair. “Let’s not dilly-dally now. We’ve got a world to save.”

[writing-the-end]

WS Chapter 37: Seasons Change

Previous Chapter

Masterpost

So anxiety’s been a real pain lately, but i”m not going to let it stop be from writing. I did get an ao3, though I’m just putting up LoL on there right now. 

either way, another hermit meets the wanderers! Reminder that all of this was written at the beginning of s7, so this is before Keralis became stupid rich. 

Red belongs to @theguardiansofredland

Ecto belongs to @cooler-cactus-block  (red teach me your waysplz)

“You keep disrespecting the magic, Grian, some day it’ll come back to haunt you.” Scar hums, still put off by Grian trying to get rid of the crystal he’s been giving him. These are priceless, and yet Grian finds so much joy in tossing them around like trash. 

“Sure it will, Scar.” Grian chuckles, kicking the sand of the desert beach Iskall has laid claim to. Grian holds the rowboat over his head, rolling his eyes  but smiling. 

“You of all people should know not to challenge magic- you’re a magical creature yourself!” Scar turns around, putting his hands on his hips and jutting out his chin. 

“Just get in the boat, Scar. You’ll ‘ave lots of time to berate Grian in there.” Stress points out, tossing her vessel into the water with relaxed ease. Avon sets down the fresh jungle boat carved for her and Ecto. Mumbo plops down his boat, looking at Red. 

“Getting in?” He questions. They have just the right people to fill every boat. 

“Red doesn’t need the boat.” Ecto chuckles. 

“What do you-” Red’s holler cuts Mumbo off as he goes running into the Hermiatic sea, leaping into the warm waters. “Right, fish person.” 

Red swims through the water, her streamline from cutting through the sea. Water rolls off her scales and skin, tossles her hair, and clings to her clothes. Welcoming the kipling back home. It’s a welcome return to her natural habitat, with dolphins squeaking and whistling to greet her and a curtain of tropical fish becoming a mosaic around her. But it feels like a hollow return. This isn’t her ocean. When she gets home, will it still look like this? Is it already destroyed by that Blu? 

Red rubs her eyes, exhausted from everything that’s been happening. They were attacked, and Red was helpless as her friends were gravely injured. They managed to escape to this world, only to lose each other. The fear of losing Ecto and Avon, even for just a short amount of time is terrifying. What would he do without them now? Without Ecto’s keen observation skills, or Avon’s unrelenting determination. 

He grabs hold of his backpack, surfacing quietly and watching the hermits and his friends. He sees Ecto, wounded across the back. He watches Avon’s hand grip her side, covered in bandages. Losing his friends would be just as bad as the knowledge that he may lose his family. His friends are his family. Red’s fingers run along the emerald eyes of the statue Scar gave him. The smooth gold and polished emerald have become a way for Red to calm down by rubbing it. Fred may be creepy, but he’s helped him through a lot. 

Red swims up beside Scar and Grian’s boat, poking her head out and kicking her legs to keep up with them. “So where are we going? Do we need food? I’m really good at fishing, I really am.” 

“Keralis lives on another shore of the Hermiatic sea, and he definitely should know where Xisuma is.” Grian answers.

“I would love some fish. I didn’t bring any more potatoes.” Scar chimes in, hearing his stomach growling at the mention of food. 

“How many people live on this hermiatic sea?” Red questions. She feels like she’s met so many already, are there more out there?” 

Grian taps his finger, letting go of his oar. “I think we’re twenty two strong this time around?” 

Red’s eyes widen at the thought. So many people, all gathered together. Red isn’t sure she’s ever seen that many people apart from villages. But these guys definitely aren’t village folk. She dives back underwater, zipping ahead and snatching fish with her teeth and claws. She drops her catch off with Scar, leaving the freshly caught cod on his purple robe. She’s like a cat, leaving fishy surprises in all of the boats. Ecto and Avon know to protect themselves from a fish, but Mumbo can only whimper and groan as a scaley salmon is tossed into his lap. 

The group of travelers follow the shoreline, watching the beach change to jungle, and jungle to savanna. Acacia trees sparsely cover the rolling, dry grass. But for the wanderers, it leaves a bad taste in their mouths. It reminds them of Blu, the whole reason why they’re here, why they aren’t continuing their journey to Red’s home. Avon tries to feel better by reminding herself that they can at least gather information while they're here. Learn more about who that person was. 

“So...who is this person we’re going to see? To show us the way to the world wizard?” Ecto isn’t sure she likes how many people are joining in on this journey. Her fellow wanderers were already a handful to remember and keep track of. Adding in Grian and Scar, previous people she had come to know and trust, was about the most she could handle. But now she has to worry about this Iskall guy, Stress, and the creature they call Mumbo. 

“His name is Keralis. He’s a master builder. Honestly sometimes he puts me to shame when it comes to house designs.” Grian states, pulling up to row beside Ecto and Avon. 

“We may have locked him up like we did you guys as well.” Scar winces, offering an apologetic smile as everyone glares at him. Still some negative sentiments there. “I mean, when you see the man, you’ll understand why we thought it. He’s like...twenty percent eyeball and thirty percent mouth.” 

“There’s his base. Or… at least his starter home.” Iskall points to the hillside near the water. Blue containers stack atop one another, and construction machines sit idle in the turned up dirt. A few villagers are hard at work in the construction zone, though they all stop and stare at the incoming strangers. When Avon draws close, the villagers back away. Even in another world, they still fear her. Even in another world, she’s still a monster. She can never escape it.

“Hello my beautiful friends! Oh, and some new faces!” Keralis leans out a window, waving his hands vigorously. He leans farther so that they can see him more, and loses balance out the window. 

The band of hermits and wanderers all wince, the heavy thud of Keralis hitting the ground below the open window. Stress rushes over to help, but Keralis is back on his feet before she can grab his arms. He wipes dirt from his wide eyes and gives the crew a wide smile. “Aww man, I had a record going...three days without an accident.” 

“Damn, that’s a pretty good record around here.” Iskall hums. 

“Who are these guys? Beyond new friends?” Keralis creeps closer to the wanderers, his curiosity met with the same from Red. The two look at one another, sizing the opposite up before breaking out into giggles. Apparently both deemed the other a worthy friend. 

“I’m Red, the tall one is Ecto and the scary one is Avon. Trust me they’re a lot nicer than they look. They’re awesome friends.” Red squeezes her friend’s hand.

“Ah, well welcome, welcome. I hope my friends have been treating you well while you’ve been in our world.” Keralis shakes hands with Red and waves to those that don’t seem interested in interacting physically. 

“Oh, ah yeah about that…” Scar grimaces, hoping to pave over such a sensitive topic. 

Unfortunately Grian beats him to it. “Scar thought they were aliens too. Locked the wanderers up in Area 77 too.” 

Keralis’s eyes and smile freeze, becoming cold as he turns his head from the wanderers to Scar. Keralis’s voice hisses through his teeth, dripping with anger. He still holds a bit of a grudge. “Did he now?”

“Whoa, hey we all cleared it up, right? We’re all friends now.” Scar backs off of Keralis, knowing the man can be particularly vicious if he wants to be. Behind those bug eyes and agape mouth is a killer. He’s a master at Head Hunt. 

“Scar let me pet his cats!” Red coos, and luckily for Scar her cheery attitude towards him seems to be enough to quell Keralis’s blade. 

“Alright, alright. New world, new leaf.” Keralis pulls off his helmet, tousling his hair free from the yellow safety hat. “What can I do to help you guys? Wanna buy a book?” 

“Actually, we were lookin’ fer some info. Do you know where Xisuma is based?” Stress rubs her neck. She actually could use another mending book, but she isn’t carrying the diamonds on this journey. 

“You want to see Bee-shwamy? What fore?” Keralis tips his head, sitting on a barrel next to his heavy work machinery. He was just with him the other day. 

“He may have information that our friends here need.” Grian fills.

“He’s the smartest guy in the world when it comes to general facts of life. Man’s a wizard for a reason.” Iskall adds. “Sorry Scar...a real wizard.” 

Ecto steps forward, bumping a mumbling Scar out of the way. “We were attacked in our own world by these creatures from the nether. They destroyed my home.” 

“You mean pigmen?” Keralis frowns, looking over the hillside to see if Porky’s there. He didn’t think pigmen were that organized. 

“He wasn’t a pigman.” The winged one, Avon, hisses. “He could talk, and he definitely wasn’t zombified or anything.”

Keralis rubs his chin. He has no clue about anything of that sort. The only person he could think that may know more is either Xisuma...or perhaps Tango.  “That’s definitely some strange news. We should get to see Bee-shwamey to get this sorted out. Follow me!” 

Keralis hops off his boxes, waving for the team to trail after him. Across the grasslands, another jungle rises. Trees with high canopies and vibrant leaves brush in the dry savanna wind at the interface between plains and forest. Avon is quick to grab onto both Ecto and Red. She’s not losing them again. If she had a lead, she’d put them on it. 

The other hermits stick close as well. All of them have gotten lost in their own jungle, it would be so much worse in a jungle they have no knowledge of. Keralis, however, has no trouble hopping over short oak trees and swinging through the vines. His cheeky grin never falters, constantly wide eyed and taking everything in. Observing every inch of the world around him. 

The jungle doesn’t stop, even when construction starts. Vines and trees creep around the white concrete, and pathways arch over the leaves below. The forest is as much a part of the construction as the scaffolding. Just as much a part of the build as the chests and lighting. Somehow, the sleek, futuristic style perfectly blends with the chaotic, ancient patterns of nature. Whoever has built this is in tune with nature. 

“Oh hello there friends.” Xisuma waves, tangled up in vines that he has gotten caught in while flying. His pockets are filled with jungle saplings, clumps of dirt falling from the roots and across his mask. He spits out a pebble. “What can I do ya for?”