Oneshots! (Mostly Hermitcraft)

Fly You Fool! [Stress]

 "When I let go, run for your life."

 "Iskall, what do ya mean?" I queried. His strong arms shielded me from the fire that raged around us. "I'm not leaving ya behind!"

 He squeezed tighter, resting his chin on my head. "Stress, there are more dangerous forces at work here. Please, for me, please get to safety."

 "Iskall, I-"

 "Iskall! Stress! Up here!" Xisuma shouted, reappearing after having ushered all of the other hermits to safety. The blazing fire prevented him from reaching us, none of the spaces available for him to teleport to.

 Iskall shoves a fire resistance potion in my hands. "Go," he whispers, pushing me away. I drink the concoction, feeling the flames lick at me, singeing my hair and clothes. I glance back, looking at Iskall as he watches the fire warily.

 A hell hound bounds from the flames, its paws striking my chest. I scream, rolling out from underneath it. It howls in frustration, preparing to leap again. Flames flicker around its gaping maw seconds before it breathes them. The stench from its breath is almost enough to knock me out. I hold my breath, turning my back and sprinting to the hillside.

 Xisuma whips out a bow, nocking and releasing an arrow within seconds. A yelp sounds behind me, and I catch a glimpse out of the corner of my eye of the hound tumbling to the ground, the shaft of the arrow protruding from its chest.

 I stumble up the hill. Xisuma grabs my arm and supports me as we climb the last few blocks. I look back at Iskall, crying out in alarm as he is mobbed by three of the beasts. A few lay dead at his feet as he slashes at his assaulters.

 "Iskall! No!" A fourth hound leaps from behind, tackling him to the ground. He drives his sword through its stomach but loses his grip on the weapon. He disappears behind the mess of writhing bodies. Flames erupt from the location.

 I bite back a sob as Xisuma releases several arrows into the midst of the fire. The hounds yelp as they are wounded or killed, but the entire clearing is burning. The fire begins to spread further, rabid dogs bursting out of the wall of fire and darting back in. Their shaggy pelts carried the fire with them, obscuring their numbers.

 "Stress, go," Xisuma whispers intensely. He draws the bowstring back, resting his index finger at the corner of his mouth. A hell hound bursts out of the flames, its strides carrying it to us far quicker than should have been possible. X's arrow sprouts from its chest and it plows into the dirt, sending up a cloud of dust.

 Xisuma nocks another arrow and grabs my hand, leading me to a section of the hill. He takes a redstone torch and sticks it to the wall. With the sound of pistons, the wall retracts and disappears, revealing a two high, one wide corridor. Impulse sticks his hand out and pulls me into the bunker.

⚔<*{Xisuma}*>⚔

 Firework rockets blast from above. I look up, panicking as I realize we'd been discovered. I shout at Impulse to seal the bunker, meaning that I can't get in. He protests, but I remove the torch and destroy it, locking me out of the hideaway. I draw, sight, and release my arrow at the leader of the pack that was now leaping up the hill. It rolls down, tangling in the legs of its comrades. They sort themselves out in a matter of seconds but I nock and shoot three more before they can charge again.

 The corrupted player lands behind me, her sword rasping as she draws it from her inventory. I dive out of the way, training my bow on the nearly identical player. Orange lines and cracks glow throughout her armor as her eyes fix me with an orange death glare. I release, and she shifts, taking the arrow in the flesh of her shoulder. She staggers under the impact but shows no discomfort with the wound.

 "Really, Xisuma Void," she taunts. "Is that the best you can do?" The hell hounds surround us in our little standoff, flames shooting from their nostrils and smoke rising from their pelts. Three of them remain, two with the shafts of my arrows protruding from their wiry bodies.

 I put a hound out of commission, dodging the others as they try to avenge their comrades. They cross paths, attacking me again. I shoot one, dodging the other. In my peripheral vision, I see a netherite streak arching towards me. I stow my bow and draw my sword, intercepting the blade.

 The corners of her eyes crinkle in a sickening grin. The remaining hound bays, leaping for my throat. I strike it away, flaming, orange blood dripping down its leg from where my sword left a bleeding gash.

 My assaulters double team me, attacking sequentially, immediately after one another. I struggle to stay out of the middle, keeping her between me and the dog. Its greater agility allows it to leap around its partner, but the wound I dealt it slowed it down significantly. I manage to slice off its head and it collapses, the pool of flaming blood spreading.

 Our swords grind together, the enchantments on my blade heating up as they compensated for the netherite's greater strength. I thrust her away, following up with a combination of attacks. Unbalanced, she barely blocks the first ones but regains her footing. We trade blows, our boots splashing in the puddles of blood.

 Flames lick around us, having spread from the base of the hill. Neither of us has sustained any injuries. She shows no sign of tiring, pressing onward. I stumble, receiving a slash that glances off my gauntlet. I return the blow, managing to graze her wounded shoulder. Blood drips from both wounds, making her grip on her sword slip. She switches hands, wiping the blood against her leg.

 Our duel begins again in earnest, neither stronger than the other. Her stamina never seems to run out as I tire. She twists my sword out of my grasp, tripping me into the liquid fire. It sears my skin, blackening it I roll out of her way as she stabs downwards, reaching for my bow. I nock and fire another arrow, and it pierces her chest, penetrating the armor and bone like nothing.

 She groans, fingering the shaft and fletching. The orange glow about her flickers and goes out, darkening and revealing angry gashes from a whip. An orange fog ascends from her, dissipating into the atmosphere. She falls to the ground, flames catching on the ends of her white hair.

 I rush to her side. "Nether forces..." she whispers. "Evacuate. Quickly." With that, her head rolls to the side as she succumbs to her wounds. Thunder cracks in the fiery sky as a massive nether portal forms, block by block.

 I pick up her sword and mine, tucking them away. Slinging my bow over my shoulder, I message the hermits, telling them to come outside. Fingers shaking, I take the necklace from my twin's neck, tying it around mine. The hermits emerge from the bunker, reactivated pistons clanking.

 I lead them down the hill, ignoring the pain of my burns. I swat out the flames, glancing nervously at the almost fully formed nether portal. We reach the spawn island where Iskall had met his demise. A crystal of Iskallium rested on a chain in the center of the ring of fire. Stress burst into tears at the sight, gingerly picking it up. She rested the crystal on her necklace next to her pink crystal.

 I reach for the Admin magic swirling within, cyan sparks forming a portal. The hermits file through, understanding that this short season had to end. The obsidian ignites as the last of us teleport through. I close the vortex behind us, cyan disappearing back into my hands.

 The stone peninsula shook in my vision as the pain returned. I looked down at the black burns covering my forearms and exposed skin. Blinking slowly, I collapsed. Unintelligible screams of dismay echo from the hermits as I close my eyes, accepting the embrace of death.

^-^

Wait- Listen! I can explain! Noooo, don't steal my ankles!