Legacies || Hermitcraft

Chapter VI - The Anomaly

False watched him leave, before standing up and glancing over at TFC and BDubs. TFC was busy laying long planks of wood on the roof of the building they were constructing, while BDubs doodled various ideas for future builds in TFC's notebook. At least they were okay. Yet the thing watching them was still out there, but not for much longer if False had anything to say about it.

Picking up her sword (which she probably shouldn't have left in BDubs's vicinity), False made her way to the edge of the forest. She listened, but only heard the leaves rustling in the wind and eager birds searching for food. And... radio static?

False's grip on her sword tightened. She looked around, unable to distinguish where the strange noise was coming from, yet no matter which way she turned, it slowly grew louder and louder as if it was always coming from right behind her. False could feel her heart racing. Not many things scared her, but the unknown was something she was smart enough to fear.

Within seconds, the static was nearly deafening, and False spun around, hoping she'd catch whatever it was off guard. But she was the only one caught off guard, as instead of the horrific monster she expected, she was met with another human.

Well... human was a very strong word. At first glance that was all they appeared to be, just a brunette human lost in the woods, but the longer False stared at them, the more apparent it became that they were anything but. 

Behind neon cat-eye glasses, their eyes seemed to change colour with each passing second, constantly shifting between every imaginable hue of the rainbow. Their hair and beard, although mostly brown, was a neon green at the roots, implying that the unnatural shade was their hair's true colour. Furthermore, their smile was just a little too wide to be normal, with too many teeth that were too pointy to be human. And, like the cherry on top of an already bizzare person, they were dressed in a black and white striped suit with a bright green shirt that matched their hair and glasses

"Howdy!"

False gasped, impulsively throwing a punch at their face, but was left even more terrified and confused when the stranger simply wasn't in front of her anymore. She turned around again, and there they were, standing behind her once again. Seemingly unaware that they'd just scared the living daylights out of her, they held a hand out, smiling once again. "Joe Hills, nice to meet you!"

As casual and friendly as this person seemed to be, False wasn't particularly interested in making smalltalk with someone who'd apparently just teleported behind her. She didn't directly point her sword at them, but kept it close enough that they'd hopefully know not to mess with her again. "Who are you?"

False was tempted to ask what this person was, but hesitated in fear of offending them. Sure, they seemed friendly enough, but she didn't want to anger something that could potentially kill her without breaking a sweat. Once again, the stranger flashed that same, unnerving smile. "Like I said, I'm Joe Hills! As for what I am... Even if I told you, I don't think you'd believe me."

False frowned. She hadn't actually asked them what they were, not out loud anyway. Typically, she would have dismissed the idea of them being a mind reader without a second thought, but this person was already so strange that telepathic abilities wouldn't be entirely inconceivable. Still quite unnerving, however, and she wanted nothing to do with it. 

"I don't care what you are." False avowed, keeping a hand on her sword's hilt. "You had better have a good excuse for being here, and if it's good enough, I might let you go."

"Ooh, poetic!" Joe exclaimed, walking around her in a circle as if to scrutinise every inch of her. "Although I personally would have substituted your second "good" for a synonym, just to avoid monotony and make the statement hit just a little bit harder."