Hunted | A HermitCraft AU

Oh look, it's an Evil X chapter

When Xerexis had seen the strange, familiar figure laying in the snow next to a burnt out fire, Xerexis had half thought that his NPC friend, Grian, had somehow managed to make it out of their rustic cabin and get his wiring all wet with the snow.

Xerexis was sure that he'd made sure Grian couldn't get out of the cabin, for fear of Grian getting damaged, but maybe Grian was smarter than Xerexis knew.

Either way, he'd dragged the Grian clone back to their cabin and had laid the Grian clone on Xerexis bed, checking on Grian. Who was still in his room, toying with a model of a rustic house.

Odd.

When Xerexis next checked on his visitor in the morning, he told Grian to stay quiet, and not startle the newcomer. No matter how much Grian was curious to see who the newcomer was, and find out why they apparently looked like Grian.

Thankfully, the newcomer was awake and had read the card that Xerexis had left.

Xerexis introduced himself, laughing slightly when he was mistaken for his twin, Xisuma. The resemblance wasn't all that similar, Xerexis liked to thing, although he could understand why the new guy feel slightly confused, especially if he'd known Xisuma first.

Maybe this guy was one of the Hermits that Xisuma ran?

But then why would he be all the way out here, close to 10 000 blocks from the Spawn island?

Xerexis was confused.

He made a quick, almost moveless gesture to get Grian to enter the room, his NPC friend bouncing into the room. Xerexis watched as Grian's features lit up upon seeing the newcomer, Grian grinning.

The newcomer looked stunned, staring at Grian.

"HELLO GRIAN!" NPC Grian greeted the newcomer, also named Grian, apparently.

"NPC Grian? I thought I'd left you in the closet, back in Evo!" Newcomer Grian retaliated, talking back at NPC Grian after a moment of hesitation.

Xerexis just watched, very confused. How were they both Grian? What did the newcomer mean by leaving NPC Grian in the closet?

"I'm so confused. Can someone please explain?" Xerexis decided to interrupt, looking between the two Grians.

"My name is Grian. Your friend over there who looks like me, is NPC Grian. I'm his creator. He was a failed experiment meant to help with building, but his code went wrong and he became obsessed with rustic houses." The newcomer explained.

That actually made a lot of sense. Especially when Xerexis looked back and remembered how insistent NPC Grian had been when Xerexis had been planning the build, Xerexis' robotic friend insisting on building it all for Xerexis.

"Now that that was sorted, Grian, I'd like to know how things have been going with the Hermits. You know Xisuma, and you're here on the HermitCraft server, so I'm assuming you loved with my brother and his friends." Xerexis wanted to move on from Grian's fear over NPC Grian's presence, and the best way he knew how was to talk about the Hermits.

Plus, Xerexis wanted to find out how they were doing. They may hate him, but he still felt somewhat loyal to them, and hoped they were doing well.

Xisuma was a whole other matter.

"They aren't doing too great." Grian sounded miserable when he said that, a weary look across Grian's features. "I arrived in HermitCraft because I passed out in front of Xisuma in another server. He brought me here, and asked me if I wanted to stay because I didn't have anywhere to go. I agreed."

"The issue is that I was being hunted down by an entity that calls himself Rowan. Rowan had made me kill my friend and destroy another server by possessing me. I broke free, and ran. When Xisuma let me into HermitCraft, Rowan got in. He, he possessed Xisuma, and brought two of his friends in. I got possessed by one callimg herself Heidi, and Stress got possessed by Kady." Grian continued to explain, Xerexis able to see him crying.

"We, they, whatever, we did some awful things. Rowan messed with my code, and allowed me to perma - kill. Heidi abused that, and killed Jevin, Cleo and Cub. Heidi used me to torture Doc and Mumbo, and had Doc not thought as fast as he did, Mumbo would be dead as well. False was blackmailed. Iskall's turning into an ender dragon hybrid, and he's gone feral."

Xerexis listened, his eyes wide. That didn't sound good.

Grian was full out sobbing, and Xerexis didn't know what to do. On one hand, Grian needed some comfort. Watching yourself kill three people had to be pretty not great, let alone watching yourself inflict that much torment onto your friends.

On the other hand, this was all Grian's and Xisuma's fault. Xisuma had let Grian into HermitCraft, while Grian was being chased, and it sounded like Grian hadn't mentioned this little fact to Xisuma, leaving Xerexis' brother blissfully unaware to the danger Grian had brought to HermitCraft.

Xerexis' concerns for Grian's mental wellbeing won out over his anger, the red clad man sitting on the bed near Grian, offering him a hanker-chief to wipe his eyes with, something Grian took. Xerexis didn't know much about comforting, since none of the Hermits had ever let him get too close since Xisuma had claimed Xerexis to be "evil", and NPC Grian had exactly two moods, none of which needed Xerexis to comfort him.

Before Xerexis could do anything else, Grian launched himself at Xerexis, startling the Void. He could feel Grian wrap his arms and wings around Xerexis, the winged Hermit full on crying into Xerexis' chest. It couldn't be comfortable, because Xerexis was wearing armour, but Grian seemed comfortable holding onto Xerexis, sl he wasn't about to stop Grian. (That made Xerexis wonder. Had Grian gotten used to hugging the cold, hard armour by holding onto Xisuma? Or was it something else?)

Xerexis offered more comfort to Grian, hugging the smaller man back, while they sat there.

Grian was letting go of his stresses, and Xerexis was somehow handling human contact for the first time in months. NPC Grian was gone, although Xerexis didn't question it.

Until he did, when NPC Grian entered the room, a wide grin across his face, and his hands behind his back, concealing something from Grian and Xerexis.