Based around mine-sara-sp's shadow hermits au on Tumblr! A hypothetical first meeting of Wels and the vex shadows
Wels had been on edge all afternoon. No matter where he went or what he was doing, it always felt like someone was watching him. He knew it wasn't Paladin, because he hadn't been summoned for over a week, mostly through laziness on Wels' part. Even when he was out at the mining mesa, it felt like there were eyes boring through him, despite no hermit being around for thousands of blocks. It was upsetting, and just about driving him mad.
Wels: Xisuma, I think there might be some glitches around
Wels: keep getting weird vibes :/
Xisuma: Hm, I'll have to look into it...
Xisuma: Anywhere in particular that's especially glitchy?
Xisuma: Wels?
Xisuma: Where are you?
Wels glanced over his shoulder, the phone tumbling form his fingers. He was petrified, eyes locked with the two pairs of blue eye sockets staring back at him- Avarice and Keloid, if he remembered right. Unmistakably unique from all the other shadows, the two vex's forms seemed to shift constantly, making them hard to look at directly. Their seemingly ever-present smiles were long gone now, and the anger flowed off them in waves. Wels was stunned silent- not that he had anything he wanted to say. They took a step forward in unison, seeming to relish the fear radiating from Wels.
"Where is it?" They hissed in unison, their voices piercing the silent air.
Wels gaped, unsure what to say and unable to say it.
"Where is the shiny?" They took a step closer.
"I- I don't-" Wels gasped, his knees trembling from the simple effort of standing. Something about these shadows was powerful and different than the others, and Wels hated it. Their energy was palpable, and it crushed Wels' lungs.
They hissed, static crackling and popping like the blue sparkles swirling around them frantically. "Tell us."
Wels slid down to his knees. "I don't know what you're talking about," he gritted.
The static grew louder, buzzing inside Wels' mind. "He knows, he knows."
"I don't know what you're talking about!" Wels cried, clamping his hand over his ears. The static was unbearable, Wels hated shadows like this, especially the vex. It was too much, too loud, too-
If static had a feeling, it was the feeling of their inhuman hands grabbing him forcefully, yanking him to his feet. His arms burned cold where they held him, now forcing him to stare straight into their empty blue eyes. It took everything Wels had not to scream in agony and fear, knowing it would just anger them more. Despite being terrified, he forced himself to hold his wits about him. This was one moment he was grateful for his knight training.
"You give us the shiny, you have to." With that, they took off, dragging Wels with them. It was horrifying being carried to who-knows-where by these unpredictable and dangerous creatures with no one close enough to save him, even if he did call for help. Their shifting forms allowed them to travel faster than normal, perhaps even faster than elytra with the strange blue wing-like blades swirling around Shadow Scar in a frenzy. He couldn't control the convulsing shivers across his body, but he restrained himself from trying to call for help when he knew there was none. This must have been their plan, to wait until he was all alone so they could kidnap him. Why him?! There were many dangerous shadows to be afraid of, but Wels only had a genuine fear of the vexical shadows, for obvious reasons.
They entered a cave in the side of the mesa without slowing their pace, navigating the winding tunnels with no hesitation. Wels was entirely confused until they rounded the corner, entering a summoning temple. This was the nightmare scenario. Surely they were going to force Wels to summon Paladin so they could turn his own shadow against him. Without loosening their grip on Wels' arms, which were now numb from the static, they handed him a crafting table and a few items, obviously intending for him to make the armor stand himself. Any dark stand could be used, but it was a lot easier to summon a shadow if the stand was made by the summoner. He had to admit, the vex were scary because they were powerful, but their intelligence was also a terrifying force to be reckoned with.
Wels slowly built the stand, placing it in the center of the alter-like platform. He threw one glance at shadow Cub, who gave him a menacing grin. "Give us shiny."
Wels shut his eyes, and touched the stand. All too familiar, the armor stand shuddered and dissolved under his touch, and the feeling of another presence entered the room. Wels watched as his own shadow jumped to life, clawing it's way out of the floor and into reality. Soon, a 3D model of Wels stood in front of them, which flared to life in a flash of yellow. His eyes opened, and a plume of golden feathers burst from his hat. With a thin smile, the shadow greeted Wels, but quickly turned it's attention to the vex behind him.
They had dropped their grip on Wels, which was greatly appreciated, and they approached Paladin slowly. Wels was tempted to stop them, to protect his shadow, but something about this exchange felt passive, so Wels tensely watched from afar.
"Hello gentleman, how may I assist you?" Paladin greeted them cordially, keeping a relaxed expression. He got that knightly trait from Wels, at least that's what he liked to imagine.
"Shiny, shiny," They crowed, seeming to vibrate with joy. They began herding Paladin towards the exit of the cavern, but Wels stepped in the way, seeming to surprise them. "Move."
"What are you doing?"
Avarice frowned, clearly not wanting to answer, but Keloid spoke up, the first time they hadn't spoken in unison since Wels had met them. "Bring Shiny to the safe place."
Wels took a moment to process the words, glancing at Paladin. He stood at ease, if not a little annoyed at Wels' interruption. He didn't seem to be phased by the vex in the slightest; even to the point of being more comfortable between the pair than with Wels. "Paladin, do you know what's happening here?"
"These vexations appear to believe I'm a treasure for their vault. They have been nothing but courteous, I assure you."
One glance at the vex confirmed Paladins words. They held his arms like they did to Wels on the way to the cavern, but the grip was loose and gentle. To Wels' surprise, the shadows' body language had opened up as well, their shoulders loose and smiles poking at the corners of their mouths. Wels could still feel the power radiating off them, but it wasn't directed at him anymore. Wels' knees were still weak from the terrifying trip here, reminding him of their anger not moments earlier, so he was still extremely wary of the powerful shadows, but Paladin's comfort placated him slightly.
"Well... How long will this take?"
The trio of shadows skewed their faces in sync. "What are you insinuating?"
Suddenly Wels felt outnumbered. His own shadow had turned against him quite suddenly, and he wasn't quite sure how to handle it. Of course this wasn't nearly as bad as some of the downright violent shadows like Jigsaw and Apex, but it certainly wasn't good either. If Paladin was teaming up with the vex shadows, who knows what might happen.
"How long have you been with them?" His voice came out shakier than he intended.
Paladin made an indiscernible face. "I do not know what you mean sire. Thrice in my last summonings they have held me hostage in their vault of gold. They seem to believe my helm is woven of true gold," Paladin explained, accompanied by the occasional nods from the vex.
"Wait, when did they kidnap you? I think I would have noticed if you disappeared randomly!" Wels ran a hand through his hair, the new information swirling around his mind. This would explain why the shadows know each other, and seem to be at least semi-friendly to each other.
This time it was Avarice who spoke up. "Very sneaky, take shiny when knight doesn't look."
This didn't clear much up for Wels, but the vex seemed to be growing more agitated. Blue triangles swirled through the cave, and Wels could feel their anger turning back to him. "Okay, okay. You can have him for now, as long as that's okay with you Paladin. Just take good care of him, okay?"
The vex made no indication to him, simply taking Paladin by the arms again and leading him away. Paladin threw one last glance over his shoulder, which was a mix of gratitude and smugness. What exactly that meant Wels wasn't sure, but he assumed the shadow shared one of his major flaws as well: pride. Being coveted as a treasure by the powerful shadows probably made Paladin feel good about himself, if not puff his ego a little more than needed. Wels could only hope that the excitement would wear off sometime, and his shadow would rejoin him soon.
For now, he had to find his own way back to Hermitville.
Feels a lil rushed imo, but I had to write this au ASAP
Love you, my little stars!
-RaeTheStar