Chapter Text
There was something off about the season nine world.
All of the Hermits could feel it. At first, they thought it was leftover from the disastrous end of the last world. Remnants of what they’d lost. Remnants of Tango. But then, when they finally started building, strange things started happening. Grian’s shop came alive and walked itself to a new spot. A magical tree grew near Bdubs’ monolith. A honey farm seemed to spring up overnight that none of the Hermits took credit for.
Gem had been trying to ignore it. She’d decided to base next to Impulse this season, to give him some support. Zedaph and Impulse were obviously taking everything even harder than the rest of them, and Gem was determined to try and help the best she could. And Zed had thrown himself into his Zedvancements, so Impulse was mostly alone. And she couldn’t just let that happen.
So, Gem dragged Impulse back to society. She made her theme for the season elven, to match Impulse’s dwarf he had come up with back at the end of season eight. She picked her megabase spot right on top of his. She left him silly signs, dragged him out to watch her compete in MCC.
She knew he wasn’t okay. But she would show him that it was okay to not be okay.
Gem first saw it while she was at her prismarine farm.
She was waking up from being AFK. It was always a weird sensation, coming back from nothing, so at first she didn’t notice anything was wrong. But as more and more awareness bleed back into her, and she was almost able to open her eyes, Gem felt it. A heavy, pressing feeling. Like the very air, the very gravity around her had increased, and was shoving her down. It was almost familiar in the way that it was so opposite from the moon that Gem almost choked.
She forced her eyes open.
And that was when she saw it.
A creature, a… something, scratching letters into a sign on a chest in front of her that definitely wasn’t there when she had first gone AFK. Whatever it was, it had big, flaming orange wings, though the tips of the feathers were shifting blue. She couldn’t see much else. The wings took up her entire view.
Her mouth dropped open, and she made a little noise of surprise.
A noise that the creature apparently heard.
It bolted faster than Gem could see. Just there one second, gone the next. All that was left was the chest, the sign, and a single, flaming feather on the floor of her AFK box. As Gem stared, the feather stopped smoldering, turning blue. Gem picked it up. It was cold.
The sign on the chest was messily carved into. Gem wondered why it didn’t just write on it; it clearly knew English. All that was carved was a simple “Thanks”.
She opened the chest. It was empty, like it had left before it’d had a chance to put something inside. Gem wondered what it was thanking her for.
She checked her prismarine storage. It was completely full, but the chests of raw fish were shockingly empty for after an AFK session.
GeminiTay → Xisuma
Hey, they didn’t add any new mobs this update right?
Xisuma → GeminiTay
Not other than the warden
Is something wrong?
GeminiTay → Xisuma
I don’t think so
I’ll let you know if something happens
Goodnight X!
Xisuma → GeminiTay
That really doesn’t reassure me Gem
GeminiTay → impulseSV
Hey have you been around the prismarine farm recently
impulseSV → GeminiTay
Can’t say I have
Is something broken?
Do you need me to come fix it?
GeminiTay → impulseSV
Nope everything’s fine! Was just wondering
Gem left the chest in her AFK room and filled it with golden carrots. Then, after a moment of thought, she left some steak in there as well. She didn’t know if the creature was carnivorous. But hopefully, she could get it something better to eat than raw fish. Gem liked sushi, but she didn’t think she could survive solely off of it.
She also scribbled a note on a piece of paper and left it in the box as well. She really hoped she hadn’t scared it away by seeing it. She wanted it to know that it was always welcome to take food from her. Void knew she had more than enough. She wondered if she could convince it to come visit her megabase.
Gem packed up her prismarine and headed off to restock her shop, leaving thoughts of the strange creature behind.
Until she came back a few days later to an empty chest, and another cold blue feather laying on top of the lid.
She smiled and tucked it into her pocket.