MCYT RANDOMNESS 2

Vexed Pt 2

Tw: pain, mild gore, body horror

The room falls silent as the High Evoker leaves. Our prison guard. The leader of this horrible cult I got me and Scar into.

'Scar...?' I turn to the immediate issue - Scar, sobbing, clinging to me, the back of his shirt still slowly staining red. 'What happened?'

'I wanna go back to Hermitcraft...'

'I know... It'll be ok. I'll find a way out of here. I promise.'

Lying little Vexling... It doesn't know how to get out... We won't free it... not yet... Poor poor friend Vexling... Should've talked... It won't escape... We won't let it out... Powerless.

'I- I hear voices... W- what's going on?' Scar whimpers, hugging closer.

'We can hear what the vex are saying.'

'What- what's a Vexling...?'

'I don't know what's going on.' I admit. 'But I'll get us out. Or Xisuma will notice we're not in Hermitcraft and help. I promise.'

'Promise?'

'They can't trap us forever... We should probably sleep. Or... Try to.' I see Scar holding the back of his neck. 'What did they do?'

'They asked questions. About us. And Hermitcraft. I didn't want to answer. And... And they hurt me.' Scar's hand lifts from his neck, revealing bloody cuts, shaped like a pair of wings.

'Is- is it bad?' Scar asks. I don't know how to reply. 'It hurts so much...'

'It's... It'll heal.' I decide to stick with, my head spinning at the sight of what they've done. What they could do again to me, or to Scar again. What they're capable of. 'It'll all be ok. I promise. We'll get out of here. We... We have to get out of here.' Tears blur my vision. There's no way out and even if there was, there's no way Scar would manage the journey... I try to find something to cover his injury before he loses too much blood.

Stupid Vexling... WE say when the Vexlings leave... Trapped Vexling... Poor poor hurt friend Vexling... Deserved it... Stupid... Should've said more... Should listen to us...

The vex's whispers haunt us as we stay awake the rest of the night.

I'm exhausted by morning, but the terror still keeps me awake. I managed to make some rudimentary bandages for Scar by tearing apart one of my labcoat sleeves. The vex enjoyed watching me struggle, and continue screeching and laughing about how long it took, how stupid I am, until the High Evoker enters again.

'Did you sleep well?' He can tell we didn't - my missing sleeve, the shadows under my eyes, beard tangled. Scar's still pale, hugging my arm as he stares at the High Evoker. I hug him back, but it's not enough to protect him as he's dragged to his feet, away from me. But this time he's not going alone.

I didn't notice the other player enter, with the same wings and mask as the High Evoker, but can't look away as they faze THROUGH the bars. Their hands are cold, clawed, blue like the vex, as they pull me after.

'Where are we going?'

'Always asking questions, aren't you Cubfan?' The leader notes with a cold laugh. I don't speak again, unaware I'd been slowing until the player tugs, forcing me to go quicker, up a staircase and into a huge empty room. Scar whimpers. This is where they took him before.

Hundreds of vex, far more than below, swarm the high ceiling. Pillars of dark oak guard either side of a dark red carpet, like that of a woodland mansion, leading to a throne made from shining diamond and unrecognisable blue crystal. Behind grins a giant vex face. I don't look at it, unable to fight the feeling it's looking back. The walls around are cold grey aside from stained windows of vexes, half-vex players like the one holding me, and the high Evoker.

A demand in the vex language and several of the vex fly down towards where Scar's been left crouched on the ground. They keep him there, laughing, whispering, little wings flapping. I'm still standing, shaking, watching the High Evoker recline on the throne, giving another vex-language command. I'm dragged closer, forced to my knees as though bowing towards the High Evoker or even the vex behind.

'Cubfan135. Welcome to the Land of the Vex. You and your friend Scar have been chosen by the Vex to join the ranks of Vexlings spreading our chaos and control across the whole of Minecraft. I am aware of some of your powers slowly setting in, but wish to hasten the process. I don't want you to miss the start of your next little Hermitcraft season, be forced to come back here later, or try to run from the vex before we can assure your loyalty to our cause.'

'Loyalty?' I repeat. 'You- you drag us into your weird cult unwillingly, torture my friend Scar, tell us we've got weird powers and now demand LOYALTY?!'

'Yes. And we will get it, though perhaps not in the way you expect.' A mask is brought out of the grinning vex face, like the ones the High Evoker and what I've slowly realised what also be a Vexling next to me are wearing. It glows with the same strange light as the High Evoker's magic.

'No.'

'This will hurt, but it will be better when you understand and have me to guide you through it than you would later alone.'

'No- no you won't make me- you can't...' The other Vexling holds me back as I struggle. Behind, Scar yells my name, All I know is I don't want to put on the mask. I don't want to be a Vexling. I want to go back to Hermitcraft and safety and my friends and-

The mask covers my face.

Pain.

I scream, collapsing. It feels like I'm on fire, hands burning, face burning beneath the mask, as though it's moving, molding to my skin. Agony spears through my back, my shoulders blades, like something sharp's pushing out of them.

Wings. Tearing through my skin, sending blood down my back as I continue screaming, begging for mercy, for it to stop. The vex's laughter screeches in my ears louder and louder, louder than Scar's screams, louder than my screams, like it's pushing into my mind until exhaustion crashes like a wave around me and I drown in the darkness.