I feel like I need to remind everyone that with exception to maybe mycters that are married to other to other mcyters irl (like Martyn and Netty or Joel and Lizzie), there won't be romance. Any and all flirting is platonic and/or joking.

Also! I feel like I've really gotten my spark back for writing! And for now, I have a lot of free time due to winter break. So if I update a lot, that's why. On the other hand, when I get back from break, I'll probably be too busy to write for a few months. ... I'll deal with that when it comes but just to give you all a head's up. 

And finally, I think that my average chapter length may have grown. This doesn't really matter, but it is something I have noticed (I used to average 1.5-3.5k, but usually hitting 2-2.5k. I think this is the fourth chapter in a row that I've gone over 3k. This one is about 4.6k for reference.)

♡『♡』♡

After Scar had sat for another hour or so, he just couldn't do nothing anymore. Not only was he bored, he also didn't want to find himself going shelterless at night, especially if he was going to be without wheels. As much as he hated the idea of having to do this again, he slowly stood back up, using the crafting table to help him up.

His legs still ached slightly, but they were much better than they had been before. That was good at least. He gathered the few things that he had laying around before heading back into the mines.

At first, the expedition was going about the same as before. He found a cave and explored it. A few monsters almost scared him right out of his skin, but none of them hurt him too badly. He got a decent sum of materials, but so far, only one diamond. What was noteworthy, however, was a single torch he found by itself.

"Wait -- did I place that? Or...?" He glanced around, but the area looked unfamiliar to him. No, he most certainly hadn't. But if that was true, then... "Oh! Someone must be here!" He scrambled towards another torch he saw in the distance, even though his legs protested it. That torch led him to another, then another, and yet another, as though they were set as a trail just for him. As he followed them, he cupped his hands over his mouth and called out, hoping that someone would hear him.

A few minutes in of doing this, he heard a response. "Hello?!" Bdubs called from far away. "Scar, is that you?!"

Scar couldn't help but grin. It was one of his friends! Perfect! They could help him! "Yes! Yes it's me!!" He called back, changing into a full sprint. The pain rippled through his legs each time they touched the ground, but in all of his excitement, he hardly registered it in the moment.

"Scar!!" Cleo called from the same direction.

"We're over here!" Impulse called as well. Three of them. Three of his friends! Any anxiety he had from before ceased, knowing that regardless of what happened, he would be safe in their hands. He turned one last corner and there they were, just as he remembered them. It was also this exact moment when his body caught up with him. He found himself gripping the edge of the wall as he stooped over, suddenly out of breath. Fire seared through his lower extremities, forcing him to half-fall to his knees.

"Scar!!" Bdubs, the closest of the three called again. He had caught Scar in the fall, helping him down to his knees. Impulse and Cleo were there a moment later, helping him reposition Scar so he could lie down with a single piece of wool as a makeshift pillow.

When Scar was sure that they were done moving him, he placed a hand over his face, allowing himself time to try and catch his breath before whispering a thank you.

"Scar I thought--" Impulse began, but he stopped himself. "I mean, your wheelchair?"

Even though he had failed to make a cohesive sentence, Scar knew exactly what he had meant. "I don't really know either." He admitted. "I woke up on the ground with a six pack and no chair in sight." He couldn't stop the chuckle that left his lips.

"Scar, this is serious!" Cleo reprimanded.

"Wait, I actually kind of want to see this." Bdubs admitted.

Scar had to fight to keep his easy-going smile on his lips. "I know, I know... it's a very serious six pack." He assured as he grabbed the bottom of his shirt and lifted it up just enough so that the others could see that he indeed wasn't lying.

"Holy--" Impulse gasped.

"Oh no, that's hot!" Bdubs agreed, eyes wide.

Cleo, however, wasn't so impressed. She lightly bonked the other two on the head. "Will you stop gasping at the stupid six pack like a bunch of high school girls and focus on what's really important here?" That only made the three boys laugh all the more. But the moment that Cleo gave her signature glare at them, they all immediately shut their traps. "Scar, what actually happened?"

Scar had to breathe to prevent himself from laughing again when he opened his mouth. "But really... that was about it." He began before describing in detail how he had woken up seemingly better than he had been in years. He told them about how he had gathered supplies, but there was no accessibility mods in this world. "I can seem to walk around a bit, but it gets pretty painful after a while. I really don't think I'm better, guys, but what was I supposed to do?" He finished. He was greeted with silence at first, the others wanting to make sure that he was done retelling his story.

"Oh Scar... I'm so sorry." Impulse replied when he was sure that there was no more story to be told.

"I wish we would have found you sooner." Bdubs frowned. "We don't want you to have to expend all your energy."

Scar shook his head, ensuring that he maintained his smile all the while. "That's okay. You're here now, and that's all that matters."

♡『♡』♡

After Grian had a good cry, along with the support with two of his friends, he felt a lot better. "Thanks guys," he said as he wiped the last of his tears. "It's just... a lot to take in, you know?"

Martyn took a few moments to finish the soothing song that he had been humming. "Of course," he nodded as he finally let go of Grian's shoulders, placing his hands in his lap.

"But Grian...I do have to ask..." BigB began. He paused before receiving a nod. "Weren't you supposed to be a Watcher? How are you a player still?"

"I mean, I was, but that's..." Grian rolled his eyes, drawing out his response with an exaggerated sigh.  "A long story, really. What about you, Martyn? You seem to have been out and about."

Martyn's lip upturned into a smirk. "Why, I could say the same thing, couldn't I?" He raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

"If I tell you, will you tell me?" Grian asked with a bit of hesitance in his voice. 

"I mean, perhaps I will." Martyn teased.

Grian paused for a few moments before he decided to take Martyn up with his offer. At first, it was hard to say it out loud because he never had before. But once he started talking, his tongue loosened, and it was easier to talk about it. "After... some things happened, I got upset and ran away from... You know, the Watchers. From there, I  joined a hidden world called Hermitcraft, where everyone has their own secrets. I've been there for almost two years now, and they've really become a family to me."

"Aww, that's sweet! I'm so happy for you!" BigB said before he patted Grian's back. The two of them shared a grin before looking over at Martyn to gauge his own reaction of this. He was no longer smiling like before, but his eyes had narrowed like they often did when he was taking in new information.

"And these people... do you know their secrets? Or do they know that you're a Watcher? Or rather, a former one?" He asked, his tone laced with suspicion.

Grian, however, didn't take any offense to it. That was just how Martyn was sometimes: too cynical, too cautious for his own good. But to his credit, he often had pretty good gut instincts after he sensed things out himself. "Some of them." He shrugged.

"And the people you don't know about... How do you know that they aren't people who have done terrible, unforgivable things?" Martyn asked.

BigB gasped before nudging him. "Martyn! You can't just ask things like that. They're his family!"

"And every family has at least one. Anyway, it is a valid question, isn't it?" Martyn asked in response. "I just want to make sure everything's alright, yeah?"

Grian waved, assuring them both that it was. "Trust me, they've shown me so much kindness that they couldn't possibly be some secret evil villain or whatever else." He chuckled to himself, trying his best to imagine that. When his laughter subsided, he grew more serious. "It's kind of hard to put into words, but if you met them, I'm sure you'd see what I mean."

Martyn only hummed, not saying any more other than a simple, "Sure." The group sat in silence for a few tense moments, each of them waiting to see if any of them had anything more on the subject matter, but none of them seemed to.

"Well then, Martyn, what's your story?" Grian asked in turn.

Martyn blinked. "My... story?" he asked.

"You said that if I shared mine, that you would share yours, remember?" 

He shook his head. "No, no, I said that I might tell my story. I didn't say for certain that I would!" He explained. But when he received two rather unamused looks, he sighed deeply. "Okay, fine. If I have to... Some foolish lunatic saved me from the Void. A Listener. He... let's say he forcefully adopted me despite the fact I'm most definitely not a child. I mean he's alright I guess, he's just a bit... strange. And I didn't leave because where would I even go? Like, everyone I know was either dead or in the Void." He shrugged. 

"And-- and the scars?" BigB asked. 

"That's..." Martyn's gaze lowered as he grew quiet. "Let's just say that elven villages are different from Listener ones." That was vague enough to keep them guessing. And it wasn't a lie per se; if he had gone back to his village, if he had gone anywhere else even, he probably wouldn't have them. Still, he had left enough out that he certainly considered himself to be lying, to his friends no less. For someone who never particularly cared for lying, it didn't feel so good to do it to the two of them. 

Before either of them could say anymore, he decided to change the subject. "Well in any case, I've got a gift to give each of you." He stood up and walked over to the stray crafting table that had been placed nearby. He heard one of them call his name, but he chose to ignore it. After running his hand over the grooves of the placement titles, he laid down the six diamonds on the table in the proper pattern, followed by the sticks.

"Wait, are those the diamonds that you found earlier?" BigB asked, straining his neck to try and see what had been put down.

"Sure is!" Martyn grinned as he looked back over at his friends. He ran his hands over the table again, ensuring that everything was in the proper place without having to look at it. He turned back around just as he activated the table. With a flash, the materials vanished. He quickly covered his eyes as the light caught his eyes, and he had to stop himself from stumbling back. Okay, so maybe his eyes hadn't quite adjusted to seeing normally yet. He'd have to keep that mind, he noted as he carefully opened his eyes again. Three diamonds swords laid where he materials once were. Perfect.

"Careful there!" Grian called. "But Martyn--"

"Yeah, yeah." Martyn rolled his eyes as he grabbed a blade in both hands, cutting Grian off again. He couldn't possibly answer any more questions; he had already said too much. He walked back over to them before extending one to each of the two. "I wanted to give each of you a diamond sword. We all know things could get dangerous out there, and we shouldn't count on anything. Better safe than sorry."

"Martyn, are you really sure? Those were your diamonds..." BigB frowned, beginning to reach for his blade, but not taking it yet.

"Yeah, and what am I going to do with three different diamond swords?" Martyn laughed. He couldn't stop the warm smile that had grown on his face. "Consider this a reunion gift of sorts. Evolutionists through and through, yeah?"

"Yeah, yeah, you're right." Grian agreed as both he and BigB took their swords and put them away. "But for your sake Maryn, let's hope there aren't any of the other Evolutionists here -- else you'll be running up quite a bill for diamonds!"

Martyn blinked. "Oh-- well uh, I'll deal with that when it comes up, I guess." He replied, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Speaking of others..." BigB hummed, "Do you think there are other people here? Evolutionists or not?"

Grian paused, thinking the question through. He had arrived here after falling through the world. He had suspected that Scar, Ren and Tango were here, although he hadn't found them yet. He had started to give up the idea, but that was before he had found these two. "Well, I tried looking through my comm but I think that was messed up or something. But, I think there are." He replied. "I think that some of my friends -- the Hermits-- might be around here somewhere. I just don't know where. Which reminds me, if we stumble across them, maybe let's not mention -- you know... Evo?"

"What do you mean, not mention Evo? That's-- that was our life for years, Grian..." Martyn said.

"Well, I-- I mean, yeah... but I..." Grian bit his lip, looking down at the stone he was sitting on. "I haven't exactly told any of them of what happened to me -- to any of us, really. All they really know is that I ran away from something."

"So, you don't trust them after all?" Martyn asked, raising an eyebrow. BigB silently placed a hand on his shoulder, shaking his head to tell him to drop it.

"I mean I do, I just..." Grian rubbed the back of his neck. "I've just... well, I don't know how to bring it up and it's kind of hard to talk about with those that just have never been in a situation like that before, you know? And after all that's happened with the Watchers after I left, it's--" He heaved a sigh. "Look-- it's not them, it's me. It's just really hard for me to talk about it is all."

Martyn heaved his own sigh, placing his hand on BigB's for a few moments. He closed his eyes and leaned in slightly towards the man, taking in his presence as well as his message. When he opened his eyes, they were no longer narrowed, but instead showed warmth once again. "Well, I don't really understand it I guess, but... fine then. How about we call ourselves the Blue Sword Boys in that case?"

Grian giggled. "Sure. Thank you, Martyn." He couldn't possibly be offended with his questions when he knew that he was just a bit cautious and overprotective at times. At least he wasn't Jimmy -- that man had constantly been smothered by these traits from his brother in particular. "Hey, speaking of which, I feel like I have to give you something for the sword. How about you have the golden apple I found?" He dug in his pocket, taking out the prized item before offering it to Martyn.

"Hey wait a minute-- guys, I don't have anything to offer!" BigB exclaimed.

"Wow, Grian! Way to make BigB the third wheel in this alliance!" Martyn scoffed as he pocketed the apple. None of the three of them could contain their laughter after that.

♡『♡』♡

After Cleo, Impulse and Bdubs mined for a few more hours, someone always keeping Scar company, they had begun to grow tired. Bdubs in particular was the most affected. The man let out a large yawn as he covered his mouth.

"Well, you know what that means." Impulse chuckled fondly.

"Yeah," Cleo chuckled in agreement. "Less than an hour until sunset. Who needs a clock when you have Bdubs?"

Scar sat up from his makeshift bed, adjusting himself so that he was leaning against the wall. Impulse had begun to reach for him, but Scar waved him off to tell him that he was fine. "I would suggest that we make our way back up to the surface, but I'm afraid that someone isn't going to make it up the stairs in time." He teased, looking pointedly at Bdubs.

"Hey!! I can stay up past my bedtime! Just you wait and see!!" Bdubs yelled back, which only made Scar laugh all the more, Impulse and Cleo joining in on the snickering.

"Yeah, yeah, you keep telling yourself that Bdubs." Cleo replied, placing her hands on her hips. Then, growing serious, her teasing grin turned into a frown. "But Scar, are you going to be okay? It might take a bit to get back to the entrance."

Scar had to take the time to make sure that he kept wearing his smile to ensure he erased any doubts the others may have. "Oh, don't you worry about me. I may have overdone it earlier, but I'm as fine as-- as Mary Poppins and her magical magic of wonders!" He was greeted with silence. Had he said that weird? He definitely did, who was he kidding? Still, he held fast to his calm, carefree demeanor he always had, nodding his head slightly to try to further convince them anyway. If only he could convince himself so easily; wouldn't that be something.

"Well..." Cleo glanced at the other two, each one sharing uncertain looks. "Alright then, but if you need to take a break you tell us right away, alright?"

"Oh, of course! Of course!" Scar grinned all the more, giving them all a thumbs up.

♡『♡』♡

By the time that Scar cleared the final stair, his legs were burning all over again. His soles had become heavy, and it had gradually gotten harder to pick them up off the ground one at a time and lift them high enough to clear the next stair. He had found himself keeping a steadying hand against the wall at all times, unlike his friends who hardly, if ever, touched the walls. He couldn't help also notice that his breathing had begun to quicken, if ever so slightly.

His friends had given him glances throughout their assent, but they only asked him if he was okay a few times. The answer, of course, was no. He wanted his chair. He wanted to go home. He wanted to be with all his friends, not just a few. He didn't have to worry about his energy levels too much back in Hermitcraft, so long as he wasn't on the verge of yet another illness. Now, it seemed, he would have to constantly monitor them. At the same time, he really didn't want to worry anyone. Not when there wasn't much that could be done about it. Ability or disability aside, they all had plenty to worry about already. And so, his answer each time was a big goofy smirk and a "why, of course!"

Now, they entered a small room with a door leading to the outside. By the way light streamed in through the windows, Scar could tell that they still had a little bit of time until the monsters would come out. With a few furnaces and a crafting table were pushed up against a wall, it was just barely large enough to fit all four of them.

Bdubs stifled another yawn as he headed towards the door. "There'll be more room out here to play the disc I got." He decided out loud before he headed outside. Impulse and Cleo followed him out, so Scar decided to follow them as well. He closed the door behind them and chose to sit against a nearby tree, close to where Bdubs was already setting up the jukebox.

"This one is one of my favorites." Bdubs explained as he took out the prized disk and inserted it into the machine. It made a few clicking sounds before the song began to play. Upon hearing it, Scar felt the tension quickly ease from his shoulders.

"This is pretty nice." Cleo agreed

"So worth my only diamond." Scar agreed. Today may have been a pretty rough day between the losing his home and world, being seperated from most of his friends, having no idea where he was and losing his wheelchair, but this made it almost worth it. Almost. He watched as his friends grabbed each others' arms and danced around the jukebox. Their movements were clumsy at best, almost tripping and falling over each other every couple of seconds. They laughed, and he couldn't help but laugh from where he was just watching how unsteady they were.

Part of him wanted to join in. At the same time, when he was sitting down, the pain that had kept rapidly growing was nearly non-existent. It felt good to sit. And, as much as he tried not to think about it, they hadn't stopped and asked him if he wanted to join in, either. His heart panged at that realization, but he tried to whisk the thought away. It wasn't as though they had meant that, and he already had decided that he would better off sitting and watching anyway, so what did it matter? So he was content with watching and laughing along. That was what he told himself.

When the song was almost over, the familiar voice of Tango asked, "Hey, is that music?"

Impulse stopped so fast, letting go of both Bdubs and Cleo's hands that the other two really did fall over. "Tango, is that you?!" He called before dashing towards the hill in that direction. Sure enough, a moment later, Tango appeared, along with Etho.

Bdubs began to yell "Hey!!" But as soon as he spotted two more of his friends, his anger vanished instantly. He raced to his feet to run out to greet them. "Etho!!" He screamed before tackling the elf. He wrapped his arms and legs around him and nuzzled his face in Etho's shoulder before he could even react. Cleo also came over, but not nearly as quickly or enthusiastically as the other two.

"Bdubs!" Etho exclaimed. He couldn't stop his laughter from spilling over as he opened his arms, displaying just how tightly Bdubs clung to his trunk with no help from him. "You're here too?"

Scar had to chuckle at the two of them. He hadn't seen Etho much since he had left Hermitcraft, but he had missed seeing how he and Bdubs interacted with one another. One was overly affectionate, while the other was, well, Etho. In any case, this was worth standing for. Using the tree as support, he stood up and slowly made his way to everyone else, trying not to limp too noticeably. "Hi guys."

"Scar?" Tango blinked. "You're...?"

"Walking? I-- yeah." He shrugged. He was about to say more, when he realized something equally as unusual about Tango. "Wait... what happened to your wings? And your hair? Dude, you look almost human!"

Tango glanced behind him, where his black elytrian wings used to be. "I'm not really sure, honestly. I just woke up and— poof! They were gone!" He explained. "Same thing with my hair — it just wasn't on fire or anything. It just... looked like hair." He grabbed a strand of it and twirled it around is finger allowing to feel once again, that it really was just dry, solid substance.

"Similar thing happened to me." Scar shrugged. "But hey-- check out my six pack!" 

"Wait what-?" Etho began to ask, but Scar was already halfway into throwing off his shirt. He giggled to himself as he flexed, showing them off. 

"Oh!" Tango exclaimed, covering his mouth.

"That's--" Etho averted his eyes as the visible portions of his cheeks reddened. 

"Hey Etho!" Bdubs exclaimed, finally letting go of his best friend and getting down on the ground. "What do your pecs look like? Do you have muscles like that?" He asked, already poking at the bottom of Etho's shirt. 

The elf quickly held down his shirt, knowing that Bdubs had intended to check himself, with or without permission. "What? No I don't!" He almost yelled back as he turned even more red. That sure didn't cease Bdubs' curiosity, who then began trying to lift his shirt regardless, flustering Etho even further.

Everyone else couldn't help but laugh at their antics. "You two really are a riot, I hope you know that. Never change, never change." Tango said, wiping a tear from his eye. 

"What's this about a riot?" Someone with a heavy scottish accent called. A moment later, an elf with teal-colored hair came around the hill. He was holding onto a blond human's hand, who had a shy blush on his cheeks. Whoever they were, they certainly weren't Hermits, that was for sure.

"Oh, I was just telling them about my amazing six pack!" Scar said without any hesitation, gesturing to his shirtless body. "And guess what? my glutes look even better! Want to see?" He turned around, placing his hands on the front of his belt. 

The blonde stranger blinked. "E-excuse me?!" He squeaked, his face reddening even further. he tried to pull his hand away from the elf, but the other was holding on too tight. 

"Well I do enjoy a bit of skin~" The elf teased with a flirty wink. "But I'm afraid that I already have a husband, sorry."

"Oh you do?" The human asked, tilting his head. 

The elf apparently found this funny, as he giggled to himself. "Why, of course! Don't you remember?" He then shook his head, turning his attention to the Hermits. "But really, it's nice to meet you all. I don't really know how I got here, but... My name is Scott. This here is my husband, Jimmy!" 

The human, Jimmy apparently, widened his eyes as he went fully red. "What?!" He exclaimed. "But I'm not - what?! I didn't consent to this! And I'm not even--!! If my brother hears about this he's gonna say that I can't just marry someone I just met!" He reeled, snatching back his hand at last. 

Scott tilted back his head, gripped his stomach and had a long, good laugh. "Dude, I was just kidding! Man, you're too easy to tease." Once his fit of laughter was over, though, he turned back to the Hermits. "And who are all of you?"

Scar turned back around and picked his shirt up off of the ground. "My name is GoodTim--" He was interrupted by a loud screech that pierced the night air. The phantom quickly dived, and he just barely managed to dodge it in time as he screamed in response. As a result, however, he began to fall over.

"Uh-- maybe we should take this inside?" Cleo suggested, having caught Scar. "Monsters are appearing now. It's not much, and it'll be tight, but we do have a small shelter right over there." She nodded in the direction of the door as she helped him find his balance. 

When an arrow whizzed past Tango's left ear, he nodded eagerly. "Let's go!" he agreed, already sprinting towards the door along with everyone else. 

♡『♡』♡

Fun fact: this is not the first time Scott has been in the series! He was very briefly mentioned in Xelqua Rising on chapter 46.

Also, let it be known I seriously debated putting "Scar turns all the Lifers gay" as a (silly) summary.