Cleo tried to call for help, but her communicator kept glitching so nothing came through, "It's not working! That thing is doing something to it!"

"Then we'll just have to fight it," said Rodger, pulling out a long obsidian dagger, much to the shock of his companions, "What? They are more common than you think"

"We can all discuss this later," hissed Cleo, pulling out her diamond sword, "Right now we have to fight"

"Thêrê īš ñø ñêêd tø fīght," growled the furry Enderman, it's giant claws flexing, "Ÿøú'łł łøšę, ñø qûêštīøñš äškêd"

"Really?" said Rodgers confidently, a cooky tilt to his voice, "Then why don't you fight us with your fists instead of your words then?"

"Brävê wørdš, før šømêthīñg thät'š ñøt äłīvê," the robot growled at this, he was alive! "Bút Ī šúppøšê Ī'm ñøt øñê tø täłk, Ī'm ñøt äłł tø rêäł êīthêr"

"What?" gasped Cleo, surprise, "What do you mean? We can clearly see you!"

"Júšt bêçäúšê ÿøú çäñ šêê mê, dôêšñ't mêäñ Ī'm rêäł," chuckled the Enderman, it's magenta eyes remaining unblinking, "Ÿøúr äçtúäłłÿ ñøt êvêñ äwäkê rīght ñøw"

"Then what are we?" asked Rodger, dagger still tightly clutched in his hand.

"Ÿøúr úñçøñšçīøúš, äšłêêp øñê çøúłd šäÿ," said the tall creature, a hint of amusement in their voice.

"Why are we here?" asked Joe, feeling that there was something more to be said, "You brought us here for a reason"

"Īñ ä wäÿ," said the Enderman, "Ī brøúght ÿøú hêrê før ä rêäšøñ, thê øthêr twø júšt häppêñêd tø çømê äłøñg"

"Me? Why me?" asked Joe.

"Ÿøú whêrê at Śīłvêrhärbør-" the poet froze up at the name, "-ÿøú šävêd hīm. Ÿøú šävêd øúr łīttłê Xêłqúä"

"How do you know that name?" growled Rodger, raising his dagger to point it at the black creature.

"Ī çøúłd ñêvêr førgêt īt," said the Enderman sadly, a wistful tilt in their calm voice, "Hê wäš øúr łīttłê Śpītfīrê. Bút hê wäš täkêñ frøm úš, wê äłł thøúght hê wäš gøñê"

Their voice cracked here, splitting into two distinct voices, one male and the other female. Joe could tell where they were going with the conversation, and he could also tell that they couldn't finish it. So he did it himself, "But he wasn't, he was alive. And he washed ashore on Silverharbors beech"

The Enderman nodded at this, "Ÿêš, thät īš whät häppêñêd"

"I don't get any of this! Joe what is it talking about? What's Silverharbor have to do with any of this? And who the hell is Xelqua?" cried Cleo, desperate for some kind of explanation. And she got one, just not from who she was expecting.

"Sixteen years ago, Xenagoras Void raped and then threw his son, Xelqua Void, of a cliff near the town they lived in," said Rodger, his voice being exactly what you'd expect from a robot without emotions, something that was only telling information, "Xelqua survived the fall, and the consequent trip down the sea. A day later he washed ashore on the west side of the Silverharbor beach, and there he was found by a sixteen year old Joe Riordan Hills," finished Rodger, voice still sounding robotic, more than normal.

The zombie blinked at this, she already knew all about what happened in Joe's last week at his old town, but how did this random robot made by Grian know all of that? She decided it wasn't worth asking at the moment, there'd be time to do that later, "That's all nice and dandy, but I still don't know who Xelqua is or what he has to do with any of this!"

"Xêłqúä wäš šhørt, häd dīrtÿ błøñd häīr äñd wäš vêrÿ šmäłł," said the Enderman, tone even more sad than before, "Døêš thät dêšçrīptīøñ rêmīñd ÿøú øf äñÿøñê?"

Cleo though for a few minutes, before it all clicked, "Xelqua's Grian"

Joe suddenly collapsed, a pained sob leaving his throat.

"Joe!" screamed Cleo, red hair bouncing as she ran up to her fallen friend, "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

But the poet didn't answer her, instead he only stared at the ground blankly, tears slowly cascading down his face. He mumbled something she couldn't pickup, so she asked him to repeat it.

"I-I broke the vow," sobbed Joe, eyes still trained on the ground, "I broke it"

"What are you talking about?" asked Cleo worriedly, only now noticing how Joe's short was getting damp by blood, "Oh my god! Your bleeding!"

The Enderman looked down at the poet in shock, "...Ÿøú tøøk ä vøw?"

Joe got his sobbing under control, "I did," he bit out.

"Whÿ? Ÿøú kñêw hīm før ä wêêk, šø whÿ dīd ÿøú täkê īt?"

"I-" Joe was at a loss at what to say, why had he done it? He remained silent as he thought, which worried Cleo greatly Joe wasn't supposed to ever be quiet! "He was so small," whispered the brunette, "So young yet so hurt. All I had to worry about was not remembering the previous day, and here he was! Worrying if the next hour to be his last! He was so lost, and he needed a friend, so I offered it! I wasn't thinking when I took the vow, I didn't even know what it meant to take a vow. I was foolish," here he turned to look up at the Enderman with determined eyes, "But I don't regret it"

"Ī wøúłdñ't êīthêr," they said, voice sincere.

"How do you know him?" asked Cleo, "He never mentioned knowing any Enderman"

Said Enderman chuckled lightly at this, "Hê ñêvêr kñêw mê," they said to the confusion of the group, "Äš Ī šäīd; Ī'm ñøt rêäłłÿ rêäł"

"But, you said you knew Xelqua?" asked Cleo confused, "You at least made it sound like it"

"Ī wäš mädê ÿêärš äftêr hīš dīšäppêäräñçê," they explained to the zombie pirate, "Bút Ī hävê thê kñôwłêdgê ôf mÿ mäkêrš, äñd thêÿ kñêw hīm"

"So why are you here? To tell us that Grian's dad is an asshole and a disgusting human specimen?" growled Rodger, he could be working on getting NPG working, but nooo, he just had to help gather the ingredients for the potion.

The Enderman looked at him with a raised eyebrow, "Thät, äñd tø gīvê ÿøú thīs," as they said this they held out two objects, two Enderman eyes to be exact, "Ī fêêł łīkê ÿøú mīght ñêêd thêm"

Joe, having recovered a bit, took them in his hands, "Thank you"

"Ñøçtøł"

"What?" asked Joe, looking up at the End creature questioningly.

"Thät'š mÿ ñämê," said Noctol, with a small smile.

"It's nice," smiled Cleo, "I like it"

Noctol let out a little laugh, "Thäñk ÿøú, ñøw Ī bêłīvê ÿøú äłł hävê tø gø," they said sadly, before giving the trio one last smile, "Gøød łúçk, Ī høpê wê mêêt ägäīñ øñê däÿ"

And then they were back in the desert, sun rising in the distance.

"Did that really happen?" asked Cleo, eyes blinking rapidly trying to get ahold of what was going on, "Or did I make all of that up in my head?"

"It was real," said Joe, revealing his bloodied shirt and two Enderman eyes in his hand. A look of determination on his face.

He broke the vow. How did he do that? He didn't know. But some part of him broke it, and he was going to fix it.

So as the sun pushed the moon away even more, the group returned to "base" (aka Grian's base). Being among the first to arrive. That was one ingredient down, that was one step closer to getting Grian back.

Joe just hoped that whatever was happening to Grian wasn't too bad, he couldn't stand something bad happened and knowing he was in some way responsible for it.

So he sat down on the floor to write in his trusty journal, shoulders relaxing as he put ink to paper in a calming ritual.

Everything was going to be fine, no matter how long it may take, it was all eventually going to be fine.

<>I'm not 100% happy with how I wrote Joe in this chapter, but I got what I needed out in a decent matter, so I'm pleased! And that's one of the ingredients done, so yay for that! 

Now I have to go make Christmas prompt number 3, so have a wonderful day everyone!<>