The explanation the high ranked admins received from the Hermits were panicked and barely coherent, but what they managed to gather was that Xisuma and Grian had been taken by the Prime Watcher.

Did they really need about twenty people to get that much... or little information?

Apparently so.

"Minor change of plans," Hypixel called out to the surrounding admins and players as he comprehended this new information. Whether he was taking it well or not, no one could tell. The only expression he let slip past his calm exterior was the brief surprise when he came back to the steps of the mansion. "We're bringing the Hermits to HeadQuarters. This server is unstable for now, and from what Void has told us, they ain't going to sit on the sidelines and wait to get Void or the Prime back." Amused mutters of agreement rang out from the Hermits. The other admins acknowledged it but weren't surprised. Occasionally, Libra's orders were predictable.

"Dang right we're not gonna sit around," Doc muttered, leaning against a jungle tree. "That's two of our members, we absolutely are not going to just hope they come back. No, we're gonna bring them back." The other Hermits shared looks and grinned with newfound determination. Hypixel nodded, the corners of his lips twitching upwards, and with a wave of his hand, a large silver and black portal (presumably to the HeadQuarters) opened.

"After you guys," Hypixel said, moving aside and gesturing to the portal. One by one, the Hermits stepped in, albeit hesitantly. The other admins found their own way into the HQ, hastening the process by minutes.

"I have to ask you to please not touch anything and try to stay close to us. We wouldn't want to lose you in here," Hypixel said as he finally stepped through, his portal closing with a pop behind him. With a gesture for the Hermits to follow, he stalked into the main hall.

The Prime and the other high ranking admins were already inside, waiting for them. A couple beds, both empty and occupied, lined the walls. Hermitcraft's battle apparently overflowed the infirmary. Thankfully, no Hermit needed much medical attention. A simple healing potion would suffice, which had been provided by the other admins in the room.

Most players would be extremely uncomfortable in the presence of many admins. With this many gathered in one room, anyone could feel the magic. But it's not just that, most of the admins and players didn't dare to talk in the presence of the higher ranks in fear of saying one wrong thing, which usually meant unnecessary bouts of awkward silence.

Surprisingly, there was no awkward silence. Everyone was situating themselves around the large table in the center of the room. Chairs had been supplied, but most opted to stand around it as they peered at the blueprints and other important looking documents. It seems they would discuss the plans before heading off to rest, if that's what the admins would allow. (And the Hermits didn't mind, the quicker Xisuma and Grian are back, the better.)

"We should probably talk about who we're bringing," Libra muttered, propping her elbows on the rather tall table and resting her chin on her folded finders. She was intently staring at the papers, not showing any signs of looking away. The wings on her back were tightly folded, an obvious sign of distress... and not a good sign.

Defek directed his gaze towards the Hermits who were still in their armor (apparently items transferred from the previous server they were in, he wouldn't know, his inventory is almost always empty). "We can't bring the Hermits there, it's too dangerous," he said. While the admin's concern for the players was acknowledged with a respected glance his way, not a single one of them in question agreed.

Joe's eyebrows lowered. "With all due respect, Argentum-" All the admins looked mildly surprised at Joe's use of the correct rank. "-the duo we are planning to liberate from these 'Watcher's' clutches just so happen to be members of our chaotic family. You will find that not a single Hermit has taken their kidnapping lightly." A ghost of a smile pulled at his lips. "Any individual that has malicious intentions to any member of our server... we shall say they don't usually get off lightly." Only those who were accustomed to listening to Joe's rambles heard the sharp edge his voice had subtly adapted.

"But like, it'll be worse than what happened on my server and Hermitcraft! Like seriously, we took a harsh beating from those two attacks, now imagine what it's like with all of them! It's like, extremely extremely dangerous-" Skeppy piped in from the side, only to be cut off by a collective scoff.

"Oh please, we are dangers to ourselves-" Tango was cut off by many Hermits failing to hold their laughs in. He turned to the rest with a knowing grin and a raised eyebrow. "Don't deny it, you guys know it's true!"

Zedaph snorted, running a hand through his blond hair. "No, we're not denying it, we're wholeheartedly agreeing to it." The rest of the Hermits snickered in agreement.

Cub snapped his fingers multiple times. "Back on track, I'd like to go as soon as possible."

"No, we can't go right away... or even soon," AppleG said, looking around the table. "Our numbers are depleted, most of them injured. And in cases like this, we never bring in the low ranks due to lack of experience. Who we have left is very little. We have to recuperate, prepare correctly, and head over to the Watcher's Lair, which, I'm sure the admins know, is about five million blocks away from here." The Hermits seemed taken aback. Talk about base distancing.

"Portals?" Etho questioned somewhere from the back. Hypixel shook her head with a frown.

"Out of the question, the Lair is on a tall hill surrounded by relatively flat lands. Very much unlike ours, as you can see," he said, half turning to the windows and gesturing to the rolling hills and mountains in the distance. "They'd see it as clear as day."

"As much as I would like to get the admins before bad things happen, he's right." Libra grasped the edges of the table, staring down at the blueprints of the Watcher's Lair. "Going in there now would be nothing less than a suicide mission." Her eyes tightened as she finally looked up, her gaze directed to the Hermits. "I know you want to go and rescue Void and Xelqua. But I have to share Defek's and Skeppy's concern about the danger of doing so," she said, holding the entire room's attention.

"You may not know this, as I am unaware of what Void has told you, but this is the original Overworld. All other worlds are based on this world. The original Overworld, the original Nether, and the original End are permanently locked in Hardcore mode. There is no respawn here.

"As much as I want to send every admin in to get the two we lost, it would be a horrible mistake. From what certain sources have told me, the Watcher's force would overwhelm ours. I don't want to permanently lose any admins, permadeath is a horrible thing to go through. I don't want to permanently lose any players, especially your little group." A smile played on her face. "Xisuma and Grian care for you guys deeply, they talk about you guys often." Some Hermits blushed in response.

"Anyways," Hypixel said to clear the silence, looking back down at the blue prints. "It'd be really helpful if-" He paused suddenly, the quiet creak of a door interrupting him. The server owner sighed and rolled his eyes at being interrupted again...

But then he growled as soon as he realized who stepped through the doorway.

A Watcher.

The admins shot to their feet with their magic flashing as the Hermits drew their weapon of choice. A few flashes of magic had been sent the Watcher's way out of mere impulsivity, but no Hermits had attacked. Thankfully, the Watcher... or what seems like one, threw up a weak shield, collapsed to their knees, and drew in painful wheezing breaths.

"What is a Watcher doing here?" Hypixel snapped as he approached them, poking the Watcher in the chest with his sword. Said Watcher winced and held their hands up.

"I'm... not a Watcher..." he started breathlessly. "Well... not really." Hypixel narrowed his eyes and wrinkled his nose, the grip on his sword tightening again.

"Careful, Hypixel." Libra's voice was sharp and cut through the still air like a knife, leaving no room for debate. "Lower your hood, Watcher." The Watcher did so with shaking pale hands, his white hair falling around his shoulders.

Few Hermits were able to hold in their gasp. They were unable to say anything as Libra rushed forwards and pulled the 'Watcher' to his feet, leaving Hypixel to watch them walk towards the table in confusion. When the two got there, the 'Watcher' practically being carried by the Prime, she sat him down in a chair and examined his vitals. He was barely able to keep his eyes open, he was barely able to lift his arm, he was barely able to breathe...

He was barely living.

"From the state of your health, I can assume you got caught," she said in a calm yet concerned voice, examining an angry red hand-shaped mark on his cheek. He nodded, slowly and fatigued.

"Accidentally blew my cover... tried getting more papers but I got caught... had to fight my way out." He looked Libra in the eyes, his own widening ever so slightly. "I saw them... they had the magic rope things... Grain... Grian? Whatever the red sweater dude's name is... he looked like he was about to pass out. And- and-" The Watcher admin player clenched his jaw, worried lines creasing his forehead. "And my brother was there too, he wasn't doing too great either..." He was getting more distressed every passing second. "We have to help them... the Prime Watcher's going to do something bad soon, I heard him discussing it with the high ranks... Please..." Libra gently shushed him, muttering gentle and comforting remarks. He calmed down for a moment, before he saw the Hermits over Libra's shoulder.

"Oh no-" he started, wincing as many of the Hermits kept their weapons in a close place.

"Is that Evil X?" False asked, narrowing her eyes. Ex winced at the name, but nodded nonetheless. A few Hermits tensed, but then relaxed. He did not look like he was in any position to attack, he could barely breathe.

Libra sensed the tense and awkward silence that was following. "I believe that is all we have to speak about. If I catch any of you sneaking out to save the admins, I'll make Xelqua's punishments for trying to uncover his identity seem like the Aether." And with that, the admins descended into quiet conversations with each other. (Libra continued speaking with Evil X instead of socializing.)

"So..." Impulse started, slightly shrinking under the other Hermits' gazes. "Whatcha think?"

"I've heard that no player has ever set foot in the Admin HeadQuarters," Joe started, looking around and keeping to himself as if the ground would turn to dust. "If they did, it wasn't recent. We would be the first players in thousands of years."

"Oh wow," Mumbo breathed, absently messing with his tie. "That sure is... something, isn't it?" The Hermits nodded, sharing looks with each other. They seemed... rather nervous, and Mumbo couldn't help but notice a cloud of negativity floating over their group. Everyone was acting as if the world depended on them. And in some ways, it did. If Grian truly died (which is possible if the Prime Watcher catches him off guard... or he wants to...), Minecraft would be a disaster. If Xisuma died, Hermitcraft would never be the same again.

No pressure.

Mumbo sighed and rubbed his forehead. The small talk continued, though a bit dry, and he found himself tuning most of it out. He couldn't focus with the admins' stares piercing his back or the worried tones of the Hermits. Everything seemed so downcast and dull, especially with the tense and foreboding atmosphere. Not a chuckle was heard, nor a tone of pride.

No, it sure wasn't the same with Grian's laughs or Xisuma's disappointed and possibly amused shake of his head.