Forsakened “Hero” (Forsaken x Block Tales fic)

by Untitl3d_Gh0st

Summary:

This is my first fic here and lowkey the first one I’ve ever put genuine time into….

Also I’m crap at writing bare with me here 😥

Anywho, this is a Player becomes 1x Au crossover with forsaken! Primarily toxichero centric and once Griefer gets introduced/forsakened into the main cast, the story will follow him and his thoughts for the most part!

Chapter 1: “Player”

  He should’ve known they were pushing themselves too far. Between the swords having physical effects on them and the drained, hateful look that swam through their eyes, he should’ve caught on sooner.

 He knew first hand the effects of one singular sword, and they were wielding all of them. That shouldn’t have been possible in the first place! 

 He should’ve known they were pushing themselves too far. 

Shedletsky was pushing them too far.

 None of this would’ve happened if he didn’t immediately try tossing them to the side once they weren’t useful.

 All of that work they did for him just to be cast aside. All of that trauma for nothing. 

He should’ve been there.

He could’ve helped.

But he wasn’t there.

And for Telamon’s sake, that’s something he’ll never forgive himself for.

 

---

  The adrenaline rush following a narrowly avoided entanglement was a feeling the survivors still couldn’t get used too. Then again, they couldn’t get used to the feeling of getting hit by said entanglement either. It was a lose-lose situation, really. But having your insides stay on the inside and not having to crawl to Elliot and beg for pizza was always better than an adrenaline rush any day.

  Except this round, 1x seemed to be missing her mark. The timer had gotten down to 1 minute and there had been no kills thanks to sentinels having managed to keep him stunned and looping him for a while. 

 This was the first time in a good week or so they’d have everyone survive a round without anyone taking near fatal damage (much to Elliot’s relief). Especially since Noli and Guest666’s addition to the line up. Noli’s unpredictability was impossible to counter and Guest666 was a literal tank. And once the Spectre noticed the survivors struggling extra on the two killers in particular, he started sending those two out more often to watch the survivors scramble around and panic.  

 But now, due to the fact that 1x1x1x1 wasn’t having the best run, the air in the map didn’t feel as heavy, for the survivors at least.

  Of course, 1x was royally pissed about this. Being outshined by the two newcomers when he’s been here for how long? Especially when they were the Spectre’s favorite when it came to being able to wipe out a whole round. Not a good look. But they couldn’t seem to just get a grip this round. So as the clock ticked down to 40 seconds and 1x suffered another stun at the hands of Guest1337 and his spectre-forsakened ability to block, she just decided it would be best to take a loss here. They’ll do better next time they are picked. This just wasn’t their day. Everyone has bad days, after all. Even if the spectre gets mad at them, it can suck it up.

 Noli wasn’t going to let them hear the end of this though, that’s for sure.

  As they raised their head to stand up from another stun, messy hair being pushed back by their free hand, he spotted something he wasn’t exactly expecting to see. Shedletsky was walking towards 1x, sword holstered and Builderman shouting at him not to do anything stupid. The sounds of his feet crunching against the dying grass was especially annoying right now for some reason.

 Was Shedletsky willingly approaching him? So he had a death wish, hm? No matter. A quick and easy kill to get more time may just be what 1x could u-

“I just want to talk,” Shedletsky spoke with a tone that was much softer than his usual over-confident and cocky one. The last thing 1x wanted right now was to be treated like she was a scared kitten. Especially not with such a devastating defeat and 30 seconds left. 

 Plus, who wants to talk with the man that constantly stuns them when they’re inches away from catching a survivor? 

 In all actuality though, Shedletsky did just want to talk. Nothing more. He wasn’t trying to get at anything else. He knew his chances were slim at getting 1x to actually listen to him speak though. Not that he blamed him, neither of them were exactly on talking terms to begin with.

“What.”

  It was a simple answer but the tone said everything that needed to be said, causing the air around them to almost thicken. The slight reluctance to approach that crossed Shedletsky’s face didn’t go unnoticed either. 1x couldn’t resist letting a smirk cross her face at that.

 She also decided that they were not in the mood to talk. Especially not with that tone Shedletsky used. He wasn’t a child.

 With a swift motion, a mass infection was launched at Shedletsky. It hit Shedletsky for sure, but also somehow managed to one shot a certain survivor with weakness 43 in the back, much to 1x’s surprise.

 The realization his attempts at peace were not even getting the chance to play out quickly dawned on the former admin. With the timer back at 50 seconds, Shedletsky pulled his sword back out, the metal of the blade slicing against the leather of the holster on his back. He quickly raised the weapon as he saw Elliot from the corner of his eye, running over, no doubt armed with a pizza.

 But with one swift motion, 1x changed his angle and fired. Both Elliot and shedletsky were hit by entanglement, stopping them both dead in their tracks as tiny pop ups plagued their view and thick gashes bled out. As Shedletsky scrambled to get out of the momentary stun, 1x ran up to deliver the final blow, eager to hurry and finish off the oversized chicken before Guest1337 could get over with a block or tank a hit.

 And as a panicked heat-of-the-moment reaction, Shedletsky would call out a name foreign to most of the survivors, but oh so familiar to him.

“PLAYER!“

 1x’s eyes immediately widened in surprise before her hand tightened around their sword’s hilt, nails digging into their palm.

 Turns out one name can lose the survivors an entire round even with the timer at a measly 40 seconds. Because the fury that enveloped 1x’s face as he struck down Shedletsky’s sword and dug her daemonshank into his chest was a clear indication the tables had turned and 1x was back on their feet. Her eyebrows furrowed and she scoffed as she mercilessly kicked her heel into Shedletsky’s corpse and tore her sword from his ribs. 

Her attention was then turned back to the survivors. A look far more furious than usual now plastered across her face.

Chapter 2: A New Survivor

Summary:

gulp

Notes:

Guys wait I’m nervous to post this

Don’t bully me pls

 

With the recent disappearances of several admins, he couldn’t help but wonder if they had anything to do with this. He sure did hope they had something to do with Shedletsky going missing in particular. That asshole deserved whatever bad karma catches up to him.

 But with the disappearance of the admins came new local chatter, naturally. Chatter about how people wondered if their “hero” would come back, find them, and return them home like they did with Builderman. 

 He would almost always choose to ignore the chatter. In all honesty, he hated listening to people talk about Player like they knew him. 

 They didn’t. If those admins weren’t disappearing they wouldn’t give a single shit about them or where they went.

 They really are only remembered when they can contribute something to someone else, huh?

 Very few people knew what actually happened to them anyways. Not even Kyoko knew. It left a bitter taste in his mouth whenever he thought about the fact no one knew the real betrayal that ended their precious hero’s story.

 He knew the full truth, obviously. But the admins and sword guardians were the only other people that knew. He remembered that only one admin truly seemed to care about someone who wasn’t Shedletsky in that situation too. Crazy how Builderman didn’t give a single crap about the person that went to hell and back to find a way to save him. But he digressed. 

 At the memorial’s resurrection there was only one admin who didn’t seem almost bothered they were memorializing someone who “fell from grace.” Except for Shedletsky, who actually looked guilty, but he refused to look at Shedletsky at that moment. 

 

 He couldn’t remember her name for the life of him. He only spoke to her once and didn’t even get her name from her. He got it from his dad. Rainboweyes or something along those lines. 

---

 

 The first thing uttered after that mess of a round back in the cabin was, “what the hell just happened?!”

 Chance was the one who spoke up. They had been spectating the round after being accidentally slaughtered while their weakness was stacked.

 Shedletsky was oddly silent following that question, sitting on the far right of the couch.

 Both Noob and Elliot sat at the dining table where Elliot seemed to be helping Noob process her strangely-more-brutal-than-normal death, along with trying to calm himself down as he had just respawned in from LMS about a minute ago. 

 Two Time was off in a corner praying to spawn, they tend to do this particularly after rough rounds, and Dusekkar was standing beside Chance in front of the couch. N7 seemed to have scampered off somewhere, which wasn’t uncommon for the outcast. 

 The silence that followed Chance’s question was almost palpable, that was until Builderman broke it.

 “I have an idea of what happened,” Builderman replied as he straightened up from where he was leaning against the log wall and crossed over to the worn out couch where Guest1337, Shedletsky, and Taph were sitting. 

  Now turning his attention to Shedletsky, Builderman spoke up again, “But I think the main cause was the name Shedletsky called her.”

 Shedletsky’s fingers found the arm of the couch as his grip around it tightened, “I didn’t mean to call him that.” That wasn’t exactly a lie either. Shedletsky really did let that name slip by him.

 “Shedletsky you know better.”

 And that wasn’t exactly a lie either.

 “It was a force of habit.”

 “What habit? It’s been years, Shed,” Builderman’s voice was laced with worry. He didn’t know all the details about what happened between Player and Shedletsky, but he knew more than the other admins. Player was responsible for Builderman’s safe return after all, it was only fair he knew about them. And after the whole 1x1x1x1 situation, Builderman pressed Shedletsky for more details a few days after everything went down. He was worried about the other man’s mental health after the ordeal and how things escalated that far to begin with. But he never did get all  the answers to his questions.

 “I didn’t think they’d react that way to me talking to them either way. And if I knew Chance had that much weakness stacked I wouldn’t have risked it. You know well enough that the last thing I try to do is get someone killed.”

 “Stop changing the topic, Shed. Seriously, you need to let them go, that’s not them anymore.”

 Builderman’s voice had a bit of a stern tone to it, but it was clear he was just worried for the other individual and his long time friend.

 Shedletsky bit back a remark about a certain cultist survivor here not letting someone who is now a killer go either. He also considered arguing with Builderman that N7 hasn’t let C00lkidd OR Noli go either. But it seemed a bit pointless to drag them into an argument that they didn’t even understand.

 Nearby, the rest of the survivors sat in silence and confusion, except for Dusekkar of course. Personal drama wasn’t often brought up out in the open like this, so everyone was being a bit nosey to say the least. 

Back in the dining room, Elliot and Noob had peaked over into the living room to see the situation for themselves as well. 

 Chance, seeing those two in the dining room, took the opportunity to get out of the living room and get everyone else’s attention away from the bickering old people to give them some privacy. It was getting a bit too emotional for their liking anyways.

 They also felt a bit bad by posing the question that got Builderman on Shedletsky’s ass about something. The gambler just wanted to know why they got killed out of the blue, not Shedletsky and 1x’s family drama. 

“Oookay, that’s enough drama for me right now. Elliottttt! Are you cooking dinner tonight or is it someone else’s turn!” The gambler waltzed over to Elliot and threw an arm around the delivery boy’s shoulders.

“No, it’s my turn tonight. Guest went yesterday. But it is your turn for dish duty,” Elliot teased Chance with a smug smile across his face, all the while leaning slightly towards him. Chance audibly groaned and their shoulders sulked forward, pausing momentarily to push their sunglasses back into place.

“It’s like you hate me. I’m hurt, Elliot. Emotionally injured I might even say,” they dramatically grabbed their suit above their heart and pouted, which earned Chance a giggle from Noob.

 At the mention of food and the arrival of a new conversation, the other survivors collectively decided to follow Chance’s lead and leave Builderman and Shedletsky by the couch, except for Two Time who was still praying. They can ask questions later. Right now did not seem like the time for that. Also the increasing tension was unpleasant to be around. 

 Taph was the first to comment on the argument going on in the living room. The demolitionist waited for everyone else to enter the dining room before raising his hands to sign, “I haven’t seen Shedletsky and Builderman fight like that,” before turning to face Dusekkar who sat down beside him.

 Elliot nodded at Taph’s statement, leaning back into his chair and Chance’s arm that was around his shoulders in the process. 

 After a short moment of silence, Elliot spoke up,“It’s weird seeing them argue, seeing how close they are normally. But I don’t think it was necessarily fighting, they weren’t really yelling or anything.” He shrugged a bit after saying that last sentence.

 Noob listened intently to what Elliot said and hummed in agreement. They then turned to face the only person in the room who might know a little bit of what was going on, “Hey, Dusekkar…? You wouldn’t happen to know why 1x suddenly got so angry at what Shedletsky called him? Or at least why Builderman seems disappointed-..?”

 Dusekkar, who was speaking to Taph when Noob prompted that question, paused for a moment before turning his blue pumpkin head to face Noob. 

 “It is not my place to give you answers about a hero’s fall from grace. If it is an answer you strive to find, ask Shedletsky for a glimpse into his mind. But I do put forth that Builderman is not mad, heavens no. He is simply worried about something Shedletsky has yet to let go.”

 Chance blinked at Dusekkar a few times as Noob smiled awkwardly, both visibly confused about what Noob was just told. Shortly thereafter the gambler let a remark slip under their breath.

“And I always considered Two Time the weirdest.”

 Which promptly earned them a light snack and a “be nice” from Elliot who was the only one within earshot. Guest raised an eyebrow at Elliot’s light smack against Chance, but smiled warmly upon realizing it was a playful smack. It wasn’t uncommon that Guest scolded the other survivors for picking on each other. That usually ended in a disgruntled, “ok mom” though.

 Elliot stood up from his chair at the dining table, the worn out wooden legs creaking from every little movement, “I’ve got to get a move on with dinner. And someone should probably go see if Shedletsky and Builderman are done arguing-….”

 There was a reluctance over the group at the thought of bothering the two close friends while they were having a disagreement. Thankfully though, Dusekkar volunteered and found his way back to the living room to check on the other two admins. 

 Just as Dusekkar left, Two Time entered the dining room, their tail bobbing behind them with each step, seemingly having finished up whatever they were doing in their post-round prayer. Taph waved them over and the cultist paused for a moment before ultimately deciding to join Taph and sit beside him.

 Just as peace seemed to be finally settling over the cabin once more, the door was abruptly slammed open. 

 The loud bang caused everyone in the cabin to nearly jump out of their skin, especially Guest1337 in particular. The survivors all quickly turned to face the potential threat, only to be greeted with an out of breath 007n7 who was holding onto the doorframe for support.

“THERE’S A NEW SURVIVOR OUTSIDE-!”

Chapter 3: Strangely Familiar

Notes:

Griefer’s speech pattern is annoying to write fyi

 The last thing he remembered was getting asked by some disembodied voice if he wanted to know where Player was. The short answer? Of course he did. The long answer? 

“WH0 4R3 Y0U!? G3T TH3 H3LL 0UT 0F MY H34D!”

 Last time he listened to a random voice, he got turned into an oversized plant monster. And almost killed Player. And threw his dad across the room. He’d seriously prefer the “venomshank” situation doesn’t repeat itself. But the voice didn’t seem as ill-intent as the ones that convinced him to take the venomshank…

“I’m who many call “Hell Incarnate” but you can call me the Spectre.”

 He takes it back. The voice does seem ill-intent.

 What kind of name even is that? If you’re actively trying to get someone to follow you, the last thing you should do is tell them that people refer to you as hell. Not that Griefer exactly knows much about being inviting and friendly, but his point still stands.

“WH4T3V3R Y0U’R3 TRYING T0 F0RC3 M3 INT0, I D0N’T W4NT T0 BE 4P4RT 0F IT.”

“I’m not forcing you to do anything, dearest Brad. But this may be your last and only chance to see your Player.”

“I’M N0T STUPID.”

“I never said you were, you’re certainly very smart, my friend-“

“I’M N0T Y0UR FRI3ND.”

 The voice seemed to carry a twinge of annoyance now that it was getting interrupted. It’s got to stop trying to get people via influence and just start kidnapping them. That would certainly avoid annoying interactions like this.

“…Well, either way, it’s clear you miss Player dearly. Oh, I’m certain he misses you too!”

 Griefer hesitated, he didn’t like where this was going. But he couldn’t deny the fact the idea of seeing Player again was alluring. The idea of making things up to them after he wasn’t there for her during the final battle…

 Telamon, he’s actually going to agree to this, isn't he? Even if the thought of another venomshank situation made it feel hard to breathe, he couldn’t resist a chance at finding Player, could he? Ok, maybe he is a little stupid.

“H0W D0 I KN0W Y0U’R3 N0T LYING?”

“You don’t.”

How reassuring. 

 He really shouldn’t agree to this. This is the plot to a really cheap, poorly written horror movie. Or maybe a poorly written fan fiction. But what if this truly was his only shot at finding Player? His one shot at maybe even finding the admins too. If he can find the admins he’s definitely letting Shedletsky know how he feels about him. There’s no venomshank in sight so it can’t be that speaking to him again. And some of the sword trips he accompanied Player for were definitely a hell-hole, so he has experience adventuring to some degree. 

 Almost as if the voice could sense Griefer becoming more welcoming to the idea of finding Player, it spoke again.

 “Last chance, Brad.”

“FIN3. WH4T D0 Y0U 3V3N W4NT.”

 And that’s the extent of what he remembers. As of now, he was rubbing the back of his head while sitting up from the dirt underneath a darkened, mildly threatening sky. 

 The air felt thinner and crueler than the warm, wet air of Turitopulis, and a strange sense of dread seemed to come over Griefer’s body. 

 “WH4T TH3 H3LL…..?” He muttered under his breath as his hand traveled to his forehead.

 Ok, so he woke up in a strange place after listening to a voice that contacted him out of nowhere. What’s the worst that can happen from that?

 Removing his hand from his head, he looked around quickly, trying to get his bearings and figure out where the hell he was and what the hell happened. But before he could figure anything important out, his thoughts were interrupted by a startled gasp and footsteps running off somewhere behind him.

 

---

 

“WHAT!?”

 The unified exclamation rang out through the cabin as n7 ran a hand through his hair to get it out of his face.

 New killers weren’t that uncommon. It happened a lot actually. But there hasn’t been a new survivor since Noob and that was spectre knows how long ago.

 Taph was the first to speak, well, sign.

 “And they’re still outside by themselves…?”

 The survivors exchanged glances before the soldier stood up, “I can go get them. I don’t think all of us rushing out there at once is a good idea. We might scare them.”

 Two Time nodded in agreement, “Spawn will thank you for your kindness, Guest.” Guest quietly shook his head with a slight smile at that. He never quite understood them and the “spawn” thing, but he grew used to it over time. It was just one of the things that came with talking to Two Time.

 Guest made his way to the door and shot a quick glance to Shedletsky and Builderman, who both seemed to have calmed down and were now sitting beside each other, before leaving the cabin, the door gently clicking shut behind him.

 He quickly saw the new survivor, despite the darkness outside due to the lack of sun. The man looked to be in his 20s. Though, this was hard to tell from the back of his head and Guest was going off of height and clothing here. But his hunch was confirmed as the man swiftly spun around upon hearing more footsteps in the grass behind them, allowing Guest to better see their face.

 Guest1337 quickly made a mental note of two things after getting a better look at the newcomer. The first being that they seemed strangely plant-like. They had various vines wrapped around their body as well as leaves seemingly sprouting from them. The second thing Guest noted was that the new survivor’s torso looked almost identical to 1x’s. The strangely familiar, bright shade of translucent green and blackened ribs visible on the inside.

 The soldier couldn’t help but let an intrigued “hm” slip from his mouth. But before he could think about the torso similarities any longer, his thoughts were interrupted by the newcomer speaking rather abruptly. 

 “WH0 4R3 Y0U!?”

 Griefer went to reach for his crowbar but was surprised to find it was absent from his belt where he normally hangs it. He was mildly alarmed, not liking the feeling of being without a weapon.

 Seeing the stranger now on the defensive, Guest quickly raised his hands, “Calm down, I’m not going to hurt you. I’m Guest1337. Welcome to the forsaken realm, kid.”

 Griefer took a moment to look around again, still not lowering his guard, “TH3 WH4T??”

 Guest smiled awkwardly, “The forsaken realm. It’s basically a purgatory hell, but that’s a lot to explain out here. Why don’t you come into the main cabin? It’s warmer in there and you can actually see further than 7 feet in front of you.”

 Still refusing to lower his guard, Griefer took a hesitant step back. Not liking the situation he found himself in, he spat back, “WHY SH0ULD I!?”

 The blue haired soldier paused for a moment, chewing on the inside of his mouth momentarily as he paused to think. He was a bit at a loss for what to say, but spoke again nonetheless, “You don’t have to come in if you really don’t want to, but I ask that you do.”

 Griefer hesitated once more but relented, realizing there wasn’t exactly a way out of the equation here. But yet he still stayed on guard, “FIN3. BUT I W4NT T0 KN0W WH3R3 TH3 H3LL I 4M.”

 Guest smiled despite the slightly aggressive request, “I can explain everything once we get inside.” He can't say he wasn’t surprised. No survivor has seemed this ready to start a fight upon entering the realm before. But who was he to judge? Everyone here came from different backgrounds, and they had no clue what the new guy’s story was.

 And plus, if things started to escalate, Guest could easily restrain the newcomer. Not that he would like things to come to that.

 Though before the two got too close to the cabin, Guest posed another question, “Can I get your name before I introduce you to everyone?”

“GRI3F3R.”

“Well it’s nice to meet you, Griefer.”

Chapter 4: Grudges Die Hard

Notes:

I might go in and change a few grammatical errors/typos here and there

Expect some things to change for a day or two after publishing

 Saying 1x was fuming after that round was putting it lightly. The other killers quickly noticed that and steered clear of him. None of the killers were overly fond of each other to begin with so none of them exactly wanted to get in her line of rage. She was sitting in her room, currently sharpening her daemonshanks in frustration.

 The nerve of that admin. After throwing them to the side and sealing them away, he had the audacity to refer to them as “Player” still? 

 He scoffed and tossed his hair back behind his shoulders, still in sheer disbelief at Shedletsky and his behavior. 

 Calling them that after everything he’s done to them? After everything he went through for Shedletsky, just to be thrown to the side once he was no longer useful?

 Every scar she earned for him. Every life she took for him. Just to be treated like a toy that no one wanted to play with anymore once she did what she was told.

 Captain Trotter, their emotions, the Cruel King, all of them were for nothing.

 And even after all that, they still clung to the hope that Shedletsky cared about them, that he wasn’t using them.

 How pathetic.

 She yelled out in frustration and stabbed her swords into the ground beside where she was sitting. The force of the impacts splintered the planks of wood below. 1x leaned forward to put his face into his hands, feeling their once blonde hair falling through their calloused fingers. 

 She didn’t even get to say goodbye.

 Shedletsky, more rather Telamon, didn't even let them have a goodbye. He just sealed them away without another thought the moment 1x was weakened. Sealed them away with those painfully cold chains holding them back, no contact to the outside at all. No light, no one to talk to, no nothing. Just dark cold and silence.

 Hot tears of rage welled up in his eyes and quickly fell into his worn and scarred hands, despite his silent pleas for them not to. Telamon didn’t even let them say goodbye to Griefer, for crying out loud.

 1x dug his claw-like nails into his face and gripped the long bangs of his hair. His expression was almost crazed and pooled with years of built up anger and frustration. Yet, there was still an underlying sadness in their expression.

 He loathed that admin.

 

---

 Back inside the cabin, Shedletsky, Builderman, and Dusekkar were all sitting on the couch discussing something in a quieter tone. While Noob, Taph, and Two Time were drilling n7 about what the new survivor looked like. The ex hacker seemed to be sweating bullets at the interrogation and kept reiterating he couldn’t see much due to the lighting, other than that the person had some sort of plant-collar on their jacket. But the trio continued to bombard him with questions nonetheless.

 N7 was the last person to speak up when he was uncomfortable, no matter how much he would like to. He felt like it was unnecessary to speak up a lot of the time. Other times, he simply felt like he didn’t need to or even deserve to. And this was playing out to be one of the times he would choose to keep his mouth shut and silently hope the others would get tired of talking to him and leave him be again.  

 Though once it became clear the 3 survivors weren’t going to let up on n7 anytime soon, and n7 looked ready to die right there, Chance decided to step in and give the poor guy a chance to breathe, “You three should lay up a bit. You’re not going to get any answers from him at this rate. Especially not while you’re scaring the hell outta him.”

 Chance wasn’t the biggest fan of n7 after hearing his history with Elliot and Noli. But they couldn’t deny that he was trying to change, and that was more than a lot of people did. No one was getting out of here anytime soon anyways, so Chance’s personal belief was that holding grudges against someone here was a bit useless. Especially since you would have to help the person you “didn’t like” in a round at some point whether you liked it or not.

 Chance snickered slightly as they watched Noob note the look on 007n7’s face and apologize frantically for invading his space. This wasn’t the first time Noob got excited and carried away about something, despite him normally being shy and decently anxious, and it certainly wasn’t going to be the last.

 N7 smiled awkwardly and adjusted his glasses back onto his face, “It’s alright kid-.. You just got excited. I don’t mind-..” He shot a slightly nervous smile back towards Noob who still looked embarrassed that she didn’t notice n7’s discomfort sooner. Noob always thought that n7 was way too forgiving when people pushed him past his comfort zone, but she wasn’t going to voice that now and make this situation anymore awkward for the both of them. 

 Taph would also take a guilty step back, signing “Sorry” while doing so. Two Time followed Taph’s move and stepped back shortly afterwards, giving n7 more space to catch his breath. Though, Two Time wasn’t as close as the other two were to begin with, they enjoyed having their own personal space after all.

 An awkward silence fell over the group. Only for Two Time to break the silence, “We do not know much about this newcomer. But we may try to predict their role, no? I see it fit that they are a support. Maybe another support with traps like Taph, possibly. Or a support that can present healing similar to Elliot and his pizzas.”

 Elliot excitedly cut in, “I’m rooting for Sentinel! Another Sentinel that can block hits hopefully!”

 The demolitionist nearby nodded enthusiastically and signed in response, “Or maybe the spectre will finally hand out a ranged attack that isn’t a 50/50 to a sentinel!”

 “Really feeling the love, Taph,” Chance folded their arms as Taph silently giggled at them again. Despite the backhanded remark, Chance couldn’t deny the appeal of another sentinel, “But I have to agree. It would be pretty nice to have another ranged sentinel in our team. Let alone any sentinel to take a killer off of someone like Elliot or Noob’s backs.”

 Taking a moment to think before cutting in, Noob disagreed with Elliot and Taph, “I doubt the spectre will give us anyone to fight back right now. Especially with how on top of stuns Guest and Shedletsky have been recently.”

 Before long, the group were loudly debating about what the new survivor’s abilities and role would be. Elliot, Chance, and Taph were betting on Sentinel, n7 and Two Time were betting on support, and Noob was betting on survivalist. 

 Chance was pretty convinced that the new survivor was going to be sentinel, even going as far as betting their flintlock on it.

 Two Time spoke up back to Chance, “Now I am just praying you lose this poorly placed bet to see a sentinel that relies on their gun attempt to participate in a round entirely gunless.” Taph raised a hand to his mouth and seemed to silently laugh beneath his many layers at Two Time’s comment. Taph’s wings ruffling quietly behind him were really the only thing that gave away his silent giggles.

 Chance famed offense as Noob also snickered quietly at the picture forming in her head. Elliot chimed into the joke as well, adjusting his visor before adding on, “I think I’d be saving on pizza’s honestly. No more gun explosions when someone tries to shoot on 1 charge.”

 Chance rolled their eyes behind their thick sunglasses, leaning back in their chair as they dramatized their offense once more, “Oh come on Elliot! You’re supposed to be on my side here.” 

 Noob did interject to Chance’s defense, thankfully, “Hey, they haven’t had a gun blow up in a good 4 rounds! Progress is progress!” He was still quietly giggling though as he propped their head up on his hand.

 Right as Elliot opened his mouth to reply back though, the familiar creak of the main cabin door and footsteps entering the cabin took everyone’s attention off of the current conversation. 

 Entering the doorway was Guest1337, the new survivor successfully in tow. Griefer was still visibly on guard and confused but still stood firm.

 “Everyone, this is Griefer.”

 Upon hearing Guest introduce him, Griefer reluctantly stepped out from behind the man and came further into view.

Guest turned his head towards Griefer and put one hand on Griefer’s shoulder before he began pointing out the other people in the cabin, “Griefer, that there is Elliot, Two Time, Chance and-…..”

 Griefer had tuned out the soldier for the most part. He wasn’t interested in learning everyone’s names, in all honesty. He wasn’t here to make friends, just to find Player and leave. Plus, he was busy looking around and still trying to figure out what was going on. As of currently, he was staring at the blank slot machines in mild puzzlement as he folded his arms. Who would put slot machines in a cabin? Especially slot machines that don’t seem to work?

 The other survivors had looked over curiously by now but Griefer was still pretending like their stares weren’t freaking him out or uncomfortable at the very least. Especially the one with a tail. Their smile had an uncanny valley effect to it that almost made Griefer shudder. 

 Griefer was also silently making note of the way all of them were taking in his presence. He was still in foreign territory and he wasn’t looking to be attacked by anyone here. The other people in the room didn’t seem to be aggressive though, from what he could tell at least. Especially with the way one of them seemed to quite literally be hiding from him but still wanting to see him. He attempted to rack his brain for what Guest said that one’s name was, but he wasn’t getting anything. He should’ve been paying closer attention, huh?

 As Griefer realized he probably should be listening to what the soldier is saying, he decided to put his attention back onto Guest, who seemed to be finishing up his run down of everyone’s names. He had just gestured towards the strangely cloaked one and the pizza guy, referring to them as “Elliot and Tap” or something like that. So now, Griefer’s eyes were following the blue haired man’s hand as he gestured towards the couch.

 “Aaaaaand that is Builderman and Shedletsky!”

 Griefer did a double take back to the couch where Guest gestured after hearing that name. Sure enough, the retired admin sat there, staring at Griefer with a strangely firm expression. Though there was an underlying layer of guilt to that expression that Griefer hadn’t caught. The man narrowed his eyes at the admin, his hands involuntarily closing into tight fists and his expression hardening. 

 So this is where Shedletsky has been? Hiding out in a cabin in the woods. All while the rest of Robloxia is none the wiser and still trying to figure out where their precious admin went. Just wait until Griefer manages to get his hands on him. Not that Griefer actually thought he could exactly win against a literal god and a sword fighter champion, but he’ll damn well try.

 The sudden tension between Shedletsky and the newcomer was immediately picked up on by the other survivors. Especially as Shedletsky spoke and the latter looked ready to lunge forward, “Brad? Sheesh, the Spectre just grabs anyone, huh?”

 Shedletsky’s voice carried a hint of concern in it. Shedletsky still saw Mayor Thanyiel as a friend and he knew the poor man would be horribly upset at his son, who’s already been through one catastrophe, going missing without a word. Though, his concern was cloaked by him attempting to sound more lighthearted.

 Meanwhile, Builderman had also recognized Griefer as Mayor Thanyiel’s kid. He had met Griefer when he was little once when Shedletsky gathered the sword guardians for a meeting. Though, Builderman doubted that Griefer would remember him from that.

 But after everything went down with Player, or more rather 1x1x1x1, Shedletsky had revealed to Builderman that Griefer was also friends with Player during their journey. Player never told Shedletsky all the details, but apparently Player was the reason Griefer was even still alive after the venomshank turned him into the bubonic plant. And as a result of Player saving Griefer and them traveling together, the pair grew closer. 

 The former admin had also once mentioned to Builderman that Griefer was a good kid at the end of the day, which was to be expected from someone whose father was a sword guardian. But, he was still rash and a bit quick to jump to someone’s defense. Especially when one of his few, truly close friends got involved, he was always quick to come to their aid. And thinking back on this, Builderman could only imagine how the next set of interactions were going to play out. But most definitely, they weren’t going to go smoothly.

 “Y0U C0W4RD!” 

 Griefer took a firm step forward as his nails dug into the palm of his hands, “H1D1NG 0FF T0 TH3 S1D3 WH1L3 M4K1NG 0TH3RS D0 Y0UR D1RTY W0RK 4G4IN. H0W PR3D1CT4BL3.”

 Telamon be damned if Griefer let go of the fact that Shedletsky made Player go through all of that without helping much at all.

 The other survivors in the cabin were taken aback by the newcomer’s outrage directed towards Shedletsky. Guest was already on the defensive, ready to intervene if things continued to escalate. Elliot had glanced at Taph who had covered his non-visible mouth with his hand to portray his surprise. Meanwhile Chance had leaned over between the two and whispered, “Why is there so much Shedletsky drama today??”

 Noob, who had heard Chance, shrugged in response before turning his attention back to the argument. The other survivors were certainly nosey, that was for sure.

 Shedletsky had stood up by now and was facing Griefer. “No one here is hiding from anything right now, we’re all stuck in this lovely place against our will.”

 He gestured towards the cabin with his hand slightly. He had thought about moving out from behind the couch and in front of Griefer, but that didn’t seem like the smartest move with how mad the other was right now.

 Griefer made a silent note about the “stuck here against our will” comment. He didn’t like the repetitive theme of trapped in purgatory he was starting to pick up on. But nonetheless, he wasn’t letting Shedletsky off the hook that easily.

  “Brad, I’m aware we are not on talking terms by any means but you need to calm down for one moment so we can explain some things, then you can be mad.”

 Shedletsky folded his arms as he spoke. Despite usually trying to remain lighthearted and flippant, he did know when he needed to be serious. Now was one of those times. He didn’t want a round to start with Griefer not knowing what’s going on or what to expect. Especially if the killer is someone like Noli who still makes the experienced survivors feel insane. So, his priority list was debrief now, handle the long held grudge later.

 “..WH4T 4R3 Y0U T4LK1NG 4B0UT.”

 Guest understood why the younger man was so hesitant to believe anything anyone was saying, especially after he clearly has a rocky past with the admin that’s trying to tell him things about the realm. Everyone here reacted differently to realizing they were stuck here or being told they were stuck here, not believing it to be true is how almost everyone responded initially. 

 So, the blue haired soldier from earlier walked up beside Griefer and spoke up, “I don’t know what you two’s background is, but we need you to listen to at least someone here. We aren’t lying when we say we’re trapped here.”

 A few of the other survivors that had been watching this unfold responded to Guest1337 with a nod or a hum in agreement.

 They had all been here for Telamon knows how long, maybe even a year or two at this point. It was safe to say all of them wished they were lying. That they were just hiding away and free to leave once they got tired of dodging their responsibilities.

 Brad was starting to grow slightly alarmed. It wasn’t possible that he was actually trapped here with these people, was it? Especially since there are admins here, aren’t they supposed to be super powerful? How could anything trap them anywhere without access to something like the SFOTH swords?

But, it didn’t seem like these people were trying to pull his leg or were all dodging their responsibilities. 

 Neither did it seem like this was going to be a “get in and get out” mission. 

 And it certainly didn't seem like finding Player was going to be easy.

“JUST 3XPL41N WH4T’S G01NG 0N 4L34DY.”

Notes:

Chapter 5 is going to take a bit to get out.. school and stuff :,) It’s also going to be more of a filler than anything just so you guys know-

Though, chapter 6 is when things go down sooo

But for the mean time, here’s chapter 4!