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Gem loved to listen in on other people’s conversations. She didn’t think of herself as a creep; no, not at all. She just enjoyed observing the little moments. The hearty laughter after a dumb joke. The way their face lights up with glee when they discover a wandering camel. The small glimmer in their eyes when a familiar dog runs past.
So when Gem was able to disconnect her soul from her body, shifting into a ghostly state, being able to fly around freely, eavesdropping on others’ sparks of joy…
She just had to go find out what everyone else was up to.
She glided effortlessly through the air, passing over fields and rivers, soul soaring free like a wisp of wind.
Everyone always shows up at the barn, I’m sure this time there’ll be someone there that I can spy on…
Lo and behold, playful taunts were coming from Impulse, Tango and Joel near the wall next to the barn. Gem came to a rest just above the barn, peering down at the mischief brewing below.
Impulse stood atop the wall, while Tango darted around below like a blur of wildfire. Sparks trailed from his flaming hair, scattering in the breeze. At the same time, Joel bounced around, deciding to perch atop the mini cobblestone watchtower to watch the scene unfold.
Impulse groaned, frustrated with Tango’s impossible speed.
“Can’t catch me!” Tango snickered.
Impulse furrowed his eyes, as if focusing deeply on Tango’s movements. At the right moment, he snapped his fingers, swapping places with Tango mid-sprint. Tango yelped as his momentum betrayed him, sending him tumbling backward into the river.
Impulse and Joel threw their heads back, their laughter rippling through the air. Tango shot back up with a sputtering laugh and a wide grin. "You got me, Impulse!" he called, his voice carrying a playful edge.
Gem chuckled softly as her heart filled with warmth. They’re such idiots… they’re amazing.
As the sun was starting to set, Gem drifted towards the tall towers across the bridge. She spotted a little Bdubs animatedly placing down a bed in a small field in front of the towers. He clapped his hands together excitedly, turning towards the west, impatiently anticipating the sun’s slow descent into the horizon.
The moment half of the sun was no longer able to be seen, Bdubs practically leapt onto the bed, closing his eyes shut as he drifted off to sleep.
Magically, the dark skies turned bright once more. Bdubs hopped off the bed, grinning from ear to ear, his eyes almost brimming with tears of joy as he watched the sun now rising from the east.
Gem hovered close, a soft smile spread across her face.
I’ve never seen him so happy before.
Then again, I haven’t been able to spectate people like this in the past…
Just at that moment, Etho dropped in from above, landing right in front of Bdubs. Bdubs screeched in surprise, eyes widening in shock, toppling back onto the bed behind him.
Etho simply chortled in laughter, before offering his hand to help Bdubs up. After taking a few deep breaths to steady himself, Bdubs took his hand and sat up on the bed.
“So, uh… I didn’t sound like a screaming girl just now, did I?” Bdubs asked, twiddling his thumbs awkwardly.
Etho’s eyes narrowed with quiet amusement as he looked down at Bdubs. Though his mask hid his mouth, his gaze carried the unmistakable weight of a smile.
“‘Course you didn’t,” he replied, his voice calm but teasing.
“Phew… good, good…” Bdubs heaved a sigh of relief before realising Etho’s tone. “Hey, wait a minute - was that sarcasm?”
Gem giggled, lingering a moment longer, before feeling the pull of curiosity once more. Tilting her weightless form upward, she soared into the open sky, the ground beneath her shrinking as she ascended toward the mountain, filled with bamboo and cherry trees.
The faint glimmer of movement caught her attention near the summit. Nearing closer, Gem noted that Scar and Lizzie were standing around their usual meeting area at the campfire, though Jimmy was nowhere to be seen.
“Boo!”
Jimmy appeared out of thin air behind Lizzie.
“Oh my goodness-!” Lizzie shrieked, triggering her blindness power as a sort of “fight-or-flight” response.
Smoky, dark shadows engulfed Jimmy’s vision. He stumbled, disoriented, as muffled laughter echoed faintly through the haze.
As the dark fog cleared up, a strange, uncomfortable weight pressed down on Jimmy’s shoulders. Tilting his head upward, he froze, his expression twisting into a mix of confusion and exasperation.
“Scar! What are you doing up there?!” Jimmy tried to fling him off, but to no avail.
Scar sat perched triumphantly atop Jimmy’s shoulders, a smug grin spreading across his face. “Quite cozy up here,” he casually remarked.
Lizzie burst into laughter, her voice ringing out like bells. “Oh, this is priceless. Wait - don’t move, I need to show this to Joel...!”
The mix of laughter from Scar and Lizzie was infectious, even to Gem, though no one knew she was watching. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a certain Martyn lower down the mountain at the cherry wood staircase.
Drifting down to his side, Gem noticed that Martyn was holding a hand to his ear, tilting this head directly towards a large group of people in front of Pearl’s base.
“...BigB can summon Creakings? Now that’s interesting…” Martyn muttered, lowering his hand to his side, looking down as if deep in thought.
Gem could almost hear the cogs turning in his head before a light bulb moment hit him. A quiet gasp turned into mischievous snickers as he rubbed his hands together.
Another brilliant idea? Can’t wait to see how that’ll turn out…
Martyn’s snickers faded into a hum of satisfaction as he straightened up. Without another word, he turned on his heel and strode down the staircase, heading towards his base. Gem floated beside him for a moment, curious about his plan, but instead flew over to Pearl’s base, eager to see what the commotion was all about.
The faint hum of conversation grew louder as Gem approached the group.
BigB stood at the center, summoning Creakings with an impressive twist of his hand. The dark, unnatural creatures twisted into existence, earning an audible gasp from the group. Scott, with a grin, stepped forward and transformed into one of the creatures himself, skittering around with his wooden, morphed legs.
Their faces lit up with delight, and within seconds, they had disappeared into the birch forest, eager to experiment with other mobs.
Nearby, Grian bolted toward Cleo, his wings flaring with excitement. Mimicking Cleo’s power, he crouched onto the ground, pressing his hands onto the soft grass.
Gem watched in anticipation as Grian chanted a short phrase. The ground rumbled ominously, the skies temporarily turning dark as lightning flashed from above. Gem raised her arms, shielding her ghostly eyes from the bright glow.
When the light had finally dissipated, Gem lowered her arms.
Standing in front of Grian were two familiar looking zombies. Although their hair had greyed and eyes were orange like a Creaking, Mumbo and Skizz evidently still held a special place in Grian’s heart.
“Hey, the Spanners are back together!” Grian exclaimed, leaping into the air, red wings spreading with glee. Mumbo and Skizz joined him with their own flurry of “Ayy!”s, celebrating like little kids at a reunion. Soon enough, they sprint off, likely to go cause some fun chaos.
Similar to Cleo, Gem watched with an amused shake of her head, a soft smile creeping onto her face.
Not far away, Pearl stood next to what looked like… Pearl? Gem blinked, momentarily confused.
Cleo stepped forward, her sharp eyes studying them both. Though, the answer was quite obvious, considering that the real Pearl had a pair of goggles on her forehead. She pointed at the Pearl on the left.
With a theatrical huff, Ren shifted back to his normal form, pretending to look offended.
“How could you tell?”
Pearl and Cleo both burst into laughter, the sound carrying through the air as the group dissolved into easy camaraderie.
Gem sighed, taking it all in, a ghostly observer basking in the warmth of their joy.
If only this wasn’t a PVP server.
Scott dashed out of the base, his green clothes now replaced by vibrant yellow ones. Cleo, Pearl and Ren turn their heads towards Scott, eyes widening in shock as they realise that Scott had just died.
“Guys,” Scott panted, his voice urgent. “There’s a huge fight going on right now, at the barn. Everyone’s going wild with their powers - it’s chaos, a total killing spree.”
“Impulse was at the barn… we have to go help him,” Pearl said firmly, expression hardening like stone.
Gem noticed that Ren was sneakily creeping away from the group, likely to flee to his base and regroup with Martyn.
Everyone’s going wild…
“Come on Pearl, let’s go.” Cleo called out, though they were already running off towards the barn with Scott.
Pearl was left behind at the base. Gem drifted silently beside her, observing how she took in a deep breath, her eyes closing for a brief moment, before she slipped on her goggles and unfurled her delicate moth wings.
With a powerful leap, Pearl shot up into the air. Gem strained to keep up as Pearl seemed to rise all the way to build height.
Pearl spread her wings, gliding along the wind in the direction of the barn. Gem glided by her side, noticing Pearl’s worried expression on her face.
“Pearl, I’m right here,” she whispered.
Why did she try to talk to Pearl? Nobody could hear her, much less see her.
The reminder stung, and Gem winced as the reality sank in.
Nearing the barn, Gem could just about make out the chaos unfolding below them.
Etho jumped high into the air, almost reaching the altitude that Gem and Pearl were currently at, attempting to bamboozle the Bamboozlers.
Just as he was about to smash down onto the ground, the mace slipped out of his hands. He landed right in front of Scar, who unleashed a brutal swing to his chest.
Gem watched in horror as Etho dropped to the ground on one knee, looking away before Scar raised his sword for the final blow.
Near the edge of the river, Grian was swinging a sword at Mumbo.
“You traitor! You liar!” Grian shouted, voice, as sharp as his blade, cutting through the air.
Mumbo, clearly on the brink of defeat, jumped into the river, retreating.
On the other side of the barn, Scott and Cleo encased Impulse in an obsidian chamber. Impulse seemed to be channelling his teleportation skills to swap himself with Tango.
But Tango was too fast.
Instead of swapping himself with Tango, Impulse teleported himself right in front of him. Tango chuckled darkly and sprinted circles around Impulse.
Impulse was defenseless, with no other choice but to raise his shield and spin frantically, trying to cover his blind spots. But Tango’s movements were a blur, slicing at him bit by bit with precision, until eventually, Impulse crumpled to the ground in pain.
Gem heard a barely audible gasp come from Pearl.
“No… no… Impulse has got to win… I have to go help him,” Pearl breathed shakily, eyes fixated on the scene in front of them.
As the chaos worsened below them, Gem just knew that going in there was a death trap.
“Pearl, you can’t! You’re already on red, and you’ll get killed, and… and…” Gem’s voice trailed off into silence, swallowed by the futility of her own words.
I truly am pathetic, aren’t I? Talking to someone who can’t even hear me… what am I even doing?
Gem’s thoughts spiraled in frustration, but Pearl’s resolve didn’t waver.
“If this is my last fight,” Pearl murmured, her voice steady.
“So be it.”
“Pearl, please!” Gem pleaded, reaching out instinctively.
Though she knew it was useless.
Pearl dipped her wings sharply, catching a current of air as she rocketed downward, heading straight towards the battle below.
“Pearl, no!”
In the next instant, Gem was jolted back to reality, her astral form snapping back to her body.
She gasped, disoriented, as the familiar scent of the underground cow pen bunker filled her senses.
Standing up from her sat position in the corner of the pen, she climbed up the ladder, out of the cramped space.
Exiting the barn, Gem entered a scene of devastation.
The battlefield was silent now, littered with the remnants of conflict.
Broken makeshift defences. The heavy stench of blood.
Scattered corpses of her friends.
Her family.
One glance was enough to confirm the horrifying truth - everyone was gone.
She was the last one standing.
We have to die, she thought bitterly.
That’s the game.