Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Excrutiating pain flared through his body and XB gasped as he hit the ground. There was noise all around him but he couldn't think as the pain swallowed him into unconsciousness.
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"XB? XB!" Xb groaned and tried to blearily blink his eyes open. His vision blurred and swam sending a wave of nausea through him making him squeeze his eyes shut. "XB? Princess?" Princess? What... KERALIS! XB shot up blinking his eyes open vigorously. "Hey Princess careful!" XB stared in front of him where Keralis sat, his large eyes widened in surprise and concern, clutching onto a ornate sheild of gold and silver. "Keralis?"

Keralis smiled widely, his Princess was here! Carefully wrapping XB into a hug allowed him to feel that XB seemed to be shaking painfully. A small gasp that tore itself from XBs mouth as he adjusted his hold concerned him even more. Keralis pulled back and scanned over XBs body looking for any sign of distress or any visible injury on him.

After seeing the way he hunched in on one side and the way his face was scrunched up like he was going to cry, Keralis immediately sprung into action. "Hey Princess whats wrong. Are you okay?". Instead of answering, XB pulled Keralis into a bone crushing hug and began sobbing into his arms. "You're okay, you're here. Keralis god I'm so glad you're here. I'm sorry I didn't want to go in, I'm sorry"

"XB what are you talking about? Are you okay? Princess?" XB suddenly went limp in his arms sinking down to the ground.

Keralis shook XB to wake him but was unsuccessful making him panic more. Standing up and carefully picking XB up into a bridal carry had Keralis sprinting towards Hermitopia in a heartbeat.

"XISUMA, X, ANYONE HELP!" Feet pounding on the grass towards Hermitopia Keralis screemed himself hoarse hoping someone would hear him.

Chapter Text

Xisuma had been trying to check over everyones code for bugs for the last hour and was starting to get fustrated. Picking himself up and walking outside his makeshift office within the hermit tower met him with sunny skies and a nice breaze. It seemed like he might be able to get some stuff done today if the weather held.

"Xisuma! Xisuma! Get Shubble NOW!!" Keralis' voice cut through the peaceful daze Xisuma had gone into. "What? Keralis what us going on my friend?" He called back before noticing a figure nestled in his friends arms. Xb? What was he doing here, wasnt he left on Hermitcraft?

Rushing up to his friend, he quickly started to scan over Xb to see if he could spot what his friends distress was about. "Is he alright?"

"I dont know! He just passed out in my arms! And gosh Xisuma you should of seen the weird, haunted look in his eyes, oh it was terrible!".

Quickly X pulled his communicator out and searched for Shubbles contact.
Xisuma-Shelby can you come to Hermitopia just out the front of the tower? Its a bit of an emergency.

Shubble-Of course on my way! Do I need to bring anything?

Xisuma-Bring some medical supplies a hermit from back home appeared and fainted we don't know if they are injured.
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Shelby put her communicator back on her belt and grabbed her supplies. A Hermit from the server randomly appearing then fainting didnt sound good at all! Entering her nether portal she grabbed a stack of rockets and launched off towards Hermitopia.
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"Guys? Guys? Oh there you are!"
Shelby somewhat clumsily and rushed to the waiting hermits. Quickly she noticed that the one called Keralis was holding somone dressed in a torn black and blue hoodie in their arms. "May I?"

"Oh of course just be careful!"
Keralis looked at her with pleading eyes as he handed the peeson to her. "Is there anywhere I could use to lay him down?" Both hermits nodded quickly before leading her further into the tower. Inside she found a makeshift bedroom for what seemed like all the hermits, however, some beds looked neater than others.
"Any bed is fine" Xisuma smiled.
Nodding she walked over to one of the neater beds which did not look like it had been used and placed the man down.

"Is there anything I need to know while I check him over?" Keralis nodded before he started to fill her in with the details of what had happened before she arrived. Listening along she checked his head for any signs of injury and found some light bruising but not enough to be concerned.

Eventually she found her way down to the mans side where his hoodie had been torn. Peeling the fabric away from his skin she found a patch of poorly healed, irritated, red skin that seemed to have small pinky particles around it. Pressing her hands to the newly healed wound she could feel heat radiating out from under the skin. Infection maybe? There also appeared to be blood around the skin which she cleaned up.

Looking back up at the hermits she smiled and told them her findings.

Xisuma seemed to furrow his brow in concern and look at the man with almost fear" while Keralis immediately got to work sitting the man up to administer a potion to starve off the infection.

All under control then. She got up and left with a small nod and a wave.
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Xisuma watched on with concern. What had happened for him to have to use a potion and was so bad he fainted? Sighing he pulled up the hermits code again and began searching for what happened.
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Xisuma had left a while ago being forced to bed by a hoard of worried hermits but none of them could seem to move Keralis. Or none of them wanted to with the devastated look that seemed to be permanently stuck on his face. So, with him being stuck to Xbs bedside he was the first to know when Xb awoke. It started with a twitch of a finger that he was sure he imagined then continued with a groan and soon enough Xbs eyes were blinking open.

Keralis was moving before he could comprehend what was happening and suddenly Xb was entrapped within his arms. Keralis could feel tears dripping in hot blobs off his face but that didnt matter for hus Princess was awake! And oh boy did he never plan to leave him alone on the server like that again.