#a little late but eh | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

vivitheanimaxen · 5 months

Text

Etho couldn't have been more relieved and frustrated when the end of session was called.

At first, he'd thought that his task would be easy. Well. Not easy, but certainly doable, especially by him. If there was ever a good time to be an enderman hybrid, it was now. Etho would be able to feel the eyes on him, even if he wasn't able to see them.

The problem started when Tango and Skizz came by to ask to use his crafting table. At first he just thought it was the weight of their eyes on him-- the way his body felt heavier-- but as the session progressed, so did his affliction.

"Hi Etho." Gem's voice made him spin about, though it wasn't quite as fast as he normally would have, "Can I buy your door?"

Etho first noticed the tingling in his feet when he was helping Joel and Bdubs with their double zombie spawner. After it was all dug out, Etho found himself pinned between the gazes of the two men, unable to move, unable to leave the spawner box, the water gently lapping at his boots.

"Just keep doing what you're doing." Etho tried, attempting to difuse the situation so Joel would look away.

"I'm trying to Effo, but you're in the way--" Joel nudged him aside, placing the last few blocks.

Etho had to block Joel's line of sight, then Bdub's to make it so he could move again-- His feet had pins and needles after that whole ordeal, once he'd finally managed to dig into the wall and up and out. It was like-- the longer someone looked at him, instead of getting that anxious paranoid ender itch like he normally did, it felt like his feet had been too heavy to move. Like he'd been glued to the spot.

Maybe he should tell Grian about it. This was supposed to be a death game, but the lore wasn't supposed to go so awry. The secret keeper was just a silly little statue-- some set dressing for the drama, it was even hollow inside! Not-- surely it was just his imagination. The dumb statue didn't hold any power. He didn't need to worry Grian with this--

Etho resolved to just ignore it.

Surely it would go away the moment he handed in his task. It wasn't a problem that the longer someone was looking at him, the heavier his body seemed to get, and the more the numbness started to creep in.

It'd started with his feet, slowly turning them to stone in his boots, then it crept it's way up his legs. It was taking longer for the feeling to return, each time he was out of sight.

Nothing to be alarmed about. Just a little bit of casual petrification.

Every person on the server was his own personal Medusa, only able to turn Etho to stone.

It went faster the more people were looking at him, too.

After the incident with the heart foundation and rigging the vote, Etho found himself stuck on the bridge-- Grian and Tango and Skizz and Bdubs were all looking at him-- the stone had managed to get up to his waist, that time. It'd started on his fingertips too, clutched around the reigns of his skeleton horse.

It was terrifying, to look down at your own tingling fingers and realize the off-gray color slowly seeping away had been his own flesh.

He was glad the horse was already (un)dead, because with Etho's predicament, he surely would have crushed a flesh and blood one.

Pearl nabbing him with her book was the worst thing that could have happened. Thankfully he'd had that invisibility potion, but unfortunately, he'd only had one. Etho hated the taste of it-- sour and metallic, the bitter aftertaste tempting him to chase it down with some milk. But the freedom from the stone was worth the nastiness. Even if it had only been for a short while.

It had been like his own personal hell--- Everyone staring at him, the book burning a hole in his pocket, the dread about what might happen if the stone reached his heart--

The clumsy way he'd had to stumble up the ladder to Joel's tower, hands and legs shaking and weak. Thankfully he was able to get up and out of line of sight, and Grian had his task figured out, so he took a short breather up on the tower, shaking the feeling back into his limbs before downing a slow falling potion in one shot, the musty bubblegum flavor coating his mouth.

Whatever happened, it would only take two minutes. The session would be over and he could press the button and this would all be over.

He'd failed.

At least, he failed giving Pearl back her book. He'd succeeded his own task.

But-- those last few minutes before he pushed the button.

Etho didn't want to admit it, but he would probably have nightmares about those minutes. The stone had been so quick to take him, with all of the eyes on him--

As his arms locked up and the cold numb started to spread up his shoulders to his neck, no one noticed the growing discoloration until it was too late.

"Grian--" Etho managed to choke out, tipping his head back in an effort to keep his head above water-- but it wasn't water.

The last thing Etho saw before the stone overtook him was Tango's panicked face, and Grian turning around to see what the trouble was.

It was like dying.

He was suffocating, like he'd been buried alive in sand, but he couldn't move. It was freezing in powdered snow. It was choking on nothing in the void.

But the damage ticks never came. He couldn't feel the pain of it, even though he wanted nothing more than to gag on the stone filling him up solid like a statue. Like the weeping angel the task had turned him into.

Etho couldn't tell what was going on around him, other than the feeling of eyes on his stone skin, and the gentle brush of someone checking his code. That had to be Grian, surely.

Grian would be able to fix him.

Etho had no idea how long he was stuck as a statue, but the only thing he could see was the symbol of the secret keeper, burnt into his vision like looking at the sun too long.

The only sound was the whispers. Etho couldn't understand the words, but he knew the voices were laughing at him.

He couldn't breathe, and the only taste in his mouth was of the cold stone filling it completely.

But he could feel, and that was even more terrifying. Every touch, every warm hand on his stone skin felt like it was lava. He wanted to pull away, but he couldn't. Etho couldn't speak, he couldn't move, he was helpless. Logically he knew the others would keep him safe, would keep the mobs away if it turned to night-- but some part of him, or the voices hissing secrets and lies into his ears made him doubt.

What if he could never turn back?

What if-- even after everyone stopped looking-- the stone never receded? What if this was permanent? What if the glitch-- surely it had to be a glitch-- carried over to Hermitcraft? Or the vault hunters world?

What if they didn't figure out his task and have everyone look away? Grian knew, and Lizzie suspected, at least, but what if they didn't say anything?

What if he would be smothered by their sight, kept frozen forever by ignorance?

What if--

Etho retched, falling over as the stone finally let him go all at once. He found himself slumped against someone-- Bdubs? No, a glance told him it was Scott.

Another glance had Grian standing in front of him, eyes on his admin screens instead of Etho. Martyn was right next to Grian, eyes on the code scrolling by. It was his own code, Etho recognized it. The rest of the secret life crew was gathered in a little huddle by the secret keeper, none of them looking at him.

"Nobody look at Etho yet." Grian called over his shoulder, "Not until I'm sure I've got the glitch."

Etho just continued to retch, spitting out broken bits of stone. His whole body shuddered, his legs giving out for good as his stomach rebelled. It would have dropped him to the ground if Scott wasn't holding onto him. Etho was on his knees, throwing up bloody gravel and whatever was left of his last meal. He was trembling so hard it almost felt like someone was staring him right in the eyes, fine dust drifting down onto the grass, almost like snow. The dust was from him-- he was absolutely coated in the stuff, and so was Scott now.

Scott's touch still felt like lava, everything felt like it was burning, even the gentle breeze caressing his bare skin. It was too much. Even the pressure of the ground was too much, but at least it didn't burn--He shoved away from Scott, not bothering to try and stay upright.

"Off--" Etho rasped, his voice sounding like stones grinding against each other, "Don't-- no touch--"

Scott put his hands up, gaze still carefully averted as he stepped over to Grian and Martyn. Scott and Grian were experienced admins, but Martyn? Etho almost didn't care that they were combing through his code, he was too busy coughing up more dust and gravel, curled on his side. Everything hurt-- even the normally soft grass he was laying on felt like razors pressing against his cheek.

He could still see the secret keeper's symbol, every time he blinked.

"Etho, you know that anyone who finds a glitch needs to call pause so it can be dealt with." Grian huffed, relief and frustration coating his words. It was more relief, though, "Why didn't you say anything when you first noticed this?"

"It wasn't a big deal at first." Etho rasped, lying, "Just pins and needles in my feet. I thought it was from standing so long in one place. By the time I figured out what was going on-- It was too quick to try and call a pause--"

"Next time, at least mention something. I'd rather you fail your task than get glitched."

Etho let out a breath, still shaking from adrenaline and the cold of being locked in stone.

#secret life #session 5 #secret life fanfic #ethoslab #petrification #body horror #dont mind me #viviwrites #weeping angel etho #basically etho was slowly turning stone the longer he's stared at #sort of an au ending-- but #i do what i want.#it's a little late too #but eh #whatever #i might cross-post this to ao3 #maybe not #who knows #trafficfic

49 notes · View notes