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It felt like a joke to finally win but it also felt so exhilarating all the same. Joel kicked his longtime friend Grian off of the tree he was perched on top of and with the struck of lightning, he was declared victorious. Oh sweet victory… He couldn’t have done it without his family and his friends, which of course meant that they too, were a part of his family. As he was transporting over to his trap to test it only to realize it failed in the process, he thought about who exactly was labeled as his true family within the death games this time around.
Easily, Gem came up into his mind because she was his teammate in this with their barn and car shared. His poor car- damn Skizz and everyone else that blew it up, it was far beyond repair at this point. He wasn’t particularly interested in fixing the car with no family to share it with. What’s a sick car without a family? Nothing, that’s what. Another easy one that came up into his mind was of course, his wife, whom he would do literally anything for, Lizzie.
Even if she lured him into his death multiple times and scammed him out of diamonds, how could he say no to his beautiful wife? Plus, he didn’t want to sleep on the sofa. He wasn’t the closest when it came to Scar entirely but Jim, oh Jim, his good friend Jim definitely was a part of his little family for sure. He wouldn’t be such a good friend if the two didn’t try killing each other and flirting with each other at the same time, all platonic-like right? Good friends do that to each other.
Grian, was also and still is a good friend of his and a friend he can’t wait to see again back at Hermitcraft when he throws his last few pearls wildly into the sky, aimlessly. Despite Gem’s comment on Grian being their side widower of sorts, he was still a Bad Boy through and through, and that could still be considered a second family to him.
Etho shouldn’t count but he does, and no he’s not obsessed with the guy. Who said that? Even if he kind of betrayed the family, he still killed Scott for him, totally not hearing the part where it was an accidental shot, it was totally to save him, he just didn’t want to admit it. Silly Etho.
Joel threw his last few ender pearls with reckless precision into the sky, not a care in the world for what happens next. He would rather escape the game and take a long nap in his lovely base back home than be stuck here, sculking for days for no one in particular. Maybe everyone; he already misses everyone. He closed his eyes and didn’t feel the impact of the last throw with the pearl shattering underneath him and his body doing the same. Probably.
***
When Joel’s eyes fluttered open, he didn’t want to move at first. All that he saw around him was not his base’s ceiling or walls, but instead a blank void that surrounded him with just the ground being more like obsidian, which was obviously uncomfortable and very weird. Where the heck was he? It didn’t take long for him to spring up onto his feet but he won’t admit that he nearly stumbled from the sight of his clothes constantly shifting. They shifted from a sleeveless vest, a cloak, a leather jacket, and a hoodie from what he could gather.
“ Wild, your time has finally arrived. Xelqua could not win against us after all. We have yet another victor to claim as our own. It is now time for you to choose your cosmic identity. ” He had to strain his neck and squint his eyes at the many, many, many eyes that stared him down from the towering and creepy cloaked figure with wings. What the heck is that? What the heck is going on? Before he could ask or utter a single word, a couple cards were thrown at his feet.
Each supposedly had a cosmic being that he had to choose to represent him for whatever reason, he doesn’t know. A couple of them seem familiar enough- Saturn, Mars, Jupiter. Another one seemed to be a comet with its trail behind it. But…
“Uhh… thanks for this I guess, but what if I don’t want to have either of these? None of them really speak family to me.” Joel should feel fear from whatever being was in front of him but at the same time he couldn’t care less. He was either dreaming or he was stuck with a stuck-up god of sorts, and he already knows what that’s like from an outsider’s point of view.
“ Family? You won with wildness and bloodshed, where is the family in that? ” Okay, he couldn’t help but scoff at that one. If these guys were watching his game, they clearly weren’t watching it close or at all enough. He rolled his eyes before crossing his arms.
“Yeah sure, but I also had a blummin' family to help me through it. Anyways, can I request something to represent me if it can’t be people?” A brilliant idea lit up within Joel’s mind as he tried his best to cool his smirk from growing at what he assumes is the thinking face from the other being.
“ ...Fine. You are our latest victor after all. After the many games that will continue, we have finally reached you. We have seen how bloodthirsty you are since the very beginning, Wild, so we will give you a gift of whatever you ask to represent you if the list that is offered does not suffice. What does your heart desire? ” The Watcher stood tall and imposing but again, Joel wasn’t afraid of them anymore. Although the ‘latest of victors’ made sense now after he had a flash of what he thought were dreams become more crisp and clearer from the words. Memories, he could guess, from all the games that he didn’t win. Guess that’s what he gets as a gift for winning besides whatever he chooses to represent him.
“How about a car? Like a… 1970 Dodge Charger R/T kind of car? Please?” He had a plan on what to do with this particular car. He hoped he could push through the boundaries of whatever magic this is and hope that even though the car is small, it could carry many. Like a pocket dimension of sorts and like a mini planet like all else. This was what he was going to choose to represent him, because this will have enough room to carry his family for sure.
“ ...A car. You know what? Fine. You get that kind of car to represent you. Are you happy now, Wild? ” If the Watcher could look annoyed and feel irritated it would, he’s sure of it, but that only made him grin wilder. A card appeared before him and he picked it up which caused a literal car to form from the cosmos around him within the void. He didn’t waste a second before climbing into the driver’s seat and swinging his door shut behind him.
“Yes! Anyways, I would say thank you and all but nah. I’ll say this instead though. See ya round losers! Catch you never!” Joel didn’t try to stop his voice from having a high pitch in it as he laughed wildly before driving towards what seemed to be a barrier of sorts. Instead of stopping in worry of crashing the car carelessly, he drove through it with ease.
The Watchers just watch him, almost dumbfounded at the sight. “ He could do that? ”
***
Joel had no idea where he was driving but he was driving. He wore his signature leather jacket except with hearts etched into the fabric, sunglasses placed away in the holder, and his pants being a bit ripped from the wildness of his game. He didn’t really have anywhere or anything to do at the moment besides to drive. Why did he do that? Well, that was easy to answer- because he could. That, and also he felt like there was something or someone that needed him out of bounds, but doesn’t know how far out of bounds he needs to be to get to them, whoever this person is. Either way, they were most likely family and family needs to get picked up.
He stopped his car when a figure got closer and more detailed from a distance. The man wore a blue sweater with a cookie etched into it and looked at him with squinted eyes. He rolled down his windows and casually grinned over to BigB and waved him in from the driver’s seat. “Hey B! Wanna hop in?” An incredulous laugh left the other man before he slipped into the seat without a hesitation and shut it. He made sure to also buckle up too because safety was important in his car.
“Hey man! How… what? Why are you driving a car in the void?” That was a good question.
“I don’t know, maybe because I can. Plus, we got other people to pick up and you were the first one.”
“Are you sure we can fit more? It kind of… um, it seems a bit small.” BigB’s angled his head to each side to peek over at the backseats before turning his attention back to the driver at hand, who only blew a raspberry.
“We’ll be fine. Trust me, there’s enough room to carry the whole family. It’s probably just going to favor the first people that sit in those seats.” Joel kept on driving and facing forward to a road that didn’t exist. If that wasn’t nauseating, he wasn’t sure what else could be besides the spin of Scar’s rollercoaster. He kept on driving with BigB putting on music on his radio before he felt a sudden presence from behind him, and it seems, so did BigB.
Joel had to look at the reflection from his mirror to see who or what appeared in his row of backseats. A part of him wanted to crash the car into who knows what with confusion from the sight that unfolded behind him. There were three rats dressed in clothes and had familiar-looking hair and accessories that he’s sure the two of them knew very well. One of them was blonde and had a bandana, one had sunglasses and a mini ponytail, and the last one had cyan clothes and hair from what he could briefly see from the mirror alone.
“Uhh…” What could Joel say in this situation? That the random rats that appeared into his car strangely look like his friends, Martyn, Ren, and Scott? Yes, Scott outside of the death games was a friend of his. He opened his mouth to say more before BigB beat him to it with a stare at the three of them.
“Joel. Do those rats look like Martyn, Ren, and Scott to you too right?” He could only nod as he pursed his lips to focus on the road ahead. “Glad I’m not the only one. Hey guys? Can you talk, even as rats?”
The rats all seemed to share glances with each other from what Joel could see briefly in his mirror. The one that oddly resembles Scott perked up a tiny finger before a sudden and cartoonish smoke filled up the backseats and… there! A perfectly human Martyn, Ren, and Scott sat in their seats, already buckled. “Hi Joel… Did you somehow choose a car as your cosmic being?” The Scottish accent was clear as day and he couldn’t help but snort.
“Yes Scott, yes I did. Those blummin’ idiots don’t know what hit em. I drove straight through their little barrier with ease and picked up BigB in the process.” A part of him wanted to ask questions about his game and how he won after the wizard part of him was killed off but that felt like a talk for another time.
“Oh hey B! How are you doing dude?” Joel forgot about Ren’s ears that perked up in excitement at BigB’s appearance. This in turn made BigB happy and Martyn a mixture of emotions. Whatever, this was not his drama to pick apart right now.
“If there’s more people coming I would be happy if you guys could go into the trunk. I’m saying this especially since Martyn right there is dripping seawater and Scott’s crown-thingy is a distraction.” Martyn was dressed in what he won with it seems. He was dripping with water from the ocean and that made his seats smell like salt. Scott’s crown was like red fairy lights that hovered around and above his head and it was glowing in that same color. It wasn’t unnecessarily bright but it was still a headache to focus on two things at once.
Before Joel could say much more, Martyn and Scott disappeared into the trunk even as he was still moving. Ren’s jaw was agape and BigB, well, he already seemed to be getting used to the weirdness of the car. An evil glint in his eyes shone at the thought of his car granting his wishes, could it do that?
***
They were no longer stuck in the endless stretch of the void, thank god. They were now starting to see different colors that stretched into a portal of sorts into a different yet oddly familiar place. Joel’s heart felt strained at the sight of the mounds but was released when his car slid to a stop in the grass and beautiful blue eyes met his. He felt like he was in a trance as he didn’t even feel himself unbuckling or stumbling out of the car and towards the love of his life.
His arms draped around her shoulders and she fell into his like a missing puzzle piece. They slid into each other’s hold with ease. “Lizzie… My wife. I’ve found you.” Why did he feel his eyes burn and wetness along his cheeks? Was he crying? He also felt wet marks along his shirt from underneath the messy pink hair and he couldn’t help but bring her closer.
“Joel? How… what… how are you here?” That voice was familiar too as his eyes peeked over to the welcoming sight of Jimmy with his wings outstretched as he stood by Scar, who was just as surprised to see him and a bit teary eyed. It seems that Jimmy and Lizzie were still wearing their Bamboozler attire and Scar seemed to be wearing a cloak with poppies and lilacs etched into the dark fabric.
“Jim! Scar. Glad to see you too.” With reluctance, Joel released Lizzie from a suffocating hug and just let her rest against him as he grinned at the two of them. BigB seemed to still be in the car but he waved at the others sheepishly. “I drove here somehow. Don’t ask how, I don’t know but I can’t really complain.”
“BigB is here too? Hey B!” Jimmy waved ecstatically as he ran over to the car and started chatting it up with the other man with ease. Scar rubbed at his arms as if uncomfortable and Lizzie slowly freed herself from Joel’s hold but kept herself close with a worried look over at her fellow Bamboozler.
“What’s wrong, Scar?” Joel decided to pop the question so Lizzie didn’t have to as the scarred elf seemed to look past him with a distant look that he couldn’t read. Both Lizzie and him followed his eyes to a shadow with large wings on both his back and head that stared at all of them as if frozen with uncertainty.
“The shadow people usually don’t show up here when there’s somehow others present. This one, that kind of represents Grian, has been watching me ever since Lizzie and Jimmy appeared.” Scar stood next to Lizzie and kept his eyes glued to the shadow in question before Joel made a noise with his mouth and suddenly started glancing around.
Without any question, he picked up a pebble and threw it towards the shadow person. Instead of it going through, it somehow shattered the visage and bonked Grian in the forehead with a stumble back. “Ow! Joel, what did you do that for?” His voice raised in pitch but there was no fire behind it as he rubbed at the spot where the pebble hit him. Joel could only step towards the bird with a hand offering out to him. Lizzie seemed pleased with the outcome of events while Scar seemed baffled with his mouth agape.
“Wh-what?! It was Grian all along after all! And- and all I had to do was throw something at him! Hmm… Maybe I should do that with the other shadow people the next time they visit…” Joel could already see the gears spinning in Scar’s head and the nervous yet tired look from Grian, the all too familiar look that spoke volumes.
“Oh Scar… It wouldn’t have worked. I-I don’t know why it worked for Joel but, it did, somehow! Anyways, Joel, how are you here? I’m the Watcher here not you, and even though you won your game, I was never gifted with the ability to somehow travel through games like you can.”
“Oh that’s because I asked for a car as my sign, Grian. You know, the car that you love so much? Yeah. After I took victory and you all watched me fail at my trap and I know you guys were laughing at me from beyond the grave at that, I was thrown to a void with those blummin’ multi-eyed creeps and asked to choose something, so I chose a car.” Joel could feel his teeth peeking out from his lips as he grinned at his little audience that listened outside of the car in question parked nearby.
“Oh my void, how do you… never mind. Are you asking us to get in the car? Is that what you’re asking, Joel?” Grian, Scar, and Lizzie seemed to be already heading towards the car even without an answer from him.
“Yeah, you’re family guys. Come on, we got people I’m sure that are waiting back at home. Let’s go, losers and wife.” Joel hurriedly added with sweat forming along his temple at Lizzie who just gave him an unreadable look. BigB seemed to have moved himself to the backseats alongside Jimmy, Scar, and Grian who crowded together. One of them could briefly hear light knocks from the trunk, all of which give looks of uncertainty to Joel, and Lizzie sliding into the passenger seat.
“Don’t worry about that. That’s just Ren, Scott, and Martyn packed into the trunk. They’re fine, they have enough room there because the car allows it. I only kicked out Scott and Martyn there by the way- Ren did nothing wrong. I just hated Scott glowing and Martyn dripping sea water into the seats.” Joel felt that he needed to answer from those questioning looks alone as he buckled himself back in. He started the car once again and they pulled out through the portal.
“Wait… Joel. Is this car the same one that Dom Toretto used in that franchise you like so much?”
***
Time was not measurable in the dimension or space that Joel was driving through but however long it took it felt like a while. He had to sit through Scar, Grian, Jimmy, and BigB somehow playing Uno in the backseats of his car as well as the reactions that came with it. He also had to talk to Lizzie which was actually pleasant so he can’t complain as they talked about him winning and how she’ll win someday. He believes she will win one of these games- she’ll take everyone by surprise for sure when she does.
They were finally arriving at their shared home and it was such a welcoming sight, he could feel his tears glistening along his eyes. He missed home. He missed his bed, his really cool and beautiful base, and the rest of his family that he needed to reconnect with.
He stopped the car outside of the entrance to his towering buildings and helped Lizzie out of her side. With a small pop, out came anyone within the trunk which included Scott, Martyn, and Ren. Scott and Martyn were no longer wearing their winning outfits and were instead wearing more casual attire with a light jacket for the former and his signature swirl shirt for the latter. Ren was wearing his futuristic attire that matched his base and aesthetic as he was now back home.
Joel could also see that Grian and Scar were the same as Ren with their usual attire that is seen through this season’s cosmetics. Their hybrid features were also more prevalent just like his tanuki tail fluffed up from behind him. He could see Lizzie gasping at the sight of it and started playing with it with a gentle touch. “Lizzie…” He couldn’t stop her, she was cute.
“Joel!” “Beans!” His eyes took notice of his friends that were running towards him with smiles of their own. The first people he could see from over the hills were Gem, Skizz, and Etho. Others were arriving after them; others from the games that were forced upon them. He felt tackled with hugs and watched from the corner of his eye, others being hugged too.
“I knew you could do it!” Gem released him from her suffocating hug and fixed the small crown on top of her own head. He couldn’t help but grin at the sight. As if reading his mind she crossed her arms and stood proudly. “I won one of the championships recently and got the crown. We’re a family you know? We won our respective games!”
“Joel.” Joel turned his attention now over to Etho after laughing along with Gem, who seems to have bounced off to tackle Jimmy into a hug.
He watched with a dumb smirk at Etho clearing his throat and offering a gloved hand out to him. He took it in his and pulled the other man into a hug with some totally sane cackling escaping his throat. “Come on, Eefo, we don’t do just handshakes here.” They released each other from the other’s hold with everlasting smiles within their eyes.
“Totally not obsessed.” Etho simply spoke before Joel pushed him lightly on the side.
“I am not obsessed! You’re the one obsessed!” He let out a gasp of feign offense. He could already tell Lizzie was shaking her head but smiled at his usually dramatic antics. This was nothing new to her whatsoever.
“Anyways! I heard there was a party with lots of food and relaxing with the others. We should head there. Right. Now.” Grian popped up between the two before Joel shook his head fondly and they all took upon themselves to use their hybrid or non-hybrid capabilities to travel to their destination.
The party was supposedly celebrating surviving yet another game of life or death. It was also celebrating whoever won the latest game, that Grian said even though it might continue, they’ll be prepared for the next ones and onward. Joel knows this now and he could only laugh at the challenges ahead. The Watchers couldn’t keep him away from his family after all.