Chapter Text
“As the sun sets in Hermit’s Hollow, all its citizens go to sleep. But they do not yet know of the dangers that lurk when the moon shines down on their homes. The monsters whose eyes glow in the dark. The hermits all sleep peacefully, though some who possess somewhat strange powers lay awake at night. Perhaps they can sense this supernatural danger lurking in their midst? Who’s to say…”
“Okay, seriously, guys, close your eyes. It’s nighttime, dudes.” Ren laughs. The hermits, who are all sitting neatly in a circle around him, quiet down.
“Where’s the Master of Sleep when you need him, huh?” Doc laughs. Bdubs fakes being offended, sending other hermits laughing again.
“You all know your roles, right?” Ren looks around the circle for confirmation. Nobody speaks up, so he continues. “All right then, good night, hermits... May you see the sunrise once more… “ He flicks the lights off, enveloping the room in darkness.
Everybody closes their eyes, some putting their hands in front of their faces to be sure. Impulse does so as well. This isn’t his first time playing. They’ve all played Werewolves before, but it certainly is the first time with a group this big.
There were three werewolf cards, if he remembers correctly. Three enemies. And honestly? With all the other crazy roles they’re playing with, that’s more than enough to keep track of, in his opinion.
“Wait... the thief’s in this, right?” Iskall’s voice sounds. A couple others groan at his question.
“ Yes, Iskall. For the last time... the thief’s in. But if you ask again you’re out!” Ren sighs, but has to keep himself from laughing, Impulse can tell. He must be excited to lead the group, the story for such a big group for the first time as well.
“Alright,” Ren begins. “Hermit’s Hollow. A small town where supernatural occurrences are said to happen almost daily. Fairies, golems, and giant spiders are nothing out of the ordinary here. But werewolves... nobody has seen monsters quite like these before. As the citizens of Hermit’s Hollow fall asleep, one person stays awake. He or she who possesses the ability to steal power. Thief, please open your eyes, and choose whose identity you wish to take.”
It’s dead silent for a little while. Then Ren begins to walk around the circle, shuffling cards as not to give anything away.
Then, Ren speaks again. “If I touch your head, your powers have been taken by the thief, and you are now an ordinary villager.” Ren walks around the circle once more, slowly. Impulse holds his breath.
But he’s relieved when Ren passes him. He really didn’t want to lose his protector role, without it he knows he’d be screwed. Plus, the game’s never fun when you’re just an ordinary villager.
Ren’s only a few steps further when he hears Iskall yell out a loud “No!!!”, upon which the entire group groans and laughs, again.
“Well, at least we know he’s not a werewolf.” Keralis says. “Definitely innocent.”
“Should we just start over?” Mumbo asks.
“Nooo... I just had a cool role!” Zedaph almost yells into Impulse’s ear.
“So did I!” Iskall says. “I bet it was Grian. Anytime something’s missing he’s close by.”
“What?!” Grian yells from Impulse’s other side. He sounds genuinely offended. “That’s exactly the type of thing a suspicious person would say! Werewolf! J’accuse!”
Ren interrupts the group before things can escalate any further. “Whoa, guys, guys..! It’s the start of the first night and you’re already accusing each other! Let’s get back to bed, alright? Iskall, close your eyes.”
“But-!”
“Goodnight, my Swedish Potato.”
Iskall grumbles, but Impulse guesses Ren’s magic worked. Iskall keeps quiet, but Impulse just knows that he’s pouting.
This was going to be one hell of a game.
“Now that the town’s quiet again, an angelic figure wakes up. He or she spreads their wings, and flies through the abandoned streets of Hermit’s Hollow, looking through windows and peering into bedrooms to find the perfect couple to pair up. Cupid, who do you fire your arrows of love at?”
“That’s rather quick, are you sure, cupid?” Ren does an excellent job at not talking in one direction for too long.
“Very well, then. Cupid has chosen. Cupid has fired their arrows. If I touch your head, you have been hit. Wake up, open your eyes, and unite with your lover in the middle of the night out on the streets.”
Impulse waits until Ren has passed him. He’s relieved when he thinks he’s safe, but then he feels his hand on the top of his head. Oh no, even more things to be mindful of...
“Now, remember, if one of you dies, the other will die of heartbreak, so make sure you stick together.”
Impulse reluctantly opens his eyes, scanning the circle of hermits to find the other unlucky guy or girl. His eyes fall on Tango, who’s scanning the circle as well. As they make eye contact, Tango smirks and winks. He winks! Impulse can feel his heartbeat speed up. He’s just grateful that his blush is hidden in the darkness of the room.
Ren’s voice startles Impulse, and he almost lets out a yelp.
“Alright, lovebirds. I know you just fell in love through magic and all, but we really must be moving on, now. The night is young, and so are the souls of the innocent whose blood will inevitably be spilled.”
Impulse shakes his head and closes his eyes, hiding his flustered smile behind his hands. God, why did it have to be Tango, of all people? Did cupid somehow know of his crush? Was it Zedaph? He swears he’s going to kill him when this game is over.
“Next, the protector wakes up. You can feel that something bad is about to happen tonight. There’s a bad energy that has crept its way into this town, so you prepare a spell to save yourself, or any person of your choosing from a murderous attack. Who do you wish to protect, protector?”
Impulse opens his eyes, eyeing over all the hermits once more. He honestly has no idea who to save. It was only the first night, there was nothing he could go off of. All cards were still on the table (or the floor), so there’s no point in strategizing just yet.
He could protect Tango. Maybe? But he’s at just as much risk of dying as he is himself. Besides, what if he’s a werewolf? Impulse doesn’t want to take any chances, so he points at himself.
Ren nods at him, and Impulse closes his eyes again.
“The defender has cast his spell, so that means-”
“Ahah! So it’s a guy!” Iskall laughs triumphantly.
“Iskall, I swear, if the werewolves don’t get you first I will kill you myself.” The group bursts out in laughter again, but they all quiet down quickly, wanting to get on with the game already.
“Now... with all this magical energy buzzing around at night, the seer awakens. Seer, please show me whose identity you wish to be revealed to you.”
Ren does his rounds, making sure to shuffle every single card he comes across. He’s really taking this seriously, isn’t he? Impulse shifts impatiently. If every night was going to be like this, how could they hope to ever get to the end of the game?
“Has the seer seen their desired card? Splendid. Now... as the seer sleeps, the beasts awaken. Werewolves, open your eyes, get acquainted with your pack, and decide on a delicious meal to satiate your hunger tonight.”
It’s silent for a few tense seconds, but then Ren sighs.
“Look, I know that this is a game of stealth and strategy, and I know that the Little Girl could be watching your every move, but if even I can’t make out who all the werewolves are, you’re doing something wrong.”
The hermits burst out in laughter again, and Impulse can’t help but snicker himself, too.
“Right then. Excellent. Werewolves, who will be the first victim?”
“I swear if it’s me I will- Ow!” Impulse is sure that either Ren or False must have hit Iskall.
“The werewolves have chosen. The werewolves have had a feast. As they go to sleep with flesh in their bellies and blood between their teeth, the witch wakes up. Witch, you have two potions; one of life, and one of death. Do you wish to bring this victim back to life?”
Silence.
“And do you wish to kill someone else, and if so, who?”
More silence. Ren paces around the circle like a... like a wolf. Impulse has to admit, he’s doing a great job at keeping the atmosphere tense, despite all the laughter and some hermit’s actions.
Both the witch and Ren take their time. Impulse shifts uncomfortably, his legs under him are starting to fall asleep. He can’t wait to open his eyes again. Finally, Ren speaks up.
“The witch seems to be pleased with their actions. They go back to bed just before the break of dawn. And as the sun rises above Hermit’s Hollow, so do it’s citizens.”
“All wake up, except for... “