Chapter Text
Jimmy thinks that the worst part about all of this, is that Joel didn’t do it on purpose. If he did then at least Jimmy could have someone to blame, have someone to hold accountable. But even now he couldn’t bring himself to hate God. Not with how Joel was holding him, pleading desperately, for him to stay awake, for him to stop changing, for him to stop going still.
Pleas that fell on deaf ears. They were both helpless to stop what was happening.
It started so innocuously, about two months ago, with a chill. That’s not odd for most, but Jimmy lived in a desert. It was hot and dry all day, and freezing at night. But that changed, slowly, but it did change. The days got a little colder, which could be chalked up to several things. It wasn’t suspicious at first. But then the nights started getting warmer, which was odd.
Even odder, none of his citizens seemed to notice any difference. They complained about the sweltering days and frigid nights no less than before, while Jimmy didn’t feel either. Temperature didn’t seem to have much of a meaning anymore, not to the sheriff.
Perhaps if he brought it up to the other rulers then something could have been done. They could have figured out what was going on sooner, before it was too late. But Jimmy was a proud ruler. Tumble Town was small, but he couldn’t have it look weak. And if he pleaded for help with something so miniscule that could damage their reputation, make them seem like an easy target.
Besides, he wasn’t in pain, so why bother?
Soon he couldn’t feel temperature at all. Whether in the nether or arctic there was no difference. It all felt like nothing.
Fwhip noticed pretty early on, after having to pull Jimmy away from the edge of a lava like. “Jimmy! What were you thinking?” He scolded, rushing to apply burn cream and wrap his arms up. They were burnt, blistering and red, but the sheriff didn’t feel any pain.
“I didn't notice.” He mumbled, somewhat unsure. He was burnt badly, but didn’t feel it at all.
“You didn’t notice?” Fwhip practically screamed. “What do you mean you didn’t notice? Are you in shock? Sit down, don’t move, I’ll get a healing potion!” He quickly rushed to his storage rooms, leaving Jimmy to think.
That's when he realized he could no longer feel pain.
But that was fine, right? If anything, not feeling pain was a good thing. It meant he could fight better, explore with less risks, he could protect his people without worry. It was better.
He didn’t consider his people would worry for him. That his citizens would care equally, and that they would see how wreckless he was. How willing he was to throw himself in danger to protect them.
Despite never asking, and often actively arguing, someone always came over to tend to him. Because despite not feeling pain, he very much could get injured.
“You need to take better care of yourself young man! Why, if you were my kid or grandkid I’d ground you until you gained some sense! You’d stay in your room until you stopped running at creepers!” An old woman scolded him while patching up scratches on his legs. A baby zombie was to blame this time, but there were several others. Spider bites, arrow wounds, burns from explosions.
He felt none of it.
“I’m the Sheriff ma’am, my job is to take care of you, so your grandkids won’t have to run at creepers.” He smiled, trying to keep the mood light.
The old woman frowned at this. “Well if you want to keep being sheriff then be more careful!”
These conversations were happening more and more often, while Jimmy was getting more and more numb.
The lack of feeling didn’t stop at just temperature or pain. It started to grow. Slowly at first, it always starts slowly, he lost the feeling of touch. Any touch. It started from his fingertips, down to his hands, then solely to his chest. The soft fabric of his blankets, the texture of wood bark, grains of sand, he couldn’t feel any of it.
At that point he was starting to get worried. He brought it up to Fwhip, who came back the very next day with a bag filled with potions, pork, and baked goods. “I don’t know what’s wrong,” He admitted, taking out a particularly thick, gray potion. Really it was closer to slime than a liquid. “But this little concoction can cure everything! Us goblins swear by it!”
Jimmy took a sniff, grimacing, yet grateful that he could still smell at least. “Are you sure this is safe for human consumption?” He asked, holding it up to the sun. None of the light went through.
“Of course it is!” Fwhip beamed, “A tried and true cure for everything!”
The sky thundered, and Jimmy rolled his eyes, knowing exactly what that meant.
Not two minutes later Joel descended from the sky, a shit eating grin on his chiseled face. “Hey! How's my favorite toy doing?” He teased.
Jimmy huffed. “I’m not a toy Joel!”
The God didn’t seem deterred. “Oh? Well if you’re not a toy why am I paying you these diamonds?” He pulled one of the blue gems out and waved it around. “Even a judge agrees with me.”
“That is not what Pix meant and you know it.” Fwhip jumped in to defend him, ears pulled back, like a cat ready to pounce.
Joel laughed, handing over the diamonds. “Keep telling yourself that, wooden boy.” Jimmy glaredm earring another smile, before the God few away, uncaring of the lives beneath him.
Jimmy glared at the diamonds like the insult came from them personally. “He hasn’t closed the toy store.” It wasn’t even turning a profit anymore, Joel was just being spiteful. He figured he’d shut down after not being able to make any profit, but evidently not.
“We can sue him again, and there's precedent, so we’ll most certainly win!” Fwhip jumped in with a smile. “But that's later. For now rest! Get some sleep! Don’t think I haven’t heard how hard you’re pushing yourself! Go! Shoo! Rest!”
Despite the visit from the God, Jimmy couldn’t help the smile that krept onto his face. Fwhip was a good deputy, he truly had Jimmy’s back. “I’m not drinking the potion.”
The goblin laughed. “Your loss! It’ll cure you instantly!”
“That’s a no Fwhip!” He joked back, before bursting into a coughing fit.
Instant Fwhip’s face shifted to concern. “Easy, come on, sit down. I’ll get you some water, just take it easy.”
“It’s fine,” The coughing fit was starting to clear up, but there was a tightness in his lungs. “I can take care of it myself, I don’t want to go to get you sick. I’ll just go lay down.” He was starting to feel tired, but he hadn’t had much energy as of late.
Fwhip didn’t seem happy about this. “I’m taking you to bed, to make sure you actually rest. Don’t try to stop me.”
Jimmy actually was grateful about Fwhip helping him to bed. Especially because the goblin seemed to dote on him for a good thirty minutes, tucking him in, getting him water, and leaving some potions on his bedside table. Actual potions this time, not the sludgy thing he tried giving Jimmy earlier.
“Don’t leave until you’re actually feeling better. Tumble Town can run itself for a few days while you’re recovering. If you need anything contact me, don’t try to get it yourself.”
“Ok mother hen.” Jimmy coughed, wishing he could feel again, so he could properly appreciate the feeling of the blankets, and the warmth they provided.
Fwhip didn’t respond to the joke. “I’m serious. I’ll be back in three days, and you better be completely better or still resting.”
Jimmy wanted to tease back, but he was quite tired, so he curled up into the sheet, pretending he could still feel their softness.
That afternoon he went to bed struggling to breath. In the morning he woke up unable to breath at all, but also not needing to.
It actually took a second to notice the difference. It’s hard to notice what's not there. Only a few hours later, when he was helping a citizen load up some wood, did he realize that the task should have left him out of breath. Especially after being sick.
That's when he started to connect the dots. Not fully, but it’s when he realized something else was going on. This wasn’t just some cold, this wasn’t just brain damage, or anerve damage, or something that could be explained away.
Jimmy didn’t need to breathe anymore.
Almost overnight his behavior changed. Instead of going out from dusk till dawn, giving every single citizen a hand, he locked himself in his house, too scared to go out. Jimmy was changing. He didn’t know into what, but he was changing.
People started to worry even more over his erratic behavior. Even though he tried to stay into his house, visitors still came for permissions and advice, something Jimmy felt he had to give.
“Excuse me, sheriff.” A young boy spoke up, after delivering a gift of tea from his mother. “Are you feeling ok? You look pale.”
Jimmy was sure he looked a lot worse from just pale. Though he didn’t have a mirror in his house, the past week he hadn’t been sleeping, had barely been eating, and generally hadn’t been taking care of himself in any way, shape, or form. The boy was just being generous. “Don’t worry about it young man, I’ll be right as rain in no time, and back to the friendly sherif you know!”
He didn’t seem to believe Jimmy. “My mama can make some tonics and potions if you need, and her mama is a doctor. I’m sure I can get her to check you out, if you need.”
Jimmy shook his head. “Don’t bother, it’s not the type of thing someone can help with.”
“So something is the matter?”
He frowned, before hesitantly saying “Tell your mom thanks for the tea, kid. I need to get some rest.” The sheriff hoped that would be the end of it, but apparently not.
The very next day, just as the sun started to rise, Fwhip arrived. The goblin was extremely annoyed at Jimmy. Practically furious even. “What on earth happened?” He demanded “Only last week you claimed you were fine, and now I find that you apparently haven't left your house since I left!” Then he took a proper look at Jimmy, and his eyes went wide. “You look awful!”
The sheriff sighed. He felt so heavy lately, so exhausted. “Fwhip, as much as I love your visits, I’m not in the mood.”
“Of course you’re not in the mood! When's the last time you showered? You smell worse than me when I return from the mines.”
“Fwhip, let me rest.”
“Nope!” The goblin responded, pulling him up and practically dragging him towards his bathroom.
“Don’t you want me to rest? I’m not feeling well. Let me sleep.”
“Please, you haven’t slept in days. Your eyes are completely glassy and glossed over, your hair is a rats nest, and I’m pretty sure you’ve lost weight.” He shoved him into the bathroom. “Now, you go take a shower. Sit on the tile for all I care, but you’ve got to get clean. I’ll make you something light to eat, and then we’ll go for a short walk, and that’ll be the first step in making you feel more human.”
Jimmy wanted to laugh. He wasn’t human, or at least he wasn’t going to be human much longer.
But maybe Fwhip did have a point. He did feel like a pile of misery, and maybe a shower and meal would help. Even if he couldn’t feel the water, or the warmth.
Like he suspected, it didn’t help. Though he must have looked somewhat better, as when he finally got out of the shower Fwhip beamed. “Looking more like yourself now sheriff! You’ll look even better after some Gobland eggs and ale!”
This earned an eyebrow raise. “Ale? For breakfast.”
He waved his hand. “It’s not alcoholic ale, just hearty ale. Good for those with sensitive stomachs, or neglectful sheriffs who refuse to take care of themselves. Now sit and eat.”
The eggs tasted like nothing, same with the ale. Jimmy said it tasted good and thanked him of course, but he didn’t even feel hunger.
Perhaps the hunger would take a few minutes to kick in after going so long without eating, but for some reason Jimmy doubted it.
“You look better already!” Fwhip smiled, taking away the empty plate. “Do you feel better?”
Honestly Jimmy didn’t feel any different than before, but he nodded. “A little.”
“Perfect!” Fwhip beamed, clapping his hands. “Step one to feeling more human. Step two, let's get you some fresh air.” He ran to the window, frowning when he noticed it was boarded up. “Good lord, it’s so stuffy in here! Why is everything locked up?” He sighed. “Alright, you’ve been inside long enough. Come on, we’re going for a walk!”
“I’m not in the mood to go outside.” He said weakly. His jaw felt stiff, and speaking took way too much energy. “I don’t want to get anyone else sick.”
“Nonsense! You won’t get anyone sick, and you won’t do anyone any good by staying locked in here.”
“I don’t have the energy to walk, Fwhip.” He mumbled, resting on the couch.
The goblins communicator dinged. “You sure?”
“Positive.”
“Even if Joel’s coming to visit? Apparently he’s popping in.”
Jimmy shot up “Oh come on! That bloody God!” Though he truly did feel exhausted, Joel meant nothing but trouble. If left unattended he’d start trying to ‘convince’ the citizens of Tumble Town to start worshiping him. All in all nothing but trouble. Better just let him get a rise out of Jimmy then start trying to get entertainment out of his people.
He stormed out of the house, just barely remembering to grab his cowboy hat. “Joel!” Jimmy yelled, looking around for sight of the ten foot God. It wasn’t hard to find him, he wasn’t exactly subtle.
The God beamed “Hey! Hows my favorite-” Then he saw Jimmy, and his smile dropped. “Oh. Rough.”
“Excuse me?” Though the sheriff didn’t know exactly what was meant by that, he felt vaguely insulted.
“Joel this isn’t the time. Jimmy’s recovering from an illness.” Fwhip jumped between them, holding his hands out to separate them.
“I see that.” The God mumbled, slightly subdued. “Do you need any potions or anything?”
Fwhip narrowed his eyes. “I’m taking care of him. You’re not needed.”
Joel was slightly taken aback by this, but nodded. “Yeah, I’ll come back another day.” He said, before flying away, presumably to his ugly quartz kingdom in the sky. Good riddance.
“I must look pretty bad then.” Jimmy chuckled, touching his face. He couldn’t feel it.
“What?” Fwhip tilted his head “Haven’t you seen yourself in the mirror?”
The sheriff shook his head. “I don’t have mirrors in the house.”
“Jesus,” Fwhip groaned. “Do you have anything in that house? You really haven’t been taking care of yourself.” Then he points to a fountain. “Go take a look at yourself man, you’ll see why I’m concerned.”
Hesitantly Jimmy steps away from the godlin to approach the fountain. It’s tall, so he has to pull himself up over the edge, vision going black and fuzzy from the sudden move. But when it finally clears again the sheriff freezes in fear.
The rippling water reflected something truly horrific. It was him in the water, but not.
It started at Jimmy’s arms. There were large, white stitches starting from his wrists and tucking into his sleeves. But that could be overlooked. The most horrific transformation was on his face.
That's where the most stark changes were. His skin was no longer flesh, but a polished wooden texture. His bright brown eyes weren’t just glassy, they were literal glass, and looked completely dead. There were lines starting on the corner of his mouth and going to his cheeks. They looked like hinges.
Jimmy thinks he passed out. One second he was looking at a twisted and wrong reflection of himself in a fountain. The next he was in the water, looking down at the stone floor.
He didn’t even feel the water around him. Nor the hand on his back, grabbing his shirt. At least not until Fwhip yanked him out of the pool, screaming his name. “Jimmy! Jimmy!” He shook the sheriff, desperate for a response. When he didn’t get one right away the goblin started looking around frantically. “Someone grab a towel! And a healing potion! The sheriff needs help!”
Almost immediately his citizens started gathering around and gathering items to help.
“I’ve got some towels!”
“I have some blankets!”
“Is he ok? Did he hit his head? Do I need to get a doctor?”
Instinctively Jimmy tried to cough up water, but he couldn’t. All he could do was watch as the water leaked from his hinged mouth, falling to the sandy ground.
A citizen approached, a young woman with a worried look on her face. She couldn’t have been any older than twenty or so, still so young. She reached out a hand, and Jimmy jumped back, pressing himself against the fountain to avoid her.”
Fwhip turned, ears bent back in concern. “Jimmy?” He asked softly, but the sheriff wasn’t paying attention too him, far too focused on the young girl.
“Don’t touch me.” He forced out in terror. If she touched him she’d notice he wasn’t made of flesh anymore. Or worse, the transformation might be contagious. She might start to change too, she might start to become a toy.
Oh God, Jimmy was turning into a toy.
“I need to go back to my house. Please don’t touch me.” Jimmy stuttered, now very aware how close his citizens are, how easily he could touch them, how easily things could spread.
“Jimmy what's wrong? What happened?” Fwhip asked, grabbing his elbow to help him stay up, but shooing everyone else away.
“I just got dizzy, and blacked out. I need to lay down.” Jimmy forced out, vision blurring.
Fwhip was concerned, but nodded, before taking him back to his house, helping him to the bedroom. “Lay down, alright? I don’t need you falling again while I’m not here. I’ll get you some water and food ok? I didn’t realize it was so bad.” The goblin fretted.
Though he felt a bit of guilt for what he was going to do, Jimmy knew he had to. “Fwhip? Can you get some goblin pork? I’ve been craving it so much.”
“Of course!” The goblin shot up. “Where do you keep it? I’ll get you some right away!”
Jimmy shook his head. “I’m sorry, I don’t have any left.”
He drooped “You don’t have any left?”
“No. I told you, I’ve been craving it a lot. I’ve eaten all of it already, and just haven’t had a chance to get more.” In reality all of the salted pork was in barrels, where they wouldn’t go bad, but Jimmy needed Fwhip gone.
“I can get some but,” he hesitated. “It’s going to take a couple of hours.”
“I’ll just rest then.” Jimmy chimed in. “I’m exhausted, it might be good for me.”
“Yes, that’s probably a good idea.” The goblin conceded. “You promise not to try and do things while I’m gone right? Stay in bed, or I’ll sick an iron gollum on you.” He teased, brushing a hand through Jimmy’s hair. The sheriff wondered if it felt like plastic.
“I won't leave my house, don’t worry.” He smiled, which was the truth. He had absolutely no plans on leaving, but didn’t exactly have plans to let Fwhip back in.
“Alright then, contact me if you need any help. I’ll come back with the freshest Gobland pork and you better be resting still.” He scolded gently. Jimmy forced himself to smile as the man left.
He waited about five minutes until tearing his shirt off, confirming the horrible truth he already knew.
Where there used to be warm flesh, blood and origins, was merely carved wood, dead and unmoving. But while his head and chest was wood, his arms were made of cloth. Rolling up his legs, and they appeared to be the exact same. Cloth. Not entirely, there was still a little bit of strength left, but not much, and he could feel it start to fade.
Using the last of his strength Jimmy went to the front door and barricaded it shut, locking it and shoving all his chests in front of it. Only after he was confident that no one could get through did he collapse on the couch, barely able to move.
For all his virtues and loyalty, Fwhip wasn’t physically very strong. He wouldn’t be able to pound the door down, at least not on his own.
Good. That meant he wouldn’t be alone when he saw what happened to Jimmy.
The numbness had been ever present for weeks, but weakness started to creep up, an inability to move, a stillness that wasn’t there before.
By the time there was a knock on the door he couldn’t move even if he wanted to.
“Jimmy? Did you lock the door? I told you to rest!” The goblin scolded, jiggling the lock. In any other situation Jimmy would find it amusing, just not now.
“Don’t come in Fwhip,” Jimmy called weakly. It was even harder to speak than before, is jaw even made a creaking sound as he spoke.
“What? Come on Jimmy, not this. I’ve got the finest pork in Gobland! It’s delicious!” The door juggled again. “Just let me in, I’ll take care of you.”
“You can’t see me like this.”
“Please,” He could practically hear Fwhip roll his eyes. “I know you’re sick, I can help you if you vomited or something. Of course you’ll owe me one later but-”
“I’m not human anymore.” Jimmy interrupted, voice flat and lifeless.
Only then did the goblin falter. “What?”
“I’m turning into a toy.” He sighed “A real toy, wood, cloth, lifeless.”
Fwhip seemed confused. “What? No, you’re not a toy. I’ve joked about that before, but you’re not a toy. You’re human, you can’t change into a toy, you can’t change into something you’re not!”
“Well I am.” He chuckled sadly. “Probably Joel’s doing, who knows what that God can do?” His jaw was getting tighter. It was getting harder to speak. “I don’t want you to see this. Just leave.”
The goblin didn’t respond, and soon the rattling stopped. Jimmy let himself rest, content that Fwhip wouldn’t be the one to find him.
At least, until not even thirty minutes later, there was a loud pounding on his door. “Jimmy!” Joel called from outside, godly voice booming. “Open up!”
What was Joel doing here? “Go. Away.” Each word took great strain. It wouldn’t be long until he wouldn’t be able to speak at all.
“I think Fwhip would murder me if I did that. He said you’re delerious and locked yourself in your house, and that you were blaming me for some reason. Though I’m flattered that you think I’m that powerful, I really don’t control illness, only lore.”
“Go away.” He demanded again, weaker this time.
“I will, after breaking this door down. You can sue me later.” The God joked, which was the only warning before Jimmy heard a crack, and saw a wave of light flood in the room. “There we go. Now where are you?”
Fwhip bolted past the God, running to the couch. “Jimmy! Jimmy can you hear me? Oh no.” His voice was filled with despair, eyes filled with tears.
“What’s wrong?” Joel asked, eyes going wide as soon as they rested on the sheriff. “Oh.”
“What did you do?” Fwhip demanded with a snarl. “You know what, I don’t care. Fix it! Fix him!”
“I… I don’t know how.” It was the first time Jimmy had ever heard the God sound unsure.
“How don’t you know? Isn’t this your doing?”
“Yes? Probably? I didn’t do it on purpose!” He frantically insisted. “When did it start?”
“Fuck if I know! Shouldn’t you be answering that question?”
Joel rushed to Jimmy’s side. He grabbed the sheriff's hand, then paled. “Ok, I, I might be able to fix this.” His words were entirely unconvincing.
“Might?” The goblin echered back, rather accusatory.
“I don’t know. But I need to get water from my fountain. That's how Hermes came to life, it might be able to fix it.” He turned to Jimmy, eyes filled with terror. “I’ll be right back, I will be right back with water to fix this.”
He tried to let go of Jimmy’s hand, but the sherif felt a bolt of fear. With the last of the strength he gripped the God’s hand, before weakly begging “don’t go.”
Fwhip paused in confusion. “What?”
“I’m scared.” Jimmy admitted. He didn’t have much longer, he knew. It was becoming harder to move, harder to think, harder to stay awake. “Please, stay.”
The goblins' expression hardened at his words, but he nodded. “Alright. Joel, stay here and try to fix this. I’ll get the water. Keep him awake.” Then Fwhip ran out of the house without any hesitation, desperate to save his friend.
A desperation that Jimmy knew wouldn’t get him anywhere.
Instead of dwelling he squeezed tighter onto the God’s hand, a God that was looking more and more panicked by the second. But he didn’t let go, or try to pull away. Instead he wrapped his arms around Jimmy, holding him tightly. With his height and strength, he could cradle him easily, like a young child. Though the sheriff couldn’t feel, he knew Joel was being gentle.
“Stay awake Jimmy, please stay awake I don’t know what happened, but I can fix this, I’m sure I can.” Joel tried to reassure, clutching the man that was more toy than flesh.
Jimmy’s grip weakened even more. Joel clutched on even more desperately. “No, you’ll be ok. Was this because of the jokes? Was this how all of it started? Jimmy, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for this to happen, for any of this to happen. I didn’t even know!”
Though Jimmy wanted to reassure him, to tell the God he knew, he couldn’t move his jaw anymore. It was stuck closed.
His grip weakened.
“Well I take it all back. You’re not a toy, you’re not. Will that fix it? I’d do anything to fix it, just please, tell me how. Just stop changing, please, I’m sorry. Stop changing, stay human. Fwhip needs you. Your citizens need you.” The God sobbed “I need you.”
It was the last thing Jimmy heard before the transformation was complete. His eyes were completely glass, arms and legs completely fabric, wooden body completely still.
His grip finally went limp as he stared at the ceiling, unable to look anywhere else, as the God of lore wailed, lamenting what he had done to the sheriff.