When Past Meets the Present

V (Mumbo PoV)

WOOOO! Chapter 5!

Grian was acting strange. When Scar asked him about the burnt mark on the back of his neck, I could almost see his mental shields going up. Then he outright admitted that it was a brand. A freaking brand. Like brunt there with a hot piece of metal, brand. And went on like nothing ever happened.

Anyways, a couple of days after the branding incident Iskall, Scar and I decided to go and check on him. No one had seen much of him for about a week and whenever they did see him he was always on edge, looking over his shoulder like someone or something was following him and his smile always seem fake or forced.

When we tried to enter his base something stopped us, like an invisible wall. We tried to get in every way we could think of, we even tried getting in via the messaging system and the Nether hub. But the weird invisible wall stopped us every time. 

"Don't suppose you know what this is, Scar?" Asked Iskall after the 6th failed attempt.

"Not a clue."

"Then how do we get in?" I wondered out loud.

"If we can't get in then maybe Grian can't get out," speculated Scar.

"Then we should try and get his attention and make sure he's ok," suggested Iskall

We glided down to the level with his 'storage system' and bed to try and spot him.

"There he is."

"GRIAN! CAN YOU HEAR US?!" I shouted.

He didn't bat an eye. He was standing in the middle of the room staring up at the dirt 'spoiler wall' that he had been putting up when my base got overrun with mobs. I could somehow make out what he was muttering under his breath.

"Please not tonight, I can't keep them out forever." Then he went to his bed.

"What was that about? 'Please not tonight' what is happening tonight?" I said once he was asleep.

"I don't know. Look he speaking in his sleep. Maybe he'll say something." It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"⋮⚍ᓭℸ ̣ ꖎᒷᔑ⍊ᒷ ᒲᒷ ᔑリ↸ ℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ ⍑ᒷ∷ᒲ╎ℸ ̣ ᓭ ᔑꖎ𝙹リᒷ, ᔑꖎ𝙹⍊ᔑ." 

(He's just repeating what he said in the dream from chapter III so don't bother translating)

"What's he saying?"

"Don't know, now shut up, he's still going."

"╎ ᔑꖎ∷ᒷᔑ↸|| ℸ ̣ 𝙹ꖎ↸ ||𝙹⚍, ╎ ᔑᒲ ⍑𝙹ᒲᒷ. ⍑ᒷ∷ᒲ╎ℸ ̣ ᓵ∷ᔑ⎓ℸ ̣ ╎ᓭ ᒲ|| ⍑𝙹ᒲᒷ. ᒲ|| ⍑𝙹ᒲᒷ ╎ᓭ ∴╎ℸ ̣ ⍑ ᒲ|| ⎓∷╎ᒷリ↸ᓭ."

"⨅⚍ᓵꖌ||?"

"∴⍑ᔑℸ ̣ ↸╎↸ ||𝙹⚍ ↸𝙹 ℸ ̣ 𝙹 ⍑╎ᒲ?"

"Zucky? What's wrong with you? Are you ok?" We all looked up at that, he spoke in English.

"Zucky!" He flinched.

"Don't worry. I'll get you out of here, just give me a second."

"Nonononono!" He pleaded. "Snap out of it Zuck! Please!" He was crying now. Then he shot up, looked around and began crying uncontrollably in his hands. We still couldn't get through the wall and he probably needed to be alone so I tapped Iskall and Scar on their shoulder and pointed in the general direction of my base. They nod in understanding and we took off.

When we got back to my base we talked about what we had just witnessed.

"What language was he talking in?"

"I don't know. I might have a book on it back at my base though. I'll go grab it, won't be long." Said Scar, he flew off in the direction of his base.

"Who is Zucky?" I wondered.

"Hard to say. At first, it seemed like they were friends and Grian was worried about him because he was hurt but then he acted as if this Zucky guy hit him, but then he acted like a worried friend again, trying to get him out of wherever they were. And then it sounded like Grian was trying to stop Zucky from doing something."

"You should apply to become Sherlock's apprentice."

"Just because a spoon doesn't get it doesn't mean no one can."

"So, do you think this Zucky character was a friend or an enemy to G?"

"I don't know. Maybe Scar can help once he gets back." Right on cue Scar flew in the window carrying a thick book.

"Whoa Scar, what's that?"

"A Galactic translator. I've never gotten around to learning it myself but I've heard it before and that's what Grian spoke in just now, this should help us translate."

"Well then, what did he say?"

"One second. I've got to translate it." Scar brought out a book and quill and began scribbling down a bunch of weird symbols in the book.

"Ok, the first thing he said was, 'Just leave me and the hermits alone, Alova.'"

"Any idea who Alova is?"

"Never heard of her."

"Alright, the second thing he said was 'I already told you, I am home. Hermitcraft is my home. My home is with my friends.'"

"That's sweet, but what does it mean?"

"Ssshhh, let's hear the rest of it."

"'Zucky?' then 'What did you do to him?'" There was silence.

"What should we do about it?"

"We should ask him about it."

"You saw how well that went last time."

"I know, I mean he literally amitted he had been branded then carried on like nothing was wrong."

"What was the brand? I mean if it was a brand then it was probably a symbol or a word or something like that."

"I never really thought about that."

"Let's try and get him to talk to us. Maybe we could invite him to a game of golf?"

"Yeah, that's a good idea. Invite him then we'll ask him while he's having fun, maybe he'll answer if he's not so uncomfortable."

"Alright, next time you see him, ask him, don't take no for an answer."

"Got it."

"Let's do this thing."

One week time skip.

I was walking through the SD when I saw Grian. It was the first time I'd seen or heard from him science we'd overheard him in his sleep.

"Grian!" I called out. He turned his head around to see me. He looked like a cornered animal. I then demand in a stern tone that probably sounded like my father's. "Where have you been!"

I'm probably gonna stop trying to update every day because school starting back up in a week. But I won't stop updating.

WC:1065

Cheers,

Isabelle