The Watchers' Call

Chapter 4

"So, Grian, what were you doing in a stronghold hundreds of thousands of blocks away from spawn?" 

Mumbo's question didn't surprise Grian. He'd had 36 hours to think about an answer and yet still couldn't figure out a good excuse. Instead, he attempted to fake being unconscious.

"Come on, Grian, I know you can hear me," Mumbo said.

Grian didn't reply, hoping that Mumbo would quit asking questions.

"Grian, we're not carrying you home," Xisuma pitched in. 

Grian gave in and sat up. "It's kinda... hard to explain..." he attempted to say.

"Grian! Is it that hard to tell us what you were doing there?" Mumbo asked.

"No... yes... maybe.... I mean..." Grian stammered.

"Are you okay, buddy?" Mumbo's face softened.

Oh, yeah, you couldn't have thought to ask that sooner, Grian thought.

Grian stood up. He had to leave before they demanded other answers from him. Ignoring the way he felt himself swaying, and the black spots that danced before his eyes, he flapped his wings.

Pain raced through his body, but he kept going. He heard Mumbo saying something. Gritting his teeth, he replied, "I'm good, I'm going to head back to my mansion." 

He took off through a haze of exhaustion and pain, flying far enough away that they couldn't see him anymore, then landing in the forest and collapsing.

Despite the fact that every part of him ached, he didn't have answers for anyone, even himself, as to why he had been there. He just needed to get away from the others, even though he was exhausted from staying awake... how long had it been since he last slept? He realized that he didn't even know. Being nearly eaten alive by silverfish hadn't helped either.

Suddenly, he realized that Mumbo and Xisuma had landed in front of him. He didn't have long to process before he finally gave in and blacked out.

----

Mumbo watched Grian take off... in the complete opposite direction from the main part of Hermitcraft. Mumbo didn't believe for a second that Grian was "fine" like he said he was. He didn't take the time to think further than that because with one glance at Xisuma, they silently agreed and fireworked off after Grian.

Grian stopped a few hundered blocks away, landed, and buckled. Mumbo followed Xisuma, landing on the forest floor in front of Grian. Mumbo rushed over to Grian to find the small hermit passed out.

"Looks like I'm eating my words today," Xisuma joked.

"I don't follow?" Mumbo inquired.

Xisuma rolled his eyes. "You spoon. I said earlier that we weren't carrying Grian home," he explained.

"Oh, right," Mumbo said.

"Well, come on then, grab Grian," Xisuma responded.

"What?"

"Really, Mumbo?"

"What?"

"I'm not carrying him, I'm close to dead myself from rescuing him from the silverfish!"

"Oh.. right," Mumbo sheepishly picked up the winged builder and, once again, followed Xisuma into the sky.

----

Grian awoke on a bed.

How did I get here?  he wondered. 

Looking around, he mentally groaned. 

This was the same room he had been put in when he had been sick.

Now he had no way to escape the inevitable questions.

Grian quietly hopped out of the bed and opened the door of the room. No one.

How am I this lucky?

The small, red-sweatered hermit snuck silently out of Xisuma's base and took off towards his base.

Arriving home, Grian realized why no one had been at Xisuma's base. Voices came from the inside of his mansion.

"Mumbo, it's not a good idea to bombard him with questions. He ran away when he was half dead, and strained himself so much he passed out just to avoid answering them."

"But last time he didn't talk to us, he vanished for a week and came back looking like..."

"I know, but pushing him isn't going to help. We have to get him to talk through other ways. Like, trust."

"He never seems to trust me, though."

Grian heard sadness in Mumbo's voice as he said the last sentence.

Does he really feel like I don't trust him?

Looking back on it, Grian realized that he didn't seem to trust Mumbo. He hadn't told Mumbo when he was getting sick. He hadn't told Mumbo why he was at the stronghold.

Oh no, I've been a horrible friend!

Conveniently, the other two hermits were inside the mansion with their backs to the door. So they didn't notice Grian sneak in through it. They didn't notice him until, right behind Mumbo, he said, "Mumbo, I trust you."

----

Mumbo panicked. Out of instinct, he fireworked... right into Grian's diamond chandelier.

"Ow!" he exclaimed, falling back to the floor. "Ow again."

Mumbo heard laughter. Both Xisuma and Grian were on the floor, giggling at Mumbo.

"Oh come on, it wasn't that... Ok fine it was pretty funny," Mumbo said.

Grian stood up. "I'm sorry I haven't told you anything," he said.

Before Mumbo could reply, he added, "I don't know why I was in the stronghold. I was coming back from restocking the barge.. I think yesterday? I don't know how long I was out- and I felt this strange urge to go somewhere. I followed it. It took me to a physically impossible portal made of crying obsidian, and then I went in it-"

"And you call me the spoon?" Mumbo interrupted.

"Yeah... I know. Anyway, it took me to the stronghold... and then I wanted to get out so I broke a wall block... and it was a silverfish. And then they just kept multiplying, so I built myself a tower out of some extra materials I had from restocking the barge."

"Wow, Grian... wait, when did you go through the portal?" 

"It was midmorning... I think I was stuck in there for a day or so before you found me, because I know I spent more than a few hours in there, and it was afternoon when you found me... I think."

"Grian, you've been out for an entire day. Have you been neglecting sleep again?" Mumbo asked sternly.

"Um... maybe..." Grian replied nervously.

"How many times will I have to tell you that you need to sleep?" Mumbo sighed. "Grian, I care about you, I don't like to see you running yourself into the ground."

"I know. I just... forget," Grian answered.

"Hey guys?" Xisuma spoke up. "I have things to get to, are you good if I go?"

"Yeah, sure X, no problem," Mumbo reassured him.

Xisuma flew out of the mansion, leaving the redstoner and the builder alone together.

"I'll leave you alone for now, but remember to sleep, Grian!" Mumbo told him before following Xisuma out.

----

As soon as Mumbo left, Grian felt it again.

The strange urge to go somewhere...

Grian tried to not let it. He tried to distract himself by building a new section of his mansion.

A few hours passed, and the more he ignored the feeling, the more his head hurt. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. He grabbed real adventuring gear, leaving his valuables and junk behind, and flew away from his mansion, towards the unknown.