~The First Step~ a Hermitcraft AU

Chapter 9 (Mumbo)

wc: 830

tw: imprisonment

hope you like this chapter, I wrote it in half an hour all at once lol

not proofread >:3

Mumbo was pulling down the wood planks that Grian had used as hair for his hobbit hole. A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. Somehow, no matter how hard he tried, he could never get mad at Grian.

His communicator pinged, which meant he was getting a private message. He looked at his wrist and double tapped. A hologram-like projection popped up with a keyboard and his chat history with Scar.

<Goodtimewithscar> Mumboooo

<Goodtimewithscar> can you come to Larry real quick

<Goodtimewithscar> please

Mumbo sighed. No explanation. Nothing much he could do about that. The wizard was like that sometimes.

<MumboJumbo> coming

He walked along the lake, taking in the scenery and noticing the scarce amount of pesky birds. I wonder why, Mumbo mused to himself.

Once he arrived at Larry, he glanced up at the snail. He didn't see much movement or anything, and the wizard didn't even seem to present, which was strange. Mumbo shrugged it off and climbed up the ladder. The moment he stepped through the doorway, however, he found that he was not inside Larry.

He was in a damp and slightly dark room. It appeared to be underground, since it was surrounded by stone and dirt and was only lit by smoldering torches.

That wasn't the strangest part. That title belonged to the vast amount of... sugar, Mumbo realized. Pillars of the stuff surrounded him and grains scattered the floor. 

"Scar?" Mumbo called.

"Oh, it works," said a familiar green eyed hermit. "Hi, Mumbo."

Scar looked exhausted, as if he were running on sugar and determination. His green eyes had bags under them and his hair was unkempt. Mumbo slipped between two towers of sugar to rest a hand on Scar's shoulder.

"Scar, you alright, dude?" Mumbo asked gently.

"I need to find something out," Scar replied, evading Mumbo's question. "Can you stay? I want to make sure I actually saw... whatever I'll see."

Mumbo nodded cautiously. "How did you manage that anyhow?"

Scar looked up, surprise evident in his eyes. "What?"

"The teleportation."

"An old vex summoning spell," Scar said dismissively. "The one evokers use to summon lesser vexes." He checked his wrist communicator. "Just a minute." He typed something into it and hit send. Mumbo checked to see what Scar had sent.

<Goodtimewithscar> Gman can you come inside larry 

<Grian> first mumbo then me?

<Goodtimewithscar> I'm doing an experiment

<Grian> otw 

"Grian? What are you testing?" Mumbo asked. "And what's with the sugar everywhere?"

"It'll all make sense in a minute," Scar said mysteriously. Mumbo felt his stomach clench. He was the type of person who always had to know how things worked, what fit where. That was a part of him that he'd had since he was born, when he threw toys across the room to see what would happen if he lightly tossed compared to if he full on hurled.

He wasn't mad, per se. He was just... frustrated.

"It better hurry," Mumbo muttered, making Scar look up with surprise for the second time.

A silence passed, until...

Vwomp.

It was a curious noise, but it signified something very important.

Grian was here.

The red sweatered hermit suddenly appeared in the ring of sugar pillars. "Wha- S-scar? Mumbo?" Grian had seemed to have gotten his bearings much quicker than Mumbo had. He suddenly cried out, his hand touching the sugar, causing him to recoil.

"Come on out, Grian," Scar said, pushing. Prodding. "Let's talk."

Grian tried to take a step forward, but was pushed backwards by some invisible force. "S-sugar?"

Mumbo only watched in horror as the small hermit began to tremble, breathing heavily. Something inside Grian visibly snapped, and he began to change.

First, the clothes went. Grian now sported a long, dark grey cloak that had a shawl-like extra layer covering his shoulders. He had no visible sleeves but did have elbow guards and black fingerless gloves. The cloak was so long it covered his feet, but when he moved, tall black combat boots became visible.

Then, his hair. A streak of black shot through it, as if he were a watercolor painting and the artist had done an accidental stroke along his hair.

Next, his wings. Mumbo had seen them, but Scar clearly hadn't. Large, lilac wings sprouted from his shoulders and folded neatly against his back as the straps of his elytra broke. Grian tried to stretch his revealed wings, but the sugar stopped him.

Lastly, his eyes. They shone such a brilliant violet, icy cold yet searing hot, containing so much in them that it seemed that they would explode. 

This was power. Pure magic, otherworldly yet very much of this world. Authority radiated from the hermit, making him seem much taller. 

"He's a Watcher, Mumbo," Scar said in a small voice.

Grian turned in a slow circle. A glowing, purple rectangle with broken corners stood out on the back of his cloak.

"Yes, you've found my secret, Scar," he murmured, and something shone in his hands. Magic, fighting to escape, but he kept it under control. He tilted his chin up defiantly, daring the two to look him in the eyes. 

"And what are you going to do about it?"

If you didn't know, I've started a one shot book, so check that out if ur interested :3

I'd like to thank Hermitdere32 for all of the support lately (sorry for ping). Every vote, every comment means the world.

Sorry also that I don't have an update schedule, I am a chaotic 12 year old and have no sense of organization, lol

Thanks for reading! Have a good day or night, wherever you are!

-Ete