Oneshots! (Mostly Hermitcraft)

Return (Regrets pt. 2) - Mumbo

TW: Mentions of death

I stretch, happily back on the Hermitcraft server. It feels like I've never left, yet, as I look toward Scarland, the smell of progress is thick. However, there is an air of grief over the server: one I can't properly place. It's like a piece of it is missing. Like a crucial pillar in the server had crumbled and the others were trying to hold the server in a precarious version of stability.

I strap on my elytra, pulling the buckles tight over my suit to keep it steady as I fly. I boost into the air with a rocket, soaring into the sorrow-laden atmosphere. Frowning, I bank toward Grian's half-completed base. The quartz castle wraps around the back of the rock for once, but little progress has been made since I last logged on.

<Xisuma> hey Mumbo!

<ImpulseSV> o/

<Mumbo> hi

<Xisuma> where are you?

I correct my course away from Grian's roof, shifting my weight as I type a final reply to Xisuma and land on the bridge. He appears a few minutes later in a shower of rocket sparks, wrapping me tight in a bone-crushing hug. As he pulls away, I catch a glimpse of tears under his visor before the light reflection from the glass blinds me.

"We missed you, Mumbo," he says, forcing his words out. He seems sad and depressed. Almost like he's stuck in the endless cycle of grief. I grasp his outstretched hand, noticing how limp his hand feels in mine.

"X, what happened?" I cut straight to the case. "I know I act like a spoon, but I can't do that if you're not feeling well."

He sighed and jumped off the bridge, landing near a dark stain in the stone. Scorch marks ran up the side of the boulder Grian had built earlier in the season. He faces me as I land, unequipping his elytra and stowing it in his inventory. He gestures to me to do the same.

"What do you see here, Mumbo?"

I shake my head, trying to gather my thoughts. "I see a stain?" I guess. Xisuma nods. "A mud stain?" He shakes his head, turning toward spawn and walking. I scramble to keep up with him as he calmly traverses the grass. Steadily, he gathers flowers and arranges them deftly into a simple, beautiful bouquet. He hands it to me solemnly as we arrive at spawn.

I accept it, observing all the changes that had developed during my absence. The diamond ore pillars are gone. A statue of Ren has appeared in the center, although his skin has turned a sickly shade of olive green. Massive shops had popped up throughout the shopping district.

Yet it felt empty.

I quickly realized why. Xisuma pulled me into a small clearing in the birch forest, somewhat obscured by the leaves and bushes. He points shakily to a small mound on the opposite side, labeled with a headstone engraved with a single name.

"Grian" it read, in beautiful, flowing calligraphy. The world stopped as my eyes traced the letters again. Surely not. Surely this is a prank. He's roped Xisuma into doing a roleplay with him, despite our admin's quiet dislike for the games. He's going to jump out of a tree and land on me, tackling me with a hug.

Hastily, I open my tab screen. His name is still there, but it's so faint you can barely see it. It's a mere gap in the list of names. I don't know what to do. Somehow, the server understands that he's still here. It understands that a player called "Grian" is still in the world. It just doesn't know what the player is doing. It isn't sure it should continue representing it.

"He tried to summon you, you know," Xisuma said quietly. "It was a little bit before this happened. I can show you where it is." I nod wordlessly, copying his motions as he puts on his elytra and grabs rockets.

We fly back to Grian's empty, lifeless base. Even Grumbot looks deflated, the wiring and lab surrounding him flat and dead. Xisuma leads me to a corner behind the AI machine, pointing out the mustache inscribed in the ground, surrounded by a ring of candles. Finally, I muster the courage to speak.

"How did it happen?" I whisper.

"I can tell you," Scar says, appearing behind us.

Xisuma nods, saying, "He can tell it the best." The admin dismissed himself and flew out of the cave, leaving Scar to tell the tale.

He tells it simply and quietly. He neglects none of the details, starting with the moment Grian pushed him into the portal. He told the series of events that followed soon after: the first HotGuy moment, the subsequent pranks, and the shenanigans with the King Ren and the Rift. His voice drops to a whisper – barely audible – as he describes the accident.

I step forward and wrap my hands around him. He cries into my shoulder as I sob into his. Somehow, it feels like he's still with us. That familiar, loving presence that always provided comfort and a smile when you needed one. Slowly, it feels as if it's infusing my soul. I break away from Scar and walk to the ring.

I pull out the oak logs I randomly have in my inventory and tear up the stone floor, reconstructing the familiar head he left in all my bases. Scar stands by numbly, unsure of whether to help. I hastily re-light the candles and stand in the center.

"Scar, what are some things Grian would say?" He remains silent. "Ohmmmmmm... PESKY BIRD," I shout. "TALK TO THE WAFFLE. WE'LL DO THE BACK LATER. OHMMMMMM."

I stop, breathing hard and looking at the poorly crafted summoning circle. I sink to my knees, the cold reality sinking in.

<Grian suffocated in a wall>

<Grian> guys

<Grian> why

<Mumbo> scar help me hide the circle

<Grian> ???

<Xisuma> oh my days

^-^

I've been wanting to write this for a while. Finally got the motivation. Didn't know how to end it. Then that idea happened.

So.

Yeah.

Have a good day/night!