Only One [hermitcraft au]

Chapter 6

Grian looked up at the giant robot that was towering over him. How sinister he suddenly looked, after that week's events. He was no longer the pure, harmless AI, but a manipulative device that, if not contained, could cause a lot more than one death.

But Grian still loved him. Something in the back of his mind told him that Grumbot didn't mean any harm, and that it was just a mistake in Mumbo's programming that led him to an unexpected malfunction.

It's fine, Grian thought. Once Mumbo fixes him up, he'll be as good as new!

Mumbo, in fact, was on his way that second, after receiving an urgent message from Grian to meet him at Grumbot. He reluctantly obliged, convinced that Grian would propose another one of his crazy mayor-schemes, as always. No matter how much Mumbo tried to tell him, Grian just wouldn't give up. He almost seemed obsessed.

As he flew over Grumbot, he saw his friend leaned against the robot, tapping his foot impatiently. Once Mumbo landed, Grian ran over to him, looking sort of panicked.

Before Mumbo could speak, Grian looked up at him with wide eyes.

"Mumbo, something's wrong with Grumbot. You should take a look,"

Well, it sure wasn't what Mumbo expected him to say, and it wasn't really what he wanted him to say either. He didn't see the point in fixing the robot that could no longer help them in any way.

"Grian, look.I-"

"You can fix him, right Mumbo?"

"Uh..."

Mumbo tried to find the right words. Grian seemed desperate to fix the AI, and Mumbo didn't want to let down his already panicking friend. Whatever the problem was, it must have been a big one.

Then Mumbo had a thought. What if...he told a white lie? Grian wouldn't notice, right? He could just say there was a malfunction in the system, and Grumbot shut himself down suddenly. Then it'd all be over; they would never have to speak about the campaign again. 

"Alright, I'll have a look at him,"

Grian let out a barely noticeable smile. "Thank you, Mumbo. Hope it goes well,"

And with that, Grian took off to the skies, leaving Mumbo with a problem that couldn't be fixed with redstone.

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The sun was just about visible, a slither above the canopy of jungle trees. Watching the rising sun, Grian forgot about his worries for a second and let out a smile. The hermitcraft world really was beautiful.

Grian remembered that Mumbo had wanted to meet up with him at Grumbot that morning, after having a look at him.  The young hermit hoped to god that he had been fixed up to his normal state, so nothing else bad happened. Though when he thought about it, he wondered if the thoughts would carry on even if Grumbot was fixed. Surely Grumbot wouldn't still have his previous consciousness if he had been rebooted, right?

What am I thinking, Grian thought. A robot can't have a consciousness. I'm just making stupid decisions.

Grian landed next to his moustached friend after arriving at Grumbot, and noticed the concerned expression across his face.

"Hey, Mumbo. Is everything okay?"

In fact, everything wasn't ok for the taller hermit. Mumbo's plans to shut down the robot had failed in a way he couldn't have imagined beforehand.

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The previous night was when Mumbo decided he'd do it. He wanted to make sure there was time to tamper with the software without Grian noticing; he hadn't planned out what he would say to him if he found out.

As he entered Grumbot's inner workings, he felt a sort of uneasy atmosphere. He had built the place...why was it so foreign all of a sudden? Nevertheless, Mumbo went inside and found the main power source.

All he had to do was switch it off. Simple.

The power-off switch was located around the back of the power source, inside a small box. Mumbo wanted to keep the switch hidden and secure, as a power-off would reboot the system and reset Grumbot's memory completely. He didn't want any curious souls switching him off unknowingly.

The place seemed to get darker, and Mumbo started to have second thoughts. Was this his gut feelings trying to tell him something, or was it just the adrenaline of going against his friend?

As Mumbo reached out his hand and touched the switch, a strong shock ran through his body. He pulled his hand away and gritted his teeth, refusing to let the pain throw him off track, no matter how badly it hurt. It took him a short while to realise that the whole place was pitch black, and all the redstone was unpowered.

But that was a good thing, right? Grumbot was shut down, problem solved.

However, what Mumbo couldn't quite grasp was how, when he went back outside, Grumbot's illuminated features continued to blare down on him. Usually, the lights would have been switched off along with the power source...why was the robot still active?

Mumbo's arm still ached from the shock, and he knew that something definitely wasn't right. Grian's strange behaviour,  Stress's death, Grumbot's unsourced power...it all seemed like it was connected in some way. Mumbo had suspected Grian had something to do with what happened to Stress from the moment he saw him upset in his base, but now? Now there was Grumbot, something he created, going against what he wanted.

Mumbo couldn't shake the feeling. He lay awake that night trying to convince himself that it was a misunderstanding, that everything was fine and Grian was fine and Grumbot was fine...

But it wasn't. Mumbo was sure of it.

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"I couldn't find anything wrong," Mumbo said to the shorter hermit.

"What?"

"There was nothing wrong. I looked at the redstone and everything was running perfectly."

A perplexed expression crossed Grian's face. "A-are you sure? Maybe you should look again...I'm pretty sure he's broken, I-"

"Grian," Mumbo put a hand on Grian's shoulder and looked him dead in the eyes. "You've been acting really weird this past week. Just talk to me, ok?"

Grian's heart dropped. He didn't think Mumbo would say anything. He hadn't planned anything out. What would he say? He couldn't say anything about Stress, otherwise Mumbo would think he was a murderer. All of them would.

Grian pulled out his rockets, ready to escape from the nerve-wracking situation he had gotten himself into. Mumbo tried to stop him from leaving, But Grian just muttered "It's nothing, Mumbo," and made a swift take-off into the clouds.