Forgotten monsters (Hermitcraft and Evo Fanfic)

Ch 7

Scar wandered through the jungle alone. Alone, except for Jellie. The cat was trotting regally beside her owner. 

They were quite far into the woods by this point, but there was still noise. Someone knocking. 

'Hello?' The mayor called curiously, 'who's there?' 

The sound of the knocking wasn't special, but it reminded Scar of a time before. 

He was walking down a street, minding his business, when a strange man ran out of his home, shutting and locking it behind, like he was escaping someone. 

Scar approached where the knocking was coming from some more. 

Whatever was inside the man's home started knocking and clawing at the door. Scar stepped back, wanting to avoid it. But the man called for him to help. Half-reluctantly, he did. 

The creature here was clawing at his home too, clearly trapped. As he got closer, he finally noticed a small diorite cabinet. 

'I was payed to make someone a building-robot, but it didn't go as I planned,' the man explained. 'I'm Cub, by the way.'

Was the creature another failed experiment? But what Hermit would make such a thing?

'I'm Scar. Do you have any plan about how to trap the robot?'

'First I want to figure out how I can get in without going through the door.'

'We can go it the way criminals do.'

'What do you mean?'

'Intruder window!' Scar smashed the glass of the closest window and leapt inside.

'Hello?' Scar called again. The knocking stopped for a moment, like the creature had heard, before it hammered at the door again. 

'Hey! Robot guy! Come and get me!' Scar taunted. The failed creation burst into view, furious and insane. 

'Scar! What are you doing?' Cub yelled, half talking about the robot, half his now-broken window. 

'Do you have a box we can shove him in? Then we can just send it to whoever payed you and never see it again!'

Scar found a lever to open the door. A sign above it read. 'Don't open! Creature inside dangerous.'

Cub clambered awkwardly through the window, taking a large cardboard box from a corner. He tipped out the contents and waited for Scar to do something clever and helpful.

'Come over here you metal idiot!' Scar goaded instead. 'Come over and do what you want to me!'

The robot ran over to him, but Scar was faster. He jumped to the side before tackling it to the ground. A rather obvious switch was visible on the robot's neck. Scar clicked it, and the creature turned off.

Scar grabbed the lever, wanting to rescue whatever was imprisoned, and curious about what it was. Before he could hesitate too much about if it was a good idea, he did something he'd really regret later on. 

He pulled the lever. 

The creature tumbled out the cabinet. Scar looked confused at what was inside. It looked like Grian, but it couldn't be. Grian was in his base, and the imposter's hands were metal. 

'Who are you?' The mayor asked.

'Ru... rust...'

'Why were you in there?'

'Rust... rustic...'

'Can you understand me?'

'Rustic houses... I must build Rustic Houses... I need to show you how to...'

Scar stepped away. The grian-like figure was clearly insane.

'So long... All my life I've been trapped... All I know is how to build rustic houses... the instructions! Always there, always repeating... please... Help me... it's unbearable...'

'I don't know how to help!'

'Who... are you?'

'Scar... Goodtimeswith-'

'Scar! What are you doing?' The mayor leapt back with fright as the robot perfectly imitated Cub's voice. 'You! You're the one who trapped me!'

'Calm down! Please! Let me help you!'

'I need to build a rustic house! Let me show you how to build one, then the voice might go away!'

'Sure... I have a village nearby. If you follow me, we can build it and it can be your home.' 

The robot smiled, and Scar smiled back. The two walked back to the magical village, stopping just outside it. 

'Right. What do I do?'

It didn't take long to build the house, and soon the robot was living in it. Before he had only worn an old lab coat and pair of trousers, so Scar had given him his old wizard clothes and his cowboy hat. The robot looked good in them, and was delighted by his new outfit. 

'You can keep it.' The former-wizard told him. 'I've got my mayor outfit to wear,'

'Thank you, Scar!'

The robot suddenly jumped back as Jellie pawed at his leg. He looked down at the cat. 

'What is this grey monster?!' He cried. 

'This is my cat, Jellie. She's really friendly. Scar picked up the feline, stroking her lovingly. The robot sat down, and the mayor took the opportunity to let him stroke Jellie too. 

The robot did so unwillingly, but soon fell for the grey cat's purring and charms. Scar sat down next to him, watching as Jellie clawed up to her favourite position sitting on the robot's shoulder. She meowed proudly, and Scar stroked her some more. 

'Well, this jelly is the most adorable creature I've ever met. Well, she's the only creature I met, except you and the other person that trapped me.'

'It's jellie, and yes, she is good at making people like her.'

'Do you do anything here?'

'I'm the mayor. I'm in charge of the shopping district. Going to cover the entire place with grass and add roads. It'll be a lot of work.'

'Wow... Will you enjoy doing this?'

'I'll enjoy the road building, but probably not the mycelium replacing.

'Mycelium?'

'A horrible fungal grass thing... I'm just going to tear it up and burn it.'

'Good plan.'

'Yeah... Wait a moment, do you even have a name?'

'No. I was just shoved in a box.'

'Well, you look a lot like my friend Grian, and you give instructions like a non-player character. How about we call you NPC Grian?'