Different (ReWrite of Insanity?)

•Chapter 3•

"Mumbo?" Grian called out, glancing around the mustached hermit's base in search of him. The Redstoner was nowhere in sight, his base seemingly abandoned. Grian quietly crept through the underground base, continuing his search for Mumbo, who wouldn't respond to the small gremlin's calls. This caused Grian to slightly worry, but he kept his calm, continuing to trudge throughout the missing Redstoner's base. Grian made his way towards Mumbo's bed, which made it clear Mumbo had left in a hurry.

The Redstoner tended to be neat, always making sure his room was clean, and his bed was made. But all his blankets were ruffled, in a messy pile on the floor. That almost scared Grian, as it didn't seem to add up in his mind. Why would Mumbo disappear this early in the morning? Normally when Grian stopped by at this time of day, Mumbo was barely out of bed, the Redstoner tending to overwork himself at night. Still, where could Mumbo be at 7:16 am? Unless he spent the entire night at his industrial district, Grian couldn't think of a place where Mumbo could be.

The small hermit ran towards Mumbo's portal, hopping through and fading into the nether. The heat was unbearable, causing Grian to roll up the sleeves on his sweater. Heat still sunk into his skin, practically burning Grian as if he had a fever. Grian continued to push forward, heading towards Mumbo's industrial district portal.

He saw Wels and Xisuma in the far distance, entering a far away portal together before Grian could get a good glimpse at the two of them. He could tell that Wels was holding a couple of dark red potions, which didn't resemble any potion that the small hermit had seen before. Xisuma held a bow, a quiver filled with arrows attached to his back. It was strange to see hermits up this early, as many always sleeper in on weekends like today.

Grian almost ran into Iskall, the tired Swede disorientated and exhausted from working all night long, not thinking of the repercussions for the following day. Iskall's bloodshot eyes and messy beard have away his tired nature, causing Grian's scolding glare and angry frown to deepen. The small hermit took Iskall's hand, forcing the Swede to sit down, their back against the obsidian portal where Mumbo's industrial district was. Grian sat down next to the Swede, placing a hand on their shoulder. They jumped in return, glancing around and trying to comprehend what was happening.

"You alright, Iskall?"
"Yeah..I was just late last night working on my farms. I'm fine, I had a couple cups of coffe, It should keep me awake.."

"Well it's clear it isn't working. Come on, you need sleep dude."

Grian pulled the Swede from off the ground, Iskall practically relying on Grian to help them walk. The small hermit trudged with Iskall, trying to help them get back to their base. Iskall's portal wasn't too far away, so it wasn't to hard for Grian to lead the cyborg back to his tree. Iskall occasionally tripped on their own legs, but that was just Iskall suffering from sleep deprivation, so Grian expected it. After Iskall almost collapsed onto Grian for the fourth time, they arrived at Iskall's portal, Grian pulling Iskall through the portal.

The jungle air was cold, yet damp, like a rainstorm was approaching. Of course, it didn't matter, as Grian would most likely get Iskall back to his bed before the storm hit. Iskall was finally getting coordinated, but he was still exhausted, the Swede letting out a large yawn before slightly stumbling back a bit. They rubbed their eye, As if Iskall was hallucinating. Confused at the Swede's actions, Grian glanced over to where Iskall had been looking at.

Mumbo was unconscious, his white shirt red and bloody, Mumbo's hands bound with lead. His hair was a mess, also stained with blood, and faint chunks of Gravel and rock was caught in its knots. Dark green particles swarmed around Mumbo's head, as the mustached hermit barely moved as Grian and Iskall approached him. The two looked at one another, both asking for help, the two clearly confused at how the Redstoner managed to get here.

Grian bent down, trying to shake Mumbo awake. He wouldn't respond, not even moving as Grian began to violently shake Mumbo, trying to get the Redstoner to wake up from his unconscious state. Grian took notice of the particles swarming around Mumbo, the faint green swirls almost like angry bees, as the potion particles continued to flow around Mumbo's head.

"Iskall, get some milk. I think a potion did this to Mumbo.."

The Swede was already on it, taking notice of the particles before Grian. Iskall was running back with a metal bucket of milk, slightly wobbling and spilling a bit of the milk. Grian stood up, taking the milk from their hands before Iskall could spill any more. The small hermit ran to Mumbo's side, slowly pouring the milk down the Redstoner's throat. The particles around Mumbo began to vanish out of thin air, one by one. Mumbo groaned in pain as the last few particles faded away, causing Grian and Iskall to smile.

Grian pulled out his pickaxe, ripping the leads that Bond Mumbo's wrists. The mustached hermit opened his eyes at this, running his hand through his messy raven hair. He didn't even notice that he was covered in blood, the spoon of a hermit still confused on why his head hurt so badly. He could barely remember what happened, the last thing that the Redstoner remembered was falling asleep in Tango's rocket shop, so how was he here? Grian and Iskall looked at one another, before looking back at Mumbo, studying the bloody hermit.

"Mumbo, are you okay? You don't look so good.."

"Yeah..!

I'm fine...

I just feel kinda....

Different."