Hermitcraft Shots

Base Buddies -1

Thunder cracked, interrupting the steady pound of rain on glass. Biting winds coursed through Grian's open base, tousling his hair. He was working on his potato farm, desperate to finish it before the storm got any worse. The dirt was sprayed across the floor, mixing with rainwater into muddy puddles.

Stress had flown by a few hours ago, while the rain was still light, voicing her concerns. "Grian, you 'avent finished your walls outside! You oughtta do that before we get a big storm!"

"It's fine, what are the odds it'll get worse than this?" He laughed, catching a small raindrop in his hand.

Now he laughed, mocking himself. "What are the odds?~" He grumbled and wiped his forehead, streaking mud across it.

It was just a small splash at first, hardly noticeable through the rain. But one splash led to two, and soon water was pouring down the walls like a waterfall. Already Grian's socks were soaked, and he was realizing the dire situation he was in.

He bolted to his chests, scrambling to save the most valuable materials from the elements. Lighting flashed every so often, counting down Grian's window of time.

Arms loaded with shulker boxes, he struggled to spark a firework as the water crawled up his ankles. "Cmon, cmon..."

His mailbox lit green as he burst past it, marking that Mumbo had sent some mail. For a fraction of a second, nostalgia gripped his chest.

All the redstone he and Mumbo spent hours putting together. His precarious piles of chests that Iskall teased him about-the chests only he could navigate. The poultry cave hidden in the basement, secret from all his friends. The Architech meeting room filled with maps, where he and Mumbo had many, many discussions late into the night.

And then he flew away.

Tears mixed with the rain, making it impossible to see. The violent wind tossed him to and fro, nearly sending him into the sea multiple times. Most of the shulker boxes had blown out of his grip, and fell into the water like the raindrops around them.

Simply by instinct, he made his way to the rocket shop, where he took shelter. For a long time, all he could do was sit. The rain made his body and his soul numb. So he sat. Multiple times the droning rain lulled him to sleep, before the thunder woke him up again. Once, it struck the weather vane on top of iTrade, shuddering the ground under his feet.

Slowly, Grian felt a fuzzy feeling growing in his chest. It was warm compared to the rain, and it welcomed him into its embrace...

—

Silence.

There was no drumming of rain, no claps of thunder.

It was disturbing.

It was too bright to open his eyes, but Grian managed to roll over, realizing he was in a bed. What time did he get to bed last night?

"Ah, you're up! Are you alright?" Mumbo's worried voice met his ears, and gentle footsteps.

"Why're you in mah base...?" Grian slurred sleepily.

A pause. "You're in my base Gri. You've been in the rain too long." He nervously chuckled.

Finally Grian pried his eyes open, taking in his surroundings. There was a lot of acacia wood, so he could only assume they were in Mumbo's basement. But wasn't it flooded before?

Mumbo read his thoughts. "I uh, drained this place a while back, in case of an incident like this. Not you passing out! But uh, like the weather bit." He fiddled with a spare lever on the ground.

"Oh nice, thanks." Grian sat up slowly, blinking away the sleep.

"It's no problem at all! But, may I ask, what were you doing in the rocket shop?"

"My..." It all came flooding back. Literally. "My base is flooded. It's all gone." There were no more tears to shed, so he put his head in his hands miserably.

He felt a weight next to him on the bed, and Mumbo's long arms wrapped around him gently. "I'm so sorry." They sat this way in silence for a few minutes. "Would you like to stay here until we can get you settled again?"

Grian tensed. "I'd hate to be a bother.."

Mumbo squeezed Grian tightly, tears gathering in his eyes. "You are never a bother, Gri. Always remember that."

They sat this way for a long time, their breathing in sync. It was peaceful, with no rain pouring on their heads, no hermits flying around to bother them. At some point, Mumbo fell asleep, but was woken up when Grian pulled on the corner of his mustache. "Oi!"

"Sorry," Grian chuckled, smiling for the first time since Mumbo saved him. "I guess you've kinda adopted me, huh?"

Mumbo stuttered. "I- I suppose? That's a strange way to put it, I mean- I mean it's really not that big a deal, we are friends after all-"

Grian just laughed, falling back on the bed. "Oh Mumbo.. So, does this mean I can build myself a little house on your island?"

Mumbo laid back as well, his head hitting the wall with a bump. "Ah, I assumed you would just hang around the base with me! But, if you'd rather have your own space I understand!" Mumbo stumbled over his words in apology.

"Nah, I'll hang out with you! It'd just be fun to build a little cabin to hang out in! You're invited to visit of course."

"Oh I'm glad, I wouldn't want to miss out on the build of the century." Mumbo jabbed.

"Hey! Says you!" Grian elbowed Mumbo's ribs, eliciting a laugh.

"It will be the build of the century, because you're building it."

No response.

"Gri?"

Grian sniffled. "Thanks for everything man, you mean the world to me."

"Anything for you. Now, what blocks will you need for your cabin?"

Grian wiped a stray tear. "A lot of wood, hehe."

Mumbo stood up tall, helping Grian off the bed. "As if I have any wood! You think I keep that silly stuff lying around?"

"Ha! Right, I see how it is."

They bantered all the way up the ladder, not even stopping to acknowledge the rain.

Hey hey hey, two-parter! Next part coming out tomorrow, get ready :3

Love you, my little stars!
-RaeTheStar