The Red Moon Always Shines

Chapter 4: The builders machine

"Ok, let me get this straight," sighed EX, annoyance clear in his voice, "You want me to help you find Grian because he disappeared randomly?"

The gathered group stood uncomfortably at the red armored man's doorway, looking from one another wondering who would answer.

Finally Mumbo spoke up, "So, uh, so can you help us?"

The red clad Void twin sighed, but there was something in his tone that was off. But Iskall couldn't pinpoint what it was, but he was now paying more attention, intrigued by the show of odd behavior.

"...I suppose I can. Alright, what do we know?"

A wave of relief passed around the group, they had some help!

"Well we know that he disappeared sometime either last night or early morning, bu-" Xisuma was interrupted by his twin.

"He wasn't taken last night, so it was early morning"

"How do you know that?" questioned Martin, super suspicious of EX.

Said man shifted uncomfortably in his seat, but only slightly so. He seemed to look at something, or someone, no one could see, "...I just do. Now do you want to find him or not?"

And so they got to work, X and a few others took to looking through yesterdays and todays log, trying to find the problem that way. But when no one was looking EX slipped out of the house, making sure he wasn't being followed. Quickly flying to Grian's base he walked in, completely ignoring Robot Grian he fired his trident at the floor, opening up the poultry cave. Jumping down into the egg he made a swift exit into the cave properly, "Markus! Markus, are you here? It's me EX! I have to tell you something!"

"I'm here!" called a voice from behind the huge screen in the cave, and seconds later a young teen walked out, mahogany hair covered in dust and gravel, "So what is it that you need to tell me?"

Sighing, the red eyed man took off his helmet, revealing a head of white hair pulled up in a messy man bun, and a face full of sadness, "Grian's gone"

The teen froze, "What do you mean, 'Grian's gone'? What happened to him?"

"That's what we don't know! He just disappeared earlier this morning and now we can't find him"

"He has to be somewhere!", shouted Markus, unwilling to believe such nonsense, "You just haven't looked well enough!"

Grabbing the teen by the shoulders, Xeres' made him look into his eyes, "I'm sorry, but he's not on the server. They searched the entire server on foot and through the coding, and he's gone"

A sob tore it's way out of Markus, this couldn't be happening. Grian couldn't be gone! Grabbing onto the albinos arms as to not fall down in a hep he repeated the same mantra in his head, "Grian wasn't gone, he was just somewhere else, Grian wasn't gone, he was just somewhere else, Grian wasn't gone, he was just somewhere else-"

"-rkus"

"Markus"

"Markus!"

"MARKUS!"

Shaking his head violently the dark haired teen looked up at EX through tears (when had he started crying?), seeing red eyes peer back at him with concern, "We're doing the best we can to find him. So don't worry, Grian's tuff, he can protect himself"

"I know he can," said Markus, averting his eyes from the red Void, "I'm just worried he won't come back, you know what happened with EVO. I don't want to lose him"

"Neither do I", sighed Xeres, shoulders slumping down low, "But we'll get him back, I swear on my life that we will"

"You know it isn't practical to swear on something that you can't ever get back," said a voice from the opening of the egg, red mechanical eyes lazily looking at the duo.

"What's it to you?" hissed EX, baring his teeth at the robot, a growl forming under the surface.

"Some people only have one life, so we can't go around dying all willy-nilly like you lot. So I apologize for caring if I live or not" sneered Robot Grian, thoroughly not impressed.

Backing down Xeres kept his mouth shut, knowing that he wouldn't have anything nice to say. Not that that lasted a very long, "So why are you down here? Thought you'd be busy taking care of NPG?"

A silence, then, "I found something, something that changes everything"

"What?", question Markus, though it sounded like he was asking himself more than the other.

"There was a book hidden deep inside one of the chests labeled 'Project Companion', and in it was all the notes for mine and NPG's creation. And I got to say, there was some pretty advanced stuff in there, but back on track.

Seems like my name was supposed to be Rodger, also can you call me that from now on?, but something happened to me and I was never officially given the name. NPG was never gifted a name except the one he already has.

But the most important thing in the book was his personal notes, the ones that had nothing to do with the making of me and NPG. They revealed some, telling things that explains quite a bit about Grian"

"Where's the book?" asked Markus excitedly, maybe the book had some information as to what had happened to Grian? And if not, well there must be at least some embarrassing details in there.

"Right here" said Rodger, handing over an old dusty purple book with 'Project Companion' written in big white childish letters, how old was this thing?

EX took the book with a nod, still not fully ok with the robot being there, but still thankful for being informed about the book.

"Alright, I'll leave you too to read that, I have to get back to NPG. Have a nice day, gentlemen" said Roger, making his exit before Markus or Xeres could ask any questions.

"Well he's currently a weird pill of metal, ain't he?" mussed Markus, a slight smirk forming on his thin lips.

"That he is, that he is," agreed Xeres, furrowing his eyebrows when he looked down at the book, "Now what to do with this?"

"Uh, we read it? Ya know, the thing you do with books?" sassed Markus, one eyebrow raised in a mocking fashion.

"You know what I meant prat!" huffed EX, fondness clear in his voice, "Now, time to read this book"

And that's another chapter done! I'm sorry that this took so long to make, but I finally got it done! Next chapter will be Grian as per usual.

Anyways, thank you all for reading!