The Unseen Beauty of the Ungrateful

Chapter 15: Broken Walls

This is another fully Grian perspective chapter, and it starts at the wood chopping part of the last chapter (it was just updated yesterday so if you haven't read the last part, make sure you go back). I hope you enjoy!

"Go sit over there" Grian said, pointing to a tree stump a couple meters away.

He yanked off his gloves and stuffed them in his pockets, allowing his skin to breath, and the grip on his axe to tighten.

"Oh... can't I help you?"

"No"

Grian turned and suppressed a laugh at the sight of Mumbo staring at the snow covered tree stump with disinterest, and rolled his eyes.

Honestly.

He gathered a small ball of fire in his hand and dried the makeshift chair for his companion, before patting the stump.

"Sit down. I have to chop fire wood"

"But maybe I could-"

"Sit"

Mumbo sat with a huff, looking very much like a kicked puppy, and Grian felt his lips quirk up.

I swear Mumbo, if you weren't so...

He shook his head to cut off his own thoughts, peeling his cloak from his body and shivering at the sudden exposure to the cold. He'd warm up soon enough; chopping wood was exhausting work.

Grian let the world around him fade as he focused on the task at hand, bringing back the axe and swinging it sideways as hard as he could so that the crack of broken bark echoed through the woods.

Immediately, a sharp pain speared his abdomen, followed immediately by a dull throbbing ache that rippled across his body.

Grian clenched his jaw which threatened to let loose a cry, and squeezed his eyes shut until the pain ebbed.

Calm down... it'll be fully healed in the next couple days, just...

He glanced out of the corner of his eye to see Mumbo who was gazing at him with a glossed over expression.

...don't let him notice

He continued to swing the axe harder and harder, pushing through the torture to try and get the job done faster.

"Grian!"

He stopped abruptly as Mumbo nearly dashed over to him, blocking the swinging range of his axe. He raised an eyebrow under his mask, and Mumbo gave him a nervous smile.

"C-can I have a turn?"

Grian rested sideways against the tree, breathing hard and looking up at the tall God with a dubious expression.

"You want to chop down a tree? Why?"

Mumbo's eyes flashed down to the axe and then to the tree before moving back up to the small God's face.

"Uh... to say that I did it?" He offered lamely.

Grian rolled his eyes and smirked. No doubt if Mumbo took over, each piece of wood would be of different size and half would be unusable. He swung the axe up on his shoulder and motioned for the redstone God to move out of the way.

"It's fine Mumbo, I got it covered"

"No really! I want to do it!" Mumbo urged, a wrinkle of worry lining his forehead.