Chapter Text
Grian dragged the last barrel towards the small raft he had made in the lake. 'Its not much, But its a start,' He thought as he made his way to his first shop of season 7. Stepping onto the sheet of wood, He felt it waver under his weight, but that wasn't anything to worry about, right?
His armed ached from dragging around barrels filled with stacks of sand and gravel, But he still pushed himself, besides, it was only one more barrel, what harm would that do? Taking a deep breath, He lugged up the last barrel, Plopping it into place.
A small smile formed on his face, As he took in the work he had done. Sure it was small, But he was proud nonetheless. A wave of pride washed over him.
The sun was setting in the distance, Causing the lake to shimmer in the deep orange light. It was quiet around him, except the soft chirping of the neighboring animals and the occasional call of a mooshroom. Grian let out a content sigh, taking in the beautiful scenery of the tranquilly moment.
It only lasted a second though.
The raft suddenly snapped in half, flipping over and crashing onto the poor unsuspecting hermit. Grian let out a yelp of surprised as he was knocked over and dragged dragged down under the water by the barrels of gravel and sand, The impact knocking the air out of him. Impulsively, he tried taking a sharp breath, but he was met with a mouth full of water then air. He tried coughing it out, but all it did was let more water into his system. He clamped his mouth shut, turning his focus to trying to get out. The lake was pretty shallow, but he struggled to get up considering he was pinned down by multiple barrels filled to the brim with stacks of sand and gravel. His exhaustion didn't make it any better either. As he struggled to move, He felt a sharp pain jolt through him. He felt the sharp, broken bits of wood rip and tear through his flesh, opening new wounds that now littered his body. He let out a whimper as the a few tears formed from the sudden pain. 'At least I'm not in saltwater', He thought grimly, as he gave up on escaping this hell. He felt his consciousness begin to slip away, his vision going blurry. 'Respawning is gonna be hell, but at least It wont hurt as bad as right now'. He knew that respawning like this would mean that he would be sore, and doing small tasks like moving shulker boxes and barrels would cause a spike in his pain, but it wouldn't last forever. He still didn't like the idea of respawning and being in pain for weeks, but it's not like he had much choice at the moment.
Everything started to go dark. Grian lost hope, waiting for the inevitable to happen. He could of sworn he saw a flash of red before he passed out though.
Grian slowly fluttered his eyes open, slowly regaining consciousness from the incident. He blinked a few times, looking around the area. Around him were dirt walls and ledges, Mycelium topping them, aswell as mycelium hanging down from the ceiling, accompanied by roots and a few vines. Mushrooms were scattered along the surfaces. He could also make out a tunnel at the end of the room. He heard distant shuffling around the area, and there was a strong scent of herbs near him. In the far corner, there was a small counter area-- it was similar to a kitchen-- that was made of white mushroom stem. There were vines and roots that had a variety of plants and herbs tangled in them, as well as a few bed-sized ledges that had been covered in mycelium scattered across the room, specifically against the walls.
He felt something cool and soft Against his body. He took a look under him, letting out a small groan, his body began to ache as he switched positions. Underneath him, He saw a thick layer of soft, fluffy white wool, with a few specks of mycelium and dirt stained onto it. It was quite a strange sight, really, and no matter how much he tried to wrap his brain around it, he had no idea where he was, or how he got here. All he really knew is that he was either underground or in some sort of cave, And he was probably still in the shopping district, But that was all.
Deciding he had done enough gazing and lying around, He slowly began to push himself off the wool he had been placed on, only to feel a sharp pain stopping him in his tracks, and causing him to fall back onto his makeshift bed with a small "thump". He stayed like that for a few seconds, before trying again, too stubborn to let a little pain stop him from walking around. The shuffling he had heard earlier grew into quick but heavy steps, and it was getter louder. Panic quickly rose in Grian, motivating him to get up quicker to avoid what ever the hell what coming closer. As he had almost lifted himself off the bed, he felt a pair of hooves gently guide him back down. He snapped his gaze towards the force that was pushing him back down to the wool. His eyes widened as he stared at the peculiar creature looming in front of him.
They had bright red fur, with a grey cow print, like a mooshroom. Their eyes were round, their irises a dark brown. Their back was arched and their limbs were similar to deers, having hooves, and fluff right above those hooves. They had a somewhat- long cow-like tail, with the same pattern as the rest of their body, the furry tip was a brownish/black color, similar to their hooves.The most defining feature was the giant mushroom on their head, reminding Grian of a breloom from pokemon. The last thing that was noticeable is that the creature had been wearing a worn cloak that was a dull brown, similar to a warm tan.
"Wh..Wha..?" Grian murmured in awe at the mythical creature in front of him
The creature then spoke. "I- I know you're probably really confused about where you are and whats going on, and you probably have a lot of questions, but I need you to stay still while your wounds heal, I promise I'll answer your questions when your in a better shape" The strange creature had said. Their voice was slighter higher then Stress's voice, and they had a slight australien accent.
Grian wasn't quite sure what to do, the creature seemed friendly, and they were helping him. After a few seconds of staring, he slowly nodded, and laid against the wool, relaxing slightly.
It was only then that he noticed that gauze was wrapped around various parts of his body, such as his arms and torso. 'Geez, Was I really in that bad of shape that I needed this much medical attention?' He thought.
The creature had left the room, only to arrive shortly after with a bowl of mushroom stew in their hooves.
The creature placed the bowl down next to him, then proceeded to sit him up-- which was slightly painful. "Here, Eat this, You'll feel better afterwards" The creature instructed. Grian, Who was too tired to argue, complied, and to his surprise, he DID begin to feel better. He felt much more energized, and the slight pain he felt previously began to fade away.
He looked gratefully towards the creature, With a small smile on his face. "Thank you!" He bubbled.
The creature wore their own smile in responce "Your welcome... Now, I assume you probably have a few questions..." They stammered.
Grian's grin slightly faltered. "Um.. Yeah, Quite a few, But I guess I should start with the most obvious one" He started, The creature looked at him with eyes full of curiosity "... Whats your name?" He questioned them.
The creature's eyes widened a bit, "O-Oh! I wasn't expecting that, But its a good first question nonetheless. My name is Mycia, How about you, Whats yours?" The creature replied.
"Im Grian, Nice to meet ya!" Grian answered.
"Nice to meet you too" The creature-- No, Mycia Said.
They stood there awkwardly, It was completely silent, except for the occasional shuffling from somewhere deep in the tunnel
"Right uh..." Grian started, The creature snapped its head back up to stare at him, "What are you're pronouns?" Grian continued.
"Oh, Um, I go by she/they, I dont mind which you use, and I go by feminine gender language, How about yourself? What are your pronouns?" She questioned.
"I go by He/They, and I go by Gender neutral gender language" He answered.
"So uh, any other questions?" Mycia asked.
Grian pondered whether he should ask anything else, He just met them, and he didn't want to overwhelm her, but at the same time they wanted to know so much. He settled on two questions. "Right, I have 2 questions," He paused for a second, waiting for their response. Mycia Simply nodded. "The first is where even am I, and the second, but what exactly are you..? Um- Sorry if that sounded rude I mean no ill intent-- I'm just curious." Grian quickly added. The last thing wanted to do was offend her, after all she had been kind to him so far.
She let out a small chuckle, "Thats the kinds of questions I was expecting! Don't feel bad about not knowing what I am, most players don't since we tend to hide away-- Anyways, I am what you call a Mymercilar, A creature native to mooshroom islands, As for where you are, Your currently in my colony's tunnel system, specifically in the medical bay!" Mycia informed him.
Grian took another look around the room, H realized the plants that were tangled in the roots were herbs, the counters were probably where healing remedies were formed using said herbs, and the ledges were make-shift beds for the injured or sick individuals who were down here. Suddenly he felt like an idiot.
"I- I don't know how I didn't realize that this was a medical area considering the furniture and the state im in" Grian deadpanned.
That earned a laugh-- or more so a squeak from the creature "Well arent you soooo observant" Mycia mocked.
"Wha- Hey! I'll have you know I'm very observant Miss 'Squeaky laugh'!" Grian retorted in a teasing tone.
"Did you just make fun of my laugh?!" Mycia exclaimed, Failing to keep the amusement out of her voice.
Grian gasped dramatically, Placing a hand on his chest "You think I'd would do such a thing? I can't believe you'd make such an unfair accusation right now!" Grian took mocked offense, bringing his hand up to his head and layed slightly back like a deva.
This caused the young mymercilar to burst out into a giggling fits, "We're gonna get along!" They managed to choke out in between their constant giggling.
After a few minutes of straight up laughing and teasing the other, they calmed down.
"Hey, Mycia?" Grian started.
"Hmm?" Mycia hummed back in response.
"How long was I out for?" Grian innocently asked.
Mycia's eyes widened for a second, before lowing to an expression Grian would describe as guilty, or regretful. "Oh boy you're not gonna like that answer" She mumbled, Grian grew worried, 'Why wouldn't I like that answer?' He wondered. His only response was a slight tilt of his head
"Well... Um... You've been out for about 3 days..?" She stammered.
Grian's eyes widened, "Three days?! The hermits are probably wondering where I went!" He shouted.
Forgetting the fact that he is injured, He hopped off his make-shift bed, and instantly regretted it. He collapsed to the floor, An immediate sharp wave of pain hit his body. He swore he could feel some of his wounds reopen. He clutched himself in anguish.
"GRIAN!" Mycia called, Falling down next to him, and helping him back up onto the wool. "Are you ok?!" Mycia inquired, her voice full of worry and concern, and he could hear a slight hint of panic in her tone.
"M-Mhm" Grian whimpered, He internally cringed at how his voice slightly cracked.
He could feel tears forming in his eyes, and he knew Mycia could see them too.
Mycia looked at him sympatheticly, Which practically killed his heart. She took the end of her cloak and wiped away the tears the had began to fall down his cheek. The pain began to subside, and although his body was still aching from his sudden 'outburst', He was able to release his death grip on himself. Thats when Mycia switched their attention.
Mycia checked him over throughly, Her turning face grim every time they found a reopened wound. She took some fresh gauze, and then proceeded to line it with an herbal blend they had made in order to ensure the wounds would heal properly, and to lessen the chance of infection, Which to Grian's surprise, the scent was pleasant, admitting a floral smell from it. After lining it, They wrapped it tightly around the wounds, making sure they were tight enough to except pressure to stop the bleeding m, but not tight enough to stop circulation. Then she went over the the counter, grabbing a clay cup. They filled it with hot water, then placed some tea leaves in it to brew up some tea, After it was brewed, They added milk and honey to sweeten the taste. Finally, She took a small pouch from a cabinet in the counter. Inside were dark black seeds that resemble tiny blackberries. Carefully, They took two and dropped them into the tea, then stirred it all together. She took the tea and held it out to Grian, Signaling for them to take the cup.
Grian took the cup and starred down at it. He could feel the warmth through the rough, dry, clay surface. The aroma was similar to chai tea, with a small hint of honey. After staring at the tea for a few minutes, He took a sip. His tastebuds were overflowing with flavor. The main flavor he could pinpoint was a sweet cream-honey blend that he adored, However, When he focused more, He noticed a subtle herbal taste in the back, that weirdly complimented the sweet blend that he adored. The next thing he noticed is that he began to feel quite drowsy. Rubbing his eyes to try to keep himself awake and alert longer, he looked up to Mycia with confused but tired eyes.
"Poppy seeds. They work like pain killers, but they also tend to cause people who consume them to feel drowsy" She answered simply, somehow understanding what he was wondering.
Grian, who was too tired to respond, gave them a small nod. Thinking about her words, he realized that his pain had eased and faded, if not completely went away.
Mycia gave him a small smile "I'll leave you be to rest, I'll be back later," She whispered softly. Then, without making a sound, She left the room, Vanishing into the tunnel. Grian took this as a sign to lay down.
Once he was in a comfortable position, He closed his eyes, letting his drowsiness take over, Allowing him to rest peacefully for awhile.