When Grum knocked on his father's bedroom door the next morning, he got a tired "Come in" from the other side. He turned the knob and pushed open the door to find his father in the middle of the room surrounded by laid out blue prints with designs drawn on them in white coloured pencil. He was leaned over a crafting table, scribbling on another blueprint. He didn't look up when his son entered.

"Hey Dad...did you sleep?" Grum approached cautiously.

Mumbo glanced up. He had bags under his eyes and he didn't look alright.

"Of course not." The roboticist replied. "How could I sleep when I've got twenty-two robots to plan."

Grum stepped back. "Twenty-two? Dad, are you insane?"

"I think so, yes." Mumbo chuckled and sat back, holding up the plans in front of his face. Grum rushed forwards and picked up some of the plans from the floor, inspecting them.

"Iskall, Xisuma, Cleo, Cub..." He scanned the prints with his eyes, worry growing inside of his chest. "Dad! You can't do this!"

Mumbo put down the blueprint he was holding. "Do what?"

"Build real people as robots! That's not okay!" Grum started collecting the rest of the plans.

Mumbo felt his heart rate quicken. He grabbed Grum's wrist as he leaned down to take the plans.

"D-don't....please..."

Grum froze as his father stared at him. There was something in the man's eyes that the robot couldn't quite place. He looked broken, lost, and empty. They were emotions that Grum had only begun to understand.

As the robot dropped the plans in his arms, Mumbo let go of the boy's wrist. He quickly gathered up all twenty-two of his plans and stood up. He walked past Grum and out of the room, leaving his son alone, confused and worried.

Mumbo went into the living room where his robotic family was interacting with each other.

"Could I have your attention please?" He called over the room. The robots looked up.

Grumbot exited the bedroom and slipped past Mumbo to join his robotic family for the engineer's announcement.

"I am holding plans for twenty-two new robots! I know that I can't handle a task like this on my own. So I am asking you all to help me! With your assistance, I know we can get this done quickly."

Grum looked at his siblings. They had similar looks of worry in their eyes, but he knew they would all help their father. He knew he would as well. It was what they were programmed to do.

"So come up here and I'll give you your plans! There's eleven of us, so we'll each build two."

Mumbo set aside the plans for Iskall and Xisuma in his inventory and got the rest of the plans ready.

"Uh, Dad?" Grum hurried to his father first. "Are you really going to make Jrum and Sahara each build two robots all by themselves?"

Mumbo thought for a moment. "Hm. Good point. You can help Jrum and the twins can help Sahara." The roboticist handed the plans for Scar (and Jellie) and Bdubs to his son.

The other members of the family lined up. In their connected server, they communicated nonverbally to one another, all expressing their worry for their dear Mumbo.

Jrum got the plans for Doc and Ren. Amelia got Wels and Stress. Circuit received the plans for Joe and Cleo. Sahara got the plans for Tango and Impulse. Grace got Jevin and False. John took Zedaph and Hypno. Mrs. Jumbo got the plans for TFC and Keralis. Mr. Jumbo got Cub and Beef. Griandroid stepped up last.

"Here you go, G. Etho and xB." Mumbo smiled and handed the plans to his robotic friend. Griandroid took them with little hesitation, but took a second to think after he scanned in the information to his hard drive.

"Is...Is this really a good idea?" Grian studied his friend's hollow smile.

"Well, it's an idea by me, so yes. Yes it is."

Griandroid knew he couldn't argue. Nothing he could say would make this man change his mind. With a soft sigh, he gave Mumbo a slight nod and stepped past him into the workshop to gather his required materials.

Mumbo stood alone in the empty living room. He looked down at his bandaged hands and laughed quietly.

"W-what am I doing? Why am I doing this?" He turned around to see his robotic father standing near him. He seemed to be waiting for his son.

"Mumbo-" The tall android approached the human man. "Are you alright?"

The roboticist started to break down. He shook his head as he felt his eyes well up with tears. Mr. Jumbo gave his son a hug, trying to comfort him best he could.

"Papa." Mumbo pulled away from the hug and wiped his eyes with his lab coat sleeve. He looked up at his father. "Are...Are you proud of me?"

Justin Jumbo's expression filled with surprise. "Of course I'm proud of you, Mumbo! I'm always proud of you!"

"Even though I left you guys at seventeen, didn't go to Uni, didn't visit..."

"Mumbo..." Mr. Jumbo set his hand on his son's shoulder. The young man looked up at his father. "I will always be proud of you. You don't need to prove yourself to me."

Mumbo smiled and wiped his eyes again. "Thanks Papa."

He studied his father's face for a moment before nodding and stepping towards the workshop to get his own materials.

When Grian dropped Grum and Jrum off at the HQ, he felt a reluctance in his heart as he flew away. He didn't want to leave them, but he had to.

As he soared through the early morning sky, he started going over his ideas in his head. He told Grum that he had an idea for how to help him be less robotic, but he honestly wasn't sure if it would work or not. He didn't really know how transmutation worked.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when he spotted Scar and Bdubs hanging up the last of their election posters in the shopping district. The election was in a few days.

Time had flown faster than Grian could keep up with. He swooped down to make a landing in front of his friends.

"Hey Scar, hey Bdubs." He gave them a slight wave. Scar looked up at the bird as he landed.

"Everything alright?"

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine, I just-...I've got a bit on my mind."

"Do you need someone to talk to?" Scar handed his manager the last poster to hang up.

Grian sighed. "I want to do something for Grum before I run out of time, but I'm not even sure if it'll work."

Bdubs put up an item frame and set the poster inside. "Maybe we could help?"

"Actually, it's dependent on your guys' help." The hero mentioned.

Scar gave Bdubs a quick glance before speaking up. "What kind of help?"

"Magic help?" Grian said hesitantly.

Bdubs shook his head. "That's this man's area of expertise. I'm no help here." He chuckled.

Scar thought for a moment. "Bdubs, you can have the day off."

"Day off?" The Boomer started to laugh. "I thought I was your manager. But sure! Sweet! Vacation day." He grinned and gave the two of them a wave before heading off.

Scar nodded and started to head in the direction of the village he built. "Follow me."

As the two walked together, Scar began to ask questions. "So, what do you want to do for Grum?"

Grian stared straight forwards as they traveled. "I want to find some way to let him be human or something like that."

Scar was silent as he thought about the possibilities. "I'm sure you know that I can't help you in that specific area of the arcana."

Grian nodded.

"But I think Aleighnya could help. Best transmutationist I know." Scar smiled. "Plus, she's wanted to meet you since I asked for her help for your dilemma a bit ago."

The bird and the wizard walked through the jungle. Grian wasn't wearing shoes, but the lush jungle floor didn't hurt. He could hear the passing conversations of the birds in the trees, the birds in the air, the birds watching the two men.

He felt like they were judging him. He tried to focus on his friend instead.

"So, how long have you and Aleighnya known each other?" Grian tried to make conversation to get the birds off his mind.

"I met her a long time ago when I first joined the Scarlet Cloaks. We've been through a lot since then. She's kinda like a sister to me." Scar reminisced. "She's the one who gave me Jellie and showed me how to bond to her as my familiar. You'll like her. She's a tabaxi-tiefling." He gave his birdie buddy a reassuring smile.

Grian smiled as well. "She sounds delightful."

Scar nodded as they reached his village. It felt full of energy and life, which seemed strange to Grian since he thought only Scar lived here.

"Don't tell Xisuma, but I've sort of made this place a rest spot for wizards and the like." Scar winked.

Grian was surprised. He didn't know Scar would be the type of person to hide something from the Admin.

"Aye, who am I kidding? He definitely already knows." Scar chuckled.

As the two of them went through the small village, Grian saw a number of people dressed in fantasy outfits, although he assumed that to them, it wasn't fantasy. A female elf and a human man waved to Scar as he led Grian to the main hall of the village. The woman wore a red bomber-style jacket with a circle insignia on it. The man wore a red robe with the same symbol. Scar waved back with a grin.

"We'll have to take a portal to visit Leigh." The wizard held open the door to the hall to let Grian in. The bird entered and took notice of the abundance of plants inside. None of them seemed native to the server, and most of them Grian didn't recognize.

"Wow, this is....really pretty." Grian examined a glowing blue flower next to him.

"Wow, this is...really pretty." The flower spoke back. Grian flinched and looked to Scar for an explanation.

"Haha, that's an Echo Flower. They repeat the last thing they heard to whoever walks by."

Grian nodded. "Huh. Cool."

Scar motioned towards a door in the corner of the hall. It looked like a supply closet, but when Scar took out an enchantment book and held it against the wood, the door's edges glowed with an ethereal light. When the light dimmed, Scar put the book back in his inventory and opened the door up to an impossibly large common area filled with portals of all shapes, colours, and sizes. Dozens of people went from one portal to another, some stopping to talk with other wizards and magical beings in the middle of the room. The biggest portals seemed to be the busiest and were similar to the structure of a Nether portal. Most of the small portals were just like the one that Grian and Scar stepped through to enter the area, which is to say, doors. Countless doors lined the walls of the circular room, each a different style and design. It was like the middle of a bustling train station inside the room. The ceiling was immeasurably tall with even more doors lining the walls up. The room felt familiar in a good way, even though Grian knew that he had never been here before. The air felt magical and the atmosphere was friendly. Every person that Grian made eye contact with gave him a kind smile. It didn't feel like they were judging him. He felt welcome here. He was just as strange as everybody else at this crossroads and it was reassuring.

"Welcome to the Realm hub." Scar said to Grian as he took his hand so that they wouldn't get separated in the crowds.

Grian was awestruck by everything. He made accidental eye contact with someone who seemed to be an enderman wearing a wizardly getup. Instead of turning hostile like the enderman back on the server, the void creature gave him a pleasant nod and continued walking.

"This is amazing." Grian quickened his pace to walk closer to his friend.

"Isn't it though?" Scar seemed at home. "C'mon, through here!" The wizard pulled the bird towards a purple wooden door with a gold trim. He turned the knob and pulled open the door, bringing Grian through quickly. The door closed behind the hero. He looked around the new place he was in. It was a warm, magical cottage with arcanic artifacts adorning the walls and shelves. Bookshelves were abundant, stuffed full with old and new books. Some seemed magical while others were just normal books. Crystals of all sizes hung from the roof, tinkling against each other like wind chimes. The home was small but cozy, with a comforting clutteredness about it. Scar stepped into the middle of the room.

"Anyone home?" He leaned against a cauldron as he let go of Grian's hand. After a moment, someone stepped out from behind a large stack of thick worn journals.

Grian wasn't sure what he was expecting Aleighnya to look like, but it was nothing like what she really did. The lady who greeted them was an almost six foot tall cat lady who looked to be part tiefling.

"Scar! 'Ello! I wasn't expecting ya today!"

"Hey Aleighnya! Grian needs some magical assistance that I can't provide, so I thought we should come and visit you." Scar greeted his friend with a smile and a hug. After they let go, Aleighnya stepped towards Grian.

    "Oi, that's a nasty scar ya got there. That Thunderbird got ya good, didn't it?" The Scottish lady examined the long gash down the bird's right arm. He nodded in reply.

    "Hm, that's no way to introduce myself. Let me try again." She stepped back and extended her arm. "My name is Aleighnya Mévouimières!"

    "Hello." Grian shook her paw. "I'm Grian."

    "Just Grian? No last name?" Aleighnya cocked her head to the side playfully. The star on the end of her wide-brimmed wizard hat twinkled as it swayed.

    "Grian, uh, Dreamslayer." He kind of chuckled. Scar gave him a look.

    "Is that your real last name?" His wizard friend asked. Grian answered Scar with a nod.

    "Alrighty Mister Dreamslayer, how can I help ya?" Aleighnya's tiefling tail swished slowly from side to side.

    "Is...Is it possible to turn something nonorganic, like a robot, into something organic, like...well, a human?" Grian felt awkward asking.

    The cat smiled. "I haven't done that type of transmutation in a bit, but I'm sure that I can do something. Let me get you some tea before I search for the correct spell books." She led the two men through a wooden door into an equally magical kitchen. She motioned towards the table. Grian and Scar took a seat.

    As the wizard lady got a kettle heating on the stove, she made some conversation.

    "How's Jellie doing, Nascarlos?" She glanced over at the suited hermit. Grian looked at him with a confused expression. He brushed him away before answering his friend.

    "She's doing good! Although, she does miss the attention from Jrum."

    "Aye, I see. Speakin' of Jrum, how's the whole situation with Mumbo going, Dream?"

    Grian looked up. "Y-you talking to me?"

    "Yes, Dreamslayer." She said with a mischievous glint in her eye.

    "I-...I don't know. I'm giving him time, but goodness I miss my friend. And my kids."

    The woman nodded understandingly as the kettle whistled. She poured the two hermits each a cup and set them down in front of them.

"I'm sure it'll turn out fine. Things might get worse before they get better though."

"I know..." The bird sighed.

The cat nodded and headed back into the original room. Scar and Grian sat in silence for a few minutes.

"Nascarlos?" Grian looked up from his cup at the wizard. Scar smiled and rolled his eyes.

"It's my full name. You see why I go by Scar, huh."

Grian chuckled. "Yeah"

"What about you, Dreamslayer? How come you've never told anybody that?"

Grian shrugged. "I don't know..."

"It's cool." Scar smiled.

"Thanks." The bird downed the last of his tea.

A couple of minutes later, Aleighnya came back in holding a stack of books. She set them down on the table and sat down next to Scar, picking up the top book. She flipped to a certain page and looked up at Grian.

"So...you want your kiddos to be human?"

Grian faltered. "Well, er, Grum wants to be, and I know Jrum did too. I'm not sure about the twins or Sahara..."

The cat nodded. "Alright. I have a spell here that will be able to turn him human for an hour, which I can then cross that spell with one that will make it permanent."

Grian felt hopeful. He was going to be able to give Grum what he promised.

"This spell requires quite a bit of preparation..." The wizard woman opened up another spell book.  "I'll need some DNA from his parents. So that'd be you and Mumbo. Anything works...hair, feathers, blood, et cetera." She looked up at the bird. "This way, he'll be your kid." She smiled.

The bird couldn't help but smile as well, but his smile faded into a frown.

"How am I supposed to get that from Mumbo? He's shut himself in." Grian looked at Scar.

"Perhaps there in the Jrum shop?" Scar shrugged.

Grian nodded. "Hmm...perhaps."

"Does the spell need any other preparatory ingredients?" Scar turned to his furry friend.

"Aye, but don't worry about those. I have all I need....Actually, would you be a dearie and lend me some of your crystals? The ones I have won't work for this type of spell."

Scar gave her a thumbs-up and flicked his wrist around, a green crystal now floating above the palm of his hand. "How many do you need?"

"Three or four. Well, make it five. You know how clumsy I can be." She snickered.

Scar chuckled and conjured four other crystals. The cat collected them in her paws and set them under her hat. Grian noticed that the horns coming from her hat weren't decoration on the clothes and were in fact her horns. He watched the two old friends interact and it warmed his heart. That's how friendship should be.

He tugged at his pant leg, hearing a slight rip of the fabric around his knee. He felt more feathers brush against his hand. He sighed and touched the feathers on his face.

"Is something amiss, Mr. Dream?" Aleighnya gave the bird a worried look.

"I-...er, no. Everything's fine."

"Are ya feathers botherin ya again?"

Grian hesitated, but then nodded.

"Aye, I wish I could do something for ya, but unfortunately the potion I made only affects ya once. I...I wish I could stop your transformation altogether, but...alas, i can't do much about it for ya laddie."

"It's alright Aleighnya. You've...you've already done so much for me." The bird smiled thankfully.

The three of them continued to discuss the spell and other various aspects of what it will do for a few more hours.

By the time it was four PM, Grian felt exhausted. They hadn't even really done anything that day, but he was on the verge of passing out. Scar could see it in his face.

"Aleighnya, we...we should get going before bird boy here crashes."

"Oh! It's quite alright! Let him get some rest here! You two can stay the night, and I'll make dinner. I know how much you love my soup." She offered.

Scar looked at Grian, who gave a tired nod, his eyelids fighting to stay open.

Scar nodded to Aleighnya, who smiled happily.

"Great! I'll take Dreamslayer upstairs to the loft so he can rest." The cat came over to Grian, who stood up, ready to follow her. The wizard had other plans as she scooped the man up in her strong arms and took him up the stairs. She gave him a cheerful grin as she set him down on a soft couch in front of a very out-of-place looking television.

"You can watch the tele if ya want. iScarly and I will be downstairs makin' some soup."

Grian sleepily chuckled at the name she called the wizard. "Thank you."

"It's no trouble at all. You're probably tired cuz ya changin'"

The man became pensive. "Yeah...I'm...Yeah." He had no words.

Aleighnya ruffled his hair with her paw before pulling a blanket over him and heading back downstairs.

Grian fell asleep to the sounds of the wizards laughing and cooking.