Grian's POV-

In that moment, there was little he hated more than long, dark pits leading to an unknown and probably sinister location.

But soon after the stairs pulled out from under the Hermits, they sitting on another, rougher surface. Standing up, Grian glanced around sourly. There was no light coming from anywhere; the place was pitch-black. He couldn't see how big the room was, but it seemed rather large. Seeing a shape move beside him, the brit crossed his arms as Scar stood up, rubbing his back. The self-proclaimed wizard turned to him, and the two's eyes met.

"I said we should go back," Scar said cautiously, glancing around. "And now we're stuck here."

Grian mouth fell open. How was this his fault? "If we had moved quicker, we wouldn't have fallen! It's your fault we were still standing on that step!" He was certain that the two would've made it down just fine without falling into a pit of doom. "But noooo, you were so worried about your 'magic' not working properly and we stalled!" 

Scar sputtered and raised his arms in indignation. "It wasn- it's not!" He protested, his voice spiking. "I can't see a thing! I had a reason for not wanting to go down there!"

"Well, I had a reason for wanting to go down there!" Grian's words were loud and sharp, and were followed by an uncomfortable silence.

After a moment, Scar broke the silence, looking back up. "There has to be a way we can get out. We have elytras, we can just fly out-- there's got to be an exit somewhere." Grian nodded. They weren't going to get out by arguing, after all.

"You really are a spoon, aren't you?" An unfamiliar voice sounded in the distance. Grian and Scar both twisted around to find the source of the noise. It was a female voice, an overly saccharine cooing, not unlike the voice one would use to speak to a pet. But it was just a bit drawn out in a way that sounded as if it was mocking the Hermits. 

"You know," the voice continued. "I told Sage that he didn't need to trap the staircase. I told him not to worry, that you wouldn't be stupid enough to come here after he explicitly told you no." Grian froze. Who WAS this person? How did she know what he and Sage had spoken about? 

Scar must've felt Grian's tenseness, as he spoke quietly. "Do you know what she's talking about, G?" Before he could answer, however, the other spoke again.

"I told him that you wouldn't dare come here after he threatened the life of your dear friend Mumbo. And you even brought another person! How stupid are you, truly?" She laughed, a high-pitched cackle. With every syllable, the voice seemed to be growing louder.

Scar grabbed the sleeve of Grian's sweater and turned the brit towards him. "Grian, you know something. What do you know?" 

"Oh and the one you brought was Scar. How fun is that?" A silhouette formed in the distance. As it drew nearer and nearer it became clearer what the sound was coming from. 

The lights flickered on and Scar let out a gasp from beside Grian as the figure said her next words. "Now, look what the cat dragged in."

The area washed over with light, to reveal a rather large, empty room composed entirely of smooth stone. There were a few off chairs, and some higher surfaces, making the room seem bigger than it was. There was a hallway in the back of the room, from which emerged a small cat with striking amber eyes. "J-Jellie?" 

The cat let out a laugh, which would've sounded sweet had her prior words not have existed. "Scar, I really would've thought you'd have figured it out by now."

Scar's face fell in realization as he muttered the words, "You aren't Jellie." His eyes darkened as he stared down at the cat. Grian didn't know what to think-- sure, Jellie had been acting strangely, but could it really be true that this wasn't her?

And how could this cat speak English?

The cat shook her head, a hint of a smug smile showing on her features. Her tail flicked as she leaped onto one of the taller surfaces jutting out from a wall. Letting her front paws dangle off the edge, she stared down at the two Hermits. At their stunned faces, she chuckled. "Meowing and mewing was such a pain, I'm telling you. You've got to make different noises, and be so precise on when you use them." She made a disgusted face, flicking her tail. "But oh was it worth it," she purred. She stood up and stretched. "I'm sure you have a lot of questions."

Now it was Grian's turn to speak. Barely keeping his voice from a yell, he demanded, "How long have to been pretending to be Jellie?" 

The cat's ear flicked as she contemplated. "I'd say about a week. A few days after Sage emerged." 

Before Grian could ask something else, Scar piped up. The brit glanced to him and blinked. If looks could kill... "Where. Is. Jellie." His voice was low and threatening, as if he was about to lunge at the cat and strangle her. 

But the cat was not deterred by this. She replied smoothly, as if her life wasn't being silently threatened, "With Mumbo, of course."

"And where is he?" Grian butted in. He was truly getting tired of this. His blue eyes were narrowed, staring straight into the cat's amber ones.

The cat simply flicked her tail. "That's not you you to know, my dearest Grian." She smiled smugly as she leapt down from her pedestal. "Now, if you two have no more questions..."

Grian merely crossed his arms, but Scar spoke one last time. "But how did you know-"

The cat cut him off. "Memory is a powerful thing, Scar." And with that, she disappeared down the hallway. 

Grian and Scar stood still, dumbfounded for another moment, before Scar muttered something and turned to the brit. "What. Was. That. Grian, what do you know?" His eyes held a mixture of confusion and anger that made Grian grimace.

Taking a deep breath, Grian began, "Well,  first of all, this is... why I wanted to come down here in the first place." Seeing Scar gesture to go on, he continued. His voice was slightly shaky, and he stared at a crack in the wall as he spoke. "Earlier today, I received a note to come to my barge." Quickly deciding to omit a few of the tedious parts, Grian quickly continued. "I did, and there was a trap. I feel in, and who's down there, but Mumbo." 

Scar nodded slowly. "What, was it that Hermit Challenges or whatever thing?" 

Grian paused for a moment. "Ye- uh-, well, sort of. That's what I thought it was. But something was off. Mumbo was acting wei-" But Grian never finished his story, as the sound of footsteps resounded through the room. "Oh, no."

Entering through the still-open hallway was none other than Sage, adjusting his tie as he walked into the underground room. Grian and Scar spoke simultaneously, Grian growling, "Sage," and Scar exclaiming, confused, "Mumbo?"

The imposter chuckled at Scar's ignorance before turning to Grian. "Grian, it's been what, twenty minutes? How small really is your brain?" He seemed highly amused at this turn of events, clasping his hands together. "I just threatened the lives of the people you care about. There's barely been any time to let it simmer! I wouldn't have expected an infiltration for, say..." He quickly checked the communicator on his wrist for the time. "...at least another two hours. But the early bird gets the worm, right, Grian?" 

During his entire monologue, Grian was contemplating pulling out his sword and just lunging at the other, but something told him that wasn't a good idea. "What are you going to do about it?" He spoke slowly, a bit of panic setting in. Would Sage really do good on his threat? His gaze shifted to Scar, who was standing next to him, frozen. Had he made a horrible mistake? 

Sage seemed to notice Grian's glance, as he raised an eyebrow. "Now, what to do first but to introduce myself to your friend?" He walked up to Scar and held a hand out. "It's so nice to formally meet you, Scar. My name is Sage, but you can call me Mumbo," he greeted, his eyes sparkling maliciously. 

Scar's eyes widened, something seeming to click in his brain. "Sage- You- Bee-" He stammered, backing up and refusing the handshake. 

This seemed to at least somewhat confused Sage, as a look of unrecognition flickered in his eyes before he recomposed himself. "Well, since I'm such a nice person, I am willing to let you both off scott-free." He smiled, just too wide to be sweet. 

Grian crossed his arms. "And what's the catch?" There was no way that Sage would just do that. No way. Not after last time. 

Sage raised an eyebrow. "Maybe you aren't as bird-brained as I thought." He laughed, before continuing. "But I have to say that you are mistaken, my friend. I'll let you go, no strings attached." He thought for a moment, before correcting himself. "Okay, maybe a few strings. But this is a no-brainer. Just don't tell anyone about what happened, got it? I might not be so kind next time." His gaze landed on Scar. He clicked his tongue before continuing. "And Scar? Take good care of Citrus for me, I'm quite fond of her." 

Scar sputtered for a moment, before falling silent. The Hermit seemed unable to comprehend what was just happening, and to be quite honest, Grian was barely doing it himself. So the cat had a name-- Citrus. What was this, a restaurant? Grian shook his head out, snapping, "So are you going to let us go?" 

Sage rolled his eyes. "Way to ruin the dramatic effect." He pressed a button on the wall and Grian heard a shift of pistons from far above. "There, the passage is open again. Hurry; it doesn't like to stay open for long." And with that, he too disappeared into the hallway, it closing behind him. 

Grian and Scar stood in silence for a moment, letting everything sink in. Without a word, the two quickly strapped on their elytras and escaped the staircase in the nick of time before it shut. The button was left untouched as they exited the base.

After a few moments of standing silently outside of Mumbo's-- or rather, at the moment, Sage's--base, Scar spoke up. He spoke slowly, like he was confirming the information he just took in. "This 'Mumbo' that has been here for the past week-and-a-half is actually an impostor called Sage. He has a cat named Citrus." Scar said something else, but his voice was low enough that Grian couldn't hear it.

"That is what I am grasping," Grian sighed. This was all too much for one day. He shouldn't have leaped right into this. If he had waited... the builder's mind traveled to what might've laid at the bottom of the staircase. After this, Sage would probably bump up the security. He'd never make it down there now. This was a huge mistake.

Before Scar could say another word, the annoying parrot from before swooped in and landed on Scar's shoulder, chirping madly. Grian narrowed his eyes, before he remembered that the creature had been seemingly trying to stop Grian from pressing the button. Hm. Strange. He didn't bring that up, though, and Scar didn't either.

After a moment, Grian pulled out some rockets. "I... need a bit of time. Alone." Without waiting for Scar to reply, he shot off the ground and back home.

------------------

Scar's POV-

And Grian just left, without waiting for the stunned wizard to say 'Goodbye.' He could've at least let Scar wave, or even say a word. But he supposed he may as well head back to his magic village. He had quite a bit to discuss with Bee, who was trying to get his attention. 

He decided to wait to clip the pendant until he got back to Larry; it'd be best for him to collect his thoughts first. As he flew through the air, with Bee flapping beside him, he began a list of things he needed to talk about with her in his head.

1. Her relationship with Sage. She was 'created' by him, and now that Scar knew who he was, he couldn't help but be more than a tad suspicious. 
2. She had tried to get him to not go to Mumbo's base. Does she know what he's hiding? Why wouldn't she tell him?

As he was flying, the sun had begun to set. But he could still see perfectly clearly; his crystal was working again. Was there some sort of magic-restricting force surrounding the lower part of Mumbo's base? Who had set that up? X, Scar, and Iskall were the only people who really knew about the magic. Could Sage have known somehow as well? How so? Scar has so many questions...

Soon enough, he reached home. This time, he ducked behind Larry's shell and pushed away some well-placed dirt to reveal a secret ladder, leading to a special place where he did his most private of talking. He climbed down the ladder, and Bee, after a moment, followed him in. 

In the room sat a few chairs and a table, as well as some torches, a few chests, a crafting bench, a few furnaces, and an enchantment table, just in case this place would need to double as a bunker at some point. Scar sat down on a chair, with Bee settling on the wooden table. 

After a moment, Scar reached into his pouch and pinned his pendant to the star on the end of his hat. He folded his arms as he stared down at the bird, who seemed extremely uncomfortable. "Bee, I think it's time we talk."

-----------------

Sage's POV-

Those Hermits were really fun to mess with, Sage was finding. They were so easily misled, so easily manipulated into doing pretty much anything. All it took was a bit of wordplay and some implications. Sage was having the time of his life. Being able to mess with things nearly however he wanted almost made up for the fact that he had little choice in the matter.

Stepping out of the dark hallway into a barely better-lit room, Sage sat down on a big, comfy chair. He couldn't exactly say he couldn't be happier with the 'life' he 'lived', but it could most certainly be a lot worse. At least he had a cat.

Speaking of, said cat walked into the room, stretching. "Hello, Citrus," Sage said with a smile. This wasn't his usual I'm-Going-To-Threaten-To-Murder-Your-Family, creepy smile; this was a genuine smile reserved for Citrus. He held out his arms for the cat to walk up to, before lifting her up and setting her on his lap. "You did wonderfully," he complimented, gently stroking her gray fur. 

Sage wasn't entirely a horrible person. He wasn't cruel. He was just... selective in the things he cared about. And his cat, well he certainly cared about her. Citrus purred, grinning. "I had to make it interesting, no?" After a moment, she stopped purring, looking up at the clone. "I will miss being useful though," she said with a sigh.

Sage shook his head, contradicting her. "You will always be useful, spy or not." 

The cat contemplated that for a moment. "I suppose I could always hang about some other Hermits as well," she considered, setting her head back down and curling her tail around her paws.

Laughing, Sage shrugged. "If you wish. I believe we shouldn't be too far away by now," he added, thinking. "As long as Grian and Scar don't somehow manage to blow us..."

Citrus glanced back up. "And how were you planning to actually stop them from saying anything? Your threat didn't exactly work last time." Her tail lashed in annoyance. "You would think he'd care more about his friend's well-being."

Sage looked up at the shape that had appeared in a doorway. It wore a yellow suit and purple visor, with little bee wings and antennae on the helmet. It leaned against the wall, its arms crossed. "I won't. You will," he directed at XisumaVoid, who simply nodded in return.

-(Author's Rambling)-

I think I like cliffhangers too much for my own good.

Sage and Citrus being besties gives me life.

Things will begin to pick up from here, so stay tuned! Thanks for coming, and I'll see you next time, my little Readers!

Promise out!