Forgotten (sequel of Cursed) - Hermitcraft fanfic REWRITE ON HIATUS

Ch 18 - the raid

Grian and Taurtis ran through the forest behind the base, calling Beef's name. Taurtis had his sword out. 

'Beef! Where are you?' Grian yelled. For once, there came a muted reply. Taurtis stopped on the edge of a three-deep hole. The podzol-loving person was inside, clearly having fallen in.

'I went for a walk to find some food, and to check if the robots were coming back and fell into this hole. Stupid hole.'

'I'll get you out.' Grian promised. 'Here.' 

Grian dug up some of the dirt and chucked it into the hole. Beef piled up and climbed out of the hole.

'Thanks. Now, let's head back before...'

'Sorry to bother you, but there seems to be some large angry grey four-legged thing coming towards us.' Taurtis backed away. Beef and Grian both looked at the creature. 

'This suddenly got worse.' Beef noted. 

'I suggest you run.' Grian said back. 

Before he could, a group of cross-bow wielding men in kilts appeared. One fired an arrow at Grian, hitting home. 

The winged dude grabbed his shoulder, holding back the blood flow. Taurtis drew a sword, ready to attack. 

'Come at me!' He yelled. One shot at him, and he ducked. 'Shields!'

Grian and Beef both held out their shields. Taurtis ran towards the group, but fell back again. 

'We'll have to fight. Grian, get in the air and fly.'

'My wing's ruined! I can't fly!' 

'Then climb a tree! Beef, grab a bow, shoot some arrows.'

Grian and Beef both obeyed quickly. Taurtis swung at one of the attackers, killing them. Grian and Beef shot more with arrows. The numbers were reduced quickly, but still caused injury. Beef quickly lost the ability to shoot from a couple of arrows to the shoulder. 

'Fall back!' Grian yelled. 'We can't fight them!'

'We can at least try.' 

'Taurtis!' 

Grian dodged another arrow and accidentally fell out the tree. There was a harmless-looking enemy next to him in black and gold robes. They raised their hands in the air, as though they were doing magic and-

A group of small winged creatures appeared around the person. Grian jumped to his feet, backing away. They were the same creatures that Cub used to have following him around. He'd seen them in combat. He was doomed. 

'A little help over here!? Taurtis?'

Grian looked over to where his friend was standing, surrounded by more enemies. Beef was unconscious, slumped against a tree. He drew his sword, slaying the person who'd made the creatures. Somehow he remembered they were called an Evoker. 

The little things - vex - then attacked. Grian swiped desperately at them, backing quickly away. Taurtis had defeated his group of enemies somehow and was tending to his wounds. Grian tripped, falling into the hole. 

'TAURTIS! HELP!'

The vex surrounded him, attacking still. He continued trying to hit them, failing. 

'They're coming back!' Taurtis cried from above. 

'Can't help! Stuck in a hole!' Grian replied. 'Currently try not to be murdered!

Taurtis slew a few of the approaching enemies, but was attacked by the big four-legged thing. He sliced at it, but was thrown back. He held out his shield, trying to defend himself. Grian had just about stopped the vex in the hole, but two new evokers jumped into the hole, replacing them. 

'HELP!' He yelled again. 'Taurtis! Help!'

The other fighter stood up, killing the four-legged creature. He walked to the edge of the hole, but didn't do anything else. 

'TAURTIS! PLEASE, THEY'RE GOING TO KILL ME!' Grian threw himself at the wall, scrambling like a wild animal to escape. Swarms of vex surrounded him. His other wing was now ravaged too, face covered in cuts, barely standing. 

Taurtis only watched. 

'TAURTIS!'

'Do you remember the watchers?' He said instead. 'They destroyed Evo, and took you away.'

'THIS ISN'T THE TIME! TAURTIS! PLEASE!' Grian wept. 

'But when Scar found me, he said that you had been saved, and lived happily while the rest of our home was chaos.'

'Please...'

'I'm not going to help you. It took ages to convince this lot to come just outside your base. Find some excuse to lead you into the forest, where they were ready to strike.'

'They didn't turn you into a robot, did they?'

'No, but I am a watcher.' Taurtis grinned. 'And watchers aren't nice. They wanted you dead, so I fulfilled their wishes.'

'Taurtis... I trusted you!'

'Pity... Scar trusted me too. At least I wasn't the one that betrayed him. Cub already did that.'

'Taurtis...' Grian collapsed on the ground, hope lost. 'Please... you're... you're joking...'

'I've never been more serious. Oh, how the watchers will bless me.'

'BEEF! BEEF! WAKE UP! TAURTIS IS EVIL!' 

'I'd kill him if it didn't give away that I was the imposter...'

'But... but we never knew there was an imposter among us...'

'Just got on with your tasks...'

Grian coughed, blood coming up with phlegm. One hand reached for the wall, hoping he could escape. The vex and Evoker had stopped attacking, letting him die slowly. Taurtis laughed. 

'You lot are so trusting. You could believe a zombie claiming she was human... oh wait, Cleo.'

'Shut up!' Grian glared up at Taurtis. 'Shut up!'

'The more you speak, the more breath you waste. What'll it be like to die? Where do you go when you do die?'

'It won't be permadeath...'

'Yes, it will. Vex weapons cause permadeath. Scar told me that. Thank him in the afterlife for me.'

'Taurtis...'

'Goodbye, Grian. I never liked you.'

Grian was slain by Vex

Taurtis walked away.