The labyrinth of monsters (a Hermitcraft and third life AU fanfic)

Chapter 25 - Grian

WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE, WRITER'S BLOCK?!

Defeated, we walk away from the battle. We'll go back for the bodies later, when the Others are gone. I can tell they're blaming us right now for the whole thing, even though they attacked first. It's not fair. None of this is fair. 

Ren's still dragging Cub's corpse along next to us, silent. Tango's also quiet. It's the largest battle either of us have been in. It's the first time I've killed. 

Joe's terrified face flashes to mind again. I try and block it out, get rid of Cleo's caterwaul of pain as her friend collapsed, dead by my hand. You're a murderer. A monster. You weren't even thinking as you decided to kill him. 

I only realise I'm in tears when Tango asks if I'm ok. I wipe them away, shaking my head. In an attempt to comfort me, he gives me a hug. I hug back. At least he's still alive. Even when everyone else isn't. 

'You fought well there.' I compliment sadly. 'I can tell you've been practicing.' 

'Ren taught me a few tricks. And so did Impulse.' 

Shocked at how easily he's talking about his demised friend, I don't reply instantly. The silence grows awkwarder, until I ask: 'You're getting over Impulse's death?'

'Oh no, definitely not. But I can talk about him a bit without crying.' 

I nod silently back. 

'I know you two were close. Very close. I'd be in even more of a state if it was someone I loved that much that died so... yeah.' I don't know what else to say. Tango doesn't speak either. Suddenly, we all stop as the maze fans out into a graveyard. 

I'm almost crying again at my beautiful it is. Podzol and grass covers the ground, flowers are growing everywhere. It seems like every kind of tree surrounds it. Acacia, birch, spruce, cherry blossom. Everything's in full bloom, and every grave is surrounded with petals and moss. 

'It was Scar's idea to build this.' Ren explains with a smile. 'We'd found an open area - we found several actually - and Scar wanted somewhere to bury all the bodies they left behind and in case any of us died. He suggested it after Skizz died. He and Cub buried the body. His grave's just over there.' 

He points his nose towards a grave surrounded in blue and red flowers. I walk over to it, seeing Skizz's name and how he died on it. 

'This is perfect.' The compliment sounds stupid, and I can't find any better words to describe the place. Tango's staring wide-mouthed around too. Ren lays down Cub's body, before staring longingly at Martyn's grave, sitting at the foot of one of the trees. There's an empty space next to it, where I imagine Ren will be buried if he - creator's forbid - dies too. 

'We wanted everyone to get a spot next to their friend.' Ren notices me staring too. 'Cub and Scar both agreed to be buried together. That's why only half of their grave is filled in.' I see that too, nodding silently. Getting the hint, me and Ren carry Cub's body over and lay it inside the half-dug pit. We fill it in, Tango helping too, and place the mask that Ren just about remembered to take off next to Scar's in a pile of flowers. A grey cat peers out from behind the grave at us, and I stroke her. 

'Jellie. Scar's cat.' Ren explains further. She seems to like me, and rubs herself against my leg, jumping into my lap with a meow. I can't help but laugh. Something about this seems familiar, like I had a cat in my previous life. No. Cats you definitely had two. The certainty I feel about this is almost terrifying, but I keep on stroking Jellie, picking up the cat. Tango comes over and pets her too.

Ren's cough reminds us that we've still not finished. I look over at the half-dog. 

'We should go and collect Joel's body and bury him too.' He recommends passive-aggressively. Me and Tango share a glance, but hurry along after Ren as we return to where the battle was.

When we get there, we see Iskall and Jevin, who both look very concerned. The former runs over to us, asking. 

'What happened?'

'A fight.' I explain 'The Others started it. 4 people died. Cub was one of them.'

'No!'

'We we're just coming back for Joel's body. It looks like they left it behind.' 

'He was a good friend...' Jevin sighs. 'I barely spoke to him, but he seemed to be a really nice person.' 

'I can carry it.' Iskall picks up Joel's limp corpse and we set off again. Jellie's still purring in my arms, seeming attempting to comfort me or herself. My sub-conscious adds her owners did die...

We return to the graveyard surprisingly quickly, and Ren digs a hole for Joel's body. Iskall lays it in, and we all cover it with dirt. Even Jellie tries to help. It's then that Ren sits bolt upright.

'Someone else is here.' He growls. 

'A friend?'

'No. Someone else. I don't recognise their scent.' I can tell the dog is panicking. Iskall pulls out his sword, summoning a couple more slimes to his side, including Jevin, who's also pulled out his weapon. I notice a dark area in the trees, that looks like it leads somewhere, and point towards it. 

'Blood.' Ren growls. 'Someone's dying. Or has died.'

'Let's go. If they're dangerous and they're hurt, they might not attack. If they're dead, we should bury the body.' We all agree with Iskall's logic, and creep along, one by one, into the blackness. A note lies on the ground and I pick it up. There's some faint light in the distance, and a body silhouetted. 

I decide to try and read the note. 

However, it seems that it doesn't want to be read, since it's all in a strange language - first some normal writing, and then a couple lines at the bottom in... blood?

ᓵ𝙹リ⊣∷ᔑℸ ̣ ⚍ꖎᔑℸ ̣ ╎𝙹リᓭ, ||𝙹⚍ ⎓𝙹⚍リ↸ ||𝙹⚍∷ ∴ᔑ||

ʖ⚍ℸ ̣ ↸𝙹リ'ℸ ̣ ℸ ̣ ⍑╎リꖌ ||𝙹⚍'ꖎꖎ ᓭᒷᒷ ℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ ꖎ╎⊣⍑ℸ ̣ 𝙹⎓ ↸ᔑ||.

ᓭ𝙹 ∴∷╎ℸ ̣ ᒷ ||𝙹⚍∷ ꖎᔑᓭℸ ̣ ∴𝙹∷↸ᓭ, ᔑリ↸ ʖ∷ᒷᔑℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ ||𝙹⚍∷ ꖎᔑᓭℸ ̣ ʖ∷ᒷᔑℸ ̣ ⍑.

ℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ 𝙹リꖎ|| ∴ᔑ|| 𝙹⚍ℸ ̣ 𝙹⎓ ℸ ̣ ⍑╎ᓭ ᒲᔑ⨅ᒷ ╎ᓭ ℸ ̣ ⍑∷𝙹⚍⊣⍑ ↸ᒷᔑℸ ̣ ⍑.

Reads the poem. And then the blood-writing:

リ𝙹 𝙹リᒷ'ᓭ ꖎᒷ⎓ℸ ̣ ℸ ̣ ⍑ᔑℸ ̣ ╎ ꖎ𝙹⍊ᒷ. ⋮𝙹ᒷ ᔑリ↸ ꖌᒷ∷ᔑꖎ╎ᓭ ᔑ∷ᒷ ↸ᒷᔑ↸. ╎'ᒲ ⊣𝙹╎リ⊣ ℸ ̣ 𝙹 ⋮𝙹╎リ ℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷᒲ ╎リ ℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ ᔑ⎓ℸ ̣ ᒷ∷ꖎ╎⎓ᒷ. 

 Somehow, I can still understand it all, and with limited difficulty, read it aloud. 

'congratulations, you found your way, but don't think you'll see the light of day. So write your last words, and breathe your last breath. The only way out of this maze is through... death.' I falter at the final word. Everyone's looking at me. I gulp, and then read the writing in blood. 'No one's left that I love. Joe and Keralis are dead. I'm going to join them in the afterlife.'

'A death note. A suicide note.'

'And a poem.' I look over at the body, and with a jolt, realise who it is.

Cleo.