Prison of the dead (Labyrinth of Monsters' sequel) A hermitcraft/3rd life fanfic

Chapter 17 - Scar

Wait, is this the first time I've actually done Scar's perspective in this series?

Huh.

Weird. 

I killed Impulse. 

I was aiming at a skeleton.

And I killed Impulse. 

It's been an entire day since it happened. I haven't returned to the camp. I'm too ashamed. I don't want anyone to know what I've done. I know Cub will be terrified for me, but I don't care. He's the last person I want to see right now. 

Instead, I crouch at the top of a tree, hiding from mobs. I'm hoping it's nearly dawn, since my hands hurt from clinging on for so long. Cold, alone, and still not returning home in a world where death is permanent. Another skeleton tries to shoot me, hitting the wood right next to my hand. I move it, slipping, and fall to the ground with a thud, winded, cursing myself. 

I get to my feet, vex sword flickering into my hand. It gives off enough light to see what's going on too, and I quickly cut down a few zombies, firing magic at a skeleton to block its arrows. A creeper explodes behind, and I let out a yelp as I'm blown to my knees. Stumbling up again, I almost look at an enderman, just about avoiding it. My heart is racing, and blood soaks my shirt from a still-stinging wound in my shoulder. Dying out here would be dumb, so I run through the mobs, turning just to send a wall of vex magic to block them out. My wings appear behind me, and I take to the air, gliding into a tree and darting along the branches, well out of the way until I get stuck between them. A ghost of a voice yells my name. I discard it as probably being the wind, and ignore, struggling to get free. The cold liquid of blood seeps down, fabric plastered down, dragging desperately at the branches for freedom. Eventually, I just give up, and watch as the sun slowly rises until the sounds of death below me have ended. 

I slip through the leaves and onto the ground, twisting my angle. I land awkwardly, knowing I won't be able to walk, leaning against the tree and panting. In my mind, I watch Impulse fall again. Cub howling his name, kneeling beside him, watching him die. A dumb mis-shot. I shouldn't have done it. I should've just got to safety when I was actually able to. 

It's then that I hear footsteps.

I turn my head just enough to see someone in red coming out, just out of the corner of my eye. I don't know if they've seen me.

'H...hello?' I force out the word. The movement stops. Then continues, slower.

'Hello? Who's there?' They've got a British accent. I don't really recognise their voice, so I know it's not Grian. My brain searches slowly through every red-clad Brit I know. Python? I haven't seen him in years, so it might be.

'Scar? Who are you?' 

'You died too?!'

'Can you help me?' I don't bother with answering, since they didn't answer me. 

'Why? What happened?'

'I fell out of a tree and twisted my ankle. I don't know if I can walk.'

'Hold on, I'm coming.' 

Running, and Xamphe appears, helping me up. I smile gratefully, but warily as well. I don't trust him. I never have. 

'Why are you here?'

'I died. Well, I was killed. And, no. I don't know who did it. I was facing the wrong way.'

'Oh. I was killed by Doc when I tried to kill him...'

Xamphe walks off again, and I hobble after.

'So you all started killing each other again.'

'Uhh... yes?'

'You were part of that SO DEAD thing, right?'

'Yes. I'm sure they wouldn't have been happy when they found out what happened.'

'No.' 

We arrive at a decent sized wooden cottage, and Xamphe lets me in. It's furnished reasonably well, with a bed, a crafting table, some chests, and a couple of torches giving off light. I flop down on the edge of the bed, getting a proper look at my leg. It's badly scratched, covered in blood and leaves and thorns. Xamphe grabs a bucket and some wool, cleaning it off without a word. It stings, but I know it will help in the long run. I still can't help pulling away at the moments it hurts the most. 

Eventually it's all done, and I thank EX for doing it. He nods back, sitting down.

'Can I trust you?' I ask suddenly. 

'Why wouldn't you be able to trust me?'

'You trapped us in a murder-death maze.'

'I didn't expect it to actually turn into a full-on war! You did that to yourselves!'

'You trapped us in there.'

'I was always going to get you out when it was over.'

'You could've done it sooner.'

'True. But I got a lot of information from all that time.'

'You care more about your little experiment than the well-being of us actual people.'

'Your Admin trapped me in the void, if I remember correctly. Don't talk to me about the 'well being of actual people.'

'Murder is wrong! Death-mazes are wrong!'

'You all signed up for it.'

I'm left silent at this comment, and hmph furiously, arms crossed.

'It's still your fault.'

'You trapped us all in this other world too.'

'Impulse killed himself. That's his fault.'

'Why are you so bad at just accepting the blame?!'

'Because I'm not evil! I'm not always the bad guy! And you of all people should accept that, Mr Vex.'

'Excuse me?!'

'Hmm... let me think. You were a scheming con-man with shady connections with chaos-bringing murder creatures, causing many fatal and destructive pranks, a government agent hiding dangerous secrets, a self-entitled mayor, and an enslaving monopolist purposefully provoking others and forcing your friends into murdering each other!'

'And you tried to destroy Hermitcraft! Several times! And then trapped us in a murder-death maze with faulty systems, trapping half of us notch-knows-where with no connection to the real world. Accept. The. Blame.'

'Fine. We're both bad.' Xamphe held out his hand to shake. Scar begrudgingly did. 'Now, let's actually help each other and-

The door opened, and Xamphe froze. The newcomer stopped dead too, and said only two words.'

'H...hello, Brother.'

Plot twists and shenanigans... 

As always.