Land of Memory - a Hermitcraft and last life threequel

Chapter 6: Etho

I wrote half of this chapter and then decided to change all of it including the perspective because I had no ideas and thought it was boring so now I have to start all over again ahhhhh

Impulse is going to kill me.

It's the first thing I realise as the mobs come in. As soon as we're safe, he's going to kill me and get away. Or just kill me now. Or let the mobs themselves kill he and run away. 

Either way, I'm not going to survive. 

'Get a sword and fight!' He yells. I find a half-broken wooden sword and swing at the mass of zombies and skeletons. Impulse lights a torch and holds it up as some kind of light. I consider thanking him, but I might end up getting some sarcastic comment back. So I just keep fighting, almost dying from a creeper several times. My wooden sword quickly breaks, but one o the skeletons dropped a half-good bow, so I can keep going. Impulse isn't talking. Neither am I. Both of us are concentrating on the attack too much.

It doesn't take too long to deal with the problem. Impulse turns to me. I look at him, eyes wandering away and focussing instead on a zombie behind him. He hasn't noticed it yet, but that doesn't stop the undead mob from approaching. Just before it attacks I aim an arrow. Impulse notices, letting out furious protests, before I shoot over his shoulder, killing the zombie. 

'You missed one.' I note. He glares at me.

'Do you want me to thank you or not.'

'I don't mind.' I slip the bow across my shoulder, keeping a couple of arrows ready in my pocket. 'So, you're going to kill me now, right?'

'Not yet.' 

Now that I didn't expect. I'm left momentarily speechless, wondering why the person who's had it out for me ever since I accidentally killed Skizz isn't taking the perfect opportunity to kill me. 

'You can kill all the mobs for me.'

Yeah.

Should've seen that coming. 

'Come on. Let's find somewhere to hide before any more mobs come. There's enough dirt to build a hut around here.' 

I begin building, not wanting to test Impulse's patience. We soon have a perfectly ugly structure to our names and hide in it, waiting for dawn in silence. 

It comes (eventually) and, keeping my eyes on Impulse, we exit the house. He sets off along the path. I don't follow immediately. This is my chance to run. But I don't. I take one look at my half-burnt castle before catching up. 

'You're coming with me?' Surprise. Now it's his turn to not know my plans. I shrug.

'Better than being alone. You can kill mobs for me.' 

Impulse scowls, but still doesn't kill me. I try to remember what part of the world we're going to, and what structures are here in general. Dogwarts will most likely be occupied. Skizz point is way too unfortunately named. Monopoly mountain? No chance. 

Inthelittlewood hit the ground too hard fighting GoodTimeWithScar. 

'Scar killed Martyn.' It's enough to make him stop. 

'Why?'

'Don't know. Might be old Third life alliances coming back to bite. Even though they were friends before.

'SO DEAD? Yeah, Scar told me.' 

Silence. We carry on going. I spot monopoly mountain. Impulse does too, and veers away. I continue after. 

'Where... are we going?'

'Don't know. But don't want to go to the desert.'

'We can go to the village maybe? Or just make our own base somewhere.'

'Surely the village will be occupied.'

'Maybe. We can at least try?'

'Let's make our own houses here. Grab some wood.' 

'Alright,' 

I begin to break down some of the trees, aware of the silence. Impulse is doing the same behind, and I soon clear enough of a space, and have enough wood, to make a small house. It's basic, but it will do. Not like we're on hermitcraft any more. I finish with a small path and some longer grass grown from bonemeal I gathered from the skeletons. It seems like Impulse is reaching base completion too. 

'Any wool for a bed?' he asks. I shake my head.

'Should've grabbed some from the wool castle...' I try to joke but neither of us laugh. But before the situation can get unbearably awkward, we get interrupted. 

A pair of figures appear on the edge of the clearing we've created. I give a small warning to Impulse and he looks over, backing away at the sight of Ren and Martyn, both armed with axes. 

'Hey, guys...' I laugh, stepping backwards towards my house, one hand up in surrender, the other reaching for my bow. There's a moment of surprise between the two. 

'Wait... YOU are allying with each other?!'

'Get out or I attack.' All of the anger Impulse showed earlier is back. He takes out a sword, pointing it at Martyn. I notice the bloody crown and red cloak he's wearing.

'Wasn't he the red king before?' I ask quietly. All eyes on me. Martyn grins. Ren looks away.

'He was the red king. And now I am. The king of Red Dawn.'

'Red Dawn?'

'Etho, can you actually help instead of making small talk?' Impulse growls. I grab my bow quickly. My house isn't too far away if I want to make a hasty retreat. 

It seems like I won't have time. 

Ren charges, going straight for Impulse. Martyn attacks me. It's a series of quick dodges before I can fire an arrow. It barely misses, so I follow with more. My opponent steps away. Ren and Impulse are still fighting. 

'They want me to kill you, Etho.' Martyn smiles as he speaks. 'They want you on your last life. Then we'll see what happens with your little alliance with Impulse.'

'Neither of us would be making this alliance if it wasn't necessary.' I reply. There's a yell of pain from Impulse behind. It distracts me for a moment, but my attention is quickly back to Martyn, who's advancing again. 

'And I don't want to kill you, but it's hard to ignore them.' Axe raised. I continue back. No hope inside the house. I'll have to make a break for it through the forest. 

If I had enough time for that. 

'LONG LIVE RED DAWN!' Martyn howls, pouncing. It's a clean blow, and I stagger away, vision blurring. There's just enough time to hear a quieter 'And long live The Shadow' before everything goes black.

Etho was slain by Inthelittlewood using RED DAWN IS COMING!

HOLY NOTCH THIS CHAPTER TOOK TOO LONG TO WRITE

And I do like my new idea better than the old one for this chapter TBH...