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

Chapter 4 - Grian

I scream.

There's nothing else I can do as the vines wrap around my legs and I crash to the ground. I slice desperately with the knife Impulse gave me, screeching his nickname as loud as I can. 

'FEATHERS!' 

My blade catches the vines, enough for them to let me go, and I scramble to my feet, helped by someone pulling at my sweater. I turn to see Impulse, but he's more focused on the plants. I'm not judging him - it's taking up the entirety of our way out.

'Hello?' I hear the voice again, an overly-cheerful feminine voice, and I haven't seen before appears -- muddy overalls, tangled red hair, and a mask of a deer skull over their face. 'Hello there!'

Impulse is swearing repeatedly next to me. Joe is failing not to panic. 

'What's your name?!' He asks madly. Deer-plant-girl looks over at him.

'Call me Slay.' 

'Can you let us go?'

'Hills, what are you doing?!' Impulse bursts out furiously. 'Why do you want to know her name?!'

'Because names have power here!' Joe replies. I continue to stay quiet, cursing my decision to volunteer as tribute. A feather falls next to me. 

Feathers. 

Wings.

Yes!

'Guys, I have a plan.'

'What?' Impulse turns to me as much as he dares, before quickly looking back to Slay. 

'Trust me.' 

I leap, desperately flapping. But my wings hold up, and I manage to fly, right over the head of Slay. I land the other side, and swipe with the dagger. She turns.

'You ok?' I fake confidence, but it's working, and I manage to lure Slay away from Joe and Impulse. They're both staring at me, amazed, but my facade doesn't last forever, when I hear Impulse yell my name, and I stumble into a patch of vines.

'Uhh... help?' I try to pull myself out, but nothing works. Slay steps closer to me, drawing a sword. I close my eyes, expecting to die.

But don't.

I scream again as I hear the crack, feel the burning pain through my wing, desperately trying to escape. Impulse runs closer to Gem behind, and drags her away. Joe knocks her unconscious, and the vines slowly wither away. Impulse pulls me free from the rest of them, and I thank him.

'What you did there was the most stupid thing I've ever seen!' He snarls back at me. 'But somehow it worked, and you probably saved all of us.'

'You're welcome?' I mutter, walking past him. 'Thanks for the encouragement... I can tell you know a lot about being in bad situations...'

Impulse turned on me, shoving me suddenly back to the ground. My broken wing protests with the pain, and I have to stifle a scream. 'How DARE you say that!' He snarls. 'You know NOTHING about me!'

'Calm down!' I snap back, trying to stand up again. Instantly, Impulse points his sword at me.

'Apologise.' 

'What for?!' I hold up my hands in surrender. My bad wing is folded painfully behind. 'Please... just let me stand up?'

'Apologise?'

'I'm sorry! This really hurts!'

'PANIC!' Snaps Joe. 'Stop this!'

Impulse doesn't obey instantly, but he soon puts away his sword, staring at the ground.

'I'm sorry... a lot's happened recently...'

I get to my feet, not replying. Instead I look over my wing. It's bleeding sluggishly, and bend out of place. Feathers litter the ground. 

'I'm really sorry. Are... Are you ok?'

'It's fine.' 

'We should just head out of here. Before anything else happens. Come on Joe.'

'Fine.' He looks down at Slay again, who's still sprawled in the middle of the room. 'Let's go. At least we found out her name. 

'Hooray, we can write who killed you on your grave. Great. Let's just head back. This has been a complete dud.' Impulse continues on. Joe nods, and so do I. 'Then let's go.'

'What happened?!' Tango's running towards us as we arrive back in the base. Impulse sighs and tells him, while I'm left leaning against the wall, trying to ignore the blinding pain in my wing. It seems like Joe's already run off to share his information on Slay.

'Grian? Are you ok?' I look up at Tango. Impulse is sheepishly looking away. Good. I stand up on my own, and my vision blurs slightly. I stumble, and Tango catches me. 'What happened to your wing?'

'Slay.' I grit my teeth to stop myself from screaming. 

'Someone get Stress. Now.' In the distance I see Etho running away, returning with Stress, just as I fall unconscious. 

Shorter chapter... yay...

But it's going to get good later on.

I promise.

I have big plans.