#booky.asks

Grian and Cleo were off doing their tasks, so Etho knew that in the base he was a sitting duck. All alone. He didn’t like the feeling of sitting alone in the base. It was too big and empty with no way out if he was found. Sure he had a nether portal he could duck through, but he was above it at the moment. Besides, the portal was practically unusable with the corners missing. 

Etho was just getting his armour back on when he started to hear hooves fastly approaching the base. Quickly he took his armour off and downed an invisibility potion. Holding his breath and his tail to prevent it swinging and hitting the walls or the stairs, he heard Gem enter through the front door. Even from the top of the stairs, he could see the bloodlust in her one good eye. The other one, it looked like the void itself and it sent shivers down his spine.

“Oh Etho! I know you’re here!” Gem’s sweet voice rang out as she moved towards the stairs. Normally Gem’s voice would be a soothing thing, someone around to tease. But now. That sweet voice was just dripping with poison as she slowly stalked up the stairs. 

Carefully, Etho moved around where the enchanter set up used to be to get around Gem as she made it to the top of the stairs. She was the last person that Etho wanted to deal with. Gem would kill him easily and she would enjoy it, even without the bloodlust running through her veins. His heartbeat was drowning out any thought he had as he tried to escape his base as fast as he could without alerting Gem.

Etho was a runner. That’s what he had told Cleo. He’s not a protector, he runs. So why is he not going after Cleo and Grian?

Impulse and Bdubs had told him that their next target was going to be Cleo, and that he had to participate in her death. There was a pit that was forming in his stomach at those words. He was a runner. That’s what he had told her.

On the hunt for Cleo they found Joel separate from the rest of the survivors. Etho chased after his former soulmate. He was a runner. And he would do anything to survive. Even killing his former soulmate.

While hunting for more survivors, Etho runs into Cleo. She runs away from him and he follows. Etho yells out, “I’m not gonna hurt you! I’m gonna protect you!” Keeping an eye out for the infected around them. He doesn’t know why he decided to protect Cleo. He’s a runner. Cleo knows this.

Etho meets up with Gem and Bdubs and tells them that he saw Cleo and couldn’t kill her. There’s pain and anger in Bdubs’ face and rage in Gem’s. They are asking where Cleo went. Etho is a runner, not a protector. He should be giving up Cleo. Etho thinks out loud, “I should want Grian to win too,” his head tilts and his ears flick as he looks up at the new box in the sky, “he’s my teammate too.”

After bringing the warden to the button, Etho sees Grian running towards the base. Etho follows him. He’s a runner, it’s what he keeps telling himself. “I think I’ll let you win,” his feet lightly pelt the ground as he follows his invisible friend, “cause it’s you and Cleo left.”

Grian and Cleo are at the base, both survivors. Etho is there with them, infected. He could go for them right now. They would understand. Etho is a runner, a survivor. But he’s not. Cleo runs through the base, warning Grian that the infected are coming. Etho stays put where he is, doesn’t watch where Cleo goes. 

They are asking Etho where Cleo is, they know she is here. Etho is a runner, but he doesn’t know where Cleo is. The rage in Bdubs’ face and voice is obvious. “After what I said I would do for you,” he jumps down the stairs towards Etho, “this! This is how you repay me!”

His feet bounded into the ground. Dirt and grass ripped up as the feet propelled him further forward. Arrows were being shot at him and the beating of his heart drowned out the shouts of people looking for him. Etho was infected but he didn’t hurt Grian. He had stayed with Grian on his way to check on his pet. It was nice. But then Cleo came running in saying that the infected were coming and even invisible, Grian felt like he stood out like a sore thumb. 

Etho had distracted them as they tried to find Cleo so he could leave, but there were more roaming the surface. Grian wished his invisibility would last a bit longer. He needed to hit the button and then this could all end. He needed to get to the button so that they could get some momentary peace. He swerved and hid behind a tree as Joel ran past, having lost track of the invisible avian. Grian didn’t have the time to sit and wait, so he quickly set off again, weaving through trees towards the back of the secret keeper. 

As he reached the secret keeper, he could hear some of the infected people talking and scheming. They were after Scott and Cleo. There wasn’t any mention of Grian but he didn’t want to give them reason to remember him. Carefully, he started to climb around the secret keeper, using his wings to help keep balance. He was down to mere seconds when he desperately jumped down. Pearl, who was the last one still by the button, turned and raised her bow. Grian lunged for the button as Pearl shot at his feet, just missing him. As pearl was pulling out another arrow, Grian hastily pulled out his comms to called end of session. Right as he hit send the arrow Pearl had grabbed hit him.