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It was supposed to be their relaxing day, where they do nothing but laze around on the couch and yap. Lomedy's choice of things to do, and Fame was looking forward to each and every one. "No armor! No weapons! Just us, the farm, and the couch, okay?" And for some stupid reason—it wasn't stupid, never stupid, not when it came to Lomedy—Flame said yes. Even Skrilley joined them for a few hours to eat breakfast before he disappeared to do who knows what.
They love their new roommate, but neither of them would ever push, especially after he lost all his friends due to them. Flame's rage and anger at losing the only weakness he has and Lomedy's hiding on an icespike only to turn up alive; it was the least they could do to not ask.
For a second, Flame almost wonders if Lomedy was followed by whoever he scared away then. But the thought disappears because he loves his best friend. To think ill of him is thinking ill of himself, and with every knowing look from Lomedy, he knows he hears those thoughts.
They'd spent most of the day outside in the farm. "Hard work makes the food taste better bro! Haven't I taught you anything?"
"Sure bro, sure. The food only tastes better because you're the one making it."
"The flattery won't get you out of pulling the beetroots!"
"Whatever bro," and picked every crop they've grown for weeks. Lomedy was lucky they found such good soil on the first try and built their base around it, but that was more so because of Flame saying no to every other place.
He may be a fighter, but he and Mane lived off the land for years when he was younger. He knows what's good and what isn't.
And he may have… come up with stupider and stupider reasons for saying no to areas.
With baskets filled of healthy crops, they went back to their base, cooked up stew that would last them weeks, and ate on the couch. They… spilled it a few times with how much Flame had to keep whacking Lomedy away from his bowl—his friend had no concept of not sharing everything—but it was fun.
It was the most relaxing day Flame had had in months.
On the couch and wrapped in each other's arms, Flame, for once, could fall asleep in someone else's presence. He could sleep, and they'd both be safe, and he'd be the happiest demon in the world.
But with every blink, he swore he saw something. An outline, or maybe partices? He didn't tell Lomedy, never wants to worry him after everything they've gone through recently, but maybe he should've. If he gave it a thought longer, didn't brush off those small, almost transculent blue particles that he knows better than his own mind, maybe they would've-
They were caught off guard, and bad. He knew better, knows better than to be caught without his armor, but it was his own base, and they were relaxing on the couch without a care in the world. They had thought themselves safe, but they were wrong.
Horriby, terribly wrong.
He had been pulled off the couch by his ankle, torn away from Lomedy who screamed his name, and, as Flame had engraved into him to make it instinct, chugged an invis potion and ran. He ran as Flame punched the invisible person hard in the face and pulled himself free.
(7:55)
Really, Flame should've known better. He was in the Mafia for too long to not know what invisibility looks like on someone. Constantly counting those 7 minutes and 45 seconds down even when not invis, looking at the floor for the grass to be displaced under feet, even memorized the change in breeze when someone was standing right there.
It got him jackshit.
Flame runs too, of course. He needs time to gear up and wrangle his ender chest free from his too-messy inventory. How did it get this bad? He never lets it get so messy, where nothing is where he remembers putting it. Stars, this is why he organized it constantly, why he told Lomedy to make sure everything in his is an easy to reach place.
This is why he didn't take break days, and if anything happened to Lomedy, it would be his fault.
And nothing can happen to Lomedy. He won't- he can't let that happen. Not after he just got him back and not after he killed so many people- took fights he didn't think he could win-
He… gets lucky. He doesn't know how he got his ender chest, shulker, and spare armor set out and on in time before Flame gets slashed in his back, but he does and he's thankful. Thankful for his stupid muscle memory that he took years to perfect and it might not even help him now.
(6:55)
Flame turns and blocks the next hit before it connects, but he wasn't expecting a- a taller figure with wings to forsake his sword entirely and lunges at Flame. The talons hurt, they hurt more than anything as they dig and break skin beneath them, but he knows it' hurt more if he allows them to sink back in after the avian yanks them out.
He barely even remembers swinging his sword—The Flame, not Fragger, not for a long while—and it connects to the supposed avian, but the other didn't flinch. He hears a dark laugh, one that makes him shiver and growl in response. Before he knows it, the avian was off him entirely, and those few seconds gives an opportunity to move.
With gritted teeth, he scrambles away. He fights well in enclosed spaces, open ones, underground, underwater, and everything one can think of, but he can't- he wasn't prepared. Combat Masters are always supposed to be prepared, know what fights to take and when to run, but he wasn't. He wasn't any of those and he doesn't know where Lomedy is, he's bleeding, and there's the sound of wind gushing as he's-
Pop!
The totem on his bracelet is gone.
He throws another one on in an instant.
He's on half a heart and the sound of wings beating the air sounds more like a threat than he's ever heard. Not even when Wemmbu takes off does it rumble in his ears and scares him to the bone. He has half a second to eat a gappe that wasn't in the right place, but he somehow makes it before those same talons dig in to skin once more.
(5:55)
"Who the hell are you bro?! Why do you have a mace?!" He growls and shifts his weight to throw the avian off his back. Usually, it'd be easy, even if Flame is smaller in height than a lot of the people he fights, but he is stronger. This stupid avian won't change that.
"Thought everyone knew of me by now. I know who you are." Surprisingly, the avian doesn't fall. He doesn't even falter as he digs those talons in further and, if Fame wasn't who he was, he knows a lesser hybrid would've whimpered.
But he isn't one of them. Never would be.
He'll ignore how long he sat on that ghast and called out for Lomedy, the small whimpers that left his mouth when his ears pinned to his head in utter despair.
That doesn't matter now.
What does is how he hates the way the other sounds; his voice grates on his ears and only makes him more annoyed as he shifts once more to bring them both down to the ground. They land with a groan, but Flame is smaller, quicker, using it to his advantage to get back to his feet before the avian can.
He doesn't know why he continues the conversation, but him not yapping during a fight reminds him of- he can't think of that right now. He sidesteps an arrow he just barely hears get fired and dips into another hallway. "Well, obviously I don't bro!"
They should've built more secret exits.
Or maybe that's how this bird got in.
"You sound so offended, Flame! Is the pup missing his weakness?" The words are meant to rile him up and he's usually better about this. But he… this was supposed to be his day off.
His eye twitches. What does this bird think he's doing, talking about Lomedy? He doesn't even care over the use of pup because his own pride isn't worth as much as Lomedy's in. That's his best friend, dammit, he'll protect him with his life.
"Don't you talk about Lomedy!"
"So you admit it?" There's the sound of wind gushing before another Pop! echoes in his ears. Another totem gone, which means he only has one… two… three left. It'll drain his armor, but if he can keep the bird out of the air, then maybe he'll be able to get out.
He equips another, just in case.
Flame suddenly shifts to turn and throws himself at the avian. His sword aims for a wing, cuts cleanly through feathers and stops right at where the bones and feathers meet. But the avian- he doesn't-
Beneath that hood of his, a heavily scarred face he only sees now that he's up close and personal, is a smug smile.
"Wrong one, puppy."
He wants to throw up the stew they made.
And suddenly, a leg wraps around his and he's being flipped around. His back collides hardwith the now bloody floor of the hallway, and he… he whimpers before he covers it up with a groan.
Even at this close of a distance, the impact of a mace against his leg hurt. He doesn't even understand how the avian did it: their positions shouldn't alow it to happen, but it does and he fears he won't be able to walk on it until he gets a health potion. Not like it matters when the avian smiles once again and stands, beats his wings once, twice, and instead jumps up into the air with the use of a firework.
Flame thinks he sees his life flash before his eyes as the mace comes hurling down.
He rolls to avoid it.
But the avian doesn't give up as he flies up once more, and Flame rolls again. And again. And again.
He's out of breath.
He won't say he doesn't know how, because he's Flame fucking frags, but it surprises hm when he gets to his feet and starts to stumble away, his tail between his legs and ears pinned to his head. Flame knows he won't make it far, but he can make it far enough to at least a gapple-
A wind burst shoves him to the ground before he could take more than a bite. He's been on the ground too many times today, but he can't find the humor in that. Maybe Lomedy could've, but he should be long gone by now, hopefully went to find Skrilley or someone else to help.
He barely has the energy to flip over onto his back, but he does. Flame glances down the dark hallway and, if only for a moment, feels as if the avian takes up the entire damn thing.
Then Flame blinks.
(2:45)
The other only stands and stalks towards him, doesn't even make the effort to do anything as he holds the mace loosely in his grasp.
"Surprised Parrot and the little birdy of mine didn't tell you anything. Haven't you seen the bounty boards, Flame? The king has a bounty worth millions!"
Step.
"What's that got to do with me?"
Step.
"You're going to help me."
Step.
(1:30)
"No the hell I'm not. I don't do that stuff anymore bro."
Step.
"Sure you don't."
"I don't, bro. Stop accusing me of stuff I didn't do. I'm trying to be-"
"Be better?" The avian laughs once more, cruel and high and annoying in his ears. "I've heard about the Mist, Flame. The thousands of people you killed with no remorse, and now you're whimpering like a lost puppy saying you're better? Be real, you're not."
"I-" Flame whimpers softly. He's glad the other can't see his eyes, but his wavering lip says enough that makes him smile wider, his teeth on full display. "I wanna be."
His teeth are sharp, but the way he smiles makes them see sharper than they should be. He clatters them as if excited, as if it's his own version of Parrot's and Theo's chirps and trills, and if it's supposed to be scary, it works.
"So you're trying to be Combat Master FlameFrags, not the Immortal Demon, not Zam's former guard, and certainly not part of Ash's Mafia- oh, wait, that's not quite right, is it puppy? You still value that title you had, don't you?"
Flame is between a wall and an avian that doesn't flinch at their wings being sliced in almost half.
"No bro, I left that behind-"
"I know you're counting."
"C-counting what?" He hates his stutter, but he covers it up with a cough as he looks up at the avian from behind his blindfold. "You dunno anything 'bout me bro, I don't even know your name."
"I'm Shoebilly, and you're going to help me."
"I won't."
"Are you sure?" Billy shifts and steps closer, drops down to his knees, almost stradles his legs as he leans in close. So close Flame almost feels suffocated, more than he already did, that is. He feels sick to his stomach at the look of victory in Billy's eyes, as if he knows something Flame doesn't.
He probably does.
"Let me know your answer in 5 seconds, Flame."
(0:05)
He blinks.
Has Billy been counting-
The air shifts, and one person- two appear from under invisibility.
How long had they been there? Why didn't he- he doesn't answer that. He knows why he didn't realize they were there, but he can't… he can't say it. Saying it means he's failed and him failing means everything when it's Lomedy's life on the line.
He only thanks the stars that his best friend should be far, far away from here now.
Flame can't quite see who they are yet with Billy so close, but with the stupidly smug smile on the stork's face, dread fills his stomach.
"Change your mind yet, Flame?"
"Why should I-"
And then Billy moves.
He looks at the person he doesn't know yet first, blinks and tries to rack his brain to see if they're familiar, but nothing comes up. Flame doesn't understand why seeing him would change his mind, but he switches his gaze to-
Fuck.
Fuck.
He was supposed to be gone.
Lomedy.
His best friend, the person he cares most for in this whole world, was right there. He couldn't get out in time. He- Flame-
He failed him.
His head was pulled back to expose his throat, a sword held right at the jugular, but there was no fear in his eyes. Flame thought there would be, with how Lomedy has always been in these types of things, but…
"Flame," his best friend, his most important person in the whole server, breathes out his name like it's his last, as if it's the only thing he ever wants to say. Flame swallows thickly, but he stares wide eyed, mouth agape at Lomedy anyway, unable to respond. "I- bro I'm sorry-"
Billy leans in close once more, mouth to his ears and that stupid clatter of teeth as he whispers "Move, and he dies."
Flame hates this.
He hates every single second of this.
He feels so useless and weak and he got- he's failed him.
Flame feels utterly sick to his stomach. If this was before, months ago, he'd chalk it up to blood loss, but this was now and this was Lomedy and Flame is terrified.
He can't lose his friend again.
He can't.
"Lomedy what-"
"D-don't blame yourself Flame, it's okay! I- I wasn't fast enough bro. Don't worry about me!"
But he will.
This is Lomedy.
He'll worry about him for the rest of his life, and the next, and the next until his soul is wiped from the universe. This is his best friend, his Lomedy, the one he'd lay down his own life for and do stupid things for and farm with for the rest of his life.
"So what will you say, Flame? Join me in killing the king, or watch him die? Your choice, Immortal Demon."
"It's- it's okay. You don't have to say yes!" But he does. This is Lomedy.
"…I'll help you. Just don't hurt Lomedy."