Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The first thing Grian did when Double Life began was gather resources.

He'd already said his part, explaining the game. Three lives, health and hearts being shared with another player, soulmates, you get the idea. Once he'd gotten that out of the way, he could finally relax and start playing just like anyone else. That meant making some basic tools, gathering wood and stone, and grabbing a bit of food before setting out to see what he could find on the map.

"We've got to explore, find each other, and work it out," he muttered to himself, mining some coal on the side of a shallow cave. "Nothing to worry about. Just as long as my soulmate makes good decisions."

"What's that about your soulmate?"

Grian jumped, nearly dropping his pickaxe. "You know what, Joel, if you think that's so funny-"

Joel, who had been hiding behind a nearby birch tree, laughed. He was flipping a stone axe in his hand, catching it every time. "I just wanted to know if we were soulmates, Grian, that's all. It's not my fault you're so jumpy all of a sudden."

"I said I wanted a soulmate that makes good decisions, Joel," Grian said, stepping out of cave. "That disqualifies you almost immediately."

Joel laughed. "We should test it either way. Want to see?"

Grian nodded, and seconds later he regretted that, because Joel's way of testing for soulmates was to punch them in the chest. Grian stumbled backwards, and Joel laughed.

"Didn't feel anything," he said. "We're not paired."

"Thank goodness," Grian laughed, shoving Joel back. "We'd be dead by session two if we were soulmates, I reckon. You and I are too chaotic."

"I mean, give me some credit," Joel retaliated, "at least I'm a decent fighter. You could be paired with Jimmy. Or Scar."

"Considering I haven't taken much damage yet, I think I might be safe," Grian said. "Though I'm sorry to my soulmate for that punch you just gave me."

"I'm sure they're fine," Joel said, shoving Grian one last time. "Now, come on, let's find some more people."

They set off together, passing through a dense oak forest and flowering plains. Besides looking for people, Grian also looked for mountains, but so far all they'd found was a couple of dangerous-looking ravines. After what seemed like ages, Joel finally spotted some people in the distance and took off, leaving Grian stumbling to catch up.

The pair approaching was Ren and Scott, both already holding iron axes (Joel muttered about them being try-hards while he and Grian were catching their breaths).

"Have you two seen anyone else yet?" Scott asked, ignoring Joel's comment.

"Just each other," Grian said. "I've got to say, everyone's exceeding my expectations by not dying in the first ten minutes."

Joel laughed. "We should test if we're soulmates, though. Anyone want me to try?"

Reasonably, Grian could have warned Scott and Ren what was about to happen, but it was much funnier to sit back and watch Joel punch Ren in the shoulder. Once Scott realized what was happening, he kept away from Joel, though he was willing to climb up a tree and hop off in order to take some fall damage. Grian and Joel also exchanged a few more shoves, but in the end, it seemed like none of them were paired up.

"I'm heading to find some mountains," Grian explained, once they were certain. "We'll see who I run into on the way there. Does anyone want to join me?"

"I've seen the mountains from a distance," Scott suggested. "I'll come along.

Ren wanted to keep looking for people around spawn, so they bid him farewell and followed Scott. The mountains Scott had found were near the corner of the map, a bunch of tall, rocky cliffs with a dark oak forest on one side. They were able to spot someone chopping down trees from a distance, and Joel insisted they head that way first.

Cleo had already gathered a pile of logs by the time they approached her. She, too, already had iron tools, which she'd gathered from exposed veins around the mountains.

"Any chance you spotted some goats?" Grian asked casually.

"So that's your plan for the mountains," Scott said, laughing. "I was wondering why you were so desperate to find them."

"Scott, you have to understand that there's nothing that I want more in this life than a horn," Grian insisted. "It's new, and it's shiny, and it makes noises. What else would I need?"

"You need your soulmate," Joel said. "And you also need to not die. Say, Cleo, have you come across your soulmate yet?"

"Not yet," Cleo replied.

Joel casually put away his axe, and Grian and Scott exchanged a look. "Want to see if it's one of us?" Joel asked, smiling.

"I mean-"

She didn't get to finish as Joel punched her square in the upper arm, and then promptly yelped, stumbling backwards himself. His hand immediately went to grab his own arm.

"Did you-" Grian said.

"Are you two-" Scott asked.

Cleo and Joel made eye contact, looking at each other suspiciously.

"I mean, it could have been something else," Grian suggested.

"Try one more time." Scott leaned over and flicked Joel in the forehead. Grian kept a careful eye on Cleo, who'd flinched back slightly, mirroring Joel.

"You're paired!" Grian clapped his hands. "We're got our first soulmates!"

It was hard to tell what Joel and Cleo were thinking in that moment as they took a moment to process this new connection. Grian couldn't help but think it was a good pairing, both clever and headstrong. Where Joel was reckless, Cleo was strategic. They just had to break the tension a bit...

"Congrats, you two," Grian said, before sighing dramatically. "But somehow I still haven't found MY soulmate. I'm still looking for love..."

Cleo chuckled. "Yeah, in all the wrong places."

Scott and Joel joined in laughing, and suddenly, Joel and Cleo were talking, standing next to each other, exchanging resources like coal and dark oak logs. The pair of them even started discussing wood preferences and potential biomes to build a base in. Grian couldn't help but look smug watching the pair of them. When Scott noticed him smirking, he rolled his eyes.

"Are we still heading to the mountains to look for goats, or are you planning to go around and play matchmaker?" Scott asked.

Grian shrugged. "Why can't I do both?"

The mountainous area had a decent herd of goats gathered on a few ledges, but it took them a while to figure out how to get the goats to drop their horns. By the time they'd gathered a small pile of horns (and taken a bunch of accidental damage), they'd spotted two more people approaching.

"It looks like Impulse," Cleo said, using her hand to shield her eyes from the sun, "and is that BigB? Yeah, that looks like his blue sweater."

They'd gotten six horns in total, so they each took one, with Grian and Joel taking the extras.

"Are you two soulmates?" Joel called out, tossing one of the horns back and forth in his hands when Impulse and BigB finally reached their spot on the mountain.

Impulse shook his head. "Just travelling together. Are any of you...?"

Joel elbowed Cleo. "Cleo and I are. These two are still alone, though. Absolute losers, imagine not finding your soulmate by now."

"Maybe now is the time," BigB said, making eye contact with Grian. "Do you want to test?"

Grian nodded, bracing for another punch, but BigB's method of testing was a quick pinch, which only hurt a bit. BigB looked down at his own arm and then shook his head.

"I didn't feel it. We're not connected."

Grian sighed dramatically (again). "I was so sure, too. I've never had such a broken heart in my life."

"Maybe in another life," BigB teased.

"We should try Scott and Impulse next," Grian suggested. "And nobody let Joel do it."

BigB leaned over to Scott and gave him another quick pinch in the arm, which Scott barely reacted to. Impulse, however, let out a quiet "ow." Scott's head shot up. He and Impulse made eye contact, Scott's brow furrowing.

"We've got another one," Grian said, circling around BigB to push Scott closer to Impulse. "Maybe I should be a matchmaker, because so far I've been here for two soulmate connections. Really, it's beautiful."

Once again, Grian was trying to break the tension, and after a moment of consideration, Impulse put his hand out, and Scott took it, smiling. It was honestly another very good pair - both level-headed and reserved, with a skill for avoiding danger. They would be a terrifying pair if they both turned red.

No, that was wrong. WHEN they turned red.

------

After that, Grian set out on his own for a while, leaving the two soulbound duos and BigB on the mountain. It was nice to be on his own for a bit and learn the layout of the map, and while he did want to find his soulmate, he was also a bit curious what surprises might be hidden in this world. Maybe a jungle temple, or an ancient city...

He found Ren and Bdubs south of the mountains, already beginning to build a base together. They explained that they figured out they were soulmates when Bdubs had hopped into a shallow ravine and Ren had felt the impact of the fall. Grian congratulated them and continued on his way.

He travelled in the opposite direction next, aiming for the northwestern corner. There, he discovered a massive, winding valley with a river at the bottom. In the distance, past the rolling hills, there was some kind of wooden structure - his best bet was that it was a pillager outpost, because it was too small to be a woodland mansion. If he'd had some people nearby, Grian might have considered going over and checking for any good loot, but on his own he risked getting himself and his soulmate killed. It was better to make a mental note of it and save that valuable information for later.

On the way back towards spawn, he spotted a small outcrop of mangrove trees and couldn't help but gather the new material. "I can share this with my soulmate," he muttered to himself, grabbing some iron to make a better axe. "That is, if we end up teaming together. There's a chance we don't get along with our soulmate, and maybe not everyone will. That just adds to the drama and the fun, I suppose."

As he gathered the last of the mangrove propagules, Grian heard something over his shoulder. Footsteps, maybe just players passing by, but it could be someone trying to sneak up on him. He spun around to see-

Etho, Pearl, and Scar. Nobody that would try to scare him.

"Fancy seeing you here," Grian said, calming slightly. "There's a bunch of mangrove, if you want."

"I was hoping to grab some," Pearl agreed. "How've you been? Found your soulmate?"

"Not yet," Grian said, "unfortunately. Have you... I mean, are any of you paired?"

Pearl and Etho high-fived without looking at one another. "We are," Etho said. "Scar's still searching, though."

"Yeah, my soulmate keeps taking damage," Scar said, "it's like they're walking through fire or something. Any chance that's you?"

Grian shook his head. "Nah, I've been trying to stay safe. And I've felt basically nothing from my soulmate. They're probably mining or-"

Just then, Grian felt his shoulder burn, like the scratching of claws. He winced, causing his companions to look up in alarm. Another pain, this time on his arm - when he pulled up his sleeve, he saw four red claw marks, like a zombie's attack. He chuckled, trying to act casual. "Guess my soulmate finally decided to make themselves known-"

Explosive, fiery pain. Grian felt himself stumble back. Pearl and Scar cried out in alarm, and as he tipped backwards, he felt his life leave him, vanishing before he could even hit the ground.

[TangoTek was blown up by Creeper]

And next thing he knew, he was on the ground at spawn, eyes squeezed shut, and next to him he could hear Tango's voice, already apologizing.

"There was a hoard of zombies in that cave, and I got cornered and then a creeper fell down from a passageway above me, and I only saw it for a moment before, well- I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I was trying to mine for diamonds and I got too greedy and I should have given up sooner-"

Grian sat up, rubbing his forehead. Dying because of your soulmate, as it turned out, gave you an miserable headache. Tango was crouched next to him, looking incredibly guilty.

"I swear I had my shield up and everything, I'm so sorry-"

Grian cut him off. "Tango, calm down for a second."

Tango went quiet, looking sheepish.

Grian took a deep breath and then stood, brushing the dirt and grass off of his back from his unfortunate fall. "First of all," Grian said, "we need to try to get our stuff. How deep in that cave were you?"

"I don't know if I could find it again," Tango admitted.

"Okay." Grian managed to stay calm. "Then we'll grab my things and I can get you some basic tools while you restock. I was just over by the mangrove trees, and hopefully Scar, Pearl, and Etho got it all in a chest. Once we've got gear, we should build a base, right? Maybe near spawn. Just in case."

"Right. Yes. And I'm really sorry-" Tango started to say.

"Tango, we're soulmates now. We're a team. I promise, I'm not mad." Grian put a hand on Tango's shoulder. "I'll just tease you about it for the rest of time, that's all."

"That's fair."

Grian took off in the direction of the mangroves while Tango started mining wood, but he didn't get far before someone popped out from behind a tree, looking amused.

"Timmy," Grian said, bracing for the inevitable teasing. "Keep up with me, will you? I want to make sure I get my stuff."

Jimmy started to follow. "Congrats on your first death! Did Tango tell you how it happened?"

"Overly ambitious caving," Grian replied, "which can't be helped. But he'll be a good soulmate, I think. We've got similar tempers, and he's got the redstone knowledge I lack. Have you found your partner yet?"

Jimmy shook his head. "No sign of them yet. I still haven't seen a lot of the others, though. Who's teamed up so far?"

Grian counted off on his fingers. "Cleo and Joel, Scott and Impulse, Ren and Bdubs, Pearl and Etho... and now me and Tango. That leaves you, Scar, BigB, and Martyn... for your sake, I hope it's not Scar, because if the two of you are together you'll be dead by tomorrow."

"Hey, any of those three would be a good soulmate," Jimmy shrugged. "I've just gotta find them, that's all..."

In front of the mangrove trees, there was a chest and a sign from Scar, teasing him for being the first to lose a life. Inside, his supplies was sitting in neat piles. They hadn't even stolen any of his propagules, which was nice of them.

The sky was starting to get dark, and Jimmy was already fending off a spider that had crawled out of the woods. He hit it backwards with his sword, but missed his next swing and took a bite to the leg, which made him wince. On their left, Grian heard a familiar voice grunt in pain.

"Hey, who's there?" Grian asked, pulling out a torch and waving it around to indicate where they were.

Out from the woods came BigB, wearing an iron chestplate and limping slightly. Grian couldn't help but grin in delight.

"You two are paired!" He said, looking back and forth between Jimmy and BigB. "You know, I'm really good at this matchmaker thing. I just keep bringing people together."

"Are you sure?" BigB said, looking confused by the situation.

"Give it a test, then. I know I'm right," Grian insisted.

Jimmy shrugged and aimed a halfhearted kicked at BigB's shins, stumbling slightly as he took the same damage. Grian could have immediately gloated some more, but he let the two have a moment to process each other as soulmates, warm up to the idea of a partnership, and go in for a hug. THEN he went ahead and bragged about his matchmaker skills for a bit before heading back to his soulmate, leaving Jimmy and BigB together.

When he arrived back at spawn, Tango had already started building up a base close to a nearby hill - it was a cobblestone square with wooden support beams, which hurt Grian's soul a little, but Tango assured him that the Bunker he'd built "isn't supposed to be pretty, it's supposed to be functional."

"I guess a Bunker is pretty fitting considering that we're yellow," Grian replied, passing Tango some iron.

"Shut up," Tango replied.

His soulmate was determined to decorate the interior next, and Grian wasn't about to go and tell him what to do, so he set off towards the mountains again. It helped to get away from the base so that Grian's inner builder didn't start to micromanage the whole project - and besides, it was probably going to get burned down anyways, so who care if it looked good? He quickly ran into Scar again.

"Did you find you stuff?" Scar asked.

"I did," he replied, showing off his iron pickaxe. "Thanks for saving it."

Scar continued forward, looking smug. "Congrats on dying first, by the way."

"Oh, shush," Grian said sullenly. "Have you even found your soulmate yet?"

"Still no," Scar admitted. "I swear they've vanished."

Grian kept his mouth shut, even though it was pretty easy to connect the dots. "How about we head up to that base on the mountains? It looks like Joel and Cleo decided to settle there... I've not seen them in a bit. I think they were the first soulmates paired, you know. And I was there, being the best matchmaker on the server."

The climb up to the mountaintop was steep, but safe, as long as you kept your eye on the cliff's edge (which was terrifyingly close). At the top, there was a slightly crooked deepslate Tower with a pile of resources at the entrance. By the front door, Joel and Cleo were deep in conversation with the one person that Grian hadn't ran into yet.

"You should check with Martyn," Grian suggested, nudging Scar forward. "I don't know if he's found his soulmate yet."

And it almost played out perfectly, with Scar hitting Martyn's arm, the sudden realization, and that moment of silence as they process the partnership. But, interestingly, there wasn't a moment of excitement once they accepted the fact that they were soulmates. In fact, there was a certain tension between the two of them. Martyn told them that he had been exploring the nether, which explained why Scar had taken so much damage. After that, it became downright awkward once Cleo asked Martyn why he hadn't been searching for his soulmate this whole time. Grian had never seen Scar act quite like this - frowning, clearly frustrated, unable to express how annoyed he was by this situation. But the two headed off together nonetheless, a bit tense, as Impulse and Scott approached.

"How are you two doing?" Grian asked, desperate to break the awkward silence hanging over himself, Joel, and Cleo.

"We've found a decent place to build our base, out that way," Scott said, gesturing east of the mountains. "But we haven't started yet. Oh, yeah, sorry about your death, Grian."

Grian rolled his eyes. "It'll be fine from now on, as long as I keep Tango away from any dangerous caves."

Joel gave Scott a playful shove. "So, you and Impulse, huh? Are you two getting along as soulmates?"

Scott returned it with gentle push. "We are. Your tower is a bit lopsided, just so you know."

Joel went to push Scott again, still teasing. "It's a perfectly fine tower, and Cleo designed it, so I don't want to hear any complaints."

Scott elbowed Joel back, a bit harder this time. "Well, it's not my fault it's crooked. Maybe you just weren't paying enough attention."

"Oh, shut up," Joel said, giving Scott a proper shove that send him stumbling a few feet backwards. "You just don't understand the artistic integrity of it."

Scott's returning shove was a bit intense, nearly knocking Joel into the pile of chests. "Oh, yeah, it's really artistic, Joel. And I bet the uneven roof was on purpose too, wasn't it?"

"Like you could build something better," Joel replied, preparing another push. But instead of shoving into Scott, he aimed at Scott's soulmate, Impulse. Grian could have sworn it all happened in slow motion, with himself and Cleo frozen, left to do nothing but watch. Impulse was ignoring the playful argument between the other two and sorting through his inventory. He wasn't prepared for the impact of Joel's push and stumbled backwards off of the chest he was standing on. Unfortunately, there was nothing behind him besides open air. All it took was one lighthearted shove, and Impulse was falling over the edge of the cliff.

"Impulse!" Scott said, lunging forward.

Then his body stiffened, collapsing forward in tandem with Impulse. He vanished, but not before they heard a sickening crack.

[ImpulseSV fell from a high place]

"I didn't-" Joel started to say, looking terrified, but Grian didn't stick around to hear the rest. He grabbed a few of Scott's tools off the ground and took off towards spawn. He was surprised that Joel and Cleo didn't follow him, but maybe they wanted to stay away from the anger that might follow. It didn't matter anyways - and by the time he reached the bunker, Scott and Impulse were already there with Tango.

"And then he pushed Impulse off the cliff!" Scott finished angrily, slamming his fist down. "We were just messing around, but of course, Joel took it too far. I can't believe-"

"Hey!" Grian gathered Scott's pickaxe and sword into a pile with a few other items - food and a shield that could have been his or Scott's - and pressed it into Impulse's hands. "I got some of your stuff. That was-"

"Unexpected," Impulse replied, taking the gift and splitting it up into two piles. "I wasn't prepared to get pushed off a cliff today, honestly."

"It was unacceptable," Scott said, crossing his arms. "I want revenge for that betrayal. Joel always manages to take things too far. This time, I refuse to let it slide."

Impulse passed him his weapons and half of the food, and Scott accepted it gratefully.

"I mean, we're both on our yellow lives now," Grian said, spotting an opportunity. "How about we form a little alliance? A yellow team? This way, we've got each other's backs if anything else goes wrong."

Scott and Impulse looked at each other for a second, then nodded.

Grian shook Impulse's hand, then Scott's. Of course, this alliance meant next to nothing in the long run. Later, he and Tango talked it over, agreeing to take advantage of whatever opportunities they could, regardless of alliances, revenge plots, or whatever else lay before them. Neither of them knew what was in store, but their goals were the same - to cause a bit of mayhem in this mess of a server. From now on, anything could happen, and Grian couldn't wait to see the chaos.

Chapter Text

The Pyramid that Pearl had constructed was something she was honestly quite proud of. It was well decorated - sandstone, mangrove planks, with vines spiraling up the side. But it wasn't until she added the final deepslate accents in the corners and admired her work that she realized how long Etho had been gone.

She had committed to working on the base while Etho went off with Tango to work on... something, Pearl wasn't sure. And, of course, Etho was allowed to go off on his own without telling her what he was up to. But now this Pyramid was done, and Pearl needed to show it off to someone. So she packed up the rest of her building material in a chest and set off across the plains, on a mission to find where her soulmate had ran off to.

It was easiest to find Martyn and Scar's Cottage, located southwest of her base. Nestled in the oak forest, the Cottage was a handsome build (and admittedly a bit short and squat), and interestingly, it was surrounded by bamboo. That strange design decision became clearer when Pearl spotted Scar standing in a crowd of 4 or 5 pandas, bickering with Martyn.

"They're loud and annoying, Scar," Martyn was saying, staring down at the crowd of animals from the cottage's roof, where he was adding a chimney. "Can't they have an enclosure a bit further from the base?"

"The Jellie pandas are family, Martyn," Scar said stubbornly, hands on his hips. "We can't banish them off to some side enclosure. What if there are mobs? Who will protect them?"

Pearl decided the safest option was was to wave at them from a distance and then keep going. Both of them returned her wave and then got right back to arguing with each other. Ah, well, not every soulbound pairing was going to get along perfectly, after all.

Further west was where Bdubs and Ren had settled. The two of them were finalizing their base - a massive grey building jutting out of the grassy earth, like a sword's hilt that had its blade stuck in the ground. Ren waved down at her from the top of the Hilt. Even from a distance, she could see Bdub's headband around his forehead, and a bit further away, she could spot Bdubs with Ren's shades balanced casually atop his head.

"Nice build!" Pearl called up to Ren. "The block pallet is beautiful!"

"Thanks!" Ren called down. "We thought that nobody would want to attack it if it looked cool enough!"

"And it won't burn because it's made of stone, smart," Pearl replied, giving Ren a thumbs up. "Have you seen Etho? He vanished at the beginning of the session and I can't find him."

Ren shook his head. "He's not been this way... have you asked Tango?"

"That's who he was with..." Pearl said, gazing across the hills ahead. Somewhere north was spawn, and a bit further was Grian and Tango's Bunker. "If you see him, tell him to head back to our base, okay?"

Ren bid her farewell and she took off across the grass.

The Bunker was settled low to the ground, fortified with stone, fences, and an obsidian boarder on the top. Grian was nailing a sign into the ground near the front door. When Pearl was close enough, she read its message aloud.

"Grian and Tango's Bunker... Keep out?" She asked, and Grian jumped. Clearly, he hadn't noticed her approach. "Seems a bit threatening, doesn't it?"

"It's supposed to be threatening," Grian said, putting a hand on his chest, "so people don't sneak up like YOU just did, Pearl."

"Oh, chill out," Pearl laughed. "Has dying first really gotten you this paranoid?"

Grian managed to smile back. "It's freaked out Tango even more... he's already started making crazy plans, you know."

"Have you seen him?" Pearl asked. "He met up with Etho at the beginning and I haven't seen them since. I have no idea where they ran off to."

"I think he headed that way," Grian replied, gesturing lazily towards the northeastern side of the map. "There are some valleys that way, so be careful of the drop, because it's pretty steep. Tango said he has some plans he wants to achieve sooner rather than later... something about a staircase?"

"I'll head that way, then," Pearl nodded. "Have you heard from Joel and Cleo since... well, since whatever happened at the end of last session?"

Grian peeked over his shoulder at the mountainous area on the far northwestern side of the map. Even from here, Joel and Cleo's Tower was visible, impossibly tall and slightly crooked. It hadn't taken long for the story to spread about what happened at the Tower, how Joel had pushed Impulse off the edge without rhyme or reason. Ever since, she'd heard nothing from the pair of them.

"They passed by here near the beginning, you know," Grian muttered, gathering up his building supplies. "They had matching circlets of ivy wrapped around their heads. Met up with Ren and Bdubs near spawn. They chatted for a bit, and I think they traded some horns. I watched it from here... I think they're prepping for some kind of fight. Strategizing already, and it's only session 2!"

"Well, they're smart to make some allies early if they're prepping for a fight," Pearl admitted. "That's what I'd do. The ivy circlets are interesting, though."

"I think everyone is trying to match their soulmate now," Grian shrugged. "Tango gave me these to match him." He showed off a set of copper bracers around his wrists that Pearl hadn't noticed until now.

"Nice of him," Pearl said. "Maybe I should get something for Etho."

"If you see him and Tango," Grian said, opening the door to the bunker, "tell Tango to be safe. I swear, I've been taking too much damage in the past half hour. If he's caving again..."

Pearl waved at Grian and set off towards the valleys.

She didn't find a staircase like Grian had described, but she did find a massive Chalet across the biggest valley. She didn't even have to spot the builders to recognize Scott's handiwork, with a touch of industrial flair that must have been Impulse's influence. A bit further east, there was a Treehouse set snug into a massive dark oak tree.

Someone had built a rickety bridge across the valley, so she crossed it quickly, careful to not look down at the rushing river below.

Organizing chests near the front of the Chalet was Scott, a fresh yellow streak in his cyan hair. Scott noticed her approaching and smiled, and Pearl was quick to notice he was wearing a golden necklace with pendant shaped like half of a heart. She could only assume that Impulse had one to match.

"I'm looking for Etho," Pearl explained as she got within hearing range of Scott. "Have you seen him?"

Scott shook his head. "Impulse and I have been spending the entire session building so we can start preparing for the party."

"Party?" Pearl asked, leaning on one of Scott's piles of chest.

"Impulse and I are hosting a party, while everyone's still civil with each other. Considering two of us are already yellow, it could go bad pretty quickly," Scott explained, "so it's better now than later. You and Etho are invited. There'll be food, friendship... there's just one rule."

He didn't elaborate, grinning in a way that told Pearl that he wanted her to ask. "What's the rule, Scott?" She inquired after a moment of silence, rolling her eyes at him.

"The only rule is this: Joel, Cleo, and any of their allies are not allowed." Scott's face remained lighthearted and smiling as he said it, but his voice took on a stiff, harsh quality that Pearl didn't like. "But everyone else is invited. I hope to see you there?"

"Yeah, for sure," Pearl said, deciding to ignore Scott's strange tone. "I'll tell Etho about it when I find him... Who lives in the Treehouse near your base?"

"Oh, that's Jimmy and BigB," Scott replied, his voice returning back to normal again. He was fiddling with his half-heart necklace. "You could always ask them if they've seen Etho. Maybe he went exploring that way."

"I'm sure I'll find him eventually," Pearl shrugged. "See you at the party, Scott."

She was able to reach the Treehouse in less than a minute by jogging. It was made of dark oak, sturdily built with a ladder dangling off the side - Pearl's builder mind immediately told her it needed some kind of accent color, but then she reminded herself it was only session 2. Builds didn't need to be perfect just yet. She was about to call up to see if Jimmy and BigB were there when, out of the corner of her eye, two speeding figures leaped off of the side of the tree house. They both attempted water bucket clutches as they landed on the ground next to her - neither succeeded, but it wasn't a very high drop, so they only stumbled and fell over, laughing.

"You two are horrible at that," Pearl teased, which only made them laugh more. It took several minutes for them to finally catch their breaths and get back to their feet - Pearl could only assume this wasn't the first time they'd made this joke.

"Sorry about that, Pearl," BigB said, cleaning up the spilled water from their failed clutch. He was wearing a brown newsboy style cap that matched the lopsided one Jimmy was wearing (it didn't look like armor, so she assumed this was allowed despite the no helmet rule). "What brings you to this side of the map?"

"I'm looking for Etho," Pearl said. "Nobody's seen him much - I think he's with Tango. Any idea where they could have gone?"

"Haven't seen 'em," Jimmy said, straightening his cap.

BigB thought about it for a second. "They haven't been by our base, but I did see them near the beginning, when I was gathering extra resources... They were mining downwards on the other side of Scott and Impulse's Chalet."

"A staircase..." Pearl was starting to figure out their plan. "I'll hunt it down. Thanks, BigB."

"Will you be at the party?" BigB asked.

Pearl started heading back the other way, her mind racing. "I should be!"

Sure enough, there was a mine heading downwards on the other side of Scott and Impulse's base, slightly obscured by a pile of branches and foliage - clearly, Etho and Tango hadn't want to be found. A staircase, like Grian had mentioned. It descended into total darkness. Swallowing her fear, Pearl started down after Etho.

The stairway was steep and narrow, and went on for a while. It gave her time to reflect.

Etho was an interesting soulmate. In the first session, they'd worked together pretty well. Etho was stable and supportive. He helped her gather resources at the end of the session to prepare for the pyramid, and gave her a few diamonds to make an pickaxe with. But he was also reserved, distant. He didn't seem to fully trust her. Sure, they'd only been together a session, but they were soulbound. Surely, that meant something, right? Of course, it felt weird to complain about something so subjective. It felt like, with a different partner, it could be so much worse. In an alternate universe, maybe her soulmate wouldn't be as reliable.

Not to mention that Etho was definitely one of the most agreeable people on the server. She could be paired with a more argumentative soulmate, like Scar and Martyn, or be in a feud, like Joel and Cleo were with Impulse and Scott.

And she already knew how little things, like arguments and feuds, could turn into more intense emotions. Hatred, war, death. It was inevitable. It was going to arrive on this server sooner than she'd like.

But for now, she ignored that nagging voice in her head and focused on the task at hand - and when she stopped reflecting and paid attention to her surroundings, she noticed skulk creeping up the sides of the walls.

Just then, Tango and Etho came into view, muttering to one another as they headed out of a larger cave. They seemed surprised to see Pearl down this way, but Etho didn't seem upset that she'd found their mine. When she tried to ask him what they were up to, he reassured her they were just gathering resources. He even gave her some diamonds to prove it.

They were hiding something, but Pearl knew better than to pry. When they reached the top of the mine, they waved goodbye to Tango and headed back to their base. Pearl stopped a few times to shear any sheep she'd found, forming a plan in her head. She told Etho about the party that Scott and Impulse were holding. Etho complimented the Pyramid she'd built.

Still a bit distant. But there were things much worse than secrets.

------

The server-wide message arrived shortly after on their communicators.

[THE PARTY STARTS AT SUNSET!] Impulse's message read. [All ALLIES are invited. Location: Scott and Impulse's Chalet, on the northeast corner of the map.]

Etho and Pearl exchanged a glance.

"We both know that something is going to go wrong," Pearl said.

Etho shrugged. "But it'll be interesting to watch."

They met up with Scar and Martyn on the way there. The pair had finally stopped bickering about the pandas, and Pearl was a little tempted to ask them who'd won that argument. Thankfully, Etho changed the subject before she could be too mischievous, asking the group who they thought would be the next yellow lives.

"Oh, definitely Jimmy and BigB," Martyn said immediately. "If they make it to the end of this session and they're still green, I owe you a diamond."

"I'll hold you to that," Etho said. "But I feel like Bdubs and Ren could die next. I swear they're the only pair of soulmates that I haven't seen once."

"It would be pretty funny if Tango and Grian died next," Scar suggested, "though they wouldn't exactly be turning yellow, would they."

Pearl shrugged. "Probably Joel and Cleo."

They reached the Chalet at the same time as Jimmy and BigB, just as the sun set. Scott and Impulse opened the massive wooden front doors and welcomed the small crowd in. Inside, there were six square dining tables with a pair of chairs on each side, a longer rectangular table piled with food, and a chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Grian and Tango were already lounging in two of the chairs.

"Tango told me that they've made a yellow alliance with Scott and Impulse," Etho muttered to her as they entered.

People began to mingle, chatting with each other and preparing plates of food for themselves.

"There's six tables, but only five of them have been claimed," Pearl murmured back to Etho. "Grian mentioned that Joel and Cleo were talking to Ren and Bdubs... they might have actually formed an alliance."

Scar approached them before they could consider it further, but it turned out his mind was in the same place. "Someone's missing," he said, "and I can't figure out who."

"Ren and Bdubs," Etho told him. "We think."

"I wonder what Joel and Cleo are up to right now?" Scar asked, looking at the doorway as if the pair was about to walk in.

Nobody entered the Chalet. However, as if on cue, their communicators buzzed.

[ZombieCleo was blown up by Creeper]

Pearl had expected a stunned silence, but the laughter that followed was perhaps a bit harsh.

"Can I have you attention!" Scott said, hopping up on a chair to be visible to everyone. "I'm glad you're all safe and sound in our Chalet. Impulse and I would like to thank you all for coming. We're so glad to have all of our friends and allies in one place."

Out of the corner of her eye, Pearl spotted someone slipping out the front door. She wasn't able to get a good look at their face before they vanished.

"For this season, we're all relying on our soulmates to keep us safe," Scott continued. "But I think it's important that we rely on each other, as well. That's why we hosted this event. We wanted to treat our friends to a delightful evening as a show of good faith. A peace offering. A promise that we're here for you all, and willing to protect you, no matter what."

Martyn, who had walked forward a few steps to stand next to Scar, scoffed. "A bit arrogant, isn't he," he said under his breath, and Scar didn't seem to hear it - but Pearl did.

"So feel free to mingle, make friends, and relax. The Chalet's doors are always open to our allies, after all. We're so glad you're here!"

Finishing his speech, Scott stepped down from his chair, but before the party could get into full swing, there was a low rumbling and a quiet crunch of activating redstone.

"Oh, so this is what Tango was planning," Etho said quietly. "Pearl, I think that we should get out of here before-"

The room went pitch black. Someone gasped, and another person yelped. Pearl felt Etho's hand wrap around her wrist, and they took a few steps backwards, towards the door.

"Etho, what did you do?" Pearl hissed.

She couldn't see Etho very well, but he continued pulling her out the door and onto the front lawn of the Chalet. "Tango wanted help with a project... he said it was just a fun prank, something Grian had given him the idea for. I didn't think he was going to use it like this..."

They could hear people scrambling inside the Chalet, but with the darkness looming over them, people were struggling to find their way out. Pearl could hear the sound of the partygoers stumbling and bumping in to one another. Suddenly, a low, clicking groan echoed from within.

"I won't let anything bad happen to us," Etho whispered, and Pearl had no choice but to believe him.

It all happened so fast. There were a few quiet sniffing sounds from inside the chalet, and then people were screaming, scrambling out the door. Despite the panic, Pearl and Etho managed to reach the bridge that crossed the valley. The darkness began to clear, but even from a distance they heard the deafening boom of the Warden's strike.

[BigBSt4tz2 was obliterated by a sonically-charged shriek]

People were starting to run out of the inky darkness that was shrouding the Chalet. First Grian, who was smiling, then Scott, then Martyn. Impulse stumbled out shortly after, and Scar brought up the rear. A few of them made it across the bridge, but Scar somehow hadn't spotted it in his panic. When the Warden's haunting groan echoed through the Chalet again, Scar seemingly considered his options, then dove off the side of the ravine, aiming to land in the water.

He'd miscalculated.

Pearl turned away so that she wouldn't see the impact of his fall, but unfortunately, she ended up making direct eye contact with Martyn. He'd gone horrifyingly pale, trying to brace for the pain, but then there was no way for Martyn to prepare for the way his body shattered. He wasn't even able to scream - he just let out a pained gasp before toppling to the ground and vanishing.

[GoodTimesWithScar fell from a high place]

Etho had to pull her the rest of the way across the bridge.

Grian, Scott, and Impulse followed them across. Once they were all safely across, Impulse cut the connecting posts of the bridge, causing it to drop into the valley below so that the Warden couldn't follow. Then they were silent for a moment, catching their breaths, looking at each other in shock.

"You." Scott said finally, pointing at Grian. "Tango must have- where did he- how did he-"

"Tango must have gotten to safety," Grian insisted, but he was still smiling, which made his intentions clear. "You can't blame us for-"

"I don't think anyone else could have brought that Warden up to the surface, much less made that redstone opening for it to get out of," Impulse accused. "It had to have been Tango."

"How dare you?" Scott asked, looking horrifyingly betrayed. "We were supposed to be allies... What happened to the yellow alliance?"

"Listen, Tango told me that he'd make things interesting," Grian said, taking a few steps back. "And you can't tell me that wasn't incredibly exciting. What's wrong with having a bit of fun?"

If looks could kill, Scott would have turned Grian red with that glare. "I swear, if I see you near the Chalet again, I'll murder you myself."

Grian didn't have to be told twice. He took off in the other direction, and they could hear his laughter fade away as he disappeared into the treeline.

"We should go find Jimmy and BigB so we can apologize," Scott said to Impulse. "Then we have to try to kill that Warden... Do you think it's safe to head to the Treehouse?"

"If we go the long way," Impulse suggested. "We just have to be careful."

"You go ahead and deal with that," Etho said. "Pearl and I should head home."

Safe but rattled, they set off back towards the Pyramid. Pearl let Etho walk in icy silence for half of the trip, but once they were far enough away, she decide that she couldn't be too mad at him for this.

"Don't ever let Impulse and Scott find out that you helped with that," Pearl insisted.

"Yeah, I don't think they'd ever forgive me if they knew," Etho agreed. "Not to mention all the deaths..."

Pearl grabbed his wrist and stopped, causing him to stumble slightly. He seemed confused by her sudden pause in the middle of the woods, but Pearl stepped directly in his line of vision and made eye contact. For one hushed moment, they stared at each other. Some distant knowledge passed between them, an understanding that this game was about to get a lot more complicated than pranks and monsters.

"Thank you," Pearl said, watching him closely, "for getting us out of there safely."

Etho nodded. "I've always got your back."

She pulled out the gift she'd made from her pocket - it seemed so tiny and insignificant now. But she'd put in a lot of work trying to hide it from Etho, collecting flowers to make dye and using the wool she'd gathered in a loom. Now, she showed them to him - two matching purple bandanas, folded neatly into triangles.

"Almost everyone else has something to match their soulmate," she said, handing him one. She took the other and tied it around her hair. "This way, we match too."

It was hard to tell in these dark woods, but Pearl was pretty sure Etho was smiling under the mask. He tied the purple bandana around his neck. "Thanks, soulmate," he said.

Maybe Etho didn't trust her, and maybe Etho was still holding back. But returning home safe to the Pyramid, Pearl felt comfortable being partnered with him. Even though the server was destined to crumble into chaos, she knew she'd have one stable thing to hold onto. She just had to hope that the end wouldn't be as bad as she knew it could be.

Chapter Text

The hut that Jimmy had built for himself and BigB definitely wouldn't impress anyone, but it worked as a temporary resting space while their Treehouse had a Warden nearby.

Things had definitely escalated in the last session, but now their alliance with Scott and Impulse was official. Their team-up came with one request - that Jimmy and BigB head out and recruit the remaining players into their alliance while Scott and Impulse dealt with the Warden that was currently pacing around somewhere between their bases. Warden-fighting sounded miserable, frankly, so he and his soulmate were happy to do some casual recruiting efforts.

"Jimmy?" He could hear BigB calling from outside the hut. "Are you ready to get going? We still don't really have a plan."

Jimmy grabbed a few things out of their chests - an extra axe, some food, the newsboy cap that matched BigB's - and headed out the door, where his soulmate was waiting. "We do have a plan, BigB, because I've already been brainstorming some ideas. I think there are just four simple steps to this."

"Is that so?" BigB said, leaning against the hut. "The only people we can recruit are in pairs - Pearl and Etho, Martyn and Scar. The others are either already allied with the other team, or just killed us with a Warden. So how are there four steps?"

"You see, we're now formally allied with Scott and Impulse, but the rest of the server doesn't necessarily know that yet," Jimmy replied. "It would be nice to hear the other side's plans while they're still unaware of things. So catching up with Ren and Bdubs definitely couldn't hurt..."

BigB nodded. "That's smart. Let's get going on these steps then, soulmate. Promise that you'll explain them on the way?"

"Promise," Jimmy said.

Having BigB as a soulmate was incredibly refreshing. Jimmy had teamed with a lot of people in the past, but none of them were ever as nice as BigB. His teammate was always willing to listen to his ideas, appreciated his perspective on the situation, and usually suggested some way to make it even better. It was just so easy to trust BigB, and he knew BigB trusted him back. They'd promised to always protect each other, no matter what.

STEP ONE was gathering intel at Bdubs and Ren's base. Jimmy and BigB agreed that talking to the pair of them early made the most since, before anyone realized what their intentions were.

It was easy enough to find Bdubs, who was tending to a small herd of sheep outside of the Hilt. When Jimmy and BigB approached, he invited them in, not suspicious in the slightest. Ren was making bread inside, but he was happy to pause and have a chat with them.

"Sorry about that Warden attack, dudes," Ren said, brushing flour off of his hands. "We only saw the message, but that had to hurt."

BigB shrugged. "Honestly, it happened so fast that I barely even felt it. Next thing we knew, we were back in our Treehouse."

"Why weren't you two at the party, by the way?" Jimmy asked casually.

Bdubs and Ren exchanged a look. "We technically weren't invited," Bdubs said, wiping a smudge of flour off Ren's cheek. "We've made an alliance with Joel and Cleo, and Scott and Impulse were very clear that any friend of theirs shouldn't bother coming."

"Interesting," BigB nodded. "Why'd you choose to ally with those two?"

"They made a good case - they promised to back us up, to help us in our time of need, and... you know I can't say no to Cleo," Bdubs explained. "They made an honest mistake, and I don't think they want to start some big fight."

"And they offered us goat horns," Ren added, pulling his out. "An alliance for a cool new item seemed like a pretty fair trade."

"Yeah, the horns might have also factored in," Bdubs admitted.

"Fair enough," Jimmy said, making a mental note that Ren and Bdubs were easily swayed.

"I'm pretty sure we're teamed with Grian and Tango now, too," Ren added.

"Yeah, Tango came to the Tower shortly after all of those death messages." Bdubs seemed excited to share this news, which made Jimmy and BigB's jobs incredibly easy. "Something about a prank getting out of hand, and needing an alliance to help just in case someone came after them for revenge. Joel and Cleo agreed pretty easily."

Ren eyed BigB and Jimmy carefully. "Uh, you two aren't desperate for revenge, right?"

Jimmy and BigB shook their heads in unison. "We're not the revenge types," BigB reassured them.

That seemed to satisfy Bdubs, though Ren still looked a bit suspicious. "Apparently Grian and Tango found something cool," Bdubs continued, "but they wouldn't tell us what it is."

"Cooler than the Warden that killed us?" Jimmy asked jokingly.

"Well..."

They reassured Bdubs and Ren that there were no hard feelings and headed out. Clearly, the pair didn't suspect a thing, because Ren even gave them some fresh-baked bread before they left. Once they were out of range, Jimmy and BigB high-fived, their first mission a success.

"We've gotta figure out what Grian and Tango found," BigB said.

"That'll happen in step 3," Jimmy assured him. "I promise we'll get to them soon."

"And I promise that whatever dangerous creature they found won't hurt you," BigB agreed. "I'll protect us."

STEP TWO was a bit trickier, as it meant convincing Pearl and Etho that they should form an alliance. Ironically, this happened to combine with STEP THREE, which involved checking on Grian and Tango. When they reached the Pyramid, the four were already standing outside.

"You guys should come check this out too," Grian said as they approached. "Come on, Pearl, Etho, we can all go."

"You HAVE to see this," Tango agreed.

Pearl and Etho both looked skeptical, but a group of six was safer than a group of four, and they agreed to tag along and see whatever it was that Grian and Tango had found. This involved heading back towards the northeastern part of the map, but Grian assured them that it didn't involve the Warden - it was further than that. From a distance, they could see Scott and Impulse, who were slowly leading the Warden towards the edge of the valley with snowballs and arrows.

"That doesn't seem like a fun job," Pearl commented, and they continued along.

In the far corner of the map, there was a giant pillager outpost, which looked empty. Interestingly, the doors to the outpost were boarded up with planks. "I spotted it during the first session" Grian explained as they crossed the valley, "and Tango and I cleared it out earlier. Now it's just a matter of finding the allays, but we wanted to share the wealth a bit, you know?"

"Sure you did," BigB said skeptically.

But the outpost did seem empty, and none of them could come up with a good reason to leave. They could see two allay cages around the other side of the outpost.

"Hey, Pearl, Etho," Jimmy said under his breath, "just in case anything happens... we've got your back. Strength in numbers, you know?"

"I'll hold you to that," Etho replied.

"Maybe the allays are in here!" Tango called, breaking the wood off of the doorway, then suddenly running backwards.

Because of course, the outpost wasn't empty. The pillagers were just hidden inside, and as soon doorway was open, they came streaming out, crossbows drawn.

"Run!" Grian screamed.

It was obvious that he and Tango already had an escape plan, and they enderpearled across the valley before anyone else had time to react. Jimmy took off, with BigB close behind him, but the rickety bridge that they'd built across the valley looked incredibly dangerous. Tango and Grian had already vanished into the woods, cackling. Despite his fear, Jimmy started heading back over the bridge, careful to keep his balance.

Behind him, he heard BigB following, and then Pearl, and then he heard Etho grunt in pain. He couldn't risk turning around, but he heard Pearl yelp, and then something fell below.

[Etho hit the ground too hard trying to escape Pillager]

Another arrow zoomed past him, narrowly missing his shoulder, but he and BigB were able to cross the bridge before anything could shoot them off - Etho and Pearl had taken the hit for them. They broke the bridge before any pillagers could cross, then headed back to the Pyramid.

Jimmy was ready to apologize for not protecting Etho and Pearl, but as it turned out, their plan had failed successfully. Etho and Pearl were fuming when they reached their base, furious that Grian and Tango had once again inadvertently killed someone with their pranks. BigB didn't even have to offer an alliance - Pearl was the one who asked to team with them, and they were happy to agree to an alliance with Scott and Impulse, too. They shook hands, sealing the deal.

After getting Pearl and Etho as allies, STEP FOUR seemed like it would be a walk in the park - they just had to convince Martyn and Scar to join their alliance, and then the majority of the server would be on their side. Of course, they weren't aware that this would somehow be the messiest step of them all.

------

At the Cottage, things weren't going very well.

They could hear Martyn and Scar before they saw them - their arguing was so loud that it echoed outside of the Cottage. Jimmy briefly considered leaving the pair alone until their fight was finished, but then he decided eavesdropping would be more fun. Clearly, BigB was thinking the same thing, because both of them snuck past the panda pen and pressed their ears against the wooden structure at the same time, listening closely. Jimmy noted that there was a Nether portal in the Cottage's backyard - that might be useful to know later.

"But he's such an arrogant prick, Scar!" Martyn sounded incredibly exasperated about the whole situation. "He thinks he's just so great, promising to protect everyone else. I mean, what Joel did was stupid, but since then he and Cleo have been minding their own business. Teaming up with them would be better than being controlled by Scott and Impulse. Scott's approach to things is just gonna lead to more fighting, and I'm sick of it. Did you hear the way he and Impulse laughed when Cleo died? That was just cruel."

"But Joel and Cleo would be awful allies, you know that," Scar replied. He sounded properly upset, with a sharp tone that Jimmy had never heard him use before. "They're impulsive and dangerous. I'd rather side with Scott and Impulse because I know I can actually trust them. Joel and Cleo would betray us in a heartbeat if we were in the final four, you know that."

"Anyone would turn on us in the final four," Martyn argued. "You know Scott and Impulse wouldn't even hesitate."

"And besides," Scar continued, "they're clearly not minding their own business, if they're making alliances with Grian and Tango. They killed us, Martyn!"

"They didn't kill us, Scar, YOU did," Martyn insisted. "You completely ignored the bridge to safety. I watched it happen - you were the one who decided to jump last-minute, and because of that, you weren't able to land somewhere safe."

"You-" Scar exhaled sharply. "See, that's the thing about you, Martyn, you never have my back. You're flighty, you never help me with the base or the pandas, you basically vanished for all of session one when I NEEDED you- if you want to go off and team with bad allies, go ahead, because you're being a pretty bad soulmate yourself."

"Oh, I'm a bad soulmate?" Martyn laughed sharply. "You don't ever listen to me, Scar. Not when I say your pandas are messy and loud and stupid, not when I try to make changes to the base, not even when I ask you to have my back during the party. You left my side as soon as you could. I swear you don't even want to be my soulmate - you're obsessed with teaming up with Scott and Impulse because you can 'trust them,' but I know it's not about that. You just want to have this moral superiority, even if it means turning away from your soulmate. Everyone on this server would choose their soulmate first, except you. You'd never choose me."

Scar didn't reply - instead, there was a loud BANG as the front door of the Cottage flew open and collided with the wall. Scar stormed out, and Jimmy and BigB only had a few seconds to duck into the trees before Scar turned their way. Thanks to the rapidly darkening sky and setting sun, they managed to avoid being spotted. Grabbing some bamboo, Scar opened up the pen and started leading the pandas away, carrying the youngest one in his arms.

Martyn took a few steps out of the doorway. "Where are you going, Scar?" He called after him, not sounding sorry.

"I'm leaving!" Scar yelled back. "You can go be allies with Joel and Cleo instead, since CLEARLY I don't care about you enough."

"Sorry you can't handle the truth!" Martyn replied.

"You're going to regret this someday," Scar shouted, and then he and his pandas headed into the forest, out of earshot of Martyn.

For a second, Jimmy and BigB were frozen, watching Martyn cross his arms and vanish back into the Cottage. Then, BigB pulled on Jimmy's arm.

"Let's go after him," he hissed.

The two took off into the forest, pulling out torches to combat the darkness of the night. Scar was trudging slowly, leading his troop of pandas, so it was easy enough to catch up to him.

"Scar!" Jimmy said, hurrying forward to walk alongside him. "Are you alright? Seems pretty late to be moving around your pandas."

"I'm not going back," Scar said firmly, wiping tears from his face. "Martyn and I aren't working together anymore."

BigB caught up on Scar's other side, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Oh, I'm sorry, Scar. You know how Martyn is sometimes - he's always taking things to their extremes, pushing it too far."

"You shouldn't have to deal with that," Jimmy agreed. "Just because you're soulmates doesn't mean that you need to be on the same team."

"I don't know where I'm going to go," Scar admitted. "I left everything in that Cottage, and I can't go back..."

Jimmy shook his head. "Don't you worry. We can head back to the Chalet and the Treehouse - hopefully, Impulse and Scott have killed the Warden by now. Our Treehouse is pretty small, but I'm sure there's extra rooms in the Chalet."

"You know what Scott said - the Chalet is always open to allies," BigB added.

"Martyn was so convinced that we shouldn't team with Scott and Impulse," Scar muttered, "and he didn't even have any good reason. You know what? I want to formally join your alliance."

"Absolutely," Jimmy said, making brief eye contact with BigB. It was almost too easy. "We'd be honored to have you, Scar."

Nearby, something teleported.

The three of them froze, the pandas bumping lazily into their heels because of the sudden stop. Jimmy spun around, but he saw nothing.

"Is someone nearby?" He whispered.

BigB shook his head. "I think that's someTHING."

Another warping sound. Something scuttled over Jimmy's shoulder, but when he spun around, there was only darkness beyond their torchlight.

And then, there it was - a set of blank purple eyes, staring at him through the darkness. He knew he'd made a mistake as soon as he made eye contact.

The Enderman cried out and charged, teleporting back and forth, and all Jimmy could do was put his back to Scar while he pulled out his sword. "Stay back!" He yelled, trying to use his blade to get the monster away from him and protect Scar at the same time, but the Enderman swung and dug its claws into his arm. BigB was trying to protect Scar from the other side, batting at the monster with his shield, but in his attempt to help their new ally, he weren't able to stop the Enderman from tearing into him.

His wounds, combined with the pain from BigB's injuries, were aching. The Enderman kept teleporting around them, and neither of he nor BigB could manage to land an attack on it.

"Jimmy!" BigB cried. "Keep fending it off - I promise we'll be okay!"

"I'll protect you, I promise," Jimmy said desperately, swinging his sword again. The Enderman always managed to teleport away. It aimed one more swing at Jimmy's heart, and he wasn't able to defend himself fast enough. The slash dug deep into his chest, burning like acid. Jimmy's vision blurred as he stumbled.

The pain was overwhelming his brain. It was too much.

[Solidaritygaming was slain by Enderman]

Chapter Text

They were all gathered around the table, looking down at a map of the server that Impulse had made.

All of his allies had met up in the Chalet - now freshly Warden-free, as they'd led the beast into the ravine and shot it dead with arrows. Pearl and Etho, both standing near the back of the Chalet's main room, whispered to one another. Scar stood quietly, having recently left his newly-built Cabana along the river near Pearl and Etho's pyramid, surrounded by bamboo and his troop of pandas. Scott, Impulse's soulmate, his partner, who defended him without question, stood at his side and began his speech to the group. And Jimmy and BigB leaned in and listened, their red names making them look downright intimidating.

"The most important thing to establish is our strategy," Scott was saying, brushing the map down to smooth out some creases in the paper. "We now have two red names on our team. I believe they're not feeling particularly murderous towards us, so we can use that red bloodlust for something else. We need to start our attack - they still have Ren and Bdubs, who haven't died once! It's time to start taking their lives."

Impulse elected to stay silent, playing with the golden half-heart charm hanging around his neck as his soulmate continued strategizing. Scott was always willing to take charge in these moments, which allowed him to sit back and consider it all.

This feud had been building since his fateful fall off that cliff. And, don't get him wrong, Impulse was still upset about that. Joel should have never pushed him in the first place, and they deserved some kind of revenge for the loss of their first life. But Impulse had kind of assumed that was what the party was all about. Have their fun, tease Joel and Cleo a little, and then go back to their typical shenanigans. But then there was a Warden, and deaths, and next thing he knew, Scott was planning for all-out war, recruiting allies left and right and preparing for their attack - an attack that might not even be necessary. Maybe this had all gone a bit too far.

But that's the thing - Scott was doing this for HIM. Scott was doing this for his sake, in order to get revenge for the way Joel had treated him. Maybe, Impulse thought, he was just overthinking things.

"Jimmy and BigB, the most important thing to do right now is get kills," Scott was saying. "The Tower would be the best spot - I'm pretty sure that's their meeting place, but we should honestly trap any of their bases. They're all on the West side of the map, after all - you could try to trap several at once if you went that way."

"Scott," Impulse said suddenly, "I'm not sure that's worth the risk. If Jimmy and BigB get caught, that could mean the others have reason to defend themselves. Technically, there's been no aggression from any of them - Joel, Cleo, Ren, Bdubs, they've all been minding their own business since session two. Sure, Grian and Tango have been messing around with people, but are we surprised? They'd be like that either way. Besides, Tango is going to be the hardest person to fool with a trap, considering how much he knows about redstone. Is this really worth it?"

Scott looked at him, slightly stunned. Impulse honestly couldn't tell if Scott was angry, or if he was just caught off guard. He didn't seem to know how to respond to Impulse's interruption - and neither did anyone else, considering the uneasy silence that followed.

"I mean, if you need to trap somewhere," Scar said, finally breaking the tension, "Martyn's got a Nether portal near his base. During the first session, he was in the Nether almost the entire time, exploring and building a pathway to the other side of the map. I think the path leads to another portal somewhere north of Grian and Tango's Bunker. The portal that I know about is right next to our base. I bet they're using that pathway as a way to secretly travel between the north and south sides of the map, since spawn is a huge open field."

"That's genius, Scar," Scott replied, quick to forget Impulse's concerns. "Jimmy, BigB, you should trap the portal. Scar, can you show them where it is?"

"I bet they already know where it is," Scar said. "It was right behind the Cottage, surrounded by scorched earth and stone bricks. I think he repurposed a ruined portal."

"We've seen it," Jimmy agreed. "When we were at the Cottage, I spotted it specifically."

"How about this..." Scott suggested, pointing at Pearl and Etho. "You two go try to spy on any meetings they're having. They probably assume you're in our alliance at this point, so be stealthy. See what you can learn."

Pearl and Etho nodded in unison.

"Jimmy and BigB, you two trap that portal. And I want to test something... Scar, if you don't need to show them, you can come with me and Impulse," Scott finished. "If any of you face trouble, send a message and we'll be on our way. Good luck, team."

Once the other players had headed out, it was just Impulse, Scott, and Scar. Scott flashed Impulse a quick look, checking if he was okay, and Impulse shrugged in response. They'd talk about it later.

The plan to 'testing something' meant building a Nether portal in one of the Chalet's spare rooms. "Jimmy and BigB are trapping the portal on Martyn's side," Scott explained, "but if they're travelling the other way, out near the Bunker, they'll be fine. The Chalet is close enough that our portal might appear somewhere close to theirs. That way, we can find the other exit and have our red names trap that side, too."

"Scar, we've got some extra armor," Impulse said. "Some diamond gear instead of your iron - it's better safe than sorry."

He made sure to get Scar properly geared up while Scott dug around in their chest room for obsidian. Impulse lit the portal as soon as Scott finished building it, and they took a second to brace themselves before stepping in.

The Nether was just as terrifying as ever, and their portal led them out onto a high platform, slightly undersized over an ocean of burning lava. Scar was quick to extend their platform forward with some cobblestone, and Impulse peered out into the vastness of this hellish dimension. It didn't take long for him to spot players on the move.

"Down there," he said, alerting his companions.

Slicing across the lava lake was a relatively precarious bridge, only a few blocks wide with no railing. Crossing said bridge were five figures from the West - one wearing bright red, which must be Tango, one with a green bandana, which had to be Martyn, one with pale hair, which was Bdubs, and two with ivy circlets wrapped around their heads, which were easily identifiable as Joel and Cleo. They were actively heading towards a portal, likely exiting somewhere near the Bunker.

"That's it," Scar said. "Exactly what we were looking for."

"We can just wait for them to leave the Nether and bridge down there. Then, we've got the exact location." Impulse couldn't help but grin.

Next to him, Impulse heard a bowstring grow taught. He turned to see Scott, aiming his bow directly at the group crossing the bridge. Impulse's smile faded slightly.

"Scott, you're yellow," he muttered. "We aren't supposed to be attacking people right now."

"When else are we going to get a chance like this?" Scott asked, not taking his eyes off his targets. "They're so vulnerable right now. I could knock Joel off that bridge right now and he'd have no idea..."

He took a deep breath and fired.

The arrow nearly hit them, too. Cleo, who'd been leading the pack, froze as the arrow landed right between her boots. From a distance, they could see her panic, waving the group more quickly towards the exiting portal.

"We can't let them get away," Scott hissed, grabbing another arrow.

One of the figures stopped briefly, the one with the green bandana, but Scott wasn't aiming for Martyn. He didn't notice what Martyn was grabbing.

Scar was able to pull Impulse away from the edge, but he wasn't able to stop the arrow from hitting Scott in the shoulder, knocking him sideways. It was an incredible shot, one that Impulse would have thought was impossible. Clearly, Scott hadn't been ready for it either. He stumbled and his feet just barely missed the cliff's edge.

Suddenly, Impulse knew how it felt to watch his soulmate fall to their demise. But this time, it wasn't just a fall into solid stone - it was a drop into burning lava.

And it was a pain like he'd never felt before, and he was screaming, and every part of his body was ablaze. The only thing merciful about it was that it was quick. His flesh barely had time to burn before he felt his form vanish into the cool, comforting darkness of death.

[Smajor1995 tried to swim in lava]

He and Scott both respawned in the Chalet, on the ground desperately gasping to catch their breaths. Impulse reached for Scott's hand in some desperate attempt to comfort him, and Scott took it and squeezed. They were both still reeling from the strangeness of intense pain, then suddenly feeling nothing at all, and then being shockingly alive once again. Impulse could have felt angry, but for the time being, he just felt numb. Next to him, Scott let go of his hand and stood up, looking lost.

"Impulse, are we okay?" Scott asked, and Impulse wasn't sure which way he meant it - were they okay, physically, or were they okay, as in, was their relationship with each other still fine? "Are you-"

And then Scott got quiet. He paused, leaning his head forward slightly. Then, Impulse heard it too - the unmistakable sound of footsteps in the Chalet. Someone was here to spy on them.

Now, Scott looked confident again, a smile spreading across his face. It was that easy for him to move on from this moment of weakness and get back to their original goals. Revenge was right down the hall.

Impulse pitied the poor souls they were about to find.

------

Their team was impressively efficient. By the time Impulse and Scott had cornered the spies in their chest room, Scar had already returned from the Nether, and Jimmy and BigB were close behind, giving up on trapmaking to come to their defense. Clearly, the players from the East were prepared for anything.

Grian and Ren looked properly terrified. They were supposed to have the easy job, Impulse assumed, just snoop around and gather intel, maybe steal some valuable things from chests. It was the rest of their team that had done the dangerous Nether crossing. But now, the pair was properly trapped, fully surrounded by five enemies - four of which were red names.

"Surely we can talk about this, fellas," Grian said weakly, holding up his iron sword and looking very unconfident in his ability to win a 2v5 fight.

Scott was standing at the front of the group, arms crossed. Revenge had just been handed to him on a silver platter, and he was clearly planning to enjoy every second of it. "Sure, let's talk. Which one of you feels like dying first? We can have a discussion about it."

"We didn't mean any harm," Ren insisted, as if that would help his case.

Scott laughed. "BigB, which one do you think should get skewered first? I wouldn't blame you if you wanted revenge on Grian. His soulmate was responsible for your death by Warden, after all. But I think Ren is just as tempting of a kill. After all, you haven't died once, have you, Ren?"

"I can do it," BigB said, lifting his blade. "If you'd like."

"Go ahead," Scott replied, stepping back. "Take your pick."

BigB didn't hesitate. As soon as Scott gave him the go-ahead, he charged forward and stabbed at Ren. Ren made an attempt to block the attack with his shield, but BigB knocked it out of his hands with his first swing and drove the blade into Ren's chest with the second. Ren tried to pull away, to fight, to do anything - but BigB twisted the blade in his chest, finishing the job.

[Renthedog was slain by Bigbst4tz2]

Grian had tried to defend his ally, but Scar had been quick to counter his attack, shoving him sideways and knocking him to the ground, off his feet. During the fall, Grian had lost his sword and was unable to defend himself, but Scar didn't attack immediately. Instead, he held his blade at the ready and looked up at Scott and Impulse, waiting for their approval.

Before Scott could say yes, Impulse put his hand up. "Don't kill him just yet. He's more valuable to us alive right now."

And Scar listened, holding the sword's point to Grian's chest.

"What do you mean?" Scott asked, sounding interested.

"They'd love to see Grian get out of this alive and well," Impulse explained. "Especially Tango. Imagine what they'd do for us if we had a hostage. They'd have no choice to hand over resources, valuable information... They'd even agree to meet us in a vulnerable place if we asked. It would be the perfect ambush."

"That's... perfect." Scott looked genuinely impressed. "I love the way you think. Two of you, grab him."

Grian made a desperate attempt to escape, trying to grab for his sword, but Scar was quick to kick it away. Grian scrambled to his feet, but before he could run, BigB pushed him backwards into Jimmy, who grabbed Grian's elbow and held on tight. Impulse grabbed Grian's other arm by the wrist, ignoring the copper bracer that matched Tango's, and together with Jimmy, they forced Grian's arms behind his back, properly trapping him.

"Bet you're regretting leaving our alliance now, aren't you?" Scott teased, leaning in close next to Grian's ear. The poor man was desperately struggling to escape the hold that Impulse and Jimmy had on him, but he was disarmed and hopelessly outnumbered. Scott laughed. "I have to thank you, honestly. You've just made this delightfully easy for us."

"We've got to send them a message," BigB said, "so that they know we've got a hostage."

"He's soulbound to Tango," Scar suggested. "Anything we do to him, Tango feels too."

"How about we send Tango a message, then?" Scott agreed.

Grian's terror was apparent. He was kicking and scratching, jerking around desperately to no avail. Impulse and Jimmy were just too strong. He didn't stand a chance.

"I'd be happy to do the honors," Scar said.

"Go ahead, Scar," Scott nodded, leaning back against the chests. He hadn't even had to lift a finger, he'd just sat back and watched. "Do your worst."

Scar approached Grian, who tried to stammer out some kind of plea that quickly faded into nothingness. Scar smiled cheerfully. "Sorry about this, Grian."

And with that, he punched Grian square in the jaw, knocking him out cold.

------

They had decided that spawn would be the meeting place for negotiations, sending a message to Cleo so that the other team knew where to go. And, just as promised, both teams arrived just as the sun rose.

The players from the East were honestly quite intimidating - four red names were terrifying enough, but even though Scar was still a yellow name, he was scary on his own, considering that he was a bit too excited about getting revenge on his ex-soulmate. Now that they had a prisoner on their hands, they had power as well. It clearly gave them some confidence as they approached the negotiation grounds.

Grian had refused to say much of anything by the time he came to, a dark bruise forming on the left side of his face. They'd tied his hands behind his back, with Impulse and Jimmy still holding his arms to escort him to spawn. About halfway through the journey there, their hostage had decided that he didn't want to speak OR walk, and had refused to move his legs - this didn't slow them for very long, however, because Impulse and Jimmy opted to carry him.

Despite the fact that the players from the West had more lives to spare, they didn't look anywhere near as confident or strong. Joel and Cleo led the pack, both looking like they were itching for a fight, the ivy circlets on their heads making them look even more warriorlike. They were the only ones that looked the slightest bit threatening, however. Bdubs looked like he'd rather be anywhere else, staying at the back of the pack. Ren was trying to seem noble, but it was clear that his death had rattled him, his hands shaking. Tango looked practically ill, a similar bruise to his soulmate's spreading across his jaw - Martyn was sticking close to his side, keeping a comforting hand on his shoulder as Tango swayed slightly in place. Clearly, Grian's attempt to resist his captors was only hurting his soulmate further, and they weren't exactly being gentle with him to begin with.

Two players were missing, of course. Scott had planned this ambush well, and having Pearl and Etho sneak up behind the other team would give them the element of surprise.

"Glad you could make it," Scott said, stepping forward to begin the negotiations.

"I don't want to hear it, Scott," Joel replied sharply, approaching as his own team's representative. "What is it that you want?"

Scott shook his head. "I'm sorry, I don't remember you being in charge of this negotiation. We have the leverage, remember?"

Joel huffed, and Impulse saw him take a quick look at Grian, then back to Scott. "You said you wanted a trade. What do you want, diamonds?"

"We said an even trade, Joel," Scott said. "There's no amount of diamonds that are as valuable as a player. No, what we want is a life for a life."

Joel's face stayed neutral, but Impulse saw his hand tighten around his sword's hilt.

"You're welcome to choose anyone," Scar spoke up, stepping next to Scott. It was interesting to see the two of them standing next to each other - Scott, looking serious (if not a bit smug) next to Scar, who was smiling, practically gloating. "Which one of your teammates is as valuable as Grian? Who's a fair trade? It's your decision."

Behind him, Cleo shook her head. "No deal," she said. "We're not playing games with people's lives."

"I thought you'd say something like that," Scott admitted, shrugging. "Fine, then. I guess the negotiation is off. You know what that means."

This, of course, was Jimmy's cue. Impulse had always thought that Jimmy was a pretty nice guy - friendly, clever, a bit clumsy at times, but someone he was happy to work alongside. But there was another one of his traits that was just important to keep in mind - Jimmy was loyal. If you had Jimmy on your side, and you showed him genuine trust and commitment, he'd do anything for you. And when Scott had asked him to be the one to act, he'd agreed without question. When the West siders turned down the deal, he swiftly pulled his sword from his sheath and buried it in Grian's gut.

Impulse wondered, as he felt Grian's blood splatter his face and arms, if Scott had asked Jimmy not just because he was loyal, but because Scott didn't trust Impulse to be ruthless.

[Grian was slain by SolidarityGaming]

As Grian's body dropped to the ground and vanished, Pearl and Etho struck from behind, appearing from the treeline where they'd been hiding. Scar had suggested this, insisting that, if Pearl and Etho could surprise the other team and separate them, they'd be easier to kill. They were quick to drive Ren, Bdubs, and Martyn away from Joel and Cleo - Tango, of course, had disappeared alongside his soulmate.

But, as it turned out, they didn't need to separate the team, because without even looking, Joel and Cleo both raced forward and attacked. Impulse could see the fury on their faces. Cleo aimed a furious swing of her axe at Scott, who narrowly avoided the attack, and Joel crossed swords with Scar, who looked excited for a proper fight.

They were hopelessly outnumbered, of course. The two of them versus most of the Easterners was a losing battle from the start. But these two were angry - and that meant they were happy to fight dirty. After trading a few blows, Joel swung out his leg and tripped Scar, sending him sprawling. When BigB tried to jump in and attack Cleo, she spun her axe in her hand and hit him on the side of the head with the blunt end, knocking both him and Jimmy unconscious. When Scott tried to attack Cleo back, Joel was quick to rush to her defense.

It was now 2v1, and Scott had the disadvantage - but not for long. Impulse raced to his soulmate's side, axe in hand, and blocked one of Joel's attacks right before he could sink his blade into Scott's shoulder. Cleo tried to drive her axe into his side, but she was thrown off guard by an arrow hitting her in the leg - Scar had pulled out his bow to provide some support.

They were both willing to fight Impulse, but clearly, their rage was aimed at Scott. It meant their defense against him was sloppy. Unfortunately, that passion kept them from realizing that they'd left a weak spot wide open. Joel was trying hard to get an attack past Scott's sword, and in his desperation, he'd completely turned his back to Impulse.

That was a grave mistake.

Impulse lifted his weapon over his shoulder and swung, driving the axe squarely between Joel's shoulder blades with a sharp CRUNCH. They'd already taken a few hits from the fight with Scott, and from Scar's arrows - Impulse's critical hit was just the final nail in the coffin, and Joel had only a couple of seconds of excruciating pain before he and his soulmate vanished, losing their second life.

[Smallishbeans was slain by ImpulseSV]

It was an undeniable victory - by the time Impulse looked up again, Ren, Bdubs, and Martyn were already long gone, retreating towards the Tower. He felt Scott approach and take his hand, squeezing it.

"Thank you," his soulmate whispered, "for protecting me there. I'm glad we're in this together."

They were quick to go help BigB and Jimmy, and as Pearl and Etho approached to regroup and celebrate their victory, Scar tapped his shoulder.

"That was incredible - and there's a way to end this once and for all," Scar said. "I have an idea.

Chapter Text

They'd all been given jobs to do. Bdubs and Martyn were in charge of fortifying the Bunker while the rest of their team added more protection around the Tower.

Joel and Cleo had made the decision to move their team into just two bases, citing their concerns over Martyn, Ren, and Bdubs living far away (they'd neglected to say that Martyn was also living soulmate-less and unprotected, but Bdubs knew they were thinking it). This meant that their new homes, the Tower and the Bunker, both needed more protection. So now, they surrounded them with cactus walls and moats in order to prevent surprise attacks.

Normally, Grian and Tango would have been helping them, too, but the pair had gone radio silent, opting to stay cooped up inside their base ever since Grian was captured and subsequently killed by the players from the East. Bdubs didn't mind - he'd want to be left alone, too, if Ren had been the one held hostage.

"If you don't mind me asking, Martyn," Bdubs asked, as they surrounded the bunker in two layers of fencing, "why did you decide to join this team? Since it meant leaving your soulmate, I mean..."

Martyn shrugged. "Listen, Scar and I were never going to get along. This was just the final nail in the coffin. Scar is convinced that Impulse and Scott had the moral high ground in everything, but I disagree - and after last session, it looks like I was right. Scott and Impulse are behaving like tyrants now. Just because someone does a bad thing to you doesn't mean you get to do worse things to them." He placed down the last fencepost and brushed off his hands. "I could ask you the same question back. You and Ren teamed up with Joel and Cleo almost instantly. Why did you do it?"

"I mean..." It was honestly a bit hard for him to explain. "Impulse's death in session one... it was horrible, but Joel made it very clear it was an accident. Originally, he and Cleo were trying to find some way to make it up to them and then... well, they never got the chance. When they explained that to us, we were pretty convinced."

"Yeah, at least we've got a good group of people on our side," Martyn said. "Even after a devastating loss, everyone's still sticking with the team. Clearly, we've got a loyal bunch."

Just as they finished discussing, their team approached - Joel, Cleo, and Ren all looked happy to see them. Cleo nodded approvingly at the protections they'd added.

"Do you think Grian and Tango would mind us meeting in the Bunker?" She asked. "We wanted to discuss what comes next for the team, and it only seemed right that everyone should be there."

When they knocked, Grian and Tango invited them in, a bit quieter than usual but seemingly feeling better. They all settled around a birch table that Tango set up in the center of the Bunker.

"Alright, everyone," Joel said, taking a deep breath. "We're over half red names at this point - and so is the other team. Cleo and I never wanted this to become a war, but clearly, we're in one now, and there's no going back. We have to strategize and do our best to counterattack, otherwise they're going to start eliminating us."

"The remaining yellow names are Ren and Bdubs, Martyn and Scar, and Etho and Pearl," Cleo added, "which means you could have a target on your backs. Ren, Bdubs, Martyn, I never want you travelling alone. Make sure you always have someone with you, and not just your partner. Having shared hearts means that if you're both taking damage, you die twice as fast - don't forget that."

"And we need to target Etho and Pearl," Joel said. "We can't let them have any advantages."

Tango and Grian exchanged a look, and then Tango pulled something from his inventory. "We've already got a plan for that," he said, showing off several skulk sensors. "Etho and I got these from the Deep Dark when we were trying to lure the Warden in session two. As long as my redstone is good, there's no way he sees it coming."

"I like the way you think," Cleo grinned. "Glad you're feeling a bit better."

"We're ready to strike back," Grian insisted. "Revenge is mandatory."

"For safety, I can stick with Ren and Bdubs," Martyn added, raising his hand. "So that we can defend each other. You four red names should stay together, too."

"But they're going to target Joel and Cleo the most," Ren cut in. "They've done it once already, at the negotiation. Scott and Impulse want revenge, too. They're not going to hesitate at the opportunity to permanently kill you two."

Joel and Cleo exchanged a look, and then Joel nodded. "You're not wrong. Grian, Tango, do you feel okay travelling alone? The rest of us will stay together and hold down the fort."

"As long as nobody's at the Pyramid," Grian said, with certainty, "we won't be spotted. Besides, we've got some other stuff to take care of, as well."

The two departed with plenty of explosives and redstone (perhaps a bit more than they needed), and the remaining five players from the West began the painful task of waiting.

Bdubs couldn't help but look at Ren. His soulmate was currently deep in concentration, polishing his armor. Wrapped around his head was Bdubs's headband, a clear indication of his soulmate. Atop Bdubs's head were Ren's shades. They'd traded these items early on, swearing to protect one another and win these games. But, of course, it had all gone wrong after that first session.

Being partnered with Ren was strange. Ren was intense. He was loyal, always putting everyone before himself (and before Bdubs). He was also dedicated, and he'd do anything for the sake of the team (which makes him blind sometimes). Once Bdubs had convinced him to ally with Joel and Cleo, he never even considered doubted them. He'd trusted Bdubs's judgement fully, without question.

Bdubs had considered leaving the West, abandoning the war entirely and just enjoying the rest of his life in some hidden corner of the map. But, of course, he couldn't live without his soulmate, and there was no way that Ren would leave with him. Bdubs couldn't imagine leaving Ren behind (he had no idea how Martyn could manage). There was something about being someone's soulmate, that pull that leaves you desperate to stand by their side, wanting to stay up late telling life stories by the fire, dedicated to protect them no matter what. So there was no way he could even think about leaving Ren behind. Which meant he was stuck as a part of this war for good, with a soulmate who cared more about the alliance than his partner.

But, hey, this wasn't exactly the first time that Bdubs had devoted himself to someone who didn't really care. At least Ren wouldn't abandon him when he turned red (not that he really had a choice).

Suddenly, a message buzzed through their communicators.

[Ethoslab blew up]

There was no cheering or excitement, but there was one brief moment of silent glee as FINALLY one of their plans had succeeded. That, of course, didn't last long, because Cleo realized something and cursed.

"We should have never let them go alone - the entire East side is going to start beelining to the Pyramid. They'll be easy targets," she said. "We have to send some people to escort them back safely. Joel, you and I should go-"

"No, it'll be safer if we go," Ren insisted. "I know we're more likely to be targeted because we're yellow, but that also makes us a bit less vulnerable - they can't permakill us. Martyn, Bdubs, and I should go get them."

Cleo's brow furrowing. "You're not wrong, Ren, but I'm still worried..."

"Just make sure you move fast," Joel said firmly, "and don't be afraid to fight back."

"And stick together! No splitting up," Cleo added.

Fortunately, they didn't encounter anyone on their quick trip to the Pyramid - the darkness of the night kept them from being easily seen. They ran until they spotted the dusty sandstone of the Pyramid - now with a massive hole in the side, clearly from TNT. Pearl and Etho were long gone, likely appearing back at spawn after their beds were destroyed in the explosion. But Grian and Tango were missing as well.

"Do you think the Easterners caught them again?" Ren whispered nervously.

Martyn shook his head. "This place looks empty. I don't think they were expecting it, and they probably weren't able to mobilize in time. If they were going to get here, it would be around now-"

As if on cue, all three of them heard the distinct sound of voices approaching. Without Grian and Tango, they'd be easily outnumbered.

"Run," Bdubs hissed.

They took off through the woods, and it soon became obvious that they were being chased, based on the distinct sound of racing footsteps and yelling. Bdubs's instinct was to head north, trying to go a different way than his allies so that the people chasing them had to split their team up. However, when the terrain got steeper and he was forced to go slower, Bdubs quickly realize that this was a mistake - and then suddenly, someone was colliding into him, sending him sprawling to the ground. The person that had tackled him was quick to pin his arms down above his head and reach for their axe - and then they froze, making eye contact.

Impulse didn't look like he wanted to kill Bdubs. In fact, he seemed shocked that he'd even managed to catch him. Before Bdubs could even bother trying to beg for his life, Impulse took his hand off his weapon and let go of Bdubs's wrists.

There was some kind of unconscious understanding that passed between them - something that neither of them could have explained. It felt, just for a moment, like they were distantly connected to each other, despite being on opposite sides.

"Go," Impulse muttered, standing up and taking a few steps away from him. "Just this once."

Bdubs didn't have time to question it- he scrambled to his feet and scurried back into the woods.

Somewhere close by, Ren screamed. Sharp pain sunk into Bdubs's back.

As soon as he heard Ren's cry, Bdubs started running towards it. It was almost certainly guaranteed to kill him, yes, but he had to be there for Ren. He had to help his soulmate.

Ren was on the ground, an arrow sticking out of his back. Bdubs immediately dropped to his knees and tried to help Ren to his feet, ignoring the piercing pain that the arrow had caused, but they weren't quick enough. Emerging from the forest were Scott, Jimmy, and BigB, all with their bows drawn. In that moment, escape became impossible - they surrounded the pair quickly and Scott pointed his arrow directly at Ren's head.

And it wasn't even a question. Bdubs put his body in the way, taking the blow to his chest. Why was he trying to protect Ren, when Ren would still feel the pain regardless? Simple - it was about the act of defending his soulmate, being his shield, even if they both would ache in the long run. If they were going to die, then Bdubs would at least die selflessly.

[BDoubleO100 was shot by Smajor1995]

The pain of getting shot at point-blank range was unbearable, but only momentarily. And then, suddenly, they respawned back at the Hilt.

There was no time to discuss what had just happened. Just as they started to stand up, trying to process what had happened, their communicators buzzed and a message was sent.

[The gear they were holding will be burned in 10 minutes], Scott's statement read, [unless a half stack of diamonds are delivered to the Cabana.]

"I mean, it's not like they've ever been gentlemanly about returning our stuff," Ren said in a low voice, shaking his head.

Then, a private message from Joel.

[We've got it covered.]

"We told them it's not safe to leave the base," Bdubs hissed. "That's-"

The door to the Hilt opened, and he and Ren instantly scrambled away in panic, grabbing each other's hands. But, thankfully, it wasn't their enemies here to kill them in a moment of weakness - it was Martyn.

"I'm so sorry," he panted, catching his breath. "I just ran, I didn't realize I'd left you until I heard my communicator buzz and by then it was too late."

"It's fine, Martyn," Ren said. "The issue now is Joel and Cleo - they've gone to negotiate again, this time for our stuff, because that went SO very well last time..."

"The two of them travelling isn't safe right now, especially over the open plains," Bdubs added. "I don't know why they think this is worth it..."

"I mean, they're probably not using the overworld," Martyn cut in. "The Nether pathway leads directly from the Bunker to the Cottage, and the Cabana isn't far from there."

"That's exactly what Scar thought they would do," a new voice said.

Martyn spun around, sword drawn.

"I have information," the voice continued, shrouded in darkness outside of the doorway. "And I'm not armed. I don't have any good weapons, anyways, because all of my stuff got blown up. I promise, I'm not a threat."

Bdubs knew that voice. "Martyn, don't lower your sword, but let him come in. Etho, what are you doing here?"

Reluctantly, Martyn stepped backwards into the base, and following him in was Etho, the purple bandana that matched Pearl's still tied around his neck. His hands were up in a sign of surrender.

"You're lucky we aren't killing you on the spot," Ren spat. "Why are you here?"

"Listen, there's not much time," Etho continued, his voice low and calm. "This whole thing - ambushing and killing Ren and Bdubs, offering a trade for diamonds, it was all planned. They were hoping to coax Joel and Cleo into the Nether. Right now, Scar is waiting at the end of the Nether pathway, ready to knock Joel and Cleo into the lava as soon as they get close. My team wants to two of them dead, permanently."

They processed this information for a moment, unsure.

"How do we know you're telling the truth?" Ren asked, after the pause. "This could be a trap in itself."

"Why are you telling us this, anyways?" Bdubs said. "Shouldn't you want them dead, too?"

Etho looked Bdubs directly in the eye. "Pearl and I believe that this won't go well either way, but if Joel and Cleo die now, the server will plunge into ruin." He sounded incredibly sure of himself, almost a bit too all-knowing. "And besides, it's breaking the rules - Scar is a yellow life, and he's only supposed to act in self defense. If Joel and Cleo are to die, they at least deserve a more honorable death. I don't hate Cleo, and I don't want Joel dead. I feel like, in another life, we would have been good allies. But this..." Etho shrugged. "This has escalated into madness."

"I'll try sending them a message, at least," Martyn said, lowering his sword and pulling out his communicator. As soon as Martyn's sword wasn't pointing at him, Etho turned around and took off, vanishing into the darkness.

Bdubs shouldn't have believed him so easily. There was no reason for him to trust Etho at all. But, he thought, their history surely had to mean something - and Etho had sounded so confident in those strange predictions for the future that he and Pearl apparently had.

"They're not answering," Martyn huffed, tossing his communicator on the table. "If we're right about them crossing through the Nether, that makes sense - they're probably concentrating on avoiding ghast attacks, anyways. What if Etho is telling the truth? What if Scar is waiting to kill them at this very moment?"

"Scar's unaccounted for right now," Ren admitted. "We haven't seen him for this entire session."

"And if they wanted to risk someone's life on a possible suicide mission, Scar is the safest person to send," Bdubs reasoned. "If Scar fails and falls into the lava himself, he's still got another life to spare, even if his attempt to kill them is technically against the rules."

"Not to mention, he seemed all too eager during the last fight," Ren added.

Martyn took a deep breath. "And he's taking some fire damage right now." He showed the other two his hands, which were covered in singes. More bright-red burns appeared around Martyn's forearm in real time, and he winced. "It's not definitive evidence, but if Scar was trying to hide in the nether, he might be getting burned by some residual fire right now."

"Can we get to the portal in time?" Ren asked, opening a chest and grabbing some spare tools. "Maybe if we get there soon enough, we can try to..." Even he didn't seem confident they'd be able to help, much less make it there in time.

Something dawned on Martyn, a sick, profound understanding.

"There's one way to stop him," he said softly, picking up his sword and pressing it into Ren's hands.

Bdubs realized before Ren did and inhaled sharply. Ren looked at Martyn, then at the blade, and then back at Martyn.

"Surely you don't mean..." Ren shook his head. "There's got to be another way."

"We don't have time." Martyn pulled off his chestplate and dropped to his knees in front of Ren and Bdubs. "Do it, now, before it's too late."

Ren lifted the sword, then hesitated.

"Ren, please," Martyn begged. "I did this once for you. Now, do it for me."

Slowly, regretfully, Ren raised the sword and swung it downwards, just as he was asked. Because he was loyal, he was selfless, he was dedicated to his alliance - and once the deed was done, Ren dropped the sword and collapsed into Bdubs's arms.

[IntheLittleWood was slain by RentheDog]

------

They couldn't stay there for very long, though - once Ren had taken a moment to grieve, he wiped the tears from his face and regained his composure. "We need to go to the Cottage, where Martyn will be respawning. Scar is going to respawn at the Cabana, which isn't far from there - we need to be Martyn's backup."

They quickly gathered some extra tools and armor and left the Hilt. Ren was quick to take the lead, determined to get through the woods as quickly as possible, but Bdubs slowed when he heard voices in the distance. He got Ren's attention as quietly as he could, and they went to investigate as the reddish light of dawn starting to peek over the treetops.

Hidden in a small clearing were two figures - Pearl, sitting on a fallen log with her head in her hands, and Etho, who was knelt next to her, attempting to provide some comfort. The voice they'd heard was Pearl's, trembling as she rambled.

"No- no, it's too late now, I can't do this anymore," Pearl said desperately. "You know just as well as I do - something is about to go horribly wrong, they're angry, and we shouldn't have tried to change things because now the consequence will be so much worse... Etho, I don't know how much more of this I can take."

"I know," Etho reassured, taking both of her shaking hands in his own. "You're going to be okay. I know it feels like everything is falling apart right now, but you can't lose control."

Pearl shook her head. "It wasn't supposed to be this way. Something went wrong, something went horribly wrong - it was supposed to be different. Tell me you feel it, too?"

"We're going to get through this together," Etho insisted. "I know it feels wrong, I really do, but we can't do anything about it now."

"You don't understand," Pearl whispered. "It's more than just that-"

"There's no going back now, Pearl." Etho took a deep breath. "We're just going to have to accept it. All we can do is watch."

It felt wrong to keep eavesdropping on this moment - Bdubs already felt bad for staying this long. He pulled at Ren's hand, and the two resumed their journey to help Martyn.

By the time they spotted the Cottage's chimney, they could already hear the screaming. In the front yard, the two ex-soulmates were already battling it out.

"You'd rather see the two of us dead then let me make my own choices!" Scar screamed, shoving Martyn backwards. "How dare you, it wasn't your decision-"

"You were going to kill them permanently!" Martyn yelled back. "I did what I had to do."

Scar pulled out a sword - clearly, he'd grabbed whatever he could and left as soon as possible, but even his chipped iron sword was better than nothing. Martyn, who clearly hadn't thought the same, was defenseless. Bdubs and Ren raced to his aid - and they weren't the only ones coming in to help their ally. Approaching from the other side was Impulse and Scott, weapons at the ready. Over Ren's shoulder, Grian and Tango were also running in to help. Strangely, they came from the direction of the Hilt, which meant that the two must have gone the long way around spawn. Bdubs hadn't seen them since that early meeting at the Bunker, but he was glad to see that they looked alright.

"Feel free to run and hide, Martyn," Scar hissed, when he saw that he was outnumbered. "But just know I'll never forgive you for this."

Martyn scoffed. "What else was I going to do, Scar? If I could have gotten to the Nether and fought you myself, I would have."

"How did you even know what I was doing?" Scar spat. "Nobody knew about that plan but our team."

"It was an obvious trap," Martyn shot back. "As soon as we saw the message in chat, we knew."

More backup was arriving for Scar, as Bdubs distantly spotted Jimmy and BigB crossing the central plains of spawn. Pretty soon, they'd be evenly matched - it would be a good idea to retreat before a fight broke out, because there was always a chance that someone could lose their final life.

"So were you really hiding in the Nether?" Ren asked. "I still don't understand - it was 1v2. Wouldn't you have been at a disadvantage?"

"Not if he broke the pathway under their feet," Impulse said gravely.

"How about we settle this right here, right now?" Martyn insisted. "Stop trying to set traps and play tricks on each other, and solve this through combat."

"We're outnumbered," Scott replied dryly. "That would hardly be fair."

"You've got two more crossing spawn," Bdubs offered, pointing in the distance to the approaching figures.

Next to him, he felt Tango stiffen. "Oh, no-"

Unfortunately, they all had the perfect vantage point to see exactly what Tango meant.

First, the deathly croak of skulk sensors echoed across the open field. Jimmy and BigB picked up speed, but they had mere moments before the destruction began. Explosives, buried all across spawn, started going off - shattering the ground beneath their feet and sending Jimmy and BigB flying forwards. They hit the ground, but even as the explosions continued to spread across the plains, the two didn't move, didn't try to defend themselves. They just lay there, holding each other's hands, their bodies torn and burnt and destroyed.

[SolidarityGaming blew up]
[Bigbst4tz2 died]

There was no respawning, no bodies vanishing to reappear at full health somewhere else, somewhere safe. No, when BigB and Jimmy lost their final lives, their bodies remained, a haunting reminder of what had just been done.

Nobody spoke. They just stood there, staring in horror. Bdubs couldn't process what had just happened - all his brain could do was connect the dots and realize that this must have been what Grian and Tango had vanished off to do, the "other stuff" they had to take care of. It had lead to someone's permanent demise.

There was no fighting. Scott, Impulse, and Scar didn't even try to seek revenge. Later, they'd surely have a proper battle, trying to achieve vengeance for their fallen allies. But, for now, they all gave the crater - and what remained of Jimmy and BigB - a moment of silence.

Chapter Text

Cleo pulled the diamond chestplate over her head, adjusting the straps so that it fit snugly on her shoulders. Next to her, Joel was strapping on his own armor. He passed her a set of diamond boots without saying a word, and she slipped them on before grabbing both of their weapons. They tested their weapon's durability, comparing her axe to his sword, and deemed them both satisfactory. Every movement they made was smooth and instinctual, as if they'd prepared for battle together a hundred times before and knew exactly what the other was thinking.

That was the thing about her and Joel - they just worked well together. In some other circumstance, their tempers might have clashed, but as a team, they never had an issue with resentment or disagreement. Cleo knew that Joel had her back in every scrap and skirmish, and Joel knew that Cleo wouldn't hesitate to come to his defence. It was the kind of trust that could only come from a profound respect for one another (it was also, perhaps, the kind of trust that was only built when the stakes were this terrifyingly high).

"Well, this has properly escalated, hasn't it," Cleo said, checking her inventory to make sure that she hadn't forgotten anything.

"Yeah, who knew Scott and Impulse could hold such a grudge?" Joel shrugged.

"Oh, you absolutely knew that they both would," Cleo teased, ruffling his hair. "You and I have both seen just how mad Scott can get."

Her soulmate chuckled. "Yeah, that guy can be scary sometimes. And, man, imagine how mad they must be now after losing two members of their alliance."

Cleo sighed and didn't respond, leaving them in awkward silence for a moment.

"Right, right," Joel muttered, turning away from her, "bad timing, I get it."

He may not have the greatest people skills, but Joel was a good soulmate. What he lacked in common sense, he made up for with unwavering loyalty.

They'd already gone over strategy with the team, and currently, their allies were getting ready in the Bunker. Joel had come up with their final plan - they were going to draw the fight back to the Tower, where the cliffs would be their ultimate weapon. If they baited the other team up the mountain by playing defense, they'd then be able to turn the tables and switch to an offensive final attack, backing their enemies off the edge. If they played things right, the East siders would be stuck between a rock and a hard place - or, in this case, a sword and a steep fall.

"I could give some kind of grand final speech here, to try to build morale," Joel had said at the end of the planning session, "but there's nothing else left for me to say. This isn't about revenge, or justice, or any other noble cause anymore. It's just about violence. Fighting to the death is all that we can do. There is no other way."

Now, full geared up and ready to go, they reunited with their team at the Bunker. Grian and Tango were both armed to the teeth with explosives and crossbows, Ren and Bdubs were splitting up their extra food, and Martyn was passing out ender pearls in case of an emergency. Nobody said much - their battle cry was left unsaid. Together, they began marching towards spawn, with Cleo and Joel leading the pack.

"We might not have another chance to talk," Cleo said softly, so that only Joel could hear, "so I want to say it now - thank you for sticking with me, soulmate."

"I should be the one thanking you." Joel replied, keeping his voice low. "I know that, if it was up to you, things wouldn't have gone this way. But I'm glad we're at least facing it together."

"As am I," Cleo agreed. "Considering the circumstances, we've done the best we can. You know, I'm glad your wife isn't a part of this season, considering the mess that's been made. I hope Lizzie is doing okay. How has she been?"

"She's been fine," Joel nodded, and suddenly he wouldn't look Cleo in the eyes. "I'm glad she's not part of this, too, but I don't think it's for the same reason as you."

"How so?" Cleo asked.

"Because I don't think she would have been on my side if she was here."

------

The players from the East and the West both reached spawn around the same time and lined up on opposite sides of the crater. Jimmy and BigB's bodies were gone, buried near the Treehouse (Martyn had done some spying early on and spotted the funeral from a distance). Cleo was glad that the two of them had a peaceful final resting place, far away from the final battle.

Grian and Tango were on her left, and Martyn, Bdubs, and Ren were on her right. Across the way, she made eye contact with Impulse, who stood in the center of their lineup. Pearl and Etho stood on his left, and Scott and Scar were standing at his right, staring directly at Grian and Tango. They didn't look very happy - clearly, they had figured out who was responsible the explosives that had permanently killed their allies.

For a moment, everyone hesitated. It was uncomfortably quiet, as if some unknown force was daring someone to make the first move.

And then Scott sprung into action, drawing his arm back and throwing an enderpearl across the crater - landing directly in front of Grian and Tango. He pulled out a crossbow and fired, which sent an flash of firework rockets directly at their faces. It was an incredibly effective way to make sure they couldn't fight back, as the two immediately struggled to defend themselves, blinded by the lights of the explosion. Cleo turned to defend her allies, but a hiss of redstone set off an explosion, which forced Cleo and Joel backwards, splitting Grian and Tango from the rest of their group - clearly, Etho or Impulse had snuck out here and prepared this distraction in advance.

It all happened so fast, and it was obvious why Scott targeted who he did. The sword that slit Tango's throat looked exactly like the one that Jimmy had been carrying during the hostage negotiation, dented hilt and all. In one swift attack, BigB and Jimmy were avenged.

[Tango was slain by Smajor1995]
[Grian died]

Two bodies hit the ground. Despite the blood, they looked strangely at peace with their quick demise as Grian's head rested on Tango's shoulder. For a second, Cleo couldn't help but stare at them, stunned and horrified.

"Attack!" Impulse screamed, and all-out war began.

The rest of the Eastsiders enderpearled across the crater, weapons at the ready. Joel and Cleo quickly crossed blades with Pearl and Etho. Joel and Pearl were evenly matched in swordplay, but Cleo was able to slightly overwhelm Etho with the speed of her axe swings. This, of course, didn't last long, because on her right, she heard Bdubs call for help. Cleo swung wide to drive Etho back and took a second to look her ally's way.

Bdubs's fight with Scar wasn't going well, with Scar repeatedly breaking through his shield and showering him with arrows. The worst part was that Scar clearly knew he had the upper hand in this fight, smiling and aiming with deadly precision. Cleo tried to knock Etho aside so that she could get to Bdubs's aid, but Etho refused to let her get away, trying to use this distraction to his advantage. She took a few steps backwards and pulled out her bow, using arrow after arrow to drive Etho back while she tried to figure out the best way to help Bdubs.

Ren, who was mid-fight with Impulse, had apparently thought the same thing. He shoved Impulse away and raced past him, trying to get to his ally's side, but Impulse used that to his advantage. He slammed his elbow into Ren's chest, knocking him off balance and sending him tumbling into the crater. Scar sent one last arrow flying at Bdubs's chest - and before it even made contact, Cleo knew that, combined with Ren's fall damage, it was more than he could take.

Ren, who had been trying to stand, crumpled to the ground. Bdubs tipped backwards and fell into the crater, landing in a heap next to his soulmate.

[BdoubleO100 was shot by GoodTimesWithScar]
[Renthedog hit the ground too hard while trying to escape ImpulseSV]

Cleo couldn't afford the time to mourn them - but if you didn't look the arrow in Bdubs's chest, it almost looked like they were just resting, laying side by side with the sun on their faces.

Martyn, who had been fighting Scott, screamed, "Retreat!"

They were outnumbered. 5 versus 3 was always going to be a losing battle, and she and Joel were quick to follow Martyn's lead, taking off and running in the other direction, towards the Tower. Their original strategy had been forgotten after Scott's targeted attack, but that didn't mean they still couldn't try to use that plan in their moment of need. The cliffs might be the only way they could still win this.

The other team was closing in behind them, but when they reached the cliffs and started climbing, it was clear that Joel and Cleo had the advantage. Having a base high in the mountains had given them plenty of experience in travelling on uneven terrain, and the other team - and Martyn - quickly fell behind them.

Cleo made it to the top first and reached out a hand to pull Joel up as well. For a second, they caught their breaths, panting. The Tower was close behind them, but its cactus and moat defenses were too risky - trying to cross to their base would only slow them down.

"What do we do now?" Cleo asked desperately.

Joel had a hungry look in his eye, the kind of wildness that could only be made with a mix of desperation and red-life bloodlust. "We have to try to fight. See if we can push them off of the edge, like we planned. If you see an opportunity to kill them, don't hesitate to-"

An ender pearl flew up past them, landing nearby, and then suddenly, Scott was standing behind them, sword raised.

His blade clashed with Cleo, who had lifted her axe seconds before Scott's sword was able to swing at Joel's neck. Joel raised his sword and drove Scott backwards, but arrows started flying at them from behind, and he and Cleo had to sidestep - Scar had reached a ledge near the top and was shooting at them with incredible speed, red fury in his eyes.

"Impulse!" Scott yelled, trying to push Cleo backwards - without success, because every time he struck, Joel countered his attacks. "Impulse, I need you!"

Cleo turned - Pearl, Etho, and Martyn had fallen behind on the climb up, but Impulse had reached the top of the ledge and was now watching them battle it out. He didn't move to join the fight or defend his partner. In fact, Impulse seemed at a loss for words, his axe clutched tightly in his hands.

"Impulse!" Scott kicked outwards desperately, trying to trip Joel. He was too slow - Cleo clipped his shoulder with her axe in retaliation, causing him to cry out in pain as blood splattered across both of them. "Please- Impulse, I need you - why aren't you helping me?"

Impulse dropped his weapon, looking his soulmate directly in the eyes as his axe hit the ground with a soft thud.

"What are you doing?" Scar yelled from afar. "Help him!"

"I'm done fighting, Scott." Impulse's voice was loud but firm. "This has gone on for far too long, and I refuse to allow this feud to continue. Scott, you've blown this situation entirely out of proportions, and I won't stand for it any longer. I should have stopped you a long time ago. I never wanted this."

"What are you talking about?" Scott cried, clutching his bleeding shoulder. "I did this all for you!"

He had given up on the fight entirely. Cleo decided it was time to put him out of his misery - take advantage of the opportunity, just like Joel had said. Before Scott could begin attacking again, she swung her axe and buried the blade into his chest.

The blood was everywhere now. Scott let out a weak, spluttering cough, his body convulsing. Over her shoulder, Cleo watched as Impulse's body crumple to the ground, and Scott's was soon to follow.

[Smajor1995 was slain by ZombieCleo]
[ImpulseSV died]

Their bodies lay far apart, unmoving and alone. Cleo spotted the golden necklace with the half-heart charm on the ground near Scott's body. Her final blow had shattered the chain, leaving the jewelry in pieces.

She didn't have time to appreciate the irony of that, because more people were climbing up the side of the cliff - Pearl, Etho, Martyn, and then Scar from his ledge. They all looked at Scott and Impulse's bodies in horror. It was strange now, being just the six of them. Pearl and Etho didn't look particularly ready to fight at all, and even Scar's rage had halted, uncertain on what to do next. Cleo and Joel's feud had been with Scott and Impulse, after all. With the two of them dead, was any of this worth it?

Pearl turned to Martyn with wide, unblinking eyes.

"You know what has to happen now, Martyn," she said softly. "Can you see it too?"

"What?" Martyn shook his head, looking caught off guard. "What are you talking about?"

"You always knew how this would end." And Martyn's face clouded, as if he knew exactly what she was saying and didn't like what it implied. Something told Cleo that this wasn't just about the present. It was something deeper, something more sinister - it was about the end of all things that was rapidly approaching.

"No, I- I'm not- shut up!" And then Martyn threw his whole body into Pearl, sending her flying backwards off the edge of the cliffside. She didn't fight it, didn't try to move away - her body just slipped off the edge and plummeted to the stone below. Etho didn't look scared by this. He had already accepted his fate - he simply closed his eyes and took a deep breath and, when her body hit the ground, he dropped lifeless as well.

[PearlescentMoon was doomed to fall by InTheLittleWood]
[EthosLab died]

There were so many bodies, Cleo thought. Grian, Tango, Ren, and Bdubs's in the distance, Scott, Impulse, and Etho's on the mountain next to them, Pearl's alone down below. And somewhere out there, Jimmy and BigB were buried, and pretty soon there'd be two more bodies because the only way to end this was to kill the remaining pair, and she didn't want her body to be added to that count, and she was afraid to die, and it was just her and Joel and Scar and Martyn and that meant that-

Cleo took a deep breath, regained her composure, and pointed her axe at Martyn.

"I'm not going to let you turn on me," she whispered, as her ally stumbled back in surprise.

"I'm not- I wasn't planning to!" Martyn dropped his sword. "I wouldn't- BEHIND YOU!"

An arrow whizzed past her ear, and she heard Joel cry out in alarm. They both turned to see Scar running towards them, dropping his bow and drawing his sword before swinging at Joel's legs. Joel managed to stumble back and avoid the blade's sweeping edge, but that caused him to lose his balance and fall, slamming into the dirt. Cleo felt the bruising pain on her side and ignored it, her blade clashing against Scar's. They traded a few swings, but neither of them could land a hit until Joel got to his feet and swung wildly at their foe, slicing deep into Scar's left arm. Scar didn't care - he kept attacking, swiping at Cleo's face, Joel's torse, making cut after cut.

And the worst part was, Scar didn't stop smiling throughout the fight. He never lost his confidence, never looked concerned or upset about any of it - he was just thrilled to be able to seek swift revenge for Scott and Impulse, or perhaps just excited to be able to take something from Martyn... Cleo couldn't tell.

Scar never tripped up, attacking with devastating precision, but eventually, Cleo and her soulmate made a mistake. When Joel tried to hit Scar's sword out of his hands, Scar took advantage of that missed attack and drove his blade into Joel's shoulder. Joel keeled over in agony, Cleo nearly dropped her axe because of the pain, and Scar used one final burst of energy to pull the sword out of Joel's body and stab it into Cleo's gut.

When she hit the ground, her vision was already failing. Blurrily, she could see Scar take his hands off the sword and turn to face someone unseen - Martyn, she realized, who hadn't joined the fight, who hadn't betrayed her. And then she squeezed her eyes shut because she couldn't stand the brightness anymore, barely able to process the muffled voices because the sound of her desperate breathing was all that she could focus on. She reached out a hand, desperately, and brushed something warm - and then Joel was holding her hand, squeezing it tightly as they felt themselves dying.

It was the worst place to be stabbed, ensuring a long, painful death as they both slowly bled out. All she and Joel could do was pray for it to be over soon.

"I don't want to die," Cleo whispered. All she could feel was her soulmate's hand in hers, and all she could hear was the sound of their pained breathing. "I couldn't protect you, I wanted to us to win- Joel, please, why isn't it stopping-"

"I'm-" Joel took in one final, rattling breath. "I'm sorry- I'm sorry I didn't save you- It will be over soon. Death will end this."

[ZombieCleo was slain by GoodTimesWithScar]
[Smallishbeans was slain by GoodTimesWithScar]

Chapter Text

Martyn didn't look at Scar until Cleo and Joel were dead. Their final moments were slow and painful, and Martyn couldn't do anything to help them. He just watched in horror as the life left their bodies.

Scar was watching them too. He wasn't smiling anymore - he almost seemed to regret his brutal final blow, but not enough to take the sword out of Cleo's stomach. When their communicators buzzed, signifying that a death message had been sent, he looked over at Martyn, and the two made eye contact.

Martyn couldn't remember the last time he properly looked at his soulmate. In fact, he'd been trying to avoid doing so - it was easier to ignore Scar, to push aside his regrets rather than confront them, even though Scar seemed hell-bent on making him face the music. Now, looking Scar in the eye, he couldn't believe how different his ex-soulmate looked. His brown eyes were now a shocking crimson, his shaggy hair swept out of his face, his clothing covered in drying blood. The red fury had faded from his face, but that didn't stop his brow from furrowing as he observed Martyn.

"What do we do now?" Martyn asked, ignoring the way his voice wavered.

Scar shook his head. "I don't know."

They went silent again, for a moment, and Scar's eyes drifted over to the other bodies - Scott, Impulse, then finally, Etho.

"What did she mean?" Scar asked, with genuine tint of curiosity in his voice. "Pearl, when she said - did you know what she was saying? 'You always knew how this would end?'"

Martyn's hands trembled, and he couldn't help but look at the cliffside, trying to catch sight of Pearl's body. He'd regretted pushing her as soon as he'd done it - Pearl hadn't deserved that. She wasn't the one making the threats, she was just delivering the message. "I think she knew. That we'd be the final two. I didn't- I don't know how." The last part was a lie, but Scar didn't need to know that.

"It would be us in the final two, wouldn't it?" Scar laughed dryly. "In a season full of caring, protective, loving soulmates, it's you and me, the two bitter exes who couldn't get along."

"Scar, I want to-" Martyn began, reaching out to touch his shoulder. Because, despite everything, he still wanted to be close to his soulmate, one last time.

"No, don't try to change things now," Scar snapped, pulling away from Martyn's touch. "It's too late for that. You still abandoned me from the start. This is still your fault."

"Oh, MY fault." Of course, this wasn't going to be easy. "Of course. I abandoned you - I'm sorry, I seem to remember one of us leaving the Cottage for good, and it wasn't me. Who ran away the second he started getting criticism that he couldn't handle?"

"Because you were cruel to me!" Scar insisted. "You never thought about how I felt. You couldn't even bother to PRETEND to care, even that would have been better..."

"Oh, don't you try to play the victim," Martyn sneered. "You were just as bad as me. You valued your alliance more than our relationship, because you were so utterly convinced that your side was the 'right side.' You can try to say that I didn't care about your feelings, but you just wanted me to go along with whatever you said. As soon as I stopped agreeing with you, you left me. You never even paid attention to me, let alone anyone on this server-"

"Oh, I never paid attention?" His soulmate slammed his palms into Martyn's chest, pushing him backwards. "You WOULD think that, Martyn. I only care about myself, I'm always off in my own little world, is that right? You know, I've seen things you never even bothered to think about - did you notice how much Jimmy appreciated a partner like BigB? Who supported him, who listened to him? And how BigB cared for him - you know, he told me in private that he was fighting harder than ever before, trying to live long enough so that Jimmy wouldn't be the first one out this time. Did you know any of that?"

He kept going. "I was there when Impulse and Scott argued with each other. The others brushed it off, but I knew the two of them had different goals. They could have worked things out if they'd just TALKED to one another, but they didn't, and look where that got them. Did you notice any of that, Martyn? And let's not just focus on MY alliance - I saw the way Bdubs looked at Ren, and how Ren never looked back - he was always looking at YOU, Martyn. And I'm sure you saw that as well, because you're SO observant, aren't you?"

"Hold on," Martyn cut in, his brow furrowing, "don't you dare imply that-"

"You say I didn't pay attention - I knew Cleo and Joel would never waver, they were teammates until the end. I watched Grian and Tango go from confident and cocky, to scared and desperate - because, of course, the second Grian loses control, the second someone has more power than him, he crumbles. And Pearl and Etho? Did you ever notice how wary they were, how reserved? I noticed it all - I heard her have a breakdown after their second death, the one that turned them red, while Etho desperately tried to help her keep it together. Were you aware of any of that, Martyn? Or were you too busy worrying about yourself to care about how anyone else felt?"

Martyn was at a loss for words. Scar wasn't done.

"Because I could tell - I knew that you were so convinced that you knew what was best, even when it hurt the people around you. Don't you dare try lecturing me about not paying attention, Martyn," Scar finished, "because I know you didn't see ANY of that. You were wrong, and you can't even admit that you were wrong because you don't care either way."

"Hold on," Martyn hissed. He and Scar had stepped closer and closer to each other, to the point where they were inches away from each other's faces. "This is still about right and wrong for you, isn't it! Because, of course, you're always right about everything, and anyone else who disagrees with you is wrong, is bad, is evil. When will it get through to you that there is no 'right' or 'wrong?' You and I both know that nobody was blameless in this war. It was just desperation and devotion and senseless violence in the name of revenge - and you were part of that, Scar. You did plenty of bad things, too. You're just as bad as anyone else."

He should have known that would set Scar over the edge. In one swift motion, Scar stepped backwards and pulled his sword, dripping with blood, from Cleo's body. Martyn pulled out his own sword just in time as Scar's attack reached him. Their weapons clashed, and the final fight began.

They were both giving it their all, but the difference in their techniques was apparent - Martyn fought like a fencer, and Scar fought like a maniac. For every quick parry or skillful retreat that Martyn tried, Scar countered with unrestrained fury, using all of his strength in every attack, desperate to strike him. For the first part of the fight, Scar was all offense and Martyn was all defense, neither able to outsmart the other.

Then, Scar managed to knock Martyn's sword away long enough to slash at his collarbones. He left a shallow cut, which created an identical injury on his own chest.

After that, Martyn switched things up, getting more offensive and pushing Scar backwards with wide, sweeping attacks. They both started taking more hits - a slash on Scar's cheek, a cut on Martyn's leg. It was maddening when every successful hit was still somehow painful. Their swords kept clashing and the tension kept building.

This, of course, led to Scar attacking more carefully, his attacks slower but more precise. His change in strategy encouraged Martyn to be a bit more reckless, and he realized that his once-careful attacks were getting wilder and messier as he desperately tried to gain the upper hand, to no avail.

And the worst part was that Martyn didn't want to fight Scar at all - he never wanted any of this. They'd argued over a lot of silly things - alliances and builds and pandas - but in the end, Scar had just wanted a partner who was there for him, and Martyn had left him. He'd abandoned him to explore the Nether in session one, let him walk away after their fight in session three, and never once tried to win him back. Now he wished he would have.

He was tired of swordfighting. So, taking a risk, Martyn dove forward and slammed the flat side of his sword into Scar's hands, knocking the blade out of his grasp and sending it flying over the cliffside, out of his reach.

Before Martyn could do anything else, Scar had slammed into him, knocking them both off their feet. Martyn's sword was lost in the scuffle, and suddenly, they were attacking each other madly, punching and kicking and scratching - dull, desperate attacks that hurt them both. Maybe it wasn't worth it, after all. Martyn was so tired. He just wanted this fight to be over, to be able to end this pointless violence, one way or another.

And so, after a while, Martyn's hands dropped to his sides and he stopped defending himself.

Scar didn't seem to realize, at first, that Martyn had stopped fighting, until he lifted his fist for another punch and paused, staring down at his soulmate's limp body underneath him. For a second, Scar seemed confused, trying to figure out if Martyn was unconscious - and then, he realized what Martyn was doing, and his face twisted in fury.

"Fight back!" Scar's voice was raw and desperate. "Why did you stop? Fight me, you coward, don't just sit there and take it-"

"I don't want to do this anymore, Scar," Martyn whispered, shutting his eyes. "Just do it, take the win."

"Stop it!" Scar grabbed Martyn's shoulders and shook him. "You can't just give up now, you owe it to me - you have to keep fighting, I swear, or I will..."

"Scar," Martyn said, "consider this my way of repenting for the way I acted. Neither of us did the right thing, but... you deserved a better soulmate than me. I know that."

His soulmate slapped him. "You can't stop now. Put your hands up, start swinging - if I deserved better, than give me a proper fight. If you ever cared about me, then you wouldn't give up now."

"This was always going to happen, Scar," Martyn insisted, shaking his head. He'd known exactly what Pearl meant when she said it - because he was never meant to be the winner. They wouldn't let Martyn have a proper victory, at least, not yet. "It was always going to end like this, we both knew that well enough. You win. Go ahead, finish it."

Scar pulled away from him instead, standing up suddenly. Martyn still didn't move, every inch of his body aching. Scar reached for Martyn's sword and held it up to his former partner's chest, daring him to pull away, to fight back, but Martyn just opened his eyes and stared directly at his soulmate, encouraging him.

"You can't even do this for me?" Scar cried. "What's the point of any of this, then? Why did you even bother if you weren't even willing to give me a proper fight in the end?"

"I never wanted to fight you, Scar."

Something in Scar seemed to shattered, and he drove his sword downwards into Martyn's chest.

Martyn felt the ice-cold sensation of sharp metal as it buried itself into his body, and he knew Scar did too, but that didn't stop his soulmate from twisting the blade. Martyn knew that Scar wanted it to hurt, and it did, but the pain didn't last long. Martyn felt his life slowly leave him as he looked past his soulmate, up at the sky. He hoped that, despite everything, Scar would be able to forgive him someday.

He knew that his soulmate was dying, too, but for one brief second, Scar was the winner. A hollow victory, but a victory nonetheless.

And then, Scar's body hit the ground, and they were gone.