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Scott was apprehensive about this plan. Grian’s schemes were always… well, unique to say the least. He didn’t quite think things through, as seen with Scar’s death on Day One, then with his pledge to stay with Scar throughout all of his Green life.
But there was a chaotic edge to Grian that Scott could appreciate. Even though the avian was green, he had killed four people so far in the series, which triumphed most of the kill counts of all of the reds on the server.
But with that chaotic energy, came a reason to stay skeptical of his plans and the alliance Scott and Jimmy had acquired with him and Scar. You never knew when your friendship could falter and how easily it was to trip someone and send them plummeting to their immediate doom.
Maybe Scott was just paranoid.
Jimmy told him that a lot.
“Just to specify, it’ll be us versus all of Dogwarts?” Scott asked, his voice skeptical.
Scar nodded, an excited light to his eyes. “It’ll be fun!”
“You’re red life,” Jimmy pointed out. “And so am I. If something goes wrong with Grian’s TNT trap, then Scar and/or I could be out of the series with the click of a button.”
“That’s why you and Scar will be staying inside of the bunker, which I have set the doomsday button in.
“It has a big sign next to it specifying to not press it until I give the signal. Like that, Scar and Jimmy will be safe and sound, while Scott and I still have all three of our lives, so if we die once, or even twice, it’s not as bad as one of you two dying.”
Scott had to agree with Grian on that account. Jimmy and Scar were both very prone to death, each of them earning themselves a spot in the earliest reds of the server. It astounded Scott their ability to have survived thus far with only one life balancing them between life and the cold abyss of death.
“They’ll be completely safe inside the bunker?” Scott asked, and he couldn’t keep the nervousness that he had been so valiantly trying to hide away from his voice.
Grian gave him an understanding smile, and nodded. “Yep, they’ll be fine in there. I doubt Dogwarts would realize they’re in there, much less target them.”
“But if they do realize they are in there, they might target them,” Scott realized, then sent a worried glance towards Jimmy. “What if that happens?”
“It won’t,” Grian assured him, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Jimmy and Scar will be okay. Trust me.”
Scott was still dubious about the whole plan, but he nodded anyway, if only to not cause any more worry to be sent spiking through his mind.
“Are we all in agreement to the plan, then?” Grian asked, and his bright green eyes tinted with something akin to excitement. It surprised Scott how much it reminded of Scar’s red eyes.
Jimmy and Scar nodded, then, after a moment's hesitation, Scott copied suit.
“Perfect,” Grian clapped his hands together happily, a smile twisting his lips. “Shall we get started, then?”
Once the four reached the desert, Scott pulled Jimmy to the side.
“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” Scott asked, worry practically dripping off of his words.
Jimmy gave him the soft smile that he adored, and nodded. “I’ll be fine, they’ll never see it coming!”
Scott managed a small laugh at Jimmy’s enthusiasm, but it immediately died out when the gleaming gold of the sand caught his eye again.
“Just, don’t die, please,” Scott put his hands on Jimmy’s shoulders. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
Jimmy’s smile widened, and he pulled Scott into a bone crushing hug. “Would’ve never dreamed of it, sunshine.”
Scott let Jimmy’s warmth soak into his bones, the comfortable reassurance seeping through the anxiousness and nervousness swirling around his mind.
“Promise me you’ll be okay,” Scott whispered into the golden curls of Jimmy’s hair.
“I promise,” Jimmy replied, his voice soft, yet strong. “I’m not going anywhere anytime soon.”
Scott pulled away for a second, staring into Jimmy’s bright red eyes. “I love you so much, you know that, right?”
“I know,” Jimmy held Scott’s hand in his own, covering the woven ring that sat atop Scott’s finger. “I love you too.”
“Guys!” Grian called, “we have to get going! They’ll be arriving soon!”
“Stay safe,” Scott said, before taking in Jimmy’s pale gray skin, his beautiful red eyes, his shining smile, and turned away. He walked through the sand, allowing Grian to guide him to where he and the avian would be waiting, and heard the retreating footsteps of Scar and Jimmy behind them.
“They’ll be okay,” Grian reassured Scott, never taking his eyes off the treeline surrounding the desert. “Don’t worry. Just focus on the here and the now.”
“Right,” Scott said, his voice quieter than usual. “Here they come.”
Scott sent one last glance at the semi underground bunker where Jimmy would be residing until the battle was over. A moat of lava surrounded it, with a ring of obsidian around the perimeter of the bunker, obscuring the top half of the uncovered area, only leaving a half slab of emptiness to peer through as a peephole.
Jimmy would be fine.
He was perfectly safe in there, and he had Scar with him who could blow the whole desert up with the click of a button.
Jimmy would be alright.
“They’re arriving!” Grian called, lodging an arrow in his bowstring and firing it into the sky. It rocketed up in an arc, and fell behind the cover of darkness where Scott had just seen a flicker of movement.
“We have to be careful to not let them flank us,” Grian said, firing another arrow.
Scott drew his own bow, and fired into the night sky, allowing the wind to sweep his projectile to the intended target.
“I got Martyn once!” Scott called, then squinted through the darkness. “Is that Martyn?”
“No time! They’re gaining on us!” Grian yelled as Ren came charging from the edge of the desert, swerving through the arrows constantly being fired at him, and sprinted towards Grian.
Scott instinctively put his shield up, but Grian failed to do so in time. Ren’s blade struck true, and Grian staggered from the deep slash in his side.
“Eat a gapple!” Scott shouted.
“Yep!’ Grian answered, shoving a golden plated apple into his mouth and swallowing. Blue particles wafted off him, causing a slightly disorienting sensation for Scott who was in their vicinity.
Potions were weird like that. The particles that came with the effects from the potion, only seemed to benefit the wielder, and would merely make others in the vicinity slightly woozy or put off by the unique smell.
Ren backed off because of a warning shouted from Etho, and Scott and Grian had a moment to recover.
Scott grit his teeth as he pulled an arrow out from his shoulder, and quickly staunched the blood seeping into his shirt and jean jacket with his hand.
“Scott!’ Grian screamed, and Scott, distracted, took a moment to turn to face Grian. It was a moment too long.
As Scott turned, an arrow embedded itself into his skull, finding its way into the base of his head.
Scott stumbled, feeling warm blood trickle down his face and neck, before collapsing from the pain and the shock. Then everything was black. Scott had died.
Scott woke in his bed. His head felt like a million jackhammers were constantly hitting it over and over again, but he quickly got to his feet and slammed open the door, sprinting towards the direction of the desert.
He tore through the flowers, not paying mind to the ones he trod over, and took off through the forest, ignoring the skeletons firing arrows at him. Desperation and despair filled him with every step he took. How was Jimmy doing? Had Dogwarts seen him yet? What was happening?
A sudden ping shook Scott out of his thoughts, and he fumbled with his communicator for a second before taking hold of it and holding the shining green letters up to his face.
Grian was shot by InTheLittleWood
Scott breathed a sigh of relief, then immediately felt guilty. At least it wasn’t Jimmy who had died.
Scott’s footsteps sped up as he finally emerged from the treeline, and stepped foot onto the sand of the desert.
Another ping echoed in his ears.
Scott froze, not daring to look down at his communicator.
It had to be one of the Dogwarts people, right? Or, of course, it could just be someone asking a question, or saying something. Right?
Scott had nothing to fear from a casual conversation in the chat.
Scott, with trembling hands, brought the communicator up to his face.
Solidaritygaming was shot by Skizzleman
Scott froze. He ignored his pounding head, and absorbed the letters reflecting back into his now bright yellow eyes.
Jimmy… gone…
No. That couldn’t be right. No, Jimmy couldn’t have died. He shouldn’t have died. It was just supposed to be Grian and him! They were the green names! They could afford a death! But Jimmy…
Scott sprinted into the desert, and, ignoring Dogwarts who, surprisingly, never fired at him as he ran by, arrived at the bunker, breathing heavily.
Without hesitation, he ran into the bunker, where Scar was standing, blocking his path.
“Scott…” Scar said, his voice hesitant and grief ridden. “I don’t think-”
“Let me see my husband,” Scott growled, and the underline of a warning Scott hadn’t even meant to vocalize must have shone in his words, because Scar’s eyes widened, and he stepped aside.
As Scar moved, Scott saw one thing on the ground that made the realization finally set in.
A blood stained ring lay discarded and on its side, droplets of red surrounding it. Next to it, as if reaching out for the ring, was a bloody hand.
Jimmy’s hand.
Scott’s husband was dead.
Scott’s husband was gone.
“Jimmy!” Scott cried, tears welling up in his eyes as he ran into the room, dropping to his knees next to Jimmy’s bloody and prone figure.
An arrow stuck out of his chest, and his eyes were blown wide, fearful in the face of death. They were glassy and unmoving, and instead of red, they were a dull gray.
“No…” Scott murmured, gathering Jimmy’s head in his lap, stroking his hair gently. “Jimmy…”
“Scott-” Scar tried, his voice quiet.
Scott didn’t respond, but he felt tears begin to flow down his face, speckling Jimmy’s red stained shirt.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I’m sorry, Jimmy.”
And he ghosted his fingers over Jimmy’s eyelids, shutting his gray eyes, and it seemed a veil had settled over the two, obscuring them from everyone and everything else. All that mattered to Scott was the unmoving body of his husband laying in front of him, and the blood quickly soaking into his shirt and pooling onto the floor and Scott’s pants.
But Scott didn’t care.
Scott didn’t care anymore.
Because Scott’s whole world had just crashed and burned with a single arrow. That same arrow stayed embedded in Jimmy’s heart, puncturing the major artery, effectively keeping an end to Jimmy’s life.
Distantly, Scott heard footsteps nearing, and somebody sink to the floor next to him. He felt wings hovering around them both, and knew Grian was sat next to him, talking in Jimmy’s death too.
Scott knew Jimmy was good friends with Grian.
He knew Grian had to mourn Jimmy just as Scott was.
So Scott stayed quiet.
He heard a quiet trilling noise that Scott recognized as mourning from Grian. Scott didn’t turn to face the avian, but he understood his pain.
Grian hesitantly wrapped his wing around the both of them, the feathers ghosting Scott’s other side, and held his arm out slightly.
Scott leaned into the half hug, still staring at his husband’s lifeless form, and Grian wrapped an arm around him, his bright red parrot wings curling around them in a protective manner.
“I’m sorry,” Grian murmured, his voice barely above a whisper, without tearing his eyes from Jimmy’s form.
Scott wanted to say it’s okay. He wanted to forgive Grian. But he couldn’t.
“I’ll forgive you,” Scott said quietly, his voice broken and hollow. “In time.”
Grian nodded his understanding, and held onto Scott a little tighter.
Scott knew he would forgive Grian eventually, Just as he would forgive Skizz for killing Jimmy, and Etho for killing him.
But all that would be later.
It was time for Scott’s revenge.