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Everything. When it came down to it, everything was for naught. Even after months of work, committing subterfuge, raising an army, overthrowing Clown’s reign, it was not enough. As Pyro laid against the warm Netherrack, the cold scythe of unknown origin pressed to his windpipe, once again at death’s door. Would he even come back a second time after decapitation?
He glanced to his comrades. Sushi, Josho. Rae. Katie. Nox. He’d failed them all again. They laid, skew across the floor with cuts, breaks and bruises. His hand tried to move, despite the broken bone, reaching towards them. If he could just–what? If he could just what? What could he do? What can he do?
“You know Pyro, this could have been so much easier,” The scythe pressed just a little more. A black sludge ran down what Pyro now knew was Clown’s face. It was never a mask. He felt he should have realized that sooner. “If you had just stayed death. After all, your Wastewalkers couldn’t suffer what I have planned, if the dead just laid where they lie. But no. You’ve done something even I wouldn’t do.”
In the corner of his eye, Pyro watched Nox roll herself over. Her ribcage was missing a bone, as her chest rose and fell, mimicking her breaths in life. Her fire was dim. He couldn’t tell what she was feeling as she tilted her head in Pyro’s direction. Her sub-species faces were always hard to read in that way. It was something that made her a fitting warrior. Her unreadable, unchanging face.
Clown made a gesture towards the downed warriors. “How do you think I should go about unraveling your little undead amalgams? I’m sure I know someone who will be so excited to pick them apart for study.” Clown’s boot pressed down on his lung, making Pyro wheeze. “I’ll even let you pick which one I dissect first, with your dying breath.”
A glimmer of…purple? Caught Pyro’s eye, as Nox drew some small weapon. It clicked, but Clown didn’t hear it as he continued to talk. Where had he seen that shade of purple?
“No words? Then I’ll give you the count of three, before I pick myself.”
He watched Nox raise a shaky arm. What was she expecting that thing to do?
“One.”
Nothing they had done up till now had worked. Cut, yes. But what would such a small device do?
“Two.”
She should have just started running.
“Three–”
BANG!
Clown’s body slumped over in a heap, the scythe clattering. Everything became dead quiet while Pyro finally inhaled, pushing himself away from the now-remains. He looked at Nox, the girl shaking.
“FRICK YOU CLOWNPIERCE!” She yelled. “YOU RUINED MY LIFE! I’M UNDEAD! Uh–You! You killed my family! Uh…” She seemed to finally take in the fact that Clown was not moving. At all. It was over. Just like that. “...That worked?”
Pyro nodded shakily. “Yes, Nirox. That. That worked.”