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It all comes to a head with this standstill: Mapicc and an Old Friend, standing on two landmines. The moment one of them moves, the both of them will explode and die.
Well, that would be the case, had Mapicc not smuggled in some insurance.
“Mapicc,” The Director’s eyes widen at the sight of the Fish Bucket in Mapicc’s hand, “You don’t know what you’re doing with that. Throw that away before someone gets hurt.”
Mapicc laughs through his tears, raw and humorless, as his eyes narrow to meet those of his former best friend.
“I don’t think so, Spoke,” he responds, “I think this is the end of the line for you, for us. By doing this, I’ll ensure that my promise to never see you become like Ash is kept.”
Mapicc drops the bucket on the pressure plate and steps back, gaze never leaving The Director. He knows there’s nothing that Spoke can do now. He can either step off himself or wait for the bucket in front of him to despawn. No matter what he chooses, Mapicc won’t be there to see it.
He steps back again. Spoke doesn’t move. He’s perfectly silent, but looks well and truly caught off guard, an emotion Mapicc hasn’t seen since their time infiltrating the Mafia. It’s almost enough to convince him that the Spoke he cares about, his best friend, is still in there somewhere.
But only almost.
His eyes remain on Spoke until he reaches the staircase.
“Goodbye, Spoke,” he sighs, “When people ask about you, I’ll make sure to tell them about who you really were before you lost yourself. The Spoke that bankrupted the duped items, took down the mafia, and saved Unstable. That’s the Spoke I’ll tell everyone about. I promise.”
Spoke replies with nothing. Mapicc knows that any second waiting for him to do otherwise is a second he risks being in the blast radius when that bucket despawns.
With that thought, Mapicc turns away, ascending the staircase.
Every step he takes sets in the realization of what he’s leaving behind. He knows for a fact that he won’t be able to truly remember Spoke in the way that he promised. It all just hurts too badly, the lies, the betrayal, the imprisonment. And yet, what he said to Spoke, in the end, will ring true regardless.
The Director will see his last moments right here, right now, in this tower. No one besides himself and BAT needs to know what happened here. But Mapicc just can’t bring himself to hold Spoke in the same regard. He knows that whenever he thinks of Spoke, he will see The Director. Spoke has carved the image of a monster so clearly that it’s practically impossible to forget, to erase.
But just because Mapicc has to see him that way, doesn’t mean the rest of the server does as well. This is an experience that will haunt Mapicc and Mapicc alone. One day, he’ll be okay with that.
Mapicc reaches the top. No time to look down and reminisce. He’s got, give or take, two minutes before the TNT detonates, and he’s still in the blast radius. Dying here would make all of his own efforts, all of Spoke’s efforts, mean absolutely nothing.
It’s not until he’s done scaling down the exterior of the building that he hears the TNT go off, right as the bucket was set to despawn. So Spoke never stepped off after all. Never tried to run, whether towards the bucket or towards the stairs. Mapicc wonders if his final thought process was that of his best friend, or that of The Director.
He gathers some blocks to be able to build himself out of the prison. Did Spoke just stand there, staring at the bucket the whole time?
He supposes a stone axe would help him gather wood faster. Did he turn back, to watch Mapicc climb out of the rigged tower, never turning back to meet that potential gaze?
Six stacks of planks should be more than enough. Was he scared in those last moments? In the end, did Spoke regret anything?
Despite everything, Mapicc still cares about Spoke. He thinks he always will.
He walks to the obsidian wall, ready to leave everything behind for good. Despite the pain, despite how easy it would be to give up, Mapicc will persist, both for himself and for the Spoke he knew. He owes it to both of them. He will start a new chapter…
…completely unaware of the happenings transpiring deep underground, thousands of blocks away.
Ignorance is bliss, as they say.
“Ah, what a shame…” The Director muses, stepping out of his Stasis Chamber, fishing rod in hand, “I wasn’t expecting Mapicc to have a trick like that! Using sentimentality against me, I have to say that I’m pretty impressed.”
He takes out his communicator, setting the command to message Leo.
You whisper to Leow0ok: We’re not done here, but let him believe that we are. Let him go, and I’ll give you your new orders soon enough.
Leow0ok whispers to you: You’re the scum of the server. Everyone would’ve been better off had you died in that blast.
You whisper to Leow0ok: But I didn’t!! See you soon.
Spoke laughs. Leo can say whatever he wants, but he can never get rid of the leverage that Spoke holds over his entire little team. Spoke will use them all until there’s nothing left for him to use, and they all know it.
Mapicc won’t stay in a safe place, so he’ll just have to get rid of all the danger himself. That’s what he’ll use BAT for next. They haven’t been doing enough… assassinating. If anything, they should be grateful that Spoke is helping their team get back on track!
The game has only just begun. He can’t wait to see how Mapicc prospers in a server that can’t threaten him anymore.
“Mapicc…” he whispers, manic,
”I’ll see you real soon!”