Chapter Text
Death and anarchy was not new on a server like Unstable. It was welcomed, expected even.
Unstable was a server where you were constantly dancing with death, never knowing just when it would pull you into a dip that you would never come back up from. That was simply Unstable.
When LettuceK established The Law, Flame did not expect many to follow at first. It went against the very nature of the server, and too many people relied on the natural selection that went down every day. The weak were picked off for materials while the strong flourished and got stronger.
That was Unstable, and to ignore that would be ignoring the nature of the server. Ignoring how it had been for so long, thus interfering with the daily lives of those who played the server. This was an undeniable truth, and it was something that everyone on the server lived by, even unknowingly.
This was why, when The Law gained more followers, Flame still thought that it was just a passing fad. It would fade eventually, and all would return to usual. There was no way that a repeat of the Invisible Mafia would happen, right? The players had proved just how much they hated that. With BAT still on his tail, Flame doubted that they’d allow such a repeat.
That’s why it surprised him when BAT started working for The Law. They didn’t seem like the type of team to throw players around like that. Despite their repeated attempts to ban Flame, they’d seemed to care about their spies to some extent. When that soldier had come after him at his base, he couldn’t say he wasn’t surprised.
Then, The Law began detaining people. Griefing bases and seeking ‘justice’. Flame was declared a criminal and banned off the main server. The Law’s influence grew, and there was nothing he could do about it.
A spy from BAT ambushed Flame at his base, forcing him to ban them and draining his materials in the process.
He flicked the blood off his sword, painting the sand a satisfying crimson.
“Dang, bro,” Flame sighed, scrolling through his inventory. That fight had absolutely drained him, and he had nothing. Even if he did vacate the main server, he’d be doing it with scraps and bones.
He needed materials. He wasn’t allowed in Merchant City. They’d just chase him off. He couldn’t trade there without alerting The Law but he couldn’t just leave.
So, he called his only friend.
Lomedy.
He asked him to meet him outside of merchant city, hoping that he’d go into the city and trade for him. A favor for a friend, right? It was supposed to be a simple task. Something small. Something he could easily repay later and hopefully get Lomedy’s forgiveness. But no, Lomedy had shown up and hadn’t left in far too long. Flame was anxiously waiting for him. An emotion few could get from him.
Flame wasn’t trying to forget that he was wanted. It was hard to forget that when he killed one–thousand players alongside Wemmbu. However, hearing Lomedy constantly mention it made it something he wanted to forget. Flame isn’t a mindless brute. Sometimes, he just wants quiet moments. Soft laughs with his friends.
At the same time, he knows that such a life isn't for him.
He isn’t one to get too deep into his thoughts. Instead, he splashed invis, making sure that nothing was showing and walking into the city.
“Lomedy?” He called, noticing that the city was quieter than usual. Emptier too.
Flame tried again, “Lomedy!”
“Lomedy, what?” Flame slowed down, trying to stand tall still.
“This is honestly getting scary, bro. Lomedy?”
He wandered around more before catching a scent. Many scents, actually. All within the same room. It was unusual. Usually, Merchant City was alive. It was bustling with activity from everyone around. Flame could envision someone shouting for him, asking for the next big trade due to his habit of overpaying.
The silence was odd. He followed his nose, smelling someone he could never forget.
Lettuce.
What would Lettuce be doing here? Why are all those people gathered in one place?
“What is going on here?” Flame demanded, pulling out his axe.
Lomedy was standing beside Lettuce, no armor in sight. They were both surrounded by players in full netherite. Lomedy was staring at Flame, fear etched on his face.
“Flame?” The farmer questioned, fidgeting. He ignored Lettuce, his full focus on Flame. He was vulnerable.
This fact made Flame’s grip on his axe tighten.
“Lomedy? Where’s your armor?”
“He made me put it all in an e-chest, bro,” Lomedy explained, glancing around. He took note of how many people were here. All of these people wanted to kill or capture Flame, and he could not blame them. However, it also made him worry for Flame. He could see the exhaustion that was barely concealed. It made him wish that he would just give himself up.
“I just want to figure this out, dude,” Lettuce started, his hands behind his back. He angled himself in front of Lomedy, wanting Flame to know who had the most power in this situation.
It was working.
“Hand over my friend, bro, that’s it,” Flame sighed, his tail lashing wildly. All of these eyes just staring at him felt uncomfortable.
Lettuce chuckled, stepping forward. “No, no, no. You’re not the one who makes the calls here, alright?” His cape flowed behind him, mimicking some special effect. His arms spread, “I’ve told you that I’ve grown stronger and I’ve given you so many chances to turn yourself in and make things simple.”
Flame’s jaw clenched.
“Now, it’s too late. It’s too late for players like you. Players who kill whenever they want, who destroy whatever they want. Who sacrifice others for–for what? Glory? For some sort of name?” The caracal swept his hand around the room, making a show out of this.
“There’s no more of that now that I’m in charge.”
“If this is your justice, you’ve already lost,” Flame scoffed, checking his inventory. Maybe, he could….
“Once we take care of you, we’ll make you an example like your former rival Wemmbu. In case you haven’t heard, we already caught him,” Lettuce bragged. It felt like bragging. He looked around the room as if he was about to share a hilarious joke.
Flame groaned, rolling his eyes. There are other things to worry about.. “I know.”
“Which, by the way, thanks for doing all the heavy lifting on that,” Lettuce winked, laughing at his own joke, “now you’re exiled everywhere. You’re not welcome on the server, like, we’re either going to capture you or kill you so it’s probably best that you leave while you can.”
Both parties could tell that they would have to fight by now. They readied their weapons, waiting for the other to make the first move. Neither one wanted to be the first, but it would become necessary at some point.
“Hand over Lomedy. Like, he’s–he’s innocent. If you touch him, I’m not going anywhere,” Flame sighed, not understanding what Lomedy has to do with this at all. He’s just a farmer. He’s innocent in all this. Lomedy even refused to be associated with Flame due to his status. It wouldn’t make sense to hold him hostage based on that.
Flame continued when Lettuce kept his silence, “I’m not leaving or whatever. No matter where I’m exiled, I’m not going anywhere. How did you even know I’d be here?”
Lettuce scoffed, running a hand down his face and gesturing around as if saying, ‘Does he even listen?’, “I told you, man, I have eyes everywhere now. The Law can see everything. Everything you’ve done since those one–thousand players has been documented and tracked.
I’d say every third person you’ve talked to could be working for me.”
It was something that Flame hadn’t spared time to think about.
The Law is growing faster than Flame ever could’ve thought it would. It extended far beyond what Flame could’ve ever expected, and the thought pinned his ears to his locs in a show of frustration. He let out a low hiss, holding himself back from attacking Lettuce right there.
Unfortunately, this just showed the caracal that his words were working.
Lettuce smirked, tilting his head coyly, “you know that assassin that got sent after you? That’s one of hundreds of skilled people that are working under me.”
“Please let me go, I’m just a farmer!” Lomedy chose this moment to speak, no longer content
with just being a silent hostage.
The caracal blinked, shaking his head. Surely, someone associated with Flame is more than
that. “You’re just a farmer? Really? I don’t believe that.”
“It’s true. He’s just a farmer,” Flamefrags mumbled, silently taking account of everyone in the room. He knows that he could take them. The real question was, can he take them all and get Lomedy out safely?
“I’m innocent!”
“He’s innocent.”
They both spoke at the same time. They didn’t look at each other, nor did they acknowledge the heads watching them like a tennis match. They both knew that their issues were far too close to their issues being aired out for this army to see, so they silently agreed to argue about it later. Now, however, they’d have to deal with Lettuce.
Lettuce, who scoffed, “like I’d believe that some innocent farmer is friends with the Immortal Demon.” It was absurd, from his point of view. Some simple farmer being friends with a cold–blooded killer who showed no mercy in the name of some flimsy title? As if. Lomedy had to have done something. Anything.
Lomedy was quick to correct the caracal though, “we aren’t friends.”
Flame pretended he didn’t flinch at the words. He pretended he didn’t want to curl up and beg for Lomedy’s forgiveness, because that is something that could be dealt with later. Much, much later. For now, he was supposed to be saving Lomedy.
“..Right. Sure. Flame. Surrender or be killed.” Lettuce clearly did not believe the words out of Lomedy’s mouth. If they weren’t friends, why was Flame here? If there wasn’t some level of association, he’s sure Flame would have left by now.
The man in question had rushed up to Lomedy, splashing invis and running. He turned back,
unable to see where Lomedy had run off to, “Lomedy, hide!”
Lettuce groaned, throwing out a hand, “here you go again, making everything harder! Soldiers, find him!”
Flame stayed quiet, hopping around and fighting random soldiers so that he could hopefully down enough of them to get gear and just leave.
Lettuce started his usual speech, anger lacing his tone, “just like you, I have also been under the orders of leaders and forced through many civilizations. I too followed orders alongside many others.” He took a deep breath, wind charging into the air and landing in front of Flame.
Here, they stood face to face, both ready to kill the other if it called for it.
“However, there is a difference between us, Flame. You had the strength to rebel and chose not to. You had the power to leave. You decided not to. Everything that happened after was a product of your own choices. You chose what you chose, and I will make sure you face the consequences.”
The tiger smirked, tasting ash as he readied his sword, “I’d like to see you try.”
Flame ended up swimming away, clutching a golden apple as he did. He didn’t know if Lomedy got away, but he truly hoped the farmer did. He knows that they weren’t on the best terms, but that didn’t mean that he wanted the border collie to get captured because of him.
He just had to get to his base. That’s all. Then, he’d be able to leave. Honestly, he’d leave without much complaint. He was already the strongest, and his final duel with Wemmbu had proved that. He is now the strongest on Unstable, the Immortal Demon.
He couldn’t help but think about how empty the title made him feel.
Sure, it was nice to have and all, but what was the point when everyone had to leave in order for him to keep it? Manepear was no longer seen on the main server. Lomedy had cut all ties with him. He had destroyed any chance at befriending Wemmbu when he had proposed the duel.
Being the strongest was lonely.
However, it was simply what had to be done to keep his title. That’s okay, right? He’d deal with it all if it meant keeping his title safe.
He simply wanted to get his gear and leave, so he was confused when he had seen The Law raiding his base. He knew not to expect them not being there, he just did not know why. He was leaving, so why were they still chasing him?
His efforts to escape left him soaked and even lower on gear than before, forcing him to turn back to the only one he could deem an acquaintance.
This person had claimed that they never wanted to see him again, but Flame was never one to follow such requests if they had not been agreed upon.
He went to Lomedy again.
Lomedy. Flame’s only friend on the server. Sure, Flame fucked him over, but surely—
“Why are you here, bro? I thought I said I didn’t want anything to do with you. You’re just trouble,” Lomedy sighed, dropping his hoe. There was not even anger in his tone, simply exhaustion. He was tired. Tired of Flame’s antics and refusals to change.
“Is this the guy you told us about?” One of Lomedy’s new teammates questioned.
Flame, however, didn’t see that. He needed to regear, and to do it fast before The Law was onto him once more. It needed to be quick, and he truly didn’t have anyone else.
“I just need to gear up here. Can I gear up here?–”
The farmer cut him off, frustration lining his tone, “Flame. I told you not to come back. What are you not getting?”
The tiger felt the flame on his tail before it even started, sparked by the annoyance of being cut off. It was times like this that reminded the blazeborn tiger why he was solo all the time. Teams just seemed to be too much effort to maintain over half of the time.
“Please, Lomedy, please listen. I just want to regear, and then I’ll leave. I can promise you that, okay?” The statement was forced out with a hiss, his fist clenched. Lomedy is someone Flame wanted to call a friend, truly. However, this exchange was truly saddening beyond belief. He knows that the border collie hybrid was right to some extent.
The farmer sighed, running a hand down his face. He said his next words as if they physically pained him. “You’re already asking a lot by being here, bro.”
Flame clenched his jaw, nodding.
“Can I just gear up here? I’ll be out of your hair right after. I promise.” The strongest player, Flamefrags, was reduced to begging. However, it hurt to hear his only friend say that. It hurt like hell.
Some tiny part of him, though, knows that he deserves it. He knows that he has hurt Lomedy enough. He knows that he owes Lomedy this one thing, and he was honorable.
“Just..Just promise me one thing. No trouble, alright?”
Flame nodded at the words. He’d be out of Lomedy’s hair.
He glanced at the snow, a lump in his throat that burned more than the fire that refused to burn out on his tail. He knew that he was lying. He knew that if Deputy Ace’s team found him here, he’d destroy Lomedy’s farm. He’d burn it until there was nothing left.
He knew that Lomedy would not allow him to stay if he knew this. That’s why he didn’t say anything. Flame knew that it was bad, and that earned him any future ire from Lomedy that he got.
However, that was not an issue now.
He was tense, and he ignored Lomedy’s teammates’ questions until he had all of his gear sorted. He rechecked his shulkers, making sure that each one was full of the gear he needed as he shoved them into his e-chest.
“Why didn’t you just listen to Lomedy? You could be a farmer, just like us.” One of the chungus teammates asked, their head tilted. They seemed to be more curious than Lomedy, seeing as the aforementioned farmer was glaring at him from across the farm.
“..That would be disrespecting my title. The farmer's life isn’t for me, bro. I worked hard for everything I have, and I will stay the strongest on the server.” Flame grunted, not looking up from his task.
The other teammate hesitated, “even if innocent players get killed?”
Flame didn’t respond. He didn’t have to.
“Of course he’d continue even if innocent players were killed. His title calls for it.” Lomedy cut in, finally having walked across the farm. It looked like he wanted to make sure Flame wasn’t hurting his teammates, which hurt the blazeborn a little.
“Lomedy..”
“No. We’ve had this conversation, and you refuse to change! Flame, it isn’t just about you anymore. I’m getting bothered due to my association with you! People are coming after my farm now. Everything I’ve built. All because you’re killing innocent players! I’ve asked you to stop, bro!”
“Lomedy, bro—”
“No, Flame. Don’t ‘bro’ me. If not for me, why haven’t you stopped for yourself? Do you not see how it affects you in the long run? Constantly hunted? Is that fun to you?”
Flame didn’t have anything to say that wouldn’t be a lie. His pride stopped him from admitting that Lomedy was right. He felt his ears pinned against his locs, and even Lomedy’s teammates sensed his discomfort.
“You’re a lost cause. I don’t know why I bother,” Lomedy scoffed, his tail angrily swaying, “Do I have to disappear like Manepear for you to listen? Do I have to die due to some bandit? What will it take, Flame?”
Flame flinched.
Lomedy always knew where to hit him where it hurt, and he just proved that.
The warrior stepped back, a snarl on his lips as he turned. He didn’t know how to respond without making the situation worse.
“Lomedy, you know I–”
“Do I, Flame? Do I? To me, this all seems very selfish. You’ve never stopped, not even when I’ve begged. Is your title worth so much?” Lomedy took a step forward, getting into Flame’s personal space.
Their height difference is barely noticeable on most days, but today it felt different. Lomedy felt so much taller than Flame despite the fact that the former had to look up to talk to him. Maybe it was just Flame trying to look smaller with the way his tail curled in on itself.
“Lomedy. I just..I want,” Flame was sputtering. He didn’t know why he fought so hard for his title. It just seemed like something he felt like he needed.
Such as people need oxygen to live, Flame needs to be the strongest. It was always a known fact.
However, looking into Lomedy’s eyes made him doubt that.
“Leave. Leave, and don’t come back until you can tell me what this damned title gives you.”
And without much else to say, Flame did exactly that.