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Some of its feathers had been torn off, leaving it matted and rough. Specks of dried blood had seeped into some of its feathers. There were bandages. And the wings…the wings were both bent at a weird angle, sagging towards the ground like it didn’t have the will to stand proud.
Parrot shifts uncomfortably looking at the sight, Theo mumbling by his side.
“Dude, you don’t think that Lettuce broke their wings right?”
“Maybe.”
“Ughh, my wings tingle uncomfortablely just looking at it,” Theo shuffled his wings while saying so.
“I know bro.”
———————————————
Prior to that, Parrot had been in the end, visiting Minute for clues as to where Wemmbu could’ve gone. It had been 3 months since his conversation with Flame and Parrot couldn’t help but feel agitated.
“Hey, Minute.”
Parrot’s vibrant wings shiver from the cold of the End as he stepped out of the End Portal to be greeted by the Guardian of the End.
Minutetech.
The Endling’s white eyes stare at him before nodding his head in greeting.
“Parrot. What brings you here? The last time I saw you was…” Minute trailed off into uncomfortable silence. Which was then broken by Theo—
“Gah! It’s so freaking colddd!” Theo jumped out of the Portal and hugged himself tight, “I don’t understand how you live like this dude, it’s too cold.”
Minute laughs. The sound reverberating through the void before fading back into thick blanket of silence. Uncomfortable, prickly silence.
“Ahem—right back to the topic at hand, what brings you here, Parrot?”
Parrot shifts slightly, his eyes adverted and his voice soft, “D’you happen to know where Wemmbu might’ve gone?”
“No.”
“Last time I saw him was when he was leaving as an invis player,” Minute pauses, “Before that War against LAW.”
Parrot bristles at the venom hidden underneath those words: Before you had stupidly revealed his identity.
“Ah…alright. I’ll take my leave then.”
Before Parrot had stepped into the Portal, a voice called out from behind.
“Ooh Minute, why didn’t you tell me we had guests bro?”
“You didn’t have to know, Egg.”
Parrot swivels around and came face to face with a Seraphim. Egg’s wings were white, angelic. But what was off-putting was the single eye surrounded by thrones covered in multiple eyes (like how does he talk—).
“Wassup.”
“Uhh…hey.”
Theo complained, “Parrot get to the poiiinttt.”
“Uhm yeah so, I was wondering whether you might know where Wemmbu might’ve gone…”
“Uh, nah bro. I saw him like, 3-4 months ago? ‘M not really sure man.”
Parrot cursed internally as he nodded, bowed his head and left.
———————————————
The structure is huge. Two stone warriors standing at attention, the LAW flag held in their hands, the usual yellow and white. A wall encasing the build. Restrictive. Wemmbu Lawdog thought, at least there’s security to keep LettuceK safe.
Wemmbu Lawdog stood there, ram rod still, his back straight, his eyes facing forward. His sight was slightly obscured by the translucent white veil Lettuce had forced onto his head. The armour was too heavy, too hot. The LAW uniform, too strange and alien on his skin. His wings were uncomfortable and ragged—bandaged on a whim, too scared of disturbing the nurses and causing them trouble he thought.
He spots Parrot and Theobald.
A strange feeling rose up in his chest. I want them to hug me, to tell me everything’s going to be fine.
His fingers twitched.
Lettuce’s eyes flick to him. A warning. Wemmbu Lawdog stiffens up, his eyes darting away. A dog should always listen to its owner.
———————————————
“…LettuceK, the leader of the faction known as the LAW. This server has seen civilisations rise and fall. I have called you all here for one reason. This server needs order and justice from terrorists and evildoers like FlameFrags and Spokeishere. The server needs to change. We need a king to oversee order, justice, law and and peace. If I were to be elected King, my first act would be to hunt down FlameFrags, one of the two people who were involved with the 2v1000 player war. He will be brought to justice and be swiftly executed.”
Lettuce? King?
“Ain’t no way this guy is trying to rule the server bro.” Theo spouted, his feathers bristling with offense.
“Dude, I am going to try to become king, Theo.”
———————————————
“On a lighter note, as some might’ve noticed, I have acquired a right hand man.”
Wemmbu Lawdog shifts, his body walking mechanically to the front of the podium, his back bends forward, practiced and stiff. Like a dog following orders.
After a moment of silence, he steps back stiffly, standing behind Lettuce like a statue.
“Well then, let this mark the start of the elections!”
Lettuce bows. The crowd cheers. The loud atmosphere. Bright. Too bright. And hot. Too hot. Way too hot.
A flaming sword swings straight at Lettuce.
———————————————
FlameFrags stood on the stone warrior’s head. Invis. Quiet. Silently fuming. What the hell did that raccoon say? Hunt me down? Hunt me down? ME?
“That’s so stupid bro like…” Flame muttered furiously to himself, “…can’t believe that he would think so highly of himself that stupid idiotic raccoon. Saying that you’ll be able to hunt me down is stupid.”
Oh he so dearly wanted to claw off that smug face and burn it off.
I’ll do it just a little. To spook him y’know. He thinks.
Flame’s eyes travel to the figure behind Lettuce. A veil. Typical.
He grins like a Cheshire Cat, potting up. Strength, swiftness…fire res just in case. And without a second thought, he jumps down, his arm braced with Fragger.
———————————————
Lawdog pushes Lettuce, his sword raised, bracing for impact. When the sword did strike, the initial impact had knocked him back a bit.
Holy shit—
But it wasn’t time to just zone out. Lettuce was in danger. Heh, let him be. I have to protect him. In a split moment, he potted. Darting towards the mystery player with speed.
The armour was too heavy. Too heavy. Too tight.
“Who are you bro?”
Fucking FlameFrags.
Wind charge up, mace out, bring it down.
Flame stuttered.
“Dude are you serious—” Flame complains as he healed up with gapples. Wemmbu Lawdog could hear him roll his eyes. “Another mace user bro? Dawg.”
Lawdog flinched back, an arrow embedding itself into the crack in his armour, blood started seeping out. Gap up.
Wind charge up, mace out— oh slow falling.
Lawdog frowns. Critting Flame before switching out to a sword.
“Oh my god! I love slow falling! I love slow falling! I looooove slow falling!”
“Bro’s tweaking out lol.”
Lawdog freezes. What was tha—
Flame crits him twice, his health bar dangerously low before he heard Lettuce screaming at him—“LAWDOG. WHAT. ARE. YOU. DOING?”—that he remembered to shield up and take a gapple.
By then, the slow falling duration was over and Wemmbu Lawdog was getting into a rhythm.
Wind charge up, mace out, bring it down.
Wind charge up, mace out, bring it down.
Totem pops. Flame curses.
Wind charge up, mace out, bring it down.
Wind charge up, mace out, bring it down.
Again and again. All over again.
Wind charge up, mace out, bring it—ow fuck.
His wrist was screaming in pain. Fuck. Fuck. Fuuckk.
“LAWDOG, KILL FLAMEFRAGS—!”
Lawdog startles, his head snapping back onto Flame, the mace out before he knew it. His body listening to Lettuce’s command before he even registers it in his brain. Muscle memory.
Then Flame’s invis was out. His flushed face, confused eyes locked onto the veil as he uttered softly, “We…mmbu?”
———————————————
His totem popped. Flame’s eyes widened, his mouth open before he curled it into a smile of manic glee. He hadn’t had such a good fight since Wemmbu’s defeat. This is fun.
Flame chugged two gaps before returning to his stance, his shield raised, blocking an attack before—
Purple. Deep, purple. Purple purple. Wemmbu’s purple.
The veil had lifted slightly, from the wind charge, revealing the skin tone of the mysterious player.
There was no one with Wemmbu’s skin tone on the server. His eyes travelled to the damaged wings, his tail subconsciously lashing out violently as he paused slightly.
Wait. Wait wait wait wait wait. Flame, think about this rationally for a sec bro. Like, there’s no way it’s Wemmbu bro. That demon would rather kill himself than join the LAW, bruh. It must just be a coincidence y’know like…
But when Flame thought slightly harder, the way the player reacted when he was shot with the slow falling arrow—biting his lip before falling back into a calm straight line. The way he’d always lash his tail whenever he’d miss.
The way he’d always seem to know where Flame’s weakness is—
His invis had run out when he finally opened his mouth.
“We…mmbu?”