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Parrot’s eyes widen as he sees the Invisible Player drop down onto Lettuce, sword out. He sees the mace in Lawdog’s hand. He sees how the totems were popped and how Flame’s figure appeared before his eyes as the invis ran out.
“Dude, Theo, what is happening right now?”
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He freezes. Flame sees him Wemmbu freeze. A still silence filled between them, suffocating and uncomfortable. Wemmbu’s hand had gone slack. Like he had not willpower to fight anymore. Like the last time I fought him.
“What did the LAW do to you, like bro…”
Flame moved his hand tentatively, reaching forward to grab the veil.
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Wemmbu? The name tickles the back of his mind. His blank,dull mind. It makes him freeze. His hand going slack, his arm dropping to his side.
Is he talking to me? I’m Wemmbu? Lawdog shook his head, trying to clear his head. Lettuce had clearly said that his name was Lawdog. Not Wemmbu. Not Wemmbu. Not Wemmbu?
“What did the LAW do to you, like bro…”
Wemmbu (?) Lawdog flinches. His body moving back from reflex. His ears perked up. “What. Are. You doing? You're useless— just…kill him.” His tail dropped. Wilted. Lettuce just called him useless…
Lawdog went back to his previous stance, his hand gripping he sword, ready to switch out to his mace as he wind charged up.
But Flame had his shield up.
“If someone has their shield up and you’re macing them, switch to your axe and attribute swap to 1. Disable their shield, 2. Still be able to mace.”
That’s not Lettuce’s voice—
But his body was functioning on its own, the muscle memory of training he didn’t remember kicked in. It seemed like Flame saw the axe in his hand and had offhanded a totem.
Doesn’t matter, I can do it again. And again. And again? Why—
Flame’s totem popped. The wounds healing up instantly. Lawdog charged forward, this time, Flame blocked him. The sword coming up close to his neck. He flinched and darted back. The graze on his neck dripping blood.
“BRO, WEMMBU. I'M NOT YOUR ENEMY LIKE BRO—!”
Wemmbu Lawdog maces him, ignoring the pain spiking through his wrist. I need to keep Lettuce safe.
Why?
Kill FlameFrags. Kill…FlameFrags. Kill…FlameFrags?
Wemmbu freezes. Kill Flame? Why? What am I doing?
But before he could do anything, a shock of pain flared through his neck. His legs buckled and he falls to the ground, out cold.
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“BRO, WEMMBU. I’M NOT YOUR ENEMY LIKE BRO—!”
Wemmbu? Parrot’s head snapped up towards the podium. Wemmbu??
“Theo, did I hear that correctly bro?”
“You mean about Wemmbu or something?”
“Yes, dude!”
“You don’t suppose the ‘Wemmbu’ Flame is talking about is Lawdog or whatever his name is right?”
“Parrot, right?”
Theo’s voice sounded desperate. He shuddered beside Parrot, his eyes filled with worry.
“Why would the Wemmbu join the LAW? Egg’s safe, so is Minutetech. Why would he?”
“I don’t know, Theo. I don’t know. We should—go. Y’know, tell them. To stay safe.”
“Yeah. Let’s—let’s go.”
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Lettuce was frustrated. Looking at Lawdog wind charging up to mace Flame, his expression getting more and more sour by the second.
He’s supposed to be keeping people safe not pausing every second.
His finger twitches against the handle of his mace as he sees Lawdog freeze. He whips out his mace, wind-charging up into the air as Lawdog’s knees buckle. Lettuce internally smirked. Serves you right for stalling too much.
He brings the mace down onto FlameFrags as the former snarled at him, his eyes filled with worry and anger.
“You—what did you do to Wemmbu, bro?”
“I didn’t do anything, Flame. He’s not Wemmbu. He’s Lawdog.”
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Parrot heard a cry as he was flying away. He turned back to see Wemmbu (?) buckling.
What-?
Then he saw it, a blinking red light flashing on his neck. Under all that armour.
A shock collar?
“Dude Parrot-!”
Parrot hesitated for a moment before turning back to Theo. Theo could see Parrot’s expression. A worried, scared and shocked one.
“…we’ll save him somehow. But first we really have to make sure his close allies are safe before anything. ‘Kay Parrot?”
“…”
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A feral snarl erupted from Flame’s throat as Wemmbu falls, his arm reaching out to grab him from hitting his head onto the cobble as Lettuce slammed the mace onto him. His totem pops as he growls again.
“You—What did you do to Wemmbu, bro?”
He splashes his potions. Strength, speed, fire res. And he charges straight for Lettuce.
“…he’s not Wemmbu. He’s Lawdog.”
Flame slashes at Lettuce haphazardly, gashing Lettuce’s face. Lettuce curses. Flame laughs. He knows for a fact that the hit burns.
“He’S LaWdoG.” Flame mimics Lettuce’s tone as he tries to stab Lettuce in the leg, making Lettuce wind charge up to get away from him.
“He’s fucking Wemmbu.”
Flame pulls Wemmbu up by the arm, his other arm sheathing his sword and holding Wemmbu up by his waist.
“I’m taking him and going.”
Flame dodges a mace and kicks Lettuce to his knees before flying away with Wemmbu in his arms.
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Lettuce smirks as he bites a piece off a god apple as he watches them fly away. He turns to Deputy_Ace, “Track the collar on him. Go.”
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“Minute-!”
Minutetech turns around, his eyes darting to Theo and Parrot. Their worried expressions made him worried.
“Wassup.”
“Wemmbu’s been captured by the LAW. I don’t know why he’s working with them but I saw a shock collar and—and…”
Minute held up a hand, causing Parrot to pause, confused.
“Hold up. Wemmbu was captured? There’s no way, dude like…”
“Yes he has.”
He smirks. Wemmbu captured by the LAW. Absurd. He shook his head and his expression unfaltering. “He couldn’t have.”
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Parrot simply can’t understand why Minute couldn’t understand. Wemmbu was captured by the LAW. Forced to work for them and shackled by a collar!
“And you’re telling me he’s working for them?”
“‘cause of a collar.”
“He’d rather die than be collared.”
“He probably nearly did. His wings are a mess.”
Minutetech’s eyes widen. The he schools it back to a neural expression.
“Then that couldn’t have been Wemmbu. He won’t let anyone do anything to his wings.”
Parrot stomped his feet, frustrated. “If you had been there then—!”
Theo stepped in to calm Parrot down. He stared at Minutetech straight in the eye and said, “We saw him. That’s the truth. If you don’t believe it, fine. We’re just here to tell you and Egg to stay safe and not let anyone enter the end. Maybe make an obsidian box around the spawn platform.”
“That’s all. C’mon Parrot, let’s leave and find Flame.”
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