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yungyx was slain by ClownPierce
yungyx was banned, and cannot be revived.
A flurry of messages came after it, probably from shocked players, but Zam didn't register any of them. Only one mattered to him. He froze in the middle of his base, heart dropping to his stomach. A message like that was once his greatest fear; but after their team broke up, he thought he'd left that fear far behind him.
Clearly he hadn't.
His vision began blurring with barely held back tears as he tried to process what had just happened.
Yungy was gone. This time for good.
And there was nothing Zam could do to change it — the ability to revive other players was snatched away from them now that the end of the season was looming near. Zam knew he wasn't going to end the season alongside Yungy or any other Bing members, not like he'd longed for all those months ago, but he at least thought he'd be able to have some kind of bittersweet final moment with them before the inevitable end.
That opportunity was gone now.
The same dreadful sound he'd heard a few seconds ago — or minutes now, he couldn't be sure — boomed again, twice in a row, forcing him to unfreeze.
SB737 was blown up by Peentar
SB737 was banned, and cannot be revived.
rekrap2 was doomed to fall by Peentar
rekrap2 was banned, and cannot be revived.
Pentar was there. Of course he was. Pentar had once said to them all that he'd never let his team fight alone, and he'd meant it, even after the split up.
But now he was the one fighting alone.
Yungy was dead. It was too late for him. But Pentar was still alive, he was still fighting, and that meant Zam still had time. He sprung into action instantly, grabbing every fighting material he could find. If Pentar could just hold off the remaining Apocalypse members for a couple more minutes, then Zam could rush over there and help him before—
Peentar was slain by MinuteTech
Peentar was banned, and cannot be revived.
The potion Zam was holding slipped from his grasp, shattering on the floor of his base. He didn't even flinch. His mind went numb, every limb felt heavy, and he suddenly swayed on his feet, unable to hold off the wave of nausea that hit him as he collapsed to the ground.
It was all his fault.
He'd left them on the tower that day, if he hadn't of done that… maybe they'd still be here.
Or maybe it would've been Zam instead.
If he was offered that deal right now, to trade places with them, he'd take it in a heartbeat. It wasn't fair. Pentar and Yungy hadn't wanted to die.
But that was the infuriating thing about LifeSteal, it wasn't fair. It didn't matter what you did, or how hard you fought, the harsh booming sound of a deathban caught up with everyone eventually.
More often than not, the strongest players fell the hardest.
And that was what Yungy and Pentar had done. They'd once spread fear across the server, even into the cold hearts of the Apocalypse, but now they were reduced to nothing more than a pile of items left behind.
Their items… Zam suddenly felt the urge to collect them. He couldn't rewrite their fates, but the least he could do was give them a proper memorial. Because they deserved to be remembered, and Zam was sure as hell never going to forget everything they did for him.
The only problem was he wasn't even sure where they'd taken their last breaths.
He started his search at spawn, and upon arrival, he didn't see the telltale signs of any deaths, no items strewn about, but there were cobwebs, and that was a promising sign. They were almost like a bread trail from Hansel and Gretel, and Zam followed it eagerly.
It was stupid, if Minute and Clown were still lurking nearby, then it'd be a suicide mission. But Zam didn't care. He didn't care about much anymore. If he was going to die here, so be it. At least wherever he'd go next, his former teammates would be waiting for him.
Though it seemed like the location at the end of the trail was abandoned. Zam knew instantly that this was the place the individuals who were once the most important to him, and possibly still were, had died. It wasn't too far from spawn. A giant crater, clearly made by tnt, lay in front of him. There was one death site inside it, but Zam knew it belonged to neither Yungy nor Pentar. It was where Rekrap had been thrown into the air and missed the clutch as he fell. There was no sign of SB's items, they were most likely blown up alongiside him in the trap.
Pentar hadn't gone down without a hell of a fight, Zam felt his heart swell with pride at the thought. They'd kept fighting until the very end, even when all seemed lost. That was what Zam admired so much about the duo, they'd never given up, even when things got tough. Like how they spent thirteen hours building a tower in hopes that they'd forgive him. The memory caused him to blink back his tears as he trudged onwards.
Then he saw it.
A pile of items, big enough to be from not just one player, but two.
They'd died in the exact same place, side by side. Zam wasn't surprised. They were close enough to be brothers, he couldn't even fathom the idea of one being forced to live without the other.
He shakily stepped towards the items, it was hard to distinguish what belonged to who. Things like golden apples and potions would be impossible to figure out, but Zam didn't really care about that. Instead, he searched for their weapons and armour.
After a few moments of rooting, he found one full set of diamond armour. It was blank. Empty. No armour trims adorned it, and Zam knew instantly that it belonged to Yungy. When the team disbanded, Yungy never put on armour trims again, the thought of replacement was clearly too agonising for him.
He'd left his Bing armour in their old Vitals room, Zam had saw it once when he visited, however he didn't dare touch it.
Pentar was wearing his.
The red trims sent a new wave of nausea down his throat as he cautiously picked the armour up.
Suddenly, Zam found himself reminiscing on the no armour trials that Pentar had once loved. Zam on the other hand, had absolutely hated them. Yet now… he'd give anything for just one more trial. Just one more opportunity to spend time with his beloved friend.
All the screaming, all the noise, all the stress they'd caused him. Zam would kill everyone on this whole damn server to get it all back. He found himself remorseful that he hadn't appreciated it enough while it lasted. There was no room for making amends now, no room for closure, no room for Zam to even say his farewells.
At least, not to their faces.
But maybe if he gave them proper memorials, then he could at least give the best goodbye he can possibly manage. Not just for their sakes, but for his own. To help him be able to go onwards with their memory as a form of strength to push him forward, not pain to hold him back.
So, he retrieved both of their armour sets — even if Yungy's didn't hold any sentimental value — and grabbed their weapons too. Though he couldn't find Yungy's sword, it seemed like Clown had finally gotten the Piecer back.
Zam shook his head softly. Yungy would be pissed if he knew that, he guarded that damn sword with his life. But Yungy couldn't be mad, Yungy couldn't feel anything, because Yungy was dead.
And Zam was still here. Left all alone.
And he had no one to blame but himself, he'd pushed them away.
Zam knew what he had to do. He headed back to the underground bunker that held so many memories. They'd never gotten to carry out their Vitals plans that the room was built for, but the place was still important to them; which was why Yungy had left his armour there.
But now Zam was going to retrieve it. Because Steve duo had lived and died together, and he sure as hell wasn't going to let them be buried apart.
After grabbing the armour, he looped back around towards spawn, to the one place that despite all the destruction and chaos, had stood sturdy against all odds.
The friendship tower.
The name was a bit hypocritical now, especially considering it was the place Zam had announced his depature from the team which led to its downfall. And he hadn't stepped foot inside since that day. He hesitated at the entrance, pausing as the memory of when Yungy and Pentar first showed it to him rushed back suddenly.
The books they'd written… Zam still held them in his e-chest, he even took them out and read them on the bad days. But now it seemed like it'd be a good time to finally let them go. Because those promises the duo had made in their books were empty now — they weren't around to fulfill them anymore.
Zam sighed and took them out, along with the matching armour sets. He placed the blank set that Yungy was wearing when he died in his e-chest. Yungy had always been his protector; when the team ended, Yungy's last gift to him was a shield, which was pretty fitting. Maybe Zam could use the spare armour for protection too. It'd come in handy in a rough fight. Though… Yungy should've been right there beside him in any tough battle. But he couldn't anymore. And Zam had nobody to blame but himself.
Zam climbed the stairs to the top of the building, out onto the balcony where all the members of Bing had last interacted as one before going their seperate ways.
It only seemed right to build the memorial here, Zam took his time placing the armour sets on the stands and lighting candles below them. Maybe because he wasn't ready to let go. Not yet. It still didn't feel real.
And once he placed the books in the item frames he'd set up, Zam finally broke. Ragged sobs burst out of his chest as he collapsed to the ground, clawing at it desperately as if he could dig up his lost friends.
"I'm sorry—" he choked. "I'm so sorry… I should've been there— I should've— I could've saved you!"
Apologies were worthless. They couldn't hear him anymore. They'd moved on, hopefully to some place far better than this. And they'd left Zam behind to deal with the agonising loss.
Zam stood shakily, he had to make it through this, it was the least he could do for them. He placed a sign in the middle of the two memorials, and he didn't even have to think about what he would write, the words came naturally to him.
Here rests Steve duo,
the loudest players this server's ever seen
but also…
the greatest teammates I could've asked for.
He stood back, satisfied with his work. He thought they'd have appreciated it. He hoped they would've.
As he was staring solemnly at the memorial, he vaguely registered a pair of footsteps creeping closer. But he didn't flinch, didn't try to run away. If Minute or Clown had come to kill him, then so be it. At least he'd die beside what was left of his friends.
"I thought I'd find you up here."
Oh. Not Minute or Clown.
Zam turned to the soft-spoken voice, eyes blurry with tears. "Why'd you come?"
Jumper stepped forward. "Steve duo may have been the most annoying people on this entire server. But I was still proud to call them my teammates."
"Yeah," he sighed. "Me too."
Jumper looked at the memorial, her voice cracked as she spoke. "It's pretty."
"Do you think they would've liked it?"
"They always liked anything that you built, Zam."
Zam turned away, staring intently at the floor in silence. But he could sense Jumper's eyes still on him.
"You were really important to them, you know."
"I know… and I left them," Zam replied miserably. "They're dead because of me."
"No they're not. Last time I checked, your name wasn't next to their death messages."
"But I—"
"If you were there, then you would've been killed too."
Zam scoffed. "So what?"
"So what?" Jumper echoed in disbelief. "Are you serious? You want to just give up, after everything?"
"Well I don't see the point in carrying on!" Zam whirled on her suddenly. "I left Bing for the good of the server. But if I'd have known that this—" Zam gestured wildly to the memorial. "would've happened, then I never would have done it—"
"Zam…"
"Fuck this server!" he cried, slamming his hand into the railing of the tower. "Hasn't it taken enough from me? It had to take them too?!"
Jumper flinched back in surprise. Zam's eyes widened, shocked with his own outburst. And worst of all, a wave of guilt overcame him because he'd taken it out on Jumper of all people.
"Wow… I uh— guess that had been coming for a while, huh?" he joked, attempting to ease the tension.
But Jumper was still looking at him like that.
She always had this way of unnerving people with simply her gaze alone. And right now she was using that technique on Zam. She stayed silent for a few more moments, surveying the situation — likely to figure out whether Zam was going to snap again — before approaching him slowly with her hands up, as if he were a wild animal.
"There's nothing we can do for them now, Zam," she spoke calmly. "Trust me, I wish there was. But they're gone. Because sometimes bad things just happen, especially to those who don't deserve it."
"Like them." he added miserably.
"And you."
Zam raised his head. "Huh?"
"You're right, Zam," she said. "You've given everything for this server. You gave up your own team — your real chance at happiness — for the good of the server." then, with a soft laugh she added. "You might be the most selfless person I've ever met."
Zam remained silent. He regretted it all now. If he'd have known this was going to happen, that he was going to lose Pentar and Yungy not just as teammates, but as… well, everything. Then he would have never, ever, made that choice.
But he had made his choice.
And it was them who had paid the price.
Jumper, as if sensing his thoughts, stepped closer to him, holding his upper arms lightly. "It's not your fault. They wouldn't want you to feel guilty—"
"You don't know that." he protested, voice cracking.
Jumper tightened her grip on his arms, shaking her head firmly. "No. I do. Because I know them. And so do you — maybe better than anyone. Which means you know that they wouldn't want you to be hung up on their deaths." she paused, exhaling deeply before her next words. "They'd want you to move on."
Zam glanced up at her, alarm in his gaze. "I'm not forgetting them."
"I'm not asking you to," she answered. "What I'm asking is for you to come with me."
Zam frowned. Come with her? After everything? After he'd abandonned their team, caused it's downfall, and the loss of it's two strongest members.
"Where… where would we go?"
Jumper shrugged. "Anywhere. Sky's the limit."
"But— why?"
"Why not?" she countered.
"I can't just leave!" he exclaimed. "I have a responsibility to the server—"
"No you don't. That's just something you always believed was true. And you believed in it so much you made it real."
Zam shook his head. "People need me—"
"Like who, Zam?" she questioned. "The server swallowed pretty much every innocent person alive. The only ones left are players like Minute or Clown, and something tells me they wouldn't appreciate your help."
"I—" Zam opened his mouth, then closed it. She was right. Majority of the innocent players — the ones who needed his protection — were dead now. And even some of the stronger ones had fallen too, like Pentar and Yungy. They were long gone.
Maybe a part of him was trying to pretend the good players — or at least, as good as you could be on a server like LifeSteal — were still alive, so that he could have a purpose. A reason not to fall back and let the shadows become part of him. It had only just dawned on him that he really had no reason to stay.
Zam made a soft noise, not a full laugh, but something close to one. "I guess it's really the end, huh?"
He stepped out of Jumper's now loose grip, and headed towards the railings at the edge of the balcony, leaning on them and looking down into the wreckage of spawn below.
"Everyone's gone…" he whispered, unsure whether it was to himself or Jumper. "I think I understand how Mane felt last season now. What's the point when all your friends, all the people you ever loved, are dead?"
Jumper had moved to stand beside Zam without him realising. He only noticed when she suddenly nudged him gently.
"Hey," she said. "You still got one friend left, bro."
Zam turned to her, his eyes going blurry once again. But they weren't tears of sorrow this time. No, it was something much lighter than that.
"I guess I do." he hummed.
Jumper grinned, and the warm sight brought him back to the old days, before everything had gone to shit. "I know we can't end the server the way you wanted. But it doesn't mean you have to spend the final days alone."
She offered her hand, Zam glanced down, then back up at her beaming smile. He paused for a brief moment, then took it like a lifeline.
Jumper glanced over to Pentar and Yungy's memorial one last time with a soft smile. "We'll make them proud."
Zam closed his eyes, and finally believed her.
After a long pause, there was a tug on his arm as Jumper began to pull him away — not harsh enough to be a drag, but strong enough to say it was final. Zam let himself go willingly, however turned his head back momentarily.
He looked over to the matching armour sets, but this time, it didn't feel heavy. He'd finally let go of everything that was weighing him down.
Maybe that was Yungy and Pentar's last gift to him: freedom.
"Thank you." he whispered under his breath, confident that somewhere out there, the duo had heard him.
And as he made it down the stairs and stepped out onto the rubble below with Jumper by his side, for the first time since Bing split up… he felt like everything was going to be okay.