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Another message appeared in chat as Flame drew his sword from the already dead body. He and Wemmbu had just arrived at the location given by Parrot, the avian hybrid who had asked for their aid because Theo was unable to fight a 1v50. He hoped that whatever Parrot had discovered was worth all of this fighting, or he was throwing away his resources and effort for nothing.
The spot was also inconvenient. A snowy taiga. Flame's senses were dulled by the cold, the snow crunching under his boots as he spun side to side, swinging his sword at every enemy who ran at him.
Not too long ago, it began to snow. He downed a few golden apples, his skin repairing itself in an instant. Flame was grateful for the bitter aftertaste it left behind as it turned his attention away from the constant burning caused by the little snowflakes falling from the sky.
Flame inhaled deeply as a certain elytra user swooshed past him. He wondered if it was colder in the sky than it was here. The blaze hybrid took out his last strength potion and threw it on the ground. He was running low on resources. His inventory was starting to seem pretty empty.
He clutched his sword tightly as four people surrounded him, but Flame was relentless. He didn't have to try to get the first two down. The third one took longer, using up his last remaining cobwebs. Flame cursed under his breath, he needed to restock as soon as possible. His sword felt heavier. Blood stained the grip. Every dodge took a little longer than the last.
Flame felt himself shiver, and his grasp was weaker than it had been previously. His gaze shifted to the side where he last saw the player circling him, preparing to strike. But he was gone. A sword slashed his side. Flame staggered, catching his breath. How did he not notice that the player was now behind him?
When he heard a startling sound from behind him, Flame spun around, his shoulders stiff despite the bleeding wound on his side. Wemmbu was smirking in front of him, his mace dripping with blood from the remains of the man who stood in the place of the purple demon. Flame always disliked maces for the filthy mess they left behind. Wemmbu was completely covered in blood, more from his opponents than his own. His horns shone brightly, illuminated by the light bouncing off the snow.
"Getting sloppy already? I thought the Immortal Demon could defeat anyone." Flame wished he could wipe that grin off Wemmbus’ face.
"Just getting started, bro." His voice had a quiver to it. Wemmbu looked him over again, and he could’ve sworn something had changed in the demon’s expression. Flame probably looked like shit, but he didn’t care. His side hurt and his legs were threatening to give out, but the adrenaline pumping through his blood was demanding that he keep going.
Wemmbu was saying something else, but Flame had already turned away, moving toward the crowd that surrounded Theo and Parrot. They stood in the center of a frozen lake.
Flame blamed exhaustion and the blood loss for the fog in his head and the clumsy way he kept tripping through the snow. He couldn't wait for this to be over so he could return to his base and finally get some proper rest. Maybe help Lomedy with the parsley he had been bragging about all week. He could already picture it, the merciless sun overhead, the two of them working through the heat, wasting the day on something as simple as plants. When they eventually finished, Lomedy would be wearing that wide, annoying grin of his, and Flame would finally get his well earned head pats. The cold faded for a heartbeat, replaced by warmth that wasn’t there.
The thought almost made him smile. Almost.
A voice cut through all his thoughts. Theo was shouting at him for help.
Flame couldn’t fully process what the cockatiel hybrid was saying, but it didn’t matter. He knew exactly what he had to do, kill everyone who came into his sight.
His hands moved on autopilot. Movements repeated so often they no longer required thought, sword rising and falling in a steady rhythm. More death messages flickered in chat. Theo joined him a moment later, sword drawn, forced into close combat now that his carts fully ran out.
Flame was about to deliver the final blow on the player when he missed a step, slipping on the ice. His legs buckled, and the world tilted to the side. He dropped his blade as his hands attempted to grip the chilly floor beneath him. Once his palms met the frigid ice, the blaze hybrid hissed in pain. It burned. His eyes scanned his hands on the ice, now paler than usual. He attempted to summon fire at his fingertips, but nothing happened, not even a flicker of an ember.
Huh… since when could his fire go out?
A kick to the side pulled him back into the fight. Flame's eyes watered as he took a sharp breath. He turned to face the side where his sword fell. His arm reached the handle, and he stood up fast, his sword pointing in the direction of the attacker. The burns on his palms made it impossible to hold the blade steady, and the edges of his vision continued to blur.
He yanked off his blindfold, hoping to see the world more clearly. But when everything came back into focus, he spotted Theo rather than the enemy. Parrot stood behind him, his colorful wings still puffed out from the battle.
Flame glanced to the side, where another purple blob morphed into a face. Why was everyone suddenly surrounding him?
"Flame? What- What's wrong?"
He is not sure who said it. Exhaustion finally caught up with him, and his sword slipped from his grasp as soon as he let go. " 'm fine, just.."
Flame didn't realize he was favoring his left leg until he took a step forward and felt pain run through his entire body. Everything went black for a split second, and he was back on the ground, the ice piercing his skin.
"-me! Can you hear me?" He thinks it's Wemmbu speaking, his voice distant. "Shit. He's bleeding out."
The snow beneath him was stained deep red. Did he forget to eat a golden apple to heal? Flame could practically already hear Lomedy’s voice in the back of his head, scolding him if he ever found out.
He was once again buried in his own thoughts when he was unexpectedly lifted off the ground. He flung his arm up, smacking someone in the face.
"Ay, stay still or I'll drop you right away." Wemmbu huffed, but there was no real anger in his voice, his arms tightening around Flame, securing him so he could carry the blaze hybrid more easily. "He's very cold, is that normal? He's not supposed to be this cold."
"Is he- can blazes even become hypothermic?"
Flame tried to protest and tell them he was fine, but his eyes felt heavy, sleep lulling him to give in.
"Keep your eyes open, Flame."
" ’Kay," his voice lacked the usual bite to it, his eyes finding the demon that was carrying him. Flame couldn’t properly read his expression. His brows were furrowed, and his mouth moved, probably talking with the two bird hybrids in front of them. Wemmbu almost looked worried. Almost. Mostly, he just looked annoyed.
Flame felt warmer now though. He tried summoning a flicker at his fingertips again, but nothing happened.
His eyes felt heavy again. He decided to give in. He was tired.
Flame stirred from his sleep, trying to take a deep breath, but his insides felt like they were being torn apart. His leg burned, like it was being pierced by needles all over it. He gasped, his hand slamming against the floor as he reached for his sword, ready to fight.
"Hey, hey, hey—calm down. Calm down. You're fine." a familiar voice called out in front of him. Parrot was sitting on the ground, a needle in one hand, the other pinching his skin together.
Flame looked around, his breathing still rigid, his back pressed against the hard stone wall behind him. They were in a cave.
"You couldn't have waited till Parrot was done with the stitches, huh?" Wemmbu was on his left.
"It's fine, I'm almost done." Flame twitched, drawing in his air as Parrot stabbed the needle through his skin once more. "Theo should be back soon too."
Flame did his best to remain still, but it was still a painful process, feeling the needle pass through each time. He had his blindfold on though, someone must have tied it on while he was unconscious.
Shortly after Parrot tied off the stitches, the cockatiel hybrid reappeared. He left Wemmbu to deal with the bandages while he went to speak with Theo.
Flame looked at his bandaged hands before turning to observe Wemmbu wrap his torso around.
"Why did you never tell us that the snow was killing you?" His voice was harsher than he intended it to be.
Flame was caught off guard by the demon's unexpected question. "Why do you care, bro?"
Wemmbus' hands remained still for a moment before he resumed his job. "I don't. Don't tear your stitches, because I'm not doing this again."
Flame hummed in response, his body still aching. Now that his head was clearer than before, he observed everything around him again. He noticed he was wrapped in Wemmbus cape. It didn’t cover him fully, but it was still doing its job.
"I’m done," Wemmbu got up, eyeing the laid blaze hybrid in front of him. "We’ve been here for a while, so your temperature should’ve stabilized by now. Don’t do anything stupid while I check on Theo and Parrot."
Wemmbu was already turning away when Flame hesitated for a moment before giving in.
"Wait."
The demon stopped immediately, looking back at Flame.
"Thanks," Flame said after a pause. "For everything."
Wemmbu let out a sigh, giving him a weak smile. "Wasn’t that hard now, was it?"
"Oh, shut up, bro."
"Just rest now. Your leg got twisted in the fight." And then he left, skedaddling toward the others further away.
Flame took a deep breath, eyes dropping to his left leg that still ached. It’s going to be a fun healing process.