Chapter Text
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Jaden’s voice trailed off. They had not long escaped The Purge, and Wemmbu had just laid out his plan to the siren-hybrid.
Below them lay a civilization built on raw power and mutinous intent. It had its own cruel hierarchy: bottom-feeders worked their hearts and souls out just to barely make ends meet, while the royalty fed off their sweat, blood, and tears. The elites squeezed everything they could out of the lower ranks for their own ecstasy, all while acting as the most obedient subjects to the king they had willingly crowned: Arachnid.
Were it not for the fact that Arachnid had taken Eggchan hostage to gain leverage, Wemmbu would never be so obedient to the spider-hybrid’s commands. Every mission was a false hope; every scheme was a distant promise that would never be fulfilled by the spiderling himself. It had been like this over, and over, and over again. Wemmbu could feel himself being drained completely, from his gears to his mentality. He kept seeing hallucinations of friends he had made along the way, dreaming of freedom with his best buddy, and feeling an undying bloodlust to see Arachnid’s head severed. But he couldn't act on it.
A sixteen-ender-pearl stasis chamber hung like a knife over Egg’s head, and it was the only thing keeping Wemmbu sane. He couldn't risk his best friend’s life over his hatred for the Spider King. He needed to calm down and think, something he rarely did. Wemmbu wasn't naturally a cautious soul; he didn't like to sit down and map out a proper plan from A to Z. Usually, he just dashed into battle with his orbital, and if anything went wrong, he’d improvised plan after plan to get himself out of trouble. Ideal? Not really. But it worked for him.
However, the situation he was in right now was nothing compared to those usual 1v1000 player shenanigans. This time, he was caught in Arachnid's web. He couldn't do anything without being monitored by one of the spiderling’s most loyal servants, Yungyx. He couldn't just nuke the civilization either, because there was TNT buried deep under the entire place. He was tangled so tightly in the sticky spiderwebs that there was no way to crawl out. It was suffocating. It was choking him from the inside.
“Wemm?” A soft voice suddenly dragged him back to reality.
The pure Seraphim sat idly near him, still dressed in his sharp black suit. Luminous silver hair trailed down his thin frame. His long bangs mostly covered his eyes, obscuring his vision, but Wemmbu could never convince Egg to cut them shorter because Egg genuinely believed the bangs gave him "aura." After a few months in the Cave civilization, Egg had become visibly more exhausted. He was a creature of the sky; he loved the fresh air and the beauty of nature. Now, he was locked away in the most uncomfortable place of all, where the air was always damp and musty, and he was constantly watched twenty-four hours a day. Wemmbu felt a pang of guilt for being unable to save his friend from the predicament his own presence had passively put Egg in.
However, Egg seemed fine with it. No. He wasn't fine with the fact that he was being held hostage just so people could take advantage of his best friend. But he was glad that he got to see Wemmbu twice a week now that Wemmbu had become second-in-command. He got to stroll around here and there in the cave civ while Wemmbu went out to handle whatever awful chores Arachnid threw at him. He had met up with Jaden, hung out with CodMaster, and even found Yungyx a little bit hilarious. Egg truly believed Wemmbu would get them out of this hellhole, just like he always used to.
“You look a little tense, bro,” Egg teased, petting Wemmbu’s tail as it swayed back and forth. Egg found it funny, while Wemmbu was too stressed to care.
“What am I going to do now, Egg?” Wemmbu combed a hand through his hair in frustration. He couldn't think of a single solution. He felt like a puppet being tugged and shoved by Arachnid, fed nothing but false hope. “I can't get you out of this.”
“So?”
“What do you mean, so?” Wemmbu flicked his tail away, smacking Egg’s hand in the process.
“Yo, chill, bro. I mean, unless it’s about the fact that I can barely see anything through these bangs, I’m perfectly safe in this prison.” The seraphim slumped down onto his queen-size bed. The velvety maroon bedding was covered in cobweb motifs, a dark backdrop that made the bright colors of the seraphim pop.
“That’s not how you’re supposed to act, you chungie,” Wemmbu rolled his eyes, slumping down right next to his friend.
Eggchan just laughed it off. After that, the room fell quiet. They stopped talking, just two friends lying there, enjoying each other's company. It had been a long time since they had enjoyed a moment like this.
Wemmbu opened his eyes once again; he had zoned out for a while. Jaden stood silently next to him. The siren-hybrid was the only person he would consider real company, or even a friend, who kept him from just charging in and macing Yungyx or Arachnid. Wemmbu appreciated it more than he let on.
“If I don’t do anything now, he’s going to do something to Egg.”
Jaden glanced over at Wemmbu, his eyes full of empathy and understanding, and nodded. Placing a reassuring hand on Wemmbu’s shoulder, he reminisced about everything they had gone through. He saw Wemmbu as a powerful ally, someone he could completely turn his back on without fear of getting stabbed, unlike a certain someone else. Everything he was doing now was to repay the ender dragon-hybrid, a genuine act of true friendship.
“And what about Yungyx? He’s way too head-over-heels for the Spider King. How are you so sure he’d actually betray him?”
Wemmbu looked down at the Cave civilization. Enhanced by the effects of a night vision potion, he could clearly see the bottom-feeders suffering in the mineshafts, barely having enough light to see, let alone work. Unfortunately for them, Wemmbu wasn't like his friend Parrot, whom he hadn't made contact with since he blew up Capital City. He probably needed to have a decent talk with the guy eventually, but that was a problem for future Wemmbu. Right now, he knew that if he carried out his plan and succeeded, he would be the one in charge of everything and everyone down there. That was going to be a lot to take in.
“Yungyx’s mind is on the verge of cracking open, I can tell.” Wemmbu tracked the spider-hybrid, noting the distinct spider-like veil as he ran around the middle-tier districts. Yungyx seemed to be growing more and more bored, likely because Arachnid barely gave him any important tasks anymore. That neglect was doing more favors for Wemmbu than it was for Arachnid. It brought the ender dragon-hybrid a spark of dark joy to see just how ignorant the king of the Cave civilization could be.
Jaden noticed the direction of Wemmbu’s gaze and followed it to the same scene. The siren pirate felt a twinge of pity for the guy, being tossed around, losing his position, and even being betrayed and thrown into the Purge, yet Yungyx still remained fiercely loyal to Arachnid.
Wemmbu, on the other hand, had work to do. He patted Jaden’s shoulder before placing a shulker box on the ground, spreading his wings, and launching himself into the air. He flew away, leaving the pirate standing in confusion.
It was only when Jaden opened what was left behind that his eyes widened. Inside was a full set of brand-new netherite gear, complete with the armor trims reserved for royalty in the Cave civ. Knowing Wemmbu, the guy was simply too nonchalant to actually say out loud that he was officially raising Jaden to royalty himself. Jaden let out a chuckle, shaking his head.
The crazy guy had even remembered to grab a trident for the pirate. What a considerate guy.
Wemmbu flew back to the castle, its endless corridors filled with webs dangling from above and guards patrolling every corner. Every time he walked through this place, a storm of complicated emotions invaded his peace of mind. It was a volatile mix of anger, disgust, and guilt. He could only hope his plan would be a success. Maybe then, he might actually feel at ease around here.
Arriving outside the meeting room, Wemmbu shoved his belongings into a shulker box and threw it into his ender chest. That was the first bit of etiquette he'd had to learn the hard way before meeting Arachnid in person. He didn't feel safe doing it, but it was what it was.
Wemmbu carelessly pushed the door open, barging in as if he were about to strangle the person sitting at the center of the room. He frowned at the delightful expression the Spider King wore. Arachnid even stood up to greet his favorite second-in-command, acting as though he wasn't the exact same person who had just thrown Wemmbu into the deadly Purge.
“Wemmbu, I am so glad that you’re back,” Arachnid smiled, with absolutely no sincerity in his eyes. He held up a glass of wine, raising it toward Wemmbu’s face.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Wemmbu quickly smacked the hand away, wanting no physical contact with the spiderling whatsoever.
The Spider King sat back down, his face a mix of ecstasy and something grim. He tapped the seat next to him, a clear silent command indicating that Wemmbu must sit.
“Wemmbu, my friend,” Arachnid started. Gross. There was no way Wemmbu would consider him an acquaintance, let alone a friend, he thought to himself. “It was just a little test of your survival abilities, to see if you're truly worthy of being second-in-command.”
“Quit the friendly act.” Wemmbu leaned his head back against the wooden chair, letting his short purple strands of hair dangle over the backboard. His web-like veil shifted slightly, but still didn't fully reveal his face.
“Alright, alright. My sincere apologies for making it feel like I betrayed you.” Arachnid put his liquor glass down, stood up, and walked over to Wemmbu’s chair, pushing it closer to the table. “How about I make it up to you? I will let Eggchan roam free in the Cave with royalty armor, and I'll have Yungyx look after him.”
Another lie, Wemmbu figured. This is not the first time Arachnid promised him something, however, he soon notices that he only does half of what he promised. But lashing out right now wasn't a good idea. He needed to remain calm. He was doing this for Eggchan; he was doing this for his own freedom and his friend's. Until Yungyx was completely under his control, he still had to play the part of Arachnid's obedient dog.
“Fine.” He raised his hands in mock defeat, sat up straight, and then stood up completely. “Do whatever you think is suitable.”
Without looking back, he walked out, his boots grinding against the stone-cold floor. Behind him, Arachnid looked on, seemingly amused by just how compliant Wemmbu had become.