Chapter Text
FlameFrags was immortal. Everyone and their mothers knew that.
He wasn't called the Immortal Demon for no reason!
But not many stopped and asked the question...why was FlameFrags immortal?
Some figured he was favoured by the gods.
Others believed he made a deal with the devil.
Neither of those was true. Or at least Flame didn't think they were.
The truth was that it had been gifted to him. Many years ago, his brother ManePear had handed him a blindfold, claiming it to be enchanted by the admins. It matched with the blindfold covering his brother's eyes, which was all that really mattered to Flame. He didn't really care about the whole 'enchanted by the admins' part, he was more keen on being like his brother anyways.
One day, his village had been sieged by a neighbouring settlement, and he'd almost lost his life. But somehow, somehow, he'd survived.
And he'd survived every fight after that. He hadn't even had to try.
That was why when he was approached by a member of the Kingdom of the Caves whilst taking a stroll in the woods, he didn't even break a sweat. It would be an easy kill.
He poised himself for battle, drawing his sword and splashing some potions. But instead of being met by a sword, he was met by...
Paper?
He watched, dumbfounded, as the soldier handed him a piece of poorly folded paper before calmly walking off into the trees.
That was...weird.
No time to focus on that though. Eyes under his blindfold wide with curiosity, Flame unfolded the paper and read its contents aloud.
"Dear FlameFrags,
We have Lomedy captive. If you want to see him again, come to these coordinates:
xx, xxx, xxxx
and we can negotiate a deal. Come alone, and no funny business.
-Arachn1d
He read the letter again and again.
They had Lomedy.
Well what was he waiting for then?
Without wasting another second, Flame began to make his way to the arranged coordinates, running as fast as he could in the direction of wherever it was Arachn1d wanted to meet.
About thirty minutes of gruelling sprinting later, Flame found himself at the mouth of a cave. The gaping black hole yawned at him threateningly. It was easily one of the largest structures he had ever seen on the server, and he knew that even more lay inside.
Warily, he approached the entrance of the cave. Seeing no one, he prepared to rush in. That was when a timid voice called to him.
"Hello? Are you FlameFrags?"
Flame whipped around, spotting another Cave soldier. "Yeah," he confirmed. "Now where's Lomedy?"
"Follow me," they replied, descending into the pitch black cave. Reluctantly, Flame followed suit, shooting cautious glances at every dark corner.
They walked through a bustling, dimly lit street, until they reached a towering castle where Flame presumed the spider king stayed. Then, the soldier began to climb the stairs into the main castle, and Flame tailed them the entire way.
Flame and the soldier walked down several dark hallways with portrait-lined walls until they reached a throne room.
To say the throne room was grand was a massive understatement. A regal red and gold carpet was sprawled out in front of Flame. The candelabra that hung from the ceiling was fashioned out of pure gold, carved intricately with spider webs. The room was tailored specifically with the spider king in mind, if the spider themed murals said anything.
The spider king himself was seated on a lavish throne on the far side of the room, looking down condescendingly at Flame's approaching form. "FlameFrags," he spoke, his raspy voice filled with disdain. "You might be wondering why I have summoned you here today."
"Summoned is a pretty strong word, bro. I think a better one would be 'invited' or-"
"Silence!" Arachn1d commanded, and Flame fell silent. Under normal circumstances he would have kept on slandering the spider king, but this time felt different. He clamped his mouth shut, a signal for Arachn1d to keep speaking.
"So, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, you may be wondering why I have summoned you here today."
"Oh yeah! Didn't you take Lomedy hostage or something, bro?"
Arachn1d deadpanned. "Y-yes. You're not supposed to know that though!"
"It was on the letter."
"I'm executing my letter writer later. Anyways, the contents of the letter are true. Guards!" Arachn1d clapped his hands, and from a door in the corner that Flame hadn't noticed emerged three people. Two guards, and...
Flame gasped.
Lomedy.
He didn't seem all that injured, more so sheepish and a bit annoyed at having his hands bound in rope. "H-hi, Flame! You mind...helping me out, maybe?"
"Lomedy. How did you even manage...?"
"I was just farming bro!" Lomedy wailed, struggling a bit with the rope. One of the guards smacked his hands with such force that they began to turn red, and Lomedy stopped struggling immediately.
Flame turned his attention back to Arachn1d, his hand drifting towards he hilt off his sword. "Fine then. If you want a fight, then-"
"I don't want a fight, FlameFrags."
Flame's arm fell limp to his side.
"I don't want a fight," Arachn1d repeated, "because there's something much more valuable that you can give me."
Flame's mind began to race. What could Arachn1d possibly want?
"What I want," Arachn1d said silkily, "is your immortality."
Flame's jaw dropped. He stood motionless in front of the spider king, his mouth twitching occasionally.
Then, he burst into laughter.
His laughs were bark like, shrill and drawn out. He guffawed in the face of the spider king, his own face progressively growing redder. He wheezed like an asthmatic as he laughed, remaining in that hyper euphoric state for several minutes before he eventually managed to compose himself.
"My-my immortality?" Flame huffed, an amused grin plastered on his face. "Bro, I can't just give you my immortal-"
"I know it is stored in your blindfold, FlameFrags."
At those words, Flame's laughter ceased.
He didn't move.
He didn't speak.
Under his blindfold, his eyes widened in horror.
How did he know?!
"How I know doesn't matter," Arachn1d told him, as if he could read his mind. "I know you would never give up your blindfold or immortality that easily, which is why I have this."
He signalled to the guards with one of the lanky spider legs that protruded from his back, and they shoved Lomedy forwards. The farmer stumbled, barely saving himself from tumbling to the floor.
"I'll lay out my offer nice and clear right now. Give us your immortality," his gaze flicked towards the farmer,
"or we kill Lomedy."
"What's stopping me from fighting you right now?" Flame countered, trying hard not to let them hear how shaky his voice was.
Arachn1d didn't even bother replying. He just lifted a single leg and pointed lazily towards the farmer, and then towards the guards' sharp swords.
"Point taken," Flame mumbled quickly.
"Flame!" Lomedy cried from his spot. "It-it's okay! I'll be fine, I know you can-!" His yelling was cut off by a sharp jab in the back from one of the guards. Lomedy gasped in pain, not daring to speak another word.
"So, FlameFrags?"
Hesitance overtook Flame's mind as a thousand thoughts whirled within his head.
His blindfold.
His identity.
His immortality.
All for Lomedy. Was it worth it?
FlameFrags sighed. He hesitated for a what seemed like forever before lifting his hands behind his head and slowly untying the tight knot he had just tied that morning.
The blindfold fell from his face with an almost sombre grace, landing soundlessly in his hands. He looked up from the cloth, everyone in the room expecting to see his eyes, but to their surprise he had shut them.
Flame approached Arachn1d's throne with a weary resignation to him, holding out the blindfold for the spider king to take. Arachn1d snatched it with fervour, handing it to a high ranking soldier before turning to the guards holding Lomedy. "You can release him now," he told them, his voice overflowing with boredom.
Then he turned back to Flame. "Never come back here again," Arachn1d hissed. "Now get out of my sight." The spider king shoved Flame to the floor, where he sat completely motionless.
Lomedy rushed up to his friend, grabbing his arms to help him to his feet. "Come on, Flame," he whispered with concern. "I'll take you home now."
They left Arachn1d's castle with haste, or at least as fast as Flame managed to push himself. The Immortal Demon barely reacted to any vocal cues from Lomedy, remaining in a dissociative state even as they neared Lomedy's cottage.
He'll be fine, Lomedy thought to himself. He's FlameFrags. He'll be back to normal in no time.