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The first thing Wemmbu did upon leaving the purge was killing Arachnid in the most gruesome way possible. The whole situation went by like a blur, a simple fogged up memory in Wemmbu’s mind.
He dissociates a lot but ever since getting taken into the caves has he only detached from reality more and more.
He remembers a few things about the slaughter. Parts that stuck out the most.
First, he remembers Yungy trying to talk him out of it, ease him down along with Codmaster stating it was a terrible idea. Jaden was the only one that supported the idea, stating he’d help Wemmbu on killing the king. Which he greatly appreciated. After that, it was a bit of a blur until he recalls looming over the spider, listening to him plead and beg. He didn’t kill him immediately, only after Egg’s safety was confirmed by Yungy and Jaden.
Once he knew that, he demanded to know where each and every stasis of Egg was, stating he’d offer mercy to Arachnid if he complied. The man quickly crumbled, disabling each and every stasis that Egg was forced to make. He doesn’t recollect exactly what happened after, only Jaden trying pulling him back, repeating over and over “That’s enough Wemmbu.” He remembers blood dripping down his face, splattered on his purple skin, contrasting greatly. Not his blood though, Arachnids.
He remembers the built up anger pouring out as he punches the man over and over again despite him being dead for well over a minute now.
He also remembers Egg pleading for him to stop- And that’s the only reason why he did.
All that rage stemmed from being forced to be deprived of his best friend but also betray his two other brothers.
And that leads him to now, deemed the new king of the caves.
He was never one for ruling, especially since the last two attempts at creating empires. He shivers at the thought, doesn’t matter, point is that now he rules this kingdom. And he’s surprisingly okay with it, he makes Egg his advisor since he insisted on it and makes Jaden and Yungy his second and third in command. He’s surprisingly grown a liking to the other, learning to implement more trust in him as time went on and once Yungy assured Egg’s safety back during the purge did he really trust him.
Wemmbu now leans against the balcony, Egg and Jaden both accompanying him as he fiddles with his hands.
“Dude, being king is so stressful- How the hell did you guys deal with this?”
Wemmbu asks, turning to the others who simply shrug at him.
“Well it’s easier starting a kingdom then just abruptly taking in within the middle of it’s reign.”
Egg states, gesturing slightly as the wings attached to his head ruffle slightly.
“He’s right, it’ll take time for people to get comfortable and for you to adjust to this.”
Jaden adds, gently patting his back. Wemmbu hums in response, his tail swishing back and forth.
“C’mon, let’s go outside, maybe it’ll help you relax”
Egg suggests, a part of Wemmbu wants to just stay, maybe take a nap but he won’t deny his best friend so he accepts. Next thing he knows Egg grabs his hand, dragging him down the long flights of stairs with Jaden trailing behind. They make their way outside, into the brighter scenery that causes Wemmbu to wince as it the sunlight blinds his eyes.
When he comes back, he’s gotta remember to put some better light sources- He knows it’s the kingdom of caves and whatnot but seriously, it’s way too dark there..
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Time passes on and the three are well pass the kingdom at this point, talking with each other, laughs slipping into the conversation. The tension that was once there begins to dissipate within minutes, the burden of responsibilities and everything beginning to be lifted off of Wemmbu’s shoulders. Almost.
His mind continues to wander- more about his brothers than anything else. He needs to apologize to Flame and Parrot- Maybe help out with Cindercrest while he’s at it given he has a whole army. He still feels guilty regarding his oldest brother- If it weren’t for him, Parrot definitely would’ve won the war. He lets out a huff, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance.
If only..
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He pauses his walking, his hands falling to his side.
‘Where’s Spoke?’
The question rang out loudly in his head as he realized he hadn’t seen his youngest brother since the Law War- Which was well over a month at this point. His expression grimaced in an instant at the realization, how hadn’t he noticed earlier? He’d been so caught up with Egg and everything that he forgot to even question the existence of Spoke- His mind begins to panic, how didn’t he notice!? What type of older brother is he??
“Wemmbu?”
Jadens voice calls out and suddenly Egg and him are standing before him with worried expressions- Since when did they get there?
“Y..yeah?”
He manages to peep out, his voice sounding awfully pathetic. Egg frowns, his hand outstretching to rest on Wemmbu’s shoulder- He flinches, he stupidly flinches at the touch. Egg instantly retracts his hand, brows furrowing with confusion and most importantly, concern.
“What happened?”
The seraphim asks, voice gentle, afraid to say the wrong thing. Wemmbu shakes his head, opening his mouth to speak only to double back.
“I..”
He trails off, glancing off slightly.
“I..I realized that I haven’t seen Spoke in awhile- Not since the Law.”
He finally musters out, Egg’s one visible eye widens only to mellow out within a second, not wanting to panic the other.
“Maybe he’s been busy with his own stuff, we can go and try and find him if you want?”
He offers, hoping to relax the demon-hybrid.
“I-I don’t even know where to start-”
Wemmbu exclaimed, gesturing wildly at the landscape before him.
“We can check his base, find a clue-”
Jaden suggests, shrugging slightly.
“I don’t even know where exactly his base is!”
Wemmbu shouts, groaning loudly as he digs his face into the palm of his hands out of frustration.
It takes a bit for Wemmbu to relax himself but once he does, the three begin to walk into the rough direction of Spoke’s base. Egg thankfully and somehow- but not surprisingly- had a decent idea as to where the voidling lived, relieving Wemmbu.
It was quite stupid of him to not have a proper clue as to where his brother lived but in all honesty, Spoke never was one to stay in one place, always on the move as long as he had someone with him.
And that person was Mapicc.
Wemmbu didn’t talk with the man often, only on the few occasions that he got to talk with Spoke or where they all got to team up did he see Mapicc.
But one thing he knows is that man is extremely loyal to Spoke. And it’s comforting, knowing Spoke has someone to latch onto. And better yet, Mapicc is decent at combat unlike Spoke who isn’t horrific at it like Parrot but most certainly not on the level as him and Flame. Obviously, Mapicc wasn’t amazing but he held his ground fairly well and protected Spoke which was all Wemmbu needed.
Especially given that the younger one tended to always wind up in the most chaotic and insane situations ever- He’s not even sure how he ended up in these predicaments anyway.
Which makes him question as to where his brother could POSSIBLY be- Spoke definitely would’ve participated in this war, being on Parrot’s side obviously. The boy would’ve likely found a way for the four of them to team up again like he did back during the Law and Mafia times.
The only difference with the Invis Mafia is that they could not convince Flame under any circumstances to betray- Free resources and the ability to fight all he wants was practically heaven to the tiger-hybrid. It was no wonder he winded up as a diamond rank, he was quite skilled anyway.
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It takes time for Wemmbu and them to reach Spoke’s base- It would’ve been much faster if they had just flown but with Egg’s lack of an elytra, it left them all walking. Not that he minded that much with his two good friends at his side but it was also getting ridiculously late. The sun that was once high and mighty in the sky was now settling down, darkness slowly swallowing all the light that had earlier touch the server.
And that would’ve been fine, if it weren’t for the nerve wracking feeling that only continued to boil as they reached closer and closer to Spoke’s base.
He can’t deny that he’s been acting more weirder since arriving at the caves, everyone knows it, everyone’s seen it.
And he hates it- He hates how paranoid he is, less controlled, more quiet yet more emotional- it’s driving him insane.
His thoughts however quickly dissipate upon making out two name tags appearing behind a singular door embedded within a cliffside. His brain practically floats, pure relief possessing him as he sighs quietly.
This is where Spoke is- Everything's fine, his brother is okay-
But as he gets closer does he actually read the name tags- Mapicc and Jumper. His brows furrow in confusion and panic but he relaxes- It’s fine, Spoke’s probably out getting resources for them.
Egg opens the door, waltzing inside along with him and Jaden.
“Sorry for barging in but hey guys”
The angel calls out, glancing around, taking in the appearance of the base. Wemmbu does so as well, it’s surprisingly nice and well decorated, it doesn’t exactly shout Spoke but it’s nice nonetheless.
Jumper and Mapicc stand there, surprised and almost defensive as Mapicc withdraws his sword.
“What’re you guys doing here?”
Mapicc sneers, Jaden lets out a laugh, one muffled given his mask.
“Relax dude, we’re friends here, aren’t we?”
He says, making eye contact with Jumper who he’s gotten along with in the past. Her eyes flick between him, Egg and then Wemmbu, clearly hesitant before sighing as she signals Mapicc to put down his sword. He reluctantly does, still keeping it at his side.
One thing Wemmbu notices is how shit the duo look.
Like actual shit.
Broken armor, not even netherite, diamond and even iron. Their appearances convey distress along with how they move.
But most importantly is their eyes.
The way dark circles lay under them, their pupils dark and dull- drained clearly. It makes Wemmbu’s stomach churl.
“What’re you guys doing here?”
Jumper asks, confused, her voice sounds evidently strained which worries Wemmbu. Not for Jumper though, for Spoke.
“Well, we wanted to ask-”
“Where’s Spoke.”
Wemmbu cuts off Egg sentence with urgency and firmness, eyes locked onto the two of them. He watches them process his question, surprise showing on his face to then mix into concern and then fear. The two make eye contact with each other, clearly hesitant on speaking- And it only angers Wemmbu to see them know something he clearly doesn’t.
“Spit it out-”
He grits.
“Wemmbu..Spoke, he- uhm.. He’s gone.”
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His heart drops to his stomach, into the very deep pit of it. His pupils run wide, he takes a step back, shaking his head-
“What do you mean he’s gone?”
He laughs out, a rather maniac smile beginning to appear on his lips- This has to be a joke, some cruel messed up fucking joke! Because no way, no way his brother, Spoke, the exploiter- died.
But the way Mapicc and Jumpers eyes fall to the floor- And the way guilt washes over them confirms the truth. And the worst part is, they look guilty- As if his death was their fault.
Rage blinds him and next thing he knows, he’s gripping Mapicc by the shirt, slamming him into the nearby wall.
“What the FUCK did you do!?”
He shouts, eyes sharpening as he searches for something- Anything in Mapicc’s face.
He only stands there, surprised and again guilty.
“D-dude, I’m sorry, I don’t know how to tell you this any better-”
He brings Mapicc close again only to slam him back into the wall with a harsh crash. Mapicc lets out a pained groan, desperately trying to pull himself away from Wemmbu to no avail.
“Mapicc, I trusted you-!?”
“I didn’t kill him-!”
“YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO PROTECT HIM!!”
He screams, Mapicc winces but he doesn’t give a shit. He hears Jumper, Jaden and Egg yelling from behind, trying to pull him off of Mapicc-
“I-I tried-!”
“I FUCKING TRUSTED YOU”
He cries out, Jaden finally pulls him off of Mapicc as the man collapses to the ground, staring up at Wemmbu with a frightened expression as Jumper slides to his aid, trying to help the man up only to send a glare at Wemmbu.
“What the hell is your problem-!?”
“My problem!? MY PROBLEM IS THAT SPOKE IS DEAD”
He yells, thrashing against Jadens grasp.
“Wemmbu- Wemmbu, please relax-”
“NO, NO! You can’t fucking tell me to relax!?”
He wails, tears beginning to burn down his face as his heart thumps rapidly against his chest that he can practically hear it in his ears.
“We didn’t want him to die! He chose to sacrifice himself-”
Jumper states, her brows furrowing with frustration as she glare at Wemmbu- As if he was the problem in all of this.
“Sacrifice?”
He repeats, voice cold as the word repeats over and over in his head.
“Yes-”
“You’re telling me, he sacrificed himself for your pathetic asses!?” He exclaims, fists clenching by his side as anger consumes him- Are you serious!? Spoke dies because of them!?
“He saved us and a thousand other players- We begged him not to, we said we’d find another way to get us all out!”
Mapicc then shouts, gesturing around, clearly just as frustrated as Jumper.
“I’d kill a thousand players including you two if it meant saving Spoke.”
He spits, he doesn’t even know why he says it but he just does. The duo double back and Wemmbu can see the clear switch flick in their brains as they began shouting at him. Egg steps in, trying to calm the other as he raises his hands.
Wemmbu completely zones out, muffled sounds only being heard as he stares at the two screaming figures, his vision beginning to blur. The lights of the base shine too brightly for Wemmbu’s liking.
He becomes too aware of himself, of his breathing and heart rate.
His mind clusters with thoughts, questions, too many and it’s all too much for Wemmbu.
Why, why Spoke?
Why did he have to die? He was the youngest, he had more to live for than any of them.
Why wasn’t it him?
How did he even die?
Was it peaceful?
Was it painless? Please tell him it was done quickly so that he couldn’t suffer. Spoke never had a good pain tolerance- God he sours at the thought, his mind grimacing.
Did he have last words?
Did he mutter anything? He always had the tendency to ramble quietly to himself about things- Did he say sorry, I love you, thank you, anything?
Did he know he was loved?
Did he know that he was loved before he died?
The question echoes in his mind, over and over like a record.
He blinks, once then twice and Jaden is standing before him, trying to regulate him.
“Stay with me Wem-”
His voice is barely audible but he registers it enough. He nods only to move away from Jaden, pushing the pirate off.
“Did you say I love you?”
He asks, voice snipping into the once loud atmosphere, quieting everything in an instant.
“What?”
Wemmbu stares at the two before him, pulling Egg back as he steps closer, they step back in return.
“Did you say I love you? Did you hug him? Were you there until his final breathe? Did you make sure he didn’t die feeling like a burden?”
He snaps, motioning his hand at them, urging them to reply- Say yes, they did, they made sure his death was as easy as it could be. But the two stand there, staring at him with these gawked expressions like he said the most stupidest thing ever.
“I-”
“Oh you’re fucking kidding me!”
He shouts, running a hand through his hair as he laughs, tears streaming down his face, a sob begging to slip from his mouth.
“Y-you didn’t make sure he was loved before he died!?”
He questions, pleading for them to just say something- Fucking lie for all he cares but they don’t. Wemmbu feels like he’s going insane the way he laughs, his eyes darkening as he stares at them.
“YOU’RE FUCKING JOKING- RIGHT!?”
He howls out, backing the two of them into a wall as fumbled words and stutters come from their mouths, trying to find the right things to say.
“THAT’S MY BABY BROTHER- YOU GOT MY FUCKING BROTHER KILLED BECAUSE YOU TWO COULDN’T FUCKING TRY. And worst of all!?! You DIDN’T EVEN MAKE SURE HE DIED LOVED.”
He shrills, voice cracking as he yells at the two, sobs escaping his mouth. His vision blurs from the tears spilling out of his eyes. He launches at the two of them, to punch them or something but Jaden yet again grabs him by the waist, pulling him back. The man writhed around, begging to be let at them- To hurt them, to kill them because they couldn’t have the decency to make his brothers death less painful.
He cries pathetically, letting his hand fall limp as he gapes at them, watching their faces fall into remorse, their own tears prickling at their tears.
“Wemmbu, I’m sorry-”
“Don’t fucking say sorry.”
He hisses with a broken voice, throat running hoarse and dry as the tears burn at his eyes. His mind goes silent for a minute. Then two before making the unfortunate connection.
“How do I even tell Flame and Parrot.”
He whispers, more to himself. The realization clicks, grief cascading over him.
“H..How do I even..”
He trails off, hiccuping and suddenly he’s pulled into a tight embrace by Egg as his best friend tries to soothe him.
He crumbles entirely, letting out a heart breaking cry. A wail. A weep. A bawl. A sob. No word could explain the pure scream that Wemmbu lets out, the pure sorrow and grief that was held within it. He clings onto Egg as if he’s the source of his living and in a way, it is.
Who else does he have? He ruined his relationship with Parrot and Flame, his now last two standing brothers. The concept of only mentioning them and not Spoke makes his sick again.
He buries his face into the crook of Egg’s neck, tears seeping into his suit.
This isn’t fair, this is in no way fair at all.
Why did it have to be Spoke?
The boy who would smile and laugh so much, more than any other person that he always had evident dimples on his face no matter what.
The boy who was determined to learn a new skill only to give up a week later.
The boy who cared more than anyone else ever knew, who always tried to bring his brothers close together even when they all distanced off and went their own ways.
The boy who’d beg Flame to give him a piggyback ride, loving to see pass the hills despite the capability of being able to alter his height at will.
The boy who’d constantly ask to play chess against Parrot despite fully knowing he’d lose each time.
The boy he grew up with, the boy he remembers coddling when he woke up from a terrifying nightmare, taking him to the kitchen to make hot chocolate. He remembers how much Spoke loved Wemmbu making him hot coco, always saying that he put the right amount of chocolate chips and whip cream. And after that, they’d play a game of Connect Four in which Spoke would always win because who was Wemmbu to deny his brother the privilege of winning? And when the boy got too confident was only when he’d win, just to make sure he didn’t grow up with an ego.
And then they’d head off to bed and Spoke would curl up into Wemmbu’s arms, easing into the warmth and falling asleep peacefully.
Those nights were their little secret because Wemmbu knew Parrot was too tired all the time and needed the extra sleeping, he was constantly having to find ways to pick up money for the four of them and help them survive.
And Flame wasn’t good with comfort and that was understandable because of how he lived before them.
So it was always Wemmbu who waked up to Spoke’s cries and uneven breaths, it was him who stayed up to make sure his brother was okay.
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Spoke was the young boy who was too good and too misunderstood for this world to see.
He was the boy who was now a fully grown man at this point but to Wemmbu, that was still his baby brother.
His baby brother who was now dead, likely thinking he was a burden because unfortunately, Wemmbu knew how he thought. He knew the dark thoughts that consumed him until he broke. So as much as he wanted to ignore it, deep down, he knew Spoke died thinking he was hated by everyone.
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The room runs silent for a few minutes, a state of bereavement integrated into the atmosphere, each person mourning the loss of Spoke.
Mapicc who was his best friend for two years, who regretted betraying him towards the end only to rekindle the friendship to not even have it for that long as Spoke dies in front of him.
Jumper who hated him deeply only to realize he was simply trying to do goodness.
Jaden who only knew the man from Flame and Wemmbu but still appreciated him when breaking him out of prison.
Egg who met the man several times, always laughing at his funny jokes and comments.
And Wemmbu, who grieved the loss of his youngest brother, wondering how was he to inform this to his two eldest brothers.
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It takes a while for Wemmbu to steady himself and even then, he’s still crying that his face is puffy from the tears.
The sorrow however dissolves and instead turns into something else, rage.
Pure rage.
“Who was responsible for his death?”
Wemmbu asks, voice raspy as he interrupts the silence. Mapicc and Jumper look up at him, the two sitting on the floor next to each other.
“Jamatop.”
They both say in unison, grimacing at the mere mention.
Wemmbu blinks.
He’s heard that name.
He’s seen that man.
“He was the guy at the farlands..”
Egg murmurs, beginning to realize that the two have in fact came across the man.
“We’re leaving.”
Wemmbu suddenly states, instantly turning heel and heading out of the bunker.
He doesn’t say goodbye to Mapicc and Jumper because he has better things to think about.
Like how painful he’s gonna make this guy’s death be.
“Wait Wemmbu, where are you going!?”
Jaden exclaims, following after him along with Egg who waves a gentle goodbye to the two.
“I’m going back to the caves and there we’re gonna prepare.”
He states, Egg gives him a questioning look, silently already having an idea as to what he was gonna do.
“Prepare for what?”
He peeps out, Wemmbu cackles.
“Prepare to kill Jamatop.”
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“I miss him..”
Mapicc murmurs, voice quiet as he sniffles, tears burning at the corner of his eyes.
Jumper hums softly to his words, nodding a bit as her ears lay drooped down against her head.
“I miss him too.”