Chapter Text
Raymond woke up groggy and disheveled. His mind was fuzzy, the dream he’d been having slowly slipping from his mind—something, something, Evbo, something, something, whatever.
The blankets draped around his shoulder were warm and puffy. There was an odd taste in his mouth, his hair felt messy and tangled, and the creases in the pillow had made marks on his face. That must have been the best sleep he’d had in weeks. Months, maybe.
He slowly lifted his head up as he refocused. The walls were grey and unfamiliar for a moment—before the events of the previous day crashed into him all at once.
Evbo, escaping, freeing Tabi, the rushing and the panic—the video journals. The pool! Evbo’s mansion. God, he hadn’t realized just how tired he’d been. And this bed had been surprisingly comfy.
The guard allowed himself to sit up, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the dim light that illuminated the room. The video journal in the corner was still lit, though no video was playing. His armor lay next to the bed, neatly stacked, leaning against the wall. Torches were dimly lit on the walls; The two lamps hung above Evbo’s bed burned, flames low and almost out of fuel.
How long had he been asleep?
He remembered staying up late, watching through each and every video journal Evbo had saved. It gave him a full story. And a new feeling, (Although that was currently being ignored.) He always had to be on his toes—no way of knowing when there might be someone here to fight him—no time to work through any of that.
Raymond planted his feet on the floor and rose to a stand. He stretched for a moment, before taking a second to glance out the windows. He didn’t fully step into view—in case any rabid iron swords were still looking for him, but he could gauge a good amount from where he stood. There were still people bustling about, but significantly less than usual. It must be earlier in the morning. Or if he had been really knocked out, maybe it was the evening.
He picked up the pile of armor on the floor and carried it with him as he moved across the house. This would be his first full day of waiting for whatever escape plan Evbo was planning to help get him out of here—and Raymond was already starting to feel bored. He picked up the shield he placed by the door and brought it with him as well.
The pool was as clear and as comforting as it was the last time he saw it. Raymond dumped the items down next to it. No fault in being prepared.
He slipped in once again, letting the warm water soak his clothes.
Were there other things he could be doing aside from being the in pool? Yes. Did he really actually want to do any of them? No.
He eyed the sunglasses he’d left by the pool's edge.
They were still in the same pristine condition as when he’d spawned with them. The sheen plastic fit his face perfectly, and as much as it seemed impractical—and affected his vision—they were a part of him. And they looked pretty sick, not gonna lie.
Raymond caught a glimpse of his reflection in the plastic and frowned a bit. His hair was scruffed up, and small cuts and marks adorned his face. He cupped some water in his hand and ran it through his hair, which always looked messy after he took off his helmet. Or slept, in this case.
The calm of the water had pulled his focus away from worrying about Evbo. Well, not—not Evbo Evbo, moreso his plan. Evbo’s plan. Not just Evbo.
Tabi would keep him in check, surely. She always knew what to do.
Raymond leaned his head on his elbows as he lounged by the edge of the pool.
He faintly wondered about the other diamond swords.
Evbo had half-described them in his video journals. They seemed… capable. And hopefully not malicious. He knew Evbo wasn’t the most skilled at PVP, so if they happened to fight him—well, Evbo might need another round of help down to the diamond sword level. Hopefully, Tabi would help him fight, if she could. They were working together.
Plus, diamond swords had a lot of durability. Evbo could live for a long time now. If he didn’t spend it all immediately, that is.
Raymond’s eyes drifted over to his shield. It was a bit scraped up, but nothing major. He still had time. Maybe he should start thinking carefully about his blocks.
…Just maybe—
He was suddenly pulled out of his thoughts as a heavy bang echoed from the door. Raymond tensed, quicking darting his gaze over to his armor. His shield. He had begun to reach for it, when—
“Raymond!” A familiar voice called, hoarse and heavy. “Are you in there? Raymond!”
Evbo.
He banged on the door once more before pausing, and then Raymond heard the slow grinding of stone as the door slid open.
The tired form of Evbo stumbled in through the door, the mild panic in his voice not leaving. “Raymond—”
“It’s okay, dude. I’m right here.”
Raymond watched as Evbo jumped in surprise, spinning to look for where he was. He stumbled for a moment before catching his breath.
“Oh.” Evbo’s eyes landed on him. He gave a short, gasp-y laugh. “You’re in the pool.”
The guard reached for his sunglasses, slipping them on as Evbo took a few weary steps toward him. “Yeah?”
Evbo’s panicked stance seemed to relax. The player shut his eyes for a second, taking a series of deep breaths, hunched over with his hands on his thighs. Evbo’s sweater was more torn than when the guard had seen him last—a new large rip cut its way up from his wrist to his shoulder, half of his arm exposed by the limp fabric.
There were small nicks and cuts along that arm. They covered parts of his neck as well—some budding small droplets of blood even as he stood.
Raymond let his breathing even out. “You look like crap.”
“I feel like crap.”
The guard raised an eyebrow in surprise at that admittance. Evbo hadn’t been the type to open up unless there was a horrific, dire situation that brought it about. Maybe that had happened without Raymond even being there. God, it was too early in the morning for this. He’d only woken up ten minutes ago.
“What happened?” Raymond moved toward him in the water, but didn’t hop out.
Evbo kept his head down for a moment. Another heavy breath. Then he tilted his head up to meet Raymond’s eyes, and oh god, he looked like he was about to cry.
“Woah, Evbo—dude. What’s wrong?” This wasn’t good. Not good at all. A distraught Evbo meant a problem. And problems were not something they needed right now.
Evbo let out a strangled noise as he slumped down to the floor.
Something must’ve happened with the plan. Were the diamond swords evil? Did PrinceZam manage to get down there? Was Tabi in trouble? Did Evbo get in a fight and lose? Was there no exit? Were they going to be stuck here forever?
Evbo was shaking slightly. Though his tired breathing had faded, it was replaced by shallow exhales and inhales—like he couldn’t get enough air.
“Tabi. She’s—she…” He finally spoke.
Raymond found himself stepping out of the pool, scooting over next to Evbo.
Evbo didn’t look over at him. His breathing caught, and Raymond saw his shaking pause. A blank stare formed on his face. His eyes looked unfocused, far, far away, and they lacked the grief that was just present.
“She betrayed me.”
…
What? What was he talking about?
“Evbo, what do you mean?”
The player reached a hand up to his neck, tracing along an invisible scar line. His other hand was held to his stomach.
Raymond processed for a moment. “What—”
“She was lying.”
Raymond stopped.
“She stabbed me.”
Raymond gave Evbo a long look. His gaze bore over at the wall, eyes wet and shiny.
“What are you talking about?” Raymond prompted slowly, unsurely.
Evbo stared for a few moments before turning to meet the guard’s eyes. He took a shaky inhale. “When I got to the diamond level, it was perfect,” He began. “It was paradise. There was clean, cool water everywhere—like my pool! It was massive, there was tall grass and flowers, a new shop! They even had huge mansions! Even bigger than this one!
“The diamond swords already there seemed kind enough. They showed me around. Me and—” His breath hitched. “And Tabi… we explored around together. It was too good to be true. For a second, I wasn’t sure if I even wanted to leave.
“But then a diamond sword, Wembu, showed me the way out. It was complicated. Took a lot of hits. Me and Tabi promised we’d escape together.” Evbo shifted his gaze down to the guard’s left.
Raymond took a deep breath and sorted through all of that. It all seemed… about what he had expected. Nothing had gone terribly awry.
But, still, Evbo looked awful.
He said Tabi had betrayed him. He also said they were going to escape together.
…So where was she?
Evbo stifled a sob. Raymond reached out an unsure hand.
The player continued. “Then a different diamond sword—Julie. Told us about how PVP Civilization works.” He looked up at Raymond. “How PVP Civilization really works.”
Raymond blinked.
“There are more than just Swords. More than Shields. There are three other weapons—three different types, outside of the Red Wall. Tridents, bows, and axes. They all—they all keep us in here. To farm us. Our swords. Our durability.”
The guard took a sharp inhale. The gross memory of Evbo’s cell played in his mind. The respawns, the hunger, the scars. The blood. The numbness in Evbo’s eyes, growing deeper and deeper, each time he came to pick him up. It made him feel sick. He swallowed thickly, trying to push the thought of it away.
Now there were other weapons? And they were doing that to everyone?
“Some swords spawn in naturally. Like me. But some people come down here as a punishment—and some people come down here for a challenge.” Evbo took a slow breath. “Tabi was here for a challenge.” He grit out, his voice shallow and husk. “She wasn’t actually a sword. She didn’t actually care. She didn’t actually—”
Evbo looked ill. The quiver in his voice made it sound insincere. Angry. Doubtful. Like each word he spoke betrayed his thoughts, like even the thought of it made his blood run cold—like he hoped he was lying through his teeth. Like he didn’t believe a single letter.
Raymond registered that tears were now flowing down Evbo’s face. He let his hand reach out and touch the other’s shoulder. He felt the player stiffen for a moment, before letting himself lean into it. Evbo let out his first audible sob and started again.
“She was just using me.” He choked out. “People come here out of their own will to get something—something way, way down, hidden on the diamond level. The eternal sword. It has infinite durability. Practically immortality.
“That's what Tabi was here for. That’s why she worked together with me. That’s why she kept me safe. That's—that's why she lured me away. Tricked the other diamond swords. Lied to me. That's why.” Evbo melted further into Raymond’s shoulder. “For that sword.” He hissed it out with venom on his tongue.
The quick sobs had turned into labored breaths. “Then she opened the exit, then she stole the sword, then she—then she talked to me. Then she didn’t listen. Didn’t care.
“I asked her if I really didn’t mean anything to her.”
Evbo shakily inhaled. “Then she stabbed me.”
Then Evbo fully broke. All the words that could've followed that sentence died in his throat as it all started to flow. Tears down his cheeks, rolling down his scars, falling to the floor. He hiccuped into the guard, pressing his face into Raymond’s shirt. He gripped the other’s side with fistfuls of fabric, knuckles white and bruised.
Raymond wasn’t going to act like he had fully processed all of what Evbo had just said. To be honest, his brain had stopped listening as soon as he had placed a hand on Evbo’s shoulder. Now the player was crying, into Raymond's shoulder, hurt and angry. More hurt and angry than he’d ever seen him. Not even during the beginning, when he’d first found out about how PVP civilization worked. Not when he’d started dying over and over and over again, not when he’d been captured and killed god knows how many times—not even when every single person wanted him dead.
Raymond wasn’t the type to comfort. Not too outwardly, anyway.
He had found that comfort wasn’t an easy thing to come by. All the wooden swords he’d seen, snuffed out just as quickly as they had spawned—nobody mourned them. Raymond couldn’t name a single one of them, much less remember what they looked like, each time he’d notice an empty cell that had once been inhabited. He’d mop up the blood, change the dirty sheets, and wait for the next. Take their portrait off the wall—their number of wins, which was often zero, erased and rewritten. It had become automatic. How he lived. How he survived.
No use in getting attached.
But even for him, this was too much.
Evbo was too much.
He supposed he could make an exception just this once.
Immediately following that thought, Raymond felt his arms reach out and wrap around Evbo's shoulders fully, and pull him in.
Evbo practically melted into the touch. The guard grabbed at the base of his neck, holding his head as he shuddered. The hold felt so foreign. Evbo was warm, and present, and there. Fragile. And Raymond found no room in his heart to judge him for it.
They sat in the quiet for a few minutes. It was only filled by the soft cries from Evbo, and the occasional murmur of an incoherent sentence.
After a while, the player’s breathing slowed. Raymond’s hold didn’t waver.
“So… I guess it might take a little longer for me to escape then, yeah?” The guard spoke quietly.
Evbo gave a wet laugh. A shaky breath. “Yeah. Sorry for the inconvenience.” The beginnings of a smile in his voice.