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The end of the world was near.
And Dumb finally thought it was over, he got what he wanted, he got Stormz on his side even if he had to follow the same path as him. Even if they had to almost break him in order to do so. He got what he wanted, Stormz was finally back.
The prices she had to pay for that were a lot though.
Leaving behind Hazeli, getting cheats, hurt, betrayal…
Maybe it was selfish, sure. Sacrificing everything just to save one person.
Dumb needed Stormz though. They needed their best friend back, even if that meant betraying someone close to you. He knew it wasn’t good. Throwing away your morals to save one person.
But it was done now, wasn’t it? They were all standing above the spawn platform, after a fight that would probably solve nothing. The fight was lasting too long and the black hole that Stormz and Dol9hin had created was already ending the server.
Dumb had already made his choice. He wasn’t forgetting anything, anyone. Stormz was right there beside him.
Dol9hin and Hazeli were standing in front of them both.
His thoughts, even if he didn't want them to, shifted to him. They really didn’t try to think about Dol9hin. Unlike Stormz, the other couldn’t be fixed. Dol9hin had his god mace, his power, his gear… It was probably too late to go back, to actually save him.
His old teammate.
No. Dol9hin used him in the past to get rid of every other mace. He was a tyrant, that’s all Dol9hin was, so why was he thinking about that right now?
No.
‘’Through this whole war, we’ve been.. looking for a way to kill you.’’ Dumb started, finally breaking the mildly tense silence that was forming. ‘’And in all honesty, I don’t think there’s a way we’re getting that.’’
Dol9hin and Hazeli looked at them, still with their armor on unlike both him and Stormz. Dumb could almost feel Dol9hin’s slight disappointment. Was it really disappointment or was it something else?
‘’So what, this is your solution?’’
Judging by her tone, that was probably it. Disappointment, or maybe something close to it. Either way, Dumb probably shouldn’t care too much about it since him and Stormz were going out like this.
‘’I don’t know.’’ Dumb spoke, preparing tnt in her hands as Stormz stepped closer to him. That was all he needed.
Yeah maybe it wasn’t really a solution. Maybe he was a bit of a coward but in all honesty, he already solved everything. Or at least in his own eyes.
‘’I think it would be better if no one won.’’
‘’Goodbye.’’
And then he lit up the explosive. That was going to be it. They were going to die with Stormz and maybe that was all he mattered, that was the reason he did all of this–
And all of it was Dol9hin’s fault. All of it. All the pain, the betrayals, the hurt…
All because of her god mace.
It was to get power, more power than he already had.
So, why? Why was Dumb still here? Why was he still alive and Stormz was gone?
They were shocked at first, surprised, maybe a bit upset even, when he saw Stormz’ loot on the ground and no sign of him. Then, she realized.
He realized the effect that had been splashed on him at the last second somehow before the explosion could hurt him.
Turtle master.
Dol9hin and Stormz were on the void team, that was how the black hole and its destruction were created. Part of that though was also that they were immune to wardens and turtle master potions.
Turtle master potions don’t work on Dol9hin or Stormz.
But they work on anyone else, and that includes Dumb.
IamStormz was blown up by DumbIsDumb.
‘’You’re not dying.’’
He heard Dol9hin’s voice, but he wasn’t paying much attention to that or to her. She was more focused on the fact that Stormz was now gone, after all the tragedies and the war that have been on this server after the alien invasion. The times when they were still together, when Dumb could see him as one of his closest friends.
Manipulated by Dol9hin, being seen as aggressive and powerful, not even thinking twice when he used op commands to show who was in power.
But that was still a good person. That was a broken person, even. Him and Dumb were similar in a way, they have both been manipulated or used by Dol9hin.
Sure, Dumb was angry when Stormz left him for Dol9hin but the one to blame was always the latter. He never really blamed Stormz for that, he was just…
..
He was his best friend.
He could never blame him for being misguided and treated like that by Dol9hin.
Dumb was avoiding eye contact, instead looking at the same spot where Stormz has been standing on. He hated this. He hated that he was still alive, he hated that he died because of him technically, he hated that Dol9hin for some reasons didn’t want them to die right now.
The frustation and the shock that she was feeling started to get replaced by another emotion. Confusion.
Maybe even regret. Why regret? They didn’t know. At least not yet.
Dol9hin was talking again, trying to figure out what Dumb was thinking, but Dumb was almost barely listening.
‘’We were teammates before.’’
A few words got him out of his thoughts though. Was Dol9hin actually trying to understand?
‘ What changed in you? ‘
‘’Was it really all because of the god mace?’’
Dumb stayed quiet, the silence filling in for a few seconds and only broken by the heavy sound of the rain.
‘’I guess it was.’’ They replied, looking at both Hazeli and Dol9hin as the silence stretched out for a bit longer. The rain was pouring almost harder now, soaking all three of them.
Dol9hin’s expression changed, maybe. Dumb didn’t know. It was like after they left her team, he couldn’t even read him anymore. Not that they could guess what he was thinking before, obviously.
He met his gaze and almost as soon as that happened, Dol9hin pulled out a flint and steel and everything almost happened quickly.
The god mace was gone. Burnt on the ground just like that, so easily. Hazeli was almost as shocked as Dumb was. That’s it? It was that easy?
‘’Well now you have no reason to hate me anymore.’’ Dol9hin spoke again, this time his tone of voice being a bit calmer than before. Almost softer, if Dumb even dared to say. When he got closer to him, Dumb let him. He was too shocked to step back, or maybe it was something else that he didn’t want to say. ‘’Do you still see me as a tyrant now that.. my weapon is gone?’’
Dumb didn’t know what he should have expected when Dol9hin splashed him with that turtle master potion, saving them. They were expecting more arguing maybe, but perhaps he never realized how easy it woud have been if they just talked sooner.
And he sure wasn’t expecting him to just burn his own god mace just like that. The symbol of his own power, the reason the smp became what it was now.
The reason Dumb and Dol9hin weren’t teammates anymore.
The finale ended and every gear, effects and armor were removed. Dol9hin almost looked… Dumb didn’t know how to explain how Dol9hin looked without the armor. Normal? Was it refreshing?
‘’You just destroyed the mace like that?’’ Dumb finally spoke, a bit quieter, looking at Dol9hin once again.
‘’Yeah.’’ Dol9hin nodded, fidgeting slightly with the strings of his hoodie. That showed Dumb that maybe, deep down under all that power and control that Dol9hin had, she was still human after all.
And he hasn’t seen him like that in a long while, for sure.
‘’You wanna know something actually? It was Hazeli.’’ Dol9hin spoke again, glancing at Hazeli and then back at Dumb, who raised his eyebrows slightly. ‘’Um. It was yesterday… me and Hazeli just talked about stuff, everything that I’ve done, really.’’
‘’How I betrayed her in a way.’’ He started to fidget a bit again and Dumb stepped a bit closer to him, almost without even thinking about it. Dol9hin let him in return, just like how Dumb had let him step just a bit closer to them before.
‘’She gave me her mace just like the first time she joined me and I started to think about everything.’’ There was a short pause. ‘’Do I really need the god mace? Did it do more harm or more good?’’
Dumb was listening to every word, focusing on what Dol9hin was saying. Dol9hin was realizing his mistakes… she fought with a regular mace too, apparently.
‘’And it still felt refreshing.’’
Those words made Dumb think himself. Was it really that easy? One talk and Dol9hin was snapped out of it.
All this time, Dumb had thought that Dol9hin could never be saved, that he was too far lost in her idea of power.
But now?
‘’I.. never thought I’d hear you say that.’’
They were standing close to each other now. It’s been a while since that happened. He could still see Dol9hin almost a bit hesitant though, as if she thought he didn’t even have that privilege anymore. Oh he was wrong.
They would never admit it out loud maybe. Or maybe yes. Dumb had missed him.
All he had to do was talk to him once and he would also get Hazeli back. But no, his heart only focused on Stormz during this war. She did everything to try and save him, not realizing that Dol9hin was also as broken as Stormz was. Even less, maybe.
Why didn’t I see this sooner ?
Jumping together…
Dol9hin was wrong. He didn’t have to be hesitant to step closer to Dumb.
Maybe it was Dumb who should be grateful deep down.
He stepped closer to him, his hand hesitantly holding her hand in his. ‘’Thank you Dol9hin.’’
Dol9hin glanced down at their now intertwined hands, before looking up at him with a confused expression as if he already knew what Dumb meant by that.
He took a small breath. ‘’But I don’t think I deserve to jump with you guys.’’ And jumped.
What have I done ?
They could have saved both of them. Dol9hin wasn’t the tyrant Dumb always thought of him as. Maybe they could have been teammates together…
But that would be in another universe now, not this one. Maybe in another universe they are teamed together, ruling against the whole smp as the strongest trio or even just showing platonic affection to each other.
Definitely not in this one though.
All it took was one talk for Dol9hin. Dumb should have tried talking to him, they should have tried to save her, but he was too focused on Stormz. No, that wasn’t even the real problem. He himself was the real problem. Blinded by anger and his own emotions, being overshadowed and left behind.
He took things too far with Stormz, when he finally got the power, almost guilt tripping him at some point. That should have never happened.
And he was too blinded by power to see that there was another way with Dol9hin, instead of just- humiliating him in fights or fighting against him.
Maybe people are right when they say you always become what you hate the most.
He had become a tyrant.
Maybe in another universe, he had prevented this. Maybe he talked to Dol9hin and stopped her from her power trip, maybe right now in another universe he could be standing right next to Stormz again…
But not in this one.
In this one, he was dying alone.
Pathetic probably, but who cares.
He should have realized sooner.