MCYT RANDOMNESS 2

Untold pt 2

Tw: drug equivalents, mild addiction

PoV: Scar

'Hey, Scar, can I ask you something?'

'What's up?' My cheerful attitude leaving my successful Decked Out run, a few days into the phase, fades at Tango's tone.

'Cub's arrived hours before anyone else to run every day of this phase. As in... Getting up at 5, 6AM. Is that normal?'

'Vexiness?' I hide my concern by returning my deck to my ender chest.

'His eyes might be bluer... I haven't seen him arrive, but he's saying he's already done a few runs when I get up around 7AM. And I was woken once by the dungeon running at crazy-AM... It's weird... he almost looks better than normal.' It's all I need to know. Cub's stopped sleeping, just improving his appearance to stop anyone worrying and running Decked Out instead.

'Morning Scar!' I turn as Cub himself glides in from outside. Tango's right - his hair's brushed, he seems awake, but he lands rougher than usually.

'Morning! First run?'

'Nah... 2nd or 3rd. Need as many as I can get to beat Etho.'

'You're not gonna beat Etho. He's try-hardificating again. Second's still great.' Tango insists.

'Yeah... But first is best. Gonna grab a shard from the dojo then run when the dungeon resets... You've just gone, right Scar?' I nod, hiding my concern at his masked sleeplessness, just silently following to his area. I don't think he's notices me, too busy grabbing stuff, until he speaks.

'I only started using magic when I had to.'

'You're using Vex magic to stay awake?!' If I didn't before, now I know I know its bad. We both know the blue crystals stop tiredness and pain. But they're addictive. And very dangerous when you stop spotting sleep deprivation or worsening injuries.

'Only when it got bad.' Cub pushes past like it's nothing.

'You should've told me.'

'It's been 3 nights at most. I can't stop having nightmares about Sculk. I tried everything else...'

'Then you should've TOLD ME! Instead of getting high on vex magic and obsessed with Decked Out!'

'I'll try to sleep tonight.'

'You sleep now.'

'I'm not tired.'

'Because you're using magic to hide it! You haven't slept in THREE DAYS!'

'The dungeon is ready for its next victim.'

We fall silent.

'What's going on, Cub?' My voice shakes from the effort to not start crying. 'What happened?'

'Sculk. And I don't want to wake you up in a panic messaging at 3PM because of a stupid nightmare and by the time I've completed a couple runs, I'm fine... I'm sorry. I should've told you sooner.'

'Cub! Your death awaits!' calls Tango. 'You coming?'

'I need to go.' I grab his wrist as he excuses himself, guilt filling me as his flinch of pain.

'The moment you get out you're telling me what's going on and we're sorting it out. Cub, do you promise?'

'Yeah. I promise.' My grip doesn't loosen. 'Scar, I promise.'

I let go. Cub flies off, into the dungeon again.

'Is he alright?' Tango mutters as I reach him.

'I hope so...' I reply. Then add. 

'Going Deepfrost!' Calls Cub.

'I'll spectate,' Tango excuses, running off. 'Join group if you want!'

cubfan135 was slain by [Skadoodles]

It's not that long later the message comes in. I stand from where I was sat by the scoreboard.

'What happened?' I call through the door.

'Ravager.' He explains. 'Level 2...'

'Nasty.'

'Yeah it- was.' The pause makes me stop.

'Cub, are you ok?'

'S*** I-'

A crash.

My legs don't move fast enough, reaching the door just as it opens. Cub's eyes are wide, he's struggling to speak. Blood stains his shirt, like the ravager attack didn't heal when he respawned.

'Help-' he chokes out.

And collapses.

'Cub- oh shoot Cub... TANGO HELP!' I tear off my jacket, hands shaking as I try to stem the bleeding with it. He's breathing so he's not dead... 'TANGO!'

'Scar? What happened?! Oh my goodness-'

'Get Xisuma. Now.' I barely hear his footsteps racing away over my racing heartbeat... I can't let Cub die. All I know is I can't let Cub die. The best would be a vicious death loop, his injuries not healing. The worst would be no respawn at all.

'Ok, stay calm.' The suddenness of Xisuma's voice shocks me until I realise he teleported over. He crouches next to Cub, pulling up admin screens and player code... I take Cub's hand, as if it will be any help, trying to read the galactic.

'I-is he going to be ok?'

'Should be... It just look like a respawn glitch. I've got him AFK for now while we handle his injuries... It'll stop him dying or getting in a deathloop at least. Did he explain any reason why this could've happened?'

'Apparently the... the sculk hurt him... it got better but then worse he was using Vex magic to stay awake but that didn't cause this he... he just stopped speaking mid-sentence, he was going to tell me but the sculk stopped him telling me, the sculk did this but I can't see any sculk or... or...'

'Scar, breathe.' Xisuma interrupts my ramble of thoughts, hands on my shoulders. 'Breathe in, hold... out.' All that comes out are shaky gasps that just become sobs. Xisuma hugs me. 'It'll be ok, Scar. He'll be ok.'

'I- I should've noticed-' I sob.

'You did all you could.'

'He's my BEST FRIEND!'

'Scar, I don't think you'd even seen him for a few days, you had no way of knowing.' Tango joins in, a hand on my shoulder.

'We need to get Cub somewhere he can recover.' Xisuma slips from the hug.

'There's the bed in the dungeon entrance.' Tango follows suit, keeping an arm around my shoulder as we follow Xisuma carrying Cub into the Decked Out entrance, lying him carefully on the bed. I have to remind myself he's AFK, not dead. Just AFK. 'I'll close the dungeon... Make something up.'

I don't listen, crouching next to Cub. I see the story of panic around, bloody handprints on the walls, the bed's blanket strewn bloody across the ground.

'One... more thing.' I turn to Tango in the doorway. 'His death was... strange.'

'What?'

'From my angle, it seemed look he jumped into the ravager's way. Intentionally.'

My blood freezes.

'Cub... wouldn't...' Xisuma's hand's on my shoulder again as the room spins and blurs, the realisation sinks in. Jumping in front of a ravager. Being unable to speak.

'Scar?'

'The Sculk's controlling his actions.'

It's all getting intense...

:)