(!) Trigger Warning: Major Character Deaths (!)
Tears of joy streamed down Ranboo's face as the water continued to drench him. Yes! It'd actually worked! Tubbo had understood him! He laughed with glee, only to wince at the pain a moment later.
The water level grew higher by the second, slowly slipping up past his elbows. The enderman had ignored the pain while communicating with Tubbo, but now, it had returned at full force. His burns had faded from a concerning shade of red to splotches of white and black. Ranboo had lost all feeling in his legs, and his waist wasn't too far behind.
It was when the water consumed a new part of his body that Ranboo felt his skin melt. A gradual increase in pain gripped the sentient like a vice as the water crept towards his shoulder. He wanted to collapse into the water, surrender to the stabbing sensation that plagued every one of his nerves, but he held strong.
Another bolt of pain shot through the enderman's shoulder blades as they, too, were consumed by the water. He wished he could scream, but his voice was already gone...
Bad couldn't be happier. Everything was going according to plan: Ranboo was burning to a crisp, the occupants of the server were at his mercy- was there anything left in this world that could further delight The Egg?
"Now to prepare the fast," The Egg hissed in Bad's mind. "Make the announcement."
The demon hybrid obediently nodded, and donned his most sinister of smiles. "Humans and humanoids of the server, it is time for you to submit yourselves to a new destiny: nourishing The Egg!"
The tentacles trapping the audience began to slither higher and higher, creating a thick, crimson wall. The barrier towered above them, but the tendrils didn't stop there. No, the vines began to fold over each other, weaving themselves into a basket-like pattern.
Tubbo watched as the last sliver of sunlight grow smaller and smaller, a window into the lives they were about to lose. With one, mighty roar, the goat hybrid screamed until his lungs hurt. He poured everything into that scream: the anguish of losing his husband, the fear of becoming food for The Egg, and the defeat behind losing everything he'd ever held dear. The last sound before the sun disappeared was the evil cackling of BadBoyHalo. It was over- The Egg had won...
Ranboo's jaw dropped. His heart tore to shreds as his friends and family were taken away from him. He would have shed a tear in mourning, if he hadn't been busy choking up water.
Despite the audience's sudden...departure, Bad continued on with the execution. Ranboo struggled to stay afloat in the rising sea. He had tried treading water in the cramped tank, but he only drove himself further up the waterfall. It was getting hard to breathe; what little air he had was shrinking by the second.
The enderman tilted his chin towards the surface, coughing up another bout of water, when he noticed Bad standing before him. Ranboo couldn't hear what he was saying, but actions spoke louder than words: the demon hybrid thought he'd won. Based on his body language, Ranboo could tell Bad was lording his victory over him, gloating how brilliant of a leader he was. That's what you think, the enderman thought angrily. Just you wait.
That's when he saw it- his Hail Mary had arrived.
Ranboo barked out a laugh. Choking on water and gasping for air, the sentient croaked out a final, "Death to The Egg!" and braced for impact.
An unholy light pierced Ranboo's closed eyes, making everything bright and white. He heard the distant sound of glass breaking, a mangled scream, and the beginnings of a horrifyingly loud explosion. Ranboo could feel his soul being snatched from his body, and then he was gone.
No words. Just...silence. I promise you this is not the last chapter. There's still a little bit left worth reading.
Vote for the chance to have a happy ending.
As always, thank you for all the reads and support. Ranboo sends his love. <33333333
[Image Credits] "Something Strange in the Suffolk Sunrise Sky 41/47" (Cropped Slightly) by Karen Roe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/28752865@N08/6208752070)