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The sandstone beneath his feet clicked and groaned under his weight as he ran towards a pile of sand in the corner of the room. He bent down quickly and scooped it up and into his satchel before moving on with a manic grin filled with determination.
Despite their team being sixth overall the rush of a potential comeback burned hot under his skin. His comms crackled with Dream's voice as he relayed directions and orders to all parts of his party. Dimly he realized he had completely cleared the blue vault.
Guess heading back wouldn't hurt much. Besides back at the center he could give Karl his sand to restart the timer as well as regroup with Dream.
The run back was uneventful save for the occasional zombie or spider that would spawn in his path with a straggled hiss. Once he reached the center he ran over to the timer and threw his sand into the dispenser before taking off at a run again towards Dream.
"Where do you want me now?" He called out as he caught up to the older man who was fighting off another zombie.
"You wanna clear out this tunnel real quick?" Dream asked despite them both already being a good distance within.
"Sounds good I'll go left!" He yelled as he took off down the adjacent corridor and towards a small tunnel in the wall that made his chest cramp a little. Still he pushed on with a whoop.
As he began to clear out the new tunnel chat whispered praise and the occasional recommendation as their wings fluttered kicking up the dust that settled throughout the caverns like a blanket. He ignored them for the most part but would occasionally glance towards them and nod in gratitude.
For a while that's how it went. Simply clearing out the area before collecting the small sand piles littered around the floor.
And then it didn't.
He at some point had found a large open cavern that was littered in gold. Only problem is that said gold was across a pit full of both ravagers and lava. Not a great combination.
Hesitantly he stepped forward and made the running jump to a two block high platform where he watched the ravagers follow him mindlessly. He watched them for a moment, moving from one side of the platform to the other to gauge their speed before he settled on just running and jumping.
He made it to another platform pretty easily and did the same thing again. Only this time he was on the ground and relying on pure speed. Something that on any other day, during any other event, he would have prided himself on. However after having just played Art Gallery his legs and back ached at the thought of a dead sprint for his life.
Still he ran.
He could feel the breath of the creatures tickling his legs as he leaned down and picked up gold with a pained smile and determination clouding his eyes.
And then he fell.
One moment he was running towards salvation and an easy win. The next his legs were burning as the ravagers pushed his further under the thick lava. While most times in MCC, deaths were peaceful and quick. However a death to lava was anything but. Due to the enzymes floating in his blood that were supposed to make death quiet and quick he was partially fire resistant. However he couldn't leave the pit he had fallen into with the ravagers pushing him down repeatedly.
Which left him to slowly lose feeling in his limbs. First went his legs as the liquid fire ate at his nerves while his body tried to heal itself fast enough to keep him alive. Eventually though his legs went numb. The next thing was his arms. Fire raced up his skin burning through it and pushing into his veins until they were numb from the liquid pain.
White hot agony enveloped him and he vaguely heard himself screaming as his head ducked under the heat. For a moment it was blisteringly hot and painful. And then it ended.
He woke in a tomb of darkness and grit with only a small opening for his breath to escape into the sandy air. It was quiet until his comm reconnected in which he was met with the loud questions of Dream mixed with commands to free him from the tomb.
Finally Karl released him with a small smile.
However he pushed past the other man in a dead sprint towards Dream who was questioning where he died in order to gain back some of their coins and sand.
The two ran through the twisting corridors and long cramped tunnels in a desperate attempt to up their score even a little.
They reached the room quicker than he would've liked and as he stared out into the lava filled room he felt his bones burning and creaking under the weight of the lava. Still he pushed forward with Dream at his side.
Within seconds the ravagers were slain and the two of them were hovering over the pit he had been stuck in.
The gapple in his hand felt heavy as he quickly took a bite and jumped in collecting his things from the fiery rocks easily. By then Dream had gone on to explore the room further. He pushed himself up carefully attempting to free himself from the lava that was pressing in on him and crushing his chest and legs, but he couldn't find the strength to pull himself up all the way.
"Dream can-" He began only to be cut off by the sound of sizzling and a scream followed by the smell of burning flesh.
He panicked as he moved his arms and tugged at the sandstone only a little ways above him. He was freaking out and he realized it but he couldn't stop. The comms chimed and he realized it was Karl saying he needed more sand for the timer. He tried to feel around for the small device embedded deep within his wrist but he couldn't seem to find the implant.
And then another chime rang out just as his teammates' screams stuttered to a painful stop. He leaned his head back to the wall and sighed as the rush of the gapple came to a halt leaving his flesh to burn and blister before showing off pearly white bone.
In moments he was consumed in fire again as his mind drifted.
And then it stopped.
He awoke in the tomb again with Dream nearby but not visible. It was too much, the walls were too close and the lava that pressed against his skin gave way to flashes of memories he didn't understand. Memories of a dark building and an even darker past. He ignored them and tried to focus on his breathing but the walls that wrapped tight around him were inching closer in an attempt to suffocate him as well.
Faintly he could hear a countdown as the timer ran out.
He could hear as Karl spoke quietly to Ponk before the whoosh of a portal whisked them away again.
Still the walls closed in. He fell to his knees in the tight space as his ragged breaths left his body in loud gasps and broken wails. Beside him he could hear Dream attempting to break through the wall to help but the water was rising as the tunnel's sank to the sea floor.
Soon it reached his chest and he ducked his head under in an attempt to avoid getting crushed again. The water rose as his breath created small bubbles in the water around him. And then it all ended.
He woke in a cage that opened to the fresh air but he was still panicked. It was too tiny and he could feel the silver bars coming to crush him where he stood. And then there were hands around him pulling into a chest that was warm and breathing as he shook with sobs.
"-mmy, please Tommy breathe with me!" Dream muttered as he held him close.
He stilled as his mind fought to keep with the voice and the gentle words it spoke. Soon he was breathing clearly though everything still felt too tiny, small as the world tried to consume him.
And then he wasn't in the cage. Instead he and Dream were sitting on the floor outside of it while a concerned looking Noxcrew worker hovered gently in front of them.
Dream nodded to them and gently hoisted him to his feet to take him over to a chair. A few moments later his comm dinged with the notification of a delayed start due to an issue on their end.
Despite the very public breakdown he was thankful for the break.
He watched as Wilbur, Ranboo, Phil, and Tubbo lingered around the edges as if they wanted to say something though they were quickly shooed away by a very distressed and very much momma birding Dream.
Eventually his breaths calmed as the rest of his team joined them offering words of support and water as he caught his breath.
And then the games started back up.
While they didn't win it, they had fun! Isn't that all that matters?