"You are not raiding that TNT by yourself."

"Tubbo, I swear to all the gods who hear me-"

"Don't even start!"

After their stint in Las Nevadas, Ranboo and Tubbo had texted Sapnap to meet them at the old dreamon hunters' camp; Techno would stay behind to watch over Eret. Once Sapnap had joined them, Ranboo had decided to make a very controversial statement: He was going to dig up the TNT around The Egg. Alone.

Needless to say, it hadn't gone over well.

"Tubbo, being near The Egg is dangerous," Ranboo argued. "I don't want it affecting you."

"Well, what about you?!" the goat screamed. "What if it pulls you into an enderwalk? What if it makes you join The Eggpire? What if-"

"That's why I need to go alone!!" The enderman exhaled some of his frustration out through his nose, and said, "Do you realize what would happen if Bad found those explosives? He'd take it as an act of war. I can't have this server falling apart just because we're afraid of The Egg."

"But what if-"

Ranboo raised his hand in, firmly shutting the goat hybrid up. "I won't be swayed by The Egg," he said. "I promise. This is for your own good, so please- just trust me."

"I trust you with my whole life, Ranboo!!" Tubbo shouted, his voice cracking at the ends. "Why don't you trust me?"

"I do," the enderman replied. "That's why I'm trusting you to go with Sapnap and finish what I started. You can help Eret with the TNT, or Quackity. Better yet, go home and visit our son. I bet he'd love to see you."

"He'd love to see you too!!"

Tubbo lunged at his platonic husband, only to be held back by Sapnap. "As he struggled against the hunter's grasp, the goat halfling yelled, "You better not die down there, or I'll hate you forever!!"

Ranboo gave his partner a small, sad smile. "I know."

The enderman left the camp shortly after, his mind set and his heart heavy. His thoughts raced with tragic endings and miracle scenarios, each one crazier than the last. Gods, don't let this plan fail.

Bang! Bang! BOOM!! Ranboo wiped the sweat off his brow; his thirty-fifth explosion had been a success. For the past four hours, the enderman had been meticulously mining out small caverns off the main path. Each new cave was a chamber waiting for a reaction. The sentient would place a sizable pile of TNT inside, ignite the fuse, and run back to start. Thankfully, the blasts were far enough away to avoid setting off the entire payload, a cataclysmic disaster Ranboo needed to avoid.

After all the mining and stacking and running, the enderman was growing weary. His breaths became labored, and his footsteps slowed to a halt. He'd never been this tired in his life, but he wasn't about to quit now. If he could just move all this TNT before Bad came down, the server would be saved, and peace would be restored. It would be like nothing ever happened. Life could return to the way it was before-

"Is that Ranboo Beloved I see down there?"

The enderman whirled around, eyes wide with panic, to find his nightmare had come true. Atop the highest hill of trinitrotoluene stood BadBoyHalo, leader of The Eggpire, second only to The Egg. His midnight black cloak had served him well, camouflaging the demon hybrid with the darkness around him. As Bad descended from his perch, his wicked smirk grew wider and wider, his eyes dancing in malignant delight; he was enjoying this.

"Tell me, Ranboo, are you planting explosives near The Egg, hmm? Did you honestly think we wouldn't find you here?" As the demon hybrid said this, several new faces emerged from the shadows, each carrying a diamond sword. They were The Egg's mindless minions, its loyal servants- and they were angry.

Ranboo took one look around the room and knew he was in a heap of trouble. If he didn't tread carefully, he could wind up dead, or worse- like them. The sentient inhaled a shaky breath, and gave his reply: "I- I swear it's not what it looks like. I was removing the TNT."

A curious look passed over the demon halfling's face, his defensive posture slipping ever so slightly. "Oh? Is that so? Then, you've come to join The Egg?"

Ranboo averted his eyes, anxiously rubbing the back of his neck. "Erhm- no. Not exactly."

Bad's expression immediately fell into one of fury. "Then you admit to attacking The Egg!"

"Wait, no! That's not what I said!"

"Guards! Take him away!" the demon hybrid commanded. "We'll let The Egg decide his fate."

As the other members of The Eggpire crept forward, Ranboo sealed his eyes shut. There was no escaping this time. If he ran, he'd likely be slain where he stood. If he set off the explosives, there was a chance that one of them would survive, causing an all-out war with the rest of the server. No, the enderman would have to go quietly, surrendering his will to the ways of The Egg.

Ranboo kept his eyes closed as The Eggpire's guards led him to their hell spawn of a ruler, dragging him harshly into the great unknown. The sentient gulped; the one mercy in all this was that they had taken him instead of Tubbo.

Ooooohhhh did Ranboo do the right thing going alone?? Will he escape The Egg's wrath??

Vote to keep him out of his enderwalk trance!!

As always, thank you everyone for the support!! Next update will begin the climax. Stay Tuned! <333

[Image Credits] "Dark cave" (Cropped Slightly) by Dom Walster (https://www.flickr.com/photos/domwalster/7680212884)