LOSING GAME ➳ dreamwastaken

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐤𝐞

"Do you think we should've done it?" Reverie asked. Her grip on the torch in her hand was firm, and the heat of the flame bathed her face as droplets of sweat rolled down her forehead.

"He killed my cow," Tommy answered flatly.

The fire was almost as great as the one that had engulfed Reverie and Tubbo's home. From the hillside, next to Skeppy's house, Reverie and Tubbo watched as Sapnap's Eiffel Tower was reduced to nothing but ash and charred wooden beams. Against the darkness of the night sky, the blazing tower had an element of mystifying beauty to it.

"Tommy, turn around."

At the arrival of the unexpected third voice, Reverie and Tommy let out simultaneous gasps of alarm. They whipped around to be met by none other than Sapnap himself. The reflection of the glowing flames danced on the surface of his Netherite armour. A fearful lump formed in Reverie's throat.

"You fucked up, Sapnap," Tommy growled. "You fucked up."

Sapnap's hand drifted to his sword, which hung comfortably from his waist. Reverie shifted uneasily on her feet. She was incredibly unprepared for a battle, being armed with only a week's worth of training from Technoblade and mismatched iron and diamond armour.

"Oh, I fucked up?" Sapnap snarled. "How did I fuck up?"

"You killed my cow, Sapnap," Tommy said. He nocked an arrow and Reverie's stomach flipped. "You killed Henry."

"Tommy..." Reverie said tentatively. As gently as she could so not to anger Tommy any further, she placed her hand on his forearm and slowly but surely lowered his bow.

"That was an accident," Sapnap countered. His grip landed on the hilt of his sword. "But you messed up by burning down the Eiffel Tower."

Tommy let out a dry shout of sardonic laughter. "Oh, did I?"

"Yeah, you did," Sapnap seethed. "Because we have Niki."

Though it went unnoticed by Sapnap, Reverie heard the small whimper of fear that escaped from the back of Tommy's throat. Her own nerves tingled with anxiety.

"We?" Reverie repeated nervously.

Sapnap's lips curled into a malicious grin. "You really think I'd go into battle without an army?" he said mockingly. "No—I've got Bad, and Skeppy, and Ant. You two aren't getting out of this."

Reverie racked her brains for a solution or an escape. They could flee to Pogtopia, but the second they broke to make a run for it, Sapanp would surely strike. Alternatively, they could stay and fight, but without Techno or Wilbur, the battle would surely be a loss on their side. Before Reverie could panic, however, Tommy stepped in front of her and slipped his backpack off.

"I have something of yours," he told Sapnap, his voice full of a sudden hostility that chilled even Reverie. Young and reckless as he may be, Tommy was not someone you wanted on your bad side, and Reverie had come to learn this over her few weeks in Pogtopia. He was extremely headstrong and determined—once he got an idea in his head, he would not drop it until the deed was fulfilled. This was practical for things such as searching for resources, because if Tommy went mining for diamonds, under no circumstances would he return without diamonds; but when it came to a craving for revenge, Tommy's ambition and unyieldingness could become dangerous.

"What could you possibly have of mine?" Sapnap said.

Tommy zipped open his backpack and took out a small plastic bag. The bag was filled with water, inside which a tropical fish was swimming tranquilly. When he saw the fish, Sapnap immediately unsheathed his sword and held the tip to Tommy's throat. Reverie clapped her hands to her mouth to silence a cry of terror.