Lifesteal SMP oneshots

The king and the prince

Authors note: 

Lore! Yippee!

FT: Pangi n Zam (Shades and Eclipse members are mentioned too)
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Zam's crown is about to fall off.

Pangi dully realizes it while eating a golden apple a few feet away from him, as Zam charges towards him. It's a little hard to see from under the armor, but he notices it anyways, for some reason. 

Suddenly, an axe collides against his armor, and he's barely able to block the following attack that comes from Zam. A shout of warning from Red as he fights Subz being the only thing that pulls him back into reality.

"We don't have to do this." Pangi says, parrying another axe crit with his sword. He swipes at Zam's legs. The blade catches against his armor, causing him to trip, falling onto the grass. He swings at him before he can get up.

"I do." He says, blocking the next swipe. "I have to do this, Pangi."

Zam grabs a pearl, teleporting over to Subz's tower, back on his feet. He clutches the totem in the hand that doesn't hold his sword. He wastes no time in charging back towards the king, who's already gotten into a defensive stance to block the attack.

Pangi swings blindly the moment Zam's sword pulls away from the armor. Staring at the crown under his armor, unwilling to meet his eyes, though not oblivious to the glare he's being given. He hears a grunt of pain, he sees him stumble, and hits again.

"This is what Mapic and Ro want, Zam" Pangi says dully, watching blood stain the bottom Zam's crown after a particularly nasty hit to the head. "They want us to fight eachother till we collapse from the inside out, so they don't have to do anything."

Zam doesn't reply, but hits Pangi harshly in the shoulder, and he hisses in pain. He feels his own crown begin to slip off his head. Not protected or hidden under armor like Zam's is, it's exposed, it is his protection. The reason he has people to fight alongside.

Zam's crown means nothing to anybody but himself. Nobody will bow for it, and nobody will fight alongside him just because of the fact that he wears it.

And yet, in the end, both Pangi and Zam's crowns fall the same.

Pangi looks this time. He looks Zam in the eyes, and swings right for the gap in his armor. He hears his totem pop.

None of this is worth it, none of this had ever been worth it. Zam's crown and Pangi's crown are both just plain gold and various shiny gemstones, nothing separates them. Yet it keeps the two wearers of it a million miles apart.

Pangi swings again, before Zam has any time to heal, or get up, then again, then again. He looks him in the eyes, and Zam looks right back. 

As he body goes limp, momentarily lying there, dead on the ground, before returning to wherever he happens to respawn. Pangi looks at Zam's crown again. 

Both crowns are covered in blood, only one is covered with that of the other, and it isn't Zam's. Zam's that was hidden under heavy netherite armor the whole time. Pangi's who was exposed, Pangi's that took as much damage as the helmet did.

In the end, only one crown has caused bloodshed.

<PrinceZam> Long live the king.