Chapter Text
They won. The hunters finally beat the runner.
Early in the game, Badboyhalo devised a plan to kill Dream. During their trip in the Nether, he privately collected the ingredients necessary to brew a certain potion. This special potion required nether wart, which Bad quickly harvested at the nether fortress they were in, and blaze powder; which he soon created from scraps of blaze rods that fell from the burning blazes slaughtered by his friends.
Sapnap later located a Bastion, this is where Bad found an old brewing stand that, despite its ancient appearance, thankfully still worked. He snatched it swiftly, shoving it in his inventory before the other hunters saw. The potion was going to be his secret weapon. Telling the others would risk the secrecy of his precious potion and Dream would find a way to mess up Bad’s plan, like always.
Finally, the eerily, familiar sounds of endermen teleporting and murmuring slowly filled Bad’s ears as he stood on an odd obsidian floor that floated above nothing but infinite space. Bad’s breath hitched as he stared at the end stone island in front of him, floating fairly far away from the obsidian floor.
10 intimidating pillars made of obsidian stood tall. Mesmerizing pink crystals hovered at the very top of each giant pillar. Bad felt his spine shiver, the towering pillars of obsidian only meters away. They reminded him that he was in the same place the dreadful dragon was, a place his friends kept daring to return to for a fun game of manhunt. A place every mob, creature, and person feared.
The End.
Wearing a bright green hoodie, a young man stacked blocks upwards with a fast and cautious pace towards the top of one of the obsidian towers. Bad clenched his fists as the man, known as Dream, destroyed one of the crystals. Dream laughed out loud, pride clear in his tone, his laughter close to that of a psychopath’s. An obviously rushed and poorly made dirt and cobblestone bridge stood in front of Bad.
The demon took a deep breath.
Chaos ensued. The endermen went feral after Sapnap and George accidentally looked them directly in their eyes. But of course, the two hunters couldn’t stop arguing, blaming each other for almost every single bad accident. Ant Frost stood beside Bad at the obsidian floor, yelling and shouting at his teammates’ in hopes of stopping the annoying argument. Unfortunately, the endermen’s horrifying screeching and the two hunter’s childish insults drowned his voice. Bad did his best to ignore them, instead trying to focus on shooting arrows at Dream. However, as per usual, Dream was just too nimble, dodging each rapid arrow with ease.
“Here, Ant!” Bad shouted over a screaming George. He tossed Ant a few arrows, who was running out.
“Thanks.” Ant smiled. He drew his bow, Bad sucked in a breath as it fired, and managed to hit Dream in the shoulder. Ant scowled when Dream shook it off.
“We need to get closer. If we stay on the end stone George and Sapnap are just going to kill each other.” Bad said. He wasn’t kidding, the two were only hitting each other while Dream jumped pillar to pillar.
“True,” Ant lowered his bow. He pointed to a bridge made of two different types of wood and cobblestone, “Let’s go.”
Bad didn’t know where Dream learned his skills, it was something he wondered constantly, but they were becoming more and more irritating by the minute. Half of the end crystals had already been destroyed by the time the whole gang reached the end stone island, causing all the hunter’s stress to rise. Ant yelled at Sapnap to guard one of the pillars, a strategy the team planned earlier in the game as a joke, but were now giving it a try.
Everything was going Dream’s way. Dream killed Sapnap with little struggle and the crystals had been destroyed in such brief time, the rest of the hunters couldn’t do anything but stare. The Ender dragon's agonizing groans began to fill the void as she could no longer heal herself from the continual deep wounds being cut into her ebony black skin.
In the midst of the desperate groans, teleporting and muttering endermen, his friends shouting words that sounded awfully close to “Bad”, and the sounds of a victorious, sharp blade hitting textured skin, Bad ran. Endermen teleported out of Bad’s way as he ran past them, although he didn’t notice, his focus only on the masked man before him.
Still running, he opened his inventory, grabbed the glowing, orange potion that called for him, and almost downed the whole container instantly. He threw the glass bottle, the noise of it shattering catching Dream’s attention. His continuous slashes at the dragon stopped.
The ender dragon took this as a chance to escape, her graceful black wings stretching large in the pitiful, dark void. Dream didn’t worry at the sight of the demon sprinting towards him. He carelessly allowed Bad to attack, but once the diamond sword hit him, his heart stopped. A normal diamond sword wouldn’t do so much damage. In fact, an enchanted one wouldn’t even do this much.
He quickly glanced at his health bar, now dodging his opponent's next attack. The first attack alone took more than half his health, surprising Dream. He was decked in full iron armor with the exception of his diamond chestplate, there wasn’t any way Bad could do that much damage. Not unless…
Bad drank a strength potion.
When did Bad make one? He ducked, dodging yet another strike. How had he not noticed earlier? He looked over to the rest of the hunters. Instead of seeing smug faces, they were cheering and shouting with shocked, but overjoyed expressions, like they hadn’t expected to make a comeback. Bad hadn’t told them about the potion.
Dream’s diamond axe, now on the verge of breaking, targeted Bad with a powerful, sharp blow. Bad protected himself with his shield as fast as Dream had struck. Now it was Bad’s turn. He slid to Dream’s side, aiming his sword for Dream’s waist. Dream swung his axe at the same time, causing their weapons to clash, preventing either opponent from attacking. This was a waste of time, Dream concluded.
The dragon eventually returned, seeming exhausted from flying in constant circles. However, Bad wasn’t leaving and Dream needed a plan. He gazed at his surroundings. His eyes met with clear, piercing white ones that stared at him with determination. While Bad’s annoying shield protected him from any of Dream’s attacks, it was only protecting his upper body. His lower body was carelessly open to any harm.
He threw his weapon at Bad’s legs, the axe breaking instantly at the contact. Caught off guard, Bad jumped back, panicking when Dream was no longer in front of him. Dream took his only chance and ran towards the dragon. He scrambled in his inventory, looking for any weapon that wasn’t on the verge of breaking. He picked an iron sword and began slashing the dragon, excruciating howls coming from the winged creature.
Bad had the advantage. Practically desperate to kill the dragon, Dream’s slashes were reckless and rushed rather than calculated and calm like Bad had always seen. His back was faced towards the hunters, putting him in a vulnerable spot. Bad could just run up and kill him. But could he?
He already failed to kill him, being stupidly caught off guard by Dream’s surprise attack, and all because he couldn’t shield himself correctly. Dream was skilled. He had years of experience, experience that beat all the four hunters combined. Bad can’t recall any manhunt where he’s ever been the one to kill Dream. Bad couldn’t kill him. Especially if George and Sapnap had struggled to do so in their many games of manhunt played before Bad joined. Even Ant, who joined after Bad, was arguably better and more cautious than Bad ever will be.
How could someone like Bad ever kill someone like that?
The ender dragon was down to her last moments, her groans of pain coming quieter and quieter by the minute. Bad stared at the ground, letting his sword drop from his weak, incapable hands.
“Ohhhh Dream!”
George ran forward, waving his enchanted iron sword in the air. A shout escaped Dream’s mouth before it was cut off, the runner flashed a bright red before disappearing with a pop. Personal items belonging to the masked-man dropped to the floor.
Dream was defeated.
“Admit it, Dream, you got wrecked.” Sapnap snickered, carelessly playing with a torch on the floor. Being the best friend that he was, Sapnap liked to make fun of Dream as much as possible. Dream losing the manhunt was the perfect opportunity, how could Sapnap resist? During the minute it takes to respawn, Sapnap thought of a full bunch of ways he could bully Dream with.
“Well how was I supposed to know Bad had a strength potion? If I knew I wouldn’t have fought him!” Dream responded, pointing a finger at the sitting demon who was currently staring at nothing in particular.
Sapnap extinguished the fire on his torch, then threw it to the ground. “Well, that’s your fault.”
“Shut up, you didn’t even know Bad had one either.” George commented, walking over to Dream who laughed at the remark.
Normally, George would’ve made fun of Dream too, but fortunately for Dream, he wasn’t in the mood today. Besides, making fun of Sapnap was much more satisfying.
“Okay but like, at least I killed Dream, what did you do?” Sapnap scoffed. He pointed an accusing finger at him.
George glared at him and his finger. “You were literally the first one dead!”
“Good job, George, by the way.” Ant said with a smile, joining the conversation.
“Good job, George!” Sapnap mocked in a high-pitched voice. Ant laughed, rolling his eyes. Both Ant and Sapnap praised and made fun of some of Dream’s strategies and tactics he used in the manhunt.
Dream rolled his head back with a dramatic sigh. George grinned, his earlier kill playing proudly in his mind. He tried to hold back his laughter but failed miserably. Dream’s face reddened as an odd, but familiar feeling grew in his stomach. Dream, thankful for his mask, allowed a smile to form on his face.
It’d been a while since the muffinteers won. All the stress that came from the tense game disappeared, temporarily at least. Even Dream, who had worked so hard finding new ways to escape and trap his hunters, was laughing along with the rest, his loss long forgotten.
“Bad?” Ant waved his hand over Bad’s face. Unlike everyone else, a grin or smile wasn’t seen from him, his expression emotionless, with a hint of sorrow.
“Huh?” Bad blinked, a furry paw of a cat waved in front of him. “Sorry,” a slight smile appeared on Bad’s face, “I guess I spaced out.”
“It's fine, you helped us win so I can’t argue too much.” Ant said, crossing his arms with a grin. Bad stared at his lap. The events of the game replayed through his head, especially the way Dream died. That’s right, they won.
“I totally carried you guys the entire time.” Sapnap said with a smug face. George rolled his eyes, to which Sapnap gave an exaggerated, offended look in response.
Dream laughed, “Is that why I kept killing you?”
“What?-Hey! Watch, I'll beat you right now.”
“Alright, bet.”
The hunters laughed, Dream and Sapnap started sword-fighting with wooden swords and axes, which kept breaking too quickly and they had to constantly stop the fight, chop more wood, and craft another weapon faster than the other could. George rooted for Dream, Ant rooted for Sapnap. Bad sat next to Ant but wasn’t rooting for anyone. The playful sparring going on went unnoticed.
They won. But why did he feel indifferent? Was he getting bored of Manhunt? No, of course not. The adrenaline and fear that came from the game could never cause boredom. Plus, he’s with his friends.
“Bad.”
Bad shook his thoughts away, facing Ant who looked at him with a soft expression; a grimace took over his face, eyebrows scrunched. Ant scooted cBad didn’t like where this was going.
“Are you okay?” Ant asked, and Bad could just hear the worry in his voice. Ant noticed Bad’s strange behavior from the beginning but let it go. He assumed his odd demeanor would change throughout the game, but now that it was still here, even after they won, Ant knew something was up.
“What? Of course I am! I think… I'm just a little tired.” Bad forced a smile, receiving an eyebrow raise from Ant.
The demon then found a sudden interest in the grass under him. Getting Ant off his case was going to be hard, especially if he was determined. Bad exaggeratedly yawned with one hand in the air, the other hovering over his mouth.
Ant let out an unconvinced mmm. He grabbed and cupped Bad’s face and stared at him, as if he was trying to search for the true answer. Bad rolled his eyes and sighed, he held Ant’s wrists and smiled at the cat, hopefully it’d convince Ant to stop worrying. Bad was used to this, even if he wasn’t particularly fond of close contact. He knew Ant couldn’t stare for too long, demons eyes were horrid to look at if stared at for a prolonged amount of time. But Ant still did this whenever the demon was in a bad mood, and admittedly, it cheered him up.
Ant held Bad’s face for a couple more seconds before Bad finally moved Ant’s hands away, assuring him that he was fine. He could tell Ant was fighting the urge to look away. Before Ant could say anything else, Bad stood up. “I think I want to take a break.”
“A break? Why? Is something wrong?” Ant asked, eyebrows scrunched. All of the hunters had taken a break at least once, except for Bad. A break was basically just a vacation, a time where someone could do their own thing. Each hunter had their personal reasons. What was Bad’s reason? Bad found he didn’t have an answer.
“Well I… I guess I just want some time to myself. At least for a little while…?”
Ant looked unsure. George suddenly popped into the conversation, leaning backwards from the rock he was sitting on, “Okay, just be back before the next Manhunt.”
“When is the next Manhunt?” Sapnap asked, wiping a hand over his forehead. Dream and him finished their fight, their faces and tattered clothes covered in sweat. George looked at Dream, waiting for the runner to answer for him.
“I’d say probably in like a month or two,” Dream replied, tapping his chin thoughtfully, “maybe even later than that.”
“Is that enough time for you, Bad?” Said George, now facing the demon.
“Enough time for what?” Sapnap furrowed his eyebrows, “What's going on?” Bad almost winced at Sapnap’s tone.
“It’s nothing serious. I think I just want a tiny break, that's all.” Bad explained with a shrug and a dismissive wave.
To Bad’s surprise, Sapnap’s face relaxed. “Oh. Okay. When are you taking the break?”
Bad looked down. He wanted to leave as soon as possible. “Right now…?”
“You're going to leave right now?” Dream asked, but his voice didn’t sound like Ant’s. It didn’t sound like his question was going to be followed with a hundred more after it, which made Bad exhale a breath he didn’t know he was holding. Sapnap walked over to George who pinched his nose at Sapnap’s stench. Offended, Sapnap shoved George to the ground and Dream turned to them to roll his eyes, obviously grinning as George began dragging Sapnap down with him. The only one not laughing was Ant. He was the only one who knew something was up, and just like Bad, he didn’t know what.
“Well, yeah? If that’s okay with you guys..” Bad muttered, still staring at the grass that blew soft with the wind. Dream turned and laughed, “Why wouldn’t it be?”
Bad exhaled, thankful for his amazing friends.
After saying his goodbyes, Bad traveled far into a random dark forest. Being a demon came with its perks. Thanks to his speed, he was able to get some distance from everybody quickly while his glowing, white eyes helped him see better in the dark.
As the sun set, Bad, grateful for the big map Ant had given him before he left, guessed he was probably more than 1000 blocks away from his friends. The map would come in handy when he was done with his break, relieving him of his worries of traveling too far, and making it easier to return home when needed.
The only thing left on Bad’s list now was to build a small, temporary house to live in during his break. Bad planned to completely abandon it after his break, that way any travelers who came across it could live in his old house.
Speaking of building a house, Bad needed to decide where. He always wanted to have a home in a cave, but living in a dark, empty, underground home might actually be lonely. Well, yeah he technically was, but that didn’t mean he wanted to actually feel like it. Brushing aside the idea of having a cave-home, a treehouse came to mind. Heights didn’t scare him, though the idea of accidently falling off a tree didn't exactly sound pleasant, and Bad was a bit clumsy.
The idea of living back in the Nether fled as quickly as it had entered. Surviving in a dimension where you’re surrounded by scorching, hot lava, a bunch of piglins, and screaming ghasts didn’t ever feel comforting. Which is why Bad never forgot the day he found a bright, enchanting, purple portal stranded in the middle of a crimson warped forest. This portal, (he later learned), was built by two people who went by the names George and Sapnap. He’s stayed with them ever since.
He couldn’t build a house if he didn’t have any supplies to do so, Bad figured. He walked over to a tree and began punching it with his bare fists. Before he left, Bad put all his supplies and materials inside a chest, this way he could start his break fresh. After punching a section of a dark oak tree, he got enough wood to create a crafting bench.
Time passed as Bad worked on collecting more dark oak wood, creating wooden, but useful tools in the process. The moon shone bright by the time Bad decided he was done. Mobs began appearing out of nearby caves and Bad still hadn’t worked on any sort of house.
Before he could panic, he reminded himself of his ability to double in size and strength, but of course it only worked when truly needed. Bad’s never actually done it before, but he knows it’s possible. His teacher back in the Nether did it once. He’s defended himself in the overworld using only human methods he’s learned from his friends.
Speaking of human methods, he’d seen Sapnap and George create little dirt huts as a substitute for an actual house whenever they ran out of time to build one during the day. So, Bad attempted to make a little hut out of dirt. It didn’t look like the most comfortable place, but it did make a good shield from the dangerous mobs outside. Bad dug a little window in his hut so he could peep through to watch out for any skeletons, zombies, or worst of all, creepers. The hut had enough space to place down a crafting table, but not a furnace. Then Bad remembered he didn’t have a furnace. Actually, he didn't even have any cobblestone.
He almost smacked himself the second he realized he hadn’t gone in a cave yet. He’d been so focused on getting stacks of wood that the idea of collecting cobblestone completely slipped his mind. He peeped out of the small window he created and searched for any nearby caves. Skeletons and zombies came from a certain direction, impossible to tell where due to the combination of the dark oak trees with their enormously thick leaves and the pitch-black sky that loomed over his hut.
He sighed, staring at the axe in his hands. He'd have to find a cave tomorrow morning. In the meantime he should probably get some rest. Lying down on the soft grass, he stared at his ceiling made of dirt. What would he find in the future? Would he be able to hunt food as quickly as his friends do? Could he attain full iron tools as fast as Dream does? Would he be lucky enough to even survive on his own?
He hoped so. Each of his friends had their own skill that they mastered, but Bad didn’t. Although, it’s not like Bad was skilled enough to even start comparing himself to his friends, yet he found himself doing it more often as days of manhunt passed, despite knowing he shouldn’t. Bad needed motivation, an aspiration, something to accomplish. He rolled to his side, murmuring to himself in the process.
What were common human goals? Bad listed many options in his head, going to the Nether, finding a Nether fortress, meeting the Ender dragon, but Bad did these things often. He needed something smaller. Even thinking he was capable of doing a hard task was laughable, this was him he was talking about. A demon who was lucky enough to have found friends who genuinely cared, and he often wondered why. Shaking his head, he went back to the previous topic. A goal.
Traveling far was too basic, going into desert temples wasn’t something his friends would consider hard, collecting animals sounded fun, he could even start a farm full of new frien–
Making a new friend.
Even if the whole point of his break was to be alone, having a friend wasn’t such a bad idea. Taming a wolf came to mind, except it was more a want rather than a goal. Despite this, he felt content with the idea of finding a new dog friend. He’s never had his one official one before, how would the others react to it? He smiled to himself, he wanted to know.
Then another idea appeared.
Finding diamonds. He sat up, his eyes widened. Diamonds were rare, even his friends, (whose skills were immaculate), became instantly ecstatic at the sight of the beaming, blue gems. They didn’t even exist in the Nether. They were just that rare. If Bad could find just a few diamonds, he could prove to himself that he was capable of surviving alone. Bad sighed, this time in contentment as two objectives lingered in his drowsy thoughts.
Taming a dog and finding diamonds. Hmm.