Chapter Text
Phil puffed out his feathers in irritation as the rain fell. The natural oil on his feathers easily allowed the water to slide off, but that didn’t stop the added pressure from causing him discomfort.
“I hope we find shelter soon.” Phil huffed.
Techno wasn’t faring any better, the rain soaking his clothing, making the weight of everything heavier on his shoulders. The mud beneath their feet made walking a harder task than it should be, taking the extra force to pull their feet up to take another step.
“We’ll stop at the next place we find.” Neither of them wanted to lay out in the rain and mud.
Techno turned his head down as a rather strong gust of wind blew in their direction, whipping his hair into a messy frenzy.
As the wind blew, the witcher was able to scent the air, “There is salt in the air, we’re getting closer to the coastline.”
Phil looked up at the sky, though his sense of smell was weaker than Techno’s, his navigation skills and internal compass couldn’t be beaten, “About a three or four days walk till we reach the coastline.”
Techno gave a sharp nod, “Then there are sure to be settlements nearby.”
Phil glanced back up at the sky with a scowl on his face, “I suppose I could scout for a bit. I’d rather not fly in this weather, but I don’t want to stay out here wandering around either.”
“If you could, that would be great. I’ll continue forward.” If they waited here, he and Carl would only sink deeper into the mud. It would be better to keep moving.
As Phil stretched out his wings, he shook the water from his feathers. Techno could see the twitching in each muscle as he prepared to take flight.
“Try not to get shot down,” Techno called out as Phil grinned and took to the air.
“If I do, I’ll have you to help.”
Techno watched as the harpy flew off. He looked ahead and continued down the path.
It had been an hour since Phil left to scout. Techno was beginning to notice signs of hunting, clearings, and human disturbances in the area. They were definitely closing in on a town of some sort. As soon as he noticed these traces, he heard the familiar flap of wings then the rustling of leaves and branches as a harpy dropped from the sky.
“I found the town, we’re close.” Phil shook his body before closing his wings against his back.
“I just found their signs a moment ago. Which direction are they in?”
“Keep heading straight, we’ll arrive in a few hours.”
Techno tightened his grip on Carl’s lead, “Do you mind if I ride the rest of the way?”
Phil tilted his head, “Go for it, mate. I’ll just fly.”
The harpy’s accent was layered pretty thick when he said the word, ‘mate.’ He wasn’t able to identify the accent and it only made him wonder where Phil had come from. He had asked once before and only received a cryptic response.
A place not of this world. Long gone.
His tone had been grief-stricken.
Techno mounted his horse and watched Phil take flight. He followed after the harpy as he watched him through the trees. He wondered what the other really is. A typical harpy lifespan wouldn’t allow Phil to live as long as he claimed he has. He rarely ever divulges any information from his past. He had only mentioned that he was from a world that is long gone and that he is acquainted with Lady Death… whatever that meant.
As Techno continued forward, he started to notice some less-than-human markings. Anyone with an untrained eye would assume that it probably belonged to some carnivorous predator animal native to the area. Though he could spot the minute differences. He wondered if Phil had noticed anything. Surely, he would have warned him if he had spotted something. Though, maybe it was harder to see the smallest of details in soil, underbrush, and tree bark when the leaves of treetops blanketed the view.
That wasn’t the only thing that clued him in. Techno suddenly began to feel the hair on his arm stand up. It was a monster. His eyes narrowed as he looked around for more signs. There were no sounds of animals or insects. There was no way Phil would have missed something like this, not if he was as old as he claimed he was.
Techno didn’t like the possibility of Phil betraying him and leading him into a trap. It was highly plausible. He had only known the harpy for a few months now. Normally he was a great judge of character, he had thought the two of them were on great terms. He couldn’t help but feel an inkling of doubt.
Compared to how long Phil claims he has lived, the few months they had known one another must seem like an insignificant speck to him. There is no way of telling what the harpy is truly thinking. The most he could do was tread with caution. The last thing he needed was to be drawn into a trap by what he thought was the beginning of a good friendship.
Judging by the markings in the monster’s territory, it seems to be quite hostile. Seeing how the territory overlapped with the human’s, he can imagine that it had created quite a problem for the town. There was job potential. That is if he was getting out of this without any altercations.
It was proving hard to keep an eye on both Phil, the terrain that surrounded him, and the threat of a potentially volatile monster. Techno hurried Carl’s pace. He wanted to get to a safer place sooner rather than later. He trusted in his own ability in terms of combat, but he would rather avoid fighting if necessary.
Techno could feel his tension slightly dissipate as the wooded area began to clear. He could make out fields and housetops. They were close to the town. He watched as Phil dived down ahead of him. His horse came to a stop as he broke from the treeline.
Techno dismounted his horse as Phil folded his wings against his back.
“Why didn’t you tell me about the monster? I’m sure you noticed it.”
Phil stood to his full height, “I didn’t think it was important enough, there was no immediate danger. I’m sure if it proves to be a problem, the villagers will let us know.”
Techno huffed; he supposed the harpy was right. It just would have been nice to know.
Phil turned his head to the sky with a scornful look, “Of course, the rain lets up the moment I land.”
“Well, at least the rain worked as a cover. Can’t fly any closer than this or the villagers will notice. Stay here for now, I’ll whistle once I’ve secured shelter.”
Phil’s feathers rustled with indignation, but he didn’t speak or move from the spot as was requested.
The town was like any other. The only difference was when he walked down the town's pathway. He could hear the hustle and the bustle of traders and townsfolk bargaining for goods. He could hear the calls of farm animals. Though as soon as he garnered the attention of the busy folk, they didn’t sneer or chide. They looked surprised and somewhat relieved.
Techno couldn’t help but think back to the monster in the woods. They probably thought he was here to exterminate their little pest. Sucks for them, he won’t exterminate anything without a paycheck and a good reason.
Luckily for him, their relief at his arrival would ensure that he could secure a room at an inn. Since this town was larger than the last, there would be plenty of options to choose from. He had a good feeling that he wouldn’t get driven out this time.
Techno was taken aback by the wonderful scents that filled the air. He could feel his stomach clench from the long journey. He could use something to eat. He moved his hand toward his satchel and pulled out the bag of dried meat that Niki had gifted him when he left. As his fingers reached in to grab the remaining meat, his fingers grazed a texture that was all too familiar but definitely not the same as the rest of the meat in the bag.
The witcher turned his hand over and dumped the contents of the bag into his palm. A few scraps fell out followed by a few silver coins. A small twitch of a fond smile poked at the corners of his lips as he shook his head with a huff.
He had told Niki that she didn’t need to pay him, that the food and the shelter were enough. It appeared that she didn’t care to listen. He supposed that he owed her now. A debt he would make sure to pay in interest.
Techno stashed the coins into one of his many coin pouches and finished what was left of the meat. He continued forward as he ate. As much as he would love to take a look at all of the vendors, he didn’t want to keep Phil waiting. He could come back once he was done finding a room.
The further walked, the deeper his frown became. There were a lot more places to stay than he thought there would be. Way too many options. He immediately turned to a man that was standing to his right, startling him with his sudden intense attention.
“What is the best Inn around?”
The man pulled his hands to his chest, his eyes glancing around with apprehension, “Umm t-the Bee-n-Boo” He stuttered.
Techno was about to walk off to find it before realizing he had no idea where it was, “Which direction?”
The man pointed down the way he had just come from, “It is on the main road close to the village entrance. It has a large sign with a bee on it. You can’t miss it.”
Techno narrowed his eyes as he read the man. He could tell the man was too afraid to lie to him. Once he was satisfied, he stopped tormenting the poor guy and headed back down the road. He had missed it the first time he came down the road, but that was because he didn’t enter from the main road. He came from the woods and entered through some back road that led to the main one.
It didn’t take him long until he was able to see the hanging inn sign. Bright yellow with a bee. Further back, he could see the sign for the town. L’manburg . That would explain why this town was so big because it wasn’t really a town but a city. It was one of the major locations of the Esempee empire. He wasn’t too far from the capital then.
As the Witcher hitched Carl and walked into the Bee-n-Boo, he was surprised to see how quaint it was. He was expecting it to be louder and busier like a lot of other pubs and inns. Even inns in a town like this would be busy during this time of day. If this was the best inn in town, then it should have more patrons. Either the man he vaguely threatened had lied to him or he had shit tastes.
There were a few patrons inside the establishment that didn’t give him any second thought.
“Heyah, big man, what can I do for yah?” A cheerful voice called out to him.
Techno looked ahead, confused as to where the voice was coming from until he looked down. He saw a short boy with a mop of blonde hair that covered his eyes. He could see the beginning of pale brown roots poke out from the top of his head. When he was finally able to take him in, he felt the hair on his arm stand up.
The boy wasn’t human.
“I was wondering if you had a room available for the night.”
The boy looked him up and down, a wide grin settled on his face, “Sure thing, you’re a Witcher, right?”
He wondered why the boy was grinning at him like that if he knew he was a Witcher. Most inhuman beings were afraid of his kind. His people never had the best reputation amongst any species.
“Mhm.” He left it at that.
“Boo! Get me a key for the best room we have.” His hair bounced as the boy slightly turned his head as if shouting over his shoulder to the desk behind him. The kid never once let him get into his blind spot.
“Sure thing!” A deeper voice shouted from the desk. He eyed it as he watched a tall figure rise from a kneeling position with a key ring dangling from his finger.
The person known as Boo had a boyish face and lanky limbs. Even though he wasn’t standing next to him, he could tell that the boy was at least a good head taller than him. He had wavy blond hair that covered one of his eyes and he had a mask that covered his face from his nose down. As he looked at him, he received the same feeling. Another nonhuman.
Boo seemed to flinch at his stare, averting eye contact. He seemed wearier about a Witcher stopping by.
“Bring them over, Boo!” The boy encouraged.
Techno could see Boo’s throat bob before he hesitantly made his way over. He slouched when he walked, trying to make himself smaller and less intimidating as he handed the room key over to the first boy.
“I only really need a regular room, I don’t think I can afford a luxury one right now,” Techno mentioned as the key was passed off to the first boy.
“Nonsense!” The brunette cheered, “Boo, get the door for me, would you?”
Boo glanced back and forth between the two with nervousness before he finally gave in. Techno watched as the taller guy walked to the door and opened it. He flipped the open sign to the ‘closed’ side and the small number of patrons within the inn got up and left without a word.
Techno narrowed his eyes and slowly lowered his hand onto the head of one of the axes on his hip.
“None of that, big man. We aren’t going to harm you.” The boy shook his head, letting his hair bounce out of his eyes for the first time. When he did that, he finally had a clear view of his eyes. He was able to see his yellow iris and his horizontally elongated pupils. He watched as the boy began to transform. Horns grew from his head, long floppy ears fell, canines grew sharper, a small tail protruded from his back, his legs were covered in hair, and his feet became hooves. He was a Satyr.
Techno turned his head to look at the other boy. The boy was even taller than before. His skin became an inky black with flecks of white. His eyes were a glowing purple and his teeth were sharp. He was an Enderian. He immediately turned his eyes away from the other’s, knowing that Enderians found eye contact uncomfortable.
“Was it Boo that disguised the both of you?” Enderians were usually proficient when it came to magic.
“Sure was!” The boy stretched into himself, getting comfortable as he shook off the human disguise. Boo on the other hand looked arguably more uncomfortable than before as he stood behind the Satyr.
“So, what is this about?” Techno didn’t like this one bit.
“We have a job for you.” Satyr's cheerful and playful demeanor quickly became serious. Boo also seemed to straighten up and puff out his chest.
“...A job… I should have guessed.” He wondered if it had anything to deal with the creature that lurked in the woods beyond the town.
“We have a friend… Tommy. He’s a shapeshifter and the town found out and hunted him down. He ended up getting chased out of the town. We don’t know where he is or how he is doing. He could have changed what he looked like and come back, but he hasn’t shown up yet. We’re starting to worry because of the recent events in the woods… we tried to investigate on our own… but…”
Boo turned around and took off his shirt, exposing deep scratches in his back. The wound looked about a week old.
“We just wanted any information possible as to whether he is dead or alive. He was last seen wearing a red shirt with brown pants along with a green bandana tied around his neck. He normally wears the green bandana around his neck in any form he takes.”
Techno frowned at the job request. He never received a job like this. He wondered if he would even be able to find anything. There was a chance that this Tommy was eaten alive with no evidence left behind. If he hasn’t shown up yet, there was a good chance that he was very much dead. Especially after seeing the wound on Boo’s back. This thing was hostile. He didn’t want to accept the job knowing that they would be getting nothing back. He couldn’t take their pay.
Sensing his hesitance and doubt, the Satyr doubled down, “Please, even if you don’t find anything, we can pay you for your efforts. We can give you our best room and whatever you want to eat and drink on the house. We can even pay you in gold or silver on top of that. So, please, anything helps.”
Techno sighed and ran his hand through his hair, “Listen kid-”
“It’s Tubbo.”
“Tubbo.” Techno corrected himself, “Listen, there is a good chance that if I accept this job, I won’t be able to find anything. I can’t in good faith accept your job under those conditions. If I find something, then I’ll take you up on it, you don’t need to pay me outside of room and food. If I can’t find anything, I will pay for the room and food.”
Tubbo took a step forward as if he were about to argue, but Boo placed a hand on his shoulder and shook his head, “We can’t force him to take payment. If he refuses the free room and food, we could still give him a discount for using his time.” He looked to the witcher, “Would that be alright?”
“Sure, that would be fine.” Techno cleared his throat, “I do have a question, though.”
“Sure thing, big man.”
“Do you have many nonhuman patrons?”
Tubbo nodded, “We normally cater to nonhumans. Humans don’t know this, though.”
“I see, would it be alright if I bring my companion in then?”
“Any friend of yours is a friend of ours, as long as your friend doesn’t cause us or our patrons any trouble.” Tubbo eyed him.
Techno nodded, “If it’s alright, I would like to get my things settled first. If possible, I would also like some food prepared for when I get back. Jobs tend to take up a lot of energy.”
“That’s fine, we can have something prepared for you. Boo, can you get our disguises and the door?”
Boo nodded and the boys’ bodies began to morph back to their human look-alikes. Tubbo walked back to get food ready and Boo turned the sign back over on the door. Techno walked past him and out the door.
“W-wait, let me lead you to your room,” Boo called out with a nervous stutter. He wondered if the boy was afraid of him or if his anxious disposition was normal.
“I’m not going anywhere; I’m just calling for my companion.” Techno brought his index finger and his thumb to his lips and let out a sharp whistle.
Boo stood at the door, shifting his weight from one leg to the other. After five minutes, a man in a large black and green hooded cloak walked towards them.
“This is my companion, Phil.”
“Philza.” The man corrected.
“Don’t listen to him, he is old. He has no idea what he is talking about.” Techno teased and Phil huffed.
Boo looked between the two, “Okay,” He didn’t know quite what to do, instead he opened the door wider for the two of them to walk in.
Techno and Phil walked in, followed by Boo until Boo walked ahead of them, “Let me show you to your room.”
As soon as they got to the second floor and no one else was around, Techno nudged Phil, “You can take off the cloak now. There are no humans around.”
“I can tell.” Phil unclasped the cloak and pulled it off in a quick motion. The feathers on his wings ruffled into place, but the harpy only groaned, “I’m going to have to preen them again.”
Boo caught sight of the wings once he stopped at the door to their room and turned around, “Woah, your wings are so beautiful.”
A soft smile graced Phil’s lips, “That’s quite the compliment from an Enderian.”
Boo seemed to blush and turn his head away.
“It’s a shame you must hide your skin when it is like shining stars in the outer reaches of the universe. It reminds me of my goddess.”
Boo fidgeted with his mask, pulling it up to cover more of his face. He was clearly flustered with the compliments, “How could you tell I was an Enderian?”
Phil shrugged, “I just can. After being alive for a long time, you learn to pick up on things. Your friend downstairs is a Satyr.”
Boo seemed to stare in amazement, “Whoa, you really are old.”
Techno snickered and Phil rolled his eyes. The tall Enderian smiled under his mask, but it clearly showed in his eyes.
Boo unlocked the door to the room and opened it, “This will be your room and the key.” He held it out and dropped it into Techno’s palm, “Is there anything else I can get you before I go to prepare your food?”
Techno glanced into the room, “Not at the moment, but we would like some heated water to wash up once we get back from the job.”
Boo perked up, “Sure thing! I’ll leave the two of you to it, then.”
As Boo turned to leave, Phil and Techno walked into the room.
“It's a lot better than most rooms I get.” Techno walked over to the bed, pressing his hand into the soft bedding on the mattress.
Phil stretched his wings out, sighing as he stared longingly at his wings, “So much for preening them.” He muttered, “So, what's this job you mentioned? Did they ask you to deal with the creature in the woods?” He hummed.
Techno shook his head, “Not necessarily, but I don’t doubt we will have to confront the creature. They asked us to find their friend who had disappeared. They ended up getting attacked by the creature when they looked for him.”
Phil nodded, “This seems like an easy job. We’re both good at tracking. You with your witcher sense me with mine.”
Techno had stopped questioning Phil and his ‘wisdom.’ If one would call it that. He couldn’t say he completely understood what the harpy meant. Phil had once told him he wasn’t actually a harpy but the last remaining Elytran. He said the reason he resembled harpies was that harpies originated from Elytrans. He supposed that would explain all of these extra abilities the man had that are not found in harpies.
Once Techno finished sorting through everything that he needed, he threw his bag over his shoulder, “Well, let's get going.”
Phil sighed and threw the cloak over his body for a second time, “And here I was hoping we could rest.”
“You could always stay,” Techno suggested.
“And leave all the fun to you? I think not.”
Techno huffed and slightly shook his head in amusement.
Techno and Phil left Carl at Bee-n-Boo and headed into the woods on foot.
Once they got far enough into the woods, Phil took off the cloak, “I have a feeling we’re going to have to find where the creature is staying to find any clues.”
Techno had a deep frown, “I don’t like that I agree with that.”
It wasn’t that Techno didn’t want to walk into this thing’s layer, but he would rather the kid be somewhere safe. He had a terrible feeling that all he would do is find Tommy’s remains… but that was only if he wasn’t eaten whole. He glanced at one of the claw marks on the trees. Luckily, judging by the size of the marks, the thing wouldn’t be large enough to eat an entire child.
“I suppose we’ll just have to follow the carnage.” Phil hummed with a small bit of excitement.
Techno just raised his brow, “Or we could just follow our senses.”
The Witcher closed his eyes and took a steady inhale then slowly exhaled. As he exhaled, he lowered his heart rate even further than it already was. He could feel the pulse of the earth beneath his feet. He could feel the whispers of the wind against his frame. And like a faint rhythmic calling of a drum, he could feel a steady inhuman heartbeat along with a few others. The other beats could easily be dismissed as regular forest creatures native to the area. There was just one that stood outside all of the rest.
“It’s this way.” Techno headed towards where he had felt the heartbeat come from.
.
.
.
.
The closer they got the more evidence of the creature they found. With the amount of evidence left behind, they were probably getting close to the creature’s den. Judging from the heartbeat he had heard earlier, it was asleep. It was midday, making the creature nocturnal.
With this information, Techno started sorting through all of the nocturnal creatures he knew. Sure, the majority of creatures were nocturnal, but it did knock out a good amount of possible creatures. He could also cross out the creatures that lived near the ocean or in the ocean as well as the creatures that typically were found in high altitudes.
As he thought of all the possible creatures, he reviewed their strengths and weaknesses. It was best that they were attacking during daylight, because it would be sleeping and not as aware.
Soon the two stopped in front of a cave. Luckily both he and Phil had good night vision. As the two made their way inside the cave, he was glad he left Carl back at the inn. As the two got further inside the cave, they stopped as they heard a loud hiss. He noticed a slight flinch in Phil’s feathers as the man’s pupils became wider. The unordinary reaction left Techno feeling uneasy.
Techno slowly raised his hand behind his head, grasping at the hilt of his sword. He was getting ready to draw his blade at any moment. As they slowly crept closer there was a rattling sound. Techno blinked when he realized that they were facing up against a Naga. The rattling sound, the hissing, the nocturnal tendency, and the cave. It all made sense. It had to be a naga, a half-serpent, half-human creature.
“Phil, we’re up against a naga.” Techno drew his blade, “The best way to kill it would be to lop off its head.” Normally Techno wouldn’t kill a monster for no reason, but he would if he needed to. If he was going to get attacked by a creature with no mind, he wasn’t going to make himself easy prey.
Phil snorted, “Wouldn’t that kill most beasts? Besides, this isn’t a naga.”
“Eh?” Techno turned his head to the Elytrian, as if asking him to explain.
“You’ll see. Just a few more steps and to the right.” Phil stepped forward.
“Hold up,” Techno grunted and followed the man’s direction.
As they both turned around the cave wall, Techno stopped dead in his tracks and Phil cooed.
The creature was hunched over with medium-sized wings of dark brown and red. He had the same build as Phil, yet skinnier and more adolescent. Judging by the creature's build and its ability to mimic the sounds of other creatures, they were dealing with a siren.
But it didn’t make any sense.
“What is a siren doing in a cave this far away from the ocean? Sure, we’re close, but we’re a little far out of range”
The siren let out another hiss as Techno spoke. Phil cooed again and the hiss died down.
“The little thing is nesting.”
“Eh?” The sound came out louder than he had expected, startling the siren into bearing its sharp teeth and talons.
“Behind it… there is another creature, albeit smaller.” Phil pointed.
Techno remembered back to when he had first used his witcher sense to seek out the creature. He had felt a smaller and fainter heartbeat, which he had passed off as some animal. When he looked, he saw a raccoon curled up. It was chittering frightfully.
The siren did not like it when he looked at the raccoon. As soon as it saw Techno’s eyes drift toward the raccoon in the nest behind him, it lunged forward. Techno hissed and rolled out of the way. This would be a bad area for sword combat. They were in a cave, the walls were closed in.
“Shit.” He hissed.
Phil tutted, “He’s just trying to protect his nestling. Provoking him would be no good.”
Techno sheathed his sword and took a few steps back. He placed his hands in front of himself to signal to the siren that he meant no harm. As soon as he got far enough back, the siren finally spoke.
“Stay away, stop hunting Tommy, and don’t send anyone here to hunt him either.”
And here Techno thought the siren had gone feral, “Tommy?” he blinked then his eyes widened as he remembered that name, “Wait, that’s the shapeshifter kid Tubbo and Boo were talking about. Where is he!” Techno took a step forward.
Phil spread out a single wing in front of Techno to stop his advancement, “Now now, what did I say about provocation? It will get you nowhere.”
The siren’s pupils seemed to widen as he saw the inky black wing stretch out. Phil noticed this and let out a soft coo. It had seemed to slightly relax the siren momentarily.
“Your nestling.” Phil’s voice was soft, “Is Tommy, correct?” They could both see the raccoon in the nest, his chittering had stopped, and his neck was wrapped in a green bandana.
The siren gave a slow nod.
“We don’t want to hurt him. We were given a job by his two friends, Tubbo and Boo. They were worried about him because the townspeople chased him out and tried to hunt him down. They wanted to know if he was alive, and when they went out to look for him themselves, they were attacked by you and had to retreat.”
The siren narrowed his eyes, “You and that witcher lie, why would you try to side with the humans and that witcher? All they care about is eradicating our existence and getting rid of others like us.”
“You’re still so young” Phil cooed, “There is so much you don't kn-”
“Wait!” There was a young scratchy voice from behind the siren, “Wil, you attacked Tubbo and Ranboo?”
Wil flinched, his eyes flashed with fear, “H-how was I supposed to know they were your friends? I thought they were humans. They tried to kill you when I found you.”
Tommy frowned and turned his head down, one of his small hands clung onto Wilbur’s arm, “They’re looking for me. They think I’m dead.”
Techno and Phil stood in silence as the scene played out before them.
Wil’s voice was barely above a whisper, yet the cave carried it, “You want to leave me, don’t you?”
Tommy’s grip on Wil tightened, “No, of course not! You nursed me back to health and protected me, I just need to let my friends know that I’m alive… you could come with us… Ranboo knows how to use disguise magic, he can make you look human.”
Wil huffed, “Why would I want to be near a bunch of humans.”
“Well, it’s kind of inevitable innit? It’s bound to happen occasionally.” Tommy shrugged, “It’s not too big a deal, as long as we are disguised, we’ll be in one of the safe places for our kind.”
“You know.” Techno wanted to stop himself from speaking, but he found that his mouth kept running, “You could always join us. It wouldn’t be best to stay in one place for a while. The humans found out that Tommy wasn’t human, it could happen to everyone else. That way you won’t have to stay with humans for long and you have a better chance at staying safe.”
Tommy chewed his lip, “I would have to make sure it would be okay with my friends and Wil first, I don’t think I could leave them.” He let go of Wil’s arm and walked towards Phil and Techno.
“I’ll need to think about it.” Wil shrunk back, clearly mourning the loss of Tommy.
Tommy glanced back at Wil with a slight frown before turning his head back toward the exit with a large grin, “Come on big guys, we’ve got work to do!”
Techno sighed and followed after the boy. He shouldn’t have offered, this was going to be a harder task than he had thought it would, “Phil, you coming?”
“I think I’ll stay here for now. You can get me on your way back.”
“Suit yourself.” Techno left the cave with the child.
Phil cooed towards Wil, “Now, young one, your feathers look like a mess, let me help you preen.”
“Hold up kid.” Techno grunted as he leaped over rocks and tree roots to keep up with Tommy, “You’re gonna need a disguise before you enter the town.”
Tommy stopped in his tracks, “What should I transform into?”
“Just manipulate your current features so you look like a different kid.”
Tommy grinned, “No, I know what.”
Techno watched with interest as the boy began to change form, then signed when he transformed into a little red cardinal, his green bandana shrinking in size with him. He guessed that the Enderian must have enchanted it with some sort of magic, “I suppose a bird would work as well.”
When the witcher began to walk, the bird began to chirp insistently. Techno looked back with a brow raised in question, “Can’t you fly?”
The chirping stopped and the bird looked away, puffing his feathers. Techno hid a smirk and took a few steps toward him. He knelt down and lowered his hand, “I’ll carry you for now.”
Tommy jumped into the man’s palm and made his way onto his shoulder.
Techno huffed and made his way back down the path toward the town, “You could have transformed into a dog or something, would have been a lot easier.”
Tommy pecked at his neck with his small beak.
“Hey, none of that now. If you behave, I’m sure Phil would be more than happy to teach you how to fly.”
Tommy let out a proud chirp.
As the two got closer to the town, Tommy began to become restless. His feathers ruffled, he paced around the man’s shoulder, and he tried to hide in the other’s long hair. Once they did get to the town, the only thing that could be seen of the small cardinal was his little head that poked out from strands of hair.
As soon as the cardinal saw the Bee-n-Boo inn sign, he shook the hair off his feathers and let out an excited chirp. He walked into the inn and shouted, “Everyone out.”
The small number of patrons within the inn groaned and left. Techno flipped the “open” sign to “closed” and shut the door. Tubbo and Ranboo came out as soon as they heard Techno shouting.
“You’re back, did you find anything?” Tubbo urged.
Techno held out his hand and the two looked at it with confusion as the palm held nothing. That was until the cardinal on his shoulder hopped down into his palm. The two easily spotted the green bandana.
“Tommy!” Ranboo shouted with relief.
The cardinal jumped from the witcher's palm and transformed before his butt hit the floor with a loud thud.
“Hey guys, miss me?” Tommy scratched the back of his head with a lopsided grin.
Tubbo began to roll up his sleeves, “Did you know how worried we were.” He grumbled through gritted teeth.
Tommy looked up with nervousness and gulped, “U-uh… sorry?” His voice cracked.
“Sorry’s not gonna cut it this time, big man.”
Tommy let out a shriek and quickly got up as Tubbo began to chase him around the inn. Ranboo stood next to Techno as they watched the two hash it out.
“So, we have your food ready when you’d like something to heat. Your water is also heating up in your room.”
Techno found a nearby table and sat down, “Thanks, I was starting to get hungry.”
Ranboo disappeared into the kitchen before reappearing with a plate of food, “We had some ready for your companion as well, where did he go?”
“Let's just say that he is taming the ‘beast’ in the woods.” Techno hummed with amusement as he began to eat.
From somewhere inside the inn he heard Tommy’s shouting, “Tubbo! Tubbo! Hold on and stop hitting me for a moment! The witcher has a proposal for us!”
“His name is Techno.”
“Well, Techno has a proposal for us.”
Techno watched as Tubbo dragged Tommy across the floor toward the table he was sitting at. He let go of the shapeshifter’s bandana and sat down in one of the chairs across from Techno. Ranboo and Tubbo seemed interested, though Ranboo was more hesitant in his disposition.
“What did you want to talk about?”
“Phil and I want you three to come with us. It is dangerous living in this place for too long. They already found out about Tommy’s identity, it’s only a matter of time before they end up finding yours. All it takes is someone seeing you two shift, someone seeing you with Tommy, or one of your patrons exposing you.”
Tommy lowered his head, too afraid to look his friends in the eye, “I already planned to go with them. They found out who I am, they’ll be on the look for me. I want to stay with you two, but I’m no longer safe here. You can stay here if you want or come with us.”
Ranboo rubbed his hands together, “I… like it here, but I agree. It’s uncomfortable staying in this human skin and I hate not being able to use my magic freely… maybe I’ll even be able to find a way to get my memory back.”
“Eh?” Techno looked at the Enderian, “You’re an amnesiac?”
Ranboo gave a nervous laugh, “I am.”
Tubbo frowned, “Well… I don't want to leave. I really want to stay here. This inn is important for me and the people in our community. Who will take care of it while we’re gone?”
“Oh, I know!” Ranboo clapped his hands, “We can have Jack do it!”
“Who’s Jack?”
“Jack is a human friend who knows our secret. He’s been working at the inn and is for our cause.” Tubbo answers, “It’s a good idea to have a human run the inn. That way if he is ever questioned, he could say he has no idea what they’re talking about.”
Tommy grinned, “It’s settled then, we’re all going.”
Tubbo gave a sigh, “I suppose so. I’m gonna miss this inn, but I always wanted to go on adventures.”
“I can’t wait for you guys to meet Wilbur! He’s gonna come with us. He helped take care of me and shelter me from the humans.”
“No wonder we couldn’t find you.” Ranboo hummed.
Techno and the three children made their way to the cave. Phil and Wilbur were standing outside waiting for them. Wilbur looked preened, cleaned, and a lot more relaxed and in the right state of mind from when he had seen him last.
“You guys, meet Wilbur!”
Wilbur raised his hand and gave a little wave, “Hi.”
“Wait, you’re the asshole that scratched Ranboo’s back!” Tubbo rolled up his sleeves and shed his human skin, baring his horns and sharp teeth.
Techno sighed. He supposed he and Phil were now parents of four rowdy inhuman kids. Jobs will be a little more difficult than usual now.