Chapter Text
Wattpad Link: https://www.wattpad.com/story/265776613-nothing-goes-wrong
That was a low blow, threatening his horse.
Techno sighed, shivering slightly in the cold, arctic wind blowing off the crests of the waves that rocked his captor’s longship.
Shouldn’t have dropped the fucking cloak. He berated himself. But, he had panicked.
The second he had seen the silver of Quackity’s blade pressed against the side of Carl’s neck, his world had spun inwards on itself.
Not Carl! He’d screamed. Not his horse, his only friend, the only creature he’d ever managed to forge any meaningful bond with. The only being who had never stabbed him in the back, never betrayed him, never hurt him, never cast him out.
Sweet, gentle, patient old Carl.
It was so stupid! Surrendering over the life of a horse. Fuck, he could just get another horse! Except he couldn’t, he knew he couldn’t.
Carl was a part of his family.
And so, he’d thrown everything down at the threat. Gods he’d sounded so pathetic, the way his voice had almost broken as he pleaded for Quackity to drop the blade, throwing his own to the ground.
He complied so readily to the man’s demands, relinquishing his swords, his armour, his potions, his supplies, even his cloak.
And now, here he was. Shivering in a karvi with his old friends, now his enemies.
Carl, the one thing keeping him from trying to fight any further, and that stupid blue sheep Wilbur had found, had been placed by the stern, watched over by the obliviously useless ghost of his brother.
Quackity, that bastard, stood at the bow, a map and an all too familiar compass in hand.
Phil… Techno shook his head. He’d worry about Phil later. The man was smart enough to handle himself. He had managed to send him a warning after all…
Should have destroyed the lodestone.
He let his eyes wander about the small ship. Ahead of him, rowing, were Tubbo and Fundy. Both looking more than a little weary from the day’s events.
Beside him, however, nursing a bleeding shoulder, was someone he hadn’t seen before.
A strange young man, his skin snow white on one side and a dark grey on the other, the two colours melding together in the centre of his face with a dapple blending. His wind whipped hair followed the same pattern of his skin. He reminded Techno of someone, somehow.
He studied the red and green eyes of the piebald youth. He seemed out of place here amongst the Butcher Party. The rest he knew all had some quarrel with him but what was this newcomer here for?
The young man gave him a confused look, no doubt growing wary from the glaring way he was being stared at, before returning to tending his shoulder wound.
“You should be honoured.” Techno grinned, his tusks flashing. “I could've killed you, you know.”
“So I’ve heard.” The young man nodded, cinching a bandage across his wound, his tufted tail curling as he hissed in pain.
“You didn’t sterilise it.” Techno pointed out. “I don’t know how many zombies I’ve killed with that sword you know.”
He remembered the startled scream that had come from the young man as he had pierced through his armour. He grinned at the memory, the youth had merely grit his teeth and swung right back at him. He could respect that.
“Oh….” the piebald man frowned, proceeding to undo the bandage.
“Mind shutting up for five minutes?”
Techno flattened his ears at the voice, turning to see Quackity at the bow, angrily gripping the map in his hands.
“Last time I try to be reasonable I guess.” Techno mumbled, leaning back against the mast of the karvi, trying to reposition his arms. They’d been bound behind his back, much tighter than they really needed to be, he could tell. His hands had already begun to go numb and he could feel the faint, sticky dripping of blood forming along the cords around his wrists.
His captors weren’t taking any chances with him it seemed.
“We gave you a family.” Quackity muttered angrily. “And you had the gall to betray us!”
“You used me.” Techno countered flatly. “I made my conditions clear as day and you elected to ignore them the second it was convenient for you.”
“You think family does that?” he kept his voice calm, knowing he had touched a few nerves with that statement. He could sense the young men around him shifting uncomfortably.
He turned his gaze to Fundy, the fox eared man stiffened.
“You think family only acknowledges you until it’s inconvenient-”
“Shut the fuck up!” Fundy hissed, stabbing at the water with his paddle.
Techno chuckled.
Behind him he heard the weak voice of Wilbur laugh as well.
“Techno you’re laughing!” the shade giggled. “Fundy! You’re uncle’s laughing! Isn’t that nice? This is a nice little trip.”
Techno saw Fundy’s eyes shut tight as he fought away tears of frustration before turning back to rowing, a bit more angrily than before.
It had been so bizarre to learn that Wilbur wasn’t just one of his hallucinations, some cruel joke his mind was playing in him. He was still getting used to the idea that others could see his brother too, not just him. He wasn’t sure if he should feel relieved or concerned, at the moment he just felt a strange sense of wonder as he imagined what it must have been like for the others to see something they previously thought impossible.
Did they think they were seeing things at first? Or had they just accepted it? How long had that taken them? Did they now know how he felt?
Nice trip…
Not nice..
Cold…
Bad men…
Ouch…
Not nice…
Hello Wilbur…
Brother…
Wilbur…
Punch the ghost…
“I’m not punching the ghost.” he mumbled under his breath. The voices giggled in response. They’d been getting louder ever since he had been captured.
Taunt them…
Annoying…
You’re annoying…
Escape…
You’re annoying…
Funny joke…
Now that, he grinned, he could do.
“Nah, this trip sucks.” Techno shrugged at Wilbur’s comment, attempting to get at least one more jab at his captors before they had him gagged. “I’d give it maybe one star out of five. Worst kidnapping ever.”
“.....come on man,” Tubbo’s quiet voice spoke up as he rowed. “Maybe at least a two star?”
The boy grinned, timidly, clearly unsure of what he was supposed to be doing here.
“Well, I guess cause you’re here” Techno smiled softly back. “I’ll raise it, at least, to a one point five star.”
Poor kid. He thought. Always trying to make the best of things.
Little brother…
Baby…
Punt the child…
Child killer...
He could almost, almost, see why his little brother had been chosen as president. He didn’t fault Tommy and Wilbur for that choice. The boy could make friends with anyone, he was always willing to lend a kind hand to any situation, traits that were a far cry from the late Schlatt. Of course people would want a leader like him after what they had gone through.
But that was just the problem, wasn’t it. There was being kind, and then there was being a doormat. And Tubbo, sweet as he was, had been too much of a people pleaser to be much of an actual leader.
“This isn’t a fucking uber service!” Quackity snapped from his spot at the bow, angrily rolling up the map he held and storming towards where Techno was bound. “Tubbo, you’re in the Butcher Party, fucking act like it!”
Techno leaned towards Tubbo. “You’re really gonna take orders from someone like that Mr. President?”
Tubbo stiffened.
“Alright either shut the fuck up right now or you’re getting gagged!” Quackity slapped the map against the side of the longboat, sending Tubbo jerking upright, pale faced, at the loud banging sound near his ear.
Techno flinched, that was mean of Quackity, had he done that on purpose?
Explosion….
Explode the child…
Shoot the child…
Ouch…
Meanie…
Child hurt…
“What’s it gonna be Mr. President?” Techno chuckled, subtly attempting to bring Tubbo out of where Quackity had sent him. He sensed the group seemingly tense around him.
He saw Tubbo shake his head with a faint whimper, rubbing the base of his horns as he returned to the present. He then set his jaw firmly, before returning to rowing. “You tried to sabotage our government.”
Techno snarled. “Oh I tried to sabotage YOUR government huh?! Your pathetic excuse for democracy huh?! Well look where that’s fucking gotten you-”
The sharp sting of rolled paper slapped across his face.
He growled, his tusks gleaming wickedly as he jerked his head towards his assailant.
Quackity rolled the map tighter in his hands, as if he were wringing the neck of some poor bird to death.
“Like I said,” the man sneered down at him. “Not, a, fucking, Uber.”
Quackity knelt before Techno, just barely out of reach of his teeth.
“Hell, you should be grateful,” the dark haired man laughed. “Uber won’t take animals.”
“Hey!” Tubbo snapped.
“What the fuck?!” Fundy jerked his oar around.
“Dude what the hell?” the piebald man put a hand on Quackity’s shoulder, tail flicking angrily. “Don’t bring that into this!”
“Sorry! Shit!” Quackity immediately held his hands up in apology.
“Hybrids aren’t animals man!” Tubbo hissed.
“Read the room!” Fundy snarled. “You’re the only human here!”
“I know I know! Shit I’m sorry! It just slipped out ok?!”
Techno laughed. To the man’s credit, he did seem genuinely sorry, at least for Tubbo and Fundy’s sake. Maybe the piebald boy too, he wasn’t sure what that kid was yet.
His laugh was cut short as a thick cloth was shoved between his teeth before being tied behind his head, silencing him.
“Sorry.” The piebald youth mumbled as he finished tying the knot behind him.
“Finally,” Quackity sighed. “Some fucking silence!”
He stood in front of Techno, placing the rolled up map under his chin, tilting his head to look at him. Techno continued to snarl between his gag as Quackity spoke.
“Like I said,” the dark haired man’s voice dropped to a deadly hiss. “You sabotaged us. You’ve hurt us and our country far too many times. And you’re gonna pay for it, you hear me?”
Techno pulled his head away from the map, still glaring.
“You’re gonna be taken to trial, and charged for your crimes, and you’re gonna pay for them.” Techno noticed Quackity’s eyes darkening with a fury he’d never expected from the man.
“Oh by the gods,” Quackity hissed. “You’re gonna fucking pay.”
“He is very rich,” Ghostbur’s raspy voice commented. “I’m sure he can pay for any damages he made. Isn’t that right Technoblade? You did say you were loaded.”
The shade smiled innocently at him. And it truly was innocent.
Techno almost tried to smile back.
Dead brother…
Dead…
Sweet Wilbur…
Punch the ghost…
Ghost…
Ghostbur…
Ghostbur...
Ghostbur at least made things less lonely. Sometimes.
“Gods dammit…” Quackity shook his head at the ghost. “That’s not...nevermind.”