Chapter Text
----”The general, unable to control his irritation, will launch his men to the assault like swarming ants, with the result that one-third of his men are slain, while the town still remains untaken.”----
They aren’t a match for Technoblade.
That’s what’s become crushingly, blindingly obvious to Ranboo in the ten minutes since Quackity’s ‘negotiations’ with the warrior dissolved into outright combat. Technoblade is fast, even discounting his size, slipping between them like lightning snapping between two wires in a way that no one half again the size of a human should be able to.
Technoblade is, honestly, terrifying.
It doesn’t help that he’s snarling, tusks bared in naked threat as he whips his axe across the battlefield with inhuman speed. It slams into Fundy’s shield and the wood shatters, showering the fox-man in splintered oak as he scrambles back from the follow-up. Techno follows without hesitation, pressing his advantage with a bugle of fury and triumph, bringing his axe down in a killing blow -
Ranboo doesn’t have time to think.
He launches himself at the warrior’s unprotected back, weapon all but forgotten in favor of grabbing on and getting an arm around the hulking frame’s throat. Technoblade rears back at the pressure and weight, swing faltering as the axe slams into the ground inches from Fundy’s head -
Ranboo doesn’t have time to appreciate his success. Technoblade brings the axe up to block a swipe from Tubbo, shoving the smaller man back as his other hand discards his shield in favor of grabbing Ranboo by his neck -
Ranboo scrambles to get his sword up, to stab it into the roaring hybrid beneath him, but Technoblade is too fast.
He rips Ranboo off of him with a snarl - then, in the same gesture, slams him down against the stone of the hilltop. Ranboo can’t hold back the howl of pain - something (his ribs?) shatters inside him, forcing agony like a river of lava down his back.
He needs to get up - needs to fight - but there’s no way. He’s too badly dazed - he can’t even see straight, let alone stagger upright and find his weapon.
Technoblade roars in triumph, and something sharp and gleaming arcs above him -
“STOP!”
Quackity’s voice is edged in desperation, distant through the haze of pain.
“Technoblade, stop! Or I kill the horse!”
The axe slams inches from Ranboo’s head, the blurr that is Technoblade shifting to face the hunter.
“You get away from that horse, Quackity -”
“Or what? Put your weapons down, Techno -”
Ranboo has a sudden, gut-dropping feeling he knows what the “what” is.
He tries to twist away, to scramble free and run for it, but Technoblade is too close for escape. Fingers tangle in his hair, making him shriek in agony as he’s hauled up, defenseless, head forced back to bare his throat as a cold edge settles against it -
“Or I kill this guy.”
“Ranboo -!”
It’s Fundy who calls out to him, horrified, too close, but Ranboo doesn’t dare twist so much as to look at him. He can’t move, pinned between the axe and Technoblade’s chest, very, very aware of how easy it would be to die.
“Let him go!” Quackity’s voice shakes, and Technoblade snarls a laugh.
“You make a lot of demands for a man with a horse. Do it, then - you think I won't kill him?” The blade presses a hair more firmly to Ranboo’s throat - deep enough to cut a thin line. “And something tells me that he doesn’t have a lot of lives left to lose.”
----“Begin by seizing something which your opponent holds dear; then he will be amenable to your will.”----
“- and something tells me he doesn’t have a lot of lives left to lose.”
The voices sing their agreement.
No! No-
Dying!
One life, your life -
Blood for the blood god!
He shoves them back, forces them down, and doesn’t slit the hunter’s throat. Yet.
“Get away from my horse, Quackity.” He sneers at the flinch that gets, the hesitation in Quackity’s gaze. “Then we’ll talk.”
There’s a moment of frozen stillness, then: “Sure.”
Quackity slides off of Carl, axe still in hand but raised in submission. “Sure, Technoblade. Just let him go, and we’ll talk -”
“No.” Technoblade snorts the laugh. “Why would I let anyone go? I’m the one with the hostage, Quackity. You listen to me..”
He shifts the blade of the axe a little, forcing his hostage to shift, bare his neck so that the other three can see, clearly, the threat.
“Everyone over there.” He gestures with an elbow. “Go.”
Behind him, he can hear Fundy scramble to his feet - but the fox wisely decides not to try anything, moving, slowly and steadily, until he appears in the corner of Technoblade’s vision. His hands, like Quackity’s, are raised, and he’s favoring one leg with a heavy, pained limp.
He waits until all three of them have complied to… open negotiations.
“You three are going to leave.”
He doesn’t leave any room for argument - Tubbo opens his mouth, but Quackity gives him a glare that has him shutting up without a word.
“You three are going to leave, and let Tommy and Sapnap and whoever the hell else is holed up in L’manburg know that if anyone comes back -” He grins, and presses down on the hostage’s chest hard enough to force a wail of pain from obviously damaged ribs - “There are going to be consequences.”
“Sure, Techno.” Quackity’s voice is edged with panic. “Sure - just… let Ranboo go, we’ll leave, it was a mistake to come here -”
“That wasn’t part of the deal, Quackity.” He sneers. “I’m keeping him. You think Ghostbur didn’t mention you locking up Philza? Ranboo here is going to be my… insurance.”
He lets his voice go soft, locking eyes with Quackity.
“You hurt a hair on his damn head, Quackity - you let anyone so much as breathe on Phil - and I'm going to gut Ranboo like a hog.”
“Understood.” The word is quiet.
“Anyone comes back here to hunt me down, I kill him. You take my animals, I kill him. You generally look in my direction funny, I kill him. Are you picking up the general direction I’m headed, here?”
“Cross you and you kill him. Yes, sir.”
“Good. Go.” He pauses, the moment frozen. “Don’t fucking test me, Quackity.”
“I won’t.”
Quackity, eyes wide and scared, turns, bending down to sling an arm under Fundy’s shoulder and help the fox limp towards the treeline. It’s Tubbo who hesitates, instead -
“You’re not going to hurt -”
Techno doesn’t let him finish the thought. “It’s not really your business what I'm going to do, is it?” He sneers. “Get out of here, Tubbo. You can at least do that for him, right?”
Tubbo flinches, at that - then turns tail, vanishing with Quackity and Fundy into the woodline, and leaving Technoblade alone with the limp body in his arms.