Work Text:
Techno has faced horrors. In the nether, he fought the herds of hoglins, other bloodthirsty piglin brutes, and in the overworld countless monster hunters. He’s fought, and he knows blood and danger.
The nametaker’s mere presence has him shaking in his shoes as they run through the forest.
On the surface, she doesn’t seem like it with her thin wrists and short stature, but she’s powerful enough to obliterate him where he stands. She’s of the old pantheon, of the forgotten gods, of the world when it was still young and new. When magic was all words and the sirens first used song to control other beings’ minds.
She abruptly stops in her tracks, holding out an arm to stop Techno.
“Who’s there?” She calls out.
Techno looks around as well, looking for an attacker or hunter. Something dangerous.
Instead, a boy shuffles out from behind a tree, shoulders hunched and head tilted to the ground, “I- I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to- to- well… I was sent here by Tubbo.”
Techno has never seen this kid before- some sort of enderman hybrid, by the looks of it- so he’s instantly wary, “... What for?”
“There’s been- there is trouble. Trouble has arrived- but I can teleport us to the beach. It’ll take too long if you just run, the- the monster maker has arrived already.”
Techno isn’t comfortable trusting someone he’s just met, but the nametaker hums in agreement. She says, “He’s right. I can sense my son is creating chaos already. We have to hurry.”
And he isn’t one to tell a goddess she’s wrong, so they take the enderman teen’s hands and the world dissolves in a blur of purple light.
Techno blinks, and he’s suddenly on the familiar beach by his home.
Smell comes first, the comforting scent of sea salt and ocean breeze. Next, the sound of crashing water and the murmur of voices arguing. Then the spots clear from his eyes and the scene unfolds in front of him.
Tommy, Phil, and Wilbur are all gathered together standing across from some guy wearing a smiley mask.
“Techno!” Tommy shouts in excitement the moment he spots him.
The masked man, the fae who wants to tear apart his family, turns to him. When he spots the nametaker by Techno’s side, his demeanor shifts. From lax to tense, from confident to dangerous.
“Oh no,” the monster maker growls, “you will not ruin this for me when I am so close-”
Tommy's friend, the bee monster, runs out from the woods and blocks the path between the fae and Tommy.
“You’ll have to go through me first.”
The fae laughs, low and unamused, “Really, Tubbo? I know your name, I’ve known it for a long time. And you’ve always been smart enough to keep your head down and do what you’re told. Why choose to be a nuisance now?”
Tubbo freezes, but Techno uses the distraction to grab his younger brother’s arm, pulling him into the ocean water. Wilbur follows, dragging Phil along.
Fae are old, ancient creatures with the power and history to seem invincible. This acclaimed monster maker appears untouchable, but even beings like fae have weaknesses.
Such as being unable to cross moving water.
… and bees, he guesses. Tubbo may be frozen, but the fae starts screaming as he’s bombarded by a swarm of bees stinging him. Smiley mask punches the air wildly as bees zip away from him.
Techno notes to himself to never piss Tubbo off.
“The nametaker.” Wilbur breathes out with relief when he spots her. She gracefully wades through the water, approaching their group.
“That is me.” She affirms.
Phil asks, “Can you help my children?”
“Yes- I earned my moniker for a reason. For centuries I took names and identities from the beings of the overworld. I taught the fae their magic of name taking. But it is not always a force of destruction. I can take your names, make you unrecognizably in the face of the fae who knows them. The ritual is a dangerous one- not just for you all but for me. You have to promise me you’ll look after your family. You have to swear it, that you will protect them- and if they lose their path, to try and guide them back. And if they cross the line of no return, to quell them.”
Techno steps forward, “I swear it, on my god that if I break this oath my heart should stop.”
Satisfied, she takes both of his hands and whispers, “My name is Puffy. Will you give me your name, so that a new one will protect you?”
“Yes.”
She smiles, “You are no longer Techno, but Technoblade. Go forth and be brave, never falter.”
He doesn’t feel different. In the back of his head, he’s aware he’s always been called just “Techno” but now the name “Technoblade” feels natural, as if he’s always been named that.
She looks at Tommy next, “And you?”
Tommy nods so violently the water swishes around him, “I swear to look after my family. They’ve given everything to protect me, but I’m not just a damsel in distress. I want to protect them, too.”
She whispers to him, “Perfect. Hello, my name is Puffy…”
And though Technoblade has always known Tommy as just “Tommy” he’s suddenly aware that he is now “Tommyinnit.” Puffy moves on to Wilbur, but a commotion from the beach draws Techoblade’s attention.
It’s the fae and the kid who teleported them to the beach. The enderman hybrid can’t enter the water like they can, and he’s defenseless against the fae.
“Look after Tommy and Phil.” He tells Wilbur, who nods and grips Tommy’s arm.
“Be careful!” Phil shouts, but Techno is already running out of the shallow water, sword drawn, to attack the masked fae.
His opponent dodges, but is driven away from the enderman hyrbid. Technoblade continues to fight with a violence new to even himself, but it’s enough to keep up with an ancient fae. Their fight is even, the upper hand constantly shifting between them.
In the corner of his eye, Technoblade can see Puffy taking Phil’s hands to take his name and give him a new one.
The longer he fights, the more worn out he should get but Technoblade’s blood feels like fire, volcanic eruption, the explosive birth of a star- he burns, just like his home dimension, and he brings his sword down in a slashing arc across the fae’s chest. He draws blood and he hears a roar of voices cheering him on.
BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD
Puffy takes Tubbo’s and the enderman hybrid’s names, changing them ever so slightly to free them from the fae’s command. They are a good distance now away from the fight.
Frustration clearly eats at the fae’s focus as he loses the hold he had on them. His advantage has slipped and he’s on the clear defensive now.
“You know, in the old stories the hero Odysseus told the cyclops Polyphemus that his name was Nobody, and he believed it. But then Polyphemus kept repeating, ‘nobody hurt me, nobody hurt me’ and never found his assailant. You can’t hurt us if you don’t even know our real names.” Technoblade quips.
“You shut up you mere- you mere insect- I am a god! I am not losing - you all will regret this! You have earned my wrath, my fury, I refuse-”
“Come on, Dream, we’re going back where this all began. Back to the cove. Back home.” Puffy commands.
Everyone else is still by the water’s edge, watching nervously as Puffy approaches her son.
The fae, his name called upon, stiffens and with unnatural precision and walks toward Puffy. She frowns and takes his hand, guiding him away.
The two beings of myth leave, but Technoblade does not worry about them.
Instead, he reunites with his family.