Chapter Text
Techno huffed as he stood outside the doors of an inn. With all of his travels, he had gotten used to how loud the inns could get despite how small the town may be. He had no qualms about it, all he wanted to do was relax with a strong ale in hand after a particularly difficult job.
Techno didn’t grab anyone's attention when he opened the door. No one was paying attention to the door. It wasn’t until he took his second step inside. His foot landed on a creaky floorboard and as his weight was applied, the wood alerted everyone of his arrival. Heads turned and voices died down to a murmur.
He wasn’t surprised, he was bound to get their attention eventually. He was an outsider clad in bulky leather armor and furs, armed with a sword, an axe, and a crossbow. Though that wasn’t the thing that stood out. What gained everyone’s attention was the glow of his yellow eyes and the silver medallion that hung from his neck.
“ Witcher .” The people whispered.
Techno gave it no thought and continued to an empty table. After a few minutes of him sitting there, the noise slowly began to increase. He glanced up as a hesitant barmaid approached him. Her fingers nervously fidgeted as she clutched a serving tray close to her chest.
“I’ll have an ale.” His quiet deep tone seemed to surprise the girl as she flinched and straightened her posture.
“Oh! Ah, yes sir, right away.”
He grunted in response and the girl quickly hurried away. It didn’t take long for her to come back with a mug full of the amber liquid that foamed at the top. Just as soon as she came, she scurried away.
Techno was used to this kind of treatment, disgust, fear, ridicule, and contempt. There wasn't a day in his life where he didn’t receive their animosity. He was only a child when the flowers of hatred first blossomed, just a baby witcher fresh from surviving the mutation. It all happened when whispers of Deglan from the House of Wolf creating monsters to keep the Witcher profession alive were just rumors on the wind. The same rumored wind turned into a tornado and everything spiraled out of control. Kaer Morhen was raided, many witchers died, but he and the other children escaped.
Then when he got old enough, he went out on his own, studying and training under all of the other witcher schools. Most of those schools were gone when he got there or were on the verge of collapsing, but he always managed to pick up on what they left behind. This was why he carried weapons of all kinds. The crossbow coming from the School of Bear and Cat.
Now witchers were hard to come by. Few and far between. The only time he sees another is when he and his brothers make their annual trek back to Kaer Morhen. Every Time they arrive, it is always a question of did everyone survive another year? Every once in a while, their numbers will drop. The witchers will go extinct eventually, all that’s left is a matter of time. No one is making more witchers, afterall.
Techno took a long gulp. It’s for the best, really. As he drank his ale, he ignored the hand that slammed down on the table he sat at.
“Whatr’ ya doing here. There’s no jobs for yer kind around these parts.” The man spat.
Techno gave the man a glance. Barkeep, “Here for a drink, perhaps a room if there is one available.”
“Well, that’s too bad. There’r no rooms open and we just ran out of drinks. So, I think it’s time for you to leave.”
Techno let out a heavy sigh through his nose. There probably wasn’t any place that he would be able to rest, and one of the last things he wanted to do was spend the night outside. Sure, he would be able to survive a night of roughing it out in the cold wilderness. Sure, he survived worse. But he just crawled out of the belly of a kikimore queen and proceeded to exterminate the nest. He was exhausted and covered in the day's work that he just wanted to wash off.
Luckily for him, he didn’t know anyone who couldn’t be persuaded by coin. He reached down to his coin bag and raised it, “I can pay extra if needed.”
The man’s eyes widened with surprise, then they narrowed on the bag. He could tell that the barkeep was interested in taking up the offer. Though one look to the young barmaid who was most likely his daughter, was all it took for him to straighten up again.
“Us humans aren’t easily persuaded by coin, I suppose that isn’t something the likes of you would understand.”
Techno sighed and pulled out a second bag, “Every man has a price.”
“We aren’t like you Witchers. Deplorable, you’ll do anything for money.” The man scoffed and spat, “get out of my establishment.”
Techno decided that it would be best to leave before the situation got any worse. Despite how shitty he was treated by this man, he would rather not hurt him if he could avoid it. Outside was colder after he had warmed up inside. It stung his nose and eyes, his heated breath visible in the night air.
He made his way over to the post where he hitched his horse, Carl. Carl was his ever reliable companion, strong and swift. Never had he seen a greater steed. As he reached for the lead, he heard the door of the inn close and rushed footsteps heading his direction. Either he was about to get into a fight he had tried to avoid earlier, or this would be about something else.
“Wait! Wait!” A woman of short stature and blonde hair shouted.
Techno finished untying the lead and turned his head to face the woman, one of his brows turned up in a questioning look.
“You’re a witcher, right?” The woman kneeled over, out of breath after sprinting, even though it was for a short distance.
“Yes.” Techno confirmed after the man asked the question with an obvious answer.
“I-I… I have a monster problem that could use some solving.” The woman looked back at the inn before straightening herself out again.
Now that Techno could get a better look at the girl’s face, he could see a messy patchwork of dirt on her face and slight remains of baby fat on her cheeks that she was growing out of. she was young, very early twenties or late teens if he had to guess.
“And what would you like me to do about that?” Techno stared down at the girl, barely a woman.
“Um… well I was thinking you could get rid of it… perhaps kill it?” Her voice was shaky, clearly intimidated to be standing this close to him.
Techno sighed, “I’m not getting rid of let alone killing any monsters at the moment. Though I would definitely take you up on that offer once I’ve got some proper rest and a bath.”
The Girl’s eyes light up, “Definitely! I can offer a room and a bath, maybe even some food. I’ll be able to pay you as well once the job is done.”
Techno rolls his head around to stretch out the tight muscles in his neck, “The price will determine based on what the job entails, but I will give you a discount since you are providing me with a room, a bath, and food.”
“Wonderful, my name is Niki. I live out on a farm a bit away from the town center, but it shouldn’t take long to get there.” Niki walked over to a post nearby to unhitch her horse. It was the only other horse nearby.
Techno couldn’t help but let out a soft huff of amusement through his nose when the girl gave her name. Niki. It suited her. The name meaning, “kindness” or “people of victory.”
The two mounted their respective horses, “It’s just this way, follow me,” and so Techno did.
“Why don’t you take a bath while I get some food ready. I’ll talk about the job while we eat.” Niki hung up his coat.
Techno stood at the entrance of the girl's home. It had quite a few rooms, yet the girl was alone. Normally farmer families tend to have a good amount of kids, so they would be able to help tend to the fields. Yet this girl lived alone. There were no parents, siblings, or relatives around.
Niki seemed to notice his thoughts, despite the fact that he made no alarming expressions. Though he supposed his gazing around would be enough to warrant the assumption.
“A disease passed over the town a few years ago, took out about half the population. My parents died along with my siblings. I almost went with them, but I managed to survive. Schlatt, my drunkard of an uncle moved in to help tend to the farm, but he spends most of his nights at that inn. The reason I was there in the first place was because I was trying to drag him home. Luckily I was able to meet you there.” Niki began walking further into the house, “Anyways, I’ll show you to the bath.”
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Techno groaned as he sank into the heated water. He could feel all of the grime and his tense muscles melt away. He would pass out right there and then if the pinching and twisting of his stomach wasn’t there to signal that he was hungry. One of the downfalls of having superhuman metabolism.
Normally Techno wouldn’t let his guard down near strangers, but he was pretty sure that Niki wouldn’t be able to harm him if she tried. So, he found himself letting the warmth of the water lull him to a light doze. He wasn’t sure how long he was out of it, but he stirred awake when he heard a knock on the door.
“Food’s ready!”
“Alright.” He called back and the footsteps headed away from the door.
Techno looked down at himself and realized that he hadn’t done much of a job cleaning himself. He had only sat in hot soap water. He reached for a sponge on the side of the tub and made quick work of the dried dirt and blood that had remained on his skin. When he finished and stepped out, wrapping a towel around his body, he noticed how murky the water became.
Techno grimaced when he couldn’t see the bottom. The water wouldn’t be reusable, so he decided to drain it. Once he finished draining the water and drying himself off, he looked at his clothing that was bunched up on the floor.
Yeah, there was no way he was putting those back on.
Techno held the towel to his waist and followed the smell of food and the sound of soft clattering. He made sure that his footfalls were heavy, making his presence known, without saying a word. As he turned the corner, he could see Niki setting the table.
“Oh good, just in time.” Once the girl set down the last dish and turned her head, she stopped in place and her mouth fell open, “Um, where are your clothes?”
“Too dirty to wear. I’ll clean them, do you happen to have anything to wear in the meantime?”
The girl finally stopped gaping like a fish and started looking him up and down to size him up. Once she got a good idea for measurement, she gave a frown and an unsure hum, “I don’t think there is anything in your size. The largest size I have belongs to my father, but I don’t think that’s gonna be large enough. You’ve got quite a lot of bulk after all.”
Techno gave a disappointed sigh, “Yeah, I should have guessed.”
“Oh, I know! I do have bedding and sheets. You can just wrap some sheets around you!”
Well, Techno supposed that was better than the towel that he currently had that could barely fit around him and it was definitely better than walking around naked.
Niki hurried to another room and brought back several sheets he could choose from, then promptly turned around to give him some privacy.
Techno picked up one of the sheets and wrapped it into a makeshift loincloth. He pulled up another sheet and tied it over his shoulders, giving himself a cloak.
“I’m done.” Techno sat down at the table, glancing at the pot next to it.
Niki turned back with a smile and grabbed a bowl and the ladle next to the pot, “I made soup!”
Techno blinked, “Doesn’t it take a while to make broth?”
“Normally, but I prepare all of my stuff in advance, since I’m the only one who really does stuff around here. The best thing about the winter is that the food freezes, so it won’t go bad. All I have to do is warm it up again and eat it. As it gets colder, I stock up on soup because it is the easiest to freeze and unfreeze.” Niki grinned.
Techno had to admit that even though Niki might be naïve, a little bit of a pushover, and young, she is clever, kind, and hardworking. It was pretty admirable. Most people would think to only salt their meat for winter, but Niki has a way to freeze her meals so she could eat more than just meat. Not only that, but she was basically taking care of the entire farm on her own, as well as trying her best to look after her Uncle.
He watched as the girl poured soup for them both, “Well, eat up, you’re probably hungry and there’s more than enough for a second helping.”
“Thank you.” Techno grabbed the bowl and began to eat. It had a pleasant flavor.
“If you don’t mind me asking, what’s it like to be a Witcher? I’ve only ever heard rumors, Witchers never come to this town.”
Techno supposed he could indulge the girl's curiosity. She did learn everything she knew from a biased outside source, “I used to be a human, though that was so long ago that I barely remember. After surviving the trials of mutation, Witchers gain heightened senses, increased stamina, strength, and speed.”
Niki took a few large gulps of her soup before putting it down to reply, “That doesn’t sound bad at all, I don’t get why people hate Witchers.”
Techno shrugged, “Their hatred spawned before you ever had the chance to take a breath. When it first started, I was too young to understand. Now I am aware that their hatred isn’t unfounded, even if it might be unfair.
Niki frowned, “Why, what happened?”
“I’m sure you were told that Witchers are freaks of nature who would do anything for money.”
“Well yeah, but wouldn’t anyone? I don’t get how killing monsters for money would warrant such hostility, you’re doing us a favor by getting rid of them.”
There was a long period of silence before Techno responded, “There was a period in history where monsters were becoming endangered. Witchers were afraid that their jobs would become irrelevant as their source of income disappeared. So, to prevent that from happening, the Witchers started to create monsters. Now you can see why that’s bad, out of the witchers' own self interest, they ruined lives and families just for money. Though, now that there are fewer Witchers, the population of monsters began to grow again.”
Niki put her bowl down, staring down at it, “Oh… Well, I guess that makes sense… But it’s not like every Witcher was in on that, so I don’t think their treatment of your kind is right. Humankind has done terrible things, but that doesn't mean all of us are the sum of the part.”
Techno let out a huff through his nose, “If you say so, kid.” It was interesting coming across someone that didn’t condemn him and curse his name. He was used to the usual ‘freak’ comment that he no longer batted an eye when he heard it.
Techno groaned as he stretched awake. He rubbed his eyes as the sunlight poured through the window. He slowly sat up, collecting his morning thoughts. It was the first time in a while since he was able to get a good night's sleep.
He blinked as he looked out the window. It didn’t look like the soft glow of daybreak. Judging by the shadows it was almost midday. The sleep immediately left his mind as he shot out of bed.
“Shit.” Techno cursed. He was still wearing the bedsheets. He was hoping to wash and dry his clothing by now, but since he woke up late, his clothing will dry by time the sun goes down. He was hoping he would get the job done before then.
As he made his way to the door, he paused when he saw his clothing on his chair and all of his gear leaning against the legs of the chair. He grabbed the clothing. It was clean and dry. He didn’t complain and quickly dressed himself. Though the implications of his clothing being clean meant that someone had to have cleaned them. The only one who was able to do that would have been Niki.
That also meant the girl wasted time she could have used to tend to her farm. That would also mean that she went in and out of the room while he was sleeping without waking or alerting him. Either Niki was really good enough at sneaking around to avoid alerting someone with superhuman senses, or his own senses were getting rusty and dull. What he did do was refuse to believe that it had anything to do with him being relaxed enough to subconsciously let his guard down.
When Techno stepped out of the room and into the main room, he frowned when he saw that the front door was open and Niki was sitting on a chair, staring out upon empty fields with a barn in the distance. Niki turned her head when she noticed the sounds of footsteps.
“Hey, you’re up. You must have been really tired to sleep till almost midday.” She grinned up at him.
“I suppose so,” As Techno glanced at the barn that Niki was staring at only a moment ago, he could feel the hair stand up on his neck.
“Is that where the monster is? In the barn.” He hummed.
“Unfortunately. I can barely get any work done in the fields because of it. I keep my plow in there. I need to finish plowing before winter starts, and as you can tell, we’re in late fall.” The grin fell from her face.
Techno could tell how stressed she was about the whole situation. He can’t imagine how hard it must be. Her family died, leaving her to care for her uncle and the farm on her own. Now one of her only sources of income and survival were at risk because of a monster that was staying inside her barn.
“Have you encountered it before?”
“No, every time I walk close to the barn, I hear inhuman shrieks. It almost sounds like a bird, yet not a bird.”
Techno nodded, “I’ll check it out now, you should stay inside just in case… or ride back into town. It wouldn’t be safe if you stayed close by.”
Niki stood, “You’re right. It's time I should get my uncle, anyways.” As she started towards the horse, she stopped to look back, “Stay safe, and thank you.”
Once Niki was a safe distance away, Techno made his way to the barn. The closer he got, the more his senses alerted him of the monster nearby. He didn’t need to look at his arms to tell that the hair was standing on the ends.
As the distance closed, the squawk and the screeches began. The sounds reminded him of a scared animal that made loud noises to scare off potential predators. It only served to raise his curiosity. He wondered what creature laid behind the barn doors.
Techno reached his hand out to the door and pushed it open. As the light filtered through, there was loud shuffling before there was complete silence. He steadied his hand on the hilt of his sword and bent his knees. He slowly reached his other hand out in surrender as he shuffled further into the barn. He let the door close behind him, the only light came from cracks between the wood and a few small windows.
The sudden darkness was of no issue to him, as he had enhanced vision that allowed him to see. He also hoped that the darkness would help the monster feel safer. As he turned his head around to analyze his surroundings, he caught a whiff of an iron smell. The scent of blood. There was the faint scent of sulfur that accompanied it that told him the blood wasn’t human.
Techno began to connect the dots. The creature was injured and was seeking shelter until its wounds were healed. It was in no condition to fight and was trying his best to scare off anyone who got close. Now the thing was hiding somewhere, trying its best to avoid the conflict and threat to his life.
Techno’s hand left the hilt of his sword as he raised both of his hands in the air to show that he was not a threat, “I’m not going to hurt you, you can come out.”
He heard the slight hitch of breath coming from above and turned to look up. He made eye contact with the creature before it hid further away. He caught sight of feathers.
“You’re hurt. I can help you.” As Techno slowly lowered his hand, the creature hissed.
He stopped the movement of his hand, “I’m not reaching for my weapon. My bag has healing potions and medical supplies.”
Techno took the silence as permission to continue. He lowered his hand and unhooked the bag from around his waist. He sat the bag down on the barn floor and opened it, pulling out a small vial with glowing red liquid. He set the bottle down in front of him and took a few steps back.
He watched as the creature slowly came out of its hiding spot from the rafters. As the light hit it, he could tell that he was dealing with a harpy. He watched as the harpy slowly climbed down, one of his wings bent and held close to his body.
He was all feathers from the waist down, ending where one would consider knees. He had hard scaled legs with sharp talons as feet. His chest and neck were covered in plumage. His arms were more human-like, but his forearm was covered in the same hard scales as his legs, and his hands had five sharp talons. His face was also human-like, but his cheeks had a light dusting of feathers and his entire eyes were completely black. He had large wings that sprouted from his back. His shoulders and down to his mid back was covered in feathers. He had blond hair with a few feathers that sprouted here and there. All of his feathers were as black as the void herself.
“You’re a witcher.” The harpy turned his head in a fitting bird-like manner, “Are you here to receive a boon for my head?”
Techno let out a huff, “Please, I’m not cruel and insensible.”
“I’m not a naïve baby chick. I have lived long enough to see Lady Death herself. Now, tell me why you’re here, Witcher.”
“I was sent to get rid of you, though that doesn’t mean I have to kill you. You’re only in this barn because you’re injured. I figured that if you healed yourself, you would be on your way. I don’t find pleasure in senseless killing, especially when it is not necessary.”
The harpy reached for the vile and uncorked it. He brought it up to his nose and sniffed, “I can tell that this is a genuine healing potion. What do you want for it?”
“Nothing.” Techno shrugged, “Just take it and heal yourself.”
The harpy drank half of it then poured it on his wounded wing. They sat back to wait for the potion to kick in. He watched as the harpy stretched out his wings and shook his feathers.
“Go on, now you’re free to leave and make a better home.”
The Harpy narrowed his eyes at the comment then raised to his full height, puffing out his feathers. He menacingly stood over Techno, taking a minute to stare down at his kneeling form. He walked backwards to the door, making sure that the other didn’t leave his sight. Once he was outside, his wings spread out and he took to the skies.
Techno sighed in relief and collected his things. He would have to retrieve Niki now that the harpy was gone.
A wide smile grew on Niki’s face when she stepped into the barn, “Thank you so much!!”
The girl would now be able to plow the fields before winter. It was a late start, but it was better than nothing.
“How much do I owe you?” She turned around, the smile didn’t drop even as she brought up prices.
Techno glanced around the barn then back to her, “Forget about it. I didn’t do much.”
Niki frowned, “But you did the job. The job was very important to me, detrimental to my yield and livelihood. Work with high demand deserves pay of equal worth,”
“The food, bath, bed, and laundry was enough payment for the amount of work I did.” Techno insisted.
The girl huffed, “Fine then. But at least let me get you a little extra food for your travels.”
The witcher let out a sigh as he gave in, “Very well.” He might be able to refuse money, but he couldn’t refuse a meal.
As Techno went to get Carl from the stable, Niki ran inside to get him some food. By the time that He had walked his steed to the pathway, Niki was already waiting for him with a sack of what he could only assume was the food that she promised him.
Niki held out the sack, “It’s salted meat. It’s the best for traveling, since I don’t have anything to store my soup in.”
Techno gave her a soft smile as he grabbed the bag, “It’s more than enough, thank you.”
Niki just grinned, “Yeah, it’s no problem! Be safe!”
Techno attached the food onto his horse’s satchel then mounted him. As he took the reins, he looked to niki, “Those that have treated me with kindness, I will repay that kindness tenfold. If you ever need me, search out the Witcher Technoblade.”
Niki’s wide grin became softer, “If there ever comes a time, I will try to reach you. Farewell!”
Techno shook the reins and Carl headed forward at a moderate pace. As they were far enough from the town, in the woods and out of sight, Techno came to a stop.
“You can come out now.” He let out a sigh.
There was rustling in the trees before a plop of heavy weight that settled behind him, “For a second, I was starting to believe that you didn’t notice.”
“I knew you didn’t leave completely. I could sense that you were still in the area. Why did you follow me?” He let out a gruff.
The harpy only tilted its head, bird-like in nature, “Why does the caged bird sing?”
“A bird metaphor, really?” Techno deadpanned.
“I suppose you should start getting used to them.” The harpy grinned.
“Tch. That implies that we will be spending a lot more time together than I would like.” He side eyed the other.
The creature spread out its wings, “I’m sure you could see the value in tactical aerial support.”
Techno gave the other a hard stare before he signaled to Carl to continue down the path, “Very well, what should I call you?”
The harpy followed, “My name can’t be spoken with your vocal cords, but you can call me Philza.”
Techno hummed, “Phil, I like it.”
Phil let out a small squawk of protest, “It’s Philza.”
“I hear yah, Phil. I’m sure you already heard my name earlier, and this beauty is Carl.”
Phil looked at the horse, “You have a peculiar way of naming things.”
“I supposed you should start getting used to it.”