Techno

The horse Techno took from the pirate camp was not as tame as Carl is. The horse is a terrified creature underneath his legs, and the only reason it has not attempted to buck him off is because of the blonde child that sits in the saddle with. Tommy's usually chaotic presence somehow soothes the beast until it steadily rides down the dirt paths. Techno would rather not ride a horse at all, knowing he is much faster than this poorly bred specimen. The winged creatures- seraphim, they called themselves- could fly overhead to keep up with him, or leave altogether, for all he cared. Fool also seemed plenty capable on her feet. She would chase after, leaping agilely into the air when she lost sight of him to return to his side. The easiest option would be to put Tommy on his back, but he couldn't disturb the boy's rest even if it cost him efficiency. The seraphim told Techno that Tommy would probably sleep for the whole journey back to Pogtopia since growing out his wings tuckered him out. This was a matter of Tommy's health.

"I'm surprised you care this much about that boy," Alex remarked. She was walking right beside his horse, effortlessly keeping up with the trotting beast. Her bow was slung over her shoulder. Her hands were gripping the back of her hand, her folded elbows outstretched like a pair of fleshy wings growing from her head. Techno looked away when that comparison registered in his mind. He supposed he was still surprised that Tommy had his own pair of wings. They were folded in between Tommy's back and Techno's chest. They sometimes twitched, but they mostly remained still as Tommy's slow breathing found the spaces where the horse's footfalls couldn't fill up.

"What do you know about the seraphim?" Techno asked instead of acknowledging her words. He kept his vision focused in front of him, but he could feel her glowing eyes staring at him from the corner of her eyes. She was upset for some unfathomable reason, and her emotions were making her seem even more inhuman than usual.

"The seraphim are ancient creatures thought to be extinct," Steve answered for Alex. Techno could not see his human form, but his voice was steady in his ears like Steve was speaking right next to his head. "They are familiars. When a new god comes into being, they create a species to serve them. I do not know which god the seraphim belongs to. I believe they were a god of light. All I know is that the god who birthed the seraphim has been dead for thousands of years. The seraphim should have died alongside that god, but it seems the god blessed their familiars with autonomy before their passing. Moon, that fool you allow to travel with you, is a harengon, another familiar. The harengons should be dead, though. They were hunted down. I believe the only reason she was able to survive is because she changed her form."

Techno's grip on the reins tightened. Tommy was the familiar of a dead god, and Fool, who called him master, was a creature wanted dead by the divine. It was now very clear why Alex was upset, and Steve refused to show his form. They were angry with him for traveling with these two creatures. They saw Tommy and Fool as hindrances. He wasn't sure if they truly cared about him or if they simply did not want their favorite toy to be taken away, but they were barely restraining themselves from telling him to abandon the two.

Fool, Techno would love to walk away from. Despite how useful she was in a fight, she annoyed him to no end. He wanted her dead more than he wanted her alive, and he was struggling to hold back his bloodlust when she would look at him with monstrous eyes. The only reason he didn't slit her throat in the night was because of some deeply rooted nostalgia that held back his arms when he would reach for his knife.

Tommy, on the other hand, Techno could not walk away from. He still wasn't sure what connected the two of them, but he had accepted that Tommy was part of his life now. He was going to hold onto the blonde until the war was over, at least. When the world stabilized and peace was restored, he would think about letting Tommy explore the world. If he and Kristin wanted to visit the empire, he would make sure they were well-protected from the monsters that roamed the forests and the predators that lurked in the palace.

"One of the primordial gods will kill that thing," Alex warned. The primordial gods referred to a select group of gods that had been around since the dawn of time. They were the ones that existed before all the other gods. Mojang was the primordial sea, an endless ocean that everything came from and everything would return to. Angrec was the goddess of light and creation, and her counterpart was the World Historian, the god of darkness and destruction. XD and Drista, the god of order and the goddess of chaos, were the ones who inherited the universe from Mojang, Angrec, and the World Historian when the three disappeared one day, perhaps going to another universe altogether. At least, this was the story Techno had been told. It had taken a lot of convincing for Alex and Steve to even utter the origins of the world, and to this day, there were many things Techno did not know. Still, he knew that the primordial gods would do everything in their power to preserve the world. If the harengon were deemed a threat, the race would end, and Techno knew he would probably be caught up in the crossfire.

"That is one way to get rid of it," Techno relented. He would figure out how to get rid of Fool another time. For now, he could see Pogtopia's ravine splitting the ground after hours of near non-stop riding. He could feel Tommy's wings begin to twitch even more, a sign that he would open his eyes soon. The sky was beautifully blue overhead, as if the aether did not catch word that the world was being torn by a war. For the first time in a very long, Alex and Steve fell silent, completely disappearing. With their absence, his mind felt clearly, no longer filled with violent thoughts and hands shaking with bloodlust.

"Wake up, Theseus. We're here," Techno told the blonde when they came to the edge of the ravine. Techno threw his leg over the side of the horse, easily sliding off of it. The horse whinnied, its entire body shaking without Techno's weight. The seraphim landed on the ground, their fiery wings flapping a few times as they shuffled on their tired feet. Fool slid to a stop right next to the gaping earth. She looked down into it with a raised eyebrow, leaning down with her chest to her knees. Techno rolled his eyes, returning his attention to a groggy Tommy. The blonde tried getting off the horse, and he fell right into Techno's awaiting arms.

"Ugh, I feel like shit," Tommy said as soon as his eyes opened. Techno chuckled beneath his breath, lowering Tommy onto the ground. The blonde stumbled, his knees buckling. Techno wrapped one arm around Tommy's shoulder. He held the boy steady as his wings flapped, desperately trying to help keep his balance. Finally, Tommy seemed able to walk on his own two feet without falling over. He stretched as soon as he was able to, his face contorted with pain as the soreness registered in his mind. "Fuck riding horses."

"You better not mean that about Carl," Techno warned as he began climbing down the wooden posts that would lead down into the deepest parts of the ravine. Tommy hurried after him. Fool practically jumped down the ravine, pushing off different wooden supports to change her trajectory. The seraphim flew down. The only female seraph seemed to follow alongside Techno and Tommy, her eyes burning with unreadable emotions. Techno looked back up at Tommy. The boy was intently focused on climbing down, probably not even thinking about how he had found the last living member of a family he figured had abandoned him. Techno wondered how he would react if he was introduced to his sister. He didn't think he would feel anything. He hardly cared about his parents, so why should he care about a sibling?

Techno came to the last rung of the ladder. Techno looked up to see how Tommy was faring. The blonde was high above Techno. He sighed, waiting for Tommy. He looked around to see that the seraphim had regrouped together, looking around warily. Fool was nowhere in sight, probably scouting ahead. Alex and Steve had not returned from wherever they had gone, and Techno supposed he was grateful.

"Whoa!" Techno heard. He looked back up in time to see Tommy's grip on the ladder loosen enough that his whole body dropped. Techno tried surging forward, but his movements halted. Tommy's wings snapped out instinctively. They seemed to catch the wind as Tommy's plummet became a feathery fall. Tommy stepped onto the ground instead of slamming into it, his wings folding against his back. He twisted around to look at them with a large smile growing on his face. "That was fucking awesome!"

Techno breathed out, glad that Tommy hadn't become a bloody corpse at his feet. He had no idea how he was going to explain that one to Kristin.

"We should hurry," Techno noted. He knew that the war had continued even without his presence. His imperial prince should be here now, and the rest of the Syndicate had probably been working hard to finish the war. He felt an itch in his body to join the fighting.

"Come on!" Tommy said, rushing past Techno like he didn't feel any pain. There was a faint shine of gold underneath his skin that dissipated as he ran past Techno, and the Blade realized that Tommy's powers had activated to chase away his soreness. Techno followed after Tommy. The seraphim idly trailed behind.

Techno entered the camp shortly after Tommy. He could see that the blonde was already being smothered in hugs. Kristin had him wrapped up in her arms, pressing his head against her chest. Wilbur had grabbed Tommy's hand, holding it with teary eyes. Phil, Niki, Ranboo, and Tubbo were nearby with happy, pleased smiles on their faces. Fool was at the edge of the crowd with a confused look shining in her eyes. Shrub... Techno looked around. He couldn't see her, but he definitely felt her presence. She was nearby, and she was watching them. Techno wondered why she wasn't showing herself.

"Techno!" Kristin called when she saw him. She reached for him. For a moment, her arms were positioned to hug him, but she aborted that action before her skin could meet his. Instead, she used her gloved hand to hold onto his cheek, lifting his head to meet her eyes. For a moment, Techno was certain that she was just going to thank him for saving her brother, but instead she said, "I'm glad you're okay."

Techno had always been a person in control of his emotions, but he couldn't stop the way his heart thundered at those words. Someone cared that he was okay. Someone was looking at him with such loving eyes that were filled to the brim with worry. There were bags underneath Kristin's eyes, and Techno wondered if she had stayed up concerned about him as well as Tommy. He wondered if his name had been uttered from her lips when she prayed to the anything that would listen to bring her brother- her son, in a lot of ways- home to her. The thoughts pulled at something Techno was certain he had buried a long time ago. He had refused to want for anything in such a long time that he almost wasn't able to identify it when he felt it tightening around his lungs like a viper squeezing the life out of its prey.

Techno's foot slid back to balance himself as a weight was thrown against him. He looked down into his arms to see brunette hair tickling his chin. His arms fell around the weight until it pulled back. Wilbur, like Kristin, looked extremely tired. He seemed burdened as his shoulders hunched together, making him look shorter and smaller and more defenseless. But then Wilbur smiled at Techno, and he was struck with a lot more emotions. Here was someone he would always swear to protect, and he would do his damnedest every time to fulfill this oath. He didn't care about the government or gods; he just cared about this smile. "Don't you dare do that again."

"You two had us all worried, mate," Phil added. He did not touch or hug Techno, but the emotions in his eyes was enough to make Techno feel like he was drowning. He was drowning in warm water that seemed to cleanse his rotten soul. The blood coating his hands so thickly he thought he was wearing red gloves began to drip away, revealing hands where every scar represented a time when he was able to protect his family.

"Are you okay? Do you two want something to eat? I made some cookies this morning, but I can make some stew or bread if that would be better on your stomach," Niki asked him, her eyes flitting between Techno and Tommy. Techno remembered their late night talks over the fire when they were still travelers headed towards Pogtopia. Niki had been a baker before her bakery, her second home, was destroyed by Schlatt. She had refused to cook when they were traveling, instead eating her meat raw unless Techno or Ranboo heated it up for her. Techno didn't know why the notion of Niki baking again for his sake made him feel as warm as it did.

"I can go get it!" Tubbo called out as he practically tackled Tommy to the ground in a hug. He was staring mesmerized at the wings growing from Tommy's back, and the blonde hit his friend with the wings. Tubbo spat out a feather, and he tried to rub Tommy's cheek with the feather. Tommy practically shrieked as he pushed Tubbo's hands away, his nose shriveling up in disgust.

Ranboo grabbed Tubbo, plucking the feather from Tubbo's hands with a gag visibly showing on his face. Ranboo flicked the feather onto the ground. He looked back to the group with Tubbo still in his arms. "We'll go get the food."

"That won't be necessary for me. I must greet my prince. However, I believe that Tommy and these three are in desperate need of good food. Tommy will fill you in on who they are," Techno said, quickly finding an excuse to separate himself from the group. He didn't like how out of sorts his heart was at the moment. He wanted to get away before he did something he would regret.

Techno did not hear how the rest of the group reacted to him leaving. He remained focused on heading to the opposite side of the camp where he saw the cyan tents that belonged to the empire of the north. The largest tent was easily recognizable, especially with the golden stag sewn onto the entrance flap and the two guards stationed there. One of them remained focused, but the other looked at Techno with light blue eyes, his silver hair glinting in the overhead sunlight. He turned with rigid motions towards the tent flap. He peeked his head in, calling out to the imperial prince. Another noise called out from the inside, and the guard stepped away with a nod towards the tent. Techno nodded back to him, entering the flap into the interior of the tent.

It was designed with wooden furniture. A bed was in one corner with a desk on the opposite side. There was a small table between the bed and the desk with a wine bottle sitting on top of it. One of the chairs to the table was turned around so that the person may look at the entrance of the flap. The imperial prince of the Antarctic Empire, Scott Major, sat in the chair with his ankles crossed and a crystal wine glass in his hand. He idly sipped on the wine before his dark blue eyes fell onto Techno. The Blade lowered himself down onto one of his knees, his arm holding over his chest as a sign of respect. "I greet thee, his imperial highness, Prince Scott, guardian of the frozen lands and the high priest of Aeor. I apologize for greeting his highness late. I am afraid that I was away from the camp when his highness arrived. I was trying to save a member of King Wilbur's army."

"It seems you have been doing quite a lot since we last met, Blade. I have heard many tales about it, from the mouths of those fond of you and my own soldiers. I would, however, rather hear your exploits from your own mouth. You are not one to exaggerate as much as others have," Scott responds. Techno cannot see the prince's face, but he imagines it is rather stoic. A long time ago, when the two of them had first met, the prince had been an overall happier person. He knew how to smile, and he was not ashamed to show when he made blunders. His attitude quickly changed like autumn freezing into winter. He was molded by the palace in the same way Techno was molded by the monstrous forests. Neither of them were allowed to express their emotions without risking suffering, and Techno wondered which one of them made it out better.

"After I left the capital, I went ahead of the troops because I deemed them too slow. On my journey, I crossed paths with a young traveler named Ranboo. He was hopelessly lost, and we were both headed towards Pogtopia, so I decided that we would travel together. It was a while later when we met with a woman named Niki. She had been slighted by Duke Schlatt. We... fought, and I discovered that she was bonded with a demonic beast. This gave her power over water, and she decided to use this ability to aid the fight against the duke. When we arrived here, I informed King Wilbur that the empire was going to help him fight. He put me in charge of an elite unit known as the Syndicate. In our latest mission, one of our own had been captured by pirates when he tried to protect civilians. I went after him, and I brought him home. All the time in between these events was spent training," Techno told the prince. He left out only a few select details. He didn't mention how he fought Niki because she could see Alex and Steve. The imperial family knew he could speak the prophecies of the Blood Gods, but they didn't know he could see them. He wanted to keep it that way. He also didn't mention Ranboo's drake, Pearl, or Fool. He definitely couldn't mention the way he felt about Wilbur and Tommy, or the vague way he felt about Kristin and Phil.

"There is little you have told me now that I did not already know. It seems that my informants can be trusted. What a good thing to learn in the midst of war," Scott says. Techno can hear the sloshing of wine, and he dares to peek up to see that Scott is drinking more. It is probably meant to be a display of power since the wine was for the rich in the Antarctic Empire. The commoners, like Techno, were used to mead. It just didn't sit right with Techno. He didn't know why Scott was drinking now, or why it seemed more like Scott wanted to be drunk rather than showing his expensive taste to Techno.

"Do you remember when we first met, Blade?" Scott asked, his voice as soft as a chilling breeze. Techno nods his head, but he is unable to verbally answer as Scott starts talking again. "I remember it. You had been brought to the palace by priests of the Blood Church. My father was furious about that. He despises the Blood Church, as I'm sure you are well aware of. He has been trying to stamp out that church, and here you came along. You were the church's last card, their final attempt at seizing power. My father wanted to execute you. He wanted to put your head on the castle walls alongside every other priest of the Blood Gods. He nearly did that. I would not have said a word against him if you hadn't stumbled upon me in the garden. You were a teenager back then, not much older than me. I saw something in you my father didn't. I saw the remnants of a human in you. I saw a being capable of emotion and thought. I saw someone with a will to live. I could not helplessly sit by as my father took away your life. I believe in Aeor, of course, and I will praise his name until I utter my last breaths. But Aeor is a kind and forgiving god of light. He would not wish for the Blood Church to be slaughtered just because it went against him. I suppose it was Aeor's guiding presence that convinced me to stand against my father. I protested with him. He eventually relented and sent you on a mission to kill the wither. I gave you our best horse in the hopes that you would run away. You did not. You returned with that stupid star."

Techno's fists clenched as soon as the word slipped out. A person as noble and dignified as the prince would not call something stupid, especially not the Nether Star, unless the bottle of wine on the table wasn't his first.

"I have the star. My father gifted it to me before I left for... some reason. Perhaps it was for luck, though I do not know if my father hopes I will be lucky enough to live or that he will be lucky enough that I die," Scott says with a bitter laugh falling from his lips. Techno dares to look up at his prince. Scott is staring at the ceiling of his tent with his glass precariously lowered, the wine almost spilling onto the rug beneath his chair. Scott holds his other hand on top of his jacket pocket, probably where the Nether Star currently was. Techno's eyes narrowed when he saw how messy Scott's appearance was. The sleeves of his cyan blue jacket were bunched up at his elbows. The buttons on the white shirt beneath were not orderly. The crown that usually sat on his head was noticeably absent.

"Enough of that. We have more important matters to attend to. I have been in many meetings with King Wilbur and his council. We have all decided the best course of action. Saintess Pearl, with her ability to produce food, has gone with Captain Puffy to halt the movement of Oceania. Lord Sausage has sent his best assassin to spy on Duke Schlatt. Archmage Gemini is working on a way to stop the Crimson Enchanter and the people this mage must work with. Our army is stationed near the mountains since we are better equipped with colder weather," Scott said, waving his hand as if the matters he was previously discussing were inconsequential. Techno lowered his gaze. He did not know if he cared about the prince; he had never given it much thought. But he knew that he didn't want the elf in front of him to easily accept the hard truth that his father wanted him dead or at least missing. The emperor would much rather put one of the children of his concubines on the throne than Scott, and it seemed the elf was keenly aware of this. This was one more reason why Techno wanted the emperor dead.

"It seems like an efficient plan," Techno relents. He knows that people out on sea fall victim to illness because they don't have healthy food. If the saintess can do what Scott claims, it will be easy for someone of Captain Puffy's caliber to prevail. Techno has sparred with her enough times to know that she is highly capable, and he has little doubt that she will succeed. He does not know the strengths of this assassin or this mage, but he trusts Wilbur and Scott's decisions for reasons beyond him. Techno knows for certain that the empire's forces will be more than enough to stop, if not subdue, the people of Greater. With the Syndicate at his side, he knows they can take out Schlatt's other two trump cards: Xornoth and the Fae Hannah.

"There is much room for failure," Scott pessimistically states. Techno knows what he means. Captain Puffy may be capable, but her fleet might not be enough to conquer Oceania's impressive naval fleet. The assassin and the mage could fail. It was entirely possible that they would. The Antarctic Empire's army would be so caught up with Greater that they wouldn't be much help against Manberg or the Badlands. Unfortunately, Techno knows that the Syndicate could fall. He wants to believe in himself and the others, but he is not naive enough to believe that victory is assured. There are many factors involved. Niki has limited time. Lilka might abandon them once Xornoth is put to rest. Phil is technically a Fae, a tricky species that could betray anyone. Kristin's Touch of Death might harm the others unintentionally, and Techno was well aware how close Kristin and Tommy's psyches were from tipping over. Wilbur, too, was far close to losing himself in his exhaustion and responsibilities. Ranboo was growing more forgetful as the days passed. Tubbo seemed to be fine, but there was no telling what would happen when he had to face off against his father. Would he crumble and give in, or will that moment strengthen his resolve? Techno didn't know.

"The imperial family only agreed to join Pogtopia to defeat Xornoth. It was not about pleasing the Blood Church. It was not about joining a war," Scott mutters, his voice so quiet that Techno wouldn't have heard it if his senses weren't enhanced.

His head whipped up, waiting for answers. He ventured to ask out of turn, "Why?"

Scott looked at Techno. Their eyes met, dark blue and brilliant red, lapis lazuli and ruby. Scott tilted his head to the side, something foreign appearing in his eyes that reminded Techno of the twins. Scott swirled the wine in his glass as he said, "Xornoth should be killed soon. I would prefer him to be dead before the winter festival that L'Manberg usually holds, but I can give you two weeks. If he is not dead by then, I will call back the empire's forces. I will send every one of those soldiers against that demon until it is dead."

Techno feels something surge in his body. Normal soldiers would die against a demon. It would have to be a very lucky shot for one of them to injure the demon, and it would take literal divine intervention for a normal person to kill Xornoth. Techno knows this, and he is certain by the look in Scott's eyes that he knows it, too. Techno wanted to demand answers but Scott waved his hand at Techno. "You are dismissed. Remember what I said, Blade."

Techno took a deep breath as he walked out of the tent. He kept his emotions in check in case the guards stationed outside the prince's tent were part of the informants he mentioned earlier. He made it as far as the training grounds before he pulled his sword from his scabbard. He slammed the blade into the nearest dummy, decapitating it without much effort. He watched as the head rolled on the ground, landing at the feet of Fool. She stood silently at the edge of the grounds. Her eyes twinkled with emotions, but her lips remained pressed together in a thin line.

"What do you know about Xornoth?" Techno asked her. He was hoping that Steve or Alex would be there to answer him as well, but it seemed the twin gods were still ignoring him.

"Xornoth is his demonic name. The name he was born with was Exor. He was one of the two Great Stags. Exor was the brother of Aeor, and he governed over darkness. Aeor and Exor, along with many other gods, were tasked with sealing away an ancient evil spawned from Mojang, the primordial sea. Aeor and Exor were the only two to survive. They preserved what they could of elves, their familiars, in the land now known as the empire. Exor was corrupted by something. I do not know what. I was not created during his time. All I know is that he fought his brother. The two of them fought for so long that they eventually killed each other. To preserve elves, Angrec, who was quite fond of the species, sent Exor and Aeor's spirits into a cycle in which they would be placed in new bodies after their previous body's death. They are the first examples of reincarnation. This is why this story, the Clash of the Great Stags, is a story that every god must learn," Fool tells him, her voice breathy like the wind and stern like a storm. She looked a little more like a skeleton in the fading dusk. Techno wondered if she was a skeleton. Was she a spirit of a harengon who refused to die and clung to its body long after the corpse began decomposing?

"Xornoth is the current reincarnation?" Techno said, wondering why that word got stuck in his throat. As the syllables tumbled from his lips, he felt like they were dragging knives on the inside of his cheeks. It was a word he had heard in passing before, but he never gave it any thought. He really didn't think it was possible, but now he was absolutely sure that it was possible. It was more than possible because... because...

"Yes. And he may not be the only one, I'm realizing," Fool said. Techno wanted to demand answers, but she began to walk away. When she looked over her shoulder at him, she called out. "The group of people you are quite fond of are eating together in... Wilbur's tent. You should join them. I shall stand watch outside."

She jumped into the air, soaring in the wind. Techno watched her go before looking down at this sword. He was growing frustrated with people not answering him.