Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

In the middle of taking their step, dad immediately dropped Techno into a ravine.

He fell-

Oh my fire I'm going to die and those mean people are going to hurt dad while I'm dead and that's not even fair I promised mom I would protect dad and now I have to break it she would be so sad and I don't want her to be sad because then dad would be sad and I'm sorryimsorryimsorryimsorryimsorry-

-and promptly landed on some leaves.

well,  that was anticlimactic.

Yeah, no kidding.

ROAR

ok, time to skedaddle.

And now he's going forward, to where he doesn't know. Techno doesn't even realize he's running, souls he wanted help his dad, but he knows he would be more of a distraction than backup right now. He's too small and he doesn't even know how to fight beyond kicking and giving an 'okay' punch.

He runs for what feels like miles, but it could've only been a few minutes at best. So, he keeps on going-

....

What happened to The Voices?

He came to a stumbling halt as he tried to listen to the constant whispers in his mind. He can't hear them anymore, but it's different this time. Before, they always seemed to mumble, Techno only ever able to sound out a few at best. But now, there's just silence.

Peaceful Silence.

Then they screamed.

Now Techno was screaming with them. They're so loud. And they won't quiet down, he knows there's more now, he doesn't know how he knows. He just does. And they're all talking at the same time, he can't even think properly, and everything just seems to hurt. It hurts so much.

And he knows, in his small little heart, that dad is gone.

Dad is gone. They confirm, whether to make him suffer, or just stating a fact. He can't tell. He just stays there in the burning floor from when everything went loud, he looks off into nothing, crying silent tears that no one wipes away. Because there is no one left, no one left but him.

He hears multiple footsteps coming towards him, The Voices bristle in anticipation, some seeming to seethe with hatred in his mind, while others sob with him. They tell him to run, to kill, to scream, to hide. Yet, he can't bring himself to do any of those things, it's as if someone has put weights on him after running for miles.

"EY! Over here I found him!" One of them steps into his field of vision from the floor, and another man slowly, purposefully takes a step with the person and joins him. He has horns that curl over and under his ears, brown eyes with pupils that are shaped like a goat's, along with the ears that resemble the same animal that have been pierced with so many shiny metals. And when he smiled his teeth felt too sharp to be natural. He looked older by the few white streaks in his coal-colored hair, but Techno couldn't tell, by the way he walked, with power. Technoblade would have been entranced.

But then he saw the bloodied iron sword by his side.

He went limp. Techno couldn't even get himself to struggle when the man bounded his hands and feet. He even muzzles him after inspecting his tusks and sharp canines. Like some sort of animal.

A Monster. They correct him.

"Look at those eyes!" one of the hunters exclaim, "I've never seen that kinda red from a piglin."

"A bit small ain't it?"

"It can learn in The Pit."

"If it even survives its first fight."

"Lighter will show it the basics at least."

"Who's that again?"

"Firebreathman, remember?"

The man with horns holds up his hand, and the others immediately stop their banter. Power. "Bag it up, and careful not to touch it idiots. I don't want to have to deal with your corpse if it has some sort of flesh manipulation power or whatever, got it? Good." Then he walks away, without looking back, to some cave that Techno hadn't noticed before. Leaving him with the now warry hunters.

How did I run all the way here?

The man wouldn't have just walked away, not unless they were close to wherever they were taking him.

one of them-                                                                                                                         -wanted to lead you hear-

                        -MANIPULATED YO-                                                                                                               -hange will of people-

                                                                                     -was in their plan.                                         -warn you but-

               -topping you from fighti-                                                             -an't move bec-

                                                            -horns guy maki-                                   -ey made you run-

Okay, I think I understand......thank you.

He doesn't think he will get used to thanking Voices in his head anytime soon, but they seem to be happy with his gratitude. Wait, how did they know about their power?

ALL PART OF THE MASTER PLAN-                                                                      -you ask too many questions-

                                 -don't worry about i-                                                                -uuuuhhhhhh-

           -well-                                                 -sir that's classif-

                         -HAHAHA moving on-                                             -you'll understand when your olde-

He smiles to himself, even though a guy gives him a suspicious look and quickly shoves him in a bag. The Voices are comforting in some way, they're distracting him from grief for a later time. And at least he knows he'll have someone to talk to-even though it really isn't talking-when the weird people drop him off to where they're going.

The Hunters drop him while he's still in the bag and tied up, he hit his head when he landed, making him whimper. "Oh, toughen up kid. It's not that much of a fall anyway."

"Should we check it if it has any damage from that throw off the cliff?"

"Eh, let it be. The other ones would probably check it anyways."

"Ya, for food probably!"

"Tch, geez don't set the bar so high!"

"Please, these lava eaters would probably rob a dying man."

"Ya know? I think I saw one do that."

"Told Ya."

They open up the bag and toss him out.

"Have fun Pig!" one cackles out.

How original.

Techno stays there for a few seconds curling in on himself, and tries to keep himself from crying. The Voices, for once, were trying to comfort him, and stay as quiet as possible.

He doesn't think they'll ever be quiet again.

There are other kids in the same cave as him, some in cages, some with cuffs that cover their entire hands, others with huge metal mask that Techno can tell won't even allow them to let them talk. The only thing they all had in common was a tattooed band around their upper right arm. Not one of them looked the same, yes, they could be from the same species but even those look far and in between. Many of them look as young as Techno, or almost an adult. Few of them are even pacing and swiping at anyone who come in range of their attack.

Techno decides to get up before they notice him.

"Hello."

Techno looks up at an older boy, he looks to be twelve at least. And, like the rest of the children, he has a tattooed band across his right bicep (he can't really tell the color from here), he's wearing boots and armor around his knees and ankles, on top of his t-shirt is a worn vest with a target painted on it where his heart should be, and fingerless gloves. He has this sharp look on him, both literately and figuratively, his ears and fingers are pointed along with his sharp features, even his teeth look sharp when they can't be nothing other than human. His left arm is patterned with scars from his wrist to his shoulder, as if something sharp wrapped around it and tried to rip it off. However, his most noticeable scar was on his face, stretching from one ear to the other. His eyes a dull grey that stare at nothing.

He's blind.

Then how did he know I was here?

"I saw that you weren't moving there buddy." Did he just say a pun?

Silence.

"Ahem, well I wanted to check if you were okay. That didn't feel like a good fall." Techno blinked at the boy.

"NESTOR!" another voice called.

He heard footsteps as he turned around and his eyes met with silver pupils. This kid looked about the same age as the other one, with dark brown skin that made the lighter colored band on his arm stand out more, and he had curly hair, he wore a sleeveless black shirt with a belt to go along with his worn puffed out pants, he had black studded bracelets and a necklace with a single piece of beat-up iron tied at the end tightly. Other than his silver-colored pupil, the only other significant marks he had was two small scars on his right cheek underneath his eye, a still healing wound on his higher left arm-it was still wrapped in bandages-and a scar on his lower right arm shaped like an x, and his hands and feet were a shiny silver color. Techno was pretty sure they were made out of iron, which is probably why he isn't wearing any shoes at the moment.

"Nestor! I was looking for you everywhere man! where have you-" He sees Technoblade, and he freezes. And an array of emotions Techno can't quite identify cross his face.

"Oh, no." He looks at-presumably-Nestor, "They can't have been serious, he's too young!"

"They just brought him in. When Schlatt said that his grandfather was hunting for a 'rare item'... I didn't think he meant this."

"THIS IS THE RARE ITEM!?" He looks at Techno again, "But-but-hu- WHAAAAT!?"

Techno picks himself up, and brushes off the dirt on his knees and hooved feet, mom always wanted him to look nice when they were meeting strangers. Nestor-somehow-followed his movements and grabbed at Techno's hand. Techno is still only four years old, his protectors and guardians are gone, to his instincts the simple fact that they weren't attacking him and they seemed to be keeping him grounded was enough for his piglin brain to try and get used to the fact that they are his new protectors. Now they just needed to accept him back.

"What's your name buddy?" Nestor leaned down towards him.

Friend?

"Technoblade."

He smiles. "Well nice to meet you Technoblade. I'm Nestor," He points at the iron kid, "And that's my friend Calvin."

Techno looks at Calvin. "Why are hands all shiny?" it wasn't gold, but the shine it gave off made Techno want to grab and inspect the hybrid's hands.

"I'm an Iron Golem Hybrid, that's why I have strange hands..." he says while looking like he was off on another world with his thoughts.

"What's an Iron Goal-Am?" that sounds like a strange creature.

"It's a creature made out of iron, there really strong." Calvin says while Nestor responds at the same time with, "Goal-EM."

"Are you really strong?"

"Very strong."

"Then how did those mean people get you?"

Both Calvin and Nestor winced at that. "We can tell you another time." If he survived the fights. 

He has too, they thought. He's too young to go too.

He will survive.                                                                                                         Never dies-

                           -destiny-                                                                   -a survivo-

             -fate and all its glory.                                 -n the palm of our han-

"How about we go to a nicer place? We have to go see a few friends, and then we can chat a little more. Okay buddy?"

He didn't want to stay, he wanted to go back. He wanted his dad. He wanted his mom. But something, deep in his soul was telling him to follow them. That in the time that is to come, they will teach him something that he cannot ever put into words. That, in the future, he will forever be in their dept and they will forever be in his. So, he took Calvin's hand while still holding Nestor's, and they led him farther into the cave. Techno, being careful to not accidently hurt them with his touch, Calvin snarling at the other contesters if they got too close to the little one-His instincts were on high alert with the small creature, always telling him to protect and eliminate the dangers-and Nestor, giving the guards death glares when they went past the doorway to another room-again, somehow- reminding them once more I might be blind but I can see more than you ever will in your lifetime.

This seems like the start of a beautiful friendship.

Techno doesn't know where they are going, the voices are warry, but most have just accepted the fact that they are more friend than foe. At least for now. Techno, while walking, decided that he was suddenly tired of just calling them The Voices, it sounds a little too ominous for his liking that the one constant in his life is named like some sort of evil villain-hero cliche plot that casually live in his mind. That won't do.

I have decided to call you Chat.

              AWWW-                                                                                          okay?-

  -at's nice o-                                                             -we're growing on you-

                              -I like that na-                                                 -Technosoft-

                -soft.                                       -stop, I will cry-         

 He smiles. Because you guys never shut up.

    OI!-                                                              -ell I never!-

                            bruuuu-                                                            -I'm being bullied-

  -EXCUSE ME?!-                                     -I hate you with a passion-

                                    -toxic bro-                               -I felt like I got 'no smile'd on-

Technoblade giggles, the older boys are just a little concerned now that the young boy seems to be acting all calm in this grim situation. But they don't question it any further, he's safe and that's what matters. They stop behind another entrance, this one looks slightly bigger than the others. The guards are giving them disgusted looks but they don't make a move towards them.

"Our friends live in this part of the cave. They don't exactly do the same things that they make us do, but they can help you know this place better than just the both of us." And the three enter

The entrance led to five other rooms, maybe bedrooms, each having different decorations on the doorframe. Although, two of the occupants were outside of the rooms. They seemed to be fighting, with the way the swing, kick, punch and weave around each other, each one trying to get the upper hand. One, to Techno's dismay, looked like the bad man with the horns. They had the same weird pupils, ears and horns like him, although the horns were a bit smaller and his eyes were a bright yellow rather than brown, and he looked to be maybe a year or two older than Calvin and Nestor, his hair was slightly curly and where his feet should be, Techno could see goat hooves instead. The other man was much older than the boys in the room, but by no means was he actually old. He had dark hair that would stick out in some places, but most of it was held back from his face by a red bandana.

They were both fighting valiantly, Goat Boy would charge at him with precise speed and tilt his horns towards him, aiming at his gut or his chest, and while he was winded, he would try to sweep his legs from under him, and if that failed, he would immediately go for precise punches aiming at anything exposed are truthfully anything that would be a pain to have to keep fighting with. Red Bandana would counter this by always trying to stay on the side of his vision and out of the way from his horns, shooting fireballs at his back and legs not letting the other rest to catch his breath to try again, and distracting him with other fires that he could just walk into and not get burned, feeding his own energy from it while the other had to back away and prepare himself from the burning storm that was too come.

"Are you guys done or is this a bad time?" Nestor said with a tease in his voice.

They immediately stopped their fight and turned to them with a smile, both sharp, teasing, fond and kind all at once. Friends?

Then they noticed small Techno. Whose crimson eyes matched the color of blood, with tusks that were barely growing in, and long floppy ears, his pink hair long and unkept since the fall from the cliff and shoes long lost to expose his hooved piglin feet. Goat Boy seemed to be angry, but Techno could feel it wasn't directed at him. Red Bandana just seemed sad.

"Guys, this is Technoblade. He's going to be the newest fighter in a few weeks." Calvin says.

Goat Boy turned to Calvin. "He can't be serious! He's barely a kid!"

"I don't think Grand is joking about this."

Goat Boy just sputters for a few seconds.

             Should we say hi?                                                                        having trouble there bud-

     -FRIENDSHIP-                                                                             -ooks like someone's having a mental breakdown-

                                      -ave him the trouble-                                                      -and then they were roommates-

                      -poor guy-                                                -et's break this moment of embarrassment-

"What's your name?" Techno asks.

Goat boy just stares at him in utter amazement, how is he so calm about this. "Schlatt, m-my name's Schlatt."  

Techno looks at Red Bandana. The man smiles.

"The name that has been given to me is Firebreathman, but most just call me Lighter."

And now everything is in place, these people he's never met before somehow feel so familiar. This is the start of a new chapter in his life once again, he knows. Only time will tell if fate will be in his favor. Or not.

The Start of Something Close to Freedom.