The Dreamlands - SBI Royal AU

Chapter 3

The day passed much too quickly for Technoblade to relax. He skipped time-consuming meals to eat in the armory. Everyone had to be equiped and ready for an encounter. Ranboo and Fundy worked with him to ensure no sword lay unsharpened and no man remained unassigned. The general went from squad to squad of guards and soldiers, changing positions and assigning shifts. The kingdom had never experienced a threat, not directly to the royal birds. Intruders or traitors, both would pay for their crimes.

Technoblade was going to show the kingdom what the guards were trained for. If the enemy wasn't intimidated enough by their numbers, they would never manage to get past the general or the commander.

Sunset came all too soon. The rush of footsteps came to a standstill as troops and birds alike took their positions. Silence fell over the castle as the final shred of light dipped below the horizon. The first star in the sky slowly faded into alignment with the constellations. The only task left was to wait for the enemy to come to them.

Time ceased to exist as Technoblade found his post centered slightly behind the main gate. He could only listen. The crickets' chirp. The crows' occasional flap of wings. The shift of his grip on his sword. Nowhere to be seen was a man out of line. Perhaps the night would last in peace. The main gate remained closed.

Techno heard the first rotation of shifts. Armor, footsteps, and hushed voices carried through the shadows, only ever lit by an occasional lantern. Hopefully the criminals had given up after seeing the sheer force of such a well trained army.

Silence settled over yet again. Sleep was gradually eating away at his will to keep watch.

A repetition of footsteps from behind interrupted his half-asleep post. From the West Wing walked his commander, Ranboo. Abandoning his post could only be for something urgent.

"Commander!" Techno shouted, "What is the problem?"

Ranboo did not answer him. He continued taking rythmic steps like the beating of a drum.

"Commander, return to your post!" Technoblade ordered.

Ranboo got close enough for him to see, tucked under his arms, a scroll from the library. "Ranboo?" Technoblade whispered to himself. Ranboo was no criminal. He was loyal... surely there was some mistake.

"Ranboo!" Technoblade yelled with anger, betrayal, and denial all mixed into one. His right hand man couldn't be a traitor.

Ranboo seemed to freeze in his tracks. The steady beating of his footsteps on polished quarts stopped and the scroll tumbled to the ground. Technoblade drew his sword, "Ranboo, surrender to the royal guard. I don't want to have to hurt you."

Ranboo laughed nervously. "Sorry, what did I-" Ranboo scrambled back and pulled out his sword. A threat. A fight. Blood for the blood god. Techno's thoughts were all too lost to see the fear in Ranboo's eyes.

Technoblade started his advance up the pristine steps. Traitor. Traitor. Traitor. TRAITOR.

Ranboo slashed the air before Technoblade was anywhere nearby. "Floating scroll!" Ranboo shouted.

Confusion forced Techno's advance to a halt. The scroll that Ranboo had been carrying moved on its own. It almost seemed to have a will of its own. This was witchcraft. Magic.

The scroll froze. All eyes were on the floating miracle, but Technoblade heard through the illusion. A third breath. A third pair of footsteps. The second the scroll froze was the second the fight became two against one.

"Invisible intruder," Technoblade muttered. Ranboo nodded and readied his stance. He would deal with Ranboo later.

"Surrender to the royal guard!" Technoblade commanded. "You're surrounded!" Each and every archer from the kingdom could've had their bows pointed at the scroll.

"I would love to, but I have to go. People are waiting for me," a voice responded in a joking, casual tone.

"Show yourself!" Technoblade ordered.

"Sorry, guys." Glass shattered against his chestplate and confusion erupted in the clearing. Technoblade flinched for a second as a cold liquid stung his face. The scroll had disappeared.

In place of the scroll was a floating sword and armor. "Hold your fire!" Ranboo shouted infront of him. The helmet turned in the same direction as the command. Voice, yet no people. The bird wasn't lying.

Technoblade glanced down at his stance. He could feel his tight grip on the hilt, yet his sword seemed to be floating on its own. The ground beneath his feet felt uneasy, yet when he looked down there were only kneepads and boots. Simply floating.

Ranboo's sword attempted to knock his weapon down, but Techno could feel Ranboo's hesitation from the way his sword shook. He easily paried. "It's me, you fool."

"Oh." Ranboo dropped his position to stand up casually and look around.

Rapid footsteps dashed towards the wall. Technoblade tried to snap out of the mindless confusion. All of his sense were thrown off. "Don't let him leave!" Techno yelled. He stumbled over Ranboo as he tried to pursue the third person, but it was like running in pitch black darkness. They were already yards ahead of him.

An ender pearl flew over the castle gate without being stopped. Before it landed, Techno attempted to hit them with an arrow. Milliseconds before his arrow would have reached them, the scroll popped out of existance with the remaining ender dust left to taunt him.

Techno cursed under his breath. A first battle, lost. He could have had him if he had not hesitated. Techno raised his voice. "Open the main gate and follow him! Don't just let him get away!"

"Techno and Ranboo, stay here. The ravens are already following him," Philza stated calmly. Great, absolutely the last person he wanted to hear. Phil watched with an amused grin from the entrance of the castle.

Technoblade turned to face the him. "Listen, I've failed, but you have to let me go after him. They can't just steal from the royal library and get away with it! Ranboo, you have some explaining to do, but I'll find him, I will. You have to let me go, I can't just-"

"Don't worry about that, you have bigger problems at hand." Phil gestured to his armor and sword. "You go get changed, I have it handled."

"No offense, but you underestimate what we're dealing with-" Techno argued.

"I know exactly what we're dealing with, so go get a change of clothes and wash off your armor. Good luck, because they purposefully make their potions water resistant. If you need any help, ask me in the morning, but you're not to pursue anyone until you've gotten sleep."

"I'm sorry, who's they?" Ranboo asked.

"I'll explain everything tomorrow. Get some sleep so you can think straight and have a chance at catching him."

"This isn't permanent, is it?"

"This is your last question. Most likely not, because he was hit by the invisibility, too. I have no idea the duration, their technology has long since advanced, so it could range from ten minutes to a week."

"A week? Potions? Who the hell are these guys?" Techno exclaimed.

"If I'm right, it's just some old friends I didn't think I would see again. No need to worry."