Hope (Tommyinnit winged AU)

Insane

Techno listened to Tubbo's speech. He stood at the bottom of the steps that led to an iron cage, tied to his fellow prisoners. He had been starved for two whole weeks, detained in the dungeons below the courthouse, only given food or water when it was absolutely necessary. Even then, his meals were small and almost inedible.

The great Blood God, not so great anymore. That is what they chanted.

Quackity grinned sickly at the starving man. "Time for the first anvil."

He cut the rope that tied Technoblade to the others, pulling the fatigued warrior on stage.

Immediately, the jeering of the crowd tripled in noise, many waving wanted signs throwing rocks at Techno. One hit him square in the ribs, and he doubled over, clutching his side. Quackity kicked him to the floor, then grabbed his hair and pulled him up, shoving him into the cage.

Techno had expected this. He had seen this in every town he went, shunned by all the inhabitants. That's what you get when you are immortalized in a monument of blood. But he had not expected the pain. Oh, no. The Blood God was immortal, but now he felt more human than any man ever did. He felt weak.

"You need to set Tommy free," Tubbo said, approaching the condemned.

"I saved him, Tubbo! You have to understand. Tommy’s in trouble! Dream wanted to take his wings, why can't you see that? He was going to take what little freedom Tommy still has."

Tubbo flinched, but his stare remained cold and his expression was still stone. "Pull the lever, Big Q," he ordered, not even bothering to take his eyes of Technoblade.

"With pleasure," Quackity replied.

And he pulled the lever.

And the anvil fell.

And Techno braced himself.

Nothing came.

Techno opened his eyes and looked up. Tommy stared down at him, pupils slitted and eyes yellow, his wings flapping in rhythm. An anvil rested on his back, threatening to break the boy’s spine.

The crowd was silent as he slowly decended to the stage, tilting his back so the anvil slid off him and crashed onto wood.

His wings puffed, and Tommy screamed, flying towards Quackity and Tubbo, his fingers sharpening to claws. He grabbed them both by the collar and threw them off the podium. He attacked the guards next, biting and clawing, till all of them retreated. He slashed at the binds of his friends. As soon as Ghostbur was free, he through down a peice of blue. The dye exploded, shrouded the docks in blue fog.

Technoblade ran to the bars of his cage and scanned the cloud for his friends. But only one figure emerged. Quackity. The man said nothing, but smiled sickly and drew his axe. Techno backed up, pressing his back against the cage.

Quackity raised his axe-

Arms wrapped around Techno and the warrior was jerked upwards. They flew up, up, up, above the fog. Techno could see his friends, in boats, rowing away from the harbor. Tommy could see them too, for he dived, zooming towards the procession.

The wind ripped past the piglin hybrid as they came closer to the ocean, and Tommy let out one more shriek-

Darkness.

***

Ghostbur heard the shriek and looked up just in time to see Tommy break the surface of the water, vanishing into the murky depths below. After a few seconds of agonizing silence, Technoblade appeared, inhaling a sharp breath as he climbed onto the ghost's boat. Water clung to his clothes and pink hair, which had been cut during their captivity.

There was no sign of Tommy. Techno turned to the others, looking around at the boats. Ranboo and Ghostbur steered the two vessels, but Philza was nowhere to be seen.

Ranboo, as if he knew what Techno was thinking, spoke up.

"He's over here."

Technoblade jumped off Ghostbur's boat ("Watch it!" the phantom cried as he almost tipped over and into the sea) and swam to Ranboo's.

At the enderman hybrid's feet, Phil lay bleeding out, crying out each time Ranboo tried to stop the blood flow. A large gash ran along his chest. Blood seeped out of it, staining his signature green robes. Techno blanched. "Will he be okay?"

"Depends if you are," Philza smiled weakly up at him.

Techno smiled back, taking the cold hands in his own. Phil smiled once more, and was a asleep.

"What happened?" Techno said breathlessly.

"W- we were at the docks, getting in the boats," Ranboo stuttered. "Phil stayed back to help the others in. But... as he was untying the rope... Dream snuck up behind him, and was going to take his wings. But I warned him, just as the axe swung. Phil turned and Dream sliced him in the chest. We were able to escape..." The boy shook his head, unable to tell anything else. Techno put his hands on Ranboo's shoulders.

"You did well."

SPLASH! The team looked ahead. Only a few hundred feet from them, Tommy burst into the air, and flapped clumsily away before anyone could stop him. Technoblade sighed. "Let him go. He'll come back to us within a few days. Let's just get going."

He returned to Ghostbur's boat, taking the oars and rowing away.

Behind them, a city burned with rage.