The Grim Reaper || Technoblade (Old)

4: New Rules

Once we passed the hill I settled my eyes on a small cottage. The windows were blocked and it looked as if no one had been there in quite some time. Technoblade introduced it as his safe house, a home far away if he ever needed to leave suddenly.

I looked to Phil and back to the cottage, it didn't take much time for us to get to it, Technoblade had put the horse in the small stable before walking up the stairs. I watched Phil, who pet the horse and wiped some snow off of its snout. We both turned around when we heard grunting.

We walked around to the stairs just as Technoblade kicked the door open. It slammed against the walls and some of Phil's crows took off due to the noise. He walked inside and I turned to Phil, asking if we should follow him. The old man just shrugged and took the lead, following after the piglin hybrid.

There was dust on everything, and The Blade's footprints were easily visible in the dust. We heard the shuffling of a ladder and saw Technoblade on it. He motioned for Phil to follow him and the winged man obliged, taking the ladder onto the second floor.

That left me, alone in the room. I wiped the dust off of a nearby anvil. The room was cluttered, a wall with anvil, brewing stands, lodestone, and even a wooden box. There was an adjoining room, which I didn't look inside of. The floors creaked upstairs and there was a trapdoor at the top of the ladder that blocked out the conversation above me.

I looked at the floor, made of plain spruce planks. There was a red carpet with an intricate design on it in gold. The opposite wall of all the working tables, there was a fireplace. It was made of stone brick and the inside looked as if it had never been lit.

I shivered, the tundra was cold, and there was no warmth inside of the cabin. I used my gloves hands to wipe the dust off of the fireplace and wondered if there was a broom or dust pan that I could use.

The trapdoor flicked open and Technoblade climbed down, pointing at the ladder, "Phil wants to talk to you."

I nodded and climbed up the ladder, what would he do down there, get rid of the dust, start the fire? What did Phil want to talk to me about? What if I was getting kicked out, this wasn't his house, it was Technoblade's.

The second floor had an enchantment table with bookcases surrounding it, a door led to what I could only assume was the bedroom, and there was an.. emerald block? With a giant bell on top of it? What was that for?

I looked at the man sitting on the couch. It was near the ladder and faced the enchanted table. I sat down next to him and he spoke, "Hey mate, how're you doing?"

I looked at his eyes, eyes too old, eyes that had lived lifetimes and lifetimes. He seemed tired, like he could sleep for the rest of the year, wake up and complain about being tired again. There were some cawing crows in the windowsill and a chubby one sitting on top of his hat.

"I should be asking you that, again I'm sorr-" I started apologizing before being interrupted.

Phil opened his mouth, "No no, no apologizing, it wasn't your fault, and anyways, that's not what I wanted to talk to you about."

I tilted my head in confusion, what else would he want to talk about? If not his son, there were ways to bring him back, why wouldn't he be interested in them?

He could sense my confusion as he continued, "It's about you, what we agreed on, there's some new rules."

I paused, I had forgotten about that. It was weird, interacting with people, I forgot that this would change my job, what my purpose was.

Phil paused a second before continuing, "There's a list.. a list of all the deaths, which you cannot change, everyone has times that you cannot change with any of your actions."

I nodded, it made sense, I was created for a purpose, nothing I could do would change that.

"What else," Phil was interrupted by the chubby crow on top of his hat, the bird cawing loudly, "Right! Thank you, dying, since you are well, a vessel of death, when you quote on quote, die, or sustain injuries that would cause a normal person to die, you appear the last place you slept, like the first two deaths. Basically, this happens infinitely, because well, we can't send death to the afterlife can we?"

He chuckled a bit before stating the next rule, I couldn't help a smile reach my face. I reached behind my plague mask and undid the leather latch, taking off the mask for the first time in.. I can't remember.

His dark blue eyes met my light ones, if someone were to see them, they might think my eyes were almost white, that's how bright they were.

I let put a small smile, Phil was one of the few beings that I felt comfortable enough with to show my face. I trusted him, and I knew I'd do anything for him if he asked.

"What else what else, oh! You're going to be staying with Techno for a bit. The L'Manburgians? L'Manbergers? The citizens of L'Manburg don't know you and they might try to attack you, I don't think the saw me carry you with Techno, but better safe than sorry."

I understood where Phil was coming from, he just wanted everyone to be safe. Although I was confused a bit, I opened my mouth to ask him a question, "Why did you say me? Aren't you staying here too?"

Phil smiled awkwardly and scratched the back of his neck, a nervous tick, "No mate, I'm going to go back soon to help rebuild and catch up with people."

I frowned, "So you get to go back and I don't? How do you know they didn't see you walking away with Technoblade? They probably aren't happy with him after he unleashed withers on the place."

Phil raised his hands, "Yeah Yeah, but they know me, plus they're probably going to be too excited I came back to remember too clearly, bringing another person would cause them to think too hard about it, they'd want revenge on Techno."

I was silent, processing what he had said. It was true, if I came with him it would be an unneeded stress, one problem, I didn't even know The Blade.

I had only seen Technoblade on the battlefield, would he be ok with me staying here? Surely he had to be convinced by Phil, right? What if he saw me during the battles of the past and brought them up? What was I going to say?

I finally settled down my spinning mind, none of these questions would get answers any time soon, and there was one sentence that bugged me the most, "If your son lived there, why would they be excited about you coming back, you were there with them right?"

Phil looked at the ground and I immediately knew I brought up a sore subject. He stayed silent as I started to apologize but he interrupted me, "I only came around the time the explosion came back, the others.. haven't seen me for a while."

It made sense, Phil was an old man, and he lost track of time sometimes, but his expression, one of regret, he may be the god of time, but he couldn't reverse it.

I put a hand on his shoulder, "Y'know, I can go to him right? Check in with him, you can come along."

He shook his head slowly, speaking in a calm, resigned voice, "No, no messing with Kristen's work. If you do go visit though, could you.. I don't know, tell me how he is?"

Phil's dark blue eyes swirled with pain and before I knew what I was doing, I wrapped the man in a hug. I promised him that I would and Once the hug was over, I noticed tears gleaming in the blondes eyes.

He wiped them off, and a cheery smile returned, "Now! That's all I wanted to talk to you about! I think it's time for some introductions!"

He got up and I froze, introductions? With The Blade? The strongest and most feared warrior in the world, and I was supposed to be staying in his house?!

Nope nope, I'd rather freeze to death.