~Once Upon a Skephalo~

~Chapter 15~

"Good evening," Technoblade said, a smile tugging at his lips.

How was Techno alive, you may be wondering. Didn't Dream kill him in the first chapter? Well... yes, and no. See, the thing is... Technoblade never dies. It's a simple fact, known by most people who have heard legends of the mighty outlaw. Many adventurers and experts agreed, a person would have to train for many years before they could even dream of defeating the legendary Technoblade.

When Techno had ambushed Bad at A6d's house, he had been fully intending to raid the house and rob Bad of everything that was worth anything. Dream barging in last minute had been unexpected and annoying, and it had left Techno with a job unfinished and a lot of valuables unobtained. The whole ordeal had been frustrating, to say the least, and Techno had spent the past while planning on how to finish the task he had set for himself from the very start: raid someone's house and steal someone's valuables. What better target than the oblivious, naïve muffin man? The whole mission had been made ten times easier now that news was spreading about Bad and his new diamond friend, allowing Techno to find the location of their house without even trying. Rumors and gossip led him straight there.

"Hi...?" Skeppy asked, tilting his head slightly. "Can I help you?"

"Absolutely! If I could just have a few moments of your time, that would be great..." Techno rambled, grabbing Skeppy's arm and tugging him out of the house. He motioned to a shabby sales cart he had put together, a neat stack of jars displayed on top. "See, I'm handing out samples of JIF peanut butter, the best peanut butter in all the land."

"Oh, well, uh..." Skeppy chuckled awkwardly, looking at the tower of peanut butter jars. "I don't think we really need peanut butter, but-"

"You can't go wrong with JIF! Trust me, after one taste, you'll be craving the sweet, creamy butter that's been made from the finest of peanuts," Techno said, taking the jar from the top of the stack and flourishing it towards Skeppy. "A sample is free, there's nothing to lose! Why not give it a try?"

Skeppy looked at the jar, his eyes trailing across the colorful label marked with three bold white letters. "I do like peanut butter," he mumbled to himself, considering whether he should try a sample or not. "I guess it can't hurt... I'll try some." He smiled and took the jar that Techno offered him. Techno grinned, watching as Skeppy unscrewed the lid. As soon as he removed the top, a cloud of smoke bursted from the jar, getting in his face. He coughed as the smoke filled his lungs, but each inhale only pulled more of the gaseous substance into his body. Soon the world started to spin, and Skeppy found himself stumbling while the ground loomed nearer and nearer.

Techno watched as the diamond man lost consciousness and fell to the ground, satisfied that the sleeping gas had worked as planned. He waited until the smoke dissipated before kneeling down to check that Skeppy had indeed been knocked out.

Just then, however, he heard footsteps approaching, and a familiar voice humming happily. "Skeeeeppyyyyy, I'm hooommmeee!" Bad called, just rounding the corner to find Techno kneeling beside Skeppy's passed out body. In a quick frenzy, Techno grabbed onto his sales cart and sprinted into the bushes, ignoring the jars of peanut butter that tumbled off his cart and rolled away. Just as soon as Bad had spotted the scene and shouted out, Techno had already escaped into the forest, and there was no use trying to catch him.

"Skeppy?! Are you okay?" Bad ran over to his friend, dropping to the ground and checking to see if the diamond man was hurt. "Skeppy? Hello? Oh my goodness..." Trying to stay calm, Bad quieted, lowering his ear and listening until he could hear Skeppy breathing. "Okay..." He sighed in relief. "You're alive... Thank goodness, I was so scared." He looked up at the door to their house, pondering how to get his friend inside. Skeppy was too heavy to lift easily, but if Bad tried hard enough, he was sure he could manage something. After a bit of experimentation, he was able to bring Skeppy inside, having him lay down where he would be comfortable.