BLIND | DreamSMP

XXXVI - The Bargain

Techno watched Fundy crumple on the stage. He heard the dull thump of the wood and the pained whimpers of the fox-man as Quackity enacted his revenge. From his position he was unable to tell if Fundy was still alive, though the blood pooling under his head provided strong evidence to the contrary. Techno stole a glance at the spectators. Tubbo and Ranboo were staring in shock at the limp body, horror written on their young faces.

I warned you, Techno thought bitterly. I warned you not to give Quackity power. And now look what's happened.

Tommy clung to Phil's bound arm. For once, Techno was glad his brother had lost his sight, for it had saved him from witnessing the brutality of Quackity's beating. Hopefully his blindness would protect him from the execution too. Phil met Techno's eyes, and he could tell his father was thinking the same thing. A sense of understanding passed between them: though Techno would not be leaving L'Manberg alive, Tommy had to depart from the city in safe hands. It was a final request made in the looming presence of death, and Techno sagged with relief knowing Phil would stop at nothing to fulfill it.

Quackity tossed the now blood-soaked log in with the rest of the kindling. The pile rose just barely above his ankles, and as the stained piece of wood rolled, it came to a rest against his skin. It was still wet and warm, and he felt blood run down his foot in rivulets.

"Anyone else wanna try anything?" Quackity shouted, rage twisting his mouth. "No? Then let's fucking finish this!"

Another armful of kindling was thrown at Techno's feet before Quackity was satisfied with the pile of timber. Evening was falling fast as a torch was lit, the flames casting eerie shadows on Quackity's face. He approached Techno unsteadily, breath ragged.

"Any last words?" He sneered.

"You don't have to do this, Quackity," Techno said quietly. "You don't have to take another life."

Quackity spat at Techno and stumbled backwards.

"Burn in hell, you bastard!"

He threw the torch into the kindling, the impact making the flames sputter, but not extinguish. It took a few moments for the fire to catch on the logs. Then it began traveling towards the center, weaving a slow path inwards.

Though he tried to calm himself, Techno found it was impossible as the flames crept closer and closer. The heat was building rapidly. He tore his gaze away from the growing flames to look at Phil. The pain in his father's eyes brought tears to his own, and he turned his head.

Quackity would not see him cry.

His foot stung suddenly, and he swallowed a hiss as he tried not to glance down. He knew what he would see.

The stinging morphed almost immediately into the burning sensation he had been dreading, and he was unable to stay silent, gasping in pain as flames licked his flesh. It felt as if the heat was being driven into him with a stake, burrowing deeper as the fiery beast ate at his skin. All at once it became unbearable, a scream ripping itself from his throat as the creature gnawed past the first layer of flesh and sampled the second, tearing at his nerves with a ferocious, unquenchable hunger. Never had Techno felt such agony. His feet bubbled and blistered, then blackened, deformed by the intense heat.

The fire had fully caught now, and it traveled farther up his legs, hunting for more fuel to intensify the roaring flames. The screaming persisted in short, heaving bursts as Techno inhaled the thick smoke rising around him. Distantly, he could hear Tommy's wretched sobs and howls, and underneath those, another set of cries he faintly recognized as belonging to Tubbo. The chains seared his wrists, welding themselves to his flesh. The heat had reached his chest. He could feel his heart stutter, his breath become shallower and weaker. Someone to his right was shouting, but it no longer mattered; he knew he was dying, knew it was only a matter of seconds before his body gave out.