"This was not part of the deal."

As far as protests went it was a lackluster attempt, Technoblade knew it was. He had become complacent – had allowed them to fool him into thinking at least some of his bargaining chips were worth more than theirs. But the house always played for keeps.

They had just been happy to leave him with the delusion until it no longer fit their schedule.

"Well, this will earn them more," Mel said. "I'm sorry, I can't do anything about this." His voice did not waver, did not crumble. Anger at the circumstances simmered beneath the surface as it always had, but Technoblade knew then he could not consider Mel an ally.

Mel had been forged to be exactly what the coliseum needed out of him as a handler. Somebody who had seen the pitch and carried with him that experience. Somebody who had nothing outside of this server to want to return to. Somebody who conflated fear and loyalty, and would freely question the arena's operations without daring to step out of line. Technoblade might not be able to resent him for it, he couldn't accept it lying down either.

Because Mel had come into the room and told them they had a match to attend. And when Ranboo and Technoblade had faltered, waiting on him to clarify which one of them he was speaking to, Mel had sighed and muttered. "Both of you."

The deal had crumbled as if Techno had never even put any effort into making it.

To say he was pissed would probably be the understatement of the year. Escaping had always been on the back of Techno's mind – a constant reminder that this bargain he made was only a temporary solution. He wouldn't settle for escaping anymore though. He wouldn't rest until this entire arena and everybody who had ever spent a dime on running it was reduced to nothing more than a smoking crater of bedrock.

And when the Blood God's conduit made such a promise, it was a vow.

Retribution would have to wait until this traitor's match had been dealt with. Another battle royale – no rules. Ranboo was acting brave. Maybe he had learned to mask his fear better over the past few days, maybe he was only doing it because Techno had told him fright would be taken for weakness in the ring.

The sun was setting and the stands weren't as crowded as usual. Instead of densely packed people pushing against each other to spectate and bet, their audience was dotted far and few in between along the seats, sitting in small clusters or by themselves. Technoblade scanned them quickly to gauge how off-putting and different the atmosphere had become, he recognized a group of people wearing the same uniforms as that of the general he had fought.

Suspicion raised the hair on the back of his neck like an animal cornered.

He had to focus on the battle though. The crossbow was once again being strapped at his side, the bolts not the same blunt-tipped wooden once of before. These were lethal when used correctly. Ranboo had opted to carry a shield instead of a long-range weapon, standing next to Techno at the arches waiting for the starting signal.

"I'll watch your back, you watch mine?" he asked, almost failing in concealing his growing nerves with how his voice pitched higher at the end of the question. The large slab of wood was big enough to conceal his entire face.

"I think you'll already have a hard enough time watching your front with this thing." Techno pushed the shield down, showed Ranboo where to readjust his grip. "Solid choice though. Could be used as a bludgeon in a pinch."

"Heh, that's uh- One way to look at it, I suppose. I don't trust my bow skills."

"Haven't you been practicing with Phil?" Techno shifted his hooves in the sand, anxious to get started. Waiting was the worst part.

"I have, yeah! I have. He said," Ranboo interrupted himself to hoist the shield higher with a little grunt. Techno was surprised the weight hadn't toppled him yet. "He said I still needed some work to get on his level."

Technoblade snorted. "Funny, he told me the same thing. I think the old man's just proud his eyesight hasn't worsened so much it's ruined his aim."

"Yeah, kinda surprised his arthritis doesn't keep him from being able to notch an arrow."

Their starting signal was almost swallowed up by Techno's laughter. Both ran out onto the pitch together and like last time, Technoblade waited for somebody else to take a stab at him first.

A heavy-set man with curled hair took the bait. Techno evaded their first strike with ease but recognized the difference in this fighter's level as opposed to last time. Their reactions were much smoother, their attacks swift and with little hesitation. None of it made any easier by Techno trying to keep an eye on Ranboo during all this – hoping to keep him close by.

But before long he had no choice but to focus on his opponent, realizing that a lull in attention could mean the difference between leaving unharmed or getting his throat slit by this guy. They were not attacking as expected from somebody meant to incapacitate. They were striving to kill.

Techno managed to dodge beneath their next attack, slammed his hand into the bottom of their chin to force their head back and used the downward strike of his elbow to push into their stomach. It was enough to bring them to their knees. Knowing them getting up again could make the difference between life or death, he twisted around their side to get behind them and sliced his sword through their ankles, severing the fragile tendons of their Achilles heel. The man screamed – a smothered yelp then cut off by them curling into the sand.

E
blood for the blood god
finish the job
kill him
E
E
Ranboo pog moment?
he's doing good I'm so proud
blood

Taking a cursory moment to check that Chat wasn't misleading him about Ranboo still doing well – they probably wouldn't lie about something this important. But after years of suffering their idea of funny pranks Techno was more than a little skeptical of all their claims – he went back to the onslaught.

The level of these fighters was something else. Many of them were more skilled than what Technoblade had come to expect, and they fought with a sense of desperation that had dread building in the pit of his stomach. He hadn't seen any of them before either, despite having come to know most of the arena's regulars by sight. The relative silence was unsettling too, he had grown used to the coliseum's ruckus. Frantic oohs and aahs and people leaping in joy when they won big money. These intent but quiet observers weren't there for the same reasons the usual crowds would be.

And when Technoblade managed to pull off the impressive feat of shooting a bolt exactly so that it might pass through a fighter's thigh and into their other leg to lock them together, he caught one of the strangers in the audience nod and write something down.

Which could only mean tha-

Ranboo hurt
E
wake up get back in the game
Technoprotect
E
E

Chat had warned him with seconds to spare. Quick reflexes paying off, Techno managed to get between Ranboo's exposed back and the sword aimed towards his neck in the nick of time. Ranboo was already on the ground, a wound in his leg bleeding into the sand.

Right above the kneecap. Not lethal. Ranboo still put his hand on it to quell the bleeding, dark purple seeping through wavering fingers.

Technoworry the voices mocked in tandem.

"Thanks." Ranboo turned to smile at him, revealing an impressive black eye – courtesy of the fighter lying prone at the enderman's feet.

Techno downed the person who had been trying to take advantage of Ranboo's unguarded rear, before looking around and realizing it had been the only other person left on the pitch. The end signal of the match echoed around the eerily muted field. Nobody in the audience cheered.

"From top ten straight to third place. Not the worst comeback." Techno held out his hand to help Ranboo upright, but he winced when he tried to put any weight on his injured leg. Techno let him lean on his shoulder instead – made slightly awkward by Ranboo being one of the few people in the world who was actually taller than him.

"Guess I'll be coming for your spot next," Ranboo said.

"If you want to defeat me, train for another hundred years."

The infirmary felt empty and deserted after-hours.

Not content to wait on the physician to give them the time of day and since there was only a cot or two occupied, Techno picked up a needle and thread himself. The handler positioned at the door keeping an eye on things didn't seem to mind him improvising their health care. Techno put the needle over an open flame, nudging Ranboo to sit down.

"Do you know what you're doing?" he asked Techno while extending his leg for the piglin to inspect.

"I've done this before if that's what you're asking." He wiped the worst of the blood away to see the cut better. As he'd thought, deep but not dangerous. Stitches should go in smoothly.

"It's not. It's not what I'm asking at all actually."

"Sure, I know what I'm doing. Done it to Phil plenty of times too. And on myself." Threading the needle, Techno got a good hold on Ranboo's leg to keep him from pulling away. "Just a heads up, this is probably gonna sting a bit."

Ranboo winced at the first push of needle against skin. His leg stiffened and it was only because Techno was grasping his heel that he didn't slip and dug in too deep.

"Don't move. It'll be over quicker if you don't."

Ranboo nodded frantically, fingers gripping onto the cot. His claws dug into the bedding, ripping cloth to shreds. Techno tried to be quick, deftly pulling on the string to bring the two sides of the wound closer together. He looked around to see if anybody was close enough to overhear them before talking. "How about you tell me the plan?"

"W-what-" Ranboo managed, too distracted by the pain to answer.

"When I was sick. I was out of it but not that out of it. You got something in the works, right?"

"Oh, yeah I..." Cutting off again with a barely subdued whine, Ranboo closed his eyes to concentrate. Probably sidetrack himself from all that was going on. "I got what we need to get out, I think. Out as in off-server. A communicator to send a message. Problem is it won't work until we're out of these walls and then it'll be a while for the message to go through and for help to arrive so-"

"So we still need somehow to get out of the coliseum itself," Techno finished for him. "And preferably in a way where we don't get hunted down again immediately."

"That's the uh, the idea." Ranboo smirked. "Not being hunted down sounds lovely."

"Okay, we can work with that." Picking up a bandage, Techno wrapped it around Ranboo's leg. "Should be good to walk on that again by morning."

And with no more deal to protect him, Techno knew Ranboo would need it.