Did a little plot reworking because we weren't entirely happy with what we had planned. This new stuff is a lot better, and we're pretty excited for y'all to see it :)

And Mel, I swear to god, if you even THINK about leaking the plot I'd like to remind you that I DO know where you live- 

Also, the chapters are going to be getting a little longer as I've realized we're gonna need to pack some lore in as I'm planning to go all the way to the reset of the server, whenever that will be (It's rumored to be in a few months, so we've got our work cut out for us :)   )

You took the day off from working with Schlatt to spend some time sparring with Punz. There was a make-shift training ring that Tommy and Tubbo used to use during the L'manburg war on the outskirts of the town, its walls still standing strong despite the holes shot through the wood. When you arrived, Punz was already there, cleaning off debris off the sand and shoring up the ring. He looked up as you approached, giving you a wave in return to your own. 

"Morning, Y/N!" he called. You shook your head, accepting at this point that everyone seemed to know your actual name. At least no one had asked any questions- yet. "Sorry about the state of this place," Punz apologized, dumping a load of twigs and plastic into a small pile outside the pit. "No one's used the place in a while."

You swung yourself into the pit in the ground, the sand crunching softly under your boots as you scuffled it experimentally. "Yeah, I didn't even remember this place until we decided on sparring for today's lesson. It's not too bad, though. In fact, it's held up pretty well, when you think about what it's been through." Slowly, you turned in a small circle, surveying the entirety of the pit. "Besides, it'll be good to get some stuff off my mind."

There was a soft thud as Punz jumped down as well, then the sound of metal on leather as he unsheathed his sword, grinning at you. "Ready, kid?" You rolled your eyes at the nickname, unsheathing Orphan Slayer and looking up and down the length of the blade critically, making sure it was in good condition.

"I'm twenty-fucking-one, you absolute asshole."

"Oh- right. Forgive me: You ready, twenty-fucking-one year old child?" You sighed, but you knew he could tell you really weren't that annoyed. In fact, it was nice to hear some sense of humor other than Technoblade's- or Tommy's. 

Shrugging, you nodded. "Bring it, 'Absolute Asshole'." 

Punz wasted no time charging you, and you bent your knees slightly, shifting your stance to be able to move faster and keep your balance easier. At the last moment, he side-stepped to the left, cleaving his sword at your head, but you anticipated the move and ducked, pulling your sword across your chest and blocking the sharp edge from stabbing you in the stomach with the light leather sparring armor as you rolled towards him. He brought his foot up sharply, nearly catching you in the face, but your flinched backwards just in time. Unfortunately, the leather-wrapped hilt of Punz's sword caught you, knocking you back forward. Grunting in pain, you rolled to the side right as the sword cleaved down, clumsily swinging your sword at hi arm just in time to block his latest attack.

Stumbling backwards, your head throbbing, you tightened your grip on the sword as you staggered forward, momentum growing as your speed slowly picked up. You turned, skidding around Punz, sending dust flying through the air, caught on the strong breeze and tossed like some gilded breath of a god. He leapt, anticipating your sword slashing at his legs, rolling away through the sand, flipping to his feet and turning, waiting for you as you staggered to your feet, winded and growing wearier as the moments passed. 

"Come on, kid- that the best you got?" He asked, casually leaning on his sword. You just rolled your eyes, realizing that you were not going to be winning this spar by brute force. Instead, you snatched up one of the rocks lying around the edge of the ring as you stood, taking off your jacket and slipping it inside one of the sleeves, subtly twisting the end of the sleeve into a knot with one hand. 

Holding the jacket by the other sleeve, you gave him a small smile. "Okay, old man- your bones aching yet?" He chuckled, and you took the opportunity to run forward. He straightened to his full height and swung at your legs with the sword in one fluid movement, but you half-jumped, half-somersaulted over the blade, throwing out the jacket by one sleeve. The rock in the opposite sleeve provided some nice weight to it, but you still had to stretch a little to grab it as it came around on the other side as you passed. As you tugged on both sleeves, Punz was caught off balance as he tried to turn, and you smashed your elbow backwards into his middle of his back, tripping him further.

You turned, planting your foot on his back and shoving away his sword, then pointing your own at the back of his neck. "I win, bitch." There was a moment of silence, then a slight, quiet laugh from Punz. You had barely a moment to feel confusion before a brutally sharp pain sliced through you ankles and you leaned down instinctively, gasping in agony. Taking advantage of your sudden lack of balance, Punz rolled to the side, nearly knocking you to the ground, and swiveled around while standing, pressing a long, thin blade to your throat.

"Are you sure, Y/N?" He asked, laughing at the surprised and annoyed look you shot him. "You forgot about the smaller blades in my sleeves," he explained, releasing you and taking a step back, tilting back the cuffs on his shirt to show the spring-activated sheaths. "I'm a mercenary, remember? People don't just hire me for my amazingly good looks, you know. You did catch me off guard with whatever that jacket thing, however. Nice job, kid," he said, giving you an approving smile and giving you a light punch on the shoulder.

You felt a small smile cross your face, despite your annoyance at being beaten- even if you consciously knew how good Punz was. 

"Shall we go again?" he asked, wiping his blade on the hem of his shirt. "I can show you a few techniques too, if you'd like, especially concerning how to not get knocked down by your enemy." You shrugged, okay with the idea of learning more. It had been nearly one or two years since you'd actually trained with someone- and the last person had been Technoblade.

Something switched in your brain when you thought about your father- like something waking up, stretching its wings, whispering something quietly. Slightly confused, you paused, trying to focus. There was something there, just beyond your sensory perception, but definitely alive and active. Tentatively, you thought, Hello?

There was a pause.

And then, something audibly echoed back, Hello, Y/N.

The sword dropped from your fingers, clanging against the arena floor. Punz turned around to see what was happening, and his entire expression changed. You heard him asking something, but everything was fuzzy, blurry, and muted, as though from a great distance or underwater- and you couldn't think-  it was as though you weren't in control anymore- or as though there was something else in your head.

Oh, yes, we're here, the thing whispered back, only this time it was accompanied by other statements, as though other people were talking.

Other... voices.

A pain across your left cheek brought the world back into sharpness, and you realized that you were lying on the ground, with Punz crouched in front of you, concern and worry written all over his face. "Kid? What's going on?"

Slowly, you got to your feet, feeling simultaneously light-headed and weighed down, as though your head and your body weren't connected anymore. "I... I have to go-" you started, tripping over your own words. The voices were still there, just a little quieter now that you weren't actively trying to listen to them.

His brow furrowed. "The expression on your face.... I'm sorry, but... it looked so much like...."

You grabbed Orphan Slayer, resheathing it, not meeting Punz's gaze. "Listen, thanks for the sparring but- I really have to leave. I- I'll be back later, I think. There's... someone I need to talk to-" Or, more accurately, someones to talk to.

He opened his mouth to protest, but you just shouldered your pack and climbed out of the ring, ignoring him. The road back to Manburg was long, and you weren't exactly sure where you were going- anywhere where you could think clearly, you supposed.

Go talk to Schlatt, the voices whispered, a little louder now. Talk to the ram ma-kill h- festival planni- oh, yes, the festival, the festival, he'll di- shhh quiet calm silence don't tell don't say let them find out yessssss that is what we'll do let them find out. They were running over one another, now, jumbling together, demanding different things, but you shoved them to the back of your mind, ignoring them as best you could. They did have a request, though- to talk to Schlatt... perhaps you should listen to them, at least... just until you got this all sorted out?

You ran up the stairs to the White House, throwing open the door and marching up the stairs to his office. Flinging open the doors, you placed your hands on the desk, leaning forward. "Ah, hello, Y/N- I thought you were taking the day off?" Schlatt greeted you, feet propped up on the desk, eating some apple while reading a document.

"What's the festival?" you demanded, picking one of the few coherent things you could remember from the voices. 

He blinked, slowly, a flicker of some emotion crossing his face briefly. "Nothing concrete- yet. But," Schlatt continued, "if all goes well..."

"It'll be the last time you ever hear of a certain disloyal spy boy."

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1794 words

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Let me know what y'all are thinking about the new plot line as we go! It's a bit murky, at the moment, but we have some plans for the future. :)

Remember to hydrate, grab a snack, turn down your screen-brightness if you're in a dark room, and grab a quick nap, no matter how short. 

Take care of yourselves, my children <3