BanjoNote: A fifth of the way through Update: Pillage! Not to mention, we have 50k words! That's... frankly more then I expected.
I also changed the tags on the story back to it's original tags, since I changed it because I thought it didn't fulfill the Humor tag. Now, I have time to appreciate and write that genre, as I will hopefully prove with this chapter.
Anyways, here you go. Rare literature - Banjo writing Romance.
BanjoMano Does Now Own Minecraft. He does have Notch under blackmail-
-=Cowardice is Key=-
A month and a half have passed since the events of Lafor. Gimero and Josie head for the Mountain City of Zhoria, in the middle of the Boreas tundra. An east trip could not go more wrong, as Gimero finds himself way deeper in trouble than he's ever been...
But if trouble is a lock to Gimero, then Cowardice is the Key.
[Riley]
Clang!
My sword met with Clodir's axe, sending shockwaves down my arm. I twirled away from her other axe, dodging her second axe with ease. The Viking female roared and lunged at me, slamming the axes down on me. I once again blocked it with my sword, but this time it was torn from my hands. Clodir slammed her foot into my chest, sending me flying onto my back.
"I yield!" I exclaimed, stumbling to my feet and putting my hands in the air. Clodir smiled and punched me in the shoulder. I stumbled backwards, rubbing my shoulder.
"You owe me a drink." She stated merely, a thin smile approaching her face.
"Yeah, yeah." I mumbled. "I didn't sign off to those terms."
"But I did!" She exclaimed, clapping my back. "And since I won, you do what I say!"
"Whatever, Viking." I playfully pushed her away from me. "First one's on me. Then you pay for your own damn drink!"
[Gimero]
"Ow…"
I stirred to consciousness, rubbing the back of my head. I waited for my sight to focus, and when it did, I stared into a stone room. I was on a blue bed, a crafting table and furnace to my right, and an enchanting table to my left. In the far corner, a man leaned on the corner, whistling loudly.
He wore a white hoodie, blue splotches on the right side and red splotches on the left. His eyes were also multicolored into those colours, but they were reversed. His brown hair was short and rough. He wore black jeans, with white shoes the same colours as his hoodie, once again reversed.
"Well, lookie who's awake." He pushed himself off the wall and brushed his shoulders off, although there was nothing on them.
"You're the Guided, correct?" He asked, kneeling beside my bed. I pushed off the covers and slid off the bed.
"Uh… no?" I bluffed. The man kicked up and rolled onto the bed.
"Yeah… not even the greatest liar could deceive me. Your name is Gimero? A Wandering Trader?"
"How'd you-" I swallowed nervously. When he leaped off the bed and right into my face, I shrank 2 feet.
"I was correct!" He flexed his arms, although there wasn't much complexion to them. "Ooh, the FF will never hear of it!"
"FF?" I repeated, confused. "I'm assuming you don't mean the Fantastic Four?"
"What? No, no. Freedom Fighters. We're a world-wide organization!" When he said "world-wide", he spread his arms outwards, almost poking one of my eyeballs out. "The Manyullyn Sword is one of our branches! Our most famous and successful go there!"
"No wonder you're not with Rosa." I muttered, only to get a dark look in return.
"I'm not a Freedom Fighter, bozo! I'm Meta! Minigame legend! I won the Boreas cup 5 times in a row!"
I remembered vaguely about a reference to a man named Meta in The City of Snow, volume 2. "Ah… right. I've heard of you. Didn't you rig the Iced Riv-"
"Nope. Not this again." He stomped to the door and kicked it open. "I've been accused of many things over my 50 years of life, and most of times they're false!"
"Most?" I muttered to myself. I stepped up to the door and looked at Meta.
"I didn't place a trapdoor or anything! …at least, I don't remember doing so!" He complained. I sighed and stepped outside of the room.
And promptly fell into a hole.
"WEEEEE!" Meta yelled, then jumping into the whole after me.
[Riley]
Let's paint a picture of the two of us.
Clodir, as I said, looked essentially like a classic Viking. She wore many furs, with a cloak to cover all of it. She wore black and gold clothing, making her look regal, but rude enough to carve your head in. Her white hair matched the snow, pulled back into a ponytail. Her eyes were a piercing blue, surrounded by war-paint that went horizontally across the eyes.
And me. Typically, I would have short black hair, but that was only because my normal hair style didn't match my… style. I had long blonde hair and hazel eyes. As for my clothes, I looked like a classic rogue. I had a mahogany scarf and one of those coats that went down past the knees, brown with a silver lining at the bottom. It was unbuttoned, revealing a white dress shirt underneath. I wore dark brown knee-high boots, and a lighter brown pants.
We entered a tavern called Howling Wolf which gave me a fuzzy feeling inside. Clodir opened the door for me and said "Ladies first."
"Just because I'm only 30 years old and you're over 300 doesn't mean you're better than me." I sighed. Clodir laughed at that and resigned to going in first. Smirking, I followed her in, a hand on my belt.
We took two stools at the bar counter, and the barkeep slid over to us. "What can I get you?" He asked, leaning on the counter.
"Two awkward potions." I smiled sweetly. He nodded and reached into a chest under the counter. "Six gold nuggets."
I slid the currency to him and grabbed the potions from him. Sniffing it to make sure it was safe, I tossed one to Clodir, who took a massive swig. Slamming a fist into the counter, she whooped "That's the good shit!"
Chuckling, I took a small sip and pulled out a book – The Fall, by… BanjoMano. Resigned to the only book I hadn't read yet, I opened to the first page and read.
Clodir finished her drink and bought another, when a massive hulk of a man sat down next to her. "You seem strong. Want to test it?"
"You have not got shit on me." Clodir placed her elbow on the table in an arm wrestle stance. The man gripped it firmly, and the match began. I glanced up from my book and smiled slightly, knowing the outcome instantly.
Clodir wasn't an idiot. She saw the Strength particles coming off the man. Even with the man buffed up, Clodir slammed his hand into the table so hard a crack appeared in the wood. She kicked her legs on the table and smirked.
"Good try, fella." She blew a strand of hair out of her eyes. "But it's more than strength one needs."
I snorted and went back to my book. The dude's friend stomped up to me and growled "What are you laughing at, girl?"
He tore the book from my hands and read the opening sentence. "'Warning: Everything in this book is not a work of fiction.' This isn't even good reading. You like reading, girl?"
I stood up, drawing to my full height of 5'9. "Sure. What's it to you?"
"Why don't you read my dick!" He roared, and his homies laughed with him. I rolled my eyes and looked at Clodir, who shrugged casually.
"I'm sorry," I retorted. "I don't read short stories."
Clodir slammed her fist into the table. "Riley! Didn't know you had it in ye!" She roared, and everyone around her laughed.
The man squinted at me, growling. "Is that supposed be an insult or something? Cause I don't like being made fun of."
"Yeah, sure." I rolled my shoulders. "You going to swing at me?"
He cocked back a fist and remarked "Now you're asking for it."
The fist came sailing towards my face, but in a swift movement, I spun to the side and watched him flail forward into the counter. He promptly stumbled forward into my stool and flipped over the counter, hitting the ground with a resounding THUD!
Clodir peered over the counter and gave me a thumbs up. "Out cold."
"Well, lads," I brushed off my hands. "I think it's time we leave, right, Clodir!"
She took an inhuman swig from her drink and sighed. "I suppose. But we just got here!"
"Yep. And now we're leaving." I took a couple steps backwards and spread my arms in a you coming? gesture, slamming a customer's potion into his face.
"Watch it!" He growled, sliding away from me. I gave him a sly wink and kicked the door open behind me.
Clodir clambered after me, surprisingly not drunk. "Why are you in such a rush? You're never in a rush. The last time you were in a rush -"
"Shut up and listen to me." I cut her off. "We've got alot of things to do, and little time to do them. We need to get started."
"We? I don't understand-"
"We're looking for someone." I snapped. "He... looks like a Man in Black. If they had trench coats. You'll recognize him at first sight."
"At first sight," Clodir coughed. "Right."
[Gimero]
The water at the end of the tunnel was only a slight comfort. It was only one block deep, so I still felt a shock in my legs. It just didn't turn the bones inside them into powdered mush.
After I regained control of my body, I looked up and nearly uttered some choice words, but Meta slammed into me before I had the chance. I flattened against the ground, not knowing whether it was a miracle or a punishment I wasn't knocked out instantly.
"Let's do that again!" He exclaimed, jumping to his feet and nearly smashing my head into the stone floor. In an attempt to save my life, I crawled out of the pool of water and imagined my upscale outfit- I mean, my Wandering Trader outfit.
Meta jumped out after me, refusing to change his soaked attire and leaving puddles all over the ground. He gestured towards the area we found ourselves in and proclaimed "Welcome to the Freedom Fighter base!"
It was… a cave. But not a normal sized cave – it was a massive underground dome, with only one single room. At one end if the room, Redstone contraptions made of pistons and hoppers distributed books and paper to chest, some sort of organizing system. Scientists in lab coats took notes hurriedly and raced around. To the right of it, people were managing mine cart tracks, tabbing inventories and organizing chests. In front of us was a long line of practice dummies, with people practicing their sword skills with wooden weaponry.
"Ah, Meta!" A young man in a lab coat walked up to us. He was bald, with skin so pale he could've passed for a wight. He clicked his technologically advanced goggles and nodded at me. "Quan's the name. You're Gimero? The Guided?" he asked the last part quietly to now draw attention to us.
I was blinking profusely, trying to jam all of this into my brain. "Huh? Oh! Yep, that's me. Special boy."
He jotted down a couple of notes and put away his book. "You seem to be… what's the word…"
"Eh, he's fine!" Meta clapped me on the back, actually shocking me out of my stupor. I rubbed my back where he hit me and mumbled "Yeah, I'm just dandy. Just need a bit of explanation, that's all."
"Surely, you've heard of us!" Quan scoffed, waving for me to follow. He began to slowly walk around the edge of the dome. Meta decided to follow us, whistling quietly.
"Afraid I haven't." I apologized honestly. "I've met little guilds in my time – well, in the number of guilds. I've met guilds that have a massive number of people, but not many – you get my point." I winced, both at my terrible explanation and at the memory of Veronica and Herobrine.
Veronica wouldn't stop that low. Despite her want for a massive wealth, she wouldn't kill for it. Come to think of it, she only started to be obnoxious the closer we got to Zhoria…
"Alright… have you heard of the Manyullyn Sword?" He asked, to which I replied "Oh, yeah. I'm kinda worshipped by them. Prophesied one or something?" I shrugged. "Cool fellows."
"They would be a branch of us!" He nodded quickly. "Rosa_Lind is one of the members of our council!"
I decided not to tell him I knew that.
"Council?" I wondered, then quickly said "Forget I asked." When Quan's face lit up.
"Right, right." He stopped in front of a block that had three levers on it. Blocking my view, he hit the levers in a certain order and the wall opened up in a two by one pathway – just big enough for us to fit in. Quan stepped in and waved for me to follow.
I waved the dust away from my face and peered into the dark tunnel. "Nope. I don't think so."
"Oh, don't be a party pooper." Meta sighed. He squeezed past me and grabbed my arm, dragging me down into the depths.
And to make matters better, the doorway shut closed after we entered. Just like in those horror movies.
[Meta]
We descended down the cramped stairway, eventually stepping into a rectangular room. In the center of the room, there was a long table with 8 seats, 5 of which were being used. Three on one side of the table, three on the other, and one seat at each of the ends.
The person at the head of the table stood up, wiping his face with the closest thing to a napkin - a sheet of paper. Tossing into the 'garbage' (A pool of lava that Gimero was eyeing carefully), he nodded at Gimero.
"Guided!" he greeted. Smoothing down his full on black suit and tie, he gestured towards the seat opposite to him. "Take a seat. I presume you know of... some of our problems?"
Gimero slid into the seat and picked up the bread in front of him. "The fact that Herobrine is running around with a mob army? Hard not to notice. They took my... friend slash bodyguard." When a look of confusion spread across the table, he clarified with "He sent my golem to the dungeons."
"Ah. He's been eliminating anyone he considers a threat that way." He blinked in realization. "Oh, my apologies. I haven't introduced myself yet! The name's Haedrik. And don't call me Haed."
He directed that last comment to me, and I shrugged.
"Guilty."
He slowly turned his gaze to Gimero, who made some weird hand gesture and replied with "Gimero." Looking around once again at the weird looks at the table, he shrank into his seat.
"Forget it." He muttered. Quan seemes to be the only one that understood those gestures, and he was nodding in approval. He leaned to me and whispered "It's a traditional greeting in Boreas culture. Surprised he even knew that."
"Well, he is the Guided." I whispered back. "He knows all."
"Shut the fuck up." Quan whispered, exasperated. We returned our attention to the conversation.
"...long has he been around?" Gimero was asking, and I popped in.
"Herobrine?" I clarified, getting a nod in response. "About... a month and a week or so?"
Gimero spoke under his breath, but no one heard him. "Alright. And where do I fit into all this?"
"Well, as you know, the Manyullyn Sword were devout followers of Solomon," Haed(rik) started. "He predicted that Cowardice is Key or something?"
"Yep." Gimero simply said, not saying anything further.
"We believe that the prophecy is talking about what is going on here." He concluded. "We have a... simple mission for you. Quan?"
"Yes!" Quan stepped forward. "But we're going need to explain more of what's going on in Zhoria to actually... proceed."
"Ah, yes. I get ahead of myself at times." Haed chuckled. "Zhoria... has always been a rough place. Even before we settled down here... say, a decade or two ago, it was dubbed the 'City of Crime.'"
"I know all this." Gimero waved his hand. "But to reiterate - Zhoria was split into factions?"
"...yes." Quan confirmed. "Is that also part of your Guided knowledge?"
"A bit of that and a bit of reading." Gimero shrunk down as everyone was staring at him. "Is... there something wrong?"
"We will discuss that matter later," Haedrik shot Quan a curious look. "But yes. The factions are as follows-"
"The Thieves Guild, the Black Market, the Militia and the Nobles." Gimero interrupted. Wincing, he quickly apologized with "That was the reading. Kinda... just came out."
"That was not the reading." Quan shook his head. "You may be good with words, but the Militia is a new faction. It was made a month ago; it would not have been written into any books as of yet."
"I-" Gimero looked down. "I don't know how I knew that." Shaking his head violently, he looked at Haed. "What's the mission?"
"I need you and Quan to deliver this shulker box." He stated, holding up a red shulker box. "It goes to the Militia. They're based in..." he paused, but when Gimero shrugged, he finished "The town hall. It's in the fourth district. Quan, I wish to speak with you alone before you go."
"Yes, sir!" Quan stood straight. Everyone else funneled out of the room, me the last to go when Haed spoke up "Meta. You... can stay if you wish."
"Then I wish!" I slid into a chair. "Is this about the Guided?"
"There hasn't been a Guided like him since... well, the beginning of Minecraftia." Haed noted. "He's... powerful. If his knowledge grows to know events that are happening currently, he'll be possibly more dangerous then a Crafter in the wrong hands."
"Well... he's in the right hands?" I shrugged, not knowing where I was going with that sentence.
"He's in no hands." Quan corrected. "Just the way he needs to be."
"Yes." Haed agreed. "My fellow councilmen would disagree with that sentence, however. I can already tell they see him as a tool, not a person."
Quan sighed. "I'll watch out for him. Have you gotten any word about Riley?"
Haed leaned back in his chair, his face fitting his age - around fifty. "No. But I'm sure she wants my head mounted on her wall still."
I raised an eyebrow. "I can search for her as they deliver the package. After all-"
"Great idea!" Quan interupted. "So, uh, let's get into business?"
Haed smiled good-naturedly. "Yes. Let's."
[Gimero]
The city of Zhoria is split into 5 districts.
The very bottom of the mountain, where the slums were, was district 5. That's where the poor lived; the homeless. Sadly, this is where the majority of people lived.
The district above it, district 4, was where the middle class lived - only in a slightly better condition than the one on 5. District 3 was where the market was, essentially a commercial district. District 2 was where the rich lived, in their fancy mansions, and lastly, district 1. The castle atop of Zhoria. Looking up at it from district 4, I remembered what Alex had saw.
"Gimero and Josie have to go to... Zorie? Zhoria. Although… there was an obsidian castle, and a dark smoke was swirling around it… protecting it. I don't know what's there, but… it's not good."
Not only was the castle not swirling with black smoke, but it wasn't made of obsidian. Remembering what she said to me alone, I shook it out of my head.
Quan looked at me concernedly. "You good?"
I nodded. "Sorry. Just... bad nerves. I already miss Josie."
"We'll get her back, don't worry." He gave me a reassuring smile, then looked at the shulker box. "I wonder what's in here..."
"Well, I don't." I shuddered. "It's never a good sign when you're told not to look inside something."
"9 times out of 10, yes." He slid it into his belt. "Let's get it delivered."
The town hall wasn't hard to locate - after all it was a giant tower. It couldn't have been easier to spot if there was a beacon in it. I decided not to recall my last experience in a tower and walked alongside Quan.
"You're less... extreme then the last engineer I met." I noted, trying to start some small talk.
"I'm not a genius," He admitted. "I don't prize myself on engineering. I'm more of a jack of all trades, master of none. Engineering is just what I'm best at."
"Are you better at stealth then Meta?" I asked, looking at the waving colour splotched human.
Quan looked up and his eyes widened. He tackled me to the ground as a diamond axe narrowly missed us both.
We rolled to a stop and popped to our feet. A viking-esque woman stood in front of us, two axes at her side. Behind her was a wincing figure I couldn't make out.
"I didn't want you to kill them!" The figure complained. She had a very, ah, smooth voice. Melodious.
I pulled out my pan. "I'm assuming one of you is Riley?" I asked, trying to sound less terrified than I was. I had gotten the briefing about why Meta was following, so I knew about the Riley threat.
"These two? Seriously?" The viking scoffed. "Look at the chef. He's practically shaking."
The woman stepped out of the vikings shadow. She was tall and lithe, with long flowing blonde hair. She wore a brown coat with a white undershirt, which complemented he - I mean, uh, her aesthetic. Her hazel eyes investigated me, and I felt a sense of heat in my body.
Then she looked at a fallen item.
The shulker box.
[Herobrine]
"I'm not a fool, Veronica." I said coldly, sitting in the throne of Zhoria. "I know who your companion is. Fryr? I mean, come on. Who has a name like that?"
She looked downwards, brushing her silk blue dress. "His name is Gimero. I don't see where he fit's into all this, however."
I leaned forward on the stone throne. "Gimero. He's the Guided. A strong one, too, if my information is correct. And as you know, I get this information from... him."
Veronica nodded. "He certainly is powerful. And rarely wrong. But... Guided?"
I stood up from my throne and grabbed my golden scythe. "Yes. He is the companion of the 14th Crafter, and must be taken out of play, one way or another."
"Surely you won't..." Veronica swallowed.
"Not if I must." I turned to my right hand. "Send orders out. Capture the Guided at first sight. If he resists... you know what to do." I looked at Veronica. "Go."
BanjoNote: As you can see, At First Sight can mean MANY different things. Namely, three.
Introduced lots of characters in this chapter, including Riley, who is, ah, complicated. Who is she? Why does she have beef with Haedrik? And did Banjo seriously just lie to you about romance?
...
Next Chapter: One-two, Prisoners before you! Until then, Read, Review, Favourite and Follow.