Episode 1, Chapter 1: Into the Dark
This was a bad situation to be in, Jess thought as their sword poofed into nothing. They took a step back, raising their arm up in self-defense, black hair swaying behind them as they moved, dodging the zombies flailing attacks.
"Lousy stupid goddamn-!" Their yell echoed through the mine, Jess tripping, falling on their rear as the zombies closed in. Before they could even flinch, they found themself covered in rancid goo and rotting flesh, three zombie heads neatly on the ground. "-swords..."
Shink. They looked up to see Petra, mint eyes sparkling in the dim light as she held out her hand. They both recoiled as their hands connected, Petra pulling Jess to their feet. "Maybe don't use stone next time?" She said, rolling her eyes as Jess playfully slugged her shoulder, smearing more of the zombie juice onto Petra, who half-gagged.
"Yeah, like you're one to talk." Jess retorted snarkily, pointing out Petra's sword. She rolled her eyes, shrugging. "What, no defense to my perfect case?"
"Your Honor, the mayor doth protest too much." Petra snorted, waving a hand as Jess glared, stomping their foot.
"I'm not a mayor!" They folded their arms, face scrunching. "I'm a hero in residence! There's a big difference."
"Whatever! Where's the others?" Petra put a hand on her chin, closing her eyes. "Last I checked, it was gonna be all of us - yet I only see you?"
"Axel and Olivia had their things - Something about an explosion rally in Boomtown and a big dance in Redstonia…" Jess waved their arms pathetically. "And y'know… Lukas with that book…" They sighed. "Man, I miss them."
"...Same." Petra shrugged, sighing. "Not our fault they thought that stuff was more important than their friends though."
"Oh hush! They've been growing up just like us, Pets - They don't have time to squeeze this stuff in anymore." Jess said. Truthfully, even Jess barely had time anymore - they were caught up in talking with their citizens that they ended up being late. Not that… Petra seemed to mind? If she did, she hadn't brought it up.
"I wish they did." She sighed, pulling her sword out and eyeing the edge. "Be fun to have a… well, another adventure with them. It's been a whole decade now, y'know?" She laughed, pretending to stab the air. "They'd benefit from a chance to hang up the bureaucratic frills and just… hang out like old times."
"And ditch their citizens?" Jess tilted their head. "They both run whole towns now - cities, even."
"Hm. Maybe I should start my own city; that'd get them to pay attention huh?" Petra put her sword away, hand meeting her chin in thought as she began to stride down the mines, Jess following her.
"And where would you find the land for it, anyway?" Jess asked. "Everything's been growing so fast… and you can't just put it across the way from Beacontown."
"Well yeah; some bozo already decided Champion City goes there." Petra rolled her eyes. "I remember how confused you were when you saw the towers going up - 'oh wowie Petra, what are those big shiny towers across the street?'" She mocked playfully, arms waving around as Jess scoffed.
"I did not say it like that." They protested, folding their arms as Petra laughed. "Whaaaat?"
"You totally did! Photographic memory, remember?"
"Pets, if your memory is photographic, then you've got a really bad camera." Jess snickered, hand splatting against Petra's back as the narrow mine opened up into a larger cavern, the two stopping at a ledge. Petra looked down, kneeling and pointing.
"See that?" She knelt, pointing as a vague figure trotted away. "That's what I wanted you to see."
"It… looks like just a llama to me."
"But what's a llama doing in the mines, Jess?!" Petra haphazardly grabbed Jess' shoulders, gently shaking them. "Llamas aren't trained for that! They can't even wear hats!"
"I mean, obviously we just need to get the llama out 'cause it's dangerous for a llama to be in the mines…" Jess mumbled, snickering as Petra realised her friend was still covered in not-quite-dry zombie guts, shaking her hands and gagging with her tongue out. "Oh yeah. Don't touch me. I'm definitely gonna need a bath after your little performance earlier."
"Whatever." Petra mumbled, looking at her hands and sighing. "Let's grab her- it- and get the heck outta here."
"Her, huh? You on familiar terms with this llama then, Petra?" Jess asked, the two of them starting to climb down.
"Uh, well… Hm… you could say that, you could not… I would prefer if you didn't, actually…" She mumbled, feet hitting the ground below. Jess followed not too far behind, turning and pointing as the growl of zombies grew closer.
Petra shrugged, wordlessly turning around and darting into another narrow tunnel. Jess followed her, the two nervously glancing at the spiders that clung to the cave walls.
"We got this!" Petra declared, nervously laughing.
"You got this! I don't 'got' a sword!" Jess protested, ducking as a spider fell from the ceiling.
"Punch 'em!" Petra shrugged. Obviously that was the most sensible advice.
Jess sighed. Was this really their morning routine now? Wake up, talk to their intern, walk down to the Order Hall, talk to the New Order, leave with them (+intern), then remember this excursion with Petra, suddenly their sword breaks because whoops local idiot mayor didn't bring their one good iron sword, and now is being dragged on a wild llama chase courtesy of Pets. Yep. It's Founding Day prep alright. They groaned, punching and kicking spiders as they drew near.
They turned around, nodding at the spiders as they turned their head to look ahead. A break in the path - and a nice lava trap for these webby idiots. They jumped, landing seamlessly on the other side as the spiders tumbled helplessly into the searing lava. Petra gasped, pointing down the hall.
"Llama spotted!" she yelled, sprinting ahead.
"Villagers win." Jess mumbled flatly, picking up their own pace to match Petra's as the two stumbled into a much larger cave, Jess kicking away three spiders as they tripped, hands feebly gripping at some gravel - which, predictably, crumbled in their hands, nearly allowing the lava behind it to melt their face - had Petra not grabbed them by the collar and dragged them out of the way.
"Not writing your obituary for at least another 40 years, Jess." Petra snarked as they got up, shaking their head.
"Like you can write to begin with." They snickered, rolling their eyes as they darted ahead, jumping into a pit. Petra followed not far behind, the two landing in front of a narrow pathway.
Petra jogged ahead wordlessly, Jess sneaking through as they both appeared in another part of the cave, Petra pointing at the llama below them.
"There she is. Her owner's going to be… so happy to see her." She groaned, jumping down silently. Jess followed behind.
"You started a… llama retrieval service? I've heard weirder, I guess…" Jess rolled their eyes.
"Well… This is a very… uh… important llama. Veerrry valuable." Petra sighed. "Look, just help me get her out of here and back to the surface, will you?"
Jess nodded, somewhat begrudgingly. "Yeah, I can help… I guess."
The two snuck up on the llama, Petra staying behind as Jess quietly clicked their tongue, getting the llama's attention… only for it to hoof them in the face, sending them careening back with such force to slam them into the wall, their iron armor poofing into nothing.
"OW! Son of a-" Jess swore loudly, clutching their face as Petra darted ahead, leaping onto the llama's back. Unsurprisingly, the llama furiously bucked, chucking Petra onto the ground and running off.
"Ow.. ow ow ow ow…" Jess whimpered, Petra snickering as she helped them to their feet. "Ohh… oh that's gonna leave a mark…"
"Lemme see it." Petra said softly, moving Jess' hands away and wincing. "Oh, yeesh… she got you good, dude."
"Wonderful. Freakin' wonderful." Jess mumbled, grumbling as Petra kept batting their hands away from their face. "Come on! I'm not a kid!"
"You also have a broken nose, dude." She lifted their hand up, revealing red on their knuckles, before dropping it and using one of her fingers to show them a more direct example. "You poking at it isn't going to do you any favours." She shook her head, wiping her finger on Jess' shirt.
"Dragon's Breath, Pets, at least wipe it on my suspenders - less time I have to spend applying dye to bloodstains the better." They grumbled, digging their hands in their pockets.
"Oh, trust me, that sweater's a lost cause." Petra replied, waving dismissively. "Come on; it's darker up ahead - I'll make us a couple torches.
They made their way to a crafting table, Petra placing two sticks and two chunks of coal together to make two torches - handing one to Jess in the process as the two entered the darker passageway. Jess' tongue clicks echoed in the narrow cavern, but failed to attract any rogue llamas.
"You oughta take the lead." Petra said. "Only fair the mayor takes the lead, yknow?"
"I'm not the mayor!" Jess protested, rolling their eyes. "Leader! Hero in Residence! Genderdimensional Parental Unit!"
"Bureaucrat. Paperwork-doer. Intern-haver." Petra snickered. "Face it, you've transitioned well past 'Hero in Residence' right into mayor-town. Or… Mayor-of-town."
"Wouldn't that imply the people elected me?" Jess tilted their head. "I don't think we've ever actually had an election. Or passed… laws for that matter. We don't even have a police force."
"We still have a power structure held down by 2-5 crusty old heroes; depends who we can pry from their daily lives."
"We aren't crusty or old, Petra."
"Give it a few years." Petra snickered, shining her torch as the path widened. The llama was perched menacingly on a gravel pillar, glaring at them. "I- how the hell did she get up there?"
"Don't know, don't care. That's gravel - help me knock her down a peg." Jess snickered, sticking the torch to one of the stone walls and punching the gravel, knocking it loose and prompting the llama to fall down, Petra catching her as the gravel fully gave way, revealing a massive cavern behind it.
"What the fu-?" Jess muttered, only to get hushed by Petra.
"Don't fucking swear in front of the llama!" She hissed, peeking into the cavern with Jess. "What in the…?"
Before them, surrounded by the cold stone walls of a seemingly-undiscovered ravine, was a strange pyramid. Sea lanterns made the corners, each edge made of what looked like… cyan sand. But that wasn't possible. Floating at the top, idle and alone, was a single gauntlet, glowing.
The two looked at each other, then at the pyramid. The llama bleated cautiously, quietly following the two of them into the cavern. The floor, starting as stone, quickly gave way to a bizarre mix of prismarine and the same cyan sand from before, sea lanterns making a line directly up to the odd gauntlet.
"Almost like it's guiding us to the gauntlet." Jess muttered as Petra's eyes widened, head turning towards the gauntlet. "You good?"
"It's calling my name." She said, voice going from energetic and bubbly to… somber. Low. Slower than normal.