The City (Merome AU)

21

~*Jerome*~

It feels like my head is being torn in half. Maybe even quarters... ugh! It hurts to think. Groaning, I roll out of the bed and rub my eyes. What happened yesterday? Why does my head hurt this much? I look around the room for a few moments before stumbling out and down the stairs.

"Jerome! You're awake!" My grandmother's voice was cheery, but it was making the pain worse. "Where were you last night?" I hold my index finger up toward her for a moment before heading into the kitchen for a glass of water. Where are those dang pain killers? After a few more moments of stumbling around, I finally find what I want.

"Are you alright sweetheart?" Grandma asks once I'm done; her eyes were filled with worry.

"Ye-yeah. I'm fine," I mumble, rubbing my head. "Just a bad headache."

"Ah. I see." She lowers her voice slightly. "If you don't mind me asking, where were you last night? You weren't here until after curfew."

"After curfew?" What was I doing out that late? "I don't remember."

"Hmm." Grandma walks over and places a hand on my forehead. "You're not sick," she murmurs, mostly to herself. "Strange. Anyways, you should go rest your head. Your grandfather and I will watch the shop while you're resting. It seems that you've been busy lately."

"Good idea."

"Oh and by the way," I look over at her. "Your friend Benjamin is asleep in the guest room. Maybe when he wakes up he can clear some things up for you." Benjamin? Oh. She means Mitch. I almost forgot they call him that.

"I'll see." I start to head up the stairs. He better explain what happened. If he doesn't he'll have other things, aside from Woofless, to worry about. Once I'm at the top of the stairs, I head straight to the guest room.

Opening the door, I look in. As expected, I see him knocked out cold on the bed. One thing about it, he looks harmless when he's asleep. Then again, most people probably do to. Taking a deep breath, I close the close the door behind me and walk over to the bed. "Wake up idiot," I say loudly, flicking his head. "you have some explaining to do." He flinches and groans quietly.

"What do you want?" He mutters, his eyes still closed. Answers.

"Why was I out past curfew last night?" Mitch sits up while I ask the question, yawning and rubbing his eyes. He wasn't wearing a shirt. He's not wearing a shirt...

"What do you mean?" He looks over at me with tired eyes, clearly only half awake.

"What happened last night? I don't remember anything."

"Oh. Last night," he pauses. "It was dark and we were starting to head back when you hit your head on something." I can't tell if he's lying or not...

"Oh. Well that would explain the headache, but that doesn't explain why we were out so late."

"You lost track of time I guess." He shrugs before yawning again. "Can I go back to sleep now?"

"What do you mean only I lost track of time? Can't you read?" Mitch pauses his movements before looking away from me. Did I say something wrong? "D-did I-"

"No," He says quietly. No? No to what?

"Could you be more specific?" I ask, sitting down on the bed.

"No, I can't read." His voice was almost silent. "My father never taught me."

"Oh." I look at the ground in front of me. "I'm sorry, I didn't know. I just assumed-"

"It's fine. A lot of people assume things."

"Is something bothering you?"

"Define bothering," he mutters, running a hand through his hair. "I'm just stressed."

"About what?" I look back at him in confusion.

"Your safety."

~*Nooch*~

I can't believe I have it. I actually have it. The compass of the ancient minecraftian general Vikke is in my very hands. I'm one step closer to being the richest man alive...

"Nooch." I look over to see Woofless standing nearby. "Why are you so interested in that heap of metal? What use is it to us?"

"This compass will lead us to the memorial of the shortest woman that ever lived on this planet." I say, mostly to myself, running my fingers over the ancient language carved onto the bottom of the compass. "Or that's what the rumours say at least."

"Sounds dumb," Woofless mumbles, flicking something off his shoulder.

"This woman was also one of the greatest soldiers of her time. Even with her small stature, she could beat anyone in a fight. Even you Woofless." He laughs at my words, making me frown slightly. How dare he laugh at history.

"That's a hilarious assumption Nooch. What's next? You're her descendant?" He starts laughing again.

"No, no." I shake my head. "She died at a very young age. One of the many mysteries about her is how she died."

"Is another how she was allowed to join an army?" Woofless states sarcastically.

"Yes actually! All documents from that time were destroyed in the war, so it's hard to learn anything about her."

"Funny you know so much about this person who lived in the past. Tell me, what do you expect to find at this memorial anyways?"

"There is a plaque made entirely out of diamond. And if we can get that, we will be the richest people alive." I say with a proud smile. I'll be the richest man alive, and my father will no longer be ashamed of me.

"Right. Money. To be honest, it's not my dream to have a lot of money," Woofless states with a sigh.

"Really? Then what is it?"

"I want to be more feared than Lone Wolf. I want to have a name for myself; for people to cower in fear the second the hear the name 'Woofless.' Money just doesn't do that for me."