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1
Ranboo was late. Oh dear Prime he was so late. Tubbo must have been waiting for ages now, what would his (platonic) husband think when Ranboo turned up thirty minutes after the time they agreed to meet? It was such a special day as well; they were going to be taking Michael out on a walk for the first time since they brought him to the Overworld - just around the Snowchester perimeter, but you could never be too careful on a server like this.
Ranboo had just been too wrapped up in - what were they calling it? The Syndicate. Ranboo liked Technoblade, Philza and Niki, plus it was nice to be a part of a group again , so he agreed to join the organisation. He wasn’t quite sure what exactly this involvement would entail in the future - for he vowed to choose sides and not people - but with Techno part of the group Ranboo is pretty sure that a tyrannical government wouldn’t be formed. Plus, they all seemed hell-bent on destroying The Egg, which was certainly something he could get behind.
But for now, Ranboo was currently sprinting towards Snowchester as fast as his legs would take him - which was pretty fast, considering his Enderman DNA.
“Ranboo! Buddy! Where have you been, man? Me and Michael have been waiting here for you, haven’t we little man?” Tubbo stood in the doorway of his Snowchester cottage, a bundled-up Michael perched on his hip. Foolish hadn’t finished the mansion yet, so he was still residing in the house he built himself when he first arrived in the area that would soon turn into Snowchester.
Michael looked adorable smothered in layers upon layers of winter clothing - Tubbo was obviously worried that their son’s origin place of the Nether would mean that he would freeze up as soon as he touched the open air of the snow biome. Better safe than sorry, Ranboo thought, though it did appear that Tubbo had forgotten how they had transported him there in the first place. Michael let out a little snort when he saw Ranboo hopping up the steps to the house and into his eyeline - his eyesight wasn’t particularly great, considering his zombified nature.
“Prime, Tubbo! I’m sorry I just got so caught up-” What could Ranboo say exactly? He was pretty sure the manifesto declared that members shouldn’t tell any ‘outsiders’ about The Syndicate, though his memory was certainly spotty at times. This was only but an hour ago, though, so Ranboo didn’t spend too much time dwelling on that possibility. Besides, he was fairly certain his memory was beginning to get better…
“Caught up in what, big man? Thought we picked this day because neither of us had any ‘adult responsibilities’ or something like that. Pah!” Tubbo’s voice took on a slightly deranged tone towards the end, though his attention was quickly brought back to Michael when he let out a small squeal at his side - possibly due to Tubbo’s tightening grip. “Oh! Hey, Michael. No, everything’s alright buddy. Anyways- Ranboo! What did you say you were up to?”
“Oh! I, uhm. Yeah you see Tubbo I was just… a-at book club! Yes, book club, hm. Gotta love those books, am I right? Eh, man?” Well, this wasn’t quite a lie from Ranboo. No - he was technically discussing ‘books’, which was what had made him so late. While he could have gotten away with simply being dragged to the meeting by Techno and then immediately leaving, he had ended up chatting with Philza for a further forty minutes about Galactic. The winged man knew that Ranboo was part enderman and assumed that he would be able to help him with further enchanting the weapons and armour of the Syndicate members. Philza wasn’t wrong - Ranboo did technically know how to read Galactic (which was how he was able to max-out his own armour so quickly) however his understanding was limited unless he was in his Enderwalk headspace - not that he even remembered most of what he did when under that influence. The two had delved into conversation around an Enchanting Table, leading Philza to show Ranboo exactly what he knew already by pointing out little tips and tricks he had obviously learnt over the years. The simple Enchanting Table discussion soon led to the topic of what Enchanted Books each villager (they had oh-so nicely stored under their houses) sold.
Soon, it was forty minutes later and Ranboo was rushing through the Nether to meet Tubbo and Michael, his memory book a little heavier and his sword a little more enchanted.
Tubbo looked back at Ranboo with a deadpan face. “Dude, I can’t read.”
The two stared at each other for a little longer before bursting out into giggles, which Michael joined in with. He didn’t know what his dads were laughing about, but they sure seemed happy. After a short while their giggles died down and Tubbo spoke up again, laughter lacing his voice.
“Okay but dude, seriously. What book club? I wasn’t even aware half of this server cared about books unless they were enchanting ones.”
Ranboo attempted to level him with a look - what kind he did not know - but some sort of look nonetheless. “Oh, you know. Just me and a few… friends of mine, shall we say.” Continuing with the theme of failed facial expressions, Ranboo pursues a wink, though the motion loses some of its potency as only one eye is able to even blink. He hopes that Tubbo will catch on to what he is trying to imply - a ‘book club’ made out of Endermen, rather than of The Syndicate members. Ranboo doesn’t think Tubbo would take too kindly to Ranboo associating even further with two of the men who blew up the place he used to hold presidency over.
“Okay, okay man. I’ll leave you and your little secrets.” Tubbo waves his free hand around Ranboo’s face - or at least tries to, considering their heights. Michael is huffed up on his hip. “C’mon now, we gotta take this little monkey, uh- this little zombie piglin outside!”
The small family dissolved into laughter once again, heading out into the cold winds of Snowchester.
2
The Syndicate were having another meeting, though this one much more informal than the last. Instead of the underground bunker as their congregation place, the four of them were situated on the patio resting between Techno and Philza’s houses. It had happened by chance when Niki had popped over to the snowy biome to have a chat with Ranboo and the age-old friends had stepped outside too and joined them.
Niki looked between the three men standing before her, a giggle bubbling in her throat at the side comment Techno had made - supposedly towards Steve, who was also out on the platform with them. The piglin seemed to have properly made an attachment to the polar bear; Techno’s hand was buried deep in his fur, obviously giving him a good scratch. Niki was pondering why he’d even name a polar bear Steve of all things when another thought came to her.
“Hey guys, didn’t you two-” she gestured towards the two original members of The Syndicate in-question, “say that me and Ranboo also needed codenames? I know you’re Protesilaus, Techno and Phil you’re Zephyrus. What does that make us?”
“Oh, yes, mate! You got us there, we still need to brainstorm your codenames.” Philza nudged Techno with a patchy wing. “Techno, what do you think? I know you’re the one with all the brains for that stuff here.”
“Heh?” The iconic noise of confusion from Technoblade rang out across the snowy wasteland. “Phil, you know that’s not true. You literally suggested my name! Both of them-”
Philza’s billowing laughter cut Techno’s rant short. “Yeah, yeah, I know. Though for our syndicate codenames, you had already picked out a list of possible choices for yourself - all I had to do was say one out of the five or however many you had on that paper-”
“Guys!” Niki’s voice cut off the two men having a miniature argument in front of her. “This is, uh, wonderful and all, but should we perhaps focus on the matter at hand?”
Philza looked over at Techno with a ‘told you so’ look that only the father figure could perfect. “Quite right, Miss Nihachu. Techno?”
The aforementioned man twisted back around to look at Niki once again. “Yes. Wanna come inside and have a look at the mythology books I have stockpiled somewhere? With Phil’s keen eye for the shiny it shouldn’t be too hard to find them again. You too, Ranboo. You coming?”
With that, the four Syndicate members filed into the top layer of Techno’s house. The attic was filled with an extremely thin layer of dust, making it obvious that the house’s resident rarely slept or even entered what appeared to be the bedroom. Although, Niki supposed it appeared more like a library than a bedroom in any capacity.
Thanks to Philza’s ‘keen eye for the shiny’, as Techno put it, they soon found the old Greek mythology books and crowded around the three gold embellished covers. It was a tight fit - especially due to Philza’s damaged wings and the large heights of both Techno and Ranboo. It seemed like Niki was the only non-hybrid in The Syndicate. So far, at least - Techno had assured the other three that he was working on getting more members. Now, it just appeared like that depended on the piglin’s social prowess. Niki wouldn’t get her hopes up too high.
“Okay so, that one tells of the Greek gods and all that-” Techno pointed at the book on the far right, “then this one is about, uh, yeah- that one is Greek heroes -” the middle book was gestured to, “and then that one!” The book on the left got a furious hand waved at it. “That one is just- everything else. I don’t know guys! The Greeks had a lot on their minds. You know they’re famous for their philosophers-”
The four of them quickly got to work devouring the three books. Techno had nipped up the one about Greek heroes like it was a block of gold, the man obviously having a preference to which book he got. Philza picked up the one about the Greek gods much more calmly. Niki and Ranboo took the last miscellaneous book for the both of them to read together, for they were the least knowledgeable on this subject. Silence settled down upon The Syndicate like a blanket until Ranboo piped up.
“Oh, hey! I think I might know a bit about this maybe, if I can remember of course. It’s all like Percy Jackson, right? Tubbo was telling me about it- or maybe it was… No it was definitely Tubbo it couldn’t have been-”
Techno’s book slammed shut. “Don’t say that, don’t say that Ranboo I will- Prime. Imagine thousands of years of mythology getting passed down through oral storytelling - since before writing was invented - and the people know it from Percy Jackson . Imagine! Percy Jackson- Ranboo I will punch you in the face, I will punch you in the face right here-”
“Woah! Okay, c’mon mate.” Philza brought up a wing in front of Techno’s face. “Calm down a little, eh? I’m sure Ranboo didn’t mean it all like that.”
“Just- don’t bring that up around me. Alright, Ranboo? Nothing fills me with fury more.” As quick as he had stood up, Techno was back down on the bed, book in hand and dust cloud in the air.
Ranboo simply stared up at him, eyes wide. “Well I mean, I’m sure there are a few things that might fill you with fury more, like-”
“Ranboo.” Niki hesitantly piped in.
“Uh, yes. Sorry, uhm-”
“Hey! I think I might have found something here. For you actually, Ranboo.” Niki leant forwards in order to show the others what was within her book. “Lethe - how does that sound? It’s all to do with forgetfulness. It was a river in the Greek underworld that, if you touched it, would cause you to lose all of your memories.”
Ranboo shook his head with a laugh. “Seems pretty on-brand, if I’m honest.”
“Sorted! Lethe, welcome to The Syndicate.” Philza nods his head towards Ranboo then sharply turns to Niki, giving one clap of his hands. “And I think I may have found something for you, hm?”
Niki’s head whipped up at Philza’s comment, excitement bubbling up inside. Both she and Ranboo - as well as a now-calm Technoblade - crowded around Philza’s book this time. On the page read ‘Nemesis - Goddess of divine retribution and revenge. She showed her wrath to any human that would commit hubris, arrogance and selfishness, and was considered a remorseless goddess.’ Niki took no offence to what Philza was showing her. She supposed that if she was now going in a new direction, this was a pretty good way to go. Nemesis sounded like a revered goddess; Niki would have to read up, but she was already liking the sound of her. She wasn’t sure if the others knew of her and Jack’s plan to definitely kill Tommy, but Philza was definitely on-point with his analysis of her new role.
“Perfect! I love it Phil, thanks!”
And so the four of them began to pack up Techno’s mythology books, placing them back on the low, dusty shelves they came from. In no time they were back down the rickety ladder and heading out of the front door of the cottage. However, Niki had one last thing on her mind.
“Hey, Techno?” The man in-question gave a small ‘hm?’ and raised his head in her direction. Niki appreciated that he was giving her his full attention. “Have you ever actually read the Percy Jackson books?”
“Well- no. But-”
“Oh, excellent! I have a copy at home, if you’d like to borrow them? It’s no trouble at all, really. I will admit I quite enjoyed reading them when I was younger. Fundy and I used to pretend we were demigods and play in the woods before Wilbur called us in for dinner. It’s one of my happier memories-”
“Niki, that’s wonderful but I think I’ll be fi-”
“No no it’s really no worries at all! If anything I insist, Technoblade.” She looked up into his red eyes one last time before leaving. “I’ll bring them at our next meeting? Wonderful! Anyways, I must be off. See you Protesilaus, Zephyrus and Lethe! ‘Til the next meeting!”
And with that, Niki Nihachu was trodding back through the snow to the Nether portal a couple hundred blocks away, the only things on her mind being her new Syndicate codename and the mental to-do list consisting solely of finding her copies of Percy Jackson.
3
Techno was sitting on the floor of his ‘living room’ (if you could even call it that - he supposed it didn’t get all too much ‘living’ done in it) with Steve curled around him as his own personal heater - not that he needed it, his pilgin blood already made him run hot anyway. He placed the book he had just completed to his left and stared into the flames in front of him.
Okay, so ‘Percy Jackson’ hadn’t been that bad of a book. Techno had just held some preconceptions on the series due to the utterly annoying people he had encountered who thought they knew everything about Greek mythology just because they had read that kid’s series. Techno could agree with Niki, it was good - just definitely written for kids. Still, he had read it all - in one sitting no less. If Niki was kind enough to lend him her books then it was only courtesy that he return them to her as soon as possible. Maybe he’d even lend her a book or two back...
Oh. Chat was going wild for some reason. Maybe he’d listen in.
Or not , considering the ruckus they were currently making. Dear Prime, if Techno was going to make any sense of this then he was going to get a headache. The things they were saying usually held some resemblance of unity, but at this moment it was complete and utter chaos. Well, Techno couldn’t really expect any less now, could he?
“Woah, woah, okay Chat. What are you guys going on about? What’s all this with The Great Gatsby and-what was that? Dracula? Chat, are you telling me you don’t already know my stance on ‘Dracula’ and- oh, not Frankenstein Chat, please. You’re all starting to sound like a ‘100 books to read before you die’ list.”
Techno leaned forwards, away from the soft warmth of Steve and more towards the harsher heat of the fire. “Oh. Oh, Chat you’re trying to give me recommendations, aren’t you? Well, c’mon guys at least tell me things that I haven’t already read. There’s no way in the Nether you’re going to make me reread ‘Brave New World’ now that’s for sure. That book was something, I tell you guys.” Techno let himself pause for a second. “Okay, whoever just told me that the name ‘crayfish’ comes from the Old French word ‘escrevisse’ deserves a raise. They’re on my side right now, not what everyone else is on.”
Chat continued on with their tirade of book recommendations, though none of it was good. Continually they would just repeat books that he already has read and owns. Like always, they were no help whatsoever. Maybe he’d ask Niki for another book of hers. Techno considered it as he reached for the discarded copy of Percy Jackson and huffed himself up. However, he was quickly back down when he received a sharp pain shooting through his head. Chat had ramped up even more.
“What do you guys want ? I’m not listening to you because you’re giving me the worst book recommendations. And the worst headache! I’ve already read all of these! What? You want me to read them again? Give them to someone else to read?”
Chat gave a unanimous answer after that, which was rare in itself. ‘Niki’.
Oh. Oh . That was why they were continuing on with books he had already read. Chat made much more sense now, given that Techno finally understood the reasoning behind their incessant chatter. Book recommendations - for Niki. Okay, that could work. Techno stood back up with the help of one of his chests, for the headache Chat had caused still remained.
Technoblade made his way up to the attic where most of the books were kept. Together he and Chat rummaged through each stack and shelf he owned, slowly picking out possible books that Techno could lend to Niki in return for her kind gesture of the Percy Jackson books. For once the experience with Chat was actually fairly pleasant, bar one member’s constant interjections of crayfish facts. Funnily enough, Techno actually already knew that there are three families of crayfish. C’mon now Chat, he’s not stupid .
Soon, the pile of books to lend was towering over his head - when he was perched on the floor of course. “Hey, Chat. I don’t think we can give all of these to Niki. Yes, I know Fahrenheit 451 is a good one, especially for her; I have read it. Oh, we are definitely keeping Lord of the Flies, do not worry. Y’know, maybe we could even lend that one to Ranboo, eh? Okay I’m pretty sure Phil has read that one, though it wouldn’t be amiss to give it to him anyway. A book you have to read to be initiated? Might just be the best thing any of you have said, honestly. I’ll take you up on that one - but I won’t take you up on that crayfish fact please just shut up about the crayfish!”
Luckily, whoever was spouting crayfish facts in Chat did, in fact, shut up, meaning that the stream of consciousness Techno got to listen to 24/7 returned to consistent book recommendations. They helped sort the high pile on his right into three smaller piles surrounding him - one for Niki, Ranboo and Philza. The latter’s pile was the smallest, for he and Techno’s long-lasting friendship meant that they had typically read the same books, though it still contained a few due to Techno’s vast and niche reading categories. Chat had chanted ‘42’ for a few minutes before Techno had realised that they wanted him to put ‘A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’ in Philza’s growing pile. He was actually unsure if the winged man had read that specific book or not, but he supposed he would get a kick out of the jokes it’s created. Philza was sometimes oddly similar to Chat.
After a few more moments, Techno sat back on his heels and observed the stacks he had formulated with the help of Chat. He arose with a satisfied sigh and made his way back over to the rickety ladder in order to descend back down to the ground floor. Just as he had reached the bottom rung and reached for his communicator to organise another Syndicate meeting to deliver the books, he stopped in his tracks.
“I know I did not just hear the word ‘crawdad’ Chat! Wait- were you guys trying to think of the Babel Fish ?”
+1
Philza was sorting through the chests in his house when his eye caught the picture of Wilbur he had hung above one of the doorways. He paused his rummaging and took a moment to stare up at the image of his deceased son. It had been a few months, but the hole in his heart still stung like it had that day he pierced WIlbur’s chest. At least he had Ghostbur to try and help ease the pain. Philza hadn’t seen him for a little while now, but he was known to get lost. Maybe it was for the best at the moment anyway - Philza had The Syndicate to focus on and he didn’t need the constant reminder of his failings floating around him, haunting him.
Almost as if on cue, the spirit floated through the picture of what he’d call ‘Alivebur’, scaring Philza out of his wits and making his feathers ruffle significantly.
“Oh! Hey, mate. Haven’t seen you in a little while, where have you been? You scared me half to death.” Philza gave himself a little giggle, laughing at his own ‘Angel of Death’ joke. Ghostbur didn’t seem to catch on.
“Hello, Phil!” His airy voice wafted through the air between them. “I was… I don’t actually know where I was! But I’m here now, isn’t that cool?”
Philza chuckled at the antics of the ghost of his son. “Yeah, yeah it is mate.”
He turned back to his chests, the small moment of mourning gone. He mostly expected Ghostbur to simply hang over his shoulder like he always did, even when he was little Wilbur twenty years ago. However, the spirit decided to drift over to the items Philza had haphazardly thrown over his shoulder and onto the floor whilst he was in the process of sorting. There wasn’t much, just a few books and several stacks of spare cobblestone he had collected whilst excavating for the new basement.
Ghostbur managed to pick up one of the books strewn across the stone floor. He examined it with a careful, blank eye. “Where’s this from? I’m pretty sure I haven’t seen this before- though I might not remember… But I had that library! This wasn’t in the library, Phil.”
Dragging his attention away from his chests once again, Philza glanced over his shoulder towards the book that Ghostbur was holding up. ‘The Song of Achilles’. Oh - it was one of Niki’s.
“Ah! Yes, mate. You haven’t seen that before because it technically doesn’t belong to us. It’s Niki’s. Niki Nihachu.” Philza went to turn to his chests once again but was interrupted by Ghostbur.
“Oh! Does that make these two-” he held up two further books which had been situated on the floor, “Niki’s as well?”
Philza brought his eyes to the other two books Ghostbur was holding up. “Nah, mate. That’s from Ranboo-'' he pointed at the copy of ‘Good Omens’, “and that one is actually from Technoblade. Managed to find a book that I hadn’t read, how’s that!” A copy of ‘Animal Farm’ rested in Ghostbur’s left hand, while the other two books were held in his right.
“Books. I do love books! I used to have that library, remember? Shame it’s gone now… Oh, but why do you have so many books from other people?”
The comment had thrown Philza off-guard. It was a simple question, really, but why was he second guessing himself? He threw himself into an answer for Ghostbur though, for he disliked keeping his son waiting for too long - especially now. “We’ve just been lending each other a few from time to time, giving each other something else to read! Not much, really.”
“Sounds like you’ve got a book club going on there, Phil!” Ghostbur’s joking tone rang out through the cottage.
“Nah, mate. Just something The Syndicate have done to pass the time. Expand our reading.”
“The Syndicate?”
Philza stopped in his tracks. He had forgotten that Ghostbur hadn’t been around for a little while. The manifesto had said to not tell anyone outside of The Syndicate about the organisation, but he trusted Ghostbur. Plus, he was the spirit of his dead son with serious memory problems. Philza was pretty sure that it wouldn’t be too much of a problem telling him. He launched into an explanation.
“Ah, yes! Sorry mate, forgot you hadn’t been hanging around here all too often recently. The Syndicate is an anarchist organisation Techno and I put together. We’re tired of the tyranny infecting this server and we plan to sort it out once and for all.” Philza clapped his hands with excitement. “We’ve got a sick table and everything! Found it underground. That’s where we hold most of the meetings as well. Oh, actually! In a recent meeting - you won’t believe this! Techno likened me to Arthur Dent! Like, what? Prime, I spent the rest of that session explaining to him exactly why I was not Arthur Dent, thank you very much! Niki and Ranboo didn’t have much to say on the topic really, they hadn’t read ‘A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’. Lent them the copy though!”
“So, uh-”
“So then at the next meeting they could come back in with their own opinions formed, yes! They agreed with me, obviously. Don’t know what Techno was thinking when he said that, honestly. I will admit, though - not a big fan of Thursdays myself. Oh, it was a riveting discussion!”
Ghostbur stared at Philza with an odd look on his face. “What you’re saying is that you and The Syndicate periodically swap books with each other and then... discuss them?”
“Well, I mean. I guess that is what’s been happening for the past, uh, month or so?” Philza gave Ghostbur a puzzled look. “What are you getting at mate?”
Ghostbur burst out into a fit of laughter. He managed to calm down just enough to be able to speak. “Philza Minecraft! I think what you’re describing is a book club! The Syndicate is a book club!” Airy laughter rang out across the stone once again.
“No! We just, uh, we just…” A dawning look of realisation overcame Philza’s face. “Dear Prime, we’re-”
Philza ran out the door to his cottage and across to Techno’s own. He burst open the double doors to see the other man curled up with Steve in front of the fire, Ranboo’s copy of ‘Vibe Bodies’ clasped between his hands.
“Mate, I think we might actually be a book club!”