PART SEVEN: DIVIDED ALLEGIANCE
I jogged over the plains just beyond the ruins of the village, giving the sun a baleful look. It was nearly noon already. I was almost out of time. So, panting, I pushed myself a little harder, and crested the hill victoriously and very out of breath. As soon as I was able to straighten, I took out my obsidian.
The design was a very simple one. A Nether portal was four blocks wide, and five tall. With a quick spark from a flint-and-steel, the portal would activate, filling the empty frame with the bright purple whirls that would take you to another dimension. That's exactly what I did, with as much haste as possible.
The wind picked up suddenly, blowing back the hood of my cloak. Annoyed, I put away my flint and steel and reached to flip it back in place again. But before I did, I paused, certain that I had just seen something out of my peripheral vision. A flash of blue, of the same shade that Steve clothes were of. I glanced in the direction I saw it in, but there was nothing there but the trees. Shrugging, I replaced my cowl and stepped into the portal. I had the strangest feeling as I went through, as though I was being watched, but I couldn't put my finger quite on it. Then the whorls filled my vision.
As I stepped into the heat of the Nether, I immediately felt Herobrine's presence seeking me out. It grew stronger until I felt the barest of sensations across my forehead, like an Overworld breeze.
There you are, he thought-whispered.
I blinked briefly. Herobrine was suddenly standing before me, in his phantom-corporeal form. The most vague of smiles touched his lips as he regarded me.
"Welcome back," he said. "At the moment of your arrival, I consider the time limitation of the wager fulfilled, as you have arrived within the thirty-day period. Feel free to take your time in coming to the fortress. I will await you there with an escort. We have very much to talk about." Then he vanished, leaving a glowing trail in his wake. I followed the trail, which led onto a Nether brick pathway leading to the entry causeways into the fortress.
An escort was indeed awaiting me at the gate: another squad of iron-clad wither skeletons. However, this time, their swords were sheathed, and they waited patiently for me to mount the stairs before making a formation around me. They led me forward on my command.
Silently, my skeletal escort took me to the great black doors that went to the throne room. There, they turned and left. With a small shrug, I put my hands to the doors and pushed inwards, letting myself into the awe-inspiring hall.
Herobrine was already seated on his throne when I entered, resting his weight on one elbow and his lips against one clenched fist- a habitual pose I was beginning to recognize. He looked up at me and straightened as I strode down the runner rug. I stopped just short of the dais, forcing myself to take an easy stance. Herobrine smiled briefly.
"I am glad you have returned, Huntress. You mustn't doubt the value of this mission you have completed." he said in greeting. I cocked my head at him.
"I'm only here to complete the wager," I replied, "Where would you like me to begin?"
"Well," Herobrine said, sliding one elbow down the armrest and leaning forward, "I would like to know what conclusions you have reached on your own. What did you find in the End that is responsible for all of my troubles?" he asked. I clasped my hands tightly behind my back.
"A dragon," I stated. "A creature that originated in the void and has enslaved the Endermen." Herobrine suddenly froze, narrowing his eyes. His mouth formed a tight line as those glowering white eyes moved from me to some point on the armrest and back to me, icy hard.
"What did this dragon look like?" His voice was indecipherable. I swallowed, sensing Herobrine's distress.
"It was black, and scaled. Wings like a bat, and spikes running down its spine. It was huge- bigger than a ghast. And it had...eyes sort of like an Enderman, but...brighter. Burning. You could feel it when it looked at you, and all of its hatred." I couldn't seem to find the right words to describe it. Herobrine stood suddenly when I finished, eyes somewhere off in the distance. His hands clenched into fists, and slowly, he refocused on me.
"I...remember such eyes," He said, "Eyes as deep as the Void, fiery with malice...long ago..." Herobrine's eyes slid shut momentarily.
"Come with me," he said when his eyes reopened. "I want to know everything, down to the very smallest detail." Intrigued, I followed him to his study, where he sat me down at his table, sweeping aside and stacking all the loose leafs of paper. He put a sheaf of blank pages before him, and picked up a quill, fully loaded with ink. Sensing my cue, I went into my tale, starting with the moment Dragon and I stepped out of the Nether portal, thirty days ago.
I had only just finished relaying all the events up until my most recent reawakening when Herobrine stopped me. It was over an hour later, and my mouth had grown dry from all my talking.
Herobrine had been making notes as I spoke, writing it down in that strange language that I had seen in the Book of Herobrine and Chronicle III. Here and there, he had made little sketches, though of what I couldn't tell. Now he sat back in his seat and put his hand to his chin, tapping a long, graceful finger to his lips. I knew that look from my past conversations with him. He was planning something, putting together all the pieces of information he had and deciding how he would proceed from there. His brows came together momentarily, almost as if he had realized something out of place.
My belly loudly growled.
I ducked my head, embarrassed, as Herobrine looked up at me with a bemused expression.
"It would seem that I have neglected a certain necessity as a host." he said, standing from his chair. Stacking up his notes, he put the quill away and went over to the door, opening it for me. I stood up from my seat, stretching my back to relieve some of the stiffness, and went out the door with Herobrine.
I was led down the corridor to the left and through an ornate golden door frame fitted with two iron doors. Herobrine opened them with a wave of his hand, and gestured for me to enter.
The room was a smaller one, but still beautifully built. It was the same style as the throne room, but with a more relaxed atmosphere. The floor and walls were all white quartz, and the windows were purple and black stained glass, but the floor was mostly covered with a rug of purple, and there was a beautiful gold and quartz hearth at the far end. A table dominated the center of the room, with two places already set and with steaming platters of food at the ready. The smell made me slightly dizzy- I realized that I hadn't eaten since I had last respawned.
I sat down in the seat that Herobrine pulled out for me, to his right just off of the head seat at the table. I examined the food on the plate before me as he seated himself: Salmon, cooked well and served on a bed of carrots and potatoes, with melon on the side. A delicacy in the Overworld, as salmon were hard to catch.
Herobrine raised his glass to me in a brief echo of a toast.
"My thanks to you for your courage and determination in bringing me the information that you did. I cannot express to you the importance of what you have done."
I mumbled something along the lines of 'you're welcome' and averted my eyes from his. He was getting me tongue-tied again, only this time, in a completely different, non-hostile way. It had to be those eyes, which would peer at me from through his bangs or over the rim of his glass. Those eyes that had seen the beginning of time and the most unspeakable horrors. I wondered for a moment if he had that sort of effect on everyone at one point or another. He probably did.
Trying to relax, I focused on the food. The salmon was delicious- tender and succulent, filled with flavorful juices, and wonderfully spiced. My appetite took over from there. I had to concentrate not to inhale the nectar and ambrosia before me. Herobrine simply let me eat, smiling warmly at me whenever I paused to glance up. He barely touched his food, taking only a few delicate bites and sipping from his glass. He seemed distracted, but I didn't reflect on this while there was food before me.
At last, I sat back with a contented sigh, setting my silverware down on my plate. Herobrine took it and put it aside with his, clearing space for us on the tabletop. He clasped his hands together atop the linen tablecloth, leaning forward slightly. I sat up a little straighter, knowing we were getting back down to business.
"There are still a few things I would like to ask you, Huntress," Herobrine began. "First, when the Endermen first attacked you in the Overworld, you say the battle went like this: One Enderman teleported into the room where you were gathered with your fellow Steves. Three more were waiting in the hall to fight, and another simply ran when you appeared. Are you certain it went specifically in this order? Particularly the Enderman that fled?" I nodded. Herobrine kept going.
"Second, when you went to the End, you say that you came close enough to Endermen to actually hear and see them, but you had no close encounters then? As if you went unnoticed?" I nodded again.
"Third, when you were attacked in the End, you were not actually cut or stabbed, only wrestled with and bruised. Then you were teleported onto the plain you described, with the towers holding the energy crystals, correct?" I nodded once more, beginning to suspect where this was going.
"And finally," Herobrine said, eyes on mine, "you were deliberately cast onto the energy crystal by the Endermen, that much is clear, and as a consequence, you were telepathically linked to the dragon via the crystal's energy. What were the specific words that he said to you again?" I closed my eyes, trying to put the pieces together for myself. What was Herobrine getting at?
"He said," I said softly, "'You will be mine, mortal'. I'm not entirely sure what he meant by that. I saw a lot of things he intended to do..." Herobrine nodded knowingly.
"Such as the destruction of all the world. To make Minecraft one with the Void." I looked at him questioningly. Herobrine gave me a dismissive gesture.
"I still remember what it meant to do," he said, "if not what it actually was. Not all of my memories will return, and there are many things I needed to know. Now, what is interesting me is why the dragon marked you for his own." His voice lowered and he seemed to muse to himself for the last statement. My eyebrows knitted together in surprise.
"Mark me?" I asked incredulously. Herobrine looked up at me and nodded curtly.
"Indeed. Allow me to explain," he said in a businesslike tone. "First, you were led to find the End portal. You did not discover it by mistake. It was put there for a strategic reason. Second, Endermen can see and hear much more than a Steve. They would have seen and heard you long before you saw or even heard them. I can only assume that they allowed you to think that you were not noticed and tracked you. Third, when you were attacked, you were not attacked to be harmed. Rather, it was to move you in the most effective way possible to the right position: to meet the dragon. Fourth, the bond that was made between you and the dragon with the energy crystal is how the mark is put into place. The moment you leave the Nether, the Endermen will know exactly where you are. For this, you are in grave danger."
I sort of sat there for a moment, shocked. The pieces fell into place in my mind- he was right. But there were still a few pieces missing.
"What about the End portal in the ruins- It couldn't have been put there just to let in the Endermen. There's the Stronghold for that. And...What could the dragon want with a Steve? It was able to use you against your own creation, and you have much more power." There were a few other things that I would have liked to ask, but I needed more time to ponder on them. There were too many loose strings here. Little details that didn't quite match up, like a half-finished jigsaw puzzle with the frame in place, but a few key pieces still not in place, and you couldn't quite figure out where the last ones went.
Herobrine nodded.
"That is true, but there is a deeper plot at work here. I have dealt with tapestries of schemes before, with a thousand threads, and this may be one of them. I must ponder on this." Then he said in a more cheerful tone, "Now, there is the small matter of the wager terms. Since you have done what was asked of you, you have won the wager. What would you have me do in return?" he asked. I sat back for a moment, thinking. We had a nasty situation on our hands with the dragon and all, and the future was very uncertain. At last, I thought of what I wanted.
"I need you to return to the Overworld," I said. "If not now, then soon. Your exile was meant to give you a chance to recover from your insanity, so surely you will be able to come back. I know you will be able to hide yourself from the Endermen. You were never stupid, and now you aren't mad." Herobrine's eyebrows went up.
"How do you know that you are right?" he asked, more bemused than anything else. I smiled back at him in the same way he used.
"You've changed since I last saw you only a month ago. You've gotten over your problems. You've even asked forgiveness from your brother. Marked or not, you should have enough power to cloak your presence, don't you? And you can summon Nether creatures to protect you if need be." Herobrine's smirk widened.
"I like you, Huntress. There is very little you miss."
"You are sure about this?" Herobrine asked me, the day after our dinner conversation. I nodded. I was sitting in his study again, refreshed by a good night's sleep in a very comfortable guest sleeping chamber that he had at the end of the corridor from the dining room. We had been discussing what to do from here all morning, with me munching on a quick breakfast of fruit right there in the study. I was planning on returning to the Overworld.
Herobrine rested his forehead to his loosely-clenched fist, tapping the table with the fingers of his other hand. He wasn't liking my decision.
"Neither of us know what the plots of the dragon are. You know the dangers of returning." I nodded again. Herobrine straightened with a sigh.
"Don't," he said, when I was about to speak. "I know what you mean to say. There is little else we can do to find out what the dragon means to do, and if anything happens to you, then the other Steves can just call on me." He smiled in an exasperated way. "You really are stubborn. No matter, I cannot keep you here against your will. But be careful. The Endermen are strong enough to overpower even me, when in numbers." I smiled.
"I already know." I said. I smiled wryly. "But that is exactly why I intend to return without delay."
Herobrine sat straight up.
"Huntress!" He cried. "You could not possibly be thinking... There is no telling what they could do to you!" I shook my head.
"I don't mean to be taken as soon as I get back.," I said. "I mean that we need a way to counter-spy on the End. If they're busy chasing me, my friends, and you, will have the opportunity to watch what else they do in the Overworld. If I am taken, my movements would be the equivalent of that of the Dragon. We'll be able to figure out what that thing is planning." Herobrine leaned forward on one elbow, examining me with his eyes of infinite depth.
"I have never met a Steve quite like you, Huntress. So brave, and yet so deviously clever." His voice was in a tone I had only heard twice before: When Herobrine spoke with me in the Great Library, and again when he asked me the favor of sending his message to Notch. Saddened, and slightly wistful. I shifted uncomfortably at the compliment.
"If only there were more who grew to be like you." Herobrine sighed, standing up and opening the door.
"It's about time we set off for home."
We had walked to the portal in silence. Herobrine had that distant look in his eyes, clearly mulling over things in his mind. I looked about as we walked, seeing the Nether with a renewed perspective.
When I first fell into this inhospitable dimension, I thought it to be the very depths of Hell. Now, I saw things with unprejudiced eyes. All around us were massive caverns and cliffs of the reddish netherrack, with pits of dark soul sand at their bases and floors. Chandeliers of glowstone hung from the arcing ceilings so far above, and vast seas of lava bubbled below, fed by magnificent magma falls cascading down the cliffs.
For the first time, I thought it was beautiful.
We reached the active portal safely, and fare-welled with an exchange of nods, but just before I stepped into the purple depths, I turned and looked back.
"Herobrine,"
He turned to face me.
"What is it, Huntress?" he asked. I stepped off of the obsidian.
"Back at the ruins, where you captured me, I overheard some of the things you told the Endermen. What was this.. 'oath' you spoke of? That you would 'finish what you started'?" I had my hands clasped behind my back, and I shifted my weight, unsure if Herobrine would answer.
Instead, he smiled.
"I understand your curiosity. But that is a tale for another time, for when this threat has been dealt with." He saw the disappointment on my face, and seemed to sigh ever so slightly. "I will explain everything when it is time," he said, turning away and starting down the path. I heard the last words he uttered clearly before I entered the portal.
"I promise."
I stepped back into the Overworld feeling slightly dizzy. I always did, with portal travel. It didn't sit well with my stomach. Checking the time- it was sundown- I set off quickly towards the Temple to tell my friends of what Herobrine and I had concluded. My rapid pace wasn't just out of the knowledge of what happened at night. This time, it was to ensure that no one was on my tail, especially Endermen...
"So she has come back," a cynical baritone voice called from somewhere off to my right, just behind a pile of rubble I had just passed. My blood froze. I stopped in my tracks, turning slowly and putting a hand to the hilt of Firefall.
It was Wolf.
He stepped out into the open, a diamond sword in hand. His eyes flashed menacingly at me with hatred. I narrowed my eyes at him. What was the meaning of this?
"Is this a 'welcome back'?" I asked, keeping my voice level. Wolf glared back at me.
"You shouldn't have returned," he growled, raising his sword at me. I took a step back, mind whirling. We were supposed to be friends! What could he be thinking? I went over his behavior of the past few days, wondering how long he had been spiraling down like this. Surely he wasn't seeing me as a...
"You traitor!" he spat, preparing to charge. "You should never have come back!" He flew at me, sword slicing through the air between us. I leaped desperately out of the way, whipping Firefall from its sheath. Wolf struck again, a powerful overhead chop, but this time, his blade struck mine and both rang loudly, a few sparks skidding off the powerful collision. I felt my knees buckle slightly under the impact, driven down by Wolf's rage. This wasn't good. I had to get him to stop before it was too late. If Endermen appeared before I could explain what was happening to everyone, we might lose the war before it even started.
Wolf released the pressure suddenly, putting me off balance, and swung horizontally at my neck. I was just barely able to reply with a clumsy parry of my own, reeling fully off balance and falling on the burned remains of a wooden support. It crumbled under my weight. Wolf bore down ruthlessly, stabbing repeatedly at where I lay. I rolled quickly away, wrapping my cloak up with my left hand to avoid tangling in it. Springing to my feet, I attacked with the flat of my sword, landing a ringing blow to the back of Wolf's head.
He seemed barely fazed by the attack, and immediately turned to keep fighting. That was when I knew that he had gone fully into his berserk mode, where he would not stop fighting until he won or was slain. It was extremely difficult to get him to calm down from this state. Gritting my teeth, I fought on, working to keep him from hurting me while trying to wear him down.
With an enraged roar, Wolf suddenly swing his sword wide wildly, narrowly missing my body and slapping my own sword away from him. He launched himself at me, and I was tackled to the ground too quickly to react. Dropping his sword, he put both his hands around my neck in a stranglehold. I was forced to drop Firefall, and I desperately bucked and jerked to get free. Wolf growled and tightened his hold, lifting up suddenly to slam my head into the ground. Stars exploded in my vision.
Then the pressure was gone. I rolled over and coughed, spitting up blood-laced phlegm from my crushed windpipe. My vision was still tunneled and starry, but I was able to make out what had pulled Wolf off of me.
Dragon.
I heard several meaty impacts and Wolf grunting after each one. Dragon was using his fists, rather than his sword. He was trying to get Wolf to snap out of it.
"You IDIOT!" Dragon roared at Wolf, pummeling away. "Don't you know what she's been doing to save your SORRY BEHIND?!" I struggled to stand, leaning heavily on a pile of rocks, still coughing and waiting for my vision to clear. I heard a dull ring of swordsteel- Wolf had retrieved his sword and was fighting with it. Dragon had drawn his, and now that I could see his face, had locked his features in concentration.
I could see clearly, but my ears were starting to ring, and my head was throbbing. Undoubtedly a concussion. But one thing did register to my senses, somehow. A vague tingle in my eyes. Uh oh...
"Guys!" I croaked, my voice rough from choking. I was more successful the second try, when a black-skinned creature appeared atop one of the ruined houses behind Dragon and Wolf.
"GUYS!" I screamed, reaching the octave that I rarely did. Both of them stopped to look at me, and then towards what I pointed to. Wolf sort of stood and shook his head, blinking. He was finally calming down. Dragon stood stunned for a moment.
Then all Chaos broke loose.
Dozens of the creatures suddenly appeared, encircling us and closing in. I groped for Firefall, where it lay fallen on the ground, and just barely fended off the clawing attacks of the Endermen. Wolf was thrown into a rock by one of them, and he knocked his head hard, crumpling to the ground. Dragon bellowed his rage at the creatures, hacking his way towards me.
We both fought desperately, in a sea of enemies. But the tidal wave pulled us farther and farther apart, as more and more Endermen appeared and attacked. As a multitude of hands latched on to me, Firefall was once more shaken from my grasp. I was dragged towards a very bright object in the distance, one which I realized had been placed for this very purpose. Knowing we were out of time, I screamed desperately at Dragon.
"Get to the Nether! Get Herobrine! Get Herobrine!" Then my air was cut off by a dark clawed hand over my mouth. A spray of violet sparks and darkness filled my eyes, and I suddenly reappeared right next to the End portal. I could hear Dragon calling out my name in the distance, growing more intense as he grew more wildly desperate. Then I was plunged into darkness.
The malevolent laughter of the Ender dragon filled my ears.
