Hero's Bane

Chapter 10: His Motives Unclear

A/N: Over 2000+ views? I love you guys. I wish I had time to respond to all of your lovely reviews but I have to fight with my younger and older sister to get enough time to proofread and post. I literally have to start arguments sometimes, but it's a sibling's affair and our fights don't last long. Which is another reason why I have little time to review and fave other fics because my phone won't let me do that anymore. So- Seriously, time is something I have to fight for and my job really grinds my time as well.

Any who… Some of your guesses and predictions of what was happening had tickled me, some of you got the last events in previous chapters real close and others… well far from it but 'some' of the confusion may clear up with this chapter, please enjoy.

"GAAAHHHHHAAAA!" Steve's eyes widened to the black that surrounded him, his heart pounded heavily in his chest and his body felt frail, sore, and broken. He pushed himself to lean up and cringed from the soreness that had enveloped his body and he fell back to rest his head on the cold stone underneath. He was in too much pain to physically shift his arm to wipe away the dampness that covered his face, his entire body had ached greatly. Especially his right shoulder and back.

He stared straight up to see practically nothing, not even the sky that was supposed to be hanging over him, even those eyes were gone. Steve froze as he thought of those cursed eyes, but that worry shortly left him once confusion had taken over his fear. "Conner?" Steve called out, but the space around him remained absolutely silent, too quiet and too empty. Steve blinked over and over to make out his surroundings and it wasn't long before his eyes adjusted to the dark and there wasn't no sky above, it was nothing but untouched stone mocking him with the reminder of being trapped in a dark cave.

He tilted his head to the left and then to the right and the place looked oddly familiar. He strained his eyes as he looked around again and he could see the wall that had prevented him from escaping Herobrine and his assault. "No!" He forced himself to lean again and scream once remembering that deadly encounter, his neck throbbed painfully. Steve moved a hand to touch his throat and the tenderness was definitely there, he hissed from the pain and retreated his fingers. But how was he still alive? Didn't Herobrine choke him to death? Where was Conner? …"Conner? … Why did he run to Herobrine? … Wait was that a dream?" He thought aloud with a cracking tone.

Apparently, getting the beating of his life wasn't a dream and the pain and soreness he felt had proved that but if waking up to the young child was- then that meant that the miner was still trapped deep down and hopelessly doomed to fall victim to the powerful creatures of the cavern or Herobrine again. This realization made Steve's stomach churn, if Herobrine could simply toss him around like a rag doll then maybe the other fierce mobs could and that wouldn't even begin to list what they could really do in numbers, and in his condition? It would be unquestionably lethal.

Even if he did manage to escape; the ex-hero would just find him and finished what he started right? Steve did tick him off. Which led the miner to jump off track in his mind and onto the subject of Conner clinging to that monster and calling him Oreh. Steve could not make sense of finding a lonely child in a dark and dangerous place and that is when he should of realized that it was all a dream to begin with, right when he supposedly "woke up" with a 'kid' in his face confusing him for someone else.

"Why didn't it hit me before in my dream… no nightmare? I should of picked up on it." He wanted to smack himself. It was something he should of figured out especially since the boy had confused Steve with who he thought was Oreh; and because Steve was himself and Herobrine looked like him then he should of know right then and there that Herobrine was Oreh. Also, it was mentioned that he had powers, and Steve knew that he definitely had no powers nor could he see in the dark. And what was it about slaying all of the monsters before hand and taking the child down into the caves in the first place? He'd never do that. Plus, no real child could survive in these treacherous monster-loaded tunnels, that was unless they were accompanied by a super human or Herobrine.

But even then- with the myth of Herobrine taking or torturing lives of all who he encounters still did little to prove any kind of 'friendly' connection with any human, let a lone a little boy. 'Wasn't Herobrine the murderer of one child?' Warren did say that he killed a young boy, the Sovereign's heir to the fortress of Antecedent Element. Though- that insignia on Conner's mantle, could that have been the one of the noble family? But then why did Herobrine remove the arrow from Conner's back and why did he call that demon a friend? Something just didn't connect right. Coming back to the beating from the monster Steve had definitely noticed how the topic of said child being murdered out of amusement had been too touchy for the demon to bear. Herobrine had snapped and nearly snapped Steve's own head off when he faced the white-eyed fiend with his verbal warfare, so why was he 'momentarily' spared and given this strange dream? … 'What was his motive for this?'

No sense. Steve just couldn't piece it together and the more he thought on it the more confused he got. Herobrine was wicked and isolated, why waste time with a kid and care for it? That was unless he 'didn't' kill the boy and the dream was some sort of showing of innocence… though what about the evidence against him? The miner just couldn't believe in Herobrine being good and the word innocent was a term that didn't seem to suit the monster. There were several eyewitnesses if he remembered being told correctly. … Though he could have killed Conner and the reminder of his murder made him mad, especially since he was greatly punished for it. So Steve must of struck a nerve either way. Herobrine was evil and cruel and had almost killed the miner and would probably return to finish the job. So he had to of done it right? He's evil right?

… 'No forget it.'

Steve let the thought fly out of his mind, he knew it would be pointless to even come up with any kind of answer or connection given his poor state and wellbeing. Like it would matter if he found out anyways? Death was practically right around the corner, though this didn't stop him from wanting to try to live. Even though he knew he wouldn't be able to escape at least he could give it his best shot and hopefully make his dad proud when he sees him in the afterlife. There wasn't much left to give him the drive, not with everything stacked against him.

He squinted his eyes again to see some objects a few feet away from him, two large lumpy shapes laid a few feet away and two other stick-like objects of nearly the same length were laying on the other side of the stony room. One stick-like object with a knob on the end was the closest item nearby and appeared to be within reach. The miner reached outwards and cringed from the soreness from the side of his chest, Herobrine had kicked him pretty hard but that didn't stop Steve from taking the object into hand. It had the smell of smoke and charred wood.

"My torch?"

Steve painfully reached back into his pocket for the flint and steel, he pulled the pieces up and moved to sit on knees with the torch lying in front of him. He lightly struck the parts together but struggled to produce a spark. He wasn't sure if it was the fact that he couldn't strike them hard enough or if the pieces were worn and running out of uses, but he frantically smacked them together after feeling a wave of shivers from a low and cold draft.

He repeatedly hit them over and over until a small ember formed on the torch's mostly burnt-out surface, the glow was dim but it did give him some comfort and comfort is what he needed at a bleak time like this. If he was going to go down fighting then he at least needed to see so that he could put up his best effort and do as much damage as possible. This method was once his father's guideline of life and Steve lightly smiled from a warm memory of his dad preaching him the family's pride.

He remembered how his dad would always say it and he envisioned his father placing a hand on his head and addressing his principle. "Listen Steven, if you ever find yourself lost and alone in the dark with monsters then I want you to- Give everything you got-"

"-And fight a good fight till the very end." He finished with a heavy sigh. That desire to escape and survive had returned. Giving up seemed so much easier, but Steve knew that he had promises made and he wanted to see his mother and younger sister again. There was doubt but also room for a slight hope, a minuscule possibility of actually escaping. He did manage to kill a powerful zombie so maybe he could kill another? Or something more powerful like an Endermen or Creeper? If he could just get out of this dangerous place and rest up then maybe, just maybe-, he could build up a small fortification and stock up on supplies. Maybe he could take on Herobrine if he had the right material and traps. The thought made him shiver.

"Taking on Herobrine- may not be able to keep that promise." He said to himself, knowing that he would unlikely succeed and just end up dying. Maybe he could convince the monster to leave everybody alone? … "No. That would never work." 'But… what about his curse and being paralyzed and all? What ever happened to that? Is was Notch who put that power to stun him wasn't it?'… … "Wait-, Notch could do it again!" Steve smiled with the new idea. Maybe he could go to the fortress somewhere hidden in this land and see if he could find a way to connect to the almighty Notch and beg him to dispel Herobrine instead?

'Yeah, so it seems like an impossible idea, but the people who once lived here was connected to him and maybe that connection is still here. Probably just buried. The only problem to solving the Herobrine problem is obstacles like mobs and spans of land I have to traverse, and Herobrine himself of course.' Steve shook his head, this wasn't going to be easy and death rates were sure to climb the further he goes deeper into the valley. But at least this was a start, perhaps the only method to stop Herobrine. Steve had to do something other then run, anything but running away like he did when his father and brother were killed. He had shamed himself that day.

He halfheartedly forced himself onto his aching legs and he stumbled towards the closer set of items which turned out to be his bags of supplies and some of those supplies were lying out on the floor. Upon closer inspection some of his items where scattered around and looked as though someone had rummaged through his pack. Steve carefully crouched down and scooped up all of the wood planks, torches and food back into the bag. The other bag that Warren had given appeared to be untouched and was still zipped up. 'Must of dropped my bags when Herobrine appeared and tossed me around and I guess I was just too scared to remember.' Or so he hoped.

He moved back onto his feet and walked over to pick up his lucky blade, he glanced at it and it still seemed to be in one piece which was good. It didn't make him feel lucky but since he was alive and still moving then perhaps it had some kind of luck. He re-sheathed it and then grabbed the iron blade, before making his way back through that dreaded cave that lead him into this deadly mess.

He leaned against the cave's wall as he stepped one foot inside, there was no telling what could be waiting up there but staying in that dead-end hole wouldn't help him at all and starvation would only set in sooner or later if he survived long enough that is. He was still worried of what he'd run into but he leant back up and pushed his aching legs foreword and back up through the dark tunnel.

The fear of being pursued by the purple mist and Herobrine kept him on edge, it would be a bad time to run into either of the evils again. This made Steve move just a little bit faster regardless of the pain he felt, it was just a small price to pay for being safe.

He struggled a bit upon each raised block, his knees tried to give away a few times but he forced himself up and over. He listened carefully as he got closer to the 'zombie' room he came to name it, but there wasn't any sounds of anything he could make out upon reaching that cursed place. Steve poked his head out the cave and held the torch out in front of him, lighting up the enclosure to reveal it's emptiness and multi-cave systems that lined it. It was empty except with the zombie's corpse from earlier. He cautiously moved forward to the dead body and tapped it with his boot when he got within feet of it. He moved back away quickly afterwards, but the zombie appeared to be completely dead.

Sighing in relief he turned to his side to see the cave system that Conner had lead him through in his dream. Steve contemplated on going through it, though if it was as accurate as his dream then it could be a way out but it would also require a tough climb but it was escape to the safer surface no less. The other caves around him seemed dark and treacherous and who was to say that the one in his dream wasn't? But he chose to follow Conner's path since it seemed to be more known to him.

He followed the ghost of Conner jumping around through the tunnel in excitement, still appearing as happy as could be. Steve felt bad to imagine this lively child-like apparition despite not know anything about him or his real personality, but the dream had made out the child to be as though he knew the kid personally since they had been through so much in such a messed up dream world. So he continued to envision that boy being ecstatic and happy to help make his time in the cave a nicer and more easing one to limit fear and to keep going on. The trip was a lonely one, but at least he didn't feel too alone with his delusion.

It was a long path through the dark with his dying light but Steve had finally seen that familiar glow up a large natural staircase of stone blocks. He couldn't believe his eyes, it looked exactly like it did in his dream and he could just imagine little Conner hopping up the stone and tracing his steps to make it up quickly. Not being in a good condition as he had been in the dream; Steve slowly climbed up the rocky channel, carefully taking measures in each step to avoid falling and causing more injuries. He didn't remember the heaviness of his bags in his nightmare and they did slow him down as he ascended, it was a dream though or so he tried to remind himself. The pain was also more than he remembered but Herobrine's last nightmare encounter had limited these, why? He just didn't know.

He pulled himself up and over the high ledge that kept the skeletons back in his nightmare, and saw the beautiful lava fall that Conner had so much admired. It poured straight from the center of the stone and dirt room and down into a large crevice that was flooded by lava far below. It looked exactly as he remembered it and he could almost picture the young child standing near the edge in astonishment from the molten flowing rock.

"I was fine and I know you'd save me if I fell, because I believe in you Oreh."

That smile was there on his face and Steve could clearly imagine it well just as he could almost hear those words. Hearing 'Oreh' or Herobrine's pet name from the boy… or so he assumed; had made the nice moment go stale. He was beginning to wonder if Herobrine had actually been friends with the child before turning on him or betraying him. The thought of betrayal made Steve mad but it was a thought he couldn't sit and ponder on, he had to get moving and stay focused. There wasn't any time to stand around and wait for monsters to show up, that would have been suicide, but then so was giving up which he had done enough times in his dreams and in reality for one day.

The miner pressed onwards and left the childlike apparition there to forever stare up in awe and be happy. Even as an illusion he still didn't want to see him get shot in the back again because he knew his mind would picture it once he'd reach a certain point, he just couldn't bare the image of his mistake though it never truly happened.

As he walked his eyes began to grow heavy. "You'd think that even dreaming up nightmares would be considered rest?" Steve found himself yawning but shook his head to keep himself awake, sleeping in this place would secure his demise, though he did sleep sort of- when hit with nightmares from Herobrine. So how come he didn't die yet in this dangerous place? More nonsense is what it was, maybe luck. He didn't care. Escape was all he could bare in mind.

The deeper end of the cave became more visible with each step he made, a faint bluish glow painted the rock formations and Steve's eyes widened to get a clearer view. He forced himself into a light sprint once seeing this recognizable glow and he dropped his torch. He leaped up a few stone terraces and stopped as he finally looked up and saw beautiful bright dots lighting up the night's sky.

He closed his eyes and tried to shake off this delusion, he wasn't even sure if he was awake or dreaming again. But there it was, the sky and it's bluish-black vale with a large white orb smiling down upon him. It took many seconds before he realized just how far down he was from the surface, but at least it was within distance. The stone walls that trapped him didn't falter his new glint of hope, escape was within reach and all he had to do was climb all the way up and then he could gather supplies and build a real shelter in which he could rest peacefully in.

"Almost there." He reminded himself. He tightened his scabbard and wedged the iron blade in with his stone one, he then readjusted the straps on his back pack and bag before taking deep breaths. He was still sore and tired but he was too close to escaping this stone prison to stop and rest now. He roughly rubbed his hands together and then began his ascend.

Just like in the dream he found the rim where he first lifted himself and Conner off of the ground, it hurt like tremendously as he moved his right arm up but he fought the pain with desperation to achieve freedom. He moved another arm up and grabbed onto a another edge and pulled himself forward. He was making great progress, never looking down once to keep his fear of falling away. The night sky was so magnificent and the cool breeze that flowed down from above felt wonderful and refreshing, it made each pull a little easier for a short while.

He scaled block after block and the soaring walls were starting to minimize. But halfway up something didn't just feel right and he felt himself growing weaker. His body had used up all of his reserves of adrenaline and it was getting harder and harder to ignore the painful spasms forming in his aching arms and legs, he was also finding it harder to breathe and sweat covered him and was making his hands slippery. He also felt so hungry and tired and his body's exhaustion was catching back up with him.

"It must of taken at least an hour to get this high." He daringly looked down to see the faint glimmering from his torch inside the cave below and man was he high up. Fear struck him again and this time he panicked and forced himself to keep going. He had to get out and had to escape, he was so close.

He swiftly placed one hand up and placed his foot onto a small ledge, he moved up once more and his hand suddenly slipped from the moister that covered it. Steve found himself falling backwards and trying to grab the nearest wall did nothing to keep his balance, he went plummeting to ground and time had slowed before his eyes. He imagined that his life would flash before his eyes but it didn't, there was no memory or future and past visions to fill him with sorrow of what he had and would of missed out on. He could see nothing but the moon and stars being draped by clouds and blocking the radiant light.

…

Herobrine watched as the miner fell from above, as predicted. He yanked the zombie's corpse that he had dragged along with him and flung it right where the human was going to land. It wouldn't be a pleasant landing and watching the miner fall right on top of it proved that. The human painfully screamed as he impacted the fleshy surface and rolled off of it with a low groan. He was well alive, in pain, but alive no less.

…

Steve couldn't believe he was still living and his head ached greatly from the impact of landing on something- not stone? He tried to lift himself up and see what he hit but his vision was blurring and his world spinning. His body hurt extensively, not one spot on him went without pain and he could feel himself blacking out. Steve crawled over to the nearest wall and leaned himself up against it, everything just kept spinning and hurting and now he knew he needed rest. Just as the pain flooded in- it all dulled and became numb and he felt his limbs grow limp and eyes become much heavier. He tried to force his blue eyes open, knowing that this wasn't the place for rest but his mind had other plans. He shut them for one second and his head fell forward, he was out.

…

Herobrine gazed upon the human as he passed out from shock, it was a pathetic sight to see him crawl on his knees and then faint because of his weak body. He was weak this entire time, weak minded, weak bodied; but there was something in that man that wasn't frail. Something interesting enough to allow him to live a little longer, for now.

He soon noticed the torch light glimmering at his feet and he roughly snuffed it out in one strong stomp, leaving him alone in the darkness of the cave.

A/N: Sorry for the wait… writer's block hit me a couple days ago. Please review and let me know what your thoughts are. ;3