CHRONICLE
BOOK ONE: LYDIA
PART TWO: THE FALL
Chapter Fifteen: Rogue's Triumph
There would be no moon tonight.
The sun was beginning to set at last, burning the horizon the color of blood and bathing the world in fiery hues. Herobrine sat cross-legged atop a tree, facing the sun with his eyes closed. His senses were spread far and wide, relayed through every tree and flower and vein of ore and moving creature. He called upon his most ancient power this night to keep watch- power that he had not touched since the dawn of mankind. Nothing within a day's run from any part of his portion of creation would escape his sight. All that lived or breathed or grew was his, from the animals that walked the earth to the ores growing in the crushingly hot layers below, and it all kept watch for him.
So far, the falling night was quiet. Too quiet, in fact. The entire world seemed to be holding its breath as the sun went down in its blazing glory, anticipating what would come in the night.
When it came, Herobrine would be ready for it.
He went over in his head what he knew. There were but six suspects remaining- Notch's consul. Each had the subtle power it would take to twist and control the human race, but Herobrine needed specific information. Who would launch an attack on him specifically? Who was the one he knew had been working against him the most in the past years? Who would best avoid notice? He knew he was missing something, and he went over and over everything he knew trying to find out what.
Herobrine's lips curled into a snarl. No, he didn't have six suspects. Now that he was meditating solely on it, he realized he could only possibly have three. Two of them, as he realized, would not have used mankind as a weapon. They'd have used it as a hostage against him. And another would have worked against Notch, completely disregarding Herobrine. That left three remaining: Diadel, Foresynth, and Laskig.
But which of these could it be?, Herobrine thought. Frustrated, he opened his eyes and sighed. The sun was showing its last sliver of deep red fire at the horizon and the light in the sky was fading. Above, the first star began to weakly shine through the sun's dying brilliance.
In the distance, a small forested glade steadily recoiled as a thread of Void power unwound and began draining the life-force from its surroundings.
Herobrine sprang to his feet and turned towards the source of the evil energy, eyes narrowed. Clenching his jaw, he summoned up his pickaxe and gripped its haft with strength almost enough to crush it.
The enemy had come. He was out of time.
Calling forth his power, Herobrine gently floated up a few feet above the treetops, and then flew in the direction of the Void presence. He flew fast and low over the forest, making his approach to at last meet his ultimate enemy head-on.
Laskig watched Herobrine fly past from atop his mountain, headed to where the Thing's troops were rallying for the trap. The sky above was darkening fast, and it was nearly time for him to go.
The timing could not be more perfect. It was the last new moon before midwinter, and a heavy mist was forming over the half-frozen lakes and frosted-over forest trails. It was a dark night coming, indeed, and Laskig would need that darkness.
While Herobrine ran to face the shadow troops of the Thing, Laskig prepared to move in the opposite direction.
He knew of Herobrine's contingency plan, and it would not do.
He would have to personally ensure it failed. As the ghostly outline of the blackened moon appeared over the horizon, Laskig spread his leathery wings and took off, flapping hard to make it to Kingshall in time.
He had Herobrine's powerful defensive magic to foil, after all.
Herobrine touched down softly on the ground a short ways from the glade, fresh frost crackling beneath his feet. The sense of the Void presence was stronger than ever now, and growing stronger yet. More entities were coming, then. He could already sense quite a few.
He noticed the marked silence, and tensed as soon as he realized its presence.
His mobs were not rising tonight.
The chirrup of an Enderman echoed shortly nearby in the cold air. Another one answered it, from a position closer to Herobrine. Herobrine gripped his pick a little tighter, then forced himself to relax.
Then he slammed one palm down onto the ground.
The very earth roiled beneath him, and the trees whipped aside, branches lashing down and trapping every single Enderman present. The branches thickened, threatening to envelop their quarry completely, and other plants joined in. Grass, roots, flowers, all joined to bind the enemy and trap it. Every Enderman in the glade- roughly twenty-five- began screaming in denial and thrashing at their bonds.
Herobrine straightened and smirked, striding into the glade with his pickaxe twirling lazily in one hand. These Endermen, at least, would be no threat.
But more were coming.
Herobrine needed to work quickly.
Energy roiled into the glade, gathering into a circle around Herobrine. He pushed his power out at the energy, trying to break through the wall and find the threads that were guiding it, but it was too thick and cloying. Endermen began to appear out of the building black cloud of energy, standing in a circle to entrap the god. The swirling cloud picked up speed as more and more Endermen teleported in, forming two full ranks around Herobrine. The air began to move as well, making a swift breeze that tousled Herobrine's hair and made the grass dance sporadically.
There!
As soon as the last Enderman took its place in the circles, Herobrine found the thread of energy outside the great cloud, leading off across the Overworld. Overjoyed, he sent his senses out after it, sheathing the thread in his own power.
Enderman claws raked down at his face.
Distracted, Herobrine could not keep hold on the thread. He ducked, swearing as he went, and buried his pick's sharp end into the Enderman's chest. The Enderman fell with a shriek, dissolving before it hit the ground. The Ender pearl fell away, and Herobrine swiftly took it up into his inventory.
The others fell upon him en mass.
Diving low, Herobrine slid out from under the piling Endermen and flipped to his feet. An Enderman was there, ready for him. It slashed hard horizontally, and Herobrine rolled sideways, falling into a cartwheel. The Enderman jerked backwards in surprise as Herobrine's feet swept past, narrowly avoiding being hit, but it did not dodge in time to avoid a hard side kick to its belly. The Enderman fell, and Herobrine dispatched it with a blow to the head.
Two more Endermen barred his way. Herobrine summoned a fireball and set them aflame on the spot, and then used his power to push them flying backwards with a wave of his hand, into a small pond where they both struggled vainly to escape the deadly burning water.
He was walking clear of the swirling energy now, and with a quick gesture, summoned down several bolts of lightning into the center. Endermen screamed from within, and the cloud began to dissipate.
An Enderman teleported right behind Herobrine.
It fell without a sound, head severed, but more came in the same manner, just quickly enough to keep Herobrine occupied. Herobrine could barely keep up as one after the other teleported to him and struck instantly, and he found himself retreating, aiming for the pond.
He found his back to a tree.
One Enderman came right in front of him, slashing with its claws. Herobrine ducked and rolled to the side, the Enderman leaving deep scores in the wood of the tree where his head was only a heartbeat ago. Catching his breath, Herobrine sought out the thin and fading thread of energy and went after it, fleeing the Endermen. He leaped over a fallen tree, and prepared to propel himself into flight.
A searing pain lashed through his chest.
A bark of surprise escaped Herobrine's lips as he, and the Enderman behind him, crashed down to the ground, Herobrine facedown and the Enderman on top of him. The Enderman had teleported with perfect timing- it snapped into existence just as Herobrine was in mid-leap and positioned itself so that its claws would appear inside Herobrine's chest. With a victorious shout, it tore its clenched claws free, leaving a jagged wound in Herobrine's back.
With a berserker's cry, Herobrine reached his pick back behind him and hooked it around the Enderman, pulling it off of him to the ground. The wound was already beginning to close, but it was extremely painful. Snarling at the Enderman, Herobrine used his power to rupture its organs from within. The Enderman screamed and twitched spasmodically, and was still.
There was something in the wound, Herobrine realized. Something his body was not rejecting properly.
No time to worry about that now.
Herobrine broke into a run, outpacing the Endermen, and chased after the receding thread of energy, reaching out threads of his own power to link with it and lead him to the traitor. He was so close now, so close to reaching his goal...
A dull throb that wracked his entire body stopped him cold.
Herobrine felt a distinct pull, and felt strength draining from his limbs. Coldness replaced it, and his muscles cramped and began to tremble. Fatigue spread unnaturally quickly through his entire being, and Herobrine fell to his knees, suddenly too tired to move. His pick fell from his numb and shaking hands, and as he cradled his head with his hands and tried to stay awake, it began to dawn on him what was happening.
The realization spread through him like fire, followed by an icy wave of fear.
No.
No, no no no no!
NO!
In the breath of a single moment, his power was utterly and completely gone.
Notch had betrayed him after all.
Herobrine looked up as he heard the sounds of pursuit coming closer. Forcing himself to his feet, he picked up his pickaxe and began to run again, pulling the Ender pearls he picked up from his inventory.
He would need every tool he could get, now.
Notch paced in his chamber, unsure of what to do. He could see the swirling Void energy gathering around Herobrine, but he knew he couldn't act yet. Herobrine may yet be staving off and attack, and would need his power now.
But then Herobrine emerged from the cloud, and the cloud dispersed behind him.
Notch froze and began to watch through his mind's eye with more interest. Herobrine was still fighting off the Endermen, but with much less power than he would normally have. There was something wrong-
Ah.
Herobrine was wounded, that much was clear. But he ran...
Notch's eyes widened as he saw what he had dreaded seeing the most. It wasn't an attack after all! As he watched, dark power blossomed within Herobrine's own being, attaching to the Void energy that began to pour into the world. Anger roiled in Notch's chest, and he lifted his hand, gathering his power to make the spell.
Herobrine would pay for his treachery!
In the back of Notch's mind, however, another voice still insisted that Herobrine was innocent. This was a trick of the enemy, and both the brothers were fooled. Notch's hands shook from how hard he clenched his fists, and he altered the spell.
It would not take all of Herobrine's power, but it would leave him unable to strike out against the Overworld or the other gods.
With a few spoken words, Notch unleashed the spell, aiming it down to the Overworld at Herobrine's running figure and forcing it to pierce into Herobrine's true being, beneath the shell of flesh he wore. The fire within it began to diminish as Herobrine's power drained away, and Notch prepared to cut off the spell.
Something shadowy brushed past his consciousness. With a start, Notch snapped off the spell and spread his senses about him elsewhere. That was the Void! It could be nothing else- he knew nothing better. But how could he have sensed it here in the Aether?
Something laughed, and Notch felt the dark presence again.
"Your brother..." it hissed in a deep, whispering basso voice, "Your brother is mine..."
Immediately, Notch summoned a sword to his hand and sought out the presence.
A deep, dark shadow leaped up from the wall and passed right through Notch, going into the wall beyond and continuing on. Notch heard it continue to laugh until he felt the ripple of a dimensional barrier being crossed, and he swore violently.
He didn't have time to worry about his brother now. He had larger problems. Tracing the shadow's residual magic, Notch chased after it, leaving Herobrine to fend for himself.
He had left enough power for him to defend himself if he remained innocent, after all.
But that was not to be.
Laskig grinned wickedly as he felt the spell come down. Quickly, he attached his own power to it, and as the spell from Notch ended, Laskig caught the trailing end of magic and attached it to himself, continuing the drain of Herobrine's power.
The god had not been completely taken, but he was weak enough to be subdued to the state of a human. That Laskig could assure.
The energy flow cut off abruptly. Herobrine had no power left to take.
Smiling gleefully beneath his mask, Laskig turned his attention to the building before him: Kingshall. In his god-sight, he could see the shimmering purple and blue barriers over the palace, the protection laid down by Herobrine himself in the case of his own defeat. The barriers would be impenetrable to all but the most powerful beings- too strong for the likes of Laskig, even with his help from the Thing.
But Laskig now held the lion's share of a Creator God's power.
He need not break down the barriers yet- he would do that later, as he savored Herobrine's long and crushing defeat. But he did take down the shields over a single door.
Welcoming himself in, Laskig went straight into the throne room and found himself a comfortable spot in the corner, deep in shadows, to wait for his prey to arrive.
Herobrine gasped for air as he ran on and on, cursing how weak he had become. His inventory was still his to command, and he could still use magical objects, so these he used. Summoning another Ender pearl to his hand, he cast it as far into the distance as he could and felt it shatter some hundred feet away. His body jerked out and back into existence painfully, leaving Herobrine on his hands and knees for a moment.
There was a potion of regeneration in his inventory, just for this. He took the fragile, teardrop-shaped bottle in his hand and crushed it on the ground, letting the dense pink mist envelope him in its healing magic.
The Endermen were not far behind. He had to move.
The lights of Luminara could be seen in the distance now, and Herobrine, even in his weakened state, could feel the pull of his protective wards. Soon, he would be able to stop running. He put on an extra burst of speed, dodging branches and trees as he went, following the light on the horizon.
Now!
Herobrine drew up the energy stored in the small crystal embedded in the joint of the pickaxe and directed it into a simple spell, envisioning the place where he needed to be. His body began to teleport, and suddenly he was within the walls of Kingshall, on his knees, safe. This teleportation was more painless, and though he was badly worn out by the magic, it did not injure him.
His breathing slowed as he rested for a few moments, and eventually, he was able to pick himself up off the floor and take in another potion of regeneration and one of his brews for strength and speed. If it came to a fight, he would be ready for it for as long as the potions lasted. Even though he had imbued them with enough power to last the night, they would not last forever.
He could feel dark forces already fighting the wards. Blow after magical blow came down upon them, causing the structure of Kingshall to physically tremble.
He would not have much time. Exiting the entry hall, Herobrine went to the throne room where the wards were thickest and drew from his inventory the items he would need to create a portal. He carefully placed the glowstone blocks for the frame, and added the water as quickly as he could, stepping back as the magic of the portal activated.
Now Herobrine would have to wait. He did not have the power to call out to his brother now. His brother would have to see him first.
"Notch," Herobrine called into the portal, "Notch, answer me. I need you." Nothing responded, and Herobrine wondered what would prevent Notch from noticing that the portal had opened.
"Notch!" Herobrine called again, shouting this time. "Notch! Heed me! I don't have time for this!"
A low chuckle from the shadows made Herobrine's blood run cold. He inhaled sharply and turned, seeing movement in the recesses off to the side, but unable to make anything out.
The traitor!
A masked, cloaked figure stepped out of the darkness and into the pool of light from the portal. It wore a leather mask with the expression of a leering demon, and its eyes were pits of black. It wore richly engraved armor, and held in its hand a long, wicked-looking scimitar.
Who could it be?
Herobrine's mind raced as he thought back on the suspects he had. Diadel was taller, thinner. He did not handle blades. Foresynth had a different style, and he preferred narrow swords to what this one was holding. But Laskig had red eyes.
He thought harder. He thought of what Notch had said on their conversation in the Aether, how the desires of mankind had become twisted. He thought of who had been paying the most personal visits to him, who had turned the pantheon of gods against him...
Of course.
"Laskig," Herobrine spat. "So you are the one."
Laskig inclined his head. "I am pleased to see you finally figured it out," he replied, his deep voice soft and mocking. "But will it help you now?"
Herobrine said nothing, but glanced sideways at the portal. Still no sign of Notch. He considered leaping through, but in his weakened state, the Aether would be deadly to him.
"Tell me," Laskig began, "How are you feeling? Clever? That's all you have left now. Not so high and mighty now, are you, oh great and powerful Herobrine? So what clever schemes will you use to wriggle out of this one? What tricks have you left?"
Again, Herobrine said nothing. No plans came forth in his mind, but he refused to allow the growing fear deep within him to show.
He had one idea, though.
Breathing in deeply, Herobrine pulled strength from another crystal, one hung around his neck and hidden beneath his shirt, and prepared to make his move.
"NOTCH!"
The word was imbued with every ounce of power Herobrine had, directed through the portal and out into the open Aether. If Notch was anywhere even near the dimension, he would hear him. Laskig stumbled back from the force of it, but recovered quickly. Before it was too late, he dove to the portal and slashed off one of the blocks. The energy was released into the room, thundering out into the air as the portal collapsed, and with it, Herobrine's only hope.
"Not so fast," Laskig snarled, breathing heavily. "You can't stop my plans now!"
At that, he struck.
Laskig took a running start and leaped up into the air, slashing down with his scimitar in a two-handed grip, prepared to give Herobrine a crippling blow. Herobrine gasped and threw himself aside, letting Laskig fall to the empty ground where he was and bury his blade into the stone tiles, sparks and chips of rock flying.
Laskig chuckled as he yanked his scimitar out of the floor. Coming to full speed again, he rushed at Herobrine and slashed down again as if to take off his arm. Herobrine turned, letting Laskig's sword pass by in front of him, but Laskig pulled his blow. He reversed his momentum and instead swung his scimitar upwards pommel-up, catching Herobrine under the chin. Herobrine gave a short oof, then flew up into the air to land hard on the other side of the room. He tried to spring up, but pain lanced through his body down his back. His ribs were broken.
Rolling onto his side, Herobrine used his hands to push himself off the floor and stood, but he could not straighten. Wrapping one arm around his chest, he gripped his pickaxe in the other and turned to face Laskig.
Laskig and Herobrine fenced back and forth, exchanging heavy blows. Several of which almost floored Herobrine, but he managed to recover each time. Flipping another potion out of his inventory, Herobrine threw it down and let the mist cover him for a few heartbeats.
Laskig rushed him as he emerged.
Sinking one fist into Herobrine's belly, Laskig used the force of his blow to throw Herobrine up into the air and through the railing of the balconies above. Herobrine flopped down with a cry of pain, and then struggled to his feet and tried to run. He found a door leading to the Great Chamber, and fled through it.
He ran across the catwalk of the even more massive room decorated with diamond and gold, and slid down the railing of the stairs to the floor. This room would have been the room of the High Council. It was even larger than the throne room, and designed to seat a whole council on the dais, and hold half the city on the audience floor. Pillars of diamond and gold held up the soaring vaults, and to the rear, there were two stained glass windows bigger than some houses- one depicting Notch, to the right, and one depicting Herobrine, to the left. It was a room symbolizing peace and harmony in creation.
Now it was his battleground.
Laskig was hot on his heels.
Using his new found power, Laskig reached out a tendril of invisible energy and wrapped it around Herobrine's ankles. Herobrine fell with a cry as his feet were jerked out from under him, and he struggled against the impossible strength of the magic.
Laskig advanced slowly down the stairs to the struggling former-god.
"How pitiful," Laskig said, looking down at Herobrine. Herobrine looked up at him, his dark eyes, nearly black in this lighting, filled with hate.
Herobrine refused to respond.
"Really," Laskig continued, "I was hoping for more of a fight from you. Look at you! A creator god! Kind of all mankind! Ruler of the Overworld by birthright. And now, sniveling on the floor like one of your own subjects, brought to shame. Do you know how long I have waited for this?"
"Why do you do this, Laskig?" Herobrine asked, his voice quiet. He tested his strength against the power holding him down, and his muscles trembled with the effort. With a sigh, he eased off again, waiting for Laskig to act.
Laskig feigned surprise. "Why? I thought you might already know." He knelt down and pressed his face close to Herobrine's. "I am sick of being your dog. To both of you Creators! No matter how hard I work or how much I do, I could never match you. You turn me down when I ask for more. You cast me aside. Now I have power of my own, and more importantly, you do not. I have found powers other than you and Notch, and they gave me a better offer." Laskig turned around, savoring the moment. He looked up at the window, deciding then how he would complete his victory.
"The Void," Herobrine breathed.
"Yes, you dimwit, the Void! The ones that understand what true power is!"
"They are treacherous," Herobrine replied. "They will destroy you."
Laskig laughed bitterly.
"We shall see about that."
Raising his hand, he made the power holding Herobrine lift him off the ground. Laskig released the spell and wrapped one hand around Herobrine's throat. Herobrine, to his dismay, did not struggle or resist. He simply clenched his jaw and held stubbornly on to Laskig's wrist with his free hand, glaring into his eyes even as scarlet began to creep up on his face, and the signs of oxygen deprivation became clearer and clearer. Laskig sniffed disdainfully.
"Let's finish this, then."
Muscles bunched, and Laskig threw Herobrine headlong up into the air. Herobrine, gasping as he flew, curled so his back was towards the window he flew towards and his arms were crossed over his chest.
Herobrine crashed through the stained-glass portrait of himself and out into the night.
His enemies were waiting.
Oh, wow, that turned out longer than I expected.
Are you riled up yet and ready for more?
I can't hear you! Louder! Tell me that this was awesome and you MUST KNOW HOW THIS ENDS! YOU MUST HAVE MORE!
But that's all for this chapter, and my word count is already higher than I can allow for a chapter in this story, so for now, Ciao! See you next chapter, and good luck holding your horses until then. I've got some ghosts and skeletons to clear up from my figurative closet for this story, so it might take longer than expected. It probably won't be Wednesday.
It will be as soon as I can get it. I swear.
Now, good night, and remember to REVIEW if you enjoyed this. This story needs your support to keep the awesome coming, especially with how hectic my life is about to be. (I'm just warning you in advance...)
I hope you enjoyed this latest installment to CHRONICLE, and I will see you next chapter with more Herobrine is in trouble goodies!
Huntress out.