Hero's Bane

Chapter 4: A Force to be Reckoned With

Edited 4/5/2022

Steve's lungs desperately sucked in the fresh air as he continued his rapid pace, he had only ran for about a mile's length but it felt as though he'd ran five times that amount. He stumbled down the hillside, jumping down small dirt terraces while trying to keep himself from falling flat on his face. He finally made it out of the woodlands to an open clearing of flat land where Warren and Mark had stopped to catch their breath, both seemed pretty exhausted. Mark was hunched over in fatigue looking far more tried out than Warren, despite his younger age. The bartender just meandered around deeply breathing, checking out his surrounds and probably making sure they are safe and alone.

Steve jogged over to the two then fell over flat on his back in the tall grass, still gasping for air. "Are we there yet?"

"Not-" The old man panted and wiped away sweat from his forehead. "Not quite." He sluggishly dragged his feet over to the miner and looked down at the pathetic excuse for a seemingly healthy man. "But we need to get there quickly. I'll never forgive myself is something happened to her."

"What's her name… Luna I think you said?" Steve slowly leaned up and rubbed his aching knees. "Who is she and why is she at the ravine?"

"She goes there every now and again to get dirty." Mark laughed between breaths.

"No she does not!" Warren strongly glared at the young man, mentally scolding him.

"I meant mining, I've seen her down there picking at coal ores before."

The old man sighed and returned his attention to Steve. "Her name is Lunaris, she a tough and stubborn young lady who seeks to avenge her deceased parents. Herobrine took her mother and father away one night when she was only eight years old and their corpses were found dead and cold on the living room floor of her home the very next day. The poor child had been scarred for life. Ever since then- she had been training and honing on her archery skills, hoping to someday put an arrow between those cruel white eyes. She'll leave the village occasionally to put her skills to the test by fighting Herobrine's mutated mobs."

"Mutated?" Steve questioned nervously, hoping that it didn't seem as bad as it sounded. The idea of a giant Zombie or a supercharged Creeper was a horrifying thought.

"Well not in the physical form but they are as twice as powerful as a normal mob you'd normally find near our village, much more durable and tough; fearless even. The gorge is the gate to Antecedent Element, therefore that place is infested with stronger monsters that can endure far more hits then you can and dish out more damage."

"Yeah, I even hate going there." Mark pulled himself out of his haunch and stretched his back, making an unpleasant popping sound.

The old man returned his gaze to the blonde. "Why did you go there anyways? You already have two iron swords I crafted for you last week."

Mark shrugged. "I was looking for her because we needed help replacing some molding blocks on Darin's roof and I couldn't find anybody else to help. So I assumed she went to the ravine and I decided to go check on her, and there she was; down on one of the ledges loading arrows into the cave spiders at the bottom of the chasm."

Warren sighed disbelief and disappointment, huffing quietly to himself. "She goes against my house rules for such a foolish reason, she's going to get herself killed one day and I'll be the one to blame." He shook his head back and forth. "I wish she wouldn't do this, her quest for revenge is going to put her into an early grave. … She'll put mine in there as well with all of this stress and worry that continuously weighs on me." … Warren turned around and walked into another dense forest, this time walking to conserve energy. "Come on we need to continue, we're almost there."

"Hey Willy, hold on! We're still tired back here!" The young male called but the bartender didn't stop nor look back.

"Walk it off!" The man shouted back.

"Pftt, stubborn old coot." Mark halfheartedly groaned to himself then walked over to the miner and helped him up. "Come on Steve, once that man sets his mind to something he won't stop until he's dead."

"Heh, I've kind of found that out already. You should of seen him purposely kill some Endermen yesterday, we could of made it to the Inn without trouble last night if he didn't start those fights."

"Yep, that's old Willy for ya. He hates Endermen more than any other of the mobs."

"Why is that?"

"One killed his fiancé, many years ago." He said blankly.

"Oh." Steve decided to stay away from that topic since the old man was within earshot. "So- what is Lunaris like anyways? She sounds like a tough girl."

"Well, I guess you can say in a way-."

"Come on boys, Keep up!"

The two men picked up their pace and caught up to the striding bartender.

"Mark?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you fight like Luna?"

"What? No! I hate to admit it but I am a coward compared to Luna, trust me just the sight and smell of rotting zombie flesh and ender blood makes my stomach roll, but it doesn't upset her at all. She's been preparing herself for future confrontations with Herobrine, so no mobs scare her. Not even Creepers! And I have to say-, she's got guts. A lot more then me, and definitely better fighting skills. She's one of a kind."

"She's everything to me." Warren's voice was low but tense. "Like a daughter I've never had."

"You did say something about her being like an adopted daughter, so you're her new father-figure?" Steve cautiously mused.

"Yes. When she was left alone I took her in and I raised her the best way any parent could. I effectively protected her every time Herobrine had returned to the village. I made sure that when she went outside that I was right there to watch over her, at least until she was old enough. I even came close to death a few times to keep her out of harm's way, it's where I get a few of these scars from." He says as he briefly raises an arm to show his markings. "But now she's all grown up and just so set on retribution that sometimes she disobeys me in a way that makes me feel as though she hates me. All those times I locked her in her room or the times I argued for hours to make her stay at home. There was even a time she had said that I was an horrible excuse for an adoptive father, that is when I gave in and started training her. She seemed more 'happier' then."

"Wow, it must be hard knowing that she's in danger most of time."

Warren kept silent as they reached another small clearing of trees. "It's just over that hill." The bartender pointed to a small ridge. "Be very careful and wield your sword. Mark, stay back. If any of those beasts are close to the surface then we'll get them, just watch our back and keep an eye out for him."

Mark nodded and withdrew an iron sword from a fastened strap on his back. "I'll do my best, but I can't guarantee that I can take on o'l Brine. Because if he does by chance decide to show up- THEN WE ARE MORTALLY SCREWED!"

"I said keep an eye out for him, not go and throw yourself on his blade."

"Might as well!" He dramayicaly swayed to one side. "We can save him the trouble of chasing us down and mercilessly gutting us alive." He finished with a solemn tone.

"You're a hopeless boy." Warren sighed to himself then slowed his pace as he made it to the top of the hill. "Come on Steve, but be careful."

Steve carefully made his way up and a large partially covered ravine came into view. One half was very open and well lit by the sun that he could even see the bottom floor while the other part went deep into a mountain, it well shaded which made it perfect for the monsters to roam about safely. He saw a zombie walking along one of the edges inside of the covered part, it stumbled away from the light and deeper into the crevice. It almost staggered out of sight but it abruptly stopped and stood still, both of it's arms fell flat to it's sides then the entire fiend just crumpled and it's corpse went plummeting off the ledge and onto the bottom of the chasm. Odd. "What the?" The miner silently inquired.

"That's her alright. LUNA!" Warren shouted into the gorge and his voice echoed loudly.

A short figure then stepped out from under a rock ledge. She had auburn hair tied back into a ponytail with a blue bandana tied over. She wore a black shirt and blue jeans with black boots, she also had a navy blue satchel over her shoulder and a black bow and quiver secured to her back. "What?" Luna shouted back, appearing to be annoyed with her arms crossed.

"You get up here right this instant, or-"

"Or what? You'll ground me? I'm an adult, I can take care of myself you know?"

"That's not- ughhh." The man heavily exhaled and stumbled back a step with annoyance. "You're all by yourself for one and for two- 'He' could be down in there for all we know!"

"Good, I might finally get to shoot out those inhuman eyes for once."

"This is no time for jokes!"

Steve moved closer to the edge a arrow whizzed by his head, only inches from his cheek. "Whoa!" He stumbled back, managing to keep himself from tumbling down the hill.

"Don't shoot Steve, he's a friend of mine!" Warren defended.

"Anyone that comes here posing as that monster deserves to be shot!" Luna held her bow firmly.

Steve walked back to the border. "I didn't know that I looked like Herobrine, this is just a misunderstanding Miss! I always wear this! I mean sure, I didn't even know he existed until I came here!" The miner said with much sincerity.

"How do I know you're not lying?" The young woman questioned, her expression not seeming to show that she fully believes him.

"Luna! Chill! He's an okay guy." Mark peered over with Steve and Warren.

"You!" Luna accusingly pointed. "You ratted me out you jerk! I'm going to strangle you when I get up there!"

Mark rubbed his neck at the thought as the girl shook a raised fist at him. "Okay, but you have to come up here first." He said cautiously.

"Not now, I haven't had enough practice yet, maybe later!"

"No, now!" The bartender replied like any parent would.

"I can look after myself!"

"Errr… Why do you always have to do this?" The old man growled. "Can't you ever think about what's really important here? I care about you and I'll even throw my life away to ensure your well-being. Revenge isn't everything!"

"And if I die by his hand then will you say the same?"

Steve could see the frustration growing on Warren's face, and just standing around wasn't getting him into the valley anytime soon and daylight couldn't be wasted if he wanted to trek into the ancient land and set up camp. "Well here, let me go down and I'll help her back up before I go into the valley." Steve said in a calming manner. "This way she'll get up safely and I can continue on my own from this point out. How does that sound?"

Warren finally released his tension and rigid posture. "Alright Steve. I guess I can settle for that, even if I don't won't you to go. But at least I know you can fight well."

"Wait? Is he going to the cursed land?" Luna waved her bow, trying to get some attention.

The miner peered back over the edge. "Yeah, actually I am."

"What? Take me with you!"

"No, you are coming home! Steve is going to come down there to help you out and then we are going home and I have another lecture already prepped!"

"I don't need help!" She retorted.

"Too bad." Mark added.

Warren grabbed Steve's arm and looked him square in the eyes. "You said you were going to come back right? Then I hold you up on that word."

"I made it a promise." Steve nodded and replied in all seriousness. Feeling a little at ease that Warren actually had some faith in him. "I can't promise to stop Herobrine, but I will try. I'll do my best to find away at least."

"Just come back is all I ask." The bartender let go and halfheartedly smiled through all of the doubt that clouded his mind. "You keep that promise now. Even if you find a way to stop him but fail; then just coming back, that would be enough satisfaction for me. Or if you chicken out within the first few hours-, justpay a visit to the tavern." He then took the leather bag he had over his shoulder then handed it over to Steve, the miner took it reluctantly. "There is some food supplies in there and a few other useful things. It's not much but I prepared it this morning, just incase I couldn't convince you to give up on going there."

"You didn't have to. Thanks though, I appreciate it." Steve curiously unzipped it to see a few loafs of bread, some coals, wooden planks, wooden sticks, along with some cooked pork chops, a lantern, and even a few unlit ready-made torches. He refastened it and smiled. "You should at least allow me to pay for it."

"You want to pay for it? Then come back alive, that should be fair enough. I've lost enough friends in my lifetime, too many as a matter of fact. Don't add to that count."

The miner took the bag and pulled it over his head and shoulder, readjusting it so that wouldn't put too much weight on his chest pack. "Thanks. And don't worry, I'll pay for it. You will see me again."

"Here." Mark walked over and held out his iron sword. "Take it, those monsters in there are very tough. Trust me, I went in there once and nearly died within the first few minutes. Never been in there since. The beasts are strong and you'll need as much help as you can get, especially against White Eyes."

"You need it-." Steve tried to press the blade handle back.

"I have another one at home, just keep this one." Mark insisted.

He grabbed the blade by it's hilt and held it securely in hand. "Alright, fine. Thank you, this is definitely helpful."

Warren pointed to the opposite side of the ravine. "There is a ladder on the other side, now if you want to get through the ravine and into the valley then you'll have to get onto the bottom floor down there on the covered end." Both of the men looked down at the bottom again, a few mobs moved around in the dark. "You'll have to take care of them first. But there should be a small cavern connected to a wall that'll lead you to the ancient land."

"I can take care of the ones on the bottom!" Luna suddenly shouted. "Let me do that at least to help out."

The old man rubbed his temples. "Okay, but stay right where you are until Steve gets down there. And when you get back up then come to the forging station as soon as possible. Come on Mark, I need you to watch my back while I repair my axe since we are all the way out here." He walked past Steve without a second glance.

"Hey, be careful Luna!" Mark waved.

"Oh and Steve." The bartender stopped and turned his head back. "You made a promise, so I expect that you'll keep it alright?"

"Definitely." He nodded with determination in his expression.

"Good luck my friend." He said with a sad expression. "You'll need as much of it as possible." He faced away from the miner and continued quietly. Mark followed after him as he walked down the hill.

"Come on slowpoke! You aren't going to wait until night are you?!"

"I'm coming!" Steve cautiously sprinted around the rim of the ravine until he reached the other side. "There's no going back." He whispered to himself as he gazed once more into the deep dark gorge. He bravely turned around and put one foot down onto the suspended wood and slowly descended down the ladder. The steps were space unequally and were very unstable, which made the descent more terrifying. Thankfully, the sounds of the mobs pained wails from below sort of gave him some reprieve since the girl was slaying them and making the pathway a bit safer.

He placed his foot on the last wooden step and it snapped from underneath him, he slipped up but kept himself from falling by clinging to the rest of the ladder for dear life. Sighing in relief he hopped off of the decaying wood and carefully landed on the first ledge, one of many more that lined the walls. "Okay, now what?"

"Go through the dark half of the ravine. There should be some stone steps carved into the wall, that'll get you down here."

He couldn't see her but at least he could hear her voice from the echo. The dark side of the ravine didn't give him any confidence but he said that he'd help Luna back up so he readied his sword and proceeded into the darkness.

The wide stone ledge started out a good few feet but it quickly narrowed out into a small broken path. The ledge was now so thin and damp that Steve had to hug the walls for the most part, one wrong step or a small slip up and he'd drop to his death so he clung to the walls for dear life as he vigilantly moved further. He moved close enough to a wider ledge and then lunged for it, safety making it across a missing block of stone path. Steve cautiously peered over the edge. "How do you keep doing this?"

Luna stuck her head out enough and looked up to see the miner. "I've done it like a million times, you get used to it."

"I don't think I can!" He looked around the ravine to see several areas that had a missing pathway.

"That's because- hey stop that."

"Steve looked back over but Luna wasn't looking back this time. She murmured to herself like she was fidgeting with something… someone? "You okay? Who are you talking to?"

"It's nothing!" She looked back up. "Just keep going!"

The miner walked even further into the darkness and came upon a staircase of cobblestone, he made his way down them quickly and then down another set that lead back into the lit side of the ravine. Steve continued on the path until he saw Luna partially in a small crevice, trying to shove something into the hole in the wall.

"No. Go! Hurry!" Luna whispered rather loudly.

"Luna, what are you do-"

Steve frantically halted after a large black arm extended out of the hole and grabbed onto Lunaris's shoulder. A large black figure gently moved her aside with ease and stepped out of the crevice, lowering it's head then standing tall as it stepped out. It was an Endermen. One of it's eyes had been sealed shut with a large scar and a pale gray burn-like mark the side of it's face. One deep amethyst eye gazed upon Steve and then it howled loudly as it's eye met the miner's.

"Vlurrhhppp!"

"Luna! Get away from it!" Steve quickly brandished his sword, carefully approaching the creature for a hopefully swift battle.

It hissed loudly, revealing it's teeth. It towered the miner in height and intimidation but the human wasn't backing down. It began it's charge towards the man.

"Stop!" Lunaris demanded, taking a step forward.

"Stay back!" Steve shouted as Luna moved closer, she had to be insane to get up close to an enraged Endermen. He swung his sword upwards as the mob closed the distance between them, but just as the blade nicked the skin the black figure vanished and appeared right behind him. It hastily grabbed him by the arm and the miner brought the blade to his side to make a quick jab but the Endermen slapped it out of his hand. The mob then grabbed him by the back of the neck and forced Steve face forward into the wall of stone, putting a lot of pressure on his throat. It then began bashing Steve's head against the hard surface, progressively slamming harder as the man used his arms to soften the blows.

"Stealth!" The woman cried.

"Gahhhhh-….Aaaahhhh!" Steve suddenly moved an arm up and tried to grab onto the Endermen's wrist but the creature bat it away with it's free hand and then started to choke the human with it's tightening grasp. Steve felt his body shudder from the forceful grip, he was starting to run out of air and probably out of time. It was too hard to fight back when his head went colliding into the stone once again. He hadn't even made it into the ancient land and he was going to die already? Herobrine must be amused and laughing at his possible early demise.