Hero's Bane

Chapter 12: He Watches From Afar

Edited 4/9/2022

Steve brandished the diamond blade as a couple of spiders lunged at him, he swung the sword with all his might and it slid through the mobs with ease. Both of the spiders had been brought down at once and Steve examined the stainless blade with curious eyes, that was until the moaning from behind tore his attention away. He spun around and slashed the zombie from the waist up, making sure to not have the same mistake repeated back in the cave. He then jabbed it into the monster before pulling it out and ducking from a green limb swinging his way. He rolled away from the danger before charging straight forward and bring the diamond weapon right between the neck and shoulder.

A loud screech filled his ears as another arachnid tackled him from behind, he went face forward onto the stone ground and felt a piercing pain at the back of his neck. He struggled to remove those sharp fangs that had seemed to be draining him of energy. He kept trying to reach a hand back but a soft textured limb reached out and pinned his arm down every time he pulled it free. "Get ...off!" He squirmed around to hopefully loosen the hold and he managed to turn just enough to jab the sword at the mob's head. The spider jumped off as a sharp object punctured one of it's eyes.

Steve rolled a few feet before standing up. He lightly traced where he had been bitten and it stung as he tried to wipe away the trickling sensation that flowed down the crease of his neck. He had little time to react as a silent groan came from his left, he jumped away but the monster began to stumble towards him at a faster pace than normal. A rotting hand lashed out and struck him on his shoulder before another clung to his arm with a strong grip. The mob opened it's deformed mouth and aimed at Steve's neck, but the miner wouldn't settle for it and it's nauseating breath. He took the diamond blade and plunged it into the undead mob's throat then shoved the monster away and it fell backwards limp.

He checked his surrounds for the next close mob but all of the remaining ones began to retreat silently as the distinct sounds of effortless clapping came from above. Steve looked up to see Herobrine leisurely clapping his hands at the human's decent performance of instinct and skill with that evil smirk.

Steve narrowed his eyes and tensed up his posture. "I don't know what this was about, but if it's over then let me go!" He growled as the legendary hero only stood there lowly chuckling. "Leave me be!"

Herobrine's smile never faded as he took a step forward, he then leaped off of the high stone wall and landed down on one knee. He rose up before continuing his slow walk towards the miner with his head slightly crooked downwards, giving his eyes a more intensifying glow. Keeping his intimidation up would make the approach much more satisfying and watching the human begin to back away meant it was well working and that he was going to enjoy every second of that fear-induced expression. White eyes focused on the mortal and he could hear the miner's heart beating more loudly with each small advance, the erratic pumping was music to the hero's ears.

Steve felt himself taking steps backwards despite having a diamond sword in his hand, he had this powerful weapon that could cut through anything with ease but he still felt powerless to the monster now approaching him.

The old hero held out his hand once again and out of thin air formed the hilt of a sword in the middle of his palm. The blade formed from the base all the way to the tip when the demon griped onto the handle and it began to shine brightly with a lustrous bluish glow, unlike the red one the human wielded. Herobrine's sword was also made of diamond, but there was something about that alluring blade that made Steve feel almost hypnotized to it; he could barely look away from the sword. It's like he could feel the power of the blade and the power it's wielder had by light invisible pulses that radiated from the gleaming weapon. Herobrine continued his pace at the human and raised the blade up, ready to fight.

Steve had feared it would come down to this, he just knew that Herobrine wasn't going to just let him leave, not alive anyways. Steve felt himself bump up against a wall and he looked up to see the gloomy sky lighten it's downpour, the rain was falling more lightly which would make the fight easier for him but it's Herobrine he was now up against. There wasn't anything going to help or save him now, only himself and whatever fighting skills he had.

"Herobrine, I don't want to fight." Steve stiffened his posture as the monster grew closer, holding onto the handle of his sword tightly. He wanted to avoid this, his last encounter with the look-alike nearly got him killed and he couldn't understand why Herobrine didn't kill him then; that was unless he just wanted to torture him first. But still, that strange dream with the boy and being brought to the surface, such actions still confounded him.

He shook his head back and forth a couple times in uncertainty. No matter the reason; Steve just didn't want to face that kind of power. "Is this your purpose? To terrorize travelers before killing them? To hurt those who have done nothing to you? What would your friends or family think?"

Steve almost regretted saying that considering Herobrine supposedly came from out of nowhere and probably didn't have any family and his only friends were likely mobs, the living myth had scowled from his question and he started to stride faster. He was soon getting closer, too close for any sense of comfort. "Please, just leave me alo-!"

A heavy blade came crashing down at the human and he brought his sword up to block the sharp razor from going through him. Herobrine had forcibly pushed Steve's sword downward more and the man was having trouble keeping his own strength from being overwhelmed, this double of him was very strong. His arms were starting to give so Steve angled the blade to his side and Herobrine's sword went sliding off onto the stone ground.

Steve pushed himself off of the wall to run away and as he looked behind him the demon was gone, he turned his head back and Herobrine appeared before him with the bright sword coming from the side of his waist. Steve quickly blocked it and decided to wildly swing back, and in doing so the monster leapt back giving the miner some space.

Steve knew it was a stupid idea but he chose to utilize his distance and sliver of time to thrust his blade straight at the enemy. Herobrine quickly reacted by holding his weapon right in front of him and the human's blade end struck against the other but the abrupt force caused the man and his sword to bounce back, like a small pebble thrown at an obsidian wall. Watching the miner stumble back is when the hero stepped towards Steve and brought the hilt of his blade hammering down onto his head.

"Ahhhhhaaa!" Steve staggered backwards and clutched at his skull with a sharp cry when a piercing pain pelted him on the side of his head, he pried his eyes to see everything rapidly blurring and spinning around. A distinctive figure then reached out of the vertigo mix and grabbed him by the throat before throwing him off to the side.

Steve roughly tumbled across the ground, then came to a slow stop. He grasped at his aching head and forced himself back onto his feet, he looked up and a cyan flash came flying at him. He pulled his sword back up to block but the sheer force made him stumble back again, Herobrine was super strong he reasoned; yet felt as if the monstrous man was actually holding back. Swift repetitive strikes came from out of nowhere and Steve was having trouble trying to block all of them, not when each hit was becoming increasingly powerful and his disorientation was not helping.

Herobrine stopped his wild strikes to watch the man struggle to stay standing, the human was still lurching back while lowering his sword to rest his aching arm.

"Stop! Just stop-!" Steve plead through his rapid breaths, heavily breathing as he did. He somehow found balance and painfully moved the sword back up, but the ex-hero charged forward anyways. Herobrine picked up speed then swiftly leaned down to slide on the side of his feet with the wet ground helping him move forward. He glided across the smooth stone and drove his feet into the miner's, Steve shot upwards and over Herobrine before landing face-forward onto the ground behind the guy after being knocked off balance.

He grunted as he lifted himself off of the ground only to find a foot flying at him. Steve went tumbling away from a strong kick and his sword flew out of hands in the process.

"Please st- stop." He coughed. He lifted his head to see Herobrine standing before him with the luminous blade hovering over his head.

He couldn't move, even if though he was in danger he just couldn't pull his eyes away from the monster and the diamond blade. Herobrine was too strong, and during this little fight it looked as though he didn't even put any effort into it, it was all way too easy for him like a game he's played hundreds of times before.

Herobrine lifted the blade higher then forcibly swung it downwards. Just as the sword came within contact; everything went white with a flash of bright light.

...

Steve shot upright from the dirt floor as loud thunder filled his ears and a bolt of lightning flashed from outside, eyes wide and filled with panic. He blinked a few times before looking out the door frame to find Herobrine standing just outside of it, staring back with the bright gaze. Steve immediately crawled up into the corner of his dirt shelter with terror and watched as that menacing figure grinned then slowly backed away and out of sight. He couldn't remove his attention from the small hole, he wanted to block it but then he'd eventually suffocate so he decided he'll stay awake and hope that the demon wouldn't come back. He was too afraid to fall back asleep now, fearing that Herobrine would return to his nightmare and finish where he left off.

…

It had been several hours and his eyes were heavy and dry but the bad weather finally broke and the sun was rising, painting the skies in beautiful bright colors to his relief. He had never once moved his gaze from that spot from where that living nightmare left, but upon watching light filter through his half doorway made him feel at ease and he decided to continue on his search to find the ancient fortress.

Steve poked his head out of the hole and lightly examined his area, everything seemed clear. He moved back in and snuffed out his dimming torch then placed it into his bag. He carefully pulled the bags over his sore neck and stood up, he stretched to get the kinks out of his muscles. Every muscle in his legs and back ached from the stiff position he sat in but he shook the feeling off then dug out the dirt block and stepped out into the morning sun.

The intensity of the sun's rays hurt his eyes and made him squint with a light grimace, his head now ached even more and there was a sore spot on the top that seemed to be the source of his pain. The only explanation he could come up with the tender spot was from Herobrine knocking him with the sword's holt in the dream, though there shouldn't be any physical injuries considered it was a dream but it was 'Herobrine' that hit him. There was no signs of zombies or any other creatures and thankfully; no signs to Herobrine. Steve stretched again, while letting the sun warm him up. The night had been long and cold and though he was tried and sore he began his walk across the hilly plains.

The miner didn't have a map of the valley or any clue to where he was heading but he assumed that the fortress had to be somewhere in the center of it all, well he assumed and hoped. He wasn't even sure if he was heading into the heart of the land but he'd figure that he'd stumble across the fortress eventually, it was a stronghold that held many people at one point in time after all so it had to be too big to miss.

…

Steve was getting tired and hungry again, he walked for over an hour and all he could see was small mountains coming closer into view with each step. It was also getting colder too, the mountains were covered in snow and drafts of air blew from them and down into the valley. He was starting to wonder if he was getting close to a border of the ancient land, but then he'd be back to square one and that would make his time spent trying to survive all wasted.

Though- he did recall seeing some snow capped mountains in the distance before even coming into this land, it was when he climbed for hours to get on top of the mountainous cradle to get that overwhelming view that he had heard about. He was given some wild information about a beautiful land that wasn't touched by human-kind and that is what put him up to the task of exploring to begin with. Steve sort of regretted wasting his time listening to that bald traveler and his mystical story of pure land, it put him into a world of trouble but he was too far into promises and unexplored mysteries to turn back now. He still had to find the truth and he wasn't going to turn back now, no matter how much he wanted to.

…

It was cold. The miner had spent another hour slowly making his way up towards the snowy slopes with his arms wrapped around his chest, he had no other clothing or armor to keep himself warm; though he never anticipated colder biomes so he never prepared for them. He contemplated on stopping and building a small fire but it was already turning to midday and time was something he knew he couldn't afford. He quickly found himself stepping through snow, the peak was just feet away. He rushed up the slope to see a vast span of snowy hills covered by cedar trees, it went outwards almost endlessly. Snowy plains and foothills was all his eyes could see, it was going to be a long and cold crossing.

"Great." He sighed to himself. He was getting hungry again and his boots were doing little to feet his feet warm. He was already freezing and his head never stopped aching and now he was more tried then he ever wanted to be. Sleep was the one thing he wanted more than to be rid of the walking curse and relaxing back at home, but he knew what dangers he faced if he slipped.

The miner tightened his arms around his body as he pushed onwards down into the tundra, it was a stupid idea without the necessary cloak of warmth, but he decided that if he got cold enough then he'd stop and build a fire with some of the wood he had previously collected.

After a while of walking small snowflakes began to fall to his distress, each little speckle landed on him and melted away leaving a small trace of dampness on his clothes and skin. It didn't take long- but he soon found himself wet and even more colder than before. He looked around as he made his trek through the thickening snow, hoping he could find an abandon shelter to warm up in or find a cow and use it's rawhide to keep him warm and dry.

But upon his examination he somehow-, in a way he couldn't believe from a great distance; saw the figure of a man standing on top of a cedar tree just staring at him from his right. That cyan shirt and unmistakable yet blurry facial features practically screamed Herobrine and Steve pushed himself to run left through the thick snow. Herobrine was far away but Steve knew that 'he' was watching him, stalking him, planning the next move that may just end the miner's life.

"Is he watching me? Has he been following me the entire time?!" Steve knew he was being stalked a couple times but it seemed as though that monster never got too far behind and he began to wonder if Herobrine ever left him in the first place and this lead him to believe in that disconcerting thought, it was alarming.

…

The ex-hero watched as the human stumbled around after searching in his direction, the man must of somehow caught a glimpse and from a good distance away at that. It wasn't a feat too impressive, but the fear that the human had shown was quite amusing. He watched as the miner pressed himself to run through ankle-high snow and nearly trip a couple times, it was clear that that the guy was on the verge of collapse. That would be interesting and yet an inconvenience, not being able to fight back despite his tenacity. What a shame.

…

His breathing was becoming ragged and his body was shaking; not just from the cold, but because it was very exhausted. No sleep, little food, freezing temperatures, all of the physical and mental troubles, the plaguing nightmares, the sudden strikes of heartrending fear, his overstrained heart, and an overwhelmed body had put the man into an unstable condition and he could feel his health declining with each and every step.

He pressed on though, fear kept him moving despite his aching muscles telling him to stop and rest. He even felt his brain painfully pulsate, as if warning him to stop now but he knew he couldn't let that monster get him. He was getting colder and everything in his line of sight was starting to blend into a blank pallet of pure white, the snow flurries seemed to make it all spin and twist and Steve felt himself wobbling around like a whirling snowflake.

Everything went white and he felt himself fall backwards, he didn't even have the strength to catch himself or regain balance; exhaustion brought him to an immediate halt. His head landed softly with the fresh snow and it quietly crunched under his weight. It was as though his body had shut down to preserve what little amounts of energy he had left, hunger made matters worse.

"Up, come on." He hissed and willed away to sit up but all he could do was lift his neck and wiggle his fingers, he was so tired and cold. He just wanted to sleep in a nice warm and cozy place with a soft bed, but he knew he didn't have those luxuries here in this damned land. The thought though, was a relieving one, and he could almost feel the comforting warmth of his blanket he had back home. His thoughts gravitated to the comforts of his room and the fireplace, to a table with warm and well cooked steaks and loafs of bread.

He stared up into the light grey sky and watched as the frozen water gently floated down as small individually shaped spots and they landed around him, some clung to his cheeks before melting away leaving cold air to freeze the wetting surface. Watching these flakes fall somewhat lulled him into a peaceful state despite his real troubling situation. He was drowsy and becoming lethargic and it was against his own will, it was becoming difficult to focus with exhaustion doing him in.

The pain seemed to melt away though and he felt his limbs and pain grow numb from the cold snow. Being chilled was better than he thought, the sharp pain was all replaced with a freezing numbness sensation. It was still slightly better than feeling every powerful ache the had coursed through his body, his heart however; continued to beat rapidly.

He blinked when a flake landed in his eyes and a sliver of that warm darkness tempted him to shut them a second time, he was so tired and wanted sleep. Steve blinked again but allowed his eyelids to stay shut for a few seconds longer but they snapped back open when he realized that sleeping out in this weather would kill him. Another flake made it's way into one of his blue orbs and he blinked again, it was very tempting. Every time he closed his eyes he felt better so much better than before, he decided to close them just for a few more seconds and this time they didn't come back open.

The sound of snow crunching make him lightly peel his eyelids to see a blurry human-ish figure standing right in front of him, but for some reason he couldn't bring himself to care who it was though the figure seemed highly familiar. Steve closed his eyes once more before fading out of consciousness.

Herobrine stared down at the fainted mortal. It was so easy almost too easy to just take his life away like that, the human had given up and it annoyed him. Well he didn't give in entirely, his body had been pushed beyond it's limits and he clearly wasn't right in his mind with being worn out and all but still-. The human should have been wide awake after seeing the hero but he closed his eyes without care a care in the world. Peculiar.

To see the human come this far and die wasn't what he wanted, he'd rather face the mortal in real battle outside of the nightmare realm and show the man just how much he hated humans and every little thing about them. He could still show the human in his unconscious state but it may be too much for the miner right now and Herobrine wanted to make sure that he felt real pain, while conscious and sharp in health. Maybe next time, he thought.

…

knock, knock, knock.

"Hm?" An elderly man dressed in lavish clothing and reading glasses looked up from his book and wooden desk towards the door from across the room, his expression of surprise and relaxed posture went rigid with unease. "Is that you?" He asked quietly. "I hope you don't plan to try and kill me this time, I'm still recovering from the last visit." The old man carefully and quietly got up from his desk and slowly made his way over to the door, he opened it of his partially buried shelter to find a man wrapped in an ornamental navy colored cloak; just lying motionlessly outside of his doorway. The man was bundled up and his face was obscured by the cloak itself. "What's going on here?"

He knelt down to pull back the hood and he nearly jumped out of his skin after seeing who he thought was the legendary myth of a powerful being, but upon closer inspection the man seemed too human and his facial features weren't as define as they were on the old hero. "Oh Notch! It's … not Herobrine?" The man blinked in disbelief by the bruises that lined the unconscious one's throat, his skin was also pale and cold, his closed eyes almost appeared sunken in. The man was on the verge of death but he looked so much like Hero that he almost couldn't believe his own eyes.

Everything about the bundled mess in front of him seemed so surreal but he knew it couldn't be a nightmare, he was all too familiar with Herobrine's dream attacks and bizarre visions. He looked for tracks in the snow and found a set of boot-prints leading out into the snowy tundra, but looking further back he could see a lonely figure standing out in the distance with a cyan shirt and white eyes staring at him, watching him from afar.

"Oh!" He caught a glimpse of him. "What are you up to Herobrine? Is this some trick?" He asked quietly, knowing that the powerful being could hear him no matter how low he spoke.

The snow started to fall more heavily and Herobrine faded into the falling white.

"Well, this is the second weirdest thing that's ever happen to me here. And you." He glanced back down at the miner. "I don't know who you are or where you hale from or what origins you have, but I have the strangest feeling that you're somehow connected to the history of … no, you can't be. Or maybe?"

He looked back once more into the heavy snowfall before grabbing the wrapped up man by the shoulders and dragging him into the warm shelter.