Hero's Bane

Chapter 26: Is Fear and Anguish

Edited 4/16/2022

Steve couldn't bare to remove his gaze from the spot that Nigel was once in, not with the heavy notion that he's probably dead and the fact that he himself was next. Oddly enough, the enchanted sword was back in his hands and it relieved some of the throbbing in his chest, he could slowly feel strength returning to his arms and legs again; though it wasn't much. He bravely moved his eyes back to the spot where the gleaming blade came from and the clone continued to stare down at him with his sword hanging loosely by his side. Steve assumed that the doppelganger had wedged the sword back into his hand by using his foot, but for what purpose? And why he continued to just stand there and stare and not end him all already.

"Why?" He asked quietly. "Why?!" He repeated, louder this time even knowing that Herobrine couldn't speak. "Why are you doing this? Why did you give me the sword back? Did you want me to stay alive long enough to watch you drag my friend away and make me feel pain because of it? … If you did then it worked!" Steve lightly pounded a fist on the floor while taking in quick deep breaths to refill his aching lungs and wipe his watery eyes on the sleeves of his t-shirt.

The Herobrine at the throne started to make his way towards the downed miner, making all of the doubles disperse into puffs of dust as he passed by them. So much confusion still weighed on the being's mind and now he needed to confirm if this man was the descendant of a particular man. The way Steve looked, the way the he fought when his friend's life was at stake, the way he would defend him using himself as a shield like in the dream. Then there's the phrase he used at such a desperate time, there's just too much evidence for sheer coincidence of the man mirroring his brother. It was all coming down to one question and Herobrine just had to know, he wanted to know before he could kill the human.

Steve gaped as the clones around him burst into dust clouds and sprinkle onto the floor, the sounds of footsteps coming from his right made him whip his head around to see the rest of the clones disappear; all except for the one that slowly walked right at him without a weapon in hand. Steve assumed that this was the original that controlled the rest. He moved his hands forward and feebly made an effort to lift himself up, but he slipped back onto the smooth surface after his left arm gave out. The steps were getting closer and closer and so Steve continued his attempts to rise with nothing but failure.

The sword gave him a little more power to move and stable his condition, but his body still ached and still felt rather weak. He knew he was about to be at the mercy seat of Herobrine and he knew well that there would be none given to him. He should of turned and left when he received the warning then maybe then Nigel would still be well alive and the two could of left this place with their lives. Die trying wasn't something he wanted to commit to anymore, calming the hero's soul wasn't worth it anymore, not at the cost of loosing his friend and now his life in the process without anything to gain. He couldn't even keep the family honor, you can't give it you're all when there's nothing left to give but pitiable flailing.

He felt a slight kick at the side of his stomach and he rolled onto his back writhing lightly with a pained groan, he now stared up in terror of white eyes. A hand reached down at him and Steve quickly swung the weapon at the hero's arm in defense, however; the swing was poorly made and flew right out of hand and missing the hero by a long shot. A painful bubbling and burning sensation started to build in his chest frame again and his eyes watered when he couldn't draw breath. His final gambit failed miserably.

Herobrine watched as the sword flung upwards and then clanged onto the ground next to him. Even in such a condition the mortal still had some fight left in him… just like him. Hero leaned forward, reaching his hand over to the miner's neck.

Even with his body attacking itself with strong heart palpitations and shuddering limbs, the human still made a soundless expression of dread with Herobrine taking a surprisingly soft grip around his jugular. Pain intensified with each second and Steve could barely keep himself together, mentally that was. He didn't want to imagine what the ex-hero was going to do to him, only that whatever it was that he did it quick to end the pain he hoped.

Herobrine brought the man to eye level and focused on the human's deep blue-violet orbs, they were indeed the same shade of blue as Lionel's and they displayed a look in them that only 'he' could. Everything about the man before him just screamed out a younger version of his past friend Lionel, but it obviously wasn't the same man he once knew. It was just a mortal that seemed very familiar and had similar styles and traits. But perhaps Steve was a descendant?

Herobrine used his empty hand and waved it at the ground and silently commanded the blade to fly up into his palm, he then took the sword as it flew into his grip and moved it towards Steve. The miner trembled in the hold as the blade got too close, he paled in fright and writhed around unconsciously from the dangerous weapon. Herobrine ignored the futile attempts of escape and forced the handle of the sword into the miner's limp hand, he then coiled the human's weak fingers over it and held on long enough for the guy to get a grip and he started to breathe more calmly as seconds passed with it.

The deity-like being dropped the human to the floor and watched as Steve staggered about sloppily until he somehow scrambled onto his knees with eyes wide in shock and confusion, still gasping for air and struggling to stand. Herobrine was still displeased that he couldn't get a direct answer, but he decided he would allow the human to live just a little bit longer; just enough to expectantly recover and gather strength to fight.

If he was indeed Lionel's distant relative then Herobrine would give the man the honor to fight fairly and without distractions like the elder leading him to bring forth his demise. He didn't like the idea of killing possibly his best friend's great grandchild but he had to, to protect himself. The miner did help him a few times, but that would not sway his decision to kill the man anymore; he was still trying to call out to Notch to extinguish Hero and that was … unforgivable.

…

Steve managed to crawl a few feet away and kept his eyes locked on the hero, greatly confused as to what just happened. His heart pumped wildly and it seemed to beat irregularly even now with the sword back into his hand and refueling energy to his aching muscles, the sword that 'Herobrine' had put back into his hand. "I don't understand."

The hero stepped forward as Steve inched backwards on his weak knees, trying to now move away from the approaching nightmare of a man. "Now wait a moment, please." He begged. A strong hand then shoved him back onto the floor and clinched around his ankle, then Steve felt his body flip and his face hit the floor, he was now being pulled across the ground and away from what little light the grand structure had. He swung his head around and Herobrine had his back to him with his foot in hand, taking him who knows where.

The miner's body shuddered wildly, just like Nigel; Steve was being dragged away from the throne and into the darkness of another corridor, to a fate unknown but well assumed.

"Let me go!" Steve twisted his body around and flailed about as the light disappeared around the bend. He scraped at the smooth stone brick underneath his fingers but there was nothing to dig into. He desperately clawed again and again as the darkness swallowed him, he tried to kick his way out of the hold but everything he did proved futile with no real strength behind his movements. He was still too weak and the grip was too strong. He looked at Herobrine to see the being cocking his head to the side to look at him while continuing his stride, the miner's body seized up but Herobrine turned away; seeming disinterested after staring for a few seconds.

Fear tightened it's hold on the man as dark thoughts littered his mind of what the ex-hero was going to do to him now. Steve could imagine the powerful man throwing him to a mass of zombies, or have him chained to a wall with skeletons using his body as target practice. Or worse… Herobrine using his body for sword practice.

He tightly shut his eyes and shook his head, he hated the horrible scenes that flashed in his mind. He quickly reopened his adjusted eyes from the sounds of growls and screeches that echoed down the large hallway. He looked to his left and saw a creeper partially hidden behind a stone column; just blankly stare at him while remaining completely still, almost as if the mob was scared to move. Screeches from the ceiling made him look up to see spiders clinging to the arches and pillars above, keeping a rigid stance and observing red eyes on him.

Steve then moved his head to the side as much as he could to see Herobrine's back again. The sword was still in his palm and he lightly chinked it on the ground before lifting it up, he had a daring and yet foolish thought. Maybe he could make a quick lash?

A sneering face with glowing bright eyes snapped towards him, the expression beamed with the notion: 'Don't you even dare mortal.' Steve couldn't remove his gaze from the white one dangerously glaring back, the scowl he received shook him to his core. Steve's heart pounded loudly and tiny beads of sweat formed on his forehead, he let the his sword hand fall back down and dragged the blade along. Herobrine then lightened his expression and turned his attention back to the path that he continued down. Herobrine made a quick left turn and headed down a darker corridor, still hauling the frightened man.

Low moaning sounds filled the miner's ears and he could barely see a horde of zombies ahead with Hero's glowing eyes as a torch, a large horde rounding up to about eight or nine of the green fleshed living corpses stood in their way. Herobrine narrowed his eyes as he got closer to the undead horde, his eyes glowed fiercely, even bright enough to illuminate all of the monsters and even walls.

Steve watched while holding his breath as Herobrine dragged him past several of the groaning fiends staring at the human like he was a fresh meal being delivered. Steve's mind was filled with dread with the idea that Hero was going to feed him to the filthy mobs, let them tear him to pieces and eat him alive. But the immortal just continued to pull past the zombies and the fiends only watched as they moved away, all except for one that came stumbling fast at the incapacitated man. Steve screamed as the monster grew close with it's mouth open wide and arms stretching out at the defenseless human. Steve held his blade ready and feebly waved the weapon about, but his swings were low and poor at best in his state; so he folded his arms over his head and squinted his eyes as the monster grew closer.

Herobrine stopped and instantly swung his empty hand around and clamped it tight onto the zombie's squishy throat just as it reached the miner. The mortal bravely looked up and moved an arm away to see the scene before him with eyes wide open. Herobrine's orbs glowed intensely but the zombie wasn't phased by the threat and continued to reach out to Steve, so the powerful being's grip tightened even more and more with each second and the human gaped in horror as a loud cracking sound came from the strangulating force of the hero.

The zombie's arms and legs suddenly went limp and it's head rolled back, the neck was completely crushed by the hero's pressure and the cracking sound must have been it's neck bone snapping in two. Herobrine heaved the body back before hurling the decaying corpse several yards down the hallway to where it's brethren stood and the mobs staggered towards the body and kneeled down before tearing at the carcass.

He could of sworn his heart had stopped for a second. Steve couldn't stop watching those zombies rip and devour the flesh of their own, it was sickening but it was the thought of him in that zombie's place that really disturbed him. It could have been him with his neck snapped by Herobrine and his body being ripped to pieces and savagely consumed. He felt the ground move underneath him again and he glanced back to see Hero's back to him but those eyes still glowed and lit up the ground ahead. Herobrine seemed furious and territorial over his prey so Steve made no more attempts to escape or move about, fearing that upsetting the already enraged powerful being could make his death more painful and sooner then he wanted it to be.

Being dragged along for minutes on end; Steve noticed how fearful the mobs were of the superior being, not one mob since the zombie kill had even dared to come close to the hero's path nor him. An Endermen hissed when Steve glanced at it's eyes by accident but it remained still along with spiders, creepers, and even other zombies. It seemed that no creature here messed with the immortal and Steve wouldn't either if the circumstances would just favor him.

The miner's chin abruptly bumped up and down and his teeth painfully gnashed together as Herobrine dragged him up a couple flight of stairs, each step up made the human wince but he held his tongue and the retaliating words he wanted to say for the sake of his own health. At least until Hero drags him to the 'appropriate' place to die. As Steve grimly thought.

Once up the stairs, Steve kept his eyes wide open and watched as he was slowly being pulled across a fairly small hallway with a few doorframes lining both sides of the walls. A sudden stop made Steve freeze and hold his breath. This is probably where he was going to die.

Herobrine kicked an iron door open with one powerful stamp on the gray-colored rectangle and Steve nearly jumped out of his skin from the abrupt bang. The hold around Steve's ankle tightened as the captor dragged the him in.

Steve unexpectedly felt himself lift off of the floor and he screamed as he was flung from the doorframe; all the way to the other side of the dark interior, slamming painfully against a stone wall and landing on something moderately softer. He bravely peeled his eyelids back to see Herobrine on the opposite end of the room, blocking the exit with a deep scowl on his face.

The miner took notice of the small room he was in, the bed he was on. Those piercing white eyes shown brightly and the human felt himself nod to a silent understanding that this was his prison now, his cage until further notice and that attempting escape would result in fatality. He got the gist down just from staring into those beaming orbs and Herobrine angled his head down with a soft nod.

Herobrine stepped backwards and slammed the iron door shut before having a faint red glow form at his hands, he took the dimly lit torch and placed it next to the wall outside of the door and gazed through the small gaps through the iron door for a few seconds before turning away and disappearing into the darkness of the hallway.

Steve kept his eyes on that spot outside of the door's tiny window for at least a minute before a high-pitched screeches flapped around his head. He threw his arm up and waved the sword around loosely, still struggling to move around in his weakness.

The small flying black creatures as his eyes could make out then flapped about and then zoomed out of the room through a window next to him. Steve let his wielding arm fall to his side as he peered out this small window at his bedside, taking his empty hand to grasp onto one of a few cold iron bars that kept him caged on the inside. He could see small white dots hovering in the air and a slight violet color on the horizon with dark greenery just out into the distance. He was pretty high up in the fortress considering he could see tiny green figures stumble about in a courtyard just below. The mobs moved around slowly and he could barely hear them or see them, he knew he wasn't getting out this way, not without falling to his death and being devoured by those fiends.

He moved his gaze back onto the soft surface and felt a thick fabric under his fingers, though he was never so happy to see a bed in his life; it gave him little comfort since sleep almost always resulted in a nightmare with Herobrine around. With his eyes adjusting a little more and with help from the redstone torch outside his supposed cell, he could tell that he was in a small boxed room with a few empty bookcases, a cupboard, a chair, a bed and an end table. It was a room that a stewardess may of used back in the day.

"So, I guess I have to wait for my death then?" He said with a deep frown and low voice, not taking his gaze away from the brightest orb in the upper corner of the window. A chilly breeze blew through the iron bars of the window and Steve lighrly shivered. He carefully moved the sheet from under him and pulled it over his cold form before lying his head down upon a flat pillow. The sword was carefully tucked under and remained at his side. He had no intentions of sleeping, just staying warm and dreading when his killer would return to dispose of him.

Steve found himself mumbling a low prayer, feeling frightened and alone. "Notch, if you can hear me then please, please help me. I don't want to die." Dampness formed in the corners of his eyes, thinking back to Nigel; he didn't even hear the old man mutter any last words before being cut down. Steve clinched the dusty red sheet and pulled it over his head. "I'm sorry." He lastly whispered with heavy guilt before his aching and tired body lulled him into a deep sleep.

…

Herobrine sat at the throne with a palm resting on the side of his cheek and elbow on the arm rest, his other arm laid flatly and his fingers annoyingly tapped at the end of the royal chair. He was mad, not at the mortal, not at the irritating screeches from spiders, and not even at the creepers coming too close to his throne. He was mad, mad at himself for being so- so reluctant. So- merciful. Humans didn't deserve such leniency, none of them. They were all the same with their cycles of repetitive behaviors and shifty trust, always out to fend for themselves. No human deserved mercy, they even turn on their own which made the old hero sneer from the thought.

His scowl deepened as he thought about his new prisoner. He had the perfect opportunity to slay the man several times and do away with him each time, but he chose to allow the human to live, to rest. This may become a mild irritation that he could easily handle while the man recovers, but still; he hasn't been this 'generous' for ages. No mortal deserved it, not even this one who risked his life for the one he's trying to destroy. All humans ARE the same. … If it only weren't for that possibility, that connection to Lionel; who was the one exception of his seeded hatred. Steve. Never once did any other Mortal come as close to looking nor acting like him. Steve is just lucky that he sort of resembled and acted like Lionel, otherwise he'd been dead a long time ago.

Feeling angry and bitter from the return of lost dark memories; Herobrine arose from his seat and began to walk back to the human's cell, prepared to show the man just how lucky he was to be alive right now. Should the mortal be asleep then Hero would love to invade his dream realm and show him his anger.

…

Herobrine walked down the halls before shortly making a sprint up some stairs and to the 'marked' room. He peered in to see no movement, just a bundle under the bed sheets. He effortlessly ripped the door right off of it's hinges and made his way quietly into the small room, stopping as he reached the curled up form lying on the bed. The miner lightly shifted and his head turned. Hero could hear tiny murmurs escape the man's lips as he tossed and turned on the mattress, his heart was racing and beating in Herobrine's ears. The human was having a nightmare and it wasn't of his doing for once. It was interesting to see a human in the nightmare realm without actually creating it for them, fear driving their imaginations to some of the darkest and haunting of worlds. He wondered what the mortal was dreaming about.

Herobrine moved closer to the human and held his hand out over Steve's head, hid eyes glowed brightly as he entered the miner's mind.

Herobrine materialized in the middle of a dark and dense forest, a bright full moon and vast cloak of stars hovered above his head in his observation and it wasn't long before he could hear the loud hammering of one's heartbeat out of fear. The immortal listened closely for the low rapid beat and ran straight ahead over several bushes and under a few low trees to find the miner weaving through the surrounding woods quickly with an expression of shock across his face, running from nothing to the hero's annoyance. Herobrine watched as the man ran and waited a few minutes to see what was chasing him, but there was nothing. At least not yet, there was however; a strange presence looming around. He then hopped out from the bush and followed the human at a short distance, being sure to not be seen and see what the man was dreaming about.

Steve stopped at the end of the woodlands and stared up at a large cliff that towered above him and encircled him on each side, the large rock and dirt wall blocked his path and mocked him in it's great height. The miner placed a hand upon the wall and dug his nails in as he tried to climb, but he quickly slipped and was unable to find another edging to grab onto. Now he was trapped and cornered, heart racing wildly. Steve spun on his heels and backed against the wall with his eyes wide and diamond sword hanging loosely in hand, he stopped as his back hit the wall. Herobrine slowed at the edge of the tree line and then hid behind a tree, barely peeking out from around it and watched for what was going to happen next.

Suddenly. Several clones of Herobrine appeared around the miner from thin air and hovered a few inches off of the ground, each wielding a glowing bright blade in their left hand, the swords were coated in fresh crimson blood. There was something different about these Herobrine copies though, they had sharp pointy canines showing in their malice-filled grins and their fingertips curved into sharp claws. Eyes glowing with ferocity like the brightness of lightning.

"Please, ju-just let me-me go." Steve stuttered in pure fear, he was visibly shivering in his spot and his heart pounded loudly, making a few of the copies chuckle from the pathetic sight in front of them.

"Why … would I … do that?" A dark and cold venomous-like voice called out from one of the clones. It tilted it's head to the side and laughed, grinning widely after it's dark chuckle came to stop. "I want to kill you. But let's play a game first, doesn't that sound… fun?" He quietly whispered.

The human moved his head back in forth in disagreement.

"Let's play a little game of tag." The clone laughed as it disappeared and reappeared right in front of the mortal with a flash of light. "Now you're it!" A clawed hand stretched out to touch the man but stopped as it pointed at the dead center of the human's chest. The claw nearly scraped Steve's torso but the wicked form in front of him withdrew his hand back and grinned in satisfaction. "Actually, that game is just too easy." He hissed with a dark smile and the other doubles chuckled lowly in unison.

"Please stop." Steve felt beads of sweat form and roll down the side of his cheek. "Please, just end it already!" He begged more loudly.

"Stop now?" The clone flew up to his face and rested the sharp diamond sword on his throat, the tap made a tiny flow of warm fluid trail down his neck. "The real fun hasn't even yet to begin. Why stop now? Besides, you know how I HATE humans and their intolerable behaviors." It growled with a sneer but the frown turned back into a fiendish toothy smile in seconds. "You should of seen the game we played with your friend, it was a blast! It's a shame we couldn't play longer. We were having so much fun that he just begged for more. Or… was it begging for mercy? Heh, matters not. Begging is begging and he was on his knees with his fingers laced, pleading for mercy. So I just took this sharp blade here and slowly slid it across his-"

"SHUT-UP!" Steve's eyes narrowed and he swung his sword out at the twisted form of Herobrine and the being just burst out laughing as the blade phased through him like he was a ghost. Steve's jaw dropped from making absolutely no damage with the enchanted sword and he backed into the wall after his wasted swing.

"Hehheheheheh! That tickles. Now it's my turn." The nightmare Herobrine grabbed onto the miner's neck, digging sharp nails into the miner's flesh and making him yelp from the tiny puncturing pains. He then squeezed the man's neck tightly with his piercing claws before slamming the miner into the wall several times, each slam progressively grew more stronger and the last forceful one made the miner violently cough and gasp for air with a sliver of red dribbling from the corer of his mouth. Steve scraped at the holding hand and tears poured down his eyes as he kicked at the clone for breath, only to have the effort wasted with Herobrine being just out of reach. The hero copy grasped onto the sword and then jerked it out of the human's hands before tossing the weapon away, it landed right where the real Herobrine hid.

Herobrine looked at the sword that laid just a few feet from the tree and he sneered before coiling a fist firmly, these clones were disgusting and so deformed that he couldn't stand the sight of the pathetic things. Those 'wretches' were a mockery of perfection and they way the acted and talked made him enraged. Everything they were and what they were doing made him furious, the way those 'things' touched 'his' prey? No figment copy touches 'his' prey. The human would surely die in this dream thus die in realty, even from the human's mind he could sense the body weakening. The immortal's flesh began to glow as his anger grew, his form began to fade.

"N-no." Steve quietly chocked as the hero moved his own inhuman blade in front of him and reared it back to pierce the man's chest.

"It's your turn now Steve. Goodnight."

The mortal closed his eyes and silently screamed, he knew it was all over now.

"GAAAAHHHHHAAAAAHHHH!"

A loud agonizing cry filled the air and Steve pried an eye open to see a diamond sword sticking out of the clone's chest, a diamond sword that had a low aura of red around it. It was his blade? The clone snapped his head back in anger and shock to see a familiar looking man with silver armor holding the weapon. "Who are- GAAHHHKKK!" The double shrieked and dropped the miner as the weapon moved upward and cut through the center of the being. It was then forcibly yanked out, taking a trail of black blood out along with it that splattered onto grass as the man whipped the sword down to remove the foul fluid.

"Of course you wouldn't know me, abomination." The man in silver scoffed.

The miner gasped for breath and then coughed a few times before looking up to see the sentinel. "Li-Lionel?" He whispered. Steve found himself oddly smiling a bit at the sight of the ancient guard as he grasped his bleeding neck and applied pressure.

"WAAAAAAHHHHHHAAAAA!" The clone's head snapped left than right before it exploded into a pile of dust as the sword slid across the hero's back in a finishing move. The other clones shifted their attention to Lionel and they flew upwards into the night's sky with rage before diving at the man all at once with their swords and claws raised high above their heads; ready to slice through the sentinel, they hissed unnaturally in their speedy descent.

"Traitor!" One copy screamed.

"Lionel! Behind you!" Steve forced a shout of warning and pointed up. But the man just stood there with a heavy frown, looking intently at the miner.

"They are nothing." The man blankly replied as he turned around and held the sword at his side. "Nothing but monsters."