Hero's Bane

Chapter 33: Prepare Your Mind

Editing 4/19/2022

Steve had sat in front of the warm flames for hours, dozing off on and on and letting his head dip down from the drowsiness. He managed to fall asleep a few times but woke up each time with tiny cold flakes of snow drifting through the gaps in the ceiling, the snow floated down onto his head before thawing in his hair. The now melted and icy fluid soaked his head and dripped down onto his lap, small chilling drafts from the holes in the walls made him wake up with a cold cranium. He shook his head to get more flakes off but now all that came off was droplets of water, he looked up to see a few small block gaps letting the flurries float on through. That was going to have to change.

Yawning, he forced himself to stretch and reach over for his shirt hanging over the side of the furnace. The shirt appeared dry now so he removed the warm robe and quickly swapped it with the even warmer top, it had been much closer to the fire as the furnace itself was next to the fireplace; he was kind of surprised that it didn't catch on fire. Now feeling up to it, Steve stood up and wobbled over to the bed to take a seat on the end of the mattress. It wasn't too dark yet and it was hard to tell with the heavy overhang of clouds, but the miner still had a few things to do before going to sleep.

His dry throat needed some relief first so he decided he'll collect some water and rehydrate himself. He moved over to his iron bucket to see two fish now sitting motionless in the pail. He found himself more hungry than before and in anticipation for a nicely cooked meal. He grabbed the two fish and walked over to the chest to take out some wood, he then moved over to the Netherrack block. He skewered both of the aquatic creatures on wooden sticks and leaned them close to fire to slowly bake from the hot flames, it was going to take a little time to cook them. With the idea of having something to eat now put aside it was time to get some fresh water, he grabbed his bucket and the enchanted sword as he walked out the door.

The miner felt chills down his arms and back but it wasn't that feeling he got from Herobrine, this was the iced droplets landing on his skin and melting away. He almost wanted to go back and get the royal robe for added warmth but he was only getting water, he'd be back at the house in a minute or two. He brought along the blade should Herobrine decide that the fight was now, though he had doubt.

Steve didn't like the idea of having to be ready at every waking moment or dying for that matter, but it was for a justified cause. He quickly paced down the hill to where he had fished recently and took the bucket in hands before leaning down and scooping up some water. He made sure to clean out the pail and then scooped up enough until it was completely full before he turned to head back.

A sudden movement and slight sound to his left made him freeze up in fright, he cautiously turned his head to see something moving around under the shaded trees. It was too dark to see what exactly it was behind the shadowed cluster of trees, but he needed to get away from it or fight it. Steve's first thought was automatically on the hero and he was preparing the blade and himself mentally, however; upon moving steadily closer with the sword held high he could hear a weird deep grunting sound. Steve carefully placed the pail of water down then slowly made his way around the tree, ever so cautious that it was Herobrine or a freakish mutated mob of some sort.

He hacked away at the branches now in front of him and frowned at losing the element of surprise, what was ever on the other side of the thick bushy tree was now aware of him. The miner whacked away at the remaining branches and jumped back after a big pink blur moved up to his face with a loud snort. He fell flat to the ground and started to laugh, the docile thing behind the leafy tree was only a pig.

"It's been too long." Steve sat up from the snow and shook off the loose flakes, still lowly chuckling from being startled by a pig of all things, a harmless creature. He hadn't see one in so long that he almost forgot what they sounded like, this nightmarish land and it's creatures only heightened his mistrust of strange sounds.

The calm pink creature grunted a few more times before stepping out from behind the tree and moving over to the stream to drink. It kneeled it's head down then lazily slopped up some water with a few grunts, completely ignoring the miner.

Steve watched the gentle and careless creature drank up and he started to feel his stomach rumble again. He was hungry, quite hungry and fishing didn't turn out to be his best method for getting food, what he did catch already would be gone soon and he was left with nothing but an old loaf of bread to hold him over for some undisclosed amount of time. He till had some water and wheat to make into bread; which he didn't want to have to take the time to make since he wanted food fast, but now here's a new option on a silver platter.

Images of cooked pork chops swirled in his vision and he was very tempted to slay the animal for it's meat, he needed proteins if he was going to battle the white-eyed man to his fullest abilities. He drew moved the diamond sword from from his side and slowly inched closer to the animal, if he struck it in the right place then maybe one good swing would kill it quick and it wouldn't suffer, he also wouldn't have to waste his energy trying to chase it down.

The pig finished it's intake of water then turned it's head to the side before gazing quietly up at the miner, it tilted it's head at the weird sight of a standing form with a shiny glowing object.

Steve noticed that the sword had almost mesmerized the poor animal, it did glow even outside of battles. The longer he stared at the curious thing the more he lost his appetite, it was just so curious and innocent-like; minding it's own business and just trying to survive. This was the first animal he had seen since coming into the land, well the first 'normal' animal other than bats and tiny birds; creepy demon chickens didn't count.

The pig looked so harmless and carefree, as if it enjoyed it's life among the dangerous monsters of the land. Though in reality, that's probably where almost all of the animals went; to hungry zombies or spiders. He didn't pick up on the thought until now, humans hardly ever came to this valley so zombies and spiders, and maybe even Endermen probably fed off the peaceful creatures.

He examined the idle pig for few minutes to see a large scar along it's back and many smaller ones on both of it's sides. Steve had assumed that this pig went through a lot to survive, the largest gash looked so deep though the wound was healed over. "You have survived a long time out here huh?" He smiled, noticing that the pig wasn't exactly a young one and it's condition was rough. One of it's front hooves had a small crack through it and a tiny piece at the tip of it's right ear was missing. Steve crept closer to the animal and kneeled down to it cautiously to not scare it off, he then carefully moving a hand over it's head. His grin widened after the pig rubbed it's noggin back and forth across his hand, as if it was using Steve's fingers as a scratching tool to cure an itch.

"Are you alone out here too?" He asked though he knew the pink thing couldn't talk. "That makes the two of us then, and more… if there is any? … I've got to go now." He pulled his hand away and then sheathed the blade and walked over to his bucket. He tightly coiled a hand around the handle then started back up the hill, ready to get back to the cozy warmth of the fireplace and his cooking fish.

"You be careful out there okay, Pork Chop!" He shouted to the grunting mammal. His smile faded once he got further up the hill, knowing that just like the pig; his time would also come at some point. An attack he couldn't predict would likely be the end of him in his current condition. The creature had it's scars and had probably got lucky like the miner himself had and survived and escaped such dangerous situations, he chuckled to himself for relating himself to the pig.

Steve made it up to the house and brushed the door aside before setting the bucket down. Now he had water. He made his way over to his bags and fished out a few empty potion bottles that he could use to store water to drink later. He neatly stumbled back in a trip as he turned back around to find the big pink mammal now waltzing through the huge gap in the wall and striding across the room in an unhurried pace. The pig sniffed around and poked it's snout through one of Steve's bags, digging through his stuff and grunting.

The miner wasn't sure if he should stop the animal or not, maybe it was curiosity that got the better of him or the fact that he had peaceful company for a short while. "What are you doing in here Pork Chop?" He unconsciously called the pig, standing just a foot away from the thing.

The pig stuck it's snout into the bag and dug in, moving around a few items before tugging on a certain item and pulling it out. It took the old bread in it's mouth and then dropped it on the floor before eating on the staling loaf.

"Hey, that's mine!" Steve held a hand out with a deflating expression. He sighed and let his arm drop, now he was definitely low on food. "Ughh, I guess it was a little too old to eat anyway." He finished before moving over to the bucket and dipping the bottles in, he collected up enough water then stuck the corks in the vials. 'Now this is a lot better than the potions.' He thought as he placed them back into the small sack Nigel gave him and placed that small bag into Warren's.

The miner collected his now cooked fish and made quick work with scarfing them down in his strong hunger, they weren't much or all that good tasting but he wasn't complaining. The taste wasn't too great since the meat was a little chewy and not fully cooked from the inside, but hunger drove him to ignore the raw bits. This made him wonder if he should just pop any future catches into the furnace instead, it'd take longer but at least the food would be well done. He paced over to the furnace to find several pieces of coal stored inside and he smiled, maybe now he could bake some bread and have fully cooked fish for dinner tomorrow if he could just catch them.

He dug through the chest and pulled out a couple stacks of wheat and placed them the crafting table, a bump against his leg made him look down to see a certain hungry swine raising it's snout towards the tabletop. "Again?" He asked the pig with a raised brow. "Haven't you had enough already?"

It only raised it's snout up higher as Steve took one handful of the plant in hand.

"I guess I can share, I won't be here for too long anyway." He smiled, but frowned shortly after letting the pig eat from his hand. "Not for much longer anyways." He whispered. He could already feel the strength in his muscles return though his neck and wielding arm still hurt, it would only be a matter of time until he was physically fit to fight. A time he both wanted but dreaded to come.

"No, I can't waste any time moping around. I got things to do today." He told himself with a more upbeat attitude. Steve pulled out an iron axe from his bag and marched outside into the snow.

…

The ancient Hero stood out in the distance and watched as the human now began to chop at a tree. He didn't find the action too amusing, he thought the mortal would go and train himself, but instead he wasted time talking to a pig and feverishly collecting lumber. Perhaps the man wasn't fully healed yet? Or was chopping wood just a weaker method of working out? With that agitating thought in mind he turned away and walked through a purplish cloud now forming before him, he to- had to prepare for himself as well but it would be better in advance with his now dwindling patience.

Herobrine let the swirling toxic fumes consume his form and he stepped forward after feeling a wave of intense heat hitting his skin. Smoke and sulfur instantly filled his nostrils and he took a big whiff of it, feeling a small wave of strength coming back to him he deeply exhaled. He was in his element, fire. The element that consumed, that destroyed, that erased and ravaged like a savage beast. Fire could burn and singe away his enemies forever as well as everything he loathed, it can grow far out of control and sometimes could be unstoppable like him.

This was an element that greatly represented his personality, his full being. The licking flames were like his hands; it burned everything that he wanted, and punished all with terror and pain. The extreme heat was as his breath; even without words his dark snarls and powerful roars would make any human swelter to death from the intensity. And at last but not least; the heart of the fire was his eyes, everything he witnessed and felt fueled his ever growing hatred and rage, those things that could never been unseen, the damage that could never be undone. Betrayal was the ember that ignited it all.

He finally appeared on top of an outcrop of Netherrack wastelands and gazed up at his monumental fortress just ahead on a mountainside of solid red rock. It's front gate was a long walk away across a lengthy bridge of Nertherbrick, the overpass stretched across an ocean of lava and small islands of dark colored sand and soil. This was his old home. A place he solely built from the ground up with no tools but his own two hands, spending an excruciatingly long time in the exhausting heat to build during his days exiled in the formidable environment.

There was no cycle of day and night here, the heat was constantly unrelenting and it took the immortal hundreds of years to fully adapt to the scorching temperatures and sickening toxic vapors.

Herobrine didn't like the smell, he actually hated it, a lot. The world of molten lava wasn't a place he loved to visit and sightsee, but he only ever came back as a testament of his own power and will; no more would he be forced to go anywhere by anybody. Coming back periodically was a not a privilege, no. But a whim to him, he would no longer allow such a terrible place torment him anymore; he'd command it all, only make him now much more stronger.

Though he felt a surge of strength in his body and the willpower to do whatever he wanted; it now refreshed his dark memories of being stranded and immobile in the place for so long. He hadn't made a trip here for a while now, maybe a few days before the human Steve showed up, but back then he didn't have a nauseating, resenting, and burning feeling like he had now forming in his chest. Returning to this place with this now with recollected memory of his life before, made everything that he could see come back to him in his mind and he despised it.

… …

".enogeb dias hctoN. … .enogeb dias hctoN. … .enogeb dias hctoN."

Herobrine wailed loudly as the pool of molten flames he laid in ate at his flesh, his skin singed at a agonizingly slow rate with his transcendent blood fighting to keep him healed. His head sloshed from side to side in the heat and it burned his face, the pain was great and the chanting from the humans made the liquid even hotter with each and every word, the spacious interior of the small stone cave began to be filled with a dark violet fog. Every second was painfully endured, his body wouldn't stop burning, he wasn't dying.

How the humans could speak the language of the gods baffled him, only a god could use such language properly and say it flawlessly. Knowing exactly what they were chanting made him feel betrayed though. Wasn't Notch the wonderful creator that Lionel prayed and worshipped to supposed to be a loving and kind one? An understanding one that knew all things? One that he too, began to honor. These mortals chanted in his name and told the hero to go, but to where? The white-eyed being thought.

".enogeb dias hctoN. … .enogeb dias hctoN. … .enogeb dias hctoN." Six dark hooded men in black robes surround the filled alter; all chanted in a low monotonous tone, each kept their heads low and stared at the burning 'demon' now sinking deeper into the flames.

… He thought he saw Lionel standing in the back, a face of horror stared at him silently.

"!reverof dlrowrehten eht ot dehsinab eB !enirboreH" The leading one shouted above the others and threw his arms up into the air with a dark colored book in his hand. The purple fog suddenly flowed into thin funnels of air that streamed quickly into the lava and turned the altar's liquid fire into a deep purple, the channels swirled around in circles, small bubbles popped into specks of black dust.

"RRRRAAAHHHHAAAAAAA!" One last inhuman scream filled the small cavern they were in and echoed loudly. Lava flowed into his open mouth and he gurgled on it, leaving little bubbles to flow to the surface until they stopped.

… …

Steve's wide frightened eyes never left the spot where the Hero just sank, where he disappeared. The miner had watched on the sidelines in horror as the hero burned until his skin charred black, right before he sank beneath the surface with a loud pained inhuman wail.

".eromreverof .delaeS Notch be praised." The lead shaman finished with a small bow then motioned his empty hand over to the left side of the dimly lit cave. He swiftly closed the book and it instantly crumbled into ashes in his hands, the dust sifted through his fingers and onto the ground.

The miner gaped as the men silently moved to the side of the alter, then grabbed buckets of water before dumping it into the purple lava. The second the water hit the pool, the violet swirling liquid hardened and solidified into rock solid slab of obsidian.

"Herobrine?" Steve quietly called, his voice echoed loudly in the small cave. He got no answer. The men in the open cavern didn't even acknowledge him, it was like he didn't exist to them. It was here where these men just punished Herobrine unjustly for an accident and went as far as to make him burn and suffer int the process, just before casting him away and sealing him up. Rage slowly built up in the man's chest, his hands coiled into fists.

"What did you do with him?!" He angrily reached out to grab one of the men's shoulders but his hand slipped through the guy as if he was a ghost. "Huh?" He tried again but slipped through. "What's going on?" He now whispered, confused with arched brows. He couldn't even touch the men and they couldn't hear him. They quickly exited and extinguished all of the torches on the surrounding walls before scurrying up stone craved steps higher up in the cave, all that was left now was silence and Steve alone in the dark.

Steve stepped forward until he reached the square shaped pit. Heat still radiated from the freshly created obsidian, but he was too scared to reach down and touch, just moving close to the thing made him burn up. The heat started to get to him and so he slowly backed away and took deeper breaths, the air was stifling and stale. He wobbled to his side after the strong smell of brimstone flooded his nostrils, he coughed roughly to get the nasty taste out of his mouth. The strong smell came from out of nowhere and he moved around for fresh air but couldn't find any.

It was suddenly getting hotter, too hot and his vision was filling with a bright red underneath his feet. Then just when he couldn't feel any sicker; his feet went numb, completely and he couldn't move anymore. Oddly he didn't fall or topple to the side, but he couldn't feel his feet for some reason. 'Why can't I feel my feet?' He said with a grimace as he glanced down.

As Steve tried to pull his legs up they suddenly began to sink more into the now red stone flooring, it was if the ground turned into a deep red mush and was dragging him down in like quicksand. His eyes went wide and he jerked away with his limbs but he couldn't stop sinking, after a closer look; he realized that the red stone looked exactly like Netherrack!

Steve desperately tried to worm his way out but he couldn't, as he struggled he only sunk quicker and deeper and soon he found himself falling through the floor and into a desolate fiery world of misery.

He screamed at the top of his lungs as he felt himself slip from a layer of red rock and fall face first towards a crimson colored jagged surface far below. A motionless duplicate of himself followed suit only moments later, falling from the top of the Netherrack ceiling high above; from so high up, all the way down to the ground below several blocks away from the miner. His body smacked hard against the surface with a loud thud, then tumbled like a ragdoll until he came to a stop on his back.

The sickening sounds of bone crunching made Steve cringe and look away, the cries of pain and agony made him grimace. He wanted to puke so badly and the heat gnawing at his skin along with the toxic fumes only made him want to vomit more. He was utterly sick to his stomach.

The miner didn't know what it was but he found himself slowly walking over to the crumpled up heap of a man not too far from him, he told himself that it was Herobrine and deep down he knew it. The color of the man's clothing only made him move faster, he didn't know why he was so drawn to this man, only that he had to see if it really was him. The miner's eyes went wide and he nearly fell backwards after stumbling away from the sight before him.

Herobrine laid right there on his back on the prickly stone with blood streaming down multiple large cuts and gashes, his arm was also twisted in a way that no human or human-like arm should ever be twisted. His skin was scorched black in some places, some of it blistering in shades of burnt red. Blood lightly seeped from his head as the wounds slowly closed, he was healing but so slowly. The immortal cried out as his lesions sealed with a bright glow, that wail only grew louder as his arm tried to heal the broken bone, trying to reform the appendage in that uncomfortable sickly shape.

Steve didn't know why he felt so compelled to run up to the half-god but he ran over to the being's side and made a grab for the guy's arm, he wanted to snap it back into the right position that it should be in to heal properly, but like the hooded chanters; he slipped right through the white-eyed immortal and felt sharp rock under his palm. Steve also noticed that Herobrine could see with his eyes wide open, but didn't see him or even look towards him. Or that is what at least thought. This confused Steve, he wasn't sure if this was a dream or all really happening.

A nagging feeling in the back of his mind made the answer very clear.

It was like a horror scene playing over and over in his head, the more he thought about the old hero and what was going on; the more real it seemed. Watching the arm heal up like that in that shape made the miner look away and hold his ears as another piercing shriek erupted from the immobile man. He gazed back down at Herobrine and felt his chest seize. He saw what was undeniably tears coming from the immortal's eyes, he never imagined the infamous Herobrine crying.

A loud but soft whine abruptly came from behind him and he stood up and spun on his heels to see a giant squid-like white 'thing' float high above him, it had eyes but they were tightly sealed as the creature wept in the air. It floated closer to the miner and Herobrine and Steve went for his sword only to find that it wasn't on him, he didn't have tools or anything, just the clothes on his back.

The beasts eyes suddenly opened and it spat out a ball of bright flames that came flying at the men fast, it was hostile. Steve wanted to jump away but instead found himself trying to shield the incapacitated hero. Hadn't Herobrine had enough? He quickly thought to himself and second guessed his decision to stay put or let the instinct to dodge and miss the blazing ball of gas take over. He held his arms out and closed his eyes as the fireball sped down at him, he clinched his teeth and braced for the attack.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHKKKKK!"

Steve opened his eyes and swiftly turned on his feet to see Herobrine now a few yards away, a deep singed wound was now on his side. He ran back over to the being but another ball of flaming light struck him again and this time his limp form rolled over a mound of Netherrack, it disappeared out of sight. Steve bolted over the red hill to now see the hero rolling down a steep incline and shortly off of the ledge that hung high over the lava ocean. He carefully skidded down the slope and stopped after the blocks at his feet ended. He cautiously peered down to see a human form sink down into the lava.

"Noooo!" He reached a hand out then suddenly found himself falling forward. Time seemed to slow down for a short while, so many thoughts ran through the miner's mind. One thought in particular was that of death, or worse, no death just suffering forever in a living nightmare. 'Was this what Herobrine went through?' He thought as he plunged head first into the molten rock.

… …

"Gaahhhhhhhaaaaa!" Steve gasped for breath as he opened his eyes and blinked, a pink figure stared down at him with it's snout fairly close to his face. "Pork Chop?" He asked quietly while pushing the swine's head away and lifting himself up from the floor.

The pig only lightly snorted as it now moved away from the miner.

Steve sat up from the snow, flakes flew off of him and he shook off whatever he could. He tightly wrapped his arms around him, he was burning alive just a second ago and now he was chilled to the bone. He quickly looked around to see the axe close by and partially buried in snow. The piles of wood he had collected were nearby as well, everything was in it's place. The sky was much darker then he remembered, even with the overcast clouds. He remembered that he was happily chopping up wood to fix the house's roof and then in an instant he was in a dark cave with strange men chanting something.

As bizarre as the vision was, he decided he'll think more about in the safe comforts of the lit house in the distance; night was approaching fast and he needed cover quick. He stood up and grabbed his wood before sprinting back towards the shelter, hoping that he made it on time before the monsters came out. "Come on Pork Chop!" He called and the pig slowly trotted behind.