Hero's Bane
Chapter 65: Will Bear Bad News
Edited 5/11/2022
The miner gaped in utter shock, he really didn't know why Warren was asking these things or where he got them from. He really didn't want to answer them; at least not right away. Steve sighed and rubbed the back of his aching neck, trying to keep his eyes away from the angry staring bartender. That man looked furious but held his expression in a more calm and composed way, he was probably wanting answers and very soon; judging by the sounds of his fingers tapping the wooden table out of impatience. "Uh, … ummm." Steve contorted his face as he thought of the right words to say and how to say them, he then sighed and let his suspended hand fall to the tabletop. The elder was relentless with his fixed gaze. "Yeah. I failed." He said quietly.
"Just as I thought." The bartender shook his head with a heavy sigh in disappointment. "I also take it that my other question is true as well then?"
Steve was reluctant to answer so he remained silent for a few seconds, pondering. He wanted to wait and tell the others all at the same time so that he wouldn't have to go and explain everything over and over again. He was also nervous from their reactions and feared the worst when it came to the news of him having Herobrine's trust and what the demi-god was planning to do to the village towards dusk. It would certainly make himself out to be an enemy. The worst would be them not believing in him and remaining behind to face Herobrine's wrath for the final time.
"Well?" Warren asked impatiently.
Even with nothing going his way and this conversation being as difficult as possible; Steve began with hesitance in his words. "I have gained … rather earned… his trust." He said flatly, looking directly at the older man.
Warren looked surprised though he shouldn't have been, he knew what was up but he held onto the hope that he was wrong; that the information he was given was a lie. It wasn't. "Then Nigel was right, you are his friend. A friend of Minecraftia and it's people's worst nightmare and greatest threat. Your enemy. My enemy. … Notch's enemy." He said with narrowed eyes. "You have turned your back on us for that monster."
"He's not a monster." Steve said defensively with a low tone, but Warren only shook his head in a silent disagreement. "So it was Nigel who told you that Herobrine was my friend?"
The elder nodded with a deep frown. "Yes, he finally paid me a visit after all of those years and he told many things. That in which you just said; being one of them, one of the most preposterous things to come out of his mouth!" The man said, smacking the tabletop with his hand in outrage.
"But that can't be. I was still Herobrine's enemy at the time, and he almost killed me like right after Nigel left for this village."
"He told me many things regarding the two of you and that vile fiend. Everything from finding you outside of one of his shelters in a blizzard; to you saving 'Him' from a pit of lava, to fighting Him at the fortress and getting incarcerated. Even to the dreams you shared with Nigel, he basically told me everything he knew. My old friend said a lot of things, so many that I myself can not and will not believe. One of those things was going off to fight the demon and bring him down to his knees, others would be being spared, set free, and winning the battle. Then there is befriending him mentioned in there."
"I was Herobrine's enemy at the time!" Steve lightly slammed a fist on the table and the plate and glass rumbled lightly. "Nigel wasn't aware that we were friends or even going to become friends."
"No, he told me that you went off to face a certain fate. It was one of life and death, both hanging in the balance in the demon's hands. I know for sure that you would die but Nigel, he- he had so much faith in you, so much so that I believed he was completely blinded by the deranged delusion. He told me that you were going to win, that only you could. That only you would have the chance to convince him to change his ways and get him to listen, to tame this beast of a man!" Warren shook his head at the sheer insanity of Nigel that he recalled.
"He said that you were going to succeed where no other mortal couldn't, based entirely on your willpower to succeed." The older man leaned back in his seat and folded his arms and exhaled softly, his gaze on the table. "Then he said that you were going to bring 'peace' to the old hero and free him and the tyranny that falls on 'us'. Friendship was mentioned; but I didn't' believe anything that was said about it. Nigel sounded so sure of himself; but I know better, I personally thought my old friend had gone and lost his mind."
Steve stared at the wooden tabletop beneath his fingertips, it was difficult to take it in but he did. His violet orbs moved to meet with Warren's hazel gaze. "He had that much faith in me?" Steve asked with a slight tilt of his head, almost stunned. Nigel had already been out sharing stories of triumph, so confident in him.
"Needless faith and beliefs, but it matters not. You cannot bring peace of mind to that wicked entity, he's purely evil and has no sympathy for our kind. He has not one ounce of care for anything nor anybody but himself, it's in his nature. He's ruthless and cruel and enjoys killing humans for game, he can't be redeemed. I am not even sure if I believe that he is your friend after seeing all of those nasty bruises and your worn features. The splotches of blood and burn marks are not satisfying any reassurance of such a claim. They were undoubtedly made by him weren't they?"
"They were." Steve admitted softly. "But Herobrine has a problem when it comes to self control, he just gave me a little beating a while ago because he starts to remember things of his past and he just loses his mind. He really can't help himself though."
"How long ago?! Is he near here?!" The old man abruptly asked with widened eyes and he searched the room from his spot; frozen in fear. His eyes darted all of the corners of his bar with attentiveness, looking for white eyes glowing eyes that would greatly contrast to the darkness of the room.
"No. It was a while ago on the road." He pointed a thumb back over his shoulder. "Probably about forty-five minutes to an hour from here I think. But no, he's not here and nor did he follow."
Warren looked back behind him at the door then back at Steve with his widened eyes, they were beaming with apprehension and anger. "What in Notch's name were you thinking? Becoming friends with that fell monster? I am greatly surprised he hasn't killed you! He'd slay any of us without a second thought!"
That was the truth and it bugged the miner, but he needed to stay focused and get Warren on his side in order to save him. He really wanted the old man to understand him but it seemed nearly impossible at this point, he still had to try though. "I did it because he doesn't have friends anymore and because he had been wrongfully treated for a crime he didn't commit. The only real friend he ever had was killed right in front of him and he was powerless to do anything about it. He had been silenced, paralyzed, and thrown into lava just like you said; but he didn't die there.
Lionel was his only friend and he went to the pit and drug Herobrine out of it at the cost of severe burns on his hands and his faltering in battle with the lead sentinel. Herobrine healed with his transcendent blood because even lava isn't enough to kill him, so he lived. Then the Sovereign's loyal lead sentinel killed Lionel after finding him trying to free his brother and get him to safety, Brine was very torn of the loss. Even I was when I watched the memory replay." Steve said quietly, remembering the 'not' so fond memory he bore witness to. "Lionel could have been my own ancestor since we share both looks and the last name, we do look pretty identical. We even share the similar look with Herobrine strangely enough. Sadly, he didn't die quickly in that memory, he suffered and so did Herobrine as he watched his friend draw breath for the final time." Steve lightly narrowed his eyes and clinched his fist. "He was murdered for defending his only friend and Herobrine himself was then sent to the Nether for all eternity by summoners or priests of Notch; but not without first being driven mad by his tormenting days before and after his trials."
"What are you saying?!" The elder asked hysterically. "I have never heard of this 'Lionel', only of the great traitor who abandoned his people… sort of what you did for that monster. It would be a shame if you are indeed related to him."
Steve gawked for a second in disbelief. "A shame?" The miner really found it to be an honor to be a possible distant grandchild of the silver sentinel, fighting for real justice and having the will to go up and beyond his limits. To live up to the family code; giving everything he's got and fighting a good fight till the very end, but Warren wasn't going to believe it. The old man was too stubborn, born and raised strictly on his beliefs and the lies his people have passed down for centuries. Of course, he was raised in a living nightmare so the miner really couldn't blame him for not believing. But still, he could at least have tried to understand and listen.
"And what's this nonsense about the old hero? HE is cruel and wicked, he was thrown into a pit and devoured by the molten flames centuries ago. His ghost still haunts us all!"
"He's not a ghost! Herobrine never died. Trust me. See? For a fact I know he's alive, these bruises didn't come from out of nowhere." Steve held his arms out and displayed a few patches of discolored skin and the dark ring around his neck, almost feeling a bit of pride for having them in the first place. "They came from his own hands. And Herobrine didn't hate humans until they took his punishment too far. He was in the middle of multiple public stonings, he was beaten on, stabbed so many times, and healed just to be stabbed again. They tried to kill him many different ways but never could, the lava pit as one of those methods. Watching Lionel die and then being thrown into the Nether was the push over the edge, he had gained hatred and the thirst of revenge from that. That is why he wants to kill all of you so badly. It's because of everything your ancestors did to him, Lionel, and Lionel's family too."
"I can't believe you Steve, I really can't." Warren shook his head again, now with knitted brows and eyes of disappointment. "Everything you said doesn't even come close to the truth. Herobrine has been and always will be evil; for he a corrupted being of Notch, even the mighty creator hates his fell creation. Everyone hates and fears him for the death and misery he brought us!"
"That's because people made him that way!" Steve shouted with a fixed gaze of his own on the bartender.
"People? Bah! No, it was his desire for change and the eventual likeness of punishment and cruelty that made him into the monster he is. Then it was all based on vengeance of all humanity after that era of time when he received justice. Then his soul returned to destroy the peace, reaping revenge on the ones who killed him and everyone alike. He wasn't satisfied enough with killing the ancient people, that's why we live and why many others are killed without a hint nor trace of the murderer. We live so that he can torture us till the end of time, a cruel monster he is. He wasn't ever a true hero but a coldblooded killer, cold enough to take away the lives of children."
"That's where you're wrong!" Steve lightly bit his lip from one part specifically, Herobrine was going to end all of the villagers lives except the three if they didn't get out. It was already looking to be very difficult to get the older man to understand, it may be just as hard or even impossible to get the others if they too had the same headstrong opinion of Herobrine and the wrong history of him. Warren and everyone in the village that believed in the old story was wrong though. Herobrine was no ghost or no created killer, he was the monster mankind had made on their own. "Herobrine didn't intentionally kill Conner, it was an accident." He growled lowly.
"There is no accident concerning-… Conner? Who is Conner?" The elder furrowed a brow.
"The son of the Sovereign, the heir to Antecedent Element. Connor was his name. He was guarded by Herobrine's best friend and figurative brother Lionel, the one your people portray as the 'betrayer'. But he was no traitor. There were rebels back in those times who wanted the sovereign's position; and some of them hired assassins to take out the royal family. It was believed that the boy had been shot with an arrow by a hidden assassin to end the heir's line on the same day that Herobrine was guarding the kid. Herobrine had been framed and punished for a crime he didn't commit, even after tying to heal the boy; which he didn't get the chance I might add. He was probably the greatest hero that had ever existed, then he was conditioned into hating mankind for the torment they brought him in his trials."
"Torment? I am afraid that I cannot believe you."
"Why? I have been shown the truth by Herobrine himself! He had been tortured for months in ways that you wouldn't believe!"
"Why do I still have trouble believing you? You have to be wrong, my people have passed down the dark legend for centuries. We even still suffer at that demon's hand, that's proof enough that 'our' history of him is the truth. He was a great hero that fell to the temptations of wickedness and evil, that's how the story has been told from generation to generation!" Warren defended. "One kill spurred it all!"
"That's not the truth at all though!" The miner slammed his fist against the table to command attention and pointed his other hand at the bartender. "As Nigel told me before; your ancestors were filled with so much contempt and fear that the story changed a little with every passing generation. Fear probably prompted a lot of people to change the story to keep the newer generations on edge and strengthen their beliefs on Herobrine's position as a monster. Almost as a safety precaution for those who suffered or will suffer at his hands and to those who had never even heard of him but could fall prey to him. … Either that or they didn't notice what they had truly done to him and what his motive was, so they changed the history to suit themselves and their outlook on him."
Warren sighed and rubbed his temples with agitation. "Steve, you must have been put under his sleeping spell because there is no way that t-"
"I wasn't dreaming!" Steve countered.
"And how should I know that?" He removed his hand and folded his right limb over his left one. "How would you have seen his past anyways? You weren't there yourself."
"You're right, I wasn't there … Well actually… I was, in a way." The miner gazed intently. "Herobrine had gotten into my mind and spoke to me himself, he even showed me his past through dreams and visions."
The older man sighed. "Then you were dreaming, there is no official proof of what that monster went through."
"I was dreaming a few times but he invaded my dreams to show me, he was there and controlled what I saw. Then he dragged me to the Nether in order to get enough… power." The miner paused as he thought about the souls. Mentioning them would maker his claim even more ridiculous in the older man's eyes. Steve himself wouldn't had believed any of his own story if it wasn't for the fact that he was there to witness and partake in many of the events in the valley and in the depths of the Nether. The conversation of souls would have to wait for another day, or until the man sitting in front of him believed in him.
"Dragged to the Nether?" The bartender's eyes widened with surprise and this immediately caught the miner's attention. "There's no way, y- you wouldn't be here…" He said with a shaky tone. "I have seen that nightmarish realm many of times in my dreams and I watched and burned in excruciating heat as that demon tortured and killed innocents before my very eyes. Wicked flying beasts would then rained fire upon me and I would wake, only to have this nightmare repeat several times a month."
Steve furrowed a brow. Warren appeared to be in a frozen state of mind, barely moving anything but his eyes and lips as he muttered, his brown orbs darted to various places on the ceiling. "Hey, Warren?" Steve raised a weary arm and waved it in front of the man's face. The elder blinked and shook his head for a brief moment before returning to normalcy as he looked at the other man.
"Never. There is no way you have been there personally. Only in my nightmares was I there and it was very treacherous, unfit for any human or above-world creature."
"Well believe it or not, I was dragged there in real life. I felt the extreme heat, it was hotter than any desert I had ever been to. I was away from the sun for days; which could explain why I have paled out of my natural skin tone I guess?" He said scratching the back of his head in thought. "I was attacked by monsters there and was lucky to kill them before they killed me. I barely managed with the terrible place sapping me of my energy. That's also where all of these burn marks on my clothes and skin came from." He said gesturing the black spot on the left shoulder of his shirt and the charred places on his two exposed limbs. See? Is this not proof enough?
I actually was on the verge of dehydration and death while I was there too. You talk about hot? I've never burned up so much in my entire life! Plain fire in this world wouldn't be as near as bad!" He threw his out his arms and let them slam onto the table, he then lightly pushed the dishes aside to reveal the damage up closely. "These burns were also some of the worst I have ever been given. And look at these cuts?" Steve opened his hands and held out his palms for the other to see. "Nertherbrick dust fills them, bricks made from the vile world itself. They even smell of smoke and sulfur. So yeah. … I have been to the Nether and back."
The elder reached out and pulled one of the miner's hands close and carefully examined the tiny creases of the cuts of the palm, to his astonishment there really was a fine red powder. "Why? How? How could you have been there?" He asked, now taking the other hand and eyeing the small red scrapes with his mouth agape. He was almost too afraid to touch them, but he did to see if it was all real. A scent of sulfur was picked up as he traced one of the cuts, Steve winced from the applied pressure on his sore palms. "It's- it-."
"It's real." Steve grimaced as a tiny twinge formed in his hand.
Warren let go of the miner's palm and stared quietly at the guy in shock. "Why were you in there? How did you get out?"
Finally, the break Steve was looking for. Warren seemed ever attentive with his watchful eyes on him, he seemed to believe in the miner's trip to the Nether. It seemed like the only thing he believed. "I was taken there so that Herobrine could uh… gather… power, to form a link between our minds. He wanted answers for some things but you probably wouldn't believe them if I told you, so I won't go that far in explaining it. The process to form the link though almost killed me, but after a massive migraine; I heard his voice in my head. It sounded powerful and loud, dual toned as if he was speaking the same things twice. He was actually calm surprisingly."
"No. No, you're wrong. Herobrine cannot speak in any way or form, this was ensured in his seal. He is not able to form words, ever! It was Notch's power that sealed his ability to speak any word in any form, so he can't. Ghost or not."
"But I heard him, like forty minutes ago. He told me to leave and never come back to the valley ever again."
"He can't." The man defended. "He just can't."
"He did! I wouldn't be alive now if he couldn't get answers. I would have been slain back in that land instead of sitting right here in front of you and telling you what I know."
Warren was still having trouble believing the miner. The man looked like he had been thrown into a bedrock box and shook up, taking a lot of damage to the head; which would make sense of his ridiculous story. But then again, there was the Nether dust. That faint nasty smoky stench was proof enough that he went to the horrible place of his nightmares, it was a clear reminder of that cursed block that the explorer brought back with him. After seeing the dreadful Netherrack in his dreams and then in real life; it made the place of torment very real, the only way that the miner could have gone there was by a certain being.
It would be very unlikely that the man would have came back alive if he didn't talk the demon out of attacking, verbal defense was probably all the man had against the old hero. Maybe Steve did find a way to communicate after all? Warren wasn't too sure of what he was fully believing, but seeing his friend again and the red dust was evidence enough that there was some truth somewhere in the miner's words. "And you had to become his friend for Notch's sake?"
"You don't know Herobrine like I do, you only know what your people do."
"How did you… become-" The older man furrowed his brows. "A friend of 'his' exactly? I don't see how it was even possible. Not that I'd fully believe what you say." He quietly finished.
Steve leaned back in his chair and sighed, even if the man doubted he had to say something to at least try and convince him. "I first went into that land to find a way to stop him after finding out that he was terrorizing your village and it's people, I was not fully aware of what Herobrine was or what he was capable of. I later found out that I couldn't kill him by hand; let alone face him on his level, not after experiencing his power firsthand. So I headed off to the fortress because our ancient people had a connection to the creator, I was wanting to try and call upon Notch to dispel Herobrine for good. … But nothing went my way as one would expect with my kind of luck. I didn't even get halfway there without running into Herobrine. Actually, the first time I ran into him was when I was at the bottom of the ravine."
"That's… that was why Luna was so shaken!" Warren blinked and sat up in his seat, remembering the young woman lightly shaking but acting as though nothing happened when she arrived at the forging station. "I knew she had been spooked by something but she kept denying it, saying that she almost slipped over a ledge in the ravine. I've caught her in that place many times on the very edge, and I've seen her almost fall in a couple times. She never shakes from it because she does not fear heights. It had to have been his presence. Luna knows when he's around."
"It had to have been him." Steve said carefully, stirring clear of the fact that both he and Luna were at the bottom of the chasm when Herobrine showed up to toy with them. They were lucky to get out alive. He definitely wasn't going to tell Warren that they were 'both' being toyed with at the bottom of the ravine; or the old man might strike him from rage, the bartender was a very protective man. "I didn't see him at that time, but I knew it was him. He knocked me out and gave me a terrible nightmare, but that was just the start. A lot of things had happened before I reached the fortress and plenty happened after I got out of that place. I know you are not that interested in my long and 'ridiculous' story so I am just going to make the long story short, hopefully Nigel filled you in on the more interesting parts that I told him. Anyway, I was attacked when I reached the fortress with Nigel. I was chased to what I thought was my death and I got very lucky that I didn't die. Herobrine fell into a pit of lava in his pursuit for me."
"Yes, Nigel told me that. You saved that monster instead of sealing him away like you should have." Warren said with a glare.
"Yeah, I had the opportunity to seal him in the pit of molten rock but I couldn't do it; not after Nigel told me his past and seeing some of it in a nightmare. So I helped him out of it and ran. I later encountered him at the fortress where I fought and fell before being imprisoned there."
"He kept you alive and he spared Nigel too? I don't see any reason for that demon to be so merciful."
"I don't know why he kept Nigel alive, probably as cooperation leverage? I asked Herobrine about that earlier but he only said he kept him alive because he was amusing to toy with at first, but then he further spared the old man because he saw the real History of the legendary hero. … Or something close to it. He kept me alive because he didn't know what to do with me. I saved him from a long life of torment when I could have easily trapped him in there. He felt like he owed me. You do know I had one of his legendary swords at the time, right?"
"Yes, Nigel was real particular when it came to that blade. He said it had 'magic' qualities. Enchantments that gave the wielder unbelievable strength and speed at the cost of the sword bearer's own health. He said you fell to the power but then you later adjusted to the adverse effect, wielding it with less issues."
Steve nodded. "That is what happened. I guess my body overcame the effects. But anyway, I later fought Herobrine on even grounds while using one of his swords. And this was after Nigel left so you'd probably be shocked with what I tell you, you might even hate me for it." He said more quietly.
"Well, what is it boy? I am very disappointed in you, but I don't think I'd hate-"
"I brought Herobrine down." Steve watched as Warren stared in silence with skepticism but he seemed to believe with his facial reaction in awestruck. He even sat there and gawked with his last word still caught in his throat, remaining perfectly still. The bartender collected his thoughts and was about to speak, but Steve continued before the older man could mutter a word. "It was by chance! … Or more of an accident really. I don't have any real strength to actually knock him down.
Actually, I was the one who was knocked around and then down to the ground. He was going to deliver the final blow and so I just tried my best to defend myself and drove my blade over his to defend myself and I wounded him. I somehow got him, and I thought my luck was bad? It was strange though, he didn't heal immediately afterwards like he did with the burns he got from the lava; he just stood there and bled before turning on his heels and running away."
Steve could see the disbelief in the other man's eyes, it didn't sound believable because Herobrine seems like a deity that would never have to run away. "So I chased after and eventually found him lying in the grass of an open field. Instead of killing him like I could have I… I helped him." He said looked down at his hands. From the moment he said those words; he could sense the tension coming from the bartender, the deeper breaths the man made assured his speculation. It seemed like the man actually believed him which was good, but it was also not so good after making a promise to stop the super being. He broke a promise to keep another. He had to save Herobrine and find a way to save the village from the being's wrath too, but that wasn't going to happen. Getting in an argument with an unstable half-god would prove deadly, just talking about the old hero's past about the ancient people sent him into a frenzy.
"You helped him again?! And when you had the actual chance to slay that monster?!" Warren jumped up from his seat and slammed both if his hands flat on the table, leaving the bar in complete silence with the miner holding his breath.
Steve almost expected this kind of reaction, he only wished Warren would understand him but that wasn't the case in reality.
"You- You mean to tell me that you could have easily destroyed that cursed demon when you had possibly the only chance an human ever had, and instead of doing that y-you saved him?! Are you out of your mind?!" Warren barked.
The miner looked away. "You don't know Herobrine, he doesn't deserve-"
"He doesn't deserve what?! To die?!" The other man interrupted. "After the countless lives he took, the endless torment he has brought our people and for those who had never done any wrong or were even connected?! One life to him is nothing when it means just about everything to us! Those who live in this village cherish each other more than any inanimate object, or riches such as gold. We value the lives of our neighbors, it's all we have when He shows up to destroy everything we worked so hard to get."
Steve sighed and looked up at Warren with a serious expression. "Look, I know that he's been cruel and he's done a lot of wrong; but he was only doing what he thought was-"
"His opinion doesn't matter! Just because a handful of people tortured him; it doesn't give him the right to kill off the innocents and afflict 'our' people! Or 'our' children! We ourselves in this place; had done nothing wrong! Our people suffer every single day of his wrath, whether it be the powerful mob attacks, fires, earthquakes, or nightmares. We are living a life of misery and now the future generations will continue to because of you!" The bartender pointed at the miner with a dark sneer. "We will all suffer! … You broke your promise to me… to us." He said darkly.
"I'm sorry." The miner said with a deep apologetic tone. "I tried. Herobrine is hard to convince."
"No you didn't. We are still under that demon's hand. And as for the promise of coming back? You didn't come back. The Steve that I knew left for that village and has yet to return, he died like I thought he did."
"What are you saying?" The miner asked, now looking puzzled and hurt. He could tell that his action of saving Herobrine was really distressing to Warren, but killing the powerful ex-hero wouldn't be fair. Herobrine certainly didn't deserve the punishment he got back then, but Warren and his people didn't deserve to face everyday with despair and death knocking on their doors either.
"I'm saying that you aren't yourself. You are not the same man I once knew." Warren moved away from the table sluggishly and ambled over to the bar countertop and stared out the window to see the nearly empty streets, only a few villagers would pass by. "The Steve that left here had the virtuous heart of saving us from the hand of wickedness, but you- you only allowed the monster to recover; now it'll continue to leave us in grief and misery till our people are completely fade out over time."
"But I am the same guy." Steve stood up from his chair. "I still have those virtuous intentions." He said glancing to his side for a brief second before turning back to the bartender. "It's just- hard to keep them when you can't sway someone who has been through so much strife and suffering. Besides, I am no match for someone who's; I don't know? A hundred times stronger than me? Who knows? Maybe he can't die? I could have been killed by him after recovering for all we know? I tried to show him that not all humans were deceitful and evil, because that's how he sees us Warren.
We are all his enemies, it doesn't help that he has psychological problems. Herobrine went through years of agony too, he's lost someone very close to him and was betrayed by a lot of people; some of which he believed were his friends. He has no one left."
"Really now? That's not justifiable."
Steve hestantly nodded. "I'm aware." He said quietly with a deep frown.
"Well he's not the only one to lose someone close, remember that well. Lunaris is one who has suffered a great loss, but she didn't deserve it either. She was so young." Warren looked at the counter with his head hanging low, his eyes became moist as he thought about the image of the little girl that stood quietly; all alone outside of his doorstep. "Luna's parents were mercilessly slain by him and she's an orphan now because of him. She grew up under my care because no one in this town would take her in, she went to every house but they kept their doors closed on her. All of the people here are afraid that he'd come back for her; since her parents went against his greatest rule of bringing light to the town.
I have been protecting her ever since, I've even taken a few beatings myself just to ensure her survival. He also killed my fifth cousin after setting her house on fire and she was the only friend I had growing up. And what about you?" He nodded at the miner. "I bet he's tortured and tormented you to the brink of death hadn't he?" He tilted his head towards Steve. "Can you honestly say that He doesn't deserve any punishment for killing Luna's parents and attacking her when she left the village? And what about everybody else here; including you who had suffered at his hands? Let's also not forget about the many generations of people who died and suffered at his hands."
Steve felt inconsolable from the man's words, so much needless suffering from one man's desire to take the great fortress so many years ago. He wondered why Notch would let it go for so long and why he never did anything to stop it. It's like he didn't even exist. "He did nearly kill me, a few times to be exact. One time really put me before my grave."
"You want to know why it's difficult for someone like you to make the decision to end Him? It's not what you may think though. It's because you don't know what it's like to lose someone so close by Him… Your friend." Warren said looking away. "You don't know this intense feeling of hate and remorse that we have here in this place. Notch had abandoned us all, he let this evil come in and steal away the normalcy of our lives, he let our families suffer and perish. He has taken away what we cherish most. You don't know how that feels."
"Sorry. I wish I could have done or said something to get him to change."
"Change? He cannot change." Warren's tone grew. "He's satisfied with our torment. There's nothing you can do now to help us, you've done enough which wasn't much at all. Maybe you'll leave here with no future troubles regarding him, but for us; it will remain the same. Just like it always has been. That White-Eyed demon has no heart nor sympathy for anyone, not even you."
"But you're wrong."
"Steve, a real friend wouldn't nearly beat you to death, or throw you to the depths of the Nether. It's clear to me from the sight of you; that you are lucky to be alive right now, that not even you have any value to him."
Steve took a step away from the table. "Herobrine saved my life Warren!"
The bartender fully turned around but his expression was not that of a surprise like the miner had thought. "Why? So that he could kill you another time?"
"No he did, he's…he." Steve let the energy in his mood die down. Arguing was pointless. Herobrine saved him back at the shack so that he could get answers… not because he was his friend. But he did get him out of the Nether, and that was because he was his friend. He protected him from Ender.
"Does it matter? I don't think so. Saving the life of one can not make up for the many he put to death, or the ones he made suffer greatly before perishing."
"That has to at least count for something though."
"That demon deserves nothing but death!. You are not in our place so I don't expect you to fully grasp the words I say. You are blind like Nigel."
"I forgave him. He tried to kill me and I forgave him." Steve said softly. "He might have been cruel, but I know where he comes from and why he suffers so much. I can't expect you to fully understand what 'I' am saying when it comes to him. You don't know the things I've seen and what I went through and I don't know exactly what you've been through, but I do know right from wrong. Herobrine is in the wrong and so is everybody who had nothing to do with his persecution, I get that. But taking him out makes it unfair for him."
"Life isn't fair miner."
"I know it's not, but please hear me out? He's changed!" Steve paused as he prepared to deliver the news that he really didn't want, but at least it would prove some that Herobrine cared enough and changed; even if it was by the slightest. The miner took a deep breath and hoped that it would go over smoothly with the man, deep inside though; he knew it wouldn't. He was about to speak but the older man spoke first.
"And thousands of lives tormented and lost over generations taken out is unfair too. If it is true that you say our ancestors tortured this monster of a man; then he had no right to go that far. Even change would do him no good now, he's gone way too far from redemption and forgiveness from any of us. He is and will forever be; our enemy, as for we will forever be his enemies."
"He's letting you go."
"And just what is that supposed to mean?" The bartender narrowed his eyes and folded his arms.
"He's letting you, Mark, and Luna go. To be free of his wrath forever." Steve spoke up. "He's decided to let you live on behalf of our friendship, all you have to d-"
"A lie!" warren snapped. "He will never let us go, he will torture us until the end of our days!"
"No, he's coming to destroy the village and kill everyone here! But he said that if you three leave with me then he'll spare you!"
"He's going to do WHAT?!" The bartender's eyes went wide with horror. "When did he tell you this?!" The bartender stepped forward and grabbed the miner by the shoulders before lightly shaking the man. "When?!"
"Just about an hour ago. That's why we need to get Mark and Luna and leave here before nightfall or otherwise none of us will be spared."
"Why didn't you say anything sooner?!"
"Yes. Yes. Why didn't you?" Came a softer tone from another man.
Steve immediately looked at the doorway to find a well dressed man with two other men standing behind him. "Who are you?"
Warren's eyes were now fixed on the man. "Chief Morrison?" He lightly gaped.
"Chief Morrison?" Steve repeated in confusion. The older man wore a black shirt with intricate gold designs on his sleeves and black silk dress pants. He also had frosted grey hair, deep brown eyes, slim glasses, and a golden shawl draped around his neck for a higher standing amongst the people. He looked like someone important, like a leader.
"You can let him go of him now Warren, I believe he's still too weak to fight so we'll take it from here. I've gotten all of the information I need. Jimmy, Carson, take this man into custody, I've had enough with the talk of 'Him'. This miner is going to drive all of the villagers to mass panic at this rate, we can't have that. The other has already done enough damage, rumors are everywhere in this village. And if this man is in cooperation with Him then we are all in jeopardy and faced with a treacherous fate."
With that, Steve felt Warren's hands peel off of his shoulders as two men in simple commoner's clothing approached him. "What's going on? Who are you?" The miner asked while backing away towards the corner of the room as the two guys got closer, each had an iron sword tied to their backs so fighting them off wasn't going to happen; not in his state.
"Do not resist us miner. I am the chief or leader of this village and for nearly the entire week; I have been hearing nothing rumors of your triumph. Well... your little failure actually. People keep coming to me for answers that I don't have, so I am going get some 'real' answers at last."
"Hey, back off!" Steve shoved one of the guys as they grabbed for his shoulder, but the other the grabbed his wrist and pushed him into the wall before he could even face the other. "Gah! Get … Off!" Steve squirmed as they grabbed his other wrist and slammed him into the wooden surface, he thought he tasted dust from the wall as he gasped from the collision. He then felt punches to his back as he moved, then kicks to his aching legs.
"Get off of him!" Warren ran up to one of the men and pulled him away from the miner but he in turn; received a forceful shove that made him fall back onto the floor. The older man grunted as he leaned up. "What is the meaning of this?" Warren looked at the village chief, gawking.
"Don't interfere, the miner will be safe in our hands… as long as he cooperates of course."
"Then why are you letting your dogs beat on him?!"
Morrison only stood there with his hands behind his back, seeming like he was in control of the situation. "He's got a lot of fight, it could be why he survived so long in the valley and why he hasn't been killed by the white-eyed fiend." He said, not taking his eyes off of the struggling miner. His men continued to beat on the miner's body.
"So, that doesn't give you the right to let them hurt him? He's human!"
"But he's also a valuable asset." Morrison smiled when he looked at the bartender. "If this man is indeed Herobrine's companion, and if it is true that the demon will attack us; then we can use this man for leverage. If he stays here in our custody then we'll no longer have to live in despair."
Brown eyes widened. "What?! No we can't! 'He' will just free him and kill us all! If you plan to use that man it'll just make the torment worse for us! We can't even be sure that everything he said is true!" Warren shouted at the top of his lungs, half tempted to punch the village leader in the face for his unnecessary methods of restraining his friend.
"Please, stop." Steve begged and the multiple strikes stopped. A coiled fist then slammed into the side of his head and he stopped moving so much, he grew dizzy from the blow and remained still. He was easily subdued and slid down the wall to his knees and ceased his struggling. The miner then felt the two men haul him up by his arms ands forced him towards the exit of the bar. He tried to wiggle himself free but felt something strong binding his hands together. He couldn't do anything.
"Good work men, now take him to the confined area and throw him in with the other, we'll have much to discuss soon. I can't have him running away on me." The village chief said with a smirk as the miner was pushed by him and out the door.
"Other?" Steve asked before he nearly tripped on the uneven gravel beneath his feet. He was yanked roughly upwards and pushed onto the streets where many villagers stared with confusion, anger, and fear. A little girl that was nearby stepped out of the path and backed away a few feet before running to her mother in silence.
"Yes, a friend of yours I believe." The village chief said to the miner before turning around and walking to the exit of the bar. "Thank you for getting all the information out of him Warren, at least now we have some insight on the man and the demon. You know? I was quite lucky that one of the villagers spotted him walking into your bar, if they didn't tell me then I would have missed on a lot of information. I thought I asked for a signal when you had him in your building though?"
"I didn't even know he was coming back here. I only agreed to the plan if what the explorer said was true. I knew you were at the door but I didn't expect such a violent hassle, that's not how you took Nigel." The bartender growled and finally pulled himself off of the floor with a pained grunt and narrowed eyes.
"Well you got your proof. How much you believe depends entirely on you."
"You still didn't have to let your men beat on him. At least have the decency to treat Steve with some respect!"
The village leader shook his head. "Steve is our enemy, we have no care for our enemies remember? I need to go now so thanks for your cooperation. Good day." He said politely before stepping out and walking down the road.
Warren rushed to the door and stood outside of it as the men pressed the miner to walk forward down the street, the bartender leaned against the doorframe. "What have I done?"