Hero's Bane
Chapter 69: You're The Shield
Edited 5/16/2022
"Execution?!" Steve shouted and quickly clenched his fists, he expected that he would be doing something to stop Herobrine but not just going out there to get a the death sentence carried out. He hadn't done anything wrong.
"Are you mad!" Nigel took a step forward and grabbed a hold of the iron bars. "You said you had a plan to get Steve to make Herobrine leave the village alone, I didn't think you were going to force him to go out there and be publicly murdered! What happened to being forced to stay in the village eh?"
"I have my reasons Mr. Benrad Woodwork. I have spent a large portion of the day pondering on what I should do and if it would even be possible to stop Herobrine as the miner here had mentioned earlier. I've come up with the limited options I have and I am not pleased. I doubt forcing the miner into residency will have any affect."
"It's because you can't stop him!" Steve interrupted and moved closer to the barred wall.
"I know that now, you've said many times and made your point clear that not even you can." The village chief huffed. "However, I still intend to try or at least get proper justice carried out before the end."
"By killing Steven?! An innocent man?!" Nigel barked and banged his fit on the bars. "If anything then that would just make Herobrine even more livid! You can't possibly fathom the suffering you'll undergo if you go through with this."
Morrison sighed and stared emptily at the floor before looking intently at the old adventurer. "I look at it this way Nigel; if I can't save my people, then I'll make sure that we all go down together respectively and with justice served to the one who brought this doom upon us. I'd prefer to save my people, so far that plan seems to be very unlikely unless a certain miner can do something for me?" He briefly glanced at Steve. "We can't run away or hide from this impending attack, the demon is restless and relentless. No matter how far we go; he'll follow and we'll surely bleed on his hands eventually.
So leaving is not an option and neither is fighting since no one in this village has the strength to match the monster's. Besides, Steve said that we'd all be the same in his eyes right? There's absolutely no doubt in my mind that we'll all suffer greatly as we die, demons are demons you know. They don't think; they just do and enjoy the sick pleasure of one's pain and agony. But let's not think on that at the moment, we still a very slight hope. I have but two options left." Morrison glanced at his hands and rubbed them together to warm them up from the cool atmosphere of the room, he then looked at the miner with a deep frown across his face. "Steve, you have only two choices here. You get to pick only one though, just keep in mind that our blood will be on your hands regardless of either choice, should blood be spilt at all that is?"
Steve ground his teeth and glared darkly at the old chief standing on the other side of the iron bars, so far his situation seemed tough and it was about to get even more demanding than what he would like; he could just tell from the cold voice of the older man.
"Your first option is the more dead-end one so to speak, one that I doubt you'll chose. We'll just go ahead and take you out to the public meeting platform and have you bound before reading off your charges, I'll then have my team of archers put you down. It's not a good way to go and I've seen a black arrow execution before, once when I was but a mere child. There hasn't been an execution of the sort for decades since, but that can happen again today."
"Charges? I haven't done anything wrong." Steve growled lowly with sharply narrowed eyes.
"That's where you are wrong. I assume that it is your fault that Herobrine is coming to kill us all in the first place right?" He inquired with a raised brow and folded his arms after seeing the miner blink and lightly gape before looking down at one of his hands, now uncoiled. Steve then took a few steps back in what looked like a stunning realization, no longer blind by his half of the argument. "He didn't show us this intention until you came to our homeland and stirred up some trouble I believe. We were only going about our lives like we normally do and trying our best to avoid incurring his wrath as much as we can. I take it from your physical and emotional response that you are indeed why we have all been marked for death? Correct me if I am wrong."
The elderly explorer gave a dark look to the other man. "How- how dare you. Steve did everything he could to stop Herobrine, he even gained the being's trust just to try and convince him to stop the tormenting and killing forevermore; not just for the people in this village but for all humans. That has to count for something on his behalf? Please?"
The chief shook his head in disagreement. "It would of if he had succeeded, but sadly he didn't. He's brought that plague over to us and now we are going to suffer the consequences. I'm using the literal term now. None of this would have ever happened if he just stayed away from the cursed land and passed through like any normal traveler would have, but instead he had to set us all up with death by stepping one foot into that valley. This man here has become an enemy of our settlement now and therefore; is no longer welcome here. However, casting him out will not happen. He must first pay for his crimes."
"What he did wasn't intentional!" Nigel loudly defended.
"That may be so but we're all still going to die aren't we? Accidents are accidents, but consequences are consequences. In this case; we are all paying the price of his meddling, we'd be better off if he hadn't done a thing. No one but a handful of my men and the both of you know this, the rest of my people do not know what terrible fate befalls them soon. Not yet. Someone must pay for our destruction and ruin. If Steve could stop Herobrine then it would be different, however; you can't can you?" He asked the miner and Steve only looked down at his feet. "Just as I thought."
"Herobrine can't, he has to kill to fulfill his debt. It… it really is my fault." Steve muttered quietly to himself.
"Steven, you didn't-" The adventurer shot a glance at the man.
The miner swayed his head back and forth, gaping from the realization that it was indeed his fault. "Morrison is right, if I had just listened to Warren when I first came to this village then none of this would be happening; at least not to the people of this village."
"Ha! He even admitted it, guilty as charged." Morrison claimed arrogantly. "All of our lives are in peril because of him."
"Yes, but what of Herobrine?" Nigel asked as he turned around to face his friend. "You said he didn't have full sanity until you came along, it's because of you that he was able to come to his senses and act more human again. You said he even found a peace of mind, he was content. He may be in some trouble himself with the real monster, but he needs to know that there's more ways to conquer problems then just giving in and doing illogical and irrelevant. If you ask me, I'd say that the old hero is being a bit of a coward. That's kind of a shocker."
"You already know what he's up against." Steve lifted his head, his eyelids hung low from the guilt that weighed heavy on his heart.
"Indeed. But since Ender is sealed away from our world than there's really no reason to be afraid, I know Herobrine can handle Endermen."
Steve was about to speak but caught his tongue. Nigel was right, but it may be too late to provoke a little of Herobrine's pride to handle the situation on his own instead of just doing what he's told like a scolded child. 'I don't know if I'll get the chance to speak to him; but if I do then I will say something, anything to stop his rampage. I have to try, if I don't die first.' He thought to himself. Steve turned his head and looked directly at the man in charge. "Okay, you said I had two choices?"
"Correct." Morrison replied.
"What's my other option then?"
"To be honest; it's not much better than the first really, but we may still come out of this alive."
Steve's eyes darted to the guards as he approached the cell bars; he noticed that one of them was missing, it was Jimmy. He wondered where he went. "Well?" Steve asked more eagerly as he pressed himself to the iron.
"Your second option is to do exactly as I command, which means to do whatever I say when I say it. No questions asked. That is all I'll require from you."
"What?! How is this an option if I don't even know what it is that I am doing?"
"I will discuss more information once we are on the alter, if I tell you now then… let's just say that you'll disagree. But trust me, it's much better than accepting death by a black arrow to the chest; especially to the heart. The iron arrow tips are coated in deadly cave-spider venom, so if the arrow doesn't hit the killing mark than you'll die regardless by poison within half an hour or so. I have five archers that will shoot you and kill you if you fail to follow my commands, so believe me when I say; do as I say or else. Besides, as I've said before; it's better then the first option and 'you' may even get to live if it works."
"I don't like the sound of this, you're up to no good James." Nigel said with a cautious tone and suspicious gaze.
"Both of you please, just trust me." Morrison said folding his arms and slightly titled his head up. "Do we have a choice made here Steve or do you need more time? ... Time that we really don't have, keep that in mind."
The miner placed both of his hands on his head in frustration. He really didn't want to go through the execution but going along with a plan that he wasn't informed of didn't seem much better; he couldn't trust the village leader after the way he treated them and he seemed kind of shady and resentful with his words. His eyes quickly move up after the clinking rattles of metal pieces filled his ears.
"We don't have much time to prepare, I'll let you decide once we get to the platform. Jim, the restraints please?" He asked calmly and moved out from the door after heavy boot steps came from the stairway, loud clinking sounds thumped and dragged behind the man as he descended the steps.
"Chains?" Nigel asked quietly.
"I know yours and the miner's type Benrad, and that's just through talk alone. Bold, cunning, intuitive. I will not have resistance, I will also not allow either of you to disrupt my plan with attempts of escape. If I have one chance at saving us then I am going to take it."
"So you are implying that we'll not go along with your alternative plan?"
"I am just going to make sure that you don't go anywhere, we are all in this danger together. I have my reasons; seeing as I do not trust either of you."
"The feeling is mutual here." Nigel countered with irate narrowed eyes. "I don't trust you. I just know that you're up to no good."
The chief lightly chuckled. "Say what you will, because for all we know, it's probably going to be your last."
Steve carefully brushed Nigel aside and stared into those empty brown eyes as the iron door swung open with Jimmy moving through it. "Don't threaten my friend, he's innocent." The miner growled.
"I know that, but can you really blame me for it?" He grinned when Jimmy roughly grabbed him by the arm and jerked him back from the bars.
"Let go!" Steve demanded and tried to kick at Jimmy's leg but the guy was quick to side step and push him into the iron to gain the upper hand and control. "Gah!" Steve winced as his face and body met a few bars of the metal. He growled as Morrison only stood there and stared silently at him.
"Stop… roughing us up. We already chose to cooperate." Nigel complained with a raised fist as a different guard moved in and forced his hands behind his back, finally clicking the iron binds together to keep his hands locked in place.
Morison turned towards the staircase after seeing the two prisoners now bounded by their wrists, he then moved up the stairs slowly. "Come with haste boys, there may not be much time left."
"Just take it easy Steve, there might be a way out of this mess." Carson walked over to Steve's side and grabbed his free arm while Jimmy was roughly tugging the miner along. "Hey, not so rough Jimmy. He's cooperating." He scolded.
"I don't give a damn if he is or not, the boss says with haste, so get moving." He pulled the miner out of Carson's grasp and pushed the man up the stairs and the bound prisoner went up as demanded, but not without a bit of struggle with the forceful squeezing clamp on his forearm guiding him forward in a rush.
Steve tried to retain his cool as he was pushed through the front double doors and out onto the empty gravel streets, it was hard to keep calm with Jimmy digging his nails in as he was directed straight through town. He snorted when a different guard moved up to his right and grabbed a hold of his bicep, as if he was there to help guide a monster to it's cage. Steve didn't feel all that strong really, he hadn't had much time for rest and hadn't had enough to eat. What little rest he did get was consumed by worry and hopelessness to trouble his mind, his body may have been resting a little better but his head ached and he felt mentally drained. He would have liked to sleep but his body wouldn't allow it, not with the trouble they would be facing soon enough. Anxiety, worry for his friends, and facing the wrathful being had done nothing but drive him to a state of weariness and restlessness.
His eye was quick to catch the weapon the guard had on him, he was an archer like the two that was tugging Nigel along only blocks behind them. Jimmy was an archer too; he remembered as the man had proclaimed earlier. Steve tilted his head to his left side to see a thick oak wood bow strapped to his back. 'Great, four of the five archers.' Steve thought bitterly to himself, knowing that it was going to be these guys to kill him. Or possibly kill him, given the circumstances if Herobrine didn't first. He knew that Jimmy would shoot him at any given opportunity, that man was ruthless and hateful. The man walking in front of them would likely give the command if Steve didn't do as he said, that guy was actually more colder than Jimmy it seemed.
Steve didn't like what measures Morrison was going to take, he couldn't even tell if that man really had a good plan or was just going to have him executed as soon as they reached the designated place. The leader was unpredictable and it was bad enough that he had shown no care for him nor Nigel. It was sad really, maybe the man was just so afraid and angry of having their way of life ruined? The people were making a living and now it'll end because of him. Maybe that was why Jimmy was so edgy and hateful? Could he really blame the actions of these men?
After taking a second to breathe and cool his head as they walked through the settlement; he started to think more clearly and pay more attention to his surroundings. It was almost completely dark now, the cloud cover really made it out darker than it ought be; but the miner could tell that the sun was practically going down over the hills now. He was starting to lightly shiver from the cool air; made fresh by the rain, the heavy thought of walking to his death place made the quivering worse. It wasn't the idea of getting shot with poisonous arrows that made him so frightened; but the fact that Herobrine was somewhere lurking on the outskirts of the woods and waiting to strike, ready to kill all and claim their souls for Ender's little revenge to Notch.
Herobrine was ruthless in his attacks; just remembering what he did to him in the first nightmare he had when he entered the dark side of the ravine; he had been poisoned by cave spiders and suffocated to death only to realize that it was just a dream. He then had a dream that Stealth and Luna were killed before his eyes; before a diamond blade slipped through his own chest. He was lucky that it was only a realistic dream and not the real deal like the time he saw into the being's memories of what he did to Brutus, what he did to the cruel man was just cruel and sick. Not even someone as contemptible as Brutus deserved such agonizing torment and death.
Then there was all those stories of Him going around and mercilessly slaughtering people like it was a game, something the old hero had been doing for a very long time. It was kind of getting hard to believe that it was Herobrine himself doing it, not after seeing and getting used to the more calm and human side of the man. The side that liked to talk and reflect on good memories as well as finding peace of mind. The side that fought to protect his friend, the miner. That Herobrine was different, that Herobrine was more happier and friendly. Troubled still, but definitely better. Sadly, that side of Herobrine was probably lost forever now, cast out and replaced with one of bloodlust, hatred, and the desiring of punishment to all mortals.
Blue eyes darted to the woods behind a few of the houses they walked by, he hadn't seen or heard any sign of mobs yet. Usually the spiders were the first to crawl out of the caves and crevices at this time of the day, there was not one hint of the arachnids and those little pests were generally the most abundant of mobs. So one screech would have been a good sign, but there was none, nothing but silence. That walk of silence was short though, the new sounds of many voices blending together soon filled his ears; as did the sight of a large crowd of people gathering around a wooden raised platform as they walked around the corner of a building.
A few people of the crowd immediately took notice of his presence as they moved towards the group and the people gasped and lightly panicked from the sight of him. Children were quick to cower around the legs of their parents and a lot of the people looking at him gave him expressions of anger, hate, disgust, fright, and malice. They didn't look too happy, but Steve had a feeling that some of the people had a general idea of what was going down tonight. The archers were probably the give away.
"Clear a path my fellow citizens, all will be explained for this meeting in just a moment. Do not be alarmed of the miner, he will not cause us any trouble, at least not yet." Morrison said as the villagers backed away and gave him space to move through them freely. The people moved back even further when Steve and the guards passed by. Again, many bad looks were shot the man's way.
"Mommy?" A girl just ahead of them tugged at the mother's long dress. "What are they doing with that man? Is he Hero-"
"Shush!" The mother kneeled and covered the child's mouth. "Don't say that name, what did I tell you?" She softly scolded and pulled the young girl behind her as the guards and the miner walked by.
Steve's eyes stayed trained on them as they moved forward, through the corner of his eye; he could see the woman fully stand and talk back down to her child but he couldn't hear her with the growing voices of the crowd, he could only see the two talk and the little girl's expression shifted from curiosity to fear. The child ran back behind her mother and clung tightly to the fabric of the woman's dress.
"Up you go miner." Jimmy then growled as Steve refused to move.
The platform appeared to be made of oak as did most structures of the settlement. It was only two blocks high and partially covered in wooden rails along the edges. From his point of view; the platform was bigger than it seemed. It was at least twelve blocks long and twelve wide. There was several until torches surrounding the stage and a small chest sat by itself on one side of the stand, this was kind of alarming to see. A small wall of wooden planks were covering the main end of the platform, looking sloppily placed as if they were recently added on in a rush. That was definitely not a good sign. It was probably added to catch any missed arrows, this thought made the miner tense up.
"I said up!" Both of the archers forced the miner up the small set of steps to the center of the oak platform and directed him right to a wooden rail at the very back with the wall, then Jimmy tugged the miner and his chains closer to the posts and then attached them to keep him secure in his place before backing away. "You can kick all you want now miner, but you aren't getting off of this stand alive unless the chief commands it." He spat as he moved away to the side with his bow now in his hands. He could hear Nigel muttering something as he was chained on the right side of him but Steve could not remove his fixed gaze on Jimmy.
Steve watched as the man ambled over to a chest on his side of the platform and pulled out a handful of black arrows; thin arrows that were completely black with the exception of the arrow itself. The arrowhead was as gray as iron but the very tips were as black as the feathers on the ends of the thin rods. He pulled one from the mass then handed them out to two of the archers now cloaked with black hoods over their heads.
"Hey, Andrew?" Jimmy motioned one of the archers near Nigel to move over to him and they took an arrow out of his hand as he held it out. "Alright, we have one more arrow left. Hmm?" Jimmy looked on across the platform before his eyes scanned the crowd. "Where in the Nether is she?"
"She'll come." Morrison said without even facing the guy, his eyes stayed on the people below. "I told her myself and our situation. She said she'll be here."
"Well actually, we don't need her. Just go ahead and start. She's nothing special." Jimmy carelessly fiddled with the arrow between his fingers.
"No." The chief tilted his head back to see the guard. "I feel as though you don't want her here."
"That's because I don't! Four archers is enough, I'm not trying to disrespect you and your authority sir but-."
"Must you always try to set her aside and outcast her from the group? She maybe younger than you and she's of the opposite gender; but I think this jealousy of her potential you have is needless. Well, it may just be as we speak. We don't know our true fate just yet."
"Sir, it's like you said before; we don't have much time. The attack can happen at any moment." He said more quietly. "Just get started and if she comes then she comes. She don't then she don't. You know what I'm saying?" The man readjusted his position and lazily gestured a hand. "I mean really? I have the best aim here, it's not like she has a chance to hit the target first?"
"Jimmy." The chief sighed. "Seriously, this grows old you know? It's time to set aside your endless need to best her at skill. We can wait just a lit-"
"I'm here." Came a voice near the bottom of the stand. A young woman with a black hood then began a slow walk towards the steps of the stage.
"No Luna! Please don't do this! You can't!"
That name had the miner looking straight into the crowd to see a blonde man running over to the hooded woman with a black bow in her hands. Steve gaped when he realized that it was Mark and Luna. "Luna? Mark?" He said their names quietly to himself. He was baffled that Luna was one of the execution archers, but she couldn't be that type of a person to kill another human could she? Of course her skills with a bow were excellent but to be amongst a group that can take a human life? Steve almost couldn't believe his eyes when she ripped her arm from Mark's pleading grasp and stepped willingly onto the platform with haste. He noticed that she avoided looking at him, even with the hood lightly covering her eyes. He definitely noticed the deep frown she wore on her face, she was still upset from earlier. She must have heard everything that Nigel told Warren, her hate for the white-eyed man was very strong and it may just be for him too now.
"Luna, reconsider." Mark plead again and gave Steve a worried look when his eyes landed on the bound man. He then looked back at Luna and tapped the wooden planks at the edge of the platform.
"Luna." Steve called her name to gain her attention, but she paid no mind to him at all nor Mark and walked over to take the last black arrow from Jimmy's hand.
"What's with the hold up? You know that every second counts out here?"
"Shut up." She said darkly, moving away to stand next to the other archers just a few feet away. Again, she avoided looking into the miner's direction.
"Luna!" Steve shouted, but again he received nothing but silence. It was very clear that she was still mad at him, maybe she even hated him enough to kill him.
"A friend of yours?" Asked Nigel, but he didn't get an answer.
Steve felt sick to his stomach, not only was he probably going to die, but it could likely be at the hands of one that he saved, one that nearly hugged him to death back at the ravine for keeping his lips zipped for Stealth's being, and one that he used to consider a friend. His eyes went wide as a man from the crowd walked up to the village leader and held out an unlit torch and a flint and steel piece. Many of the people were gasping as the leader clicked the metal and flint to create sparks over the torch, voices grew as the sparks ignited the stick and coal. The people were beginning to panic when the village chief walked to the four corners with the torch and lighted up the unlit ones, committing a offense of Herobrine's law by bring light into the darkness of the village. With the single torch; Morrison walked over to the man at the bottom of the stairs and handed it to him, he then walked around the area and lit up torches that no one had paid any attention to.
A man from the crowd screamed in hysterics. "There's too much light! We're all going to die out here, where all gonna die! Put out the lights!" He commanded.
"No!" Morrison shouted out. "No. … Do not fear the lights tonight my people, we are all already in very grave danger!" He quickly spoke up, putting most of the villagers below in panic, confusion, and fright. "But- keep calm, and allow my voice to speak over yours!" He sounded, noticing that a few of his armed guards were keeping the people from leaving. "Herobrine will come tonight and he will bring forth a tide of wrath that will take us all, there is no preventing it!" Many people gasped and searched around with wide eyes. "But Listen! We have a one glimmer of hope in this dark tide, one that comes from the choice of this miner." He said, turning around and walked towards the two bound men.
"What are you planning?" Nigel asked lowly as the village chief neared.
Morrison slowly ambled past the archers, only taking a short glance at them he passed by him; he then moved up to the restrained miner and Steve had glared at him and rattled his chains as he tried to move forward but the chief ignored angered look. "Remember your choices miner, these people behind me here are on your hands. I hope you made the right choice because in a few moments you will need to voice it. But first, allow me to settle this crowd." He said quietly. The village leader then moved back to the main end of the platform and stood perfectly still. Brown eyes gazed down upon the small crowd, many of the people looked apprehensive with their shifting eyes looking out through the streets and the woods close by.
It was getting darker by the minute and the threat of mobs or Herobrine had them on edge. It was completely understandable, they now knew of their fate. The children up front stayed close to their parents and the adults were conversing amongst themselves with many different questions. James sighed as the mixed voices sounded in his ears, he was going to have to explain the gathering and hope that the people would listen and hope that the miner would listen and follow his every word. He took a long breath and spoke.
"Calm my people. Please, may I have your attention?" He waved, getting most of the mass to quiet down enough to hear him. "There is a reason why I have gathered all of you out here tonight and you may be anxious being outside at this time of the day with lit torches. I assure you that I have a good reason." Morrison waved his arms out and gestured for the rest villagers to quiet down, almost all of the loud voices fell into a few whispers here and there. "Now you may be aware by now that the miner named Steve has returned here, in fact he's right up here behind me; chained up if you haven't noticed." He held an arm out towards the miner.
The voices of the crowd picked up and most were anything but friendly sounding.
"Calm-, calm down now." He waved again and the crowd slowly grew silent. "Now why we are all out here tonight is actually all because of him, because of what he has brought us." Morrison said aloud and looked back at the angered man, he looked back as the people started to get loud again.
"What has he brought us? A curse?! Is-is that why we're going to die?!" One from the mass shouted.
"Not exactly. I'm afraid it's far worse than a curse." He said gravely and the crowd erupted with shouts and many questions, the people he could see were confused and angry and he has yet to share his full and extensive explanation. "Herobrine is coming tonight, he'll be here very shortly actually; if he's not already here hiding within the woods." These words had the villagers stirring around and panicking in fear, thankfully his loyal armed guards had kept anyone from trying to leave. It was smart to position them along the outsides of the crowd. "But remain composed civilians, for acting rash now will not help us. There's practically nothing you can do and running away would likely result in a quicker death, it's best to remain calm though; for I may have a solution to preserve us."
"What's going on?!" A woman from the masses shouted.
"Please, tell us how! Save us!"
"You want to know how exactly? Well I am afraid that all of our fates fall on this miner here." Morrison gestured a hand out to Steve who looked absolutely shocked, completely frightened and utterly speechless with wide eyes staring right into the woods. "This is the man who will determine whether he dies in execution for bringing our fate when Herobrine mindlessly begins to slaughter us all, or-." He paused and walked back up to the miner, keeping a serious gaze on the man who really wasn't even looking back at him for some strange reason.
Steve wasn't sure if he was imagining it out of tiredness or just out of fear, but he knew he saw white eyes glaring straight through him just a second ago. White beaming eyes that pierced the dark with glowing uncontrolled rage. That feeling of being watched was no illusion however, it was enough to give him chills and make him lightly quiver. Those eyes weren't too far away and they definitely glowed in the shadows of the trees, they had disappeared after seconds of beaming out of the darkness and he couldn't remove his own eyes from that spot; they could show back up.
Herobrine was here and he was mad.
Morrison grabbed Steve by the hair on his head and forced the man to look square into his eyes. "Or, he will bend to my will and be used as leverage and held at our mercy."
"What?!" The miner barked. His anger started to grow again, he jarred his thick iron binds but couldn't pull his hands free of the chain attached to the posts of the platform. "How is this any different from the first option?!"
"You said you wanted the second option and so I am giving it to you. If you don't want to be used then you'll die, but if we have you in our grasps then Herobrine will stand down. This means that you will not live the rest of your life in normalcy. You will always be heavily guarded and in my sights at all times. You will never leave this village again. Unfortunately, there is not even a clear chance of that even working. We can only hope that it works though. That is why I told you that the second option wasn't much better, we are still at risk."
"This is a preposterous proposal. Tell me how much of this plan that you have clearly thought out exactly?" Nigel inquired.
"Just enough!" Morrison snapped.
"You can't be serious!" A voice sounded from the mesh of voices.
The village chief sighed and let go of the miner's hair with a jerk downward, earning a hiss from the man. James looked back at his people. "I am as serious as I can be, not all plans are foolproof!" He shouted with narrowed eyes at the crowd.
"This isn't a better option. This will only make matters worse." Steve lifted his head, rage shining in his eyes at the other man's whose glared back. "Herobrine will not have an ounce of sanity remember? What happens to me wouldn't matter! I can try but there's only a slight chance that he'll hear me. But holding me against a blade or arrow will not improve our chances!"
"You're our shield miner. I'm going to take every chance and risk that I possibly can if it keeps us alive." He said venomously. "I don't care how many dents and scratches you take, only that you defend us or perish along with us!"