Hero's Bane
Chapter 72: A Wish Of Death
Edited 5/24/2022
The miner cringed when he applied even the faintest of pressure on the spot that the hilt of Herobrine's blade nailed him, he was lucky that it wasn't the blade itself impaling him or he'd be either dead or dying. The hilt of the diamond sword was pointed enough to hurt immensely like a dull spear; but not enough to fully pierce flesh. Regardless, he was still in much pain and it was own fault for just running up to the man; he hadn't been rationally thinking his situation out clearly enough and now he paid for it.
Steve lifted his aching head and looked at Herobrine who surprisingly was looking back at him with a slight worrying expression; that was a good sign, even his eyes were lacking the intense brightness. He still knew him, he hopefully hadn't cast out all of his memories yet. With a low grunt, Steve sat up from the ground and grimaced from the tenderness of his movements. He removed his hand from his chest and took a few deep breaths as he crawled forward and moved up onto his feet steadily. 'At least you are back to your senses right?' He asked in thought with a weak smile, seeming nervous from his faltering expression as he looked at the white orbs gazing back at him. There was no certainty that Herobrine was in control of himself and his actions with rage still showing in the being's look and stance.
Herobrine was surprised that he didn't stab the miner, he knew the mortal was around nearby when his mind and vision turned into a whiteout; but he was so focused on a certain mortal that he let the desire of revenge consume him and reign absolute control. He was blind, thoughtless; as he toyed with his prey like an ocelot to a battered and weak silverfish. A voice had disrupted him and so did the crunching of gravel that neared him, it was then when he should of realized who it was but he was completely oblivious. He didn't even notice who until a familiar pained gasp and wail escaped the man. It was in that moment that the darker form in the world of white gained color and shape, the form faded into a pallet of cyan and blue while more colors around slowly bled through the blinding fog revealed the world around him.
He watched as the mortal wobbled and stumbled forward before regaining good footing, the man was using that cracked stone blade to keep himself propped up while he was in a haunch from the pain. Steve didn't appear wounded; on the outside, but he could have done plenty of damage underneath the surface of his skin. It was somewhat relieving to see his hand now clasping over his chest; at least the man's ribcage had kept the miner's vitals safe. Steve was alive and that is what truly mattered, he could have been dead if it weren't for him stopping the mortals that were going to kill him.
Herobrine removed his observant eyes from the miner when the form in his grasp weakly grunted and attempted to pry his tightly clenched fingers that were wrapped around his throat. It was old village chief. The cowardly man who so boldly dared to silence the miner, the man who thought he could punish Steve with death after accusing him for bringing a demon to the village and messing up with their way of life. 'Him' they portrayed as a monster and wrongfully punished a mortal who only tried to warn them. It was the elder, the proclaimed leader; who dared to bring light into the village after the being himself had taken it away and severely punished those who brought it back. It was this mortal in his grasp that struck Steve across the face and roughly forced the man's head downward, pulling on his hair to force him to look at him like some criminal.
Such attitude, actions, and words of the older human reminded him well of a certain sentinel who killed his brother. He might not have pointed the arrow, but he was the one to sentence the punishment. Just. Like. … Brutus. These thoughts made the rage bubble right back up and a light fog started to cloud his vision once more. This man in his grasp deserved to die more than any other of the mortals around him, for the capture, the accusation, and the order of execution. For calling Steve a traitor after he tried so much to plead for all of the mortal lives at the gathering; though they didn't deserve it. No one did. He ground his teeth as he glared darkly at the leader.
Steve really wanted a response to sound in his head by that dual-toned being, however; Herobrine only turned back away silently and growled rather fiercely as he focused on Morrison again. The glow in his eyes intensified, it wasn't a good sign. Steve needed to either say or do something while Herobrine was more in control of himself for the time being. He suddenly gaped as Herobrine coiled the handle of his sword more tightly and tapped it against his leg in weak restraint, the hesitance was going to go quick though. Morrison had gasped loudly and grew stiff as Herobrine's hold tightened on his frail throat. "Herobrine wait!" Steve shouted and reached forward as the diamond sword was moved from it's neutral position downward; to now resting dangerously under the jaw line of the elderly man's jugular. "Please don't!"
The White-Eyed man blinked and shook his head after that voice called out to him, the fog faded. He couldn't understand why Steve of all people; was trying to stop him. This man had already labeled him a traitor and tried to condemn him to death, there shouldn't be any mercy for village leader; none whatsoever.
"And just why exactly?" Herobrine said darkly to the miner, he snorted and continued to gaze at the man's face that he wanted so much to destroy. "Why did you interfere Mortal? Why do you continue to!?"
Steve shuddered from the rancorous words that Herobrine had used so bitterly, the words rung throughout his head in an echo and sent chills down his spine. It was clearly obvious that the powerful man was on the verge of losing it again, the use of the name 'Mortal' and not his real name meant that the old hero was definitely having trouble holding control of himself.
"Tell me!" He demanded, shooting a small glare at the miner, a heated one out of impatience and uncertainty.
The blue-eyed man swallowed his fear and leaned up and winced a bit as he took slow and cautious steps towards the living nightmare. "Please Brine, he's only scared." He said carefully, though he hadn't realized what he just called the being that name until it was too late. He seriously hoped that he didn't provoke the man.
Herobrine's head twitched a bit when he heard Lionel's nickname for him, almost as if he was standing just off to the right and steadily approaching him; but he knew better. It was Steve, Lionel was long gone. "He's only scared?" Herobrine repeated coldly out of annoyance and disbelief.
"Yes." The miner nodded. "People do irrational things when they're afraid. I thought you'd know considering that you used to fight alongside people, you must have seen them do some crazy things right?" He said with a faint smile, it faded quickly with Herobrine's scoff. He stopped once he was close enough to the angered form, but not within reaching distance for his own wellbeing.
Herobrine didn't want to reflect on it since he shouldn't still have these memories; but he did. He knew that mankind was irrational at certain times when facing mortality and tried desperately to do whatever it took to survive. But, the chief was different. He didn't cower and run for his life except for when the greatest threat came out of the shadows and protected the miner from a shot by a poisonous arrow. Otherwise; he only spat venom in the miner's direction and prepared him to die because he didn't think that his so called 'people' deserved to die.
He was basically trying to drag the miner down with him and would have if his memories were gone. How was being so boastful abut his heritage and preservation out of fear? Or that they wanted to bend Steve to their will like a shield? Neither wasn't, it was for what he thought was injustice and that alone. Steve's words didn't make any sense. The miner was wrong, he was only trying to preserve a lowlife. "Out of fear then?" Herobrine seethed and tilted his head back enough to see the miner lightly quiver and tighten his hold on his breaking blade. "If it's out of fear then you are dead wrong. If one like himself was acting so 'rationally' then he would of hid like a coward and try to save his own skin like the rest of his people. NOT force you up onto a stand and use you like some cooperation item, he was obviously using you as leverage. He wanted to make 'you' pay for my punishment on them, it was never your fault for their fate."
There was no denying the truth, Herobrine saw it and he apparently was in enough control to remember everything that happened and everything he heard. Steve sighed quietly if only because Herobrine hadn't completely lost it. "Okay, you're right. I can't deny the truth anymore, you have seen through my reasoning. So I was used as leverage? Morrison was still afraid, though his mind may have been more on vengeance at the time. But still, he's afraid now and he might have wanted to use me; but it was to protect him and his people." He paused as the old man nodded though he couldn't partake in the conversation. "That was irrational too, but he had the right intentions, he just had a bad way of carrying them out."
The village chief only agreed as if he was trying to save his skin, he wasn't admitting a fault. Herobrine's head shot swiftly in the miner's direction a face of anger and surprise gazed at the mortal. "You are still trying to defend this man?" Herobrine couldn't believe that Steve was still sticking up for the enemy, he really shouldn't. "You make no sense! Did you forget what he was going to do to you?!" The being barked in Steve's head and made the miner cringe and hold his head from a sudden splitting ache.
"No." Steve grimaced. "No I didn't." He said, now removing a his hand from his forehead. "It's not his fault that all of this happened. … It's mine. There, I admit that. Now please don't kill him?"
"Why!" Herobrine jerked the man down to his side roughly and made the chief struggle to retain a comfortable position; being halfway on the ground and partially held up off of it at a painful angle. "Did you think that you could lie and change my mind on letting this man live after what he tried to do to you?! He wanted revenge!" He just couldn't let the man go and 'live', he didn't deserve it. It would be like letting Brutus continuing to run the stronghold after the ancient hero returned for revenge, only to find that the gold sentinel was now the fortress's Sovereign. The man had gotten his way and assassinated the old fortress leader, he accomplished what he set out to do when Herobrine was imprisoned and then later sealed away.
He remembered the golden armored traitor's last words spoken to him before he was cast off to the Nether, his intentions and boasted success of ridding him. Brutus had told him his plans to take the stronghold and Herobrine couldn't speak the truth to the guards as they dragged him all the way to the portal and tossed in to burn and sink into the cruel world of fire while the priests sealed it. A bastard like that didn't deserve to live and neither did the one he held onto, he wouldn't ever let him go and get his way with living. It wasn't much on Ender's part of the deal that he wasn't letting go, but something more personal. The human was driving him into a frenzy with just the look on his face, rage was so easily sparked when he looked at the limp form of a man who tried to kill his friend. He couldn't contain how infuriated he felt from what the man tried; and almost succeed in doing. What really ticked the being off was Steve's willingness to lie to him to save the pathetic scoundrel, it was like betrayal and mistrust on his end.
"I didn't mean to lie, I just… I can't let you do this Herobrine. I am sorry for lying." Steve said with guilt on his face, his words quieted. "I wasn't fully thinking my words through. He was scared; though I know he didn't look it. I just know he was. So was others when they heard that you were coming. They wanted so desperately to live, that man there wanted to live too." He pointed. "Even if he wanted to get back at me, he had planned to at least try and protect his people from a horrible fate by using me if he could; but I denied him of doing so because it wouldn't have worked." He noticed that what he had said had done little to sway the powerful entity's demeanor. He couldn't just say nothing else though, there was a life at stake and possibly his too. "So Morrison wanted to get even? I can't really blame him. I know he's self-centered and is an elitist; but I somewhat deserved to take the punishment anyways." He said more quietly, frowning deeply.
Herobrine's narrowed eyes lightened a little but he held his enraged features. "How? How is it your fault?"
"Because I… I changed everything. I changed you." He said somberly and looked away for a second to collect his thoughts and hesitantly looked back at the man. "I- know that it seems like a good thing, seeing as you were freed of your never-ending blank-slate of a mind, terrorizing and killing endlessly. It turned out to be a bad decision at the same time however."
"I found my old self through you." Herobrine lightened his grasp on the man's throat in his hand. "I found peace of mind, I found a friend."
"Yes, but I also changed the fate of the people here." Steve noted. "I know that Ender needs more souls and through distracting you; you failed to keep up with your debt because of me and put this village in ruin. You suffered back at that crumbling fortress because of me too. All of this is my fault." He said, placing a hand over his chest. "Not only did I get the villagers set as your targets, but I also put myself in peril. I tried to convince one of my friends to leave with me and things spiraled out of control from there. I never planned for this, but- I am glad that I was held prisoner." Steve smiled nervously after Herobrine gave him a startled look and gaped. "It sounds strange I know, but if I hadn't been; then I would have made a terrible mistake. I would have let all of these innocent people die."
Herobrine shook his head in disagreement, he knew well that he had planned to take the village when he ran out of souls because he hated the mortals there more than any others around the world. He was also enraged at the fact that the miner continued to shield the undeserving humans and the village leader. His grasp tightened again on Morrison's neck and earned a raspy pained wheeze from the old guy. He just couldn't understand why the miner would protect such a disgraceful and lower than low humans, they never deserved anything but torment and death; especially after what they were going to do to him. But it was also his fault, even with change; it was him to collect souls regardless of whether he wanted it to or not. "Why do you care about this wretched village and it's people? All they have ever done was wrong and persecute-"
"Because they are not your enemies. You hold onto a hate so strong to people who have never done a thing to you, though their ancestors did. I know it's hard to reason-"
"Silence!" Herobrine interrupted with flaring white eyes. "I already told you that I will forever punish the people for their wrongdoings, whether it's their ancestors or them; they have brought my wrath upon themselves forever. That is how much I have suffered in the Nether, enough to feel like it was forever. Each minute agonizingly painful and filled with dread and betrayal. Then it comes back to the thought of Lionel and what they did to him. His people betrayed him." He squeezed tighter on the chief's neck and the old man flailed about with stiff small breaths. "I will not rest from punishing them until they are no more. If I could kill them then I'd be doing them a favor and satisfying the debt. I was planning to take them out when I realized that I needed a lot of souls. You cannot save them no matter how much you plea for them, they will all die here and now."
"But I don't want you to kill them!" Steve took a step forward with a plea of defense. "Not all of these people deserve to die, no one does actually. The ones in the past are the ones you were truly mad at and they are all gone now, there is no justice by hurting the people of this village. Taking their souls is worse than death, what Ender does with them is sick. I know that I wasn't treated fairly, I was actually roughed up and wanted dead; but it's not their fault for their anger towards me. It's mine."
The white-eyed man sneered and ground his teeth, he was getting heated again and this time his anger was directed more at the miner. His vision was getting cloudy again. "I cannot understand why you plea for mortals that have never deserved reprieve, you cannot fully comprehend my rage for you have underwent a short span of suffering in the Nether; while I lived in it for centuries. You can take the blame if you wish miner, but you will not sway my decision to make these people pay; for what they did to me and even you now." Herobrine raised his blade up and spun around to slam the old chief back into the cobble wall. "I will fulfill my wrath upon these people as well as my debt. This is your chance to leave mortal. Do so and you'll live, stick around and you may find yourself as my next victim."
He couldn't believe what he had heard, the words left him scared and gaping in disappointment. Steve knew that Herobrine was furious from the whole capture and execution thing, but he sounded very serious with his tone.
"I have yet to dump my memories but I will soon. I will wipe this village clean and hunt more humans beyond it, so I suggest that you get going … now!"
The miner squeezed his eyes shut as well as his fists, he was terrified for his own life but was more concerned for those who were completely innocent. He'd rather not have the being kill anyone but it didn't look like he was going to be able to persuade Herobrine otherwise. Though the outcome for him looked grim; he chose to stay, he'd rather go down with everyone else since he was a part of them. He was human after all and he also seemed to be a descendant of the fortress. Steve blinked in surprise and straightened his posture, he wasn't going to abandon 'his' people. He knew he had no actual proof that he was a descendant of the fortress but he had a deep gut feeling that he was Lionel's distant relative. They looked too much alike and acted so similar, he could only assume that he was a relative and this would mean that he would deserve torment and suffering too. Maybe he could get proof from Notch when he dies?
Herobrine could still hear the hammering heart of the man behind him as well as the racing one in front of him. He expected that the miner would run away but it was evident that the man wasn't leaving. He had guts to stick around but was foolish too. He glared at the fearful form in front of him but he was actually more focused on the one behind him. He frowned deeply and growled, wondering just why Steve hadn't even moved in the slightest. Did he have a death wish? "Do you wish to die?"
Steve shook his head. "No, of course not." He said calmly. "But I cannot leave."
"And why is that?" He tilted his head to see the miner in the corner of his eye, voice filled with venom. "I already told you that I was going to take every last human of the fortress tonight."
The miner took a deep breath. "That's just it Herobrine." He said more boldly. "I am part of these people and I will go down with them." He said sternly.
Herobrine dropped the man in his hand and spun on his heels. He was baffled from the miner's words, there was no way that he was part of the people that he so loathed. What stunned him more was the miner saying that he was going to take the same fate as them, it wasn't right. "You are not of these people Mortal, now leave."
"No." Steve lightly dipped his head and gazed into the white staring right at him. "You say that it was the people of the ancient fortress that had done you wrong and brought suffering upon you, but when you label a group; you label every last human there and their descendants. I- I strongly believe that I am Lionel's descendant Herobrine." He noticed that he fully had Herobrine's attention, the being even seemed taken aback from what he was saying. "Lionel lived at that fortress and he was a part of it, I believe that makes me part of it too. I don't have actual proof and I didn't grow up close to the great land, but I declare myself of his kind and as of his kind; I will accept the punishment of my people that you have laid upon them."
Herobrine gaped then clenched his fist tightly and lightly panicked on the inside for he had never expected this. It never crossed his mind that Steve was part of the people though the miner could be a distant relative of his friend; as they share many traits and similarities, especially in looks. "So it is a death wish?" He said bitterly with lightly narrowed eyes.
Steve reluctantly nodded. "I suppose so. I didn't have anything to do with- … with whatever my people did to you, but as one of them; I can't run from my fate. So I won't run nor leave. If it is true that Lionel's blood runs through my veins then I am just like that man you are trying to kill right there. I am as guilty for your cause of suffering just as much as him and everybody else in this village; for I hail from the that land and it's traitorous people. Even if Lionel didn't have a thing to do with your suffering, I am still equal as the villagers. I am not Lionel so I cannot be pardoned of your punishment. If you take them out then you have to take me out too."
Herobrine shook his head back and forth in refusal. "You really want to be in the same lot as them?!"
The miner shook his head. "I'd rather not, but I will not abandon my people." Steve felt awkward saying that, after all that had happened since his arrival back into the village; he didn't feel like he belonged at all. He was treated harshly and the people saw him a walking curse. "I just know that Lionel would do the same if he were here in my place, he wouldn't want you to do what you are going to do; but he wouldn't willingly leave them for they are innocent people here. I know this and you know this." Steve swallowed a tinge of fear when Herobrine's eyes flared up, the deity of a man looked around in agitation as if he was lost in thought and somewhat split on his decision. This wasn't the miner's plan to save the people of the village since Herobrine was so tied to revenge, but he just couldn't leave them; he wouldn't be able to live with himself to know that he walked out alive while everyone perished on the diamond blade.
The man huffed loudly when his eyes landed on the cowering village chief but his expression changed to one of distress and uncertainty when he looked back at Steve. It was if he couldn't decide what he should do, cause if he was taking out the village then he'd be taking out the miner as well. He owed that man so much and it took up until now to realize it.
Herobrine's expression changed again to anger and he grabbed the side of his head, the glow in his eyes intensified and dimmed with his faltering choice to kill. He wanted nothing more than to put an end to the people of the valley and start on his sizable debt to Ender, but his friend would be one of the ones he'd have to kill. -Why?! Why do you stand by them?!- Herobrine asked himself. His head ached and pounded more than he would have liked and the more he debated on what to do; the more it hurt. The white fog was returning to him and it was getting hard to come up with an immediate decision with the growing ache.
Steve noticed that Herobrine was struggling with control again, Herobrine was faced with an ultimatum and he was growing conflicted with his choice. It was good to know that the being wasn't too quick to decide, but if Herobrine lost control then he wouldn't have a choice; he'd just kill out of rage. Steve mentally prayed to Notch that he'd live the close encounter as he slowly started approached the troubled white-eyed man. It was a dangerous gamble with the confliction distracting the powerful man but he couldn't just stand there and wait for death; not when he could prevent it and save the surviving villagers and let them live to see another day. He carefully reached a hand out and Herobrine's eyes snapped open wide when he realized that the miner was getting to close.
"Get back!" He hissed and recoiled from a sharp ache, dropping his sword and covering both sides of his head. "Stay! Away!" He snorted and rammed his right arm into the side of the old cobble blacksmith station, bringing down a large portion of the wall next to the hole. He hit the structure to release some tension that he didn't want to bring upon the man but at the same time did. The elderly leader crawled away and out of sight as Herobrine stumbled around with beaming eyes and deep growls.
"Herobrine please stop. Maybe I can help you?" Steve asked as he reached for the powerful half-god.
"You cannot help me." He hissed and leapt back. "You only make… it… worse. You seem to always make it worse!" He glared with gnashed teeth.
He knew that damaged his disposition, but didn't put a damper on his determination, Steve was going to see to it that Herobrine could overcome this problem and eventually the problem with the beast. He had to, or be forever a slave and coward. "Yes I can. " Steve bravely stepped forward as Herobrine stepped back. The being stopped and growled when Steve got close enough and courageously grabbed a hold of his arm.
The being roared aloud and pulled the man up close before slamming his tightly coiled fist right into Steve's stomach. The miner soundlessly wailed as the air was literally knocked out of him in an instant, he should have suspected this much from the old hero but he was still surprised by the strong blow. He immediately felt nauseous and sick to his stomach, if had eaten anything recently then he would have puked it up for sure; that was how bad the blow to his gut felt. 'This… is what it must have fe-lt when Jimmy was st-… struck.' He thought to himself as he tried to gasp for breath.
Steve soon managed to inhale some air but refused to move, the fist was still against his abdomen and it was actually holding him up because he would have crumbled to the ground if Herobrine wasn't supporting him. "Hero-br-rine." Steve managed to sputter as two bright orbs gazed down at him his form, he went into a slump unwillingly with the wind knocked out of him; it felt like the energy had been too.
Herobrine grabbed the miner's arm and slowly lowered the kneeling miner to the ground.
Steve curled up and coughed to get the air flow going, he was surprised that Herobrine didn't proceed to attack him because those eyes were as white as they were in their last battle. It was actually hard to tell if Herobrine was fully in control of himself. The miner lightly scooted back when the white-eyed man kneeled down onto a knee and gazed at him with a soft frown.
"I don't see why you are so persistent in stopping me, but it's going to get you killed if you continue to do this. I can barely keep my focus on not killing you right now, my rage is difficult to subside; you're lucky that I didn't do worse. It would be best that you stay here, I must go and cool off and think for the time being. The mortals in this village will be spared as will you at the moment. I shall call off the attack, for now." Herobrine grunted and clutched the right side of his head, he grimaced as he stood back up. His eyes shined brightly for a second before retuning to the neutral normal glow.
"Wait." Steve wheezed as Herobrine stood.
"What is it mortal? I need to get out of here… quickly before I strike again." He warned as rage built up from nowhere. "Actually, I have to make sure you stay down, if only for your own sake." He hissed as his eyes dimmed in and out.
Steve groaned with an outstretched hand towards Herobrine as his head pulsed painlessly, soon a wave of weariness overcame him, a feeling too strong to fight. Herobrine was forcing him into a deep slumber and he couldn't beat it; especially not after feeling so drained and hurt already. Steve rolled onto his back and faintly smiled with his eyelids growing heavier, even if the ancient being was leaving, at least he was sparing the people. "Thank you. Thanks for- for-" He softly muttered before he shut his blue orbs and drifted into the soothing black. His head leaned towards the side and he was out.
Herobrine backed away and gazed at the miner for a fleeting moment before turning on his heels and walking towards the burning building.