Hero's Bane
Chapter 91: Though He is Broken
A/N: Apologies for the month and a half wait, had a lot of stress problems along with writer's block and demotivation to fight. But here's the next chapter at last, hope you enjoy.
EDIT:9/7/2022 Author's note at the end.
Steve ran like his life was depending on it, loud exhaustive huffs escaped his gaping mouth as he sprinted across the open grassland fields under the hues of faded orange and blue nighttime sky. Bright glowing orbs of fire passed by him in a speedily manner, crashing into the ground around him and exploding into a wave of flames he had to evade. One fiery sphere had almost struck him as he moved, had he not have strafed a few inches to his right he would have been hit by a fireball on the shoulder.
The miner mentally plead for reprieve as he dashed from left to right in various patterns to dodge oncoming fire, soon making a sharp turn to avoid the wall of flames that blocked and trapped him in a large ring that prevented his escape. The dark chuckling coming from the back of his mind only diminished his hopes of lasting for much longer, he was beginning to tire out and would surely get hit if he didn't catch a break soon.
"Run miner, run. Escape while you can." A dark maniacal chuckle echoed in Steve's mind. "Oh right, you have nowhere to go. Things are looking pretty bleak for you, are you going to accept your fate?" Chills crawled up the man's spine and he pushed himself to move faster from the dark tones resonating in his head, along with the sounds of small impacts of crackling flames landing at his heels. "Just how long can you keep this up miner? I sense your growing dread, your end is within sight."
"Stop!" Steve finally spoke out, yet he still ran and kept his eyes glancing back at the floating figure following him and throwing the orbs of blazing heat at him. "Stop speaking like that Herobrine! You sound maliciously evil like that!"
Herobrine grins but does not cease from forming fireballs within his palms and throwing them at the fleeing mortal, this little exercise was quite fun for him; satisfying his deep seeded violent nature unintentionally. However; he soon holds back as the miner slows his pace and just spins the fire in his hand for a brief moment as he deliberated when to chuck it at the guy struggling below, wondering what the human was going to say now. "Sorry, but old habits die hard. Besides, I'm playing the role Ste-... mortal." He corrected with a vile grin and threw another fireball, the man panicked and dove to the side to avoid it; tsk tsk he missed again. "You should consider yourself lucky that floating consumes much of my energy and concentration or I would have already toasted you and had concluded this training session, I'm not very fast but this ring of fire makes it's easy for me."
The exhaustion was starting to get to the human, the fire that blazed all around him made the area very hot and the smoke was stinging his lungs with every breath. His muscles were beginning to grow sore and the sweltering temperature was making him sweat profusely; robbing him of what little hydration he had.
It was then when Steve noticed that the Fire Resistance Potion effects were wearing off and he needed to get another before he actually gets hit and gets burned.
Steve suddenly veers off to the left towards the bag on the ground several yards away, in it were the potions; all he had to do was swing by and nab one. As soon as he nears the bag however; two fireballs plants the ground before him and explodes in a fiery fury, forming a blockage of flames and cutting him off from reaching the bag. With no other choice, he backtracks and runs back along the rim of the firewall, he'd have to run back around and hope Herobrine doesn't stop him this time.
"Going for another potion? I think not. Wouldn't want to give you an edge now would we?"
To Steve's annoyance, Herobrine threw a few fireballs in front of him again to block the bag that he needed; Steve stopped before the small blockage of flames and looked back up in the air at the white-eyed man floating in his direction.
"This isn't fair!" He started, inhaling and exhaling deeply as he tried to catch his breath, eyes narrowed and sweat beading across his face; the golden shimmer that once graced his skin was gone. He could really get burned now with the potions effects worn off, yet Herobrine wouldn't let him simply get another despite the risks of burns.
He then swiftly leapt to the side as another ball of fire careened by his arm, he felt the heat nipping at his flesh as it zipped by. "Can you at l-least give... me a second t-to breath?!" Steve huffed and shook his head. "And the potion, the effects have worn... of-f. I need another or I'm going to burn! Just... let me have a break!" He shouted as he knelt forward to rest his hands on his knees, breathing loudly.
Herobrine's eyes narrowed as he held fire in both of his palms, he drifted before the miner and stayed in place in the air above with a dark sneer. "Did I not warn you that I will not go easy on you? That I would not be forgiving in the evasion practice? I will bury your head in the dirt if I must as I did for Lionel. I will not show restraint, you will not be given leniency, nor will I simply allow you to do as you please."
The man furrowed his brows for a short moment before narrowing his eyes again. "Why?! I'm only human Brine, I can't keep going on like this! I need a break, I need to breathe, I need some water to drink, and I need more potions; we got them for this exercise specifically!" Steve shouted back heatedly and leaned back up, still breathing heavily and wiping the sweat from above his brow with the back of his hand. "I have limits unlike you, and you won't let me out of this ring of fire! Why won't you let me leave it? I could with the potion but then you'll just ram a fist into my face again and tell me I can't? This area is too small and you're practically catching the all the grass on fire; making it more difficult to not only evade fireballs but also run around! This just isn't fair!" He shouted.
The ancient being scowled, he let the flames in his hands dissipate and he dropped to the ground with a loud thud, he lifted up off his knee and began trudging towards the miner. His growl echoed from his dual voice tones, his hands coiled into fists; the fire burning the grass died out as he passed by the flames.
Steve lost his angered and annoyed look as Herobrine approached, he started to take a few steps back; thinking he might have angered the old hero a little too much. But no, he shook his head. The miner held his ground though the ancient half-god approached apoplectically, looking hostile despite the affable bond between them.
"Do you really think that Ender will be fair? So you're a little tired? Do you think that beast will let you rest?" Herobrine asked in the miner's mind with flaring bright eyes and a nasty sneer to match, he approached Steve and grabbed him by the throat before hauling the man off the ground.
The miner clung onto the hand that held him up but didn't resist as to not anger the guy more, he only stared back with a toothy frown and somewhat panicked look.
"Let me be the one to remind you that if you cannot even come close to improving because you're feeling a bit exhausted, can't find a way to get what you need for this exercise, or overcome your limitations; then you will not survive the End beast." He hissed, restraining himself from throwing another fist into the miner's face from his sudden will to give in.
"When Lionel wanted to become one of the best of the Sentinels of his time he begged me to push him to the brink of collapse with every bit of practice just so that he can keep up and even best those who once laughed at and mocked him. I made sure to drag him through many weeks of pain and strife just so that he would overcome his limitations and go further than he ever has before. For you however; we don't have the luxury of time, you must improve in a very short amount of time if you ever want to even have the hope of attempting to take on Ender."
Steve gnashed his teeth and briefly closed his eyes, he didn't want to admit that Herobrine had a point, but he did and acceptance of it was tough.
"If you think you need limitations that will lessen our practice then fine, I'll go easy on you; let you get away and take breaks; but at the same time you might as well sign your own death warrant. There will be no moment of rest in the heat of battle with the End lord, stay in your comfort zone and die if you so wish." Herobrine lightened his gaze and shook his head in disbelief; letting out a soft sigh. "You disappoint me. Whatever happened to all that resolve to face the End beast huh? I suppose you'll never be ready without it, not if you're going to abandon such a will to give it your all and fight to the very end in even a simple practice. Tch, might as well train yourself with how pathetic you've become."
"No!" Steve abruptly shouted before the half-god could speak again. "Y-you're right." He submitted more softly as he grunted, adjusting his grasp so that he could breathe better as he dangled several inches off the ground. The miner boldly gazed into searing white eyes, wincing as he did. "You're right, even if the truth is brutal; I need to push myself more even if it's uncomfortable and causes pain. I'm just not used to being pushed this much though, but you're right; I can't give in after I made my choice. I 'will' live up to Lionel's words. Forgive me, please? Just don't stop the practice."
"That is my choice isn't it? Hmm, and what about the times I tried to kill you? You fought like every second could be your last, no matter what you went through or how tired you were; you pushed. Do I need to become your enemy again just to get you to try harder?"
The miner swiftly shook his head. "No!" He croaked as the hand tightened over his throat, Herobrine seemed very serious about this. "I-I won't give up again." He managed to say as his fingers tugged at the hand clasped around him; constricting his air flow and painfully pinching his skin. "Give me another chance... please?!" He asked through gnashed teeth.
Herobrine furrowed a brow but never lost his heated expression. "Oh, we finally get the point of these exercises now? I did warn you that they would be tough." Steve nodded, or at least tried to. "You want to try your hardest no matter how tired you get or even if it hurts?" When the miner nodded again Herobrine seemed a little convinced that Steve would stop his complaining and probably try his best, the simple nods and tough-up talk wasn't the response he wanted; but then again the man was still malnourished and injured. Too bad time was of the essence, he wouldn't have to be so harsh; he really didn't want to be; but for the miner's best chances he must.
He let go of Steve's neck and watched as the guy stumbled back a few steps while lightly coughing and falling down onto a knee. "Get another potion." Hero quietly commanded. "From here on out though, you better find a way to get another when the effects of the current wear out; don't expect a brief moment to prepare or another handout like I'm giving you now. Ender will certainly give you no time at all to prepare, therefore; neither shall I." He folded his arms. "You might not like the unfair disadvantages in these practices, but they will help build you up. All injuries I can heal later, so deal with the pain. Also remember, five hits and you lose your reward; you've already got struck once in the leg and another barely brushing your forearm. Three shots left, don't take anymore."
The miner's eyes lift to meet the white gaze, he nods in his panting.
...
Steve ran across the field with more determination this time, he was still huffing and struggling for air or even the faintest hint of relief; but he was more focused and pushing his limits. Herobrine did not set up a cage of fire like the last time, but he got Steve to agree that the practice does not stop until either all of the fire resistance potions were used up or until the ancient being decided that the miner had improved enough. This kept Steve close to the sack of potions with Herobrine not having to go far at all, this seemed somewhat more fair to both of them.
Though his legs and lungs terribly ached, Steve continued to push himself to avoid getting hit. At one point he even stumbled and ran face forward into the ground, crashing against the grass and dirt staining his pants and gauzes. Steve quickly forced himself up with a loud cry and continued to run as a ball of fire landed close behind him, he grunted in pain with one eye now sealed closed from particles of dust he collected.
The mortal ran and ran, strafing from side to side and even diving away when Herobrine threw the fireballs at him. To the old hero all he was seeing was a pathetic attempt to flee, they have been going at this for an hour now and there's hardly any improvement other than the miner building up his endurance and stamina through sheer willpower; that last bit was something improving but not once has Steve done anything creative in the exercise. Not one attempt to use the small hills as cover, or dive into a ditch. There were very few trees on the plains, but even they would have worked as a quick temporary shield; he hadn't even dove into any of the small ponds around either which would have cooled his body, give him protection as long as he was submerged, more time to recover energy, and even satisfy his thirst.
How underwhelming and pitiful.
It was frustrating that Steve wasn't taking the advantage of his surroundings, evolving his evasion tactics to the environment to better himself and give himself a chance at lasting longer in the training. But no. He was just being a mere mortal running for his little life like a coward, to him the miner was but a living target that could only run as if it were all he knew. This notion only enraged the ex-hero, Lionel at least attempted to change things up and used everything he could to his advantage; but not Steve.
He was a descendant of the sentinel wasn't he?
Herobrine felt his patience dwindle, his anger surging. How many times would he have to repeat his fiery attacks until the miner finally learned something? Would it be better to tell him so that the changes would begin immediately?
No. Giving away that kind of information would not let the human grow or truly learn on his own, he must use his head and adapt. Not just in practice but in real battles, learning is very essential in dire situations; it what will keep him alive. He must have learnt much as a miner when underground and mining in the deep dark with mobs and treacherous terrain to deal with right? Not to mention dealing with someone like Herobrine himself, switching up battle and evasive tactics when they fought just to survive long enough to attain his goals.
How difficult could it be to decide that the environment or any kind of adaptation would benefit him in his current situation? It could be that he thinks that this is a 'run' only kind of challenge, no that's preposterous! He made no mention of such a thing! Is the miner this foolish to think that only running will improve his evasive capabilities?!
Running, running, running away. Never learning. Fleeing like the cowards he once hunted down, watching Steve sprint away for some reason made him suddenly feel eager for something. Herobrine's fingers twitched.
...
Something stirred in Herobrine as he drifted towards the fleeing human in his fit of rage; it was as if he's seen this scene before. The landscape shifted dramatically before his eyes, now he was floating after the prey through an opening of the woods while launching spheres of flames at the fully clothed cowardly man, so pathetic was he to not even attempt to dodge. The miner ran from him in fear, breathing heavily and grunting; often stumbling and tripping with his injured foot.
The wind and rain along with streaks of lightning in the distance sets the mood of the hunt, the scent of blood, sweat, and tears of the cyan and blue figure below heightened his senses. A grin crosses his face as he threw a fireball and hits the back of his target, the miner cried out and went tumbling down to the grass and rolled a few blocks before coming to a stop with his face down; he remained motionless but it was clear that he wasn't dead yet. This was only part of the game, killing him now would end the fun too soon. He had deliberately missed multiple times to frighten the human more, but this time he hit his mark and watched as the miner cried out from the burn on his back and laid in one spot writhing in pain.
Hero felt a surge of adrenaline coursing through him, it felt empowering; it felt so good. He refrained from throwing more fireballs and accidently killing the human, just to allow him to crawl back up onto his feet and head towards his home; right where he'll find his little canine companion waiting for him, gravely wounded and stained with crimson. He couldn't wait to drink in the human's misery before bringing about the mortal's slow and tormenting end, he'll make the man wish he was never created; Notch and the others will feel the sting of his wrath.
Finally, all the acts of betrayal will be paid in full with this one action; his purpose realized before those traitors to see the force of destruction he truly was meant to be! How naïve to assume he wouldn't find the truth in all their lies, that he'd continue on like an obedient dog on a leash as he lives a lie! The other immortals, especially Notch, they were greatly mistaken if they thought that he wouldn't pursue revenge, he was Herobrine; he was death and destruction incarnate!
The human has to die and he'll take pleasure in every second of it, leave a cold corpse of the man named Ste-
...
"Aaahhh."
Herobrine snapped back to reality, the landscape was now barren, dry, and covered in burnt grasses. He lost his smirk when he heard the human hiss, then in the blink of his eyes he was now looking down at the present miner wrapped in gauzes hissing as he pulled himself up onto his hands and knees with pained grunts; his reddened back was partially singed charcoal black with some of the bandages nearly burnt all the way through. Steve had sustained burns, potions effects were gone again and he hadn't successfully retrieved more.
A part of the ancient being wanted to drop to the ground and tend to the wounds of his friend, but reason held him back from doing so. Healing can come later, pain will have to push the man to strive harder for his potions. As cruel as it may be, pain was an excellent teacher; Steve will just have to accept the damages and adapt. He let the mortal be and allowed him to push himself up off the ground and stand, giving him time to adjust to the damages.
In the moment of respite, Herobrine pondered. Was that another memory of the miner in the past again? It felt too familiar and seemed to match perfectly to the shattered memory he had back at the shrine, somewhat filling in a small gap. Hero noticed that had hit Steve in the same manner as the other one, but that past one he felt as though he hated him so much to torment him before later killing him; wounding his beloved pet with the dark intent to do much worse to the mortal himself. The current miner somehow provoked the memory just like he did back in the badlands cave when he saw Steve run off to collect gold, a similar feeling fueled his being and he saw an apparition of the miner he knows to be Steve. He wanted to pursue with malintent, though he refrained.
Why now must he start remembering these things? He could have done worse to Steve had he not regained control of his actions, if the memory had moved forward would he have actually-?
Herobrine growled as he wrapped his hands over the sides of his now aching head. This is Notch's fault, it must be! Him and some other powerful beings came to mind but he couldn't make out any faces or names, just blurry figures that he knew he hated and had somehow been betrayed and lied to by.
"Man that one really hurt Brine." Steve hissed as he carefully brushed as much of the ashes off his back and the back of his arms as he could, his spine felt like it was on fire and would probably be covered in blisters later; but there were no flames thankfully. He must have got lucky to not have his gauzes set aflame and burn him alive, and with how serious Herobrine is being; he might just let him burn. 'Speaking of which.' Steve turned around and lifted his gaze to the sky to see the old hero just floating above with eyes glued shut and grimacing; partially coiled in on himself, a deep snarl escaped him. "Herobrine? You okay up there?"
Glowing eyes snapped open, the ancient hero shook his head and regained his composure before relaxing his form; he pushed all of his thoughts aside. "Yes, I am now." The white-eyed man frowned deeply as he raised his hand and allowed another orb of fire form at the center of his palm, he mustn't lose focus on their training, not even over some old forgotten memories trying to resurface.
With those words, Steve faintly grinned before lightly waving his hand and bolting away as quick as his legs could carry him back towards the bag of potions. The burns on his back and arms stretch painfully in his stride and makes him grit his teeth as he moved, they were worse than he thought. What rotten luck, it hurt to even run now.
Herobrine had planned to throw the fireball at the miner to continue their session, however; his gaze darts to a small grass mound that the mortal was nearing and he deliberately throws the fire adjacent from the small hill and another right at the human to limit his evasive options. Maybe a subtle hint will provoke the notion of cover? Hero blinks, though in pain and exhausted; Steve forcibly throws himself over to the small dirt mound to avoid the fireballs and hides himself behind it as he catches his breath and accesses the damaged done to his flesh. A weak grin crept onto Hero's face, Steve seemed to get the idea finally. With help of course.
"I see you've gotten some burns there human, though they can be healed by my blood; the worse they are the more painful the restoration will be." He deeply chuckled. "You know this all too well by now, a stabbing is one thing, but a burn is another. It's much more painful to recover large patches of flesh and damaged nerve-endings, that I can attest to; like when I feel into that lava pit and you watched my legs and feet heal. So you better try harder and get creative or suffering is all you will get tonight."
Steve peeked out from around the small heap of grass and dirt, he could see Herobrine drifting closer with fire in his hands; there wasn't much time to rest. He looks forward and finds a oval object lying on the ground, not too far a white clucking creature was wondering down the slope of the hill. The miner blinked and grabbed the chicken egg, his eyes then glance out towards the villages surrounding the stronghold, his eyes search for anything of use or a place to hide; he saw a nearby plaza and a somewhat golden reflective object at it's center. The egg and the buildings suddenly gave him an idea. "If creativity is what you want, then creativity is what you'll get." Steve says quietly to himself and holds the egg close before pushing himself back onto his feet and darting down the incline.
Herobrine drifts over the small mound to see the human fleeing fast down the hill, he wonders if the guy had learned anything. "Two more strikes and your prize is forfeit, don't disappoint me again; you were so close in the last challenge. Use your head Steve or this lesson will go on for another hour, by the looks of it; I don't think you'll last that long."
The miner gave the ancient being a side glance with a slight smirk. "We'll see about that!"
Herobrine frowned. Why was the human suddenly smiling and getting all cocky? He has to be in immense pain and he's already tiring out and soon to collapse, what could the man be planning? No matter. He thought as he shook his head, he will not so easily be taken by surprise as there's not much for the miner to do. His eyes narrowed a bit, Steve was getting further away from the bag of fire resistance potions and heading directly towards the town surrounding the fortress; he could simply stop the miner but curiosity was getting the better of the immortal so he floated along and continued to throw fire at his target.
Steve pushed himself as quickly as he could into the outskirts of the town and headed towards the plaza he spotted from the hill, he was feeling the effects of exhaustion and was running out of energy far too quickly; he will not last if he doesn't come up with a plan and quick. He didn't have to use all potions so long as he could impress the powerful man with a creative move to escape him.
"Why come here miner? There's nothing for you in this place, you will find no potions here." Herobrine said as he hovered around a large building, watching the human several blocks ahead weaving throughout the structures and quickly zip around a large wooden house. At least Steve was finally using his environment, not that it would held him too much with this exercise and the goal. "So you think you can hide from me?" He laughed quietly to himself. "I can smell your sweat and burnt flesh mortal, your rapid heartbeat is but a musical box to my ears; easily giving away your location."
Just behind the house was the plaza as Steve hoped, it had a large dirty golden bell and even a water fountain. He swiftly backed himself against the edge of the nearest building and held the egg close, he only got one chance at this and he had to move quick and have a true aim.
-He's close.- Herobrine grinned in anticipation, a ball of fire ready in his palm. He wondered just where the human could hide, it had to be close though; there was no doubt with the signs the miner was giving off. He came around the side of the house with an eager smirk and was almost immediately pelted by a round object to his face, a slimly substance filled his eyes and made him hiss and float back a few blocks in shock. He could tell it was an egg by the smell, he grimaced as he tried to wipe the gunk from his vision. "Erraahhh!"
To Steve's shock, his surprise attack worked, Herobrine stopped in his tracks and the fireball in hand fizzled out. With the egg in his eyes, Steve used the small opportunity to quickly run to the plaza fountain and throw himself into the water to rid him of his scent. He then quickly hauled himself out of the shallow pool and rang the golden bell nearby multiple times, it loudly chimed in the area; sounds reverberated from the close houses and buildings and echoed about. Steve then promptly headed inside of an old tavern nearby and threw himself over the countertop to hide. He exhaled loudly then took deep slow breaths in hopes of slowing his rushing heart, he won't have much time but he had to try.
Hero sneered as he cleared the egg from his eyes, then out of nowhere was stunned by a short vision of a soft powdery white object smacking into his face just as the egg had. It wasn't an egg, but the cold cloud-white object had burst on his flesh and also disrupted his vision; a loud snickering followed as well as a short partial glimpse of a bald man with a hand over his bristly black beard. This humanoid stood high up in the air atop a pillar of quartz, he could not see the face clearly but he knew that guy somehow.
Why did that man look familiar? The ancient being narrowed his eyes and tried to focus on the face, Herobrine floated forward with a deep frown etched on his features. "Wh-who are you?" He asked as he approached, almost with desperate tones, his mind running fast in trying to process this familiar person coming into view. This man on a bright white column several blocks away from him stood proud and yet his smile was modest, surrounding him and the pillar were large oak trees with bright gold leaves.
"Herobrine?" The guy asks in his chuckling.
"That voice?" Herobrine blinks and he's back on the Overworld, yet he still sees the mysterious man's silhouette on the roof of a house. Once he floats too close he quickly grabs the sides of his head from a sudden pain and flash of his vision, he wails out in ache as the world around him starts to shift and shape into an entirely different one. The human structures around melt away, the village surrounding him was gone in seconds, now replaced by gentle rolling hills of sage colored grass and dark ebony soil with trees of gentle greens, bright golds, and vibrant blues and teals surrounding him. The pastel periwinkle blue colored sky above was filled with many large clouds painted in bright golden hues as the sun shined on the horizon. Large stone-grey whale-like creatures drifted high above, bellowing out loud echoing calls as they swam and dove through the air gracefully.
Several blocks away was a massive towering structure surrounding by quartz columns all around except for the entrance, a long staircase extended up into it, and it had large gold doors with two silver-plated men wielding lances on both sides of the entryway. This colossal sized building was made of dark colored bricks with ornate designs etched into the walls, the rooftop was made entirely out of gold that gently sloped up to a point. Both him and this structure were on a large floating island among many other islands surrounding him and this other person now on the ground standing before him.
Why does it feel like he's seen this place before? And this man? Why did that voice sound so familiar? "Speak!" He commanded again from the recesses of his mind. "Who are you?"
"Herobrine." The voice called again, the man's imagine blurred in and out. Herobrine forced himself to focus on him before he fades again, a sharp pang in his head immediately followed in his attempt.
Steve carefully peered out of his hiding place and carefully made his way to the door. Herobrine was speaking to someone and growling in pain it seemed, but it didn't seem like it was towards him; this made the miner curious and a bit worried. He poked his head from the door-less frame and gaped as he saw Herobrine floating in place and wailing in what he assumed was pain. Then in a quick second, Herobrine went limp and fell from the sky and crashed onto the gravel road unmoving. "Herobrine?" Steve cautiously asked, when the man did not move he bolted from the tavern and quickly ran over to him, he knelt down and shook the man's shoulders but he did not respond; the old hero's eyes were closed and his lips slightly parted. "Herobrine? Hey, are you okay?" Steve asked, panic flooded his facial features when he got no response. "Herobrine?!"
...
Herobrine opened his eyes and blinked, before him several yards away stood a familiar man with a black scraggily beard and goatee, he was tall and bald, yet oddly Hero could not see the upper half of the man's face; his eyes were there but not recognizable as they were a blurry mess. Behind this man was that massive impressive brick and column building, Herobrine was back in the same place he had found himself only a moment ago. Strangely, he could see the man more clearly now and he smiling with a big toothy grin at him, his posture was at ease as he rested his hands on his hips. The man was wearing simple clothing, a toasty brown tunic, grey pants, black boots, and an umber brown cape with a golden insignia on it whipping in the wind.
He's surely seen this guy before, no doubt, but he was too fascinated with the familiar world around him and too puzzled at the moment to put anything together.
"You ready Herobrine?" The man asks, a confident smirk graced his lips, though his eyes were hidden in a mysterious blurry shadow; Herobrine could still see his arching brows.
"Of course, I've been waiting patiently for this rematch." Herobrine felt his lips move on their own and they curl into a grin, his deep smooth echoing voice came out loud and clear; he was not under the silencing curse. He felt his hands come together, popping his knuckles and stretching his fingers in anticipation. Hero was confused, but in seconds his consciousness meshed with the body and his mind went into autopilot as his form spoke again. "I hope you are ready to see just how much I have improved, I cannot allow you to defeat me again brother."
"We'll have to see about that." The other countered with confidence. "You still have much to learn; but I know better than to underestimate you like last time. Not about to repeat that mistake twice." The mysterious man grinned as he stretched his arms and put on a more competitive expression as he stretched his legs. "A race to the quartz pillar, same rules as last time; we go from here to beyond the magnetic hills and over the amberoot plateau, then to the top of the artic peaks and then to the round island at the end of the highlands area. Like last time offensive abilities are allowed and encouraged, but no handheld weapons or mob assistance. You can use whatever you find or conjure up anything so long as it's not a weapon, also physical contact is not allowed. This is a 'run' only race, no teleporting, no riding Phygs, Pegasai, or Aerwhales."
A deep chuckle escaped the white-eyed man and he turned and faced the sun, out in the far distance he could see the target island with his sharp sight; he knelt forward ready to run. "I have not forgotten the rules." He smirked when the bald man took the place next to him and kneeled down a bit. "If I win what do I get?"
The man in the tunic furrowed his brows and shrugged a bit as he leaned back upright. "I dunno, we've never really made any wagers before."
Herobrine came out of his ready position and folded his arms. "You're the cr...-t...-...r of the Overworld and overseer of all realms N...-ch, I thought that with your power we can make this race a little more interesting for once."
"Hmm, I suppose a reward would push you to try harder." The man smiled as he tapped his chin. "Alright then Herobrine, what would you want?" He gestured.
"Your hammer. And not one of those weak replicas that some of the human Sentry or Valkyries carry either, I want the 'real' deal." He grinned with narrowed eyes.
"Heh, really?" The man blinked then chuckled in response as he scratched the back of his head nervously. "Out of everything I could possibly make or have already made, you want 'my' prized weapon?" He shook his head, almost in disbelief as Herobrine nodded. "I was honestly expecting something more like you wanting your own domain, or something completely new, power, enhancements, a kingdom, or even a mob to rule over your own. Not my hammer though. Why it?"
"Because it is your most prized possession I can use it to make more wagers in the future as you know I have nothing of true worth to give, not even for this little game here. Besides, I've always wondered what it's like wielding it, I've only ever seen you use it twice however; despite it's great power. One time during a fierce rivaling battle with one of your associates in a tournament of sorts, the other you used it to subdue a great red dragon."
The man suddenly frowned deeply. "You... remembered that?"
Herobrine blinked then frowned himself while combing his fingers through his hair and messaging his temple. "Yes, my memory is a bit fuzzy but I do recall something like that, that is unless I'm misremembering it?"
"I see." The man said quietly and looked away as if he were thinking.
After a long minute of silence Herobrine bumped his elbow into the guy for his attention, looking a bit concerned. "Is everything alright brother, you seem... bothered?" He asked with a raised brow and hands on his sides. The bald man put a smile back on his face and turned back to face him, Herobrine didn't seem fully convinced that the guy was actually happy at that moment; but he chose not to press the matter as it didn't seem to be too much of a problem. At least not for himself.
"I'm fine Herobrine, just a little... you know what? Sure, if you beat me in this race then I'll give you my hammer." The man with the shadowed eyes said with an uplifted tone and matching smile, quick to change the subject the other noticed. "Though you'll never need to have anything to wager against me, all wagers are for free for my little brother." He says as he reaches over and pulls Herobrine into a partial hug and grinds his knuckles over the man's head.
Herobrine lightly grimaced before shoving the heavier man off of him and brushing his short hair back into place, his smug grin came back and he kneeled back into his position as his brother did. "Very well then, I suppose I could use your weapon as leverage for something else. For the time being though, I'll take great pleasure in defeating you in our rematch."
The man in the brown tunic softly scoffed. "Yeah, we'll see. I'm not going to let you win so easily, I just happen to really like my hammer and would rather keep ownership of it; so expect me to pull no punches Herobrine."
"Hmph, I'd expect nothing less N...-t...h."
The other grinned as thin golden rays through the trees settled on the two. "And just as the sun descends, would be a really nice sunset view from atop that pillar."
"I'm aware, I'll let you know just how nice it is from the top." Hero countered.
"Oh?" The other chuckled. "Time to put your words where your mouth is, if you can."
Herobrine rolled his eyes and sighed. "Alright, enough with this arrogant banter; if we wait here too long we'll both miss the sunset."
"Fair enough." The bearded man nodded with a wide grin. "On three, we go. Good luck."
"Thanks. I won't need it."
"One. ... Two. ..."
Herobrine's muscles tensed and he leaned forward with his eyes fixed on his destination, concentrated.
"Three!"
The two spring from their places in the blink of an eye, the man in the brown tunic hopped upwards and jumped along the tops of the trees as Herobrine ran across the ground below; keeping his eyes on the man through the leaves only slightly ahead of him. Soon the two were coming to edge of the island, there was only one way off of it and onto the next; a long jump down onto an island far down below.
Herobrine watched as the bald man leapt off the edge feet first, Hero bravely ran over the edge and threw himself over the cliff head first with no hesitation or without even looking. Wind ripped through his hair and ruffled through his clothes in his decent, he then pulled his arms close to his sides and brought his legs together to make himself fall much faster. Like a speeding arrow the half-god zipped past the other guy who had his arms and legs out in his fall, he slipped through air and the clouds with ease; watching as he swiftly neared the island beneath him.
As he neared the ground of the island he quickly flipped himself around so that his feet was now pointing downward, there was nothing to fear; only achieving the goal in his mind. He blinked as balls of slime impacted the grass not too far from his landing spot, several slime spheres all pass him up and smash into each other and soon form a block of slime; Herobrine tilted his head up and then watched as the bearded man mimicked him. He grimaced as the guy now flying head first smirked at him then proceeded downward just a little more quickly, Hero watched as the man rolled himself around and landed on the slime block with his feet; then sprung up and outward, propelling him through the air and over the hill, giving him a huge advantage and more space between them.
Herobrine gnashed his teeth from losing ground in this race and quickly crashed down onto the island, layers of stone, grass, and dirt ripped out of the flat surface from the forceful impact around him. Herobrine leapt out of the small crater and made haste up the hill to catch up with the competition.
With the other humanoid in sight, Herobrine opened his palms and a ball of flames formed within; he then reeled his arm back before taking aim and slinging the fiery sphere forward as hard as he could throw. The bald man looked over his shoulder at nearly the same instance and forced himself down towards the ground as the object passed overhead, he blinked with surprise and began the race on foot. "About time you come down brother!" The ancient being shouted, an expression of determination and haughtiness on his features. He threw another sphere of flames and it landed in front of his opponent, the small wall of flames however; did not fully deter the guy, he promptly leapt over it and continued to run.
"Sorry brother, you're going to have to try harder than that!" The man cried out while laughing, he leapt over a large chasm in the ground and then darted among the large floating pillars of land around him to escape any projectiles thrown his way.
"We'll see about that." Herobrine said quietly to himself. He put his hands together in his run and a red object began to form between his hands, in his way was a large pillar of stone; on the others side was his opponent. There was only one way to get through both of his obstacles.
Just as the bearded man began getting more distance from Herobrine, a loud booming sound came from behind; then before he could even glance back for the explanation of the noise, a bright red and white object flew past him. It was a solid square glowing brightly and shuddering. In seconds the large cube landed only a few blocks in front of him and promptly exploded as he neared, the guy had skidded to a stop and swiftly dove aside to avoid the TNT explosion. Dirt, stone, and half of a nearby tree blew apart in all directions from the forceful burst of ignited gunpowder. The man hauled himself off of the ground with a pained grunt and gaped as Herobrine neared him, in his hand was another block of TNT.
"Ha Ha! You can thank Dinnerbone for leaving these lying around!" Herobrine smirked with a small flame now sitting in his free hand, he brought both the TNT and flame together before tossing the lit box next to the man as he sprinted by him. "Think fast!" With another sound of an explosion behind him, Herobrine picked up his pace as he neared the amberoot plateau; leaving his brother in the dust. He leapt up on the ends of the sheer cliffs and then sprinted throughout the amberoot trees and out onto an open plains, no sight or sound of the bearded man anywhere nearby; he finally had an edge over his rival in the race.
Then he momentarily tensed up as a shockwave of power radiated from behind, he grit his teeth and shot a glance behind him over his shoulder and gawked as the bald guy came running at him in an incredible speed; his eyes glowed through the shadows of the upper half of his face for a long brief moment until he finally caught up with Herobrine and stayed only a few blocks back behind him.
"Thought you could lose me so easily huh? That was pretty sneaky of you Herobrine, you've forced me to use a lot of my power just to catch back up. I applaud you." The man beamed and opened his hand. "By the way, I have a gift for you too!" A bright orb formed from his palm and he threw it directly in front of him and at close range.
Herobrine stopped in his run and swiftly rolled a kick with as much force as he could muster, the bottom of his heel struck the orb of light and ripped right through it and caused it to flash and fade; he then fell to the ground and his opponent sped right past him while making a small salute with a few of his fingers over his forehead.
"Oh no you don't!" Herobrine threw out his hand and roared at the other, bolts of lightning suddenly struck the ground in various places before his brother over the open plains in rapid session; this caused the guy to slow and jump from side to side as several streaks of lightning lit up the field. Thunder boomed overhead and small streaks of light and energy surge around the bald man, a strike here and there sent pain burning through his arms and legs as they nipped him. But that guy got to a point where he couldn't dodge all strikes, so instead he held out his arm and absorbed the bolts as they came; crying out in pain as he did. Herobrine had caught up and was on his way to passing the man, but he noticed sparks dancing and arching off the guy's arm; this was not good.
"Clever tactic, but it will not so easily work on me!" The man in the tunic then cried out as he threw his arm in the direction of the white-eyed being, the lightning then rushed from his limb and fingertips and struck out towards Herobrine; the bolt struck true and caused the half-god to slow in pain as sparks rippled throughout his form.
Herobrine huffed from the burning sensation crawling throughout his body but he did not stop in his pace, he shook off the electrical feeling buzzing through his bones and refocused on his target ahead now making his way from the plains and towards the next island with the snow covered artic peaks.
Without any issue at all the bald man sprang up and forward with a large leap, he easily landed flat on his heels; he then scaled up a large vertical wall of stone and ice by running along it without the effects of gravity pulling him down. He seemed to have no problem going up until a massive chunk of ice smashed into the cliff face and broke into dozens of large ice shards, one chunk smacked right into his side and sent him off balance and falling all the way back down to the ground. He groaned as he sat up, then gaped as several balls of fire flew right at him.
With his rival down again, Herobrine seized the opportunity to get another edge over the other man and scaled the wall all the way up without issue; he then ran through the woods of blue skyroot and greatroot snow covered trees, the extreme bitter cold air nipped at his flesh but he was undeterred from the freezing temperature; he kicked up snow in his pace and slid down the side of the mountain with the small tumbling snow mounds guiding him down the slopes.
A rumbling beneath his feet robs him of his smile and he grimaces from the unknown shaking that shook the entire mountainside and even threw him off balance and crash into a pile of snow. With a heated cry Herobrine ripped himself from the heavy grip of the frozen powder and hauled himself up onto his knees, then a loud cracking sound tore his attention and he cast his gaze down towards the bottom of the mountain. Out from beneath the snow, ice, and stone, the tunic man smashes his way out from underneath the mountain with a roar; he then takes a moment to catch his breath before his eyes dart up towards Herobrine.
"He dug himself through the entire mountain?" Herobrine asks in almost utter disbelief. It was no wonder this man o...t-ch was the cr-...a...r.
Though tired looking, the man below began to sprint towards the highlands, not far was the round island and the white pillar sticking out on the top.
The man in the brown tunic and cape sprinted across the grassy hills, it was rather quiet; then a ball of flames nearly crashes into his shoulders and it's suddenly too loud as more spheres of fire fly his way. "Never the kind to ever give up are you brother?" He grins at the man with a cyan shirt and blue pants just a couple blocks behind him but also several blocks to his side. He opens his palm and sends bright orbs of light towards the white-eyed man in retaliation, to his surprise Herobrine uses trees, hills, and even his own orbs of fire to counter his. "You're improving so fast, I'm impressed!"
"I must adapt to your powers or I'll never truly improve, I will not so simply let you get another strike on me. Especially no more during this race, I shall not be taken by surprise."
The man blinked then smiled. "Alright then, how about a truce?" He asks, peaking Herobrine's interest as they near the round mountainous island they were coming upon. With a curious look from Herobrine the man continued and pointed to the island. "How about that island itself be the final race? First to the top wins no matter what, rules still apply but there's plenty of stone to make use of. What do you say?"
Herobrine nodded, he simply did not care for the list of rules; only that he had a goal he could achieve.
"Truce is is then!" The guy declares in excitement and somewhat in relief.
Once both men make it to the edge of the highlands, they give each other a stern look and then leapt off the edge of the island's end and right for the next mountain only twenty or so blocks away. The strength they possess makes the jump easy and their abilities allow them to stay glued to the surface of the island once they come into contact with it, both Herobrine and the man in cape get their bearings and then take a position to run once more on the underside of the island; they exchange glances from one to the other and then in an instance they both strode forward in a swift pace now aiming for the top of the island of golden oak trees and the ivory pillar for the victor.
The man in the tunic was getting ahead again to hero's dismay, the guy was naturally already very fast; he was tired of trying to keep up. Herobrine saw a chunk of stone sticking out several blocks away and swiftly dashed at it with an fist ready to swing into it. He rammed his coiled hand into the stone and a large piece broke off and immediately flew into the direction of the caped man.
"Ah!" The bearded humanoid leapt up to avoid getting steamrolled from a flying block of stone, he then swiftly threw out his hand to touch the island and reverted his center of gravity back to the island before he could fall out of the sky. "That was close brother, now how about you?" He says with a big grin and slams his foot into a slab of stone and breaks it with ease, the block of stone speeds right at the white-eyed man. Instead of dodging the flying wedge, Herobrine brought both his arms up in front of his face in the shape of an x and held firm with coiled fists as the stone impacted him. He grunted quietly in pain but swung his arms out at his sides once he took the blow, though it cost him a bit of time; he didn't have to risk falling off the side of the island and losing the race by forfeit.
He looks up to see his opponent now reaching the grass and dirt of the upper half of the island. "No!" He shouts and leaps forward, he uses two chunks of stone blocks sticking out from the side of the island as projectiles to aim and launch at his target. Herobrine swings his fist into the first block and it lands just inches away from his brother before it peels away and falls away from the island and down to the clouds below, the half-god growls as runs back some and then forwards with much force and slams himself into a bigger chunk of stone that was nearly as tall as he was; this larger projectile flies fast and hits its target and partially buries the man into the dirt.
Herobrine grins at the sounds of struggle and laughs, he then bolts up the side of the island with a grin of victory; he made sure to slow down by his stuck brother for a brief moment to gloat. But as he reaches the rock, the caped man wasn't there; Herobrine blinks in confusion and quickly heads for the top of the island. His smile was gone, he had been fooled, the bearded man had dug through the dirt and escaped his ensnarement silently. Hero felt so foolish for taking even a mere second to rest and laugh.
Perhaps it wasn't too late? He had to hope! Herobrine desperately sprinted to the top, as he came upon a small gold oak tree he caught something from the corner of his eye as he brushed past some leaves and branches; a man smirking at him with something in hand. Then in a split second something cold and white smashed into his face and into his eyes, it impaired his vision and friendly laughter filled the air.
The white-eyed man brushed the powdered snow he had come to realize out of his eyes and blinked multiple times until he could see his brother now standing high upon the quartz pillar, still somewhat chuckling.
"Herobrine?"
He lost, and because of his haughtiness and a lousy snowball of all things. Herobrine frowned deeply as he soaked in his failure, he was lucky no one else was around to see himself make a fool of himself. How annoying and disgraceful. He thought.
"Herobrine."
He sighed heavily and folded his arms as he stared at the victory up high on the pillar now waving down at him, he really just wanted to leave already. Herobrine huffed and finally responded to the man. "What is it? You don't have to tell me how the sunset looks from up there, I'm already aware." He bitterly spat, he would never openly admit that he was a sore loser from time to time. "I get it, you won. I'm ready to leave for tonight."
"Hey. Come up here."
"Hmm?" Herobrine looked up and could see the guy waving at him. He wondered why, he didn't win, he didn't deserve to be standing at the top.
"Please?"
The white-eyed man huffed in defiance. "I think not." As soon as he said that another ball of snow pelted him in the face, he didn't even attempt to dodge it in his brooding moment.
More snickering came from above, Herobrine sighed as he wiped the melting snow off of his face, if he doesn't go up there he knows he'll never hear the end of it. He then flashed from his spot from the ground and appeared next to the bald man, his eyes widen a bit as his gaze lands on the sun sinking over the horizon. The fading orange in the sky was beautiful and stars shined brightly from above in the deepening blue veil, it was a nice sight to behold from being up so high.
"Nice isn't it? Especially from up so high, there's so many islands and the clouds reflect the colors brilliantly wouldn't you say?" The man in cape asks with a soft smile as his shadowed face remains in the direction of the setting sun. "I hope you get the opportunity to do this more often one day, watching sunsets; instead of focusing all of your time on battling mobs and meditating for days without talking to anyone. Why even the little things such as this short moment is something to enjoy every once in a while."
"But I lost brother, I do not deserve to stand by your side up here." Herobrine countered, even if the view was nice. A hand wraps over his shoulder and pulls him into a light embrace.
"You don't have to have a challenge and win just to spend time with a friend Herobrine. Why did you think I called you up here despite losing? I want you to enjoy the good things while they last, even if it's just something as simple as enjoying a nice view together brother."
"While they last?" Herobrine tilted his head to the side a bit with a light frown, it sounded as if something was going to change soon and he did not like that. "You sound as if I won't be around to do this again, why is that?"
The bearded man smiled sadly. "It's okay, I'll remember for us both." This made Herobrine feel even more confused. "Nothing to worry about Herobrine, everything will be fine. When you go to sleep tonight, have some good dreams for us both, you can literally make that happen."
Herobrine's frown deepened and he pulled away from his brother. "I don't understand what you mean, are you not going to sleep tonight brother?"
The man shook his head. "I'm not, but you are. There's something I have to do unfortunately and it'll keep me up all night." He spoke softly before turning around and raising his hand and placing his palm on Hero's head, in an instant his white eyes flicker open widely in shock and then began to close as his consciousness faded; all he could see was the man now frowning and him clasping onto his wrist as he was lowered onto the pillar. His eyes then began to close and the bright starry veil of night and the man faded to black. "Goodnight Herobrine, I don't want to do this; but there's just some things I can't have you remembering. I don't want to lose who you truly are again, I'm sorry." A heavy sigh escaped his lips. "If only you hadn't remembered that dragon."
A/N: Due to lack of motivation and now Health issues updates will be slow.