Chapter 28
The God Mode
They lost sight of the door almost immediately.
The darkness beyond their torchlight was infinite, but Lukas could see doors on either side, and hallways, dozens of them.
It just kept going.
Which frustrated Petra, "He could be anywhere! Notch it goes forever!" she cried.
"Alex said there was a palace, a city, and a large scale mine down here." Lukas frowned, "We went through a side entrance to the palace, and if I remember what Alex said, the city is in the center."
"Which means Jesse could be in either one of them! Woah-"
They had run into a massive dining room, but there had already been a occupant. A creeper charged their direction, hissing rapidly. Petra let go of Lukas's hand, reaching for her sword.
Lukas stopped her, "Wait!"
"What?!"
The creeper raced by, disappearing into the hallway from wince they came.
"Creepers never skip a chance to kill," Lukas said slowly.
"Unless they're running from something," Petra looked down the long dining hall illuminated by moonlight, "We're getting close."
Lukas jogged down the length of the table, eyeing the mutiple doors going every direction.
"Jess!" Petra called.
Lukas walked to across the room, closer to one of the halls. He knelt down, examining a drying blood smear on the floor. His hear skipped a beat. "Petra..."
She joined him, eyes clouded with worry, "You don't think?"
Lukas cupped a hand towards his mouth, "Jesse! We're here, where are you?!"
There was a moment of nothing, save for the continuous drone of the volcano. Then-
"I heard swords," Petra said. She pointed to the hallway nearest to them ,"That way!"
They raced down the hall, hearts pounding and full of fear. There was a large door at the very end. On the other side of the door lava roared and spewed, mixed with the now clearer sound of weapons clashing.
Petra shoved it open and was the first through, "I see Jesse!" she cried.
Lukas quickly followed after, but immediately spotted something other than Jesse, unmoving on the floor, "Aiden!"
Petra was running across the large clearing, towards other side of the chasm where Jesse fought with Herobrine, "Help him! I'll get Jesse!"
Lukas dashed across the space between, sliding to his knees as he approached the still male, "Aiden! It's me Lukas! Aiden get up!"
He scooped him up, the brunet hung limply in his arms. Each breath he made sounded labored and hoarse. He was pale, blood dropped from multiple punctures in his skin, staining his clothes. There was a grizzly slash on his back leg, dried with blood.
Lukas began to fall into a panic as his friend failed to respond or even awake, "Aiden! Wake up! Please!" he fought on tears, "Petra! He isn't waking up!"
Petra was by a ledge, trying to find a bridge, a beam, anything to get her across the flaming gap. "Is he breathing?"
"Barely!"
"Try CPR!"
"I don't know CPR!" Lukas cried.
Suddenly Petra cried out in horror. Lukas watched, as Herobrine took hold of Jesse's blade, flipped it around, and mercilessly impaled the youth with his own blade. An agonized wail tore forth from him and Jesse buckled into the blade, wrenching Lukas's heart in two.
"JESSE!" Petra screamed.
Herobrine pulled Jesse closer, whispering something into Jesse's ear as he ran fingers through his hair. Jesse had fallen into complete shock, he had gone nearly ghostly white. His eyes wide as he feebly tried to remove the weapon. Herobrine finished his message, and with one vile kiss to Jesse's forehead, yanked the blade clean free. Blood spilled everywhere, and Herobrine took a step back dropping the blade in disgust.
"JESSE!" Lukas cried.
Petra was yelling every blasphemous word she could muster. Anything, everything, to get Herobrine to react.
But he simply ignored them.
Jesse stood a moment longer his lips moving weakly as he gasped for air. Bloodied fingers shakily clutched his wound. Then Jesse collapse like rag doll. His blood pooling the ground beneath him in a black-red puddle.
"No!Jesse!"
Lukas forced himself to look away, back to Aiden. Hot tears burned his eyes, "Aiden I need you to wake up!" he begged. "We need your help right now, Aiden, please!"
Petra was still screaming at the Immortal, "You heartless ass! You bastard! You mother fu-"
Herobrine finally addressed her, "You'll join him in a moment love," he said simply, "But I currently have bigger fish to fry at the moment."
Lukas looked at the demon of a man and swore there was something about Herobrine that had changed. He looked bolder, stronger. There was something different, and despite the intense heat of the atmosphere, Lukas felt cold.
"HEROBRINE!" a voice roared.
The addressed tilted his head and turned away from Lukas and Petra smiling, "Speak of the devil."
Steve flew down from above, through the mouth of the volcano. He shot down and landed hard on Herobrine's side of the divide. The ground collapsed upon impact, creating a small crater where he touched down. Steve stepped out of his hole, his diamond sword already drawn, eyes blazing in fury.
"Where are they?!" He demanded, the entire mountain shaking.
Herobrine crossed his arms, "That's not a proper greeting Steven."
Steve's eyes flashing in an unparalleled rage."Tell me NOW!"
Herobrine sighed, "Fine," he pointed towards Petra and Lukas, "There, and," then he pointed behind him, "There." he smiled, teeth glinting in the fire light, "You've had this coming a long time Steve, it's a cruel irony that it had to be him."
Steve glanced over Herobrine, his face morphing into absolute horror and despair, "JESSE!" he turned his focus back to his corrupt brother. "Get out of my way!"
Herobrine summoned a sword out of the volcanic air - the blackest diamond sword Lukas had ever seen- and pointed it at Steve, "Make me move, almighty First."
Steve snarled and lunged, Herobrine launching off as well. Their swords made contact and a powerful wave of air and sparks flew from the point of impact.
Lukas bent over Aiden to protect him from the debris, his body buffeted by the strong air currents. Petra actually stumbled backwards past him by the sheer force of it, but managed to stay on her feet.
She cursed, "Herobrine isn't going to let Steve get to Jesse! Lukas we have to get across!"
"How-" Lukas flinched as the entire mountain shook, "We can't with the lava. Aiden still isn't-"
Herobrine grabbed Steve by the shoulder, nails digging into the others flesh. He hurled his brother with a roar, sending Steve flying into a pile of jagged debris. Then using whatever power that was no in his command, Herobrine dislodged stone from above and sent it crashing down onto the First.
Steve cried out in pain as a sharp support beam sliced his upper arm. He leapt out of the pile, stumbling a little as he landed. He clutched his wounded limb, the blood oozing through his fingers.
He didn't heal.
Lukas's heart was pounding. Why wasn't he healing? Steve was hurt worse at the Gate, why now wasn't he healing?!
Herobrine whistled, examining his own sword free hand and wiggling his fingers a bit. "And to think, the kids just had all this power sitting in him and he didn't even use it! Tsk!" He extended his hand, "Who knew the Witherstorm had this much potential!
Lukas's eyes widened, the Witherstorm?!
"How does he know about that?" Petra gasped from behind him, "Is that why he was after Jesse?"
Lukas didn't know how to answer.
Steve snarled and made another attempt to get at Jesse, he was starting to look desperate. He looked to the fallen teen with a strange panic in his eyes.
Herobrine laughed, tearing up more rock from various parts of the ceiling and hurling it at Steve. Steve responded in kind by swinging his blade, slicing through the incoming projectiles with a wave of condensed air.
The Dark Immortal ran under the damage bringing his sword in an upward slice, fire pouring forth from the blade. Steve blocked, but only barely. He shoved Herobrine back. The significantly more energized brother landed on his hands, and kicked back, hitting Steve square in the chest.
Herobrine was stronger, he was faster. Lukas now knew it had something to do with the Witherstorm and he had taken it from Jesse.
Steve flew backward crashing into a wall before falling onto his knees, panting. He took a desperate look at Jesse and shakily got up.
"Come on Steve!" Petra called, "You can win!" she said more quietly to herself, "He has to win..."
Herobrine planted himself between the set, "Why bother?" he scoffed, "Just look at your handiwork brother," He gestured to Jesse, "Look at the result of your weakness."
Steve growled, blue eyes flashing. He made a dash-
Herobrine summoned obsidian up from the depths of the earth with a wave of his hand, blocking his opponents path and shoving him back. "Weak" he muttered.
"Get out of my way!" Steve roared.
"You can do nothing!" Herobrine yelled back, "You are weak Steven! You couldn't protect him back then, and you can't save him now!"
Lukas looked to Petra, seeing her own confusion at Herobrine's words.
What did he mean...back then?
"You have been so busy bonding with the mortals and living the blissful lie that you are one of them, that you have become weak! The god could have saved him Steven! But you just had to be the man!"
Something happened to Steve's expression, some sort of snap. He looked down at the floor, hands clenching tight.
"Now you can't even avenge him! Be a god brother! Avenge Jesse where the human can't!" Herobrine sneered.
"You want a god?" Steve snarled through gritted teeth.
Mt. Incendia shook.
Lukas stared in fear as Steve's skin began to crack like ice, pieces of it peeling off and flying away in the air currents of the volcano. Underneath the torn skin was not blood or muscle. Instead it looked as if the heavenly bodies above were spreading across Steve's form. "You want a god?!" he repeated, louder this time.
Steve looked up, his expression one of undescribable fury, "Fine! You'll get your god!" he spat.
Lukas and Petra stared in horror as the whites of Steve's eyes turned void black, the blazing blue irises there for only a moment before they too vanished into nothing.
"You'll get a VENGEFUL GOD!" Steve roared. His hands and sword going aflame, swirling around him in a fiery tornado.
Herobrine's smiled indicated that was exactly what he wanted.
Steve lunged and Herobrine leapt to meet him-
"Petra! Cover your ears!"
Before Lukas could turn around he felt Petra dropping down behind him, leaning against his back. Alex landed directly in front of him. "Alex-"
"Cover your friends ears!" she cried.
Lukas hastily tucked Aiden against his chest, placing a hand over his exposed ear.
Alex leaned into him, keeping Aiden pinned between Lukas and her as she covered Lukas's own ears with her hands.
"Hang on!" she cried.
"What about Jesse-" Petra began just as Steve and Herobrine made contact.
The inpact that followed was explosive, fire and air pouring forth from the two blades and the sound that came after was deafening.
Lukas barely heard Petra cry out in surprise even as close as she was leaning into him.
Oh Notch Jesse!
His eyes shifted to the fallen teen, only to spot some sort of magical barrier covering his limp body. It seemed to deflect both the debris and the sound. He could see a glow coming Alex's hands, she must be protecting him somehow.
Alex screamed in pain, fire and rock raining down upon her. She took the bulk of the shockwave, protecting the three youths the best she could.
"ALEX!"
Herobrine launched suddenly up, taking the battle to another floor. Steve- still in a enraged state, his form rapidly becoming less human- gave chase.
Alex shakily pulled away, there was blood oozing out of her ears, the gale had torn her hair tie off, leaving the thick locks pooling around her shoulders.
Lukas's ears were ringing, and his tears flowed faster trying to get dirt from his eyes.
"Alex!" Petra reached out tears in her own eyes, "Alex are you okay?!"
"I'm fine," The woman said, "Are you two alright?"
Lukas fought a fresh wave of tears, "W-we're okay. But Jesse and Aiden-"
"Let me look,"
"Alex- Alex- Herobrine he-"
"I know," Alex's voice cracked slightly.
Lukas flinched as Steve went smashing through a wall, grabbing a metal beam and hurling it at Herobrine.
There was no control in Steve, no calm and collected warrior that Lukas had seen slay a giant spawn. There was only rage, pure, unbridled immortal rage. He wasn't human anymore.
Alex looked briefly over her shoulder, eyes flashing in despair at the sight of her husband, "No, no, no," she quickly went back to Aiden.
"What's wrong with him?" Petra said.
"He's fallen into a form which the mortals called the Deity State, or the God Mode. When it's induced through a powerful negative emotion we lose control of our power and all coordination. Herobrine wants him to be like this and unless we get him out of it-" She curses.
"What?!"
"Asphyciation torture." She gingerly placed a hand on his chest, "He had volcanic fumes stuck in his lungs."
"Oh G-god's" Lukas hastily wiped away tears, "Can we- will he-"
"No, he's slowly suffocating from the poison."
"Alex, please!" Petra pressed, "We have to be able to do something!"
"I can do something," Alex soothed, "Hold him steady for me."
Alex placed her hand flatly on Aiden's chest. Her eyes, like Steve washed out to a blank slate. Hers however was a soft white glow. She slowly pulled her hand away from Aiden's chest, keeping her palm flat and level.
"Lqrum xo cqn oran jwm cqn jra, R xamna hxd cx xknh vn! " Alex said in a strange alien voice. "Lxvn oxacq!"
Suddenly black vapors poured out from Aiden's mouth, but Alex didn't stop pulling her hand back till they ceased. Then the fumes rose up and joined the rest of the volcano's smoke in departing towards the sky.
Alex's eyes returned their normal vibrant green and she lowered her arm. She leaned back just as Aiden's eyes shot open with a gasp. He lurched forward in Lukas's arms.
"Aiden!"
His eyes were wild, and he struggled in panic, still mentally trapped in whatever torture Herobrine had inflicted.
Lukas held firm, "Aiden! Aiden calm down! Aiden it's okay it's me!"
The glaze in his eyes cleared, and Aiden coughed and wheezed against him; finally going slack. "L-Lukas?" he asked voice hoarse.
"Y-yeah," he managed to respond tearfully, "It's okay, you're okay."
Alex stood, "Petra you and Lukas get him out of here. I'll get Jesse." She turned, then taking a running dash and one big bound, Alex crossed the wide gap that was the ravine.
Aiden was looking around still dazed and confused, "What- where? Ouch!" he cringed suddenly, "Lukas?"
"Yes?" he replied, worried.
Pain had cut through Aiden's delirium and he wiggled against him, "That hurts, please stop squeezing me."
Lukas loosened his grip, Aiden coughing violently beneath him. "I'm sorry! I thought you were gone! What happened to you?!"
"I don't remember much, there was this storm and- the wall blew up. Then I was somewhere else and Herobrine he-" Aidens suddenly jerked upright, nearly colliding foreheads with Lukas, "Wait! Jesse-"
"He's hurt bad," Petra cut in, "Alex is with him right now, she's the Healer, she can save him. Steve and Alex are the Immortal's! They-"
The woman was assembling a bandage at the moment. She had torn off one of her long sleeves, trying her best to prevent Jesse's grizzly wound from bleeding further.
Aiden shook his head urgently, still trying to force out words between his coughing, "No! They're in danger! He-
There was a loud crash as the floor lurched. The trio looked over right as Herobrine sent Steve flying through a support pillar. Steve fell hard the entire balcony above him crashing down onto him.
Herobrine was wounded in various places; Steve had still managed to get a few hits in despite his degrading form. But unlike Steve, Herobrine didn't seem hindered by them yet.
Alex looked up from her tending of Jesse. Rage flashed through her eyes, and her skin cracked slightly in some places. But she quickly recovered. She went back to Jesse, refusing to move away from the dying youth.
Herobrine rolled his shoulders and turned away from the wreckage with a still buried Steve, he looked to her, "You're turn."
Alex didn't move.
"No point in trying Alex, he's good as gone."
She kept working, but a sword summoned in the air, hovering by her head. "Stay the fu-"
Herobrine lunged at her, faster than a blur. Alex shot up, blocking his first attack by grabbing her floating blade. Herobrine spun around her, bringing his sword down towards Jesse's unmoving form.
"NO!" Alex snapped up her leg, kicking her enemy in the side of the skull. She then slammed her forehead into his nose, sending him stumbling back. He came again, and she spun around herself once again kicking out her foot, this time hitting Herobrine in the jaw, dislocating it.
Herobrine snarled and the volcano rumbled in kind, he took a step back, and casually popped his jaw back into place.
"You're not going to take him a second time," Alex snarled.
Herobrine chuckled, "Oh Alexis, "he crouched, "I already took him." He lunged, catching the woman in her midsection and together they crashed into the far wall.
Petra's eyes were wide with shock, "Lukas! He's faster!"
"I- I know- I-"
Herobrine came out first, looking unscathed. Alex followed after, her sword already swinging. She had blood drizzling down her forehead, and she looked very close to slipping into her own aggressive deity state. "You bastard!"
As the pair dueled, Steve forced himself out of his pile of rubble. For a moment there, his god like form ebbed away. He made another running sprint for Jesse-
Herobrine shoved off Alex, and swung his blade down at Steve, the latter barely able to block in time. He went to his knees, the floor caving slightly under the immense power.
"Herobrine couldn't handle them both before, he retreated! I don't understand!" Petra got up.
Lukas stood as well, pulling Aiden up with him, "He's keeping them away from Jesse! We have to help him!"
"We have to get across first!"
"I know! But how?!"
Aiden piped up, "How much stuff do you guys have on you? Building stuff?"
"What are you aiming at," Lukas asks.
Aiden took a few struggling breaths, then, "We find a narrow point, then, " he cringed, clutching his throat.
"Yeah?"
"We build a bridge."
N̘̫̣̳̪͉̟͆͠ȩ̩̻̺ͪx̡͖̗̫̩͍̫ṭ̵͚̙͇̬̤ ̟̐͋ͮͦͮ́T̥̩͈̬̫̊̇̿̇i͕̺̭̬̽̈̇ͬm̰̗̙̹̩̭͔̑̑̐ͪͪ̿̕e͓̤̤̮͋́̅ ̰̬̤̍ͫ̀̂ͤ̑̿͝O̤͖̞͎̔̈ͪn͚̩̞̲̻̝͂ͩ͑̀̈̚͡ ͥͣ̈́͐ͤ̊̀M̢̩̱͚̦̬̥̙C̗̮̫̎ͩ͢S̊ͩ͋̓ͧͩ̎̀M͖̞̥̯̰̅ͬ̍ͅ:͓̖̫̝͟ ̞̠͕ͫ͑͋̃ͯ́I̘͇͡m͚͇̜͚̹͓ͣ̇ͬm̹̰̪͈͎̣͓̑͊͗̔̅̀ͥ͘ọ̳̫͓̮̏͑̕r͔̦͑̈́̽̋ͮ̂͞t̫̤͎ͯͩͩͪͧä̢̹͉͎̺̒ͤlͦ͋̌'̬̟̥̬ͥ̈́ͯ̀̈s̵̗̻͉̠̙͉̉̌ͣ̄͐͐ ̗͎̉̇͒ͥͭͫ̂Cͯ̎̇̄ͧ͗̓͏̙͍h̉͐͗ͤ̽͆͂͝i̍̌ͯ́̎̚l͓̥̥͕̬̃̽̏ͧ̀ͤͧ̀d͉͎̪̝͖͈ͣ̍̌ͬͅ
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Xwn yujhna mxfw. Cfx bxxw cx px.
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Hxd'en oxapxccnw cqann vxan yujhnab...