[Chapter VI]
[Legend of the Great Hero]
Months have passed since he had found a new home within Sanderlorum and her people.
Six months to be precise…
Making it a full year since he had washed up on this huge land after the ship he and others were seeking freedom on had sunk into the dark black waters in the ocean just beyond the bay of the land.
He never thought he would be able to find a place to finally call his 'home' after what had befallen him in the past. But he was quickly becoming a believer in even the most impossible of miracles.
All this talk by the people about this being by the name of 'Notch' was starting to make him question whether it should be this entity he should be thanking for his "second chance at life" as some were beginning to put it.
Regardless of who it was he should or shouldn't be thanking… during the time his own home was being constructed, he had accepted Melz and Glorenda's offer to have him stay with them in their Inn until it was completed. The room he stayed in was far more superior to the room he had been in his first stay in the small town. In fact, it was more of a suite than anything, having more space and a bed twice the size the normal ones.
Also by staying with them, it was becoming increasingly obvious how much closer he was bonding with the couple. As well as both Kelsa and Hugo.
He would drop anything and everything should any of those four need any assistance of any kind. Whereas the rest of the village, he still showed weary signs as he continued to walk on eggshells in their presence.
Though he was enjoying the new room and his time with Melz and Glorenda, his home had been completed within the first two months after his acceptance to their offer, surprising him even further as the people proved to both him and themselves that they in fact truly desired for him to stay within their village as they strived to have his new home completed so quickly.
It wasn't anything big or fancy. A simple single story home with only two main rooms to be exact. Everyone helping with the construction of the house were all surprised with the simplicity to the plans. They had thought that Steve would have had more of a fancier idea laid out for his permanent home since his details to his craftsmanship showed he had a very different sense in taste and style than the people and they were beginning to like and enjoy his divergent ways.
Upon entering, it opened up into a large living area, to the left of which was the kitchen. A small table with only two chairs was to the right, showing tell-tale signs that Steve had no intentions of entertaining much. Straight across the front door was another door that led into the room where Steve slept. Once inside it, to the right was a small door that led into a basic little wash room. His bed was positioned underneath a wide window opposite the door.
On either side of the bed were bookshelves that were crammed full of books about The End and the Ender Dragon that the Elder had given to him as gifts.
Steve was quickly settling in to his new home and was slowly beginning to block out the bad memories of his dark past, his present being filled with laughter and peace.
But he wasn't a fool and certainly did not allow his current ease to blind him completely. He had always felt a small presence beginning to bother him as if something terrible was slowly creeping up on him. And unfortunately, the night finally came when his uneasy feelings were proven true and darkness caught up with him once again…
He, Tey and Faen had just finished another long day of mining within the mines just on the outskirts of the desert biome they lived. Tey and Faen had spent years digging into the face of a large mountain and nearly two decades later managed to turn it into a very resourceful mine.
Steve was extremely impressed to see that the mine had been dug down deep enough to have hit the smoldering bedrock that more or less signaled your dead-end for digging any deeper.
The dust coming from the dark rock made it nearly impossible to see, and the heat coming from beneath them made it dizzying to stand. Tey and Faen had told Steve that no real good materials were down that deep so they all agreed to remain a few levels above the heat and darkness.
They had returned late in the evening with a handful of freshly mined iron ore that they planned on smelting in the morning and therefore transforming it into new tools and weapons. Tey and Faen took the ores to store them in the small storage room that was slowly being turned into a sort of blacksmith shop and waved Steve off as the younger man headed towards his house to retire for the night.
He greeted each person he passed, a small smile spreading across his face as he thought back to the way he was treated when he first came to this village months ago by these same people.
They had been gravely hurt and now he understood completely. The mild anger and wall of hurt that had hit him had all vanished as he worked day and night to earn more and more of their trust.
As well as the people themselves worked to gain his own.
Placing his right hand over his lower stomach as if to silence it's growl, he suddenly stopped right at where he had to turn to the right to head to his home, swallowing as the young woman who had caught his attention giggled at something one of her friends whispered to her.
The girl who had told a joke saw Steve and smiled, lifting her hand up high and waved, "Hello there, Steve! Did you guys find any emeralds today?" she called out.
The small group of five women all looked up, the girl who had waved to him appearing to be the only one happy to see him.
Chuckling with a shake of his head, he slowly approached the group of young women, brushing off the feeling of indifference that was coming from them. "Sadly, Tamerin, we didn't. Nothing but more iron. But now we have enough material to fix your father's wagon." he smiled.
Tamerin was considerably younger than the other women, nearly by seven years, making her close to ten years younger than Steve himself. Her shoulder length black hair was tied back into a small bun, the wind unable to disturb it as it began lightly fluttering her tan colored dress and black shawl.
The woman who Steve has been admiring for a few months now had waist long black hair that was much darker than Tamerin's, and was braided and tossed over her left shoulder. Her green eyes had narrowed upon Steve approaching, turning her head slightly away from him as she began busying herself with preventing the breeze from upsetting her brown skirt and white blouse.
Steve turned his attention to the older woman, swallowing thickly before speaking, his tone slightly nervous. "Telzaah… We can fix your watering cauldron as well. We've gathered enough material to even make that attachment you wanted to help with your garden."
She gave a curt nod of acknowledgment to him, before replying without making eye contact. "Great. Thank you, Steve. This will help produce even more food for our people during the rough droughts." she responded rather emotionlessly to him.
Faltering slightly, Steve cleared his throat before trying a new approach. "T-that's great! If there's anything else you'd like made, we can. There's plenty of material now. B-by the way Telzaah… y-you look great today."
Scoffing rather loudly at that, she finally looked up, her glaring green eyes locked onto his wide violet. "Look, Steve. You're a good guy and all… but please knock this off. Everyone else may have accepted you, but you are still an outsider. And will always be an outsider. I have no interest in something as worthless and meaningless as you." she spoke coldly, earning a gasp from Tamerin and muffled snickers from the other three.
Steve's chest tightened while aching, but he smiled and chuckled while scratching the back of his head. "Heh, y-yeah… give a guy credit for trying though, right? A-anyways. You still look great today." He began laughing more at himself while turning to leave them. About halfway to the fork where he would now take a left, he turned back around to face them, walking backwards as he called out to them, "Also! While we were out, a storm has begun growing over in the forest biome southeast from Sanderlorum! Tey said it looks like it'll head this way by nightfall! Make sure your homes are secure!" And with that warning, he gave them all one last flash of a forced smile before disappearing behind the corner.
Tamerin frowned while watching Steve leave, weakly waving to him before turning to glare at her friend, "Telzaah! What the hell was that for? You know Steve really likes you! Why were you so heartless to him? He's a great guy and will do anything for any of us!"
Telzaah however scoffed with a roll of her shoulder. "I know. But I meant what I said. I have no interest in a man like that."
One of the other three laughed while bending over to pick up her basket of wheat, "There's no need to get so worked up over it, Tamerin. He's just a loser. I mean honestly, a man who spends his time underground digging up rocks for a living is sure to be boring. And hardly capable of any passion where it counts." She giggled with a wink to Telzaah who laughed in response.
Tamerin however glared at the other, "Oh really, Leannzah? My, that's a beautiful bracelet your mother gave to you. What's it made of? What? Emeralds? And just who do you think she had asked to not only find the material but to even make it?! And have you ever even bothered listening to his stories? He's had more excitement in his lifetime than this whole village has in hundreds of years! And seeing how he treats everyone and puts their needs before his I think he would be a very passionate partner! He has a huge heart! By the way, Leannzah? Not sure if you knew this, but Steve made that bracelet for free! Even despite it being for you!" she continued, taking a deep breath before adding with a hot blush tinting her cheeks, "Personally I'm jealous of you, Telzaah! I would love to have Steve attracted to me! But sadly… I'm too young I fear."
The other two women watched the fight going on between Tamerin and Telzaah silently, while Leannzah stared into the deep green emeralds of the birthday gift her mother had given to her just two weeks ago the day before she passed away from her illness she had been battling for the past eight years. "S-Steve… made this…?"
Telzaah sighed while picking up her own basket of wheat, sensing the change in the atmosphere singling Steve was right. "Whatever, Tamerin. Go ahead and have him! I'm sure when the time comes and he hits rock bottom, he'll be so desperate enough for a quick lay to take even you. All men are like that. They'll take what they can get." she called over her shoulder while turning her back to the younger girl.
Tamerin growled under her breath before spitting back between clenched teeth. "You would certainly know that."
The other three girls gasped while Telzaah stopped with a jerk, slowly turning to look back at the youngest of their group, "What did you just—?"
"I don't even know what Steve could possibly see in you. He knows you're the go to girl… yet he still tries to win you over without the sole purpose of bedding you! Though I do hope this has made him finally see the kind of heartless bitch you really are." she hissed before turning on her heel and leaving the stunned women behind.
Leannzah lowered her gaze back to the bracelet she had fallen in love with the instant her mother held it out to her, the strongest feeling of guilt beginning to ease its way into her. "His work is…" she began whispering to herself under her breath, the other women still watching Tamerin leaving missing her words.
A small smile crept across her face as she brought her wrist up so the bracelet was pressed against her chest above her heart, tears beginning to trickle down her cheeks. She knew she would forever cherish the piece of fine jewelry since everything that was given to her from her mother she cared deeply for.
The guilt that filled her at knowing that the one person she helped aid with treating so cruelly and horribly… was the same person who had put his life in danger to find the stones and make the last gift her mother would ever give to her began breaking her heart, her tears falling to the sand as she turned to leave the group and silently walked back towards her home she lived in alone now.
"Thank you… S-Steve…" she choked while bringing the bracelet to her lips and placing a tender kiss to the smoothed out surface.
Slowly shutting the door to his home and locking it, Steve sighed, his shoulders slumping as he turned his back to the wooden door and collapsed against it, eyes half lidded as they slightly began burning, a new wave of demoralization falling over him as the encounter with the girl he had been recently crushing on replayed in his mind.
"I guess… I really am still just an outsider… no matter what I do…" he whispered sadly to himself.
Letting a weak chuckle pass his parted lips, Steve shook his head while pushing himself away from the door.
Deciding he would just skip out on dinner as he found himself not really hungry any longer, he went straight into his bed room, stripping his dirty clothing after entering the small washroom to the right.
Seeing the coal stains on his clothing, he made a face while pushing them under the cold water after applying some of Glorenda's special homemade soap and opting to allow them to soak overnight, berating himself coldly for his appearance before those girls.
Changing into his night ware after cleaning himself up, Steve stretched while walking around his bed. Cracking his right eye open to glance out the window above his large bed, Steve paused as a flash a lightening in the distance lit up the darkening sky.
The weather just outside was beginning to show the signs of the rare forthcoming of the thunderstorm.
Steve blinked while turning more to face the window, looking out towards the neighboring rainforest biome in the far off distance and watching the trees as they were already beginning to bend to the winds of the storm raging within their territory.
"It really is a bad storm… straight off the ocean waters. I sure hope the animals living there have found secure shelter. The Mobs are sure to tear up the place when the sun sets and the worst of the storm passes." Steve muttered to himself as he watched. He feared the storm would last well into the night, and prayed to 'Notch' to watch over and protect the animals in the forest.
Sighing while tearing himself from the glass keeping him separated from the outside world, Steve walked the remainder of the way around his bed, stretching once more before sitting down with a tired sigh, his body no longer aching as badly now that he was sitting down.
His chest continued to ache though as Telzaah's harsh words continued to stab at his heart. "I'm an idiot." He sighed quietly while maneuvering himself under the blankets and snuggling into his pillow.
With one last deep sigh, he closed his eyes and began drifting off into a dreamless sleep, the soft whisper of the wind helping ease him before it turned into loud howling he was sure would be waking him soon.
He wasn't sure how long he had been resting as the sun was still barely visible. The wind beginning to beat against his window and the walls of his small house surprisingly did not disturb his much needed rest. The pounding against his front door, however, startled him awake, causing Steve to nearly fall out of his bed while grabbing one of the two spare iron swords he always kept secured between his bed and the bookcases on either side.
Arming himself just as he came to the door, Steve threw it open, bringing his weapon up high in case it was a zombie and not a villager.
His sword was quick to fall however upon seeing the pale and worried face of Hugo, the teen panting while doubled over as he struggled to catch his breath.
"Hugo! What the hell are you doing here?" Steve scolded, looking out past the teen and towards the right, growling under his breath as sure enough he saw zombies beginning to slowly walk towards their village the further the sun set. "Both the Mobs and that storm are coming this way! You should be home, protecting Kelsa!" he continued while trying to drag the tired teen indoors.
Hugo struggled against him however, shaking his head desperately. "Kelsa got her foot stuck and I can't get her free!"
Steve just stared at him, unbelieving what the teen had just told him. "Are you serious?" Upon receiving another desperate nod from Hugo, Steve sighed before growling, pushing Hugo back outside while shutting his door behind them. "Alright. Where is she, Hugo?"
"Just right over here!" he called out, already running off towards where they were building another much deeper well.
Rounding the corner, Steve sighed as sure enough, Kelsa was struggling to free her ankle from some of the tools and materials lying out that Tey seemed to have forgotten to put up.
Tears were beginning to stream down her cheeks as her fear continued to mount, crying out Steve and Hugo's names upon seeing them both approaching her.
Steve, having reached her first, put down his weapon and quickly began freeing the scared girl, telling her she was going to be alright in a calm and soothing tone. After getting her free, he briefly examined her for any visible wounds before asking if she could walk. With a nod of her head, he began leading them back towards his place, feeling since it were closest, the two of them could wait the storm out and sleep in his bed while he waited up until morning to take them over to the Inn.
Nearly to his home, Steve threw a quick glance over his shoulder, stopping dead in his tracks as he saw only Hugo falling him. Growling while narrowing his eyes, he turned to face the teen "Hugo! Where's Kelsa? Wasn't she just with you?" he yelled, not believing this was happening.
Hugo looked over his shoulder, gasping upon not seeing his little sister anywhere behind him.
Tching to himself, Steve looked over to his right, seeing the Inn just a few houses down. "Listen, I'll go look for her. Go back to the Inn and stay with Melz and Glorenda. Understand?" he ordered, glad the teen nodded his head before turning to sprint down the pathway towards the inn with no further argument.
"Good." Steve sighed to himself while turning in the opposite direction and began down the way they had just come from.
It didn't take long before the girl's all too familiar scream of fear pierced the night sky, causing new adrenaline to pump through Steve's veins as he ran faster towards where the sounds were coming from.
'Dammit! Why does she seem to be the one always getting into trouble!? he cursed to himself while rounding a corner. They should seriously consider having them move into the Inn with Melz and Glorenda. The two of them are far too young to be living on their own like th—' However, his thoughts were derailed upon the site that was awaiting him…
Kelsa was slowly backing away from a creature nearly twice as tall as Steve was. And easily twice as thin as him!
It was black from head to toe, bright almost glowing violet eyes staring at the traumatized girl as she suddenly ran from it, crying out as it shrieked and made its move to harm her.
"Help me!" she cried to no one in particular.
Overly relieved and grateful for finding her unharmed, Steve ran out towards them with a shout of the girl's name and put himself between her and the creature, falling into an offensive stance while holding his sword up high with both hands.
Kelsa stopped upon seeing Steve, a wave of relief calming her down as the man managed to block the Mob's attack and keeping it at bay. But suddenly her fears returned as she noticed the miner staring at the creature's face. "Steve, stop! Don't look into its eyes!" she cried out desperately.
However it was too late. The creature shrieked at the man while teleporting to be right behind him, Steve quickly twisting himself to once again face it as it lifted its arms up to strike him, opening its large wide mouth as its deep purple eyes continued glowing brightly as they stared straight into his own.
"What the hell?!" Steve cried out while side stepping to avoid its attack as it brought its long limbs down, the ground where Steve had been standing being crushed under the deadly force it used.
It may have looked frail and weak, but it certainly was anything but.
"What the hell is this thing?" he gasped while catching his balance, looking over towards Kelsa. Sensing they were both is serious danger, Steve tried making a run for the girl to grab her and flee.
His plan was ruined almost before he could take two steps as the tall creature had teleported right in front of him, causing Steve to halt in his tracks with a curse.
Holding his sword up to block the Mob's attack, Steve was pushed backwards from the force the creature exerted this time, his still brand new blade showing a small crack in the iron. "How can that be…?" he whispered in shock at the damage.
"Steve! Be careful!" Kelsa cried out to him, her voice barely heard over the winds as they picked up greatly and the sounds of other Mobs slowly making their approach as the sun had fully set and the darkness overtook the area.
Cursing once again, Steve began backing away from the creature, it taking long strides to follow him as he continued to lure it away from Kelsa. Just as it suddenly lunged at him, Steve's quick reflexes had him bring his blade up to block the hit, before immediately bringing it back and thrusting it outwards, successful with catching the creature's side and pulling a gut wrenching screech from it as it teleported away from him.
Watching him now from a safe distance, the creature acted as if it were studying him.
Feeling as if it found a blind spot, it teleported behind the young human once more, raising its long arms high while chattering softly.
Steve caught the move and twisted his body around, crying out while bringing his sword around with him with as much force as he could muster, managing to catch the startled Mob off guard, the blade of his sword sinking deeply into its left side, opposite the first wound he inflicted.
Crying out with an ear piercing scream, it staggered away from him, dark blood dripping to the sand the instant the blade was pulled free.
Steve began feeling horrible for bringing harm to this creature, but he long ago felt it became a battle for his life or its.
'Kill or be killed…'
Rather quick to recover, the creature was upon him once again, throwing punches almost recklessly as it was becoming apparently desperate now.
Successfully blocking each of its attacks, before long Steve was finally overwhelmed and when a particularly hard strike hit him, the miner was knocked backwards against the sand.
The creature, towering over him, stood tall; staring into his narrowed eyes while slowly raising its right arm, chattering softly to Steve and making strange sounds in barely heard patterns as if it were speaking to him, the human having no clue as to what it could possibly be saying.
About to bring his sword up to defend himself, Steve was startled as the creature released a sudden shrill cry as a few raindrops fell from the heavens and onto the parched sand.
Although confused by its reaction, Steve took full advantage of the Mob being distracted by the raindrops hitting it, tightly gripping the hilt of his damaging sword and releasing a loud shout just as he thrust the weapon forward, deeply impaling the tall creature in its lower stomach before it could recover and attempt at carrying out its attack on the miner.
The creature released an earsplitting scream like nothing Steve has ever heard before, Kelsa covering her ears as it fell to its knees, the human keeping the Mob upright as it slowly doubled over him, the chipped and cracked blade of Steve's sword still being deeply embedded within its dying body and his hands still keeping a firm grip on the hilt.
Thunder rolled in the near distance as lightning flashed, the bolts crawling across the black sky as the clouds seemed like they were almost ripped apart by the strikes; large cold droplets raining down upon them all as Steve remained on the ground and keeping his attention on the creature he had just taken down.
He stared at its face in pure disbelief that he had just slain it, the glow in its eyes quickly fading the heavier its body became against his own.
Soft pained sounds drifted out from the creature's throat as its eyes slowly closed, its body jerking as it choked up something suddenly and violently. Upon taking its final breath, the Mob released a long sigh of breath just before falling completely limp against the human's body, Steve letting out a startled cry as he caught its deadweight, feeling his clothes beginning to grow heavy from both the rain and the Mob's blood as it bled out on him.
Holding the now lifeless body of the creature, Steve blinked as he tried calming his nerves and adrenaline, the thunder around him once again reaching his ears just as the storm was upon them, the temperature of the dessert dropping to a rare coolness as the cold rain fell down heavily upon the dry land, the icy droplets snapping Steve out of his shock and causing him to pull his weapon slowly from the dead Mob's body.
The creature fell to the wet sand with a dull thud, its long unmoving body lying sprawled out.
Wide violet eyes continued to stare at the Mob's face for a few long moments until they flickered to something green that caught his eye as it sparkled in the flash of lightning, a loud clap of thunder quickly following.
Lying right next to the creature's open mouth was a small, green sphere.
Tilting his head to the side, Steve bent down and picked up the orb, examining it closely just as Kelsa slowly began approaching the miner. He didn't acknowledge the young girl at first, his violet eyes too captivated by the beauty of the strange pearl like gem he had received from the Mob.
It was nothing he had ever seen before. So he wasn't sure if it were really a gem. But it certainly sparkled and held the beauty of one…
Suddenly feeling her presence however, Steve jumped and turned to face her, about to ask if she were alright until Hugo's voice called out to them.
"Steve! Kelsa!" he cried out, running up to them with a brightly burning torch. "I saw you fighting against something Steve, and I came to help!" he shouted while lifting his own iron sword Steve had personally handcrafted to be the correct length and weight for the teen to be able to use.
Chuckling despite his body still feeling jittery from the remaining adrenaline still pumping through his veins, Steve suddenly hissed in discomfort while dropping the orb to the sand, his left hand going to rub at his right forearm as it ached. "Guess it was able to hit me after all that…"
Hugo began asking Steve if he were alright while helping the older man off the ground, neither one noticing as Kelsa, who has remained silent, slowly walked up and gently picked the dropped orb off the ground, brushing the wet sand off its smooth surface tenderly.
Managing to convince Hugo that he was in fact alright, Steve looked back over at the creature with a sigh, Hugo now focusing his attention on his sister.
"Kelsa! How could you have gotten separated from us? At least you're safe." he sighed before blinking as he saw she was completely ignoring him. "Hey, what've you got there?" he at last asked, soon gasping the instant his green eyes lay on the orb.
"Is something wrong, Hugo?" Steve asked, turning to the two. They were just staring at the small orb the girl was now holding. Shaking his head with a roll of his shoulder, he walked up to the kids before giving the Mob one last look. "Anyways. We should really get inside." he gasped, still breathless from the fight against the creature that had just taken place.
However, neither of them said anything.
Hugo finally tore his eyes from the orb and looked at his sister, "Kelsa," he hissed under his breath. "is that…?"
"Yes." she responded just as softly.
The pouring of the rain and crashing of the thunder prevented Steve from hearing their exchanged words, however he knew something was up when Hugo suddenly looked over at him, eyes wide and almost appearing fearful as he suddenly turned and ran towards the Inn.
"H-Hugo!?" Steve cried out before looking down at Kelsa, "What got into him?" he nearly demanded.
However, his mild annoyance left him as he saw Kelsa, now staring wide eyed at him and not the orb.
"It can't be…" she breathed softly, Steve unable to hear her words but by facing her, he was able to at least read her lips.
"What do you mean?"
Hugo continued running as fast as he could, breaths labored as his heart pound against his ribcage, the heavy rainfall doing nothing to slow him down.
Coming up to the steps of the Inn, he threw himself against the locked door, fists beating against the wood as he began shouting, managing to not only grab the attention of those within the Inn but also from the neighboring houses. "Melz! Melz, open up and come quick!"
The door was unlocked and opened quickly, Melz standing aside to allow the drenched teen entry but Hugo refused. "What is the matter? Where's your sister and why aren't you indoors? It's dark out, Hugo!"
Ignoring all questions from the older man and the presence of others as they began gathering despite the weather, Hugo swallowed the painful lump in his dry throat before looking up at Melz, their green eyes locking. "It's Steve."
Kelsa remained silent even as Steve continued asking her what had gotten into her brother.
Frustration began rising as he then just tried getting her out of the rain and indoors, but the girl absolutely refused to move from where she had been standing after picking the orb up.
"Kelsa! Come on!" he shouted, about ready to just pick her up and throw her over his shoulder until a familiar voice reached his ears over the rain.
"Steve?" Melz's voice called out to him from behind one of the houses.
Steve finally turned away from Kelsa, hoping maybe Melz could get some form of response from her since he seemed to be unable to. "We're over here, Melz… Can you help me get Kelsa out of this rain? She doesn't need to be in it." He smiled upon seeing the Inn owner turning a corner, followed closely by Hugo.
And a rather large group of armed villagers.
"Heh heh. Yeah, this rain certainly is something! It's rare it rains in this biome and even rarer it rains this heavy!" he laughed with a nod of his head. "Steve, are you alright? Hugo came to me and urged us all to come to you. He made it sound like you had gotten hurt." He spoke with concern heavy in his tone.
"I'm fine. Hugo came to me because Kelsa had gotten her ankle stuck. We were attacked by a very strange Mob… but we're alright now." He insured.
Relief could be both seen and heard within the small crowd of people. "We were worried. Come on, Kelsa. Don't need you catching cold now."
However she did not respond. Her green eyes were no longer staring at Steve, but right back at the green orb in her hands.
Melz narrowed his eyes in suspicion as he slowly approached the girl. "Kelsa? What have you got there girl?"
Steve sighed as even Melz didn't seem able to reach the girl. "I have no idea what that thing is. The Mob dropped it after I killed it. She has been staring at it ever since picking it up. When Hugo saw it he freaked out and ran away. I'm guessing that's when he went to you." Steve walked up next to Melz, surprised to see Kelsa looking up at the Inn owner and holding the orb out for him to see.
A sharp intake of air stung Melz's lungs, eyes wide in shock but brows furrowed as he stared at the small item. "T-there's no way—!"
Growling as now Melz seemed to be captivated by the strange ball, Steve narrowed his eyes, "Great. You too? What the hell is the big deal about this stupid orb anyways?"
However, he received no response as the crowd now all took in the site of the small item Steve had received from the Mob.
And then suddenly all at once; all eyes were on him…
"Can it really be true?" one villager questioned.
"It has to be! That is an Ender Pearl!" another shouted, the thunder disrupting Steve's hearing but he thought the man's voice sounded… angry?
"An Ender… Pearl? What? What-hey!? What're you all doing!?" he shouted suddenly as multiple pairs of hands were upon him, gripping his arms, wrists and shoulders tightly.
One man took Steve's sword from him, the weapon being tossed to the ground and forgotten as they began half-pushing, half-dragging Steve away from where they were at and back into the village.
Steve continued to struggle against the hold the people had on him, worry beginning to fill him as they ignored all his words as he repeatedly asked them what was wrong and where were they taking him.
Even Melz.
"C-come on, guys! W-what is going on? Seriously, where are you taking me?" He then blinked as the gravel path beneath his feet began to look familiar even in the darkness and heavy rain. "The Elder' house…"
Upon reaching the front of the residence, Hugo walked up calmly to the door, gently knocking on it before stepping back and away, holding his torch up high as he and others kept their eyes open for any potential Mob attacks.
It was unnerving how serious they were all acting so suddenly.
Seconds later, the old wooden door slowly creaked open, the Elder's wrinkled face and white beard appearing from behind the door, "Hugo, what is it? Melz! Steve?!" confusion continued piling up as the Elder soon saw nearly half of Sanderlorum was standing before him, much like the night they first brought Steve to him as the miner struggled to stay alive.
But now they were all holding him securely in place. "What is the meaning of this?" he asked sternly, but not threateningly.
The Elder looked over each villager with confusion just as Melz slowly brought Kelsa up towards the steps the elderly man stood.
"Kelsa. Go ahead and show him." Melz urged, giving the young girl a gentle nudge.
With a small nod of her head, Kelsa slowly approached the steps and carefully walked up them. Lifting her head up, she felt calmness warm her at the Elder's kind smile as he bent over slightly to be a little more at her level.
"Dear, Kelsa. What have you got to show me?" he asked tenderly.
Swallowing with another nod of her head, she brought her enclosed hands up for the man to see, separating her hands to expose the small pearl within her palms. "I had gotten stuck and Steve helped me. I was then separated from him and Hugo by—an Enderman—" she whispered the creature's name as if a great evil would befall her for uttering it.
The Elder's eyes widened slightly in shock as his smile fell, standing upright to look over at Steve just as the rest of the crowd gasped and began speaking quietly amongst themselves.
The heavy rainfall and rumbling thunder made it difficult to decipher their words, causing more and more alarm and panic to rise within Steve.
Suddenly feeling undoubtedly cornered and unfairly outnumbered, Steve looked up at the Elder almost desperately, before quickly looking over his shoulder at the rest of the people and those who held him, "Did I do something wrong with killing that creature? If so then I'm greatly sorry! I had no idea it was important to you! It was about to attack the girl! No one else seemed like they were going to do anything about it! And I can understand why! It was a terrifying creature… but her life being in danger forced me to act without thinking! It's not like you guys were planning on sacrificing—" Steve then cut himself off short as a horrid thought crossed his mind.
And the more he thought about it, sickness began rising in his throat…
There weren't a lot of females within this small village. It couldn't be because of something so outlandishly farfetched and unimaginably cruel as they were being sacrificed to that creature…
Could it?
"L-look. I never meant to stumble onto this. I never even planned on staying here for this long! Y-you can't blame me for not knowing! You all wanted me to stay here! I'll leave though… and I won't tell anybody about this place." he more or less plead, his tone growing more and more anxious as he began struggling once more against the hold on him, the men holding him tightening their grips on him though still not to a painful degree.
The Elder said nothing as he continued to stare into the wide, fearful violet eyes of Steve. Holding his hand out to Kelsa, the young girl lowered her head while gently placing the orb into his hand.
Bringing it closer to his face to see it clearer, he began slowly walking down the steps of his home and out into the rain. The villagers disbursed as the Elder made his way towards Steve.
Standing before the miner now, he suddenly held the orb out for him to take, the holds on him instantly leaving him and setting him free.
The villagers all took a few steps back away from Steve as he just stood still, completely confused as he watched them all backing down. Finally turning his attention to the elderly man standing before him in the pouring rain, Steve lowered his gaze to the green orb that everyone was calling an Ender Pearl.
Giving a quick glance up at the Elder, Steve swallowed while cautiously lifting his right hand, slowly taking the warm pearl from the man's hand.
Before he could fully take it back however, he cried out in surprise and yanked his hand in a failed attempt at getting away as the Elder's other hand suddenly clasped over his, holding his hand firmly as it held the pearl while slowly lowering himself to one knee, his head bowing down as he spoke loudly, his words causing the rest of the villagers to fall to their knees as well as their heads bowing down before Steve.
"Oh, great Notch! How this land has been awaiting for this moment to finally arise!"
Steve blinked, beginning to wonder now if he were dreaming. Maybe that creature had hit him on the head and he was knocked out?
Slowly lifting his head once more, the Elder smiled kindly up at Steve, accepting the miner's aid with getting back to his feet. "Please. Come inside, Steve. There is much to talk about. I am afraid that, much like the night you all brought him wounded to me, I must ask you all to return to your homes until morning."
"But Elder—!?" one man cried out.
"Trust me. There will be much to talk about when the sun rises. I want all of Sanderlorum to meet up at the village square at high noon. There, everything will be discussed. Following a celebration, of course." he added with a chuckle.
Wrapping his arm around Steve's shoulder and steering the completely dumbfounded and confused man into his house, the Elder began speaking to him to help ease his rushing mind. "Steve, there is much we must speak about."
"A-about what… exactly? W-what did I do?" he asked, his tone holding a very uncertain note to it as he thought about resisting.
But the kind smile and gentle chuckle that came from the older man somehow told Steve that everything was alright, allowing his body and mind to slowly relax and calm. "I shall begin by saying that your desire to reach The End and stand before The Ender Dragon may not be fueled by your young curiosity. But rather, being driven by a fate chosen by Destiny." he explained while shutting the door behind them and locking it once more after making sure everyone, including Melz, Kelsa and Hugo were all heading back towards their homes.
Steve just stood, his mind too confused to register how cold he was until the Elder beckoned him in further, placing more wood into the fireplace Steve and Tey had built for him just last month.
After placing a tan blanket made out of soft wool over Steve's shoulder's once the miner striped of his soaked clothing and put on a pair of black wool sleep pants and a grey wool sleep shirt, he went into his room and changed his own wet clothing before reappearing and entering the kitchen, soon bringing out a kettle filled with hot tea and two small clay cups.
Thanking him quietly while taking the cup after tea had been poured into it, Steve settled more into the bench portion of the large table that was set in the corner of the main room just outside the kitchen, the fireplace having been added on the opposite side the kitchen.
Pulling the blanket closer around himself, Steve took a timid sip of his tea while waiting for the other to speak.
After taking a few sips from his own cup, the Elder smiled while gently setting it down on the wooden table, "Tell me, Steve. With what all you have read about The End and the Ender Dragon, how much of the full legend are you actually aware of?"
Rather surprised by the question, Steve looked down into the dark green liquid in his cup, "Pretty much nothing. I think that's what makes me so drawn to that particular myth. I can't get information from anybody about it, so that only adds more to its alluring tales."
Taking a deep inhale through his nose, the Elder grinned with a nod of his head, "It is true that it is one of the few legends the people here do not speak much of. There are three main myths as old as time that this land fears. One being about the Ender Dragon, of course. The other two are more about a great battle that had taken place between two demons."
Steve perked up, never before hearing anything about any demons fighting each other. "What are those legends? I've never heard of them."
The Elder's smile faded as he took a sip from his tea after responding; "And you will not, I am afraid. Those two myths are best left buried beneath the bedrock where they lie."
Saddened at not being told the other two stories, Steve soon shrugged and returned back to the main topic. "Okay, so where do I come into this exactly? Why was everyone acting the way they were out there?"
The Elder's smile returned as he looked back up at Steve, "Have you heard the segment of the myth about The End pertaining to 'The Legendary Great Hero who would find The End and liberate the Overworld of the Dragon that lurks within the depths of darkness'?"
Steve lowered his cup down to the table, eyes wide as he slowly shook his head. "N-no. I haven't." He thought he knew more or less everything everybody knew about that legend.
He was apparently wrong.
The Elder chuckled, "Not many remember it. And those who do, treat it as a sacred tale. But it has been a long time since I have thought about it, so I do not remember everything. It was said that every six hundred years, a man would be born into this world with the ability to hunt down and slay the Ender Dragon, thus freeing the world of the darkness that threatens to flow forth from The End. There is a gateway that connects The End with The Overworld. Over a thousand years ago, that gateway was discovered by the first ever Great Hero."
Steve leaned over, solely focused on the story the elderly man was sharing with him and no longer able to hear the roaring rain as it continued to crash down onto the land. "What happened?"
"He entered. No one truly knows what happened while he was within the Dragon's realm… but when he returned, he sealed away the gateway after deactivating it." The Elder's smile saddened slightly. "He did not slay the beast. But rather, kept it trapped within its dimension."
Steve wanted to ask why, but the words he spoke about no one knowing what had happened had him realizing it would've been a wasted question. A different question, however, came to him the more he thought over what had been told to him thus far. "You said… that this 'Great Hero'… is born every six hundred years, correct?" he began, continuing after receiving the confirming nod. "And what you're telling me now… that all happened over a thousand years ago… so then there was one more. Before me, I mean. Another hero?"
The Elder flinched slightly at those questions, however his smile had returned strong, clearly covering something up; "Yes. He too sought out the tomb that the first had created that the gateway is sealed within. He desired to finish what the first had failed to. Sadly, that hero met his end before he was able to reach his goal. The legends say he had been relentlessly hunted down and brutally murdered in the dead of night by those that follow and obey the dark dragon." he whispered, his smile gone as a frown replaced it beneath his beard.
Steve swallowed hard at this knowledge. Does this mean he was going to be hunted down and killed next?
Sensing his growing uneasiness, the Elder smiled with a chuckle, "Fear not, Steve. You are a strong man. And the dragon has undoubtedly lost most of its powers. I deeply believe the beast is in fact too weak to try and escape. Or to even contact its followers."
"That creature was one of them, wasn't it?" the miner asked.
A nod was his first answer, before he took a breath and spoke; "They are called Enderman. They come from The End freely."
Steve raised a brow in confusion at this. "They can come and go as they please? Then why not the dragon?"
The Elder smiled as he was quick to answer, "The Endermen are all apparently considerably smaller compared to the dragon. The legends say that due to its massive size, it is unable to pass between worlds without the strong connection via the gateway. None know just how big this creature is however…"
Groaning while digging the palms of his hands into his eyes as his head began aching, Steve let out a sudden laugh of disbelief. "And you all think I'm… the next Great Hero?"
"The legend says only the Great Hero can slay the Endermen with ease and obtain their pearl. The key to finding the hidden gateway."
"With ease?" Suddenly, Steve let out a loud growl of anger while slamming his palms flat against the table that nearly toppled his cup over as he pushed himself to his feet. "The legend this, the legend that! Just how do you know so much about it all of a sudden? Before when I was still healing and started reading your books, I had questioned you about it. You had told me it was all just fairytales that I shouldn't waste my time over! And now you're giving me this elaborate story and speaking it as if it were all true!? Pointing at me and labeling me as this 'Great Hero' all because I killed a monster that was about to kill a young girl because no one else can seem to watch over her properly!?" he shouted, his anger at last getting the best of him.
The Elder remained silent as he allowed Steve to vent.
It was only understandable.
"You really expect me to believe this story?" he then asked, his eyes narrowed in a glare as he leaned over the table, his body language daring the older man to answer.
"No. And I understand why it would be hard to. Honestly, you are handling this situation in a much calmer fashion than what I had expected." he chuckled, managing to bring Steve's anger and annoyance back down as the miner slowly sat back down while releasing a long sigh through his nose.
The Elder's smile then faded as he sighed, pushing himself to his feet and walking around the table to stand beside Steve, "Please do not take to heart that I had deceived you that night you had asked me about the legend. I had made a promise to continue on the vow my family had spoken so long ago."
Steve tilted his head to the side, giving the other a sideways glance as he waited for the older man to continue.
After a moment of hesitance, he did; "You see, Steve. I know so much about the legend… because I am the last living descendant of the very first Great Hero. And his tale had been passed down from generation to generation. Each time, the details became greyer and greyer as we felt it best to keep it a secret. We had decided to only speak of it amongst each other. Before my time, when the second hero was born, my family had aided him in his search for the gateway. Heartache befell this land when the tragedy of his end was brought to light.
"And now I am the last of my bloodline. Our vow to keep the legend's truth a secret and seek out and aid the next chosen hero will die with me. But—there is hope." His mood began lightening up as he continued, gently placing his right hand to Steve's shoulder. "I may yet still be able to fulfill our family promise to our ancestor. You must rest now, Steve. This is all too much for you to take in in just one night. Please, stay here for the remainder of the night." he insisted before excusing himself to his room.
Once Steve was left alone, the miner simply just remained in his seat, unmoving as he stared blankly into the liquid in his cup.
Everything was still so overwhelming, causing nausea to begin churning his stomach as he pushed himself onto his feet, legs shaky and weak as they carried him towards the door that led into the room he had been put in after receiving his injuries the night he rescued Kelsa.
Sitting down on the bed, he stared out the window, watching the rain continuing to pour with no signs of letting up any time soon.
His shell-shocked mind continued to draw a blank line as he slowly lay down on the mattress, half lidded violet eyes now staring up at the ceiling after rolling onto his back.
Everything was going so perfectly for him.
So then why?
Why did this have to happen? He didn't want to be some special hero spoken of in legends and tales. He just wanted a quiet and normal life.
But that was beginning to seem like he was asking too much.
"Why me?" he whispered into the darkness of the room, feeling cold and lost as he rolled onto his right side, curling into himself and hugging his own body close as he tried to force his mind to shut down and sleep, the howling of the wind beating against the walls and window suddenly sounding very beautiful to him as it drowned out the voice of the Elder as his words kept replaying in his mind over and over and over again with no end in sight.
To Be Continued…
A/N: Sorry once again for a slow update. Wanted to churn this out before this weekend since I'll be out of town for a wedding I'm in. I apologize if this seems to be a sort of "filler" chapter. i never meant for it to come out that way for I strongly dislike "fillers". But I do hope it's obvious now that the story is finally rolling! And I'm sure a lot of you are wondering where the hell Herobrine is... all in due time! ;)
(And I'm talking like... next chapter in due time...)
Anyways, hope you're all still enjoying this fic as much as I am writing it! :)
Also- I'm not making any permanent OCs or anything like that. The characters I'm making up are solely for this story only. It's hard to write out a story such as this when there are no actual real other characters to include. XD Though I do hope you are all enjoying them. :)
*Again a huge special thanks to slingading for the fantastic cover art for this story! Thank you so much and much love to you!*