Chapter XXVI
[The Stronghold]
A/N - Just a quick forewarning; Herobrine gets a little rough in this chapter.
"Come on, Steve! We're almost there!" Herobrine called out while the two of them continued to give chase to the floating Eye of Ender.
Suddenly, the Eye ceased and remained floating high above them, causing both human and demon to still in their chase and stare up at it in anticipation. "Brine… do you think this is it?" Steve whispered with bated breath.
"I… I think so."
"So… we should dig here then." It was said as more a statement than a question.
Herobrine nodded either way while reaching out to catch the Eye once it fell.
What felt like hours ticked by truly only ended up being just under one with the aid of the tool crafted by Herobrine and before either of them knew what happened, Steve gave a startled yelp as he suddenly fell through the sand stone as it gave way beneath his weight.
"Steve!" Herobrine called out, teleporting himself into the small enclosure beneath them and catching the miner just before he hit the cracked stone flooring that lined the space around them.
Shaking his head while muttering a soft thanks, Steve shifted in the other's arms and placed his feet firmly on the cold ground, groaning while rubbing the back of his neck that ached due to the minor whiplash he received from the fall and catch.
Violet eyes soon opened wide as he took in the site before them upon Herobrine lighting a torch effortlessly before handing it over to the human. "Holy…" he breathed.
It was both physically and mentally impossible for Steve to pick out and focus on one single emotion amongst the many raging on within his being as they stood side-by-side before the large cracked and moss covered stone entranceway buried deeply beneath the hot sands of the desert above that lead into the stronghold that somewhere housed the portal they both sought.
"This… this is it." Steve breathed, his grip on the torch he held tightening.
Herobrine said nothing. He simply stared at the entranceway, seemingly unable to find his voice.
Though Steve found the other's behavior slightly off, he didn't think too much into it. After all… they were standing before the legendary entranceway of the stronghold that housed the portal that led to The End.
'We made it; together, Brine. We'll slay the dragon within and you'll be set free from your guilt and past.' Steve whispered to himself mentally while eyeing the other closely with a small smile.
"Let's take great caution, Steve. Who knows what's waiting for us inside." Herobrine warned in a soft tone.
Steve nodded and closely followed the demon as they entered the dark and cold structure.
Steve groaned while stopping at the top of what had to have been the tenth set of stairs they've climbed since entering the stronghold. "Brine… did we seriously dig all that way down… just to be climbing back up again?" he complained breathlessly.
Herobrine frowned. Steve was right. On top of that, they've been attacked by a healthy amount of Mobs that seemed indifferent to who he was. They completely ignored him and simply attacked the two of them equally.
To make matters worse was the damn place was a freaking maze! Once they entered the stronghold, the Eye of Ender did nothing to help them actually locate exactly where the portal was! So each new floor they ascended, they had to take the time to explore every room of the massive place before moving up.
Steve at first wanted to leave behind a trail to find their way back once they completed their journey, but Herobrine quickly brushed that idea aside. Simply stating that he would teleport them back to the surface when they were finished.
Turning another corner after going through the door, Herobrine paused once he heard the telltale sound of lava boiling.
'He who seeks entrance into the darkness; be warned of the devil's pool the gateway is set above.'
"The devil's pool…" Herobrine muttered to himself upon a segment of one of the many myths he had heard over the years flittered across his mind.
"Brine?" Steve blinked.
"Steve, do you hear that?"
The human held his breath and strained his ears to try and hear whatever the demon seemed to be hearing. Suddenly, the familiar bubbling reached his ears. "Lava? What would lava be doing around here? We're bound to be not too far below the surface…"
"People back in my time used to refer lava as the 'devil's water'. There was a myth I had heard some time before my banishment. About the portal being set above the devil's pool."
Steve's eyes opened wide as his heart skipped, "So… you think it's the portal?"
"Let's go find out." Herobrine grinned widely while leading the way towards the sound.
The walls began to glow with an orange hue brought on by the light from the lava as they neared where it was located.
In a far off, dead end of a hallway was an entranceway that seemed different from all the others within the large place, instantly alerting the two of the significance the room must hold.
Herobrine held his arm up in front of the miner, causing him to stop with a confused look. Placing a finger to his lips, Herobrine nodded for Steve to follow behind him. As they entered the room, both male's eyes opened wide as they stared at what lie before them.
The room itself wasn't very large. Stone steps were directly before them, leading up to what they first thought was a strange looking platform until they actually reached the top and, after watching their step to avoid falling into the broiling lava rolling around in the pool below them, both saw that they were, in fact, standing before a large portal that was lined with twelve blocks made of an unknown material to both.
"Brine… Brine this is it!" Steve's voice cracked in his excitement as he looked over at the Nether ruler, who equally shared a wide grin.
"At long last…" the demon sighed, while reaching for the bag Steve carried. "Shall we?" he smiled while taking an Eye of Ender in both hands and held one out to Steve.
As luck would have it, five of the twelve blocks already were completed with an Eye of Ender inserted into the indention on the face of the large blocks. Carefully, they set the seven other needed Eyes.
A loud rush of wind blew through the room the instant Steve set the final Eye, causing the human to cry out in surprise and lose his balance. Falling backwards, Herobrine caught him before he fell into the pool of lava and carefully set him down on the stone ledge at the top of the stairs.
"Thanks." Steve flushed.
"Don't mention it." Herobrine grinned.
The portal began glowing as it became active, the center of it filling up and blocking out the bright lava below. Steve stared into the portal, "Looks almost like the midnight sky on a moonless night…" he noted softly.
"It does…" Herobrine agreed. Suddenly, the room became filled with the scurrying sounds of what the Nether ruler was able to identify as Silverfish. Before either of them could say something, the rooms became much more crowded as literally dozens of Silverfish poured from the walls and pillars, quickly targeting the two who activated the portal.
"Steve! This way!" Herobrine reached out and grabbed the human's arm and pulling him towards the way they came.
"But Brine! The portal—!"
"We'll come back! For now, we have to lose these things!" Releasing his arm and leading the way, he turned the corner at the end, going a way they hadn't explored yet. "Steve, in here! Hurry!" he then called out to the miner from a doorway at the end of the short hall, just to the right of a window that had a dim glow shining through it from the portal just on the other side.
Collapsing against the cold wall after entering the room, Steve took in deep breaths to slow his heart rate down. "Holy hell… I wasn't expecting to have to not only run up that many flights of stairs, but to be chased by Mobs that won't listen to you on top of it!?" he rasped.
Herobrine took a deep breath after making sure the iron door was secured, turning his back towards it and facing Steve. It was true that those Mobs didn't listen to him. He found that very strange and highly frustrating as he watched Steve hiss while inspecting a small wound he had received. "One of those little bastards got me when it lunged for me…"
As he continued to watch, a smirk slowly began to grow as the human was leaning up against the stone wall, panting deeply while clutching at his side as his muscles stung upon cramping up from the running he just did.
"I thought I alone made sure to keep you in good shape, Stevie." Herobrine teased while approaching him, white eyes flickering towards the surprisingly clean and stable looking bed in the far corner.
Licking his dry lips and cracking his left eye to glare at the demon, Steve continued panting while trying to catch his breath, cheeks heating up slightly at the other's comment. "Oh s-shut up."
Standing before the miner now, Herobrine focused his attention back on the human, slamming his hands on either side of Steve's head against the stone brick wall and leaning in closely, "You should rest, Steve. No telling what'll happen once we pass through that portal and enter The End. We'll go as soon as your strength has fully returned…"
Steve jumped greatly at Herobrine's move, dust falling onto his shoulders upon the other's hands loosening it from the cracks in the walls. Looking up into the blankness of the Nether ruler's eyes, Steve blinked, minutely confused by his words, "M-my strength? But Brine, I'm fi—gaah?!" He was interrupted and startled upon the demon taking a firm hold on his arms and dragged him over towards the bed in the corner of the room, crying out in shock as he was then suddenly thrown down upon the mattress, coughing as dust exploded everywhere.
Shaking his head and looking up at Herobrine, Steve shuddered as the demon stood over him, a crazed look flashing across his face as he smirked down at him.
Almost like a predator staring down its prey…
'This will most likely be my last time to enjoy you, Steve…' Herobrine thought to himself darkly before verbalizing a different tune, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out a small diamond bottle he started keeping on him for just these particular occasions, "Let me help you relax, Steve. Those Mobs can't get in here with us, so it's safe to… rest." He licked his lips while climbing onto the bed and on top of Steve, the human automatically lying down into position with half lidded eyes upon spotting the bluish bottle in the other's hand.
'Good boy…'
"B-Brine—?" Steve began, the rest of his questioning sentence cut off as the Nether ruler pressed his lips firmly against his own; silencing him.
A moan slipped past Steve's lips as he lifted his arms up around Herobrine's neck, pulling him closer while lifting his hips up and grinding them against the demon's, a low growl sounding in the back of Herobrine's throat as he moved his right hand down to the front of Steve's pants, quickly undoing them and pushing the clothing down while the younger male kicked his shoes off.
Steve lifted his hips up and moved his arms so that he was able to help the other remove his pants, never once breaking the lust-filled kiss until Herobrine made to remove his shirt.
Lying beneath the Nether ruler completely nude, Steve swallowed thickly before reaching out and shakily undoing the front of the demon's pants.
Helping the human to shed him of his own clothing, Herobrine pulled back the blanket, smirk growing to bare teeth as he watched Steve obediently settle down against the sheeted mattress.
Positioning himself between the miner's spread legs, Herobrine licked his lips while chuckling, taking the diamond bottle and popping the top off. Tipping it over the palm of his right hand, empty white eyes remained focused of Steve's face as he felt the warm liquid of the lubrication slowly ooze out of the bottle and pool in his palm. Once gathering what he felt would be enough, he tossed the bottle over his shoulder, not caring upon hearing it shatter against the stone floor as he began smearing the substance over the entire length of his member, moaning deeply while doing so.
Licking his lips once again, Herobrine released himself and moved closer, pulling the blanket over them to hide their physical activities from anyone or anything that could have been looking in through the window on the door before quickly easing himself into the other's accepting body with a deep groan, Steve crying out softly while trying not to tense up at the pain that was always present.
Slowly closing his eyes while tilting his head back, Herobrine drew his hips back before pushing forwards again, setting a steady pace that both could enjoy, while keeping himself propped up by his hands, his back arching slightly.
"B-Brine…" Steve moaned; his eyes shut while breaths came in steady intakes and exhales, his body beginning to warm from arousal as the other continued moving against him. His hands moved up to grip at Herobrine's lower back, nails managing to sink into flesh and hold tightly as sweat had not yet begun to layer their bodies.
Herobrine gritted his teeth, hissing at the stinging from the scratches Steve was leaving as his hips snapped roughly, soon picking up his pace upon the breathless plea to do so from the human beneath him, his encased erection throbbing painfully as the other's begging tone and pleasurable noises turned him on even more.
'I'm going to miss this…' Herobrine released a sudden, loud moan in an attempt to drown out his own thoughts, eyes cracking open and head tilting down enough for his gaze to fall upon Steve's face.
Steve's head was digging into the pillow and rolling from side to side, gasping and crying out each time Herobrine struck that spot within his body, his eyes tightly shut and mouth wide open. Sweat began lining his brows and hairline, soon small beads trickling down his temples as his body grew hotter and hotter the longer they proceeded.
The bed began showing its age as the wood it was constructed of began creaking from under the strain of their motions, the sounds doing nothing to slow down their movements as rhythms were lost in favor of erratic and desperate thrusting as orgasms continued rising.
Shuddering while feeling Steve beginning to tighten around his length, Herobrine's gaze quickly flickered down to the miner's neck, his eyes opening slightly wider upon his sites resting on the recent marking he had left to ward off others. 'Fuck—!'
"B-Brine! F-faster…! You've-ngh!-you've slowed down…" Steve nearly whined while trying to encourage the demon to pick his fast pace up once again by thrusting roughly up into his hips, grinding himself against him and tightening his muscles around the man's erection.
"Ahh—fuck…" Herobrine groaned almost angrily with a glare as he continued staring at the hickey he had left a few nights ago before leaning over with a violent snap of his hips; 'I WILL keep you to myself, Steve. NOTHING will prevent me from that!' Sinking his teeth deeply into the already sore and bruised neck of the human he was taking, Steve cried out loudly in pain that echoed throughout the entire underground fortress.
He could taste blood on his tongue as he kept the flesh painfully held between his teeth, eyes narrowed in a hardened glare as his hips thrust hard and fast, determined to fuck Steve into the old bed until the wood of the frame would break, their chests pressed flush against one another as the Nether ruler laid down on top of him.
"Oh, god! B-Brine—!" Steve shouted while gasping, arms wrapping tightly around the demon's back as his knees bent, the bottoms of his feet against the mattress and toes curling while pushing his hips against the forceful thrusts.
Grunting at feeling Steve still managing to fight back, Herobrine snarled around the flesh still held in his mouth. With a sharp thrust and painful strike against the sensitive bundle of nerves within Steve, Herobrine took advantage of the motion temporarily over stimulating Steve to the point of mild paralysis, reaching his hands down and gripping the miner's thighs he lifted him up while bending him nearly in half; pushing himself up on his knees all in the same process.
Once he had Steve held firmly in the new position, Herobrine continued his onslaught of perfectly executed thrusts before allowing the human to even recover from his last hit, each one assaulting that spot with deadly accuracy each time; his growls of pleasure being muffled by the bruising and bleeding flesh of Steve's neck still held captive between his teeth.
The pleasure becoming almost too much to bare anymore, Steve began crying out now in pain, tears streaming down his cheeks as his body was being over stimulated and over loaded with euphoric explosions that sent his being into a trembling mess as he locked up, body tensing as tremors of pleasure came crashing down over him hard and surged throughout his entire nervous system, numbing his whole being to the point he couldn't breathe for a few long seconds until at last Herobrine's name was screamed as he came hard, his essence splattering their abdomens in hot sticky spurts.
Each time after he'd reach his climax during their couplings, Herobrine would always ease up against the miner's exhausted and spent body…
But this time Herobrine did not slow down in the slightest as Steve finished, the demon merely groaning lewdly while keeping up with his vicious pace. His hands soon moved to wrap tightly around Steve's back, holding the man close while his hips continued thrusting in and out of the spent and limp body, the strength of his motions keeping the human still bent nearly in half, even without the support to his thighs.
Steve bit his lower lip in an attempt to keep from crying out anymore as his throat began to ache, soon losing the fight as a particularly sharp snap of the other's hips had him gasping out, "Ahh! B-Brine, please! Stop! I-it's too much to take! S-slow down, Brine! You're—ahh, shit!—y-you're hurting me!"
His pleas fell on deaf ears as Herobrine blatantly ignored him. Lost in the feelings of his own primal need and orgasm fast approaching, Herobrine tightened his hold on Steve, effectively silencing his sudden begging for a gentler pace while at the same time nearly suffocating the miner as his hug began constricting his lungs, causing Steve to momentarily blackout from both the pain overload and lack of oxygen. The younger male had at least become temporarily unable to feel the pain as the demon's teeth sunk deeper into his flesh until they pinched the tendon there, his lips being able to feel the erratic pounding of the human's heart as he continued to ravish his spent body.
Body reaching its limit, Herobrine groaned long and low around the still captive flesh as his eyes fluttered shut, hips slowing until locking up as he climaxed at last, filling Steve once again with his essence.
Slowly loosening up from his release, Herobrine pulled his head back after releasing the badly bruising and bleeding skin as his hips began twitching, managing to weakly pump a few more shallow thrusts in and out of the tight heat as he rode out the aftershocks of his intense pleasure, his softening member pushing his release mixed with blood from Steve's entrance.
Finally easing up on his inhuman grip around the miner, Herobrine pushed himself up on his hands, arms trembling as he held himself above Steve to stare down at the man as he slowly came-to.
He was panting heavily, eyes half lidded and glazed over with the lust that was still trying to ebb away, completely unfocused and unable to see anything but blank space. His neck was a bloody mess, deep teeth marks oozing blood and saliva bouncing against the heavy thumping of the human's pulse as his heart rate attempted to slow back to normal.
Blood and saliva were smeared together at the corners of Herobrine's mouth, the demon stuck in his after sex stupor to even acknowledge the mess on his face as he continued to stare wide-eyed down at the mess he's made of Steve, his brain trying to come up with a plausible excuse as to how he could have hurt him so badly...
Weakly glancing up, violet caught white, Steve holding Herobrine's rather shocked stare with an unreadable one of his own. As he stared into the emptiness that is Herobrine's eyes, Steve couldn't help but think to himself that this…
This was the most brutal and violent Herobrine had ever been with him in bed… He knew Herobrine was a rough but passionate lover. But this time…? This time it was almost as if Herobrine was pouring everything he had into this encounter. As if the man felt like he would never have another chance after this.
Unable to take what he was assuming to be a questioning stare the miner was giving him, Herobrine broke the eye contact, turning his head to the side while slowly removing himself with a groan, Steve barely coherent enough to react as his only response was merely a quiet grunt of discomfort.
Pushing all thoughts aside as his mind began catching up with reality, Steve let out a forced chuckle while pushing himself up into a sitting position, trying to cover up the immense pain the move caused him. "Heh… you weren't kidding a-about…ngh… me having to r-regain my strength." he pointed out while settling against the wall, letting out a heavy sigh while resting his eyes as his body ached tremendously, trying to ignore the horrible throbbing from both his neck and his ass.
Herobrine watched Steve closely, leaning back to sit on his heels.
Something didn't feel right. There was too much tension between them…
'Steve won't make eye contact…!' Herobrine observed as the human cracked his eyes open… but was avoiding looking at him. In his eyes to be exact. 'He-he always looks into my eyes and smiles after each and every single time we have sex! So then why? Why won't you look at me now, Steve?!' "I'm… um… I-if I was a little rougher this time-I… I don't know what came over me…" he spoke softly instead of what his mind was screaming at him, reaching a hand and tenderly caressing the man's left cheek, his thumb wiping away the tear stains that had created clear paths through the dirt, coal and stone dust on the man's face.
Steve let out a soft sigh while nuzzling his face into the touch, trying to allow the heat coming from the Nether ruler's hand to ease away his fears and pains. "It's… it's alright," he lied, eyes resting while leaning more into the other's touch. Finally, he cracked open his eyes; half lidded violet gaze lifting up to look into the blankness of Herobrine's eyes, a forced chuckle bouncing his shoulders. "Spur of the moment kind of thing, I'm taking it?"
Herobrine swallowed thickly, lowering his hand away from Steve's face. "Y-yeah…"
Not bothering to stifle his yawn, Steve wiggled around until he was lying back down on the mattress, rolling over onto his side with his back towards Herobrine. "I'm going to take a nap. We'll… we'll go through the portal and enter The End once I wake up." he stated flatly, closing his eyes and forcing himself to sleep after adding; "I suggest you do the same."
He didn't bother allowing the other to respond.
Or rather—
He didn't bother to trouble himself with listening to the other's response…
To Be Continued…
A/N - Sorry for the delay in an update. Please don't panic and think I've given up! I'm far from that! Looking for a new place to live, recently rekindling my love for L4D2 and playing too many games on my XBox One has stolen much of my free time, lol.
Poor Steve. What's Herobrine up to...? Find out in THE LAST CHAPTER! *insert evil laugh* Well, technically the next one isn't the "last"... I've got two chapters left... That's right people; there's only 2 chapters left until this literature child of mine is complete! *sniffs* They grow up so fast...
But don't be TOO upset! For this story has a new-born baby sibling that will be birthed soon! ;D I guess now is a good time to reveal that the first chapter to the "Second Installment" to this story will be uploaded shortly after this one is complete.
Aaaaaand to top it all off and hopefully turn that frown up-side-down is I will also be uploading a short "side" story to Legend of The End. It'll literally be like... 5 chapters, but all of which will be Herobrine's side of the story. So all those times he vanishes and leaves y'all and poor Steve like wtf? Will be answered! It'll also go more in depth with Herobrine developing his almost obsessive/possessive feelings for Steve.
Until then, lovelies!
Stay healthy! And out of my ER! Season is over and yet its still busy! Wtf!?
*Again a huge special thanks to slingading for the fantastic cover art for this story! Thank you so much and much love to you!*