(breakdances) I am continuing to write this fairly consistently I just need to take a break from it to edit lol
review replies:
LPK9: hopefully Null is just as annoyed by fighting good guys who can die over and over again
WTP Storm: I'm sure I have other characters that cuss… don't remember where tho lol.
arrowchristian: I have never personally faced a warden (except for like a minigame thing) because every time i get close to spawning one I just leave… cause yeah they suck haha! Glad you're enjoying this!
She slipped on a patch of sculk as she ran, panting, veering around a corner in a fruitless attempt to break her pursuer's line of sight.
Click. Click. Click.
The Warden's rumble came close behind her, the sound of shuffling footsteps picking up speed, until a hand seized her around her waist and yanked her off the ground. She came face-to-face with the Warden's gaping jaw, and she opened her mouth to scream.
"Heather." A gentle nudge had her flinching awake, and Heather winced at the bright lights, trying to lift her arm to shield her eyes. She blinked, and finally registered the pink potion being held in front of her face. "Hey." Theo, holding the potion, smiled down at her. "Drink this, okay?" She obeyed, groggily lifting her arm that didn't hurt as much and downing the potion. It tasted strange, like salt, and… paprika?
"Heather." Herobrine knelt by her bedside, and Heather blinked up at him, giving him a little smile as the regeneration effect spread through her. She was back in the End base, tucked into the bed that she faintly remembered being set down in before she passed out. Herobrine and Theo were by her bedside, Manfred sitting on the adjacent bed, and Alex was pacing back and forth across the room. Steve was asleep, and Notch was reading a book on the far side of the room.
"Hey." She croaked. Her body still hurt, especially her left shoulder, which took the brunt of the damage when she was thrown. "Think I need some new clothes." Herobrine cracked a tiny smile, looking at his wife's bloody shirt.
"Perhaps."
"How you feeling?" Theo sat down at the end of the bed. "It's gotta be weird coming back from the dead." Heather blinked at him, slowly testing her body.
"Everything hurts," She began slowly. "But not too bad. And I wasn't dead." Herobrine and Theo exchanged a glance.
"The totem only goes off if you reach zero health." Theo said, after a moment of tense silence. "So…"
"I wasn't dead." She insisted. "I felt f- alright, not fine, but I could see and hear you guys perfectly well. I wasn't dead." Herobrine gripped her hand.
"Your heart stopped." He spoke in a grim voice. "If you weren't dead, you were dying."
"Well, I can see that." Heather allowed. She just… assumed dying would feel more like dying.
"It's possible the totem doesn't properly interact with your code?" Theo mused. He held up a hand, and another totem appears in it. "Here. Hold this." He fit it into her free hand, and Heather gripped it weakly. The totem stayed still and passive. "Huh."
"If I may," A new voice interjected, and Heather looked up to find Notch approaching her bed. "It's possible that it isn't the totem that's confused, it's the death state." Herobrine gave him a quizzical look.
"Elaborate?" Heather prompted.
"You faced a Warden with no armor." Notch gestured to her. "You should have been dead after one hit. Word has it that you took two." Heather shifted, scrunching up her face.
"Yeah."
"Now, I can't tell you why you're not either a corpse or a pile of items right now," Notch folded his arms. "only theorize that the game simply doesn't know how to handle your death."
Heather blinked at him. "Is that good or bad?"
"It depends. If I'm correct, it means you can take an unlimited amount of damage, yet stay alive. If your goal is to stay alive, it's a wonderful thing. However, given your…" He gestured to her. "…state, the experience would not be comfortable."
"So I'm immortal, but I feel everything." She grimaced. "Cool."
"We don't know that." Herobrine interjected hastily. "So let's not bet on it."
"I won't." Heather assured him. "I'll be avoiding taking… damage, either way. But, wouldn't Notch of all people know?"
"Perhaps. Though that's hardly enough information to bet your life on."
"Yeah, no." She sighed, shifting to stretch her legs under the red sheets.
The room was quiet for a moment, Herobrine rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb. Heather glanced over to where Manfred sat, giving him a smile. His leg was mending, slowly, but steadily enough.
Alex plopped down on the edge of Heather's bed, startling her. "So what now?"
"Now?" Theo shrugged, scooting away from her an inch. His strongest memory of her was when she pitched an axe at his head. "We hang out here. I'm going to work on Null's code, and see if-"
"Hold on." Herobrine cut him off. "303, when we were fleeing from Null, how did you find us?"
"Ah…" Theo looked at him. "I eventually got close enough to hear the commotion from the Warden." Herobrine pursed his lips.
"Null was able to find us twice, with no issue." He said lowly. "I fear he may be able to track us."
"Which means… this base isn't safe." Heather noted softly. "Nowhere is." Herobrine dipped his chin in a nod.
"Well… shucks." 303 stuck his hands in his pockets. "So…"
"We'll need to keep moving." Herobrine finished. "The Nether and End are out of the question, the saturation of hostile mobs is too great there. We'll have to travel in the Overworld."
"Who's 'we'?" Alex asked. "Think he can track me and Steve? Or just you two?"
Herobrine shook his head. "I don't know. If he can track me, he likely can track Notch, too, given that he has the same influence over both of us." Notch made a face. "Oh, don't look so upset. I'll help you punch a tree."
"We'll go with you, even if he can't track us." Alex stated. "If he's going to be hunting you down, you'll need the extra manpower."
"And if you die?" Heather asked, concerned. Theo thumbed towards a command block in the corner of the base.
"Their spawn is set here. As long as they take note of their coordinates, I can send them back to help again."
"Manfred should stay here with Theo." Herobrine mused. "Null shouldn't be able to track either of you."
"As far as we know." Theo agreed. "And he seems much more interested in you and Notch."
Notch shifted uncomfortably. "Is there no option but fleeing endlessly through the Overworld?"
"If you think of one, I would be happy to hear it." Herobrine told him, his tone short. "But, as it stands, your options are between fleeing, and being a sitting duck here in the void." Notch scowled, but had no argument.
"If I'm going to try to do something about Null, I can't come." Theo shook his head. "I need to be able to focus." Heather frowned. He was right, but she still wished he could come. Having a hacker with access to creative mode would be really handy against Null.
"Alright." Herobrine nodded. "Let's make ready to leave, then."
"Here." Theo offered Herobrine a bag fashioned out of leather, and the latter opened it to find it filled with golden carrots. "That should last you a while. But," He held up another one. "Just in case."
"Thank you." Herobrine nodded, slinging one over his shoulder and looking to where Heather sat on the edge of her bed, her left arm in a sling. She'd had a couple more health potions, but still wasn't quite up to full strength. It was possible that, again, the game was registering her health incorrectly, thinking her to be full health while her body was still injured.
Herobrine let his gaze linger on his wife for a moment longer before looking away, to where the others were getting ready. He was, somewhat selfishly, hoping that Notch's theory was correct. If it was, and Heather was immortal, he couldn't lose her - unless he perished himself. No matter what Null did to her. Though it made him shudder to think of the kind of agony that should be cut short by death…
"So, food, armor, weapons." Theo's voice interrupted his train of thought, and he looked back to the hacker. "Anything else?"
"Saddles." Herobrine responded. At Theo's quizzical look, he went on. "We're going to be traveling a very long way, and some of us are more used to doing so than others." He shot Notch a pointed look. "And Heather is injured. She would do well to avoid too much exertion."
"I'm pretty sure I can walk." Heather interjected, but Herobrine just shook his head.
"We're going to be running, more likely than not. It would do us all well to save our strength."
"Mm…" Heather rubbed her shoulder with her good arm, and Herobrine wondered briefly if she would be able to ride. Perhaps it would be best for her to ride with him.
"So, saddles." Theo nodded, typing in the command.
"And leads." Steve piped up. "For when we stop." Theo made a 'good idea' gesture, typing another command as saddles appeared on the floor in front of him.
"Herobrine?" Heather's voice caught his attention, and Herobrine turned to find his wife approaching him. She linked her arm with his, leaning on him. "I don't want you babying me just because I'm hurt."
"I'm not babying you." Herobrine wrapped his free arm around her. "I'm taking precautions."
"Feels like babying." She sighed heavily. The two of them watched as Steve and Alex packed their bags, Notch doing nothing and watching them. "Soooo…" She drew out the word. "You and him."
"Notch?" The sound of Herobrine's voice caught his creator's attention, and he averted his eyes.
"Yeah. You two need to get along."
"I know that." Herobrine huffed a breath. "I'm just hoping he does, too."
"You're going to need to be patient with him." Heather warned. "Because he's likely going to try to get under your skin."
"Undoubtedly." Herobrine was certain that Notch was going to lash out, in one way or another. He was powerless, weak, and being hunted. He had no idea how to survive in the real world, and he was going to take it out on Herobrine, given that he was by far his least favorite in the group.
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Right?" Heather squeezed his arm, and he nodded, gripping the strap on his backpack with his free hand.
"I'm almost hoping that Null gives us little time alone."
"Don't." Heather groaned. "I don't want to get thrown again." Herobrine squeezed her gently.
"I won't let him."
"Are we ready to go?" Theo's voice interrupted them, and Herobrine looked up to find all eyes in the room on him and his wife.
"We are." Herobrine straightened. Letting go of him, Heather hurried past Theo to where Manfred was sitting on one of the beds, throwing her good arm around the Enderman in a half-hug.
"Gonna miss you." She mumbled. "Don't get kidnapped again." Manfred warbled, wrapping his arms around her as well. Of course, it was much safer for Manfred here. He needed time to rest, and as far as Herobrine knew he couldn't be tracked. But they were going to miss his company.
Heather stood, returning to her husband's side and looking expectantly at Theo.
"Okay," The hacker began, "I'm going to drop you in a plains biome, about 25,000 blocks from where Null kidnapped you. I gave Steve horse spawn eggs, so you'll have no trouble getting mounts." He paused, as if searching for words, then finally finished with, "Stay safe, you guys."
"Get rid of Null for us, and we will." Heather gave him a wavering smile. Theo returned it, and opened his text box to type a command.
A moment later, their surroundings spun around them, and the five found themselves standing in a grassy field in an unexplored part of the world.