Is this a good time to remind you guys that this fic is rated T for violence
"Herobrine, wait!" Evangeline threw up a hand to stop him as Herobrine jerked his knife from its sheath. "I know him."
"That means nothing." Herobrine hissed.
"Wait, please." Evangeline stood in between him and the newcomer, blocking his path. "Sergeant Tekno." The newcomer took a step closer, his features still obscured by darkness.
"You're in some hot water, Evangeline." He lowered his axe to his side. "Tell me why I shouldn't arrest you both right now."
"For what crime?" Herobrine snapped.
"Oh, I don't know, does the murder of four valkyries ring any bells?" Tekno shot back. Evangeline grimaced. That was going to be difficult to explain.
David Tekno was an officer in the Aether's armies, one of the few who was not a valkyrie himself. He made up for his lack of wings with his incredible battle prowess - Evangeline had seen him fight, and she was not keen on being on the receiving end of that axe.
"It was self-defense." Evangeline told him. "Please, listen."
"I'm listening." Tekno rested the head of his axe on the ground, and Evangeline breathed a sigh of relief before launching into her tale.
"We didn't kill those valkyries." She said. "They were dead already, their corpses animated by magic and sent to hunt us down." Tekno frowned.
"You're aware that sounds insane?"
"Yes." Evangeline's heart sank slightly.
"If you were to take a close look at the bodies, you would find decaying wounds over their hearts." Herobrine cut in. "Wounds that are many days old, despite the fact that we only faced them yesterday."
"I'm sure that they were some of the victims of the disappearances I reported." Evangeline pressed on. "That valkyries are being kidnapped and killed, their bodies used to create undead warriors for nefarious purposes. And when Meryl and I got too close, she was killed and I was framed for it."
"That barely makes sense." Tekno cut in. "And is highly circumstantial."
"I wouldn't kill Meryl." Evangeline's voice shook slightly. "I would never."
"Right. Well…" Tekno took another step towards them, the torchlight finally illuminating his wary face. His axe remained on the ground, to Evangeline's relief, but she could feel Herobrine stiffen harshly as he got closer. "…how about we go up and talk about this in the daylight, hmm? On my honor, I won't attack unless you attack firs-"
Herobrine lunged at him with a knife.
Tekno's blade flashed up, deflecting the knife even as Evangeline screamed for them to stop! Herobrine struck again and again, attacking recklessly until a swing from the golden axe nearly took his head off. Tekno pushed the offensive, swinging high, then low, forcing Brine to stumble away.
Evangeline watched in horror as they clashed again, Herobrine continuing to strike with deadly precision as Tekno backed him up against a wall. She wanted to stop them, but how could she without putting herself at risk? Herobrine dropped to one knee to avoid a swing at his head, the axe glancing off the wall with a jarring screech as Herobrine struck at his opponent's ankles. Tekno leaped back to avoid him and Herobrine staggered upright.
"Herobrine, stop!" Evangeline took a step towards him, but he barely seemed to hear her, his blazing eyes focused on the blade of Tekno's axe. Ignoring her, he tossed aside his torch, letting the flame sputter as it hit the ground.
"Can't keep your attack dog under control?" Tekno's voice was strained, and Evangeline shot him a look that begged him not to escalate the situation further.
"He is not an-"
Herobrine lunged at Tekno again, fire streaming from his palm as he brought it down on the half-piglin's head.
Tekno jerked back with a shout, swinging his axe recklessly to keep Herobrine off of him as the latter moved in. Their battle was almost impossible to follow in the darkness, illuminated only by the bursts of flame that Herobrine continued to hurl at his opponent. Tekno was visibly struggling, and Evangeline snatched up the fallen torch before it could go out.
Herobrine spotted an opening and dove in for a lethal blow, and Tekno lifted his axe to deflect it, only for the weapon to be torn from his hands and sent clattering to the stone. Herobrine only hesitated for a moment before going in again, but Tekno was prepared, darting aside at the last moment and bringing an elbow down on Herobrine's shoulder blade to send him crashing to the ground. He bolted before Herobrine could recover, running - not to his weapon, but to one of the abandoned pickaxes.
He hefted the tool as Herobrine turned, flames erupting from his hand to illuminate the battlefield, but Evangeline appeared between them before he could move.
"Stop." She ordered with as much authority as she could muster. "He didn't mean us any harm."
"Move." Herobrine growled, and Evangeline was startled by the animosity in his voice. "Move, valkyrie." She balked at the address, but didn't budge. Herobrine stiffened, and a moment later a hand landed on her shoulder, announcing Sergeant Tekno's arrival just before he passed her with pickaxe in hand.
Herobrine charged at him again, and this time Tekno didn't flinch, gripping the handle of the pickaxe with both hands and slamming the shaft into Herobrine's arm before the fire could reach him. Herobrine staggered back with a shout, and Tekno swung again, Herobrine only just ducking back in time to avoid the point of the blade catching his jaw.
Tekno spun, carrying his momentum into his next swing and knocking the knife from Herobrine's hand. Disarmed, Herobrine could do nothing but lift his hands in a vain attempt to defend himself as Tekno's pickaxe swung towards his chest.
Herobrine's scream was nearly drowned out by the sickening crunch as the pickaxe punched through his ribs.
Evangeline was frozen, one hand pressed over her mouth as Herobrine crumpled to the ground. Tekno raised his pickaxe again and broke her from her trance, causing her to dart towards him with a cry of "Wait!"
"Why should I?" Tekno snapped, letting the pickaxe drop to his side. "You can't mean to tell me that he didn't mean any harm.
"No, he can't die." Evangeline stopped beside him, trying not to look at Herobrine's heaving body on the ground. "You've already debilitated him, to go further would just be… cruel." Tekno regarded her with narrowed eyes for a moment before eventually, apparently, deciding that she was telling the truth.
"Out of all the people you could have allied yourself with, Eve, why him?" He growled.
"Because he saved my life." Evangeline lifted her chin. "I was shot down, I was dying, and he took me into his home and cared for my wing. He defended me from the assassin who came to kill me." Tekno snorted, then shook his long hair out of his face.
"Fine. Help me get him to the surface, and we can meet Phil there." He nodded towards the tunnel. "I still think you're crazy, but-"
"Commander Zenith is here?" Evangeline interrupted. Tekno nodded.
"We split up, he went down the other shaft. Now come on." Tekno dropped the pickaxe, turning away to go and collect his axe. "We were supposed to meet in a couple of hours, and it's going to take a while to drag-" Herobrine surged to his feet, seized Evangeline by the arm, and the world flashed white.
Evangeline staggered back in shock, looking up to find that they now stood in one of the adjoining tunnels. Tekno whirled when his light vanished, and Herobrine slammed his hand into one of the wooden supports, igniting it with a burst of flame.
The ominous creak that followed had Evangeline's instincts kicking in, and she didn't resist as Herobrine turned and dragged her back the way they had come.
It wasn't until the crashing of wood and stone had died down that Evangeline came to her senses again, looking up to find Herobrine leading her up the tunnel with one hand while the other was wrapped tightly around his chest. She couldn't see the wound, but she could see the alarming amount of blood that soaked into his shirt and stained his skin.
"How are you…" She choked out. "…upright?"
"Later." He hissed. His voice was strained, and she fell silent, not speaking again until their path was lit by the first few traces of sunlight.
"David!" Phillip's voice echoed down the dim tunnel, the wreckage at the end lit only by the flickering light of his oil lamp. "Nether. David!"
"Hey, Phil." The casual voice nearly startled Phillip out of his skin, and he whirled around to find the half-piglin lounging against the entrance of another tunnel with his axe in hand. "What took you so long?" Phillip heaved a sigh, lowering the lantern.
"What is wrong with you?" He asked. "I thought you were dead."
"I never die." Tekno stepped out of the tunnel to join him. "I ran into your girl, though."
"Evangeline?" Phillip took a step closer, eying the remaining wooden supports with more than a little trepidation. Following his gaze, David started to head back up the tunnel, nodding for his friend to follow.
"And Herobrine, yes."
"And?" Phillip asked expectantly as he fell into step beside him. "What do you think? Is she innocent?" David gave a half-shrug, resting the blade of his axe on his shoulder.
"Honestly, Phil, I could not tell you."