"I'm sorry, Steve. Looks like you cannot go there after all. Don't worry, I will attempt to restitute what you have lost. I know that some things probably held memory. I am truly sorry. If I had known what my choice to stay with you would have resulted in, I would have left after I awakened." Herobrine's voice held sincere regret as he put his only remaining hand on Steve's shoulder.
Steve only sighed slightly with relief and disappointment both. Relief, because during the entire time that Herobrine was talking to those two hunters, he had been on edge and unable to say much himself out of nervousness of having to face them, and now they were both home and once again in their bodies. And disappointment, because they couldn't go to the cabin and get his things as Herobrine promised, since at all times they have been accompanied by a player or two, closely watching them.
He gave Herobrine a tight smile. "Doesn't matter. I probably would have had to leave all of that anyway sooner or later. At least now I know the truth."
His mind still reeled from the knowledge that everything he knew was just a game for the humans from beyond their world and unreal to their perception, including Herobrine. It was still very much real to him, Steve, though. Glancing at Herobrine's missing hand quickly, Steve took his gaze away, reminded that Herobrine lost much more than he had throughout this ordeal.
Seeing that Steve was handling his situation well, Herobrine squeezed his shoulder encouragingly and let go, turning to the young player, instead.
"Anything happen while we were gone, Cyrus?"
The young man visibly yawned, trying to wake up. Sitting on an arms chair, which he conjured in the middle of the strange magical room full of mysterious screens where images and words ran constantly, the player shook his head. The two now empty capsules stood on each side of him like crystal coffins from some fairy tale.
"Nothing. Only your Endies came twice, trying to talk to you. They saw that you were asleep and left."
Herobrine nodded. "Right. I still have to see if I can wake up their friend. I'll go and talk to Alstor."
"Did you find out if they traced your escape to my server?" The player asked with a tense tone. Herobrine hesitated, but then slowly shook his head.
"I don't know, but I don't think so. If they did, they would have been here already, would they not? I see no reason to delay. I believe my attempts to scramble our teleport here worked. I did not bring us here directly after all. First, I took us to Alstor's server. Then, after the players were dealt with, brought us here. And again, I instructed my servants to scramble the portal data after we went through."
"Then what are they doing in Steve's server? Why wait there? And why are they gathering their own little army?" The player frowned, asking the question, to which Herobrine wearily shrugged and immediately winced as a brief expression of pain ran through his face.
"No clue. They obviously didn't trust me. Especially when they recognized me. A couple of players in their party used our company's guide services when they first started in the game. We tried to join in, but it was a private party business only."
"They were lying." Steve added grimly, his eyebrows drawing close together as his blue eyes flashed with hidden anger. "They told everyone in town that they were Heroes, there to save them from Herobrine, who kidnapped me."
Herobrine smirked slightly at that. "Better that than the truth. If they said that you were protecting me, no one would have understood. You would have been called a traitor. Or worse… The legends are quite negative about me in those parts. The Admin did well propagating those tales among the locals."
Steve sighed, while the young player nodded, giving Steve a curious look.
"What I don't understand is what they are waiting for. Do they really believe that you would return there after everything that has happened?" The player returned to the topic of his question. Herobrine smirked.
"Well, I have. Didn't I?"
"That doesn't count. They didn't know it was you."
"Well, tomorrow, I am to meet with them again. They did mention that they were going to consider letting us join their ranks so long as their main leader agreed to it."
"So, they are working for somebody?"
"Yes. And he was busy today. So, we will try again tomorrow. Or, I will try." Herobrine gave Steve a questioning look, at which Steve nervously shifted from foot to foot. "If you'd rather stay here, Steve, and simply train or relax, that would be useful, too."
"I am coming with you." Steve declared firmly and Herobrine nodded with a slight smile.
"As you wish." He said. The player visibly sighed.
"I want to come, too, Herobrine. Every time something interesting happens, I keep missing it. I can help, too, you know."
"You already are, Cyrus. Just in case I am wrong and they do find a way to trace me. Your main task is making sure that if that happens, you teleport us at random to another server and scramble all data. Besides, you still have your own work to do. We don't want to fall behind in schedule for your sister's sake."
At this gentle reminder, the young player's shoulders slumped and he slowly nodded, dropping his gaze. Steve looked at them both curiously, but didn't dare to interrupt with questions. Looking at the young man, whose real name was Timothy, but whom Herobrine for some reason kept calling Cyrus, Steve saw sadness and worry on his face. Herobrine was looking at him as well.
"May I tell Steve the general details about what we are doing here?" Herobrine asked the player with strange discomfort. After a moment, appearing uncertain, young man reluctantly shook his head.
"I can tell him myself. What happened is that four years ago the Admin tried to get on Herobrine's case and released this nasty mod, which they called Summon Herobrine. It allowed all players to build a special totem, which would force teleport him to their location."
Glancing away, Herobrine struggled not to scowl at the memory, but didn't succeed.
"They did this in hope of forcing Herobrine to return to them, seeking protection and aid. Instead, after quite a few deaths, he ended up here, in my sister's server. And she granted him refuge. He lived with us until… until she got sick. And then… We decided to begin a game guiding business to help pay for her treatments. Well, we're still only saving up. Right now, she has been put into a cryogenics chamber. It's kind of like... this." Player pointed to one of the crystal capsules in their room. "But it's designed to keep people asleep in slowed down stasis. It's pretty expensive, too, but... It slows down the degenerative process until we have enough gathered up for the full treatment to begin."
"I've been helping with learning about various interesting sites, gathering legends and clues for special quests, and taking groups of heroes to special locations. And I'm doing other jobs in guise of a player on the side." Herobrine spoke up with a wry smirk. Steve glanced between him and the player and shrugged.
"I mean, if it works, that's good. Right?"
Herobrine and the player exchanged an uncomfortable look. Herobrine sighed. "It works, but it's not much. He could have earned far more in a much shorter period of time if he simply turned to one of the people who wish to capture me. They would have paid him a big sum."
"I would never do that. My sister would never forgive me." Timothy said firmly and Herobrine gave him a slight nod of appreciation.
"Which is why I consider him as my ally." Herobrine faintly smiled. "And why I told you that I have other responsibilities before I begin helping you to find where you really are."
"Oh. All right. I understand." Steve agreed readily, glad that this player and Herobrine trusted him enough to include him into their own plans.
"That doesn't mean that your situation is any less important. I will attempt to help you as soon as this business with the Admin concludes."
"If you're still alive." The player pointed out seriously and Herobrine let out a huff. "No, I'm serious, Herobrine. I still think that both of you…" Timothy looked at each of them in turn. "Need to turn yourselves in to the Admin. At least speak to them."
Herobrine frowned. "I already sent my former keeper a message that I did not do what they think I did. I did not harm anyone in real life. Nor would I, even if I had the chance. I am not an idiot." He said darkly.
"Well, let me know what they say back in response, okay? Because that would be easiest, instead of doing all this on our own. And I still don't know what we're going to do about that vi…" At Herobrine's pointed glance, the young man got quiet and sighed. "Fine. Just do whatever you think is best. Don't expect me to be quiet if I think that you're being stupid, though. That's what's smart friends are for, anyway. To keep you from going into the fire instead of jumping there with you to kindle the flame." Timothy grinned in a disarming way after citing what seemed to be a quote of some sort. Steve looked at them both without comprehension, while Herobrine suddenly smiled back.
"It might very well have to be that I will need to negotiate with the Admin once more. But I'm not giving up my freedom except as a last resort. You know this, Timothy." Herobrine finally used the young human's name and the human bloomed, smirking back until a big yawn once again broke upon his face. He stretched.
"I'm going back to sleep. What are you and Steve going to be doing?" He asked curiously, looking at them both.
Herobrine smiled. "Depends on Steve. He can probably visit the library again for a bit. Would you like that, Steve? Later on we can train a bit with the sword, grind your skills up a little more. I also promised Mr. Ledorn to finish some of the work. Sounds good?"
The young player nodded and logged off with a friendly grin. As soon as he left, Herobrine relaxed slightly and cast Steve another apologetic look.
"I'm sorry again, Steve. I did not expect that there would be so many players gathered around that place and that someone would be watching your dwelling. My servants are not that smart. They simply didn't notice there are so many traps set out around your cabin now. It would not be wise to return there at the moment."
Steve could only agree with that, his tone laden with regret. "I understand. It's all right."