"Steve... Steve!" A voice came across distance, urgent and familiar. "Steve, you must wake up! Wake up!"
The shaking of his body annoyed him, since it made his bruised ribs ache. Steve couldn't hold back a moan. Then, becoming aware of who it was who was speaking to him, he made an effort to peel open his eyes.
Herobrine's face loomed over him, ghostly in the silver light of his anxious eyes. Just then, Steve's twin turned to look back toward the darkness, an angry frown on his face. Steve could make out a cave wall above them, lit by dim red light. They were...underground?
Steve couldn't quite recollect what happened after Herobrine, the other version of him, began to taunt the players. Did he pass out? How did they manage to get away?
"Steve, I swear to Notch, if you don't wake up, I'll burn your house to the ground!" Herobrine growled, still looking away. His tone came frustrated rather than threatening, but Steve still tried to sit up. Sharp pain shot through his stomach, radiating out from his chest to his sides.
At first catching his breath, he then began to pant, a groan breaking through his clenched teeth. A hand carefully slipped under his back, gently righting his slumped position to a more comfortable one. Rocks felt cold behind his back. Managing to open his eyes once more, Steve found concerned white eyes watching him. In the dark, Steve could make out the bandages across an empty shoulder stump, where once again some blood had begun to seep. A bit of relief washed across him.
Steve smiled, his vision briefly blurring with tears.
Herobrine came for him. He didn't leave him behind.
"H-Herobrine..." Steve croaked weakly. His twin frowned, concerned eyes searching Steve's dazed face. Appearing reassured by Steve's steady breathing, Herobrine scowled at him instead. Steve's smile lessened. His twin appeared to be angry with him for something.
"Steve, your pickaxe. Let me see it." The threat in the man's impatient tone made Steve blink in confusion. "Let me see that pickaxe! The one those heroes gave you. Now!"
Herobrine impatiently snapped. Confused, Steve obeyed, the enchanted tool appearing in his shaking hand. With relief, his eyes held on his fingers. The ropes were still there, wrapped around his wrists, but already loose. At Steve's movement to lift the tool, they fell away, revealing ugly bruises. He could feel his hands, though, and besides some dull ache echoing across, no damage was done.
"I am a fool..." Herobrine's angry voice drew Steve's eyes back to his twin. He found white eyes staring at the tool's handle, where a brightly glimmering green jewel just then dimmed to a dark hue. Herobrine's lips twitched, settling into a flat line and his eyes narrowed.
"I was right. That's how they knew through your ruse. They found a way to detect my presence. If I come near this thing, it let them know, as it let them know where you were at all times." Herobrine scowled and Steve blinked at the amazing tool with rising unease, before a wave of guilt washed through him. This whole thing had been his fault from the start?
"I'm s-sorry." Steve's mumble brought Herobrine's white eyes back to him. Seeing Steve's stricken expression, he huffed in annoyance.
"Don't be. This is not in any way your fault, Steve. I should have thought to check. My carelessness is inexcusable." Looking up, Steve found guilt flickering in Herobrine's angry expression. That let him breathe with relief. Herobrine was not angry at him.
Steve looked at the pickaxe with unease, wondering what he should do with it.
"Keep it. You may find use for it, yet. I've already disabled their tracker." Herobrine grumbled.
Steve nodded and dismissed the treacherous tool back into his own inventory. He then tried to sit up again, only to gasp as another explosion of pain coursed through his ribs.
"Hold still. Your ribs are fractured." Herobrine warned. After managing to relax enough so he could breathe again, Steve looked at him, quickly noticing the weary posture of the man as he sat next to him against the wall.
"Y-you d-don't have... more... of those red potions?" He prodded hopefully. His twin's lips pinched into a flat line.
"I can no longer access my items." His tone came dull and distant now. "Quiet, Steve. I must focus. Or else they will find us here before I can take us to a safer place."
"W-what?" Steve gasped and jerked to get up. Again, he was forced to freeze at renewed pain, a groan breaking through his lips. He still tried to get up, until his twin's arm shot out, preventing him. Steve gave his twin a panicked look. "Are they... coming h-here?"
"They are. But you should be safe. They are coming for me, not for you. They won't risk harming you again after what I showed them." Herobrine's tone held weariness. Steve blinked at him in confusion before his understanding cleared.
"Then... it wasn't a trick?" His voice rung with disbelief. The definite hint of guilt in Herobrine's eyes was the answer Steve sought.
Then... That's why Herobrine remained so convinced in his idea that Steve was a Player despite Steve's arguments. He could see things that both he and those heroes saw as proof, even though Steve himself still had no idea why. Steve frowned.
"I don't believe it." He said stubbornly and gave his twin a challenging look. Just because Herobrine was powerful didn't mean that he couldn't make a mistake and the last few days showed that already. "It's not true. You made it up. You... You didn't kill me! When we met in the mansion, you didn't even know who I was. I remember that."
Herobrine frowned at him, then relaxed as understanding appeared. "Yes. I did lie about that part. No, I never killed you, Steve. I don't know why you don't remember who you are, but I had nothing to do with it. I promise." Herobrine smirked a little, relieved. Steve's brows drew together as he looked at the exhausted man with reproach.
"Why did you do that? Why make it seem worse than it really was?" At Herobrine's quirked eye-brow, Steve blew out a frustrated breath. "Now they believe that you are this horrible monster. And that isn't true!"
Herobrine huffed with scorn. "They won't care either way, Steve. They only want their reward. I just made sure that you'll be safe, in case we fail to get away. They won't dare touch you. Killing another Player with such high settings will be counted as murder by their own law."
"I don't understand." Steve frowned. Herobrine looked away, wearily leaning the back of his head against the cool wall.
"We will speak of it later, Steve. If we manage to get away. In case we do not, play along and blame everything on me. Say that I had been keeping you as my prisoner all this time and tormented you for my amusement. It won't be far from the truth."
Steve blinked at the other man's resigned tone.
"No! That's not true!" He protested. There was no way he was going to let this happen. Herobrine scowled at him with old derisive look.
"Don't be a fool! This is a PvP Server, Steve. It means that if those... heroes decide that you are on my side, they will have an excuse to harm you! You should not have tried to defend me. If I managed to do it sooner, I would have simply turned on your interface. That would have given them pause. Now, even with my claims, they were not convinced. And I must change my plans yet again for your sake."
The angry, snappy tone made Steve's heart sink. He tried to do what he felt was right, but Herobrine was angry at him for it? He messed up? Not taking notice of Steve's crest-fallen expression, Herobrine continued to berate him.
"Do you know what will happen if you die? Neither do I! What if I am wrong about you and you are not a Player after all? You won't respawn, Steve! Their weapons are unlike anything I had encountered before. I don't think they are even part of this Game, this world. I cannot counter their effect! That's why I am not healing. During the fight, I used bots... summoned creatures to help me fight them. Their weapons made their code simply fall apart, so they ceased to be! They are too dangerous, Steve. Do NOT provoke them and do not attempt any more foolish defense on my behalf. They will not listen. Do as I say! Or I WILL kill you myself!"
The dark threat in his twin's voice and his cold look made Steve swallow as he shrunk back a little. Before he knew it, he found himself obediently nodding. Herobrine frowned at him, making sure that his words got through. Seeing Steve's defeated look, he huffed with satisfaction and looked away.
"Since you claimed to be my friend, I have only one request of you, in case I don't make it out of this alive." Herobrine spoke with bitterness, not looking at Steve, whose heart sunk even more at the realization that his earlier words to the hunters had been overheard.
"They will probably take you to see Notch. To verify my claim. Tell him that I am sorry. I tried very hard to do what he told me, but I failed. But I never harmed any of his people! Not even when they turned against me, following the Players' lead. Tell him..." Herobrine's white eyes returned to Steve and his voice fell silent.
Steve nodded again, unable to speak because of a lump in his throat. His vision was blurry with tears. At Herobrine's continued silence, he forced himself to speak, even though sniffles also broke through.
"I... I w-will." Steve promised, not daring to look up.
He knew now that he messed up. If he had only told those Players what they wanted to hear, then maybe they would not have hurt him. Herobrine would not have had to expend what little remained of his power to interfere on his behalf. And he would not have had to worry about protecting Steve from them now. He looked utterly exhausted sitting there, his legs folded under him, not even attempting to stand up.
"Steve..." This time Herobrine's voice came quiet and unexpectedly mild. This made Steve look up. He found his twin watching him with an amused and sad apology.
"I am sorry... I should not take out my frustration on you. All of this is my mistake, not yours. You only tried to help. If not for you, I would be dead already." A small, reassuring smile appeared on Herobrine's face, which sent warmth through Steve's heart. "Don't worry, Steve. Whatever happens, I will make sure that you will be safe. Just don't try to defend me and let me do it my way. Trust me. Besides, there is a good chance yet that everything will be fine. I'm telling you this just in case. Now let me finish my work. Once we are safe, I will explain everything to you, I promise."
Herobrine's voice came light, lacking its previous bitter tone, and Steve nodded again, calming down.
Appearing content with that, his twin nodded in approval and turned, resting the back of his head against the wall. The glow of his eyes faintly dimmed to an absent-minded flicker. Steve recognized the look. In past several days, this distant expression appeared on Herobrine's face whenever he controlled distant mobs to do his bidding.
He seemed calm, despite their precarious situation. That helped Steve calm down even more. He had to trust his more knowledgeable and powerful twin about these things.
Still feeling uncertain, Steve tried his best to settle back against the wall, too, wincing as he did so. The back of his head ached badly and his anxious heart still beat quick. To focus on something, Steve studied the place around them. Save for a couple of dim, red torches on the far wall, the place was dark. It was a small cave, similar to those that Steve and those two adventurers found when they searched the caves yesterday.
Three chests stood by the wall, also reminding Steve of those they found.
Steve opened his mouth to ask where they were exactly, but stopped himself in time before he could interrupt Herobrine's work once again. Chewing his lip, he settled back against the wall and tried his best to relax once more. It was difficult. His eyes falling on the ropes still hanging around his body, Steve began pulling off loose pieces. Wincing, with careful, slow movements to avoid disturbing his ribs, still sucking in his breath at the occasional sharp stabbing, he watched sections of rope fall to the ground. Steve's eyes held on the frayed, darkened edges that looked singed while quiet admiration rose within him. Even weakened, his twin was still so inhumanly strong. Steve would have never been able to get free from those ropes on his own. They were quite thick.
Herobrine must know what he was doing, Steve reassured himself. They were not helpless and trapped here, beneath the ground, even if at first it sure seemed like that. They probably had plenty of time to do whatever it was that Herobrine planned to do. Yesterday, even with Steve's help and with the assistance granted to them by their devices, it took the adventurers nearly five hours to find only four rooms like this one. Steve made a breath of relief, finally managing to slump against the wall in a relatively comfortable position.
A dull knock on one of the walls, followed by flurry of rhythmical strikes coming from the other side, startled Steve badly so his whole body jumped, sending another bright wave of pain flaring across his chest and side. He groaned.
"Don't worry. It will take some time for them to break through. They do not have your skill." Herobrine's voice reassured from his side. Managing to look at him, Steve received a confident smile and another nod, before Herobrine leaned his head back against the wall again.
Steve tried to do the same. But every now and again, a crack would appear on the wall as small rocks broke off and skittled on the ground, jumping under the force of the impact. Those hunters... They must be furious after Herobrine's trick.
Looking back, Steve saw his usual amused, dark smirk, and stifled a sigh. Herobrine was just... Herobrine. Nothing seemed to daunt him for long.
Doing his best to calm, Steve once again leaned back. His eyes remained glued to the wall, which was the only obstacle between him and those two enraged Players, thirsty for their revenge.