Valor grasped the tree trunk as he dragged himself upright, teeth gritted tightly against the pain radiating from his right leg.
"What are you doing?" Null was already upright, clearly unharmed where he stood next to another tree.
"What do you think?" Val snapped. "We need to go after Qorin."
"You're not going anywhere like that." Null gestured to his leg. "Besides, how do you intend to track him down?"
"Isn't that what you're here for?"
"I'm here to track your necklace," Null tapped his own collarbone. "Not the Ender-princeling. As far as we know, whatever that was doesn't have your trinket, so why would I be able to locate them? Furthermore, you can't walk."
"Yes I can!" To prove his point, Valor took a step onto his injured leg, choking back a cry as agony shot up through his body. "It doesn't matter - we can't just stand here! Anything could happening to him, I can't simply stand by and- and-"
"You can, because you have no other choice." Null heaved a sigh. "If you insist on playing hero, at least let me help you-" Valor's gaze jerked up to find the sorcerer approaching him, one arm outstretched.
"NO!" Valor staggered back, smacking into the tree trunk. "I don't need your help!" Null blinked, then scoffed.
"I'm not going to hurt you. If I'd wanted to, I could have done so a long time ago."
"Just stay back." Valor bit out. His leg was throbbing, it was almost certainly broken. Null was right, he could barely walk, and with Qorin gone - oh Nether, Qorin was gone - he was alone, completely alone. With Null.
The sorcerer sighed, dragging a hand down his face as Valor's breathing picked up speed.
"Boy-" He moved to approach again, but Valor interrupted with a harsh,
"I said stay back!"
"Do you want to rescue your friend or not?" Null snapped. "I agreed to help you until you found your amulet, did I not? Don't be childish." Null took a step towards him, and Valor's grip tightened on the rough bark of the tree. "You need me to-" Something flashed in the corner of Val's vision, and he jumped as his father's pickaxe slammed down into the dirt between them, a barrier between him and the advancing sorcerer.
Both of them stared at the weapon for a few moments, then, after a moment, Valor slid down slowly to sit against the base of the tree. He wasn't alone, he… even if he couldn't see him, Herobrine was here with him.
"Since when can you-" Null began.
"That wasn't me." Val rasped, laying his leg straight. Herobrine wouldn't let Null hurt him. Null took another step, and the pickaxe jerked up again, brandished in a threatening manner until Valor exclaimed. "Father, no!" Null whipped around to look at him in shock. "I need him." Val added softly. Slowly, the pickaxe lowered, retreating, though Herobrine remained between his son and the sorcerer that threatened him.
"Father." Null echoed, disbelieving. "Then Herobrine…" He fell silent, and Val gave no response, quietly massaging his injured leg. At this moment, he couldn't care less if Null knew.
"…Herobrine." Null said at last, and Val lifted his head in surprise to find him addressing the air. "Your son is injured." The sorcerer extended both arms in an imploring gesture, bowing his head. "We must leave this place. If those creatures come back, we will stand no chance against them. We need to find shelter and a place to examine our options. We need to move. Will you not allow me to help him?" Valor held his breath as silence fell over them. "I promise I will not harm him."
Slowly, Herobrine stepped aside.
Valor stiffened, but tightened his jaw and didn't cry out again as Null came towards him. Herobrine wouldn't let Null hurt him. So he stayed still, grimacing as Null knelt down next to him and slid an arm behind his back.
"Lean on me. Come on, up." Null urged him. Trying to focus on anything but the sorcerer's hands on him, Valor obeyed, jerking and hissing as pain raced up his leg. "Don't put any weight on that leg." Null scolded, pulling Valor's arm around his shoulders. "Come on, now." He took a step forward, and Valor clung to him tightly as he hopped on his good leg. "Good," Null praised. "Do that a thousand more times, and perhaps we'll have reached shelter." Valor huffed irritably, but he was too exhausted to waste his breath arguing.
The pair slowly emerged from beneath the trees, Herobrine trailing behind them as a light rain began to fall.
Qorin growled low as he gripped the bars of his prison cell, narrowed eyes blinking as he struggled to make out anything recognizable in the darkness. The cage he was trapped in was lined with silver threads, which he assumed were responsible for the fact that he could not teleport. He had tried the bars already, but they were far too strong, so he was stuck waiting to see what his captor had planned for him.
The Elder had dragged him away from Valor and Null, teleported into this cave, and stuffed him in this cell before vanishing again. Qorin was shaken, but not hurt, and he was left wondering what the giant wanted with him. If it wanted him dead, surely it would have killed him already.
Qorin leaned his forehead against the bars, huffing a breath through sharp teeth. He hoped Valor was alright. Qorin was supposed to be his escort, to keep him safe from Null if the sorcerer tried anything. With him gone, he dearly hoped that Null didn't take advantage of his traveling partner.
What about Qorin had piqued the Elder's attention? He was an enderman, of course, was he just not accustomed to seeing them in the overworld? Why was this Elder in the overworld, for that matter, and in such a state of injury? Qorin rubbed his head. He had so little context here, so little to go off of. He couldn't even see more than a yard in front of his face.
A small chirp caught his attention, and Qorin lifted his head. It was a moment before he located the source, but eventually a pinprick of purple light appeared at the end of the hallway. Qorin frowned, squinting. Was that…?
A small burst of purple light heralded the hatchling's arrival as it teleported closer, wobbling dangerously before catching its balance. The ender-hatchling took a step back to peer up at Qorin, who stared back at it with just as much confusion.
"Where did you come from, little one?" Qorin asked softly. This hatchling couldn't be more than a month old. In response, the hatchling let out a string of high-pitched chirps and slipped through the bars of Qorin's cell, faceplanting against his leg. Releasing the iron bars, Qorin reached down to scoop it up, afraid of stepping on it in the darkness. Why was there a young child wandering around this prison?
Sinking to the ground, Qorin sat-cross legged and stared at the tiny hatchling as it gnawed on his thumb with tiny, blunt fangs. He has interacted with hatchlings before, from time to time, but never had he been left alone with one, let alone one so young. It must have slipped away from its caretaker. Did this one belong to the Elder?
Qorin mused over this for a moment. When Valor had killed one of the attacking endermen two nights ago, the rest had scrambled to collect the pearl before Valor could get at it. Had they planned to hatch it again? But… how would they? Without a Chorus plant, they would not have the flower with which to nurture the pearl. Did they have one, so far from the End?
A heavy footstep caught his attention, and Qorin turned to find the Elder staring at him from the end of the hall.
Immediately, his ears flattened to his head, and Qorin closed his hands around the hatchling to hide it from his captor's view. The giant was still and quiet, merely observing, and Qorin took the opportunity to study him. The Elder stood at least four feet taller than Qorin himself, and his body was littered with scars. Many of them glowed purple in testament to their stunted healing.
The hatchling bit his finger, and Qorin winced, looking down again. The hatchling seemed completely unbothered by the Elder lurking nearby, but Qorin didn't know if it was used to his presence or simply had no sense of danger. The hatchling babbled softly under its breath as it tried to climb through Qorin's fingers, tiny claws glancing harmlessly off his tougher skin.
A low, raspy sound came from down the hall, and Qorin's chin jerked up just in time to see as one of the young endermen appeared beside the Elder. No words were exchanged, but the enderman soon noticed the hatchling, and hurried toward the cell with a small, worried sound. Qorin loosened his grip as he neared, the hatchling lighting up at the sight of its caretaker, and Qorin passed it into the young enderman's hands without argument.
"Who are you?" Qorin tried. The enderman simply disappeared.
As soon as it was gone, the Elder began to approach. Qorin's ears went down again, and he moved back until he hit the far wall, and the Elder was standing at the bars staring down at him. Qorin stared, and neither of them spoke for a few, long moments. Finally, the Elder opened his damaged jaw.
"̸̶̡̥͓̬̭̭͚̗̾̈́̿̈́̌̓̽̍͝ͅ⍑̸̙͕̲͋̽ ̸̧̹͓͙̺̀リ̷͎̖͓̘̭́̆̇͆́̚ℸ̵̢̧͔͌́̀͆͂ ̶̡̨̦̹̹͛́͂ ̵̡͙͇̻̘̏…̵̩̩̝̩̦̈́̀̈́̾̎͒|̸͍̄̂̌̇ͅ|̸̛̤̠͚͔̹̈́∷̷̭̥̀̐…̵̷̛͓̻͚̬̤͎̜̬̀̔̌͐̚̚"̴̪͙̣̈́
Qorin's eyes widened, heartbeat quickening.
"∴⍑ᔑℸ ̣ ? ℸ ̣ ⍑ᔑℸ ̣ ╎ᓭリ'ℸ ̣ ᒲ|| リᔑᒲᒷ." He managed in response.
"̵̴̪̼͖̃̂́͜╎̶̡̮͔̒ℸ̶̨̉́͆ ̴̮́͑ ̵̙̥͉̅͗̕'̵̡̯̾̍̚ͅᓭ̸̫͐̓̏ The Elder extended a hand, skinny arm slipping through the bars to reach for Qorin's head. "̷̴̝͚̳̺̔̆͂̕╎̵̺̠̓ℸ̶̖̖͠ ̴̰̝͐ ̶͉̄ ̵̱͇̎̇∴̸͍̔́ᔑ̸̲͙̍͌ᓭ̵̺̻̔̓…̴̵̟̻͐̏͜"̴͆̈́͜ Qorin's hand jerked up to shield his face, but the hand was gentle as it rested over his eyes.
"̴̵̨̬̥͉̹̘̖̖̱͇͒͊͛̆̿̀̈́̽̔̎́̔ᒲ̸̺͑́̈͂|̸̱̮͘͝|̶̧̢̄͛̽̉͛̈́͠ ̷̤͍͔̝̎̌⎓̸̛̙̃̐̎̎∷̸̥͋̾̐͘╎̶̡̔ᒷ̷̢̨̰̝̫̣͐̇̕リ̸̢̢̯́̊↸̷̗̗͇͆͋̿͒̽̈́…̵̷͇̠̓̽̄͝ͅ"̵͈̘͇̗̌
"Eat." Valor grimaced as Null poked him in the cheek with a piece of jerky.
"I'm not hungry."
"I don't care. Eat. You didn't eat at all yesterday."
"I have no appetite."
"If not for me, eat for Qorin." Null told him irritably. "You're no good to him half-starved." Valor glared at him, then snatched away the jerky, biting into it sullenly. His broken leg lay stretched out in front of him, bound to a thin, straight branch to keep him from using it.
The two of them had found an outcropping in a cliff side just before the rain worsened, much to their luck, and were now waiting out the rest of the storm. Valor was completely exhausted, and all he wanted to do was sleep, but Null wouldn't stop poking and prodding at his leg or forcing him to eat and drink. Herobrine's pickaxe lay beside him, now, so he knew his father was near. He just wished he would make Null stop bothering him.
Null was quiet, at least, as Valor picked at the piece of pork jerky he had been given. The sorcerer was eating his own meal, gazing off aimlessly into the rain pattering outside. The first signs of dawn were appearing on the far horizon, though that meant little as Val planned to sleep the day away anyway. The thought of resting when Qorin suffered made him feel guilty, but Valor simply couldn't go on any longer.
Even as his movements grew sluggish, one question continued to hurtle through Valor's thoughts, and he knew it would give him no peace until he voiced it.
"Null." He murmured. Null looked up. "Why did you help me?" Valor rolled over to face him. "Why go out of your way to bring me to safety? I was injured, I could barely walk, and for all you knew I was alone. You could have run, or tried to kill me." A feeling of panic rose in his chest at the words, and he struggled to tamp it back down. "But you chose to help me." He finished quietly. "Why?" Null pursed his lips, taking another bite of his biscuit before opening his mouth to speak.
"Is it easy to hate me, Valor?" He asked. Valor blinked.
"Answer my question first."
"This leads back to it." Null assured him. "Is it?" Valor frowned, turning back to the rain. Did he hate Null? He definitely disliked him, and certainly feared him. He would never say it aloud, but at this point Null probably knew.
"Yes," Val said at last. "It is." Null nodded, taking another bite.
"It's easy to hate someone who wronged you. Too easy to let it consume you. Easy to let it shape your life, to let it absolve you of any guilt you may have had in the matter." Null lifted his hands in a half-shrug. "That's how I hated your father. I hated him beyond any reason.
"When I was young, and foolish, every taste of dark magic I had left me craving more. So I brazenly sought to enslave a demon to my will, to harness its power for myself. Your father interrupted, and the ritual failed, turning me into this…" Null gestured to himself. "…monstrosity." Valor said nothing, and he went on. "It was easy to hate your father, and put the blame for my actions onto him. My anger and rage festered until it was unleashed on you - and, after all my conniving, I failed. My nemesis lived on." His gaze shifted to the pickaxe. "…in a sense."
Null took a bite, swallowed it. "Being imprisoned for a year has brought me… new perspective. My rage no longer has the hold on me that it once did." He turned, met Val's eyes. "You are not Herobrine. No matter how much you want to be. I don't hate you." Valor met his eyes for a fleeting second, then his gaze lowered.
"That doesn't answer my question."
"Doesn't it?" Null asked. "I may not be a good person, but does that mean I cannot do the right thing?" Valor frowned, not answering. "I made a deal with you." Null continued simply. "That I would assist you until your amulet was found. I intend to follow through. Besides-" He smirked at Val. "Once this quest is complete, I'll go free, won't I? If I ran now, the Endermen would track me down." Valor gaze fell as he recalled the ruse.
"Right." He confirmed. Null stretched, then settled back against the rock wall. "…thank you." Valor added. Null said nothing for a few moments, tilting his head back and closing his eyes.
"You're welcome."
going on hiatus for a bit after this chapter, I just didn't want to leave yall on a cliffhanger after qorin got nabbed last chapter. APPARENTLY having largely emotional responses to not getting immediate feedback on my minecraft fanfiction is evident of questionable mental health. but I digress. Hopefully this will help unblock my muse for some other fics also (coughnullifiedcough)