Chapter 5: Appointment
Steve didn't know where the time had disappeared to, but his Day of Appointment had finally arrived.
Though he ended up spending more than one day desperately searching for diamonds, he was unable to acquire the amount that he needed, only happening to come upon one. One. When he went back to pick up his smelted ingots from Almun after he finished, he presented the singular diamond to the other, only to be met with laughter and a few teasing words for good measure.
After receiving his smelted ingots and delivering them to every person that wanted them, Steve had found himself with time to spare before the actual day of the ceremony had arrived, though that time was filled with nervous planning and anxious thoughts. He had brought back out his little to-do list and crossed off the previous items, adding a few new items to the bottom of the list.
1.) Get things ready and leave them at home
2.) Attend ceremony
3.) Set off into the wild after collecting supplies
4.) ?
5.) Profit?
He had lost most hope at that point. He could only wait for his new "friends" to come pick him up in order to push him onto a more stable path, though they expected too much of him.
The remaining days he had were even more filled with staring at the list while expecting the items to be magically crossed off out of nowhere, though those wishes were left unfulfilled. For hours, he went about the village quietly, looking for supplies to purchase and pack up for the journey ahead, though he had no clue whatsoever on what he should or should not bring.
His ceremony day snuck upon him, and he, unfortunately, wasn't any more emotionally prepared for it when it came.
The day started out normal enough, with a quiet village atmosphere and the sounds of nature filling the air, but as Steve went to make his way toward the village, he was met with a note attached to his door, detailed handwriting upon it.
'Come witness the appointment of our newest champion! Ceremony commences at noon!'
Folding the paper neatly and placing it in his pocket, Steve continued walking.
The first thing he did, once past the gates, was make his way to Almun's shop once again. The man had measured him a few days prior and had promised to have a bit of armour prepared by the next time that they were able to meet, so Steve came to collect on that promise.
What he was not expecting was to find the other working at his forge, his hair a whole different color than before.
Pausing at the steps of the porch, Steve stared at the other in surprise as the other's hair, now a shining white, flowed down his shoulders as it escaped the bun on his head. The blacksmith noticed him and gave him a smirk, continuing to work on what appeared to be an arm guard that laid at his hands.
"Notice anything, Steve?"
Steve blinked at the other's words, a smile slowly growing on his own face.
"You dyed your hair!...Why though? I thought you didn't really care about that kind of stuff?"
Almun shrugged.
"Thought that you shouldn't be the only one being stared at like you're from another planet with those eyes of yours, so I dyed my hair to stick out, y'know?"
Steve felt a wave of appreciation hit him as the other finished his explanation, his anxiety for the day being temporarily put to the side. He stepped onto the porch, eyes full of thankfulness.
"Al...You didn't have to do that…" He stated quietly, slightly feeling bad that the other had gone to such a length for him.
Shrugging, the blacksmith pushed a few hairs behind his ear.
"No, but hey, I look good in it, so I don't mind."
Almun attached a piece of leather to the piece of armour, attaching an adjustable strap to it soon afterward.
"The ceremony is at noon-ish, right?"
Steve nodded.
"Yeah, noon. Do you hand off the armour then, or do I wear it to the ceremony?"
Almun shrugged.
"Hasn't been consistent. Some get suited up right before, some right after. I honestly think it's up to you, man."
"...Is the armour ready?"
An iron gauntlet was presented to him.
"Do you think that I'd leave the option to go with or without it to you if it wasn't?"
Steve reached for the piece of armour, but it was moved from his grasp before he could take it.
"Well, technically speaking, I still have to make the matching gauntlet, but considering that we have a few hours to spare, I say that the full set is practically done already. I don't take long with arm pieces."
Almun nodded his head towards the building behind him.
"Rest of the armour is on the wooden stand in the main room. Try it on; see if my old memory is correct and I didn't forget your size."
Nodding, the miner started to walk.
"Alright."
Steve made his way into the building, looking around briefly before spotting the aforementioned armour stand, which sat next to the blacksmith's fireplace.
The iron armour gleamed with a fine polish as a warm glow reflected off of its surface. The hard metal was supported by a layer of leather underneath it, allowing for more flexibility and a bit more protection that was highly appreciated. The leggings didn't seem to be the standard, all-covering type, and instead were more of a set of iron plates fastened against a couple of leather bands, covering the upper thigh extensively, but allowing for leg guards to be used below the knee instead of wearing armoured boots.
Stepping up to the stand, slightly nervous at the idea of actually getting to put the armour on, Steve lightly grazed the surface of the iron armour with his fingers, looking over every tiny detail that he could spot. Most of Almun's handiwork tended to be rather flawless, and this set was no different, with no dents or scratches to be seen. Carefully pulling the chestplate from the stand as if he would break it, Steve donned the first piece of protection, adjusting himself until the armour was firmly against his person without the threat of it falling or being loose.
The blacksmith's memory was working perfectly fine; the armour fit Steve perfectly.
Putting the leg guards on, Steve tested out the armour by pacing a bit around the room, feeling the weight of the iron and leather against his body as he maneuvered around. Despite the heavy layer of metal, the armour itself, as a whole, was lightweight and easy to carry. He didn't feel a significant drag when he moved his legs, and despite his previous injuries, nothing was aggravating the spots that had managed to recover.
Stepping back outside with the armour now donned, Steve walked a bit briskly as his excitement for the gift began to rise once again.
"Al, have more faith in yourself, this fits perfectly!" He said with a grin.
"I know, I know. Just wanted to make sure, y'know? Can't have you going out with improper pieces."
Almun handed the gauntlet from before to him again without looking.
"Try this one on, and see if I'm right with it too."
Grabbing it, the miner quickly placed it onto his left arm, adjusting the leather straps before holding out his arm to admire the craftsmanship.
"Yup. You are." Curling his fingers, Steve continued to examine his hand, impressed with the fact that it didn't limit his movement whatsoever.
Glancing at the other for the first time since he donned the armour, Almun looked him over briefly before sighing, his shoulders drooping slightly.
"...Can't believe it's still you of all people that we're sending out." He said, an expression filled with sadness on his face.
Noticing the other's drop in mood, Steve gave him a light chuckle.
"Yeah, I'm in the same boat. But hey, that's just how things are, right Al? I just have to take it in stride and go with the flow, and hopefully, I'll bring back something to prove my worth with."
Almun lightly scoffed.
"Hopefully you won't 'go with the flow' right off of a waterfall and into a ravine. If you keep vigilant for me, I might feel a bit better about this whole situation knowing that you'll be safer than...well, the others. Now, if you don't find that dragon, that's perfectly fine. Hell, if you don't find anything, I won't blame you."
"The Elder said that I'd be kicked out permanently if I didn't find anything, though." Steve pointed out.
Almun blinked in disbelief at his words.
"He did?...I doubt that he'd follow up on that, but…"
"I think that too, Al, but I can't exactly leave it up to chance."
Almun shrugged.
"Well Steve, I still think that a failed champion is better than a dead one, so just watch yourself, alright? Don't fight things you can't handle, make sure you keep good track of the time, and, whatever you do, don't be stupid."
Steve rolled his eyes at the last piece of advice.
"Wow. Gonna be really hard to do that, right?"
"Hey, you can prove me wrong, I'm not taking any chances."
Punching the other lightly in the shoulder, Steve walked in front of the forge as Almun went to pull another sheet of iron from it.
The miner watched as the other went back to work on the other future gauntlet, looking with great interest as the blacksmith moved almost mechanically across the work area. His hammer shaped the piece bit by bit, and though further bits of detail were yet to be etched into its surface, Steve looked at the one gauntlet he had already put on, and found himself eager to see what the resulting product would look like without the added flair.
Almun noticed that he was still there, looking back at him briefly without pausing his work.
"Y'know, I said that this would take a while, Steve. I don't know what kind of entertainment you think you're gonna find here, but it might not really be what you're hoping for."
Steve shrugged.
"I don't care, I find this fascinating, actually."
The blacksmith raised a brow at him.
"This will take longer than an hour Steve." He pointed out, nodding his head towards his forge for emphasis.
"Do you mind if I stay here to watch for that long, then?"
Almun thought to himself for a moment before shaking his head, smirking.
"...Nah. Just watch out for the sparks, alright? I don't want the first injuries you get to be burns from my part."
Laughing to himself, Steve went to lean against the railing of the porch, standing silently as he watched the other work diligently on his new armour. This might be the last time he'd be able to properly spend time with Almun before he left, so he might as well make the most of it and enjoy every second.
The village wasn't as bustling as he expected it to be given the fact that there was supposed to be a "ceremony" going on, but nevertheless, Steve found himself people-watching in front of the town well with just under an hour to spare. The miner had yet to be told where exactly he was supposed to drag himself to, but even though he attempted to draw information from anybody that he could, he was met with shrugs and silence. Granted, he was only able to draw the attention of two people, but nonetheless, he was helpless.
"Steve!"
Turning around to find the person who shouted his name, Steve found no one other than Pickett, who ran up to him with a wide grin on his face. Upon reaching him, Pickett gave Steve a quick look-over, examining his brand-new set of armour in slight awe.
"Wow man, you're looking pretty...well, champion-like! I don't think that I've seen you in armour like that before."
Steve gave him a smile.
"Because you haven't. Even then, it's only what Almun managed to make for me under a time crunch; it's not exactly the same as the type of stuff you see in storybooks, or whatever."
"Better than nothing! I think it suits you well, anyway."
Presenting himself to the other, Steve extended out his arm to allow him to look over the details of the gauntlet that covered his hands.
"I think so too! Almun doesn't play around when it comes to making great armour, and I'm pretty sure he made this one with me in mind, if you know what I'm talking about." Proud of his friend, Steve grinned at the idea of Almun making a personalized set for him, though that may or may not have been the intention in mind when he was actually working on it.
Laughing, Pickett glanced up from looking at the gauntlet to looking back at Steve.
"Probably! Anyways, are you ready for the whole ceremony thing? Did the Elder give you anything like a speech to give?"
Thinking about the other's words, Steve realized something as his mood suddenly took a dip.
He was so anxious about the whole ordeal and what he'd have to do during his trip, he didn't even consider whether or not he'd have to speak in public about his new role.
"...No."
"...Are you gonna give one anyways?"
Steve looked at the man with worried eyes.
"How much do you want to bet that my first speech will be my most embarrassing one?"
Pickett laughed.
"C'mon Stevie, I bet that you could give a speech that'll put you in the books faster than any other thing you could do on your actual adventure!"
"Really? 'Cause every other time I talk to people that aren't you, Al, or Sel, I get no glorious round of applause. I don't think that anybody's gonna write a speech from me down anywhere. Not even my grave."
"That's not the right attitude! C'mon, just imagine it, people reading about your accomplishments decades later; kids studying your great acceptance speech for tests in schools everywhere!"
Steve rolled his eyes, letting out a small chuckle.
"Might as well make it short then if I do have to give one, just to save them at least."
Glancing around the area a bit, looking at passersby, Steve tried to spot any sign that the ceremony was about to take place, still finding nothing.
"...Any idea where the thing is taking place, Pick? I haven't seen a ton of people heading towards a single place yet, so I have no idea."
Pickett shrugged.
"I don't know about the whole planning thing, but people usually start getting really busy about thirty minutes before the whole thing."
"How much time do we have left?"
Digging into his pocket for a moment, Pickett pulled out a small, golden pocket watch and looked at it briefly before showing it to the other.
"Forty-something."
Steve squinted his eyes a bit as he tried to make out the time himself.
"...Forty-seven. Should I head to the Elder to see what's up?"
Pickett shrugged.
"Whatever helps, I guess. I'll wait for you."
Nodding, Steve led the way as the two went for the town hall, stepping into the building quietly as the secretary there didn't even bother with lifting up his head to see who had walked in.
Moving towards the front desk, Steve was slightly surprised by the man pointing immediately to the hallway, eyes not leaving the pages of his book.
"Too many people coming in for preparations. Just go up to see him."
"...Thank you, sir." Steve replied quietly, giving a little nod of acknowledgment.
As he walked towards the hallway, he heard Pickett's voice call out to him.
"I'll wait for you here, Steve! Don't take too long!"
"Not planning on it, Pick. This won't take more than a couple of minutes!"
Going up to the Elder's office, Steve was surprised to find the door already open. Pulling himself up, he found the Elder at his desk, eyes already placed on him. Surprisingly enough, the man sighed in relief at the sight of him.
"Steve...Thank goodness it's just you, I've been getting so many people in here it's gotten ridiculous. What can I help you with?"
Walking up to the other's desk, Steve paused for a moment to figure out his own words before speaking.
"...You never told me where the ceremony was gonna be. Where do I go?"
The Elder stared at him for a moment before letting out a small laugh in response.
"That's all? My memory has some blanks in it from time to time, so I wouldn't be surprised if I forgot even more. We're having the ceremony by the old bell."
The bell. A little, golden bell that had been put into place right next to the stairway that led down to the town's meadery, overlooking the forest that laid past a gentle river that separated the village from the further outside world. The device itself had no purpose other than to sit and look less-than-ideally-pretty, at least, that's what Steve assumed. It wasn't used to count the hours and hadn't been rung seemingly ever, collecting up a solid layer of both dust and moss that would only be cleansed by rain, whenever it came. It might've been inappropriate for a ceremony to take place anywhere near it, but it was slightly fitting to Steve considering the circumstances he was in. Such a grand event was being soiled by the debris of his despair and fear, leaving him unable to enjoy much that laid beyond its surface.
...
Location noted, Steve found that he had all he needed to proceed.
"Alright. Thanks for the info, sir." Steve turned around to leave, only to be stopped by a hand grabbing him by the wrist.
The Elder looked over the gauntlet that encased his hand, examining its details closely.
"...Y'know, despite our differences, I must admit, Almun sure does know how to do a good job when it comes to his craft."
Wanting to get out as soon as possible, Steve nodded, attempting to pull back his hand slowly.
"Yeah, he really does some great work. I don't think that I've seen anything else like the stuff he makes."
Slightly bending his hand a bit, the Elder continued to look over it.
"So versatile as well. Sturdy. I don't think an arrow will be able to pierce this stuff, at least."
After a few more seconds of deep inspection, the Elder let go of him, allowing him to make his way back to the trapdoor. As he left, the man waved at him.
"...See you at the ceremony, Steve." He said, quietly.
The miner made his way back through the hallway and right to Pickett, who was leaning against the wall, farther away from the secretary than he had been just a few minutes earlier. Finding that he'd returned, Pickett's eyes lit up, and he pushed himself off the wall to join by his side as they both began to leave.
"So, where's this shindig happening?" He asked, waiting eagerly for an answer.
"Down by the bell. At least we'll have a nice view, right?"
The two left the building, heading on the pathway towards the location in question.
"Yeah! Wish this thing was at sunset, so we'd have a better sight as a backdrop, but I don't want you to head out into the darkness, y'know?"
Steve smiled at him, raising a brow in jest.
"I was gonna ask, Pick, did you want me to die immediately, or…?"
Pickett nudged him playfully.
"Hey! I forgot for a second, alright? This view is fine. It'll be quick anyway, so I don't think that we'll get enough time to look around."
Approaching the site of the bell, the two looked past the railing it was in front of to stare at the forest beyond. There were trees as far as the eyes could see, only being broken up by mountains and far-off rivers that were hidden by the forest itself.
Pickett looked down at Steve, nudging his shoulder a bit.
"What direction are you planning on going in?"
Steve looked back up at him.
"What?"
Pickett nodded towards the trees.
"I mean, once you head out. You going in this direction? Or more towards the deep taiga? You have any ideas so far?"
Steve thought to himself for a moment, shaking his head.
"Nope. I was just planning on going back to my house to grab my things, then heading out there. Still don't know where to go, though."
"Well, you have a solid few minutes to decide on something, I guess."
Taking the other's words to mind, Steve thought to himself momentarily, looking at the treetops.
There were only so many places that he could run to, but where? There were other villages all around the land, but he had no clue of where they were, and he was even more stumped when it came to locating the bigger cities that were less homey and more industrialized. He could always rough it out in the wilderness by himself, but he would've been better off staying in his house if he chose that option. He could use Selwyn's book as a guide, but she didn't really draw maps or pathways leading to the places she visited, she just talked about the general area, nothing more.
Where would he go? Should he just wander around blindly and hope that he comes upon something? Should he look up the old fairy tales and read about the locations in them, hoping that he can find somewhere that fits the descriptions?
"...I think I need more than that, Pick." He said, still mulling over his thoughts.
Behind the two, several villagers started to walk over to the general area, some bringing bundles of flowers, others bringing baskets that held the petals from similar flowers within them. A general chatter began to rise up amongst the villagers, leading to Pickett and Steve to finally glance back and notice them.
Pickett chuckled.
"I guess it's almost time, yeah?"
Steve shrugged.
"Seems like it."
Over the next few minutes, more and more people came towards the area, forming a small crowd around the site of the bell. Soon enough, the chatter began to be hushed as the Elder made his way there, people parting away to make his trip easier. Motioning for Steve to join by his side, the Elder stopped in front of the bell, smiling as the other approached him and all eyes fell upon the two.
The Elder cleared his throat before speaking.
"Welcome, welcome! So glad that you all could take the time out of your day to come bear witness to such an event. Today, we celebrate and acknowledge the appointment of our newest champion!"
A small round of applause followed his words, prompting him to gesture to Steve.
"Though many of you know him, I'm sure, I introduce you all to our chosen appointee, Steve!"
Steve gave an awkward wave as more applause followed, along with a few cheers. The rows of curious eyes fell upon him, making him more uncomfortably aware of his own actions.
"Now, his journey will be filled with darkness and danger, but I believe that we can count on him to succeed in his travels, yes?"
The crowd let out a few murmurs of agreement, soon after breaking into a large round of applause. The Elder motioned for everybody to quiet down after a few solid seconds of it, gesturing over to Steve once again.
"While we're here, why doesn't our new champion leave us with a few words of his own to install some faith?"
Here it was. His time had come, and Steve still found little that he wanted to say to the others. What was he supposed to say, anyway?
"See you in the afterlife?"
"I'm absolutely terrified?"
"I thank the Elder for possibly ruining my life?"
Whatever spiteful words that rested on his tongue were swallowed, and instead, he decided to put his improvisational skills to the test.
"...Uh...yeah, hello!"
He wasn't really good at improv.
"I...honestly speaking, I wasn't planning on seeing myself in this situation. Like, at all. But...since I'm here in front of you all now…"
Steve looked over the crowd, finding expectant faces staring back at him.
He took a deep breath, and smiled. He could do this.
"I can't promise you that I won't screw up, somehow, but I can promise you this: I'll do my absolute best. I can't promise you the world, but I can promise you that I'll try to make you all proud." As he finished, he found himself relaxing a bit, having found a bit of self-reassurance within his own words.
He was met with a bit of applause, which he was thankful for. Not wanting to maintain awkward silence or eye contact with the people, Steve looked back towards the Elder, who offered him a smile in return.
"Fantastic! Well said! Now, if you don't mind…"
The Elder reached into his pocket, pulling out a shiny object which happened to be the same mystery shard that Steve had been cut with the other day. Before he could express his disdain and back away in anticipation of another breach of his personal space, the Elder held it in front of his face for a solid few seconds, waving around the piece with a serious expression on his face. The audience let out a quiet collection of 'Ooohs' as Steve was left in complete confusion over what was currently occurring.
Once the Elder finished, he pocketed the shard and turned Steve towards the audience.
"Our champion, everyone!"
The villagers erupted in cheers and applause as Steve stood quietly, watching as everybody else's excitement far exceeded his own. Flowers were thrown and people were ecstatic, but as the petals fluttered to the ground, Steve's thoughts of worry began to flood his mind.
What if he couldn't do his best? What if he wasn't good enough? What if he died too early in his journey?
Stirring him from his rumination, Steve slowly began to recognize the feeling of the Elder's hand on his shoulder, turning to find the man looking at him with interest.
"You may set off after this. Don't take long." He whispered, patting Steve's shoulder for further emphasis.
Nodding, Steve turned his attention back on the crowd, watching as their faces lit up with hope for the future.
He couldn't let himself get deterred now, he had to take his own words to heart. He promised his best, so that's what he would give.
His house was filled with an air of tension and anxiety.
His body was the same.
Going over the stuff he had put away into the confines of his traveling pack, Steve tried to put his thoughts together into something that wouldn't threaten his sanity. He had packed enough food and water to last him a few days, possibly even longer since he was planning on eating before he actually left. He'd set the compass he was given to point in the right direction, and he had placed both it and a pocketwatch of his own in the bag. He had a couple of empty journals placed in the deeper pockets for good measure and "data collection," along with a quill and a small bottle of processed ink. He had his previously-brewed potion in there. He had bandages and other medical supplies within a smaller, separate bag that was tucked away under a sturdy blanket. The only tools he had packed away were a newer pickaxe, a shovel, and an old axe, which hadn't been put to use since he'd briefly worked on building his own house along with the villagers years ago, cutting down some trees for them to utilize.
Looking around to see if he missed anything, Steve found that the sword that he'd been gifted, along with the scabbard it came with, was still laid on the floor. Walking over to grab it, Steve looked briefly to the side towards his dining table, finding that the book that Pickett had retrieved for him was still there upon it. Attaching the sword to his belt carefully, Steve continued to stare at the cover of the book, as if just looking at it would give him the ability to decipher the strange words upon it.
Curiously, Steve went over to where it sat and lifted up the cover along with a few of its pages, scanning through the pictures.
There were various images of humanoid figures, posing triumphantly as words beneath them and beside them seemingly depicted whatever they had accomplished. Though Steve had no idea of what the individuals were doing, he found the images entertaining enough as he glanced briefly at each one. The action soon became automatic as he began to space out, finding that the feeling of the aged pages against his skin was more interesting than anything else.
One page in particular managed to snap him back into focus as he passed by it, forcing him to flip frantically back in order to find it once again.
There. The drawing before him depicted a small, human-like individual, colored completely in dark blue, pointing a sword valiantly up towards the sky, where a large, winged creature challenged them, its non-colored eyes narrowed in fierce anger as it breathed a strong blast of what he only assumed was fire.
…
Looking around to see if anybody had broken into his house again, Steve glanced back at the picture momentarily, only to shut the book completely and push it closer to the wall, moving quickly away from the table.
That had to have been the dragon. Either this book was an older set of fairytales from a distant land, or this might've been the point of reference that everybody was using in order to determine what they could do in order to bring fame upon their names.
…
Though a voice in the back of his mind was urging him to bring it along, Steve left it where it was, instead moving more towards his food storage in order to grab a meal before he went out. He didn't need the extra weight upon his back and his thoughts.
After biting a bit into a solid meal that consisted of carrots, a baked potato, and a bit of steak, Steve looked outside to find that the sun was still relatively in the same place, meaning that he had enough time to make his way towards a space that would provide him good shelter before the night finally settled in. Finishing what he could, Steve quickly went around his house to double-check that everything was alright, closing his blinds and locking his chests, before going to pick up his traveling bag from where he had set it down. After placing it on his back, he made sure that he had good enough access to the handle of his sword before giving one last glance at the book on the table, shaking his head as he considered bringing it along once again. Turning to look at his old sword on the mantle, he smiled to himself, taking a deep breath before making his way towards the front door.
Whatever direction he was heading, he hoped that he'd be okay.
Upon choosing which forest to make his trip into, Steve found himself inching away from the taiga biome, finding himself more drawn to the simple appeal of the oak and birch trees that were closer to his house.
The sun still hung high in the sky, and though it had only been a few minutes, Steve's confidence hadn't wavered, and he found himself enjoying the quietness of the world around him. The cold, autumn breeze blew around the tree leaves above him, and he could still hear the sounds of the village animals far away, though only slightly. The grass beneath his feet was slightly damp, leaving a solid ring of wetness around the edges of his boots.
He figured that if he headed in a single direction for a while, he'd eventually come upon something of interest, which would point him in a much better direction soon afterward.
The forest ended up continuing for miles longer than he would've initially expected.
There wasn't a single break among the trees that suggested that they had an edge or some sort of opening to a different area, yet, as Steve walked along, he kept hoping for such a thing to come into sight, somehow. He only had so long until the sun would finally begin to hide away for the day, and he at least wanted to find a mountain to set up camp near or a cave to go into, so that he wouldn't have to stress much about shelter. Given that the cold winds were beginning to pick up as well, Steve could take a guess that, soon enough, the weather would turn quite against his favor, further dampening his chances of ever getting any farther along in his quest if he were to remain unguarded. Straining his eyesight, Steve glanced around a bit more, attempting to spot anything that the trees might've initially hidden from him.
A good amount of feet away, Steve spotted a dip in the ground.
Slightly relieved at the different bit of scenery, the miner moved towards that direction with a quicker pace. Upon reaching the dip, he was both relieved and slightly upset by the revelation that it was, in fact, a small cave that he had found, though it was unfortunately waterlogged. Sure, it had some spots he could sit in, but they weren't big enough to sleep next to without risking possibly falling into the water. Not wanting to freeze to death, he kept on walking deeper into the trees.
Sunset came sooner than he wanted.
Despite the fleeting light coming in through the trees, Steve kept briskly walking through the forest, still attempting to search for some sort of place that he could set up shelter in. He remained rather unlucky in his search, so he decided to stop where he was currently. Looking around to see if any mobs had spawned yet, finding none, he then turned his attention to the nearest tree beside him; a strong, tall, oak tree.
…
He considered his options. He could keep walking and keep searching for a cave, or he could drag his body up the branches of a tree.
…
His shoulder could take the strain. If he was so sturdy and his ability to heal so "miraculous," he could get over whatever pain he would face in the long run.
Reaching up to the nearest branch, Steve tested its weight before pulling himself up, scaling the tree as carefully as he could to avoid dropping anything and possibly slipping down to be greeted with a newer injury. Upon reaching a big enough branch that he could sit on, he stopped, taking a few short breaths as he recovered from the slight exertion, rolling his shoulder a bit to make sure that he was okay.
Carefully removing his backpack and leaning it against the trunk itself after scooting a bit further down away from the trunk, Steve dug into the bag, pulling out the blanket that he'd packed into it earlier, wrapping it around his body as he focused on the setting sun once again. Though it was further hidden beyond the horizon, he found that he had enough time to adjust himself before falling into complete silence, just to make sure that he wouldn't be seen or heard by any mobs that happened to be in the area. Turning to lean against his pack, he adjusted his body into a more comfortable position, looking up to the leaves above him as they shifted gently, quietly lulling him into a more sleepy state. It might've been too early to lower his guard, but Steve allowed himself to close his eyes as he listened to the surrounding nature, enjoying it before it melted into the terrifying atmosphere of the night.
Before long, the sun had completely disappeared. To his surprise, however, the sound of the leaves around him had yet to be joined by the sounds of any mobs.
Opening his eyes, Steve glanced around, peeking through the leaves to find no signs of any monsters; no clicks or clacks of bone, no groans, no hisses, nothing. A deep feeling of dread had settled into his stomach, and he didn't find himself able to simply shake it off. His anxiety grew as he found himself truly alone in the forest, even though by all means, there should've been at least a few rodents or a couple of bees here and there. He expected something to pop out of nowhere, dragging him down from his branch in an instant, but nothing else was around to do so.
He let out a shaky breath, closing his eyes again as he tried to ignore his growing fear.
…
…
…
He finally heard something.
The sound of hissing came to his ears, but as he analyzed it, he realized that it wasn't the tell-tale hiss of a creeper, but instead a spider, crawling around somewhere closer to him, yet still far away. In fact, it seemed like the hissing didn't come from just one spider, but several.
...
Should he risk running for it? The spiders didn't know where he was at the moment as far as he knew. He was mostly hidden by the tree leaves, so they couldn't have spotted him, right?
The hissing got closer, and Steve found himself getting more anxious. His body remained absolutely still as he listened while the creatures' movements came ever nearer to his location, up until the point where he was no longer certain that they didn't know where he was.
He held his breath as he looked down, spotting a large, hairy leg that belonged to one of the arachnids.
…
…
The lone spider that had crawled closest to the tree snapped its head upwards at him, locked eyes, and screeched, moving quickly to the base of the tree in order to climb up it. Another few pairs of legs came closer as well, and several more spiders began to respond to the alarm with calls of their own.
He decided to take a bit of advice given to him earlier by Almun, and decided to not get into this situation that he couldn't exactly handle at the moment, being outnumbered while sitting on the branch of a tree. Grabbing his pack, Steve nearly fell face-first as he scrambled to get away, breaking into a sprint as he held his bag tighter against his body. Running deeper into the forest, he hadn't even bothered to check which direction he was going in; if he got lost, so be it. Maybe he'd end up back at his house.
Running until his legs begged for him to reconsider his options, Steve began to slow down into a brisk walk, moving up against a birch tree in order to catch his breath as he looked back to make sure that he hadn't been followed. Leaning, he collapsed against the trunk, sliding down to the ground as he took shallow breaths, finding that his body was still on high alert. He eventually began to calm down, glancing around to see if any other mob was coming even remotely close to him.
It was completely silent here too. He heard nothing.
…
Though it was barely hanging onto his body, Steve wrapped his blanket around him once again, now recognizing that the coldness of the wilderness was still there as well. He sat in silence as he continued to keep a watchful eye on the area, still finding himself rather alone. Debating on climbing this new tree as well, Steve looked up to assess whether or not he could, unfortunately remembering that the tree he had found was, of course, birch. The other oak trees in the area were too young to climb, with weak branches that couldn't have possibly hoped to hold both his weight and the weight of his bag. He seemed to be in a newer, younger part of the forest, at least.
Letting out a sigh, Steve then focused his attention on the night sky, trying to push down the feeling of hopelessness that threatened to drown him. It was only a few hours into his adventure, but he already wanted to give up and head back home to the warm embrace of his bed. At least then, he'd have the sounds of a clock and possibly a warm fire there to fill his ears, instead of leaving him in this eerie silence that threatened to rob him of decent future nights' sleep.
…
He continued to stare at the stars above, draining his thoughts as best he could.
…
"I thought that you'd at least be able to remember that we'd be meeting again after your appointment."
Steve found himself jumping at the sudden voice, but, as he looked around, he spotted the edge of a black cape as, assumingly, Herobrine stood on the opposite side of the tree, leaning against its surface as he made his presence known. He hadn't even heard the other approach him, but, with every new visit, he was beginning to believe that that would be considered "normal" for their encounters.
Finding his words, Steve cleared his throat a bit before speaking.
"...I forgot, sorry. I was too busy packing to remember." He apologized quietly, turning his attention back forwards as he tried to avoid straining his neck.
The two remained in silence for a moment, before Herobrine let out a quiet sigh.
"...Do you even know where you're going?"
Steve shook his head.
"You probably have a better idea than I do."
Herobrine scoffed at his response.
"You'd think that a 'champion' would have a better idea of the layout of the land before stepping foot in it, wouldn't you?"
Walking back around the tree, Herobrine looked at the other, illuminating his form a bit with his gaze.
"...You chose to sleep here for the night?"
Steve shook his head, looking back towards the area he had just escaped from.
"...I was just chased by a few spiders. I was originally gonna sleep in a tree since I didn't really have any other safe options, but they found me, so I left. My first idea was to find a cave in the mountains somewhere, but...I couldn't find any." Steve shrugged.
The two were left in silence for a moment, before Herobrine let out a small sigh of what could only be described as a mixture of annoyance and disappointment.
"...You're hopeless."
Rolling his eyes, Steve cast a quick glare up at the other, who remained in his spot, unmoving.
"Gee, thanks."
"If all it took was a spider to spot you and climb up for you to meet your demise, it'd be better to just continue searching for a cave in the dark."
"...What about the other mobs? They'd see me walking, and within two minutes, I'd be dead."
Herobrine narrowed his eyes at him.
Silence followed for a moment or two, before Herobrine tched, keeping his glare harsh.
"...Grab your belongings."
Steve looked up at him in confusion.
"...What?"
Herobrine turned his back towards him.
"Get up. You're coming along with me. Since I can't have you perishing anytime soon, I'll lead you to a better place to rest."
Steve blinked at the other's words.
Was he really...helping him?
"...Huh?"
The other silently began walking away, leaving Steve scrambling to pick himself up again before he got too far ahead of him.
Following behind at a far enough distance, Steve stared at the other's back momentarily before shifting his gaze to the world around them both.
He hadn't really gotten many opportunities before to really enjoy the outside world at night, but now, as he felt the cold air nip against his skin and watched the stars twinkle brightly above in a more protected manner, he felt...at peace. There were no mobs to threaten him, a warm blanket around his shoulders, and a quiet, but somewhat calming figure in front of him who most likely contributed to the situation, though Steve couldn't tell exactly how he did so beyond not automatically killing the miner upon sight.
It took a few minutes, but the other had led him to a small hill, where, at its base, laid the entrance to a hollowed-out space; a cave, with no other tunnels within it.
Pausing in his tracks, Herobrine turned to face him.
"I believe that you'll be able to make do with this, correct?"
Steve nodded.
"Yes! Thank you so much for taking me here. I don't think I would've slept properly otherwise."
Though he gave Herobrine a small smile in appreciation, he was not met with any emotional reciprocation.
"And you said that it was spiders who came after you, correct?"
Nodding again, Steve looked back towards the direction they came from.
"A few of them, yeah."
Herobrine thought to himself quietly for a moment, before turning away once again to leave the miner where he was.
"...Noted."
Without any other words or even a goodbye, the strange man left, walking away into the depths of the forest until the colors of his outfit blended in completely with the shadows of the night, which didn't take long.
Steve watched him as he walked off, soon turning back to look at the rest of the cave as he stepped into it. Going towards the farthest spot away from the entrance, Steve took off his backpack once again and laid it against the wall there. Digging into it, he took out a torch and lit it for a source of light, just for added safety and to make sure that he was truly alone within the cave. Finding that he was, Steve then placed the torch on the ground and sat alongside it as he went to rummage through his pack again, digging around until he found one of the empty journals that he had packed.
He decided to pull out his quill and ink, writing his first journal entry.
'Climbed a tree. Got chased by spiders. Was led to a cave by Herobrine.'
Again, he wasn't one for words, but later on, if he managed to survive this whole ordeal, he'd probably appreciate the reminder of how it all started. Finding that he was lacking the energy to continue, he left the journal open for a bit as he stored the ink and the quill away. Adjusting the blanket on his body, he went to lean against his bag, relaxing in the silence of the cave.
There were still no mobs to speak of. He was all alone, but frankly, given the fact that he was led to the cave by Herobrine of all people, he assumed that he'd be relatively safe. Taking a deep breath, Steve closed his eyes, drifting off to the quiet tranquility of the night.
He woke up to the sounds of a new day, with the sounds of chirping birds and the quiet breezes from before growing a bit louder.
Waking up to the sunlight that practically blasted into the cave, Steve looked around briefly, finding that the torch he had placed had gone out, and that the ink within his journal had dried. Picking them both up and placing them into his pack along with his blanket, after folding it carefully, he then placed the bag on his back and started to walk out, but not before grabbing his compass from one of the pockets.
Looking at it to see that it's needle kept pointing southwest, Steve decided that he would be heading in the opposite direction.
He found himself so lost in thought, however, that he nearly bumped into a large figure that was sitting near the entrance of the cave.
Jumping back in surprise before he had the opportunity to trip over the being, Steve looked down to find a cloaked figure at his feet, head lowered, body entirely hidden by the heavy, brown leather that the cloak itself was made out of. A bow was laid by their side, and, as Steve leaned over, he found a quiver full of arrows against the other's back. However, before his confusion could drive him to ask for the other's name, a deep voice came from underneath the hood, keeping his words trapped on the edge of his tongue.
"I was sent here by Lord Herobrine. The spiders are not to be trusted when it comes to respecting wishes, so I came to make sure you weren't caught vulnerable."
The voice, though still new to him, belonged to the skeleton that he'd met the other day, Malgun. The cloak that he wore seemed to be protecting him well enough against the rays of the sun, not letting a single inch of his body be touched.
"Uh...Thank you, sir. General." Steve gave a small bow as he corrected himself, though he knew that the other couldn't see him from underneath his hood.
Standing up, the other grabbed his belongings and started moving towards the trees for better cover, leaving Steve by himself. Unsure of whether or not to follow the man, Steve decided to turn to the northeast, starting his journey past the cave and further into the unknown.
Malgun called out to him.
"The master is watching."
His words unnerved the miner, causing him to pause in his tracks as he looked back at the other expectantly. Looking back at his compass to process the statement for a moment, he was upset to find that Malgun was gone when he finished.
'How do these guys run off so fast?' He thought to himself, clutching the compass in his hand a bit tighter.
Walking, Steve continued his journey into the forest, finding himself still anxious of the idea that he was being permanently monitored.
Shorter chapter today folks, but uhhhh we're getting there!
Semi-related little tidbit, I tend to put on the Minecraft soundtrack when I write, lol. I do sometimes switch to other soundtracks, like the Hollow Knight, Skyrim, and Coraline OSTs, but Minecraft really helps out with these chapters! All of the soundtracks I listed are nostalgic to me, so they help me keep my focus and set the tone. I've started attributing different tracks to different scenes subconsciously, to kinda demonstrate the kind of feeling I want to give off for them. For Steve's ceremony, I imagine that Équinoxe fits it best, lol. Kinda sad, kinda hopeful.
Just gotta say, public speaking SUCKS. I hate doing projects where I have to get up in front of people and talk verbally. I wish I had better improvisational skills, but uhhhhh I was cursed with the socially-anxious/generally-anxious gene. I couldn't save myself even if I wanted to, lmao
Not really that much fun-facts for today, but still!:
1.) As stated in Switcheroo and here, that poor bell hasn't been rung in ages. Then again, that might be a generally good thing since it's used as an alarm system, not a time indicator.
2.) Old Al usually takes a solid week or so to make armour with reinforced materials, usually doubling up on layers and providing more coverage for the body. However, given the unusual amount of time he was lent in order to make something for Steve, that extra layer of metal, which takes longer to put together, was substituted for a hard layer of leather instead. Though it doesn't provide as much protection, it's very lightweight and breathable, making it more preferable to those who don't face much danger, such as those in similar job fields as Steve.
Next chapter is coming soon! We'll get into more shenanigans then, but for now, that's all! Leave a review if you have any thoughts or criticisms, I love hearing feedback!
(Don't know how to respond to reviews in the review board itself, but rest assured, I'm reading them, y'all)
