Chapter 8: God of Erasure
Steve, Herobrine, Constiere, and Andvari all met with each other in the forest nearest to Steve's house, just out of sight as they hung around underneath a large oak tree. The moon was still high in the sky as they stood together, but the smoke that had been rising from village chimneys were now fully extinguished, leaving them, and all other hostile mobs, the only ones awake within the area.
Glancing between Andvari and Constiere, Herobrine stood with his arms crossed in front of his chest, a grin on his face as he thought about his earlier discovery.
"I have great news for us, but first...any luck on finding Malgun?"
While Andvari shook his head, Constiere excitedly nodded.
"Yes! He was heading this way last I checked, and should be here in a few minutes or so."
Herobrine nodded as he listened to the other.
"Good, good. Now, on to the news that I had for you two."
Holding out both of his hands, the demigod summoned a pair of strong, twin flames within them, proudly smiling as the others looked on in awe.
"Not only have we one less portal to worry about, but…" Herobrine extinguished the flames as he moved to gesture over to Steve, who flinched as the flames went out just before the other's hand was in front of him. "We have ourselves another way of finding them."
Looking up at Steve, Constiere narrowed his eyes in confusion.
"...Wait, him? Can humans feel portal magic too, or what? Can we put him on a leash and have him sniff them out?"
"You're so unimaginably rude, it hurts, Constiere." Andvari shook his head, taking a quick moment to lightly smack the other upside the back of the head, resulting in a yelp.
"Hey! I'm just asking!" The boy exclaimed as he rubbed the back of his head, turning back towards Herobrine as he waited for him to explain further.
"Amusing idea, but no. We look not to his nose, but to his eyes." Herobrine pointed higher up Steve's face. "I believe that our best answer at the moment for what's going on with him is that he's been afflicted with a curse. Nothing harmful, currently, but whatever it is, it has to do with magic. Possibly the same kind that the portals use. Maybe even the kind that they try to keep in."
Both mob generals nodded in response and realization, though, Andvari raised a brow.
"...Does this mean that we also have a clue of what else the humans are bringing over to this world if it's affecting him?"
Herobrine thought to himself for a moment, eyes widening a bit as the other's words processed themselves within his mind.
"...I hadn't even considered that. I guess we do."
The demigod stared into Steve's eyes for longer than the other found to be comfortable, before breaking eye contact to stare at his hands a bit. Closing his palms a couple of times, Herobrine sighed.
"...I assume that our next line of action would be to head towards other portals. I believe that we can focus our efforts now on larger cities since we're going for bigger gateways, do we all agree on that?"
While the other two nodded, Steve looked at Herobrine with slight confusion.
"...Why bigger cities?"
Herobrine looked at him.
"...They, above all other locations, will most likely have portals activated and in use somewhere. Like the one we just found, it most likely won't be out in the open. I believe that if we find a city with materials such as quartz and glowstone strewn everywhere, then for sure, there will be a portal there that will be well-hidden in a place not reachable by the general public, most likely within an important building. The only types of people that would even need to use such a thing would be builders, possibly. I don't believe that humans would freely allow witches to walk about, anyways."
Smirking, Herobrine went to place a hand on the other's shoulder for a moment, squeezing tightly as an unspoken threat.
"Granted, it won't be too hard to find when we get there. There's just the matter of getting into wherever the portal is being held that we may have to consider."
Moving away from the miner, Herobrine moved to place his hands behind his back.
"...We're certainly not going to be able to place the city under siege this time around. If burning down that other village got Minos sent down to investigate, then for sure, we'll be met with a whole group of gods ready to turn us into the dust of the past."
Constiere and Andvari nodded in response. Steve brought up a hand to touch the shoulder that the other had squeezed, only moments later remembering that it had been the same one that previously had an arrow shot into it.
"...Steven."
Turning around, Herobrine glared at the other for a moment before sighing.
"It pains me deeply to place any sort of added trust in you, but...in the event that my forces cannot breach the city, I will leave you with the responsibility of locating the portal yourself. Granted, it may not come to that at all, but just in case, we'll leave that opportunity open."
Though the responsibility being teased was big, Steve nodded, noting that he really didn't have any sort of choice in the matter.
"I dunno how you expect me to get into those kinds of places, but I'll try my best, I guess." Steve said with a smile, resulting in the other moving to roll his eyes in response.
Herobrine continued to speak, moving past the other's words.
"...Alright. I believe that we'll have to travel quite a bit until we hit one of these big cities, but that won't be so much of an issue. Andvari, the endermen found something the other day, is that correct?"
The enderman nodded.
"Yes. I believe that they spotted a giant source of light coming from the distance; most likely from a city."
"In which direction?"
"Due west."
"Then we'll head there."
Hearing the sounds of approaching footsteps, the small group turned to look towards the source, finding a leather-cloaked figure slowly walking towards them. Herobrine smiled as the stranger pulled down his hood, revealing himself to be none other than Malgun.
"General! You finally made it. Sorry we can't allow you to rest at the moment, but we're heading west for one of the fancier cities. Sounds good to you?"
Malgun nodded silently, moving closer to the group as he did so.
Turning back to look at Andvari, Herobrine gestured for him to continue speaking.
"Now, how far away exactly were your endermen from that glowing place? A few feet? A few miles?"
"A couple of miles or so. They themselves were located quite a distance away from where we are now, I'd estimate it'd take a couple of days just to get to where they stood since we have to go by foot."
Nodding, Herobrine began to walk away.
"Let's get going then. Only have so much time until we need to adjust ourselves and find somewhere for Malgun to escape to."
The group started to walk off towards the taiga biome that laid towards the west, minus Steve, who simply stared at them as they went on ahead.
He was rather thankful for the fact that the others weren't planning on staging another siege upon this mystery city they were heading to, but as he breathed a sigh of relief, he was then attacked by the thought of actually heading into the place with them, possibly being seen by other humans, which could only lead to more trouble coming his way. He also thought about the idea of encountering another set of champions while in the city, considering briefly how well-equipped they might be compared to him due to the more-than-likely scenario of the city being able to provide them with stronger tools and armour. Hopefully, he wouldn't get into any unintentional scuffles with them as well, but he much rather hoped that, for his safety and theirs, he wouldn't encounter them at all.
After being lost in his thoughts for a moment, Steve realized that the others had gone quite a ways ahead of him, leading to him breaking off into a sprint in order to catch up.
The smell of fresh pine and damp grass carried itself throughout the area along with the cold breeze of the shifting weather, which marked bits of the ground in a light layer of frost as the group carried themselves past the sprucewood trees. Bright red spots stuck out to the naked eye amongst the foliage of the forest, and as Steve passed by them, he vaguely recognized them to be of a certain species of berry, though, the name had been particularly lost to him as he hadn't tasted them in a long while. The quiet chirping of birds accompanied the sounds of their footsteps, and as they went through particularly shiny patches of grass, the sound of crunching light layers of ice was added into the mix as well.
The taiga forest, despite having more trees spread out apart from one another, was quite prone to colder weather than what the miner was used to due to its slightly higher elevation. As a chill swept through the area once again, Steve shuddered a bit, wishing that he opted to purchase a heavily-layered coat of his own before setting off on his journey. Staring at the demigod who was leading the group, the miner briefly considered asking the other to use his fire-making abilities to provide some warmth, immediately shooting the idea down in his head as he reminded himself of who he was going to be asking. Had he the ability to do such a thing on his own, making fire, he'd be carrying around a small flame within his hands right now. There was only so much protection he had against the coming winter, and a strong layer of clothing wasn't one of them.
Looking around the darkened area, lit only partially by the moon up above, Steve admired the quiet atmosphere and committed the sight to memory, trying to ignore the sharp sting of coldness that accompanied each breath that he took. He hadn't noticed that the group before him had stopped, causing him to nearly bump right into Andvari as they came to a sudden halt.
Silence followed, only to be broken by Herobrine a few seconds afterward.
"...There's a portal around here."
The remaining four all looked at him expectantly, eyes widening at the news.
"Small one or big one?" Constiere asked.
"Has it been lit? Or did you just feel the presence of the frame?" Andvari followed.
"...Small. Activated."
Herobrine looked over to Steve, staring into his eyes as the brightness of his own dimmed significantly.
"...We're not that far away from it."
As Constiere followed his gaze, he raised a brow with a bit of a smirk as he too noticed the slight difference in the color of the miner's eyes.
"...I guess you are more useful than you look, human!"
Walking in a circle for a bit with his head down, Herobrine remained silent as he tried to use his abilities to at least feel a little tug towards the active portal that was more prominent in a certain direction than the others. Finally stopping, he looked up to find himself staring northwest, bringing a smile to his face.
"...At least it's kind of in the direction we're heading. I feel a slightly stronger pulse this way."
Beginning to walk towards that area, Herobrine began to lead as the others followed. They walked for a few minutes in silence, only to stop once again as the demigod froze up, standing completely still for a moment or two before turning towards the others with a commanding gaze.
"...There's someone around in the area, and they're using magic. Scatter. Hide."
While the mob generals followed his orders immediately and Herobrine himself went to hide within the shadows, Steve froze up, finding himself with no idea of where to go, or where to hide.
He soon found himself completely alone, separated from the others as he was left to wait for whoever was "using magic" to find him. Or not. Hopefully not.
Glancing around at the darkened forest, Steve tried to spot any signs of something visually different in the area, unfortunately finding nothing.
What he did eventually find was the sound of nearing footsteps, much to his dismay.
Moving more towards a nearby spruce tree in order to possibly use it as protection in case of an attack, Steve tried to peek around it, still finding nothing in sight, still hearing the footsteps draw nearer. As he was looking, he didn't even realize how close the footsteps had gotten until a hand had clasped itself against his shoulder, forcefully turning him around to meet his sudden attacker. However, when he looked to see who had grabbed him, he found nothing.
The feeling of a hand on his shoulder hadn't left him, driving him more into confusion and panic as he looked around frantically for whoever had snuck upon him.
Stepping away from the tree and finally freeing himself from the phantom grasp, Steve began to back away from the location, only to be stopped by another feeling of something grabbing his body, pulling him back forward despite his attempt at an escape.
"Hey! Y'know, it's pretty weird for a guy to just be randomly outside in the forest at night!"
Searching around for the source of the voice, Steve, again, found nothing. However, the sound of a sigh reaching his ears next, followed by the sound of a cork being out from a bottle, which in turn was followed by the sounds of quiet gulping. Slowly, the form of another human appeared alongside him, startling him badly as he turned to face the new individual.
As he turned, he was met with the tip of a sword being pointed directly at his face.
"Who are you?!"
As Steve studied the other silently, he was slightly surprised to find another pair of vibrant, pinkish-purple eyes staring back at him in suspicion. Black, messy hair covered with remnants of twigs and leaves fell in front of the other's face. Leather dyed a faded black covered the other's body underneath a layer of iron armour, which, to Steve, appeared to have been blackened somewhat by the usage of coal.
Backing away carefully while slowly raising his hands up in defense, Steve chuckled nervously.
"I...my name's Steve, and I was just on my way...somewhere. There's no inn anywhere around here, so I just decided to keep walking, y'know?"
The stranger stared at him momentarily, before moving to swing his sword.
Sighing to himself as he realized he was being attacked once again, Steve moved out of the way, pulling out his own sword to better protect himself.
"Really? You're looking around for an inn, within the middle of an empty forest?"
Continuing to place distance between himself and the stranger, Steve groaned in annoyance.
"Yes. Is that so hard to believe?"
The other pointed his sword at him for another few seconds, before lowering his weapon as Steve made no move to attack him.
"...I heard voices coming from this area. I only see one person. Were you traveling with anybody?"
Steve, too quickly for the stranger's comfort, shook his head.
"I...I kinda talk to myself, heh." Laughing nervously, the miner sheathed his blade.
"...Sure. Weird, if you're telling the truth."
Steve feigned offense.
"Hey! I don't really talk to anybody anyways, what if that's my only way of keeping sane?"
The other laughed.
"Pretty weird way to 'keep sane,' if you ask me."
Though the stranger didn't sheath his weapon, he came slightly closer to the miner, keeping his gaze focused upon him.
"I'm Raff."
"...Nice to meet you."
The two stood in silence for a few seconds, before Steve let out a small laugh as he looked at the other's strange gaze once again.
"I...uh, we have the same weird thing going on with our eyes, don't we?"
Raff never took his gaze off of him.
"...Yeah."
"...Weird, I guess?"
After a few more moments of silence, Raff let out a groan, pointing his sword out towards the other once again.
"Listen, I don't know where you're planning on going, but you're gonna have to go there from another direction."
Steve tilted his head towards the side in confusion.
"...Why?"
"...This area is extremely dangerous. More so than others."
Wanting to laugh at the other's words considering who he had been traveling with just moments prior, Steve instead kept his look of confusion as best as he could.
"...What's around this pla-"
"Nothing! Just take some other path and keep yourself away. There's nothing to gain here except trouble."
Finding himself not wanting to tempt the other into rushing towards him, Steve nodded, turning to walk away back into the forest. However, he paused as he realized that, if the other was so familiar with the area, he might have a few thoughts about how to advance towards the city he and his traveling companions were hoping on reaching.
"...Before I do, can I ask if you're familiar with a city that's like, near here, I think?"
The other lowered his sword briefly once again, raising a brow.
"...Perhaps."
"...Where is it?"
"...Quite a ways from here. Just take a different path from this one, and you'll still come across it. Keep going west."
Finding himself with the same amount of information he had before, Steve sighed, continuing to walk off once again.
"I'll take your word for it. Thanks for the earlier warning, I guess."
Though his back was turned, he heard the other let out a small chuckle as he walked away.
"Stay under the light of the moon and keep walking. Who knows what could come out of the shadows."
Before he could decipher the meaning of the other's cryptic words, Raff had disappeared, leaving him in the forest alone once again. Rolling his eyes, Steve went amongst the cover of the trees, subconsciously keeping in mind to remain within the spaces that were illuminated by moonlight.
A few minutes later, a pair of hands grabbed onto his shoulders, and he nearly found himself falling forward as a smaller weight pushed itself off of him. Turning to the side amid his surprise, he found Constiere landing beside him, eyes widened in excitement, clothes dusted with a layer of black that he could only assume came from some sort of coal, hopefully.
"You distracted that other dude perfectly! Man, I was worried about you for a second, but I think you're getting better with your lying skills!"
Steve chuckled nervously as the other waited for his response.
"Ah...I, well, it wasn't supposed to be a distraction, but I-"
"-It was, though! I stayed back to keep an eye on you, but I think you bought the others enough time to find whatever the guy was talking about. Considering that you both have those weird eyes, I think he's been dabbling in stuff he really shouldn't be."
Looking back towards the place they'd just come from, Steve thought to himself for a moment before posing a question to the other.
"...Do you know if the others are searching for that portal or whatever without us?"
The boy shrugged.
"Eh...probably, but they'll be back soon enough. That guy was pretty suspicious, so whatever he was hiding, they probably found it by now, and I'm willing to bet money that it was the portal."
Casting a glance at the other's pack, Constiere gave him a mischievous smirk.
"In fact, let's actually bet some!"
Steve held up his hands in defense, shaking his head furiously.
"No, no! I'm good! I only have so much, y'know?"
Constiere rolled his eyes.
"Oh, don't tell me you're gonna be another buzzkill. C'mon, live a little! We only have so much time until the others come back, anyways!"
Considering his words for a moment, Steve stared at the other before sighing in defeat, lowering his hands as he went for a money pouch that was hidden within the depths of his pack.
"...How much are we betting?"
The boy held up a single finger.
"One emerald."
Steve looked back at him with a raised brow.
"...Just one?"
Constiere shrugged.
"You can buy a ton of junk with just one emerald, y'know. Besides, I'm an abomination, nobody's gonna be taking my cash for a while, so I'm not gonna try and ask for a lot of it!"
Letting out a laugh at the other's remark, Steve finally found his pouch, taking out a single emerald before putting the bag back within the pack and placing it firmly on his body once again.
"Alright. So you're betting that the thing that Raff was hiding was the portal, right?"
Constiere nodded, placing his hands on his hips.
"Yup! And you'll be betting that it's something else?"
Steve shrugged.
"I mean, I'm probably just setting myself up to hand over an emerald, but sure, I'll take that chance. Most likely wrong, though. Let's say...it was a bunch of monsters."
Constiere stuck out a hand for the other to shake, which he did so immediately.
"Good! The bet is on!"
Nodding, Steve pulled away as he turned to glance through the trees again, looking to spot any signs of the return of their companions.
Minutes later, the others finally came back to the area, bringing back with them expressions of satisfaction (at least, in Andvari and Herobrine's case).
Constiere ran up to them as Steve hesitantly followed.
"Sooooo, what'd you find?!"
Andvari began to speak.
"We traced that small portal's signature, and, as it turned out, it was placed within a makeshift camp."
Herobrine crossed his arms over his chest as the other finished.
"...It was barely stable enough, but whoever was the idiot that thought that making a portal in the open was a good idea wasn't around to find us, so we got rid of it without interference."
Turning around to point a finger at the miner, Constiere gave him an excited expression.
"Ha! I told you that guy looked suspicious! Pay up!"
Steve rolled his eyes with a smile as Andvari cast a glare down at the boy, moving to give the other his emerald.
"I told you that I was gonna be wrong. Here you go, though."
As Constiere reached out to grab the other's money, Andvari put a hand between them, giving Steve a kind gaze as the other let out an annoyed "Hey!"
"You don't have to listen to everything this one tells you to do, you know. You have that right."
Steve shrugged, returning the other's smile.
"Nah...I made a bet with him, and I lost, so I'll keep my promise and give him what I owe him, that's the least I can do, right?"
As Andvari took in his words and nodded, he hesitantly pulled away, giving him one last look that spoke an unsaid "Are you sure?" as Steve nodded, presenting the emerald within his hand to the boy, who snatched it away from his grasp with a slightly mocking "Ha!". Andvari gave Constiere another glare, but said nothing.
As Herobrine watched the exchange, he rolled his eyes.
"...Can we get back to the topic at hand?"
The three looked back at him, appearing rather sheepish afterward.
"Sorry, sir." Andvari apologized, giving him a slight bow.
"Yeah…" Steve added on, following the enderman's example with a slight nod of the head towards the demigod.
"Ditto."
Andvari glared at Constiere, but let out a tch.
Herobrine began to walk away from the others, motioning for Malgun to join by his side directly.
"...So, I'm assuming that, Steven, you managed to converse with whoever had made that camp?"
Steve nodded, though the other couldn't see his action.
"Yeah...He appeared right out of nowhere and told me to stop traveling in the direction we were heading towards."
Herobrine smirked.
"So he was most likely guarding the portal?"
Steve shrugged.
"...I dunno."
Letting out a quiet "Hm…" as he thought to himself, Herobrine motioned for Malgun to step away from him.
"Move your skeletons around the area. Monitor the camp to see what that man was planning on doing."
As Malgun nodded and stepped away, Herobrine turned to face Steve.
"He appeared out of nowhere, you said?"
"...Yeah. I think he drank something, though?..."
Herobrine considered his words for a moment, before nodding in acknowledgment.
"Probably was using a potion of invisibility. If he had to drink something to get rid of it, there's a good chance he used Nether warts in order to brew it, meaning we have a clearer idea of why he needed the portal. We also know that he was the one using magic in the first place."
Clapping his hands together, Herobrine turned away from the other, leading the group into the forest.
"Another portal down! We can take that detour off of our to-do lists and resume our journey towards the city."
As quickly as they had been interrupted, the others began to walk off once again, surprising Steve as they simply disregarded whatever possible threat the other human that he'd just encountered could've posed to their mission. Looking around the area himself, Steve sighed before following them, a bit on edge as he thought about the possibility of Raff somehow managing to stumble upon them under the cover of invisibility.
Continuing their walk through the forest, Steve became lost in thought as his grip upon the straps of his bag became slightly tighter.
Raff would be the least of their worries whenever they actually got to their destination. What would the city be like, anyways? The only other massive city the miner had been exposed to just happened to be the one he originally grew up in, and even then, it was mostly big in the sense that it spanned a great distance, not that the buildings within it were big. Apart from that, it had been a solid ten years since he last saw such a city; how would he be able to adapt to whatever they were going to be encountering? What would he need to look for? How different would the layout be to what he was "used" to?
Hesitantly, Steve spoke up amongst his growing fears.
"...When we get to the city, what will I need to search for? What kind of building should I keep an eye out for?"
Andvari turned to shrug at him as the others kept their paces.
"Most cities have museums that tend to have hints of where these places might've been. If you find one of those, you may have a chance at better locating the portal from there."
Herobrine thought to himself before adding on to the enderman's words.
"...I'd take a guess that a more modern-styled building would be utilized in order to keep defenses high. However, you humans tend to be stupid, so they could also possibly have the portal within an older building as well."
Taking offense, Steve took their words to note, nodding.
"So...I'm gonna look for a museum to get some hints, then search around for the portal?"
Andvari nodded.
"Best place to start within an unfamiliar area, I believe."
"...Got it."
Steve continued with following the others, falling behind as he found himself to be growing colder once again, now that his adrenaline had dropped significantly from earlier.
He was a bit calmer now that he had somewhat of a plan of action. Now, all he had to do was not get lost while attempting to execute it if he was to be sent out to do the demigod's bidding. He'd be running a bit on empty given the fact that his sleeping schedule would be taking a hit due to their journey, but Steve was determined to keep sharp enough to be able to carry out his plan properly.
Their journey had consisted of mainly silence, brief reports given by various mobs to Herobrine, and hesitant questions from Steve's end that were mainly left unanswered as they went along, only stopping once daybreak had hit in order to find refuge for Malgun within a small cave they stumbled upon. Once night had come around once again, they continued to move forward until eventually, a group of endermen had entered their sights, and they were subsequently led towards an area that allowed them to spot what the creatures had discovered.
Andvari pointed it out first to the rest of them.
"See that aura? That's the city."
The group stood upon a hill, staring off into the distance as the outline of tall, illuminated buildings came into sight. From where they were, the buildings themselves seemed to stretch on for miles, with no clear edge to be found. Steve found himself mesmerized by the sight, which amused Constiere as he looked up to stare at the miner with a smirk.
"Gee, I bet you're really excited to be the one to get to walk through allll that, right human?"
Steve glanced back at him with excited eyes, a wide grin forming on his face.
"You think?! It looks amazing from here!"
Constiere rolled his eyes at him.
"Sure. Looks pretty, might not be once you get in there. Try not to get yourself robbed and/or shanked, will you?"
While the boy was met with glares from both Steve and Andvari, Herobrine let out a small chuckle at the other's words, gaining his attention.
"He's right, you know. Since I'm assuming that this city is way too bright for most of the mobs to navigate through without being detected, I guess we'll be sending you in as we planned. Keep your guard up, and make sure not to leave yourself vulnerable. Travelers tend to stick out like a sore thumb amongst city dwellers if they're too 'in awe', but not as much so as within smaller villages like yours."
Steve nodded, beginning to move towards the city. However, before he got too far away, he felt a clawed hand grip his shoulders, leading him to glance at it only to find that it belonged to Andvari.
"...Like what they said, take caution, Steven. Steve? I never got to ask what you preferred."
Steve shrugged, smiling at the other's consideration.
"Steve's just fine. I don't mind either, actually!"
Andvari nodded, letting the other go.
"Alright, then. I'll refer to you as Steve from now on."
Herobrine stepped forward, keeping his gaze focused on the city.
"Given how bright it is, I think that we'll be scouting the area from more of a distance, so you won't be heading in there with any of us. If you actually manage to find the portal, things will be a lot easier, just make sure that you don't rush into the area without alerting us first."
Steve looked at him with a bit of confusion.
"How will I contact you guys if I'm in the city?"
Herobrine looked at him as if he'd dropped a few levels in intelligence.
"You find the portal. You leave as soon as possible, noting the path you took to get there. You get out of the city, alert one of us directly, or approach a mob so that I know where you are. We'll go down together, destroy the portal, and escape without anybody knowing we were even there."
As Steve committed the information to memory, Herobrine sighed, taking his silence as confusion.
"Gather information. Locate the portal. Come back and alert me. Lead me there. Allow me to destroy it. Simple, yes?"
Steve glared at him.
"...I understood you the first time."
Herobrine raised a brow at him.
"Really?..." the demigod smirked. "...Humans aren't that quick-thinking, so I assumed otherwise. I guess I was mistaken."
Not happy with the insult, Steve went to walk ahead, trying to brush off the other's words as he made his way towards the city on his own.
"Hey! Like we told you, don't get so emotional so quickly! It won't benefit you in the long run!"
Though he heard the demigod's voice call out to him with the "advice", Steve rolled his eyes.
As much as the others were attempting to coax him into throwing away his humanity, he was allowed to be human; just as much as they were allowed to be anything else otherwise.
Before he even realized it, Steve found himself alone within the forest again, ruminating in his stirred anger. However, instead of being guided by moonlight, his pathway was lit by the rising rays of the sun. By the time it had fully gone into the sky, he was at the edge of the city, finding himself standing on a road that had suddenly broken into the forest, leading right into the well-developed area lined with what appeared to be skyscrapers.
The city was absolutely massive from a distance, and was even more so up close.
Steve walked along the lit pathway, staring on in awe at the scenery around him as it slowly transitioned from pure forest into advanced architecture. The streets he found himself walking on were primarily made of quartz, lined with solid blue concrete that was lit by the additional lights that were protected by glass on the ground; an unfamiliar sight as Steve struggled to remember the name of the lit material, if he'd ever heard it at all. The streetlights that were made up of iron poles also held the mystery light source within them. As the miner approached one of these poles, he looked briefly at the core of the light hidden beneath a layer of glass, having to avert his eyes soon afterward.
The material appeared to be a solid, golden chunk of rock with various glowing yellow bulbs peeking out from its surface, shining a bright, unwavering yellow with a kind of power that was unfamiliar to him. The rock itself was being held tightly within an iron cup beneath the glass, slightly covered in what appeared to be a fine yellow dust which seemed to also have the glowing capabilities of the light source itself.
Not wanting to miss an opportunity, Steve removed his pack from his back, opened it, and dug around for a moment before pulling out the journal that he'd previously written in, opening to a new page before looking back up at the light once again. He, as best as he could, sketched out the image of the light within the journal, putting down a couple of notes to go alongside it.
'Streetlight made of glowing...stone? Glowstone? Glowstone. Seems to produce and leave behind dust.'
Reading the words he'd just written down, Steve blankly stared for a moment until something finally clicked within his head. He remembered that Herobrine had mentioned something about glowstone, but had to dig around his memory for a bit until he found that information as well.
The material most likely was glowstone, that much he could guess, but did it really indicate the presence of a portal? Was it something brought over from another realm? He'd never seen the item before, so that could've very much been the case, as far as he knew.
He decided to write one last thing before he moved to close the book and return it to its place within his backpack.
'Possibly from another realm. Most likely from another realm. Maybe the one that the dragon is from?'
Moving on from the streetlight, Steve traveled further into the city, continuing to glance around in awe as he examined every single last bit that he possibly could.
The city was shining, and bustling with life and light. Buildings made of quartz and blue-tinted concrete lined every corner and pathway, being illuminated by brilliant displays of various shining and flashing colors that grabbed his attention with a fiercely tight grip that refused to simply let him go. Street vendors and customers alike were seen in various places, consuming and creating freshly-made food, as others stepped about from store to store, talking, laughing, doing whatever they were focused on with little regard for any outside interference. Steve had never seen so many people in one place, and he'd only barely gotten in within the limits of the city.
Stopping by a particular vendor's market, Steve began to glance over the various items being given for sale.
Clothes, trinkets, and such were all displayed as far as the eye could see, resulting in a vast array of colors that stood out amongst the shadows cast by nearby buildings. As the miner came across a particular stall that was selling some clothing, he thought back to earlier events and began the search for a coat of some kind, shivering momentarily as he remembered the sheer chill of the forest at night.
His gaze focused on a particular turquoise-colored coat made of leather on the outside, with a fuzzy layer of fabric on the inside. Reaching for it and looking it over within his hands, he became quite set on purchasing it, running his fingers along its pleasing surface.
"Ooh! That's a pretty coat there! You thinking of buying it?"
Looking towards the source of the voice, Steve jumped back as he found another individual uncomfortably close to his person, startling him as he pulled the coat closer to his body.
The dark-skinned stranger had a portion of his head shaved, but half of his face was covered in a cascade of curly, dark brown hair that poofed out to form an afro, with the rest of his hair being held tightly in a ponytail within the hold of a bright yellow, thick strand of cut rope. He wore a light blue short cloak that was lined with fluffy wool, covering rather normal clothing underneath, which consisted of black pants and a blue shirt that was a shade darker than his cloak.
Light blue eyes stared at him with a certain kindness as he waited for his answer.
"...Oh! Um, yeah. I forgot to get one before I started this journey that I'm going on, and I kinda like this one." He said, holding out the coat a bit towards the other.
The stranger hummed, nodding his head as he looked over the coat.
"It's a nice-looking coat, but if you're going to be traveling, I think you'd be better off getting something with wool on it. I'm not even going anywhere with any sort of urgency right now, but I still have a good layer of wool on me that's keeping me from completely freezing over at night."
Gesturing to his own clothes, the man then moved over to another coat that was being displayed at the stand; this one had more wool sticking out from within the sleeves, and was a slightly darker shade of turquoise than the coat Steve had picked up. Picking up one of the said sleeves, the stranger looked back over at Steve and presented his findings.
"Now this baby will keep you warm! I dunno how used to the cold you are, but I bet that you'll be better off not tempting hypothermia as the nights get colder in this neck of the woods, at least."
Steve laughed at his remark, stepping over to grab the coat as he raised a brow at the other.
"Are you the seller? You're making a pretty hard sell and I'm leaning towards being pretty convinced in buying this one, y'know?"
The man laughed.
"Ha! Nah, I'm just trying to help out. A lot of these folks tend to sell off cheap stuff at a low quality, and though that may be fine for people who live around here, it may not be the best for you."
The man extended his hand out for the miner to shake.
"Name's Merle!"
Steve shook his hand.
"My name's Steve. Um...I'm guessing you're pretty familiar with the city, yeah?"
Merle nodded.
"Absolutely! I'm pretty familiar with every nook and cranny of the place. Or...at least most of them. Got any questions you want to be answered?"
Steve, more desperately than he wanted to seem, nodded his head excitedly.
"Yeah! Uh, for starters...where exactly am I?"
Merle laughed.
"You're in the vendors market, but I'm assuming that you want the name of the whole city, right?"
"Yes."
"Well, you're in Litefall City. This place has lights for days; I'm sure that by the time you leave, you'll be wondering to yourself at about noon where the sun's gone." Merle chuckled, gesturing around as Steve glanced at the well-illuminated buildings.
"It's really pretty, I think." Steve said quietly, earning another laugh from the other.
"Me too! I personally work in low-light conditions, so having my vision blasted out every time I take a walk is pretty refreshing."
Merle gave the miner a raised brow, smiling as he placed his hands on his hips.
"So, what brings you over to the big city? New opportunities, a desire for new opportunities, sight-seeing, what?"
Steve thought to himself for a moment, thinking up a narrative that wouldn't have this poor man killed should he let slip the wrong information.
"Ah, I...I'm just on a personal little adventure, y'know? See the sights, learn some things, all that."
"Where'd you come from?"
Steve shrugged.
"Highland Village. It's a while away from here. It's not as nearly as big and lit up as this place is, but I still think it's pretty charming on its own."
Merle nodded in response to his words.
"Ah, I think I've heard of it a couple of times before, actually. In passing conversation. You guys have like, some of the finest iron out there, I believe, yes?"
Again, Steve shrugged, this time in uncertainty.
"I mean, I wouldn't say so, but then again, I've only seen two types of iron in my life, and one of those kinds was excavated from a half-finished mine in a pretty bad area, so...take my words with a grain of salt."
"...Wait, do you work with processing that stuff?"
Steve made a 'so-so' motion with his hand.
"Not processing it, as much, but I'm one of the miners within that village! I'm one of the guys who finds the stuff in the first place."
The other's eyes widened a bit in surprise.
"Wait, you?! What're you doing out here, then? Shouldn't you be working, or…?"
Laughing nervously as the situation was only a few words away from slipping into dangerous territories, Steve began to attempt to save the conversation.
"I got sent out to do an extra task that we need. I mean, there's only so much we can do for our own village with what we have, so I've been sent here to pick up orders from other clients directly, y'know?"
Letting out a quiet "Oh," Merle nodded as he went over the other's words in his head.
"...So you're heading somewhere in particular?"
Steve nodded.
"I was planning on sightseeing first, but yeah! Do you know where the museum is?"
The other tilted his head slightly in confusion.
"...Which one are we talking about?"
"Uh...Is there one with a bunch of legend stuff? Like...ancient champions, or something like that? I dunno, I thought that would be interesting to check out…" Steve rubbed his arm, thinking over the information about the museum in question that he was briefly exposed to the idea of earlier.
Merle's eyes lit up as he recognized what the miner was talking about.
"Oh! That one!" Merle thought to himself quietly before continuing. "...If you don't mind some company, I can lead you there myself! I haven't been there in a while, either, so we can check it out together!"
Sighing a mental sigh of relief, Steve celebrated having a new guide to take him through the unfamiliar location.
"Yes, that would be fine! Lead the way!"
Nodding and smiling in response, Merle began to walk away, before stopping in place, turning back around to point at the coat they had been discussing earlier.
"Uh, Steve, was it? Might wanna get that while we're here, right?"
Looking back at the coat, Steve realized what he had been about to do, face lightly flushing in embarrassment.
"Oh! Right, yeah."
Steve grabbed the coat and went off to purchase it.
New coat tucked carefully within his backpack, Steve followed Merle eagerly as they went deeper into the city, passing by people briskly as they gazed around at the sights, both seemingly with the same amount of pure awe.
The buildings were taller and covered with various neon lights, most of which were advertising some sort of product, others just there simply for display. As they traveled further into the city, the streetlights gained new features; particularly a set of hanging plants for each pole. Though the lights weren't lit at the moment, Steve could guess that they wouldn't have proved much useful given the sheer amount of light the buildings gave off instead of shadows. Following Merle as best as he could, he found it to be a bit difficult as various crowds of people passed by them both and added some distance between them, all occupied with their own lives and tasks to even consider their individual presences.
Soon enough, the two found themselves standing in front of a particularly older-style building; its architecture reminiscent of old, more neoclassical projects than anything else. It was a stark contrast to the more modern-styled buildings around it, amusing the miner as he took note of the appearance of the building, hoping to sketch it somewhat decently whenever he got the chance to. The structure was placed on a higher level, with a short flight of stairs leading up to it.
Merle gestured over to the building in a dramatic fashion.
"Behold! The Litefall Historical Museum! Home to...a bunch of stuff relevant to this city's conception!"
Laughing, Steve began to walk towards the stairs of the building.
"I hope the price of admission is low, at least."
Merle chuckled.
"It's actually quite lower than you'd expect."
"How much?"
"It's free."
Staring back at the other with widened eyes, Steve found himself in shock.
"That low?! For...huh?!"
The other shrugged, laughing at Steve's expression of surprise.
"This whole city makes money off of redstone contraptions and whatnot. They don't need the money. Besides, this place is too nice to hide behind a price of admission."
Merle passed him by on the steps as he spoke, and once Steve managed to shake off his shock, he hurried up the steps, keeping the other's pace as they went in.
Large, decorated pillars held up a rounded ceiling covered in art that depicted a vast, grassy landscape that was covered in various species of flowers. Staring at the various little details within the art in awe, Steve nearly tripped over himself as he looked to find that he'd almost walked into a fountain, placed right in the middle of the room, illuminated by that same strange glowstone hidden beneath a layer of purple glass.
Placing a hand on his shoulder, Merle snickered.
"Keep your eyes open! If you don't, you might knock over something important!"
Shrugging off the hand in a playful manner, Steve let out a quiet chuckle in response.
"Even if they were, I can guarantee you that'll still be happening regardless. My eyes will be wide open while staring at everything here!"
Turning into a large room with various displays of artifacts and the like, the two found themselves admiring each and every item that they found.
Excitedly, Merle pointed out a couple of them here and there.
"That thing over there is a bit of quartz from the original design of the city. People weren't fond of the amount of quartz it took to make every building, so they substituted a lot of it with white concrete instead!"
"That right there is a cloak from the original founder of this city. Fella was a scientist who wanted to figure out a way to create enough light on a day-to-day basis so that no mobs could stand it, I believe."
"That over there is a claw from the first zombie that ever rose from this city. Made the folks here so terrified, they ended up making burning the dead mandatory to avoid having the possibility of corpses rising up from at least within the city. One of the parks here used to be the graveyard, actually!"
As he took in the interesting little tidbits of the history of the city, Steve found himself becoming a bit less intrigued with the sights around him, and more intrigued with the other he was witnessing them with.
Who was Merle, anyway? How long had Merle lived within the city? What did he do for a living? What was his life like? Why did he decide to help him so spontaneously?
Steve decided to attempt to cure his curiosity.
"So, Merle. What do you do for a living? You a tour guide, or whatever?" With a bit of a joking tone, Steve turned his attention towards the man in question, awaiting his response eagerly.
Merle looked back at the miner, a kind smile forming on his face.
"Nah, but I think I'd do pretty well on that front. I actually work in data organization and removal; y'know, fun stuff."
Slightly surprised, Steve blinked.
"...Oh? That's...pretty cool, I think?"
Merle chuckled.
"It's way more fun than you think, and way harder than what you'd expect. I get to see things most others don't, so that's pretty fun, but I have to write down everything I get rid of so that we have a log of it. I also make sure that people don't make the same mistakes again."
As Steve nodded, the other shrugged.
"It's worth the effort, but sometimes, I wish that I could go about things a different way, y'know? Sometimes, just removing stuff doesn't take away the problem, it just delays the inevitable, or doesn't even address the issue at all."
Looking back at Steve to find hints of him being totally lost in his expression, Merle laughed.
"Ah! I forgot, you probably don't wanna hear about the grievances I have with my job, don't you?"
Now it was Steve's turn to chuckle as he shrugged in response.
"Hey, if it helps you out, I'll listen all day! We all need to get some things off of our chests from time to time, yeah?"
The other nodded, smiling to himself.
"...Yeah, I guess so. But still, I'm not gonna bore you with all the specifics."
"Fair enough. Hey, speaking of specifics, how long have you lived here in the city?"
Merle shrugged.
"I've been in and out of here a couple of times in my life. Sometimes I get tired of the city life and I leave, but whenever I find myself getting tired of the wilderness survival-type life, I come right back. I've had a love, slightly-dislike relationship with this place, but I've never stayed fully away from it for more than a few months or so."
Steve looked at him in shock as they found themselves heading into yet another room, this one filled with paintings that hung proudly upon the walls.
"Wait, you move that frequently? How much stuff do you have that's so easy to pack up?"
As they moved towards a large painting being displayed within the room, Merle laughed.
"Not much! I don't need a lot to survive here, so I tend to keep things minimal."
Glancing upward, Merle's gaze became fixated on the painting before them, leading to Steve's attention to follow its path.
Within the hold of a golden frame, the carefully-constructed painting portrayed an image of a man dressed in complete black, a long flowing garment flying behind him as he leaned away from the tower he was climbing, which was made of complete, pure quartz. Behind him laid the image of a burning landscape, one where trees stood blackened under the light of an equally-as-fiery red sky.
Looking back at the man beside him, Steve found Merle's gaze filled with an emotion that he couldn't read.
"...Claec. That's the name of the founder."
Before Steve could ask any questions, Merle let out another snicker, shaking his head as he became lost in his thoughts for a moment before speaking.
"...Also known as the original Champion of Shadows. He walked the earth with darkness beneath his feet at all times; whether you shined a light directly on him or not, it was always there. He could appear invisible to the naked eye with ease, and he used the shadows around him to fight without even lifting a finger."
Glancing back towards Steve, he nodded his head towards the painting.
"Despite him controlling the shadows, he wasn't actually too fond of them. Might've been part of the reason why he created a city that's mostly devoid of them other than to cast away mobs, might've not. In the end, it turns out that when you're actually made of shadow, being constantly blasted by the brightest lights known to man that you created isn't great for you in the long run."
Going over his words in his head, Steve looked back at the painting, studying the image of the man carefully as he took note of it as well.
…
"Wait, he was actually made of shadows?"
Turning back to face the other again, Steve found Merle nodding in response to his question.
"Well yeah. He wasn't human. Looked human, but wasn't. He was a demigod, but don't tell these people that, alright?" Ending off his words with a chuckle and a joking tone, Merle glanced around the room, finding them accompanied by a small number of other people.
"A demigod?!"
Steve's voice raised only slightly, but he caught himself before he could raise it high enough to disturb the other people within the room. Merle shushed him a bit.
"Hey, I said don't tell them!" Laughing off the other's outburst, he looked back to the figure in the painting once again. "Most champions were such. Well, actually, I think all of them were. Been a while since I checked those records out, but I'm positive that none of them were fully human. All had abilities that contributed to the titles they were given."
Well, there went a good chunk of Steve's hope. Again.
He still hadn't figured out how he was going to match up with a demigod, but now that he'd received the information that he would have to match up with several, he found himself slightly discouraged with continuing his adventure in order to really define his status as a champion. He was only human; he didn't have any special abilities beyond slightly accelerated healing, but how was he supposed to know that he was the only human with that trait? He had no super strength, no heightened agility, nothing. How well could a human replicate something a demigod did with ease?
Merle caught his saddened, worried gaze, and gave him a look of sympathy.
"...I'm assuming that you know a bit more about the champions that I thought you did, right?"
Steve let out a weak laugh.
"...By any chance, have you heard of the whole 'new wave of champions' thing?"
Merle shook his head.
"Nope! Enlighten me."
Steve let out a sigh as he faced the other, exhaustion lining his features.
"People have been taking the stories of those champions and decided that it'd be great to take their accomplishments for themselves, so they've been trying to claim those old titles...Myself unfortunately included."
Merle's gaze widened as he stared at Steve.
"Oh!...If you don't mind me asking, whose title are you going for?"
Steve raised a brow at his question.
"...You're just gonna accept what I told you?"
The other shrugged.
"...Been a while since people have really come together to find reasons for adventure, so I think it sounds pretty neat! Plus, a couple of the old champions would probably adore the fact that others are taking up their tasks in their stead." Merle paused to laugh. "Besides, a couple of those old champions would benefit from having their titles challenged. I think there are quite a few tales that depict how lazy a couple of them have gotten."
Steve hummed, looking back at the painting. After a few moments of silence, he broke the quiet atmosphere with a quiet voice.
"...I don't know what I want to do."
Pausing, Steve began to stammer nervously as he became worried about how pathetic he might've sounded.
"W-well I-I do kinda have an idea, it's just...I don't know where to start...and I kinda wanna go for something passive, yet great enough so that my village doesn't throw me out for being such a loser."
He was met with silence for a moment before Merle hummed to himself in contemplation.
"Hm...for someone like you, I'd suggest going off on your own and dabbling in history. Champion of Knowledge has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"
Steve shrugged, letting out a quiet laugh.
"I guess. But my village needs somebody that'll bring it fame, and I don't know if being the 'Champion of Knowledge' will do the job."
"If you build a giant treehouse library to live in, wear a bunch of mystical robes, and grow out a long beard, maybe it will. Gotta look the part if you wanna play it!" Merle quipped, making Steve laugh harder at the absurdity of his words.
"You think I could rock it?" Steve asked shakily, wiping a tear away from his face as he calmed down only slightly.
"Grow out your hair and we'll be working with something!"
As Steve thought about himself with long hair, his laughter died down as he froze.
He'd probably look more like Herobrine.
"...On second thought, maybe I should just try rocking the beard first. I never had my hair that long before, and I don't wanna start now."
Merle raised a brow at him with a grin.
"Why not? If you could grow it out to reach your feet, I think that people would come to your village just to see that."
Steve chuckled.
"Nah...I've been cutting my hair shorter because it's easier to work with. I can only imagine myself tripping over my own hair if I even managed to get it that far down."
Merle shrugged, beginning to walk away from the painting and more towards the center of the room. Steve began to follow.
"Fair enough. Still, I recommend it!"
As the two made their way further into the museum, they continued to look on in awe at the scenery around them. They soon found themselves within a long hallway, the walls lined with illuminated waterfalls that flowed down gently into various rocks below it, seemingly disappearing into the building's water system.
Merle turned to Steve in order to say something, only to pause in his tracks, staring at him with confusion in his gaze.
"...Am I going insane, or are your eyes a whole different color?"
Steve froze, eyes widened.
"...Wait, explain?"
"Earlier, they were pink, now they're violet. What's up with that? You okay?"
Steve thought over the other's words for a moment. In his shocked state of mind, a phrase began to quietly rise up above all other thoughts, repeating itself over and over again as he came to a realization.
The portal was in the museum.
Before he could allow himself to let the thought completely drown him, Steve tried to formulate an excuse as he remembered that there was somebody waiting for him to speak.
"I...uh, I'm not entirely sure myself. I got into a real bad accident back home, and I had to take a bunch of potions. Still have some side-effects, y'know?" Hoping that the other would buy his excuse, Steve waited for his response nervously.
Merle nodded, giving the other a look of understanding.
"Ah. Potions can be really tricky, yeah?"
Steve nodded.
"Y-yeah. I still have to take some every now and again, so that's why they might change from one color to another. Just a heads up."
Merle nodded, continuing to travel down the hallway with Steve following close behind.
"It might just be because I haven't taken any in a while, but man are the side-effects weird!" The other exclaimed.
Steve hummed, continuing to walk as they made their way into a room full of various statues, though, he couldn't find himself to be bothered to pay much attention to them given his new discovery.
He was within range of the portal. All he had to do now was actually find the portal itself. There was no way that it would be out in the open for display, so where could it have been? As he looked around, he found no pathways that could've led to a place that a large frame could sit comfortably in, leading to him letting out a mental sigh of frustration as he kept walking. Unknowingly to him, Merle cast a worried glance back at him, noticing his sudden change of expression.
"...I think we can take a history break, yeah? You're only so new to the area; you don't need to absorb everything in one day." Merle suggested quietly with a laugh, gaining Steve's attention as a sheepish look appeared on the miner's face.
"Ah! I'm sorry, I-"
"It's fine, I can tell that you're a bit overwhelmed. With what, I'm not sure, but it's best to not overcomplicate your thoughts by drowning it with new information, so should we head out for now?"
Steve cast a sad glance to the side.
"...I'm sorry if I made you feel like I wasn't that interested. I am, I just-"
"Your thoughts are elsewhere?"
Steve nodded, hesitantly.
"...Y-yeah. Sorry."
Merle waved him off.
"It's totally fine! I understand! It's not a problem, we can just come back at a later time, after all! How long will you be in the city for?"
The man changed direction, leading Steve back the way they came as they went into the hallway with waterfalls.
Steve shrugged.
"...I dunno. I just need to get the stuff I need to do done, then I can pretty much leave."
"Wanna meet again tomorrow? On the stairs at noon?"
Thinking to himself, Steve considered his options before nodding.
"If I'm still here by then, sure! If I don't find my way here within like, twenty minutes, then you'll know that I've already left."
Merle nodded.
"I'll see you then, I believe. For now, let's get out of here and do a little bit of downtown sightseeing. I'm assuming you still need a guide, right?"
Steve smiled at him.
"Of course!"
As the two discussed further about their later plans, they left the museum, going right back through the pathway that they came by.
Finding themselves upon the city streets once again, the two walked close to the buildings, attempting to not get dragged away by the quick-moving crowd around them. Steve was being led by Merle a bit closer this time around, who excitedly pointed out various sights along the path they took. Before long, the two found themselves in a solid space filled with different shops as far as the eye could see.
Steve looked through every window they passed by in awe, staring at the various displays that were behind the wall of glass. As Merle noticed the other's expression, he let out a quiet laugh.
"...I'm assuming you want to check a couple of places out?"
Steve looked back at him, shrugging with a grin on his face.
"...Why not? We're here, right?"
With a nod, Merle grabbed the miner's arm, dragging him off into the nearest store.
Upon entering the building, Steve found his vision being assaulted by the sight of various colors and patterns that were printed onto an overabundance of fabrics that were placed all throughout the wooden showroom. Browsing the different items within the store, Steve found his attention being directed towards a section full of various blankets, all rather vibrant in color.
He already had one that gave him enough warmth as is, but it couldn't really hurt to add layers with such a thing, right?
Looking over the blankets for a few minutes, Steve eventually settled with a light blue blanket with a plaid pattern, which contrasted greatly with the red blanket that was currently in his backpack. It wasn't heavy like that one, but it seemed to be warm enough to help with avoiding freezing to death in the future, along with his new coat.
Merle came over to him, a smirk on his face.
"...Ah, I thought it was just me, but you're a fan of blue, too?"
Steve nodded eagerly.
"Favorite color!"
Merle nodded, gesturing to his own clothes.
"As you see, we're one and the same."
Laughing, Steve went to go and purchase the blanket, soon coming back to join the other as he browsed the store himself.
Merle didn't purchase anything. He instead went to drag Steve to other places, more or so to show him the local sights than to get anything for himself other than food.
By sundown, Steve was alone once again, finding himself wandering aimlessly along the city streets, hoping to find an exit of some kind, or at the very least, the familiar sight of the vendor's market that he'd went through when he initially came to the city.
He and Merle had explored the downtown area eagerly, stopping at a couple of places in order to try the local cuisine and search for more supplies that Steve could bring along for his journey. Once they'd finished with their exploration, they said their momentary goodbyes, and Steve went off away from the other, excited with the fact that, once again, he'd managed to make a friend.
His happy mood had taken a slight hit once he remembered the last human friend he made on his journey thus far, however.
Mikael.
It hadn't been too long, but Steve wished that he could erase the memory of what had happened within the village away fully, even though he knew that had as good a chance of happening as him being able to convince Herobrine to bring him food on a silver platter. Given that Herobrine had to take another opportunity to go back and kill Otto, maybe the other had survived as well? He could only hope that was the case, but given what he currently knew about the man who'd caused so much destruction, he knew not to put much faith into that idea so eagerly.
Speaking of the demigod, Steve sighed to himself as he thought about navigating his way back out of the city, wondering how he was going to be able to find him once again in order to drag him back to the museum. Hopefully, they wouldn't have to encounter anybody on their way there, but given the amount of busyness within the city, maybe they had a chance of remaining mostly unnoticed. Looking around to glance at the lights around him, Steve let out a small chuckle as he shook his head.
No wonder the others couldn't follow him there. There was nowhere for them to hide properly, and the place was too lit up for a mob to be able to stand being in the place for too long.
Even though his own village had a similar type of protection, all this city seemed to need was the light, and nothing more. There were no protective outside walls he could follow to a gate of some kind, just streets that extended into the world beyond. Maybe the place had some other sort of protection, but at the moment, Steve was left in awe as he walked the streets, only other humans in sight as he went along silently. Had this been his own village, there would be mobs literally everywhere as far as the eye could see, overwhelming the golems that they'd so carefully accumulated. Thinking back to the information Merle had given him earlier about how the city got rid of the majority of its zombie problems, Steve began to think for himself about a better protection unit for his own home village; one that mainly focused on driving mobs away instead of engaging with them and allowing them to stay relatively nearby.
Caught up in his own thoughts, Steve didn't even notice someone walking right beside him, a bit too close for comfort. As he stepped away to put more space in between them, the stranger, in a quick motion, shoved him into a slightly darker space between the tall buildings around them that he hadn't noticed, and within seconds, Steve, once again, found himself to be at the mercy of someone with a sword after being pushed onto the ground. Halfway considering just throwing his head forward to simply be done with the encounter, Steve stared at the blade before him, his eyes widening as he noticed an unfamiliar gleam on the surface of the weapon.
To his shock, the stranger's sword seemed to be emanating steam from its surface.
Though the alleyway was cold with the chill of early snowfall, the mysterious heat of the other's blade seemed to melt away any frost that had initially been near his body, making him sweat slightly as the sword was drawn ever-so-closer to his throat, even though there was no fire to be seen. He hadn't been expecting to get mugged by a guy with a magic sword, but then again, he hadn't been expecting really anything that had been thrown his way recently.
The other spoke to him in a rough voice.
"Either give me your belongings, or I take those eyes of yours as a trophy. Your choice."
Considering he needed both, Steve looked at the blade as it pulsated with magic energy, trying to think of various different ways he could attempt an escape. He thought about screaming for help, but would anybody take the time to save him? He wasn't in a good enough position to be able to draw his sword and retaliate, so he couldn't defend himself much, either.
Thankfully, he didn't need to think of his options for long.
The sounds of footsteps became more distinct among the rest of the bustle within the city as they drew nearer. Though he'd expected for them to be mostly alone, he was very appreciative of the fact that someone had so quickly come to his rescue. Well, at least he hoped they did, and that this wasn't some sort of a tag-team effort.
"I don't think that you're supposed to heat up a sword during the winter, but hey, what do I know?"
A familiar man's voice rang out through the alleyway, and as both the miner and his attacker turned to find who had found them, they were met with the peculiar sight of a cloaked, hooded figure. Face hidden beneath a cover of darkness save for his light blue, shining eyes, the stranger looked over at Steve, winked, and looked back at the other stranger in front of him.
"Might I suggest stepping away from that fellow there? You would be better off going back home to heat up a house instead to get away from this awful chill. Brr!" The man shuddered for effect, wrapping his arms around himself.
Steve's attacker moved away from him and pointed his weapon towards the other in an attempt to challenge him.
"You wanna pay in his stead?"
The man shook his head.
"Oh, no. I just wanted you to reconsider your actions."
With a quick motion that Steve only barely had the time to process, the other had pulled out what appeared to be a scythe from underneath his cloak, its crystal surface shimmering in the trace amounts of moonlight that were present within the area. As the other swung around the weapon, to Steve's awe, it left a trail of pure, black nothingness in its wake, clawing through the air effortlessly as it seemingly left gaps within the fabric of reality itself.
Another ethereal being had stepped their way into his life. Wonderful. At least this one had been helping him from the start.
The "stranger" gestured for the attacker to move away from the miner, and, as he did, he began to break off into a sprint away from the area, leaving Steve completely alone with the cloaked figure.
The man laughed in the silence that was left between them.
"Heh. Sorry about that. I don't normally like to stand out when I'm in the city, but you looked like you were in trouble again, and in my opinion, it's better to scare bad guys off rather than to risk inspiring them to be more bold."
Removing the cloak that was over their head, Steve was still rather surprised to find the man he had been accompanying earlier, his afro now freed from the confines of the yellow rope that now hung loosely around his waist, glowing with an energy that he vaguely recognized. However, quite distinctly, Steve now noticed that there seemed to be little stars that shone out from the areas of the other's hair that were closer to his neck, staring back at him as they stood out from the endless void.
Quietly, Steve spoke up, stunned by the other's new ethereal features.
"...Merle?"
With a burst of gentle, kind laughter pointed at his hesitancy, Merle responded.
"Sorry for stalking you, kinda! Just kidding, I was still hanging around the area and managed to barely catch you being attacked, so I had to step in."
Silence filled the space between them once again as Steve continued to look at him in pure shock, leading to the other letting out a chuckle as he shook his head.
"...I guess that now the cat's peeking from the bag, I might as well let it fully out."
The other rested his scythe against his shoulder in a comfortable fashion, placing his unoccupied hand on his hip.
"So...first off, Merle isn't my real name. I use it among mortals to fit in more, y'know? The name's actually Minos! I'm not from these parts of town, so to speak...Ah, who am I kidding? That's pretty obvious!"
Steve's eyes widened and his heart sunk down into his stomach as the other revealed his name so casually.
This had to have been the same Minos he was told to keep away from.
As his eyes trailed over to stare at the other's weapon, Minos followed his gaze before letting out a small laugh in response.
"Awesome, isn't it?! I...well, back where I'm from, they refer to me as the 'god of Erasure,' so of course, I have to have the gear to match, right?! This baby sends stuff right to the void!...Wherever that is…" Minos glanced at him with a kind smile, moving to hide the scythe under his cloak once again. "...Don't worry. I won't be swinging it around like a maniac, I'm a pretty responsible guy. I just wanted to intimidate that other dude."
Stepping closer to Steve, he stuck out his hand for the other to take in order to stand back up, which he did so hesitantly.
"Wait, so you're not from the city?" Steve asked as he got back on his feet.
Minos shrugged.
"I don't actually live here, but I've been hanging around the area recently because I have to take care of important business that other people want me to handle personally, to make sure things run smoothly, and blah, blah, blah."
Despite his history with asking higher beings for information, Steve decided to press the other anyways.
"...What business, if you don't mind me asking?"
With a playful smile, the other leaned closer in order to whisper to him, glancing around momentarily to see if anybody else was listening.
"...Folks upstairs are in hysterics because the little brother of my closest friend is down here being straight-up bad. They want me to 'take care of him' once-and-for-all, but they forget that we've been through a few 'once-and-for-alls' already. Also, we have no idea where he is."
Leaning away, Minos gave a small, dismissive shrug as he continued.
"I thought you were him back when we first met in the street, but if you had been, you would've probably recognized me real quick. I watched that kid grow up! How could he not remember me?" Minos laughed for a second before continuing. "You two are literally identical. Like, actually. Personality-wise, not so much, but physically? Pretty much."
Steve laughed, silently freaking out about the fact that this was, shockingly, the same Minos that had been sent to search for Herobrine. He counted himself rather lucky that this kind stranger didn't take the 'attack first' route that most people, including his lookalike, seemed to enjoy.
"Really? Huh. I guess I know what to look for if I ever find him, yeah?"
"Yeah, but good luck on that! He specializes in being completely hidden from anybody's eyes. You'll only find him if he wants to be found. The only lead I've gotten is the remains of a village that I have good reasons to believe was burned down by him. Thankfully, it wasn't a clean swipe of the population, but still, there's gotta be a reason he's acting up now and not being as thorough as he used to."
...Not a clean swipe?
Were there truly other survivors of that village attack? Was there a chance for him to feel slightly relieved that he'd not been the cause of too much death and destruction?
"...Thorough?" Steve asked quietly.
"Yeah. The kid is usually pretty good at making us second-guess which events were of his doing, and which weren't. Of course, considering he plays around with mortal lives, this isn't really...y'know, a good situation." Minos sighed sadly, his gaze suddenly filled with deep mourning that Steve could only replicate himself and relate to.
"The only good thing is that he stopped for a while, and this last attack I think he was behind was the first that has been seen in a while. We aren't able to stop him before he tries anything, so watching how he does things on a bigger scale gives us a decent indicator on his movements."
A thought came to Steve's mind, though, he found himself slightly disturbed with the fact that he'd even thought of it in the first place.
"...Why not use your...erasing scythe there, then, if he's such a problem?"
Minos shook his head with a laugh.
"You'd think that'd work, but we've been trying to figure him out for a while now. The only thing we've discovered is that whatever magic you throw at him, the next time you see him, he'll throw it right back at you. I'm only worried that if I throw some void at him, he'll somehow figure out how to use it, and then we'll be in even more trouble. For now, I'm just hoping to talk him down, and figure out what the heck he even wants, anymore."
Minos looked down in what appeared to be sadness, intriguing Steve greatly as he let out a soft sigh.
"...I think that the kid has some good in him. Others might not be so inclined to think so as well, but hey, maybe it's just that I'm holding onto hope that he comes to his senses before somebody finally manages to take him out somehow. I don't want to see him become a lost cause."
Though the other's words were spoken in a way that held a history he couldn't have ever hoped to understand, Steve nodded with sympathy.
"...I...I'm not sure how he is, really, but...maybe he'll get better? Maybe?"
Minos looked at him, a quiet chuckle escaping his lips.
"Yeah, I know I haven't given him a good word, but I assure you, I still believe that a part of him doesn't want to be doing this. Granted, that part might be buried beneath a mountain of whatever else is going on in that mind of his, but...one can hope that it starts digging itself out or somebody picks up a shovel and starts helping, right?"
As Minos gave a little shrug, Steve went over the other's words in his head, stumbling a bit over their implication.
Was there really a time when Herobrine wasn't the way that he was? Could he actually manage to break through to the other? Could he actually manage to get the other to at least hesitate before proceeding with whatever violent plans he had in mind?
The thought was rather entertaining to Steve as he considered it, even if there was a loud voice within his head that had been screaming at him nonstop to cut his losses and accept that, for certain, the demigod they were talking about was too far gone to make friends with, no matter if he built his way up through Herobrine's companions or not. Even then, despite how rudely the other liked to talk to him, he began to consider the possibility of gaining his favor somehow, or, more absurdly, growing to become the other's voice of reason. Maybe he was simply too desperate for new personal bonds given how lonely he felt being the only human among his traveling "buddies", but wouldn't it be nice to finally dig into the other's line of thought? To convince him to end his grudge against humans? To get him to treat Steve like an equal?
Slightly hopeful with the idea, Steve added onto the conversation quietly.
"...Yeah. All people can be saved, right?"
Minos shrugged.
"I mean, definitely down here they can. Not too sure about the situation upstairs, but one could hope, right?"
Steve nodded, casting a glance aside.
"...I sure hope so, for your sake and mine...since he's targeting humans, and all."
The other laughed at his remark, turning to face towards the city.
"...Say, where were you heading? I shouldn't have just left you like that to dry considering the fact that you're still new around here. I don't want to make it seem like I'm attached to your hip, but I much would rather prefer that both of us could sleep peacefully knowing that you weren't completely lost."
Steve shrugged, slightly surprised that they'd already moved on from the topic of Herobrine.
"...I was planning on heading back out to the market, actually."
Minos raised his brows in surprise.
"...Really? I thought you bought enough already!" The man nudged him with a joking tone in his voice, leading to Steve chuckling in response.
"I did! I just...kinda wanted more."
"Steve, by the time you leave, your bag's gonna weigh like, fifty more pounds than it already does. And you're gonna develop a shopping addiction. Besides, what else do you need?"
Steve shrugged.
"...A souvenir, maybe?"
Minos sighed, shaking his head in mock disapproval as he crossed his arms in front of his chest.
"I'll lead you there, but the next time I see you, you better be perfectly able to balance yourself under that bag of yours. Otherwise, I'll have to intervene and send whatever you bought into the void!"
Steve gasped in fake shock.
"You...wouldn't!" He exclaimed in an overdramatic fashion, bringing a hand up to clutch his chest, prompting the god before him to burst into laughter.
"Kidding, kidding!...Maybe." Minos cast him a mischievous look as he calmed down, gesturing for the other to follow him as he stepped away from the alleyway.
The two went back on the street, gathering no attention whatsoever as they went about their way, much to Steve's surprise. Though Steve thought that he looked out of place given his armour, sword, and the giant bag hanging from his shoulders, as he looked towards Minos's new costume change, he found himself rather beaten in that regard.
The other's blue cloak consisted of a cape hung down to his ankles, a hood-shawl combo, and a pair of poofy, somewhat see-through sleeves. Underneath said cloak was a tight, black bodysuit that partially exposed his chest, with the only accessory there being the golden glowing hair-rope from earlier, which Steve had suspected was covered in the glowstone dust he saw earlier. Just below his waist came a pair of blue, thigh-high, heeled boots, accented with a lighter shade of blue at the very top of the shoe and at the heels themselves. Adding on to the barrage of blue came a pair of light blue gloves on the other's hands.
Despite all the effort it took to keep his mouth shut, Steve found himself curious enough to ask about the other's choice of clothes.
"...Hey, Mer-I mean, Minos?"
The other looked at him as he fell back in order to match with Steve's walking pace.
"What's up?"
"...How come you're dressed like that, and nobody's staring at you?" He didn't mean for the question to come out so rudely, but nevertheless, Steve found himself being answered with a shrug.
"...Have you seen the way people dress in this city? I'm pretty normal compared to a bunch of the more richer folks that spend their time here. Those guys actually look like royalty, y'know? They certainly dress themselves that way, I think."
Steve cast a glance at the other's boots.
"...You can walk in those just fine?"
Following the other's line of sight, Minos laughed.
"If you think these babies are ridiculous, you should see how other gods dress. Heck, I should just take you directly to the fashion district, here; you don't even need to see a divine being to check that nonsense out. Most of my acquaintances both here and there have ridiculous heels attached to their feet at all times, and I'm no different." The man paused, letting out a breath. "...A lot of folks like me find them easier to fight with, actually. They're lightweight, and we're able to remain completely agile while using them, no problem! They help with pivoting, and whatever."
Thinking to himself for a moment, Steve posed another question to the other.
"...What's the tallest heel you've seen?"
Minos snorted.
"...There's this guy back upstairs who uses some that are equal to the length of my forearm." The man held out his arm to prove his point, causing Steve's eyes to widen in pure shock.
"That long?!"
"Yup!" Minos confirmed with a laugh."I think he was one of the old champions, as well...Champion of Feasts, I believe."
Steve felt a bit of sadness.
"Wait...beasts?"
Minos shook his head.
"No, no. Feasts. Y'know, like the ones for food. Or the eyes. Similar names, waaaaaay different people behind them."
Though his sadness didn't completely subside, Steve let out a slight sigh of relief. Minos didn't catch his expression, but continued nonetheless.
"...I'd tell you all about those folks, but I don't think you'd appreciate like, eighty years being taken from you."
Steve shrugged with a laugh at his words.
"If you're telling me a good story, I don't think I mind spending that much time listening to them."
Passing another alleyway, Minos paused, giving the miner a genuine look of appreciation.
"...Y'know, you're kinda sending me down a little nostalgia trip, here. I didn't want to bring him up again given how light the mood has gotten, but...you remind me of the kid. The fella I was talking about earlier."
Seeing sadness overtake the other's gaze, Steve couldn't help but feel slightly bad for him.
"...Really? I'm like him?...How?" He asked quietly.
Looking back at him, Minos put up his hands as he shook his head.
"No, no! Not like how he is now, but when he was younger. He used to enjoy listening to me talk about stuff like that, y'know? Very eager about it."
Steve let out a quiet "Ah." as he was clarified, nodding as the two continued walking.
Minos continued.
"...I won't mention him again. Sorry."
"It's fine! I totally get it."
"...Of course you do, thank you, Steve."
The two eventually reached the vendor's market once again, prompting Minos to face Steve with a wide grin.
"Welp, we're right back to where we started! Hope I didn't bite too much into your schedule."
Steve laughed, waving the other off in a joking manner.
"Nah, thanks for bringing me back! I would've never found my way otherwise, y'know?"
"You would've eventually!" The other responded with a laugh.
Minos began to move away from him, waving goodbye.
"See you later, Steve! We're still on for tomorrow, correct?"
Remembering that he'd essentially booked an appointment with a god, Steve's eyes widened in realization. He gave the other a smile, regardless, as he waved back.
"Yeah! See you later, Minos!"
As the other went away from his location, Minos called out to him.
"Remember! It's Merle!"
"I know, I know! Sorry, Merle!"
With a laugh, the other disappeared into the slight bustle of the city, leaving Steve by himself in the market.
With a sigh, Steve's happy mood slightly dropped as he then moved to exit the city, not exactly looking forward to seeing the man he had been compared to just a few minutes earlier.
Finding himself back on the illuminated street he had entered the city on, Steve glanced around into the surrounding darkness, attempting to find any signs of the demigod or of the mob generals and their forces. As he made his way further beneath the cover of the trees, he heard the quiet sounds of distant mobs, leading to him subconsciously place a hand on his sword.
A few minutes later, he found his search to have been mostly fruitless in terms of finding Herobrine himself without having to go through multiple lines of communication. Realizing that he was alone where he stood, Steve sighed shakily.
There was no other option for him to take; he'd have to find a mob.
Following the sounds of various monsters, he tried to locate them as best as he could, only managing to approach the location of a couple as he briefly thought to himself about which mob he should attempt to make contact with first. He was faced with the choice between a skeleton and a zombie, though, the latter was already making its way towards him, seemingly in a manner that suggested it would only move to harm him. Before he could even think about approaching the other monster, something had bumped into him, startling him badly as he whipped around to face the thing that had touched him.
He was met with the sight of a creeper.
Fully expecting for the creature to explode and kill him, Steve jumped back from it as quickly as he could. However, the creature only tilted its head at him in confusion, leading to the realization that this creeper was likely a part of the group of monsters that was to keep an eye on the city as instructed by Herobrine. Most likely, this creeper was part of Constiere's forces.
Regaining his composure, Steve took a breath, approaching the creeper cautiously.
"...I...uh, I need to speak with Herobrine."
The creeper before him stared at him with an empty gaze for a few moments, before turning away to leave the miner in his place.
Letting out a sigh of relief, Steve decided to wait where he was, putting more distance between him and the zombie as he did so.
When he met up with Herobrine once again, the other never once relented his gaze of judgment upon Steve until the miner had mentioned that he knew where the portal might've been located. Upon hearing it was possibly within a museum, Steve was mocked by Herobrine for a minute before the demigod realized he was being dead serious, leading to him immediately instructing the other to guide him back towards the location.
The actual trip back to the museum was spent with Steve walking casually down the street as to not gain any attention, while Herobrine did all he could to stick among what little amounts of shadow and darkness were present within the city, which were basically almost none. There were quite a few people still around, though, they were rather dispersed compared to what Steve had witnessed earlier in the day.
When the two finally arrived at the museum, Steve walked up to the entrance, finding the doors locked.
Chuckling, he gave a glance back to where Herobrine now hid, which was behind a pillar that led to the side of the building, preventing him from being spotted from the streets in front of the building.
"...I guess they don't do night hours?"
Rolling his eyes at the miner's quip, the demigod motioned for the other to follow him.
"There has to be a smaller entrance that won't cause a scene if I happen to break it down. Come."
Nodding, Steve followed the other promptly.
Herobrine turned out to be right in his assumption, as they soon came upon a separate entrance from the one they had found before, which was easier to open. Stepping inside the quiet, empty building, Steve glanced around nervously as Herobrine walked briskly forward, paying no mind to anything.
Steve cast a worried glance towards the other.
"Hey!" He whispered. "What if there's a guard around here?!"
Herobrine turned back and rolled his eyes at him.
"I can hear your heartbeat from here. I think that I'd be able to sense them if they were." the other spoke at a normal volume, prompting Steve to flinch as his words echoed slightly throughout the empty room full of paintings.
"...You better be right." Steve muttered to himself, going about the room as carefully as he had been before.
The further they went in, the more courage Steve had gained in order to walk ahead of the other, somewhat leading him as they went through the museum together. Taking Herobrine through the waterfall hallway and the room full of statues, he continued to talk in a whispered manner as he explained to the other.
"My eyes started to dim around the hallway, I think. That's when the person I was with had noticed a difference."
Herobrine nodded, taking in the information.
"...Do you know if this place has multiple levels, then? I highly doubt that they'd keep such a thing on the first floor."
Steve shrugged.
"Beats me. We left before I could find out; we only got partially into this room right here before we decided to just leave."
Herobrine sighed in annoyance.
"...The pulse of the portal is overwhelming. That's why I asked. Either it's right below us, or it's in an adjacent building."
Steve let out a quiet "Oh" before moving on further through the room. A sudden idea came to mind as the miner thought about the other's ability to feel magic.
"...Hey, you think if I somehow managed to have whatever caused my eyes to change to happen again, I could maybe begin to feel the portals?"
Herobrine thought for a moment, before shaking his head.
"...Humans can only do such a thing if their entire bodies have been conditioned to exist alongside magic at all times, and that's only the case if a portal happened to be activated. You're a fool if you think that you'd be able to feel an unactivated portal, even if you were standing right in front of it."
Ignoring the name-calling as best he could, Steve sighed.
"...Thanks, I guess."
Passing through another arch within the building into a new room, the two stumbled upon a fancy railing made out of polished quartz. As they looked over the railing, they found a steep drop down to another section of the museum, only accessible by a spiral staircase that led the way down.
Smiling at the sight, Herobrine began the descent down into the new area.
"I guess there is a second floor. Well, maybe more, but, I have a feeling that we'll be done with this soon enough."
Steve began to follow him, groaning as he stared at the stairs before beginning to travel down them.
"This is going to be absolutely awful to climb back up."
"Stop whining. The more you train, the more sturdy your legs will be. Consider this a minor test of your capabilities."
Upon reaching the bottom of the stairway, Herobrine looked around, taking a few glances toward Steve every now and again to see if his eyes had changed in any sort of way. Strangely enough, they were completely violet now, and Herobrine could feel the pulse of the portal like it was his own heartbeat, but there was no portal in sight.
Letting out a hum, Herobrine began to pace around the room, intriguing Steve as the other seemed to be rather confused himself.
"...No, the portal is definitely here, just...where?" The other mumbled to him, prompting Steve to take a step forward.
"...Maybe it is on display? As an attraction?"
Herobrine snapped out of his thoughts and narrowed his gaze at the other.
"...For everything I have against you humans, I refuse to believe that someone would be so dumb as to put something that valuable and powerful just out in the open."
Steve shrugged at his words.
"...I mean, it's just a thought. We're standing in a place full of valuable stuff like that, so, who knows?"
Herobrine considered his words for a moment, before shaking his head.
"...I'll believe it if I see it."
The floor that they were now on was nearly completely dark, save for a couple of lights that were scattered along the floor, illuminating more artifacts that were hidden beneath walls of glass.
Steve looked around, jumping briefly as a woosh sounded throughout the room, and he soon found the other to be using a flame in order to illuminate the space they were in.
Moments later, they, surprisingly, finally found what they were looking for.
Shocked, the two stumbled upon a large, black portal frame that stood proudly against a mural that depicted the rest of the city that was outside, with little lights placed in the spots where the windows of various buildings were in order to give off the appearance that the painting was alive.
Breaking the silence, Herobrine spoke out in disbelief.
"...Are you actually kidding me." Herobrine said, rather than asked. Stepping up to the portal itself, the demigod stared at it blankly, as Steve went up to read whatever was on the podium next to it.
"...If it makes any sort of sense to you, they're saying that this was a portion of the wall that belonged to the founder's original house before he tore it down, reworked it to fit with the rest of the city...and...uh, that's it." Steve said with a nervous chuckle, glancing back up to find that the other's expression hadn't changed.
"...All it would take is a single, well-informed human who knows about the portal in order to cause so much trouble if they found this."
Going to attempt to break the frame, Herobrine stared at it for longer than he had first intended to, before moving to place his hand against it. However, when he shoved it as he had before to the previous portal they encountered, he found that the frame hadn't budged one bit, much to his confusion.
"...This one had to have been activated recently."
Steve tilted his head in confusion.
"...How recently?"
Herobrine answered him without turning to face him.
"...Fairly. I believe that there's still enough fresh magic flowing through it to give an extra layer of protection. Nothing I can't manage to destroy, however."
Pulling his hand back momentarily, Herobrine balled his hand up into a fist before moving to punch the frame instead. The moment his fist made contact with the portal frame, a strong pulse of energy flowed out from the surface, startling him badly as he jumped away from the frame, eyes widening slightly before he calmed down.
"...Yeah, this portal has definitely been activated." Herobrine paused, before moving to approach the frame once again. "...Hopefully nobody else sensed that."
Standing alongside the other frame again, Herobrine lightly brushed his hand against the area he had made contact with, before giving another shove. He was still unsuccessful in destroying the frame like he had done so earlier.
"...What's with this frame? Is it me, or is it just-"
The sound of warping came to their ears as Herobrine completely froze, looking around briefly before gesturing for Steve to move out from being in the open. As the two went to hide, footsteps soon followed, and before Steve could even try to whisper to the other, Herobrine hid himself behind a nearby pillar away from the frame, awaiting for whoever had decided to intrude on them. As Steve peaked out from the place he was hiding in, he held his breath as the individual who had appeared within the building finally entered the room.
…
It was Minos.
The man looked around, attempting to search for something as his scythe was already fully drawn. With a curious gaze, the other approached the portal, staring at it with deep focus before noticing the slightly cracked portion of the frame where Herobrine had punched it, staring at it with interest before turning away to look at the rest of the room again.
"...I knew I felt somebody messing with the portal in here…" He mumbled to himself.
"Hello?! Anybody wandering about in here?" Minos called out, causing Steve to flinch at the sudden loudness.
Herobrine, on the other hand, was frozen in shock. From behind his pillar, the demigod appeared to be accumulating quite a bit of rage as the other's voice came to his ears. It took all he had at the moment not to engage directly, hoping for the other to pass so that he and Steve could escape without any confrontation whatsoever.
As Minos passed slowly by the two without seemingly knowing it, he glanced about the room, admiring the sights despite being completely in the dark.
"...Funny. I feel two distinct life forms in here, but I don't see them."
Both of the two froze once again.
Minos was toying with them.
"...Whoever it is, I'm not here to hurt you! Somebody's gotta be really mad in here to have gone and punched that portal, y'know...I meant broken wall, shoot." The man corrected himself. "I don't know what your intentions are, but unless you're part of the group that cleans this place up, you have no right being here this late!...Unless you were locked in. I can understand that, actually. I got stuck in here once too, heh."
Steve held his breath as the other passed by rather close to him. Unfortunately, he found his efforts for naught as the other happened to catch his gaze in the darkness.
"...Steve? That you?"
Dang it.
"Uh...no?" Steve responded nervously, unknowingly making the other divine being present within the room silently bury his face into his hands.
Minos's expression lit up at the sight of the other.
"Steve! What're you doing here so late? You came back without me? Did you get locked in like I did a while back?"
Nodding as he went along with the story the other had begun, he began to spin a lie as best as he could.
"Y-yeah. I couldn't really find my way out, and I ended up getting trapped. I was just planning on hanging out for a bit until I found some way to contact somebody to get out, y'know?"
Minos nodded, bringing a hand up to his chin.
"Huh. I guess that makes sense. Though, that doesn't explain why I still feel like there's somebody else here. You brought a friend, by any chance?"
Steve shook his head, but before he could let out a response, he spotted from the corner of his eye his hidden companion revealing himself amongst the darkness.
"Step. Away."
Whether the command was meant for him or the god before him he wasn't sure, but Steve's attention was now fully focused on Herobrine as the other spoke out, as was Minos's.
Silence filled the room as the god finally became aware of the other's presence.
White eyes met with light crystal blue ones. One pair of eyes began to water with emotion. The other pair was already filled with pure and utter hatred.
"...Herobrine…" Minos began, a gentle smile forming on his face as he took a step closer to the other.
That step was met with a hiss from the other's lips.
"Do not utter my name like that! And stay where you are!"
Herobrine pointed to the miner, instructing him to move away as the demigod went to place himself between him and Minos, keeping as far away from Minos as he could while doing so.
Minos paused, adhering to the other's wishes. Instead, his gaze drifted off towards Steve, who looked back at him with wide, fearful eyes.
"...You're...you know Steve?"
Without glancing back at the miner, Herobrine moved in order to cover him more from the other's view.
"...Steven is an asset of mine that you will not be taking. Keep your distance, if you know what's best for you."
Glancing back towards Herobrine, Minos' gaze became firm, though he was still rather emotional.
"...I suppose we can put him aside for now. But, at least answer me this now that I've managed to find you…"
Putting his scythe away, Minos crossed his arms in front of his chest.
"...What are you doing? What are you planning?"
As Herobrine scoffed at his question, before the demigod could answer, Minos continued on.
"I know you're not going to answer. I know you wouldn't even consider it. But Hero, please, you know that your actions have vast consequences, and I…We-"
"I don't give a damn about what you want! You never seemed to care about what I want, so why bother?!" Herobrine raised his voice, fingertips sparking with the slightest hints of flame as he barked back at the other.
"We do. That's why we've been trying to find, you, to-"
"-Will you give me the chance to fight him?" Herobrine interrupted the other, voice slightly wavering with emotion.
Finding himself in the background of a conversation with much more history than he knew about, Steve watched on helplessly as Herobrine slowly began to unravel, acting more like an upset child as Minos became more of an authoritative figure.
"...Who?"
"You know who I'm talking about."
Minos glanced off to the side for a moment, before looking back at the other with a gaze that held some traces of regret.
"...No."
Herobrine narrowed his gaze at the other.
"Then you don't care about what I want. You lied. I have nothing to do with you."
Backing away slowly, Herobrine watched the other carefully as he gestured for Steve to back away as well. However, Steve was still fixated on the slightly more broken appearance of both of the gods before him.
Minos glanced over at Steve, thinking to himself briefly before letting out a small sigh.
"...Trust me on this."
Herobrine raised a brow at him as Steve did as well, though, the miner was quick to realize that the words were not intended for the demigod, but for him. Quickly after the words were spoken, Minos made a quick move towards Steve, brandishing his scythe once again as he feigned an attack upon the other.
Before Steve could even tap into his reflexes in order to move away (even though it might've been entirely futile to even consider such a thing given that a god was coming towards him), he found himself being pulled away immediately from danger as the sound of a blade being unsheathed quickly came to his ears, and in the place where he once stood, now was Herobrine.
"What did I say about coming closer?!"
Herobrine swung his sword to meet the other's scythe, but found nothing but curses coming to mind as he missed the surface of the other's weapon entirely, swinging straight into the empty void that trailed behind it. As he pulled his weapon away, he growled as he stared at the now cleanly-cut sword; separated in half as the rest of its length had disappeared into the darkness forever. Throwing it to the side, Herobrine went back to standing in front of Steve directly, determined to keep whatever authority he held in the matter by keeping his ground against Minos.
"...You're...weaker?..." Minos pointed out quietly, much to the demigod's dismay.
"Shut up!" Herobrine yelled, finally bringing himself to form flames within his hands as his anger began to boil over.
Minos held up a hand in self-defense.
"Woah, woah! I didn't mean it like that! I just-"
Herobrine groaned in pure anger and annoyance.
"Again, you don't care about what I want, since what I want is for you to just. be. SILENT."
Finding that the demigod's temper wasn't too ideal, Minos sighed, giving Steve a kind smile as he raised his scythe to "attack" once again.
"...I think I'll have to go about this another way, another day. Just...just please, take the shovel, won't you?"
Slightly confused for a moment, Steve thought about the other's words before his eyes lit up in realization.
Minos had been giving an opportunity to see for himself that Herobrine could be reached. He'd been giving him signs that the other actually may have had the inclination to protect someone other than himself. He'd been forcing the other to act on his impulses solely to prove that he had some sort of hidden train of thought that drove him to watch over the miner; to care about someone else than himself.
Herobrine may have only cared about him as an asset to be used at the moment, but maybe, just maybe, he could be bothered to show care in a closer way.
Driven from his thoughts as a hand tightly gripped his arm, he found himself being pulled away from a slow, but intentional swing of the other's scythe. As Minos went for another close-quarter swing that would've definitely hit one of them, Steve found both of his shoulders being grabbed, followed extremely closely by a foreign, disorienting feeling of being dragged through a heavy, suffocating substance as he was moved through air until, quite suddenly, he found himself within the sprucewood forest that they'd initially came through.
His head spun as his brain struggled to comprehend what had just happened, and a wave of nausea hit him as the world began to spin as well, throwing him slightly off his feet. However, quite thankfully, he wasn't in a state as bad as the demigod who had contributed to the creation of that feeling.
As he looked around for Herobrine once the other had let go of his shoulders, he'd found the other collapsed on the grassy forest flooring, gasping for breath with a bit of retching in between his drags of oxygen. His eyes were wide as he gripped the grass beneath him with a tight grip, face paling as he tried to focus his attention on anything except whatever he was currently feeling.
Snapping his head back at the miner, Herobrine stared at him with an angered gaze.
"You...you met with Mi-!"
The demigod was interrupted by another round of retching, this time accompanied by a good amount of blood that managed to slip from his lips onto the ground.
Before Steve even had the chance to even reconsider his actions, he rushed over to the other and attempted to place a hand on his back, only to get his hand swatted away.
"Don't...touch me." The other growled as best he could, slightly out of breath as he collected himself.
Backing away from the other hesitantly, Steve watched as he slowly, but surely, got back up on his feet, albeit in a slightly shaky manner. Checking himself before looking at the miner, Herobrine glared at him, clearly wishing to chew him out for their previous interaction, but, for reasons left undisclosed, turned away, tching to himself before beginning to walk off.
"...We botched it." The demigod muttered, loud enough for the other to hear him.
"...Can't we just go b-"
"No!" Herobrine snapped around to yell at him. "Minos is there, and now he knows that we want to destroy portals, so most likely, he'll have somebody placed there to meet us if we do come back! Do you not realize the sheer stupidity of what you've just done?!"
Steve stared at him with a hurt gaze, though, that did nothing to stop his barrage of harsh words.
"If I had any knowledge of why you wear my face, I would've gotten rid of you despite your usefulness in finding portals, but since neither of us knows anything, I'm forced to keep you around! Can't you manage to not be such a nuisance for one day?!"
Steve's expression of hurt turned into one of anger.
"...I dunno, can't you manage to take into consideration the fact that I'm just a human? One who makes mistakes? One that's been trying his best to adapt to whatever's been thrown at him? One that's been trying to follow along with your stupid orders, and your stupid expectations, and your stupid commands despite the fact that I'm not just one of your servants who has to listen blindly and do whatever you say?!"
Even though he still felt a significant drop in his stomach with the way he'd talked back with the other, Steve held his ground a bit stronger than before.
Herobrine stared at him, his own anger not subsiding. Though, something significantly changed in the way the demigod's eyes focused on him. Once again, his gaze had dimmed to the point where he could just barely spot his irises. His fists tightened into balls at his sides, but he made no further action with them, instead remaining in place.
In defeat, Herobrine sighed.
"...I suppose I can forgive you for interacting with...him. You didn't know what he looked like, and I can't really fault you for meeting him. He probably approached you, am I correct?"
Slightly surprised with the other's change of mind, Steve nodded, not saying anything further.
"...Then it's his fault you two met. We didn't know that he'd be here, so there was no way to make sure that you'd never meet him otherwise."
Herobrine looked away momentarily, his gaze softening just a bit before turning back to the miner.
"...You tend to make acquaintances rather...easily, I might say. It was only natural that you'd manage to gain his favor."
Quickly as that gaze had softened, it narrowed once again.
"Stop making friends with everybody you meet. I say that not only for the purposes of our mission, but just to save you the grief of having to cut your relationships short."
With hesitancy, Steve shook his head.
"I'll make friends with whoever I want."
Herobrine scoffed, waving the other off.
"...Whatever. Just make sure that you come to me last whenever that fails to work out for you, so I can laugh at your crying face as you fall into despair."
Glaring at the demigod's back as he began to walk off, Steve kept his next words within his mouth, attempting not to let them slip as he began to formulate a plan by himself, despite how absurd it seemed to be.
'...You won't be laughing when that friend turns out to be you.'
This chapter is brought to you by the Free Realms soundtrack! Here I am getting hyped up for a game that no longer exists ;-;
Man, I miss going to museums :( Last one I went to was on a school trip, lol. We went to a few of them, but I particularly liked checking out the Smithsonian museums, as well as a few in New York!
Back to story stuff, tho!
Before y'all get any hopes up, I just want to tell you guys that Herobrine's brother is NOT who you're expecting him to be.
In the process of thinking about how I wanted to do this story, I was heavily debating which bits of Herobrine "canon" I wanted to keep intact, and which ones I wanted to do away with in order to build his character. I really wanted to keep the whole "more powerful sibling" idea, since I think it's a pretty interesting plot point. On that note, I didn't feel comfortable with taking an IRL person and like, re-writing their personality when I don't even know them personally. To fix that hurdle, I just made up a whole new character who essentially serves the same purpose, lol he'll get introduced later
Anyhoooooo, we have Minos here! Fun little fellow who uses the void to his advantage!
Fun facts!:
1.) Minos is referred to as the god of Erasure and Removal interchangeably! He's actually a minor god from the Aether (closer to being a demigod, but not quite), and his main duty is to remove those bugs and stuff that you usually see in Minecraft (think stuff in the changelog)! Whatever he removes gets sent into the void, and tends to be removed from the memories of all creatures within the realms completely, though, he keeps track of what he removes by recording them down (in the changelog)!
2.) Minos isn't hostile, but he poses the biggest threat to Herobrine solely due to his absolute ability to erase. In all actuality, Minos sees Hero as his own little brother, and would do literally anything else before even thinking of considering the idea of using his scythe on him.
3.) Litefall city is a favorite of Minos' to visit because of all the lights and scenery. Contrasts with working with the void on a daily basis, lol
4.) Litefall City is kinda more of a Las Vegas-type city than a New York one, lol. Very neon, very bright, never sleeps. Significantly less gambling tho; more science and fashion!
5.) All Aethren gods and demigods and the like have the very basic abilities of heightened strength and detection. All are defined mostly by a special ability that each one is specifically born with. There's never been two divine beings at a time with the same title, lol.
6.) Contrary to what Minos thinks, not all of the old champions were demigods. In addition to that, not all demigods are champions, but they're still given a title regardless.
I guess we kinda have a bit of an update schedule here? idk, but I've noticed that I've managed to consistently be able to put out updates every Sunday or Monday, mostly. I don't want to set such a definite time of release, since there might be times where I'm unable to work on a chapter so much, but uhhhh idk? I'd say from now on, expect updates to come on the weekends, with Friday/Saturday being "maybe" update days, and Sunday/Monday being more certain. Might switch it up later; might post earlier, might skip a weekend, but for now, that's what I have in mind.
…
(Also to clarify something, at the current moment, I am not in need of OCs to add to the story. Potentially I might be, so I may consider opening up for OCs, but I can't guarantee it. I also don't want to accidentally botch somebody's characters, so I'm only going to use my own for now.)
Anyhoo, that's it for now! Leave a review if you have any thoughts or criticisms!
