Chapter 16: Beast Tamer
Chaos was occurring in the small clearing that laid within the forest, causing a commotion that was not exactly ideal for the individuals experiencing it at the moment.
Under the hold of three armoured men struggled a large, furious creature, its bristled fur only partially displaying the pure, utter rage it held within its gaze. Troubled roars escaped its mouth as the people around it shushed it frantically, attempting to rope a big piece of fabric around its mouth as it continued to overwhelm them.
Suddenly, the creature broke loose, standing on its hind legs momentarily as it let out a louder roar, only to fall back upon its front legs in an angered, threatening stance. Without warning, the beast charged ahead toward all three of the men, not caring whichever one it managed to actually hit. While two of the men managed to jump out of the way in time, the third, unfortunately, was nearly impaled by the beast's left horn. A scream of pure agony escaped his lips as he fell to the side, scrambling desperately to escape the beast's direct path of attack.
The beast continued its rampage as it ran away from them in an angered fashion. It effortlessly knocked down the trees that laid directly in its pathway, but the men made no move to follow after it, instead focusing all of their attention upon the injured one among them.
Though the creature left a decent-sized gash in his side, the injured man counted himself to be rather lucky to have survived while not having to be dragged around by such a creature. Though it had been given to them for a specific purpose, they'd get by perfectly fine without it. He felt only a tad bit worried for whoever was unfortunate enough to encounter it directly as it went upon its rampage.
The forest was relatively quiet, save for the various sounds of mobs traveling about and living out their lives beneath the present shade. Peaceful and hostile creatures alike maneuvered their way through the forest, unbothered by other creatures and other possible distractions. The sun shone high in the sky, with little traces of clouds briefly moving in front of it, failing to hide the sun in any significant way whatsoever.
The group moved along, unbothered by the monsters and animals that traveled past the trees only a short distance away from them. As Herobrine led the way by himself, Andvari and Constiere were only a couple of feet behind him, talking amongst themselves as they became lost within conversation. Steve trailed behind them only slightly, and Malgun traveled all the way at the back of the group, being rather vigilant of the ground as he made his way through the forest, attempting to avoid any patches of sunlight that he could. They were still in relatively the same positioning as before, though they'd made a bit of progress through the forest as they now found themselves in a particularly older section, with large, looming trees that held untold years of age within their trunks.
Glancing around at his surroundings, Steve quietly thought to himself.
When would he get the opportunity to train with Herobrine again? He was actually getting a bit excited by the fact that if he were to emerge victorious, he would get to make their partnership a bit more than just that. He'd get the chance to be more casual with the other, and there was nothing the demigod could do about it because he specifically agreed to the terms. Whether or not he could trust the other's word, Steve didn't care; as long as there was the possibility, he would be glad and willing enough to take it.
His thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of snapping fingers, and soon enough, his attention focused on the gloved, clawed hand in front of his face.
"W-what?" He stammered, taking a moment to adjust from the sudden distraction.
"Hey, bright-eyes, I was asking a question!" Constiere said, putting down his hand.
Steve blinked.
"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention. Ask it again?"
"I was asking, if you were a god, or demigod, or whatever, what would you have as your title, hypothetically? Me and Andi were talking about all the different Aethren divines that we currently know about, and we noticed that they kind of have titles like the champions. It got us thinking, what would we be?"
Steve thought to himself for a moment, before shrugging.
"I dunno. You're asking a guy who doesn't have powers, I'm not exactly sure what I could possibly be the god of."
"Steve, get creative! Think of what powers you would like, then think of a title based on that!" Constiere exclaimed.
"Might I add that it doesn't even need to be a power that you yourself can possess. For example, Minos is known as the 'god of Erasure, but as far as we know, the only item that has the ability to erase things is his scythe. Hopefully." Andvari stated, leaning down in order to address the miner a bit better.
Nodding, Steve thought to himself again, holding the straps of his backpack a bit tighter as he became interested in the topic at hand.
What would he like as a power? Sure, his implied advanced healing was nice and all, but what would he really like? See-through vision to spot ores easier? That would only lead to his job becoming more boring and tedious, than anything else. The power to create fire? He'd like that given how cold he was at the moment, but how well could he possibly control it outside of that context? What if he had a power that was more...of a concept? Emotional powers, maybe? What if he had the power to make people nice to him? To become a good leader? To cause others to be happy? To love? To be confident? What if he had the ability to inspire others to be the absolute best they could be?
Shrugging once he pulled himself out from his thoughts, Steve looked at the two with a slightly sheepish gaze.
"...I'm still not sure. Maybe...the...um, god of...Inspiration? Emotion?"
Constiere raised a brow at him.
"...What would that kind of power be? You give good pep talks and speeches, and everybody goes out and does something because of it?"
Steve shrugged.
"...I guess? I dunno. I'm not too sure that I'd be able to control a lot of magic, like how a divine or whatever usually does, so I went with more of a concept than...y'know."
Andvari nodded in response to his words.
"I see. Rather go for something safe than something potentially dangerous?"
Steve nodded.
"...I agree, in that regard. I'd personally go with being the god of Scientific Discovery. That title doesn't actually exist as far as I know, but I'd like to be the person who allows people to stumble upon different new substances and chemicals, herbs and cures, stuff like that." Andvari explained, earning a look of surprise from the miner.
"I didn't know that you were into science!"
Andvari chuckled.
"You don't know the half of it."
Slightly confused and amused by the other's words, Steve was about to ask the other a question, but he was interrupted by a groan coming from Constiere's mouth.
"Yeah, the big nerd likes science a lot. I, personally, would kill to be the god of Strength! That title actually exists, and it's super cool! Imagine my blasts being as large as I wanted them to be! Imagine me being actually able to make them without falling apart!"
Andvari rolled his eyes at the other's words.
"Strength implies a lot of things. Physical strength, yes, but might I remind you that this divine in particular has the qualities of being emotionally and mentally strong, as well? They're not as impulsive as you, Constiere."
"Hey! There's strength in impulsiveness!" Constiere pointed a finger at the enderman.
"In the idea that it's strongly annoying?" Andvari smirked at the boy.
"Andi-!"
Their words were interrupted by a scream that rang throughout the forest, causing Steve to flinch badly as the others simply looked around briefly to find the source. Constiere immediately paused in his rebuttal, edging a bit closer toward Steve in response to the sudden distant noise.
Silence followed the voice of the distant stranger, causing an air of confusion to arise within the group.
"...How far away do you suppose that was?" Andvari asked, casting a glance down to the others.
"...Far." Came Herobrine's one-worded answer from up ahead, his eyes carefully glancing around the area despite the word that had just left his mouth.
"Did it sound human to you guys?" Constiere asked, breaking off away from the others in order to move closer to a nearby tree.
"...Yes." Herobrine agreed quietly.
"Absolutely." Malgun nodded his head.
"Without a doubt." Andvari nodded.
"...Kinda?..." Steve shrugged, glancing off toward the direction that the voice seemed to come from.
Herobrine turned around to glare at him.
"You can't tell humans apart from mobs?"
Opening his mouth again to mock him, Herobrine was suddenly caught up by his own thoughts, turning away from the miner in what appeared to be slight realization.
"...Actually, that explains a lot about you..."
Steve glared back at him.
"I can. In my defense, a scream isn't definitive of what anything is. I mean, you're not human, but you sound human, so it could've been another demigod, or…an Aethren divine, or whatever."
"...He's kinda got a point." Constiere spoke up, pointing briefly to Steve.
"He would, if not for the fact that those fools don't scream because of just anything. The only thing that draws that response from them is the idea that someone doesn't tolerate their whole superiority schtick. Someone like me." Herobrine pointed to himself in response to Steve's words.
Taking the other's words into thought, Steve found himself suddenly more interested in the ground beneath him.
"...I guess it was human, then." Steve mumbled, turning to walk further away from the others in order to hide his embarrassment.
"...Now the question is whether or not we should be concerned about it." Andvari spoke quietly, casting a glance toward the forest.
"Most likely not. It's a human who has probably encountered a mob of some sort. Nothing we should lose precious time for." Herobrine responded to the other, continuing to walk ahead.
As the others nodded in response to the demigod's words, Steve looked back up to stare off into the direction that the scream had come from, curiosity piqued as he wondered what exactly could've caused such a response. When the others started to move along once again, it took him a moment to realize that they were doing so.
He hoped that they wouldn't encounter whatever had caused the stranger's distress. Even if he was with the "safest" group of people he could possibly be with, he didn't want to find himself in another opportunity to get seriously injured.
Catching up with the others, Steve found that the mood from before had gone completely, as it became apparent that even though the others were willing to dismiss the scream as something that came from a human meeting their unfortunate demise at the hands of a mob or two, they were still a bit startled by the noise in general, becoming extremely vigilant. The miner found himself joining along with them, his eyes and ears wide open, as he glanced around a bit, albeit more obviously than them.
A few minutes of silent travel later, the group began to relax ever slightly, now that it became clear that the sound hadn't repeated itself and nothing else had seemingly accompanied it in the first place. Steve let out an inner sigh of relief as they continued to walk on undisturbed, though the silence was beginning to bug him a bit given the friendly nature of the conversation he had been having earlier with Andvari and Constiere. Wanting to continue further, Steve began to approach them once again, opening his mouth in order to speak.
He was interrupted by the sound of a loud thump accompanied by the violent rustling of leaves as both came to their ears, causing all of them to turn immediately toward the direction that the sound came from. Not even a second later, another tree appeared to have fallen as well, though before anyone could ask what was going on, a loud roar sounded throughout the forest.
"Okay, what was that?!" Steve asked worriedly, eyes glancing around wildly.
"That, I'm not sure." Andvari answered, more vigilant than he was before. His voice was steady.
"...To me, it sounds like a ravager. I'm not certain that it is, but there's no other beast that lives within the overworld above ground that can make that kind of sound." Herobrine explained, keeping his gaze focused in one direction in particular as the others continued to look around for where the sound could've possibly arisen from.
Slightly alarmed by the other's choice of words, Steve was about to speak up, but found himself being further interrupted by another rage-filled roar from the mysterious beast, which had, to his dismay, gotten closer. At least, it unfortunately sounded like the beast had gotten closer based on the sound of another tree falling violently nearby.
"Do we run away from it?" Steve asked.
"Of course not. If it's going wild, it'll prove to be more of a danger if we leave it be. It's going after trees, so it's actively ruining our cover, as well as the cover of other mobs." Herobrine explained, eyes glancing back at the forest as another tree seemed to have collapsed against the earth. The beast had gotten closer.
"We're gonna-"
"-Fight it? Duh." Constiere cut the miner off, smiling at him. "It's a rampaging monster that's ruining everything for everyone. If we don't take care of it, no one will."
Slightly upset by the other's answer, Steve directed his attention toward the forest as he waited for the beast to come into view.
There was relative silence for a small moment, which was only interrupted by the sound of heavy approaching footsteps traveling through the forest.
More silence followed.
…
…
Suddenly, a roar sounded out, nearly causing the miner to cover his ears. A creature unlike anything that Steve had ever seen before broke from the tree line, knocking over another oak in its direct path.
Its roar shook the ground beneath his feet, but he was unsure if the others felt the same as he did. The creature before them had dull, greenish-grey fur that was slightly matted and splotched with blood and dirt. Two horns pointed upward from its head, with one slightly split in twain. Uneven, slightly green sharp teeth peeked out from under its upper lip, which was slightly obscured by the large, dark brown snout upon its face. It was a tall, bulky beast that reminded Steve of a bull, but the rest of its features marked it from being merely such. Upon looking closer, Steve found a saddle tied upon its back, its leather untouched, and seemingly new. Armour was lightly decorating its shoulders, partially hiding a red bandana that was tied around its neck.
This was somebody's mount.
This monster was somebody's whole ride.
"Well, would you look at that, I was right." Herobrine smirked to himself, drawing his blade rather quickly, gathering Steve's attention immediately. The surface of the sword sung proudly as it was brought out.
To Steve's utter surprise, his fear of the creature turned to worry.
"W-wait! That's a ravager? Why is it...why is it angry?"
Herobrine gave a brief confused glance back at the miner before directing his attention back forward.
"Yes, that's a ravager. Who knows why it's upset, they're generally angry beasts."
Before Herobrine could move to attack the beast, Steve suddenly put himself between the demigod and the ravager, moving before his mind could even process what he was doing.
"Can we...not hurt it? Maybe we can calm it down?"
Herobrine, utterly shocked by the other's action, stared at him blankly for a moment. After seemingly shaking himself from his stunned state, he rolled his eyes at the other's suggestion, slightly relaxing from his attack stance.
Debating with himself silently, Herobrine let out a sigh as he allowed the tip of his blade to hit the ground beside him.
"...If you can manage to soothe it, we'll leave it alone. You fail, and it will be...heavily discouraged from attacking us."
Not all too surprised that the other was open to watching him struggle, Steve gave him a small smile despite the danger that he was allowing him to be put in.
"I...I'll try my best, then."
Though he stepped away from the other in a show of brief confidence and began to slowly approach the rampaging ravager, Steve found every fiber of his being screaming at himself for what he'd just impulsively done.
In all honesty, he was hoping that the other would shut him down. Despite how insane it might've sounded, Steve believed wholeheartedly that Herobrine, of all people, was a legitimate voice of reason when it came to dealing with mobs, at least. He might've been utterly wrong about other beings, but given the leadership he held over the various monsters of the land, it wasn't tough to admit that the demigod would've had a decent understanding of how they worked and how to approach them. He, above all others, would've belittled him endlessly about approaching these creatures with such naive thoughts about their ability to change or be tamed. Why was it that this time, he allowed Steve to put himself in danger? This was the worst time that he could've chosen to allow Steve more of his individual freedoms.
Despite his utter confusion at the other's willingness to allow him to do such a hopeless task, Steve pressed forward, watching the upset beast before him as it bucked around wildly and shook its head with utter rage. The beast dwarfed him in sheer size and strength, obviously, if it could take down several trees and not be all that visibly disorientated. If he got hit once, it might as well be over for him. Its horns were large and dense enough to skewer him upon impact, and he hoped that it would never come to that at all.
Saying his prayers, Steve got closer, gaining the creature's attention with his movements. As it stopped its actions briefly, its eyes narrowed as it went into a defensive stance, growling as he approached. Letting out a large huff of air that suggested it was about to attack, the beast continued to stare at Steve as he halted his movements completely in fear for his life.
"I-I'm not going to hurt you! I just...I just want to see if you're alright…" Steve held up his hands in defense, backing away slowly as the creature slightly relaxed at his actions.
The beast continued to stare at him for a couple of moments, not moving as he remained frozen in place. Once the beast began to slowly shift away from its attack stance, Steve began to approach it once again, albeit more slowly this time around. Though the beast was still highly wary of his presence, he began to speak to it in a soft, quiet manner, desperately attempting to not startle it.
"H-hey...you're lost, aren't you? Is that why you're mad?"
Steve was only a couple of feet away from the ravager.
The ravager continued to stare at him.
"...You don't need to be scared of me...I won't hurt you, promise!" Steve smiled at the creature, which did nothing to change its expression of caution.
He was now standing directly in front of the creature. Nervous, but all the more excited, Steve reached out a hand towards the being, watching in slight awe as its gaze followed his palm. Flinching as he held his hand right above its forehead, the ravager gave him a brief glance before continuing to stare at his hand as it finally made contact with its head gently.
Its fur was coarse and matted, slightly causing Steve to lift his hand in surprise before resuming. Soft words of encouragement and praise left his lips as the ravager's posture began to relax under his gentle touches, and soon enough, the beast's eyes closed slowly as it began to nuzzle into his hand. Taking the beast's face with his other hand carefully, Steve continued to pet the ravager, giving a smile back toward the others as he reveled in his small victory.
"This one's a sweetheart!" He said with a small laugh, a grin overtaking his face entirely as he turned back in order to rest his forehead upon the ravager's own.
The others were left in stunned silence at the sight. Their expressions were filled with utter disbelief.
"...He...he did it." Constiere was the first to speak up, slowly approaching the two in front of the group.
Noticing that another pair of footsteps were coming nearer, the ravager's eyes snapped open, focusing immediately toward Constiere. It let out a warning growl as the boy stopped his approach, looked at the two in more disbelief, and began to back away once again.
"Hey! It only likes you?!"
Steve, who had flinched away as the creature growled at the other, resumed petting it, coaxing the ravager back into its calm state as he shrugged.
"Well, yeah, I guess."
Sheathing his sword, Herobrine began to attempt an approach as well, finding himself to be slightly more successful in getting near the beast as a look of confusion overtook its expression. It still growled defensively; however, this did nothing to stop the demigod's slow approach.
"...You tamed a ravager."
Steve turned to look at the other, shrugging once again.
"...I mean, I guess so? I wouldn't call that taming...just, y'know...being nice to it."
Herobrine cast a glance at the creature.
"...These creatures are bred to be weapons of war, full of rage, untouchable by many, and yet, you calmed it."
Steve looked back at the ravager with curiosity.
"...Weapons of war?"
Herobrine let out a sigh as he stopped his approach.
"These beasts were bred and raised to be ridden into battle. This one is no different."
Silence filled the space between them as Herobrine thought to himself for a moment, before casting a glance at Steve once again.
"...Mount it."
"What?" Steve blinked.
"I said mount it. It has a saddle for a reason. Climb it, and see if it's comfortable enough with you to let you stay on it."
Looking back at the ravager, Steve began to feel anxiety creeping up his bones and flowing through his blood. This beast was only okay with him petting it, what would it do if he were to climb it?
Deciding to test his luck, being egged on by his current source of better judgment, Steve gave a couple of taps to the creature's face, gaining its attention as it opened its eyes and looked at him.
"Hey...You have a saddle on you, don't you?"
The beast continued to look at him curiously.
"...Is it okay if I hop on?"
"Steven, you don't need to ask the-"
"I'm just doing it to be nice! I don't want to scare it!" Steve snapped back at the demigod, a bit more fearful of the beast in front of him than the one behind him at the current moment. The demigod was seemingly dismissive of his outburst.
Carefully shifting away from his position, Steve slowly went around the creature, attempting to appear as non-threatening as possible in order to not alarm it. Stopping by its side, Steve gave a gentle tug upon the saddle that was on its back, pointing to it briefly as he waited for the creature to respond in any way whatsoever. Receiving nothing but the same curious look, Steve began to slowly climb the beast as gently as he could. Though the beast flinched and began to shift around worriedly as it realized what he was doing, it didn't run away or attempt to shake him off whatsoever, staying relatively in place as he swung his leg over the saddle and sat down. To his surprise, the being returned to its previously calm state, allowing him to adjust himself as he needed. Though there were no reins to hold in his sight, Steve instead went to continue petting the creature gently from on top of it, letting out quiet words of praise as it began to relax fully in his presence once again.
The others were even more shocked.
"...Since when were you this good with mobs?" Constiere asked the miner, not daring to approach him and the beast this time around.
"I...I dunno."
"...This one might have not gotten the chance to bond properly with its original owner. Might explain why it's so open to tolerating you." Herobrine suggested, glancing over the sight in front of him with judgemental eyes.
Andvari approached by his side, giving the miner a smile.
"I knew you had quite the heart for mobs, but this?...This is extraordinary."
Teleporting around, Andvari startled the beast quite a bit, though it did nothing to buck Steve off from its back.
"...Yes, I believe that you're correct, Herobrine. This one didn't bond with its original rider. Maybe that's who we heard, earlier, I suppose."
Herobrine nodded.
"Most likely. They angered the beast, then allowed it to roam free."
Steve looked down at the creature with worried eyes.
"...This one's owner could be nearby? Shouldn't we return it, then?"
Herobrine, along with the mob generals, shook his head.
"First of all, if you've been paying attention, you'd realize that this creature has bonded to you. It tolerates you the most. Should we return it back to its original 'owner,' it will live a life of misery."
Looking into the ravager's turquoise gaze, Herobrine narrowed his own eyes.
"Second, I believe that we can use this to our advantage."
As Steve poked around the creature's armour while he listened to the demigod's words, he found what appeared to be a long line of rope, which he assumed to be the reins, hidden beneath the red piece of fabric that was around the ravager's neck. Moving them to be placed above the creature's bandana, he looked back toward the demigod curiously.
"...What do you mean by that?" He asked quietly.
Herobrine approached the two a bit more.
"...You still need a title. I can almost guarantee that the people of your village, as well as the majority of others, have yet to lay their eyes upon such a creature. Don't you think that you...taming such a beast is a grand enough feat to place you on better terms?"
Steve thought about the other's words for a moment before his eyes slowly began to widen in realization.
"...You mean I-"
"The title of 'Champion of Beasts' is wide open. You should know that. Not many would go for such a thing, anyway, given what it entails."
Mood souring rather quickly, Steve shook his head almost immediately at the other's suggestion.
"I...I don't think it's appropriate. I mean, it hasn't been too long since...Otto-"
"-You, as well as everyone here, know well enough that the man was a false champion. He didn't deserve the title, and he didn't truly earn it, yet he paraded around the place like he had. You've already done more than he had ever done, just by convincing this hostile monster to allow you to approach it alone. He tamed already domesticated animals. You've actually tamed a beast."
Herobrine came up next to Steve, earning a defensive growl from the ravager beneath him, though the demigod paid no mind to the creature. He instead focused his attention fully upward toward Steve.
"This opportunity was practically hand-delivered to us on the wings of fate. You may not get another like this in a long while, why not take advantage of it? You'll soothe your worries about being decent enough to be a champion, and you'll earn the true favor of your village neighbors. Might I add, the benefits do not have to end there."
Herobrine gave the other a mischievous expression.
"Why not then take full advantage of such a title? Maybe...remind the village Elder of who you are?"
Steve thought about the other's words a bit before responding quietly.
"...What are you saying?"
Herobrine placed a hand upon the creature's saddle, much to its general discomfort, as well as Steve's.
"Here's my suggestion, Steven. Every village Elder has a general idea of the various trade routes that travelers and suppliers go through in order to bring goods. Well, the competent ones do, at the very least. If you gain the status of a successful champion, and the Elder recognizes the power that you hold among the people, you can easily negotiate him into giving you a map of some sort that'll help us as a whole with finding possible locations to travel to."
Steve raised a brow at the other, tightening his hold on the reins within his hands.
"And what...how do you know that?"
Herobrine rolled his eyes.
"We've gone through several different villages before yours. Not every map is the same, since not every village has a connection with another, but if the fact that your village was situated next to a larger portal means anything, then that could mean that there's a chance that other villages and cities might have wished to keep connection with yours for future use, whether the people know it, or not. People don't typically keep constant tabs on smaller portals, but the bigger ones? Rulers worthy of their kingdom would likely at least be aware of the potential existence of those portals, should their own be tampered with. The point I'm making is that likely, bigger cities with bigger portals may be in contact with your pathetic village."
"Hey! It's not pathetic!"
"All human villages are pathetic. Is that any better for you?" Herobrine corrected himself with a slightly mocking tone.
The demigod began to circle around Steve and the beast, somehow maintaining his threatening aura despite the fact that Steve was towering over him thanks to the creature he was riding.
"My suggestion provides you with the opportunity to show you have the potential for success to the eyes of your village. We will not attack, nor interfere. You can go about your quest peacefully. Your village will recognize you as a hero, and the Elder can say nothing about it. This is your chance to prove your worth as a champion, Steven. Not only that, but it's a chance to prove that you're a valuable asset, as well."
Steve thought about the other's words, though he was having a difficult time coming to a decision.
Sure, the opportunity to gain a title practically fell right into his hands. He didn't have to find a magical artifact, or put himself in too much direct danger, but nevertheless, he still earned it, doing the bare minimum. If what Herobrine said was true, he could very much convince the villagers to give him the time of day and praise him as a real champion, earning the respect he deserved and allowing him to get more things that he needed from the Elder.
However, his conscience was still nagging at him. Otto's body might've still been warm. Was it even morally right to steal such a title so soon? Could he? Was there something that he needed to do in order to properly secure it for himself? He could act like he hadn't heard about the events that occurred in Otto's village, and ask if he could take the title. Was it even a problem he should be worrying about? Could two champions exist at the same time with the same title? Was that possible?
There were so many ways he could go about this, and yet, a very small part of him actually wanted to take the title. Yet, that small part of him was the one screaming the most.
"...Sure, I'll...I'll try it."
Herobrine smiled at him.
"This will give us the help that we need right now, Steven. Being uncomfortable for a moment or two will not matter in the end, once we're able to push forward."
Was the demigod trying to comfort him for his decision?
Returning the smile, Steve gave a quick tug on the ravager's reins. To his slight surprise, the creature began to walk a bit, looking around as it attempted to follow in the direction that it thought he wanted to go in. Nearly falling off as the beast began to move, Steve pulled the reins closer to his body, causing the ravager to stop.
"...How do I ride this thing?" Steve cast a sheepish glance over to the others, leading to Herobrine narrowing his gaze at him as his smile fell, and as the others laughed a bit at his plight.
"...Like you would a horse. You've ridden a horse before, cor-"
Herobrine trailed off as the miner stared at him with an increasingly helpless expression. With an annoyed groan, Herobrine shook his head in disappointment.
"...I knew I shouldn't have expected so much of a miner, let alone a mortal, but your life experiences are quite lacking for someone who lives in the Overworld."
Herobrine crossed his arms in front of his chest.
"You use the reins to direct the creature where you want to go. You also use them to halt them in their tracks, and try not to fall off. It's simple."
Herobrine paused for a moment.
"...These creatures were bred to be ridden on during battle. They were made particularly for archers. Their shoulders are broad enough to stand on. They're sturdy beasts, and were made to be quite durable in action, so naturally, they shouldn't be too tough to control."
Backing away from the creature, Herobrine gestured to the path in front of them.
"Go ahead. We can backtrack right here and now in order to reach your village as soon as possible. With the ravager, you won't have to worry about trailing behind."
Steve nodded, though he still found himself a bit hesitant in fully embracing the stunt they were about to pull.
He was really about to take the title of 'Champion of Beasts' for himself.
Shaking himself from his thoughts, he, before he had the chance to forget, tugged the reins of the ravager, signaling that it was time to move. Once he realized that they weren't going anywhere, however, a look of confusion overtook his features.
"...Uh...start walking? Go?" He asked the creature quietly, gently patting the side of its face as he attempted to coax it into moving.
The beast didn't budge.
A laugh came from behind him, and the next thing he knew, he was watching Constiere carefully beginning to approach him and the beast with a mischievous grin upon his face.
"All that thing needs is a bit of encouragement, don't you think?"
Steve narrowed his gaze at the other.
"...If you're even thinking about hurting this thing, I'll hurt you."
Constiere shook his head, giving the best innocent look that he could muster toward the miner.
"Nah...I just think you're kinda...skinny. Maybe this thing is used to a biiiiiit more weight on its back."
"I'm not...Wait!" Steve barely had the time to get his words out before the boy had broken into a quick sprint, swinging his body over the beast in order to land somewhat on the saddle behind the miner.
The beast did not like this in the slightest.
Letting out a quick roar, the creature broke off into a gallop, starling Steve as he let out a quick cry, reaching forward to grab onto the beast for dear life as Constiere grabbed onto him, nearly taking them both down.
Running quite far ahead of the others, the beast went on in what appeared to be a blind rage, causing Steve to slightly panic as the surrounding forest went by in a blurry haze. With a gentle hand, he began to pet the creature beneath him, taking the reins that were in front of him with his other hand quickly, as he thought that he'd fall off if he didn't have a firm grip on at least something. With a hard tug, he pulled on the reins with his hand, only bringing up his other hand once it became apparent that he might lose his grip. With a sudden realization, the creature halted almost immediately, standing a bit back on its hind legs as Steve held onto the reins for dear life. Constiere, however, was not as attentive to the situation, finding himself falling backward as he was unceremoniously ejected from the back of the ravager. Collapsing onto the ground as the beast fell back upon its front legs, the boy let out a small groan, curling into a ball as Steve looked down at him with worry.
"Constiere, are you-?!"
"-I'm okay! Nothing too bad, I'm just...taking a break. Down here. In the dirt." Constiere gave the miner a shaky thumbs-up as the others finally caught up to them.
With a glance downward, Herobrine gave Constiere an unamused expression.
"...You know that was an utterly stupid stunt to pull, correct?"
Nodding slowly, Constiere curled up a bit tighter.
"Uh-huh."
"And you know that it could've seriously cost you both, correct?" Andvari teleported right next to Herobrine, scowling at Constiere with a harsher look of disappointment.
"Y-yeah."
"And that a close-range fighter has no business riding a beast made for a long-range fighter, right?" Malgun said, approaching the others as well.
"I get it! Gosh, it's almost like I did something dumb, or whatever!" Constiere's voice was a bit muffled in his current position, but after a moment or two, he started to uncurl himself and stand back up.
Dusting himself off, Constiere placed his hands on his hips as he looked towards Steve with a slightly apologetic look.
"Sorry, thought it would be funny."
Steve gave him a small smile in return, slightly scooting up a bit as he gave a quick nod behind him.
"...Y'know if you don't jump on this thing, I think that it'd be fine for you to ride it."
As Constiere's eyes lit up, Andvari, Herobrine, and Malgun all gave Steve a raised brow.
"Are you sure you want him riding up there with you?" Andvari asked him quietly, casting a quick glance back down at the ravager.
"Yeah! I think that he just scared this thing badly by jumping on it so hard. Maybe it'll be different if he's slow enough?" Steve began to gently pet the beast, smiling a bit more as it nuzzled into his touch.
As he distracted the creature, Constiere quietly approached it, grabbing tightly onto the saddle before lifting himself onto it as carefully as he possibly could. Once properly settled, Constiere looked past Steve a bit nervously as he waited for the ravager to notice him, relaxing once it became apparent that the beast hadn't been disturbed whatsoever.
"I think that we can start moving again. I don't think that we'll have many problems." Steve said, readjusting the reins within his hands.
Constiere nodded.
"Yeah, I think that this thing likes me, now!"
Andvari rolled his eyes at the other as Herobrine went on to lead the group without a response.
"Until it notices you're there." The enderman said to Constiere, starting to walk in order to catch up with Herobrine.
"Yeah, right. Anyways…" Constiere looked over to Malgun with a grin. "Hey, sir? You need a ride? I think we can squeeze a skeleton up here!"
Malgun shook his head.
"I need to manage my own path. You can trek freely underneath the leaves, but I can't."
"Oh. Right, right!" Constiere chuckled a bit in embarrassment.
Tugging the reins a bit, Steve attempted to find a way to get the beast to move as Constiere made conversation, still failing.
"...I wonder what got this thing moving in the first place. Scaring it can't be the only way to get it to move!" Steve said, mostly to himself.
Moving a hand away from the reins, Steve went to tap against the ravager's face gently, gathering its attention before pointing directly forward.
"Can we start moving, uh…" Steve's voice trailed off as he came to a realization.
He hadn't given the ravager any name whatsoever.
Had the creature already been given a name that it was attached to? What would he know to call the creature by? Thinking to himself for a moment, Steve attempted to think up a name for the beast on the spot.
"...I dunno what to call you, really."
Steve looked down at the reins in his hands.
"...Dasher, maybe? Since you run pretty fast?"
Constiere tuned back into the miner's words and let out a small laugh at the other's suggestion, much to his annoyance.
"Dasher? Really? At least go for something cool and intimidating, like...Crusher!"
Steve rolled his eyes with a bit of a smile.
"Crusher is better than Dasher?"
Glancing back down at the beast, Steve gave it a smile that he was fully aware the creature couldn't see.
"...I'll call you Squash, then."
"Squash?! That's even worse!" Constiere exclaimed, earning a quick growl from 'Squash.'
Steve closed his eyes in satisfaction.
"See? Already likes it. Squash it is!"
With a small pat upon the creature's face, Steve pointed forward as he tugged on the reins once again.
"Squash, let's start moving!"
As Constiere rolled his eyes at the name, Steve continued to pet the creature as it started to move forward, much to his delight, following the others at a slow enough pace that allowed them to not completely outrun the group ahead.
Traveling throughout the forest was difficult enough on his own two feet. Guiding a creature throughout the area was a whole different situation on its own.
Steve took great caution to guide Squash carefully past the trees, but even though his feet were celebrating the rest they were receiving, he had to keep his head mostly down as the creature didn't seem to be bothered by walking under trees with low enough branches that could hit both him and Constiere rather easily. He was getting rather accustomed to riding the ravager, and, to him, it felt like they were going a bit more faster, in general. Though that may as well be because they were backtracking, he felt as if they'd get back to his village in no time whatsoever.
Herobrine continued to lead the way in front of them. Andvari continued to make conversation with both him and Constiere, keeping their journey quite lively. Malgun chimed in whenever he felt like it, adding his wisdom to the very mature topics of "What would humans do if given the chance to grow wings?" and "Do all waterfalls have secret caves behind them?" (which Steve found particularly interesting).
Squash kept relatively quiet and calm, much to Steve's surprise. He would've at least expected the creature to disobey him once or twice already given that they'd just met, but nothing had occurred. Squash was simply traveling down the path as told.
Steve felt content, finding the opportunity to get to enjoy their travels as they went along through the calm forest, keeping the area lively as they walked.
They made a straight trip back to his village, only stopping once or twice as the sun became too much to possibly avoid all of. Slim towers of smoke in sight, Steve felt his heartbeat accelerate as it became more apparent that they were actually going to finally get him a title. As the rest of the group stared at the village before them, Steve found himself dismounting from the ravager beneath him, nearly missing his footing as he searched for the ground below. Constiere simply jumped off, landing perfectly as he went to join the other mob generals.
Casting a nervous look over to Herobrine, Steve began to speak in a quiet manner.
"What's the plan, here? Burst through the gates with Squash? Leave Squash outside and go grab the Elder, what?"
Herobrine thought to himself for a moment before shrugging.
"I'm not all too sure on how these things go, but...I suppose how you introduce the beast doesn't matter as long as your village Elder catches wind of it."
Steve let out a groan.
"I was asking you because I thought that you'd have some sort of other plan having to do with actually getting me the title."
Herobrine narrowed his gaze at him in a slightly judgemental manner.
"I said that I wasn't familiar with these things. I honestly believed that you mortals simply shouted to the heavens what title you wanted, and that was that." Herobrine smiled at him as he mocked Steve with a sarcastic tone. "I suppose that you should gather any attention as you see fit. Remember, this is the one mission that we will not interfere in. Prove to me your usefulness in all areas, including creativity and intelligence."
Not exactly pleased with the lack of actual advice or guidance in the other's response, Steve instead directed his attention back forward toward his village.
"...Hope you won't be too disappointed."
Grabbing Squash's reins, Steve began to guide the creature forward, traveling down the hill that they'd been standing on a bit slowly so that the ravager wouldn't slip and fall. Once at the bottom, Steve took a deep breath before continuing toward the main gate, finding that his hands were beginning to tremble more and more the closer he got to his village.
'There's...there's nothing to be scared about! You'll make your village happy, you'll get that free access back to the village without any consequence, real or not, and you'll finally get to see your friends again! This is perfect!' Steve gave himself a quick pep talk within his thoughts as he finally approached the gate, glancing around carefully as he attempted to find anybody he could speak with.
The streets were mostly empty, save for a couple of villagers who were chatting it up before they had to turn in for the night as the sun fully set. The golems were already out, roaming about the pathways, and the street lanterns were already well-lit for the night ahead. Glancing around the mossy stone archway, Steve continued his search for anybody familiar he could alert without having to go in. Though he found nobody in plain sight, Steve cast a glance over to where the blacksmith's workshop lay, and saw that its smoke was still rising high, causing a smile to appear on his face. Without a second thought, Steve cupped his hands around his mouth and leaned slightly over the protective railing of the entrance fence before him.
"Hey! Al!" He yelled, immediately leaning closer in order to see if he could hear any response.
He didn't really have to lean so close, because almost as soon as his words left his mouth, a white-haired individual peaked his head around the wall of the workshop, eyes glancing around briefly before his gaze fell upon the miner. Without even a second glance, the blacksmith went around the railing of his porch and briskly made his way over to the entrance with a warm smile on his face, making Steve feel a large amount of pure joy that he hadn't felt in quite a while.
"And I thought that the mobs finally got you!" Almun let out a laugh as he approached Steve, gaze focused solely on him.
"Al! You don't know how happy I am to see your face again!"
As Almun stepped closer, Steve stepped more to the side, revealing the beast behind him. Upon noticing the creature, Almun stopped dead in his tracks, looking at the ravager, dumbfounded.
"Uh...Steve?...What is that?"
Steve shrugged.
"I dunno, but I named it Squash!" The miner smiled almost innocently, pretending to not notice the other's look of pure shock.
"...That looks like a monster."
"Probably because it is!"
Steve gestured over to Squash.
"Squash here was on a complete rampage, tearing down whole forests and whatnot, but I approached this beast and calmed it down."
Finding that the other's expression didn't change all that much, Steve let out a small sigh.
"...I need to talk to the Elder. Apparently, this can get me the title of 'Champion of Beasts,' or whatever."
Almun crossed his arms in front of his chest, smiling at the miner. His shock had slowly melted away.
"I'll get him for you real quick, before you get eaten by the mobs out there. It doesn't look like Squash here is gonna be able to fit through the fence." Almun said with a chuckle, emphasizing the name of the beast as he locked gazes with it momentarily.
"I'll sit tight, then." Steve gave the other a smile in return, waving a bit as the other began to make his way toward the town hall.
Before the blacksmith got too far away, however, he stopped momentarily in the street, back turned toward the miner.
"...It's nice to have you back, Steve. Just to let you know, though, you owe me for having to talk with the Elder during my strict 'no-Elder' time." Almun said, chuckling a bit as he continued to walk.
Steve laughed.
"I'll think of something to pay you back with! Sorry about that!" He yelled as the other got farther away from him.
Almun rose up a hand in dismissal as he went into the town hall building.
The blacksmith didn't take all too long to summon the Elder, but once he came back with the man in tow, he allowed the man to outpace him as he rushed to approach Steve eagerly.
"Steve! How are you doing? Oh, it's been so long since we've last seen you!" The Elder said, extending his arms out to the other to grab one of his hands.
"I-I've been better, y'know? Got into a couple of scuffles, but...I'm still dragging myself around, aren't I?"
The Elder nodded.
"Yes, yes you are, aren't you! Now, what's brings you back-"
The Elder's gaze trailed over to the beast behind him, causing him to jump back in fear.
"Ah! What did you bring with you?!"
Steve raised a hand to pet the ravager as a growl quietly left its mouth.
"This is Squash! This is a beast that I tamed."
"A beast that you…"
The Elder's words trailed off as he became lost in thought due to the other's words. As he left the other in silence, his eyes widened as a look of realization flashed across his face.
"...Tamed. There's a champion that exists that used to tame the beasts of the land, and lead them!"
The Elder gave him a smile.
"I believe that we can offer you some sort of title regarding that."
Letting out an internal sigh of relief, Steve nodded, looking at the Elder expectantly.
"...Which one?" Though he knew the answer already, Steve waited with bated breath as the older man thought to himself for a moment.
"...Champion of Beasts, Steve."
Steve felt relieved at the other's suggestion.
"I guess I'd be honored to take it."
The Elder nodded.
"I will certify you and dub you as such."
"Will this be in public, or…"
"Of course! The people need to know what you've done for us all!" The Elder exclaimed.
Steve nodded in response.
"Oh, okay! I...I don't know how these things work, heh." The miner chuckled, slightly nervous about the fact that he would have to be presented to the villagers once again. Hopefully, he wouldn't have to give any speeches this time around.
"We'll do this first thing tomorrow, at around ten. For now, go and get some well-deserved rest! I believe that your journey must've tired you out quite a bit, correct?"
Steve nodded.
"Yeah, I've...I've slept in less-than-ideal places."
"Go and rest, then. For now, I will go and make the preparations. You've done well by us so far, Steve."
As the Elder began to walk away from them, both Steve and Almun watched him leave, with the miner's smile slightly fading and the blacksmith's gaze narrowing at the Elder.
"...So far?" Almun asked quietly.
"I never thought that this would be enough on its own, since he told me about that dragon, or whatever, but...I guess that's just how things are."
"...Champion of Beasts is a decent title. You shouldn't have to risk your head just to get Dragon-Slayer, too."
"...I don't want to, either." Steve spoke quietly, his tone growing in sadness.
"Then don't. He should learn that he can't demand so much sacrifice if he's not actually willing to make any himself. You're the only successful champion we've had. He should be grateful, not greedy."
"...Would it be selfish of me if I said that I still wanted to venture out, after I earn the title?"
Almun looked down at him in surprise.
"...You...you still wanna do this?"
Steve nodded, hesitantly.
"...I can't go much into detail, but...even though it was rough and nothing like what I'm used to...I liked going outside the village. I've...I've seen things that've only made me more curious, actually."
"...So you want to explore more than anything?"
"I'm only nineteen. I've got a while before I absolutely have to ground myself in one location. I've always wanted to explore the world, y'know?" Steve shrugged as he finished his thoughts a bit quietly.
Almun nodded in understanding.
"...Yeah, and this is the only chance you'll really get to have an actual excuse for it."
Looking off to the side momentarily, Almun sighed.
"...If that's your decision, I'll support it. I personally think it's too soon for you to go back out, but...whatever. If you find anything interesting, tell me about it, okay?"
Watching the other's gaze become filled with unspoken emotion, Steve attempted to lighten up the mood a bit by letting out a small laugh.
"Hey, I still have to tell you about all the stuff I already got to see! Don't think you can escape me too soon, alright?"
Almun let out a chuckle.
"...Tell me about it tomorrow. I'm sure that you need to tie Squash up somewhere for the night, and that you need to get some sleep yourself. I'm not about to ruin your sleep schedule for you, so you can have an excuse for that."
Nodding, Steve rolled his eyes at the other's words.
"Alright, alright. I'll go and sleep a bit. I'll wake up early to catch you before I get the actual title."
Almun nodded, waving the other goodbye.
"I'll see you to it."
Waving in response, Steve began to lead Squash away from the gate. The creature slowly began to follow after him, blowing out air through its nose as it trailed after him.
As he guided the ravager down the hill toward his house, he found himself being accompanied by another pair of footsteps all of a sudden.
"So...what now?" Came Constiere's curious tone, startling him a bit as the quiet atmosphere of the forest was broken by his voice.
Steve took a moment to collect himself before answering the other.
"...Tomorrow at ten, I officially get my title."
Constiere let out a small groan as footsteps joined them from behind.
"Couldn't you get it sooner? We gotta move!"
"What did you do, Steven?" Herobrine asked, causing Steve to flinch as he suddenly became aware of the other's presence.
"I...I talked to the Elder, and he's setting up a small ceremony for me tomorrow so that I can get my new title and be presented to the village."
As Herobrine took in the information, he let out a small hum.
"...I suppose that this halt in our plans is necessary. As long as you get the help that we need, I'll allow it."
Steve nodded.
"...So, what do we do until then? I was told to rest, but...my sleeping schedule is different now. If I mess with it, who knows how much I'll hold us back trying to fix it?"
Silence followed his words for a bit as the miner turned his attention towards the ground below him. The silence was broken as Herobrine let out a quiet sigh, gathering the miner's attention fully once again.
"...We're not exactly going at the speed of light. We'd be able to fix your schedule rather quickly if you were to break it."
Smiling at the other's words, Steve gave him an appreciative look.
"...I guess that's good to hear."
As the group approached his house, Steve found that Squash's attention had shifted from following him to following the sight of water as the ravager turned to move toward the lake. Dragging the miner with it, Squash went to take a drink as Steve let out a yelp in surprise at the sudden change in direction, as well as leadership.
Allowing Squash to take a drink, Steve looked back toward the others.
"How are we gonna spend tonight?"
He was met with a bunch of shrugs coming from everybody except Herobrine.
"We don't really have a plan at the moment, except for finding more portals and taking care of that one kingdom in particular that's building up its almighty brigade of champions." Andvari stated, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
Constiere perked up, looking at the enderman with a curious gaze.
"Wait, what? When is that supposed to happen?"
"Anytime soon. We're already aiming to get rid of most of the major portals located within the Overworld before they have any opportunity to use them. The only ones who know how to rebuild them are located in the Aether, and the few humans who do know how to make portals most likely won't teach others the process if it means they can reach the End themselves and steal that glory." Herobrine explained, pausing as he took a moment to think to himself momentarily. "...If we can get a map with major city locations that contain those portals from the Elder of this village, things will be significantly easier for us. We just need to hurry. The silverfish should prove troublesome enough for those fools in the meantime."
"If those cities are also in the direction of that kingdom, we can essentially hit two birds with one stone." Andvari added on, leading to Herobrine nodding in agreement.
"Yes. We just need to hope that our luck is sufficient and that we can at least have that to look forward to." Herobrine said, casting a glance over to the lake.
The lake was reflecting the rays of the setting sun, being tinted a deep orange as the sky had turned as well. The dark blues of the night were beginning to set in, and as they did, Steve found himself becoming slightly relaxed at the sight. He stood by Squash, enjoying the view as much as he could as he was given a rare moment of inner peace.
A sigh came from beside him, and as he turned to face the owner, he was slightly surprised to find Herobrine looking at the lake as well, cape held tight against his form. He hadn't heard the demigod approach him.
"...If you're interested and if you think that your village won't be too disturbed, we can take this opportunity to train, right now." Herobrine said.
Steve looked over to the other.
"...Wait, really?"
"There's nothing else for us to do. Do you want a chance to get your prize, or what?" The demigod whispered harshly, causing Steve's eyes to widen once he realized what he'd been suggesting.
"...Ohhhh. Yeah. We can train right now!" Steve smiled at him, causing the other to roll his eyes.
"...Tie down your beast-"
"-Squash."
"...Squash, and draw your blade."
As Herobrine turned to walk away, Steve began to lead Squash to a nearby tree, one that sat right next to the shore of the lake. Taking the reins, Steve attempted to see how long they stretched, only to find that they didn't go too far. Letting out a hum of thought, Steve simply let go completely of the rope, choosing to grab the sides of Squash's face gently instead.
"...Stay here, okay?"
As he slowly let go of the beast, he was surprised to see that it had apparently understood him, moving to lay on the ground as it continued to look at him. Backing away from the ravager, Steve moved closer toward the empty space in front of his house, drawing his blade quickly as he noticed that the demigod had already done so.
The mob generals looked rather confused between them, and, above all else, a bit worried.
"Wait, you guys are training again? This soon?" Constiere asked, pointing at the both of them.
Herobrine nodded in response.
"Yes. We have nothing else so pressing to take care of, so, why not?"
Getting into an attack stance, Steve waited as the other explained their actions to Constiere. His thoughts were running wild as he remembered that he'd have to come up with an actual strategy this time around.
He couldn't simply play defense the whole time. He'd have to learn how to consistently read the other, and he needed to do it quick. Herobrine's attacks were strong, intentional, and sporadic; they were a threat regardless of whether he wanted to actually hurt the miner or not. He could block them well enough, but he'd have to seize any opportunity he had in-between the other's swings in order to keep him on his toes, as well.
If Steve swung, he'd have to do it with intent.
Without warning, the other began to approach him in a slow fashion, silently inviting him to swing first. Though Steve didn't fall for it, the demigod's amusement at his expression didn't falter whatsoever, and soon enough, the other lept into a pace that Steve was only slightly more accustomed to. The other was fast and quick, almost entirely the opposite from the last time they had the opportunity to train together. Not finding anything else he could possibly do, Steve started out with his usual strategy of "block and hope for the best."
This session, he felt more daring; more brave. Whenever it seemed like the other was taking a longer time to swing, Steve lowered his sword and took a swing himself, though his hits were either effortlessly blocked by the other, or they missed his body entirely. His added swings slowly became a part of their attack pattern as a whole.
They were beginning to set a new pace; a new order. When Herobrine attacked, Steve defended, then attacked as well. When Steve attacked, Herobrine defended and retaliated whenever he felt like it, sometimes twice or even more times in a row. Steve was getting used to this pattern, but not the sheer strength that was in the other's swings. He'd have to match the other's unpredictability in order to catch him off guard enough in order to get a close shot, but Steve was unsure if he had even the capability to do that. He was so busy attempting to read the other in order to match his attack pace, and was at least moderately successful in that regard. He was still a bit shaky, and still struggled under the weight of the other's sword, but nevertheless, he was able to keep up well enough. Keeping up was not what he needed at the moment, however; it was about time for him to attempt to switch it up in order to catch the other off-guard somehow.
An idea came to his head. Whether or not it was a good one, he didn't know, but he also didn't want to take the opportunity to double-check it in fear that the other would knock him out before he got the chance.
With careful footing, the miner began to slowly circle the other, which ended up forcing the demigod to move along with him. Having to now split his attention between both his footing and his swinging, Steve began to look for an opening once again, finding that his opportunities had only multiplied. The other was taking a bit longer in order to swing, and Steve found the openings wide enough to make a swing or two really count.
He swung once, and the other blocked it completely.
He swung again, and even though he missed the other's blade, he'd managed to accidentally hit the other's arm, just below the wrist.
Stopping for a second to assess the damage, Herobrine kept his guard up, even though Steve didn't attack any further. After a brief second, the demigod let out a sigh, moving to sheath his sword as he went to pull down his sleeve in order to see what the miner had done.
Through the cover of night, it had been hard to see what Steve had accomplished, but sure enough, once the other's skin had appeared to him, it was evident that the miner had cut into his flesh. Though it was a small wound, Steve found himself shocked that he'd even managed to cause it.
Herobrine looked up at him with a glare.
"...Congratulations." He said, seemingly a bit annoyed that he'd let his guard down long enough to actually get hit.
Turning away from the other, Herobrine walked off, leaving Steve in silence as he sheathed his blade as well.
He managed to land a good enough hit on the other. Though he didn't really see him bleed, he supposed that it counted well enough. He didn't even need to look at the others to know that they were shocked as well. Though Steve felt like exploding with happiness, he instead relished in his victory silently with a smile on his face, moving back over to go and check on Squash.
He didn't know how he would spend the rest of the night as it became apparent that the other was walking off again for some alone time, but whatever he did, he'd be smiling throughout it. This was too great of a victory for him to simply get over too soon.
The sun rose above the horizon, and Steve found himself slightly excited with the idea of being upgraded to an actual champion with a title. Though, his excitement was only marred by the idea that he'd be going out once again, slightly more on his own terms, in order to finish his end of the bargain that he made with Herobrine. Uncertainty arose within him as he didn't exactly know what to do afterwards as a successful champion, nor as a proper addition to Herobrine's small group, but nevertheless, he attempted to calm himself as he watched the sun rise high into the sky, waiting for the right moment in order to make his way toward the village. By the "right moment," he meant that he was waiting for Almun's chimney to start emitting smoke up into the sky.
Finding that he had enough time to spare, he began to think about the previous day's events, his thoughts still rather overwhelmed. He tamed a wild beast. He saw Almun once again. He managed to cut Herobrine, earning him the ability to call the other by a nickname, freely. He'd had a lot of small (and personally big) victories, lately, and this title upgrade was only adding onto it.
Standing up, Steve let out a deep breath as he stretched his arms over his head, relaxing his body as he began to properly greet the new day.
The Champion of Beasts would soon be named within Highland Village.
Moving to walk toward the village gates, Steve trekked slowly through the gravel/dirt pathway he was currently following. It was still rather early, but since he was going to be away from his village for even longer, he wanted to savor his return as much as he could, even if nobody but the golems were there to do it with him. Passing by a few trees on his way there, he noticed that the area was practically silent. No mobs made a sound, and, as far as he knew, none were around, whatsoever.
It was an eerie silence that spread throughout the area, but, bizarrely, Steve found himself to be rather comfortable with it. Maybe he shouldn't, who knows what it meant, but given that he didn't have to deal with the threat of mobs ambushing him so early in the morning, he was rather thankful for the silence.
Approaching the gate and stepping in, Steve quietly looked around, finding that none of the villagers had woken up yet and gone out on the streets. The golems, however, were all slowly making their way back to their containment area, which had been etched into a mountain and strengthened with various stones and ores. He suspected that it wouldn't be long until the villagers woke up, meaning that anytime soon, he could start bugging Almun at his shop.
Walking to the blacksmith's shop, Steve went ahead and sat down on the other's porch, making himself comfortable as he waited for the other to step outside.
It took quite a while for the village to finally wake up, but as Steve listened to the sounds of various people stepping out of their houses and engaging in conversation, he was more interested in the sight of Almun's door opening, revealing the other as he too went outside. As Almun looked around briefly, his gaze was suddenly caught by the miner on the ground, leading to a smirk appearing on his face as he let out a chuckle.
"Eager, aren't we? When did you wake up?"
Steve shrugged.
"Just a few minutes ago, y'know. When I usually wake up." He lied, hoping that the other wouldn't see straight through him.
Almun raised a brow.
"Alright, when did you go to bed?"
The other had appeared to see straight through him.
Steve thought to himself for a moment, attempting to think of an answer that would please the other. He took too long, so the blacksmith shook his head in disappointment.
"Steve, you finally get back home after an adventure, you don't sleep, and you're going to go right back out?"
Steve held up a finger at him.
"Hey! I did go to bed, thank you very much! I just don't know when…"
Almun rolled his eyes.
"Then you'll be going out after a night of improper sleep. Not much better."
"But some sleep is still better than none, Al!"
Almun shook his head and let out a sigh, moving to go and start his work. He'd brought out a solid sheet of iron that appeared to already be in the process of reforming.
"...So, you're here to entertain me, aren't you?" Almun cast a smile in his direction, to which Steve returned eagerly.
"Maybe. I mean, I saw a lot of stuff, but not all of them might entertain you." Steve warned playfully, shrugging a bit.
"I haven't seen you in a hot minute, and you're honestly the most interesting person in this village. You can't not entertain me."
Steve raised a brow with a smirk.
"I'm the most interesting person here? How so?"
Almun shrugged.
"You came here randomly as a kid, and immediately started getting to work, no questions asked. You decided that the most dangerous jobs we had were the best fit for you. You've kept one of those jobs for a while. You see things that we don't, and yet, you still keep one hell of a positive attitude about it. Pretty interesting."
Almun paused for a moment and let out a small sigh before continuing, his expression falling.
"...We're both outsiders here, and you still managed to keep your thoughts from being tainted with cynicism. I'm kinda jealous."
Steve looked at the other with a bit of a curious gaze.
"I mean...sure I guess? I dunno, there's a lot of times when I think negatively about a situation, you know."
"That's normal. I'm saying that you're fresh-eyed and don't exactly see the world like I do, which is a good thing. Just pointing it out."
Steve shrugged at the other's words, leaning back on the railing gently.
"...Okay."
Putting the sheet of iron aside as it had been formed more into a curved shape, Almun cast another smile toward the miner.
"Enough about comparisons, tell me the things you've seen so far. I wanna keep up to date, here."
Perking up, Steve looked at the other with slight excitement.
"I'll try my best to tell you everything I can!" Steve laughed.
Thinking for a moment, Steve hummed to himself before speaking once again.
"Well...I found this city that had no darkness within it. The whole place was lit up with insanely bright lights, and it had no protection or defenses like our village."
Almun shrugged.
"Probably because of the lights."
Steve thought to himself again for a moment, his eyes lighting up as he remembered something else.
"Oh! I also went to a desert temple! There's a bunch of art and stuff all over it, depicting ancient history!"
Almun looked at him with interest.
"Really? Could you make any sense of it?"
Steve shrugged.
"Kinda? I dunno, but I copied some of it down in a book, if you wanna see. I brought it, just in case." Steve said, pulling out his journal from one of his pockets.
Almun nodded.
"I'm down, show me what you got."
Waiting as the other got out his book and brought it over to him, Almun watched as Steve opened it to the pages that contained the ancient art copies.
The two continued to talk about Steve's findings and travels (as much he could safely reveal) for a while, spending the time eagerly with each other as the time for Steve's promotion drew nearer.
The ceremony had been quick and painless. He'd been brought in front of the village, addressed like he had been the last time, and was officially dubbed the "Champion of Beasts."
Once the crowd had dispersed, Steve pulled the Elder aside as he began to talk to him in a slight whisper.
"Uh, sir? Can I...ask a favor of you?"
The Elder nodded his head slowly.
"Of course! What does the champion need?"
Steve nervously fiddled around with his hands.
"I was just wondering, do you...have a map, of some kind? Of the area? Like, do you have a map that shows where our village is along with others? I'm going to head out again, and I could really use one."
The Elder thought to himself for a moment, before his eyes lit up in remembrance.
"Yes! We have a few that I can spare. Our village has a couple of connections with other villages that bring us our more sparse goods, and I like keeping track of the merchants that come by. I'll go and grab that for you, follow me."
Nodding as the other led the way, Steve followed closely behind the Elder as they went into the town hall, disappearing into the Elder's office.
Standing near the entrance of the room, Steve watched silently as the other went to dig around his desk drawers, eventually stumbling across a piece of paper.
"Ah! Here it is! Should've honestly given this to you in the first place, but better late than never, right?" The Elder chuckled as Steve did the same, taking the map from his grasp gently.
"Thank you so much sir."
"Anytime, champion."
As Steve turned to leave the office and head back outside to Almun's workshop to say goodbye once again, he was stopped by a hand falling upon his shoulder.
"I sincerely hope that you haven't forgotten the tale of the Great Beast." He whispered, causing Steve to tense up.
With a shaky breath, Steve shook his head.
"I haven't. I was just so caught up in looking for it that my feet led me elsewhere, heh." He finished his words with a laugh, though it was not genuine.
With a nod, the Elder let go of him as he escaped to the trapdoor that led to the first floor.
"I hope that your journey is fruitful and worthwhile!" The Elder waved him goodbye, and, as best as he could, he waved goodbye as well.
As Steve left the building, he felt himself slightly relax his tense shoulders, though, not all that much.
Even though he was an actual champion now, he hadn't truly made the Elder proud. Everybody else, sure, but not him.
With a shaky sigh, Steve went off towards Almun's place, his mood lighting up as the other came into view.
"Hey, Al! I'm heading out again!"
As the blacksmith raised his head at the sound of the miner's voice, he paused his work, offering the other a smile.
"You really sure? You don't want to take a nap before you go?"
Steve shook his head with a laugh.
"Nah, I can sleep later. I promise."
Not bothering to go around and actually enter the blacksmith's workplace, Steve instead leaned over the other's porch railing from outside the fence, hanging on as he watched the other set down his tools in order to approach him. To his utter surprise, however, the blacksmith moved closer to him and, without much warning, brought him into a hug.
Almun smelled like metal, soot, and a whole other bunch of work-related things, but as Steve returned the hug slowly, he felt a genuine sense of comfort that he hadn't felt in a while. He was slightly shocked that the other had been so open to do such a thing randomly, in public no less, but he was still highly appreciative of the action.
"Please stay safe, Steve. I know I said that before and you came back, but please. Do it again."
Steve nodded into the other's body.
"I will."
The miner thought to himself before letting out a small laugh.
"Since when were you this worried about me?"
Almun pulled away from him.
"Since forever. Now take what I said seriously and be careful. I don't want to lose you."
Nodding as he stepped away from the railing, Steve waved off to the other.
"I'll just keep doing what I was already doing and more! It's kept me alive for this long, right?"
Almun waved to him as well.
"Yeah. Hopefully it's sustainable. Just make sure that your supplies are all in order, and that you have enough stuff to last until you get to the next village, or whatever."
As Steve nodded and walked away, he gave one last look toward the other.
"Bye, Al!"
"...Goodbye, Steve."
Stepping outside of the gate, Steve made his way back to the house.
AHBEWFHWIJEFOIWOBFE Sorry I'm extra late this time around! During the week I had a bunch of work to do, and on Friday/Saturday, I got dose 1 of my 'Rona vaccine and was dealing with a bit of arm pain, but thankfully nothing else! We switched service providers for our internet, so that was a ride. Also, Google Docs went down as a whole, and since my drafts are all on there, I was stranded a bit lmao. A moment of silence for everybody who had assignments due and had their study notes on Docs...
But heyyyyyyy, I made the chapter a bit longer this time around! Wanted to give Steve a bit of conflict, lmao. I had the idea of him riding around on a ravager, and went "Welp, gotta do it," so I did it! I wanted to try the idea of having like, an introductory section a bit too, so that was interesting. I was briefly considering leaving it out, but I felt too much like the chapter needed it so that we at least knew where the ravager came from and how it was already in the forest. Other than that, instead of splitting the chapter in two in order to get at least something out by my usual Sunday-Monday update time, I just decided to contain everything within the same chapter, so that we could get moving in the next one. I'm never saying "see you next week" again, just in case I get this badly interrupted and sidetracked in the future lol XD Just a heads up, next chap may be delayed too, may not be. I pushed the development of this one into when I typically start working on newer chapters, so uhhhh yeah
Anyways, fun facts!:
1.) Ravagers are an interesting breed of mob. Some say they crawled out of the depths of the Nether to serve the most evil of individuals on the Overworld, while others believe that they were once humans who made dark pacts with evil forces in order to transform them into monsters. Others just think they're mutated cattle that were continued to be bred for war due to their durability, and nothing else. Nobody truly knows how they came to this world, but those who are aware of their presence know that they're nothing to underestimate.
2.) Squash the ravager is female, lol. While both male and female ravagers have horns, female ravagers tend to have horns that remain single-pronged (except in cases where the horns are accidentally or intentionally split), while male ravagers tend to have horns that branch outward more, kinda like reindeer antlers, but with a bit fewer branches.
3.) Squash, in fact, did bond with her original owner.
Anyways, that's it for now! Leave a review if you have any thoughts!
