Chapter 38: I'm Not the Only One


Steve, eventually, had decided to rest up in his room while waiting for the others to return, laying upon his bed with his hands folded behind his head as he did so. Staring up at the wooden ceiling, Steve found that, despite being given the brief opportunity to do so, he felt no real need to fall asleep at the moment. Though he was ready to blame the others for his current predicament, he knew well enough why he wasn't daring to close his eyes and drift off.

Deep in the pit of his stomach laid a certain, newly-developed fear that he had yet to overcome, mostly thanks to a certain divine individual with a certain sword that had a certain name. He was willing to bet that he'd never be able to sleep soundly ever again thanks to that experience. He wouldn't exactly be surprised to discover that whenever he actually decided to go to sleep, his once-dreamless nights would be suddenly filled to the brim with sudden nightmares. Given the immediate events that followed his first meeting with Julian and what he's since witnessed after that particular encounter, he didn't even want to think about what could possibly show up in those nightmares.

Moving to rest his hands upon his stomach, Steve let out a deep sigh, his vibrant gaze wandering around his room before he made the decision to stand up, having discovered that his mind was racing too much for his body to remain still. Walking over to his nearby storage chests, which were a couple of old oakwood projects that he had fashioned up against the wall, he opened the one closest to the ground, looking around in it as he tried to distract himself. Though the chest was in desperate need of some actual organization and some serious spring cleaning, he didn't find any energy within him to actually do anything so soon, instead resorting to rummaging around the chest in search for anything interesting.

His fingers eventually grazed against what seemed to be paper, leading him to raise a brow in curiosity before going to pull out what he eventually realized was a book, much to his general excitement. Opening it, he found that, apart from a personal journal entry or two, the book was practically empty. He hadn't really been doing all too well when it came to actually recording his experiences, but in his personal defense, he wasn't exactly being given all the time in the world to do so. He barely had the time to even catch his breath these days; writing down a journal entry was out of the question.

Quietly, Steve looked around the chest in front of him again, attempting to find a spare quill. He considered himself lucky enough that he had the foresight to make multiple in the case that he lost one, as he eventually stumbled upon a few extra quills that had been all tied up together in a bundle. Pulling one out, he began to look for ink as well, finding himself even more lucky in that regard as he eventually found a small bottle. Moving back to sit upon the surface of his bed, Steve placed the book upon his lap and the inkwell by his side, making sure that it was stable before moving to open it. Dipping the tip of his quill into the little bottle with his right hand, he used the other to flip through the pages of his book over to a blank entry. Staring at the page before him, Steve hovered the quill just above the surface, his mind racing as he tried to think of something to jot down; something to leave upon the blankness.

He came up with nothing. Just like the page that he struggling to fill, his mind was blank.

What should he write? He knew that his other journals had precious information that he had to still work on, but what was the point of starting a new book at this point? Was this going to be something he shared with other people, or was it something that he'd keep a secret?

Finding the feathery end of his quill lightly brushing against his cheek as he sat in deep thought, Steve soon just gave up, allowing his hand to move freely and simply write as it pleased.

His emotions about his current situation suddenly came boiling to the surface, giving him some vague inspiration that he wasn't exactly sure he could put properly into words. Minutes later, he found a small passage in front of his gaze, staring back up at him as he soon realized what exactly he'd written in his momentary haze.

'I don't want to be the "chosen one."

I don't want to be someone's appointee.

I want to mine.

I want to explore.

I want to create.

I want to be me.

Never stop being me.

Never.'

His words were rather...selfish, weren't they? Sure, they were true, but...he had a certain duty now, didn't he? Didn't things rest upon him? It wasn't like he had a choice, and yet, he was speaking as if he actually did. All he could really do at this point was give himself some confidence. These words would only reach his eyes alone. He didn't exactly feel in the mood for whatever the others would say in response to his little journal entry. He especially didn't feel like he was in the mood to be teased endlessly about it, either.

Leaving the book open as he placed it off toward the foot of the bed, Steve then closed the ink bottle, shook off the remaining ink that was at the tip of his quill, and stood up to place his writing tools back into his storage chest, giving them one last look before doing so.

The others had yet to return, leaving him in a small state of anxiousness that he was still trying to figure out how to deal with. He knew that he'd have to go into his village once the others came back, but he didn't really want to. Hell, he was at the point where he was seriously considering faking his own death just to avoid any confrontation. He was afraid of having his beliefs about the people he grew up with being uprooted from right beneath him, leaving him with no solid foundation to dedicate himself to. It was hard enough hyping himself up to even think about what he was going to do in the next few minutes alone.

With a deep sigh, Steve abruptly decided that the little space he had in his room was suddenly feeling a bit too suffocating for his liking, causing him to leave it and head back into the main area of his house.

Andvari was still present in the living room area, though, he was back to sitting on the couch once again. He was looking out the window that was placed just above it, lifting up the curtains there slightly in order to stare out into the backyard.

Approaching the enderman, Steve leaned slightly forward as he tried to peak outside a bit as well.

"How's Squash doing out there?" Steve asked quietly.

Andvari continued staring outside of the window as he answered him.

"She's doing quite well. I'm rather surprised that she hasn't gotten up yet and started to wander." The enderman spoke quietly in response.

Steve nodded.

"I think that whenever all of this is over, I need to build her something nice to lie down in. Like, some sort of ravager house? An animal pen might not hold up too well in the winter."

Andvari looked back at him, nodding with a small smile on his face.

"Something like a small cottage might hold her, don't you think?" He asked with a small laugh following his words.

Steve shrugged.

"I think it might. Probably might take a while, but I can build her a little cottage that'll keep her safe and warm in the winter, and all other seasons."

"You'd actually make something that large?"

"Anything to make her comfortable. She's done so much for me already, it's the least I could do!"

Andvari took in his words for a moment, leaving him in silence before nodding his head slowly.

"...I have to ask since it's truly intriguing me. What has made you so…open to treating mobs so kindly? I might've asked about it before, but...it hasn't really registered in my mind all too well."

Steve nodded at his question.

"I…I guess that I'm not too bothered by them? I've always wanted the chance to check them out and really learn more about them, but the whole 'being considered part of their food chain' thing really put me off. When you guys gave me the chance, I...I realized they were kinda like me. You all act so human, so it wasn't hard to see them as the same."

"...Steve, pardon my rudeness, but they'd still kill you if given the chance."

"I know! But…they deserve to live their lives, you know? I couldn't really handle being a mob slayer in my past because I really, really hated the concept. Taking lives, being the person to decide someone else's fate is just...it's ugly. All things deserve peace, everybody deserves life."

Andvari nodded in response to his words, letting out a small chuckle after.

"See, that's where you and I differ. Even back when I was human, I wasn't too disturbed by the concept of taking a life." Andvari said, briefly pointing to him.

Steve looked at the other with surprise.

"...You what?"

Andvari laughed.

"When I worked for the lab, I was the guy they called to put mobs out of their misery. It's not a pretty job, but no one else had the stomach to do it. It was just a part of life, I guess. Death, and all."

Steve stared at the other for a few seconds, thinking to himself before turning away with a shake of the head.

"Somehow, that explains a lot."

Hearing the other laugh again, Steve directed his attention to the front door of his house as he suddenly heard the wood being moved around a bit, soon opening to reveal Herobrine in the doorway. The demigod stepped inside, causing Steve's mood to fall as he realized that it was time for him to finally go and confront his village.

Herobrine looked up at him, expression neutral.

"Nobody will have the opportunity to even look in this general direction. Whenever you're ready Steve, we can get this over with and hopefully move forward."

Steve nodded, moving toward the door slowly as a sigh escaped his lips.

"I'll do it now. If Selwyn doesn't show up, then...we'll try another day. She'll come around."

Herobrine continued to look at him as he walked on by.

"Hopefully sooner rather than later."

"...Yeah."

With that, Steve left the house, begrudgingly making his way toward his village in order to meet his fate.


He was only barely able to force his legs forward so that he could enter the village gates.

Stepping past the entrance and firmly placing himself onto the streets of Highland, Steve felt rather nervous as he glanced around, searching for people to possibly interact with and/or avoid. Though barely anybody was actually present on the streets at the moment, he did catch the eventual gaze of a couple of villagers, though, they didn't react much to his presence.

Did...did they not know?

Finding some of his anxiety washing away, Steve walked a bit further into the village, immediately taking himself to the abode of his close friend Almun as his current emotions were slowly being replaced with confusion.

Had nothing really changed? Was he in the clear? Was his village aware of what had gone on? Were they blissfully not aware?

He didn't even realize he was at Almun's doorstep until he looked up and found his knuckles already prepared to make the first set of strikes on the old wood before him. Knocking gently, Steve slightly backed away from the door as he waited for an answer, finding himself standing rather awkwardly. Eventually, the door did open, revealing a somewhat bored-looking Almun, who leaned against the doorframe in a somewhat laid-back fashion.

"What's the order you're coming with?" He asked in an automatic fashion, his eyes looking blankly upward in an exasperated way.

"Just a few minutes of your time, if you can forge that well enough." Steve responded with a small laugh.

Suddenly, Almun's gaze fixated upon him, and before the miner knew it, the blacksmith's arms were around his body, and he was being slightly lifted off the ground.

"Steve! You're not dead!" Almun said excitedly, drawing a laugh from the miner.

"You say that like I'm supposed to be!" Steve said as he was released, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he looked up at the other.

Almun chuckled.

"Sorry, sorry. It's kinda rare that a champion lasts this long, you know. I...I've been pretty worried about you."

Looking up at the other with an appreciative gaze, Steve smiled softly at him.

"Al, you don't have to be that worried about me. I can handle myself."

Almun shrugged.

"To be honest, I know that. Still doesn't stop me from looking over at your house every night out of habit."

"...You kept that up? Even when you knew that I wasn't there?"

The blacksmith nodded.

"Can't help it. I'm always hoping that one day, sooner or later, I see a light again there."

Nodding at the other's admission, Steve went and patted the other's shoulder playfully, giving him a small chuckle.

"What, you actually miss me?" He asked jokingly.

Almun swatted his hand away from his shoulder.

"Yes. Haven't I told you that you're like family to me? People tend to get distraught over missing family members, you know."

Touched by the other's words, Steve smiled at him.

"I appreciate that Almun. Though, couldn't you have bothered to pack me a lunch before I went?"

"Ah, you know what? Come here!"

As Almun ruffled his hair up a bit, Steve laughed as a sense of inner peace washed over him, taking his anxiety away from him for a brief moment. When it came back, however, Steve found his mouth drying up a bit as he now had to force himself to speak.

"Hey, uh...Al? What's the newest information about the champions, and whatever?"

Almun looked down at him, his expression suddenly becoming rather solemn.

"...You're not gonna like it, Steve."

Feeling his stomach drop immediately as the other finished, the miner tried to look at the other in the eyes, only to fail and direct his gaze more toward his chin.

"Uh...w-what...what is it?" He asked, fearing the potential answer.

Almun crossed his arms over his chest, shooting a harsh glare over at the town hall building, which only added to Steve's growing fear.

"The Elder got impatient waiting for you to muster up the courage to set off after the dragon. He's uh...nominated another."

Steve's eyes widened.

"...W-who?"

"...Pickett, believe it or not."

Almun's words stunned him.

His eyes lit up with disbelief as he tried to process the other's words, finding that none of them were properly connecting within his mind.

Pickett was...a champion? Pickett? The one remaining miner in his village?

…What was the Elder doing? What was he thinking?

Looking up at Almun for further explanation, he was met with a shrug.

"I don't know what's gotten into him, but whatever the case is, he's lost his damn mind." Almun muttered, looking off to the side.

Steve nodded slowly, still struggling to gather his thoughts together.

"...Pickett...w-why?"

"...Whatever he's thinking, he's delusional. I'm going to just assume that he's already weighed the cost of sending you both out and determined that whatever the hell he's actually after was worth more than you two combined. I'm sorry if that came out harshly, but...it's the only thing I can think of, Steve."

Looking back toward the town hall building, Steve slightly narrowed his gaze at it the more he processed Almun's statement. A small look of determination overcame his features as he finally got a sense of what he should be doing.

Almun might be right. Herobrine might've been right. Both had suggested it to him, but it wasn't until now that he realized that the idea may have actually had some sort of standing in reality.

The Elder was using him as a means to an end. The End, specifically. He was beginning to suspect that the death of the dragon wasn't the only thing he wanted.

"...I'm going to talk to him. There's no way he thinks that this is okay, and there's no way that I'm going to let it happen."

Almun looked at him, nodding in response.

"Go ahead. I've been too mad myself to even find the composure to stand in front of him. Hopefully, you'll be able to prevent yourself from strangling him."

"I'll try, depending on what happens in there."

Surprise filled Almun's expression upon hearing what the miner had said.

"Damn, I don't think you're gonna make it. You're already where I was the second I heard the news."

Hearing the shock and slight humour in the other's voice, Steve took a moment to breathe deeply before beginning to walk forward, calming himself down slightly as he went along.

He needed to be calm. He needed to play innocent to appeal more to the Elder so that he might actually listen to whatever he had to say.

Finding Selwyn would have to wait. He didn't see her near any of the trading stations, anyway.

Before he knew it, he had separated from Almun, going into the building and climbing up to the second floor. He was silently going over his words as debated on which ones he should use in order to confront the man that would be meeting with him soon enough. When he got to the second floor, he stared at the old man sitting at his desk for longer than he intended, soon pulling himself up as the Elder slowly became aware of his presence.

"Ah, Steve! You're back! How're things going for you?"

Not wanting to lose his composure immediately, Steve took a breath before answering him.

"I...I'm fine."

The Elder nodded his head, closing his eyes as he did so.

"Good, good."

Silence filled the space between them for a moment, only being broken by the Elder as he opened his eyes again and continued the conversation.

"So...what's troubling you? You came here for a reason, did you not?"

Steve nodded his head hesitantly, deciding to just get right to the point.

"Almun told me what you did. I...I want to know why you chose Pickett. "

Processing his words, the Elder let out a sigh before speaking.

"…There was nothing I could do, Steve. He met the qualifications, and I-"

"-Sir, with all due respect, you know how Pickett is with mobs. He…he's the only miner left in this village, how are you gonna make up for that? What were you even thinking?!" Steve asked, his voice elevating a bit in disbelief as he finished.

The Elder shook his head with a smile.

"Now, now. Hold on. He's still in the process of proving himself first. He might be the potion maker's grandson, but, uh…you know. That doesn't exactly mean that he managed to get her gift from the bloodline!" The Elder chuckled as he finished.

Steve couldn't find the humour in the situation, only finding more worry for his friend's safety.

"Sir, Pickett's gonna die out there." He said, his voice almost in a broken whisper as he held back a sob, finding his composure already beginning to slip.

There was no concern in the Elder's gaze as Steve went to examine his face with his eyes, sending a certain feeling down his spine that he hadn't felt before.

Calmly, in a manner that seemed almost cold, the older man in front of him folded his hands upon his desk, looking up to the miner with an emotionless gaze.

"Steve. The more champions we have, the bigger chance we have of making the world a better place. The benefits don't just lie within this world, you know. You remember that poem I read to you, right? This will be for the best, I assure you." The Elder explained to him.

Steve could barely look at the man with a steady gaze, his eyes slowly being filled with sudden tears that stung as they clouded his vision.

This man didn't care. He didn't care about Pickett. He didn't care about him. He only cared about the End, apparently.

"...But...P-Pickett…" He forced out, not believing what the Elder was telling him.

The man waved him off.

"He'll be fine! If you survived well enough, then-"

"-I only survived because I-!"

Steve interrupted himself, his eyes widening as he realized what he'd just come so dangerously close to revealing.

'I managed to stumble into an all-powerful demigod.' Those words rested upon his lips as he stated at the other, eyes and lips trembling as his throat slightly tightened.

"...I-I have the experience dealing with the mobs, at least. If Pickett goes out there, he's a goner."

The Elder shook his head.

"With that physique? I'm only having him work on his brewing capabilities right now, but a little bit of strength training...I'm certain that he'd be alright with the mobs, Steve. He'd be able to tear them apart with his bare hands, no problem!"

"Elder, sir, there are several problems out there besides the m-"

"-Even if he didn't have all the training necessary to deal with the mobs, that's nothing that a little strength potion can't fix!"

As the Elder finished with his interruption, Steve's expression only sunk lower as he looked at the other, not particularly agreeing with everything that was leaving his mouth.

A strength potion would add nothing to the equation. Though Pickett was rather strong on his own already, it was his general speed that was the bigger issue. Mobs were quite fast. Pickett was anything but. Adding on to that problem were the elements themselves, and it was already proving to be a rather harsh winter ahead.

The Elder read his gaze, sitting in silence for a moment before letting out a small sigh as he narrowed his gaze a bit at the miner.

"Steve. Pickett will be completely fine. My main concerns only happen to lie with you though, actually."

Not exactly liking how the conversation suddenly shifted to focus more on him, Steve met the other's gaze.

"...What? Why?"

The Elder thought to himself for a few seconds before speaking again.

"...Early reports came to me about an incident that occurred all the way in the kingdom of Lunarus during their grand festival. I was curious, did you attend the event?"

Steve looked at the other with slightly widened eyes, trying with every bone in his body to force his expression into remaining innocent.

This was his first test.

Steve, with a bit of hesitance, shook his head.

"Nope. What happened?"

The Elder took a long breath before continuing.

"...An ancient legend once thought to have been mere folklore made an appearance in front of the people at the festival. Soon after, the kingdom was abruptly attacked, and the monster was gone. Before he disappeared, however, he...he gave a champion of his own choosing the ability to slay the beast that threatens our world."

Steve nodded in fake acknowledgment, forcing a confused expression upon his face.

"What? Do...do you know who?"

The Elder narrowed his gaze at him.

"...I'd like to believe that I truly don't."

Shock and realization came to the miner like a slap across the face.

His village didn't know anything. His Elder, however, did.

Steve began to feel rather uneasy as the Elder slowly got up from his desk, walking around to approach the miner as he slowly began to back away.

"...You're not involved with this legend, are you? With Herobrine?"

Despite the fact that his heart had immediately dropped down beyond the point of his stomach the second that the Elder had asked him the question, Steve tried to remain composed.

"N-no. I told you, I wasn't at the festival."

The Elder got closer.

"...I was told that a champion from our village had attended the festival. Signed in and everything, just to get a chance to represent themselves beneath the Lunarian flag, which is a great honor, mind you. We only have one active champion, so I connected the dots."

The man paused, stopping his approach as Steve found himself suddenly at the entrance of the room.

"...This champion of ours was said to be the one that the legendary Herobrine selected to be his champion. I'm trying to deduce whether or not that was at random, or due to a pre-established arrangement."

Steve furiously shook his head at the suggestion.

"I didn't know him! He looked at me and took me away all of a sudden!"

He broke character, and the Elder knew it.

A smile formed slowly upon the other's face, leading to him continuing his approach until he was just a couple of feet away from the terrified miner.

"So...you were at the festival."

Knowing that he'd made a fatal error, Steve lowered his head in defeat.

"...Y-yes. I'm sorry."

The Elder shook his head.

"It's not a problem. In fact, since you were apparently chosen, this provides a better opportunity for both you and the village."

Curious about the other's words, Steve raised a brow at the other.

"...What kind of opportunity?"

The Elder turned away from him, beginning to pace around.

"It could've been anyone who was chosen to get permission from the...uh, gatekeeper, so to speak, in order to be given free reign to save the world. If you keep your guard up, you can be one step ahead of whatever he truly has planned, and you can save the realm before he manages to take advantage of you! It's perfect!"

Not wanting to let slip any information, Steve simply nodded in response.

The old man continued.

"...Once that wretched beast is gone, you can slay Herobrine as well, and then after that...we can move forward."

"...Move forward with what, exactly?" Steve asked cautiously.

"...I have reason to believe that, in that distant strange world the beast resides in, there lies an ancient place that is in desperate need of rebuilding, as well as proper leadership. I will go there personally, should you succeed, and together, we will cultivate it into something glorious once again. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Is that why he sent Pickett out? Is that why he sent him out? To clear the path ahead so that he'd be able to step into the End without much pushback?

Steve couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Sir, you can't go there! It's-"

"-This isn't up for debate, Steve. I'm simply telling you our next plan of action. Once you save the world, we'll rebuild the part of it that has been lost. It is your duty as one of our champions to heed my words and act accordingly."

"But that place may be too dangerous, I don't think I can-"

"-If you can't do it, Pickett can. I'll make him our grand champion, and I'll let the village know that you've betrayed them by following after that demon, whether that's the actual truth or not!"

The Elder yelled at him, causing him to flinch as his heart continued to sink at the man's words.

Was he implying what he thought he was implying?

"...What do you mean by that? Are you gonna tell them that I...I'm Herobrine's champion instead?"

The Elder narrowed his gaze at him.

"...We've extended our hospitality to you for years. Fail or back away from the opportunity you've been given, and I'll make sure you never know peace in this world again. Lie to me, and you'll never step foot in this area again. Do we have an understanding?"

...He really was saying that he'd abandon him. The Elder would banish him from the village, and perhaps others as well, if he were to step out of line.

Stunned and wildly upset, Steve simply stood in complete silence, allowing his frustrated tears to fall freely as he avoided the other's gaze, leaving the man to simply sigh and return to his desk with his hands folded behind his back.

"Steve. I hope you're successful in your quest. Divines help your troubled soul, if you aren't."

Without any form of acknowledgment for the other's brief warning, Steve decided that it was time to leave.

Turning around and disappearing from the room and the building without another word, Steve sulked off back to the village gate, not even bothering to say anything to Almun before he left. Soon enough, he managed to drag himself back to his house, entering the place with a bit of hesitance. He found that, surprisingly enough, Andvari had left, and the only person present within the house was Herobrine, who was facing him with a stern expression that slowly faded the more he examined him.

Wordlessly, he walked up to the demigod, shoulders slouched as his gaze appeared quite weary, much to the other's general concern. Reading his troubled expression, Herobrine approached him a bit closer.

"...Has one of the mortals from your village fallen ill, or did someone pass away?" Herobrine asked, raising a small brow at the miner as he waited for an answer.

Steve shook his head, letting out a small sigh as he finally broke through the haze of his emotions.

"...No. But they might as well have."

Passing the other by as he went to sit on his couch, Steve continued to sulk a bit, his gaze a bit empty as his focus soon shifted to rest on the ground in front of him. He heard no other words rise up from the other, so he assumed that Herobrine was waiting for him to elaborate.

"...The Elder chose another champion. That champion is my buddy Pickett."

Looking over to Herobrine, Steve saw the other's brow raise briefly in surprise before it fell back down again.

"So I suppose that we will have to deal with him, yes?"

Steve glared up at him.

"Don't even joke about that."

Herobrine shrugged at him.

"I'm not joking. If he legitimately gets in the way, then we'll have no choice but to-"

"-Please leave him alone!" Steve yelled at him, causing Herobrine to immediately fall into silence at his abrupt outburst.

The two stared at each other for longer than what seemed necessary, meeting each other's gazes in a silent exchange of thoughts. Tears were already formed at the corners of Steve's eyes, but the longer that Herobrine stared at him, the harder it became to keep them from falling.

He was sad, sure, but he was also scared. Scared for Pickett. Scared for Pickett's safety. Scared for himself after lashing out at the demigod before him. Just scared in general. He felt smaller than he actually was, and he didn't currently quite know how to deal with it.

Pickett was a strong man with strong convictions, but he wasn't all too efficient when it came to dealing with mobs. That was usually his job, so he had a very good idea about what potential fate the other may meet should he actually go out into the world. By all means, it was his duty to protect the other and have his back, even if they weren't physically next to each other. But now, he couldn't really do that. He couldn't even quite protect himself, at the moment.

Suddenly, Herobrine sighed, breaking him from his focus and inner panic. Herobrine slightly turned away from him, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he did so.

"...You wish to protect him?"

Slightly surprised that the other had nailed his intentions on the head, Steve nodded.

"As much as I can, yes. I want him to know that I'm already on the job, and that it's going to be way too dangerous to try and get out there."

Silence returned to the space between them for a moment, before Herobrine nodded in response.

"...Then…do it."

"...What?"

Herobrine narrowed his gaze at him.

"Find him. Warn him. Tell him to stay out of our way, or else."

"...You're actually supporting this?" Steve asked in disbelief.

The demigod nodded.

"The fewer champions we have actively in our way, the better. If we can get them out of our way with little conflict, that might be even more ideal than wasting a few good swings."

With a soft smile directed toward the other, Steve nodded once again, exhaling a bit through his nose in relief.

"If I can find him, I'll tell him. I just…I don't want him to get hurt, you know? I did all the uh...the mob stuff, when we mined together."

"...So he's less competent at fighting than you are?"

Steve glared at him in offense, though, he didn't really feel all too afflicted by the other's words.

"He's not bad with a sword! Just...just a little rusty, that's all."

"A little?"

"Brine, please keep your insults directed to me, I will not be happy if you talk smack about a man who's not here to defend himself."

"He couldn't even do so if he tried." Herobrine rebutted, giving Steve a quick look before turning away again.

Steve sighed.

"Still. Pickett's not all that bad. He's a great guy, actually. I swear. He'd understand."

The miner paused, leaving the other in silence for a minute or so before another breath escaped him.

"...Brine, there's also something else. Something that might bother you even more."

Herobrine looked down at him with expectation.

"...Well?"

Steve hesitated in opening his mouth to speak, finding his words resting on the edge of his tongue as he struggled to explain.

"...The Elder...I found out why he even decided to send Pickett out. To send me out. Both of us." The miner paused, bracing himself before continuing in an even more diminished manner. "...He uh...he wanted to use us to kill the dragon so that he could become ruler of the End, I think. That's what I'm assuming."

Shock slowly melted into pure anger as Herobrine processed his words, soon moving slightly farther away from the miner as, to Steve's concern, flames began to somewhat dance on the edges of his fingertips.

Oh. This was bad. Well, he knew that the Elder was doing something less than ideal, but...he was expecting something not as…potentially serious?

"...Please tell me that whatever just came out of your mouth is just some sick joke. Steven. I'm begging you." Herobrine said in a somewhat stilted manner, though, there some traces of desperation in his voice.

Steve shook his head.

"He mentioned something about there being an ancient civilization there. He…he wanted to 'work' with us in order to get there."

Herobrine stared at him for a solid few seconds before a deep sigh escaped him.

"He was going to use you as fodder. He was going to sacrifice you to get what he truly wanted." He said abruptly.

Bizarrely enough, Steve felt quite a bit of defensiveness rise up within him.

"I...what if he really did want to work with me? He could've just-"

"-Then why did he send you out alone? If he was going to send you both out, then why didn't he send you two out together?" Herobrine asked, his voice growing quite loud.

Steve flinched at the sudden intensity.

"He...he might've...thought…"

The miner's words trailed off as he found himself at a loss, unable to think of anything more as he came to terms with the reality of the situation.

His Elder had been fully willing to kill him in order to get what he truly wanted. He was just the other's pawn in the grand scheme of things.

"...He said he was going to throw me out of here and demonize me if I didn't do what he said. He knows I'm your champion, and he's gonna tell the others. I won't have a home if I don't give him what he wants."

More tears found their way into the corners of his eyes as Herobrine continued to stare down at him. Unbeknownst to Steve however, as he lowered his head in order to hide his tears, Herobrine's gaze had slightly softened as he looked at him.

The demigod calmed down slightly and cleared his throat, gaining the miner's attention as he shook off the fire from his hands.

"...Steven. Humans are fickle, yet easy creatures. Why should I go through the trouble of conquering a land myself when I could send an army to do it for me? Why should I worry about preparing my next meal when I could simply pay someone to do it for me? Why should I step foot in a foreign dimension filled to the brim with teleporting hell beasts and fight a murderous, all-powerful flying reptile when I could. Simply. Send. Someone. Else." With every word, Herobrine drew closer until he was face-to-face with the miner, squatting down on the ground in front of him as he pushed his finger directly into Steve's chest to punctuate his point.

Wiping a few tears away from his face with his wrist, Steve sniffled.

"...T-that's not helping." He said shakily.

Herobrine lowered his hand.

"I'm not done."

Steve sniffled again, looking at the other with a bit of confusion in his gaze.

"...Steve. Humans...humans can be rather cruel. Crueler than mobs. Crueler than me. The cruelty here is that we both forced you into a role that you didn't wish to play. The difference is that he's molded you into a willing pawn, I haven't. He had years to force you into blind loyalty. Most likely, he was planning on sending you out from the beginning, but simply couldn't, for reasons unknown. To add insult to injury, he's willing to completely abandon you should you choose to not willingly give up your life to play into his hand. That is absurd. That is cruel."

Herobrine paused, reading Steve's hurt gaze before continuing.

"...You don't have to be my champion. I'll take on the dragon myself."

More confusion filled his gaze as it suddenly became accompanied by pure shock.

"W...w-what? Brine?!" Steve asked, his voice rather loud as disbelief came rushing back to him.

Herobrine remained calm, his expression still serious.

"...I'm giving you an out. You shouldn't be forced into things on a whim, and my error, at least right now I believe, can be corrected, though it will be a real hassle. He's had time to plan this, I abruptly forced all of this upon you. Our actions are egregious, but I will not ruin your life any further if I can help it. I'll stage another idiotic display to clear your name, and the Elder will not have any leverage against you. So, do you wish to no longer be my champion?"

Steve struggled to find his words.

Herobrine was giving him the chance to reverse things. He was giving him the chance to shirk off responsibility and return to a sense of normalcy.

Surely, he knew that they were already past the point of no return. In truth, Herobrine was actually trying to comfort him, wasn't he?

"B-Brine, you c-can't." He spoke up.

Herobrine shook his head.

"I can. I can fix this. It doesn't matter-"

"-Yes it does! Hero, it absolutely does matter!"

Another nickname. Another rush of fear flowing down his veins as he stopped speaking.

He wasn't finished, however.

"If you do this instead of me, there's a bigger chance of this all going even more wrong. I don't have powers that'll mess things up, I can do this!" Steve paused, taking a moment to collect himself further. "...It doesn't matter what the Elder wants, I want this. I'll...I'll stop him somehow, but I want to challenge the dragon myself. Don't take that away from me, we've done enough to make it happen, already. We're already in the deep end."

Herobrine looked at him in stunned silence, though Steve wasn't sure if that was because of his words, or the nickname he gave him.

Eventually, Herobrine spoke, looking off to the side as he seemed to be processing his request.

"...You…you wish to be his pawn?"

Steve shook his head.

"No. I want to do the right thing."

Herobrine thought to himself for a moment, leaving the miner in silence before looking back toward him with a slightly stern, yet concerned gaze.

"...If that's what you desire, then...go ahead. At any point, however, you may leave the burden of the mission with me if it grows to be too much for you to handle."

Steve gave him an appreciative smile as Herobrine's expression softened further.

"...As for your Elder...well, to him, you are merely a pawn. He doesn't care, nor worry about your actual wellbeing, all he believes is that you will be a pawn that he'll be able to control without issue. I advise you to keep up that facade."

Wiping another set of tears off of his face, Steve let out a small laugh.

"So, no rushing in to beat him upside the head?"

Herobrine shook his head.

"As long as he thinks you're a mere pawn in his foolish game, he'll keep the peace. Whatever you choose to do, I'll try to assist. Just…just know that all it takes to ruin a game like this is for a pawn to realize that it's not actually a pawn. You already have the upper hand, here."

Those words, though comforting, seemed awfully familiar to his ears.

Nodding in response before he could think about it too much, Steve looked off to the side as Herobrine slowly moved to stand up again, this time placing himself directly beside the miner on the couch.

Steve let out a small chuckle.

"I-it sure doesn't feel like it."

Herobrine crossed his arms in front of his chest and shrugged, keeping his gaze focused forward.

"Look at it from a bigger perspective. You can play his game better if you're more aware of the rules."

"I…I know. It's just not really…processing, right now."

The demigod nodded slowly in understanding.

"It won't, for a while. Take your time. Betrayal, even like this, is one of the worst things you can ever experience."

A few more tears escaped Steve as the other spoke, leading to him nodding again.

"...Y-yeah."

He felt slightly better. He was still rather overwhelmed with the situation at hand, but, with Herobrine offering him some awkward comfort, things were beginning to seem like they had a better chance of turning out alright.


Y'all, I kid you not, I thought this first full week of school would be a nightmare, but one of my classes suddenly decided to completely cancel all activity until Spring, so lmao more time I guess!

Anyways, Highland Village's Elder is terrible! Yeah! Fun! Lol Steve's just having a grand ol' time rn, ain't he? It's Herobrine's turn to help him out, tho. We're in the first of several chapters that'll take place in or around Highland Village, so this is gonna be fun haha

No fun facts this time around! This week left me exhausted lmao

That's it for now though, y'all! Leave a review if you have any thoughts!