Chapter 43: Redirection


Upon coming back to his house, Steve once again found himself hesitating to open the door.

Though he was at his last hurdle, which was facing the others properly with Herobrine right there beside him, thinking about the reactions he might get in return sent a bit of concern throughout his body. Even if he was less worried about how the mob generals might respond to the news that he was actually Herobrine's sibling, he was still scared that they might not treat him the same after becoming aware of the truth. Whether that meant them suddenly ignoring him completely, bullying him to no end, or treating him with sudden immense respect, he didn't want things to change for the worse in terms of his own level of comfort.

A quiet sigh left his lips as he came upon a single conclusion with himself as his thoughts began to make him feel even more anxious.

No matter what would happen, he'd have to face the situation head-on. No matter what the mob generals would do, he'd have to live with it regardless.

Before he could stand in front of his house and contemplate any longer, Herobrine quickly walked past him and opened the door himself, breaking him from his focus as he watched the other enter the dark room. Almost feeling embarrassed at the realization that he took so long to do anything, he quietly followed after the other, shutting the door behind him.

The mob generals were where he last left them, seemingly having made themselves rather comfortable in his home. Andvari was sitting on the couch, Malgun was right beside him, and Constiere was pacing about in the living room. Upon hearing the sound of the door, all three visibly lit up at the sight of their collective return.

Constiere was the first to approach the two as they walked in, coming up first to Herobrine.

"Sir! Did anything happen out there?"

Knowing fully well that they just went through a mess of an emotional situation, Steve almost bit his tongue as he glanced over to Herobrine with a slightly worried expression, wondering how he would answer.

Herobrine let out a small sigh, closing his eyes in a serious manner as he lowered his head.

Disappointment came to Steve like a slap across the face.

Was he going to treat their brotherhood like a negative thing? Was he going to not mention it at all, and instead focus on the other information they were given?

Steve found himself scrambling for an answer on how he was going to deal with Herobrine's own potential answer. Would he have to reveal the truth?

Herobrine's voice was somewhat quiet in response to Constiere's question.

"...No. Nothing of note hap-"

"-We found out that we're twin brothers!" Steve quickly interjected, causing Constiere's eye to widen in pure shock.

Briefly looking back to the others, he found shock upon their faces as well.

Maybe he could've been a bit more tactical with his approach.

Herobrine abruptly turned back toward him with a somewhat frustrated expression.

"Did you really have to say that?"

Steve gave him a smirk and a shrug.

"I said that I wanted to be your brother, didn't I? Did you think I was gonna keep that from everybody?"

As Herobrine continued to glare at him, Constiere looked between the both of them with growing realization. Finding the evidence of gears turning in his head on the boy's face, Steve waited patiently as Constiere's gaze finally rested upon him as his shoulders fell slightly.

"...Huh." Constiere said quietly.

"...Huh indeed." Andvari added from his position on the couch.

Silence fell among them, staying present as the mob generals continued to process the information they were given.

"...How'd you find that out?" Malgun asked, breaking the silence as he went to look at Steve.

Steve gave him a slightly sheepish shrug.

"His-our older brother…I guess that's right, yeah." Steve corrected himself as he briefly nodded over to Herobrine, his words falling into a mumble as he went to think briefly to himself. "...He confirmed that we were uh…brothers."

"...Makes sense." Constiere said, his tone quieter than usual. "I mean, you guys look the part, I just thought that maybe it was a coincidence and all."

"One hell of a coincidence, if that were actually the case." Malgun said, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

As Steve went to speak, a small huff of air came from Herobrine's lips as he cast his gaze downward.

"Can we talk about this later? Steven and I didn't exactly return so soon for no reason."

As looks of intrigue appeared on the others' faces, Herobrine gave Steve a small glance from the side.

"...The note."

Meeting his gaze for a brief second, Steve thought over his words before realization flashed across his face as he went to pull out the note from his pocket once again. Moving to his dining table to place it on its surface, Steve gave one quick look over it before moving away so that the others could catch a glimpse of it. As Andvari and Malgun stood up to look at the note and Constiere drew closer to the table, Herobrine approached them all as he too went to take a close look at the inked paper.

Herobrine went in front of them and leaned over the table to look at the note carefully.

"...These notes seem to be deliberately holding back on stating any kind of useful information beyond a suggestion or two. Did our informant tell you the bulk of it by word of mouth?" He asked Steve, his eyes trailing over the images of both the pearl and the rod carefully.

"Yeah." Steve nodded. "Almun said that he didn't want the info falling into the wrong hands if the note were to get lost somehow."

"...A failsafe." Herobrine muttered quietly, glancing over to Steve soon after. "...He seems rather intelligent and guarded for a mere mortal. This knowledge is something peculiar, too."

Steve shrugged.

"I…well, comes with the job, I guess."

A hum came from off to the side, leading both of them to turn and look at Malgun on the couch.

"...Me and Almun grew up together in an Illager camp. He was the one who got taught all of the important stuff, I wasn't. Made him a bit more serious about things, I think. That kind of stuff is precious to us."

Herobrine let out a small, pondering hum at the information, turning back to the note on the table.

"...Explains a bit, I believe."

Herobrine directed his attention back toward Steve.

"...Tell me, what did he say to you, then?"

Steve went back to looking at the note, pointing at the pearl first as he began to speak.

"Okay, so first of all, he said that in order to activate those End portals, we need to get the pearls in an 'attuned state' before we put them in. Depending on the portal we end up stumbling into, we may need a certain amount of them."

"Did he specify?" Herobrine asked, raising a brow.

Steve shook his head.

"...Nope. Like I said, it all depends on the portal we run into. He mentioned that some may already have prepared pearls inside them."

Herobrine thought to himself carefully for a moment, leaving the other in brief silence.

"...Then it sounds like we may have to locate the portal first before we go hunting for the pearls."

A brief wave of confused noises broke out amongst the rest of the group before Herobrine snapped back to glare at them.

"May I remind you all, my plan requires that we exterminate only the amount of endermen that we need in order to activate the portals. I don't want to kill any needlessly."

A small hum came from Andvari.

"...I suppose that's correct, but…depending on how stable the endermen are when we start looking for them properly, that may end up occurring regardless."

"Yeah, Andi's kinda got a point, sir." Constiere said, pointing over to Andvari with his thumb. "The endermen are kinda losing it, aren't they? How are we gonna search for them if they end up not being able to listen to commands anymore, and what do we do if they freak out too much and ruin the pearls before we're able to get them?"

Herobrine thought over Constiere's words for a moment, his eyes widening slightly in realization.

"...My brother happened to show me a pearl that had been contaminated by the void. It's not just the endermen themselves that are capable of ruining their pearls."

As the others stared at him in genuine shock at the mention of the corruption, Herobrine went into silence and closed his eyes in deep thought as he began to think of possible solutions.

With a sigh, he opened his eyes once again into a loose glare.

"...We'll have to act swiftly, then. When we start the hunt, we…we will kill our needed endermen as quickly, carefully, and quietly as possible so as not to startle them into troubled states."

As the mob generals nodded in response to his words, Steve looked at him with a slightly concerned gaze.

With Herobrine's eyes only slightly glowing, it was clear to see the pure confliction in his gaze as his focus went back to being directed toward the note in front of him. On one hand, it was evident that Herobrine was determined to see their journey through; he was serious about doing whatever it took to get those pearls secured and ready for attunement. On the other hand, he was devastated that he'd have to take a few endermen lives with his own two hands in order to do it. However, there was no doubt that this was what they'd have to be content with.

Breaking out of his momentary haze, Herobrine slightly shook his head as he went to read over the paper with a bit more active attention.

"...What else do we need, Steven? The pearls were a given, but what else are we searching for?"

Steve's brief look of sympathy faded away as gave him a small shrug.

"Uh…that part I need your help with figuring out."

Herobrine looked up at him with a "Hm?" and a raised brow. Steve met his gaze and pointed his attention back downward.

"You see, Al said something about getting this rod or whatever. Apparently, it belongs to a monster from the Nether that surrounds itself with them. If a rod gets ground down, it makes a powder that the pearls like."

"...That sounds like blaze powder to me." Herobrine stated.

"...Blaze powder?" Steve asked curiously.

Herobrine let out a small hum in acknowledgment of his question.

"The only creature that fits the description your friend gave seems to be a blaze. They're native to the Nether, and they float about with clouds of smoke and flaming rods swirling around their bodies."

Steve smiled as the other answered, looking at him with hopeful eyes.

"Really? Cool! So, how do we get those rods from them? If they're on fire, then that shouldn't really be a problem for you, yeah?"

Herobrine glanced over at him, not turning his head.

"...We fight them, and we kill them."

Steve's smile slowly fell in disappointment.

"...It's never easy, is it?"

Herobrine shrugged, standing back up straight and turning to face him fully.

"Every mob is in possession of something that humans may end up desiring. When that thing is tied to their general ability to remain alive, it makes sense that they wouldn't be all too willing to give it up too easily."

Steve let out a hum in response to his words.

"...Yeah. True."

Walking away from the group slightly, Steve focused his attention on the front door, his arms moving to fold themselves in front of his chest as he went.

"...I wonder if someone has blaze powder outside of the Nether. I'd love to not have to go there again, personally."

Hearing his words, Herobrine let out a small sigh as he went to join him.

"There's no use in trying to avoid all trouble in the world, Steven. Some things must be dealt with, yourself."

Steve let out a small whine.

"Can't a guy dream, though?!" He said, looking over to Herobrine as he stepped up to his side.

Herobrine gave him a quiet chuckle.

"Dream all you want, but the Nether still beckons. We'll have to face it once again sooner or later, Steven."

Steve's expression fell into one of exasperation as the other finished teasing him. A small wave of curiosity hit him out of the blue as he looked at the other carefully, somewhat examining his face.

"Speaking of facing things sooner...I don't think I've ever asked this, but...why do you add an 'n' to my name?"

"...What?" Herobrine turned toward him, confusion on his face.

"...Why do you call me 'Steven' instead of just…'Steve' most of the time?"

Steve found himself not receiving an answer for a moment or so, leaving him almost a bit disappointed before the other gave him a small shrug.

"...To be formal, I guess."

"...Formal? What is it about my name that isn't formal?"

"...Too short."

Steve's brow raised slightly.

"...'Steven' is literally just a single letter longer, though-"

"-Don't you have something that you could be doing here instead of focusing on trivial matters, Steven? Do you suppose that you do know anyone that might have blaze powder on them? You did find someone that knew about the portals, after all."

Amused by the other's abrupt change of topic, Steve shrugged.

"I mean, though I came here for my friend Selwyn, I ended up finding out that I needed Almun instead. Selwyn specializes in trading stuff that's out-of-the-ordinary, so there could be a decent chance that she might have some blaze powder on her, maybe."

Herobrine nodded at his words, pointing to the door soon after.

"Then find her."

Steve let out a slightly frustrated sigh.

"She comes around on weird days, Brine! I might not see her for a while or so!"

"Well, go and see if she's there now. Rather be safe than sorry."

Steve gestured to the door.

"...Y'know, no one's up right now, and, most likely, she wouldn't be up either. She kinda doesn't have the king of mobs around to keep her safe while she travels outside in the dark, so…"

Herobrine stared at him for a solid few seconds before letting out a sigh, his gaze falling afterward.

"...Figures."

Steve gave him a small shrug with a smile.

"Hey, we can try looking once the sun starts coming up, yeah?"

"You can go ahead and do that. I do not know what she looks like."

Steve shrugged again, looking away.

"Suit yourself. The more eyes, the better, but I guess that you want things to be harder."

"What I don't want is for the entire village to know that I'm here and then fall into a wild frenzy trying to come after us both."

"...Can't you try using your imitation power and whatever?"

Herobrine looked down, his gaze slightly unsteady as he thought about the miner's words intently.

"...I don't know if I'd be able to do it for longer periods of time right now. I barely know if I can do it for a few seconds at this point." He admitted quietly, earning a small apologetic look from Steve.

"...Hey. How about while I go out and search for Sel, you try and work on your powers, alright?"

"...I doubt that I'm in the right state of mind to do that right now."

"...Try anyways, Brine. It never hurts to try." Steve prompted gently, earning a small, narrowed glance from Herobrine.

"...Just try and get what we need as quickly as possible, Steven. If you can."

With a small nod, Steve glanced to the door, a bit of reluctance forming in his expression before he even started to make his way out.

"...I think that I'll start working on making something for Squash to relax in while I wait for the sun to come up a little more. We still have time." He said, beginning to make his way outside slowly.

Herobrine shrugged at him from behind.

"...Fine. Make sure that you don't lose track of time, though. We're already losing too much at this point, and it couldn't hurt to be more considerate."

"I won't!" Steve gave him a small salute as he exited his house.

Moving back around toward his backyard once he was firmly outside, Steve found Squash exactly where he left her, snoring peacefully as she slept on the ground. Glancing around the space, he began to try and distract himself with future building plans.

Squash needed something comfortable to come home to. He needed something functional.


After deciding on a design plan and beginning with the foundation for what seemed to be a small side-cottage, Steve quickly found himself running out of time to work on his construction goals. The early morning hours had crept upon him, bringing a sense of ease and relaxation as the village began to greet the new day. With some disappointment in his features, he began to make his way to the village.

Though he usually spent his mornings either in his house or in the mines, he'd always wanted to watch the sun slowly rise in the city, watching the dark night sky fade away into a warm blue sky as the sun rose to greet their part of the world. He wanted to watch as the golems slowly adjusted to the rising light levels and began to direct themselves back into their containment space until the time came for their use again.

As he walked into the village, he came to the realization that others were well-awake like he was, though they mostly consisted of merchants getting ready for the busy day ahead. As he went over to the merchant stalls, a quiet, worried breath escaped him.

Would Selwyn even come around today? Was it even worth it to be out of his house right now?

Directing himself to stand in front of the village well for a better viewpoint of both the market area and the main gate, Steve crossed his arms in front of his chest as he began his search. Not sure if he should simply turn around and head back to the comfort of his own home, Steve glanced around him, finding only one or two more villagers coming outside to join him. He knew that he'd have to wait a while for even the chance to see if Selwyn would come around, but given that he absolutely needed to catch her when she did make her way to the village, he was willing to wait.

The sun rose higher. More people woke up to greet the new day. The streets began to fill up and become a bit busier, and Steve found his search growing significantly harder. People went around him and gave him odd looks, but as he continued to search around for Selwyn, he found himself not particularly caring for how troubled he looked.

Was this another odd day for her? Would she not come by?"

As more and more people continued to fill the streets, Steve only grew more and more disappointed with how things were working out. He didn't necessarily want the group to lose more time, but with how things were going, it was looking like that would be exactly the case.

Suddenly, as he absentmindedly scanned the crowd again, he saw the edge of a blue robe from behind, causing him to grow a bit hopeful and excited.

The merchant's name left his lips faster than what he could process, but the second he shouted it out, the wandering trader froze, slowly turning toward him as she recognized her name being called. Immediately, she began making his way toward him in a slight power walk as he waved her over. Bizarrely enough, her llamas were not within his line of sight.

Once she had approached him, Steve looked down at her with excited eyes.

"Selwyn! You're here-"

Steve's words were firmly interrupted by Selwyn abruptly bringing him down into a hug, leading to him slowly returning it with a smile.

"Do you know how scared I was for you when I heard that you got hit with the champion stick?" Selwyn said, slowly pulling away as she began to speak.

Steve chuckled.

"Probably really, really scared, huh? You wouldn't be the only one, actually. Well, at least it didn't kill me like I thought it would!"

Selwyn gave him a light punch in the arm, causing him to wince a bit before resuming his previous grin.

"You thought that it'd kill you on day one. You don't know how happy it makes me to see you out here on day…well, whatever."

As Selwyn gave him a kind smile, Steve responded to it with an appreciative one.

"You don't know how happy it makes me to see you again either, Sel. I really need to see a kind face every now and again, y'know?"

Selwyn let out a small laugh.

"Yeah! I'd imagine, traveling out in the great wide world all alone and all."

Holding back on letting out a possibly-revealing nervous chuckle, Steve took a quick glance around as he gathered his thoughts before looking back down at Selwyn.

"H-hey, what's brought you around here this time of the week? You usually come like, a couple of days later. Not that I'm not really glad to see you!" Steve quickly defended himself.

"Oh, you know. Just eager to trade, and all."

Steve raised a brow suspiciously at her.

"...Something happened, didn't it? Is that why your llamas aren't here?"

Selwyn grinned excitedly at him, her kind, green eyes lighting up.

"Yeah! I stumbled my way into a nice girl who said she was on her way over here, so I let her come with me just so we could both make it safely back!"

Steve looked at her with intrigue.

"Huh? Oh, that's pretty neat. What's her name?"

"Girl told me her name was Alex. Kinda reminded me of you, in a way."

Steve's eyes widened in response.

"...Wait, Alex?"

Selwyn looked at him with slight confusion.

"...Yeah?"

Selwyn pointed her thumb behind her, directing Steve to find Alex herself a few feet away from them both, speaking to Selwyn's llamas rather enthusiastically as she leaned back on a nearby stall.

"What, you know her or something?"

Steve stared at the distant individual.

"...Yeah, I do know her."

A quick nudge from Selwyn broke him from his focus, almost knocking him off balance.

"Well, go say hi! You better be making more friends, or else!"

Steve held his hands up in defense as he slowly began to walk away from her and toward Alex, letting out a small nervous chuckle as he did so.

"I am! I did. Don't be that worried about me, Sel!"

Before he could get too far away, though, realization flashed across his face as he quickly turned back toward her.

"Oh! Don't go too far away, alright? I need to ask you about something."

Selwyn waved him off.

"I'll be setting up my usual stall, make sure you bring my boys to me so I can finish when you're ready to talk, alright?"

Steve nodded, continuing to make his way toward Alex.

Just as he was getting closer to her, she finally noticed him out of the corner of her eye, excitement quickly growing on her features as she fully processed the fact that he was there. With the llamas in tow, she quickly approached him.

"Steve! How've you been?!" She shouted out to him as she briskly walked, waving excitedly.

Steve gave her a small wave back, smiling as well as she got within conversation distance.

"I've been, well, better, but I'm still pretty good! How have things been for you?"

Alex stopped right in front of him, holding the llama leads in her hands rather loosely.

"I've been doing pretty well!"

A look of curiosity formed on Steve's face as he looked at the animal leads within the other's hands.

"Say, how'd you run into Selwyn, anyways?"

Alex looked at him curiously.

"Selwyn? You know her?"

Steve gave Alex a slightly sheepish smile.

"She uh…she's the one who sparked my interest in adventuring, and all. I've known her for a while."

"Really?" Alex grinned at him. "I was walking through the woods when I found her camp! She invited me to stay the night, and from that point on, we became travel buddies!"

Steve looked at her with intrigue.

"Wait, why were you in the woods? Were you in the forest next to Maemond, or…?"

Alex's face briefly fell into a look of worry as the miner finished his question, leading to him only growing more interested.

"Yeah, so…" Alex started with a small chuckle. "Lady Agnes got a bit huffy after you left, but...she got over it when she got this letter and all. Told me to start going out and looking for this guy named 'Herobrine' and whatever."

Nervously, Steve let out a small, shaky laugh.

"O-oh yeah? What for?"

Alex shrugged.

"To defeat him, I guess. Lady Agnes left in such a rush that she barely took the time to explain everything I needed to do. Well, besides 'train at every free, waking moment,' that is."

Not noticing Steve's slight uncomfortableness, Alex's expression soon lit up again in excitement.

"I remember you saying something about being from this village, so I decided to come here first just in case I'd run into you, because I have some exciting news!"

"What's up?" Intrigue formed on Steve's face.

Alex grinned at him.

"I decided that I'm going to be a champion, like you!"

Steve's heart dropped, as well as his expression at the news.

Though he wanted to be excited for her, he wasn't all too excited about the added danger that she would have to face given the intensity of other champions. Not only that, but she was also being practically making her own death wish.

"Alex, I-"

The other held up a finger to his face, silencing him almost immediately.

"Before you say anything, yes I know that it's dangerous. That's why I'm doing it! Partially, of course." Alex chuckled. "...I came here to ask you for advice, too. I also wanted a second opinion, of course. Though, technically it's the third."

"...Third?"

Alex pointed back toward Selwyn, who was still setting up her stall.

"She was a hard 'no' for me labeling myself as a champion. I'm the only 'yes' so far. You?..."

Steve gave her a slightly apologetic expression.

"Alex, being a champion is great and all, but…" Steve glanced off to the side. "...With how people are acting right now thanks to...circumstances, I guess, you might wanna wait before trying to accomplish any of the harder champion feats. They're…bloodthirsty right now."

With a bit of shame in his eyes, Steve glanced off to the side.

"...It's not that I don't think you could do it, I completely think you can, it's just…"

"...The market isn't too friendly right now?"

Steve nodded.

"...More or less, yeah. Everybody is going after Herobrine too, so...yeah."

Alex's head lowered slightly in thought as she brought a hand up to her chin.

"...So, you're just saying to hang out until things calm down?"

Steve nodded his head eagerly.

"Yes. Or, at the very least, find another title that'll hold things over for now."

Alex thought about his words intently for a moment or two before she nodded her head, a small grin growing on her face.

"That's it, then! I mean, I guess it wouldn't hurt to not jump into things headfirst and all."

Steve gave her a kind smile, though it fell into slight concern.

"Say, when you do eventually go on your journey though…do you want to come along with me?"

Though he knew fully well that if Alex were to say yes, things wouldn't work out with his current companions, the question left his lips regardless.

Alex shook her head with a small laugh.

"As much as I appreciate the offer and all, Steve, I was actually planning on going with Selwyn for a while! She told me about a few of the places she's seen while out on her travels, and I kinda wanna see them too!"

Steve found himself slightly relieved that he hadn't created a conflict of interest for himself. That relief soon melted away into slight jealously, though.

"Wait, really? Lucky."

Alex gave him a small nudge in the arm.

"Hey, don't be too jealous! All I did was ask her if I could join her, and she said yes!"

Steve let out a small, fake whine as he hung his head.

"...I was thinking of asking her too, but I got sent out before I had the chance to ask her about it…"

"Well, better luck next time, yeah?"

Steve rose his head again, glancing back toward Selwyn behind them, who was still setting up her shop.

"...Yeah, I guess."

Steve turned back to look at Alex.

"I think we should get her llamas back to her so that she can finish up preparations, I wanna ask her about something that she may have in stock."

Alex's eyes lit up in remembrance.

"Oh, yeah! I was supposed to bring her llamas over too!"

"Then let's do that."

Without much more delay, the two made their way over to Selwyn's stall, where she was busy smoothing out the edges of a small table cloth that she'd brought with her in order to display her wares. Looking up at the two of them as they approached, she waved eagerly at them.

"Thought that you guys would take ages to finally get over here!" She said with a laugh, earning a shrug from Alex and a small laugh from Steve in return.

"Just wanted to talk, first! We haven't seen each other in a minute." Alex explained, leading to Steve nodding in agreement.

Selwyn shrugged at them with a smile, walking around the stall to take the llama leads from Alex's hands.

"Fine by me, but at least give me my boys back before you really get into the conversation. I still need to work, you know."

As Selwyn took her llamas back, the two watched her go back around the stall and begin to unload the contents of the bags on their backs before Steve's eyes lit up in remembrance.

"Oh right! Selwyn, uh…" He started, waiting for her to acknowledge him before continuing. "By any chance…do you have like, this fiery, powder stuff? Blaze powder, I mean?"

Selwyn looked at him in confusion.

"...Blaze powder? What?"

Forgetting that Nethren items weren't exactly common knowledge among the general populace, Steve's expression fell.

"...So I'm guessing that's a no, right?"

Selwyn gave him a shrug and an apologetic smile.

"...Sorry, but whatever you're looking for, I haven't heard of or seen. I haven't come into contact with anything that powdery except for sugar, so you're out of luck with me, Steve."

With a small sigh of disappointment, Steve gave her a smile.

"That's fine, Selwyn. I'll just have to keep looking around for it elsewhere. Just wanted to check in with you before I go on a wild hunt for it."

"What do you need that stuff for?" Alex asked him curiously, gaining his attention.

Steve grew a bit nervous with the question.

"I-I was just researching different ways to brew potions! I was wondering if that stuff could do anything to help." He stammered, coming up with his excuse on the spot.

As Alex let out a quiet "oh" in response, Selwyn nodded her head slowly, taking him at his word.

"I'll keep an eye out for it, then!" Selwyn said. "Should be interesting enough, potions are a weird art to be dabbling with though, considering that you have to be the one to drink them in order to try them out."

Steve gave the merchant a thankful smile, though he also became slightly disturbed by the idea that he would have to be the one to try out his own failed potions.

"I'd appreciate that, Selwyn. Thank you. Trust me, I think I can make something not poisonous, probably."

"I'd hope so! It'd be a shame if you ended up sabotaging yourself after surviving all this time!"

Selwyn laughed, prompting Steve to briefly join her as he continued to think about the possibility.

Sure, he couldn't actually die because of a failed potion, but there were fates worse than death, weren't there?

After recollecting himself, Steve glanced off toward the village entrance, finding himself remembering the fact that he still had some business to attend to outside of his little bubble of peace. Even though he didn't want to leave the others so soon, he had to get back on track.

Steve turned back to both Selwyn and Alex, giving them a slightly sad smile.

"I think I have to leave if I want to find that powder though, it might take a while for me to find it if I don't."

Both of the two women looked at him with disappointed expressions.

"...You're heading back out? So soon?" Selwyn asked quietly.

Steve shrugged.

"Not that soon, but...I'm not exactly done with the things I need to do either, so…yup. I won't be out that long though, hopefully!"

"Are those things related to your champion duties?" Alex asked carefully.

Steve nodded.

"Unfortunately. I needed the powder to make potions that would help with all that, y'know? Sucks that I have to deal with it, but it won't be too much of a hassle."

As Steve finished with a small laugh, Selwyn made her way around the stall and went to give him a hug once again.

"...Be safe, Steve. Make sure you come back so that you can tell me some of your own travel stories." She said, pulling away as he gave her a small smile in return.

"I'm already trying to write a journal! Trust me, I'll give it to you the second I come back, promise!"

Selwyn smiled playfully at him.

"You better keep your promise, mister!"

"Just be there, and I will!" Steve began to wave to both her and Alex, directing his attention to the latter as he started to leave. "Bye Alex! Nice seeing you again! Take good care of Selwyn for me, alright?"

Alex waved at him as well.

"Don't worry about it! We'll both be fine, just take care of yourself! Hey, maybe I'll even see you sometime on the road?"

Steve shrugged.

"It's possible. Until then, see you guys!"

As they all said their goodbyes to each other, Steve quickly went to pass the gate, finding himself soon within the forest once again.

A quiet breath left him as the noise of the village crowd soon fell away into the distance, his nerves relaxing as he soon became more preoccupied with his own batch of new concerns.

He was, for sure, going to have to venture into the Nether again. He was going to have to get the blaze powder himself, and he didn't know how he felt about that quite yet. All he knew was that it wasn't a comforting thought.

Having met Selwyn again, he soon remembered that the only friend he had left to confront was the one he had been trying to chase after first, which was Pickett. He still didn't exactly know how he was going to deal with the other, let alone where he ran off to, but nevertheless, before he left the village, he'd have to confront the man once and for all.

A bit of realization came upon him.

When he spoke to Alex about the prospect of her championship, he'd been clear and upfront with his opinions. Sure, he'd been hesitant, but he tried to approach the other in a way that was kind and considerate.

Maybe his conversation with Alex would make a great reference for how he was going to handle Pickett again.


Yeah, sorry for the delay, my computer literally broke on me and I couldn't even get past the lock screen without the cursor glitching out T_T Typing has been a slight nightmare lmao, the mouse wouldn't let me work XD

Anyways, Selwyn and Alex came back! They're just vibing with each other lol. Alex finally managed to get away from her mentor, so she's out doing her own thing! She's not actually all that eager about searching for Herobrine, she's more interested in visiting the world outside of Maemond Pond and getting into her own kind of adventures!

My main intention for this portion of the fic is to start bringing back some characters for certain purposes, but, like always, I have to figure out when to bring them back, and for what purpose exactly. While I've been doing pretty well in organizing my ideas for this fic, I recently got into a little writing club with some friends of mine that got me thinking about how I'd like to organize things even better lol. In about a month or so, this fic will turn 1 year old (since I actually started posting it, not since I came up with it), so I've been thinking about where I'd like to be at that point! Even if I don't reach my goals then, I'd like to be in a solid place lmao

Fun Facts!:

1.) Alex did manage to get into possession of an axe! She's been helping Selwyn out with mobs while using it lol

2.) Herobrine was somewhat lying when he said that he refers to Steve as "Steven" out of formality. At first, he started calling Steve "Steven" because he genuinely misheard his name lmao. After a while, and after he started hearing the mob generals calling Steve by his actual name and he realized the error he made, then it became more of a formal habit.

3.) Steve doesn't mind Herobrine calling him "Steven," he was just genuinely confused about why he was even doing it.

4.) Alex was recommended by Selwyn to actually come and settle down in Highland once she's done adventuring! Alex wanted to check out the place and see what Steve thought about it. Maemond's only getting worse by the day, and she was considering leaving it as well due to Lady Agnes leaving her.

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