Chapter 51: Lone Survivor
If they'd just found a cabin in the woods all by itself, then there really wouldn't have been much cause for alarm. Some folks liked being all on their own, preferring the quiet tranquility of the forest. Steve found himself relating to that idea somewhat, and Herobrine, along with the others, could understand the sentiment a bit, despite the dangers their forces often created for said cabins at night.
Finding a lone cabin in a small clearing that was surrounded by broken and singed debris did a lot more than just simply raise their internal alarms. The smell of death was very much present, and with the grass practically swallowing some of said piles of debris, it was worrying to find someone possibly thriving in this ruined environment. How they were even thriving in the first place was heavily up for debate though, as several, unsuccessful vegetable gardens also surrounded the cabin, along with several destroyed animal pens. The cabin itself had a firm cobblestone foundation, a sprucewood porch, and oakwood walls, with a strong wooden roof on the top that had a small, brick chimney poking out from it. Several patches of dark, black roses were dispersed throughout the area, providing at least some sense of beauty to the horrible image they were witnessing.
Passing by several mobs on their way there, Steve felt his blood begin to run a bit cold as he noticed how most, if not all, of the mobs he spotted were evidently hesitant in drawing any closer to the clearing. Some of them even growled while keeping their eyes focused on the area ahead, making him even more uncomfortable as he remembered that he had to approach the unnerving location. Eventually, they found both Andvari and Malgun, though, the former was staring at the house intently, his body standing rigid as he hid amongst the trees and brush, and the latter had placed himself far away from the edge of the clearing, staring at the cabin with a dark, serious gaze as his hands remained firmly ready upon his bow.
Steve stared up at Andvari as he drew nearer to him, looking over his features carefully as he found that the enderman's usual demeanor had shifted entirely, seeming rather attack-ready for whatever was currently standing in front of them.
Herobrine walked up to Andvari's side, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he stared outward toward the cabin just up ahead.
"...I'm assuming that you feel it too, correct? Is that what's wrong with this area?" Herobrine asked the enderman, glancing upward toward him briefly.
Andvari nodded slowly.
"...It's unmistakable. The air shifted as soon as we stepped near here, and…well frankly, it's hard to move forward without my body screaming at me to stop." He answered with a serious tone, keeping his eyes focused on the cabin.
Steve looked between the two with an expression of deep confusion on his face.
"What are you guys talking about? What are you feeling?" He asked, trying once again to see if his own divine abilities had developed any further. Seeing that he still couldn't feel anything magical or otherworldly, he looked back to the others for an answer.
Herobrine glanced back toward him as a low growl escaped Andvari's mouth involuntarily.
"This cabin stands within a graveyard. The village that once apparently stood here seems to have been decimated by the Wither, of all things."
Steve looked at him in shock.
"The Wither was here?!"
"Its energy still radiates through this area. Though it seems to have been taken care of, I can't tell if it had been summoned recently, or long before we arrived." Herobrine replied, his expression remaining the same.
Constiere walked a bit in front of the others, pointing to the opposite end of the clearing that the cabin had been placed in.
"My creepers started freaking out a few feet past those trees there, so I think it's safe to say it didn't get that far out before someone managed to destroy it."
As Herobrine briefly nodded in response to the boy's estimation, Steve found himself beginning to freak out silently about what he'd just been informed of.
The Wither, a terrible beast that could cause the other mobs to feel actual fear by just the sound of its name, had been just within range of his own home village. Something that had the ability to essentially flatten and decimate an entire community had been just a good few miles away from his own house, and he didn't even know it until now.
Eyes glancing over the ruins of the apparent village, Steve felt himself only growing upset at where they currently were, not wanting to linger for much longer.
"...So…what are we doing here?" He asked quietly. "...If it's just a cabin, and the Wither's not even here, then…shouldn't we leave it alone and move on?"
Looking up to Herobrine for a response, Steve found the other in deep thought for a minute or so before he nodded slowly at his suggestion. Gesturing back to the forest behind them, Herobrine stepped forward a bit into the clearing.
"...We should, but first, I'm going to have a word with whoever's in there. You all should start making your way back onto our travel path."
Not exactly liking the implications of Herobrine's words given the talk he just had with him and previous experiences, Steve instead decided to walk forward a bit closer to him, causing Herobrine to give him a raised brow in response.
"Uh…how about I talk with the stranger?" Steve asked cautiously, which drew a small sigh of frustration from Herobrine in response.
"Steven." Herobrine turned to face him slowly. "...Do you notice anything about that cabin, besides the fact that it's the only building here?"
Steve glanced back to examine the cabin for a moment or two before turning back toward Herobrine once again.
"...It's pretty small. Pretty new, too. I mean, new as a cabin in the woods can get, anyways." He answered with a nod.
"Yes. It's a cabin that has been recently built. What do you suppose that means?"
Steve thought over the other's words for a moment before an answer finally came to him.
"...It probably means that it was made after these other homes got destroyed, I think. Couldn't have been standing for long if the other buildings look like that."
"...Which means?" Herobrine prompted further, gesturing for him to continue.
"...The owner probably saw what happened here?"
"...And?"
"...They…um…probably know how it happened in the first place?"
"...Which implies?"
Steve looked back at the house with a stronger sense of concern, though this time, it was for his own safety.
"...They could probably be the reason why this all happened."
Herobrine pointed at him with a proud smile on his face.
"There we go. Of course, this also means that they could very well be a major threat to our mission if they are, indeed, the one who summoned the Wither in the first place." He said, beginning to walk toward the cabin. "If that's the case, then it might be best for another individual with the experience of taking down such a beast to approach them. I'll try my best to do as you said and…well, knock them out, but who's to say that-"
"-They're actually hostile?" Steve interrupted, moving to get directly in Herobrine's way. "Look, we just talked about this, Brine. How about…well, I go and see whether or not they're the one who did all of this?"
As Herobrine raised a brow at him in response, Steve gestured over to the house.
"What if they just saw the place and took advantage of the location? What if they're not involved at all, and they're just a victim? You can't know for certain, so...can I at least talk to them first before you decide to do anything?"
Herobrine stared at him for a good few seconds or so before his expression turned serious.
"...Will you keep your guard up, just in case?" He asked with a firm tone.
Steve nodded his head.
"I wouldn't just go in there without a backup plan. If the owner of this house is capable of messing around with that…well, thing, then I'll keep my eyes peeled." Steve said strongly, pausing for a second before giving his brother a slightly worried expression. "...If you have to step in, can I trust you to not hurt anybody that badly? Or at all?"
Herobrine gave Steve a small sigh of frustration before giving him a nod in return.
"...I'll try. You know my limits, however."
"...Thank you, Brine. I'll be back in a few."
Turning around to leave the others briskly, Steve was just about to step firmly into the clearing when a hand found its way onto his shoulder, pulling him back as the quiet voice of his brother soon returned to his ears.
"If this individual is responsible for the initial summoning of the Wither in this area, take extra caution. There's also a good chance of them being a divine pawn; there are only so many reasons why someone would dare fight the Wither, and that might certainly be one of them. Only an idiot would summon that hideous beast so that they could possibly impress them." Herobrine whispered to him.
Taking note of the other's warning, Steve nodded as his brother's firm hand left his shoulder. He stood silently within the overgrown grass for a second or two as he took another moment to brace himself before proceeding further.
The miner walked towards the cabin, his footsteps becoming a bit hesitant once he reached the front porch. As he went up the porch stairs, he cringed slightly at the sound of the loud creaking that came from beneath him, somewhat surprising him as he hadn't been expecting such aged wood from a newer building. With another deep breath, he approached the door, pausing before knocking on the slightly scratched wood quietly. He heard nothing for a minute or so and began to fear for the worst, but when he heard faint shuffling coming from inside, he let out a small sigh of relief, stepping back to allow the resident of the house to open the door. As the sound of several locks unlocking came to his ears, he began to hear a small bit of annoyed muttering as the door slowly opened.
A man that was roughly a few inches shorter than him appeared from the darkness within, his expression filled with some sort of exhaustion that seemed way beyond anything he'd ever seen before. The other's long, white hair was tied off in a messy low ponytail, contrasting the rest of his dark attire, which seemed to fit those of an experienced adventurer, cape, armour, and all. His caramel-colored skin was covered in light, pale patches in various places, the biggest of which surrounded his left eye. His right arm was almost completely wrapped within a bandage save for his bare hand, and he, intriguingly enough, wore a single glove on his left, its matching partner nowhere in sight.
Pale grey eyes slowly looked up at him with pure annoyance.
"Alright, alright. How many times do I have to tell you fools that my services are no longer available…"
The stranger trailed off when he met with the miner's vibrant eyes. Annoyance melted away instantly into pure excitement.
"Woah! Didn't expect to see someone else with Nether Affliction here, but…oh wait, is that an End curse, actually? Or was I right the first time-"
"-It's uh…yeah, I guess." Steve interrupted with a smile, watching as the other stepped forward to inspect his body, much to his general confusion. He found himself intrigued by the fact that, surprisingly enough, the man had mentioned not only the Nether, but the End of all places.
"Really? How did you feel when it started? What happened to you? Did you at least get to…" The stranger trailed off, his expression slowly falling a bit as he met Steve's slightly confused gaze. "...You're not here about that though, are you? You're here because you've heard of my services, yes?"
Steve looked at him curiously.
"...Services?"
The man nodded.
"If you're here for the goods, well, I have unfortunate news for you. I'm not taking any commissions for now, or for the rest of time. I'm done."
Steve looked at him with confusion in his gaze.
"…I-I'm not…I'm not here for your...well, services. I just…y'know, I was walking, and-"
"-And you smelled death and made your way here, right?" The man finished with a bit of strained excitement.
Seeing the other's "knowing" smile, Steve felt a bit of nervousness rise up within him.
Who was this man? Why was he so excited about the smell of death? What services did he offer if they involved death?
"...I…what?"
The man pointed at him with an excited grin.
"You're intrigued by the unknown, aren't you? The magical, the mystical, the divine, aren't you?"
Steve shook his head in response, holding his hands up in defense.
"Uh…yes, but-"
The man crossed his arms over his chest.
"Well, it's nice to hear that! Regardless though, again, I'm not going out to restock my goods. Not anymore. I've finally reached my limit, and I'm trying to live out the rest of my miserable days in as much peace I can muster. You'll have to find someone else."
Steve gave him a small chuckle as he gave him a small thumbs up.
"Well…Alright! I'll just-"
"-I can offer you something else that I still have in stock, though. Are you in need of some extra bags? Some old potions? Anything?"
Steve shook his head, feeling a bit overwhelmed by the other's persistence.
"I…I was just a bit curious to see why there's a new cabin out here in the middle of all of this rubble, that's all. Just wanted to check things out. I'll just be on my way, th-"
"-Are you sure? I could offer you something else! Maybe a few tales, perhaps?" The man asked, raising his brows as he tried to hold Steve's interest.
Steve simply shook his head, deciding that instead of continuing to talk with the other himself, he'd simply try to beg Herobrine to leave the slightly crazed man alone, for his own benefit.
"I have to be on my way. Gotta leave before the mobs come and-"
"-Wait, hold on." The man suddenly spoke in a less excited tone, reaching out to grab the miner's arm as he turned around to leave.
The other's grip on his arm was rather weak, but given the fact that his fingers were trying to hold onto him as strongly as they possibly could, Steve remained where he was as he waited for the stranger to continue.
He was given a slightly shaky expression from the man as he began to speak once again.
"...To be honest, I…I haven't seen someone out here in a long while. I…I wanna talk to somebody. Can you indulge me for a moment? Please?"
Hearing the other's almost desperate tone at the mere idea of his abrupt departure, Steve couldn't help but feel bad for the man. He, quite evidently, was surrounded by nothing but debris and the mere memory of a loving community. Though the stranger could've well been on his way and among the population of a new village, for some, unknown reason, he hadn't taken the opportunity. What was preventing him from leaving? Why did he have a newer house in such a haunting location? Why did he remain in such a dangerous location? Should he try to investigate further?
As he opened his mouth to speak, the man spoke before he could even get a single word out.
"It's too dark for you to be out here, anyway. My fireplace already draws enough attention, you're likely going to be heading right into a crowd of death if you leave too soon. Please, let me give you shelter, at least? Is that what you're here for? Shelter?"
Steve stared at him for a moment, reading his troubled gaze as he briefly glanced back to the forest behind him.
An investigation wasn't needed. Right now, he just needed to be there for the stranger. Even if he were to attack him somehow, it wouldn't be too bad, right?
"...Yeah, sure. I can stay for a while." He said with a small smile, giving the other a quick nod as he spoke.
The man's eyes lit up at his words as he went to grab one of the miner's hands with both of his own, shaking it firmly in appreciation.
"...Thank you! Thank you..." The man gave him a small bow in return. "...Truly, I thank you."
Not too long after, he released Steve's hands and stepped to the side, gesturing toward the inside of his house eagerly.
"Come in! We don't have to stand outside like this, I have chairs inside. Comfy ones, at that."
Steve gave him a small hum, walking in with a smile.
The inside of the man's cabin was rather…humbling, to say the least. It was a single-room abode with nothing more than a bed, a single long table, two wooden chairs, and a brick fireplace within. There were plenty of papers left everywhere upon the table, as well as on one of the chairs. Looking upon them, Steve found what he could only assume was a separate language, rendering them unreadable to his eyes currently. The floor was covered in dirt and soot, as well as even more paper. An extremely torn rug was semi-pushed under the bed in the corner, bunched up as it was apparent that it wasn't exactly a valued piece of decoration. The brick fireplace was currently lit, having a pot of what seemed to be some sort of stew cooking within it.
The strange man immediately went to clear the cluttered chair, placing the papers upon the table as he went to sit down. Gesturing to the other chair, he gave Steve an excited smile.
"So…how's the journey? You feeling alright despite your Nether affliction?"
Steve froze for a second in brief confusion before nodding at the other's enthusiastic question, sitting down carefully in the chair just opposite from him.
"It's been…well, a lot." He paused, a small question coming to the forefront of his mind. "...How'd you know that my eyes were the way they were because of…well, the Nether, of all things?"
"-The color." The man pointed at his own eyes. "It's a telltale sign of magical affliction. Potions cause some temporary color change, sure, but none really cause that shade of pink to linger. Only something as strong as an otherworldly effect could cause something like that."
Hearing the other's seemingly strong knowledge about the matter, Steve looked at him with deep intrigue. Before he could say anything further, however, the man pointed directly to his arm.
"Also, the wound. Cuts like that don't heal correctly when there's a Nether star involved."
Steve's eyes widened in shock as he looked back up at the other, suddenly feeling rather unsettled as it became apparent that the other knew more than what he originally gave him credit for.
"How...how'd you-"
"I can't believe that they're actually able to be forged and made into little weapons, who would've thunk it? I mean, sure, they're mostly used for ceremonial purposes, but hey, it's still pretty impressive."
Not finding his shock subsiding in any way whatsoever, Steve gave the other a look of suspicion.
"...Who are you?"
The man's eyes widened briefly before he raised a brow at him in return.
"...You don't recognize me?"
Steve shook his head.
"...Nope. I've never seen you before in my life."
"Never seen my posters, heard my feats, my name?"
Once again, Steve shook his head.
"Never."
The man stared at him in pure disbelief.
"...You really don't know who I even am, do you?"
Steve shook his head slowly a third time, hoping that the other would finally get his point.
"...Nope."
The man looked at him for a few more added seconds before leaning back a bit in his seat, crossing his arms in front of his chest in disappointment. He stared down at the floor for a few troubled seconds before glancing back up at the miner with what appeared to be a bit of a smug smile.
The man chuckled.
"...Officially, my full title is Sir Champion Andres, but since we're not here to discuss business…Sir Andres is fine."
Steve's eyes widened in shock at the mention of the other's name.
Apparently, he was mistaken; he had heard of the other before. Though, it was only now that he finally had a face to associate with the name.
"Sir Andres?...Wait, champion? You're a champion?" Steve asked in slight disbelief.
Sir Andres nodded.
"Yes, but...am I correct in assuming that you are one as well? I don't believe I ever got your name, nor your title."
Realizing that the other was correct, Steve went to correct his error.
"Oh! I...I'm Steve. I'm the Champion of Beasts." Steve said with a bit of a shaky chuckle.
"...Champion of Beasts, huh?" Sir Andres let out a small laugh. "...The gods referred to me as the Champion of Beginnings, but to answer your question…yes. I was a champion."
"...Champion of Beginnings?"
As Sir Andres nodded again in response to the quiet question, he glanced over to the cluttered table, searching through a couple of the papers for a bit before pulling out a single page from one of the piles. He read over the contents of the page briefly before glancing back up at Steve once again, giving him a bit of a weary chuckle.
"...I…I'm kind of responsible for a good amount of champions, really. You as well, I suppose." He began, briefly turning the page over for the miner to read. "I gave people what they needed, when they needed it. In return, they gave me knowledge and power. Simple exchange, really."
As Steve's gaze trailed over the page, he was confused to find nothing apart from a strange language upon its surface, though given what he currently knew about the other and what he was currently seeing, he could only assume that the language was Aethren.
Sir Andres read his expression and laughed.
"When I offered my services to different villages and cities, they gave me access to the divines. When I offered my services to the divines…they gave me power."
Hearing that the man before him had come into contact with the divines before, Steve found himself only growing more curious by the other's admission.
"You keep telling me about your services and all, but...what do you even sell? Or…well, what did you sell, exactly, just to be clear?"
"...Protection, my sword, and…for the right price…" Sir Andres paused, taking a moment to dig around in his paper pile once again to pull out another page in order to show it to Steve. "...Nether stars."
Finding another copy of the poster that he'd seen before, Steve found himself growing a bit concerned, though, it was mostly for the other's safety.
He was currently in a room with Sir Andres, a man who'd advertised his ability to collect and distribute Nether stars to the general population. He knew well enough that this man, whether he knew it or not, was currently on Herobrine's potential hit list due to his past actions. There were only so many ways the other would get out of this situation, and they all had to do with whether or not he could keep his lips shut about what he discovered about the man.
Nodding at the image, Steve gave Sir Andres a bit of a raised brow.
"...What made you want to sell them? Aren't these hard to get, anyway?"
Sir Andres thought to himself for a moment or so before giving Steve a small shrug.
"...Selling Nether stars, especially considering how hard it is to retrieve them, got the eyes of the divines focused on me again, and I wanted nothing more than that alone. Well, other than knowledge about them, I suppose. What happened after was just collateral."
"...Collateral?"
Sir Andres shrugged at him again.
"...People contracting the affliction, the cursed champions rising up to gain their titles, the deaths of said champions due to said affliction…" He trailed off, a bit of realization flashing across his gaze as he gave Steve a bit of an apologetic expression. "Oh! I hope you already knew that…those affected by the affliction are running off of borrowed time. I mean, we all are but…their time is shorter than others, unfortunately. I guess that's what happens when you get cut by a strange object that originated from a destructive, world-ending hell-beast, heh."
As Steve processed the other's words, he felt a bit of disgust begin to rise up within him as the other spoke in such a nonchalant tone.
Sir Andres knew enough about the Nether stars to conclude that they were harmful to humans. The Nether stars were harmful to humans. Statistically speaking, Sir Andres may even have seen a couple of champions fall ill under the effects of said stars. Despite this, he still (possibly) continued to sell and distribute individual shards to people, causing more harm and potential devastation all for the purpose of receiving knowledge about the divines. Hadn't he ever caught wind of Brickston and their courses? Why cause all of this devastation for something as simple as knowledge?
"...You knew that, and yet you still sold them?"
Sensing his repressed rage, Sir Andres held his hands up in defense.
"I-I don't do it anymore! Of course I knew, but-"
"-Do you even realize what you've done? Do you even know how many lives you've potentially ruined? Are you serious?" Steve harshly asked, standing up from his seat as the other stared at him with slight fear in his eyes.
"I know what I've done, but I-"
"-Did you even apologize? How soon did you stop? How many…you know what?" Steve let out a breath of deep frustration. "...Look. I'm not gonna hang out with such a-"
As he went to depart from the other once again, Sir Andres stood up and grabbed his arm, though this time, he pulled back a bit in order to keep away from the man.
"-I've paid for it, I promise! I know what I've done, and I'm facing the price for it!" Sir Andres shouted, causing Steve to flinch a bit at the volume.
Curiously, Steve raised a brow at him as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"...How? How have you paid for it?"
Sitting back down slowly as he released the miner, Sir Andres stared at him in desperation before taking a deep breath, placing a hand upon the bandage around his arm as he looked down at it with a slightly pained expression. It wasn't until he finished fighting himself internally for a few seconds that he finally broke the silence that had formed.
"...You have the affliction in its most basic state. It'll run through your blood, yes, but...I don't believe it's incurable. I…well, I, on the other hand…"
Slowly but surely, Sir Andres began to unwrap the bandage around his arm just a bit, drawing Steve's attention immediately once he was able to see the skin that had been hidden beneath it.
Black. All he could see was black, rotting flesh. Even though he was standing a bit farther away from the other, the second that the bandage had been lifted, the miner's nose caught a good whiff of something putrid, something that made his skin crawl as he found it suddenly harder to look at the sight in its entirety.
Sir Andres stared at his arm with immense shame in his eyes.
"...I started summoning the Wither when I was a younger fool who believed that I could sacrifice my life in order to make a killing. However, all that's come out of my attempts at personal gain was a situation that's currently killing me."
Steve finally found his words as he sat back down in the chair, heavily regretting doing so as the smell of the other's arm only grew stronger.
"...What…what happened to you?"
Sir Andres let out a small chuckle as he gave the other a shrug.
"One minute, I was handling a Wither like a pro, sending back its attacks as soon as it could shoot them, and dodging every blast that managed to escape my attack range. The next thing I knew…I woke up in this field with a broken arm and ash and smoke everywhere I looked, surrounded by destruction. I didn't realize until later that my arm was much more than just broken. I was told that I had Wither sickness, and not much else apart from that. Ever since then, I've been dying a slow, dull, painful death, and believe me, I've tried to get rid of it, but neither potions nor regular old milk work on something like this."
As the man before him started to rewrap the bandage firmly, Steve felt himself growing pity for him.
"I'm…sorry."
Sir Andres threw up a hand as he shook his head.
"No need, I'm totally fine with it. Frankly, since I gave the champions access to the stars, I deserve it. I made a gamble with my life, and I was unlucky, so now I have to face the consequences for it." He let out a small laugh, his expression falling soon after. "...I thought that if I did what the divines wanted, they'd…well, praise me. Take me in as one of their own."
Curiosity came to Steve as he listened further to the other's words.
"...The divines told you to get the stars?"
"Well, not exactly. They told me to keep the beasts at bay in order to prove my strength to them, and so…well, once I did that, I found that I needed more beasts to keep at bay. The stars were a bonus, and I figured out that selling rare, shiny things to desperate people often can grab you whatever you need."
"...What the heck were you working towards?"
Sir Andres shrugged at him.
"...Just wanted them to see me like they used to."
Hearing his tone of deep nostalgia, Steve couldn't help but grow more intrigued with the man in front of him.
Sure, he was certainly a target for his brother now, but how did he get there in the first place?
"...How did they see you?"
Sir Andres let out a sigh.
"...They trusted me. They trusted me enough to allow me within their forbidden realm in order to slay their out-of-control beast. I was never, ever able to impress them enough after that in order to convince them to trust me again."
Steve nodded as the other spoke, leaving him in silence as he couldn't figure out what to say.
…
It wasn't until a few seconds had passed that he finally realized what the other had actually said.
Stunned. Steve found himself utterly stunned as the other's words clicked. If what the other had just said was true, then he had just been given an opportunity that he hadn't been expecting.
If this "forbidden realm" was what he thought it was, then that meant that Sir Andres had seen the End.
Sir Andres had seen the dragon.
Sir Andres had slain the dragon.
Trying to hide his excitement as best he could, Steve leaned a bit forward in order to meet the other's gaze intently.
"...Why are you telling me all of this? Like, since you know I'm a champion, and all…why do this to yourself?"
Sir Andres shrugged at him once again.
"...I told you. I have no one to talk to. I don't believe that I'll have anyone else to talk to after this. Nobody's coming back; there's nothing to come back to apart from me and my cabin. I'll just…I'll just be rotting away in here for the rest of time, forgotten by the gods and forgotten by the last of my peers. You'll probably be the last actual person I see before I go."
Hearing the other's saddened tone made his heart sink a bit with some guilt for his inner excitement, causing Steve to glance down to the floor in order to avoid the other's gaze. Not too long after he did so, however, he looked back up at the other, a slightly more determined expression on his face as he made up his mind on how to proceed further.
"...Is there anything I can do for you?" Steve asked cautiously, drawing a raised brow from the other.
"...Come again?"
"...Is there anything that you want before you…y'know…" He asked more quietly, watching as the other gave him a small, appreciative smile in return.
"...Do you have that power?" Sir Andres asked.
"...Depends on what you want, I can try my best to get it for you, you know."
Nodding in response, Sir Andres left him in silence for a minute, staring at the ground in front of him before letting out a small hum.
"...Before my village abandoned me entirely…I was told something intriguing. Something about a challenge that I had the ability to take."
"...What sort of challenge?"
Sir Andres stood up from his seat slowly, moving over to stare through his cabin window out into the dark forest.
"...I've heard bits and pieces about some sort of entity that exists within this world, one that can control the whim of beasts with nothing but a simple glance. Even more so than the Wither, he holds great power over the creatures of the night. The power of the beasts lies within him, and he parades around as their king. I want, just once, to meet this king myself and challenge him to a duel. A slayer of beasts against the king of all beasts himself. Can you grant that wish to me?"
Staring at the other in deep shock, Steve found himself unable to answer the man immediately as he finished, debating internally what he should do in the matter.
Given how the other described this so-called "king of the beasts," he could only guess that the man he was talking about just happened to be Herobrine. He fit the description, given his title of 'King of the Mobs,' but, given the state of the man in front of him, Steve found it difficult to say whether or not Sir Andres was up for the task. He knew how his brother fought. He knew how Herobrine felt about humans who posed a significant threat to both him and his mission. Sending Sir Andres against the man, with the state of his condition in mind, was only guaranteeing his death.
Before he could answer the other in earnest, a small chuckle escaped the older champion's lips as he looked at Steve's uneasy expression.
"...It's impossible, right? Apparently, nobody is ever able to see this king unless they're approaching their final moments at the end of his sword. Though I'd love an encounter with him to be my last stand…I know that it's highly unlikely to actually happen."
"...How would you even be able to fight him? Isn't…aren't you…y'know, sick?" Steve asked, his words growing a bit more hesitant as he finished.
The man before him laughed.
"That's the point! I'm fighting him because I'm already dying because of the affliction! That's why I said that I wanted the encounter to be my last stand! Fighting someone who should fight like a beast would be the perfect way to go for me!"
"...Should?"
Sir Andres shrugged at him.
"I've heard a bit more about him, to be quite frank with you. Supposedly, he fights with more…well, human tools than anything else, unlike the mobs he controls. Why does he limit his range like that, anyways? I want to challenge both him and myself by bringing us down to the level of a beast. I want us to fight an archer's duel; one that is reminiscent of the ones that skeletons often challenge each other to."
Surprised that, despite him working alongside the mob general that had control over the skeletons, he didn't know that skeletons challenged each other to duels, Steve blinked at the other.
"...So, you don't want to fight close combat?"
"If it comes to that, I won't mind, but long-range is preferable, to me."
Steve felt a bit more relief at the other's words as he clarified himself, thankful that the man didn't want to ruin his chances of survival any more than he already had. He knew that Herobrine was a strong sword fighter with great close-combat skills, but he wasn't aware of how well the other could perform with a bow and arrow. Granted, he could also fight long-range with fire, but if both him and Sir Andres agreed to such a battle, then maybe, just maybe, the latter had an actual chance of survival against the demigod.
Standing up, Steve crossed his arms in front of his chest as he too went to glance outside the window, letting out a small hum as he did so.
"...If I can find him…I'll bring him to you. I promise."
Sir Andres looked at him with a bit of a mocking grin.
"Like hell! He doesn't just appear for anybody. I'll likely be dead when you finally manage to run into him, you know."
Steve gave him a nonchalant shrug.
"Hey, I've already seen some weird things on my journey. Don't be so doubtful, I have my ways."
Sir Andres gave him a bit of a chuckle.
"We'll see about that."
Turning around and walking toward the front door, Steve began to depart, but was met with Sir Andres grabbing his arm once more.
"Where are you going? It's-"
"-Night? I know. I…I forgot something outside." Steve gave him a small smile, patting his sword momentarily. "I can protect myself, don't worry. I think I can handle a couple of mobs or two, I used to be a mob slayer myself!"
Sir Andres raised a slight brow at him, impressed by his assertion.
"You too? Well, a mob slayer knows one when they see one, I guess. Don't stay out there for too long, alright?"
Steve nodded at him.
"I won't."
Moving to exit the cabin, Steve gave the other a quick wave before he left him by himself. As he stepped back out into the forest away from the cabin, Steve nearly tripped over a small pile of wood as he approached the treeline, causing him to take a moment to recollect himself before moving forward.
Once he was firmly hidden within the shadows of the trees above him, he looked around for a moment in an attempt to search for his brother, finding himself being rather unsuccessful until a small tap against his shoulder alerted him to the fact that he was no longer alone. He turned to instead find a smiling Constiere behind him, with a waiting Herobrine following right behind him.
"...So?" Herobrine asked, taking a quick glance back at the cabin momentarily before returning his gaze back to Steve.
"Who's in there? Anybody in need of some real talking to?" Constiere asked, a bit too excited for Steve's comfort.
"...So…" Steve began hesitantly. "...We're in luck! That cabin…well, it belongs to a…certain someone."
Herobrine raised a brow at him.
"...And that certain someone is?..."
"...Sir Andres. The guy whose poster we found. That one." Steve said, immediately fearing for said man's safety as a bit of anger appeared in Herobrine's eyes.
"He's in there?" Herobrine pointed to the cabin, pausing momentarily as he thought to himself. "...Do I still have to reconsider what we to do with him?"
"Yes!" Steve immediately exclaimed. "He's still human!"
"So?! You know what he's capable of!" Herobrine rebutted.
As the two began to argue about the specifics of letting someone with access to the Wither stay alive, Constiere looked around them, a bit of confusion settling upon his face.
"...This doesn't seem like the location specified on the poster, though…"
The two stopped conversing with each other, looking around themselves to realize that the other was correct.
"...I think he said something about coming back to his home village instead of wherever that place was, so…maybe that's it?" Steve suggested.
Constiere crossed his arms in front of his chest.
"This is his home village? Kind of a whole lotta nothing, if you ask me."
"Was. It was his home village." Steve corrected. "In any case, he's not really a threat, and he…well, he doesn't really have a lot of time left, anyways. We should probably just let him live his life as normal, you know."
Herobrine and Constiere gave each other a brief look before glancing back at Steve with curiosity evident in their gazes.
"...What do you mean, Steven?" Herobrine asked quietly.
"...He's dying. Mentioned how he had a last wish."
"...And what is that wish, if you don't mind me asking?" Herobrine raised a slight brow at him.
"...He wants to fight you, Brine." Steve said quietly.
"...What?"
Steve gave him a small shrug.
"...He's dying of Wither sickness, and wants to fight you as his last act."
Herobrine stared at him for a few seconds in slight disbelief, thinking to himself before letting out a small hum.
"...That's all he wants? He's not out to hunt us down?"
Steve shook his head.
"As far as I'm aware…no. He mentioned how he, as an ex-mob slayer and champion, wanted to challenge the King of the Mobs, and nothing else."
Herobrine gave him a suspicious expression.
"...You are aware of how strange that sounds, yes? Someone who's familiar with the champion conundrum telling the first champion he finds, who happens to be one who recently became a known associate of an infamous demigod as far as the other champions know, that he wants to fight said demigod?"
As Herobrine's words registered within his brain, Steve's eyes widened.
He was right. They knew well enough that the news of what happened at Lunarus must've gone quite a distance by now. If Sir Andres had been in contact with the divines of all people at one point, who's to say that he wasn't aware of the situation? What if he knew fully well who he was, and was just trying to get both him and Herobrine in range? What if it all was a trap?
Steve looked down at his feet, his worry growing by the second the longer he thought about Sir Andres's true intentions.
…
But wait, the injury that affected his arm now was real, wasn't it? It smelt awful and seemed painful enough for the other. His grip was weak, and it didn't seem like he'd even be able to handle one of them in a fight, let alone two. Was that an act as well, or was he legitimately sick, and his words were true?
Glancing back up toward Herobrine, Steve gave him a look of slight concern.
"...I don't think he's lying. If…if you saw him, I don't think you'd believe he was lying, either."
"...And that's supposed to ease my concerns? If I fight him, what could we possibly gain from that apart from a dead body?"
Thinking over Herobrine's words for a bit in silence, Steve eventually came up with an idea.
"...Information? Who he sent the Nether stars to? What he knows about the End? Something along those lines?"
"...And you can't just pull it from him on your own? I thought you wanted to avoid me getting violent with humans? Make up your mind, Steven."
Steve gave the other a determined expression.
"I don't want you to be violent with humans, but I do want you to think about this! Sir Andres does know about more than you think about the whole champion business. Besides, I think it'll be good practice for you to try meeting with him!"
Hearing a snicker erupt from the side, Herobrine briefly shot a glare down to Constiere before focusing it more on Steve.
"...Practice?"
Steve let out a nervous chuckle.
"...In theory, yes. But that's beside the point! Can you humor him?"
Herobrine gave Steve a disapproving glare for a moment or two before a deep sigh escaped his lips as he turned away from the miner. Dropping his hands to the side, he looked back at Steve briefly, almost reluctantly.
"...For only a few minutes, and nothing more. I hope that you know what you're doing, Steven."
Steve gave him an excited smile, as well as a small nod.
"Please be nice to him, alright? I'll go and tell him the news."
"...You do understand how detrimental this could be should he not be who he says he is, yes?"
Steve shrugged as he turned to walk away.
"...I have some faith in him. Kinda like how I have faith in you, y'know."
Herobrine stared at him as he left, unable to say anything further as he processed the miner's words within his head.
As Steve walked back to the wooden cabin up ahead, he found himself stuck in thought, growing a bit anxious as the reality of the situation began to dawn on him.
It wasn't like he could simply just walk up to Sir Andres and flat-out tell him that he was related to the "King of all Mobs," so how would he introduce him to Herobrine? Should he just come right out with the information, or should he try to frame it as a simple coincidence? What would convince the other of his good intentions? Stating that he was associated with the other as a simple business partner could just bring alarm to Sir Andres, which could potentially turn him away from his presence and make him fearful for his own general safety, which was not something he wanted. If Sir Andres really wanted to fight Herobrine, however, he could also just take the information as-is and use the opportunity he was given to actually duel the king himself.
Steve found himself with only so many options that all seemed rather awkward regardless, so, he decided to take a small gamble and hope for the best. Once he was back within the cabin, he quickly approached Sir Andres, trying to seem less worried about the situation than he actually was.
"H-hi! I'm back, I got uh...my journal from out there. Dropped it by accident." He greeted with a small wave, earning one in response from the other champion.
Sir Andres looked at him with a raised brow.
"...Did something happen? You seem a bit shaken up." He asked curiously.
With a small, nervous chuckle, Steve shrugged.
"I uh…yeah. Something...interesting happened out there."
"...Like what?"
Steve nervously fiddled around with his hands, deciding to simply just come out with the truth, even if it was a slightly-warped version of it.
"So…I have this friend."
The man in front of him looked at him with deep concern.
"And they're still out there? Why didn't you-"
"-He's fine! He's fine. Uh…he's…well, funny story."
As Sir Andres looked at him with expectation, Steve braced himself for a potentially negative reaction.
"...I…I know the King of Mobs. He's uh…he's an acquaintance of mine. He's...that...friend."
Looking at the other champion in front of him, Steve fully expected some disbelief to be reflected upon his features.
He also sort of expected the laughter that instead burst out from the other's mouth as well.
"Are you serious?! Dude, I'm not stupid, you don't need to-"
"-I'm not joking." Steve interrupted, bringing the other's amusement to a halt. "...Do you want to meet him?"
Sir Andres examined his serious expression, his disbelief soon turning into legitimate intrigue and surprise the longer he looked at him.
"...You're not joking? I can...I can meet him now?" He asked quietly.
Steve nodded his head, offering a hand to the other soon after.
"I said that I'd do what I could to get you what you wanted. I talked to him, and he said that he was interested in meeting you. If now's the time you wanna meet him, then let's go."
Sir Andres stared intently at his outstretched hand for a solid minute, making Steve feel somewhat embarrassed as his previously serious demeanor soon weakened. Before he could say anything that could shift the mood, however, Sir Andres slowly accepted his hand, meeting his gaze firmly.
"...Prove that it's him. Make me want to believe in you."
Smiling in return, Steve began to lead the other back outside.
"I will, promise."
Herobrine moved himself to stand right outside of the cabin, waiting for Steve's return patiently as he quietly tried to prepare mentally for a potential battle. Though he stood with his arms in front of his chest, he was hoping that his more serious stance wouldn't turn the human away entirely.
As Steve finally stepped outside with Sir Andres in tow, Herobrine found it somewhat amusing that the older champion immediately froze as his bright gaze landed upon him.
Sir Andres stared at Herobrine for a solid few seconds before briefly turning to look at Steve, then back to the man before him.
"...This…this is the king?" Sir Andres asked quietly, receiving a small nod from Steve in response.
"Yup. That's him." Steve said with a smile.
"...He…you…" Sir Andres pointed a finger between the two, leading to Herobrine letting out a small sigh of frustration as he raised a single hand up.
"If you hold any doubt, let me ease things for you." He said, snapping once he was finished speaking.
After mere seconds, a creeper came rushing out of the forest to the man's side, causing Sir Andres to jump back in utter disbelief as Steve watched the sight unfold in front of him. As the older champion collected his bearings, Steve decided to walk away from behind him, moving to take himself back into the forest ahead.
"I…think I'll leave you two to it. I hope that everything goes well!" Steve said, waving to the two as he left.
Herobrine gave him a small wave in return as Sir Andres continued to stare at both him and the creeper by his side with deep fear in his eyes.
"...Me too…" Herobrine muttered in a slightly sing-songy tone, his words not reaching Steve's ears as the miner had already gotten far enough away from him.
Looking down at the creeper, Herobrine met its curious gaze before pointing back at the forest, to which it immediately began to run off to. Turning his attention back to Sir Andres, Herobrine gave the man a neutral expression.
"So, anything else you'd like me to demonstrate to you to convince you of my status?"
Sir Andres slowly shook his head.
"I…I think I'm convinced. Thank you for coming here." He said a bit shakily, slowly returning to stand closer to the other. "...What's your name?"
"I'm known by many names, but the one you may address me by is Herobrine."
Sir Andres stared at him for another few seconds before slowly nodding his head in acknowledgment.
"...Herobrine. Your name is Herobrine." Sir Andres said quietly, taking in as much of the other's presence as he could.
Herobrine gave him a small nod.
"I've come to accept your challenge. I'm assuming that you're ready?"
As Sir Andres continued to stare at him in pure awe, Herobrine found himself growing a bit agitated with the other's apparent hesitance. Though he said nothing in response to the staring, he found it a bit difficult to refrain from doing something to break the silence. Thankfully enough, Sir Andres did it for him.
"...Yes. You know of the circumstances, yes? The rules?"
Herobrine raised a brow at him.
"...Nothing apart from the fact that this is supposed to be a simple duel."
Sir Andres nodded at him.
"Yes, that's pretty much it. I'm challenging you to an archer's duel. Aside from that though…if our arrows run out, then it's perfectly fine to start fighting in the traditional sense."
"...With blades, you mean."
Herobrine received another nod from the ill champion.
"Of course. Now, let me grab my bow, and we can-"
Before the champion could finish, Herobrine gave out a silent command using his abilities, causing the man before him to flinch badly.
"What was-?!"
"Malgun! If it won't trouble you, may I borrow your bow?" Herobrine asked out into the darkness, causing Andres to stare at him in confusion.
Before long, Herobrine received an answer in the form of Malgun stepping out from the forest shadows, causing Sir Andres to step back in utter shock at his appearance. Without much delay, Malgun handed over his bow and quiver full of arrows to Herobrine, who took them as carefully as he could in respect for the skeleton's belongings. As Malgun went back to where he'd been, Herobrine turned back to face the stunned champion that he'd agreed to fight.
Giving the other a small smirk, Herobrine went to place the quiver against his back.
"What? You said you wanted to fight the 'King of the Mobs,' why are you so surprised that I can summon them to my side at will?"
Shaking himself back into focus, Sir Andres let out a small hum.
"Uh…n-not sure. It's just…really cool."
Nodding at his remark, Herobrine turned around, beginning to walk away from the other.
"When you have your weapons and you're ready to begin, let me know. I'll be awaiting your call."
Sir Andres nodded, backing away into his cabin once again in order to prep himself better.
Herobrine was, surprisingly enough, quite proficient with a bow.
While Sir Andres used his own house as a shield as he shot his arrows, Herobrine instead hid behind several of the large debris piles that had been left throughout the clearing, shifting locations as he needed in order to get a clearer view of his opponent. Despite the fact that the bow he was using was evidently not made for him given its size, he was still able to get some rapid shots in and keep Sir Andres on his toes. For every quick shot the champion across from his location made, Herobrine was able to sneak in two more, getting almost dangerously closer to the mark than what his personal audience would've hoped for.
Andvari, Malgun, Constiere, and Steve all watched from the safety of the shadows, trying to keep themselves well away from the range of either of the two combatants in front of them. Though three out of the four onlookers were rather fine with the idea of Herobrine actually landing a hit, Steve found himself growing tense as the battle went on, though, his tenseness soon melted away into confusion. If Herobrine was so good with a bow…Why hadn't he hurt the other yet? It was a tempting situation for the other, so…why didn't he do it? Was Sir Andres too quick? Was he too used to using a sword?
As Steve examined Herobrine's movements a bit closer, he realized that, with every draw of his bow, he took a brief second to narrow his gaze at the opposing champion before firing, with every shot he made continuing to miss.
…
Steve's eyes widened slightly in surprise as it finally clicked for him what the other was truly doing.
Herobrine was missing the other on purpose. His level of skill allowed him the opportunity to leave the other free of any serious injury, and he was actually taking the time to make sure that Sir Andres could leave the battle still standing.
Somewhat relieved at the fact that he didn't have to worry about his brother's actions as much as he had been expecting to, Steve let out a small sigh. However, his relief didn't last for long as the sound of an arrow piercing flesh soon came to his ears.
A sharp hiss came from Herobrine's mouth as an arrow went straight into his hip, causing him to buckle slightly as he continued to try and keep up with his silently celebrating opponent. Though his wound was beginning to bleed heavily, he continued to fight, letting go of a few more arrows as he soon came to the realization that both of them were beginning to finally run on empty.
Sir Andres let two arrows fly. Herobrine let three fly. Another two came from both until their quivers had finally been emptied, leaving them only with the option of drawing blades.
Herobrine quickly unsheathed his sword, pointing it toward the champion across the clearing as a challenge.
"I do hope you realize that your chances of winning this duel have significantly dwindled, yes?" He shouted out to the other, who responded with a small laugh.
"My chances? Aren't you the one with an arrow in your hip?" Sir Andres questioned, drawing his own iron sword out from its damaged sheath as he accepted the other's challenge.
"Aren't you aware of what happens when you allow a skilled swordsman to use his blade?"
"Aren't you?"
At Sir Andres's snarky response, Herobrine quickly crossed the distance of the clearing in order to meet with Sir Andres's blade. As he swung down and Sir Andres went to block his attack, he held himself back as the champion before him immediately buckled at his strength, briefly losing his steady grip upon his sword before quickly readjusting himself as he was given the chance.
"You know, I'd thought that you'd be more prepared to fight with something other than a bow. Has it been a long time since you last practiced with your blade?" Herobrine asked in a somewhat mocking tone, briefly enjoying the other's slightly offended expression.
"Yes, in fact! The last time I had to fight, I actually had to use some of my energy to defeat my opponent! This is a breeze!" Sir Andres answered with a grin, earning a brief roll of the eyes from Herobrine.
"Don't be overconfident. Your stance alone proves how poorly-used your sword is."
Sir Andres swung at him once again.
"Poorly-used? This blade once took down the Wither on multiple occasions, and it had no trouble slaying the Ender dragon as well, I can assure you, it is not poorly used!"
Herobrine's eyes widened in shock at the other's words, his own grip upon his sword weakening for a split second as he blocked Andres's attack.
"...You...you've fought the dragon? How?"
Herobrine maneuvered himself around the other in order to land a hit, only to be met with Sir Andres's sword once again. The champion gave him a small grin.
"The divines selected me to be their champion after I had been knighted in Lunarus. They were impressed by my records, and thought that I'd be perfect for the job! They gave me the location of an entry point, and allowed me to subdue the beast for them."
Herobrine pushed the other's sword away from his own, giving the other a narrowed gaze.
"...So, you are their pawn."
Sir Andres swung once again, however, his gaze grew a bit saddened as the other finished.
"...I suppose I was."
Herobrine blocked his attack as his own expression turned into a curious one.
"...How did they repay your efforts? Godhood? Riches? Fame?"
The champion stepped back, making another attempt to injure Herobrine by instead thrusting his sword towards his midsection. However, quite noticeably, his attack was a bit weaker as his emotions fell further.
"...They abandoned me. I did everything they asked and more, and yet...they left me behind and forgot about my efforts. I tried to reach out to them, but...I was met with no answer."
Knocking the weak attack back, Herobrine gave the other a more neutral expression.
"...They left their pawn to die."
Sir Andres nodded slowly at his words.
"And then they moved on to the next. And the next after that, and the one after that as well." He briefly looked away, letting out a slight chuckle as he shook his head to himself. "...Despite that, I...I still miss them. Even after what they've done, if they were to one day return to my doorstep, I...I think I'd fall to their feet and do whatever they so wished. I...I pledged myself to them; even if they abandoned me...I won't abandon their wishes."
Herobrine stared at the other for a moment, carefully examining his features before swinging abruptly, this time falling into his regular pattern of battle in order to throw the other off. With one of these added swings, he finally managed to knock Sir Andres's sword out of his hands, watching as the other began to panic at the sudden lack of weaponry. Before the champion even had the opportunity to try and retrieve his sword, Herobrine knocked his feet out from under him.
Sir Andres fell with his back to the ground as Herobrine quickly pointed his blade at the other's throat. Without any real options to escape his current situation, the champion simply went limp against the ground, defeated as he stared up at the man above him with a tired expression.
"And so it ends!" Herobrine exclaimed, his eyes full of residual excitement from their battle as he gave the other a grin. "I might say, you are quite the marksman. Not many can say they shot the legendary Herobrine and lived to tell the tale, you know."
Sir Andres gave him a small shake of the head before meeting his gaze directly.
"...I know you let me hit you."
Herobrine's teasing smile immediately faded as the other's words reached him.
"...You…"
Sir Andres shrugged.
"...I struggled to load my arrows each time I grabbed one, I took forever to shoot them, and we're dueling at night. You had the full advantage, and yet…you let me hit you."
"...Are you certain of that?" Herobrine narrowed his gaze at the man.
"...We both know that it wasn't my skill that pulled me through this alive. It was yours."
Herobrine stared at the other silently for a moment, examining his tired expression carefully as the champion let out a sigh.
Sir Andres's gaze became a bit softer.
"...Thank you for granting a poor fool's wish. You…I hope you know that despite the circumstances, this means a lot more to me than you'd ever know. I know that my time here is heavily limited, but...I'll be spending the time I have left thinking about tonight."
Herobrine continued to stare at the other in silence for a few more seconds before allowing the grip upon his sword to grow a bit more relaxed.
"...When you rise again, I'll be sure to return for you, Sir Andres. A soul like yours is wasted underneath the control of unworthy divines."
Sir Andres looked at him in pure confusion.
"...W...what?"
Herobrine continued.
"When you die, and your body is revived by the magic of this earth, I'll return for you. Or, more preferably, I'll return to you before then."
The champion took a moment to take in his promise before giving him a weakened smile.
"...W-why? Why come back? D-do you want a rematch?"
Herobrine returned the smile.
"...You've impressed me. In a perfect world, I'd love to have a rematch with you sooner rather than later. In fact…"
Herobrine pulled back from the other's body, placing both hands around his sword as he allowed the other to sit up.
"...A slow death caused by withering is a painful one, no? Would you rather suffer this state for ages untold, until the rot of your body finally allows your pitiful escape into the world beyond, or do you wish to be granted a merciful demise?"
As the quietness of the area allowed Herobrine's words to carry out further, Steve, Constiere, Andvari, and Malgun all briefly shared a stunned expression with each other before turning back to look at the two before them, not exactly believing what they were hearing.
Sir Andres let out a small chuckle.
"...You're going to have to be blunter than that. Withering away like this ruins the mind more than you think, it was enough for me to have to figure out a way to counter you…now I have to figure out what you're trying to tell me?"
Herobrine gave him an unamused expression.
"Would you rather have the wither kill you, or me? Would you prefer a slow painful death that may guarantee a tarnished, forgotten legacy, or one that offers the promise of rebirth?"
"Dumber. Blunter."
"You want me to kill you? I can kill you." Herobrine said, his more gravitas tone dropping as annoyance replaced it. "...And I can give you more than what those foolish divines ever could."
Sir Andres let out a small laugh at his offer, glancing up to the sky as he deeply considered his options. When he looked back at the other, his eyes were filled with something almost unreadable to the four that were watching their exchange, but to Herobrine himself, it was as clear and familiar as day.
"...As much as I would love that…I have some business to attend to, first. I…I want to make sure I have things ready before I go." Andres answered quietly, his voice a bit strained as he directed his gaze back upward.
Staring at the fallen warrior beneath him for a moment, Herobrine thought to himself before giving the other a small nod of understanding. Sheathing his sword, he went to crouch down next to the other, his expression becoming a bit more serious.
"...Very well then. I'll return later, when you're ready for my full assistance. For now, however…"
Herobrine, rather gently, went to properly assist him with standing up fully.
"I want you to at least be ready for my return. Do what you must, then ready yourself for your new beginning. I will be doing the same."
Sir Andres nodded slowly, looking up at the other with a deeply appreciative gaze.
"I will." He paused momentarily. "...Call me just Andres, then. If I'm to start all over...then I will."
He thought to himself for a few seconds before deciding to speak once again, briefly glancing over to where the others were in the process.
"...If that champion over there is anything like the others that I've heard about…then I'm assuming that he's interested in the dragon too, correct?"
Herobrine looked at Andres with a bit of surprise in his gaze, not expecting to have been spared from trying to negotiate information out from him.
"...Do you have any information in regards to that? Where we can find a portal, perhaps?"
Andres left the other in silence for a second or two before letting out a small sigh.
"...Are you simply trying to kill it for fame? Fortune?"
"...Safety. The divines have failed not only you, but all of us as well."
"...It's in need of replacing, isn't it?"
Herobrine nodded.
"Yes."
Worry filled the champion's gaze.
"...Have the divines raised any champions in my stead to combat it this time around?"
Herobrine thought to himself for a moment before giving the other a shrug.
"...None, as far as I'm aware. They used Nether stars in order to appoint their own champions, thinking a simple flesh wound is all they needed to survive the other realms and all of the dangers that live within them."
"...How many?" Andres asked, his voice growing a bit weak as he spoke.
"How many what?'
"How many champions are they sending? How many are they appointing?"
Unable to answer the question in any kinder way that would be easier for the man to hear, Herobrine let out a small sigh.
"...Too many to count."
Andres left him in silence once again, staring down at the ground as his gaze became a bit more despondent at the news. Before long, however, he looked back up at the other with a determined gaze.
"...Is Steve capable of fighting the dragon? Of entering the End and living to tell the tale?"
Herobrine stared into his eyes for a few seconds in inner debate before answering the other's abrupt question.
"...He's able to enter the Nether. I'm making sure that he's capable enough to challenge the dragon."
"...And then? What comes after? After he's dealt with it?"
"...That, I cannot answer for multiple reasons, one of which being that I'm not entirely sure of the answer myself." Herobrine slightly lied to the other.
Andres glanced over to briefly look at Steve as he stood amongst the trees in the distance before returning his gaze to Herobrine.
"...Let me give you something. Something that might help him."
As Andres slowly backed away to briskly make his way back into his cabin, Herobrine pondered his slightly vague words, briefly looking back toward the others to find them equally as confused.
A few minutes had passed when Andres soon came back outside with a rolled-up piece of paper in hand, immediately moving to hand it off to Herobrine once he was within range.
"...Keep that well-guarded. While I have spare copies of my own, who knows what could happen if the wrong champion were to catch a glimpse of that."
Curious as he received the paper in his hands, Herobrine unrolled it to find what appeared to be a well-worn map, one that covered an unfamiliar area that he wasn't sure that he'd seen before.
"...And this is?..." Herobrine asked.
Andres pointed to what seemed to be a large gash drawn into the paper.
"When I was a champion, I made sure to do business with everyone. And I do mean everyone. Because of that, I was able to find an End portal that was relatively out of sight from anyone apart from myself and those who knew of its existence in the first place. I'm…I'm not sure if it still stands, but…if this is of any use to you, I hope you'll find what you're looking for. I hope that you'll do what's right."
Looking back up at the other with a stunned gaze, Herobrine was unable to say anything further as the others joined in his expression from within the shadows. Seeing as the silence was persisting, Steve walked out from the forest edge as he approached the two, deciding to ask the question that the rest of the group had in mind.
"...Why? Why are you-"
"-Because I want this all to be over with. The Nether stars can be dealt with later, but I want the reason for their use to be gone. I want my legacy to fade away into nothingness, and I want no one else to suffer the effects of what I've done." Andres looked down at the map itself with a small shrug. "...Besides. It's not like I'm going to need it anytime soon."
With a small nod in response, Steve watched as Herobrine rolled up the map slowly, pocketing it away as he went to cross his arms in front of his chest, only to pause as he instead went to give the man in front of them a small bow, much to the general surprise of the others.
"...Thank you, Sir Andres." Herobrine rose back up again. "...This…this will help us more than you realize."
Andres shrugged at him.
"Oh, I know. Just make sure that you don't let anyone see you enter the place, alright? Can't let just anybody in there, you know."
Herobrine rolled his eyes a bit as he began to walk off.
"You think too little of me if you believe that I'd forget such a thing. We'll be on our way, now."
As the rest of the group began to follow after Herobrine, Steve remained where he was, giving Andres an appreciative smile as he waited in order to give the other a proper goodbye.
"...Are you going to be fine? Do you need me to help you with anything before we move on from here?" He asked gently.
Andres looked at him with a briefly amused expression before shaking his head.
"I'm fine, just need a little bit of rest before I get going on getting myself ready. You're heading out, then?"
Steve nodded his head with a hum.
"Yup. Have to make use of the time we still have, y'know."
Andres let out a small hum as well, looking directly into the miner's eyes as his gaze soon turned into one of slight sadness.
"...If you remember me…pay me a visit, alright? This was…well, the most I've gotten in a while, and...I want to see you again." Andres asked weakly.
Steve gave him a small smile and a nod.
"...After we deal with this, I think I'll do just that!"
As Andres nodded in response, he gave Steve a small wave that was eagerly returned as the miner began to walk off.
"Safe travels. When you face off the dragon, I want you to give it everything you've got, alright?"
"I will." Steve said, moving off into the forest ahead. "Trust me, I wasn't going to do anything less than that, promise."
As the group disappeared into the forest, once they got far enough away from the cabin and the champion that inhabited it, Steve walked up to Herobrine a bit excitedly, giving him a small poke in the shoulder.
"See what happens when you talk first?" He said in a slightly sing-song tone of voice, earning a swift elbow to the arm that he wasn't able to dodge nor block, causing him to let out a small yelp.
"Yes. I get an arrow to the hip, and you get some entertainment. Positive reinforcement. I'm glad we're considering this." Herobrine said, looking down at the new hole in his attire as the miner gave him a slightly concerned expression.
Before Steve could apologize, however, Herobrine gave him a small, appreciative smile, catching him off-guard.
"...It'll be nice seeing him again, actually. It's been a while since I last was able to use my skills like that, and it'll be even longer since I last was able to work on a human, personally."
Steve looked at the other in brief confusion for a second before realization flashed across his eyes.
That's right. Andres had impressed Herobrine. Impressing Herobrine meant something beyond earning the other's respect.
It meant that they'd be able to repay Andres for offering his services to them.
Annnnnd here we are! Sorry for the delayed chapt again, last week was primarily spent focusing on a piano piece I had to learn (that I ended up botching anyways ugggh T_T).
Anyhoo, here's Sir Andres! He's a character I had in the reserves for a fat minute, but now I get to use him! Hooray! Despite my initial excitement tho, I was heavily debating on whether or not I should introduce him rn, but figured that it was about time to do so, mainly so that I can advance the narrative a bit more lol. Originally was going to place him and his cabin further within the mainland, but decided to move things around a bit :P
Fun Facts!:
1.) Sooooo, Sir Andres is one of the champions that was originally tasked to slay the dragon (and did)! Originally, he did so mainly out of his devotion to the Aethren divines, but he was also promised godhood if he actually managed to slay the dragon, so that just gave him another reason to go ahead with the self-sacrifice. Unfortunately, however, once he got rid of the dragon, the goalpost for his ascension kept getting moved, and so he took up repeatedly summoning and killing the Wither just for the sake of it in order to keep the divines' attention long enough. Now, he's where he currently is.
2.) Believe it or not, Sir Andres was originally going to be in Malgun's place, lmao. Make of that what you will!
3.) In addition to the first fact, Sir Andres was obsessed with the idea of godhood. So much so, that when his village initially shunned him for partaking in the occult act of summoning dark beasts, he found no problems with deciding to bring the Wither right to them. Of course, this resulted in the destruction of his village, which caused him to leave the area and set up a place to fight the Wither elsewhere. He settled upon an area near the center of the mainland, where four different major forests connected with each other, and built his new home there, only to return to his birth village as guilt finally overwhelmed him once he realized that the divines had betrayed him. He's still pretty dedicated to them despite how they treated him tho.
4.) The Nether stars do cause some sort of Wither effect, believe it or not! It's more subtle, but it does take a toll on quite the number of champions. Steve hasn't felt it that much yet since…well, yknow lol.
5.) Sir Andres is like, in his late twenties/early thirties. His hair is white bc he dyed it that way lmao, not bc he's ancient.
That's it for now, y'all! See you next chapter!
