Smooth gentle hands caressed the sides of his jaws, nails delicately burrowing into his stubble, fingers sinking into the contours of his face and throat as they encouraged him to move. Her lips were quite soft and moist, warm. They quivered ever so slightly as they met his, they moved against his own with tender motions before tugging on his lower lip in a submissive way; almost as if pleading for permission to proceed. Those daring frightened vibrant blue-violet eyes stared into his, acknowledging his powerful presence and yet bold enough to do so despite the enormous difference of strength between them; eyes of the prey briefly glancing into the fiery eyes of the predator before hiding away from the intimidating gaze.
Herobrine mused over his encounter with the mortal woman with a grin as he sat on his throne of gold and quartz in a laidback posture, one arm hanging unceremoniously over the side of the armrest with the other keeping his chin held up. His fingers gently traced over his lower lip as he unconsciously stared off into the entry hall of pillars of his Nether fortress, appearing to be lost in thought.
He couldn't quite understand why that little moment was so enthralling to him, why he was so fixated on it. He was practically consumed by it. He hadn't thought of much of anything almost all day except about that woman; a tender, beautiful, and frail being that was so full of surprises. Though the bite barely hurt at all Herobrine decided that he didn't mind it, he actually kind of liked it. The woman was so feisty and clever despite being so weak and fearful. For the first time in what felt like forever, he had been exploited in the most unusual way just so that his blood could be drawn and it didn't anger him in the slightest. He had to withdraw his throngs of troops, however; which took most of the day, and he lost a challenge on top of that, to a human no less. That much he didn't like.
If anything, he should be fuming right now, pride shattered, bitter for such a conclusion of the challenge and the degradation of his might and renowned stature. He should have gone back on his deal and initiated his plan anyway, the village would have fallen and many mortals slain. He would have beaten, broken, and tormented Steve the miner unto his dying breaths. Then tormented and defiled his fair sister before finishing them both off with a blade and acquiring his revenge, then burning the town to the ground and marching his way to the next human settlement; ready to take it in his conquest.
Yet here he was; sitting at his throne and preoccupying his mind with thoughts of an enemy, simply because of what transpired in a seemingly unwinnable situation for them. It was still mindboggling to Herobrine that the woman would even dare to go to such lengths to beat his little challenge, what a desperate and yet creative mortal. That and even daring to challenge him in the first place, though that was just to provoke him to kill her then and there. It's not like he had planned to keep his promise, he didn't intend to after all, yet in the end he did.
She surprised him, impressed him that much. Though there's nothing impressive about what she did, it was the fact that she did it to someone like him. It was a simple kiss, and then a bite, nothing special or remarkable in any sense. Such fear isn't normally cast aside, especially when forcing oneself to become more vulnerable and greatly increasing the risk of harm or death. Though it was practically do-or-die for her, it's still not something Herobrine sees often anymore.
But then why was such an act enough to change his mind? To make him suddenly want another encounter? There are defenseless and yet brave mortals out there, the female Stonewall wasn't all that brave herself, she shook and shuddered almost the entire time and was filled with dread. It wasn't her appearance, though pleasing to the eye; she was still human. It's certainly not the fact that she's a Stonewall, he despises her brother with all his being; he should hate her just as much as him for having the same family name. Then again, he hated all humans with an intense burning rage; but this one surprisingly didn't ignite the fire this time around.
Perhaps he was having too much fun? It was quite a surprise to find someone so close to the miner just suddenly fall into his clutches, that was certainly a gift if anything. In addition; the small interactions between them were more exhilarating than to be expected, especially when she dared to engage him in such a way.
Herobrine's grin widened and he let his arm fall to rest across his lower torso, he couldn't tell if he was just really mad or far too excited at the moment, he lost to a human and then proceeded to cave into their demands; as if he had been bewitched to do it somehow. But that couldn't be, this 'Stephanie', is as average as most mortals come. Average in appearance, strength, morality, and incompetence.
But despite the woman's fear at every turn, she went against it, even the fear of death just for her brother's sake. She fought fear to spy on him, to face him, to speak against him, to make demands of him, ... to touch him. Those resolute eyes that fearfully gazed into his, those plump lips against his that silently pleaded to him and coaxed him into letting his guard down and underestimating his challenger.
Herobrine couldn't help but be fascinated by this woman if for those reasons alone, for one so typical and weak of a human; she was somehow ... something else.
And for some reason, he couldn't stop thinking about her and he definitely couldn't wait to see her again. How would she react when they cross paths a second time? Will she automatically flee? Muster the courage to fight? Cower and beg? Will the village guard have heeded her cries and amplified their defenses? Will that miner be out on the hunt for him after his dearest sibling alerts him of the greatest threat of the world at their doorstep with his massive infantry? Will the woman accept her iron sword back if he were to return it to her?
Herobrine lifted his hand from his stomach and a blade of iron materialized over his palm and floated ominously in place, he had forgotten to give it back to Stephanie before she ran away. It's easily replaceable, but it could give him an excuse to leave the Netherworld and pursue a bit of entertainment.
Then he had an idea. Why not skulk around the village's shadows and see what the woman is up to tonight and return what is hers? His grin grew as he leaned upright in his seat. It's not like he had anything better to do at such a time now that his army was stationary and far from the Stonewall's residences and their pathetic excuse of a town; his conquest was on hold anyway. Hero was tired of sitting down for so long anyway, so why not go out and try to have a little fun?
The white-eyed man made the iron sword disperse into dust and then rose from his throne, capturing the attention of his most trusted piglin chieftain guard and his two squad mates nearby.
The piglin brute moved down onto one knee as did his fellow piglin guards before Herobrine. "My lord, is there something you need?" The heavily scarred and dirty-skinned bipedal pig beast asked with a deep guttural voice as he lightly bowed his head, he then looked back up and grunted lowly. The creature was missing his left tusk and over half of his face was deformed by burn marks and large healed over gashes, most of his left ear was missing as well. Thick cracked black iron-plated armor and dark ragged leather covered most of his upper bulky body, attached to his back was a large double-sided battle-axe with splits in the partially rusted weapon. "Anything? I would happily do you the honor grrmmm."
"No Fènnù, you and your squadron may continue to guard my throne uninterrupted. I... I just decided that I'm going out to have a little fun tonight. That is all."
Fènnù blinked and nodded with a deep frown. "Of course master, hrrgggh. But if I may sir, might I ask as to why you've delayed your annihilation of the humans in your current path?" He grunted. "Many of the Nether dwellers are confused by rumors, they know no mortals can stand before you; yet ever since your return this morning, there's been word of your surface army retreating. I'm sure you have a good reason... but this does call your motives into question of your loyal followers." He gestured. "They simply wish to know why."
Herobrine huffed and frowned. "What I do is of my own business, I will take the Overworld soon enough; rest assured. However; I will do it how I please and will take all the time that I desire, there's no need to rush." His smirk returned and his eyes glowed brightly, he held his arms out at his sides. "Besides, once all of the humans are gone there will be none left to amuse myself with, I will savor the last years of this pathetic race... while they're still around." He chuckled darkly.
Fènnù bowed his head again. "Of course sir, we shall speak your reasoning and put our fellow mobs at ease." The brute then rose onto his hind hooves and grinned. "We look forward to the day we are forever liberated from this cursed place and may live and walk among the surface mobs together in unity. It has always been a dream of mine to taste the crisp clean waters of the Overworld, to see the kingdom you will build for us up there." He threw his hoof-like hand over his chest in reverence. "May you have a good hunt my liege."
Herobrine turned away, his eyes still alight in elation. "Oh, I will." He said quietly before teleporting away.
...
Stephanie slowed her pace as she strode down a large hill, sweat dripping down her face as she breathed heavily. The sun was setting and there was just one place left to check before she could return home before nightfall, she just had to see if that one clearing was empty; just make sure that the mob army or the man of a demon himself wasn't located there. It's not like she was going to trust the white-eyed madman's word; his part of the deal that he said he would uphold. Herobrine was not to be trusted at all, Steph already had a gut feeling that the next 'challenge' in store for her wasn't an actual thing, but a trap.
She had a feeling the immortal was simply toying with her like a cat with a mouse caught beneath its paw with claws hooked in skin deep, just to have some fun with it before the kill. Or if the challenge was truly a thing then it was certainly going to be extremely difficult or completely unfair, victory likely unobtainable just to watch her struggle for nothing. She felt like she got lucky with the last encounter, had Herobrine not been curious nor compliant when she went for the only viable sensitive spot he had; then there would undoubtedly be no chance that she, her brother, or her village would be around right now.
The woman flushed a bit and slowed her pace, she expected the legendary fiend to immediately shove her away in revulsion; or worse, aggressively strike her for such an act. But he didn't, Herobrine was legitimately surprised by the look he gave her, but his surprise was quick to fade and soon replaced with what looked and felt like anticipation and expectation as his lips started to slightly move with hers. He let his guard down because he was expecting her to take it further; if not all the way, Stephanie could even remember feeling his hands coming up to the sides of her elbows before her kiss turned into a bite.
Her blush deepened and Steph shook her head with a light toothy grimace, no matter how good he looked, how masculine and rugged he was, how firm he felt, how smooth and charming his bass voice tones were, or how close they were for that brief instance; he was a monster and she shouldn't let her only way to beat that challenge make her feel so flustered like she was now. She did what she had to do to survive, there was nothing between them. Her imagination was just running wild is all, of course, it was. How could it not? She dared to think that he was nearly irresistible, his vile nature soiled his features and thankfully made it possible to look beyond his striking physique and attractive face to see the evil that he was. But considering his legendary; if not godly status and power, it would still be difficult to not fall for his effortless natural charm otherwise.
Though now moving on a slow jog, Stephanie's heart pounded much more quickly to her dismay; she couldn't stop thinking about the close encounter and wondering what it would have been like had she not ended it so soon. She was wondering if he would have reciprocated her kiss and then pulled her into a tight embrace...
"He's a monster, he's a monster, he's a monster." She repeated to herself quietly with her eyes squeezed shut for a long moment, effectively pushing the distracting thought away. "Curse his ... stupidly... amazingly charming... features." She thought aloud between breaths. He was a monster in the disguise of a man.
So far; it seems like Herobrine kept his word for her completing his little challenge, Stephanie knew that it was only prolonging the inevitable. The cat will eventually sink its teeth in and devour its prey. No amount of attractive features could distract her from the thought of approaching death and how she'll spend the last moments in this world before having her purity and life violently stripped from her.
Stephanie stopped at the bottom of the incline and rested hunched over with her hands on her knees, inhaling and exhaling loudly, she was beat; so exhausted. She hadn't slept at all last night, too afraid to let her guard down and see waves of mobs invading her village through her living room windows, or the contemptible legend Herobrine himself smashing her front door down and taking her by the throat and-. Stephanie grimaced at the thought. Needless to say; there was no sleeping after that encounter.
She couldn't even rest under the bright cloudless sky during the day either, not even for a quick nap. She had to go out to find a replacement iron sword since the white-eyed man kept hers; only to find out that she didn't have enough emeralds to buy another nor the materials to craft one. With both Steve and Alex out of town for the day; she had to do several favors around her village to earn enough to get a weapon, which took up half of her day practically. She hadn't had time to eat anything at all, let alone take a long enough break. It's been a rough one.
Steve was of course deep in the mines far away right now, even before lunchtime; digging away and enjoying his job as usual. As much as Stephanie wanted to speak to him since escaping Herobrine last night, she just couldn't bring herself to go tell him of anything that took place. She couldn't risk him getting riled up and hunting down Hero right now, not while he has an army and such strong conviction to obtain his revenge.
Why she hasn't even come up with anything yet to put distance between them and the deadly threat, right now all she can do is make sure that there's no army outside of her village ready to storm in unannounced and kill all of her friends. Still, she needed to do something, and soon, or all their lives were at risk. The mob army could potentially return tonight, though she hadn't stumbled upon any evidence of them being in the area, Herobrine could just be hiding them for all she knew.
She seriously hoped not.
And so far so good, or at least that's what she wants to believe.
But even if her village occupants escaped, where would they go? Where would they hide? How long could they be on the run until they're all hunted down and mercilessly slaughtered? Stephanie suddenly decided to stop thinking about it, doom and gloom was the last thing she wanted to focus on right now.
Completely exhausted the woman takes a few more sloppy steps before stumbling over a tree branch and crashing to the ground with a low thud and quiet yelp. Stephanie rolled over and laid on her back while staring up into the sky panting, her head was partially cushioned by the long grass. She knew she needed to get up and finish her search; after that, she could go home and finally rest. And yet she felt oddly comfortable on the ground at the moment, Steph decided to take a few minutes to relax, just a couple of minutes to regain her strength and catch her breath. There was still an hour or so before nightfall, plenty of time left to look around and return home before the mobs came out.
"Just... for a minute." Stephanie quietly reassured herself and let her heavy eyelids close, taking in the subtle scent of the grass and feeling the strands of green and her auburn bangs gently brush against her face as a soft breeze passed through.
However, within mere minutes she unintentionally fell asleep on the ground just inside the small oak woods next to the river, not too far from where she first encountered the man of her nightmares. Her body caved into its demands for sleep and she slipped with ease in the peaceful atmosphere of her surroundings. The sun steadily crept down over the horizon as she slept, the Stonewall sibling lay asleep and undisturbed for a long while as the stars began to brighten above, not a witness to a few large spiders that discovered her and attempted to drag her away to their nest to feed. Nor the shrill screeches they made as they were inhumanely exterminated without warning as they were crushed by heavy stomps and slashed to pieces by a sharpened diamond blade.
Stephanie was completely unaware of a white-eyed man now standing just feet away and quietly staring down at her, his facial features hidden by the night's cowl and the bright blinding glow of his eyes.
...
...
The woman slowly began to stir awake, the cool of the nighttime air nipped at her cheek; her not-so-pleasant dream of being attacked by mobs aided in her growing restlessness. As she is removed from her slumber, Stephanie finds that she is covered up and lying on her side while somewhat warm and comfortable; even though part of her face wasn't. Her right foot kind of hurt a little she noticed, feeling a tad numb too. However, as her eyes open to the dark of the night, she immediately begins to panic inwardly from the many ambient sounds of the night dwellers around her. Now wide violet eyes trace the area around her, but even with just a sliver of waning moonlight she couldn't see clearly, but she was certain she saw a few mob silhouettes not too far away from her.
The nervous and terrified woman pulled herself away from what she perceived as a pile of leaves and peeled what looked like a dark grey cloak off of her before rushing to get onto her feet. She could make out what seemed to be a makeshift bed on the ground before reaching to her side, taking her sword into hand, and holding it close as she tried to make out where she was since she wasn't where she first dozed off. This place wasn't recognizable. Steph didn't intend to fall asleep, but she did and was now greatly confused and terrified of her current predicament.
This wasn't good at all, she had no light sources, no torches as she had no plans to stay out this late to begin with. Steph didn't know if it was better to just stay quiet and unmoving in one place all night and hopefully go unnoticed by the mobs until sunrise, or get out into the open where the woodland trees didn't further obscure the savage creatures and try to make a swift sprint home. It was well into the night she noticed, unlike the day before; where she had time to get home before too many of the creatures came out.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
A low groan of an undead Zombie sounded behind her and she quickly spun around and squinted to see the mob's silhouette a little too close for comfort, she raised her sword and took a few steps back when she noticed it was looking directly at her. The damp skin and dark putrid-colored blood of the fiend glistened in the pale light of the moon, low guttural growls escaped the mob's famished throat.
She shook and panicked inwardly, holding her ground with a horrified frown. She's only ever slain but a few mobs at most in her life; she rarely leaves the village walls before sunset and always tries to be in her house around a certain time. Fighting wasn't her thing, she carried a weapon on her at all times outside of the town, but it was merely a sense of security rather than an actual weapon to her.
Her eyes stared that Zombie down and yet it didn't make a single move towards her though she was just a few yards away, mobs just don't stand and stare; especially not flesh craving Zombies with endless appetites. It was so odd, it's like the mob was trapped behind an invisible barrier of some sort or hesitant for some reason.
"Why won't you move." She asked the thing quietly as she stared at it, though not exactly expecting any answer.
"That would be because of me."
His dark, deep, and yet smooth tones came from out of nowhere and made Stephanie gasp and feel as if she had jumped out of her skin from the man's sudden unexpected response. Startled, she quickly spun around and was met by a white burning gaze fixed down on her and the tall bulky form those eyes were attached to. Herobrine stood a little too close for comfort and looked as vile as ever with the light of his glowing orbs revealing his evil smirk.
Stephanie began taking steps backward to put some distance between her and the wicked legend, but for every step she took backward, Herobrine took one step forward; his expression looking rather sinister and intimidating. She shook her head and continued taking steps back as the man beamed cruelly, she had no idea why he was there or what he was planning; she only knew that she wanted to have nothing to do with him and just get away from him quickly and as soon as possible.
But then she came to an immediate halt as she bumped into a cold fleshy surface, she tilted her head back and yelped as the mob's rotten fingers grabbed onto her shoulders firmly, the rancid smell of decay had her stomach turning and she involuntarily retched from the zombie's fetid stench. Just as quickly as it latched onto her, Stephanie jerked out of the mob's hold before it could potentially bite her and stumbled away from it and right into Herobrine's chest and his arms. Two large firm limbs wrap around the woman and pull her in close, Stephanie's gaze snaps up to Herobrine's and he grins down at her with surprise and excitement.
"H-hero..." She stammered in fright.
"Interesting choice, preferring the arms of the King of Mobs over the grasp of such a simple and far weaker creature." Herobrine chuckled lowly to himself and spoke quietly. "Honestly, you'd have far better chances surviving that Zombie than me, human." He taunted.
Stephanie gaped before yanking herself away from him with a terrified look, only being able to do so because he simply allowed her to; she then began a swift sprint away from him and the mob and out into the night.
"And so the hunt begins." Herobrine mused to himself. "This shouldn't take long." He said before looking down at his arms, it surprised him that he temporarily captured the woman, not intending to or at the very least; hold her like that. It's not often that he surprises himself, he supposed the woman was the reason somehow. Whether or not Stephanie provoked such an action didn't matter, he was out here to enjoy himself and have some fun, it seems as though the Stonewall sibling would provide him just that.
Steph pushed herself to sprint as fast as her legs could carry her through the woods, but to her dismay she found herself slowing down quite a few times and making cautious maneuvers around mobs as she attempted to return home; whichever direction it was. It didn't help that her right foot hurt with a dull pain, nor the fact that she hadn't recovered enough energy through what little sleep she did get.
The monsters were everywhere, she had almost been shot by a Skeleton archer twice now, and narrowly dodged a Creeper on the cusp of exploding and ripping up grass and dirt as she darted away. She could thankfully outrun Zombies and avoid the gazes of Endermen, but Spiders were quick and fairly dangerous in comparison. If it weren't for their large size, however; it'd be much more difficult to get them off her trail, weaving through the gaps in between trees worked wonders in her favor.
But just when Stephanie thought she could get a break and catch her breath in a seemingly empty area, a deep chuckle resonated around her and sent her into full panic mode, she looked all around her but could not find him.
"There's no point in running you know, though it is fun to chase and run my targets ragged; I'm not quite feeling up to that sort of game tonight. Judging by your foot, I'd say you'd agree."
He was close, that much she knew with the sound of the man's voice echoing through the oak and birch trees. "Where are you?!" Stephanie called out while frantically searching the trees for the fabled pair of glowing white eyes, slightly trembling and panting in exhaustion. "Just... just leave me alone! If you're not here to give me the challenge then go!" She managed to shout and held her iron blade close, knowing the weapon was practically useless against this legendary entity. It was a mistake going outside of her village, even if it was to see if Herobrine's army had returned or not, at that moment she felt too tired to continue onward and too frightened to do anything else.
"Hmm, is that how you should thank the one who watched over you and guarded you after you so foolishly took a nap in the woods late at night?" The male's voice replied, now sounding quite annoyed.
Stephanie's defensive posture lightened a bit and she blinked in confusion until she remembered it, she had woken up on a bed of leaves and had some fabric covering her that kept her warm. No mobs had attacked her during the entire time she had been asleep as far as she was aware, otherwise, she would have awoken during an attack or not woken up at all. But that was Herobrine who ensured her safety? 'Why?' She wondered. He was the King of Mobs, so they'd obey without question and didn't bring her any harm as far as she could tell, nor did he kill her for himself... or at least not yet.
Now Steph was very confused, Herobrine was evil, cold, and hated humans to where he slew them for fun and now for conquest. He had vile intentions for her just the night prior and likely still does, it didn't help that she was a Stonewall either seeing as what her brother did to enrage the powerful man. But just now he strangely sounded genuine and angered by her words of telling him off after what he did for her, he didn't have to settle for that but didn't immediately try to slay her despite his irate tone.
Whether it was to lure her into a false sense of security or just being forward with his annoyance; Stephanie lowered her sword and dipped her head a little, she supposed she should at the very least thank him even if the intention wasn't pure. "I- I'm sorry. I didn't know that was you who..." She bit her lip. "Thank you... for protecting me from the mobs' lord Herobrine." Stephanie then blinked and looked up, only just now realizing what she had said.
Glowing eyes widen a bit. "Interesting, I've never heard a human address me in such a manner before." The tone of voice sounded jovial once again but with a hint of captivation and the undertones of authority. "I am pleased." Herobrine then laughed. "I knew there was just something about you that I couldn't ignore, not only clever and bold despite fear, but respectful and mindful as well. I don't typically find this type of a human very often, most don't know their place nor the places of those who are greater than they."
"You're a- a king." She said shakily.
The man's grin grew as he remained in the shadows, silently relishing the compliments made in fear. "I am a king indeed. However; not of humans nor of you, there was no reason to address me as such. Thus, I'm expecting this bit of... 'flattery' to be an attempt to put you in my favor or perhaps lighten my mood for your own sake, like last night. Heh. Nice try, I don't always play nice, woman; even when in a good mood."
Honestly, she wasn't sure why she addressed him like that, maybe her subconscious was going off from the Skeleton general's replies the night before? Either way, it doesn't seem to matter now.
Though nothing has happened yet, Stephanie still feels a chill crawling down her spine and a wave of nervousness wash over her; anticipating Herobrine's immediate appearance. And as if on cue; she felt a disturbance in the air behind her and swiftly spun around to find Herobrine standing behind her a few yards back with his arms folded and leaning against a nearby birch tree with that menacing smirk.
"W-what do you want with me?"
"I'll get to that soon enough, just relax. As much as your racing heart sounds so nice to my ears, I'd rather not have you pass out on me; that'd be no fun. ... Or perhaps it could be?" He chuckled darkly, his head tilting to the side a bit.
Stephanie tried her best to calm herself and take deeper breaths, she was already in a dangerous spot regarding this man, falling unconscious right now could mean the end of her. But... wouldn't that have already happened since she dozed off and was supposedly watched over by this vile entity? She was so confused, why protect her from the start? That is unless he has plans for her that wouldn't be as 'entertaining' if she weren't alive. That sounded more like it.
"As for the next challenge; worry not, I'm not here for that just yet. I can wait." Herobrine unfolded his arms and fixed his posture before sauntering over to the woman and standing before her with an intimidating gaze. "In fact, I came to your village just to find you and return something that I didn't get the chance to give back before you departed from me and my general last night."
"Huh?" She took a couple of steps backward. "You infiltrated my town?"
"Not really, the guards are too comfortable and lazy, inattentive and pathetic with their duty so it was easy to go by unnoticed. But let's not get sidetracked now." Herobrine held out his hand and the iron blade that Steph had just the night before materialized in his palm, the woman appeared to be in awe as she watched as her sword had been reconstructed out of thin air; an ability that was a rare and stunning sight to behold. She recognized all the small details, from the worn cedar-colored leather covering of the blade's handle to the small indents along the blade ends; such features revealed just how old and dull the weapon was. This was in fact her sword, a sword her brother forged for her a long while back.
"M-my sword..."
"Indeed," Herobrine said and sent the floating blade drifting into Stephanie's direction, she sheathed her current blade and hesitantly took the weapon by the handle after giving the man a long and uncertain stare; almost weary of any tricks or stunts he was about to pull.
Once she had her blade in hand she held it down at her side since she didn't have a second scabbard, it didn't appear that the immortal was playing a trick as she just stared at him; as if waiting for something.
"Hm? You don't seem so happy to have your weapon back, why is that? I didn't have to return it you know." Hero gestured.
Stephanie shook her head with a light frown and stared cautiously at her enemy. "It's not that, it's 'why' you returned it." She spoke softly and carefully, expecting this 'little act of kindness' to be a trap or at the very least; lead up to one. This man standing before her was infamous to the highest degree, he's not one to be trusted or even spoken to; he's to be avoided at all costs as he's a killer and a cruel being trying to replace even Notch's very name in this world and shape it into his own Netherscape.
There were many tales of his nefarious deeds, his kill count too high for any individual entity to own, and was known for no mercy nor kindness. So why did he 'protect' her, give her comfort, and then return her sword when it would be far more beneficial to just take advantage of her slip-up and proceed with what he had planned from the start? Where was his army? Why wasn't he attacking her right now? Why did he sound so genuine?
'This is Herobrine, it makes no sense to waste such an opportunity or time. What's the motive? Why the sudden change?'
"It belongs to you does it not?"
Stephanie did not like his response, but went with it for now and nodded; she planned to be extra cautious but then decided that if he got bored of being nice then her life was over in an instant regardless of what she said or thought. Though this encounter was seemingly non-violent, non-hostile, and almost friendly so far; it was too soon to assume anything. Herobrine is known for being a very volatile being.
She could only hope that he wasn't playing her as a fool for his twisted entertainment, it's not like she could fight him off if the conversation took a wrong turn. It was tough to swallow the notion that she was in quite a lot of danger, but it's not like she could instantly rectify her current situation by running away. Everything regarding her well-being and survival all rides on what 'he' wants and what 'he' does, she's literally in the palm of his hand. At his mercy. She's nothing but a source of amusement to him at this point, such 'kindness' he displayed is either to manipulate her or mess with her head. Stephanie decided that she was not going to fall for anything he had to say or let him get into her head just to toy with her.
She sighed quietly to herself. Stephanie hated feeling so helpless and vulnerable, at least in the village she almost always felt safe. Then again, had she never ventured out due to rumors and challenged the guy; she wouldn't be here standing right in front of him right now. She wouldn't be alive.
Herobrine's smile fell some as he stared; trying to guess what was running through the woman's mind. "I see, you're expecting my generosity to be deceptive and lead you into a deadly ensnarement?" 'Predictable.' He thought as Stephanie swallowed nervously. "Well know that I have no interest in such a thing when it comes to you Miss Stonewall, after all," Herobrine took a few steps forward and leaned in closer to the woman with a grin as he whispered. "I'm greatly looking forward to our next challenge, I've never felt so eager to meet up with a human. Let alone be fairly intrigued by one."
"In-intrigued?" She muttered, now feeling flustered again. The woman felt a bit of heat forming on her face and tensed up, why did he have to get up so close and say such things seductively and playfully? Why was her mind stirring her in such a disgraceful direction? Why did he ever have to 'intrigue' her?! Why is he so handsome?! Why must his dual-tone voice be so alluring?! Why couldn't he just be grotesque and unsightly like the majority of the other villainous and diabolical entities of Minecraftia?! This was not fair at all!
So much for not letting him get to her, his charisma and charms broke through her defenses so easily just from the way he spoke.
"I can also say that I'm curious as to what you'll do next for the upcoming challenge when the time comes, although." He paused and leaned back up as he placed a hand on his chin and brushed at his fine facial hair; his smile now completely gone. "At the moment I'm more interested as to why you're out here, alone."
She blinked.
"Not only that, but I've noticed that the guards of your village are doing their usual routine nightly rounds; not even one seemed to be concerned about my army or upcoming invasion. Neither have I seen even a single hint of your brother this evening; I was expecting him to come and find me, I was ready for battle if it came to it. ... All of this of course leaves me to wonder..."
"Of what?" She asks so softly as she calms.
"Of why you didn't tell anyone about last night." He finished, seeming confused with slightly narrowed eyes.
"I... I didn't. I-" Stephanie spoke up, her eyes moved away from his; mind and heart racing.
"And why is that woman?" Hero gestured with a raised arm up at his side. "Are you a fool? Or do you simply wish to test great waters? I was anticipating much, ready for hindrances, and taking action. Not just in finding you, but confronting that miner, and possibly dealing with a bunch of those guards; but before all of that I find you out here in the woods peacefully asleep and blissfully unaware of all of the monsters around you. You were very fortunate that I got to you when I did, otherwise, you would have been dead."
His grave tone sent a chill all down her back, Herobrine really was the reason why she was still alive right now.
"After finding you out here and alone, I covered you with my cloak so that mobs would know to stick a good distance, they know what is mine."
Stephanie gulped at that.
"I then searched around for your brother for a bit; whom I was expecting since I doubt you'd be out here by yourself ever again after running into me of all mobs last night. Then I checked your village out of a strange suspicion when there was no miner to be found, instead, I find that everything was as it's been since scouting the town out weeks ago; all guards too relaxed and negligent of their duty. Not one thing I was expecting tonight happened, instead I am left with a surprise... or disappointment rather... at every turn. It has most definitely been an interesting night because of you human."
Stephanie sighed, her reasoning wasn't all that surprising; well at least not to her. "Again, th- thank you... for making sure the monsters didn't hurt me. As well as providing comfort... as weird as it is to say." She said more softly and paused. Her mind was still trying to put the logic together for Herobrine not only taking the time to collect leaves together to make a more comforting place for her to lie but also keeping her warm with his cloak. Maybe the cloak made sense, but it's not like he had to put it directly on her, but the bed of leaves is an added step not needed for someone so cruel. He still had terrible things planned regarding her, so why make such an effort?
"I didn't mean to fall asleep out here, I was just really tired as I had no rest last night." She lightly shrugged, her eyes still adverted from the white-eyed man. "I was out here making sure that there was no mob army because I don't trust you or your word, I was expecting them to still be out here or just moved to different areas." She said nervously under his heavy gaze.
"Second, I told no one; not even Steve. Mostly because I have no idea of how to explain it to a bunch of guards who always need proof or validation to move, and even if I could convince them to follow me and show them hordes of mobs; there's no way to safely evacuate everyone and it'd likely cause mass panic. The guards might even get risky." Her gaze finally returns to his and her eyes narrowed a bit. "I know you'd never let us escape, alerting the protectors of our town will likely cause more harm than good; especially if they decide to run at you. It's practically the same reason why I didn't alert my brother.
Why you'd probably love to have my brother run into you and then beat him to near death, then find me and use me for your revenge; I'd rather no harm come to him or for you to carry out your sick plan against him or me."
Herobrine's brows raised a little in suspicion, even if those were the reasons and decent ones at that; it still wasn't beneficial to her or her fellow humans she was close to. Surely she could have at least told her brother and friends and quietly evacuated herself and some others without stirring the minds of the unsuspecting people, to at least try and preserve themselves a little longer.
But then again, his eyes were set on Steve, even if her brother would agree to flee with her, Herobrine would be sure to look for that miner as he was currently the priority. That's to even say if the man would be cowardly enough to run instead of fight, perhaps Stephanie did make the right choice; although not to the benefit of her own wellbeing. At least ditching her sibling and hometown would prolong her life, it's dishonorable but buys time.
Stephanie's gaze drops to the ground below and her tone of voice lowers even further, her empty hand coils into a fist. "I know I can't stop you from going back on your word, but I also know my limits and what I'm risking. It's not like I ever had many options when you marched your forces towards my village in the first place, there's little chance any of us have to survive such numbers or you personally. Simply leaving will not save me nor my consciousness either, I'd rather die defending what I love than abandoning my friends, my family, and my people.
I was fortunate enough to stumble upon you and that you allowed a challenge and even kept your word in sparing us for the time being when I managed to beat it. I'm not expecting this mercy to last long, nor for you to continue to keep your end of the deal; your vile reputation proceeds you. There is no reason to hope or trust in you."
"Fair enough." He agreed with a light nod.
She knows that she cannot win and is still going to try because there's no other choice, seeming to be somewhat aware that running away from him will not save her in the long run. That and the fact she is loyal to those she cares about. 'Interesting.' Hero mused to himself.
At least she was trying to protect her people with the agreement to these impossible challenges he's made; that alone was worth some level of admiration despite the unfairness. This woman wasn't the sharpest, but she was very careful and determined; not even attempting to abandon those whom she lived among who might not even care even the slightest about her. That and the way she spoke to him, choosing her words carefully, and addressing him properly. Then there's beating his first challenge only because he didn't consider a chink in his metaphorical armor and got too curious.
Now she's just waiting?
What was there to gain from this? What was there to prove? To stand against him though she knows what will soon await her? Is she brave enough to simply accept her fate no matter how cruel it may be? Or is she banking on luck to beat his challenges; challenges that he doesn't have to truly honor his word to or make fair?
This was perhaps the first time Herobrine had ever considered what it was like to be on the opposing side, so powerless and with hardly any viable hopeful options against one such as himself. This he can see in the woman's eyes and without even looking directly into them; fear, uncertainty, tension, hate, hopelessness, despair, and submission. Such things typically bring a grin to his face, but not this time. Something this woman said seemed to sour his mood somehow, he quickly brushed the thought away; he was above this feeling and this mortal.
After a long moment of silence, Herobrine fixed his posture and a smirk formed on his face, a slight step forward had those blue-violet eyes back on him. "Well woman, that was an interesting conversation, though it seems you've had enough. I assume that you'd like to return home now to rest? If that is so, allow me to provide an escort."