"So Fènnù, what do you think?" Herobrine's voice tones echo through the oak forest.

Heavy hoof-like feet trod through long grasses in the woods under the moonlight, the humanlike-hog creature gazes up at the tops of the tall trees, the great open sky, and at last the countless stars above in awe. "Master, this world... it's ...magnificent. Guurmm. The air ... it is so clear, the smells are so fresh," His eyes closed briefly as he took a long deep breath. "And the atmosphere here is tranquil and light as a feather; as if there's no weight on my shoulders," Fènnù says as he holds his arms out while making a slow amble in a circle to view all of his surroundings, he then stops and faces the King of Mobs with a look of amazement and appreciation.

"I have never seen such a wonderous place my lord, I've heard much about the Overworld but it's much greater than expected when viewing it in person. Thank you for bringing me here, I feel as if a part of me has been rejuvenated and almost made anew." He grunted as he made a partial bow.

Herobrine smirks and then nods to the river down the hill from them. "If you think this is nice, why not try some fresh surface world water like you've always wanted?" He offered, gesturing to the flowing stream. "It was a dream of yours, was it not?"

Fènnù nodded with a grin and steadily made his way down the hillside near the embankment of the large river, he stared at the clear waters flowing, taking in the gentle sounds of the water as it moved along with the symphony of nocturnal insects chirping the song of the night. He carefully knelt on a knee on the rocky and dirt-covered mound and slowly moved his hoof hand towards the water in curiosity, grunting softly as he did.

"Go on, I'm sure you'll find that it will taste far greater than the murky wastes of the Netherrealm, this water is completely free of the sulfuric dust and ash."

The Piglin brute general blinks in surprise as he finally pushed his hand into the flowing waters and felt what cold was supposed to feel like for the first time in his long life, it was surprising, soothing, and so surreal, it was enough to bring him to tears of joy; the atmosphere of the Overworld did not hinder him from releasing the moisture in his eyes. He brushed his hoof through the water a few times in amazement like a child discovering something of wonder for the first time, he scooped some up into the air and watched as the water filtered through his four fingers and fell back into the stream. He softly laughed in disbelief at how pleasant it felt, he had never seen something so wonderous and beautiful. He was taken aback by such simplicity of a resource that was very scarce and tainted in his realm but so abundant and clean here.

Then at last he finally brought both hands together and scooped some up bringing it up to his snout, he sniffed the waters to find that there was hardly any smell at all, the fluid was so pristine that he could see right through it and see his marred flesh and the residue of Netherrack particles in the creases of his palms.

"Drink." Hero lightly commanded.

Fènnù did as told and felt the cool fluid rushing down his throat, but one scoop of water wasn't enough so he scooped up more with haste and relished in the delightful refreshing taste that put the acrid and foul sludge of what his people called water of his home to great shame.

The white-eyed man grinned, he was now certain his piglin general had a stronger inclination to push the piglin forces when the time came and the right motivation to lead the largest army he had in the Nether. "So how is it?"

The piglin brute washed his face in the water before using his hand to try and wipe the excess droplets rolling down and through his scarred skin, he pushed himself up to stand and turned back around to face his master. "Reeeh! Excellent lord Herobrine! I have never drank anything so pure, ever!"

The man chuckled lowly. "Good, if you thought the water was to your liking, then just wait until you try the foods of this world, the fruits and vegetables, the meats of the animals, the taste of the water will pale in comparison." His grin widened as the mob gaped in curiosity. "Heh, this little trip to the Overworld has barely scratched the surface of the great pleasures and delights you'll find here. There's plenty to see, many resources you could only ever dream of to be found and utilized, there is no ceiling limiting the heights at which you can build; no lava lakes to hinder progression either. Gold is quite common in this realm too; far more abundant and easier to refine than Nether gold."

The brawny anthropomorphic swine stared at him for a long moment, blank dull eyes once again wide in wonderment from the things he's been shown and the things he has yet to see and experience of the Overworld. "Master, we must have this land, we must have our place in this world." He gestured to the surroundings before him, his joyous expression falling into a far more serious one with a frown etched on his face. "Why I ... I almost don't want to go back to the scorching wastelands of the Nether, I'd rather stay here in this blissful haven; but- I know l have an oath to fulfill as one of your trusted generals."

He made a quick bow. "I've never felt so free and alive until now." He said calmly. "I now know what we are truly fighting for gurrhhh." His hands ball up into fists, eyes narrowing. "I will cut down anyone and everyone or anything to have even a scrap of this burdenless world my liege, I'll do anything for you to fulfill your promise to me and my people."

"I have not forgotten my promise," Herobrine folded his arms and shifted his weight from one foot onto the other. "The whole reason for bringing you here tonight was to have the experience of what you have been missing out on, to see what you'll be given in reward for doing your part in this takeover for you and the piglins. The Overworld is a very sizable realm, the piglin population of the Nether greatly outsizes the numbers of all the other mobs but that of the undead, just shy of being the biggest; behind the legions of zombies and skeletal mobs.

I need your kind the most out of the Nether infantry, all you and the piglins have to do is aid in eradicating humanity and you will all get what is yours for the taking. The entirety of the Eastern province is right here where you now stand, this is my offer for your labor." His smile fell. "As easy as humans are to kill, there are just too many and they can be quite clever and have been very resilient in past wars; quick to populate and are very good at hiding and thriving in even the most desolate of places. They are pretty decent at fighting against undead mobs, but not hardened warriors of the harsh Nether wastes. As much as it pains me to rely on simple mobs for such a task, I have no choice; otherwise, it would take me several centuries to ensure that none of the mortals are left and I do not have the patience to look under every rock, twice."

He unfolded his arms and held one out before him, glowing white eyes stared into his palm. "Unfortunately humans are not created from spawners so I can't simply command them all away as I could for most mobs, that damned creator was smart to keep their code separate from ours and the monsters." His fingers coil. "I would have had them all wiped by now if that had been the case, just a wave of the hand to stop the numbers from growing and then slay all that remain. But wouldn't that just be too easy now wouldn't it? Just had to let them grow and reproduce because they were so 'special'." He lowly snarled. "No restrictions, no restraints... no control, all of them are nothing but wasted potential and obstacles in my way."

Fènnù saw the aggravated look on Herobrine's face and dipped his head a bit, the vexation of his esteemed master brought on a strong sense of duty and desire to attain his goals no matter the cost; especially with what was promised to the piglins. "Then worry not lord Herobrine, we'll sniff them out and snuff them out until there is no more; we'll look under every stone twice if that is what it takes." He reassured with a determined look and placed his palm on his chest.

"As soon as we are brought to the Overworld we'll show you that we piglins have more than just numbers, that we are more resilient than even the humans themselves! We will prove to be the strongest of all of your mob armies and show how our savagery and strength compare among the others. I am certain that my people will do anything to have this world as our home, I know I will now that I have seen and even tasted such greatness. Let 'us' show you our might and we will prove our worth, and in return; you keep your promise and give us this land."

Herobrine rested his hands on his hips, letting out a low huff. "You don't have to be better than the rest, you and your kind already have my word. All I'm looking for is the drive to do my bidding and to take part in my plans. Now, grab some samples of this world to show the others, give them something to look forward to, to work toward. Share with them the reward for serving me. That is all I want."

"Yes, master." The piglin brute bowed once more.

...

Stephanie woke up to a bright and early morning, her window revealing the sun had just barely surfaced over the horizon and a light fog still hung about in the atmosphere. Today she decided that she was going to try something crazy in hopes of attaining Herobrine's favor, it would probably be too suspicious to the man if she went out looking for him and tried to lead him on or flirt with him outright, so instead she'd first try to appease him and go from there if successful. As far as she was aware, it didn't seem like Herobrine had been worshipped. If what the man said was true about Notch being gone and he's the god of the world now, then maybe receiving some reverence was the way to worm herself into his heart, or at the very least; gain his approval.

Now he didn't deserve to be honored and praised for how sick and twisted he was with his plans and goals, especially his history and all his violent actions, but she was willing to do whatever it took to stop him despite how powerless she was, even at the cost of her self-dignity and virtue if that was what it took.

It was worth trying, rather than sitting around and doing nothing.

She got out of bed, changed out of her ivory nightgown, and put on a nice silky white sleeveless collared blouse with a black sash wrapped around her mid-torso and tied off at the back. She then put on black dress pants, and her matching boots, and tied her hair up with a ribbon of bright magenta that trailed down her long tresses. Looking at herself in a mirror gave her some confidence and she smiled, she thought she looked nice for a worshipping session; though she hadn't done one in years, excluding the annual day of creation in which she would always participate at the start of every year. It's a shame she didn't have an appropriate dress to wear, but dresses were not her preference because she hardly ever wore them; they were often too expensive to purchase and hard to find anyway, not in her village of laborious jobs.

Her smile fell and she moved closer to the mirror as her eyes moved to her bruises, they were looking very faint now, it was so strange. Stephanie applied some pressure to the one on her cheek, it barely hurt now but pain was still somewhat present. She was beginning to wonder if Herobrine had some influence on her injuries somehow, as healing this quickly is impossible; she'd never had bruises fade this fast before. "It's not even been two full days yet," Steph says quietly as she scans the markings in wonderment. She supposed that she should feel happy that they were almost gone, but the way that they healed supernaturally was just a tad concerning.

"Did you have something to do with this I wonder?" She softly asked Herobrine though he was not there.

After marveling at the vanishing markings, Stephanie moved to a cupboard in the living room and rummaged through it as her cat hopped up on the top and watched her in curiosity. She didn't even know where to begin when it came to worshipping a being of destruction and death, but a few floral-scented candles seemed to be a good idea. She pulled several out along with a flint and steel and set them next to the orange cat before searching for anything thing else that could potentially please Herobrine, there wasn't much by the looks of it as she pushed things around.

She then pulled out a small round makeup container with the words 'glowing glory' written on it and opened it up, it was a special type of mineral foundation makeup made out of glowstone dust and its powdery mix was glowing in her palm and slightly illuminating her neck and face. "This looks nice, I forgot I even had this. This will do."

The woman moved back into her bathroom and began applying the glowstone dust to various places on her face, neck, collarbone, and along the tops of her arms, as expected the results were gorgeous, enchanting even, she shined and sparkled glamorously. She then added a bit of mascara and light-toned rose-colored eyeshadow before returning to grab the candles and head towards the door, she stopped before turning the doorknob. An offering was needed, she remembered.

Making her way into the kitchen, Steph couldn't think of what to give except for something to eat. There was no time to cook as she had to be out of the house before her brother arrived as being all nicely dressed would be a bit suspicious to him and she didn't want to have to come up with an excuse for why she looked so prettied up; that and the fact that it would probably be awkward. The only thing that she finds is a couple of apples in a bowl on the table, it didn't seem appropriate as an offering to a god-like being, but she surmised that it'll just have to do and grabbed the bowl.

On her way towards the door, her eyes catch on her music box and disc collection sitting on a small table in the corner of the room. 'What's worship without some nice music?' She thought to herself and rummaged through the discs, she found one of her favorites; a gentle melody she'd often hum to herself on occasion. She popped it into the redstone-powered music box then packed the box underneath one of her arms and headed out the door.

The woman walked through the woods with her candles, music, and fruit until she came upon a small clearing far into the woods and far away from the village, she was surprised that Herobrine hadn't made himself present yet, there was a chance that he might not despite keeping an eye on the town and her. Maybe she had wrongfully speculated him having a watchful eye on Oakridge? Maybe he wasn't always on the prowl? Even so, she was going to stick to her plan and try to please him.

With the music box now lying on the grass playing the disc along with the apples sitting nearby and the scented candles lit and fashioned in a small circle around the offering, Stephanie started off the worship by humming to the sound of the music as she sat in a seiza position with her legs neatly tucked underneath her body, her hands neatly resting on her lap. She didn't know where to start or what to do for such a violent god, he wasn't even around to witness the session, but she couldn't simply give up without at least trying.

But how would he even know that she was worshipping him? Steph didn't see anything that would point to him as the focus here, it's not there was a building to go to in his honor or a statue to perform song and dance at. She didn't have a song to sing or a particular dance to do, though making up a dance wouldn't be an issue, she didn't have a good song to sing for him to honor him. Sighing in defeat, Stephanie just decided to go with what she's got and hoped it worked, she could always tell him that it was for him if he came and questioned her.

The woman raised from her sitting position and lifted her arms to the sky, her eyes gazing longingly at the endless powder-blue veil, she took a deep breath. It's difficult to give any kind of praise to a merciless killer, let alone honor such horrific deeds; so she decided to just hum and dance. "This is for you, Herobrine!" She shouted, but again she was met with silence after a long minute of waiting, though disappointed it was fine; she was determined to continue whether or not he showed up. Steph closed her eyes, took another breath, and began moving her arms about in a graceful manner, she swayed her hips to the tune of the music, humming aloud as she moved from her place and danced out in the open area with slow and elegant motions; letting herself get lost in the sounds of the music box and dancing as if she were all alone herself.

She wasn't alone. A pair of glowing white eyes open.

Herobrine had been hidden, leaning back against a tree with folded arms nearly the entire time the woman had been out there, he had been silently following her since stepping into the woods; curious as to why she was up so early and dressed so nicely. He listened for her motives but was met with his name being called out, which was a little surprising. He turned his head to the side and quietly peered from around the tree, his eyes widened and his mouth gaped a bit in astonishment as he saw her dancing gracefully as if she had no care in the world. He fully turned around and observed the woman with much interest from the shade of the oak tree.

Her smooth delicate skin glistened brightly in the morning sunlight as if she were an immaculate radiant star herself, her white blouse helped to reflect the light and gave her upper torso an almost golden glow. Her long thin nimble arms and fingers moved about beautifully, from reaching out to the air to curling in around her body so fluidly like a ribbon. Her legs moved like gentle waves in water, and her thighs rippled from her swaying motions to the rhythm. That curvaceous form was so tempting with those sensuous movements, almost as if inviting him to go and take her. He could hear her humming softly to the tune, even without words and while moving around; the droning sound coming from her throat stood out from the sounds of the music box, her tone seamlessly changing as the harmonious melody shifted.

She was beautiful and quite mesmerizing.

Herobrine silently approached the woman as she was lost in her song and dance, then stopped when he noticed the burning floral-scented candles and a few apples sitting in a bowl right at his feet. He decided to sit down cross-legged; leaned over with one hand on a knee and enjoy the show a little longer instead of catching her by surprise and questioning her. The other hand reaches down to take an apple and he takes a bite out of it as his eyes stay glued to the prepossessing and spellbinding form before him, he couldn't find himself looking away as he ate through the first fruit and started on the second one. He indulged in the performance, grinning widely as the woman finally opened her eyes to check her surroundings and caught him there now staring at her in amusement; taking another bite of the offering as his glowing white eyes never left her body.

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Though now inwardly panicking a bit, Stephanie forced herself to continue and finish the long song and dance; her heart beating madly in her ribcage with a feeling of unease taking over as he stared at her like she was the next thing to eat when he quickly chomped through the second fruit and carelessly tossed the core to the side like he was ready for another.

The look he was giving her was definitely one of physical attraction, there was no doubt in her mind now; this gave her the hope that maybe her plan could work. When Stephanie came to a stop along with the music box, she was met with a slow clap and deep chuckling.

"Herobrine?"

"You called?" He asked alluringly, before pushing himself up to stand, strolling over to her, and staring down at her with amusement and excitement.

Stephanie panted as she waited to catch her breath, then nodded as fear began building up; he was purposely standing close. "Yeah, I did." She decided to take a step back for space, but Herobrine matched her step to stay near her and then grabbed her by the wrist so that she couldn't retreat anymore.

"Hmmm, and just why would you do that Stephanie? You summoned me to watch you, didn't you? Now why would you go and titivate yourself then dance and hum for me? Or have you forgotten about my plans for humanity and... for you? I sure haven't." He said mischievously as he leaned in a little with a toothy grin. "Did you simply think I wouldn't notice your little trick?" He now whispered.

Stephanie began to panic now, he had a vice grip around her wrist and was getting way too close to her face for comfort. His voice sounded like it was laced with malintent, and though terrified, her body betrayed her with a sudden shudder of anticipation. "It... it wasn't a trick." She managed to mutter as she turned her face away from his striking gaze, cheeks flushed but were hidden behind the glowstone dust.

Hero tilted his head to the side a bit and pulled her in even closer, his other arm now slipping behind the small of her back and his hand just barely resting above her thigh. "Worshipping your worst enemy isn't a wise way to utilize your remaining time woman, same with taming a horse, so why do it if you didn't have a good reason to?"

The delicious aroma of apple was on his lips, she could feel the waft of warm air from his breath on her neck as he spoke. All of the closeness and contact had her going stiff, it didn't help that he was so good-looking with an echoing voice so deep and smooth. The way he held her implied something more than keeping her in place, his hands were firm yet gentle. Maybe she was wrong to play this dangerous game of attraction, especially since the man practically did the same but with other motives. "I can do whatever I want with my time." She retorted cautiously. "I told you this yesterday."

White eyes stared into hers as they searched for truth and truth he found surprisingly; there was no trick. 'Interesting.' He thought to himself. "Then why? It's not like you consider me to be your god now, do you? Not that it would change anything." He then chuckled as she looked away again. "Of course not, but then why do you keep running into me I wonder?" He asked, lifting her wrist high at an angle so that she was practically forced to look him in the face. "The last two times were merely coincidences, the second day looking for my soldiers and passing out just for me to find you, and the third you happen to be close by, but this time... it was intentional. You wanted me here, you wanted me to watch you; brought me an offering too.

Do you like playing with fire? Does it give you a satisfying rush to be in mortal danger whilst in my hands? Why worship me otherwise if it weren't for a thrill?"

Stephanie stared at him, though he had a devious smirk on his face, he didn't seem to want to tease her as much as wanting an honest answer from her. She swallowed thickly and then exhaled quietly. "No one worships you apparently, so if Not- HE..." She quickly corrected. "Truly is gone, then you're the one with all the power. It's owed to you to be... worshipped."

"Oh? Is it now?" He whispered playfully with a cocky grin, the man beamed and lowered her arm and let it go but not removing his grip on her waist.

She was slowly losing it, Stephanie blinked and quickly refocused; she couldn't forget what she was trying to do here and what she had to do to get it. Her expression falls and she gives him a deep gaze of interest, an amorous stare with a light frown. She then pushed herself onto him, the surprising advancement had the immortal taking a step back with raised eyebrows in both confusion and exhilaration. "So, did you ... 'like' the worship?" She asked more softly, her tone of voice coming out more inviting than before. She moved both of her arms up and wrapped them over his collarbones as she stared up into his eyes, her fingers moving back; gently caressing and massaging the nape of his neck.

Herobrine gazed back at her for a long moment with his mouth slightly agape, lost in her eyes and the warm bright glow of her face from the glowstone dust. It was but only for a brief time, he then grinned, slowly moving his free hand up the length of her arm. "You're wanting something from me hmm?"

The woman did her best to keep herself composed and tried her luck, she kept her expression firm and never lost eye contact. "I was thinking that maybe if I had pleased you enough then maybe you'd make my time worth it. I'd like to get to know you better Herobrine. You are quite a man of mystery and wonder, capable of so much with unimaginable power and influence; truly there is none like you." She finally looked away when she felt his hand clasp around her wrist, she began to grow anxious as he pulled away her hand and held it with a gentle iron grip at his side.

The white-eyed man chuckled darkly. "Get to know me? What more is there to know than what you already do through those history books of yours woman?" He hummed and leaned in a little too close to her liking. "I'm sure there's something I could tell you, though maybe not what you'd want to hear."

Stephanie's frown deepened, she didn't know what to respond with and his closeness was making it nearly impossible to think straight. She felt cold and hot at the same time.

"I must admit, you sure do know how to flatter me, wanting to get in my good graces with that worship performance and this soothe talk so that I'd spare you and your people." The look of shock on the woman's face confirms his suspicion. "I admire the attempt, Stephanie; but no amount of seduction is going to work on me." He said teasingly and lowly chuckled. "I have no desire to change any of my plans, in fact; seeing you dance like that a minute ago only makes me want to have you more." He chuckled again as she gasped and instinctively tried to pull away, he held her tightly and leaned into her; bringing his lips to the side of her lower trachea and grinning against her soft flesh.

"So tempting you are though, hmmm." He hummed into her skin and felt her shudder.

"No human has ever made me feel so drawn to them before or has ever tried to deliberately for gain; I really 'really' despise them. However; 'you' make things interesting and fun for me, so if it was your goal to gain my attention then well done." He muttered lowly, his lips parted and he lightly flicked the tip of his tongue at her flesh for a taste, he then pulled away as she completely seized up in his hold. "I enjoyed the performance and small chit-chat if that was what you were wondering. If this little 'worship session' was to please me then I can say that I am indeed 'well pleased'." He then let her go and she backed away while holding her wrist and throat, chill bumps quickly covered most of her exposed and flushed skin.

Her plan wasn't going to work, if anything it was only going to make matters worse. Stephanie didn't even know what to do now, Herobrine was either too smart or focused on his ambitions to get too distracted; all the while playing her own game and throwing it right back at her tenfold. She could almost feel his lips still on her neck, the moisture of his saliva, and holding her so close; his very actions sank deep within her thoughts and made it momentarily difficult to breathe as she'd never experienced anything this stimulating before, not even in past relationships.

She dared to think that she enjoyed the physical attention, there was no denying that she did and that it felt so intense and stifling. It's terrifying how this human-hating immortal deity could have such great physical chemistry when he didn't seem like a guy to have any at all.

"You've gone silent on me, did I ruin your plan? Do you still want to get to know me more now mortal?" He smirked and chuckled a bit at her delicious reaction.

"Yes."

Her voice came out sounding faint and small, yet assured. That was not the answer he was expecting, his smirk fell; this woman continued to test him.

"Well I don't think you really do, after all; you were trying to manipulate me. Manipulation doesn't seem to be the type of game an innocent little woman like yourself would play, perhaps I misjudged you?"

"Desperate times call for desperate measures." She said shakily.

"I figured that. It's a shame that you are not very good at it, but I did enjoy watching you struggle to keep the act up; never a dull one are you?" Herobrine asked, he continued when he got no reply. "I have observed humans for many years, I know all the tactics they have when it comes to getting what they want; your performance was nothing new, well the concept anyway. I know humans from the inside out, literally after tearing through many and figurately of course. I know them from head to toe.

I know when they lie, how they think, what they do. I know manipulation."

He placed his hands on his hips. "You were trying to gain my favor for something, a type of mercy no doubt; as if that wasn't obvious enough. There's no other reason why you would dress up, worship me, call me your lord, or throw yourself at me unless you were hoping to receive something in return."

He had her figured out way too quickly, she underestimated him. Stephanie took a deep breath to steel herself and sighed. "You are right, that is exactly why I was trying to obtain your favor, I was willing to do whatever it took." She says softly with honesty.

Hero chuckled. "You are very fortunate that I am enjoying your presence despite your attempts to persuade me Stephanie, I have never kept a human alive long enough before me to be fascinated with them, except for some prisoners; but they never got this merciful treatment that you had received."

Stephanie wrapped her arms around herself while looking away disheartened. She can't beat or get an upper hand on him, not with attraction or appeasement. Is he completely unmovable? "I wouldn't call it much of a mercy." She whispered.

Seeing the woman's look of despondency makes Hero frown, there's a strange uncomfortable feeling forming in his chest at the sight of the soiled beauty. Herobrine put a hand on his chin and thought to himself for a moment, that he was feeling a little generous; maybe too generous. He really shouldn't cave into her attempted manipulation, but he was actually wanting more of her surprising reactions and company. If she leaves now, these little exhilarating interactions will probably come to an end for certain this time; as there would be no more reasons for her to try anymore. Besides, she wanted to get to know him; a reason to return to him. What better way to keep her coming back until the next challenge than to give her a little hope?

"I suppose... I should at least reward you for such gratifying worship; since it's something I have yet to see until now. Hm, I could kill your brother 'without' your involvement." He said, now sounding a bit irritable with a frown. He didn't like letting the miner's planned torment slip so easily since he hated the man so much. He could always just opt for ripping the man's limbs off instead; so long as the woman would keep coming back and was thankful for his little act of mercy, if it could even be called that.

Stephanie blinked and looked over at him with a look of shock. "What?"

"It's not stopping my plans regarding either of you, just a minor change in 'how' I carry them out." He said sternly as he folded his arms. "I won't use you against your brother and that is all."

Stephanie feared most for her brother witnessing her terrible end and it was why she tried so hard to get Hero to kill her on day one, but now he's not going to mentally torture him anymore? She gaped in surprise at such a change. Though she was still going to suffer at the hands of this nearly compassionless wicked man and have unspeakable things done to her, at least Steve's demise wouldn't be as bad, he wouldn't have to see her suffer and die. She'd take anything at this point, but this also gives her the slightest spark of hope, if Herobrine could be swayed enough to change his mind even a little; then there was a chance he could do it again and not just once or twice.

Though it was a little too much to hope he would stop his plan of human genocide, there was hope at last for something rather than fully accepting his initial objective. It was almost unbelievable, Steph almost wondered if he was being truthful.

"You'd do that?" Liquid warmth trails down her face.

She was crying? Herobrine raised a brow in confusion as silent tears streaked down the woman's face; she just stared at him, the glowstone dust melded with the tears and bled down her cheeks. He softly growled at the ridiculousness of the woman's sorrow when he just handed her a small mercy for her sibling's sake; one she practically begged for the night they met, she was supposed to be happy or at the very least appreciative. "Are you not grateful mortal?" He gestured with eyes narrowing a bit.

Stephanie wiped her palms over her eyes and took a deep breath, ignoring the dust smearing all over herself. "Very." She said as tried to keep more tears from falling and attempting to clear her face, she then gently bowed her head and then reached over to put a hand on one of his arms with a slight smile of thankfulness. "Thank you lord Herobrine, that means so much to me; even for such a small change."

Now Hero felt strange as she spoke to him with the gratitude he expected and with a smile no less; like he felt the day before. But this foreign feeling was now quite uncomfortable and not at all what he assumed it to be, or at least as it was previously. Something wasn't right, something was very different, he didn't know what but it was a gut feeling telling him otherwise, he scowled defensively at the smiling woman to escape the weighty sensation building in his chest. "You're still mine, both you and your brother are still going to die!" He stated bitterly.

"I know," Steph said rather calmly and dismally, her smile now gone, blue-violet eyes stared straight into his glowing orbs. "When the time comes, give my brother a swift end."

Herobrine's eyes narrowed from such a command out of nowhere. "Again, you think you can just make demands of me woman?" Herobrine asked heatedly.

"Please?" Steph looked down at the ground. "I know it's asking for much, but he's all that I have that truly matters aside from my friends and the village. I don't want him to suffer, he's done so much for me; he's sacrificed much on my behalf growing up." She placed a hand over her heart. "Make me suffer his portion instead if it'll satisfy you, please?"

The woman has no right to ask him of such a thing and she shouldn't have, she even called him her lord again when that's clearly not the case; though it didn't seem like she was trying to gain his favor at that moment. Strangely he found himself reaching out to take the lady's hand into his own and giving her an angry but resolute expression as he pulled it towards him, thinking to himself for a long moment before speaking again.

"I'll guarantee nothing, but ... if you manage to please me with a song and dance worthy of me... then I'll think about it." He said looking away briefly from her pleading face before gazing back down at the smaller hand resting on his palm with his fingers gently caging it. Steve deserved much misery and anguish before death for making him remember what mortality felt like that one night, but his mind kept focusing on Stephanie as he tried to think, especially since she was so willing to take the miner's portion of the pain.

Then out of nowhere, Steph's other hand covers both of theirs and he glances down at her hand. He then looks up in bewilderment and she's smiling again.

'What is wrong with this mortal woman?' He thought, scowling.

"Then I'll use some of my time left to make a song fit for a king of your stature and come up with a dance and dance like no other just for you. I should thank you for even considering my request, even if it's not a promise."

'Such absurdity!' "You shouldn't be thanking your tormentor and destroyer." He warned and pulled his hand away. "Especially in asking for a more agonizingly slow death."

Odd. Stephanie was surprised, he seemed like he wanted appreciation and now he's telling her not to give it? She looked up at him in confusion, though irate; his voice tones were softer and he appeared somewhat conflicted. As much as she would like to ask him why, she chose not to anger him further. Not now, but maybe another time if she gets it. For now, however; she was satisfied enough with Herobrine even considering her plea, though she had no desire for the day to come when he begins his cruel act and decimates all that she's ever loved and known. Still, there was hope, she somehow moved him enough to change his mind despite him knowing that she was trying to manipulate him.

Maybe she could do it again?

Herobrine pulled away from the woman and began walking further into the woods. "If you do decide to worship me again, then wear a dress."

'What?' "Wait!" She called out and he stopped in place. "You'd want me to? To worship you again? But the reason why I-"

"Of course, why would I not?" The man interrupted and turned back around. "If the worship is for me, motives aside, then it is still just that. A dress is what I require of you, woman. And even if you don't have a song made specifically for me, I still want you to sing something regardless; I know you have the voice for it. I might even reward you for it."

"Well I can probably get a dress, but the song about you... I likely won't have the time to make it, but that doesn't mean that I won't try my hardest. It can take days or even weeks to write one, sometimes longer." She rubbed the back of her neck nervously, eyes off of the King of Mobs. "I will try though, and if I can't I can pick something else to sing about I suppose. But-" Her gaze moves back onto his, anxious, she had a peculiar thought. "I'd like to know if I could get to know you just a little more, I don't like the idea of singing about your cruelty or your history; it's too bloody and violent. But if I knew more about you that was not just of your past deeds; but of who you really are or could be, then-"

"You'd only be sorely disappointed, save yourself the trouble," Herobrine interrupted. "The only thing you need to know about me is my power, my might, and my coming rule, there isn't much more than what you have already seen or heard from me. You'll not find much more than that." He said, frowning.

Stephanie lost her small hopeful smile. "But even so, you're kind of pleasant to talk to when you're not being a jerk and messing around with me, oh, and being honest is a good trait; like right now. That's got to be something positive about you, there must be more. I mean, you don't seem so bad when you're like this, calm, reasonable, and even a tad kind. I'm sure some attributes of you don't involve the gruesome killing of your enemies or wrecking villages for fun, but something more akin to... human. You don't seem to be too much different from us, you have a heart."

His eyes narrowed softly, wondering why this woman was so insistent on finding something good about him when humanity has nothing positive about him in their history scriptures; not that he cared since he has no reason or desire to change that. He ignored her response and spoke again. "Will you be coming out tonight?"

And he refused to talk about himself, Stephanie expected as much and nodded to his question; she could learn more about him if she was around him more and if he was not in a bad or overly playful mood. "Yeah, sure; just as long as you don't plan to choke or toy with me too much." She said, glancing away a bit flush and brushing the side of her arm.

The man turned around and waved his hand towards the candles, the flickering flames went out almost immediately. "Very well then, meet me back here by the edge of dusk then, leave the candles so you'll know where to find me; I'll light them for you if that helps. Do not worry about mobs, there will be none around this area, I'll make sure of it."

So he wants her to come back? Stephanie just stared at him with his back to her, confused. He seemed very serious about the meetup but why would he if it wasn't to tease or frighten her for amusement? They weren't too friendly towards each other and he didn't seem to have the intent to mess with her from the sounds of it. Maybe he wanted some company? Maybe he was just lonely? Or was this calm act just covering up his intentions to continue messing with her? She hoped not since she had mostly been a source of entertainment for him so far and seemingly for nothing more, but she wasn't going to find out if she didn't show up to see for herself. "Alright, I'll see you then." She nodded.

Herobrine put a hand over his face and exhaled heavily, not even sure what he was doing anymore, especially with the woman agreeing to come out to see him. It's not like he had anything planned and he really didn't expect her to agree but still chose to ask anyway, he didn't know why he did. He was still going to kill her and yet she was still willing to devote more of her limited time to him.

Why? And with what?

Just standing around and talking? He had better and much more important things to do than that, yet again he was drawn to her presence. Well since the woman said yes he might as well see what could come out of it, maybe she'd worship him again; or touch him, and that he was more than okay with. The very thought made him eager if anything. He gave her a quick side glance and nodded in return before vanishing in an instant.