Hero's Bane

Chapter 18: His Pain

(Art by Spoopyvlat DA)

"Ugh!" Steve struggled to breathe in the strong grasp, he dropped the iron sword by instinct and immediately clawed away at the strangulating force now clenching down on his tender neck and cutting off the oxygen supply. His watering eyes never left the bright ones beaming back, it almost hurt too much to look in them. It was like looking directly at the sun and he found himself blink a few times but he still couldn't look away from those mesmerizing bright lights.

"Ple-...se, st- stop." He choked in his plea, lungs now painfully shriveling up in his chest.

Herobrine narrowed his eyes more and made a low feral snarl at the human's pathetic attempt to beg for mercy, especially after planning to get rid of him. The reminder of what the miner had said had made the old hero even more infuriated and he pulled the human back before hurling the man several years into an old house.

Steve's body made a loud thud when he collided with the old wooden wall, he silently screamed in pain, not yet feeling any air return to his lungs. He thought that the impact had broken his spine, but the cracking noise sounded more of brittle wood snapping than bone. He tumbled to the ground and rolled a few feet before coming to rest on something. He feebly raised himself up onto all fours and forced himself to inhale some air, he looked upright to see Herobrine right in front; reaching down for him again. The miner tried to crawl away but a strong clamp on the back of his neck stopped that, the hand ripped him off the ground and held him up into the air. Steve grimaced from the pain and jerked away from the strong grip as best as he could, after pulling and tugging wildly he seemed to only hurt himself more but he just couldn't die like this so he persisted to hurt more for freedom.

Herobrine watched as the human pathetically thrashed about to get free from his powerful grasp and all efforts proved futile, the man's strength couldn't even compare to his. Did the human mind the pain he made for himself? Hero thought in slight curiosity. It mattered not though, the human was obviously desperate.

"I- don't want... to... fight!" Steve yelled between tugs. "Can't we- just tal-"

Herobrine had cut him off by spinning back towards the lighted shelter and effortlessly tossing the human down where he had dropped the iron sword and the miner looked back with fright after landing roughly. Herobrine wasn't satisfied by strangling the miner no more, there were better ways to deal with him. He was going to make sure that the miner died by his blade, slowly at that. Letting the unskilled fighter wield a sword would be more better and more suited for his end, it'd been too easy otherwise.

Steve remained on his knees as the powerful being held out his hand, this scene almost seemed recognizable and his eyes widened.

Just as he feared of what was bout to happen; Herobrine's hand latched on to the handle of a materializing blade now forming, just as he did in one of the nightmares. Upon inspection it turned out to be a shining diamond blade with a barely visible red-colored aura lightly glowing around it, giving off those waves of sheer power like he had felt in the dream. His nightmare was coming to life before his eyes and he could already see the battle scene play out like it did in that nightmare, but this time it was shorter. Much shorter.

The miner glanced at his iron blade, it wasn't diamond like it was in the dream meaning that even if he fought; he'd lose real quickly. Diamond would cut right through and Steve knew now that fighting wasn't an option even though he never intended on fighting in the first place. He hesitantly took the lesser sword into hand after predicting that Herobrine was waiting for him to make the first move, at least he'd have a quick moment to think to himself. Steve soon had an idea; a crazy one that could get him killed, but there wasn't much more he could do other than to except fate as it is and die, but he wasn't planning to do that and that was for sure.