(Comes after, "Loner.")
You decided to take a chance and call Steve. He was closer to you afterall. Maybe he even knew how to help you, since he had managed to survive here for so long.
Quickly, you pressed the button and let the cell phone ring for a moment. Only about a second later, there was an answer.
""Hello? I am afraid you have the wrong number.-"" A voice spoke through the phone. If one had said both Herobrine's and Steve's voices were almost the same, they would be mostly wrong! There was a clear difference, and you noticed that right away. There wasn't really away way to explain how, though. They just were.
"I- is this, S- Steve?" You asked into the phone, your hands having a hard time holding the phone.
"".Yyeeaaahhh, and who is this? Wait, are you in danger?"" The voice started to rise with worry. A weak cough from you and the background noise of crystallized rain pelting your back was enough of an answer. ""Oh, my. You must have been pushed through the portal. Hold on! I am not too far away!-"" Steve told you before hanging up. You had only enough time to look around before your phone began ringing and you answered it. ""Almost forgot, look for away tree or something to stand under. The rain will kill you!"" Steve warned, there was a lot of shuffling on his side, as if he were symotaniously digging through a pile of things. It sounded like he was about to say something else, but the water finally got to the phone and it shut off. You dropped the cold metal and looked around for some shelter. In the distance you saw a vague shape of what looked like a blocky tree. You quickly ran towards it, your feet splashing more freezing cold water on you.
You finally collapsed under the single birch tree All around you the rain poured, half of it solid ice, and the wind blew like a hurricane. You sat with your back against the tree, hugging your knees. It was only a little dryer compared to out in the open. The cold still stung your skin and you began to feel hot; just a trick of the mind. The ice began collecting on your eyebrows and eyelashes, and hair. Your stomach began to twist in the freezing cold and your limbs felt numb. You were almost falling asleep in the cold when you heard a distant pounding out beyond the dark, thick rain. Without enough energy to speak, you put all your energy into waving your right arm wildly above your head, looking in the direction of the noise. A faint figure of a running horse came into view. Then you could actually see the chestnut brown mare run up close and right next to your tree. It was halted by the blocky form on top, and a man jumped off it's back. When the man came closer you saw a somewhat gruff man with a thin beard, dark brown hair, and dark purple eyes. He was wearing a thin raincoat and waterproof, black pants. Instead of heading straight for you like you had expected, he, with incredible precise speed, set up a tent that already had some things in it.
"Get in and dry up, now! You'll die if you don't." The man demanded. This must be steve. His voice was the same as the one on the phone. You weren't sure why drying up was top priority and not getting somewhere warm, but you didn't argue. It seemed like this Steve guy knew what he was doing. With a new goal to fight for, you sprung to your feet and jumped into the tent. When you were in the dry enclosure you realized just how wet you were. Inside were some towels.. and a new change of clothes. They looked a lot like Herobrine's usual atire but just a little cheaper made, if that is even a thing.. and also they were pixely because Minecraft. Once you had zipped the tent door shut, you quickly used the towels to dry off and changed; all the essential clothing provided. Once mostly dry, you wrapped your head and hair in a towel to keep it's wetness away from you. You were not any warmer, but it felt much better just being dry!
"You done?" Steve asked from outside the tent, in a bit of a hurry.
"Yeah." You answered quickly.
"Alright, get in and hug the puppy!" Steve shouted over the rain.
"Hug the wha?!-" You were interrupted by the tent door zipping open and a large waterproof sleeping bag. Right after, another bundle was set inside. The tent door was then shut once again to keep out the rain. The bundle moved and you quickly unwrapped it to find a little dog. A puppy.
(If you are allergic to dogs then.. this is Minecraft, you'll be fine!)
You quickly did as Steve said and slid right into the sleeping bag, but you were having trouble generating heat. That must be where the puppy comes in. On her own, the little doggo pounced toward you and squeezed it's way into the sleeping bag with you. You hugged like suggested and the young creature began warming you up right away.
As if Steve knew when you were settled, the tent opened back up, allowing in a flood of wet, cold rain. Steve shielded the door a bit with his own body, hugging himself for warmpth, and quickly closed your sleeping bag up entirely, blocking your face from any more cold water.
"Alright, now just stay awake." Steve told you through the sleeping bag. Then you felt yourself get picked up bridal style inside the bundle of a sleeping bag and carried onto the horse. You don't know how, but somehow you were able to stay on the horse as it ran without falling off. You weren't sure for quite some time whether you were in a basket or not. But then warmpth began seeping through and you realized it was just Steve holding you in place. You began feeling tired, the running of the horse rocking you to sleep, but you forced yourself to stay awake, remembering what Steve had told you. Finally, the horse skidded to a stop and you were carried as Steve hopped off, which almost made you squeak, waking you back up fully. The puppy seemed to wake back up, readjusting it's 'curled up on your stomach' position.
You were walked along for a little bit. Then the sound of an opening door was heard and the new place you stepped into was much quieter. Not a single voice spoke and the space was much warmer. Your skin even began itching as it adjusted to the new, warm atmosphere. A few seconds away from the door, you were plopped onto something soft and bouncy. Steve then opened up your sleeping bag just enough so you could see the small living room you were in, with a fireplace before you and two sofas on either side of it, both made from the raw ingredients of wood and wool. You must be on the couch, laying on your back still, looking left to view the fire. It was suddenly so warm and peaceful. No longer was the threat of freezing, mostly. Your joints still felt numb and even a little locked up as if frozen.
"Now.. stay still. You need some warm water, which I will provide." Steve said, stepping away from you but still looking at your face as it poked out of the big sleeping bag. You nodded your okay, if that was what he wanted, and watched the man as he left the room. Only a bit later he returned with a pot and cup. He set the pot, which had just been filled with water, on a wrack above the fire. As it heated up, Steve sat in one of the chairs and looked around the room aimlessly. You did the same, but in more of a studying kind of way. It was so strange seeing the world the way it was. It was Minecraft, but with a realistic touch to it. The fire looked pretty real, as well as several of the textures. Some things, like the curtains on either side of a window just right to the fireplace, were like realistic cloth, loose and moving with even the slightest breezes. The same was to be said about the clothes you and Steve wore, even the sleeping bag. The puppy felt fluffy even.
"Trying to figure out why things are so strange here?" Steve asked. Before you could speak, he interrupted you. "Don't answer that. You should save your voice for questions that actually need being answered..." So you stayed quiet, but nodded to answer. "Yeah, ever since the two realities swapped, which I am sure you know about, neither are exactly normal, or just as they used to be." Steve explained. You thought about it for a moment, adding that to what you had learned from Ev a while back ago.
After a moment of silence, you too decided to ask a question. "Um, so, who exactly are you?"
"A question for tomorrow. Since you knew my name, you must have at least heard of me, so, I can tell my full story if you like.. but tomorrow. You need to go to sleep after this. And don't worry about needing to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night either. Minecraft doesn't exactly make that possible." Steve smiled. The pot was warm enough after about a couple minutes, and he poured you a cup. He set the steaming cup down on the coffee table in the middle of the room and assisted you in sitting up. The puppy flopped onto your lap but stayed sound asleep. A pretty deep sleeper. To make sure it was okay, you stroked her fur and felt her chest rising and falling calmly. You poked your arms out from the sleeping bag, the room feeling cold compared to the warm bag. Steve handed you the hot cup of water and left. You sat still while you waited for it to cool off a little. By the time it was cool enough to sip, Steve returned wearing dry clothes, looking the same as the ones you had on.
There were no words exchanged as you two sat, him sharpening some arrows as you sipped your warm water. Steve eventually seemed to calm down, showing he had been a little tense since you arrived, and just walked around the small house from room to room just doing small chores like crafting and cleaning. The house was a little bit of a mess when you started peering into the other rooms. Not a slob-hut, though thankfully. Finally, Steve looked at the clock, not a real clock you were used to; one of those golden ones in the game. It was almost midnight.
"You should probably go to sleep now.." Steve said blankly as he looked at the clock. Then he turned to look at you for a moment. "Feeling any better?" He asked. You nodded right as a bellow of air attempted to escape your chest, which resulted in a painful coughing fit. Steve sighed and grabbed a tissue box, which he set on the coffee table, and felt your forehead. "Hhhh, as expected. Being out in the cold often does that- to- peo-ple." Steve tried to finish with a few coughs escaping his own mouth. He slammed his fist into his chest as if that would fix it somehow, but it only made it worse, making Steve too burst into a coughing fit. Embarassed, he pulled out a tissue from the box and felt his forehead. "Ugh.. Darn it.. Should have worn something warmer." He mumbled. "I don't even have any spare medacine. Just enough for one." Steve then left and returned with a single potion. A glowing pink potion. "Listen, this will take care of the cold, but I only have enough for one. So, take it wisely." He said, handing it to you.
"What about you?" You asked with a raspy voice.
"I'll be fine. It is often that someone like myself has to recover on their own, especially since I end up helping so many sick people for some reason.."
"I thought you were the only one here." You wondered aloud.
"Nope. There are tons of people sent here actually. All the portals in your reality lead around here, which is why I set up my house near by. Many don't stay, however, since I keep guiding them to a portal which leads back. Only a few actually stay, who spend the rest of their lives alone, just exploring. Take it, and I will take you to that same portal as soon as possible even in this state. No harm to me, though. If I took it I would only have to wait for you to get better, which might take longer. And remember that time works strangely in this reality. It might only be days to you but years in the other reality. Heh, that is how I have managed to stay here and help hundreds throughout the thousands of years in your world, it only being ten or so years for me." Steve explained. You momentarily wondered how old he even was when he came here by whatever cause.
"..Wow, um, how old were you then when you came here?" You finally asked.
"Thirteen, I think. Maybe fourteen. I don't exactly remember. But that is beside the point. You are the one who needs that heal up as soon as possible so you can go home as soon as possible.. So?.." He pointed down at the potion still in your hand, stopping a moment to cough painfully again. The decision was up to you.
What would you do? You could either take the potion, get better quickly, and leave as soon as possible so you can return in only a matter of days, maybe months in the other reality. Oorrr, be kind and let Steve take the potion, have him wait for you to get better, and maybe years pass in the other reality as you heal. The choice is, again, yours.
[Accept the potion: "Healed,"]
[Let Steve have it: "Healer"]
(Listen here, it is either be broken hearted, or be broken hearted. It's an easy decision when I put it that way, right? :>
Anyways! Thanks again for being such awesome readers, and seeya!)
{FRQ: How many tacos can you eat in one sitting?}