Mortalized

Got (19)

     Bright oranges pried open my eyes. Dark blobs swayed in front of the orange. The intense smell of smoke kept my weary brain from slipping out of consciousness again. A couple moments and I recognized the tightness of cold chains wrapping around my legs and wrists. Hard tiles of uneven stone rested underneath me. Squinting my eyes open again, I tried to make out what was going on around me. For all I knew, this could just be another nightmare.

     "And THERE'S your proof, my king!" One of the blobs proclaimed. Then there was a sudden silence as I opened my eyes more, trying my best to adjust to the light. The source of light was the fire, and the blobs in front of it were none other than my current foe.. Zombies, Skeletons, Endermen, Zombified Piglen- you name it! All here, watching me bound and caged like a wild animal.

     As I continued to stay silent, my tired mind merely trying to make sense of my situation and the severity of the danger, the monsters got a little braver...and they started speaking to each other again.

     Then we all were startled by a thud. Like wood on wood. Stick smiting plank, all of our heads were turned to the noise. It appeared I was on a stage of some sort. Under me were stone tiles, as stated before, and around me were rods of iron, all together forming a cage about my height. The platform the cage was on, however, was short-term wood. Another thud sounded, gaining my wandering attention again. Now on the platform stood a new monster. The thing that made the noise was his cane thudding against the ground. Holding that cane was a hunched skeleton, clothed like an old sage. The wearing one's very bones were held together by molten iron, and gold served as his missing teeth. Turning to the crowd, the skeleton lifted his brittle hand. Following was an uproar of excitement from the crowd... I had no idea what was going on..

     "Young Herobrine..." Came out the shaky old voice of the skeleton. My eyebrows furrowed. A small part of me still wondered if this was a nightmare, but by now most of that suspicion had been chipped away, leaving only the raw fear bubbling up inside of me, anxiously awaiting the right moment to explode into its usual rage. The old skeleton, which had diamonds even woven into its very skull, continued speaking, "Though they seek your blood... I have brought them to an agreement. One where..if you are the innocent man you claimed to be, will give you that chance to prove yourself to us again: on our side." Several monsters groaned in mild objection, but the majority stood in passive silence.

     My eyes drifted back to the mob, my emotionless, tired eyes glancing over the many faces. Vaguely, I thought I recognized a few.. But again they settled on the old stranger. My voice was so heavy, I couldn't open my mouth. My lungs gained breath, and I looked back down at the chains around me. The chains at me wrists and ankles both fell into a hole on the stage, likely locking me to the ground.

    Finally, my mind began to tink. My memory brought back to me the stakes of the situation; and my eyelids no longer felt heavy on my face. With a quick shift, I turned back to the crowd, wiggling my legs back under me so I was on my knees. Finally, being a little taller, I opened me mouth, though barely.

     I didn't quite get it... Had they NOT heard of the two villages I had a hand in destroying?! Had a few NOT seen me killing their fellow soldiers?! As tempting as it was to defy them; tease them; and solidify what I had thought was already a solid decision: that these monsters were now my enemy...there was a nagging feeling in my gut. An instinctual feeling of sorts..that...maybe I should go back...? The monsters had at one point been the only ones I could trust..afterall? At last, I asked, "...What are you suggesting..?"

     The elder skeleton smiled mildly. "I am offering you the chance to redeem yourself through indentured servitude. Once you have proven yourself, we will accept you as one of our own again...though, you will never be allowed to lead us again.. If you refuse that, however, we will have no other choice then to execute you."

     "No." I didn't even give it thought.

     "..Pardon?"

     The crowd as a whole seemed a little shocked by my immediate answer, but I was tired of these games. I had spent years in the past under indentured servitude, gaining a following and trust as I did, and STILL they were to willing..so eager to turn against me without even a question. "You know what..? I kind of like the freedom to do what I want." A sudden, deranged smile grew on my face as my eyes sparked with excitement. "I kinda like this freedom; being able to kill whoever I please! Really opens up my options, now, doesn't it?!" I could see the crowd grow uneasy, which only fed my fake confidence even more. A small chuckle rose from the depths of my being, spilling out into an unhinged laugh. Behind the facade, tears streamed down the sides of my face as I laughed on, fearing I had just made the worst mistake of my life.. I felt so morally broken..but so free all the same; and that's what really broke me. "No!! I would rather the third option! To break out of here and kill every single one of you!!" I had completely forgotten my chains until I, in my leaning forward, was held in place by the tightened metal.  

     Clearly with no patience or respect left in him, the elder skeleton spat at me with disgust, "Then you will die!" And he spun on his heels back to the edge of the stage, leaving at once down the stairs. The enraged mob around me also shouted as one. Unable to stand, I stood my guard, their anger fueling my own even more. I was too in the moment to wonder what these monsters had in mind. Too heated and ready to fight to even think straight. My wrists tussled with their bondage, and my anger absorbed the anger of the crowd, multiplying its intensity by the second. So when a massive object of machinery was rolled out in front of me, it came to me as a complete surprise.

     "God Killer! God Killer! God Killer!" They cheered. My anger was nearly sucked out of me entirely, revealing my true fear. I had been expecting a barrage of weapons..not...THIS.

     The dark, soul-sucking end of the metal barrel stared me down with its one-eyed abyss of a stare. This thing was MASSIVE as well! At least twice my height and just as bulky as it was tall! Without even a countdown, the leaver on it was pulled, red dust illuminated the machine. An ominous mixture of red and blue light beamed from the very core of the machine, and.. from the dark abyss staring me down, only a few blocks away from me, a dull red glow blinked in my direction. I just stared the thing down, scowl returning. As much as I wanted to plead for mercy... I wasn't yet willing to give up a fight.

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That chapter was... A BIT everywhere..
As much as I wanted to stay consistent with Herobrine's character, it was also kind of difficult with that twist not even I saw coming! (The one where the monsters gave him a chance. The moment the old skeleton showed up I was like, "OwO, who's this?" And then he offered Herobrine a second chance and I was like, "Uhhhhh, I didn't prepare for this! What do I do?!" XD )

Also wow I finally updated...... E