I want someone to chain me up and interrogate me fr

I wanna Be A Hostage

*screems in "wah i wasn't born in fantasy setting"*

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RECAP

     It was foolish, daring, downright stupid, but it held a trembling flame of hope, like a battered candle in an open window on a stormy night...

     He'd risk releasing Herobrine, Nether, he'd risk killing himself. He'd be in the same grasp as the man who had tormented and healed him just to make him suffer more... And he'd be in a dimension that made nightmares come to life.

     But if he wouldn't do it... who would?

     Who else held the same amount of connection to Herobrine? Who else could boast of catching and holding the interest of the crazed Second Ruler, and who could say they had faced him and lived?

     And who else could afford to lose their life without endangering the entirety of the human race and the Valkyries...

     Certainly not Notch.

     With a huff, Steven glanced over his shoulder, out over the open lake rippling peacefully under the full moon. His hands curled into fists, resolve brightening his eyes, sending a thrill of fear and anticipation up his spine.

     Maybe... maybe there was hope for fixing this broken world and mending the rent between its torn Rulers...

     Very well... he would do it.

     After all, he had no one left in this world who would be saddened by his death...

     ...Herobrine himself had taken care of that.

     Within a short week, Steven was ready to head to the capitol.

END RECAP

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~Then Treachery You Have Chosen~

     Steven found himself staring up at a massive wall encircling Notch's palace.

     He adjusted a traveling pack on his shoulders, breathing out quietly.

     He'd set out on his journey to the capitol in secret, knowing his appearance anywhere near the palace would arouse suspicion. After all, why in the Overworld would he wish to return to the place that had locked away his own creator?

     Ugh... even thinking of how inhuman he was made him grimace.

     Steven shuddered, turning to begin walking along the wall's edge. Dressed in plain garb, he kept his head down and hooded, face hidden in shadow. Hopefully, his cloak wouldn't draw much suspicion... he'd need to get into the very depths of Notch's grand palace alive, preferably.

     Breaking in was out of the question. He was no thief and had little experience when it came to slipping into places unnoticed. He'd have to find some sort of cover... perhaps a servant delivering food? Or wood?

     If all else failed, he'd need to resort to climbing... which he certainly did not prefer. Or he'd have to use those... strange 'products' he'd bought from that shady merchant... but those really needed to be saved to break him through if he was caught.

     A small commotion jerked him from his thoughts. A group of men, accompanying wagons heaped with wild game, were talking loudly with one another, seemingly glad after a successful hunt.

     Was fate... teasing him? Or was it truly on his side?

     With a quiet breath, the soldier crept nearer, pulling down his hood and bending to grab a fistful of dust from the road, smearing it on his arms and hands. He stuck near a wagon wheel as the guards finished checking its contents, then waved them through.

     It... it couldn't be this easy.

     Steven plastered a silly grin on his face, occasionally pretending to steady the wagon as the group headed for the kitchens to drop off their wares.

     It simply couldn't be this easy... any moment he'd be ripped away and thrown to the ground, his weapons torn from him and his honor renounced.

     But, as he casually broke away from the group, slipping into a side door, still no shouts came his way. No rough hands caught him, and no arrows were shot.

     ... perhaps he was truly destined to do this.

     Steven shook his head, sighing and stowing his pack away in a corner of the hall he found himself in. He removed one sachel that clinked softly, bulging with items he hoped would aid his final push to the portal. He'd... perused through several merchant's wares on his trip to the Capitol, and settled on the most foreign things he could.

     His heart pounded, sweat coating his palms, but he tried to keep a casual gait as he adjusted his sword belt and began to creep through the halls. He wasn't in the clear yet...

     Round a corner, look about for patrols, duck around another bend. Listen for footsteps, slip into a doorway to avoid a maid, repeat. He nearly ran into a small patrol of guards, thanking Notch when they seemed to be more interested in talking than checking around bends. The peace after the Second Ruler's defeat was certainly making them lax...

     All the better for him.

     It took the better part of the afternoon before he stumbled upon familiar halls. Ah... this was the path he'd taken to witness Brine's sealing...

     His legs still trembled as he slipped from shadow to shadow, cringing away from the lights of hanging lanterns, jumping at every stray noise his satchel made. How in Notch's green Overworld had he gotten so far... If he was caught now, execution would be the least of his issues.

     One more bend... the soldier stiffened, preparing himself to meet a barrage of spears and swords.

     He rounded the corner, balked.

     There, before the dark, ornate doors, stood two heavily-armored beings. Great, mottled wings sprouted from their backs, and they held heavy bows and thick spears. Their armor shimmered, thrumming with all the most expensive and powerful enchantments, fitted perfectly to their towering forms. Helmets concealed their faces, though Steven didn't need to see their eyes to know they were glaring straight into his very soul.

     Oh Notch he was going to die.

     Without a word, he drew his sword, lips pinched, leveling it at them with a trembling hand. He couldn't back down, not now. He was too far gone... too close.

     Almost as one, the two guards shifted, taking up a firm stance, their spears pointed at his hammering heart.

     "You trespass on forbidden ground."

     "Lay down your weapons and surrender yourself."

     The guards' voices were dark rumbles, shaking Steven to his very core, but he stood firm, tracing the satchels with a finger, and slipping his hand inside.

      "Keep your hands within our view!" The barked order nearly made Steven yelp.

     The soldier breathed in, out, withdrew his hand, holding a glass bottle.

     One of the guards wasted no time, charging forward as the other drew back, drawing a bow just as Steven's potion crashed to the floor between them. Weakness, that merchant had said. Very effective with those wearing heavy armor.

     With choked noises, the first stumbled, swinging his spear as though it weighed a thousand pounds. The archer staggered, still trying to draw his bow, aiming for their attacker as the sound of another shattering bottle reached him. 

      But... the infiltrator was already right in front of him. Movements blurred with speed, Steven's sword snapped the bowstring, kicking an ankle out from beneath the guard.

     As the valkyrie collapsed, Steven ducked, rolling something beneath the doors.

     One guard was already roaring out about the intruder, but Steven ignored them. He'd come to get in, not to fight.

He threw himself to his knees, reached his sword under the slight gap in the door, and struck the small orb he'd rolled through with all his might.

A flash of pain and dizziness, and then he was on the other side of the door, wrapped in cold darkness. He stumbled, leaning against the door, panting and clutching at his heart. Notch... that was close...

     ...but he had no time to waste. Pulling a bit of flint from his satchel, he sheathed his sword, withdrawing a chip of steel. Then he was pushing himself off the door, staggering down the cold stairs, feeling his way along the walls. His body still trembled a bit from the sudden overload of speed. Such strange things, potions

     Hurry, hurry...

     He tripped, caught himself. He was on flat ground–

     The doors slammed open above, raining down light.

     Steven sprinted for the dark frame before him, dropping to his knees within the doorway pulsing with restrained energy. Fire, fire lit it, would his spark be enough??

     Shouts of, "Stop!!" and, "Seize him!!" didn't stop Steven's shaking hands. He struck the flint once, twice, hands shaking.

      And the small, hissing sparks landed, sputtered on the dark stones, and vanished.

     Steven's eyes flicked up, noticing valkyries and men alike descending quickly upon him, "Please, please no-"

     "Hands above your head!!"

     Steven jerked back, and an arrow missed his face by mere centimeters. His flint clattered to the ground, and then there were five spear tips at his throat.

     He froze, feeling sweat running down the back of his neck.

     No, no he was so close!! He'd never get another chance–

     "Raise your hands!" A spearpoint nicked his collarbone and he flinched, already lifting his arms, feeling shame begin to settle over him.

      And then the portal roared.

     Steven didn't even get a chance to understand what had happened, the spears vanished, shouting blended with the mourning howls of the portal. Something slammed into his side, and he jolted, shout drowned out in the commotion. He hit the ground, felt the roughness score deeply into his knees and hands.

     And then the heat had enveloped him.

      The soldier jerked upright, clawing at his throat, suffocating. Sulfur and ash rewarded his gasps, and he choked, hacking at the bitter taste, heaving breaths desperate. His clothes - they were too hot, stifling. He tore at them, tossing his cloak away, all but ripping his shirt off, one hand still about his throat. The very air seemed to be burning his skin, trapping him in an embrace of overwhelming, fiery agony.

       He couldn't do much else than lay upon the smoldering ground, feeling it gouge his skin as he fought for breath. Oh, Notch how was this place so suffocating??

     Steven didn't know how long he lay there, propped on his hands and knees, coughing and choking. It felt like he was about to pass out with every other breath, but he fought on, gasping pathetically until the churning feeling in his stomach died somewhat, until his body began to adapt to the horrid heat.

     He groaned, lifting his head and squinting. He couldn't have prepared himself for the hellish, fiery landscape that greeted his eyes, and yet he wished he had. Blood-red rock gave way to sweltering lakes of lava, with shores of gravel and bone. Molten rock was everywhere, it dripped from the sky–no... the ceiling, and it bubbled in glowing rivers that cracked apart this horrifying landscape.

      Steven shuddered, licking already-dry lips. Herobrine... had been subjected to this torment? Forever?

     Even for a murderer, this seemed almost too much.

     Steven felt his arms shudder with his weight. Already, his strength seemed sapped away, his eyes too dry, he had to keep blinking. Heatwaves traveled off the very ground, brushing past his face and threatening to set his hair on fire. Dredging up strength he didn't even know he had, he pushed himself up, shakily gathering up his shirt and cloak. The soldier wrapped his hands, his torn knees, and stowed the remainder of the cloth in his satchel. Leaning on a rough mound of stone that stretched up into a shadowy ceiling, the soldier breathed a shaky sigh,

     Alright... he needed water and shelter. Food could come later... his priority was Herobrine.

     If... he still lived. Could such heat and fire kill a god?

     With a raspy cough, the soldier turned, surveying all of his surroundings. His lungs felt so heavy...

     A dark shadow to his right caught his attention, held it. It was... an unusual color, a deep brown-black. Perhaps... there were less hostile environments here?

     With a wince, the soldier pushed off his support, beginning to stumble towards the dark smudge. Water... shelter... then Herobrine.

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Gosh this came straight from the heart. If I'd delayed and nitpicked any longer, this chapter would never have happened. Sorry if it ain't the best lol

If you're still here, welcome back lol. Thank you for your continued interest :D