*bonks you with a stick*

IDK WHERE THIS INSPIRATION B COMING FROM BUT IT BE COMING Y'ALL

Art is from Narholt on Deviantart, music is Adrian Von Zielger!! Absolutely amazing stuff, would loop music for gudd read.

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RECAP

     "Ah, thank you Sveja... Speaking of healing, here, each of you drink one of these."

     I pulled out four bottles, handing them out without much ceremony. With more than a few strange looks, they eventually opened and downed the contents.

     Their awed reactions put a smile on my face, each one either lifting bandages, removing slings or flexing injured limbs in pure amazement. I briefly reminded them of the merchant we'd met along the roadside and touched on the lesson Notch had given us about Herobrine being susceptible to potion effects. Despite their amazed reactions, I could tell all of them were beginning to become tired of the sudden flurry of activity. So, with little protest, I shooed them off to bed, promising Gad I would talk more of our mission to him in the morning.

     Finally... the last of my survivors would be safe.

     And soon... so would the whole world.

END RECAP

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From Predator... To Prey

DAMON RIVERS' POV

     The compass needle was moving.

     It had shifted as I lay awake the night before, studying it. Now, the needle slowly, almost too slowly to see, was turning, tracking HIS path.

     I shook my head, marveling at it. Truly, this device was incredible. Every moment our target moved; we would be immediately alerted.

     He would have no idea how quickly we would close in on him... and hopefully, we would be able to subdue him before he caused too much harm to us or killed one of our own.

     Rising to my feet with a grunt, I motioned to Ravon, "He's on the move. Let's move out before midmorning."

     The great Valkyrie nodded, already beckoning to his men, who swarmed to the horses to prepare them.

     I glanced at the compass again, jaw set.

     He could run... but he certainly couldn't hide.

     Within a few hours, I had said my farewells to Gad, Dion, Mason, and Lydia. Each of them decided it would be best to return with one of the Valkyries to Notch, as they were weary and had not received the training the others had. It brought a smile to my face to watch them riding back towards the distant mountains, their mounts weaving through the bare, snow-laden trees of unmapped land. They would be safe and well taken care of... able to rest peacefully at last, without fear of Herobrine.

     I turned my stallion about, looking at the compass again. The needle hesitated, shifted, and I smiled thinly.

     He would be in our grasp soon enough.

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     The days passed swiftly, with little to note of them. Whenever we stopped to camp, Ravon would not let us sleep until we had practiced with our bolas and special weapons a little more. We also continuously inspected and re-packed our supply of potions, taking care that not a single one was broken or frozen from the cold. We'd need plenty to take HIM down, and still more to keep him weak as we brought him back.

     A week came and went, all the while we traveled hard for five days, and slow for two, then quickly for five more days. The needle's arc was noticeably much more prominent, indicating just how close we were. He was setting off the compass at the slightest movements.

     The thought of the coming battle made my heart race, the blood practically singing in my veins. This would be the deciding factor in the fate of this world... my every action had an unimaginable weight. Though fears of failure often had me lying awake at night, staring up at the stars through the snowfall and frowning, I knew that Notch would aid our every effort...

     ...and what creation was stronger than its maker?

     Everything in this hunt weighed in our favor... he would not escape this time.

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HEROBRINE'S POV

     Ugh... why was mere walking so taxing?

     My stamina was near two hundred times that of a human's and yet... I found myself growing weary at each day's end. I could not teleport, lest I risk giving away my location, but I should have been able to go for weeks without stopping at a mere walk.

     Tch... Perhaps I was still worn from my injuries.

     Thankfully, however, I could feel my energy steadily pooling within me. No longer was I forced to carefully monitor and limit just how much power I used on a particular action. My energy was replenished within a few hours of rest... rest I was not allowing myself at the moment.

     Ah... perhaps that was why I felt so tired.

     But I could go on a little longer, right? I'd faced worse than this... Distance came first, rest afterward.

     Sleep was dangerous while on the run... Countless times, I'd caught an exhausted human sleeping just before they would have made it beyond my grasp.

     A mistake that had dearly cost them... I couldn't afford the same errors myself.

     So, I plodded on, brushing aside snow-topped branches and ferns and other flora. The powder was cold, and stuck to my skin, dampening what little clothing I still retained. 

     Being practically shirtless was... less than ideal. I felt quite exposed without a covering.

     Perhaps I could afford to slip into a town at night and take some human's covering.

     I tsk'd to myself, ducking under a low branch. I'd been reduced to a petty thief...

     The oaken forest was quiet around me, reassuring. The titter of birds was dying down as dusk fast approached, and the rustles of hidden animals indicated prey hiding away for the night as predators emerged to hunt. Crickets began to sing, their noise muted by the piling snow all about.

     Perhaps, like prey, traveling at night would provide me some cover. After all, were not humans rather terrible at seeing in the dark?

     The mournful howl of a wolf interrupted my thoughts, as did the soft tread of a fleeing deer.

     Hmm... yet another reminder of my condition. Alone and fleeing like the stag.

     I hummed softly, looking up as the moon rose, bathing the dark trees in silver light, which reflected off the thin layers of snow, coating everything in soft white. Alright... I would rest at daybreak and try not to allow myself to fall into a deeper sleep than necessary. The next town I crossed would be relieved of one shirt, and then I would carry on. Once I was miles from civilization, I would look for a place to settle, perhaps a cave, and live out the rest of my undeserved life.

     And... then what?

     I shook my head, scowling. No time for questions like that... If I made it far enough to consider resting permanently, I would debate about my purpose then.

     Pushing on to midnight, my steps grew weary and heavy. Every footfall crunched under my boots, the snow and frozen flora lining the forest floor doing little to aid me in stealth. Agh, just how much had I overestimated my recovered power?

     Perhaps limiting my senses would help... After all, I'd tuned up my hearing as much as I could without overloading myself. I could hear the heartbeats and breaths of every living creature within a mile.

     ...it was getting rather hard to distinguish anything from the racket, so I reluctantly blocked out the noise, listening only to creatures within ten blocks of my position.

     Hm... there were quite a few breaths and padding steps and breaths around me... had I been unable to differentiate what was near or far?

     The jaws of a wolf snapped down on my arm.

     The shock from the sudden pain stole the breath from my lungs, and another set of teeth sank into my ankle, tugging me off balance. I roared aloud, jerking my arm from the first wolf, and kicking the other off my ankle.

     Nether, I'd forgotten the fearful influence I usually spread about myself would usually keep animals away... something I'd been keeping contained to pass by undetected.

     Choking back any other noises, I broke into the fastest run I could muster with the little stores of energy that still remained within me. Trees and stones draped in frozen white flew by, and I could hear the yips and howls of wolves rising all around. To Nether with this... their racket might draw the attention of hunters or other humans.

     So, with a final burst of power, I launched myself into the branches of a tree, scrabbling to hold on. My hands melted the powdery ice lining the branches, making me nearly slip. Gritting my teeth, I forced myself still higher, settling in a crook of branches with a shudder, ignoring the wet patches blooming on my knees and thighs from the melting ice.

     My blood was now staining the forest... I'd have to switch directions.

     The yelps and growls of wolves snapped my attention to the ground below, where I could see a back of six or seven animals prowling and baring their teeth at me. They were doubtlessly quite angered that their easy target had slipped away.

     "Begone!" I hissed, grasping at my stinging arm, "Lest I throw caution to the wind and burn the lot of you!"

     Their ears perked at my voice, one snarling back softly. However, it seemed to reveal to them that this target was foolish to pursue any longer. Within a few hours, they had trotted away, following other scents.

     I breathed a weary sigh, breath clouding before me, laying down against a branch. Such a foolish choice to wait until I was too tired to think straight... Perhaps night-traveling was out of the question if my influence of fear was too risky to wield.

     It would slow my progress but... perhaps sleeping through the night and running all day could make up for it...?

     Closing my eyes, I grimaced at the roughness of the tree bark against my bare chest. Such an uncomfortable resting-place...

     ...but it would have to do from here on out.

     The rest of the night passed uneventfully, quietly. I could not trust myself yet to sleep and merely dozed, hearing still attuned sharply to every little forest sound I could handle.

     Truly, the life of a prey animal was quite different than I could ever have anticipated...

     Sunrise came sooner than ever, and I wearily slipped down from my refuge in the branches. I hissed quietly, arm and ankle throbbing, but I didn't hesitate a moment before starting off into the woods. Tonight, I would sleep deeply, hidden as well as I could manage.

     Tomorrow would not see me still limping from the injuries a mere wolf gifted me.

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DAMON RIVERS' POV

     "Ravon."

     "Mm?"

     "The compass has gotten heavier."

     Indeed, this morning when I picked up my satchel, I could have sworn someone had put a rock in it.

     However, after emptying the contents and finding nothing out of place, I picked up the compass, dusted soft powder from it, and noticed the sudden difference in weight.

     "Allow me to hold it."

     I quickly handed the guide over to the Valkyrie riding beside me, noting how he frowned when his hand dipped at the weight.

     "Interesting... hmm..."

     The winged man squinted at it, prompting me to try and lean over and look as well, despite being on the back of a moving horse.

     "The blood is brighter looking."

     I squinted, lips parting in quiet confusion. Indeed, the liquid in the device was now a vibrant red, like that of a poisonous berry, instead of the deep, red-black of before.

     "Strange... do you think something has happened to him?"

     "Perhaps... let's quicken our pace today and tomorrow, hm? Something may be happening."

     Nodding, I turned briefly to instruct the others to keep up as I urged my mount to a canter, "How about we send a few of your winged ones ahead, that they may scout out the coming landscape?"

     Ravon hummed in agreement, lifting a hand and completing two motions as he gave the compass back. In moments, two human figures soared overhead, powerful wings pumping hard, lifting them effortlessly into the cloud-covered sky.

     I watched, grinning, wondering what it was like to have such freedom. Perhaps I would find out once the Valkyries had time to entertain such notions.

     "The needle has been wobbling lately but keeping up a steady arc. I predict we will cross his path soon enough; he's steadily heading northeast."

     "Hmph, I hope we don't run into him while we are galloping about like a circus. We'll need stealth."

     "Once the needle is straight ahead, we can travel on foot, can we not?"

     "If we haven't trampled right over him first." Ravon shot a smirk at me, and I rolled my eyes.

     "Very well. Let's send out scouts every morning and evening to circle ahead and look for signs of flight. If they manage to spot him, we'll travel cautiously from that point on, and begin tactics to surround him."

     "I like your thinking; I'll inform my warriors tonight."

     We were closing in...

     The mournful voice of a wolf lifted in a howl far ahead of us.

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>_>

<_<

Ddon't expect crazy fast updates like this in the future lol, work's starting! Maybe I can pack a few more in before craziness settles in :D

Voting is a great encouragement, comments are even better. Consider them an investment lol, each one bonks me and gets me eager to write again ayyy