Herobrine's Message

by Sean Fay Wolfe

  “Thank you for apologizing,” Bob replied, stroking Ivanhoe absentmindedly between the ears, which caused the pig’s nose to crinkle in pleasure. “You’ve got to realize, Charlie . . . I know what you’re going through.”

  “Don’t say that,” Charlie grunted, a note of anger returning to his voice. “You have no idea what I’m going through.”

  “What are you talking about?” Bob asked incredulously. “How do you think I felt when Caesar cut my leg off? Do you think that I just hopped on Ivanhoe and carried on like nothing happened? Of course not! I was just as depressed as you are now for weeks before I accepted what had happened to me!”

  “It’s different for you!” cried Charlie. “I mean, look at you! Even without your legs, you’re still one of the best archers we’ve got! You’re probably better now than you were before because Ivanhoe’s so fast and has so much stamina! You can still be a great archer while riding on a pig. How am I supposed to fight in hand-to-hand combat using a pickaxe if I can’t use my legs?”

  “Charlie, I know that it’s going to be hard to adjust,” Bob replied, “and . . . well, I’m gonna level with you, you’re probably not going to be as good in a fight as you were before. But if you focus on what you can’t do, you’re gonna put yourself in a really bad place. You need to focus on what you can do, and how lucky you are.”

  “Lucky?” laughed Charlie bitterly. “How, in any sense of the word, am I supposed to be lucky?”

  “Because you didn’t end up like my brother! You’re still alive!” shouted Bob.

  Charlie felt the response that was about to leave his mouth hit an invisible wall. There was nothing that he could say in response to that. There was another long moment of silence as Bob stared at him, tears welling in his eyes. Finally, a sigh escaped the police chief’s mouth, and he spoke.

  “Charlie, I’m sorry that you have to ride into the battle for our freedom on the back of a pig, I truly am. But I’ll say it again: don’t think about the limitations that your condition is causing you. Instead, focus on everything that you can still do! Charlie, do you realize just how useful you’ve been in helping us plan this attack?”

  “Well . . . I mean, I guess . . .”

  “Charlie, you’ve been amazing!” Bob exclaimed. “You’ve been the driving force behind all our battle plans since we got back to the village! I mean, you’ve pretty much mapped out everything while Ben and I were getting the troops organized and the people safe. This attack that we’re about to pull off wouldn’t be half as solid without you, and thanks to your plans, Nocturia is gone! When I was reading your notes for the first time, I was totally blown away. You suggested things that Ben and I never would have thought of!”

  “Well,” Charlie replied, “I suppose that you’re right . . . I guess I have always been better at planning than doing the actual fighting . . .”

  “Exactly,” Bob replied. “Charlie, your shining moment of glory isn’t going to be on the battlefield, like the rest of us. Your moment of glory is going to come when we stand on the bridge of Element Castle, and look over the city that we’ve won back, and you know that you were the grandmaster who moved all the chess pieces around the board and made it possible.”

  “That’s right,” a voice from behind them replied.

  Bob and Charlie turned around to see Leonidas standing in the doorway, a smile on his face.

  “How long have you been standing there?” Charlie asked.

  “Long enough to know that everything that Bob said is true,” Leonidas replied, walking into the room and sitting on a wood block to look at the two pig-backed players at eye level. “Your ideas ’n’ strategies have already done more for us than ya know.”

  Charlie smiled. “Thanks, guys. That was just what I needed to hear. I think I’m gonna be okay.”

  “Good,” Bob said kindly. “And if you ever feel down and need to talk, come to me, okay? I’ve been stuck with this little guy a lot longer than you have, man,” he added wearily, patting Ivanhoe on the head, “and I’m pretty used to it by this point. I’m sure I can help you out.”

  “Will do,” Charlie replied. “Thanks for everything, guys. I haven’t gotten my gear together yet, so I’m gonna go do that. I’ll talk to you later. Let’s go, Dr. Pigglesworth.”

  Charlie nudged forward on his pig’s head, and proceeded to exit through the door. Leonidas and Bob watched him go, smiles on their faces, as Leonidas closed the door behind him.

  “Charlie’s a good guy,” Leonidas sighed contentedly. “I’m sure glad that he’s finally managin’ to shake off the demons that got into his head when the Noctem Alliance tortured him.”

  “Yeah,” agreed Bob. “He’s got a good heart, and I know that he’ll do anything for our cause. It honestly didn’t surprise me that he blamed himself so much when he gave the location of the bunker to the Noctem Alliance.”

  “How do ya know about that?” Leonidas asked in alarm.

  “Our spies have brought quite a lot of information to us, Leonidas,” Bob replied wisely. “And honestly, it wasn’t too hard to guess. It made a lot of other stuff make sense. I didn’t want to tell Charlie I knew because I knew he’d have a hard time facing me. And I don’t blame him. People aren’t themselves when they go through what the Noctem Alliance put Charlie through.”

  Leonidas nodded pensively as, without warning, the door slowly creaked open. Both players in the room looked up to see the Mechanist stepping meekly into the room. Instantly, the entire atmosphere changed; Bob glared at the Mechanist with a harsh glint in his eye, causing the Mechanist to recoil as Leonidas looked between the two of them with concern.

  “What do you want?” Bob asked coldly. The Mechanist cringed yet again at the harsh tone, and his voice was meek as he responded in his quivery Texas drawl.

  “I’m sorry if I’m interrupting anything . . . but I’m a little bit confused, Bob. I was looking over the plans for the invasion that you made with Ben and Charlie, and I saw instructions for all the commanders except for me. What should I be doing during the battle?”

  “Well, I thought the plans made it clear,” Bob replied. “The instructions for all the commanders are listed. Everyone not listed is going to be serving under the commanders.”

  “Wait, hold up,” the Mechanist replied, as he realized what Bob was saying. “Are you implying that . . . you want me to just be a normal foot soldier during the attack?”

  “It wasn’t an implication, Mechanist,” Bob spat. “It’s written on the page, plain as day.”

  “But . . . but . . . ,” the Mechanist sputtered, sounding incredibly hurt. “You don’t need me to . . . I don’t know . . . set up some redstone booby traps? Or take down their automatic defense grids? Or anything?”

  “I think that I’ve made myself very clear!” Bob shouted. Everyone in the room looked on in shock as Bob dismounted Ivanhoe, clutching the wall and pulling himself upright on his good foot so he could look the Mechanist in the eye.

  “All players whom my brother and I have dubbed the most experienced—and the most reliable—are the commanders. All others are going to serve as ground troops for the invasion. And I suggest that you stop talking back to your superior, soldier! Stand down now, or you’re going to be kicked out of this—”

  “Enough!” Leonidas bellowed, pushing his way in between the cowering Mechanist and the raging Bob. The Mechanist stumbled backward in a panic, as Bob was shoved off balance and tumbled to the wood plank–block floor with a crash.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” Bob demanded, glaring at Leonidas as he attempted to get up off the floor.

  “I’m puttin’ an end to this nonsense!” grunted Leonidas as he grabbed Bob’s arm, jerking him to his feet. Bob looked at Leonidas incredulously as he remounted his pig, and his look was mirrored by the Mechanist.

  “We’re at war,” Leonidas said in the manner of a drill sergeant, looking back and forth between the two players with an authoritative expression on his face. “At some point
within the next two days, we are gonna march into Element City and fight for our lives to take it back from the Noctem Alliance. It’s going to be the hardest thing that any of us’ve ever done. And if we stand even a tiny chance of winnin’, we’ve all gotta trust each other and work together! That means that both of y’all are gonna have to finally confront the issues you have, and resolve ’em!”

  The two players looked at Leonidas, then at each other. They held their gaze for a moment before the Mechanist finally looked away in disgrace as Bob continued to glower at him. Leonidas took a deep breath and addressed the elephant in the room.

  “I know that both of y’all think that the Mechanist is responsible for Bill’s death.”

  “I’m sorry!” the Mechanist burst out; Bob’s glare did not ease up. “I never should have started drinking that stupid potion again. I knew it was a mistake! Stan was gone, and I felt like I had to fill his shoes. . . . I just got so stressed out, and I cracked!”

  “And because you couldn’t take the pressure, my brother is gone,” Bob spat bitterly. “He worked hard every minute of every day, even after the Noctem Alliance surrounded the city. He gave his life to save you, and how do you repay him? By moping in a cave, stewing in your own guilt while the people of his city were on the brink of despair and revolution!”

  “I know that there’s nothing that I can say that will change anything that’s happened,” the Mechanist whimpered, “but you need to know, Bob . . . I’m never going to forgive myself for what I did to you, and both of your brothers.”

  “Stop this!” Leonidas cut in before Bob, who was apoplectic with rage, could respond.

  “Shut up, Leonidas, this doesn’t concern you!” Bob yelled, jabbing his blocky finger at the Mechanist. “I’ve been holding back my anger toward this useless piece of trash for way too long now. It’s about time that I give him a piece of my mind!”

  “And what will that prove?” demanded Leonidas. “That you’re never gonna forgive him for forcing Bill to sacrifice himself? That he should be stricken with guilt for it? Look at him! He feels so bad about what he did that he can hardly even function anymore! It destroyed him!”

  “It really has, Bob,” the Mechanist agreed miserably. “You have no idea—”

  “Shut up!” Leonidas spat at the Mechanist. “Everythin’ that Bob said to you just now was one hundred percent true! If your idea of repaying Bill’s sacrifice is to constantly mope over the fact that Bill had to sacrifice himself for you, then it probably would’ve been better if he’d just let you die and saved himself!”

  “I know that!” the Mechanist sobbed, having broken down as Leonidas spoke. “I was . . . I was just so distraught by what happened. . . .”

  “And there’s the problem in all this,” Leonidas replied conclusively, looking back and forth between Bob and the Mechanist. “Both of y’all are so obsessed with Bill’s death that it’s causin’ ya to make stupid decisions! I’m sorry for your loss, but it’s in the past now! Ya can’t let your entire life be dictated by it. Trust me, I know.”

  “How dare you!” growled Bob. “You have the nerve to talk about my brother like that . . . you didn’t even know him! You were too busy leading the Noctem Troops to victory over our city! What makes you think that you have any right to talk about how I should feel?”

  “Because every night that I was a member of the Noctem Alliance, I went to sleep feelin’ horrible about what I was doin’!” cried Leonidas, tears welling in his eyes now. “I’ve never had anythin’ against lower-level players, or villagers, or anybody that the Noctem Alliance hates! I only joined King Kev’s army to save my family, and he made me do terrible things. I joined the Noctem Alliance because I felt like those terrible things had become a part of who I was, and that killin’ and destroyin’ were the only things that I could do anymore.

  “I let the past define me . . . and it took the death of the family that I had sworn to protect to make me finally realize that I had a choice. I could either live in the shadow of what I had done or let my past go, and do all I could to make up for my mistakes. That is the reason I’m here today, and not over in Element City with the Noctem Alliance plottin’ to kill y’all.”

  There was a moment of silence as Leonidas finished his speech. Bob was staring at Leonidas, no longer totally angry, but feeling a mix of anger, confusion, fascination, and sympathy. The Mechanist was staring at Leonidas as well, tears still in his eyes, and looking totally lost for words. Leonidas rubbed his eyes, took a deep breath, and continued to speak.

  “I’m not sayin’ that ya need to forgive the Mechanist for what he’s done right now, Bob. And I’m also not sayin’ that ya shouldn’t be sorry for what you did, Mechanist. But both of you need to stop lettin’ Bill’s death cloud your judgment. We’re in a war, and we need all the clear minds that we can get, ’specially when they’re as brilliant as the ones y’all have.

  “Bob,” Leonidas said, turning to face the police chief. “You’ve got the greatest redstone expert in the history of Minecraft at your disposal. Do somethin’ with him, will ya?”

  Bob sighed, looked up at Leonidas, and gave a begrudging nod.

  “And you, Mechanist,” continued Leonidas, looking down at the frail old inventory sitting on the floor. “Ya want Bob and Ben to forgive ya, right?”

  “More than anything,” the Mechanist replied earnestly.

  “Then earn it,” Leonidas replied simply. With that, he turned to face the wooden door, walked over to it, opened it, and walked out, closing it behind him, leaving Bob and the Mechanist sitting pensively in his wake.

  Leonidas gave a deep sigh as he walked out of the room. He had entered to get his assignment for the invasion from the police chiefs, but he realized that it wasn’t the right time. And besides, he could worry about that later. There was something else that he had to do before he left for battle, perhaps never to return. It was time to take his own advice.

  He exited the front door of the building and walked down the street. As he went, he passed several Elementia soldiers, all of whom gave him a smile or a friendly nod hello, which Leonidas happily returned. All these players . . . they had accepted him, despite all the horrible things that he had done in the past. However, before he could fully accept his past himself, there were three more people he had to speak with. Finally, after walking across the village, Leonidas came across the building—a small structure, constructed just in the past few days, made of cobblestone, wood planks, and glass. Leonidas took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

  All three members of the villager family were locked in a hug, but broke apart when the door opened. As they saw who had come, all three looked slightly confused.

  “What are you doing here, Leonidas?” Mella asked.

  “I had to see y’all one more time,” Leonidas replied, trying to keep his composure despite the feelings of guilt welling within him. “I’m going to war tomorrow, and I might not come back.”

  “Ah,” Mella replied.

  “I heard that you three villagers weren’t gonna be there at the battle,” Leonidas continued awkwardly. “I heard that you were gonna be staying here at the village, along with like thirty other players who weren’t goin’ into battle.”

  “This is true.”

  “And before I leave . . . I just need you to know . . .” There was a catch in his throat, but Leonidas continued.

  “I am so, so sorry,” Leonidas continued, tears beginning to stream down his face. “I am so sorry for everything that I did to you. I know that it’s my fault that the rest of your village is dead, includin’ Blerge. But I promise ya, I never wanted anythin’ but the best for ya. You villagers are my family, and when I saw those soldiers takin’ advantage of ya, I got so mad that I wasn’t thinkin’ straight. I don’ expect ya to forgive me, but—”

  “Leonidas, we know that the players who were in our village to protect us were not treating us kindly.”

  Leonidas, who was doing all that he could to keep from breakin
g down, looked up in surprise. “What?”

  “At first, we did not realize that we were not being treated kindly,” Mella continued. “We knew that the players were sent there by Stan, who was very kind to us, and so we believed that those players that Stan had sent to us were being kind to us, but in a different way. We did not think that Stan would send bad players to us.”

  “I’m sure he didn’t mean to,” Leonidas replied quickly, jumping to Stan’s defense.

  “I know that he did not,” Mella said solemnly. “Stan is a good player, and he made a mistake. You are also a good player, Leo-nidas. But I am not sure what you did was a mistake.”

  “It was,” Leonidas replied glumly. “Even if those guys were terrible to you, they still would have fought off the Noctems when they attacked the village. They would’ve wanted to save their own butts.”

  “Maybe they would, maybe they would not have,” Mella continued. “What is important is that you were not trying to hurt us, Leo-nidas. You were only doing what was best for us . . . or at least, what you thought was best for us. And now my family and me are no longer surrounded by bad players. We are surrounded by players who are good, and nice to us . . . and you are one of them, Leo-nidas.”

  Leonidas’s heart lifted as Mella gave him a warm smile. Then, Oob stepped forward. He looked Leonidas directly in the eye and spoke.

  “When I was a little villager,” he spoke slowly, his face screwed up in concentration as if he were trying to meticulously pick every word he said, “I was told by my family about a player named Leo-nidas, who we called the Sacred One. I learned about how, when bad players came to our village, the Sacred One gave himself to them for the sake of protecting us. I always wanted to meet this player, who was so kind, so brave, and so selfless. Now that I am finally meeting you, Leo-nidas, I would just like to say . . . thank you for everything, o Sacred One.”

  Tears of joy ran like rivers down Leonidas’s face. He rushed forward and scooped up the three villagers into a tight embrace, his spirit lifting as the memory of the villagers, the guilt that had been weighing him down for all these weeks finally evaporated. He was with his family once again, and they forgave him. If he died in battle tomorrow, it would now be with no regrets.