Confronting the Dragon

by Mark Cheverton

  “Gameknight, get down!” Hunter yelled.

  He dove to the ground just as four razor sharp talons narrowly missed his head. Rolling to his side, he stood up sprinting, running toward a group of archers that were being attacked by endermen. Looking up into the sky, he could see Hunter’s arrows streaking toward the dragon, striking it in the side. The monster ignored the hits and flew near one of the Ender-crystals. When it was near enough, a sparkling beam of purple energy lanced out from the crystal, healing the dragon in an instant. The monster then turned gracefully in the air and dove toward a group of archers.

  “RUN!” Gameknight yelled, but he was too far away.

  The dragon fell upon the unsuspecting warriors, flying through the group with its claws extended. The monster tore through their armor as if it were paper, reducing their number by half in mere seconds. As the dragon flew away, endermen teleported near the surviving archers and attacked with a ferocity that Gameknight had never seen before. The black nightmares teleported right next to the archers and hammered away at them with their dark fists, destroying the survivors. Gameknight watched the slaughter and felt responsible for every death.

  They came here because of me, and I couldn’t protect them . . . I’m nothing.

  But then a voice echoed within his mind, bringing him strength . . . just be.

  No, I won’t feel sorry for myself, I’m Gameknight999, the User-that-is-not-a-user, and I refuse to give up.

  “Swordsmen, put water around the archers,” he yelled. “Protect the archers.”

  An enderman appeared right next to Gameknight. Spinning, he attacked the creature, slashing at it with all his strength. He landed two strong hits before it teleported away. Spinning in a circle, he saw where the monster had gone and charged at it. When he was within arm’s length, he ducked under the dark fists that came toward him and slashed at it again and again until it teleported away. Finding where it reappeared, he charged at his dark adversary again, slashing at it as he passed, then charged again and again until its HP was consumed, leaving behind a purple sphere on the ground.

  “Swordsmen, attack the endermen on the run,” Gameknight yelled. “Don’t stand still . . . hit and run, hit and run. Archers, keep after those Ender-crystals!”

  A chuckle sounded to his left, spinning, he charged at another enderman, but as he neared, he saw the dragon swooping in from the right. When it neared, he dove to the ground and rolled away from the dark, sparkling claws.

  More explosions sounded across the landscape as the archers, protected by water, started destroying more and more of the Ender-crystals. Looking up into the sky, he could see that the dragon was getting angrier, its purple eyes burning brighter and brighter. It dove down toward a company of swordsmen that were attacking a group of endermen. The dark creatures teleported away from the battle just as the dragon’s claws raked through the NPC ranks. The warriors didn’t stand a chance, their iron armor just not strong enough. Sighing, Gameknight felt sad, but knew he didn’t have time to stop and give the salute for the dead. Right now, he needed to do that which he did best . . . grief.

  Sprinting toward a group of endermen that were trying to reach a squad of archers, Gameknight attacked their dark backs as he ran by. When they turned to confront their attacker, he curved around and attacked their other side just as more Ender-crystals exploded. The endermen all turned toward the User-that-is-not-a-user and slowly advanced as he backed away.

  “Attack their backs!” Gameknight yelled to the archers.

  Suddenly, a wave of arrows fell down upon the shadowy creatures. When they turned to face their new attacker, Gameknight999 charged, carving great arcs of destruction with his shimmering diamond blade. More endermen disappeared, leaving behind purple ender-pearls. The monsters that survived his attack teleported far away, trying to escape blade and arrow; retreating from this small section of the battle.

  The archers cheered, but were suddenly silenced when the Ender Dragon swooped down and destroyed them all with its mighty claws.

  “Nooooo!” Gameknight yelled as he ducked under one of its shadowy wings.

  The dragon continued to wreak havoc amongst those on the ground, tearing into squads of swordsmen as archers pumped arrows into the flying beast. But with every volley of arrows, the monster would fly high up into the air and find an ender-crystal. They could do little about the dragon until those crystals were destroyed. Turning, he suddenly found Hunter and Stitcher at his side.

  “There are only two crystals left, but they are too high; our bows cannot reach them,” Hunter explained.

  “Where?”

  Hunter pointed with her enchanted bow toward the opposite side of the floating island of end stone. He could see two wide, tall obsidian pillars in the distance, their tops glowing with a purple iridescent light. Sprinting in that direction, Gameknight put aside his sword and drew his shovel.

  “Protect me,” he said over his shoulder as he started to dig up the pale end stone.

  Digging as fast as he could, he collected maybe twenty blocks of the pale yellow stone. They broke as easy as snow, though they felt heavy in his inventory. Putting away his shovel, he continued his sprint towards the last two crystals.

  “Stitcher, have the archers all move to the opposite side of The End and attack the dragon when it gets near. You need to keep it busy for a while. Create a diversion.” In the midst of chaos, there is opportunity, Gameknight thought; one of Mr. Planck’s sayings on his wall. “Put down lots of water to protect them from the endermen. Hunter, you’re with me.”

  Stitcher turned and ran off in the other direction, shouting at the top of her lungs. In seconds, he could hear Mason bellowing out his commands, the big NPC taking command of the rest of the army.

  “What is your plan?” Hunter asked.

  Gameknight looked at the two massive pillars of obsidian that they were approaching and thought about the situation, trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together. The two pillars were right next to each other, almost touching. One was taller than the other; that’s where he needed to start . . . but how? Then he remembered the first spider he had to battle after being drawn into Minecraft and it gave him an idea.

  “Here’s what I want you to do,” Gameknight said and then explained his plan.

  When they reached the base of the obsidian pillars, Hunter kept running while Gameknight started to build his own pillar of end stone. He jumped straight up as he placed his blocks, moving higher and higher into the air.

  If the dragon catches me up here, I’m dead, he thought to himself. Nobody could survive a fall from this height.

  “I hope you’ll be ready, Hunter,” he said aloud to no one.

  Scanning the sky, he could see Stitcher’s flaming arrow streaking up into the air at some unseen target. That must be the dragon.

  He had to be quick.

  Placing his blocks faster, he kept moving upward, the top of the impossibly high pillar getting closer and closer. The glow from the burning Ender-crystal was getting brighter as he neared the top, lighting the obsidian peak with an eerie glow. He was almost there, but he had to be faster. Placing the blocks as quickly as he could, Gameknight continued to move upward, but then . . . he ran out of end stone.

  Oh no!

  The Dragon destroyed any blocks it touched with the exception of obsidian, bedrock and end stone. Using anything else would be risky, but he had no choice. Reaching into his inventory, he pulled out a stack of cobblestone and continued his climb. If the dragon caught him now, he might survive the sharp talons raking across his diamond armor, but it would completely destroy the cobble he was placing. And that would likely mean falling to his death. He had to hurry.

  Gameknight’s hands were a blur as he placed the gray blocks of cobble one after another, jumping up into the air with practiced skill. Almost there . . . five more blocks. I hope they can keep that dragon busy. Three more. He went faster, jump-block . . . jump-block . . . jump-block.

  And then he
was at the top. Looking over the edge of the pillar, Gameknight shuddered as he realized how far up he was. This pillar was probably thirty blocks high if not more. A fall from this height would be impossible to survive; he had to be careful.

  Turning back from the edge, he gazed in wonder at what he saw. Before him stood the Ender-crystal; a purple cube bathed in flame suspended above a block of bedrock. Around the Crystal was a strange metallic-looking frame that was impossibly complex, no . . . two frames each rotating about the crystal as if gravity didn’t apply to them. On the faces of the Crystal, Gameknight could see complex writing, strange symbols that were difficult to read but he had seen before; probably letters from the standard galactic alphabet . . . some strange reference put in the game by Notch. As he looked at it, Gameknight could appreciate the beauty of the thing. It was a shame what he had to do.

  Gripping his sword, he smashed the Ender-crystal. It exploded with a blast of heat and smoke, pushing him back a little, his diamond chest plate and leggings cracking but still holding. At the same instant, he could hear the dragon roar from the other side of The End. Far below, he could hear Hunter yell something, but he was just too far away to understand her words.

  Moving to the edge of the pillar, he looked at the neighboring column. It was maybe four or five blocks shorter than the one he was on, and likely six blocks away. Pulling out his cobblestone, he thought about how to build a bridge from one pillar to the other, but then he heard a shout from the ground.

  “D . . .”

  He couldn’t quite hear Hunter’s words, but out of instinct, he dove to the ground, just as four sharp talons dug into his diamond armor. Pain radiated up his arm. Rolling to his side, he looked up as the dragon flew in a great curving arc, then lined up on him again, getting ready for the next pass. It dove straight down at him, its purple eyes blazing with hatred, white fangs shining bright within the monster’s terrifying mouth. This was it, the moment just before his death. Gathering as much courage as he could, he stared at the approaching monster, a look of determination on his face. But then, at the last instant, a flaming arrow streaked through the air and hit the dragon in the chest, and then another and another. The monster stopped its dive and turned, flying away from Hunter and her deadly missiles.

  It will need healing, Gameknight thought.

  Standing, he looked at the last Ender-crystal. Moving to the opposite side of the pillar, he sprinted toward the edge and jumped with all his might. As he flew through the air, he could see the small form of Hunter on the ground, her red hair hanging around her shoulders as she looked up at him, a look of disbelief on her face. He landed with a thud, taking a little more damage, but that didn’t matter right now. Pulling out his sword, he moved next to the last Ender-crystal and waited.

  “Break it . . . quick, it’s coming,” Hunter shouted from the ground.

  Gameknight waited.

  “Break it before the crystal heals the dragon!”

  He waited as fear started to ripple up his spine.

  In the distance, Gameknight could hear the roar of the beast, and turned so that he could see the terrible monster.

  “HURRY . . . BREAK THE CRYSTAL!” Hunter screamed.

  But still Gameknight waited.

  It was approaching low across the landscape of The End, keeping well out of range from Hunter’s bow. As it neared, a beam of iridescent light lanced out from the Ender-crystal and shot straight for the dragon.

  This was his chance.

  Gripping his sword firmly, he brought it down on the Ender-crystal. It detonated as before, showering him with heat and smoke, but this time he heard the dragon roar in pain. The exploding crystal had damaged the dragon as well.

  Turning in a circle, he looked for the monster and saw two purple specks turning toward him. The monster roared and accelerated right toward him, its dark claws outstretched, mouth open ready to devour his enemy. He had taken more damage from that last explosion; he wasn’t sure if he could survive those claws tearing into him.

  Taking a step backward, Gameknight moved near the edge of the pillar. He had nowhere to run. Sheathing his sword, he moved to the very edge, his feet feeling the emptiness that was so precariously near. Turning, he stared up at the monster, terror filling his very soul.

  “I hope you’re ready, Hunter,” he said aloud to no one.

  The dragon roared as it turned, then tucked its wings into its side and dove straight toward his prey. It streaked down like a shadowy missile, like an unstoppable storm . . . like death. And as the dragon reached out with its sharp claws, Gameknight999 stepped backward and fell off the towering pillar.

  CHAPTER 30

  THE DESOLATION OF THE ENDER DRAGON

  Time seemed to slow as Gameknight fell. He could see Hunter staring up at him, a look of shock and terror on her face. Turning his head, he found Stitcher and Crafter running to his aid. And as the wind blasted his face, he thought about his sister and the birthday card she’d made for him a few weeks ago. It had a childishly hand-drawn picture of him holding his sister’s hand as they walked across pink rolling fields, gigantic purple and blue flowers dotting the landscape. She loved to paint and draw; some day he was sure she’d be a great artist . . . if she got the chance.

  Everyone had some way of making their mark in life. For some of Gameknight’s teachers, like Mr. Planck, it was probably through their impact on their students. For his parents, their legacy was their children. But for the bullies that abused the smaller and weaker . . . what mark did they leave? The only people remembering them were their victims, and they remember their tormentors as pathetic and weak; cowards afraid to be themselves.

  For Gameknight, he had been that bully within Minecraft a lifetime ago. But now, he wanted to change the mark he would leave behind. He wanted to be remembered as the person who did what was right, not what was easy or convenient. He wanted to be remembered as the person who stood up against the monsters, the creatures that made everyone afraid of the night. These thoughts all flowed through his mind as he fell. He didn’t bother to look down to see what was approaching, for it made no difference. Either he would survive this fall, or he wouldn’t. He just hoped he’d done enough to change his mark, and looked out at his new friends and hoped they would be OK.

  And then suddenly there was a loud splash and Gameknight was standing knee deep in water.

  I survived . . . I SURVIVED! he thought to himself.

  Hunter had followed the plan and put the pool right where he’d needed it. Gameknight looked around at the pool and realized that it had only the smallest amount of water in it . . . just enough to cushion his fall. Looking up at the pillar from which he’d just fallen, Gameknight realized how lucky he’d been, and how narrowly he’d just avoided death. He shook just the slightest bit as the realization hit him full force.

  I fell that far and just barely made it into this pool. I was lucky. He could remember his father telling him once, ‘Sometimes, luck is just the effect of careful planning and hard work.’ Well, whatever it was that landed him in this pool, he was glad . . .

  “I just barely got the pool filled in time,” Hunter said, holding an empty bucket. “Good thing I paid attention to your plan.” She smiled and patted him on the back.

  He winced as he stepped out of the pool. Just then, Stitcher and Crafter made it to their position, both winded from the long sprint. Drawing her bow, Stitcher scanned the sky, looking for the Ender Dragon.

  “It’s out there,” she said. “I can feel it.”

  “Come on, we have to get to the rest of the army,” Gameknight said as he drew his sword. “Now is our chance. The dragon can no longer recharge its HP. It’s vulnerable. Come on!”

  Gameknight took off sprinting toward the center of The End, not waiting for the others to respond. In the distance, he could see Mason running toward him, the entire army on his heels. As he closed the distance, he heard the dragon roar. Pulling out his shovel, he stopped running, and quickly dug straight down, someth
ing he would normally not do in Minecraft, but the circumstance demanded it. Digging down four blocks, Gameknight crouched as low as possible. Looking up, he saw four sharp claws pass through the end stone and narrowly miss his head; the dragon had misjudged the depth.

  Climbing quickly out of the hole, he continued to run toward the army, his sword back in his hand. In seconds, he was met by cheering as the army closed about him, Mason at his side.

  “We are glad to see that you’re still alive, User-that-is-not-a-user,” Mason said as he looked skyward for the flying monster.

  “I’m pretty glad to still be alive too,” he responded, drawing a wave of laughter from those nearby.

  “What is your plan?” the big NPC asked.

  “Quickly, form groups, archers in the center, swordsmen to the outside. The archers are the only ones that can stop the Ender Dragon, they must be protected from the endermen . . . and the dragon. Now, when we . . .”

  “Incoming!” Hunter yelled.

  The dragon dove down toward the army.

  “Everyone SCATTER!” Gameknight screamed.

  The warriors ran in every direction at once, causing the collection of NPCs to spread out. The claws of the Ender Dragon reached out and grabbed at soldiers, tearing into iron armor like it wasn’t there, rending HP to nothing. In seconds, piles of items floated on the ground where NPCs had once stood.

  More dead because of me! Gameknight thought.

  “Form groups . . . NOW!” the User-that-is-not-a-user screamed.

  The warriors formed prickling islands of iron, with the swordsmen facing outward, pushing back against the flood of endermen that were approaching. The archers at the center fired their deadly pointed shafts at the dragon as it passed, the flying nightmare looking for the Ender Crystals that no longer existed.

  Gameknight ran across the battlefield, striking out at endermen at every opportunity. Off to the right, he could see Stitcher and Hunter running toward the dragon, Mason and Crafter at their sides. Turning, he sprinted toward his friends, cleaving through the dark endermen as he passed. As he neared, he could hear Hunter’s and Stitcher’s bow strings humming a nearly constant tune as they fired at the passing dragon, then turned their weapons on the approaching endermen. Mason sprinted ahead of the duo, his mighty blade carving arcs of destruction through the shadowy monsters, Crafter at his side.