“I’m okay, just a little weak,” he said.
The other villagers approached as the last of the spiders were destroyed. When they saw Watcher standing near the decrepit monster, they raised their weapons high over their heads and cheered.
“Ssso, the wizard hasss a girl,” the spider hissed from the ground below.
“What?” Watcher said.
And then, with the last bit of her strength, Shakaar attacked Planter, swinging her poisoned claw at the girl’s exposed leg.
Watcher moved without thought, bringing the flail’s spiked ball down upon the spider with lightning speed. The monster screamed in pain and fear, then disappeared before she could harm another, her poisonous claw inches from Planter’s leg. All that remained of Shakaar, the spider warlord, was a clump of spider’s silk, three glowing balls of XP, and something that looked like a glass lens attached to a black strap, the object glowing with magical power.
He turned to Planter. She wrapped her arms around him, squeezing his enchanted armor in a huge hug, causing some of the diamond plates to creak and bend.
“Planter, are you okay?” Watcher checked her for scratches. “Did she touch you?”
“No . . . I’m alright.” She released the hug and wiped back a tear. “I thought that spider was going to poison me . . . I was so scared.”
“Don’t worry, she didn’t get you.” He breathed a sigh of relief, then picked up the magical artifact and stuffed it into his inventory. He’d look at it more closely later.
“This is the second time this happened,” Blaster said as he approached, a huge grin on his square face. “Planter, you didn’t give me a hug when you saw I was okay.”
“Blasterrrr.” Winger hit him with her bow, silencing him with a sarcastic glare.
“Well . . . it’s just that . . .”
Suddenly, a cold chill spread through the chamber. It made Watcher’s flesh crawl, as if death itself had just brushed against him.
“He’s here,” Watcher said. “Everyone look for the wither. He’s probably hiding in the darkness overhead.” He glanced at Winger. “How about you bring some light to the darkness up there?” Watcher pointed to the ceiling.
Winger shot a stream of arrows from her bow, the Flame enchantment giving every pointed shaft a wreath of fire. They flew up to the ceiling of the Gathering Chamber and stuck into the stone roof, each casting a circle of flickering light. And then one of the fire-arrows revealed a wither hiding in the darkness.
The monster was as black as coal, his three heads glaring down at Watcher. Ribs stuck out from his stubby spine, all the bones blackened, as if he’d just emerged from a furnace.
“Krael,” Watcher said.
“Wizard . . . you destroyed my spiders,” the center head growled.
“That displeases us,” the right wither skull said.
“It makes us mad,” hissed the left.
Watcher stepped away from the other villagers as he ate a piece of beef. He could feel his health returning. But just then, he noticed there was something different about the monster. Instead of just the center head wearing the Crown of Skulls, now the left head wore one as well.
“Ahh . . . I see you’ve noticed my newest relic from days long past.” Center laughed. “While you’ve been playing with my spiders, we’ve been searching the ancient sites for relics. And look what we found: the second Crown of Skulls. When we find the third crown, we will destroy all the Far Lands, and remake the surface as we choose.”
“We’ll never let you do that,” Watcher shouted defiantly.
“Hahaha . . . what a fool.” Left glared at him, the Crown of Skulls glowing with a subtle purple hue.
“Left, be quiet,” Center commanded. The center head turned back to Watcher and scowled. “I’ve come for the rest of the potions the witches were brewing for me. I think I’ll just fly over and get them.”
All three heads smiled at Watcher as the wither floated across the high ceiling. The wither king moved to the far end of the Gathering Chamber, then descended to the ground. A chest sat on the ground, its lid tilted open. Watcher hadn’t noticed it before, but that was likely where the spiders had kept all their potions.
Blaster giggled.
The wither stared down into the chest, an expression of disbelief covering his three ashen faces. Krael turned and glared at Watcher.
Now Blaster laughed. “It isn’t there, is it?”
“What’s happening?” Watcher whispered.
“I found the chest of potions and took them all.” Blaster smiled. “They’ve all been dumped into the lava.” He glared at the king of the withers, then shouted, “No potions for you!”
Krael howled in rage, firing a flaming skull at the villagers. Watcher brought up his shield just before the projectile hit. The explosion knocked him and many others to the ground, but the shield took the brunt of the damage, splintering into a hundred pieces.
The wither floated toward the villagers as they all pulled out their bows and readied themselves for battle. Then, suddenly, a sparkling field appeared around the shadowy monster, protecting him from their arrows as he drew closer and closer. Watcher stepped away from the other villagers, advancing on the monster. He held the Flail of Regret in his hand, his fingers gripping the handle tight.
Just then, the wither fired a barrage of flaming skulls directly at Watcher. The dark projectiles, with their wreaths of blue flames, drove a spike of fear through his soul. He was petrified, with terror taking over his mind. A shout came at him from behind, but Watcher couldn’t look back; he was transfixed on the burning skulls of death descending upon him.
Suddenly, a dark rectangle appeared in front of him; Planter stood in front of the flaming skulls, her red shield with the three dark heads held out to protect them both.
“Planter, those skulls will destroy that shield. You need to . . .”
Before Watcher could finish the sentence, the wither’s attack smashed into the shield. The three flaming skulls crashed into the rectangle and exploded, but at the same time, an iridescent glow spread across the barrier, deflecting the blast and saving them both.
“I’m alive . . . again!” Watcher was stunned.
“Come on, it’s time to attack.” Planter moved forward with the magical shield held out in front of them.
Watcher drew his bow and fired arrows at the wither, but they just bounced off its sparkling shield. Watcher smiled; he knew that would happen. At the same time, the creature slowly descended to the ground. It was something they’d learned in the battle with the last wither king, Kaza. Whenever that regeneration shield appeared, the wither was unable to fly and always descended to the ground.
Continuing his assault, Watcher fired as fast as he could, trying to get the monster close to the ground so they could use blades on him. But Krael knew this as well. He kept firing his flaming skulls at the two friends, the blast of each explosion causing waves of heat to wash over them. Planter held her shield up high, deflecting the projectiles, the magical enchantment in the wooden rectangle keeping it from taking any damage.
They drew closer and closer to the wither king. With the shield in her left hand, Planter pulled out her golden axe, the enchantment wrapped around the weapon glowing bright with anticipation. Krael saw the axe and an expression of recognition seemed to flash across the center head’s face. With a growl, the monster turned off his sparkling regeneration field and floated upward, allowing Watcher’s arrows to strike his body. The monster flashed red with damage, but the arrows weren’t powerful enough to stop the wither king. Watcher thought about shooting Needle at the creature, as he had with its predecessor, but instead, he had a different, even better, idea.
The king of the withers now hovered near the ceiling of the Gathering Chamber, nearly out of reach from Watcher’s bow.
“I am not as easy to kill as that fool, Kaza,” Center said. “He was a poor wither king, and I was glad to see him go. You’ll find Krael to be a stronger and smarter opponent.�
� He glanced at the other villagers.
“I bet they only have one of the Wither Shields,” Right said.
“Hmmm . . . yes.” Center glanced down at Planter, then back toward the other villagers.
“Maybe we should shoot our flaming skulls at the other pathetic NPCs.” Left chuckled with cruel glee.
“Maybe you should just go away!” Watcher shouted.
“And are you going to make us leave?” Krael replied. “How are you gonna do that?”
“Like this.” Watcher dropped his bow and reached into his inventory. His fingers found the smooth weapon and pulled it out. It was a white bow made of fossilized bone: the Fossil Bow of Destruction, the magical relic they’d taken from the skeleton king before his destruction.
“Say hello to my little friend.”
Pain stabbed at Watcher as the magical bow drew its power from his HP, but he didn’t care. It was time to destroy this monster.
He pulled back on the string. Instantly, a magical arrow appeared in his grip, the sparkling shaft ready to seek its target. Focusing on Krael with his mind, he drew the string back a little further, but before he could release, the king of the withers saw the magical bow and, for the first time, expressions of fear covered the three wither skulls. The monster growled at Watcher, then disappeared in a cloud of gray mist.
Watcher released the arrow. The sparkling shaft leapt off the bow and streaked up to the ceiling. It smashed through the stone covering and drilled a hole through the side of the Jeweled Mountain, the projectile seeking its target.
Another blast of pain reminded Watcher to put the bow back into his inventory. He stuffed the weapon away just as he fell to one knee.
“Here . . . eat.” Planter handed him a piece of melon.
The footsteps of villagers filled the air as the rest of their army sprinted across the chamber to see if he was alright.
He ate the melon quickly, but it was not enough to completely regenerate his HP.
“I don’t have any more food.” Planter looked at the approaching villagers. “Does anyone have food? Watcher needs it.”
“Here . . . try this.” Blaster pulled something bright from his inventory and tossed it to Planter.
She caught it in the air and handed it to Watcher without even looking at it. Watcher took the food and was about to bite into it when he saw what it was.
“A golden apple?” Watcher was stunned.
“There was a whole chest of them, plus a few of these as well.” Blaster held up another golden apple, one that had an iridescent glow to it, as if it were enchanted with magical power. “It’s a Notch apple. I’m saving this one for Fencer back at the village.”
Watcher smiled and nodded to his friend, then devoured the golden apple. Instantly, he felt his hunger disappear and his health begin to rejuvenate.
“Better?” Planter asked.
Watcher nodded.
“Was that the Fossil Bow of Destruction we took from the skeleton warlord?” Cleric asked.
Watcher smiled. “Yep. I wonder if that arrow will continue to chase the wither king.”
“I remember the arrows from that bow turn and track their target,” Blaster said. “It would be fun if it tracked the wither king for a while.”
The others nodded.
“I think it’s time we left these terrible caves and got back to Fencer.” Planter put away her shield, but kept her axe out, just to be safe. “After all, we didn’t come here to save the world . . . just her.”
Watcher smiled, then thought about that moment just before his death. He’d made a promise to himself, and now it was time to follow through. He was about to say something when she turned and headed toward the exit of the cavern.
“Hey Planter, I wanted to tell you—” But she was already gone.
He glanced around and found his sister staring at him, a smile on her face.
“Why do we fail?” she asked.
He nodded to his sister. “I’ve learned from my mistakes, and now it’s time for me to overcome, regardless of the outcome.” Waves of panic spread through him as Watcher imagined every terrible response he might receive when he told Planter how he felt, but he refused to be afraid of that anymore. It’s time to tell her the truth, he thought. I just have to catch her first.
With a sigh, he ran, chasing Planter and the rest of the villagers as they fled the spiders’ lair.
Watcher sprinted through the tunnels, trying to reach Planter, but a mass of villagers clogged the tunnel leading to the surface, making it impossible for him to pass anyone. Resigned to the fact that he wasn’t going to catch up to her now, Watcher was at least happy he was leaving the terrible spiders’ lair.
Er-Lan moved next to him and gave Watcher a toothy smile. “Er-Lan is proud of Watcher.”
“And why’s that?”
“Watcher did what many try, but few succeed.”
“And what’s that?” Watcher asked. “Destroy the spider warlord?”
The zombie shook his head. “Not just that. Destroying Shakaar was great, but Watcher did something more significant.”
The boy looked at the zombie, a confused expression on his face.
“Watcher found the true self hiding within.” The zombie put a clawed hand on Watcher’s arm and pulled him to a halt. “Few ever know their true selves, but Watcher has realized his true nature.”
“You mean being a wizard?”
Er-Lan nodded. “Now, Watcher must be true to another.”
“You mean Planter?” he asked in a whisper.
Er-Lan nodded again. “A wizard should know the value of truth.”
Watcher considered his friend’s words, then steeled himself for the most terrifying thing he’d ever done: confessing his feelings to Planter.
“I’m gonna do it,” Watcher whispered.
“Then don’t stand here with Er-Lan . . . run!”
Courage blossomed within the boy’s chest. He clasped the zombie’s hand, then turned and ran through the passage. He reached the villagers filing up the passage and found Blaster in his black armor walking alone. In his hands was the Notch apple, the iridescent glow coming from the magical fruit working like a lavender torch and lighting the passage.
“So, you wanna share with me how you didn’t die?” Blaster asked. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m pretty happy you’re alive, but that poison was deadly . . . and yet here you are.”
Watcher wanted to push his way ahead through the throng of villagers, but they were too tightly packed. Frustrated, he glanced at Blaster.
“I’m not really sure, but I think it had to do with the little doll the evoker dropped in the forest mansion.” Watcher lowered his voice so that Blaster was the only one who could hear. “A voice in my head told me to use the Totem of Undying . . . that was the little doll. Anyway, I sent all my power into it, and here I am. I think it was just lucky.”
“You said you sent all your power. It seems like maybe you are a wizard.” Blaster patted him on the back. “Don’t worry; I still like you, even if you are magical.”
Watcher smiled. “I wish I understood more, but that’s all I’ve got.”
“Seems like you need to figure this out.”
“I agree.” Watcher grew silent as he contemplated the terrifying upcoming event again.
“I can’t believe the witches had these already made.” Blaster held the Notch apple up to his face. The enchantment surrounding the fruit lit the dark passage. “There were a dozen of them, as well as many golden apples just like the one I gave you.”
“I never said thank you for that. I was pretty close to dying again.” Watcher smiled. “That’s a funny thing to say . . . dying again.”
“Yep, pretty strange,” the boy said as he extended the Notch apple to Watcher. “You should be the one to give it to her.”
Watcher’s eyes grew wide with surprise. He accepted the glowing fruit and put it in his inventory. “Thanks.”
“You were there with Saddler when she died,” Bl
aster said. “I heard you promise to help her daughter . . . now you can.”
Blaster slowed, then raised his hand high in the air, fingers spread wide. Watcher joined him, raising his glowing arm into the air, his extended fingertips brushing the ceiling. They clenched their fists. “For Saddler,” Watcher said in a solemn voice.
“For Saddler.” Blaster clenched his hand into a fist, then lowered it to his side. He reached out and slapped Watcher on the back. “Come on, let’s get out of these stinking tunnels.”
They sprinted through the tunnels, chasing the rest of the NPCs. In a few minutes, they’d reached the entrance to the underground passages, the blocks of leaves hiding the entrance now removed by villager axes.
“Look, our horses are still here.” Blaster whistled, and his alabaster mare came running to his side. He leapt up into the saddle and smiled down at his friend. “Where’s yours?”
“I’m sure it’s around here somewhere.”
Watcher scanned the area, but he wasn’t searching for his horse. And then he found who he was looking for: Planter was talking with Cutter, the two in a hushed discussion. The dark serpent of jealousy began stirring deep within his soul. He could feel it slithering past memories of Planter and Cutter laughing together or walking near each other or . . . anger bubbled up within him, making him want to scream. But coupled with these feeling was also a wave of fear. Am I going to lose her? Should I go up to her now? Cutter’s right there. What if he’s saying what I should be saying? Voices of doubt echoed through his mind as he stood there, paralyzed with fear.
And then someone pushed him forward. Watcher glanced over his shoulder and found his sister smiling at him, her blue eyes filled with hope.
Why do we fail? he thought. And then, a strange thing happened: Watcher refused to be afraid anymore. Fear was so familiar to him: fear of bullies, fear of not being accepted, fear of failure . . . all of it weighed down on his soul.
“No more!” he whispered. I must confront both Planter and Cutter. I have to know what’s going on, for real. He felt a strange, tingling warmth spread up his arms, making them feel lighter, somehow; it didn’t make any sense, but he couldn’t focus on that right now. He could focus on only one thing: Planter and Cutter.
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