THE TAINT
Entity303 hovered in the air, staring down at the monsters clustering together in the dungeon entrance. Spiders, zombies, skeletons, and creepers all stared up at him with hungry eyes.
Reaching into his inventory, the user drank a potion of night vision. Instantly, the details of the room below came in to clear focus. It was a large, square room with a circular hole in the ceiling, the opening stretching up all the way to the surface of Diona. In the corners of the chamber, he could make out the telltale signs of spawners: the faintly glowing embers dancing about their edges.
He lowered himself a bit and glared at the monsters below him.
“At one time, you were all villagers,” the evil user said. “But thanks to my Taint virus, now look at you. If only you could remember your past lives a bit, then maybe this would be more terrible. Ha ha ha.”
He slowly descended into the dungeon, but when he was just within the chamber, Entity303 activated his jet pack and flew through the room. Soaring along the ceiling, he shot into the next passage, staying out of reach of the mobs below.
“Sorry, but I don’t have time to play with you,” Entity303 said with a sneer. “I’m getting impatient and want the destruction of Minecraft to start. And to do that, I need to get farther into outer space.”
He sped along the ceiling of the dungeon, the gray bricks that made up the walls, floor, and ceiling zooming by as he rocketed through the structure. Weaving around the occasional block of spider’s web, he made it through the passages of the Diona dungeon in record time.
Slowly he settled to the ground as he approached the Boss chamber. Within the room were three creatures: one was one of those strange pechs, his gigantic backpack colored a deep blue. Nearby stood a female villager and her child. Likely, these were the sole survivors from the virus he used to infect this planet a while ago.
Most of the chamber was brightly lit, the floor and ceiling made of brilliant white quartz, but the walls were now a sickly purple color, like a bad bruise. In some places, the dark stain from his virus had already faded to the gray, lifeless brick he’d seen in the rest of the dungeon, while some of the pristine white quartz struggled against the relentless viral caress of the Taint.
“Ahh … I see my virus is finishing its job here,” Entity303 said with a smile.
The pech turned and glanced at the evil user for just an instant, an enchanted pickaxe in his small, three-fingered hands, but then turned back to face the purple bruise that was slowly devouring more of the white blocks. The gray gnome was using his pick to break the tainted blocks and replace them with new blocks of quartz, but he couldn’t keep up. The pech zoomed across the chamber, repairing damage here and there as the mother and her child stood in the center of the room, terrified.
“You seem like you’re having fun, so I don’t want to disturb you,” Entity303 said with a smile.
“Wait, help us,” the woman said. “Please, take my son and save him from this terrible thing. Please …”
“Now why would I want to do that, villager?” the user said. “I was the one who planted this virus here. This was my creation. I would hate to intervene; it is inevitable.”
He then turned toward the little gnome.
“I see the developers put you here to try and stop my taint,” Entity303 said to the pech. “Good luck with that. This virus, like the last one, is based on artificial intelligence. It will learn what you are doing, then take advantage of your weakness. You cannot win. You might as well just surrender to your fate.”
“Never. I’ll not give up,” the pech said with a hurried voice, his staccato words short and fast. “I see the truth in your words. You overestimate your disease. I will not yield.”
“Yeah … well, we’ll see about that,” Entity303 said with a smile. “Resistance is futile, but I’ll leave you to your pointless attempts. It’s only a matter of time until the virus destroys the last of this planet. Soon, all of the planets will be obliterated, but you won’t be around to see that. My Taint will destroy this chamber and the last bit of Diona as the developers of Minecraft intended it, and then the virus will also destroy you. Don’t worry, it won’t be fast. I’ve been told when the Taint finally infects a living creature, the transformation is quite painful. But rest assured, you won’t be gone—the last one of you will be changed into a three-headed creeper boss. Then, you will do my bidding.”
“Never!” the pech said as he smashed a purple block and replaced it with quartz, then dashed to another spot in the room that was fading to purple.
“I leave you to your hopeless task,” Entity303 said with a smirk. “But before I go, I will help myself to what’s in the chest in the treasure room. You see, I left those items there long ago so I could finish the destruction of Minecraft.”
He laughed again, then floated into the air and drifted across the chamber, careful not to touch any of the infected walls. When he reached the passage that led to the treasure room, he glanced one more time at the pech. The little creature was putting up a magnificent fight, but one creature was just not enough to hold off the virus from all sides. Eventually, his Taint would win and the last remnants of life on this planet would be erased and replaced with monsters.
Satisfied with himself, Entity303 streaked through the passage and entered the treasure room. Kneeling, he carefully opened the old wooden box, not needing a key since the locking mechanism would not engage until the transformation of the planet was complete. Reaching in, he pulled out some large rocket engines, pieces of hardened hull plating, and the plans for a tier-eight rocket. That single piece of paper would give him access to the outer planets of the Sirius solar system, where the destruction of Minecraft would begin.
Closing the lid, he drew his yellow-glowing pickaxe. With all his strength, he brought it down onto the chest, shattering it into a million pieces.
“Ha! Now the chest won’t be spawned when the virus has finished with this planet.” Entity303 looked at the flat side of the metallic tool, seeing his warped reflection in the pick. He smiled. “Let’s see what you do, Gameknight999, without a tier-eight rocket schematic. You’ll get here and you’ll find nothing that can help you follow me deeper into outer space.”
He smiled as he reached down and picked up a few ingots of iron.
“You’ll be forced to watch the destruction of Minecraft from this lifeless planet, your failure complete. I hope you have just enough oxygen left to see the fabric of Minecraft tear itself to shreds.”
He looked at the gray walls that had already been transformed. In a few places the purple stain of the taint was still fading from the walls and corners, the white quartz just finishing the transformation.
“I wish I could be here to see your face, Gameknight999, when you realize you’re trapped, you’ve lost, and there is nothing you can do to save Minecraft.”
With a smile, he soared to the ceiling and dug his way back to the surface, now one step closer to completing his mission.
CHAPTER 20
THE THIRD
They dropped into the shadowy dungeon, the light of their enchanted weapons the only thing to push back the darkness … as well as their fear. As before, Gameknight and Digger ran along the perimeter of the room, searching for spawners. Herder and Weaver darted between spider claws and skeleton arrows, placing glowstone torches on the ground, with Herder placing the glowing sticks while Weaver fought back the monsters, protecting his lanky, young friend. Hunter and Stitcher filled the air around the two youngsters with arrows, making the monsters think twice before attacking.
Digger and Gameknight shattered the two spawners in less than a minute while most of the mobs were focused on Herder and Weaver. The monsters, sensing they would not be joined by any more of their brothers and sisters, tried to flee the room, but Hunter and Stitcher stood in the passage, blocking their escape. A hail of arrows fell on the creatures while Gameknight and Digger—mostly Gameknight—attacked the creatures from behind. Unsure where to attack,
the monsters clustered in a tight circle and fought for their lives.
Crafter, Weaver, and Herder added their blades to the attack, encircling the mobs. With no place to run, and escape seeming impossible, the monsters fought harder, pushing the NPCs back. A zombie claw found Hunter’s arm, a skeleton arrow embedded itself in Herder’s shoulder, and a spider’s claw tore into Crafter’s leg. The monsters battled with renewed strength; clearly, they knew there would be no surrender in this conflict.
Suddenly, Empech and Forpech were there. They threw splash potions of healing on their comrades, but also on the zombies. The decaying green monsters flashed red as the liquid poisoned them, sucking away at their HP until they disappeared with a pop. With the zombies gone, the balance of power had shifted.
“Close in, don’t let any escape!” Gameknight shouted.
The villagers pushed forward, slashing at spiders and skeletons. With the monsters pressed in a tight group, their ability to fight was drastically reduced. They fell before the storm of swords and arrows until the last of the monsters finally disappeared.
Gameknight breathed a sigh of relief; no one had been seriously hurt.
“Must hurry, yes, yes,” Empech said. “There is little time.”
The wolves howled from within their space helmets, somehow sensing the urgency of the situation.
“Hmmm … Empech is correct, there is no time for battle,” Forpech added. “Speed is more important than fighting.”
“Yes, yes,” Empech added.
“OK, we run through the chambers. Crafter, you lead with the pechs. Just run through the rooms and don’t stop,” Gameknight said. “I’ll take the rear. Digger, I want you with me. We’ll make sure none of the monsters think it’s a good idea to follow us.”
“Are you sure you want me?” the stocky NPC asked.
Gameknight nodded. “I need you by my side, old friend. For some reason, I feel as if there is something we must do together. I don’t know what it is, a premonition, or maybe it’s Minecraft telling me something … I don’t know. It’s like when the Oracle used to plant thoughts in my head to give me hints about what to do.”
“The Oracle?” Digger asked.
“That’s right, you don’t know about the Oracle, do you?” Gameknight said.
Digger shook his head, confused.
“You would have liked her,” Gameknight continued. “She was …”
“Must hurry, yes, yes,” Empech insisted.
“Sorry, let’s go,” the User-that-is-not-a-user said. “We run.”
They sprinted through the tunnel, Crafter leading the way, Weaver placing glowstone torches on the walls, and Herder chopping at the cubes of spider web that blocked their way. The wolves howled and growled, sensing a battle, their space helmets muffling their voices a bit.
When they reached the next chamber, it was filled with spiders.
“To the left!” Crafter shouted.
The group darted through the room, not even slowing to strike at any of the monsters. By the time Gameknight and Digger had reached the room, the monsters were trying to block their way, denying the two friends an exit.
“Digger … JUMP!”
Both of them leapt up into the low Dionian gravity, soaring over the heads of the black, fuzzy monsters. Before the spiders knew what had happened, they were gone.
“Digger, slow down,” Gameknight said.
With his two swords held before him, the User-that-is-not-a-user turned and walked backward, waiting for the spider attack; he didn’t need to wait long. A wave of monsters charged at him. Fortunately, the passage had narrowed, and was only wide enough for two monsters to stand shoulder to shoulder.
“Digger, I need you!” Gameknight shouted.
He was battling two of the fuzzy monsters, his swords flashing through the air like lightning.
“Digger … now.”
Pain exploded in his arm as one of the spiders landed a hit. Gameknight shouted out in agony.
“Digger …”
Gameknight dodged to the left, narrowly avoiding a wicked, curved claw, then slashed at the spider to the right. He blocked an attack with his iron sword, then struck with his diamond blade. The monster flashed red one last time, then expired. He turned to confront the last spider, but the creature chose the better part of valor and let the intruders continue down the passage, rather than continuing the fight.
Gameknight turned and found Digger standing frozen behind him, his face white as a ghast’s.
“Where were you?” Gameknight asked. “I needed you.”
“I’m so afraid … I’m always so afraid,” Digger moaned. “I couldn’t save my daughter, Topper, and you expect me to save you. I can’t do it. I can’t do anything.” He lowered his gaze to the gray brick floor. “I should never have come with you. I’ll just end up getting someone killed … like Topper.”
“Digger, I have faith in you,” Gameknight said. “You won’t get anyone hurt. We’re all here because we know Minecraft needs us. We need to work together so we can stop Entity303’s plans.”
“But you wanted to leave us all behind.”
Gameknight sighed. “I know. I wrestle with the same fear: getting all of you hurt on this insane quest. But I know one thing for sure now … I need you at my side. All you need is faith in yourself.”
“That’s not likely to happen anytime soon.”
“Digger, when I was younger, I—”
“HURRY UP, YOU TWO!” Hunter shouted.
“Come on,” Gameknight said. “We have friends to protect.”
He slapped the stocky NPC on the shoulder, then took off running, Digger following behind. They found the party waiting for them before the next chamber.
“GO!” Gameknight shouted.
The group shot through the next chamber, then the next and the next. A few monsters tried to slow them, but when they were running at full speed, the group was difficult to stop. The wolves learned they could use their helmets as battering rams, and collided into the monsters, taking them off their feet. This let them move even faster, with the white, furry animals and their sensitive eyes leading the charge.
In minutes, they made it through all the rooms and passages, and now approached the boss chamber. The pechs moved to the edge of the room and stopped.
“Oh no!” Empech shrieked.
“Nooo …” Forpech growled in a deep voice.
Crafter ran to their side and skidded to a stop.
“What’s happening?” the young NPC cried.
“The pain … I can feel Minecraft’s agony,” Empech moaned.
“What is it?” Gameknight asked as he and Digger moved to the front of the column.
He was shocked at what he saw. Another pech stood at the center of the chamber, standing on a small circle of quartz. Next to him stood a villager woman and her son. The two NPCs clutched each other tightly, terror painted on their square faces. Surrounding the three of them was a sickly, diseased-looking dark stain moving closer and closer towards them. It was a dark purple, like the color of obsidian, but sickly and dirty somehow. The contaminated blocks were something Gameknight had seen before in Minecraft. It was the Taint. This was part of a mod called Thaumcraft, but this seemed much worse, and likely deadly to the touch.
The pech had dug up a number of the purple infected blocks and was replacing them with new pieces of quartz, his large blue backpack shifting about on his back. He dug as fast as he could, trying to keep the tainted blocks at bay, but he couldn’t dig fast enough; he was losing the battle. In minutes, they’d be consumed by the taint, and Gameknight999 couldn’t think of any way to help the doomed creature.
“Where’s the Diona Boss?” Herder asked.
“The destruction of this world is not complete.” Empech wiped away tears as he stared at the embattled peck. “When the Taint claims its last victims, it will create the boss, yes, yes.”
“We have to get them out of there.” Gameknight stepped into the chamber and stared at the
villagers, struggling to come up with a solution.
“If we could somehow use a rope, maybe we could pull them out,” Weaver said.
“But leads only work with animals,” Herder said.
Suddenly, the puzzle pieces began to tumble around in Gameknight’s head. Not a rope, but a fishing line, Gameknight thought. But who would be strong enough to lift it? His eyes then fell upon Digger.
“I know how to save them, but we must act quickly,” the User-that-is-not-a-user explained. “Empech, can your fishing pole lift their weight?”
“Of course, my fishing pole is magically enhanced, yes, yes. It will hold their weight.”
“Good,” Gameknight replied. “Then all we need is someone strong enough to lift them once they are snagged by the hook.”
“Whomever does this, will feel the pain the target feels,” Empech said. “They must be more than just physically strong. It is emotionally draining as well. This person must not be afraid, or the magic in the fishing pole will consume them.”
Gameknight glanced at Digger. “You’re the only one strong enough to do this.”
The stocky NPC stared at the embattled pech, then looked back at Gameknight999.
“I don’t know if I can …”
“Digger, we have no choice,” Gameknight said. “We must act now, before it’s too late.”
The big NPC turned back to the three besieged people within the ring of deadly purple Tainted blocks, then turned to Empech. The little, gray gnome had the fishing pole in his hands and extended it to the villager, an expression of fear in the pech’s crystalline blue eyes.
Herder moved to the edge of the purple circle and quickly built a set of steps out of cobblestone that extended a few blocks into the air, then added a platform, allowing Digger to get up higher, making the lift easier. He extended the platform over the tainted blocks. Instantly, the cobblestone started to turn purple, somehow infected by the Taint spreading across the ground. Herder quickly shattered the block and stepped back.
Digger sighed then took the fishing pole from the magical creature’s hands. He moved to the edge of the tainted circle, then stepped away as the sickly stain seemed to ooze toward him.
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