“Or maybe it was courage?” Hunter said quietly.
Digger nodded his head, his green eyes finally bright with bravery. “I’d let Topper down when I wasn’t there for her. That wasn’t gonna happen with Tux.”
Squawk! the penguin added.
Digger reached down and patted the little animal on her fluffy head.
“But what good is digging gonna do? How will that get us back to the Overworld?” Gameknight said to the Oracle. “If we go back the way we came, we’d have to refuel the rocket, then fly back to where we started, which was on the sky islands of King Iago. And then we’d still need to use our Mystcraft linking book to get back to …”
“You forget, child, that we are still in the Twilight Forest.”
“What are you saying?” Crafter said as he stood and helped the sisters to their feet.
“I am so disappointed in all of you,” the old woman said. “You really should pay attention. You followed the first of the thirds into the Twilight Forest, remember?”
“Empech,” Stitcher chimed in.
“Exactly.” The Oracle’s scratchy voice sounded like sandpaper scraping against a piece of hard wood. “Then you went into the Ages of Mystcraft.”
“We used the books in that dungeon under the White Castle to follow him.” Weaver said, pointing at Entity303.
“That’s right,” the Oracle said. “You used the books to go to the different worlds in Mystcraft. Then you used the rocket ships to get out here in space.”
“So?” Hunter asked.
“So you’re still in the Twilight Forest. Everything has happened from inside that mod.” A huge grin spread across the Oracle’s wrinkled, square face.
Entity303 nodded. “Yep, she’s right. We’re still in the Twilight Forest mod. There are just other mods running inside that one.”
The old woman turned and faced Digger.
“Use your new pickaxes and dig up a four-by-four hole in the ground. Be careful not to fall in, as the void is on the other side.”
Digger pulled out his Ichorium picks and tossed one to Weaver. The purple taint had mostly disappeared, since the source of the disease, the Taintacles, was gone, but a small bit still lingered. Digger found an area far from the bruised ground and, with Weaver at his side, started to dig. Chips of gray stone flew into the air as the duo tore into the ground, the sparkling void slowly showing its terrifying face beneath the slabs. The two villagers carved out a square of sixteen blocks in total, then turned and looked expectantly at the Oracle.
“Now put a line of dirt blocks around the edge,” she said.
Crafter stepped forward. He pulled blocks of dirt from his inventory and walked to the hole. Moving carefully along the edge of the opening, he placed the brown blocks around the perimeter, leaving a two-by-two hole in the center. When he finished, he cast the Oracle a confused glance.
“Please fill the center with water, children,” the old woman said.
“I have water,” Herder said.
The lanky boy walked to the edge of the dirt with a bucket in his hands. He poured water onto the side of the dirt blocks and it spread partway across the opening. Then he pulled out more buckets and filled the remainder of the opening with the liquid so that there was a calm pool of water in the middle of the dirt.
“I see what you’re doing,” Gameknight said. “You’re making a portal.”
“Exactly,” the Oracle replied. “Now, my favorite part.”
She reached into her own inventory and pulled out a handful of tall sunflowers. She planted them in the cubes of dirt, the twelve tall plants all facing the same direction.
“We need one more thing,” she said.
“A diamond,” Gameknight said.
The Oracle nodded, her long gray hair waving back and forth.
“Does anyone have a diamond?” the User-that-is-not-a-user asked.
The companions glanced at one another, each holding out their hands, empty.
“I have one,” Entity303 said. “I was saving it for … I don’t know.”
“Perhaps you were saving it for this moment,” the Oracle said, her gray eyes shining bright.
Entity303 nodded, but looked uncertain. Gameknight could see the humbled expression on the user’s face, as if he were still seeking forgiveness. The user stepped forward and looked at his former enemies, clearly uncertain how to behave now. But with the shared experience they’d all had through the magic of the pechs’ magical weapons, these villagers were no longer his adversaries, but his comrades. It is impossible to be enemies when you understand another person’s hopes and fears and desires, the user had come to understand. Communication has a way of bringing people together, even when they are as different as NPCs and users.
Gameknight nodded to Entity303.
Crafter flashed the user a smile.
Digger’s bright green eyes approved.
They all understood what Entity303 had struggled with, for there were no more secrets amongst them.
Reaching into his inventory, the user pulled out a sparkling blue gem. It resembled a piece of ice and almost seemed to glow from within. He threw the diamond into the pool of water. Instantly, bright light filled the chamber as bolts of lightning stabbed down at the water, making it boil and froth. When the lightning faded, the water was now a sparkling purple instead of the translucent blue.
“How do we know when we jump in that we won’t just pass through the portal and end up in the void?” Entity303 asked.
Hunter leaned over and stared down into the pool. “He makes a good point.”
“I suppose you just need to have faith,” said the Oracle.
Gameknight moved to the edge of the portal and gazed down at the sparkling surface. Small purple particles floated about near the edge of the magical surface, floating away for a brief moment, only to be drawn back into its lavender pool again.
“I’ll go first,” Entity303 said. “If I hit the void, you’ll know because of my screams.”
Before anyone could stop him, he jumped into the portal and disappeared.
They heard no screams of anguish.
“You think he’s okay?” Hunter asked.
“I don’t know,” Gameknight said. “Let’s find out.”
With a determined expression on his square face, the User-that-is-not-a-user jumped into the portal and was instantly wrapped in chilling darkness.
CHAPTER 36
OMINOUS FOREST
The swirling blackness was icy cold, chilling Gameknight’s skin and almost numbing his body.
Is this the void? he thought.
Jolts of fear ignited his nerves, making him start to panic. But before he could utter a sound, he materialized in a gray forest, a pale, featureless sky stretched out overhead. Instantly, a sour, biting taste filled his mouth. He inhaled and tasted it again; it was as if he were breathing something putrid and rotten. Around him, colorless grass, dead trees, and crumbling plants covered the landscape. Even the air in this desolate place seemed to be decaying. Then he realized he was back in the Ominous Forest.
At his feet sat the portal that had taken them into the Twilight Forest, the sparkling purple membrane pulsing as if it were alive.
“It’s nighttime, we need to be cautious,” a voice said from behind him.
Gameknight turned and found Entity303 standing with the Ichorium sword in his hand. The dull orange glow of the sword pushed the monotone gray pall back a bit and added a warm hue to the poisoned, dying biome. More of his friends materialized around the portal, each relieved to be out of the inky-black darkness. The Oracle was the last to emerge from the portal, her aged frame seeming frail and tired. She looked as if she was in pain.
“Are you OK?” Gameknight asked.
She nodded. “The tear in the fabric of Minecraft is moving faster … it … hurts.”
“We need to hurry,” the User-that-is-not-a-user said. “We must get Weaver back into the past before this server fails. Entity303, which way?”
>
Gameknight999 glanced at the user and found him on one knee. Reaching out, he was running his hand through the gray grass. It crumbled under his touch, turning to ash.
Entity303 glanced around at the deteriorating landscape. “Did I do this to the land? What was I thinking?”
No one answered.
“Let’s deal with regrets later,” Hunter said. “Right now, we need to deal with Weaver.”
“Right.” Entity303 stood. “It’s to the east, come on.”
He took off running, the rest of the party following. Gameknight moved next to the Oracle, ready to reach out and help if needed. Crafter moved to her other side, then cast Gameknight a worried glance. The old woman’s skin was slowly losing its color, the wrinkles across her checks and neck becoming more pronounced. It was as if the tear in the fabric of Minecraft was somehow drawing on her life force. Even the wolves sensed her pain. They formed a circle of fur and fangs around the companions, the alpha male gently pushing Crafter aside so he could lope along at the Oracle’s side.
The growls of a direwolf floated across the landscape, followed by the clicking of spiders, but the companions ignored the sounds. They all knew time was their real enemy now, and the only weapon that would help them was speed.
They wove their way through the desolate forest, the leafless trees like giant wooden skeletons watching them pass in silence. Suddenly, a huge group of spiders sprang out of the shadows. Gameknight noticed their eyes were now red again, instead of the green he’d seen in the planets of Galacticraft.
The wolves immediately fell on the fuzzy monsters, driving them back, but the spiders had superior numbers. Hunter and Stitcher stopped and fired upon the fuzzy giants, their arrows piercing the spiders’ black, hairy bodies. Spiders screeched in pain, but they were not the only ones injured; wolves yelped as well.
“Keep going,” Hunter said. “The wolves and Stitcher will help me take care of the spiders.”
“I’m staying too,” Herder said as he drew his Ichorium sword and charged into the battle. “We’ll catch up with you. RUN!”
Gameknight didn’t look back. He was worried about his friends, but he knew they could take care of themselves. The TWANG of their bows and the growls of the wolves grew softer as they continued to sprint toward the portal that would save all of Minecraft … if they got there in time.
The ground suddenly shook; it felt like an earthquake, but instead of the ground just shaking, it seemed to moan as well. A bright crack split the sky overhead, letting blinding light leak through the fissure. The sky tried to seal back up over the gash, but it just grew, stretching farther toward the horizon.
“What was that?” Crafter asked.
Gameknight stumbled and fell to the ground as the surface of the Overworld lurched under his feet. The Oracle fell to one knee, groaning in pain.
“It is beginning,” the old woman said. “We have little time.”
The User-that-is-not-a-user stood while Crafter helped the Oracle to her feet. They all glanced upward. Gameknight’s mouth went dry as he stared up at the wound spreading slowly across the sky.
“Hurry,” the Oracle said, her voice getting weak.
They kept running, following Entity303 across the dying landscape. In the distance, another biome was peeking past the dead trees and gray, dried bushes, but it was still too far to identify through the gray haze.
Finally, the companions reached the edge of the decaying wasteland. It was as if a gray and dusty funeral shroud that had covered the last biome was pulled away, revealing the next biome … a parched desert. When they passed into the new terrain, the dry, smoldering air slammed into each of them like a punch to the chest. But the dry sands and oppressive heat were a welcome relief to the decaying stench of the Ominous Forest, and now Gamenight999 could breathe without that acidic, vile-tasting air in his mouth.
They sprinted across the desert, not bothering to stay hidden. Zombies moved about across the pale sands, their sorrowful moans adding to the clicking of the spiders that hid behind the dunes. When the zombies spotted the party of villagers and users running across the dunes, they turned and pursued, their shuffling legs moving slowly. Their angry growls alerted the other monsters in the area, drawing all the hostile mobs within earshot to their position. Soon, all the monsters in the desert seemed to be heading directly for them.
Beyond the next dune, a silvery light seemed to paint the desert with a flickering illumination. When Entity303 reached the top of the sandy hill, he stopped.
“There it is,” he said, pointing at a rectangle of diamond blocks, a shining film of silver filling the opening. “I’ll stay back here and keep the monsters away,” Entity303 said.
“Me too,” Crafter drew his sword and turned to face the approaching host of monsters. “I think I’ll stay here with our new friend, Entity303.” The young villager turned toward Gameknight999. “You know, he’s very much like you. He started off like a griefer, just like you did, and now he’s fighting to save Minecraft … how ironic.” He patted Entity303 on the back, then nodded to the big villager. “Digger, go with them. Make sure they make it to the portal. That’s all that matters now!”
“Go, child,” the Oracle said, her scratchy voice soft but firm. “We will give you enough time … now go!”
She gripped her cane like a sword, then moved toward the first zombie. The decaying monster swiped its claws at the old woman, but she was much faster than anyone expected. She ducked, struck at the monster, then moved to its side and hit it again and again, her cane flashing bright with each attack. The monster flashed red each time it was hit until it disappeared with a pop. All of the companions stood and stared, stunned by her prowess in battle.
“GO!” she shouted, then turned and faced a spider, now with Crafter and Entity303 at her side. Behind the spider, more monsters were approaching.
“Digger, take him … now!” Crafter shouted.
The stocky NPC grabbed Gameknight’s arm and pulled him away from the battle. They ran down the hill, heading straight for the diamond portal that shone in the darkness. Gameknight sprinted as fast as he could go, with Weaver just a pace or two ahead. Digger was a few paces behind, but the sound of his heavy boots pounding the sand was reassuring.
The sound of battle filled the air behind them, with monsters screeching out in pain and swords clashing with claws and fangs, but the User-that-is-not-a-user knew he couldn’t stop or even look back. If he saw his friends in trouble, he’d want to go back and help. But that was not his job. Right now, his only task was to get Weaver through that portal.
Suddenly, the ground shook again, this time much more violently. A huge fissure opened beneath Gameknight999 and Weaver, causing the duo to stumble for a moment. Then the ground just disappeared, throwing the two of them into open air.
Dropping his sword, the User-that-is-not-a-user reached out and grabbed Weaver’s wrist as they tumbled through the air. Their forward momentum carried them to the opposite side of the newly-formed ravine as they fell, hitting the far side four blocks below the top. Gameknight, fortunately, landed on a single block of stone that stuck out from the sheer wall of the ravine. The impact nearly knocked the wind from his chest, making him see stars for a moment, his head reeling. Every part of his body ached, with pain on top of pain, but he refused to loosen his grip. He held onto Weaver’s hand as if the boy’s life depended on it … and it did—the NPC was dangling over the edge.
Below, the deep fissure was slowly filling with lava. Waves of heat and ash wafted up from the liquid inferno, reminding both of them of the precariousness of their position. The only thing keeping Weaver from falling into the boiling stone was Gameknight’s grip.
“Weaver, are you OK?” the User-that-is-not-a-user asked.
“I can’t hold on for much longer,” the boy replied.
“No, you hold on, I’ll pull you up.”
Using every ounce of his strength, the User-that-is-not-a-user tried to lift his friend, but the s
print through the forest and the desert, and the impact when they fell, had left him drained. He pulled harder, trying to raise the boy just enough so that he could get his hand on the edge … but he lacked the strength.
I can’t do it, Gameknight thought. I don’t have the strength to lift him. What am I gonna do?
“No … not again … NOT AGAIN!” a booming voice said from the other side of the fissure.
Digger was standing on the far side of the ravine, at least six blocks away … an impossible distance to jump in Minecraft.
“Digger, you can’t make that jump … it’s impossible,” Gameknight said.
“I refuse to be too late this time!” the stocky NPC said. “I was too late to save my Topper, too late to save those villagers on Diona, and my lack of courage almost caused Tux to get hurt. I won’t let it happen again. I’m not losing you, too!”
Digger grumbled something else, then started taking off his Ichorium armor. He cast the softly glowing metal aside, then dumped the contents of his inventory on the ground, everything. In the dim lighting, Gameknight couldn’t quite make out everything he was doing; it seemed as if he was putting something back on, but the User-that-is-not-a-user couldn’t tell for sure.
“Just hold on!” Digger shouted, then sprinted toward the edge of the crevasse.
“Digger, you can’t make it … nooooo!”
But the big NPC didn’t stop. He sprinted to the edge of the huge ravine, then leapt into the emptiness, his voice filling the air as he yelled, “FOR TOPPER!”
Slowly, gravity reached out with its relentless hand and pulled the big villager downward. Suddenly, Digger leaned forward and a pair of Elytra wings hidden behind his broad shoulders snapped open. The wings gave him enough lift to just barely make it across the chasm. He slammed into the opposite wall and slid downward, landing right next to Gameknight999.
“Digger, that was incredible,” Gameknight said, but the big NPC did not reply, just reached down and grabbed Weaver’s wrist. Lifting him as if he weighed nothing, Digger pulled him onto the block, then hoisted him up on top of his shoulders.
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