The Wither Invasion

by Mark Cheverton

  “He’s insane,” Kobael whispered. “If he destroys too much, he’ll destabilize Minecraft. The Pyramid of Servers could collapse, destroying the entire Minecraft universe.” The tiny wither moved into the foliage of a tree and peeked out between the branches. Many of the withers were beginning the destruction already, firing their flaming skulls at the forest beneath them. “He must be stopped, or it’ll mean the death of everything.”

  I know what I must do, Kobael thought. I must warn the remaining wizards and the other NPCs, even if it means my death. Hopefully, I can tell the villagers Krael’s plan before they attack me. And then an idea popped up within his mind. Yes, maybe she can help … but will she?

  It was his only hope.

  Slowly descending to the ground, Kobael flew under the leafy canopy, staying out of sight as he headed to the east, searching for the NPC wizards and their army, and likely his death.

  It was dark. The moon was directly overhead, but clouds were masking the light from its lunar face, making the Far Lands darker than usual, which was perfect for monsters. Watcher moved slowly through the birch forest, his head turning to the left and right, searching for threats. He’d heard many creatures of the night lurking about, their muffled growls and moans easy to hear in the quietude of the forest. Without the iron wolves with him, Watcher would have had to battle groups of spiders, zombies, and skeletons. That wasn’t much of a concern, for his weapons and armor were enough to protect him; his worry was that one of the monsters might spot him and report it to Krael. Watcher knew the wither king thought he was dead, and he didn’t want to spoil the surprise he had in mind for that terrible monster.

  Pain-filled whispers echoed through his head; Krael was likely destroying another village. Fortunately, the blocking stone from Mira was still doing its job; he could barely hear the shouts of agony.

  Great … more villagers perishing, and I can’t do anything to help them. Rage filled Watcher’s soul, pushing the terrified whispers of despair into the dark recesses of his mind, making them almost inaudible.

  Up ahead, the forest biome was ending, the dark green grass covering the rolling hills beyond it almost black in the darkness.

  “Woof,” a nearby wolf said. Watcher pulled on the reins of the mule and moved next to a tree, using it for cover. He glanced down at Fixit where the mechite sat firmly on the silver animal’s back. Fixit raised his arm and removed his hand, then attached a sharp knife to the empty wrist socket. He pointed the blade to the right, then gave Watcher a series of squeaks and soft whistles.

  “I wish I understood you, but I don’t. I’m guessing the wolves smelled something that way?” Watcher pointed to the right.

  Fixit nodded his tiny head, his fine, silvery locks of hair bouncing like strands of taut wire.

  “Are they moving toward us?”

  The mechite shook his head.

  “Are they going away?”

  He shook it again.

  “So, they’ve stopped nearby?”

  Fixit nodded vigorously.

  “Well, we can’t just sit here and wait for them to leave, and we certainly can’t cross the open grasslands with an unknown force nearby.” He glanced down at the mechite again. “We need to go see who they are. I think everyone should be armed and ready for battle, just in case we stumble into some hostile mobs.”

  Fixit nodded, then gave off a series of soft whistles. The other wolves moved silently through the forest and gathered at Watcher’s side as each mechite fixed blades to their wrists.

  Watcher jumped off the mule, holding the animal’s lead in his hand. Pulling a wooden fence post from his inventory, he planted it into the ground, then attached the rope to it. The mule peered at Watcher with its deep brown eyes.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll be back.”

  The animal nuzzled his soft, gray nose against Watcher’s neck. Patting the animal gently on the neck, the young wizard turned and stalked through the forest. Dried leaves and sticks cracked under his feet, each sound causing the wolves to glance at him, annoyed expressions on their steely faces. He tried to be stealthy like the wolves, but it was difficult even to see the forest floor in the darkness.

  Just then, the clouds overhead drifted apart from where they’d been clustered in front of the moon, allowing the lunar body to bathe the landscape in its silvery light. Faint shadows stretched out from the base of the trees, giving the forest floor a striped appearance. Watcher placed himself within one of these shadows, hoping to remain unseen by whatever was out there.

  A stick cracked up ahead. Hushed voices whispered something, but the sounds were difficult to identify; were they monsters or villagers? Watcher pulled out the wizard’s cloak and put it on. Gathering his magic, he sent his power into the glimmering cloth, letting it wrap around him. A tingling sensation, like a thousand microscopic spiders crawling across his skin, spread all over his body as he became invisible again. Fixit glanced up at Watcher, then nodded and smiled.

  Quietly, Watcher drew Needle from his inventory.

  I hope the glow from the magical blade is also hidden by the cloak. For a moment, Watcher considered putting the sword away, but in the end, he kept it out; he’d rather take the risk and be ready for an attack … just in case.

  More voices came from off to the right; they were deep and rumbly. Was that a zombie?

  He stared into the dim forest, hoping to see something. A moment later, a shape moved from tree to tree, as if trying to remain unseen. Watcher moved toward it, his nerves stretched to their limit. More sticks cracked, behind him this time … he was surrounded.

  Watcher stopped in the shadow of a tree and turned, looking for enemies. A dark shape moved closer. It’s completely black; it must be an enderman. The dark creature kept coming closer, skulking through the shadows and trying to remain hidden. Nearby, the wolves remained still and silent, waiting for Watcher to give the word to attack. Slowly, the young wizard raised his sword over his head, ready to strike as the shadowy creature came closer and closer until … a smile crept across the dark face.

  “You know, that invisible cape doesn’t stop you from casting shadows.” The creature reached up and pulled off a dark helmet, revealing Watcher’s friend, Blaster. “You should be more careful.”

  When he got over his shock, Watcher reached out and hugged his friend, a confused expression on the boy’s face.

  “Oh, sorry.” The young wizard pulled his magic from the cloak; instantly, he rematerialized. “Where are the others?”

  “This way.” Blaster walked off, not waiting for a reply. “We’ve been searching the woods for you, so everyone’ll be glad you’ve returned. We were all afraid you were … you know.”

  Watcher smiled and patted his friend on the back, nodding. “Wait, I need to get my trusty mount.”

  “You mean that crusty old mule? Set it free; that creature is of no use to us.”

  “Are you kidding?” Watcher laughed. “That ‘crusty old mule’ saved my life. He stays with me.”

  Watcher ran back to where the animal was tied up, then rode it to Blaster. By now, the wolves were clustered around the young boy, all the metallic animals wagging their tails. “Where to?”

  “This way.” Blaster turned and ran through the forest, weaving his way around the trees, moving as quietly as the wolves. Behind him, the mule’s hooves pounded the ground as it galloped clumsily through the forest. Watcher was certain everyone could hear him coming, which was good; he wouldn’t want to startle an archer and get an arrow through his head.

  He found the NPCs clustered together in a group at the edge of the forest. Obsidian golems patrolled the perimeter, their dark shapes difficult to see, even in full moonlight.

  “Watcher’s back!” someone shouted.

  The young wizard dismounted and was enveloped by a cheering crowd.

  “Hey, keep your voices down,” Cutter growled as he pushed through the crowd and wrapped his huge arms around the young wizard in a gigantic hug; it was hard for Watc
her to breathe. “We all heard the explosions and thought Krael got you.”

  Cutter released his grip, allowing Watcher to suck in a lungful of air.

  “I never thought that.” Planter pushed through the crowd of villagers and stood in front of Watcher. “You’re much too stubborn to get killed before the last battle even begins.” She smiled at him, for the first time in a long time, then lowered her voice angrily. “You had me terrified.” She punched him in the chest, her fist making the young wizard’s diamond armor ring like a bell; the NPCs laughed. “Don’t ever do that again.”

  Before Watcher could reply, she turned and stormed off.

  “I can see everything is back to normal with you two,” Blaster said with a smile. “Did the wither king take the bait?”

  Watcher nodded. “Yep. He thinks he killed me, so now we have a small advantage.”

  “I hope it evens the odds a bit.” Mapper stood behind the young wizard, his voice shaking nervously. “He has a lot of monsters with him; we need every advantage we can get.”

  Watcher turned and nodded at the old man in agreement, then reached out and grasped his wrinkled hand. “We’ll be alright.”

  “If you say so,” Mapper replied doubtfully.

  “Don’t worry, Mapper.” Blaster smiled. “With Watcher back, Krael will be no problem.”

  Fencer suddenly pushed through the crowd and stepped in front of the old man, facing Blaster. “Blaster, you’re back. I was so worried you had run into some monsters and they’d taken you away from me.”

  “I could only hope.” Blaster rolled his eyes.

  “Oh, don’t say that.” She took him by the arm and led the boy away.

  Blaster just glared helplessly at Watcher as the young wizard laughed again, enjoying his friend’s misery.

  “Cutter, why are you just waiting here on the edge of the forest?” Watcher moved to the edge of the grasslands and peered across the wide clearing. Nothing was moving out there.

  “We were waiting for the moon to come out from behind the clouds.” The big warrior moved to his side. “Being out in the open and not being able to see the withers seemed like a bad idea.”

  “I agree.” The young wizard nodded. “But the moon’s out … let’s get moving.”

  “Right.” Cutter drew his diamond sword and waved it over his head.

  Instantly, a silvery wave of wolves charged forward across the rolling hills, spreading out into a giant V-shaped formation. Behind them, the villagers moved forward, followed by the golems at the rear. As soon as he crested the first large hill, Watcher spotted a village in the distance. Warm yellow light flickered between the buildings, the torches trying to keep monsters from spawning nearby.

  The company crossed the grassy clearing and entered the village just as someone started banging on an iron chest plate with a sword, sounding the alarm.

  The wolves and golems formed a ring of iron around the village, the obsidian giants following Mirthrandos as Watcher and his troop drew their weapons and headed to the center of the community. There they found an NPC standing next to the village’s well, banging on his armor with a sword.

  Watcher put away his weapons and held up his hands. “You don’t need an alarm. We’re here in peace.”

  As he spoke, villagers burst out of the wooden structures, each fully clad in armor with weapons in their hands. Archers appeared upon rooftops, their pointed shafts aimed at the grasslands surrounding the village. An NPC with a black leather tunic dangling across his brown smock approached Watcher; he was clearly the village blacksmith.

  “What do you want here?” Blacksmith asked.

  “We’re here to warn you. There is a huge army of monsters and withers likely heading this way. You stand no chance of surviving any attack.” Watcher waved his arms over his head, signaling for his people to put away their weapons. “They’ve already destroyed many villages, and yours will probably be next.”

  “We can defend our community.” Blacksmith scowled at Watcher. “A bunch of strangers aren’t going to make us leave our village. This has been our home for generations, and—”

  A panicked and terrified voice suddenly filled the air. “Run! They’re coming! Everyone, run!”

  A young villager with a tattered and ripped red smock streaked into the village. He ran right up to Cutter and grabbed his arm. “They destroyed my village. Everyone is dead, and those monsters aren’t stopping for anything.”

  Cutter grabbed him with his two meaty hands and shook the NPC, trying to get him to calm down. “Slow down and tell us what happened.”

  The NPC slowed his breathing and calmed himself, then said, “Monsters attacked our village. There were at least forty of them, if not more. I’ve never seen groups of different monsters work together before, but they acted as if they were all part of the same village or clan, or whatever monsters have.”

  Watcher turned to the terrified villager. “Were there any withers or distorted monsters that looked as if they came out of a nightmare?”

  The villager noticed Watcher’s glowing arms and a look of surprise spread across his dusty face.

  “Don’t worry about me,” Watcher said in a calm voice. “It’s safe. Tell us what you know.”

  “No, I didn’t see any withers, just regular monsters … you know, spiders, zombies, skeletons …” The villager took a bottle of water that was offered and drank, then continued. “But the strange thing is, the monsters were all saying something about krill or kale or … I don’t know, but they all were saying it, and—”

  “It was Krael.” Watcher’s voice was soft, a touch of fear to it.

  The villager nodded, eyes wide. “Yeah, that’s it. How did you know?”

  Watcher turned to the blacksmith. “Krael is the king of the withers, and he’s the one leading all these monsters. They want to wipe all our villages off the map and take the world for themselves.”

  “That sounds like something out of the Great War,” the muscular Blacksmith said.

  Watcher just nodded. “That’s exactly what it is. If you and your people stay here, you’re doomed.” He took a step toward Blacksmith and held his arms up for all to see. “I’m a wizard, and so are Planter and Mirthrandos.” He pointed the other two out. “We’re gathering every NPC we can find and heading for the Wizard’s Tower. It is there where we’ll make our stand. You need to evacuate your village, and everyone must come with us. There’s no other option.”

  “The monsters completely overwhelmed our village.” The young NPC wiped away tears with a torn red sleeve. “When I saw it was hopeless, I ran, but I can still hear the screams in my mind. The rest of the village stayed and fought, including my parents.” He started to weep. “But they didn’t stand a chance.” The young boy looked up at Watcher. “I’m a coward.”

  “It is not cowardice to save one’s life.” Er-Lan stepped forward, scaring most of the villagers when they saw he was a zombie.

  Watcher held up his hands to calm them, and put an arm around the zombie’s shoulders, showing he was a friend.

  Er-Lan moved closer to the young boy and put a clawed hand on his shoulder reassuringly. “Sometimes bravery and sacrifice can lead to a pointless death. Life is too precious to just let it go to waste. There are times when it is better to run, rather than throwing one’s life away.”

  “And there’s also times when you need to stand and fight, that is, if you trust the villagers you’re fighting with.” Cutter glared at the young zombie, his voice booming through the village. “Warriors must be able to trust those with them in battle. You can’t just run away because life is too precious. Sometimes you need to hold the line. I’d expect every NPC to know that, but I’m not surprised a zombie doesn’t.”

  “Obviously, both of you are right.” Watcher moved between Cutter and Er-Lan, hoping his presence would lessen the tension. “It’s clear Krael is recruiting more monsters to his banner, and it’s likely they’ll be here soon.” He glanced around at the villagers, many of them chi
ldren. “I think it would be bad if he caught us here. It’s best if all of you come with us, really. We have safety in numbers, and when we get back to the Wizard’s Tower, we’ll be safe.”

  “Safe?” the refugee asked.

  “Well … safer than here. I don’t think any place is safe while Krael and his monster army are lurking around.” Watcher glanced at the village leader. “We need to move, fast. Have your people gather all the food, potions, weapons, and armor you have; we’re leaving.”

  “But this is our home,” the blacksmith said, his voice now just a whisper.

  “It’ll be your grave if you stay,” Blaster said.

  Planter punched the boy in the shoulder. “Try to be just a little sensitive, if you can.”

  He shook his head, the black curls bouncing about like shadowy springs. “Nope … can’t do it.” He gave her a smile, which she didn’t return.

  “What do you say? If any of you want to come with us and live, then collect only what you need. You have two minutes.”

  With a sigh, the blacksmith nodded, then turned and headed for his home, the other NPCs doing the same. Blaster moved to Watcher’s side, Fencer following along, of course. “You think we can get to the Wizard’s Tower without getting caught by Krael and his monsters?”

  Watcher nodded. “Yeah, if he were nearby, I’d feel his presence. I think he and his army are far from here.”

  “Then why did you tell these people they have to leave?” Fencer sounded confused and angry.

  “Eventually he’ll pass by here, and these NPCs are just about helpless without magic like Planter and I have. If we leave them here, they’re doomed … eventually.” Watcher glanced at his troops. “Warriors, form a perimeter with the wolves. We don’t want any surprises.”

  The soldiers spread out, forming a wide circle around the village with the wolves and golems.

  The villagers returned with their belongings in less than a minute; clearly, they were a disciplined group … Good, Watcher thought.

  “OK.” Cutter tried to keep his voice quiet, which was a challenge for him. “Let’s go.”