The Wither Invasion

by Mark Cheverton

  Reaching the apex of his climb, Watcher started to fall. Beads of nervous sweat ran down his face, even though the air was freezing. The square droplets tumbled into his eyes, stinging, but instead of wiping them away, Watcher pulled out his flail and held it ready, just in case. The outcropping came closer and closer, but it was still too far away … he was going to miss.

  Swinging the flail with all his strength, he attacked the rocky outcropping. The spiked ball whistled as it streaked through the air, then smashed into the stone. The deadly barbs dug deep into the stone and held tight. For an instant, he just hung there, surprised he was still alive, but then the growls from the monsters down below snapped him into action.

  Climbing up the metal chain onto the ledge, he dislodged the Flail and stuffed it back into his inventory. Then, pulling the TNT from his inventory, he moved carefully along the outcropping, going as fast as he could. Watcher glanced down and found the monstrous horde was just staring up at him, ignoring the other villagers … good. When he’d placed the last of the TNT, Watcher pulled out a redstone torch. Below, he saw Blaster and Fencer carving a wide rectangle into the snow-covered ground, then filling it with water.

  If that water freezes, it won’t cushion my fall. Images of him smashing into a sheet of ice filled Watcher’s mind with fear, but he pushed them aside. I’ve failed my friends too many times. I’m not gonna fail them here.

  Gritting his teeth, Watcher placed the redstone torch next to the TNT, then ran across the gravely surface, placing more torches atop the explosive cubes as he passed. When he reached the end of the outcropping, he jumped, aiming for the pool of water. Its edges were already beginning to freeze up, an icy blue spreading across the surface.

  Suddenly, Planter was there, placing torches along the edge of the pool, melting the ice just as Watcher landed with a splash, sending water flying in all directions. At the same time, the first block of TNT exploded above … nothing happened. The second cube detonated and, just like the first … nothing happened. The blocks of gravel were still balanced precariously in the air.

  “It didn’t work,” Watcher shouted, the taste of imminent defeat filling his entire being.

  “Just wait,” Blaster said, still looking up at the ledge.

  The third TNT block exploded, followed by the fourth and fifth, and these finally caused the entire outcropping to become unstable, then shatter. An avalanche of gravel fell right on top of the monsters, the deadly creatures still staring up into the air, wondering what was going on. Soon, hundreds of blocks of gravel covered the horde, burying the creatures in a newly made tomb. A huge cloud of dust billowed into the air, obscuring the horde, but when it cleared, all they could see was gravel on top of more gravel … the monsters had been destroyed.

  “It worked!” Watcher shouted in triumph.

  “Of course it did,” Blaster said. He glanced at the other NPCs. “I got him up there and I taught him everything I know about blowing things up.”

  “You saved us.” Fencer wrapped her arms around Blaster in a warm hug.

  The young boy tried to squirm out of the embrace, but Fencer’s arms were strong … or he didn’t actually fight very hard. Watcher cast him a smile, then turned to the other NPCs.

  “That was stupid!” Planter glared at Watcher, her green eyes ablaze with magic power and fury. “You could have been blown up!”

  “Technically, he was blown up.” Blaster smiled. “Blown all the way up there, in fact.” He pointed to the remains of the outcropping, then glanced at Planter. She cast him such a furious glare that the boy stepped back and hid behind Fencer.

  “I had to do something to stop those monsters.” Watcher stood tall, refusing to back down from Planter’s anger. “The gravel was our only chance. If I’d failed, then all of us would be dead.” He took a step closer and softened his voice. “I did the right thing, and you know it. I’m sorry it was so dangerous, but everything we do these days seems dangerous.”

  “That’s for sure,” Blaster added.

  Both Watcher and Planter glared at the boy. He hid behind Fencer again.

  Watcher turned to Planter. “I did what I had to do, and I’d do it again to keep you and everyone else safe.”

  Planter just nodded, accepting his answer, but Watcher knew she was still mad.

  A howl followed by a series of barks filled the air. Watcher turned and glanced at Er-Lan, hoping to find out what it meant.

  “All the monsters are gone.” Mira tapped her wooden staff on the ground, causing a ball of light to form in the air, hovering above the tip of the magical artifact. “We’re safe, for now, but we can’t stay here for long. It’s likely at least one monster survived and is running back to tell Krael.”

  “We need to get back to the Wizard’s Tower.” Cutter put his diamond sword back into his inventory. “Our only chance is to make our stand there, though I’m sure this was just the smallest piece of Krael’s army. I don’t know how we’ll stand against them with the numbers we have.”

  Watcher nodded. “Then let’s get going. We should be able to climb over the pile of gravel.” He glanced at Blaster. “Lead on, you know the way.”

  Blaster nodded, then climbed over the gravelly mound, the wolves and golems following close behind.

  Watcher trudged over the hill, helping the elderly at difficult spots. As he climbed, he thought about the monsters they’d just defeated.

  Baltheron, those monsters seemed like they wouldn’t stop until we were destroyed. He pulled out the Flail of Regrets and stared down at the weapon. Do you know why that is?

  No doubt the wither king is using the Crowns of Skulls on them. Baltheron’s deep voice was unusually soft and soothing in Watcher’s mind. Krael can use the Crowns to drive the monsters into a murderous rage, and then nothing will stop them until they’ve destroyed everything in sight.

  “Great.” Watcher shook his head, then glanced at Mirthrandos. “How do we fight creatures with such hatred in their hearts? How can we stand against that kind of flood? This is just a little piece of Krael’s army; he probably had hundreds more, just like these.” He glanced at Planter. “Is this impossible? Is the defense of Minecraft hopeless … am I hopeless?”

  Planter jumped down from the gravel mound and moved to Watcher’s side. “I’ve learned things are truly hopeless only when you give up. You remember when the zombies invaded our village?”

  Watcher nodded, then smiled, grateful Planter’s anger had faded a bit. “Of course; it feels like it was just yesterday.”

  “I know, me too.” She sighed. “Anyway, when the zombies were pounding on the door of our house, I asked my mom and dad if it was hopeless, and you know what they said to me?”

  He shook his head. The memory of that terrible day played through Watcher’s mind. That was when the world had turned upside down and nearly everything he loved had been destroyed. “What did they say?”

  “My mom said, ‘Things are hopeless only when you give in to despair and just give up. Where there is life, there is hope. All you have to do is know who you are—who you really are—then realize what you can do when you have faith. If you keep trying, you can accomplish great things, even if you’re terrified.”

  A tear trickled down her cheek at the memory.

  “Then they stood at the door and fought back when a dozen zombies broke into the house. They didn’t give up; they just kept fighting while I snuck out the attic window and ran for the forest. I know I hate this magic stuff for what it’s done to me, but I won’t give up on our fight, and I won’t give up on you. I know you can figure out a way for us to defeat the withers and these terrible monsters. All you have to do is remember who you really are, and just be Watcher.”

  He nodded, considering her words. Who am I, really? The thought bounced around in his head as images of himself as a scared kid materialized in his mind. The pictures then morphed into the boy falling on his back when trying to join the village’s army, then changed to an image of a terrified kid tr
ying to stop the monster warlords. All of these versions in his mind had involved Watcher being someone he wasn’t, rather than just being himself. But he didn’t have very much confidence in the old Watcher, the boy who failed at everything he tried. And now it felt as if he was going to fail again, and all NPCs would pay for that failure with their lives.

  Walking out of the narrow valley, he followed the rest of their company as they moved along the edge of the biome, the glow from his body casting a circle of purple light on the dark surroundings. With his eyes to the ground, Watcher mumbled to himself, “How can I stop Krael’s horde? There are too many of them, and too few of us.”

  Er-Lan moved to his side and placed a clawed hand on his friend’s shoulder. Watcher looked up at the zombie and smiled. The presence of Er-Lan always brought him a little comfort; his friendship was always unwavering.

  “There is a way to defeat these overwhelming odds,” Mirthrandos said. The light from the top of the ancient wizard’s staff was a welcome relief.

  “What do you mean, Mira?” Watcher asked.

  “Well, Tharus had a secret weapon. It was—”

  “Wait!” Cutter shouted. The big warrior grabbed Er-Lan by the back of the armor and pulled him away from the two wizards. “Surely you aren’t gonna discuss any secret weapons in front of a zombie.”

  “Cutter, I thought we talked about this.” Watcher glared at the big NPC. “Er-Lan is family.”

  The hulking warrior shook his head. “I don’t care. Talk about your strategy all you want, but not in front of the zombie. I’ll make sure he’s safe at the back of the formation.” Cutter smiled at Er-Lan. “Besides, this monster and I have lots to talk about, don’t we?”

  Er-Lan just lowered his head and walked silently to the rear, Cutter following close behind.

  “Why is Cutter being so mean to Er-Lan?” Planter asked, annoyed.

  Watcher shrugged. “You remember when we first ran into Er-Lan?”

  Planter nodded. “Sure.”

  “Cutter didn’t trust him back then, and he made it pretty clear he hated all zombies.” Watcher sighed. “Something must have triggered all this anger for it to come back now. Hopefully he’ll lighten up on Er-Lan and treat him nicer soon.”

  “I wouldn’t count on it; Cutter is pretty stubborn.” Planter turned to Mira. “Now tell us about this secret weapon.”

  “Well, Tharus called it ‘The Answer.’ ”

  “‘The Answer?’ ” Planter sounded confused. “The answer to what?”

  “It was his answer to the monster problem during the Great War.” Mira waved her staff in the air, then flicked it three times, and instantly, an image of a battlefield appeared, as if it were floating on a layer of mist. In the image, a small group of villagers stood atop a soaring tower made of quartz and colored glass. Beacons adorned the sides of the cylindrical tower, lighting it with a soft, blue glow.

  On the other side of the battlefield was a huge company of monsters. They paced back and forth, many of them looking up into the sky, clearly ready to fight. Then, a silent command unleashed the horde, and the monsters charged through the foggy landscape, intent on destroying the NPCs. One of the villagers, clad in shining armor and wearing a long purple cloak, raised his hands into the air. They already glowed with a bright iridescent light, but quickly became more intense, until the wizard was enveloped with a radiant blaze. Suddenly, the tower gave off a brilliant flash of power.

  The wave of magical energy flooded across the battlefield, blasting into the monsters and turning each of them to ash, but the wave didn’t stay contained within the battlefield; the surge of destruction spread all across the landscape, destroying every monster it touched. Flowing through dark tunnels and lonely caves, the magical power sought out monsters underground or in the Nether or the End and destroyed them all. Every monster had been turned to ash.

  The image disappeared, leaving Watcher and Planter with more questions than answers. As they pondered what they’d seen, they came to a flat section in the Extreme Hills biome, allowing them to cross the landscape without getting entangled again within the many valleys and mountains.

  “That’s ‘The Answer?’ ” Planter’s voice was weak with shock.

  Mira nodded.

  “I can’t believe you’d suggest that.” The shock drained from her voice, replaced with rage. “This weapon, made by Tharus, it destroys all monsters in the Far Lands, right?”

  Mira shook her head. “No. Rumor had it that The Answer would not be limited to just the Far Lands. Tharus made this weapon to reach all monsters.”

  “You mean it would exterminate the monsters all across this world?”

  Mira shook her head again. “Not just this world … all worlds.”

  Watcher was stunned. The level of destruction Mira described was beyond terrible. He didn’t have words to express what he was feeling. Was it fear or horror or disgust toward Tharus? Or was he feeling horror and disgust toward himself because he might need to use this solution to save his friends and every NPC in all the worlds within the Pyramid of Servers?

  “This is ridiculous.” Planter’s anger was growing. “We won’t do it. Following in the footsteps of a genocidal maniac like Tharus is not an option.”

  “If your only choice is the survival of NPCs or the survival of monsters … what would you choose?” Mira’s voice was soft, and sadness echoed through her every word.

  Planter shook her head. “No! There must be another way.” She turned to Watcher. “Tell her, Watcher. We won’t do that, no matter what. Erasing all monsters from all the worlds of Minecraft is simply not an option.”

  Watcher glanced at Planter, then turned his gaze to Mira. He saw truth in the ancient wizard’s eyes—a sad truth that told him she knew how to use this weapon … and that they had no choice.

  He sighed, then turned to Planter.

  “No … I see that look in your eyes, Watcher.” Planter pointed at him with an extended finger, her arms glowing bright. “We can’t do this … it’s wrong on every level.”

  “I know, but what if we have no choice?”

  “There’s always a choice!” she snapped. “When it comes to violence, there’s always a choice. We can’t let her do this.”

  “You need not worry about me, child.” Mira’s voice was soft and soothing, but did little to quell Planter’s anger. “I cannot use Tharus’s weapon; only a descendant of his can.” She turned to Watcher. “But you can. You’re a descendant of Tharus. I knew it as soon as you put on his cape and it started to sparkle; the cape of the Wizard of War will only work with his descendants. Tharus was the Wizard of War hundreds of years ago, and today, Watcher is the same.”

  “You mean I’m related to Tharus?”

  Mira nodded, walking around a hill of gravel, Planter and Watcher staying at her side.

  An iron wolf trotted up next to Planter, Fixit riding on the animal’s back. The little mechite looked up at Planter and smiled; he could likely sense the tension in her. She reached out and stroked Fixit’s soft, silver hair.

  “Then you’re saying only Watcher can use this terrible weapon?” Planter stared at Watcher, relieved and hopeful.

  Mira nodded. “That’s correct.”

  “He won’t do it … I won’t allow it.” Planter stared at Watcher, her emerald-green eyes boring into his soul.

  “Planter … if we have no choice, then we—”

  “No!”

  “But if Krael is about to win, then we must—”

  “Destroying every monster is not the answer.” Planter glared at Watcher. “There must be another way.” She turned back to Mira. “I won’t allow this to happen.”

  “Child, you may have no choice.”

  Planter scowled. “I hate all this magic and wish it were gone.”

  Before either of them could answer, she ran off to the front of the company, Fixit and the wolf at her side.

  Watcher glanced at Mira, uncertain what to say.

  “I’ll tell you w
hat I know, but then you’ll have to make your own decision.” Mira sounded sad. “Just remember, if you wait too long, you might not get a chance to use Tharus’s weapon, and then everyone you know will be destroyed.”

  “Thanks for not adding any pressure.” Watcher tried to smile sarcastically, but the fear pulsing through his body made it difficult. “Okay, tell me everything.”

  And so Mira went through what she knew about ‘The Answer,’ Watcher nodding and making mental notes, but the whole time, an overwhelming feeling of dread was wrapping itself around his soul.

  Watcher was now the Wizard of War … No, he was the Wizard of Death.

  Krael hovered within the ancient church, drifting back and forth along its length, staring up at the gigantic holes carved into the sloping roof by his flaming skulls. Sunlight streamed through the few colored-glass panes not yet shattered, splashing blues and reds and oranges on the wooden floor. Most would find it beautiful, but to the wither king’s six eyes, it was hideous. Facing the glass, he fired another string of flaming skulls, destroying the last bit of beauty put here by the ancient builders, leaving behind charred holes. The king of the withers smiled.

  Kora came rushing into the room, flying through the shattered roof. “I heard explosions, my husband; is everything well?”

  Krael smiled, then gestured to the smoking hole in the wall. “I was just … redecorating.”

  Kora glanced at the new destruction and nodded, grinning.

  The monster army had only just arrived. There had been a group of monsters from the Far Lands already waiting for him, but not as many as he hoped; for some reason, the group of monsters he’d sent out to find the NPC army had never returned. Krael knew his forces were large and powerful enough to destroy the NPCs and the two remaining wizards, but he still wanted a larger army … no, not larger, but largest; Krael’s ego demanded he have the largest, strongest army ever seen in Minecraft.