The Wither Invasion

by Mark Cheverton

  “Have any more monsters arrived?” the wither king asked.

  Kora shook her head. “No, my husband. But some of the monsters say there are zombie-towns and skeleton-towns farther away, but it will still take some time for those creatures to arrive.”

  “How many do we have now?”

  “Hundreds, but I’d be more comfortable if we had more.”

  Krael frowned. “I agree; we need overwhelming odds, so we can snuff out the last two wizards and take over everything. Perhaps if we—”

  A part-enderman, part-spider creature suddenly appeared, a mist of purple particles hugging its warped body for an instant, then fading away. It looked up at Krael with its eight spider eyes, all of them filled with fear.

  “Sire, I have news of a battle,” the enderman-spider said.

  “What battle?” Krael demanded.

  “I was with the group of monsters you sent out from the desert village.” The creature took a step back, dragging one of its arms along a wooden bench, the wickedly curved claw where its hand should have been tapping nervously on the furniture. “We ran into a group of villagers in an extreme hills biome … it was them.”

  “What do you mean, ‘them?’” Krael descended lower as Kora moved behind the enderman-spider, ready to fire if the creature attacked her husband.

  “The wizards … I saw their purple glow. It had to be them.”

  “And you attacked them, correct?” Kora asked.

  The monster glanced nervously over his shoulder, then took another step away from the wither king and his wife, its claw digging into the wooden bench as it moved. “I felt it best to … remain at a safe distance so I … could report to you.” The monster cringed, expecting to be destroyed; all monsters knew Krael’s penalty for cowardice was death.

  Krael considered the monster’s words, then moved closer. “You did well, my friend; be at ease. Reporting this was the right thing to do. Tell me what happened.”

  The enderman-spider breathed a huge sigh of relief, then glanced up at his king. “The battle took place within a narrow valley. The villagers were trapped and couldn’t get out. Our monsters closed in on them and fought, destroying many, but—”

  “Was that old woman there?” Krael hissed.

  “And the young girl with the shield?” Kora added.

  The enderman-spider nodded his spider head. “Yes. I heard many of our monsters complaining about the shield, and I could hear the old woman shouting commands to her golems. She also fired magic missiles from that staff she carries; the sound is very distinctive.”

  “So, you saw the old hag fighting?” Kora moved closer, a suspicious expression on her three faces.

  The monster shook his head. “I didn’t see—only heard—but I know it was her. She did a lot of damage with that staff of hers.”

  Krael nodded, considering the information.

  “We must learn more about that old woman before the battle.” Krael glanced at his wife. “Where is that little wither who seemed to know so much about her?”

  “You mean Kobael?” Kora asked.

  Krael nodded his three heads. “I haven’t seen him for a while.”

  “He must be here somewhere.” The wither king glanced at a nearby group of withers and motioned for them to come near. “Brothers, we must find the little wither named Kobael. He’s the smallest amongst us, so he shouldn’t be hard to find.”

  His eyes grew bright, a warning to the monsters if they weren’t fast enough. They each floated backward a bit. “Find him quickly and bring him to me. Now go!”

  The monsters flew away, some flying through the huge, broken windows of the church, while others floated through the gigantic holes in the ceiling, which had been recently created by Krael.

  “Why is it that Kobael knows so much about this wizard?” Krael asked, wondering about it for the first time.

  Kora shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe it was because the wizard saved him during the Great War?”

  “But why would the wizard do that?” Krael glanced around, annoyed the other withers hadn’t found Kobael yet. “And why would that tiny wither learn the wizard’s name? What, did he hang out with her and share stories?”

  “I have no idea, my husband.”

  “Well, I’m gonna find out. It isn’t normal for a wither to know the names of their victims. And, come to think of it, if Kobael knew the name of the wizard, then he must have spoken to her. Why didn’t he just destroy her?”

  “I don’t know, husband.” Kora floated closer to her king. “Maybe, during the Great War, Kobael was—”

  “He isn’t here,” one of the withers shouted as they floated back down through the hole in the roof. “We searched everywhere; that little wither is gone.”

  “Gone?! How can that be?!” Krael’s eyes blazed with rage. In his fury, he fired a flaming skull at the wall, blasting a huge hole into the side of the church.

  Slowly, Krael’s anger subsided. He glanced at Kora, fuming. “I don’t know what’s going on here, but I don’t like it.”

  Krael turned back to the enderman-spider. “Where’s the rest of your company? Surely most of them survived.” Krael glared at the monster, demanding an answer.

  “Well …” The monster spoke with a weak, terrified voice. “None survived but me.”

  “I didn’t hear you.” Krael moved closer. “What did you say? Speak up!”

  “I said, none survived.” The enderman-spider cringed again, awaiting its destruction. “They used some kind of TNT thing. It caused an avalanche that destroyed all of the monsters.”

  “Hmm.” Krael nodded his heads, his eyes getting brighter again as his rage grew.

  “Sire, I knew you’d want this information as quickly as possible.” The enderman-spider spoke quickly and nervously. “I teleported back to the desert village, but found you’d left. Searching across the landscape, I looked for you until I finally found you here.”

  Beads of sweat tumbled down the monster’s fuzzy black face.

  Krael floated higher into the air, still saying nothing. The monster took another step back, its claw still digging a deep scratch into the pew.

  “You need not fear, my friend. I will not harm you, despite your obvious cowardice.” Krael smiled reassuringly.

  The enderman-spider relaxed a bit, letting his fuzzy arms hang down at his side.

  “Kora,” Krael said casually, turning to his wife, “destroy him!”

  The enderman-spider turned to take a step for the exit, but he didn’t have a chance. Kora’s flaming skulls struck the creature in the back, enveloping the enderman-spider in their blue flames as the projectiles exploded. The creature disappeared with a pop, its glowing balls of XP tumbling into the newly formed crater.

  “Well done, my wife.”

  Kora beamed with pride.

  “But that missing little wither has me angry.” Krael drifted toward his wife, his anger growing again. “There’s something going on here that I don’t understand.”

  “You should relax, husband,” Kora said, making her voice as soothing as possible. “I’m sure that tiny wither is just scouting the surrounding forest, making sure the villagers are not trying a sneak attack.”

  “Scouting … ha! I’d never send a monster as pathetic as Kobael on scouting duty. He’s useless, and he knows it. More likely, Kobael is a coward and flew away, afraid to help his king in the battle to come. No one ever even saw that puny wither fire a single shot in any of the battles we’ve had with Watcher and his fools. No, that wither is a traitor, and he will be treated as one when he is found.”

  Kora sighed. “Very well, as you command. What are your orders?”

  Krael floated up through a huge charred gash in the roof until he hovered above the ancient church, then moved between the two steeples that stood over the main entrance. He stared down at the monsters congregating around the ancient structure, some hiding in the shade of the nearby forest.

  “Fools,” he hissed.

  “W
hat did you say, my husband?”

  “Nothing.” Krael turned toward Kora. “We’ll wait here until the last of the monsters arrive.” He glanced at the sun overhead. “The NPCs will likely make their stand in the Wizard’s Tower. I want to attack them after the sun has set, which will give the monsters of this world a bit more courage. Maybe they’ll fight a little harder before they’re destroyed in the first wave.”

  Krael laughed. “Spread the word. Soon, the total destruction of the Far Lands will begin with the annihilation of Tharus’s precious Tower and the doomed NPCs who cower within.”

  Kora smiled, her three heads nodding, as Krael’s eyes blazed with evil delight.

  Weaving his way around oak and birch trees, Watcher ran through the familiar woods, a feeling of dread slowly rising up from within his soul. He knew what was up ahead and wasn’t sure if he wanted to see it again.

  Thick grass covered the forest floor, the verdant blades swishing back and forth with each step the group took. The children loved the grass. The long strands reached up to their waists, making their upper bodies appear to float through the green sea.

  “We’re almost there, I think.” Mapper ran at the young wizard’s side, a smile creasing his square, wrinkled face. “It’ll be good to be home again.”

  Watcher nodded. “But you know what we must pass through first, right?”

  The old man glanced at the young wizard, his smile fading. “Yeah … I know. But it’s important to be reminded of the past, so we know where we’re from and hopefully don’t make the same mistakes again.” He put a gnarled hand on Watcher’s shoulder as they ran. “I always taught my students, ‘Those who close their eyes to the past are—’ ”

  “Are doomed to repeat it.” Watcher gave the old man a smile. “I remember when you taught that to me in school.”

  Mapper smiled. “Well, I’m glad to know at least one student was listening to me.”

  A majestic howl floated through the forest, followed by a series of squeaks and whistles. Watcher glanced over his shoulder at Er-Lan.

  “That wolf and mechite say the village is empty.” The zombie tried to give his friend a strained grin, but it just looked more like a grimace.

  Watcher suspected Er-Lan felt the same unease about returning to their village. For the zombie, it probably felt like returning to the scene of a crime.

  For Watcher, though, it was as if he were returning to his greatest failure. It was here, during the zombie attack, where he’d let his fear dominate his actions: he’d pretended to be unconscious, rather than try to stop the zombies, because he had no faith in himself. Back then, some bullies had thought Watcher to be a scrawny, puny nothing of a villager, someone who was worthless and weak—but worse was the fact that Watcher had accepted their judgment. He had wanted to be something more, but his lack of confidence made him fail over and over again. And now he was back in the same place, the familiar taste of ridicule and failure filling his entire being.

  The company stepped out of the forest and entered the shattered remains of Watcher’s village. The afternoon sun bathed the ruins with bright light, the long shadows from trees bordering the village stretching across the ground. It seemed to Watcher as if the trees were casting their shadows in salute for those who perished here. But that was just Watcher’s overactive imagination looking to make sense out of the atrocities of the past.

  An uneasy silence spread across the group. NPCs stared at the charred walls and collapsed homes with heavy hearts, each reminded of their own demolished communities.

  Watcher scanned the crowd for Planter. She was easy to find; a bright, iridescent glow surrounded her body as her rage built at the sight of the village. Next to her stood Mira, whispering into Planter’s ear, helping both her fury and the glow to subside as her anger was put into check. Watcher wanted to go to her and give her some comfort, but he couldn’t even stop his own feelings of anger and guilt … so how could he help her?

  A rocket suddenly streaked through the air, then exploded in a shower of colorful sparks.

  “What was that?” Watcher pulled an enchanted bow from his inventory. Notching an arrow, he pulled back on the string and pointed it into the air, on the lookout for enemies.

  An object streaked overhead, just above the tree line, too fast to identify.

  “Did anyone else see that?” someone shouted in fear.

  “Was it a wither?” a terrified voice asked.

  “Are the withers here?”

  “What do we do?”

  Panic spread through the company. The NPCs looked for places to hide, but most of the structures were in ruins.

  “Everyone, calm down!” Mira’s voice boomed through the air. “Golems, form a perimeter. Wolves and mechites, search the forest for monsters. Everyone, pull out your bows and get ready to—”

  The object streaked by again, but this time Watcher saw what it was—or, really, who it was.

  “Everyone relax.” The young wizard put down his bow and held his glowing hands up in the air. “It’s not the withers or the monsters; it’s a friend.”

  Just then, a small shape with a pair of iridescent wings swooped into the village, gliding lower and lower until it touched down onto the ground; it was Winger.

  Running to her, Watcher wrapped his arms around his sister. “Winger!” Watcher was so glad to see her, he almost wept. “You made it back.” He released his hug, but his sister wouldn’t let him go.

  “I was so afraid I’d never see you again,” she whispered. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

  Watcher felt a tear drip upon his cheek. “I told you I’d be back.”

  “Sure, but you know I never really believe anything you say.” She laughed, then finally released the hug and wiped her eyes dry.

  Winger turned and scanned the rest of the company, then gasped. “What happened to Planter? She’s so much brighter than before.”

  “Her power has increased somehow,” Watcher said in a low voice. “I’m not really sure we understand it, and everyone is afraid to ask.”

  “Well, I’m just glad everyone is okay.” Winger cast Planter a smile.

  The young girl grinned, then walked toward her, Mira a step behind.

  “Everyone, gather around,” Watcher shouted.

  The NPCs moved closer to the young wizard, fear ebbing from their square faces. They congregated around Watcher and his sister, some still with weapons in their hands.

  “What happened with the withers?” Winger asked.

  “We were able to escape the cave and the withers, thanks to crazy Watcher,” Blaster said.

  Many of the NPCs nodded their heads, looking thankfully toward the young wizard.

  Watcher stood a little taller as the respect he was feeling from the NPCs drove some of his self-doubt away. “Hopefully, Krael thinks I’m dead. It might give us a small element of surprise.” He turned to his sister. “How’s Dad? I’m looking forward to seeing him.”

  “Well …” She lowered her gaze to the ground.

  “What is it?” Watcher reached out and raised Winger’s head so he could look straight into her bright blue eyes. “What happened to our dad?”

  “When I made it back to the Wizard’s Tower, I told him about our need for horses.” Winger swallowed nervously. “I mentioned that ancient structure we visited when we were fighting the spider warlord, like you told me to.”

  “You mean the Citadel of the Horse Lords? That’s what you mentioned to Cleric?” Planter asked.

  Winger nodded.

  “I assume he headed to the Citadel?” Watcher shrugged. “What’s the problem?”

  “Well, he didn’t think he could get there and back in time to help with the upcoming battle.” Winger put a hand on Watcher’s shoulder, as if ready to calm him down. “So, he decided to shorten the distance necessary to get there and get back.”

  “You mean …” An expression of fear spread across Watcher’s face.

  Winger nodded again, a grave expression spreadin
g across her square face.

  “What is it?” Fencer asked. “What happened? Did he go to the Citadel? I don’t understand.”

  Watcher turned and walked away, his head drooping to the ground.

  “What happened?” Fencer asked. “I thought—”

  Blaster put a hand on Fencer’s arm. “Cleric went through the Nether. Distances are eight times shorter through the Nether than through the Overworld or the Far Lands.” The young boy turned to Winger. “Did he take everyone with him?”

  “Almost. There’s still people at the Tower, but not very many.”

  “But … why would he take almost everyone with him?” Fencer sounded confused.

  “The dispensers at the Citadel will only give one horse per person,” Blaster explained. “He had to take as many as possible.”

  “But if it’s faster to travel through the Nether … why didn’t we do that?” Fencer glanced at the other villagers, many of whom were averting their gaze. “I’ve never been to the Nether, so I don’t understand. Why didn’t we travel through the Nether to get here? What’s there that all of you aren’t telling me?”

  “Monsters!” Watcher snapped as he pushed through the crowd and stared at the girl. “There’s monsters … lots of monsters, like ghasts, and blazes, and wither skeletons, and magma cubes, and of course zombie-pigmen. You want to fight all those creatures while you’re just saving some time?”

  “Well … when you put it that way, I guess it does sound kinda dangerous.”

  “Kinda dangerous?!” Watcher exclaimed, the iridescent glow across his body getting brighter and brighter. “The Nether is the most dangerous place in all of Minecraft, and my dad went there just to reach the Citadel faster.”

  “I’m sure your father is gonna be alright,” Planter said from behind. Her voice always had a soothing effect on Watcher, causing the bright glow of magical power hugging his chest to slowly recede and get dimmer. “We just need to trust him and hope he gets back to us in time.”

  Watcher nodded, trying to calm himself.

  “Well, if he doesn’t get back with the cavalry, I think we’ll be in a lot of trouble,” Blaster said, then cringed when he saw Watcher lower his head to look at the ground.