Books by Mark Cheverton
The Gameknight999 Series
Invasion of the Overworld
Battle for the Nether
Confronting the Dragon
The Mystery of Herobrine Series: A Gameknight999 Adventure
Trouble in Zombie-town
The Jungle Temple Oracle
Last Stand on the Ocean Shore
Herobrine Reborn Series: A Gameknight999 Adventure
Saving Crafter
Destruction of the Overworld
Gameknight999 vs. Herobrine
Herobrine’s Revenge Series: A Gameknight999 Adventure
The Phantom Virus (Coming Soon!)
Overworld in Flames (Coming Soon!)
System Overload (Coming Soon!
The Algae Voices of Azule Series
Algae Voices of Azule
Finding Home
Finding the Lost
This book is not authorized or sponsored by Microsoft Corp., Mojang AB, Notch Development AB or Scholastic Inc., or any other person or entity owning or controlling rights in the Minecraft name, trademark, or copyrights.
Copyright © 2016 by Mark Cheverton
Minecraft® is a registered trademark of Notch Development AB
The Minecraft game is copyright © Mojang AB
This book is not authorized or sponsored by Microsoft Corp., Mojang AB, Notch Development AB or Scholastic Inc., or any other person or entity owning or controlling rights in the Minecraft name, trademark or copyrights.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Sky Pony Press, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.
Cover design by Owen Corrigan
Cover artwork by Thomas Frick
Technical consultant: Gameknight999
Print ISBN: 978-1-51070-010-9
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-51070-011-6
Printed in Canada
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I’d like to thank my family for all their support through the crazy, long writing sessions. They’ve been incredibly supportive when I wake up at 3:30 in the morning to write, or stay up late at night, writing, or gone all weekend long, writing. Their excitement about this whole adventure has kept me going.
I’d also like to thank the fantastic people at Skyhorse Publishing. They are a fantastic publishing house and I am honored to be working with them. I’d especially like to thank my editor, Cory Allyn. Without his tireless, meticulous efforts, these stories wouldn’t be as shiny and sparkly and have that crisp edge to them that grabs the attention of so many kids, making readers, like Oliver, ask for “more please.” I’d also like to thank Leon Seitz for coming into the world while I was writing this book. Leon is a great inspiration and reminder of what’s really important.
Finally, I’d like to thank all of my readers. Your excitement about Gameknight999, Crafter, and all his companions has been wonderful. I love watching the videos of people acting out the scenes and I love reading the fan fiction out there. I am humbled that you have taken my characters and stories into your lives. Thank you.
Stress can cause friendships to wither on the vine until they crumble and nearly die. The friendships worth keeping, however, can be brought back from the brink, as long as there is forgiveness and recognition of what’s really important to nurture them back to health.
CHAPTER 1
HEROBRINE’S SONG
Gameknight999’s swords flashed through the air as they carved into the zombies with reckless abandon. Like lemmings heading toward a cliff, the monsters charged mindlessly forward, right into the swinging blades of the User-that-is-not-a-user and his companions, unbridled hatred filling the monsters’ cold, dead eyes.
The zombie before Gameknight slashed at him with lethal, jagged claws that glistened in the sunlight as they streaked past his head, their razor-sharp tips creating a whistling sound as they just barely missed his cheek. Blocking the attack with his iron sword, Gameknight brought his diamond sword down on the creature with all his strength. A final, sorrowful moan barely escaped its rotting lips before the last zombie disappeared with a pop!, emptying the battlefield of attackers.
The battle won, NPCs (non-playable characters) moved out onto the grassy plain and collected the glowing, multicolored balls of XP (experience points) that littered the landscape all around them. They picked up pieces of zombie flesh with distain, as well as the occasional golden swords or plates of armor that lay discarded by the monsters while around them, unfinished cobblestone walls stood tall.
Gameknight999 and the villagers had stopped another zombie attack on the village. Xa-Tul, the king of the zombies, had been trying to take advantage of the still-incomplete fortifications that surrounded the community. Normally, cobblestone walls would have been solid—their hard, unyielding surfaces wrapping around the village like an impenetrable cocoon, protecting the inhabitants from the monsters of the Overworld. But it had been less than twenty-four hours since Herobrine, in the form of an Ender dragon, had smashed through their walls and fortifications, turning everything to End Stone. Upon defeating the dragon, Gameknight had captured Herobrine’s poisonous XP and locked it away in the tower of his castle. Miraculously, the blocks of Minecraft had turned back from End Stone to their original state once the dragon had been destroyed, but the destruction the monster had done to walls and towers were fresh wounds for the village. Significant repairs would be needed, but with the nearly constant barrage of zombie raiding parties, there hadn’t even been time to celebrate Herobrine’s defeat.
Looking back to the jagged opening in the cobblestone wall, Gameknight saw Baker and Digger emerge to collect the glowing balls of XP. They each carried two weapons: Digger was with his usual pick axes and Baker with two iron swords. Something in the fabric of Minecraft had changed when Herobrine had been destroyed—maybe a server update, or maybe something more. No one knew. But ever since that battle, all the NPCs could wield two weapons, just like Gameknight999.
As usual, Baker had a scowl on his square face, but Digger’s was filled with a smile, his blue-green eyes bright with joy as he realized that none of the villagers had been harmed in this battle. They approached Gameknight999.
“That was some fancy sword-work, Gameknight,” Digger said.
“Yeah,” Baker added. “You’d think you learned that from the legendary Smithy of the Two-Swords himself.”
“Maybe he learned it from me,” Gameknight joked, hoping to draw a smile from the stoic villager. “But you two are getting better with two-sword fighting, as well.”
Digger shrugged while Baker just stood there, unresponsive.
“It’s taking some practice,” Digger said, his voice deep. “I can’t figure out how to fight well with both. All I can do is defend with the left and attack with the right.”
“You’ll get it eventually. Both of you will,” Gameknight said, smiling at Digger and patting Baker on the shoulder.
Baker’s face was filled with
sorrow. As usual, some past tragedy kept him perpetually sad, a smile unable to pierce through that terrible veil.
“Come on!” Digger shouted to other NPCs in the village. “Let’s get these spheres of XP collected so we can get back to repairing the wall and towers.”
Just as a handful of NPCs started to come out of the village, a high-pitched whine filled the air. Instantly, the villagers stopped and cupped their hands over their ears, each of their faces contorted in pain.
“What is that sound?” Digger yelled as he fell to one knee.
Drawing his diamond sword, Gameknight scanned the area, looking for threats as he gritted his teeth, his head ready to explode with pain. The grassy plain that surrounded the village was empty, and so were the woods beyond, but he knew in his gut that this whining had to be some kind of monster’s trick.
Monet, do you hear that? Gameknight thought through the chat.
Monet113, Gameknight’s sister, was still sitting in their basement back in the physical world. She was logged into Minecraft and watching in spectator mode while at the same time making sure that everything in the physical world was all right.
No, I don’t hear anything, Monet typed back to him. What is it?
Some kind of high-pitched whine, Gameknight replied. It feels like it’s drilling through my brain.
Slowly, the volume of the shrill whine diminished, and the villagers removed their hands from their heads. Gameknight knocked the side of his head with his fist, trying to empty it of that piercing cry.
“Quick, get the XP so we can get inside the village!” Digger shouted.
“Why do we have to get the XP?” one of the other villagers asked. “You’re right there. You get it.”
Gameknight was shocked by the NPC’s response; no one ever talked back to Digger. He was considered equal in stature to Crafter himself, and during times of battle, the stocky NPC was typically in command. But this NPC had just talked back to him and refused an order. Gameknight clenched and unclenched his fists nervously, realizing the high-pitched noise hadn’t disappeared completely; it was holding steady in the background. Gameknight found that unless he was completely distracted, the high-pitched whine burrowed its way into his ears, making it feel as if the sound waves were creeping along underneath his skin like worms.
Digger looked at the villager for a moment, and Gameknight thought he was going to reply, but instead, he just turned his back and collected the glowing balls of XP himself. The other NPCs stood and watched as Digger moved across the battlefield, colorful spheres flowing quickly into his body.
“Aren’t any of you going to help?” Gameknight asked.
The NPCs turned and faced the User-that-is-not-a-user, their unibrows creased with tension. They looked about as good as Gameknight felt; the whining sound was giving him a headache and making his teeth hurt.
“What’s wrong with you?” one of them sneered in his direction, a horse-tender, by the look of his smock. “Are your legs broke?”
Gameknight was too stunned to reply.
Villagers always helped each other; it was the way they were programmed. Working together was how they helped their community. By cooperating and giving assistance when they could, they strengthened their village, and they all depended on one another for survival. These NPCs were not only refusing to help, but they were being disrespectful, as well. It was inconceivable to the User-that-is-not-a-user.
Gameknight moved out across the grassy plain and helped Digger collect the XP and weapons while the other NPCs watched. No one offered any assistance to either of them.
“Digger, what’s going on?” Gameknight asked in a low voice as he drew near.
“How should I know?!” the stocky NPC snapped.
Turning, the User-that-is-not-a-user looked at Digger. His usually bright eyes were now dark with anger, his face skewed with irritation as the whining sound grew louder again.
Suddenly, they heard shouting from behind the half-finished cobblestone wall. Sprinting across the field, Gameknight collected the last of the XP, and then ran back toward the village. When he moved past the still-incomplete barricade, Gameknight found two villagers fighting, each of them slamming into the other’s head with their blocky fists. His father, Monkeypants271—whose avatar in Minecraft was a monkey in a superhero costume—was trying to separate the two combatants, but all he was succeeding in doing was getting hit himself.
Reaching into his inventory, Gameknight found the old wooden sword. Swinging it hard, he struck each of the NPCs with the flat side of the sword, delivering a stinging slap to their backs.
“Ouch! Watch it!” they both complained.
“Then stop fighting and tell me what this is about,” Gameknight said as he put his sword away. Reaching up, he massaged the back of his head. The whining felt like needles sticking into the back of his brain.
“I complained about that whining sound,” one of them said. “Then Builder said I was just being a wimp.”
“Well, you are a wimp, Saddler,” Builder replied.
Saddler lunged at Builder, winding up to deliver a strong blow at the other’s head. Raising an armored arm, Gameknight blocked the punch and then shoved them away from one another, causing both to tumble to the ground.
“Stop this fighting, now!” the User-that-is-not-a-user shouted. “Where’s Crafter?”
“Here,” Crafter said.
Gameknight turned and found his friend standing next to the blacksmith’s shop. He was leaning against the low fence that surrounded the cobblestone porch, a series of furnaces burning brightly nearby.
“How about you come over here and help me out?” Gameknight said.
“Why is it that I always have to solve every problem . . .” Crafter began in an annoyed tone before stopping as he realized what he was saying. “Why am I so irritated? What’s going on?”
“I don’t know, but I don’t like it,” Gameknight said.
“It’s that terrible whining sound,” Monkeypants271 said. “It has everyone on edge.”
“I can’t stand it,” Saddler said as he stood.
The NPC started to hit himself in the head with his clenched fists, trying to knock the sound out of his brain. He flashed briefly when he landed a strong blow to the side of his head. Builder got up and wrapped his arm around his friend in consolation.
“It’s OK, Saddler, it will stop soon,” Builder said. “Just relax.”
“Relax?!” the irrational NPC screamed.
Digger ran to the man and wrapped his big arms around him as well, holding him tightly so that he couldn’t hurt himself anymore.
“What is this, some kind of trick from the monster kings?” Gameknight asked.
“I have no idea. Why do you keep asking me?!” Crafter snapped, then looked sheepishly at the ground when he heard his own words.
Suddenly, the music of Minecraft swelled, momentarily drowning out the terrible screeching noise. Gameknight noticed the strained looks on the NPCs faces instantly vanish as the harmonious tones filled the air. Within the lyrical tones of the music, Gameknight heard a voice. It carried an ancient tone that sounded as if it were coming to him from very far away. The voice said only two words: “Ender chest.” The scratchy voice echoed within Gameknight’s head.
And then the voice was gone.
“Did anyone else hear that?” Gameknight asked.
The NPCs looked at him as though he were crazy.
“Hear what, the music? Of course we do,” Baker answered.
“No, that voice,” the User-that-is-not-a-user said. “I think it was the Oracle.”
The Oracle was an anti-virus program running within Minecraft. It had been installed into the game ages ago to battle Herobrine and keep the destructive actions of that virus in check. Few users realized the music they occasionally heard within the game was actually the Oracle watching and protecting them from Herobrine’s evil doings.
The NPCs looked at Gameknight999 and shrugged.
“We only
hear the music of Minecraft,” Crafter said with a smile.
But then his smile turned to a scowl when the melodious music faded. As it grew softer, it no longer blocked the grating noise, and the shrill, whining sound filled their ears once again. Saddler put his hands up in anguish, then ran off into the village with Builder following close behind.
“What is causing that sound?” Digger asked.
Gameknight sighed. “I think I know.”
“You do? Well, what is it?” Crafter snapped. “Come on, tell us—now!”
Gameknight knew what he had to do.
Turning away from his friend, he ran through the village toward his castle that loomed high over the fortified wall. They’d built a tunnel before the Last Battle with Herobrine that ran all the way from the village to Gameknight’s fortress. It had been pivotal in giving them the element of surprise at the end of the battle. Now he entered that secret tunnel again.
When he reached the dark passage, he took the stairs down two at a time. It smelled damp and earthy in the tunnel, the walls lined with dirt and clay. Quickly, he sprinted through the passage, then climbed the steps on the opposite side. When he reached ground level again, Gameknight found himself within his castle’s obsidian walls. Running for the rectangular keep that sat at the center of the concentric walls, he burst through the doors and sprinted for the stairs. He could hear footsteps behind him, but didn’t bother to see who it was. It didn’t matter right now. All that mattered was getting to the topmost room of the keep.
On the second floor, Gameknight expected to be confronted by guards, but instead, he burst into the room to find the NPCs had dropped their weapons and were bickering over whose turn it was to check the perimeter. Running past them, he streaked up the next flight of stairs. Surprisingly, he found the room at the top full of wolves, likely Herder’s, for each wore a red collar signifying that they’d been trained. Some of them growled at Gameknight; he could tell immediately that the piercing, whining sound was irritating them as well.
Running past the wolves, he climbed the spiral staircase that stretched up to the very top of the castle and felt little square goose-bumps form on his arms as it became clearer and clearer what was causing the terrible whining.
Gameknight999 vs. Herobrine Page 1