I can’t believe I have to explain to this fool why my plan is so clearly superior to his, Feyd thought.
The king of the endermen took a step closer and unclenched his fists, holding them out for all to see. The zombies in the chamber stopped their growling as the other endermen released their teleportation powers, the purple mist evaporating.
Slowly, Xa-Tul slid his sword back into his scabbard and nodded his large, green head.
“I have decided to approve of this plan,” the zombie said as though he were in charge. “You may proceed.”
Feyd shook his head in frustration, then turned to Shaivalak.
“Have your Sisters notify us when they enter the pass,” Feyd said.
The spider queen nodded her head, then closed all of her purple eyes, sending the message out along the ethereal threads that connected her to her minions. She then looked back up at the king of the endermen.
“The messssage has been ssssent to the Sssisterssss,” the spider hissed.
Feyd nodded his head, then chuckled to himself.
Soon, the Maker will be released and Gameknight999 will be captured, the king of the endermen thought. Finally, Feyd’s Pass will be known all throughout the land.
He chuckled again as his eyes glowed bright with delightfully evil intent.
CHAPTER 13
TWO-SWORD PASS
As they entered the pass, Gameknight999 felt a strange unease spread through his body. Even though Crafter said Two-Sword Pass was a secret only known to the NPCs, he’d learned not to underestimate Herobrine or his monster kings. Stopping for a moment, he glanced nervously over his shoulder, then peered up along the sheer stone walls that hugged the narrow corridor. Straining with all his senses, he scanned every aspect of their surroundings, looking for the angry red eyes of spiders and listening for the sorrowful moans of zombies or the clattering of zombie bones. He sensed nothing but a gentle wind that blew through the pass and caressed his square cheeks.
“Are you coming, or planning on staying for some kind of extended vacation?” Hunter asked sarcastically.
“Hunter!” Stitcher snapped. “Why do you always have to be—”
“You’re always lecturing me,” the older sister interrupted. “Have you ever noticed that? I’m tired of—”
“Stop arguing!” shouted Digger, his voice echoing off the stone walls of the pass.
In the silence that followed, everyone realized that, since they’d entered the pass, the evil screeching noise coming from the ender chest had been steadily increasing in volume again. Crafter walked forward and placed a hand on each of the sisters’ shoulders, calming them.
“We’re closer than ever to our destination, and Herobrine sense this. Soon we will be rid of our evil cargo,” Crafter said calmly, “but right now he’s working harder than ever to get us arguing, to divide us and make us fail in our mission. He would love nothing more than to have us turn on each other and destroy one another. I know this is hard—maybe the hardest thing you’ve ever had to do. But you must remember that we’re a family and everyone here would do anything to help each other. Our bonds are forged from trust and our willingness to always be there to help.” The young NPC’s voice rose in volume as he stood a bit taller. “When we put our minds to it, we are stronger than Herobrine’s irritating whine could ever be, and nothing will stop us from dropping that ender chest in The Abyss.” He cast his bright blue eyes to Herder and glared at the dark box under his arm, then glanced at his other companions. “We must stick together and keep trying to work together. Remember, each of us relies on the other and no one is alone.”
The sisters nodded to Crafter then looked apologetically at each other.
“Come on, let’s get this done!” Digger boomed as he pulled out his pair of iron pickaxes and started forward, the rest of the party following close behind.
The pass was maybe six blocks wide, sometimes wider, sometimes narrower. Sheer stone walls stretched up from the ground, making Gameknight feel as though he were in a curvy tunnel with no beginning or end. The light grew dim as the hills blocked out the rays of the sun, putting the party in complete shadow. The only time the pass saw sunlight was at high noon, when it was directly overhead. But now, the sun had passed its zenith and was descending downward toward the western horizon. If they hurried, they would likely be through the pass before dusk.
Ahead, Two-Sword Pass turned to the left, then zig-zagged around large piles of sand and curved to the right. Glancing over his shoulder, all Gameknight could see was more of the pass. It looked the same both behind and ahead of them, and the User-that-is-not-a-user realized that they would have to be careful and not to get turned around, or they might not remember in which direction they were supposed to be heading. The curving path made it difficult to see very far ahead or behind the party, and it made the User-that-is-not-a-user feel uneasy.
“I don’t like this,” Gameknight said as he drew his enchanted diamond sword from his inventory. “We can’t see anything.”
Hunter nodded and pulled out her bow, even though the curving pathway would make the weapon relatively ineffective. If they had to battle any monsters, it would be up close and personal, and that was sword work.
Pebbles on the stone ground crunched under their feet as they moved forward, echoing off the walls. Every sound was amplified, making it seem bigger and more threatening than it would have outside the pass. Gameknight’s heart raced in his chest; he could almost hear it beating. His eyes darted from wall to wall, on high alert.
A strange sound echoed off the rocky walls. Gameknight wasn’t sure what it was. The noise was made of multiple echoes bouncing off the walls of the pass. Was it clicking spiders? Was it rocks tumbling down the walls?
“What was that!?” he asked.
His voice echoed off the stone walls and reflected back to him. On its return, it sounded thin and scared.
Everyone stopped to listen. There was nothing but silence. Crafter turned to look back at Gameknight and shrugged his shoulders.
“What did you hear?” he asked.
“I could have sworn I heard a clicking sound,” Gameknight mumbled, thinking that he’d let his emotions get the better of him. He scanned the sheer walls that boxed them in again, but there was nothing . . . just stone. He almost wished it had been something so that everyone in his party didn’t think he was imagining things. It was just my stupid imagination running wild, he thought. I’ve got to think clearly or I’m going to get everyone in trouble.
They continued to move forward. Every step echoed off the curving walls, making it sound as if there were a hundred people in their group. If only there were, Gameknight thought grimly.
Suddenly, the piercing whine from the ender chest skyrocketed in volume to unbearable levels. Stitcher yelled out in pain as she tried to cover her ears with her hands, but it did no good.
“That can only mean one thing—monsters are coming!” Crafter shouted. “Run!”
The party sprinted forward, following the curving pathway blindly. The pass bent sharply to the left and to the right so many times that Gameknight lost count. His heart pounded in his chest. They were spooked and acting recklessly, but he didn’t have a better idea. The sooner they got out of the pass, the better. They thundered through the narrow pathway without bothering to keep quiet, bolting around an incredibly sharp corner. Suddenly everyone skidded to a stop.
Ahead of them, blocking them from getting through, were half a dozen spiders on the floor of the pass, and another six were climbing down the walls toward them.
Without stopping to think, Gameknight charged forward, diamond sword in his right hand, iron sword in his left. Purple waves of enchanted light painted the walls of the pass as he crashed into the monsters.
“FOR MINECRAFT!” the User-that-is-not-a-user yelled, his swords slashing at the dark, fuzzy creatures.
And then his father was at his side, the monkey’s sword protecting his son’s flank. They carved great arcs of dest
ruction through the spider hosts, their swords slicing and dicing so quickly it was impossible to see each stroke and swing. Spinning to the left, Gameknight slashed at a large creature, then quickly attacked the monster to his right, drawing the spider’s attention so that Monkeypants could attack it from behind. It cried out in pain as the last of the monster’s HP was consumed.
Not waiting, Gameknight turned to his left and blocked an attack, then struck back with his iron sword, but before he could land a blow, Digger’s big pickaxe came spinning through the air. It struck the large spider in the side and pushed it back several blocks. The monster turned, smashing the handle of the pick into the stone wall and against its body, doing even more damage. It flashed red, then disappeared as its mandibles clicked wildly. The stocky NPC sprinted forward and retrieved his pick just as a spider slashed at him, the wicked claw gouging a deep scratch in his armor. Digger cried out in surprise, then turned and swung his dual pickaxes into the monster with all his might, destroying its HP. The monster disappeared with a pop!
Fighting with grit and determination, the twelve spiders were overtaken, and soon the group stood around the balls of floating XP and string, breathing heavily.
“Nice work, everyone,” Gameknight said.
“Twelve spiders? That’s it?” Stitcher said. “I thought they’d try to make it hard for us.”
“I wouldn’t be so fast to say that . . .” the User-that-is-not-a-user mumbled, the blood in his veins running cold as he looked up to the ceiling.
At least twenty more spiders were flowing down the sheer walls of the pass like a fuzzy black wave. Their mandibles clicked hungrily, filling the air with the sound of a million castanets. A flaming projectile launched up into the air with a thwwaappp! and struck one of the descending creatures. Instantly, it burst into flames, casting out a circle of light that illuminated the pass for a moment. Another fiery arrow shot through the air, hitting its target. More flames erupted on the sheer walls, adding additional flickering light to the scene. The monsters clicked in pain as the flaming projectiles sought out all the monsters on the walls. When the flames finally went out and they reached the ground, the companions fell on them with ruthless ferocity, not waiting to give them a chance to attack. In seconds, the spider attack had been completely quelled.
“If I had to bet, I’d say there’s going to be more where all these monsters came from,” Gameknight said. “We need to hurry.”
Just as the group was about to take off again, a sorrowful moan filled the passage, the rattling of bones adding a percussive rhythm to the dirge. Gameknight peered at the pass behind them. There were no zombies visible yet, because of the curving, meandering path and sheer walls, but he knew they would be there soon. A booming, arrogant laugh filled the pass, followed by a loud growl. He knew exactly who that was.
“Xa-Tul,” Gameknight whispered, and suddenly the pass felt empty, like the air was missing something that had been with them before. “All of you go ahead,” he called out. “I’ll slow these zombies down.”
“Where’s Herder? He’s gone!” Crafter said, his voice filled with shock.
Spinning around, Gameknight could see it was true—Herder had vanished, taking the ender chest with him. That was why it had gotten so quiet, he realized: Herobrine’s shrieking XP was gone.
“Go after him!” Gameknight shouted as he put away his swords and pulled out some blocks of TNT.
“But where did he go?” Stitcher asked, a look of terror in her eyes.
“He must have gone on ahead. Go!” the User-that-is-not-a-user yelled. “If he gets captured and the monsters get that ender chest, then we’ve failed. GO!”
Crafter nodded, then turned and ran after their companion, Digger and Baker following close behind.
“Do you need us to—” Hunter said.
“Just go check on Herder!” Gameknight interrupted as he frantically dug holes in the ground, filling them with TNT.
Turning away from his friends, he placed two more blocks of explosives in the floor, then charged off toward the moaning zombies, hoping his friends had caught up with Herder.
Why would he run off? Gameknight thought. He knows we should be sticking together. What was he thinking!?
Gameknight felt anger bubble up from within. He was hurt that the young NPC hadn’t stayed with them, hadn’t acted as part of the team. Did Herder not trust them anymore? He shook his head, knowing it wasn’t the time or the place to waste time feeling resentful.
Turning the next corner, the User-that-is-not-a-user almost ran head-first into a zombie, its razor-sharp claws extended, reaching for unsuspecting NPC flesh. A look of surprise shifted across its green face as it realized that it was not facing just a normal villager. Before it could react, Gameknight shifted into battle-mode, attacking the monster with his two blades, slashing away at its HP. It didn’t stand a chance. In seconds, the zombie disappeared with a pop!, revealing another two creatures behind where it had stood. In the distance, Gameknight could see the tall hulking form of Xa-Tul towering over the other creatures.
“There he is!” the king of the zombies bellowed, pointing. “It was foolish of Gameknight999 to come here. This pass shall be known from now on as the User-that-is-not-a-user’s grave.”
Gameknight ignored the ranting monster and focused on the two zombies before him. Ducking, razor-sharp claws whistled just over his head. He knelt and slashed at one of the monster’s legs, making it flash red. He then rolled across the ground and popped back up to his feet, diamond sword finding zombie flesh. Attacking from one to the other, he quickly dispatched the two zombies even as Xa-Tul approached.
“There is no escape, Fool!” Xa-Tul yelled. “The monsters of the Overworld hold both ends of Vo-Lok’s Pass. The murderers that killed Herobrine are trapped. Ha ha ha.” The arrogant ruler’s evil laugh made Gameknight’s spine tingle.
Monsters at both ends . . . we’ve walked right into a trap. We’re doomed! Gameknight thought.
Turning, the User-that-is-not-a-user ran back toward his friends, Xa-Tul yelling insults at his back as multiple zombies gave chase. When he passed the blocks of TNT he’d buried in the ground, he slowed to take out his bow. Pulling back, he steadied his aim, waiting for the zombies to get close enough that he could fire and trigger the explosives. But before he could, a flaming arrow streaked through the air from behind him, right past his head, burrowing into one of the zombie pursuers. Another arrow flew out from the other side of the pass, causing the same zombie to disappear as the magical flames consumed its HP.
“WE FIGURED YOU MIGHT NEED SOME HELP!” Hunter cried out.
Looking up to the source of the sound, Gameknight saw Hunter and Stitcher had cleverly built steps running up the sheer walls and were firing from high in the air down on the approaching mob. Their bows were a blur as the flaming arrows shot out from on high, coming down on the enemy like a lethal rain. The zombies’ screams of surprise and pain filled the passage, causing the rest of the horde to pull back, hesitant to move any further forward and into the line of fire.
“Zombies, ATTACK!” Xa-Tul bellowed angrily.
But the monsters refused. They knew that charging forward around the bend in the curve meant death.
“Move forward or face Xa-Tul’s golden sword,” the zombie king yelled, swinging his giant weapon out in front of him, injuring the zombies from his own army. The mob had no choice but to advance forward, running around the bend and into a hail of arrows. Hunter and Stitcher fired as fast as they could, and Gameknight’s bow added to the fray, but the number of zombies was too great, and it was quickly obvious that three warriors were unable to slow the rising tide of angry claws.
“Stitcher, Hunter—the TNT!” Gameknight shouted over the cacophony of moans and growls, remembering his original plan.
Arrows flew out of the horde as clattering skeletons emerged from the shadows, firing on the two archers. Ducking behind blocks of stone, the two siblings waited until the moment was right, then nodde
d at each other, stood, and fired. Their flaming arrows struck separate cubes of explosives at the same time, and the TNT began to glow and blink as their fuses lit. After shooting all the blocks and ducking out of the way of incoming enemy fire, they ran down their steps and joined Gameknight in the middle of the pass.
Suddenly, the ground shook as though a giant’s fist had smashed down onto the ground, causing the pass to quiver and shake. Mighty blossoms of fire bloomed across the pass as the TNT detonated, enveloping the doomed monsters in their fiery embrace. Green bodies flew through the air when the first bombs went off, then more and more as blasts rocked the pass.
The damage the TNT exacted on the monster horde was great, but when the smoke and dust cleared, Gameknight could see that Xa-Tul still stood on the other side of the massive crater that now blocked Two-Sword Pass. His monstrous eyes blazed red with hatred, and he pointed his massive golden broadsword directly at the User-that-is-not-a-user.
“The Fool has not escaped Xa-Tul—not even close,” the zombie king shouted. “All your efforts have delayed the zombie army just a few mere moments. Soon, the Loser-that-is-a-loser will have to face the king of the zombies. Nothing will save Gameknight999 this time!”
Gameknight did not want to stay and find out exactly how the murderous zombie planned to accomplish this; instead, he turned to the sisters with him.
“There’s another army at the other end of the pass,” the User-that-is-not-a-user said. “We’re trapped!”
“Oh, no,” Stitcher said.
Hunter growled.
“We have to get to the others—fast,” Gameknight said. “The zombies will be slowed down considerably while they climb through all that rubble, but we need to make the most out of the extra time we’ve bought ourselves.”
“Then come on!” Hunter said as she sprinted down the pass, Gameknight and Stitcher following close behind.
I hope we don’t get there before it’s too late, Gameknight thought as shivers of dread ran up and down his spine.
Gameknight999 vs. Herobrine Page 9