“No, no, no,” Gameknight replied. “I need them because—”
“Look! I can see part of the nether fortress,” Stitcher suddenly yelled. “It’s down there, near the lava ocean.”
“Come on. Let’s find Herder and get back to the Overworld,” Crafter said as he ran off, the others following close behind.
Gameknight looked at his father and shrugged, then took off, the shovel replaced with his swords. As they ran, he moved in a zigzag pattern, collecting the items that still floated on the ground from the now-deceased skeletons. Reaching into his inventory, he looked to see if there were any skulls, but sadly, he’d come up empty.
He quickly caught up with the others and moved between Digger and his father. In the distance, the nether fortress came into focus. It was built of dark burgundy bricks called netherbrick and sat on tall columns. Its raised walkways extended across the nether. Some of them went straight into netherrack mountains, and Gameknight knew those passageways continued deep into the hills and stone walls much farther than most users even realized.
As they neared the terrifying fortress, memories of the last time Gameknight had been in this land of smoke and fire came rushing back to him. Glancing to his left, he looked at Hunter as she ran. He could tell she was having flashbacks as well, her face creased with anger and fear. She had been captured by the evil king of the Nether, Malacoda, and the monstrous ghast had taken her through a massive portal and directly to the Source. Hunter had begged Gameknight999 to shoot her; she would have rather been killed than held captive by the monsters of Minecraft, but Gameknight couldn’t do it. He’d refused to shoot his friend back then, though that decision had haunted him until they had finally rescued her.
And now they were back.
Glancing up to the ceiling, the User-that-is-not-a-user scanned the sky for any of the terrifying ghasts that patrolled the Nether. He knew it wasn’t the ghasts they really had to be worried about, though—it was the blazes. As they drew closer to the nether fortress, the number of blazes would increase tenfold, and a fiery battle was sure to ensue. They had no fire protection on their armor and would be greatly outnumbered. It was critical that Gameknight found Herder before they had to face the blazes, for those ethereal monsters of flame were not the type of creatures to wait around until attacked. Their fireballs would rain down upon him and his companions at first opportunity. He knew his friends had only their armor and swords to use against the blazes and they would not last long if surrounded. They had to find Herder, fast, or they would all be doomed.
“Why did he do it?” Digger asked, his deep voice like thunder echoing across the cavernous landscape.
“What?” Gameknight asked.
“Why did Herder betray us and steal the ender chest?” the big NPC asked. “I thought he was our friend, but he took Herobrine’s XP and is now hiding somewhere down here in this terrible land? It just doesn’t sound like the Herder I know—we know—at all.”
“I don’t know,” Gameknight said.
“Yeah, and why didn’t he say something to us?” Hunter added. “If he thought our plan was so terrible, why didn’t he speak up? It was almost as if he’d been waiting for just the right moment to steal the XP. Why would a friend do that to another friend?”
“I don’t know,” Gameknight said, his voice even softer.
“One has to wonder what Herder’s intentions were from the very beginning,” Crafter said. “Maybe the bullying he experienced when he’d first joined our army was just too much for him. But why would he hold all that frustration and anger in fore such a long time, only to betray us now?”
“I DON’T KNOW, OK?” Gameknight shouted, confused and frustrated and, above all else, hurt by someone he had thought had been his friend.
He looked down at the ground, knowing he should apologize to his friends, but finding it hard to find the right words. Crafter motioned to the rest of the group that it was okay and that they should keep moving, and Gameknight silently followed behind.
They moved around a large pool of lava, then jumped across the stream of molten stone feeding it. They all made it safely across and continued their journey toward the fortress.
“I thought I understood Herder better than anyone, so him leaving when we needed him hurts me even more,” Gameknight finally admitted after a period of walking in silence. “I thought we were friends that would do anything for each other, not run away when things became difficult. I don’t know if I can ever forgive him for this.”
“We must be careful in judging him so severely,” Monkeypants said. “I’ve known Herder for less time than most of you, but I know that he is a good person inside and he would never do anything on purpose to hurt any of us. So we must be careful not to judge the person, but to judge the behavior. Herder is still our friend, and we have to find a way to help him.”
“Help him?!” Hunter scoffed. “He dragged us down here into the Nether. The likelihood of us surviving for long is extremely small, and you think we need to find a way to help him?”
Monkeypants271 nodded his head as he sidestepped around a mound of burning netherrack. Stitcher moved to the monkey’s side and smiled up at him.
“I agree with Monkeypants,” Stitcher added. “This is not the Herder that we know. Something’s been going on with him for a few days now. I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s noticed that he’s been acting . . . well . . . a little strange lately. My vote is to help him.”
“It’s true,” Digger said. “Did anyone notice that his wolves were acting weird around him?”
Slowly, the entire group shook their heads in agreement as they thought back to the specifics of their journey.
“So it’s decided: we help our friend. But first, we need to help ourselves,” Digger said, pointing to the tall column of netherbrick drawing near, the raised walkway of the fortress looming high overhead. “How do we get in?”
“Leave that to me,” Crafter said. “All we need to find is the right column, and then I will get us in.”
Digger looked at Crafter, confused, then glanced at Gameknight999. The User-that-is-not-a-user just shrugged and followed behind the young NPC, the rest of the party fast on his heels. They moved from column to column, and Crafter carefully inspected each. The occasional wither skeleton reared its blackened skull, but was quickly dispatched by Hunter and Stitcher. With each defeated monster, Gameknight collected their items, throwing the bones, coal, and stone swords away quickly. One of them gave him the first ashen skull . . . he only needed two more.
“What are you looking for?” Stitcher asked.
Gameknight was about to answer when Crafter exclaimed, “I’ve found it!”
“What?” Monkeypants asked.
“This is it. The column we’ve been looking for,” Crafter explained.
“It looks like all the rest,” Hunter pointed out.
“Not if you look very carefully,” Crafter corrected. “All the others were made from a two-by-two stack of netherbrick. But this one has three blocks on a side. I bet when you break open the side, you’ll find the center hollow.”
Digger pulled out his iron pickaxe and smashed the netherbrick structure, quickly removing two of the blocks so the interior could be seen. As Crafter predicted, the center was hollow, a ladder stretching up one side.
“When the NPCs were forced to build these fortresses, they put these columns and ladders here so that we would have the ability to go in and out of the fortress without the monsters ever knowing,” Crafter explained. “This ladder will take us into the fortress without being seen.”
“Then let’s get to it,” Hunter said as she moved into the column and started climbing, her sister following close behind.
“Digger, you bring up the rear,” Crafter said. “Be sure to replace those blocks. We don’t want to show the monsters how we got in.”
Digger nodded, then stood next to the entrance, scanning the surroundings for hostile mobs as he waited for everyone to ascend the ladder.
Gameknight was the last one to enter. As he stood at the bottom of the ladder and looked up into the darkness of the column, he wondered what would be waiting for them inside the fortress—more wither skeletons, or ghasts, or blazes . . . or maybe all of the above? The ladder’s wooden rungs disappeared up into the vertical shaft as far as he could see. Then the darkness became absolute as Digger entered and sealed the opening behind him. The stocky NPC pushed past him and began to climb, the rungs creaking their complaints. Gameknight999 stood there and listened as the hands and boots above him scraped against the wooden ladder as they climbed. He felt so alone
Herder, why did you do it? Gameknight thought, overcome with anger and sadness.
He suddenly thought about his sister, Monet113. Imagining his fingers on his keyboard, Gameknight sent a message into the chat.
Monet, are you there?
Yep, she replied, the letters appearing in his mind.
I think we will probably need some help down here in the Nether, he sent. Can you and Shawny think about something to help us? I think we’re going to be a little outnumbered.
Already on it, Monet replied. Don’t worry, we’ll be ready with something.
Thanks, he replied.
Gameknight999 grasped the first rung and started to climb as images of blazes and ghasts filled his mind, their fireballs all aimed directly at him.
CHAPTER 16
HUNTING THE PREY
Feyd screeched in anger and frustration. His eyes glowed bright white with hate for his enemy.
“How could you let him get away?” the king of the endermen yelled. “He was trapped.”
“Xa-Tul did not see any of your endermen in the battle,” the king of the zombies growled. “It was left to the zombies and a few spiders to capture the User-that-is-not-a-user, while the rest of the monsters hid in the shadows, like cowards. Only the zombies have any courage. And when Xa-Tul frees the Maker from his prison, he will learn of the cowardice of the other monsters and the bravery of the zombies.”
Feyd glared at the zombie then turned his back on the monster. Now he faced a sea of endermen, the army congregating at the southern end of Vo-Lok’s Pass.
“Endermen, take the monsters to the nearest zombie-town,” Feyd said, his screechy voice echoing off the sheer walls of the extreme hills. “We will use the portal there to get to the Nether. Our enemy has not escaped us yet. With the portal here destroyed, Gameknight999 has no way to get out of the Nether. He is just as trapped as he was in the pass, but now he will soon be ours. GO!”
The endermen reached out with their long, dark arms and each grabbed hold of a nearby monster before disappearing in a cloud of purple particles, their monsters in tow. Moments later, the endermen reappeared empty-handed and grabbed more monsters to take to the zombie-town. In minutes, the entire army was gone, leaving just Feyd and Xa-Tul behind.
“Well?” the zombie king asked.
“You need to remember who is in charge of this army,” Feyd said as he gathered teleportation particles around him. With fists clenched, he was ready for anything the zombie might do. “I am going to lead these creatures through the nether, where we will find and capture the User-that-is-not-a-user. I will then free the Maker. Am I making myself perfectly clear?”
The zombie growled, his eyes glowing dangerously red.
“I can always leave you here, if you’d prefer,” the enderman added threateningly, knowing the zombie king had no choice but to go along with his plan.
Xa-Tul reached for his sword, then stopped when he touched the pommel. He glared at the enderman for a moment before slowly moving his hand away from his massive broadsword.
“I understand who is in command,” the zombie said as he lowered his gaze.
“Good. Let’s go.”
Feyd stepped forward and laid a hand on Xa-Tul’s shoulder, then disappeared, traveling at the speed of thought through Minecraft. In a blink of an eye, they appeared within a massive cave filled with small homes built from every material imaginable.
“Quickly, to the portal room,” Feyd said.
Not waiting to see if the zombie king would comply, he headed for the tunnel at the back of the huge cavern. The passage was at least eight blocks wide; there would be no trouble handling the large numbers of monsters all moving through it. Feyd descended through the tunnel and emerged in a large room that held three tall obsidian rings, each filled with a colorful, undulating field. One led to the next zombie-town, its teleportation field filled with an alien green color. The second was filled with a rusty brown field and would take the traveler to another server plane. The third obsidian ring was the one Feyd was looking for. With its purple interior spilling light onto the walls, the portal to the Nether dominated the room, casting a lavender hue on all the occupants of the chamber. Feyd stepped into this portal and was instantly transported to the land of smoke and fire.
The heat of the Nether slammed into him like a hammer. It was a shocking difference from the cool stone chamber of the zombie-town they’d come from. Here, everything was blazing hot, with smoke and ash rising from the many fires that burned throughout the land. The smoldering blocks caused a gray haze to fill the air, making objects far away fade into the dull mist. Light from countless streams of lava lit the walls and ceiling of the Nether with a warm glow, filling every hole or crevasse or crack with an auburn hue. Overhead, bright glowstones shone down on them, their internal fires no longer powering the portals from the ancient days before the Great Zombie Invasion; the NPCs had destroyed those glowing portals as part of their retribution against the monsters of this land.
The king of the endermen strode away from the portal and moved to the edge of a sheer cliff as his forces flowed out of the portal. They had materialized on a plateau that stood thirty blocks above a large lake of lava, the netherrack plane trimmed with brown cubes of soul-sand and reddish-white blocks of nether quartz. Looking across the landscape, Feyd had no idea where the User-that-is-not-a-user might be, but he knew how to find him. Violence and death always seemed to follow Gameknight999. All his endermen needed to do was find items left on the ground by deceased monsters, and he knew his enemy would be near.
“Endermen, search,” Feyd screeched. “When you find our target, come back and report his location. He will not be allowed to leave the Nether alive.”
“But how will we find him?” one of the endermen generals asked.
“Just look for the remains of our murdered brothers. They will lead you to him,” the king of the endermen said. “Also, listen for the song of the Maker. When you are near, he will sense you and lead you to him. Out here, in a foreign world, the User-that-is-not-a-user will not be difficult to find.”
The dark nightmares nodded their square black heads and disappeared in puffs of purple mist, spreading out across the Nether in search of their prey.
“You will soon be mine, Gameknight999,” the king of the endermen screeched. “Very soon, indeed.”
CHAPTER 17
CHARYBDIS
Gameknight made his way to the front of the group once everyone had reached the top of the ladder and led the way through the dark passage, his diamond sword safely stored in his inventory. The iridescent glow of the enchanted weapon would have cast beams of light far into the shadowy corridors of the nether fortress. Stealth, and the element of surprise, was what was most important right now, so all of them put aside their enchanted weapons and removed their enchanted armor, replacing them with dull iron armor and mundane weapons. Crafter had enough spare armor to take care of everyone in the party. It was no surprise; Crafter always had what was needed.
Reaching an intersection of passages, Gameknight glanced around the corner quickly, then pulled his head back.
“All the corridors are dark,” he whispered. “I don’t see any blazes anywhere, which I’d normally say was a good thing. And yet, not seeing them where I’d expect to bothers me even more.”
“What? You want the blazes here?” Hunter chided.
“How very philosophical of you, Monkeypants,” Hunter complemented. “Remember that when you finally run into some blazes, and see if you still feel the same way.”
“Hunterrr,” Stitcher growled.
The older sister smiled.
“Come on,” Gameknight said in a low voice. “I know the lava ocean is this way. That’ll be where Herder is heading.”
“Toward the lava ocean? Why?” Crafter asked.
“It’ll all make sense when we get there,” Gameknight said. “Now let’s go while there doesn’t seem to be anything around that wants to destroy us.”
He stepped silently around the corner and moved through the passage. As they ran, they found the occasional redstone torch mounted on the walls here and there, casting a crimson light on the dark netherbrick. Though the flickering torches did little to brighten the corridor, the party wove around the circles of illumination, hugging the shadows as much as possible just to be safe.
Far ahead, the passage brightened as it cut across another corridor, the walls of the intersection flickering with intermittent illumination. It was as though many torches were lighting it, and yet no burning sticks were visible.
Gameknight took a few steps forward, then stopped in the middle of the walkway and held his hand up for silence, staring ahead at the distant crossing.
“What is it?” Crafter asked.
The User-that-is-not-a-user turned his head and cupped a blocky hand behind his ear.
“There it is, again,” Gameknight whispered.
“There is what?” Hunter asked as she stepped forward and stood at her friend’s side.
“Listen . . .”
And then it grew louder—the sound of footsteps running through the stone passageway. It was echoing off the netherbrick walls, giving the illusion that the footsteps were coming from all directions, but Gameknight suddenly saw a figure dash through the intersection ahead, his long black hair streaming back as he ran, a glowing box under one arm.
Gameknight999 vs. Herobrine Page 11