“Ha … zombies are not the problem.” Sweeper leaned forward and spoke in a low voice. “Zombies are not the only creatures here. There are spiders and skeletons and creepers. The front entrance of the castle is well guarded. Anyone entering that way … their life will be sacrificed.” He glanced around, as if looking to see if anyone were watching. “There is a back entrance to the vaults, yes, yes, a back entrance. Go through Mr_man12’s house and you will find the secret entrance, yes you will. Ha ha ha.”
Watcher glanced at Cutter, a worried expression on his young face. Cutter just shrugged.
“Go into the back entrance and find the minecart tracks that go deep underground. Sweeper put a slime block at the bottom of the shaft. You can jump straight down without taking any damage. Ha ha … Kaza will never know you are there.”
Is Sweeper insane? Watcher thought. He wondered if anything the old man was telling them was the truth, or if he had just lost his mind.
“Take the back entrance and you can get to Kaza’s gold.” Sweeper moved closer to Watcher and whispered. “Destroy his gold and you destroy his plans. The army of withers must not be awakened.”
“Yes, I’m sure you’re right but—”
“You need better weapons and stronger armor to defeat the royal guards. Plus, you’ll need TNT to destroy the gold.”
“What?” Blaster pushed Cutter aside and moved next to Sweeper. “What did you say about TNT?”
“Before Kaza took over the Capitol, I hid weapons, armor, potions, and TNT in various shops and homes.” Sweeper laughed manically. “Find the quarters of Quadbamber, Arp97, Mr_man12, Benma98, and devLuca. There is a sign outside each shop or home with their name on it. Inside, I’ve hidden chests with loot in them. These things will help you destroy the gold and hopefully allow you to escape with your lives as well.”
“Do we need to know anything else?” Planter asked.
Sweeper turned away from Planter. He tilted his head as if he were listening to some invisible companion speaking to him. With a nod of his head, he turned back.
“One last thing … the vault is sealed with a combination lock, if it even still works.” Sweeper smiled, his teeth stained and decaying. “Kaza made Sweeper promise not to tell, but I will tell the nice girl.”
The crazy NPC paused as if waiting for something.
“Well … what’s the combination?”
“Ahh … oh yeah … the combination is 1638.” Sweeper smiled. “Once the vault doors are opened, the Royal Guards will know you are there, so be cautious but also be fast. If Kaza catches you in the vault, his flaming skulls will destroy you all. And watch out for the Royal Guards.”
“Thank you, Sweeper, for your help.” Watcher handed the old man a slice of melon. He devoured it.
“One last thing … one last thing.”
“What is it?” Cutter asked.
“Remember the crown—he draws his power from the crown.” Sweeper turned and headed down the stairs. “Must destroy the Crown of Skulls so that the wither’s power can be extinguished.” His voice grew softer. “Yes, yes … the crown must be melted, must be melted. Remember the crown … remember the …”
The old man reached the bottom of the stairs and ran for the docks, his voice too soft to hear any longer.
Watcher looked at his friends. They all had surprised expressions on their faces.
“You think anything he said was true?” Mapper asked.
“We’ll find out soon enough,” Blaster said. “Everyone choose a different name and go find their home. We need that hidden loot.”
“Right, everyone, pick a name.” Watcher glanced at them. “I’ll take Quadbamber’s house. Meet back here as soon as you can. Move quick and quiet—there may still be monsters about.”
They all nodded and dispersed, leaving Er-Lan next to Sweeper’s shattered cage.
As Watcher ran, he thought about that dark presence he’d sensed within the castle. He was sure it was Kaza; the incredible hatred and thirst for violence that creature emanated seemed to burn a hole in his mind. They would have to face that creature eventually, but would better weapons or enchanted armor make any difference? He shook almost imperceptibly as he thought about that inevitable confrontation, fingers of terror squeezing his soul.
The companions returned to Er-Lan with arms full of items. They laid loot out on the ground so everyone could see everything that had been found.
“What are those?” Watcher pointed to arrows with large red tips and tiny crimson sparkles dancing around the shafts.
“Those are arrows of healing.” Mapper picked one up. “They heal whatever target they hit.”
“So, they’re like the splash potions you used on Watcher?” Planter asked.
Mapper nodded.
“And just like the ones you used on the zombies in Tu-Kar’s hideout.” Watcher picked one up.
Mapper nodded again.
“Interesting … I’ll take all those, and the enchanted bow.” Watcher held the sparkling weapon in his hand. He could tell by the way his inventory reacted, it had the Infinity enchantment. And by the way it pulsed, he figured the bow also had the Punch enchantment as well; Watcher would know for sure when he fired the first shot. He also grabbed an iron helmet and placed it on his head.
Blaster smiled as he picked up stacks of TNT, piles of redstone dust, and redstone repeaters. “I know just what to do with all of this.”
Cutter took the enchanted iron armor, while Mapper scooped up the many potions. Planter removed her normal chain mail and took the enchanted mail, its purple glow casting a lavender circle on the ground. Watcher doubted the armor was the same as the Mantle of Command, but he still watched her cautiously for any signs of pain. With a smile, Planter gave him a nod, signaling it was okay.
Everyone took something from the pile of loot, except for Er-Lan. The small zombie just stared down at the items, unsure what to do.
“Er-Lan, you need some weapons.” Watcher picked up an iron sword and extended it to the zombie. “Take something.”
“Well … Er-Lan has not earned … um …”
Cutter lifted an iron chest plate off the ground, the armor decorated with jagged streaks of black and white that looked like lightning bolts. The big warrior raised it over the monster’s head and settled it onto his shoulders. “You earned this when you helped me with Tu-Kar. No one can dispute that. And if they do … they must deal with me.” He then grabbed an iron helmet and placed it on his head. “Now you look like a proper warrior.”
Er-Lan smiled, as did the rest of the companions.
“Okay, it’s time.” Watcher adjusted his helmet, the metallic cap wobbling about, a little too big for his head. He reached up and straightened it again. “Let’s find that secret entrance to the vaults. With all that TNT Blaster has in his inventory, we could destroy Kaza’s gold. I don’t like the idea of a wither army being awakened.”
“Good idea.” Cutter drew his diamond sword. “I found Mr_man12’s home, follow me.”
“Then lead on,” Watcher said, gesturing with his sparkling, enchanted bow.
The warrior nodded, then took off running, his heavy boots thudding on the stone path. They followed, eyes shifting from left to right, searching for stray monsters. The stone pathway branched off in many directions, but Cutter followed the one that led directly to their destination, Mr_man12’s house.
They stopped at an arched entrance, multi-colored banners hanging high overhead. A sign next to the entrance marked the owner’s name; they were in the right place. They entered the structure, passing an ornate fountain ringed with iron bars. Next to the flowing water, Cutter found an open door.
They followed the big warrior into the room, weapons held at the ready.
“This looks like some kind of dormitory or something.” Planter pointed to the many beds lining one wall. “This must have been where all the soldiers lived, before …” She grew silent.
“You mean before Kaza invaded, and destroyed them all
,” Watcher added.
Planter nodded.
“We’re gonna make him pay.” Blaster drew one of his knives and tested the keen edge with his thumb.
“Which way do we go?” Mapper asked.
Watcher glanced around the room. There was a large passage that plunged down a set of wide stairs, but the passage was dark and foreboding.
“I don’t like the look of that corridor.” Blaster pointed with his knife. “Let’s follow the one that’s lit up. I like being able to see what’s trying to destroy me.”
“Agreed.” Cutter headed through another narrow passage, the rest of the party following.
After about a dozen blocks, they were outside of the building, near the back of the castle which soared high into the sky.
“There are some steps there.” Planter pointed with Needle. “I bet that’s the rear entrance.”
They sprinted up the steps that wrapped around the back side of the castle. The stairway ended at a wide gate that stood open; likely Kaza figured no one was crazy enough to try and break into his fortress. A gravel path led from the gate and into a small courtyard ringed with tall stone-brick walls. The entrance to the main castle was blocked off with iron bars. Watcher smiled … that meant any monsters in there couldn’t get to them, but they could still see them if they looked this way.
A clicking sound floated out of the castle accompanied with the rattling sound, like someone rubbing dry sticks together.
“Spiders and skeletons,” Blaster whispered.
Watcher nodded.
The sounds echoed off the many stone walls, making it impossible to tell how many monsters were guarding the fortress. But it didn’t matter. Everyone in their company knew they had to see this through in order to save their friends, and possibly save the Far Lands as well.
Watcher motioned the others to hug the walls and stay away from the barred opening; if they were spotted now, it would be a problem. The path split in two near the bars, with the second path leading into a small building. Watcher peeked through the door and saw it was empty, then entered.
“Over here.” Blaster stood in front of a set of minecart tracks that spiraled downward into the darkness. “I can’t see the bottom. Those tracks must go down really far.”
“Do we just walk on the tracks to get down there?” Planter whispered.
Watcher shook his head. “If a minecart comes down the tracks while we’re on the rails, we’ll be in serious trouble.”
“The caretaker, Sweeper, said something about slime blocks,” Mapper said.
“Yeah, he said he put the slime blocks at the bottom of this shaft.” Blaster peered down into the darkness again. “He said we could just jump.”
“But what if the monsters took out the slime blocks after they imprisoned Sweeper?” Planter glanced at her friends. “That fall would be fatal.”
“One of us needs to try,” Mapper said.
“Here’s what I’m gonna do.” Cutter spoke in a quiet voice. “I’ll jump down there. If I survive, I’ll tap the tracks with my sword so you know it’s okay. Then, all of you—”
Er-Lan pushed through the group of villagers and stood at the edge of the vertical shaft. He glanced over his shoulder and gave his companions a toothy grin, then jumped.
“Er-Lan!” Planter reached out to the zombie, but he was already gone.
They waited. It seemed to Watcher as if an eternity had passed, but finally, a dull thud sounded from the shaft, followed by another and another. Then, a tapping echoed up the passage, the sound running up the minecart rails.
Planter breathed a sigh of relief. “He made it.”
“One at a time, let’s go.” Cutter jumped into the hole.
After fifteen seconds, another person jumped, then another and another. Watcher waited at the end, an arrow notched to his bow. He stared into the darkness of the chamber, the clicking and rattling bones still at a murmur … for now.
Watcher stepped to the edge of the shaft and looked down. All he could see was darkness below. For some reason, he took a big breath as if he were diving into a pool … and then he jumped.
The minecart rails spiraled around him as he fell. Glancing down, something green came into view as he fell: the slime blocks. Watcher bounced high into the air when he hit the spongy blocks, then bounced again and again until he finally came to rest.
He climbed off the minecart track and into a long, high-ceilinged passage. Instantly, a dusty, dank smell invaded his senses. This tunnel felt as if it were hundreds of years old, which was probably about right. Watcher knew the Capitol had been built during the Great War between the wizards and the warlocks. Probably, many of the great wizards had walked these very halls back then. The thought made Watcher nervous for just an instant, but for some reason, he felt at home in the hallowed passage.
A long passage stretched out before him, with blocks of netherrack burning perpetually behind sets of bars. The flames lit the passage with flickering light, making it easy to see the footsteps of his comrades on the dusty floor. Watcher followed the passage, turning to the left and right, until he found himself before the door to the vault. His friend stood before a large keypad on the wall, numbers beneath each stone button.
“Anyone remember the combination Sweeper told us?”
“I think he said it was 5 2 3 8.” Blaster reached up and pressed the buttons.
“Did anyone check out the door to the vault?” Watcher gestured to the huge hole in the iron bars that had, at one time, blocked the passage. “I don’t think we’re gonna need that combination after all.”
They moved through the opening in the bars, and down a long passage, with Cutter leading the way. The big NPC led them past a set of double iron doors. Above them, a sign said “Security Offices” and “Authorized Personnel Only.” Cutter ignored the doors and kept going, his boots echoing off the stone walls.
At the end of the passage a single torch burned. When they neared, the companions found two stairways, one going to the left, the other to the right.
“Which one?” Cutter glanced at Watcher.
One of the stairwells was well lit, with torches on the walls. The other was masked in darkness.
“I say we keep following the torches,” Watcher said.
Without waiting for a response, the young archer ran down the stairs to the left. They turned once to the left, then to the right, ending at a wall made entirely of wooden planks. Large glass windows lined the wall, allowing Watcher to peer into the room on the other side. It was empty, lit by a single, flickering torch.
Watcher stepped in through the door a few blocks down, sweeping the room with his sensitive vision; it was indeed deserted. Moving cautiously forward, Watcher drew back an arrow and slid his back along the wall. Even though he couldn’t hear anything, the young archer felt as if there were monsters nearby.
Inching along, he finally came to a large arched opening. On the other side of the archway, a huge chamber taller than anything he’s ever seen stretched out before him. Chests were stacked from ground to ceiling, with columns of wood on either side, and ladders on the wooden columns that gave access to the upper storage and topmost chests.
Watcher stepped into the room, stunned by the immensity of it. There really were hundreds of chests, stacked from floor to ceiling all throughout the chamber, with ladders climbing all the way up into the darkness high overhead. It was an incredible construction, but the thought of why someone needed this much storage was even more confusing.
What did they do here, in the Capitol, in the ancient times? Watcher shook his head in disbelief.
“Look,” Planter whispered.
Watcher turned and found his friend pointing to the end of the storage chamber. Another arched opening sat at the far end of the chamber, leading to a room made of bright white quartz. Blocks of nether-quartz created intricate patterns on the walls, adding occasional splashes of red. A golden glow spilled out of the chamber, the edge of some gold blocks just barely visible.
“That’s the treasury room and Kaza’s gold … come on.” She sprinted toward the opening.
“No … wait!”
But it was too late. Planter charged through the storage chamber, heading for the gold, the rest of the party in hot pursuit. As their boots pounded on the ground, Watcher picked up on a strange sound. It reminded him of Er-Lan’s claw tapping on the minecart rail, a hollow and angry sort of noise.
They were a dozen blocks from the treasury chamber.
“Slow down,” Watcher warned, but no one listened.
The clicking was getting louder. Glancing up, he saw things moving in the darkness. They were large shapes that clung to the ceiling, moving about faster and faster, as if they were getting agitated.
And then one of them opened its eight bright-red eyes. Then another, and another, and another.
“Everyone … look up.” Watcher pointed with his bow. “Spiders.”
Planter skidded to a stop and stared at the ceiling. The darkness was now filled with red dots. When they spotted the intruders, spiders clicked their mandibles faster, then descended from their lofty perch. The fuzzy monsters climbed down the wooden columns, some of them descending on the finest strand of spider’s web. As they moved into the light, Watcher gasped.
“Are those …” Mapper didn’t finish the sentence.
Blaster nodded his head. “Yep … they’re spider jockeys.”
Riding on the backs of the spiders were skeletons, some armored in chain mail and iron while others wore nothing but their pale bones.
“We need to get into the treasury room before—” Cutter started to say, just as a dozen spider jockeys scurried out of the treasury room, cutting off their escape. “—before that happens.”
“These must be the Royal Guards that Sweeper warned us about.” Mapper put a splash potion of healing in each hand, then handed one to Er-Lan.
“Everyone, get back to back,” Watcher said.
The spiders and their skeleton riders slowly approached, the bony monsters drawing back their arrows, but withholding their fire.
Zombies Attack! Page 19