Martian Invasion

by Winter Morgan

  Despite the awkwardness of traveling as a trio with Asher and Owen, they really did make a great team. Owen’s skills were as strong as they were rough and untrained, and Asher was eager to learn. They needed a leader and, he realized, he needed them too.

  “Okay,” Miles said simply. “I’ll do it.” Asher and Owen jumped up to pat him on the back and thank him but Miles held up his hand to stop them in their tracks. “Hang on a second. I’ll do it, BUT this is a one-time deal. I’m not going to follow up with a Lihzahrd Temple battle after we get the key, and I’m not going to take on any other challenges either.”

  “Fair enough, but what about stuff we encounter on the way? Are you going to leave us to fight zombies or mimics we run into?” Owen goaded him.

  “We’re not going to run into zombies because we’re only going to travel in daylight, first of all,” Miles replied impatiently. “And we won’t find any mimics if we don’t open any chests we find along the way, will we?”

  “No, I guess not,” Owen replied sullenly. “But what if we . . .”

  “No. I’m coming to defeat Plantera and we’re going in with a solid plan. You’ll have to follow my lead and do what I say,” Miles said sternly.

  “Well, look who’s turned into a boss mob of his own while we were away,” Asher said snidely.

  Miles glared at him and continued. “And when we’re done, I’m going back to fishing and taking care of things here in the village.”

  Asher snorted in response. “Look, don’t do us any favors. We thought you would be excited to leave all this behind and head out on the road with us again. But forget it. Whatever. We can do this without you.”

  Miles backed down. “I’m sorry, Asher. I didn’t mean to be rude. I am excited. Really, I am. Thanks for asking me to join you.”

  Just then, they heard a gasp. They turned to see Katie the nurse rushing toward Owen and Asher with a look of angry concern on her face. “Oh no! What kind of trouble have you two been getting into lately? Come with me and I’ll get you all fixed up.”

  “It’s really not that bad,” Asher protested as Katie pushed them toward her hut.

  “I think it’s pretty bad,” Owen complained, holding his arm dramatically. “We lost a lot of health and I ripped my favorite shirt!”

  “Come on in and we’ll see what we can do about your cuts and scrapes. You’ll have to speak with Sarah the stylist about your shirt, though,” Katie said as she ushered them inside and closed the door.

  Hope turned to Miles and put a hand on his arm supportively. “You’re doing the right thing, you know.”

  “Am I?” Miles asked. “I hope you’re right.”

  Chapter 3:

  THORNY MESS

  Miles knew Danny was in good hands with his friends in the village while he went off to help Asher and Owen. He promised the angler that as soon as he returned, he would build him the coolest house he had ever seen. Miles had been meaning to build a tree house like the one Isabella the dryad had shared with them in the Hallow. He would have loved a house like that when he was Danny’s age. Actually, he’d love a house like that now.

  To prepare for the battle with Plantera, Miles bought a stack of bombs from Jack the demolitionist, and packed up frost armor, along with an assortment of ranged and melee weapons to add to Owen and Asher’s collection. At the last minute, he grabbed some trophies from the shelf before closing the door.

  He met up with Asher and Owen, and they set off for the Underground Jungle. After they had gone a few steps, Miles ran back to give his friends some last minute instructions. “Please be sure to take care of the garden while I’m gone,” he said to Katie. “And the horse’s saddle needs mending, if you don’t mind, Cedric,” he told the magician. Katie and Cedric nodded.

  Sarah gave him a reassuring hug. “Don’t worry, Miles. As much as you like to think you’re in charge, we can handle things just fine without you.”

  Miles hugged her back. “It’s a good thing I know how sarcastic you can be or I’d be offended!” he joked.

  “Who said I was kidding?” Sarah replied with a wink and a smile.

  Miles laughed and rejoined Asher and Owen who were waiting impatiently. “You really take this whole village leader thing seriously, don’t you?” Asher asked.

  Miles shrugged wordlessly. With his chores and responsibilities taken care of, he had already turned his thoughts to the battle ahead and was running through different game plans in his head to decide which one had the best chance of defeating Plantera.

  Asher and Owen chatted excitedly as they walked, talking about what had gone wrong in their previous battles with the mob. Miles half-listened, nodding appreciatively, but mostly he was trying to recall everything he had learned about the mob: thorn balls, seeds, spores, tentacles and hooks, but he couldn’t remember what order they came in. Were the poisonous spores first? Or the hooks? Maybe the seeds because they were the weakest . . . Miles was lost in thought and didn’t see they had already gone underground to enter Plantera’s domain.

  Suddenly, a small pink seed smacked him in the head and plopped down on the ground next to him. “Oh, right. It’s seeds first,” he said out loud. Miles looked up and saw the large pink blossom inching toward them using long tentacles. It was bigger than he had expected. Miles quickly drew his sword and began to hack at the tentacle. “We have to retreat!” he shouted to his companions. “We need time to dig an arena and put our weapons in order.”

  “We have to deal some damage first to slow it down,” Asher said. He shot arrows at the mob while Owen copied Miles and hacked at the tentacles with his own sword. Plantera took some damage but continued to advance. Satisfied they had made some progress, the three retreated above ground to plan their attack.

  Miles checked his sword and armor and saw they hadn’t taken too much damage. Owen had a small cut on his arm that looked like it would heal on its own, and Asher seemed completely fine. “Looks like we’re all okay so far,” Miles announced. “Let’s get organized before heading back down there.”

  Owen nodded. “You’re already a good leader. We never thought to get organized beforehand in any of our other battles.” He looked accusingly at Asher, who just shrugged unapologetically.

  Miles jumped in before they could start arguing. “Let’s set up these heart statues just inside the cave,” Miles said, pulling them from his inventory. “I was keeping them as trophies since I gave up fighting, but we can use them now. I’ll activate them with these pressure plates I bought so we can top off our health as we go.”

  “Next, let’s dig an arena. I think a big trench lined with wooden platforms will let us use our jetpacks to dodge Plantera’s attack and shoot from the landings. Since there are three of us, this will be a lot easier,” Miles continued, rattling off instructions. He explained how they could knock holes in the jungle walls and create recesses to hide in when Plantera released its hooks. Asher and Owen were listening wordlessly and Miles realized he had completely taken control of the situation. “So what do you guys think?” He asked, hoping he hadn’t offended them with his bossiness. “What types of weapons did you bring?”

  Asher pulled out a mushroom spear. Owen grinned and pulled out the Megashark they had used in their last adventures together. “Remember this? I picked up some Chlorophyte Bullets too.”

  Miles laughed and nodded. He couldn’t forget the weapon that had helped him destroy the last mechanical boss he had faced. “Excellent choice, Owen,” he said. “Hey, since you’re the fastest, start out with your sword or anything you have to hit the seeds back at Plantera. You can use the Megashark later.” Owen nodded. “Asher, use your sword to hack at the tentacles to keep them back.” Miles continued. “I’m an experienced farmer, so I’ll dig the trench.” Miles was putting his complete trust in them while he was defenselessly digging the trench, but he knew they’d be there for him.

  “We’ve got your back,” Asher said as if he had read Miles’s mind.

  “Okay, everyone have
their armor and weapons in order?” Miles asked, pulling out his shovel. “Let’s go!” The three warriors marched fearlessly back into Plantera’s lair.

  As soon as they arrived, they were pelted by seeds, but this time they were ready. After the first stinging blow to his cheek, Owen used his broadsword to hit every seed that came his way. He had ninja-quick moves, Miles noticed as he shoveled more quickly than he had ever moved before. It was good, hard, mindless work. His senses were alert to the ping of the seeds against Owen’s broadsword and the sounds of Asher’s sword hacking away at Plantera’s tentacles. “Take that!” Miles could hear Asher shouting happily, while Miles kept his head down and focused on the task of digging the widest, deepest trench he could.

  “Miles, look out!” Owen shouted, but Miles didn’t have time to duck. He was hit by a thorn ball. Before he could get any weaker, he ran over to the heart statue and collected a bunch of hearts as they popped out. Feeling refreshed, he jumped back into the pit and started putting up platforms, keeping an eye out for thorn balls and seeds. He watched as a nearby seed hit the ground and instantly sprouted. The jungle around him was growing. He knew they needed to move quickly. As he completed the arena, he set his mind on crafting a plan to end the spread of the seeds. They were growing like weeds.

  “That’s it!” he shouted. “We need a weed killer!”

  “What?” Asher called out breathlessly. He was swatting away seeds like he was at a batting cage.

  “I can use my flamethrower to knock out the seedlings,” Miles called back. He pulled out the flamethrower he had crafted after battling Skeletron Prime and charged it to full power.

  “Wait! Stop!” Owen called out. “It’s not strong enough . . .” But it was too late. Miles pulled the trigger and released the flame across the growing field of sprouted Plantera seeds. It hit a few nearby sprouts, but fizzled out. Meanwhile, Miles was pelted with three more seeds.

  “Ouch,” Miles said softly, heading back to the heart statue to heal his wounds.

  “If you think that hurts, wait ‘till the spike balls start coming after you,” Asher said. As if Plantera had heard him, a thorn ball bounced toward Asher. He shot up into the air using his jet pack to dodge the attack. “It looks like the fun has really started now!” he called happily.

  Miles quickly put some wooden platforms in place and dodged three thorn balls in the same way as he built, shooting upward with his jet pack when the thorn balls came near. When he was satisfied with the arena, he called to Owen and Asher. “Looks like we’re ready for whatever Plantera wants to throw at us!”

  They topped off their health at the heart statue and began dodging balls as they flew toward the evil pink bulb. Plantera made its way into the arena, shooting out tentacles and moving toward each of them. Miles landed on a platform at close range, using his flamethrower to singe the bulb. Owen fired his Megashark from a landing slightly farther away. Asher stood at the top of the arena and held up his mushroom spear, shooting mushrooms that bounded toward Plantera. There seemed to be a rhythm to their battle—fly, land, shoot, dodge—and they found it easy to avoid the seeds and thorn balls since they had their jet packs.

  When the mob’s health reached 50 percent, the pink petals fell off to reveal a large green mouth. Without its petals to slow it down, Plantera sped up its attack. Miles found it hard to get into a new rhythm, and bumped into more than a few thorn balls as he tried to coordinate dodging and shooting. He couldn’t fire while he was flying, but he couldn’t dodge while he was on a platform. He glanced over and saw Owen was doing just as badly. Asher was standing at the top of the arena, hacking at hooks and batting away seeds as he dodged spores. He was clearly in top form, Miles noticed. His skills and his confidence had definitely improved since their last battle.

  Just then, he felt a tug at his sleeve. Thinking it was Owen asking for help, he wheeled around. “What now?” he said impatiently, but it wasn’t Owen. On Miles’s shirt was a giant hook on a leash attached to Plantera’s main bulb. Before he could respond, he was pulled off the platform and thrown at the ground. Pain shot through him as he felt the barbs pierce his skin, and he heard a crunch as he landed on the ground.

  Afraid the sound was a broken bone, he lay still for a moment, checking his body for pain. Aside from a few cuts and bruises, he found he had just had the wind knocked out of him. He rolled over and discovered the crunch was actually his jetpack which had broken his fall.

  Asher looked down at him. “You okay?”

  “I’ll be okay,” Miles replied, feeling more embarrassed than hurt. He tried to get up but found he was still breathless from the fall. Luckily the heart statue wasn’t far away. He crawled toward it, hoping Plantera wouldn’t sense his presence and focus on him.

  A tentacle suddenly shot toward him with a small, toothy bud at its end. “Watch out for biters!” Owen called out. Miles reached for his sword, but he wasn’t strong enough to aim it. He closed his eyes and braced himself for the hit, hoping it wouldn’t hurt too much.

  Chapter 4:

  THE KEY

  Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion with his eyes closed. Miles could hear the chomping of the biter’s teeth, and the sounds of battle above him. But instead of hearing a “CHOMP” and feeling the searing pain of a lethal bite, he heard a simple “plop.” No pain. He opened one eye to see the bud lying on the ground next to an arrow. He looked up to see Owen smiling as he put away his bow. “You’re welcome!” Owen laughed before turning back to face the hooks and seeds coming at him from above.

  Miles managed a weak “Thanks,” then continued inching toward the heart statue. Once he activated it and powered up his health, he was able to patch up his jet pack. It wasn’t at full power, but he could use it to hop between platforms and dodge the thorn balls bouncing nearby. He hopped up on the platform next to Asher.

  “What happened down there?” Owen asked. Miles could tell he was disappointed.

  “I got hit by a hook,” Miles said, embarrassed. “Kind of a noob move, huh?”

  “You’re just a little rusty, that’s all,” Owen replied with a shrug.

  Then Asher appeared grinning at his other side. “Out of practice, are we?” he asked mockingly.

  “A little, I guess.” Miles blushed. He couldn’t believe how dull his skills had gotten in the short time he had been “retired” from fighting. Battling used to be his life, and now he couldn’t even dodge a stupid plant. He was so angry at himself. He whipped out his Crystal Storm and shot it at Plantera to vent his rage. The bulb shrank back in surprise and pain.

  “Nice shot!” Asher said. “You’ve been holding out on us!”

  “You just wanted to see what we could do on our own, right Miles?” Owen said, looking at him with admiration.

  “Unfortunately, no. I’m just rusty.” Miles said. “But that shot really felt good!” he said grinning. “I’m dusty, I’m sore, and I have more cuts than I can count, but yeah, I’m glad I came!”

  Asher clapped him on the back happily. “We’re glad you came too. Now let’s finish this!” With a nod, they all whipped out their weapons and aimed them directly at Plantera. “All together now! One . . .”

  “Two,” Owen called.

  “Three!” Miles replied. They unleashed the mushroom spear, Megashark, and flamethrower at once, reducing Plantera to a mess of pulp before it shriveled up and disappeared.

  They broke into a cheer, hugging each other and laughing, “You may have lost your fighting edge, but we couldn’t have done it without your knowledge and planning skills,” Asher said to Miles.

  “You guys have leveled up since our last battle together,” Miles replied.

  Owen retrieved the drops: a grenade launcher, a Rocket I, a Nettle Burst and a key. “What’s this key for?” Owen asked.

  Miles inspected it. “It’s the key to an underground jungle temple. It’s also called a Lihzahrd Temple,” Miles recalled, glad he had been keeping up on his reading. “But as we agreed, I’m not goin
g there with you. I’m going home.”

  “Where’s your sense of adventure?” Asher asked. “You love exploring, and we don’t even have to travel far . . .”

  “And we can still be home in time for dinner.” Owen added.

  Miles backed down. Exploring was one of his new favorite hobbies. Besides, everyone back home was minding the village already. He could treat it as a little vacation, he reasoned. A few more hours couldn’t hurt. Besides, they clearly needed his advice. Maybe he wouldn’t fight . . . he’d just give them advice. “Anyone have an extra jet pack?” he asked.

  “That’s the spirit!” Asher said, digging into his inventory and handing Miles a brand new Jet Pack. “Hope gave it to me as a parting gift,” he explained.

  Miles mumbled his thanks and strapped it onto his back. He tried to remember what he had read about the legendary Cave Monster Battle of long ago. Fighting the Lihzahrd would earn them one Power Cell which would summon the Golem Boss. That was one boss he was definitely not willing to fight. Mostly because it sounded scary, but also because he hadn’t gotten up to that chapter in his book, Legendary Battles of Terraria, and he didn’t know the first thing about it. His knowledge had become his biggest asset to the team, and he didn’t want to make Owen and Asher’s fight even more difficult by protecting his dead weight in a fight. Well, he reasoned, he’d cross that argument when they got to it, but first they had to get to the temple, which had challenges of its own.

  They left the arena, taking the heart statues with them for their next adventure, and traveled down to the underground jungle temple. “So, what do we need to know before we go down there?” Asher asked Miles.