“Right!” Woodcutter added, his shining axe reflecting some of the still-burning flames, making it appear as if it were ablaze.
“That user must be stopped, and Weaver must be saved,” Gameknight said in a confident voice, more to himself than to the others. “The timeline must be repaired so all these mods to Minecraft can be eliminated, and Weaver is the key. He must be sent back to his own time, or I fear something terrible is going to happen to Minecraft.”
“Like what?” Crafter asked, his bright blue eyes filled with trepidation.
“The thing with mods is that they aren’t very stable when there are a lot of them running at the same time.” Gameknight held the gold tile with the Hydra’s face on it. The bright red eyes made him shudder. Moving to the tiny gnome, he placed it back in his pack. “You see, Entity303 somehow added lots of mods to Minecraft, but I’m sure he didn’t spend the time to figure out which would function properly and which would conflict with each other. There are mod packs out there, like the DireWolf20 modpack, that are very stable. Direwolf20 spent a lot of time testing all the mods, to figure out which would work and keep the world stable, but I bet Entity303 didn’t do that.”
“So you’re saying the world might become unstable?” Crafter asked worriedly.
Gameknight nodded his head.
“What does that mean? Put it in simpler terms,” Stitcher growled impatiently.
“OK, you want simple … the pyramid of server planes might collapse, and everything could be destroyed. That’s probably Entity303’s plan anyway. So, if we don’t save Weaver and restore history, then everything will be at risk.”
Everyone remained silent, the thought of that level of destruction unthinkable, yet they all knew it was possible.
“So then, maybe we should get going,” a hollow, scared voice said. It came from Digger.
The stocky NPC moved to the opening at the back of the hill through which Weaver and Entity303 had escaped. Gameknight could see the big NPC was afraid, his normally bright green eyes dimmed with fear. He shook almost imperceptibly. “Are … any of you coming with me?”
“Absolutely!” Stitcher shouted, the sudden volume causing many of them to jump.
“Don’t scare us like that,” Hunter said and punched her sister in the shoulder.
“What?” the younger said with an innocent smile.
“Digger’s right, let’s get out of here,” Gameknight said. “Empech, do you know where the castle is located?”
“Empech saw the edge of the thorn forest off in that direction, yes, yes.” He pointed to the north with a three-fingered hand.
“All right, let’s go,” the User-that-is-not-a-user said. “We move fast. Leave anything behind you don’t need: furnaces, beds, minecarts … leave anything you won’t need in battle.”
“What about TNT?” Crafter asked.
“We absolutely want that!”
Reaching out, he patted the young NPC on the back, then sprinted through the opening and headed to the north, the deadly thorn forest and White Castle not yet visible in the distance.
A chill covered his body as he thought about the unknown monster that likely lurked somewhere within the white structure, waiting to ensnare them in its deadly embrace … or worse.
CHAPTER 24
PREDATOR FOLLOWING THE PREY
Entity303 paced back and forth, pulling Weaver along with him. He glared down over the edge of the glacier at the forest below. His enemies should have had time to reach the edge of this frozen biome by now. But where were they?
Stopping his impatient march, he pulled off the jetpack and put it back into his inventory.
“Where did you get that flying machine?” Weaver asked. “It doesn’t seem … natural.”
“I’ve added more things to Minecraft than you can even comprehend,” the user said. “This jet pack is nothing compared to some of the other mods here. You and your pathetic friends have only seen the tip of the iceberg.”
“Iceberg? What’s that?”
Entity303 just laughed, then turned and faced the home of the Snow Queen, the Aurora Palace. It was a massive, multi-colored thing with sheer vertical walls that stretched high into the air. The surface shined, as if it was made of smooth glass. Brilliant blues and reds and oranges and greens and yellows all flowed from one to the other in a spectacular show that reminded him of the Aurora Borealis in the physical world. On one side, at the base, a broad set of stairs led to a single door in the wall. The user knew monsters, like the Aurora guardian with their chilling ice swords and the Ice Cores with their crystalline shards, lay waiting for Gameknight999 and his friends; and that was just in the first room. Even deadlier creatures waited for the User-that-is-not-a-user and his friends deeper within the icy fortress. The thought of those fools battling the monsters of the glacier made him giggle with delight.
Squawk, squawk.
A foolish penguin stepped up to Entity303, the flightless bird curious about the stranger. Drawing his blade in a smooth, fluid motion, the user struck the innocent bird with his infused longsword, destroying the creature’s HP with a single blow.
“What are you doing?!” Weaver cried.
Entity303 moved toward another of the black and white creatures, ready to strike. Suddenly, Weaver yanked on the rope, trying to pull the user off his feet, but the villager slipped on the slick ice instead and fell to the ground.
“Ha ha ha, what a fool!” he shouted.
The penguins, surprised by his loud voice, all waddled away, moving far from the newcomers.
Glancing back, Entity303 stared at the forest behind him again.
“Where are your little friends?” the user asked.
“Maybe they’re tired of playing your games,” Weaver said defiantly as he stood. “You’re not so smart after all, are you?”
Entity303 glared at the NPC, saying nothing, his eyes filled with anger. The smallest of smirks grew on Weaver’s lips. And that was the last straw. The user slapped him hard across the face. It knocked the NPC to the ground, where he landed with a thud and a groan.
“You aren’t so funny now, are you, villager?”
“My name is Weaver!” he snapped.
“A program with a name, that still makes me laugh,” Entity303 said. “No matter. All of you programs will be gone soon enough.”
He glanced back down at the forest as Weaver slowly stood. Pacing back and forth, Entity 303 scanned the surroundings, looking impatiently for his pursuers.
“It seems Smithy and his friends are somewhere else,” Weaver said, a tone of pride in his voice.
Entity303 raised a hand to strike him again, but the NPC didn’t move. He stood his ground and waited for the blow that never came. Instead, the user yanked on the rope that was still wrapped around the NPC’s body.
“Stand there and shut up,” Entity303 barked.
Weaver smiled.
The user growled, then turned and scanned the forest before them. He expected Gameknight999 and his friends to be following.
I made the trail easy to follow, he thought. I even told them I was heading to the glacier and killed some animals and zombies along the way, just to make sure they would see the path.
“Where are they?”
Weaver giggled. Entity303 turned quickly, ready to strike the villager again, but his prisoner spoke, halting the blow.
“Maybe they’re on their way to your White Castle.”
“Of course,” the user said. “He must have figured it out.” He turned and glared at Weaver. “Perhaps what you blurted out from behind the Hydra gave them the clues they needed.”
The NPC smiled and stood a little taller.
“You think this is some kind of victory? Ha!” Now, Entity303 was smiling. A worried expression came across the villager’s face. “That’s exactly where I want them, you fool. Of course, I wanted to be there first, to watch my newest creation destroy them, but no matter. My little pet will feast on their HP.”
“What kind of
monster is there?” Weaver asked.
“Imagine three of the most terrifying monsters your puny little brain could think of,” Entity303 said in a low, dangerous voice.
Weaver moved closer.
“But then imagine them merged together into one ferocious beast.”
The NPC’s face turned white as his eyes grew wide with fright.
“All you’ve done is slightly delay your friends’ destruction.” He laughed an evil, maniacal laugh. “We must hurry. I don’t want to miss the show.” Entity303 glanced back at the Aurora Palace, the multi-colored structure looming high above the translucent blue glacier. “The snow queen will have to wait for another time … pity. I was looking forward to seeing how many of your friends she could destroy.”
He sighed.
“Oh well.” Entity303 yanked on the rope, pulling Weaver close. “You better hang on if you want to live. We’re gonna be flying pretty fast toward the White Castle.”
And with that, he pulled out his jet pack, tightened the straps, and then activated it, soaring off the glacier and out over the Twilight Forest, Weaver holding on tight. The wind roared past his ears as they picked up speed. Angling upward, Entity303 sacrificed his speed for height, going higher and higher. The ground below became hazy as the glacier slowly disappeared, making the Aurora Palace seem as if it were floating in the mist.
Just then, the jet pack sputtered once, then twice, then ran out of fuel. Weaver grabbed hold of Entity303, his fear clearly visible on his square face.
The User laughed, then took off the jetpack and let it fall. As they began to plummet to the ground, he put on his Elytra wings, then leaned forward. The gray wings popped open wide and caught the gentle currents of the air, allowing them to soar noiselessly across the star-speckled twilight sky.
With a smile, Entity303 banked to the right and headed northward, toward the White Castle, knowing that his prey was out there somewhere, waiting to be destroyed by his wrath.
CHAPTER 25
THE THORN FOREST
The party moved quickly out of the fire swamp and into an acacia forest. Everyone gave a sigh of relief when they could breathe again without having to taste the air of the fire swamp biome. In this arid landscape of bent and twisted trees, open spaces, and gray-green grass, Gameknight felt much more at ease. They had a direction now, and it was not dictated by Entity303; instead, it was a choice they had made in hopes of surprising their enemy.
The landscape quickly changed into rocky highlands. Low hills covered with tall pines and spruces blocked their path, requiring them to climb laboriously. As they moved across the hills, their eyes darted nervously about. Caves and shadowy crevasses dotted the rough surroundings. Unseen monsters moaned and clattered and growled from within every shadowy pocket in the rolling terrain, their voices echoing off their rocky enclosures. With all the openings and fissures, it was difficult to move without constantly having to turn around and watch behind and in front at the same time. Herder brought the wolves in close, forming a tight circle of fangs and fur to protect the party from any unwelcome surprises.
“If all remain quiet and do not antagonize the monsters,” Empech said in a quiet, screechy voice, “then perhaps the creatures in the shadows will allow us to pass through this land unchallenged, yes, yes,” Empech said.
Twang … twang, twang.
A quiet squeal of delight came from Stitcher.
“Did any of you see that shot?” the young girl said. “I nailed that white blaze thing from all the way over here.”
“That creature was called a basalz,” the gnome growled. “It would have left everyone alone if you had kept your bow silent.”
Two more of the floating creatures slowly rose from the shadows, the sound of their wheezing mechanical breaths filling the air. One of them fired a sparkling, magical projectile at Stitcher. She quickly moved out of the way, then shot at the left creature while Hunter took down the right, a sad look on the older sister’s face.
“Stitcher, we didn’t need to kill those creatures,” Hunter chided.
“What do you mean? They attacked us!” Stitcher replied, annoyed.
“Only because you killed one first!” Hunter said, sounding frustrated.
“Maybe you should put your bow away,” Gameknight suggested, trying to keep the peace. “I’ll tell you when to take it out.”
“Yeah … right,” Stitcher replied, rolling her eyes.
“Shhhh,” Crafter said. “Everyone be still.”
A deep-throated rumble came up through the ground. It was the roar of some kind of beast, its cry making the very surface of Minecraft shake.
“I don’t think I want to know what makes a sound like that,” Digger said.
Squawk, added Tux.
“Come on,” Gameknight whispered urgently. “Let’s keep moving. We need to get to the White Castle before Entity303.”
The User-that-is-not-a-user ran through the uneven terrain, careful to avoid the many holes in the ground. They approached a dark patch on the ground, as if a circle of shadows had been painted on the landscape. High overhead, a billowing cloud sat high in the air, some kind of cobblestone building in the center.
“The giant’s cloud, yes, yes,” Empech said as they looked up at it. “Good to avoid that place. Battling with one’s self is always difficult.”
“What?” Woodcutter asked.
“It doesn’t matter right now; we aren’t going up there,” Gameknight said. “Besides, there it is.”
Ahead, the ground rose as if it had been pushed upward by some kind of enormous tectonic force. Atop the rise, the White Castle could be seen, its massive towers and raised walkways standing out against the twilight sky. Around the plateau was a thicket of thorns protecting the slopes that led to the structure.
Gameknight moved up to the edge of the pointy bramble and gasped. Before him stood the deadly Thorn Forest. It rose high up into the air, with thick thorn-covered vines twisting this way and that like spiky, intertwined snakes.
At first glance, Gameknight thought it might be a maze, with spaces just wide enough for someone to pass through, but now, as he stood right next to the barbed plants, he could see it would be impossible to walk through.
Woodcutter pulled out his iron axe and stepped up to a thick branch.
“As I recall, you can’t cut through this,” Gameknight said doubtfully.
“I can cut through anything,” Woodcutter said with a wry grin.
Swinging the axe high over his head, he brought it down on the brown, spiked vine. His big arms strained as he swung the axe down on the plant again and again, but the metallic head seemed to bounce right off each time, taking only the smallest chips out of the obstacle. Slowly, a spiderweb of cracks formed on the face of the barbed surface. The cracks spread farther and farther as Woodcutter threw all his strength into the task.
Finally, the brown, thorny branch shattered, but as soon as it did, new green branches shot out, each bristling with razor-sharp thorns. The newly grown vines sliced across Woodcutter, making him flash red as he took damage, the barbs carving into his armor.
Gameknight leapt forward and pulled the tall NPC away from the spiny branch as the thorns groped outward for anyone else foolish enough to stand near. The two companions fell backward in a heap.
“Thanks,” Woodcutter said. “It was almost as if that spiky monster was protecting itself. I felt like it was actively attacking me.”
Gameknight stood, then helped the tall villager to his feet. Deep gouges were carved across the front of Woodcutter’s iron chest plate. The User-that-is-not-a-user reached out and touched the deep scratches, then glanced back at the thorn forest, a look of trepidation on his square face.
“So, I think it’s safe to say we aren’t cutting through all that,” Hunter said.
“Maybe we could tunnel under it?” Digger asked.
Empech shook his oversized head.
“No, the rock beneath is very hard, yes yes,” the tiny pech said.
“It can be broken, but many diamond pickaxes would be needed to get through it and reach the White Castle.”
The NPCs glanced up to the top of the plateau that was surrounded by the thorn forest. Only the smallest part of the castle was visible over the edge of the prickly forest, the top of a blocky wall shining a pristine white in the twilight lighting.
“If we can’t go under, and we can’t go through, then we go over,” Gameknight pulled out an iron shovel. “Start collecting some dirt. We’ll likely need a lot.”
The villagers instantly went to work, gathering dirt and clay from the surrounding landscape. Suddenly, the twang of a bowstring made all of them stop. Gameknight turned toward the sound and found Stitcher with her enchanted bow in her hand. She fired a second arrow, then a third. A sorrowful moan filled the air, followed by a faint pop.
“Were we under attack?” Hunter asked.
Stitcher shook her head.
“Was it Entity303 and a group of monsters?” Crafter asked.
She shook her head again, her crimson hair flinging from one shoulder to the other.
“Then what were you shooting at?” Gameknight asked, confused.
“I saw a zombie, so I put it down,” the young girl replied, as if it was obvious.
“Was it heading toward us?” Gameknight asked.
Stitcher shook her head again. “No, I don’t even think it knew we were here.” She beamed with pride.
“Then why did you shoot it?” Gameknight asked.
“Didn’t you hear me say it was a zombie?” Stitcher said. No one answered, they just stared at her. “It was a zombie! That’s reason enough to destroy it.”
“Oh, Stitcher, I don’t know what happened to you in your past, but I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you better,” Gameknight said sadly, shaking his head. He moved to her side and put a brotherly arm around her shoulder as if he were consoling her.
“Get off me,” she snapped, shoving him back. “You talk as if there’s something wrong with me. THERE’S NOTHING WRONG WITH ME!” She put away her bow and paced back and forth like a predatory animal, danger and strength in every step. “You don’t know what it was like be a slave in that Nether fortress. I was there for months, and where were all of you? Nowhere!” She glared at Gameknight999. “I know you rescued me eventually, and I’m grateful, but I suffered as Malacoda’s slave for months. I watched my friends perish. I experienced terrible suffering at the hands of those monsters, not because it was necessary for them to hurt us, but because they could!”
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