The Wither King

by Mark Cheverton

  The glistening arrow streaked through the chamber, heading for the farthest zombie. But, unfortunately for the rest of the zombies, the other Broken Eight were directly in its path. The magical projectile passed through the first zombie, then went through the next and the next, taking their HP with it. The glistening shaft missed one of the monsters, just wounding it in the shoulder, but still continued to the last zombie … its target. The magical arrow struck the ancient warrior in the chest, taking the last of the creature’s HP.

  The zombies stood there for a moment, sheer disbelief on their scarred faces, and then, one after another, they fell to their knees and collapsed as the magical power in the arrow from the Fossil Bow of Destruction did its work. The lone surviving zombie slowly stood, badly wounded, then fled from the chamber and disappeared into the dark passage.

  The Broken Eight were no more.

  “She did it!” Blaster screamed … and then he realized what she had done. “Healing potions! She needs healing potions!”

  But Watcher knew it wouldn’t do any good. Planter wasn’t a wizard or the descendant of a wizard. She had no magical powers to protect her from the ravages of the Bow of Destruction; she’d never be able to let go of it until it had taken all her HP. He took her up in his arms as the rest of the NPCs attacked the surviving direwolf.

  “Planter, what did you do?” Tears trickled down Watcher’s square face. “You shouldn’t have used the bow.”

  “I realized that the most important thing to me was about to be destroyed …” she coughed, “and I couldn’t allow that to happen.”

  “But the Bow! You picked up the Bow of Destruction. You know what that means.”

  Another wave of pain crashed down upon Planter as she flashed red, taking damage. She looked at the bow sadly, but then a puzzled expression came across her face. And then she did the most amazing thing Watcher had ever seen: she released the Fossil Bow of Destruction, the ancient weapon just clattering to the ground.

  “Planter … what happened?”

  “I don’t know, but maybe we finish this battle and figure it out later. There’s still a wither out there that needs to be destroyed; it’s time to fight.”

  “Absolutely.” Watcher stood, the Flail of Regrets in his hand, his eyes burning with rage as he faced the dark passage, ready to do battle with his enemy, Krael, the king of the withers.

  A scream of rage echoed out of the dark tunnel. “You destroyed my zombies … MY ZOMBIES!”

  Krael was in a fury. The wither was still in the passage, unwilling to come out and be a target, for now. But Watcher knew he still had to come out and try to rescue his wither army.

  “Blaster, come here,” Watcher said as he handed a loaf of bread to Planter. Her health was slowly returning.

  “What?” Blaster asked.

  “I have a plan for the wither, but need your help,” Watcher said. “You think you could blow something up for me?”

  A huge grin spread across Blaster’s square face at the thought.

  “I need both of you to help.” Watcher glanced at Planter, then Blaster. They both nodded. “Here’s my plan.”

  Watcher explained what he was going to do. As he spoke, Blaster’s smile just grew larger, but the expression on Planter’s face was one of fear.

  “This is dangerous,” she said.

  “I know.” Watcher grabbed her hand and held it; she didn’t pull away. “But it’s the only way. With those two Crowns of Skulls on the wither, he may be impossible to defeat … this is the only way.”

  She nodded.

  “Ok … ready?” Watcher picked up the Bow of Destruction and put it in his inventory, then got ready to run. Meanwhile, Blaster waved his bow in the air, then aimed an arrow at the tunnel entrance. The other villagers lifted their bows and drew arrows.

  “Now!”

  Watcher raced for the tunnel leading to the Cave of Slumber. At the same time, the villagers all fired. A hail of arrows flew toward the tunnel, but at the same time, a stream of flaming skulls blasted from it through the chamber, striking the cobblestone wall and blowing it to bits. Villagers flew through the air as more skulls hammered their defenses.

  Watcher bolted across the quartz chamber as he drank a potion of leaping. He could hear the screams of pain and fear from his comrades, but he couldn’t focus on them. He had to get into the Cave of Slumber and steal the third Crown of Skulls before Krael realized it was there.

  “Blaster, just follow the plan,” Watcher shouted over his shoulder. “I’ll give the word when it’s time.”

  He ran into the passage just as Krael emerged from the opposite tunnel. The wither had a sparkling shield around his body, which all withers could create, protecting them from arrows, but which stopped them from firing their flaming skulls. Watcher took advantage of it and ran as fast as he could, not bothering to weave back and forth to make himself difficult to hit.

  The wither saw Watcher and screamed in fury. As Watcher ran, he could hear shouts of pain as the monster injured some of the villagers, but in seconds, a scream of rage echoed through the passage behind him; Krael was in the tunnel and chasing him … perfect.

  Watcher sprinted into the Cave of Slumber and leaped onto the first redstone block, then jumped onto an unconscious wither. The creature bobbed up and down just a bit under his weight. Watcher continued, jumping to the next wither, leaping to a nearby redstone lantern, then repeating the process. It was like the hardest and most deadly parkour course ever devised. The bottom of the cave was cloaked in darkness and likely a far way down; a fall would probably be fatal.

  The sound of digging echoed through the cavern; Blaster was starting the next part of the plan … good. Watcher was tempted to glance over his shoulder to see the progress, but he didn’t dare; the slightest misstep would be lethal.

  A great roar filled the chamber as Krael entered the Cave of Slumber.

  “We will destroy you, wizard!” the three skulls screeched in unison.

  Watcher prepared for a blast of flaming skulls, but no attack came. Likely, Krael didn’t want to hit any of the other withers floating in the cavern.

  He jumped from creature to lantern again and again as an overwhelming urge to take a nap invaded his mind; the magic enchantments that enveloped the Cave of Slumber were taking effect. If he didn’t hurry, he’d likely be trapped here.

  Out of the corner of his eye, Watcher spotted the king of the withers. He was floating toward the Crown of Skulls; he’d spotted it and was trying to reach it first. This had become a race and coming in second would not be good. He tried to move faster, but fatigue and sleepiness were making his legs feel leaden.

  Maybe if I close my eyes for a minute, I can rest and build up some strength. The thought felt like a comfortable blanket, embracing Watcher’s body and making his eyes feel heavy.

  NO! A voice boomed from within his head; it came from the Flail of Regrets. If the wither king gets the third Crown of Skulls, he’ll be able to awaken his army. KEEP MOVING, OR ALL IS LOST!

  Watcher reached into his inventory and grabbed the weapon. The presence of the magical item whispering to him in the back of his mind pushed back the sleepiness and allowed him to move faster. With the Flail of Regrets in his hand, Watcher sprang from wither to wither, standing on ashen shoulders and dark heads as if they were stepping stones.

  The Crown of Skulls was getting closer. There were three more jumps to go, and then he’d reach the magical relic.

  “I must reach it before Krael does,” Watcher said to himself.

  Do it … get the Crown. The voice from the Flail of Regrets echoed in his mind. If the king of the withers gains the third Crown of Skulls, he will rain misery and despair upon the whole of Minecraft.

  “I know, thanks for not adding any pressure.”

  Watcher gritted his teeth and jumped to the next wither. The monster floated next to a redstone lantern, the patterned cube glowing with an orange luster. Watcher leaped to the lantern, then jumped to the next
floating monster. His foot landed on the wither’s left head, then slipped off. He stumbled and started to fall.

  Fear blasted through his body, every nerve ignited. Reaching out, he managed to hook one of the sharp spikes at the end of the Flail onto the center head of the wither, then yanked, pulling himself back on top of the dark monster’s shoulders.

  Glancing over his shoulder, Watcher spotted Krael. The wither king was almost to the Crown of Skulls as well, but he was drifting slower and slower.

  Sprinting for one step, Watcher jumped to the next redstone lantern, then kept going without a pause, taking the last leap. It was far, easily three blocks, and at an angle; he might not make it. Flying through the air in what felt like slow motion, Watcher saw the sandy platform on which the Crown of Skulls sat getting closer and closer … but then he started to fall.

  He wasn’t going to make it.

  Swinging the Flail with all his might, he smashed the spiked cube into a block of sandstone; thankfully, it stuck. Watcher held onto the handle of the weapon with all his strength as his body collided with the sandy wall.

  Hanging from the enchanted weapon, Watcher glanced over his shoulder at Krael. The wither saw him and his eyes snapped wide open, sleepiness forgotten.

  “You’ll never get out of this cavern alive, wizard.” The center head glared at him.

  Hurry! The voice echoed in his mind.

  Watcher climbed the chain connected to the spiked ball, using the Flail of Regrets like a rope. When he reached the sandstone platform, he grabbed the edge and pulled himself up, his strength waning. The thought of sleep seemed to dominate his mind, but Watcher pushed it aside and focused on his task. Pulling the Flail loose from the sandstone, he stuffed it back into his inventory and moved to the glowing pedestal. The Crown of Skulls was right there.

  “Don’t you dare touch that!” Krael screeched.

  Watcher ignored the monster and grabbed the artifact.

  “Noooooo!”

  Watcher ducked just as a flaming skull flew past his head. Quickly, he removed his diamond chest plate and put it into his inventory.

  “You’ll never escape, fool!” The king of the withers floated closer, a look of fury in its six eyes.

  Watcher glanced at the wither, then pulled out a set of Elytra wings and strapped them to his back. With icy fear pulsing through his veins, Watcher took two quick steps, then jumped off the sandstone platform and plummeted into the Cave of Slumber.

  Watcher held his breath and leaned forward, causing the wings to snap open. He started breathing again as they caught the wind and lifted him higher into the air.

  Well, I won’t fall to my death, he thought. At least not yet.

  Banking to the left, Watcher narrowly avoided a collision with a wither; it likely would have been a fatal one. He clutched the Crown of Skulls tight in his right hand.

  “I’m glad I listened to you, sister, and brought these wings with me,” Watcher said to the darkness.

  DIVE! The voice from the Flail suddenly boomed through his mind.

  Watcher descended just as a flaming skull streaked overhead, barely missing him.

  Move faster. If you stay in the Cave of Slumber for too long, you’ll fall asleep, and I won’t be able to help you.

  Watcher nodded, then leaned forward, trading altitude for speed. He streaked through the chamber as fast as possible, banking left and right, dodging sleeping withers and redstone lanterns. The tips of his wings brushed occasionally against the sleeping monsters, making them shudder. His vision blurred slightly as the Cave’s spell tried to grasp his mind.

  Volleys of flaming skulls rained down upon him, the king of the withers desperate to stop him. The urge to glance over his shoulder to see how close the monster was to him was almost irresistible, but he knew that it was impossible. It took every bit of concentration to keep his speed up while at the same time avoiding all the floating obstacles.

  He could see the exit on the other side of the cavern. Blaster, Cutter, and Planter were moving about, placing the last explosives.

  Bank left!

  He turned to the left just as a flaming skull nicked his boot and slammed into a redstone lantern. The glowing cube shattered into a million shards, the razor-sharp pieces slicing into his skin. He held up the Crown of Skulls, hoping to block some of the shrapnel from hitting him in the face.

  Faster … faster.

  Watcher was so tired he was having a hard time understanding the words. Suddenly, an enraged scream from the wither king gave him the briefest jolt of fear, making him dive to gain speed.

  You’re too low … you’ll miss the tunnel, the mystical voice from the Flail sounded desperate. Pull up!

  Watcher could see the tunnel; the Flail was right. He leaned back and pulled up, slowing down as he climbed. He was only a few seconds from the tunnel now.

  “Blaster, light the TNT, NOW!” Watcher’s voice sounded like thunder in the gigantic chamber.

  Another flaming skull streaked by, smashing into a wither; the deadly projectile ricocheted off the monster and shattered another redstone lantern. More shards of glass flew through the air, bouncing off the Crown of Skulls as Watcher held it over his eyes.

  “WIZARD … I’M GOING TO DESTROY YOU!” Krael’s demonic voice was terrifying.

  Watcher pulled in his arms and legs to reduce drag, then leaned forward, accelerating toward the exit tunnel. He could see the blocks of TNT starting to blink; the fuse had been lit, and he had only one chance at this. If he crashed, he would be trapped in the Cave of Slumber.

  “I can do this … I can do this …” Watcher hoped his words would bring him more courage and more speed, but they did neither. The TNT blinked faster, almost ready to explode. He tried to will himself to go faster, but—

  Flaming skulls streaked just over his head. The first and second ones barely missed him, but the third slammed into his side, throwing him sideways and knocking the Crown of Skulls from his hand. It tumbled through the air and disappeared into the darkness that shrouded the bottom of the Cave.

  “NOOOOOO!” Watcher shouted.

  Leave it … get out of the Cave before it’s too late! The voice of the Flail sounded panicked.

  Watcher tucked his arms into his sides and leaned forward, making himself as aerodynamic as possible. He streaked through the air like a living missile, the floating bodies of the withers mere shadowy blurs as he zipped past. He turned left and right, narrowly avoiding them as he sped through the last of the chamber. Pulling up at the last minute, he shot through the tunnel just as the TNT detonated.

  Everything became noise and fire and dust and chaos as the blast knocked him to the side, smashing him into one wall of the tunnel, then throwing him against the other. Watcher was battered back and forth, the blast deafening around him. Pain exploded throughout his body as he was crushed by blocks of sand and crashed into walls still standing. A wall of fire seemed to envelop him as he shot through the passage, tumbling out of control until finally, everything grew quiet, and darkness wrapped around him like a funeral shroud.

  Watcher’s head felt like an anvil being pounded on by a blacksmith’s hammer. With every pulse of his heart, pain surged through his skull, making him wish …

  Wait a minute … I’m alive.

  “I’m alive!”

  Watcher started to sit up, but realized someone was holding him in their arms. Tilting his head back, he gazed up into the most beautiful green eyes he’d ever seen.

  “Planter … you’re okay?”

  “I should be the one worried about you,” she said, a playful scowl on her face. “You gave us quite the scare.”

  “What happened?” he asked.

  “Well, as near as I can tell,” Blaster said, kneeling on the left, “you flew through the tunnel while all the TNT was detonating.”

  He patted Watcher’s shoulder, making him cringe in pain, so Blaster gave him a potion of healing, which he drank.

  “But you did a good job flying thr
ough the tunnel at the very last moment,” Blaster said. “I’m sure most people would have wanted to be a second ahead of the explosion, but you did it just when everything was detonating … nice.”

  “What about Krael?” Watcher asked. “Did he get out?”

  “Look.” Planter pointed at the tunnel.

  Blocks of sand and gravel choked what was left of the passage entrance. The entire tunnel had been destroyed.

  “While you were unconscious, we heard Krael screaming in frustration, but his voice grew softer and softer until we couldn’t hear anything,” Blaster said. “I’m not very excited about digging through all the debris to find out what really happened to him.”

  Watcher nodded, then winced as his headache reminded the boy it was still there. “So Krael’s gone?”

  Blaster nodded.

  He glanced up at Planter, and she nodded as well.

  A sense of relief spread through Watcher like a wave of cool water across a raging fire, the flames of fear and dread caused by the terrible wither finally extinguished. Slowly, he stood and stared at the demolished tunnel; he’d barely made it out of the Cave of Slumber. If he had been the tiniest bit slower, he’d either be dead or taking an eternal nap.

  Thank you, he thought to the Flail. I couldn’t have done it without you.

  Three voices replied in his mind. We must remain ever watchful; there is still a monster somewhere nearby.

  Watcher glanced around nervously, looking for threats, but surrounding him were friends; there were only villagers in the chamber. They were safe.

  “So … it’s done.” There was a finality to Watcher’s voice that lifted the spirits of his friends. “We did it.”

  “We did it!” Cutter boomed. The big NPC grabbed the nearest person and gave them a huge hug. Only after he let go did he realize it was Er-Lan.

  The little zombie was surprised, but when Cutter smiled, Er-Lan smiled as well.