Having learned that Crafter, his best friend in Minecraft, was dying, Gameknight had used his father’s invention, the digitizer, to go into the game and play it so he could help his friend. He’d done this before, but this time was different. This time, his father had insisted on accompanying him.
Looking at his father now, Gameknight saw the bright letters floating like holograms over his monkey head, displaying his dad’s Minecraft name for all users and NPCs to see. It didn’t matter from which direction they were viewed, the letters always read, from left to right, M O N K E Y P A N T S 2 7 1. If he had been a regular user, then there would have been a narrow beam of light shining up from the player’s head, the server thread. The glowing white filaments connected the users to the server. But because Gameknight999 and Monkeypants271 had used his father’s digitizer, or Gateway of Light as the NPCs liked to call it, to enter the game, they had no server threads. They were users without the server thread that all other users had; they were both a User-that-is-not-a-user.
Just then, the music of Minecraft swelled and filled the air. But it wasn’t its usual harmonious tones, which normally gave Gameknight999 a sense of serenity and peace. No, there was a dissonant and strained sound to the lyrical notes, as though someone or something were in pain.
“Something’s happening!” Gameknight snapped as he notched another arrow to his bow.
Turning away from his father, the User-that-is-not-a-user scanned the forest, looking for any monsters. As far as he could tell, they were still alone.
“Gameknight, don’t turn away from me; we were talking,” his father complained.
Gameknight ignored Monkeypants and continued to scan their surroundings.
“Don’t you hear it?” Gameknight asked.
“Hear what?” his father replied.
“The music of Minecraft,” Gameknight answered. “There’s something wrong, and the Oracle is giving us a warning through the music.”
“Well, I don’t hear anything,” Monkeypants said.
“I don’t hear anything either,” Stitcher said, but she too had pulled out her bow again, an arrow notched to the string and drawn back, ready.
“We have to get back to the village,” Gameknight said.
“That’s what I was saying,” Monkeypants said. “We need to finish that wall and then—”
“I think we definitely need to finish that wall,” Gameknight said as he continued to peer into the forest. “But we might need the defenses of the castle sooner than we expected. Come on, we need to get the NPCs to finish the upgrades to the walls and defenses all across the village. I fear something terrible has happened in Minecraft and I hate not knowing what it is. We need to talk with Crafter as soon as possible.”
Gameknight took off running, wending his way through the forest, keeping his enchanted bow at the ready. Behind him, he could hear Monkeypants and Stitcher. One of them was saying something, but he wasn’t paying attention. He was listening to the music of Minecraft.
Oracle, what’s happening? he thought, hoping she would answer.
“I hear you, Oracle,” Gameknight said aloud to no one. “If you could tell me what’s wrong, it would help.”
Again, only the harsh music filled his ears.
“What’s going on?” Gameknight whispered, sprinting for the village that sat over the next rise.
I’m coming! he thought to the Oracle, his legs pumping with all his strength.
As he ran, he put away his bow and instead drew his old friend, his enchanted diamond sword. Gripping the hilt firmly, he worried about what he might find at his destination.
CHAPTER 3
THE FIRST TO FALL
Herobrine flew high up in the air, his gigantic dark wings riding on the soft breeze that always seemed to be flowing from east to west. Banking and curving about, he glided in a lazy circuitous path, his joyous, evil glare surveying the landscape. He was so happy to be out of the cramped confines of The End that he felt like soaring amongst the clouds forever.
But what he had was never enough. Reaching out with his senses, Herobrine tried to feel how far his new domain extended. Sending his awareness out in all directions, he instantly detected the barrier that surrounded the Overworld—the same one that surround The End—the void.
Below the layer of bedrock, which sat at a build height of zero, he felt the menacing darkness waiting to ensnare anyone foolish enough to dig through this impenetrable layer. He knew the void would be there, but he had not expected it to be looming from above, as well.
Sending his crafting powers high up into the air, Herobrine could feel the cold, heartless barrier trapping him.
He was infuriated.
He climbed, flapping his wings with all his might. Picking up speed as he ascended, Herobrine wanted to punch through this invisible shell. He needed to escape from Minecraft as soon as possible, to free himself from this puny cage, and with the power of the dragon body he now inhabited, it might be possible.
He climbed higher and higher, speeding through the clouds that floated about at layer 130. When he looked down, Herobrine could see his endermen standing on a grassy plain, looking back up at him; they were shadowy specs on a green background, growing smaller and smaller as he climbed.
As he neared the build height, 256 blocks high, Herobrine expected to encounter the intractable barrier, but he found nothing. Below him, the landscape was starting to disappear in a haze, features blurring together into a kaleidoscope of colors and shapes. He accelerated. At a height of 270 blocks, the ground had been completely swallowed in the haze and now only clouds were visible.
He could still feel the void above him, laughing at his efforts.
“We’ll see who’s laughing when I crash through you,” the dragon grumbled.
Flapping his wings harder, he climbed even higher. Now even the boxy shapes of the clouds were shrinking as he ascended. The fluffy white rectangles disappeared when he passed 330 blocks high. Now his only companions were the yellow face of the sun and the blue sky. Higher and higher he went, and yet now his surroundings did not change. After a few minutes worth of enormous effort, Herobrine realized that he could no longer tell if he was moving—he was suddenly suspicious that the void would always be out of reach.
Pausing for a moment, the dragon hovered in the air and glared at his featureless surroundings. Around him, the blue sky looked the same in every direction. Now he doubted if there was even a barrier marking the uppermost edge of his prison. Maybe it was just endless empty space. How could he ever break through this prison wall if he could never reach it?
This thought made him even more frustrated and angry.
Herobrine closed his white, glowing eyes and tried to calm himself. As he focused his mind on extinguishing the flames of rage blossoming within, Herobrine detected the faint tinkle of musical notes just at the edge of his hearing. As he strained to listen, the music became louder and louder. It was the music of Minecraft, and it was laughing at him with its gentle tones and harmonious melodies.
This enraged Herobrine, pushing him beyond rational thought.
The Oracle with her hateful music was mocking him, laughing at his attempts to escape. Herobrine was just as confined as he was in The End, he realized. Being stuck in Minecraft would never be adequate. He could feel the freedom of the Internet just on the other side of the void, but now he felt doomed. He would never break through and escape.
He was truly trapped!
“Grrrr!” the dragon growled, then yelled at the fabric of Minecraft. “You want to keep me trapped in this server? Fine! Let me show you the kind of damage I can do!”
Tucking his wing into his side, Herobrine dove straight for the ground. Pulling in his front and back paws, he turned his body into a dark, scaly missile. The wind howled as he plummeted to the earth. Quickly, the clouds became visible again, then the ground emerged from the haze, both growing larger as he fell. When he pierced the fluffy clouds, Herobrine extended his arms and legs, slow
ing himself just a bit. He then opened his wings slowly, reducing his speed. Banking, he spiraled to the ground, circling in great wide arcs, eyes blazing with fury. He saw tiny dark specs moving about on the terrain, some of them wrapped in a purple haze: his endermen. From this altitude, they were just the smallest of black spots, but he knew they were watching and waiting for him. As he circled, Herobrine thought he saw something in the distance, a shape he recognized. When he curved around, he looked again.
And there it was—the outline of a tall cobblestone tower. It was a village; a delicious, harmless, unprotected village. Perfect!
“Behold my wrath!” the dragon yelled at the still chiming musical notes.
Curving in a great arc, Herobrine approached his host of monsters, silently gliding over the treetops until he was upon them. Flapping his wings once, he hovered in the air for just an instant then settled atop a tall spruce. Herobrine glared down at his dark warriors, his eyes glowing bright with frustration and rage. The Maker could see there were likely fifty of them here in the Overworld, and he knew there were another hundred still in The End. He would call for the others when he needed them, but that would not be today. Fifty was easily enough to erase that village in the distance.
“I have found our first target,” bellowed the dragon. “A village lies to the east. It will be the first victim in our campaign of retribution.”
The endermen screeched in excitement.
“Feyd, lead your warriors forward,” Herobrine said. “We will punish these NPCs for their defiance. You know what to do.”
“It will be done,” Feyd screeched, then teleported away, the endermen following their general.
Leaping into the air, Herobrine climbed high as he beat his leathery wings. Reaching a height of a dozen blocks in seconds, he curved to the east and flew toward the distant village. His endermen didn’t bother to walk the distance. Instead they just disappeared, materializing twenty blocks from where they’d been, again and again, always moving to the east. Herobrine smiled as he watched his shadowy warriors zip across the landscape. From this height, they looked like tiny bolts of black lightning, Feyd like a deadly bolt of dark crimson.
Soon, they passed out of the forest and into a savannah biome. The gray-green grass of the new landscape marked a clear transition from the lush green foliage of the spruce forest. Herobrine smiled at the bent acacia trees. Their gray bark looked sad and almost lifeless compared to the mighty spruces they’d just seen. Like tortured souls, every tree was distorted in a different way, giving the impression that they were writhing in distress.
Herobrine loved this biome.
Brown and white cows walking about munched on the grass covering the ground. The harmless animals wandered across the countryside, ignorant of the approaching tide of destruction. The endermen had to dodge the cows, making sure they didn’t materialize inside one of the annoying bovines. Herobrine wanted to fly down and destroy some of the pathetically peaceful animals, but he suppressed the urge; he had more important things to do.
Through the haze, the cobblestone watchtower was starting to show its stony face. As he neared, more of the village became visible. A tall stone wall surrounded the community, protecting the collection of wooden structures and inhabitants. Unfortunately for the NPC builders, they had not planned on the Ender Dragon’s visit.
Bellowing a mighty roar, Herobrine accelerated toward the village. He flew around the community, making sure all of the villagers could see him. Panic and terror blossomed within the hearts and minds of the NPCs. He could hear cries of disbelief as they looked up at the Ender Dragon, their shouts of fear making the flying monster smile with joy.
Streaking down to the stone barricade, Herobrine flung his tail into the structure, smashing through a wall and tearing a huge gash into the fortification. His endermen didn’t really need the wall removed, for they had already begun teleporting inside the village walls. He simply wished to scare the villagers a little more. He needed them in a panic for his plan to work.
“Teleport into the village, my endermen,” roared Herobrine. “Attack the cowards who do not resist!”
Villagers drew their weapons, ready to fight, but all were petrified with fear. Most knew they could not engage the dark endermen, for attacking one would enrage all. Many of the villagers just looked to the ground, shaking with fear. But then Herobrine saw a young boy, his body between that of a child and a man. Feyd, too, saw the youth and teleported to him, a terrifying chuckle coming from the king of the endermen. With a scowl, the young NPC swung his blade at the tall monster. Feyd did not teleport away; he merely shifted to the side so the weapon would score a glancing hit, doing less damage but still causing him to flash red. Like the whistle on a nightmarish freight train, a piercing screech emanated from the endermen king, causing all the NPCs to put boxy hands over their ears. The endermen all across the battlefield shook as their toothy mouths opened, their eyes glowing bright white. Now enraged, all the endermen struck back with lightning speed, hammering the ignorant villagers with fists of fury.
Herobrine smiled as he watched.
Looking across the village, he could see more endermen joining the fray, Feyd’s cry of pain enraging the other shadowy monsters. Moving in a black blur, the endermen teleported, attacking NPC after NPC, sparing none. Some villagers bolted for the cobblestone watchtower, likely trying to escape on the minecart network that wove through Minecraft. Others ran out of the gaping hole in the village wall, running for their lives.
“Let a few of them go!” bellowed Herobrine as endermen moved to cut them off. “They will tell the other villages what has happened here. Their panic will grow when they hear of the unstoppable enderman army.”
The villagers bolted past the dark creatures and shot into the watchtower, slamming the door behind them. The last living NPCs sprinted away from the village and out into the wilderness. They would likely not survive, but their chances were better than staying and battling endermen and the Ender Dragon. In a minute, the sounds of battle had grown silent, the village now empty of living inhabitants.
Looking about at all the items strewn on the ground, Herobrine laughed.
“A great battle,” Feyd said to his master. “Should we now return to The End?”
“Return? Never!” snapped Herobrine.
“But we must—”
“This victory did not satisfy me,” the Maker replied. “There are still many more villages out there to destroy. And yet, somehow even the thought of destroying all the villages in the Overworld will not be enough.”
Before him sat the items from the village crafter: potions, tools, crafting bench, weapons, and armor lay bobbing on the ground, discarded. The crafter had been wielding a diamond sword, which had hurt some of his endermen. The sword reminded Herobrine of something—or someone.
Suddenly, an image of his mortal enemy appeared in his mind. It made him growl with anger. Feyd took a step away from the dragon.
“That’s what I must destroy,” Herobrine said aloud to no one, to everyone.
“What?” Feyd asked. “Maker, what is your plan?”
Herobrine flapped his wings and moved to the roof of the blacksmith’s shop, then glared down at his endermen, his eyes like two brilliant suns.
“Friends, today is the start of a great invasion,” Herobrine bellowed. “My endermen will cleanse the Overworld and rid Minecraft of the pathetic NPCs. And after we have emptied the world of these puny beings, we will focus our retribution onto our true enemy, Gameknight999.”
The endermen screeched in excitement.
Herobrine leapt into the air and climbed high overhead. He then arced around and flew low over the heads of his endermen. Flapping his leathery wings in a smooth rhythm, he hovered just over their dark heads.
“Come, my friends. We must find the next village, then the next and the next, until all of Minecraft is wiped clean!” the dragon roared.
The monster, infected with the most evil virus to have ever exi
sted, then looked down at his endermen king. “Feyd, we will need more monsters. We cannot rely on the foolish villagers being stupid enough to strike one of your endermen so that they can join the fight. We need more monsters, different monsters. Make it happen!”
“I must find the zombie-town where Xa-Tul, king of the zombies, hides. It may take some time,” the king of the endermen said.
“Don’t give me excuses!” roared the dragon. “I want results! Just get it done. I’m sure you can wring information out of the idiotic zombies and easily locate their ruler. Do what you must, but we need his zombies!”
Feyd looked up at the Maker and then bowed low. Smiling knowingly, the dark red enderman gathered his teleportation powers and disappeared in a cloud of purple mist.
Herobrine glanced at the rest of his endermen army and growled in approval. He then let his thoughts drift off to his enemy, Gameknight999. The idea of facing the User-that-is-not-a-user in his current dragon form made him almost giddy with evil anticipation.
“I can’t wait to meet you again, Gameknight999!” the dragon yelled as he circled higher up into the air so that he could look down upon the world he was about to conquer.
CHAPTER 4
THE VILLAGE
Gameknight worried as he ran through the forest. Ahead, the dense trees were thinning out and a grassy plains biome was just beyond.
Good . . . we’re almost home, he thought.
When he reached the edge of the forest, he paused to catch his breath. At his side, he found Stitcher, the young NPC’s red curly hair matted with sweat. Two steps behind him was his father, the monkey’s superman cape billowing as he ran.
“Were you going to keep running forever?” Stitcher asked between panting breaths.
“There’s something going on in Minecraft and I need to get back to Crafter,” Gameknight999 explained.
Suddenly the discordant music of Minecraft swelled again. Frowning, the User-that-is-not-a-user looked at Stitcher. She too had a scowl painted across her square brow.
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