System Overload

by Mark Cheverton

  A zombie stepped forward and lunged at Gameknight. He slashed at it with his iron sword, hitting it twice, then finished it off with his diamond blade. He was careful to not hit or bump into any of the tall, shadowy monsters. Most of the other zombies were cautious of pushing through the line of endermen to get to the villagers, but a few were foolish enough to try. Another zombie shuffled through barrier of dark creatures and dove at Gameknight999. A pair of flaming arrows streaked through the air and hit the zombie before it could reach its target. The User-that-is-not-a-user finished it off quickly, then turned and faced Feyd.

  “Why would you help us?” Gameknight asked as he scanned for more attackers.

  “The zombie king thinks he is only destroying the villagers,” Feyd explained. “But everyone will be killed if he is successful. We must stop him at all costs.”

  “What do you want from me?” the User-that-is-not-a-user asked, suspicious of joining forces with a sworn enemy.

  Another zombie jumped at him. He kicked it hard with his diamond boots, then took the rest of its HP with three quick hits. The NPCs were now falling back as more and more monsters pushed their way through the line of endermen. The flow of monsters coming from the portal room had not slowed down, and in fact, it looked like it had actually increased. More bolts of lightning shot up into the air, striking the decaying creatures as well as NPCs. The press of the additional zombie bodies was forcing all of the monsters forward, toward the villagers.

  Sparks of electricity crackled all around the chamber as random blocks disappeared from sight, thin ribbons of lightning shredding the blocks. But the strange thing was, the lightning was coming from the inside of the stone cubes.

  “You must hit me so that my endermen can join the fight.” Feyd said. “That is the only way we can help.”

  “You want me to add your endermen to the fight?” Gameknight asked. “Do you think we are fools?”

  The dark creature shrugged as he glared at the User-that-is-not-a-user.

  “You are losing,” Feyd said. “You have no choice. In another minute, the server is going to crash. Look around you. The blocks are already starting to disintegrate.”

  Gameknight surveyed the chamber. He could see thick strands of lightning twisting up into the air, causing the blocks beneath them to just disappear. Huge rifts were forming across the chamber as gashes sliced through the stone, some devouring the zombies that stood above. Bolts of lightning shot out in all directions. It was chaos.

  “Hurry!” the king of the endermen screeched. “Soon it will be too late. We must act now!”

  Gameknight sighed. He knew the enderman king was right. They had no other choice.

  “You better not betray me, or destroying you will be the last thing I do,” the User-that-is-not-a-user said.

  “You can trust me,” Feyd replied in a high-pitched voice, a wry smile on his dark red face.

  Gameknight laughed, then hit the dark creature with his iron sword. Feyd’s eyes instantly began to glow bright white as he screeched an ear-piercing scream that made the zombies stop for just a second.

  “NOW!” the enderman king yelled.

  Suddenly, the shadowy monsters stepped up to nearby NPCs and wrapped their long, clammy arms around the villagers. With their weapons pinned to their side, the villagers were helpless.

  “I knew I couldn’t trust you!” Gameknight said as he struggled to get free of Feyd’s grasp, but the long arms were like bands of dark steel.

  “Just be quiet and get ready,” the monster said quietly in his ear, then raised his voice to a shout. “Endermen, teleport NOW!”

  Suddenly, the monsters were enveloped in a sputtering purple mist. They disappeared one by one—some of the endermen were clearly having difficulty teleporting as they vanished—then reappeared, then vanished again. Gameknight’s vision blurred for an instant, and then they all materialized in the portal room.

  “What’s this?” Xa-Tul bellowed. “Is Feyd bringing Xa-Tul a gift?”

  “Not quite,” Feyd replied, then released Gameknight999 as the other endermen did the same. Suddenly, there were forty villagers standing next to forty endermen. “Endermen … attack!”

  The shadowy monsters fell on the zombies, their fists a blur as they pummeled the zombies in the chamber. But with the glitchy server, the dark monsters were not able to teleport away from the zombies’ glistening claws. The decaying creatures tore into the shadowy endermen with a vengeance.

  “The zombies have been betrayed for the last time,” Xa-Tul said as he drew his golden broadsword and stormed toward Feyd. But before he could reach the enderman, Gameknight stepped in his way.

  “Villagers, attack!” Gameknight shouted over the growling zombies.

  The NPCs fell on the zombies, fighting side by side with the endermen. Their swords blocked the vicious claws as the dark fists of the endermen smashed into the zombies. For the first time in Minecraft history, villagers and endermen fought as allies.

  “The fool wishes to fight … perfect,” Xa-Tul growled.

  The zombie king swung his massive broadsword at Gameknight999, aiming for his head. But Gameknight had already moved. He ducked down, letting the golden blade slice through the air, just overhead. With his diamond sword, he smashed into Xa-Tul’s chain mail with all his strength, landing three quick hits. Before the monster could respond, the User-that-is-not-a-user rolled to the left, then attacked an exposed leg. The zombie king screamed out in pain, then brought his broadsword down upon Gameknight’s diamond weapon. He tried to raise his iron sword in defense, but was too slow. Pain exploded through his shoulder as his right arm went numb, his diamond armor cracking under the strain.

  Gameknight stood up and slashed at the monster again, dodging to the left, then dancing to the right; but with all the creatures in the room, the User-that-is-not-a-user did not have enough room to move. He knew he couldn’t evade that golden sword when squeezed by the crush of bodies around him. With all his might, he swung both blades at the monster, but the zombie’s mighty broadsword came down on Gameknight’s wrists, knocking his swords from his hands.

  “Ha ha ha … all too easy,” the zombie growled.

  The zombie king then raised his massive golden sword high into the air for the killing blow. But as the monster began his stroke, Feyd dove forward and smashed into the zombie. The king of the endermen wrapped his long dark arms around Xa-Tul, then pushed him backward until the two mighty kings fell to the ground. They struggled, trying to gain an advantage as they rolled back and forth. But then Feyd pushed off with his long legs and caused the two monsters to roll forward until the top half of their bodies went through the sickly yellow portal, while their bottom-halves remained in this server.

  “Quick! Break the portal,” Feyd screamed as the upper half of his body began to teleport to the other server.

  “What will happen to you?” Gameknight shouted as he stood and pulled out his diamond pickaxe.

  “Just do it!” the monster screeched.

  Gameknight gripped his diamond pickaxe, then put every ounce of strength he had into the swing. He smashed the obsidian block that made up the corner of the portal. Swinging again and again, he dug into the dark cube.

  Zombie claws found his back and tore into him, but suddenly, Cobbler was there, pushing them back with his iron sword. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the young boy slashing at the decaying beasts like an experienced warrior.

  Swinging harder, Gameknight dug at the obsidian while the two monsters kings struggled, half of their bodies already disappeared and transported to the different server plane. And then suddenly, the dark purple block shattered. The sickly yellow teleportation field flickered for an instant, then vanished, cleaving the two monsters in half. Their lower halves lay still for just an instant, then disappeared as well.

  Xa-Tul, king of the zombies, and Feyd, king of the endermen, were dead.

  “We did it!” Cobbler shouted as he finished off the zombie before him.


  “Not yet,” Gameknight said. “Look around you.”

  Cobbler backed up and then glanced around. All the blocks around them crackled with electrical sparks as they began losing their shape and disappearing.

  Suddenly, the cavern was filled with thunder. The NPCs and endermen in the portal room pushed forward and fell on the remaining zombies in the portal room, then ran up the steps to see the source of the thunder. Gameknight scooped up his swords as he ran up the steps, chasing a lone zombie. Two arrows stuck into the creature’s back, causing it to burst into magical flames. It turned to growl at him. But before it could make a sound, a third arrow finished it off.

  When he reached the massive chamber, Gameknight was greeted to more explosions as a few of the TNT blocks from the Zombie-Run finally detonated, tearing through the massive collection of monsters. The villagers and wolves had retreated back to their cobblestone walls, luckily sealing themselves in and keeping themselves safe from the blasts. The endermen that stood nearby glanced nervously at each other when they learned of Feyd’s demise. Uncertain as to their fate, they all teleported away, leaving behind a flickering purple mist.

  The zombies now covered the floor of the chamber. They pressed forward, edging closer to the NPC defenses, but the first blocks of TNT near the fortified wall detonated, keeping the creatures back. More explosions erupted across the cave as the TNT caught up with the server’s clock, finally starting the Zombie-Run that Gameknight and Crafter had started. Huge blossoms of fire bloomed across the chamber floor, rending HP from zombie bodies and littering the ground with XP. As the number of zombies in the chamber decreased, Gameknight realized that the server was now able to recover from the system overload, and it began to work faster. With more explosions, and more zombies destroyed, the glitchy lightning from the blocks seemed to decrease until it was just the faintest of crackles. Suddenly, in a cascade of blasts, the remaining blocks of TNT detonated, destroying huge clusters of zombies with an explosive fist and extinguishing all the sparks from the stone blocks.

  When the last of the red-and-white striped cubes had detonated, the NPCs and wolves flowed out from behind the walls and charged forward. Only a mere hundred zombies had survived Zombie-Run, and now the monsters were the ones that were far outnumbered. With a loud cheer, the villagers smashed into the remaining monsters, falling on them with a vengeance. The decaying creatures backed up, away from the villagers. Knowing they were hopelessly outnumbered, many tried to flee, searching for hidden tunnels in the walls of the zombie-town. Their moans were sad and terrified as they shuffled across the uneven floor in a vain attempt to escape.

  Gameknight ran to the center of the cave, then banged his sword on his cracked chest plate, getting the villagers’ attention. A few of the NPCs had captured some of the zombies and held them on the ground, swords ready to end their lives, while others were chasing monsters that were trying to escape.

  “Let them go,” Gameknight yelled. “Minecraft needs balance. We cannot destroy all of the monsters.”

  The villagers nodded, but the wolves were not so easily convinced, their growls filling the air. But then Herder whistled, the sound loud and piercing. The wolves stopped in their tracks, then turned and ran toward the sound, allowing the decaying monsters to run out of the chamber and into the dark tunnels that led deeper into the flesh of Minecraft.

  Herder moved next to Cobbler, who was now limping, and helped him walk to the User-that-is-not-a-user. Gameknight surveyed the chamber, looking at the survivors of what could have been the last battle for Minecraft, pride welling in his heart. He reached out and put an arm around Herder’s shoulder, pulling him in close, then did the same with Cobbler. The young boy groaned in pain, but the User-that-is-not-a-user could nevertheless see a huge smile on his young square face. The villagers cheered and the wolves howled with pride.

  “We did it!” someone shouted.

  “Minecraft is safe,” another hollered.

  Gameknight nodded, then released the two boys and stepped forward. The crowd grew quiet.

  “Today, we saved all the lives on all the servers within Minecraft,” Gameknight said. “It is a great day that will be remembered for a long time.”

  Everyone cheered, then grew quiet again.

  “But the sacrifice was also great,” the User-that-is-not-a-user added. “Many of our friends and family members lost their lives today, and we must not forget them.”

  The villagers nodded as they noticed the piles of items from the inventories of the deceased. They were spread all across the cavern, the number of piles shocking. Gameknight surveyed the chamber, then brought his gaze back to the survivors. Slowly, he raised his hand, fingers spread wide.

  “Our friends and family did not die in vain,” the User-that-is-not-a-user said in a loud voice. “They freed the prisoners taken by Xa-Tul and saved Minecraft from destruction. Our fallen comrades will be forever remembered for their sacrifice.”

  “For Baker …” exclaimed an NPC.

  “For Cutter …” said another.

  “And Farmer …”

  “And Weaver …”

  The litany of names flowed from the villagers as their grief surfaced and replaced their battle rage. Tiny square tears flowed from eyes as they mourned for their loved ones. Gameknight reached up and wiped his cheeks dry, then squeezed his upraised hand into a fist until his knuckles felt like they might pop. Finally he lowered his hand, the rest of the army doing the same.

  “We must always remember,” Gameknight added.

  The NPCs nodded their square heads.

  “Thank you all for coming and rescuing us,” Herder said. “It’s true; family is always there for you … and we are all family.”

  “Well said,” Crafter added.

  “I’ll tell you all one thing, this place smells like rotten zombies,” Gameknight999 said. “Let’s get out of here and go back to our homes.”

  The villagers all cheered, then headed for the stairs that led out of the zombie-town.

  CHAPTER 33

  GOING HOME

  Gameknight felt as if he were holding his breath as they traveled through the minecart network back to their own village. During the trip through the dark tunnels, he half-expected zombies to jump out of the shadows at any moment, or Minecraft itself to fall apart and disintegrate; he couldn’t really believe that it was all over. But when they made it back to their own village, the User-that-is-not-a-user finally breathed a sigh of relief and felt himself relax, just a little.

  “Is it finally over?” Stitcher asked. “Are all of Herobrine’s monster kings finally gone?”

  “There is still the creeper king,” Gameknight answered. “But I don’t think he wants anything to do with us. Oxus just wants to live his life with his creepers in their underground kingdom.”

  “Maybe that was the Last Battle then,” Cobbler said.

  “That’s a very positive way to look at it,” Crafter said. “I’m proud of you. I know your leg hurts and many of the NPCs from your village did not survive their captivity. You had a lot of negative there that you could have focused on, but instead, you chose to seek out the positive. That is fantastic.”

  Cobbler beamed.

  “I learned something from watching all of you,” the young boy said.

  “And what was that?” Digger asked as he put his minecart in a chest next to the tracks.

  “Well, I watched the way the six of you work together, and how hard you all worked to save Herder and save Minecraft,” Cobbler said. “And I realized that you have people around you who care, and would do anything for you. You know, like how all of you fought to save Herder. When you have friends and family around you like that, then there is always something positive nearby. You just have to open your eyes and not be afraid to look.”

  “Well said, Cobbler,” Crafter said.

  “Yep,” Stitcher added.

  “Maybe I learned something as well,” Gameknight said. “I didn’t honestly think we were goin
g to survive that battle. There were a lot of zombies in that cave, and I didn’t really expect Zombie-Run to actually work.”

  “That might have been good to know when you had me running behind you amongst all those monsters,” Hunter complained, then punched him in the arm.

  “Ouch,” he said. “Would you have followed me if I told you the truth?”

  “Of course, you idiot!” she snapped and punched him in the arm again.

  “Well, as I was saying before I was so brutally attacked,” Gameknight said, then flashed a smile at Hunter, “I think I had a hard time seeing the solution to this problem because I was imagining everything that might be happening to Herder. I blocked a lot of you out because I was so afraid that I would fail, and I should have told you how I felt instead of just keeping it to myself.” He paused to clear his throat, and to try to keep a tear out of his eye. “I should have confided in all of you, and instead I just kept my problems to myself. That was wrong, and I’m sorry.”

  “Well, since you did save all of our lives, and kept Minecraft from being destroyed, I guess we can forgive you,” Hunter said, then punched him in the arm again, this time, much softer.

  They all became quiet as the six companions stood there and stared at each other, taking in the moment, engraving it into their memories forever.

  Suddenly, letters appeared in his head. Son, what are you doing? the words said as they scrolled through his mind; someone in the physical world was typing into the chat window in Minecraft.

  Ahh … I was just checking in on everyone here in the village, Gameknight replied as he imagined himself typing the words on his keyboard. Sorry, Dad, I should have told you I was going back into Minecraft.

  “What are you …” Hunter started to ask, but Gameknight raised a hand, silencing her. He was surprised it actually worked.

  Anything going on in Minecraft? his father asked as he typed into the chat.

  No, just the same old boring stuff, Gameknight replied. Crops need harvesting, animals need tending, walls need repairing … nothing unusual.