Attack of the Shadow-Crafters

by Mark Cheverton

  “Endermen,” the User-that-is-not-a-user hissed.

  “What?” Weaver asked.

  Fencer finally made it to the top of the tower and stood at Gameknight’s side.

  “That sound is coming from Endermen,” Gameknight said.

  Just then, a group of dark creatures materialized in a cloud of purple mist on the tall sand dune that stood in front of the village gates. They were all pitch-black as if the monsters were moving shadows walking across the brightly lit desert sands.

  “What are they?” Fencer asked.

  “I told you, they’re Endermen,” Gameknight replied.

  “Ender-what?”

  Suddenly, more of them appeared on the dune. There were maybe thirty of them, all screeching and cackling at the top of their voices. The villagers behind the cobblestone walls cupped their hands to their ears to try to block out the terrible, spine-cringing sound.

  And then the creatures disappeared—only to reappear suddenly inside the village, one of them materializing right in front of a warrior near the village gates.

  “No, don’t hit the—” Gameknight began to shout, but it was already too late.

  The NPC swung his sword at the dark nightmare and struck it in the arm. The Enderman’s eyes glowed bright white as it screeched a loud, high-pitched screech, signaling that it was enraged. The battle had begun.

  CHAPTER 9

  ENDERMEN

  The Endermen became streaks of purple and black lightning. They flashed across the village, pummeling NPCs with their fists, then teleporting away just as a sword or arrow came sailing toward them. Their screeches and cackles filled the air as if the whole event were just some kind of wild, out-of-control party to them.

  One of the monsters appeared before Gameknight on the tower. He ducked as a dark fist streaked toward his head. The monster then zipped away harmlessly as his iron sword sliced at its long, skinny legs.

  “We have to get down there,” Gameknight said to Fencer and Weaver.

  He moved to the ladder and slid to the ground, his two companions a step behind. When he reached the ground floor, Gameknight sprinted out into the courtyard. With both swords drawn, he stood out in the middle so that he was easy to see.

  “Come on, Endermen,” Gameknight said confidently. “Come meet Smithy’s blades!”

  One of the dark monsters appeared in front of him. The User-that-is-not-a-user rolled to the side, then slashed at the legs again. The monster disappeared in a cloud of purple; Gameknight had expected that. He swung his swords behind him just as the monster materialized … they were so predictable. His blades bit into the dark clammy skin, making the creature screech in agony. Before it could teleport again, Gameknight brought his sword down upon its shoulder. The wounded Enderman teleported away, screaming in pain.

  Suddenly, Weaver was at his side.

  “Stand back-to-back,” Gameknight said to the young boy. “When you see the purple mist, swing at it, whether there’s something there or not.”

  Weaver cocked his side in confusion but said nothing. He just moved behind him with his iron sword ready.

  An Enderman appeared in front of Gameknight. His blade slashed at the monster. The creature disappeared, only to reappear behind him, in front of Weaver. But the boy’s sword was already moving, slashing at the lavender cloud that had formed. The monster materialized right as the youth’s iron sword dug into his side. Screeching in pain, the monster disappeared, then materialized to the left. Gameknight charged, swinging both swords at the monster’s head. The blade in his right hand missed, but then the User-that-is-not-a-user spun and swung his left sword at the lavender cloud forming near Weaver. Another screech of pain filled the air as Gameknight’s sword scored a critical hit, followed by Weaver’s. The monster disappeared, leaving behind three balls of XP and a strange, blue, translucent sphere.

  Just then, Gameknight noticed the cries of pain filling the village, as black fists pummeled the villagers with a fury. The dark creatures were doing significant damage to the NPCs.

  “Weaver, we need to act fast before anyone is killed,” Gameknight said.

  Putting away his swords, the User-that-is-not-a-user pulled out a bucket and filled it with water. He then dipped two more into the nearby well, with Weaver doing the same.

  “Come on,” Gameknight said.

  He ran for the gates. That was where the largest concentration of NPC warriors and Endermen were located. When he drew near, both of them poured a bucket of water on the ground. The blue liquid quickly spread across the ground, pushing the warriors back and coating the legs of the Endermen.

  “Now watch,” Gameknight said with a grin.

  But quickly that grin turned to a scowl.

  He expected the skin on the Endermen to sizzle and burn when it came in contact with the water. But instead, the dark monsters seemed to enjoy being in the water. In fact, the flowing liquid drew more Endermen near, as if they wanted to bathe themselves. The warriors all backed up to watch the strange display: monsters stopping to bathe in the middle of a battle.

  “Archers … fire!” Gameknight shouted.

  Arrows rained down upon the monsters. He expected the Endermen to teleport away, but they were so distracted with their bathing that they didn’t even notice the projectiles until they hit. The creatures screeched out in pain, but still continued to clean themselves, as if the bath somehow repaired the damage done by the projectiles.

  Suddenly, a lone Enderman appeared at the top of the watchtower. It screeched a long, loud wail that caused the other dark monsters to stop what they were doing and glance up at their squad leader. Then they all disappeared, teleporting away to a sand dune far from the village.

  “Blacksmith, you think you can hide from Herobrine here in this village,” the black nightmare boomed. “But you are mistaken.”

  “You tell Herobine that we aren’t hiding,” Gameknight roared. “He should feel free to stop by any time.” He turned and faced the villagers, some of whom were struggling to stand. A few were badly wounded and were eating apples and loaves of bread to help themselves heal. “What is it you want here, Endermen?” Gameknight was careful to look aside and not straight at the monster.

  “I have come to deliver a message from Herobrine.”

  “And did this message come with instructions to hurt some of the villagers?” Gameknight asked.

  “Of course it did,” the shadowy creature replied with a smile.

  “Deliver your message and be gone,” the User-that-is-not-a-user growled.

  “This is a reminder that there are things to fear in Minecraft, and the Maker, Herobrine, is not done with you. Soon, he will return to wreak his vengeance upon the villagers of the Overworld. And when he has destroyed all of you puny creatures, then the Overworld will belong to monsters, as it should. But for now, quake in fear, for our return is imminent!”

  The monster disappeared in a cloud of purple mist, only to reappear in the distance with the other Endermen. Gameknight ran to the top of the fortified wall and stared out at them. All of the creatures, from this distance, appeared identical, jet-black and terrifying, their purple eyes glowing bright. But then he caught a glimpse of one of the monsters standing much farther away, just barely visible in the distance. It was colored a dark, dark red, like the color of dried blood. It can’t be, Gameknight thought. Then the image was gone; it was likely a mirage formed by his own fears … and nightmares.

  “We will be back soon,” the Enderman screeched, then they all vanished.

  Fencer and Farmer climbed the steps and moved to Gameknight’s side.

  “How do we fight monsters that can teleport away from us?” Farmer asked.

  “There are tricks I can teach you that will help,” Gameknight said.

  “You mean like the water?” Farmer asked. “That worked great!”

  “No, it didn’t work at all,” the User-that-is-not-a-user replied. “I expected the water to burn them, but instead, they seemed to like it.”
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  “Who cares?” Fencer pointed out. “The water made them stop fighting.”

  “I didn’t expect the Endermen to appear,” Gameknight said. He turned and faced Fencer. “Why didn’t Herobrine use the Endermen when we battled the zombie king?”

  Fencer shrugged.

  “I don’t like this, not at all,” Gameknight said. “Herobrine is up to something, and I think we’re gonna need a lot more villagers in order to stop him.” He glanced at Farmer. “A lot more!”

  Farmer nodded, his long, gray hair falling across his face.

  Gameknight turned and stared out into the desert at the spot where the Endermen had been standing. He shuddered as he imagined a hundred of those monsters coming to the village. Likely that would be part of Herobrine’s plan.

  How are we gonna defend ourselves next time, Gameknight thought. What would Smithy do?

  He tried to imagine being as strong and brave as the legendary leader, but all he felt was empty. Pretending to be Smithy was just a pathetic lie, and all it made Gameknight feel was scared.

  CHAPTER 10

  PREPARATIONS

  “Smithy … Smithy!” Fencer shouted. “Are you there? Wake up!”

  “Sorry, I was just thinking about what to do next,” Gameknight lied. Really, he was imaging all the terrible things that could happen to all these villagers.

  “Oink,” Wilbur said as the animal rubbed against his leg.

  The User-that-is-not-a-user suspected the creature could somehow sense his emotions, and that the little pig had felt Gameknight’s fear. He reached down and patted the animal on the head.

  “Well, you want to share with us what you have in mind?” Fencer said.

  Looking up, he nodded, then moved to Fencer’s side.

  “First of all, we need to finish the defenses,” Gameknight said.

  “But how are we going to keep those monsters from attacking us … what did you call them?” Carver asked.

  “They’re called Endermen,” Gameknight said, “and they can be stopped. You just need to know how to fight them.” He looked up at the stocky NPC. “I can teach you all how to do it.”

  “Okay, what next?” Farmer asked.

  “We need to finish the defenses around the village,” Gameknight said. “If Herobrine sees the defenses are incomplete, he will attack before we’re ready. I just hope the Enderman didn’t notice.”

  “We’ll put everyone to work finishing the defenses,” Farmer said.

  “That’s good,” Gameknight added, “but I’ve learned it can be a mistake to just wait for Herobrine to attack. Walls can only do so much, and we have a limited number of villagers with us.”

  “We can send out some runners to the neighboring villages,” Carver said.

  Farmer frowned at the villager for speaking up. Carver scowled right back at him.

  “That would be helpful, but nobody should go anywhere alone,” Gameknight said.

  “Understood.” Farmer turned and nodded to a group of villagers listening. “They’ll all go in pairs and run to the villages nearby. Then we’ll have runners head out from those villages. Soon, we’ll have our own massive army to face off against Herobrine.”

  The runners disappeared into one of the blocky homes momentarily, then returned.

  “We’ll be back soon with help,” one of the runners said. Then the group of villagers all ran out of the village and across the brightly lit desert, each protected with just a leather tunic so they could run as quickly as possible, a bow in their stubby hands.

  “While we’re waiting for them,” Farmer said, “let’s start building some walls.”

  “Weaver,” Gameknight said. “Go help with the crafting chamber. When it is complete, we need to start on tunnels that go to the other villages for the—”

  “For the minecart network,” the young boy said with a smile.

  Gameknight nodded.

  “Carver, come help me outside the walls,” Gameknight said.

  “What are we going to do?” he asked.

  “I’ll show you.”

  Gameknight walked through the village gates, then began digging a tunnel under the sand, replacing the falling blocks with sandstone. Next to the tunnel, he put holes two blocks deep.

  “Any monster that falls into these holes will be trapped,” Gameknight said. “But villagers will be able to attack their legs from this tunnel. These are called ‘murder holes,’ and they will help if there is another attack.”

  The two of them worked in silence, carving through the desert terrain, building traps that would hopefully help save the lives of the villagers.

  “What do you think Herobrine is going to do?” Carver asked.

  “I think he will do what the Enderman said. He’s going to make everyone suffer his wrath,” Gameknight replied. “But I’m not gonna just sit here and wait for him to come. The only way to deal with a bully like Herobrine is to change the situation. We aren’t going to just stand here and wait. I have another idea.”

  “What’s that, Smithy?” Carver asked.

  “Let’s finish these traps, then discuss it with Farmer,” Gameknight replied.

  Carver scowled and seemed hurt, but turned and focused his anger instead on the sandstone before him. They finished the tunnel around the front of the village, then carved a passage that ran under the fortified wall, and dug an entrance to the subterranean network. When they climbed out, they found Farmer and Fencer discussing the village defenses near the central well.

  “Smithy, we need to make a plan for what’s next,” Fencer said. “Those Endermen have everyone pretty spooked. What are we going to do?”

  “Carver and I were just talking about that.” Gameknight turned and found the NPC walking away from the well, toward a shadowy spot next to the wall. He waved at him to approach. “Carver, come over here.”

  Now it was Farmer’s turn to scowl.

  “I don’t think we need Carver’s input,” Farmer said. “We need to decide what is best for the entire village. Carver’s thoughts aren’t needed.”

  Gameknight looked at Carver’s face and could see anger and resignation. It was clear the big villager was used to being excluded, but that was not acceptable to the User-that-is-not-a-user.

  “I think Carver’s ideas will be useful to hear,” Gameknight said.

  Farmer frowned, but he didn’t object further.

  “Carver, based on what you heard from the Endermen, what do you think we should do?” Gameknight asked.

  “Well—” he started, but Farmer interrupted.

  “We need to finish these walls and towers, and then they won’t be able to touch us,” Farmer said. “We’ll be safe behind our walls.”

  “The walls won’t protect us from those Endermen,” Carver pointed out.

  “Gameknight said he can show us how to fight them,” the aged leader replied.

  “But we can’t just sit here and wait for this Herobrine and his army of monsters to descend down upon us,” Carver said, getting angry. “We need to go out and face him in a place where we have the advantage.”

  “Well said, Carver,” Gameknight added. “I think he’s right. I’ve learned one thing while fighting Herobrine and his monsters: If you stay stationary, then you’ll be defeated. Mobility and the element of surprise are the keys to success.”

  “Then what is it you think we should do?” Farmer asked, casting an annoyed glance at Carver.

  “We need information,” Gameknight said. “That zombie we caught said Herobrine had a group of monsters collecting at Dragon’s Teeth. I think we need to go there and see what the monsters are doing.”

  “You want to go looking for a monster army?” Farmer asked, astonished. “That sounds kinda crazy.”

  “A danger that is seen is a danger that can be avoided,” the User-that-is-not-a-user said. “We must know what’s going on, and the only way to do that is to go to Dragon’s Teeth.”

  “I’ll go with you, Smithy,” Carver said.

  “
Thank you, Carver, but we’ll need more than just a few of us,” Gameknight said.

  “SMITHY!” came a cry from the villagers who had been edging closer to the discussion and eavesdropping.

  “Well, OK,” Farmer said hesitantly.

  “The wounded should stay here and the builders must continue on the wall. We want Herobrine to think we’re all still here, and not spying on him,” Gameknight explained. “I can take a group of maybe fifty warriors. Carver, do you know how to get to this Dragon’s Teeth?”

  The big NPC nodded his head.

  “Farmer, you stay here and keep everyone working. We want to make sure Herobrine thinks we’re all here, and the only way to do that is to have a lot of people on the walls, keeping busy and building.” Gameknight turned to Carver. “Pick the warriors you want. We’ll need villagers good with the bow and the sword. Who knows what we’ll run into out there?”

  Carver cast Gameknight a wry grin, then moved about the village, identifying those that would accompany them.

  The User-that-is-not-a-user turned and faced Weaver.

  “I want you and the other kids to stay here,” Gameknight said in a stern voice. “Do you understand?”

  “But we could help …” the young villager complained.

  Gameknight moved closer to the boy and spoke in a low voice.

  “I don’t like the way their butcher has been looking at Wilbur,” the User-that-is-not-a-user said. “I need you to watch out for my friend and make sure no one is gonna eat him. Can I rely on you to do this?”

  “Oink,” the little animal said when he heard his name.

  Weaver sighed, then nodded his head.

  “This is important to me,” Gameknight added. “I’m putting Wilbur’s life in your hands. Will you make sure no one in the village does anything to him?”

  “I guarantee it,” Weaver said with a smile.

  He didn’t like that smile.

  “You and all the other kids are responsible for this,” Gameknight said.

  “I got it, you can trust me,” Weaver said.

  “OK,” he replied.

  Turning, he saw Carver walking toward the village gates with fifty heavily-armed warriors following behind him. Every one wore leather armor and had a bow in their hands. Carver cast Gameknight a smile, glared at Farmer as he passed, and led the warriors out of the village.