Attack of the Shadow-Crafters

by Mark Cheverton

  “You know who,” she said as she pointed up into the sky with a bent and wrinkled finger.

  “Notch?” the User-that-is-not-a-user asked after a moment.

  She nodded her head.

  “He sensed Minecraft getting out of balance and detected the virus that is Herobrine. I am—”

  “You’re the antivirus,” Gameknight said.

  “Correct. I have been sent into Minecraft to put everything back the way it should be. The light-crafters around us are here to counteract the damage being done by Herobrine’s shadow-crafters.”

  Gameknight nodded his head.

  “I understand, but how are we going to stop Herobrine?” the User-that-is-not-a-user asked. “He had a lot of monsters back there and probably even more underground. We don’t have anywhere near enough villagers to fight off that many.”

  “Matching sword for claws is not the way to defeat this host of monsters,” the Oracle said. “What’s needed is true leadership and courage to overcome the destructive force being assembled by Herobrine.”

  Gameknight hung his head down again, as thoughts of uncertainty and fear filled his mind.

  “I don’t know if I can do it, Oracle,” he whispered as he looked up into her steel-gray eyes. “I’m not Smithy. Sometimes I feel as if I should just tell them, but then I’m afraid they’ll feel betrayed and turn on me. The villagers will think I’ve been lying to them all this time and will never trust me again. I couldn’t bear that. It’s in my nature to help, but I feel as if I’m doing more harm than good.” He hung his head down again, feeling like he wanted to just disappear.

  “Deep down inside, we all know there are limits to our strengths and it can feel like there is great depth to our weaknesses,” the Oracle explained. “But sometimes, those boundaries can shift, for strengths and weaknesses are only choices that we make within ourselves. You can choose to ignore your weaknesses and just focus on your strengths, if you have the courage. All you need is to believe.”

  “Believe?” Gameknight asked.

  He looked up at her and thought he saw her eyes sparkle just bit, like the way Crafter’s did when he was giving Gameknight one of his many lessons of wisdom.

  “Yes, believe,” she continued. “You can choose to believe you’re a great leader, and if you truly believe it, then it will be so. But if you doubt yourself and focus on your weaknesses, then everyone around you will sense that, and your leadership will crumble. It comes down to a simple choice: do you believe in yourself or not?”

  Do I believe in myself? Gameknight thought. What kind of question is that?

  He’d fought countless battles all across Minecraft, faced the four horsemen of the apocalypse created by Herobrine, faced the spider queen, faced Malacoda, faced Erebus, and even faced Herobrine himself multiple times. But the fact was, he’d been terrified every time, and just narrowly avoided defeat by using some kind of trick, like pigs or water or iron golems or TNT.

  The puzzle pieces began to tumble around in his head at the thought of the explosive cubes. TNT was somehow part of the solution to the problem he faced, but he wasn’t even sure he knew what the problem was.

  Gameknight knew if he didn’t come up with a brilliant solution, then Herobrine would likely kill the ancestors of his friends. If that happened, then Crafter, Hunter, Stitcher, Digger, and Herder would never be born. The thought filled him with jagged slivers of fear, and as his anxiety grew, the puzzle pieces disappeared, fading into the uncertainty and dread filling his soul.

  But then, a memory surfaced from within his mind. It was when he and Stitcher and Herder had saved Hunter from the clutches of Malacoda’s monsters. A group of wither skeletons had imprisoned Hunter in an iron cage. He and his friends were completely outnumbered, yet the scrawny Herder had figured out what to do. Without the slightest trace of fear, the lanky boy had gathered a pack of wolves and used them to attack the skeletons. The young boy, who many thought was a useless coward, had just acted, taking advantage of what he did best to help his friends. Gameknight smiled when he remembered the look of joy on Hunter’s face when they saved her.

  The image slowly faded from his mind, only to be replaced by another. It was of Crafter at the Alamo. Erebus had been chasing them across the Overworld, looking to destroy enough NPCs to move up to the next server plane, in hopes of reaching the Source. Gameknight and Crafter had lured the monsters into a huge cave filled with users and a trap designed by his friend, Shawny. But the trap had failed. Endermen had disabled the redstone before they could trigger the trap and destroy all the monsters. Crafter had acted without thinking, running into the midst of the monster army so he could trigger the redstone manually, blowing up monsters’s escape route and himself at the same time, trapping the monsters in the cavern. The aged NPC didn’t even think about the consequences nor did he think what if … he just reacted and did what he did best, and that was helping his friends.

  Thoughts about Digger saving his life in a stronghold library next surfaced in his mind, along with the countless times that Hunter and Stitcher had saved him and others with their bows. His mind was soon filled with countless memories of NPCs doing the extraordinary to help someone else. Gameknight was humbled to have known them and fought at their side.

  But then he realized that one thing linked all of these instances in time: the User-that-is-not-a-user. He had brought these NPCs together. His strength and confidence had drawn out the best in them, and without Gameknight999, they would likely have never become friends. He’d been the glue that had kept the band of friends together when everything seemed hopeless. He’d been the reason to keep on trying. He knew now that giving up only guaranteed the outcome, while trying meant there was still hope.

  Glue … still hope … maybe there was more to him than just the helmet that hid his face. Maybe he could lead these people, but not by doing what he thought Smithy might do. Instead, he had to do what Gameknight999, the king of the griefers, would do.

  He glanced at Fencer and adjusted his iron helmet. The NPC gave him a worried look, as if he thought Gameknight was going to remove the helmet and come clean. But Gameknight knew he couldn’t do that now; the presence of Smithy was a big part of the glue holding this army together, and he had to continue to play his part for their sake. But he was done trying to be Smithy. He would keep this disguise on, but it was time for Gameknight999 to take command and do things that only the User-that-is-not-a-user would dare. It was time to stop worrying and start doing. And in that instant, a wave of confidence filled him as tiny square goose bumps covered his arms.

  Turning to the Oracle, he found the old woman had a smile on her face, her gray eyes sparkling with optimism. She did not say a word; she just nodded her head, somehow knowing what was going on within him.

  I do believe, Gameknight thought.

  The puzzle pieces began to tumble around within his head once again. There was a solution to the problem of Herobrine and his monster army; he just needed to be patient and find it. While he searched, he’d prepare his pieces on the game board at the same time that Herobrine prepared his. Soon, he’d teach that evil virus what it was like to battle with an experienced user.

  “We need to get back to the village quickly,” Gameknight said suddenly, in a loud, clear voice. “There are many preparations to be made, and little time to do it.”

  “We’re almost to the bridge,” Carver exclaimed. “We’ll be back to the village before dusk.”

  “Let’s hurry,” Weaver said.

  “Oink,” the pig added.

  Some of the villagers laughed.

  The young boy began to run, still clutching the nervous Wilbur in his arms. When he reached Gameknight999, the User-that-is-not-a-user ran with him, casting a confident smile toward the old woman.

  CHAPTER 21

  BACK TO THE VILLAGE

  “There it is!” Carver exclaimed.

  When Gameknight crested the sand dune, he saw what the stocky NPC was pointing at: the desert village.
Thick walls of cobblestone stood high around the perimeter of the community, rocky crenellations dotting the top. Tall, cylindrical towers sat on each corner stretching high up into the air. At the center of the village, a watchtower loomed high into the sky, extending up maybe thirty blocks and giving the watcher that stood at the top a clear view of the surrounding landscape in all directions. Torches burned brightly along the wall and on all the towers, and warriors stood proud on the battlements, iron swords glistening in the light.

  Gameknight could see archers standing atop the towers and watchers in the central cobblestone tower. They all held bows in their hands with arrows notched, ready to be fired. The sharp projectiles were all pointed out into the desert as they cautiously watched the party approach.

  The sun was sinking near the horizon, casting a pale red light on the sandy desert. To the east, the sky was already black, the sparkling faces of the stars emerging from the fading blue sky.

  “Carver, I think it might be wise to pull out a torch and show them who we are,” Gameknight said.

  “Yeah, you’re probably right,” he replied.

  Reaching into his inventory, he pulled out a torch, which magically lit as he held it aloft, casting a circle of warm, yellow light around the party.

  “Weaver, go to the back of the group and pull out a torch,” Gameknight said. “We don’t want anyone shooting at us accidently.” The young NPC set Wilbur on the ground and ran to the rear of the procession. He pulled out a torch, casting more light on the back of the formation.

  “Oink,” the pig said, glad to be able to stretch his tiny legs again.

  “It’s our villagers!” one of the NPCs shouted from the cobblestone watchtower.

  Slowly, the archers lowered their bows as a pair of iron doors creaked open in the fortified wall, allowing the weary travels to enter. Carver was the first to move into the village, running forward to find his parents and brother, Baker.

  When Gameknight finally passed through the doors, whispers and comments spread through the community.

  “It’s him!”

  “It’s Smithy …”

  “Smithy of the Two-Swords …”

  Villagers looked at him with awe as he entered, many of them reaching out to touch him lightly on the arm or shoulder. Gameknight was moved at their confidence in him, but even more, he was shocked at how many NPCs were behind the fortified walls. There were hundreds of people, from all different walks of life, each with a common purpose: to help Smithy stop the evil plans of Herobrine.

  “Where did all these people come from?” Gameknight asked one of the villagers.

  “The runners that you sent out found village after village,” one of the NPCs explained.

  Looking at his smock and the tiny cuts all along his hands and arms, Gameknight could tell he was a digger.

  “They started arriving just after you left,” Digger explained. “More are expected before dawn, and even more after that. We’re having them hide down in the crafting chamber away from the prying eyes of monsters, but when they heard you had returned, they all came up to greet the famous Smithy of the Two-Swords.”

  Gameknight was humbled. These people were putting their lives in his hands, and he refused to let them down. He thought about removing his helmet and telling the truth, but Smithy was the glue that would hold this group of individuals together into a cohesive fighting force, and he needed to respect that.

  Once everyone had entered the village and the gates had closed, the NPCs noticed the Oracle and light-crafters. Gameknight held out his hands and motioned all the villagers on the walls and towers to come down and hear what he had to say.

  “This is our new friend, the Oracle, and these are her light-crafters,” Gameknight said in a loud voice. “They are here to help us in this war with Herobrine. Someone show the light-crafters to the crafting chamber. I’m sure they have work they need to do. Everyone else, welcome our new friends, then get back to work. Tunnels need to still be dug to the other villages, and we need more armor and weapons. We must be prepared when it’s time to meet Herobrine and his army of monsters.”

  “SMITHY!” the villagers shouted, then went to work.

  He glanced at the Oracle, and she gave him a nod. The light-crafters were then led off to the crafting chamber. The old woman moved next to Gameknight and pulled him away from the crowd. Fencer noticed and headed toward them. She glanced at Fencer suspiciously as he moved to the User-that-is-not-a-user’s side.

  Gameknight nodded. “He knows.”

  She nodded in return. “I see you are continuing to wear your Smithy mask,” she said softly.

  “It’s likely best for now,” the User-that-is-not-a-user replied.

  “Just because you are posing as someone else, that doesn’t mean you can’t be you,” the Oracle added.

  “I know. I came to the same conclusion,” Gameknight replied. “What will you have the light-crafters do first?”

  “Treebrin, Dirtbrin, Cactusbrin, and Grassbrin are outside, improving the defenses around the village,” she explained.

  “Why do their names all end in ‘brin’?” Fencer asked.

  “All light-crafters’ names end with ‘brin,’ and the shadow-crafters’ names end in ‘brine.’ I don’t really know why it’s that way. That’s just how they were all programmed.”

  She walked toward the village’s well and spoke in a loud voice so that others could hear.

  “My light-crafters will be busy in your crafting chamber,” she explained. “I’ve instructed Armorbrin to get to work on something special for all of you, as well as Swordbrin and the other tool light-crafters. You may want to start collecting more iron; I suspect you’ll need it very soon.”

  Gameknight pointed at Digger. The big NPC nodded and collected a group of stocky villagers. With their pickaxes over their shoulder, they headed for the watchtower and the secret tunnel that led to the crafting chamber and the village’s mines.

  Suddenly, the desert came alive with the sound of clicking, as if a million crickets had surrounded the community. Moving faster than Gameknight thought was possible, the Oracle dashed to Fencer and whispered into his ear. The NPC listened carefully, then nodded his head and took off running for the crafting chamber.

  “Everyone, to the walls!” someone shouted, but Gameknight could tell by the sounds that it was already too late for that.

  “NO!” he yelled. “Everyone gather around the well. Stand shoulder-to-shoulder and guard those around you. Draw your swords and get ready. Some of you, get on top of the well and get ready to shoot.”

  The User-that-is-not-a-user spoke with such confidence that the NPCs instantly responded, doing exactly what he said. Some of them glanced at Gameknight, clearly afraid, but by now he had drawn his two swords and had them out for all to see. When they saw the dual blades, the villagers stood a little taller, a little bit of their fear evaporating away. Even though they had no idea how many monsters were attacking, his strong, commanding voice made them feel at ease and ready for this challenge. It surprised Gameknight—not that the villagers were listening to him, but that he felt so confident in this role. He could still play his part as Smithy, for now, but he would do things like Gameknight999, the User-that-is-not-a-user.

  Glancing over his shoulder, he saw the Oracle standing inside the circle of swords and found her giving him a self-satisfied smile, as if she could somehow see inside his mind. Gameknight gave her a wink, then stepped forward in front of the defenders, his two swords held at the ready.

  “Outside are a bunch of pesky spiders that need to be exterminated,” Gameknight said in a loud, confident voice, “and we are the boot that will squash them!”

  The NPCs laughed, their chuckles echoing off the stone walls.

  “Now everyone, get ready,” Gameknight shouted. “Watch out for your neighbors and fight as a team, instead of individuals. We can get through this if we work together.”

  He turned and faced the gray cobblestone walls. Gripping h
is swords tightly, he waited for the fuzzy black wave of claws that was about to crash down upon them.

  CHAPTER 22

  MORE SPIDERS

  Suddenly, a dark wave crested the top of the fortified wall. The fuzzy black bodies seemed to merge with the darkening sky, their blazing red eyes standing out bright. They moved across the battlements like a black stain spreading across a wall, razor-sharp claws clicking on the stone. The torches along the top of the wall made the monsters easy to see as they made their way along the battlements, spreading out into a long, hateful line. Clearly, they wanted to attack the NPCs from all sides. Fortunately, it was exactly what Gameknight expected them to do.

  The spiders climbed the walls without difficulty, coming down the other side and spreading out across the sandy courtyard. They stayed near the walls, hesitant to move forward until given the command. Their mandibles clicked together in a blur, eager to attack.

  One of the spiders stayed perched atop the fortified wall rather than joining her sisters on the ground. This lone spider was larger than the rest and boasted bright, purple eyes. Gameknight instantly knew who it was … Shaikulud, the spider queen.

  “Why don’t you come down here, Shaikulud, and face me?” the User-that-is-not-a-user challenged.

  “I am not here for you, blackssssmith,” the spider queen replied. “I am here for her.” The monster pointed a dark, curved claw toward the Oracle. “Give her to ussss and we will sssspare your village.”

  “You’ll have to go through all of us first,” Gameknight replied. “The Oracle is under my protection, and I won’t let any of your bugs touch her.”

  “How quickly you have forgotten our lasssst meeting,” Shaikulud hissed. “Herobrine hassss been making ssssome improvementssss on my sssspiderssss. Ready … attack!”

  The dark monsters charged forward, but as they neared, something strange happened. The villagers’ swords began to glow a faint green. Gameknight instantly felt his blades getting warmer in his hand, as if they were being charged with energy. He looked around and saw the villagers glowing with the same green hue as well. Many of them stood up taller as they, too, were filled with the same glowing power.