Last Stand on the Ocean Shore

by Mark Cheverton

  The rider shook his head while he stepped out of the cart. One of the NPCs from Crafter’s village took the minecart from his hands and chose another tunnel. Placing it on the track, he shot down the rails, followed by two more volunteers. As they sped away, activity in the crafting chamber continued.

  Three more riders returned with discouraging reports that made some of the villagers shake their heads, looks of fear beginning to fill their eyes. They all knew that everything depended on finding the Ocean Monument, and every fruitless search brought them and Minecraft one step closer to the brink.

  “Do not be discouraged,” Gameknight shouted, his voice echoing off the cavern walls, ringing with confidence and hope. “The only failure here is giving up, and that’s not gonna happen. We will continue to search until we’ve covered all of Minecraft. And when that happens, we’ll start over and keep trying until we are successful.”

  His words made the discouraged NPCs stand a little taller, their eyes shining a little brighter. But just as Gameknight was about to add to his words, he heard a scream coming from one of the minecart tunnels.

  Are there monsters coming? Gameknight thought.

  Drawing his sword, he moved to the tunnel to face the oncoming threat, but before he could get to the dark opening, he found Stonecutter’s hulking form already there, his pickaxe out and ready.

  “Archers, stand on some blocks,” Hunter shouted as she built a small pillar on which she could stand.

  “Swordsmen, to the front,” Crafter shouted. “Children to the back of the cavern.”

  Gameknight turned and watched the NPCs prepare for the unknown threat; he was impressed. They didn’t know what was coming, or how many. It could be all of Herobrine’s army coming through that tunnel, or maybe the monsters from the Nether … or both; but you couldn’t tell from the looks of the NPCs’ faces. Staring at the dark tunnel, they all held grim, determined looks, a refusal to back down showing in their eyes.

  The screams echoed through the tunnel, this time louder.

  Gameknight gripped his diamond sword firmly in his hand, then drew his iron sword with his left. Many of the new villagers gasped when they saw him with two swords, but the User-that-is-not-a-user didn’t bother to turn and look at them. He was ready for battle, and all that mattered right now was keeping those around him safe.

  The scream sounded again, this time even louder. It was almost at the entrance.

  Gameknight could hear bowstrings creak as they were pulled taut, arrows aimed at the dark tunnel.

  “Whatever comes out of that tunnel … show no fear!” Gameknight shouted. “This is our land, and everyone around you is family. Nobody is going to take this from you … WE REFUSE TO YIELD!”

  A cheer rang out through the crafting chamber, but was then cut short as another scream sounded from a different tunnel … and then another and another. The shouts were coming from four different tunnels.

  Are we being invaded? Gameknight thought.

  As the NPCs positioned themselves around the other tunnels, a minecart shot out of the darkness, an NPC sitting within.

  “Yahoo … I found it!” the rider screamed.

  “Was that what you were screaming?” Hunter asked with an angry glare.

  The NPC nodded, then looked around and saw all the arrows pointed at him. He swallowed nervously.

  “Sorry,” the rider said as he lowered his head.

  Before anyone could respond, more minecarts shot out of the tunnels, with more cries of exuberance filling the chamber.

  “I found it …” a rider said.

  “I found the ocean village!” another cried.

  “The village on the ocean shore … I know where it is!” the last yelled.

  Gameknight sheathed his swords, then raised his hands to get everyone to relax and put away their weapons.

  “All of you should be a little more careful when you scream in a dark tunnel,” Hunter chided. “You almost got shot full of holes.”

  But the NPCs were too excited to be abashed. They pushed their way through the crowd to get to the User-that-is-not-a-user. As they neared, the cavern grew quiet with a nervous silence. Their survival depended on what the riders had to report, and every NPC knew it.

  “OK, what did you find?” Gameknight asked each.

  “I found a village right on the shore of a huge ocean,” the first reported.

  “So did I,” said the second.

  “Me, too.”

  “And me.”

  “Great,” Hunter said as she stepped off her stone pillar. “First we can’t find a village on the ocean shore; now we have too many.”

  “Hunter … shush!” Stitcher said to her sister, then turned and faced Gameknight999. “Go on.”

  “Did any of them know about the Ocean Monument?”

  They all shook their heads.

  “None of them had ever heard of it nor the Book of Wisdom,” the first rider said. “They said they used the ocean for fishing, and that’s about it.”

  “That’s what the crafter said at the village that I found as well,” the second rider said.

  “Mine, too,” the third added.

  But the fourth rider remained quiet, silently contemplating the information the he had in his blocky head.

  “What about you?” Gameknight asked the fourth rider.

  “Well, the crafter of this village didn’t know anything about the Ocean Monument, either,” the rider said.

  “This is great!” Hunter said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

  “But …” the rider added.

  “But what?” Crafter asked as he moved next to the NPC.

  “But the crafter at this village said that they don’t fish in the ocean because of all the ink sacks,” the rider explained.

  “Ink sacks?” Crafter asked. “What do you mean?”

  “The crafter told me that they keep finding ink sacks all over the ocean floor or washed up on the shoreline,” the NPC said. “They never go into the ocean because of this. In fact, all the NPCs are afraid of the ocean because it looks lifeless and empty … nothing but ink sacks.”

  “Great,” Hunter said again. “This is really helpful, but we need—”

  “That’s it!” Gameknight exclaimed.

  “What are you talking about?” Crafter asked.

  “The squid … they’re being attacked by the guardians of the Ocean Monument,” Gameknight explained. “That’s the village we need.”

  “But how can you be sure?” Hunter asked. “This could mean anything. It could be—”

  Gameknight silenced her by raising his hand … he was actually surprised that it worked.

  “That’s where we’re all going … now!” Gameknight said, then turned and looked at the NPCs in the crafting chamber. “Everyone grab a minecart; we’re going to that village. Rider, show us the way.”

  The NPC grabbed a minecart and shot down the tracks, Gameknight999 right behind him. And for the first time, he felt excited rather than afraid. Instead of running from Herobrine, they were getting ready to take the fight to him. Gameknight could feel all the pieces of the puzzle start to line up; he knew this village was going to be the location of the Last Battle for Minecraft, and for some reason that made him feel calm and at peace.

  As he sat in the minecart, one of the sayings on his teacher Mr. Planck’s wall popped into his head: Those skilled in war bring the enemy to the field of battle and are not brought there by him. It was a quote from Sun Tzu, a Chinese military general from 500 BC, and likely one of the greatest military strategists in history.

  “It’s time you danced to my tune, Herobrine!” Gameknight said to the darkness.

  Closing his eyes, he imagined what he was going to accomplish at this village, and the pieces of the puzzle started to tumble around in his head … hidden defenses … traps … surprises for Herobrine and his monsters. As images of the preparations popped into his head, the music of Minecraft swelled in volume and filled his being. For the first ti
me in a long time, the music lacked a desperate feel, and instead was filled with hope.

  CHAPTER 16

  THE END

  Herobrine materialized into a land without a sky, just an inky black canopy overhead that stretched out in all directions. The landscape lacked any vegetation—no grass, no trees, no bushes … nothing. It was a bare wasteland made of pale yellow cubes, each spotted with the same pattern as cobblestone. Tall pillars of purple obsidian stood out against the yellow blocks that made up the ground, but nearly disappeared as they stretched high up into the starless sky. Herobrine would have had a difficult time finding the summit of the obsidian monoliths were it not for the burning crystal that sat atop each. Purple ender crystals floated within a ball of flame on top of each pillar, the intricately carved cubes bobbing and spinning about, showing their disdain for gravity.

  Herobrine was in The End.

  Around him, he could see endermen standing in small groups, some of them teleporting across The End, their bodies always enveloped by the sparkling purple teleportation particles. Their smaller cousins, endermites, scurried about near the clusters of the endermen, their small, rat-like bodies making a scraping sound across the pale yellow End Stone as they scurried about.

  Suddenly, a thunderous roar echoed across the pale landscape, drawing the attention of all the endermen. The dark creatures stopped what they were doing and looked up into the featureless sky.

  And then Herobrine saw it.

  Two bright purple eyes shone in the overhead darkness. They first looked like two small pinpoints of violet light moving about through the air, but then the broad wings began to emerge through the darkness as the creature approached. The monster flapped its wings once, then banked gracefully over the tallest of the obsidian pillars. Instantly, an iridescent blue-gray beam of light reached out from the top of the pillar and struck the dragon, the healing beam from the ender crystal replenishing the monster’s HP. Roaring again, the dragon flapped its wings, then turned its head and glared at Herobrine, its eyes glowing bright and angry.

  The massive creature flew straight toward him, the dragon probably seeing the NPC woodcutter and thinking it had a new victim. With its shining claws outstretched and its purple eyes blazing, it swooped down to attack. Drawing on his crafting powers, Herobrine allowed his eyes to flare bright white, causing the flying demon to suddenly stop in midair, hover, then slowly settle to the ground. The dragon had recognized the Maker, and bowed its giant head low to the ground.

  “You dragons always did know how to show me the proper respect,” Herobrine said as he petted the mighty beast between the eyes.

  Turning, he motioned for a group of endermen to come near. A half-dozen of the lanky creatures teleported across the landscape and appeared right near him. Drawing his sword, he quickly reduced their HP to nearly zero, allowing the monsters to fall to the ground in a heap. As with his other creations, he kneaded their bodies with his crafting powers, drawing them together and reshaping them into something bigger and stronger than before. His eyes glowed bright with his evil intent, drawing the endermites to his side.

  Shoving aside the annoying little creatures, he continued his work, finishing the body and legs, then forming the muscular, quick arms. But before he finished, Herobrine reached into his inventory and pulled out a handful of red flowers and ink sacks. Dropping them into his creation, he let the colors flow across its body, staining it a dark, dark red, almost the color of dried blood.

  “The color has to be just right to strike fear into my enemy’s heart,” Herobrine said aloud, to no one.

  Pouring all his hatred and malice into this new monster, Herobrine slowly finished the dark red creature, then added an extra bit of vile disgust for the User-that-is-not-a-user just for good measure.

  It was complete.

  Stepping back, he let his creation stand slowly, its HP still dangerously low … too low for it to teleport. Pulling out a stack of obsidian blocks from his inventory, Herobrine quickly made a portal and lit it with flint and steel. The purple gateway writhed and undulated as if it were alive. Purple teleportation particles floated out of the glowing field and away from the structure, only to be drawn back into its lavender surface.

  Herobrine’s creation sensed the portal and moved close to it, drinking in the teleportation particles as if they were mother’s milk. Gradually, the shining particles added to the creature’s HP, though it was a slow process. This was how an enderman fed, by teleporting and drinking in the particles that surrounded its dark body, though it only worked in The End.

  Once the new enderman had enough HP, it teleported across the landscape, jumping from place to place to place as it consumed the particles and grew stronger. It took many teleportation jumps, but eventually its HP was full, and it returned to the Maker.

  “Welcome, king of the endermen!” Herobrine yelled so that all the creatures of The End could hear him.

  The dark creature looked about The End as if seeing it for the first time, then stared down at Herobrine.

  “Master, what is your command?”

  Herobrine smiled. “Just wait here for a moment,” the shadow-crafter said, disappearing for an instant, then reappearing with a dark horse in tow.

  Releasing the animal, Herobrine commanded two endermen to come to his side. The dark creatures instantly appeared. Drawing his sword again, he cut through the two endermen and horse until their HP was nearly depleted, then crafted them together, making a new kind of horse never seen before in Minecraft. When he was complete, the horse stood on its four dark legs, a black saddle across its back, its eyes softly glowing with an evil purple light, small teleportation particles dancing about.

  The ender-horse moved next to the portal and drank up all the teleportation particles that leaked out of the glowing lavender field. As its HP grew, its eyes glowed brighter and brighter until they rivaled the intensity of the Ender Dragon. Breathing heavily, Herobrine could see streams of teleportation particles flowing out of the horse’s nostrils, as if they were purple flames. This creature was nearly overwhelmed with a hatred for the NPCs of the Overworld, its mind almost drowning in a need for destruction.

  It’s perfect, the Maker thought, then showed an eerie, toothy grin that made the endermen take a step back in fear.

  “You are my fourth horseman, and here is your mount,” Herobrine said. “Come, get on your steed.”

  The king of the endermen moved next to the gigantic horse, then stepped up onto its back.

  “I name you Feyd, king of the endermen.”

  Feyd nodded his dark head in understanding. “What are your commands?” Feyd asked.

  “You are to assemble all endermen you can find and bring them here. Send a few out to scare the NPCs, but do not engage in battle. Your job is to bring all your brothers here, and then come when I signal you.”

  “How will we recognize your signal?” Feyd asked.

  “That will not be a problem … you will know it when it comes.”

  “What will happen next?” the king of the endermen asked.

  “The Last Battle will finally arrive, and unlike your predecessor, Erebus, you will not fall victim to greed or ego. I have made you only to hate and destroy those who oppose me. When it is time, you will bring your enderman army and join Charybdis, the blaze king, Reaper, the skeleton king, and Xa-Tul, the zombie king, in battle. We will not underestimate our enemy, Gameknight999, again!”

  At the sound of Gameknight’s name, Feyd’s eyes glowed bright red, an evil scowl coming across his shadowy, crimson face.

  “Yes, my child, you will get a chance to exact revenge on the User-that-is-not-a-user. Gameknight999 and his NPC friends have infected Minecraft for long enough. It is time that we cure these lands of this disease, forever.”

  An evil smile spread across Feyd’s dark face.

  “Now, go; send out your endermen and bring all your brothers here.”

  Feyd looked down from his mount at Herobrine and nodded his head, then
disappeared, materializing across The End amid a large collection of endermen. After talking for a moment, they all disappeared, leaving behind a sparkling cloud of purple particles.

  Smiling, Herobrine turned and faced the dragon that still sat nearby.

  “This time my plans will be successful. When my four horsemen arrive with their armies, we will overwhelm the NPCs. And when they see the little surprise I have waiting for the User-that-is-not-a-user, all hope will leave them, and the NPCs will know it is truly the end of their days.” He patted the dragon on its massive snout. “After I have destroyed all his friends, I will focus my rage on the User-that-is-not-a-user. But this time, if he refuses me, I will destroy him and then use the little girl instead. I have no doubt that she will bend to my will, but it would be more satisfying to have the User-that-is-not-a-user surrender and release me from this prison.” Herobrine cackled. “Now, go, my dragon; fly about and guard your domain.”

  The dragon nodded its huge head, then leapt into the air and flew away on its dark wings. As Herobrine watched the monster soar into the dark sky, he gathered his crafting powers, his entire body glowing an insipid pale yellow. Looking at the ground, he could see that the sickly glow leaked into the blocks at his feet. This made Herobrine chuckle so maliciously that the sound seeped through his body and flowed into the fabric of Minecraft, making the very world around him cringe.

  “Your time is almost up, Gameknight999!” he said to no one … to everyone. “When I find where you are hiding, I will squash you and all your friends! And this time, you don’t have the hag or her dogs to protect you. My little surprise will take care of anything you have waiting for me!” He paused as he listened to his words echoing throughout The End. “THE LAST BATTLE HAS COME TO MINECRAFT” Herobrine screamed, “AND YOUR END DRAWS NEAR!”

  CHAPTER 17

  THE OCEAN VILLAGE

  Gameknight’s minecart emerged from the tunnel and into the new crafting chamber. He leapt out of the cart, pulled it off the tracks, and set it on the ground, allowing the next to arrive. Glancing around the chamber, he could see that it was like every other crafting chamber in Minecraft. About a dozen crafting benches were scattered across the floor of the cavern, a worker at each banging out what Minecraft needed. Snaking between the benches was an intricate series of minecart tracks that moved the crafted materials to one of the many tunnels that pierced the side of the cavern. On one wall was a flight of steps that climbed up to a pair of iron doors. Gameknight knew that these doors opened to tunnels that led to the surface, the secret tunnel emerging from within the cobblestone watchtower that sat on the surface high overhead.