“You stay here,” she said in a stern voice.
“Why … what are you doing?”
“You’re right,” she said with a smile. “It is kinda fun seeing you confused.”
Before he could respond, she disappeared down the ladder. After a long minute, she shot back up, followed by a dozen villagers. The NPCs moved out into the village and stood around the well at the center of town.
“Golems don’t spawn to protect houses,” Hunter instructed. “They spawn to protect villagers. There must be at least ten NPCs in the village in order for the iron golem to appear.”
A rumbling sound, just barely audible, began to fill the air. It first started out faintly, like a storm brewing on the horizon, but then it grew louder and louder as the ground pulsed and shuddered. Stepping out of the watchtower, Gameknight could see a tall iron golem approaching the villagers, its huge feet smashing the ground with every step.
The metal giant looked like all the other golems he’d seen save one … the king of the golems. This one before him had shining silver skin, with green stringy vines hanging down the right side of its body as well as down its left arm, tiny yellow flowers interspersed between the leaves. It had long, muscular arms that seemed impossibly thick and nearly dragged on the ground. A large, bulbous nose covered half its face and sat below two sad dark eyes, a long unibrow spanning its forehead. The creature lumbered about the village looking for threats, and when it saw Gameknight999, the golem headed straight for him.
Careful to put away all his weapons, Gameknight reached down and grabbed a handful of flowers and held them out before him. He wasn’t sure if the giant was going to attack him or just pass him by, but he had to hold his ground … they needed this creature. As it approached, Gameknight could see the golem’s eyes darting about, first looking at the User-that-is-not-a-user, then Hunter, then the other villagers. Apparently, it was convinced that all was safe, for it stopped directly in front of Gameknight999 and held out its massive fist. Extending his arm out, Gameknight handed the golem the flowers, then moved closer and spoke to it.
“Golem, we need your help,” Gameknight said, keeping his voice low so that no one else could hear. “Herobrine is bringing his army to this village, and there will be a great battle.” He could see the metal giant’s eyes start to dart about, looking for monsters. “They aren’t here now, but they will be soon, and we don’t have enough villagers to fight them off. Herobrine seeks to destroy Minecraft and all the NPCs in every village, but I don’t know if we can stop him with the people we have here. We need your help. Go and tell your king that we need his help—without it, I fear that we may fail to save Minecraft. Do you understand?”
The golem looked down at Gameknight999; he thought he saw a subtle nod, but he wasn’t sure. The creature then looked up into the sky and closed its eyes, its body frozen in place. After a moment, it opened them again and proceeded to move about the village, ignoring Gameknight999 and all the villagers.
“That was really helpful,” Hunter said sarcastically.
Gameknight gave her a smile and a shrug.
“Well, at least we tried,” he said. “Come on, let’s get back to the crafting chamber. There are still things that need to be done.”
Hunter nodded, then turned and headed for the watchtower, with Gameknight right on her heels. As Hunter descended down the ladder, the User-that-is-not-a-user stepped toward the window and looked out at the peaceful village. It was an idyllic scene, with this small cluster of buildings nestled on the grassy plain, a beautiful birch forest on one side and the expanse of a great ocean on the other. Glancing up at the sky, he could see the rectangular white clouds drifting across the blue sky. It was all so perfect, and now Gameknight999 was about to bring Herobrine and his monster horde to this place. And everywhere Herobrine went, death and destruction followed.
Closing his eyes, he tried to imagine himself defeating Herobrine, but the image would not form in his mind. Focusing with all his strength, he tried to force the scene to materialize, but he just couldn’t do it.
“Well, one problem at a time,” he said to himself. “First, the Ocean Monument, then Herobrine.”
Shuddering, he tried to force away the feeling of fear that trickled down his spine, but pretending it wasn’t there didn’t make him feel any braver … it just felt ridiculous.
“Are you done talking to the wall?” a voice said from behind.
Turning, he saw Hunter’s crimson locks sticking up out of the hole in the ground, a wry smile on her face.
“You said there were still things that needed to be done,” she said. “How about you get down here and tell everyone what’s needed. Unless you’d rather talk to the wall some more?”
Hunter smiled, then laughed as she slid down the ladder. Moving to the hole, Gameknight stepped onto the ladder and followed her into the darkness, but his mind was still thinking about Herobrine and how he was going to defeat the monster. As he descended, the User-that-is-not-a-user hoped that he’d hear the music of Minecraft—he could have used some encouragement—but all he heard was silence and his own heart pounding in his chest.
CHAPTER 19
MEETING OF KINGS
As Herobrine materialized at the center of a large cave, the light from his glowing eyes illuminating the cavern and casting eerie shadows on the rocky walls. His sudden appearance startled the inhabitants and made the hundreds of bats that clung to the walls and ceiling twitter and squeak nervously.
The evil shadow-crafter turned and surveyed the chamber. It was a standard bat hatchery; a cave fifty to sixty blocks across with a ceiling only a dozen blocks above the floor. The wide expanse made the stony roof feel lower than it was, almost making Herobrine want to stoop … but he would never do that in front of any other creature. To stoop would be to show weakness … that was something Herobrine would never do.
At one end of the cave, he could see a cool stream of water falling from a hole in the ceiling, filling a wide pool that was only a few blocks deep. As with all bat hatcheries, this pool would be filled with hundreds of eggs … maybe a thousand.
Smiling, Herobrine walked toward the pool, his eyes glowing bright. Staring down into the blue waters, his eyes lit up the bottom, revealing hundreds of brown bat eggs lying in the cool liquid, their oval surfaces splashed with tiny black spots.
This was what he came for.
Looking up from the pool, he glanced about the chamber, his glowing eyes painting the walls with a pale, sterile illumination. The light disturbed the bats and made them fly about, trying to get out of the harsh glare, but there was no place to flee other than out of the cave … and the bats were not about to leave their unborn children alone with this stranger.
“I have need of your sons and daughters,” Herobrine said to the bats, which were just starting to calm down again. “But, first, I must bring more strangers into your midst.”
Disappearing for just an instant, Herobrine returned with Xa-Tul.
“Stay here and do nothing,” the Maker commanded.
Teleporting again, he returned with the skeleton king, then left and returned with the blaze king, then retrieved the king of the endermen. The flames from Charybdis lit the chamber with a warm orange glow and allowed the four kings to see each other clearly. Instantly, they all took up defensive positions as they stared at the others, unsure if they were friend or foe.
“Be at peace,” Herobrine said in a calm voice.
Xa-Tul drew his massive golden sword, causing Reaper to pull out a bow made of bones. Charybdis, unsure what was happening, formed a ball of fire and let it float in front of his flaming body, ready to launch it at the first assailant. Feyd just stood there … his eyes glowing bright red, his body surrounded by teleportation particles.
“I SAID BE AT PEACE!” Herobrine shouted.
As his voice thundered throughout the cave, the bats leapt into the air and fluttered about, their shrill voices squeaking like an army of angry mice. With the tiny creat
ures flying about, Xa-Tul slowly sheathed his sword, but kept a wary eye on the other monsters. Reaper followed suit and put away his bow, while Charybdis extinguished his ball of fire.
“Good,” Herobrine said, his eyes glowing bright. “I brought you all here, my generals—my kings—so that you can know each other before the Last Battle arrives. Events are moving quickly, and we must be ready.” He then turned and faced the zombie king, his blazing eyes illuminating the green monster. “Xa-Tul, you have something to report?”
“The User-that-is-not-a-user has been sighted,” the zombie said with a growling, animal-like voice. “Xa-Tul’s zombie army found the NPCs in a desert village and attacked.”
“You did what?” Herobrine exclaimed.
“The zombie army attacked before Xa-Tul could get there,” he lied, knowing that Herobrine’s wrath for failure would be severe. “The zombie generals thought it would please the Maker to capture the User-that-is-not-a-user. Instead, Gameknight999 and the NPCs escaped through the minecart tunnels.”
“The fools,” Herobrine spat. “I said to watch them, not attack them! These generals—I want them brought to me.”
“That is not possible,” Xa-Tul replied.
“Why is that?” Herobrine asked, his eyes glowing brighter with rage.
“They have already been destroyed for their failure,” the zombie king lied again.
Herobrine’s eyes dimmed a bit as he considered this news.
“I hope they suffered,” the shadow-crafter said.
Xa-Tul nodded his huge head. “Terribly,” he lied.
“Did any of your generals think to follow the NPCs through the minecart tunnels?” Herobrine asked.
Xa-Tul shook his head.
“The User-that-is-not-a-user destroyed the tunnels during the escape,” Xa-Tul answered. “It was impossible to follow.”
“So, you don’t know where they are?” Herobrine asked.
Again, the zombie king shook his head.
“But their position must be close to the desert village,” Reaper said, his thin, scratchy voice echoing a clattering of bones. “At least we know what they are near.”
“That is true,” Herobrine said as he paced back and forth, considering the situation. “Maybe the zombies did not completely fail … again.”
Moving to the edge of the pool, he plunged his already glowing hands into the water. With his eyes blazing like two intense suns, he drove his crafting powers into the waters, accelerating the hatching process. As before, many of the larger eggs hatched healthy creatures, but the smaller eggs did not stand a chance. The minute creatures that came forth from those never made it to the surface, their tiny bodies disappearing as their diminished HP fell to zero.
The bats leapt off the walls and ceiling, flying all about the chamber, their squeaks filled with agitation and distress … but Herobrine did not care. All he wanted was to escape this prison so that he could exact his revenge on the users in the physical world, and the lives of a few bats were insignificant.
The surviving newly hatched bats struggled into the air and flew about in the maelstrom of beady eyes and velvety wings, their pained voices adding to the cacophony that echoed off the stone walls. As they swirled around Herobrine, he held his arms out, allowing the pale yellow glow that still hugged his fingers to expand and flow outward into the fluttering storm.
“Here was the last location of my enemy,” Herobrine shouted as he projected the image of the desert village into the tiny brains of the flying creatures. “Find him and his friends and report back to me. Failure will be met with the harshest of retributions. NOW GO!”
With that, the bats flew toward the dark tunnel that pierced the side of the chamber and led to the surface. As they fluttered through the darkness, Herobrine cackled a maniacal laugh filed with hatred and malice for his enemy. With his eyes burning bright, he turned and faced his four horsemen. They would bring an apocalypse to Minecraft, and everyone, NPC and user, would rue the day that they ever sought to oppose Herobrine.
“Prepare your troops, for the time of the Last Battle draws near,” the Maker said to his creations. “Soon, the User-that-is-not-a-user will take the Gateway of Light and free me from this prison.”
“But what if he doesn’t?” the king of the endermen asked.
“What?” Herobrine asked, turning to glare at the dark red monster.
“What if our enemy refuses to do your bidding,” Feyd said, “and chooses death instead of helping you?”
“Then I will destroy him,” Herobrine stated. “For there is still another … the little girl. I’m sure she can’t possibly be as stubborn as this Gameknight999. If he refuses to do as I command, he will be eliminated, and the child will become my servant.
“This Gameknight999 may be too obstinate to do as I wish, but I’m sure the child is more pliable. After the User-that-is-not-a-user’s destruction, when the girl is struggling for her last breath, I’m sure she will take the Gateway of Light to save her miserable life … then I will exact my revenge on EVERYONE! Ha, ha, ha!”
His thunderous laughter echoed off the rocky walls and overwhelmed the four kings, causing them to fall to their knees. And as it diminished, Herobrine reached out with his teleportation powers and sent his four generals back to their respective homes.
Alone in the chamber, Herobrine smiled.
“Everything is proceeding as I have foreseen,” he mumbled to himself. “Soon, Gameknight999, we will meet, and you will see the surprise that I have for you. And then you will be mine!”
Gathering his teleportation powers, he disappeared, his glowing eyes leaving behind a shining stain in the air that slowly faded to darkness.
CHAPTER 20
THE OCEAN MONUMENT
Construction of the defenses that Shawny prescribed for the village was going well. Workers were digging holes and trenches everywhere, filling the excavations with redstone-driven contraptions that would surprise Herobrine and the mobs. Gameknight could see that his friend was relying on many slime blocks coupled with pistons to deliver the surprises, but the especially interesting thing was the defensive wall. He couldn’t wait to see the look on Herobrine’s face when he signaled the first assault.
Around the village, archers were positioned atop the trees on the edge of the birch forest, their watchful eyes scanning for anything hostile, especially bats. Hunter suspected that the bat she missed at the desert village had reported their position to Xa-Tul. She vowed that this would not happen in this location. Positioning the archers so that they had clear fields of fire, they watched carefully for the flying little messengers. If Herobrine arrived before their defenses were ready, it would be a catastrophe.
Holding his boat firmly under his arm, Gameknight999 looked up at the archers in the trees, then glanced throughout the village at the watchful sentinels. They had arrows notched in their bows, ready to fire on any trespasser. This time, the monsters would not arrive until they were ready … that was the plan, anyway.
Nodding to the archers, the User-that-is-not-a-user headed down to the water. Everyone else was already waiting for him, so he started to run, but a voice stopped him.
“Gameknight!” his sister yelled.
He paused and turned to see Monet113 running toward him, her neon blue hair flowing behind her. Huge bands of yellow, green, and red adorned her armor, as she had given it a fresh coat of paint recently. The colorful display brought a smile to everyone that looked at it; her art always seemed to affect people on a deep emotional level … it was her gift.
“Monet, you should be helping Digger with the defenses,” Gameknight said.
“I know,” she replied. “I just wanted to say good luck … and be careful.”
A look of concern … and fear came across her boxy face.
“You don’t know what’s down there,” she added. “Who knows what Herobrine crafted to guard the Book of Wisdom?”
“I know … don’t you think I’ve thought about that?”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Gameknight replied. “First of all, I’ll be back soon. Second, Hunter is going with me, and if I did something stupid, like getting hurt, she would never let me hear the end of it. And last, look at the person you’ve become. You’ve been in a zombie town and taught them to care about art, you’ve faced monsters in battle, and you destroyed Shaikulud, the spider queen.” He paused for a moment to look deep into his sister’s eyes. “Not strong and courageous … what a joke. You’re stronger and braver than most people I know … though still a bit impulsive.” He smiled and tussled her blue hair. “Besides, I’ll be back soon enough to make sure you don’t cause too much trouble.”
Monet113 looked up at her big brother, then wrapped her arms around his cracked and chipped diamond armor, squeezing him tight.
“Any time, Gameknight,” yelled Hunter from the ocean shore.
They released their hug and looked toward the ocean. Two dozen boats bobbed in the cool water; Hunter stood on the shore, glaring at the brother and sister.
“I need to go,” Gameknight said. “Keep everyone working on the defenses. We have to be ready when Herobrine arrives. I’m counting on you to get it done.”
“Don’t worry—I got this.”
She smiled at her brother, then turned and headed back to the construction that was going on all around the village.
Holding his boat under his arm, Gameknight ran to the shoreline. He could feel Hunter’s disapproving glare focused on him as he approached.
“Let’s get going,” Gameknight said with a smile. “What are we waiting for?”
Hunter looked at him and wanted to scream, but instead a smile crept across her square face.
“Yeah … right,” she replied as she placed her boat in the water.
Gameknight jumped into his boat and pushed off from shore. The group headed toward the location where Gameknight and Stitcher had been attacked before. They spread out so that the guardians of the Ocean Monument couldn’t attack two of them at once. The User-that-is-not-a-user was hoping that their numbers would confuse the guardians and make it more difficult for them to defend the underwater temple … at least that was his hope. As they neared, Gameknight could start to see squid on the surface flashing bright red.
Last Stand on the Ocean Shore Page 14