Smithy gave Gameknight a wink.
“Weaver, I think it’s time you told us what happened to you,” the User-that-is-not-a-user said as he turned toward the youth.
“Well, the zombies took me prisoner during the battle,” the young NPC said. “They didn’t try to attack me, they just lifted me up and carried me away.” The other villagers had ceased their conversations now and were listening intently. “So they took me to the north with their army. I saw that terrible Herobrine and his bright eyes … he scares me.”
“He scares us all,” Gameknight affirmed.
Fencer gave him a harrumph.
“So anyway, he said they have a huge army gathering to the north. The monsters are meeting on the other side of the mountains that line the edge of the Great Northern Desert. When they are—”
“How is he going to get there from here?” Planter questioned. “Those mountains are impassable.”
“I don’t remember what he said about that,” Weaver continued. “But he did say that when all the monsters meet up there, they’ll come back south and attack.”
“You mean he’s coming for our village?” Smithy asked.
“No, not just ours,” Weaver replied.
“What do you mean?”
Weaver swallowed, then took a deep breath. He was clearly nervous. Gameknight moved to his side and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
“Go ahead and tell them … it will be OK.”
Weaver glanced up at Gameknight and relaxed a bit, then continued.
“Herobrine said he was going to destroy all villages everywhere across the server,” the young boy said.
Commotion broke out as the villagers all started talking at once.
“Hold on … hold on,” Smithy said in a deep voice. He raised his strong arms into the air to get everyone’s attention. The crowd slowly grew quiet. He then turned and faced Gameknight999. “Would that monster follow through on a threat like that?”
“Absolutely,” the User-that-is-not-a-user replied. “Herobrine is trapped within this server and wants to escape. He has likely realized that he can’t get out, and now he’s angry. The only thing he wants to do now is destroy and make other people suffer.” Gameknight turned and faced the young NPC. “Weaver, I need you to try to remember: how was Herobrine going to get over the mountains? Was he going to teleport all of them into the desert?”
“No … ahh … oh, I remember! He said he made a pass through the terrain. It goes right between the two tallest peaks.” Weaver stopped for a moment, then scanned the other villagers. They were all staring at him intently. “This might be our chance to take them by surprise!”
“Perhaps,” Smithy said.
“Clearly, Herobrine didn’t expect Weaver to be able to escape, or he wouldn’t have said all this in front of him,” Fencer said. “This is the perfect chance to attack the monsters and destroy them. They won’t be expecting us to hit them in the desert.”
“And maybe we can …”
Gameknight’s thoughts drifted away as he considered this new information. How did he get away from the monsters so easily? There wasn’t a scratch on him. And it wasn’t like Herobrine to tell anyone of his plans. The egocentric villain didn’t care about anyone or anything. He certainly wasn’t going to tell his army his plans just to make them feel informed or safe.
And the pass through the mountain … Crafter had told him something about it, but he just couldn’t remember what. And then it came to him: that was where Herder disappeared into the Nether when they had Herobrine’s XP in the ender chest, and it was where Baker and his wife died. He stared down at the dark-haired boy at his side and remembered the sacrifice Baker’s wife had made. Her name had also been Weaver. She’d sacrificed herself to close off the portal and keep the monsters from following Gameknight and the others to the Nether. She had probably saved all their lives. But if Gameknight didn’t stop the monsters in the Great Zombie Invasion, all that sacrifice might be for nothing.
If Herobrine managed to form a huge army in the desert, that mob would do terrible damage. Likely they’d destroy all the villages across the server; the death toll would be huge. But also, if Herobrine and his monster army were successful, then none of his friends would ever be born. He had to do something to stop this … but a piece of this puzzle still seemed strange. Weaver’s escape from the zombies had seemed too easy. They hadn’t even taken his sword from him.
“I don’t trust this,” Gameknight said. “It’s a trap.”
“What are you talking about?” Fencer asked. “Weaver overheard the monsters talking about it. He heard it straight from the mouth of the evil Herobrine himself. What is there to question here?”
“Herobrine would never share his plans with anyone,” Gameknight said. “I bet he talked about that pass just to trick us into using it. This happened to my friends and me once before. The monsters lured us into the pass, then closed off both ends. We ended up running to the Nether to escape.”
“The Nether?” Smithy asked. “You mentioned that before. What’s that?”
“I’ll tell you about it when there is time,” Gameknight replied. “But let’s hope you don’t ever need to find out. If we use that pass without having our own surprise ready for the monsters, then we’ll likely be trapped with no escape. The war will be over and all of Minecraft will be doomed.”
“This is too good of an opportunity to pass up,” Smithy said. “We have to take this chance to wipe out the monster army with one massive attack. The element of surprise will be on our side.”
The User-that-is-not-a-user shook his head, worry showing on his face.
“If you think it is such a terrible plan, do you have a better idea?” Fencer asked.
“Are there more villagers coming from the other villages?”
Smithy nodded. “Those from the savannah village sent out runners to all the other communities. We’ve placed signs in the ground to show where we’ve gone. They will be here soon.”
“In that case, I do have an idea,” Gameknight said with a smile on his face. “But it’s going to be incredibly dangerous. Hunter would love it.”
“Who’s Hunter?” Smithy asked.
“That’s for another time as well,” Gameknight said. “Now, let me explain what I have in mind. First of all, we’re going to need a lot of wood, and I mean a lot.”
“Fortunately, there’s a birch forest right before us,” Smithy said, pointing to the trees.
“We’ll need to start cutting down as many trees as we can,” Gameknight explained. “Then we will …”
And as he explained the plan, chills ran up and down his spine. Many of these NPCs would not return to their village if his plan didn’t work, maybe all of them, but they had no choice.
CHAPTER 23
PREPARATIONS
Herobrine took three paces into the narrow pass that sliced its way through the steep line of mountains. He nervously paced back and forth while the zombie king, Vo-Lok, watched.
“She should have been back by now,” Herobrine said.
“Perhaps the blacksmith destroyed them all,” the zombie king suggested.
“They must take the bait … be quiet, so I can think.” Herobrine glared at Vo-Lok for a moment. “Go make sure all the new monsters understand the plan. Be very clear that if they mess anything up, I’ll punish them. And no one survives my punishments.”
“Yes, Maker,” the massive zombie replied, a spark of fear in his decaying eyes.
He turned and lumbered away, his golden armor shining bright in the sun. With a growling voice, the massive creature shouted at the enormous horde of monsters milling about in the sandy desert. Herobrine watched as the zombie king drew his massive golden broadsword and brought it down upon a skeleton that was not paying attention. The pale monster tried to raise its bow to defend itself, but the shining blade slashed again, rending the pale monster’s HP from its body. It disappeared with a pop, leaving behind a scattering of bones and three g
lowing balls of XP. The other monsters now stared attentively at the zombie king, all of them careful to pay close attention.
Herobrine was pleased with the number of creepers, skeletons, and zombies that had answered his call. They clustered together, each with their own kind, suspicious of the other monsters. The Maker didn’t really care if the monsters liked each other. All he cared about was their obedience to him. When this war was over, they could go about their pathetic lives. But for now, they were his willing slaves, whether they knew it or not.
Vo-Lok began pointing across the desert with his sword; clearly he was telling the dim-witted monsters, again, where they would lay in wait for the villagers. The creatures nodded their heads as if they understood, but likely they were still confused. Understanding the simplest instructions was about all the monsters could do … with the exception of the spiders.
Those fuzzy creatures were intelligent, and that made them useful to Herobrine but dangerous as well. He didn’t trust the dark monsters, but he appreciated their lethal fighting and their ability to climb anything, no matter how steep; that was a very useful skill that he was going to take advantage of very soon.
Looking around at his army, Herobrine was worried. There were very few of the giant spiders present, but the spider queen, Shaikulud, had reassured him that they would come when called.
Suddenly, a sound echoed through the pass, bouncing off the sheer walls so that it seemed as if it were coming from all sides. Herobrine took a few more steps into the narrow channel and drew his sword. The echoes bounced off the walls again. This time, he could tell it was the sound of a spider clicking its mandibles together.
He gazed into the passage. With the sun approaching the horizon, the stone corridor was filled with dark shadows. Only at noon would the ground feel the warm rays of the sun. Now everything was dark and spooky … just the way he liked it.
Something moved in the shadows. Eight bright purple spots bounced through the air as if suspended on invisible threads. The glow from the spots lit the walls with a warm lavender hue, making the eight fuzzy legs just barely visible. It was the spider queen; she had returned.
“Where have you been?” Herobrine snapped. “What happened?”
“My sssspiderssss followed the villager,” Shaikulud explained, a hissing sound emphasized on every “s.” “Unfortunately, there were two wild sssspiderssss out there, and they nearly killed the boy. Luckily, a villager wassss there to protect him. Once the two wild ssssisterssss were destroyed, we ssssurrounded them, making them think they were caught. But the boy would not have been harmed. The Maker’ssss orderssss were clear to all my sssspiderssss.”
“And?”
“My ssssisterssss are gone. The battle was convincing. The NPCssss likely believe it wassss a narrow esssscape.” The spider queen peered up at the Maker, her eyes glowing bright with purple evil. “The enemy will take the bait.”
“Did you hear any of their plans?” the dark shadow-crafter asked.
“No, I wassss too far away,” the spider queen replied. “But after debating what to do, I watched them began to move sssslowly northward.” Her eyes glowed bright with evil delight. “They are coming.”
“Excellent!” Herobrine exclaimed. “It’s time … call to your brothers and sisters. I need your spiders here.”
“The ssssisterssss will come, but the brotherssss are tending the eggssss in the sssspider nesssst,” Shaikulud explained.
Herobrine knew that the brothers were the smaller, poisonous cave spiders. Their job was to tend to the eggs and the new hatchlings while the sisters, the larger black spiders, did the fighting.
“The ssssisterssss will be ssssuficient,” the spider queen said. “I have called to them; many are coming.”
“Excellent,” the shadow-crafter exclaimed. “When the villagers enter the pass and reach this end, your spiders will come down the sides of the sheer walls and block off their escape. They will have no choice but to come out and meet us in the desert, where they will find far more monsters than they ever expected. Soon that pathetic blacksmith will be erased from the surface of Minecraft.”
Just then, Vo-Lok approached. The big zombie was about to speak when a scurrying sound was heard coming from the desert. Quickly, Vo-Lok turned and drew his golden sword, ready to defend his Maker. He was about to call out to the other monsters when Herobrine stepped forward and raised a hand.
In the distance, a sparkling blue and red light appeared. It looked like multicolored bolts of lightning wrapped around a green center. Vo-Lok growled, wary of this intruder, but Herobrine put a calming hand on the monster’s arm.
“He has finally arrived,” Herobrine said.
“Who?” Vo-Lok and Shaikulud both asked at the same time.
“Behold, I give you Oxus, king of the creepers.”
The sparkling creeper emerged from the darkening desert and approached the Maker. Behind him marched a huge group of creepers, maybe forty in total.
“As promised,” Oxus said to Herobrine, his body glowing slightly.
“I thought there would be more,” the shadow-crafter said, his eyes narrowing with suspicion.
“Others are tending the eggs that are slowly incubating,” Oxus explained. “Soon, there will be a constant supply of creepers for the Maker, though it is unclear why so many are needed.”
“It is not important that you understand my plans, only that you obey,” Herobrine said.
This caused a scowl to come across the creeper king’s face.
I must watch Oxus carefully, Herobrine thought. It would be best if he were not here at this battle.
“Creeper king, you have done well bringing these new creepers to me,” Herobrine said. “Adding these to the ones already present will give the monsters a huge advantage.”
Oxus bowed his head in response.
“Now, I need you to return to your hatching chamber and oversee the new generation of creepers,” Herobrine ordered. “We must have a constant flow of creepers, for they will be important to my plans. Do you understand?”
“I understand, but I have questions,” Oxus hissed, his body glowing brighter and brighter.
“There will be time later for questions. Right now, I need obedience.” Herobrine took a step closer. “Do you still serve your Maker?”
The creeper king bowed his head again.
“Then go and do as I command,” Herobrine replied.
“As you wish,” Oxus replied, then turned and headed back into the desert toward his creeper hatchery hidden somewhere in Minecraft.
Once the creeper king was gone, Herobrine turned and faced the remaining monster kings.
“Shaikulud, you will stay with me so you can command your spiders. Vo-Lok, you will lead the army in this attack. I want to watch the destruction of the blacksmith from afar so that I can enjoy the suffering of all the villagers at once,” Herobrine said. “But do not disappoint me.”
His eyes glowed bright white for just an instant.
“Vo-Lok will do as the Maker commands. The villagers will suffer under the claws of the zombies. They will beg for mercy but receive nothing other than zombie laughter, skeleton arrows, and creeper explosions.”
“And the clawssss of my ssssisterssss,” Shaikulud added.
Herobrine smiled at his king and queen as thoughts of the impending victory filled his mind.
“You must do one more thing before this battle is over,” Herobrine said to the zombie king.
“Vo-Lok will obey,” the zombie replied.
“Be sure to make that blacksmith suffer,” Herobrine growled as his eyes flared brightly with evil delight.
CHAPTER 24
INTO THE JAWS OF THE BEAST
The villagers moved through the birch forest like an unstoppable wave, heading north, though not as fast as the monsters. They knew where the creatures were going, and it made no sense to rush after them. Instead, they were moving at a comfortable pace, preparing as they went and resting when possible.
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At the head of the group was Smithy. His calm and confident demeanor was a comfort that the other villagers needed. He was their rock, their anchor that kept them full of courage. Gameknight was certain that without Smithy, the army would likely have fallen apart.
Behind Smithy came the woodcutters. These villagers were cutting down trees that had the misfortune to be in their path. After felling the white-barked trunks of the birches, the woodcutters left the blocks of wood lying on the ground and moved forward to the next tree, leaving them for the next group of NPCs who collected the wood.
Behind the wood collectors was another line of NPCs with axes, focused only on the leaves. They cut down the green cubes, hoping to carve loose a sapling that could be used to replant the tree.
Following the leaf-trimmers were the planters. They picked up the saplings that fell from the trees and replanted them in a clear area where the new tree would get plenty of rain and sunshine. It was important to all of them that they replace what they took whenever possible; this would keep Minecraft in balance.
This continued for a long while without interruption; but then the sound of many feet crunching through the forest reached their ears.
“Battle positions,” Smithy commanded, moving to face the unknown threat.
Archers put away their axes and pulled out their bows as the warriors fell into position, just as Gameknight had taught them … well, really he’d only taught Smithy, and then the blacksmith had instructed the villagers. The NPCs still did not fully trust Gameknight999, a fact that still hurt.
A line of archers knelt on the ground while another group stood behind them, all with arrows drawn back, ready to fire. Swordsmen stood on the flanks, ready to defend the side of the army or charge forward and attack.
They waited as the sound grew louder. Long shadows stretched across the forest floor as the sun neared the horizon. Movement was visible amid the darkening forest, but it was difficult to tell what was there.
“Hold your fire,” Smithy said quietly. “Nobody make a sound.”
The air grew still in the woods, as if the perpetual east-to-west wind had paused for a moment. A moo of a distant cow could be heard behind them. A chicken clucked to the left. Then the forest was completely silent, except for the twigs cracking ahead as feet crunched on fallen branches. They were getting closer, and closer and …
The Great Zombie Invasion Page 14