When they reached the edge of the ice spikes biome, they finally saw their destination: a village. Surprisingly, it was a desert village, not one in the mega taiga forest. A narrow strip of desert extended between the ice spikes and mega taiga biomes. The village sat on the sliver of sand and cactus, and the sandstone houses in it looked very out of place, being so close to the ice spikes and tall spruce trees.
“There it is!” Weaver exclaimed.
“Yeah, but where are all the people?” Gameknight asked.
The desert village looked completely empty.
“Let’s go down and find out,” Carver said, his booming voice making the icy spires nearby reverberate.
The tired and haggard army moved down the snowy hill and entered the desert. The air went from chilly and crisp to dry and dusty in an instant. The heat slammed into them like a hammer; it was a shockingly sudden change. Now, with sweat running down their faces and necks, they moved to the center of the clustered buildings and gathered around the central well.
“I see footsteps going toward the forest,” Mapper said, pointing.
Gameknight glanced to the sand, but saw nothing. Regardless, Mapper took off toward the towering trees, following the subtle tracks. In seconds, they had left the desert and moved into the mega taiga. The temperature dropped again, providing them all a bit of relief from the oppressive heat, the dry and dusty smell giving way to one thick with the wood and leaves and grass.
Huge trees stretched up to the sky, taller than any others found in Minecraft. They were two blocks wide instead of just one like all the other oaks and birches and pines. Broad, leafy ferns dotted the ground, stretching out to catch any rays of sun that managed to make it all the way to the forest floor. A strange brownish soil, called podzol, covered the ground. It had the texture of gravel, with lots of specks decorating its face, but the colors were made of warm oranges, dark chocolate browns, and subtle shades of green. Dotting the landscape were clusters of mossy cobblestone. It was the only place you could find these blocks on the surface of the Overworld. Brown mushrooms covered the few shady patches of grass that were struggling to grow. They didn’t last long. Carver had villagers harvest the mushrooms to be used for stew. The whole scene—the towering trees, the colorful podzol, mushrooms, and green rocky stone—was magnificent.
In Gameknight’s timeline, in the present, they would have likely heard the howls of wolves; mega taigas were a favorite biome of the furry creatures. But in this time, the distant past, no howls could be heard. It would have made his friend, Herder, very sad, the User-that-is-not-a-user thought.
Stepping up to one of the massive spruce trees, Gameknight peered up along its trunk. He expected to see all the way to the leaf-covered limbs, but instead he found there were blocks of wood placed sporadically around their trunks for some reason. Maybe they were severed tree limbs? But that didn’t make sense; the limbs were all near the top of the trees. Something wasn’t right here.
Suddenly, the rustling of leaves overhead drew Gameknight’s attention. Slowly he pulled out his bow and looked upward nonchalantly. Far above him, he could see boxy feet pressing against the thick, leafy blocks that stretched out from the gigantic trees.
“’Something’s up in the trees,” Gameknight whispered.
Slowly, he moved through the forest, fitting an arrow to his bow and drawing it back ever so quietly. The bow creaked under the strain.
“I wouldn’t do that,” a soft voice said from high above him.
Gameknight stopped and glanced toward the sound, the rest of the villagers also freezing in place. Before any of them could draw a weapon, villagers emerged from the leaves overhead, some of them moving down the thick tree trunks, jumping down the strategically placed blocks along the outside of the giants, while others cut away leaves with shears and stared straight down on them, arrows notched and drawn.
“I think all of you should put your weapons down before someone gets hurt,” one of the NPCs in the trees said.
A woman in a light-brown smock jumped to a lower block of wood on the side of a tall spruce. She held a bow with the arrow drawn and pointed at Gameknight999. He could tell by the way the NPC held that bow that she knew how to shoot.
“It’s okay,” a scratchy voice said.
Gameknight glanced to the side and found the Oracle standing next to him. She reached out with her wrinkled hand and slowly pushed his bow down to the ground.
“They are friends,” she added. “You do not need your weapon here, child.”
The User-that-is-not-a-user nodded, then put away his bow. He then motioned the other villagers to do the same.
“We are friends,” Gameknight complained. “Why would you aim your bows at us?”
“These are strange days, with monsters moving all across the land in broad daylight and tons of spiders scurrying about,” the woman said. “We’re only being cautious.” She relaxed the tension on the bowstring, then put away her weapon. “It’s okay, everyone. Come on down.”
Gracefully, the woman jumped down the blocks that were placed around the trunk of the massive tree. With every leap, the smallest puff of white came from her clothing … strange. But then he figured it out; she was a baker.
Baker led the way to the ground, villagers descending behind her from multiple trees. They all moved with a catlike grace, as if they’d been using these steps to the treetops all their lives. When the NPCs made it to the ground, they spread out in a defensive formation in case there were any monsters nearby. Gameknight appreciated their efficiency.
Once the area was secure, Baker approached. Instantly, he was shocked by her bright blue eyes; they reminded him of Weaver, and his friend in the future, Crafter. And then Gameknight remembered his friend telling him something about a distant relative; maybe her name was Baker, but he couldn’t be sure. Crafter told so many stories about his ancestors that it was hard to keep them all straight in his head.
“What is it you need here?” she asked.
“We have villagers in need of healing,” Game-knight explained. “Their desert village was destroyed by ghasts and some are wounded. They need food and a place to sleep for a while.”
“Of course. Quickly, bring them to our village.”
Baker led them through the forest and onto the narrow slice of desert. As they passed from the brown, mushroom-covered soil to the sandy ground, the heat of the desert slammed into them again. He knew it was coming, but going from cool to hot was still quite a shock.
Square beads of sweat ran down his forehead and tumbled into his eyes as he ran into the pale-yellow village. There was no wall protecting the NPCs who lived here, nor was there any watchtower. After moving to the well, he turned to look back at the tall spruces. Several villagers could be seen atop the trees, scanning the terrain. He felt better knowing they were keeping watch; he was sure they were safe … for now.
Baker approached from one of the nearby houses, her smock covered with a light coating of flour. She slapped at her shoulders and chest, creating a subtle white cloud that slowly settled to the ground.
“Tell me what happened to these villagers,” Baker said. “I saw some that were badly burned.”
“As I told you, the ghasts attacked their village and leveled it to the ground,” Gameknight explained. “An evil virus named Herobrine has sworn to destroy all the NPCs across the Overworld, so that the monsters can roam free. No doubt he’ll be on your doorstep, eventually, with a monster army at his back.”
“I’ve seen the ghasts,” Baker said. “A group of three floated by last night. They looked kinda strange, as if they were suddenly angry at something. We felt it best to hide in the trees.”
“So they didn’t see you?” Gameknight asked.
“Monsters see us only when we let them,” Baker said with a hint of pride.
“That’s good,” he replied with a nod. “I fear we’ll need all of you to help, once we figure out what Herobrine’s game is. I’m sure he’s going to—”
“Spiders,” Baker said, interpreting the signal.
“They were probably sent here by Herobrine,” Gameknight said. “You can be sure they know we’re here, and a monster army is on its way.”
“We can fight them off,” Baker boasted. “We’ve done it before. They can’t touch us when we’re up in our trees.”
“They can if there are ghasts and spiders with them, and there will be, you can be sure of that.”
“Then what do you expect us to do?” Baker asked.
“We have to leave here and head to a place that’s more defensible,” Gameknight explained. “There aren’t enough forces here to stand up against Herobrine. I’m sure he’s built his army back up by now. That evil virus will hit us with everything he has.”
“Then we need to go get more troops.”
“That would be great, of course,” the User-that-is-not-a-user said. “You have somewhere in mind?”
“I know of a place in the savanna, southwest of here,” Baker said. “It’s the biggest village around, and they have defenses that could keep even the mightiest of armies back.”
“We must move fast then. If Herobrine catches us out in the open, we’ll be in serious trouble.” Gameknight motioned to Carver who came to his side. “They spotted spiders watching us. You can be sure Herobrine knows where we are. We can’t stay here and rest.”
The stocky NPC nodded, then sighed. He was clearly exhausted, but as soon as he turned to face his villagers, he stood straight and tall, making it seem as if he could take on the world if necessary. His example inspired the others, making them all stand tall as well and push their fatigue aside for a little while longer.
He’s a real leader, Gameknight thought with a bit of jealousy.
Quickly, the villagers gathered around the well to hear the plan, then moved out of the desert and into the mega taiga, traveling to the west for an hour before curving to the southwest, toward the distant savanna. But as they walked, Gameknight could feel the burning red eyes of the spiders watching and waiting, and he knew Herobrine’s army was likely closing the distance.
CHAPTER 14
ENEMY REVEALED
The spider struggled through the desert sands, her HP dangerously low. She’d been running the entire day, starting from where they had seen the blacksmith and his rabble, and was heading toward the distant Dragon’s Teeth, where the Maker would be waiting. But her health was continuing to drop; the rays of the sun doing little to replenish the energy she was consuming. Now, with the sun slowly setting behind the horizon, there was little hope of receiving any more HP from the glowing solar face. Hopefully, there would be some green moss nearby when she reached her final destination. If there wasn’t, then it was likely she wouldn’t survive the night. But it didn’t matter; the spider was serving her queen, and there was nothing more important than that.
Pausing for a moment, the fuzzy monster collapsed to the ground to catch her breath. The four rocky spires were now easily visible beyond the next sand dune. The Maker would be there. Once she told him of the blacksmith’s whereabouts, then her task would be complete and she could disappear into oblivion in peace, having served her queen to the end.
Standing on eight shaky legs, the dark creature picked herself back up and labored up the sand dune before tumbling down the other side, landing on hard stone. She’d moved out of the desert and into the extreme hills biome; at least that helped with the heat.
She stood and found one of her legs didn’t work very well.
“I musssst have injured it when I fell,” she said to herself.
Ahead, the spider could hear the sorrowful moans of zombies and the clattering of skeletons; she was almost there. Gathering all of her strength, the monster scurried across the rocky ground, pulling her one useless leg as she struggled to move. The claw on the injured appendage dragged across the ground, making a loud scraping sound that echoed off the stone cliffs nearby. She moved faster, trying to reach her goal before her HP ran out.
Suddenly, a tall, dark-red Enderman appeared before her. He reached down and picked up her frail body. A tingling sensation began to cover her skin as a cloud of purple particles filled her vision. For the briefest instant, she was able to see rocky cliffs and bright lava spilling down a steep stone spire, and a dark figure staring at her. The two images overlapped on each other; it was confusing. The spider wasn’t sure where she was, and had the feeling of being at two places at once. Then, in a flash, she materialized before her Maker, Herobrine.
“Maker, he hassss been found,” the spider said with a weak voice.
She could feel her health failing, she had to speak quickly.
“The blackssssmith.”
“You found the blacksmith?” Herobrine asked, his eyes glowing bright.
The spider nodded her head. She was beginning to feel faint.
“He issss with a group of villagerssss to the ssssouth … wesssst,” The spider was struggling to stay conscious. “Three ssssissssterssss follow him. The queen issss being informed.”
“This is excellent,” Herobrine said, turning away from the fuzzy monster. “This means Shaikulud will be pursuing them soon, if she is not already … perfect!”
“What do you want to do with this spider?” Erebus asked. “She does not have long to live.”
“I don’t care. Do what you want with her,” the Maker replied. “She has delivered her message and is no longer of any use to me.”
“Very well,” Erebus said, then disappeared. In seconds, he reappeared. “I left the spider in a dungeon. She’ll be able to eat the moss off the stone walls and survive.”
“Why do you think I care what happens to that spider?” Herobrine growled. “It’s only one spider; I have hundreds of them!”
“Yes, Maker,” the king of the Endermen replied.
“Erebus, it’s time to assemble the army,” the evil virus said. “Send some Endermen to find Shaikulud and her spider army.”
Erebus glanced at three Endermen and pointed with a dark fist. They nodded and disappeared in a cloud of lavender mist in search of the spider queen.
“Send the rest of your Endermen to collect my monster army,” Herobrine ordered. “Have them congregate in the chamber below us. When we learn of the spiders’ location, we’ll teleport my monsters to them.”
“Will we attack the blacksmith when we find him?” Erebus asked, his eyes glowing red with evil excitement.
“No.”
“No?” the Enderman king asked, confused.
“No. Instead, we’ll push him across the Overworld to a place of our choosing. The foolish villager will think that the danger lies with my army, but we’ll only be herding the NPCs to a place where my ghasts will destroy them. The idiotic fools will be looking to the ground, when they should have been keeping their eyes to the sky.” He laughed an evil, malicious laugh, his eyes glowing like blazing suns.
“As long as we keep Smithy’s attention focused on us, then we can drive him toward their doom. And in that moment, when nearly all of the villagers in his army are destroyed by my ghasts, you, Erebus, king of the Endermen, will teleport with me so you can watch me destroy the blacksmith with my own hands. Once he’s gone, there will be nothing to bring the villagers together, for he’s the only real leader amongst the NPCs. With his destruction, the rest of the villages will fall one after the other, for they are all cowards.”
“That is a fantastic plan,” Erebus said.
“Of course it is, fool!” Herobrine snapped. “Now go and bring me my monsters. I grow impatient standing here when my enemy is out there, waiting to be destroyed.”
The king of the Endermen nodded, then disappeared in a cloud of purple mist. Herobrine closed his eyes, then teleported to the
top of Dragon’s Teeth, standing atop the tallest of the rocky spires. The sky to the west had turned a blood-red as the sun nestled behind the distant mountains and trees. That was his favorite moment, when the sky looked as if it had been stained in battle, but it only lasted for just a second. In no time, the sky had already changed to a dark crimson, then to black as the stars began to shine down on him.
Around him, sparkling orange clouds oozed from the stone peak and spread out in all directions, seeking the pristine white clouds that held the all-important ghasts within their misty rectangles.
“Soon, my infected clouds will cover all of Minecraft,” Herobrine cackled. “With my massive army below and my ghasts above, nothing will be able to stand against me, not even the famous Smithy of the Two-swords. Soon, all of Minecraft will be mine.”
He then laughed a vile, hate-filled laugh that made the very fabric of the Overworld cringe in fear.
CHAPTER 15
THE TRAP IS SPRUNG
The army ran all through the night and into the morning, trying to distance themselves from the spiders in hot pursuit. Gameknight knew they couldn’t sprint the whole distance to the savanna village; some of Carver’s NPCs were still weak from their battle with the ghasts that destroyed their village. So they shifted from sprinting to running, then to walking. They moved as fast as they could, and sometimes the weaker ones were scooped up and carried by the stronger.
It started to rain just before sunrise. Many of the villagers grumbled about getting wet, but rain was also a blessing in disguise; it meant they were more difficult to see. Even still, Gameknight hated the rain, for it meant clouds overhead. As they moved across the Overworld, the User-that-is-not-a-user kept his eyes on the dark storm clouds above them, watching for the telltale tentacles that would dangle below the misty rectangles right before an attack. Fortunately, the rain clouds overhead were devoid of ghasts.
For some reason, Wilbur seemed to like the downpour. The little pig jumped into small puddles and rolled through muddy creeks, trying to get as dirty as possible. It was a great distraction for the NPCs; they all smiled as they watched the simple joy on the animal’s face. Unfortunately, the rain only lasted a few hours, and eventually the sun peeked up over the eastern horizon and began repainting the heavens overhead.
Herobrine's War Page 8