The Phantom Virus

by Mark Cheverton

  “We should go back and finish them off!” Hunter yelled from the back of a powerful white horse. “We can’t just leave a group of monsters that size wandering around. They must be destroyed.”

  “Not yet!” shouted the NPC Gameknight was sitting behind. He guessed he was the squad’s commander.

  “But we have to fight,” Hunter complained. “We can’t just run away.”

  “We aren’t running away,” the commander replied, then turned and glanced at Hunter with a smile.

  Gameknight looked back at the narrow passage. He could see all the remaining spiders flowing out of it like a terrible storm of claws and fangs. The riders galloped out onto the wide, rusty plain, then stopped and turned their horses around to face their adversary. But instead of charging, they kept back, waiting for the spiders to approach.

  “What are you doing?” Hunter said as she aimed an arrow at the approaching monsters.

  “Wait for it,” the commander said in a strong, clear voice.

  “But they’re getting closer,” Hunter complained.

  “Hunter, take it easy,” Gameknight said. “I have the feeling they know what they’re doing.”

  She gave him a scowl, then lowered her bow and waited.

  “Almost there,” the commander said, and then he raised his iron sword high over his head. “NOW!” he screamed.

  Twenty archers stood up from holes they’d been crouching in and fired out onto the swarm of monsters that were now out in the open. Drawing their arrows as fast as possible, they launched their deadly projectiles into the fuzzy bodies. Not waiting for permission, Hunter leapt to the ground and began firing her own magical arrows, their flaming shafts streaking through the air like bolts of enchanted lightning. In a second, Stitcher was at her side, adding her own shots. Gameknight jumped down and stood guard over the sisters as they fired.

  The spiders, realizing the trap, charged straight toward the horsemen, their angry eyes glowing with hatred, hoping to get close enough that their arrows would not be as effective. One of the monsters broke through the chaos and ran toward the two girls. Gameknight leapt forward and attacked the beast. He spun to the left and slashed at the monster, then rolled to the right and attacked its exposed side. Jumping high into the air, he landed on the monster’s back, bringing his two swords down in a lethal blow that took the rest of the creature’s HP. It disappeared with a pop, dropping Gameknight999 onto the ground on his back. Before he could roll over, a pair of spiders immediately jumped at him. Gameknight brought his diamond sword up in time to block one of the curved claws, but he could see from the corner of his eye that second spider was readying an attack that he wouldn’t be able to defend.

  The cavalry commander was suddenly there at his side. His iron sword came down on the creature, and it leapt back, away from Gameknight999. Once on his feet, the User-that-is-not-a-user charged into the fray, swinging his dual swords with lethal accuracy. He attacked one spider, jumped to the side to avoid a claw, and swung at another target. With the cavalry commander at his side, he carved through the monster horde, the NPCs fighting next to him just as successfully.

  Soon, the archers had whittled down the monsters’ HP to the point that the cavalry could charge forward with their swords to finish the creatures. Back in the chasm they had just escaped, Gameknight999 could see three of the spiders limping back into the Bryce. By the amount of damage they had sustained, he guessed they were not likely to survive long.

  “Thank you,” Gameknight said as he stood next to the nameless, mysterious warrior who’d brought his troops forward to save them all. “How did you—”

  “No time for questions. It's getting dark,” the warrior said. “We need to get back to our village.” He led his horse around by the reins and addressed his troops. “Everyone to the village, fast.”

  He then leapt up onto his horse and offered the User-that-is-not-a-user a hand. Gameknight put away his swords and jumped up onto the horse. The warrior turned and checked that everyone was ready to ride, then headed across the rolling hills and their village that Gameknight thought must be hidden somewhere beyond.

  CHAPTER 13

  THE NEXT VICTIM

  Gameknight spotted the village just as the sun started to kiss the horizon. They paused for a moment at the top of a tall grass-covered hill, allowing those within the village to clearly see them. It gave Gameknight999 the opportunity to see this new community. It mostly looked like any other grassland village, with wooden houses clustered around a central well and a tall watchtower looming high over the buildings. But there was one fundamental difference about this village: it was fortified to the teeth.

  A high wall surrounded all the houses, but instead of being a single block deep, as would be normal for a village, this barricade was four blocks thick, with archer towers located every twenty blocks. Long fortified ramps extended out over the edge of the walls with holes for pouring water or firing arrows on monsters directly beneath. Large gun ports in the walls aligned with the TNT cannons that sat in the village’s courtyard, stacks of TNT standing at the ready. When fired, the TNT cannons would launch their projectiles through the holes in the wall, protecting the cannon crew from attack, but letting their deadly cargo reach the attacking forces.

  Gameknight also noticed that all across the grassy plain were holes two blocks deep. He was sure these were murder holes, traps into which an unwary monster could fall, allowing a villager to attack their legs from the safety of underground tunnels.

  An NPC waved a long red banner from the top of the watchtower, signaling that they’d been seen and it was safe to approach. The horsemen kicked their mounts forward, moving at a trot toward the village. When they reached the fortified walls, a set of outer iron doors swung open, revealing a narrow tunnel. They rode through the narrow passage in single file. At the other end was another set of iron doors that stood closed. Holes in the walls of the tunnel were filled with bristling arrows as archers watched the armed party enter. The far doors opened when the leader gave the correct password, allowing the warriors to finally enter the village, the doors closing quickly behind.

  “These are some impressive defenses,” Crafter said to the leader.

  “We have good cause to be cautious,” the leader replied.

  “By the way, we thank you for your assistance,” Crafter said. “What is your name?”

  “I am the village’s butcher, but my friends call me Butch,” he replied. “Welcome to our village.”

  Gameknight slid off the back of Butch’s horse.

  “How is it you happened to be out there in the mesa at the exact moment we needed you?” Digger asked as he approached Gameknight, his pickaxe resting on his shoulder.

  “Our scouts saw the fireworks go off in the air and figured it was a signal for help,” Butch explained.

  “You had scouts out there?” Gameknight asked.

  “We have scouts everywhere,” Butch replied. “Our village sits near a zombie-town, a skeleton-town, and a creeper hive. Actually, I was surprised when we saw that it was only spiders attacking. You got off easy.”

  “Easy? There were forty or fifty spiders out there!” Hunter exclaimed.

  “We’ve seen ten times that number at our gates,” Butch said. “Forty or fifty are just an annoyance.”

  “Well, we’re certainly grateful that you had that scout out there,” Stitcher said.

  “We’ve learned to always be watching,” Butch said. “The monster villages around us are always attacking, and we must be ready at all times.”

  “That is a wise attitude,” Crafter said, nodding his head.

  Butch turned and looked down at the young boy.

  “I’ve never seen a crafter as young as you,” Butch said, an eyebrow raised.

  “It’s a long story,” Crafter replied, casting a knowing grin toward Gameknight. Butch followed the glance, then stepped up to the User-that-is-not-a-user.

  “I know who you are, of course. That was nice work with your t
wo swords … just like Smithy, right?”

  “No one is just like Smithy, I understand,” Gameknight said.

  Butch nodded in agreement. “Tell me, who are your companions?”

  A group of villagers were now beginning to congregate around the newcomers.

  “I’m Gameknight999. This is Crafter, Digger, Hunter, Stitcher, and Herder.”

  Butch and the other warriors bowed their heads to the guests.

  A howling sound from outside the fortified village echoed across the grasslands. Gameknight looked at Herder and found the boy was smiling and glancing toward the iron gates. Holding up a hand to signal him to wait, the User-that-is-not-a-user shook his head, causing the smile on Herder’s face to dim slightly.

  “Wolves, a lot of them,” a voice said from the barricade.

  Butch looked at Gameknight999, a confused look on his face.

  “Those are friends of ours,” the User-that-is-not-a-user explained.

  “Hmm,” Butch said as he considered this idea, then looked at one of the guards.

  The warrior pushed a lever on the wall, causing the gates to open. A dozen wolves streaked into the village and headed straight for Herder. The lanky NPC knelt and petted each one, then gave every member of the pack a skeleton bone. Tiny red hearts appeared above each as they devoured the treat.

  Gameknight laughed as he saw more confusion filling Butch’s eyes.

  Crafter stepped forward and spoke in a low voice. “We’re thankful that you saved us, and it would be great to stand around and celebrate, but I need to talk with your crafter. I fear your village is in danger.”

  “Look around you,” Butch said in a loud voice. “I pity the monster army that wants to test their strength against our defenses. We’ve faced large groups of monsters before. We are not afraid.”

  “Still, we must talk with your crafter. In private,” Crafter insisted.

  Just then, a commotion came from the tall stone watchtower. Turning, Gameknight saw an old figure moving through the crowd, his long gray hair hanging in tangled clumps around his shoulders, dark brown eyes staring directly at the newcomers.

  “Well now’s your chance. Here he comes now,” Butch said, pointing to the aged NPC.

  Crafter moved forward and held out a hand. The old crafter looked at the young boy before them, then glanced at his black smock with a gray stripe running down the center and smiled. Extending his wrinkled hand, he shook Crafter’s hand, then patted him on the back.

  “You are far from home, I think,” the old crafter said.

  “That is indeed true,” Crafter replied. “We are here on a quest to stop Herobrine from hurting NPCs across Minecraft.”

  “Herobrine,” the old man croaked. “He’s gone. Can you not feel the difference in the fabric of Minecraft? That poisonous creature has been expelled.”

  “We know that,” Gameknight said, getting impatient.

  The old crafter looked up at the brash user who had pushed through the crowd, then froze in shock as he saw that no server thread connected him to the server.

  “You’re the—”

  “Yeah, yeah, he’s the User-that-is-not-a-user,” Hunter said as she moved to Crafter’s side. “Get over it. We're here on important business and don’t have time for pleasantries.”

  “Hunterrrr,” Stitcher said, rolling her eyes.

  “What?” the older sister replied with a harrumph.

  “Herobrine has set up traps that are doing a lot of damage to villages across Minecraft,” Gameknight999 explained, “and we think this village is his next target.”

  “Well, I can assure you that’s not possible,” the old man stopped to cough for a moment. “Because Herobrine is dead, and dead people don’t lay traps.”

  Gameknight could tell this NPC was incredibly old, maybe as old as Crafter had been when they’d first met.

  “We were the ones that destroyed Herobrine,” he told the crafter. “Well … we thought we did. We thought the same thing you think now, that Herobrine is gone forever. But he’s been leaving traps and messages for us. Or at least someone pretending to be Herobrine is. It’s not as simple as you think.”

  “Sorry,” the crafter replied. “I can assure you, regardless of whether Herobrine is alive or dead, no monsters will breach these walls. They are impregnable. We are quite safe.”

  The wolves suddenly stopped pacing and all turned to face to the southwest. The pack leader growled as his eyes turned bright red, causing the fur on the other wolves to bristle and stand out as more growls joined their leader.

  “What’s happening?” Herder asked.

  “Nothing, why?” Butch replied.

  A banging sound came from atop the watchtower. Looking up, Gameknight could see an NPC striking a piece of armor with the flat of his sword. Once he had everyone’s attention, the watcher pointed off to the southwest.

  “Quickly, to the walls!” Butcher yelled as he ran for the stairs.

  Gameknight sprinted after the warrior, his enchanted diamond sword already in his hand. When they reached the top of the wide, fortified wall, they could see a rider galloping as fast as he could straight toward the village. Behind the rider there seemed to be a series of square shadows forming. In the dim light of dusk, the oranges and reds of the sunset made it difficult to tell what was happening. But one thing was clear to Gameknight: the shadows were closing on the warrior.

  Glancing over his shoulder, the rider looked at the square shadows. Kicking his horse into a sprint, he rode faster, straight for the village, but the shadows formed in random places behind him, getting closer and closer. Gameknight and his friends watched from a distance, a feeling of dread building in their stomachs. The rider wasn’t going to make it.

  They were right. A few moments later, the shadowy blocks finally overtook the horse and rider, and they immediately disappeared.

  “What happened?” Butch cried aloud. “Was he teleported or something? What are those shadows?”

  Gameknight sighed, for he knew what they were. “Those aren’t shadows, they’re holes. Herobrine is creating holes in the landscape that probably go all the way down to bedrock, and he’s aiming those holes at this village.”

  “What do we do?” Butch asked, his voice, for the first time, showing a hint of fear.

  Gameknight turned and looked at Butch, a look of sadness on his face as he spoke two words:

  “We run!”

  CHAPTER 14

  HOLES

  “EVERYONE, RUN!” Butcher boomed as he sprinted down the steps.

  All around him, villagers ran for the stairs that led down to the ground. Gameknight followed, right behind a group of warriors. He put away his swords and pulled out a shovel, scanning the ground. Suddenly, a hole opened beneath part of the fortified wall far to the left. An entire section of the cobblestone collapsed as a group of NPCs still on top of the wall fell into the void, their cries echoing as they plunged into darkness. Gameknight held back a tear as he listened to the voices. They were not yelling out in fear, for they all knew their fates. Instead, they were saying goodbye to loved ones as they plummeted to their deaths.

  Gameknight wanted to run to them, to help somehow, but he knew there was no way to save those who had already vanished into the cavernous holes in the ground. He had to find the sign and kill the redstone that was powering the hidden command block to prevent more NPCs from dying.

  “Everyone look for a sign!” Gameknight shouted. “It’s got to be here somewhere. Under it there will be—”

  The ground right next to him disappeared. He felt a slight breeze when the sandy earth fell away, then a wave of heat burst from the empty shaft. Looking down into the hole, Gameknight saw that the abyss stretched down until it disappeared into the haze, probably descending all the way down to the bedrock. Lava was oozing out of a gap in the square shaft, slowly crawling down the side of the opening, the heat from the lava blasting out as if he were standing next to a furnace.

  Wails of grief rose from t
he villagers as more of their family and friends were consumed by the insidious holes. But none of them stood around and mourned. Instead, they all fled their village and ran for their lives.

  We have to find that sign, fast, or this village is doomed, Gameknight thought.

  “Gameknight, come on!” a voice said from behind him.

  Turning, he found Herder standing behind him.

  “We have to get out of this village … NOW!”

  The lanky boy grabbed Gameknight’s armor and pulled him away. They ran around the many gaping holes that now peppered the village, heading for the iron gates. Curving this way and that, Gameknight and Herder made it out of the village, having to leap aside once as the ground crumbled under their feet. They shot through the iron gates that now stood open and out onto the grassy plains that surrounded the village. Many of the NPCs were already there, weeping as they stood and watched their village being slowly and methodically destroyed.

  “Don’t bunch together!” Gameknight shouted. “If a hole appeared under the group, all of you would be goners. Spread out. We still need to find the signs. Everyone spread out and look for them before your entire village is destroyed!”

  The sound of this threat got the villagers moving. They spread out around the landscape, looking for a lone sign, but the grassy plains were large and the sign could be anywhere.

  “Gameknight,” Herder said.

  The User-that-is-not-a-user didn’t hear; he was too preoccupied with scanning the darkening landscape, looking for that piece of wood sticking out of the ground that would be this village’s salvation.

  “Gameknight!” Herder insisted.

  “What?” the User-that-is-not-a-user snapped.

  “I think I can send the wolves out to find the sign,” the young boy said.

  “What? … um, I mean, do it!”

  Herder knelt next to the largest of the wolves and spoke in a calm voice.

  “Find the sign.”

  The wolf instantly sprang into action. He barked a series of commands to the other wolves, then streaked away into the darkness.

  Growing impatient, Gameknight paced back and forth, waiting for some signal. He glanced up at the sky. The square face of the sun had dipped completely below the horizon, the stars pushing through the dark veil that stretched overhead. As the sky changed from the crimson glow of sunset to the darkness of night, the moon rose, casting a silvery hue across the grasslands, giving them enough light to see.